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Not much to say about the season finale of the Sopranos last night. I first thought I was being cheated by not having guns blazing as the credits rolled – but then after hearing all the chatter on the Junkies this morning about the open ended-ness and possible interpretations, the brilliance started to shine through. The last scene was super intense with Journey playing in the background, the bells on the doors being rung every time someone walked in, Meadow struggling with parallel parking, and some potential perps glancing at Tony. There’s actually some good discussion in the comments on Digg.

And where the Sopranos had everyone hanging on till the bitter end, the NBA didn’t give the fans a show at all. I switched to the game after the Sopranos ended to see the Cavs getting spanked by the Spurs 51-27 sometime in the 2nd quarter. I turned it off after that…

As consumers, we are often slaves to our cable company by the location of our house. Aside from getting Satellite TV, there isn’t really a choice other than the cable company that’s assigned to your area. Living near the edge of Arlington County in Fairfax County, I am stuck with Cox Cable. Just a few hundred yards away in Arlington County, you can have Comcast Cable. Although many people hate Comcast cable, I’d rather have it than Cox. At least Comcast is trying to take steps forward by making a deal with TiVo to use their amazing DVR software (which is very much delayed), HBO onDemand in HD (which no one else has), as well as consistently adding HD channels like The Food Network faster than Cox Cable to their HD lineup.

The new star on the block is Verizon FiOS. I only know one person that has it, but he likes it because it’s cheaper and you get more. Soon, it looks like he’ll be getting a lot more with the rollout of the new Interactive Media Guide (IMG). It’s rare that a big company will sit back and design a product that addresses the consumer’s everyday gripes about a product rather than just pushing something out into the market just to be there. You can tell that Verizon listened to consumers, and then thought about how to make the TV experience simpler, more convenient, and enjoyable again. It also looks like they took a page out of XBOX 360’s book with navigation tabs (or blades as the 360 calls it). They’ll even be rolling out Weather, News and Stock widgets in the future. It’s a shame I’m not eligible for FiOS where I live.

Take a look at some screenshots or the video preview of IMG’s design and functionality.

TV to me is dying a slow death. I used to come home from work and knock out 2-4 hours of programs off my TiVo and DVR every night, but with the combination of adding studying to my daily routine and bland story lines – my season’s passes are dropping like flies.

Another factor that has come into play is the addition of 2 magazine subscriptions. I now subscribe to Wired and Business Week. Who knew there’d be so much pressure that comes along with getting a new magazine every week? What are you watching, and is there anything that I absolutely should add to my “keepers” list?

Dropped:
The OC (couldn’t even finish out the final season)
Lost
Heroes
Most MTV reality shows

Keepers:
Prison Break
Grey’s Anatomy
How I Met Your Mother
The Office

Hanging on by a Thread:
24 (Jack, please don’t kill me)
Scrubs

Yes, I’ve raved about Tivo all the time, but I think it’s taken over my life. Yes, it allows me to watch my favorite shows on my own time, but I didn’t think that I’d be watching my favorite shows all the time. I’m not even sure how many Seasons passes I have right now, but it has to be about 30 or so. Yesterday I watched 3 straight hours of TV, with no commercials – and a second tv with Monday Night Football on it. Somebody help me. Below is a list my Seasons Passes (not in order) that I can remember, have I missed anything good?

1. The OC
2. Laguna Beach
3. The Apprentice
4. Arrested Development
5. The Family Guy
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. The Real World: Austin
8. Lost
9. Prison Break
10. Jeopardy
11. My Name is Earl
12. The Office
13. That 70’s Show
14. Making The Band Part 3
15. nip/tuck.
16. Desperate Housewives
17. Mind of Mencia
18. Chapelle’s Show (if it ever comes back on, I’ll be ready!)

The blood pressure raising season finale was last night and it definitely disappoint. But throughout the last 24 episodes, I’ve noticed that 24’s view on the world is slightly modified for Tv.

1. Jack Bauer is more important than the President.
2. Jack Bauer’s cell phone has the most amazing battery life known to man.
3. Even during highly secretive missions, it is not necessary to put your cell phone into “vibrate” mode.
4. Everything revolves around Los Angelos
5. You can get anywhere in LA within say…15-20 minutes.
6. It is not necessary to eat.