Get well soon, Channing.

Wait... did someone re-edit this?

More or less ever since the Mercury started, we've been occasionally covering DVDs in the Film section and on the blog—be they new releases, notable TV seasons, curiosities, whatever. When worthwhile DVD releases happen, we like to let you guys know about 'em and—as we do with most theatrically released films—insist on giving you our unasked-for opinion about whether they're worth your time and money.

So here's a question: With DVD making a slow but certain exit from the home entertainment market, and more and more high-profile films being released with better picture quality and better special features on Blu-ray, is it time for the Mercury to shift from exclusively covering DVDs to covering Blu-rays as well?

I ask this for two reasons: 1) To gauge where the Mercury's readership is at w/r/t Blu-ray adoption, and to see if we'd be helping or annoying you guys if we started covering Blu-ray releases and Blu-ray-exclusive special features. 2) To possibly justify my desire to finally suck it up and buy a Blu-ray player. (A desire that may or may not have something to do with a certain sci-fi film coming out on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow that might have something to do with Enterprises and Romulans and warp drives, and that would probably definitely look balls-out awesome in HD.) Anyway:

The Mercury's Blu-ray vs. DVD Questionnaire!

Thank you and good day.

Via Warming Glow.

Sigh.

• Sooooo sleepy... must keep eyes open... zzzz.

Are you laughing? No? What if CBS brings in Will & Grace creators, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick to produce and supervise writing? Nobody knows how to expand upon a thin concept without running the same two or three jokes into the ground like the creators of Will & Grace, right?

But don't overexcite yourself just yet. There's also this tidbit from the same article:

Fox is developing a multicamera comedy based on popular Web site TextsFromLastNight, with Sony TV and Happy Madison producing.

Will either of these sitcoms be able to repeat the success of ABC's breakout hit, Cavemen? The world holds its breath.

Hat tip to the AV Club.

Plus! Jon Hamm answers viewers' questions HERE, and the always brilliant Footnotes of Mad Men season finale wrap up is HERE.

1) HORSE KICK TO THE FACE!!
2) "Thop thaying that!"
3) HORSE KICK TO THE "FART" DEPARTMENT DOOR!!
4) "Umm… what do you mean 'affair'? I mean… sure… he works for the governor's office, and I threw a fundraiser for him, and I kissed him in my car for five minutes, but other than that I've never seen this man before in my life!"
5) On TV, crying babies are the deus ex machina of domestic abuse.
6) "I don't want to make a career out of being there for you to kick me when you fail." YA BURNT!!
7) New plan, guys. I want you to fire me so I can leave and start a new blog… BUT JOAN COMES WITH ME.
8) And you know what? Screw Conrad Hilton. What the fuck was that all about anyway?
9) A big thing in the 60s: Offering someone an amazing employment opportunity, but before they accept, you have to apologize for hurting their feelings.
10) Five bucks says the housekeeper gets stuck with Sally Draper—forever.

Here's a video of Roger's best one-liners!

Ooh! And here's one my sister sent me that originates from her hometown of Cullman, Alabama. Thanks, sis!

“So, we’re driving, two couples, I call it ‘Double Date.’ The woman in the back’s scarf blows off, and her hair starts blowing. Her hairdo falls apart. (Marty Faraday in the ‘backseat’: ’Oh no!’) And then the woman in front takes off her scarf, and hands it back to the woman in the back. (Peggy: ‘Take mine’.) And he says, ‘Are you sure Marsha?’ Marsha’s hair is perfect. And then her date gives her a knowing smile of admiration on her confident smile — Aqua Net: Arrive in Style.”

Peggy’s going to be working extra late.

Mad Men: Taking national tragedy to awkward new heights.

Extra credit: The VentriloChoir were at one point Conan O'Brien regulars. Anybody remember?

If you missed Tell Them Anything You Want—the extraordinary documentary about Where the Wild Things Are creator Maurice Sendak—when it first aired on HBO, you've got one more chance: It airs again tomorrow, Friday October 30, at 8 am on HBO2. Set your Tivo, have breakfast at the house of your one friend who has fancy-pants cable, do whatever—just figure out a way to watch it.

