The first time I saw this I quickly dismissed it as crazy Family Guy fan speculation. But now there's a Reuters article that lends it some cred. Apparently there will be web-only episodes of a talk show with Stewie as the host.

Stewie's show will be based on familyguy.com (http://www.familyguy.com) and other News Corp.-owned Web properties catering to the young demographics that have embraced the Fox series.

"We think that the property is perfectly suited for that audience," Fox Interactive Media president Ross Levinsohn said Tuesday.

He added that the idea for the show has been embraced on Madison Avenue by potential advertisers. He does not expect the program to cannibalize viewing for the Fox series or other "Family" brand extensions like DVD.

Stewie wouldn't be the first animated character to get his own talk show; that distinction belongs to "Space Ghost Coast to Coast," which aired on Cartoon Network.

Hopefully this turns into something really funny and not some crap. But since it's web-only, it may also be uncensored like the movie.

This rant is inspired by a DVD shipment I received today.

Brand new DVDs always employ a fortress of protection to ensure you can't just take the disc out of the case. But what about after you purchase it? Shouldn't you be able to get it out then? And not just get it out, but get it out without mauling your fingers or damaging the case? Well, you can't! Without further ado, in order of annoyingness...


Further Ado

Method 1: Tabs The tabs that lock the case like in the image above. What the hell? Who thought these would thwart anyone trying to steal a DVD? They do nothing but annoy someone trying to open a case. They should just go all the way and put some briefcase locks on there. The Airplane! DVD even had a sticker suggesting you rip them off once you have opened your case. So that way you can get those nice plastic tab remnants hanging off the case to remind you of the joy those tabs brought you. These things are obviously useless on their own, so why even bother putting them on?

Method 2: Plastic Wrap An outer plastic wrapping covering the entire case....if I could just tear that damn corner...then the rest is so easy...but why is the corner so friggin hard to tear. Even worse when the DVD has been shrink-wrapped so tight there are no corners and your only choice is to use something sharp and damage the case. Some of these are even more annoying because the part along the spine is actually glued to the case - you can't get it off without leaving some plastic or sticky crap on the case.

Method 3: Security Sticker The "Security Device Enclosed" sticker that goes across the edge. Ok, I got it...you don't want me to steal it. Oh, wait you tell me 2 more times on the other 2 edges. Just in case I'm stealthy enough to remove 1 sticker while in the store, there's 2 more! Try doing that without getting caught, sucker! So now I have my legitimately purchased DVD at home and am trying to get these off. If you try to get it from a corner of the label, you'll probably end up scratching the clear plastic piece. Cut across the top and you could scratch the case. And once you get it off, the case remains sticky, to remind you of your struggle and to mock you.

Method 4: Bonus Features Sticker The "Ok, this has nothing to do with security - we're just evil as hell" method. This involves a sticker boasting about bonus content or an "extra 0.142 seconds!" being placed in one of two horrible places. The first place is under the plastic, on the DVD cover sheet itself - remove it and rip off half of your front cover with it. The other place is on a box set, right on the cardboard. Once or twice you'll be pleasantly surprised it's just rubber cement and comes right off. But someday you'll get the one with the super-heavy-duty-rips-off-the-entire-side-
it's-on-if-you-try-to-remove-it glue and you'll be sorry you ever tried to pretend that DVD didn't have an extra 0.142 seconds on it.

To be fair, I have only read about Method 4, never dealt with it myself. But I can happily say that the Being John Malkovich DVD I purchased was wrapped in plastic and had tabs on it. Got through all of that and went to open it, and realized it had a clear sticker sealing the top. Maybe next time I'll only order one DVD at a time so I can spend an entire day opening it up. At which point I'll be too exhausted to watch the movie anyways.

dave submitted 2 stories related to the Steelers. First, according to The Denver Post, a teacher harassed a student wearing a Broncos jersey because he was a Steelers' fan.

A die-hard Steelers fan and teacher at Beaver Falls High School made Vannoy, 17, take a midterm test on the floor because he was sporting a John Elway No. 7 jersey. The honors ethnic relations teacher had Vannoy sit in a circle of desks, then instructed his classmates to throw paper at him.

"I was humiliated and shaking. I couldn't finish my test," said Vannoy, a Broncos fan even though he's a native of Pittsburgh Steelers country.

Teacher John Kelly thought he was "just messing around" with Vannoy, telling him he couldn't sit at any desk in his class Friday.

In the other story (via E-League forums) an employee found his Steelers' flag tossed in a trash can, so he took some revenge on his coworker's cubicle during lunch (the link has several more pictures):

CNNMoney has an article on the best time to get things like airline tickets, TVs, and more. I'll cut to the chase here - read the article for more detail.

