not falling down

Arrested Development has been cancelled, which is also sad. Every year or two people are angry and vocal about the fact that Fox will air one brilliant show, and then, as soon as it’s been running for nine episodes, kill it off. It’s kind of amazing that Arrested Development lasted as long as it did. The simple fact is that network executives like audiences that watch many of their programs–the people who will watch not just the primetime hit, but the lead-in and the follow-up. Even if a show has decent ratings and a psychotic interweb following, it won’t last if its audience only watches it. Sic AD, sic Wonderfalls, sic Firefly.

Personally, I think TV Land, which gave the show a Future Classic award, should put its money where its mouth is. Arrested Development’s budget can’t cost that much more than the syndication rights to M*A*S*H or whatever. I mean, what are you paying for? Four sets and Ron Howard’s roboharem?

Sumana asked the other night whether there was any depth to which I wouldn’t sink for a story idea. I have discovered that there is. I just can’t try to pawn this off as fiction.

C O R Y

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PALO ALTO, CA — Researchers at Stanford University have announced that the hole in Earth’s ozone layer is rapidly being filled by another stratum of the atmosphere.

“We’ve done spectroscopic analysis,” said Doctor Cory Wonkette-Searls on Thursday, “and Dooce Gaiman at Washington State has obtained confirming results. The replacement gas is coming from the blogosphere.”

“I wouldn’t want to be in Antarctica right now,” he added. “Wheeoo.”

The ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation, and has been depleted by chlorofluorocarbon pollution. The blogosphere, composed of superheated air and self-absorbed methane, is separated from life on Earth by several orders of magnitude.