I blathered on a little while ago about how amazing the film is, but don't take my word for it—a few weeks ago, Tell Them Anything made the shortlist for the Oscars, and hopefully it'll compete in March under the category of Best Documentary Short. Directed by Portlander Lance Bangs and some guy you might've heard of named Spike Jonze, Tell Them Anything is only 40 minutes long, but it's one of the best films I've seen in long while. So: Watch it. Tomorrow morning. HBO2. 8 am. That is all.

Soupy Sales, whose zany television routines turned the smashing of a pie to the face into a madcap art form, died Thursday night. He was 83.

Some 20,000 pies were hurled at Soupy Sales or at visitors to his TV shows in the 1950s and ’60s, by his own count. The victims included Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis, all of whom turned up just for the honor of being creamed.

And here's a hilarious chunk from E!'s write-up:

[I]n 1965, a disgruntled Sales ended his New Year's Day broadcast of The Soupy Sales Show by instructing his young audience to creep into their parents' bedrooms, take their parents' "funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. presidents," and mail the paper to him. When money started arriving at the studio, Sales explained he was only joking and either returned the dough or donated the unreturnables to charity.

Griffin, whose party is predominantly supported by racist skinheads, has been seeking to exploit the recession and win more followers with its hard-line against immigration and of course, repeated holocaust denial. Griffin has been called all manner of names on Twitter this afternoon. The Guardian's website has been fascinating as the air-time has built up, too. This is the first footage to have emerged.

During an interview last night on CNN, the balloon boy's father asked the balloon boy why he didn't reveal himself when he heard people calling for him. The balloon boy replied by saying "it was for the show."

And during this morning's Today show, the balloon boy vomited on camera while his father swore to Meredith Viera that this is not a hoax.

Oh man. Move over Jon & Kate: The Heene family have instantly become my favorite TV characters.

It's a big week for Star Wars fans in Portland—last night, Star Wars in Concert took over the Rose Garden with a full symphony, a choir, and LASERS AND FIREBALLS. As if that wasn't enough: This Saturday at the Powell's in Beaverton, horror writer Joe Schreiber will read from his new book Death Troopers, which features ZOMBIE STORMTROOPERS.

Plus: It turns out the Star Wars cartoon, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is actually getting quite good—even if it's accompanied by a tie-in videogame that's pretty mediocre.

I'll spare you non-nerds all the nerdy details, but for the rest of you, hit the jump for a full rundown of all things lightsaber-y and Jedi-y, with reviews and/or previews of Star Wars in Concert, Star Wars: Death Troopers, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, AKA The Game with Too Many Goddamn Colons.

Man. That's a lot of Star Wars.

If you haven't experienced, live, the crazy theater success story that is Action/Adventure's serialized show Fall of the House, their new webisodes might not be the best place to start—some backstory might be helpful in parsing who's who, and what exactly they're all talking about. Fans of the show, though, will probably dig the new series, called Fothing, which is... about the theater company Action/Adventure, as they struggle to raise money to produce Fall of the House. New episodes will screen for free every Wednesday at the Woods, before going live on their snappy website on Thursdays.

How sad is it that the kindest thing I can say about Spaceballs: The Animated Series is that it isn't the worst cartoon I've ever seen? It's like Mel watched a few episodes of Futurama, and spent a weekend slapping together something in Flash that the stereotypically braindead G4 audience would enjoy almost as much as watching sweaty, nearly naked dudes hump each other into a coma.

Even with all the episodes available for free on Hulu, I can't bring myself to witness just how unfunny my favorite Jewish comedian has become in his twilight years.

I really want the man to publicly state that he's just doing this for the easy paycheck. That's the only valid excuse for this unfunny, poorly animated mess, and at his age I can only hope I have the mental faculties to sell out this hard.

Update: The series does improve as time goes on, but it still never remotely approaches the quality of Brooks' earlier work. If you have six hours to kill — sadly, I do — and absolutely HAVE to see everything Mel has done, you could feasibly consider watching this thing.

Now that he's apologized, let's recall him. And when that recall fails, let's recall him again.