First, I want to acknowledge the comic element of using the system that isn’t working correctly to notify email subscribers of recent delivery issues. But, since the problems aren’t happening to everyone on the list everyday, it is the quickest way to get the info out there about what you may have, or have not, noticed happening with your TVaholic email subscription recently.

So, What’s the Problem?

Basically, FeedBurner is having email server issues, which is causing some email subscribers to not receive the daily emails on time or at all on some days. FeedBurner allows you to do lots of cool things, like track the number of RSS feed subscribers and send all posts for the last 24 hours out via email once a day to those subscribed via email. The service has been almost 100% problem-free since TVaholic began using it February 2007 until the beginning of this month.

For example: I didn’t receive an email on March 1st, but did on the 2nd, but not on the 3rd. Then everything seemed to be working fine until I received the March 1st email on the 12th, along with that days email, and yesterday I got the March 5th email, but not the one for yesterday. I had signed up a second email address to see if it was just a problem with my email address and everything there was fine until two days ago, when no message was received at that email address, but it arrived just fine at the original email address.

According to the FeedBurner forums, they know about the issue and are working to resolve it as soon as possible. Hopefully, that will be really soon. I am looking into alternatives in case this turns into a prolonged problem.

If you have noticed this, as it isn’t necessarily happening to everyone, sorry for any inconvenience or confusion this may have created.

If you are like me, then you have waited to the last minute to finish your shopping and you still have a couple of people left on your list. Well, are they a big TV fan? Do they have a favorite show they are always talking about? Do they have an ever-growing TV on DVD library? If any of those describes them, then these ideas may be of help to you. If they don’t, then just take these ideas and substitute “avid reader,” “movie aficionado,” “music fan,” or whatever else it is they love and voilà, they will still be of help to you.

So, here are a few last minute Christmas gift ideas that you can still get right up until the wrapping paper starts to fly, without even needing to leave the house. Cause, no one should be doing their last minute shopping at a gas station like Chandler and Joey. There will be no gifting of new car smell, toilet seat covers or cola drinks this year.

• Audible.com Gift Certificates - Don’t they sell audio books? What does that have to do with TV? Well, the TVaholic is glad you asked. Thanks to a tip from the TV addict, I now know they also have some cool audio recordings of interviews and discussions with the casts of some great TV shows like 24, 30 Rock, Brothers & Sisters, Dexter and Lost that were recorded at The Paley Center for Media (formerly, The Museum for Television & Radio). These are also available at iTunes .
• Amazon.com Gift Certificates - You can print out a certificate to give in person or have it sent via email. Then the TVaholic on your list can purchase just what they want. Whether it is TV shows on DVD, books about TV, soundtracks, downloads at Amazon Unbox , or anything else, they will be very happy with your gift. Printing the certificate out and giving it with a nice note or card is a great way to solve that last minute gift problem.
• iTunes Gift Certificates - Give them the gift of TV shows on their iPod. They can find hundreds of shows available on iTunes, as it is more than just music. But, if they like that as well, there are plenty of great TV show soundtracks available for their listening pleasure. The Paley Center audios mentioned above are also available here. You can print out the gift certificates or email them.
• Magazine Subscriptions - There are many TV related magazines to choose from, like Entertainment Weekly, Everyday With Rachael Ray, Lost, Nickelodeon, O, Sci Fi, Smallville, TV Guide, TV Guide Crosswords and more. It’s the gift that keeps giving all year long, or however long it is you subscribe.
• Netflix Gift Subscription – Hey, don’t they do movies? Yes they do, but they also have pretty much every TV show that gets released on DVD available, as well. It is perfect for catching up on shows they have missed or ones they want to reacquaint themselves with again but without having to buy every TV on DVD boxed set that comes out. This includes many of the classic and newly classic British TV show hits like Coupling, The Office and more that they have heard of, but have yet to see. You can print the gift certificate or send it via email.

Well, there they are. Five ideas to finish off that Christmas gift list at the last minute. Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas!

Well, the TVaholic is a bit older, but the site, TVaholic.com, has turned two today. It was two years ago that the first post went live on the site. There has been a lot of fun had, tv shows watched and posts written over the past year, since the site’s first birthday.