Best times to get stuff:

Airline tickets: Wednesdays. Try to get 2 weeks before, or otherwise within just a few days of the trip.
Why: List of available seats released Wednesdays; Tickets expensive 7 to 14 days before a trip.

TVs: Spring, beginning in April.
Why: Japanese market cycle releases new models in April - old models get discounted.

Houses: Winter
Why: Less demand, better deals.

Cars: End of the month; Winter.
Why: Dealer quotas; Less demand, better deals.

Video Games: 1 to 3 months after the holidays.
Why: Holiday hype died down - discounts.

Toys: After the holidays; August.
Why: Discounts; Clearing large inventory to make room for holiday rush.

According to , a woman donated her $1.1 million estate to the government to help pay off the national debt, as she had no kids and her husband passed away.

A woman who died Nov. 9 at age 98 has bequeathed her $1.1 million estate to the federal government and requested that it be used to help pay down the $8.1 trillion national debt.

Attorney Tom Drake, the executor of Margaret Elizabeth Taylor's estate, said his client made it "very clear" what her fortune was to be used for. Her will was filed recently in Hancock County Probate Court. Taylor, of Findlay, was a staunch Democrat who believed the national debt should be paid off and she wanted to do her part, Drake said.

"It's not what I would have advised her to do with it, but she really wasn't interested in my opinion," he said. "In the end, an attorney has to listen to their client. That's what I did." Taylor had no living siblings or children, and her husband died in 1977.

Treasury Department officials couldn't remember a larger gift, spokesman Stephen Meyerhardt said Thursday. "It's the biggest in at least the last 15 years, and most likely the largest one ever," he said. "Needless to say, most donations are much, much smaller."

Bureau of the Public Debt records show that U.S. citizens donated a total of $1.5 million toward debt reduction last year.

For those scoring at home, the debt increased approximately 3 billion dollars between yesterday and today. Good thing that 1.1 million dollars helped aid that reduction. Oh, wait...it just keeps counting!

So basically I'm saying she should have just given me the money.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a woman who experienced a heart attack regained her sight as a result of it.

A woman who had been blind for 25 years awoke in hospital after suffering a heart attack and found that she could see again. Doctors have been unable to explain what happened, but Mrs Urch, 74, was happy yesterday to put it down to a "miracle".

She said: "When I first came round I just opened my eyes and shouted, 'I can see, I can see.' When I looked in the mirror I said, 'Oh.' I said to [her husband] Eric, 'You've got older haven't you?' But I thought, 'I'm old myself, my husband must be too.'

Mrs Urch had been unable to see her five children properly since they were young adults and, for the first time, was able to look at her 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She said that despite suffering from glaucoma, doctors did not think this was why her sight went, although they were unable to pinpoint the reason.

"They did a lot of tests and said it was a genetic condition," said Mrs Urch. "Other members of my family have lost their sight, including my grandmother and two aunts. "I had lots of treatments at the hospital but eventually went completely blind. It was totally different when my sight returned. It happened immediately and I could see everything straight away."

Martin Breen, consultant cardiologist at the Walgrave Hospital, said: "I am not able to give a medical explanation."

So you've got a burning question about this site, comment on how much you love it, suggestion for a new feature, or (gasp!) a scathing criticism. Well, now you can direct it all here. I think a form is the best way to handle feedback considering any email address posted on the internet is quickly spammed. And to think, it only took me (nearly) 200 stories to think to add this. I look forward to your comments!

I've mashed up two Arrested Development stories into one.

dave submitted a TVSquad story about how FOX scheduled the last 4 episodes of Arrested Development to be played in a 2-hour block - on a Friday night - opposite the opening night of the Olympics. They really know how to bury their few quality shows.

Related Link: Will Arnett was recently on Conan and was hilarious...video takes a while to load because it's nearly 12 minutes long, but worth it.

dave submitted a Fox Sports story about a guy who had a heart attack when Jerome Bettis fumbled the ball at the 2-yard line in the 4th quarter.

Fifty-year-old Terry O'Neill of Pittsburgh says he was watching the game at a bar when he had a heart attack just seconds after Steelers player Jerome Bettis' fumble at the two-yard line late in the fourth quarter. The play allowed the Colts to have a renewed chance at winning the game.

O'Neill says Bettis is his hero, and he was upset with the idea the player might have ended his career with an error.

"I wasn't upset that the Steelers might lose," O'Neill told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I was upset because I didn't want to see him end his career like that. A guy like that deserves better. I guess it was a little too much for me to handle."

When asked how he was feeling, O'Neill told the Tribune-Review: "The Steelers won the game and I'm still alive, so I guess I'm doing pretty good."

From now on, O'Neill says he will probably just take it easy and watch future games at home.

I wonder what would have happened to him if the Steelers had lost.

Someone created an elaborate gif animation of the original Ghostbusters movie. This thing is amazingly detailed. And amazingly small.