Some Happenings From the Last Year at TVaholic

• The consecutive daily posting streak of Tonight on the Tube came to an end at 466, when a huge windstorm blew through Western Washington and left me without power for a week, back in December 2006. The new streak stands at 240 as of this morning.
• Changed the tagline from, “The first step is admitting that you have a… Oh Wait! The commercials are over” to “Helping You Find the Prime in Primetime.” Which, I think accurately describes what TVaholic provides. Help in finding the good stuff each night on TV, or at least the best the night has to offer.
• Lifetime sent the TVaholic his first review screener for their new show Side Order of Life. Since, others have been received, like Damages on FX and Flash Gordon on Sci Fi Channel. If you are reading this and happen to be a publicist for a TV show or network, you can find where to send screeners and show information on the Contact Info page. We thank you in advance for your consideration.
• Sci Fi Channel invited the TVaholic to tour the sets of Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, Flash Gordon and Stargate Atlantis up in Vancouver, B.C. for what was billed, the Sci Fi Channel Digital Press Tour. It took place at the end of June 2007. Being just a 2½ hour car ride away, not including time spent at the border crossing, and that I was already going to be on vacation from my job at the time, this trip was a no-brainer. Check out the photo gallery for some great shots from the set tours. Also, take a look at the video player for Q&A sessions with the cast members from each show that took place on the set of each show.
• Put together a Printable Fall 2007 Primetime TV Schedule (PDF) for subscribers to TVaholic. It all fits on one page, in daily grid format. So, you can find out which shows play on which nights, when they premiere and what they are up against in each hour of primetime. Want one? All you need to do is subscribe via email to TVaholic and you will find a link marked Free Subscriber Download at the bottom of the first post, once you have verified your subscription. Or, for those who prefer RSS, you can grab the feed and subscribe that way as well.
• The Ultimate Guide to the Fall 2007 TV Schedule was posted recently. There you can find links to video previews, new and returning show information, premiere dates and more.

Some TVaholic Site Stats

Total Posts: 992 including this one (483 over this past year)
Total Comments: 174 (142 over this past year)

Three Most Viewed Posts:

• Has the TV show Men in Trees been cancelled? And More of Your TV Show Questions – This page has been viewed about 17,000 times since it was posted on November 29th, 2006. When ABC dropped the show from its schedule in early 2007, people started searching for what happened to it and finding this page from back in November. So, I updated it with the post that turned out to be the second most viewed over the last year.
• Where is Men in Trees filmed? And, Has it Been Cancelled? Plus More TV Questions Answered – This one has been viewed over 14,000 times since it was posted on March 8th, 2007. This includes over 1500 just this month. Fans still want to know what happened to the show. The post has been updated multiple times since then with links out the most current info on Men in Trees and its return to the Friday night lineup this fall, October 12th.
• Why did Lola Glaudini leave the show Criminal Minds? And More of Your TV Show Questions – This post has been viewed about 7700 times since it was posted back on November 1st, 2006.

The TVaholic’s Three Favorite Posts:

• ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas — 2006 – This is a TVaholic and TV inspired version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
• Touring the Small Town, Big Sets of Eureka on Sci Fi Channel – This was my favorite part of the set tours mentioned above, as of last summer this had become one of my favorite shows.
• Review: Damages - Series Premiere on FX – Just really like how the beginning and ending of the review tie together, given what you find out in the final scene of the “Pilot” episode of the show.

Goals for the Coming Year at TVaholic

• Continue to Grow the Subscriber Base – Why become a subscriber, besides the free printable TV schedule? Well, easy access to all the great content here at TVaholic, either via your feed reader or via email, which includes Tonight on the Tube. It is a daily post featuring news and info relevant to that day or shows on that night, where you will find picks for what to watch, reminders of show premieres and finales, listings of TV marathons, commentary, mini reviews and more.
• Comment More on Others Sites/Grow Comments Here – This was on here last year as well. I have done a better job at times commenting on things out in the blogosphere, but I still don’t do it enough. As for comments here on TVaholic, there were almost five times more than the first year, but really not that many. It has picked up over the summer though on some of the reviews.
• Write More Reviews – This one might actually help out with the previous goal.
• Conduct and Post More Interviews – TVaholic has been a part of some conference calls and group Q&As, but would like to bring more of them to you, as well as, individual interviews in the coming year.

Here’s to an even bigger and better third year!

So you have been running around this holiday season looking for the perfect gift for that special someone. You know they really like watching TV and even know what some of their favorite shows are but didn’t come up with anything good while out trudging through the malls. Well you are in luck. Here are a few Christmas gift ideas that you can still get right up until the wrapping paper starts to fly and you don’t even need to leave the house to get them.

Gift Certificates

Over at iTunes you can purchase gift certificates and send them via email. They have more than just music at iTunes. The TV fan on your list can find many of their TV favorites available for download like The Office, Lost, Prison Break and more.

Click on over to Amazon and purchase some gift certificates. You can print out a certificate to give in person or have it sent via email. The TV fan on your list can purchase just what they want. Whether it is TV shows on DVD, books about TV, soundtracks or anything else. They will be very happy with your gift. Printing the certificate out and giving it with a nice note or card can solve that last minute gift problem.

TV Show DVD Rentals

Get them a gift subscription to Netflix . They have more than just movies. If it comes out on DVD then they probably have it available. This includes every TV show that gets released on DVD. Perfect for catching up on shows they have missed or ones they want to reacquaint themselves with again but without having to buy every TV show DVD boxed set that comes out. I used it to catch up on the first season of Lost over the summer before the new season started and also to rent the original BBC The Office series. You can print the gift certificate or send it by email.

Magazine Subscriptions

Once again Amazon comes in handy. A subscription to American Idol the Magazine, Battlestar Galactica Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Everyday With Rachael Ray, Lost Magazine, Sci-Fi, TV Guide and many more would make a great gift for your friend the TV lover.

Well there they are. Four ideas to finish off that Christmas gift list at the last minute. Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas!