Well, it's Thursday again... and no new OFFICE to help brighten the dreary autumn days.  While pondering this tragedy, I started to wonder what YOU guys were doing to fill your TV watching time.

Me?  Not watching much TV at all anymore.  I'm hoarding all my HEROES episodes from this season until episode #11 airs (the mid-season finale), since I think the show plays much better in one long viewing. 

Despite really hating the guy on Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" show, I have sort of become addicted to watching Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" shows (both the US edition on Fox, and the UK version on BBCAmerica).  The US version really amps up the conflict, but I'm still enjoying watching old Gordon raise hell in these failing restaurants (the UK version IS much more enjoyable, though).

Other than that... not much.  Lots of Simpsons and Family Guy reruns.

So again, what about you guys?  Have you switched to DVDs? Are you watching lots of reality shows? foregoing TV entirely? Are you actually -- gasp! -- reading?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I found this article on Dose.ca today, talking about the increasing link between product placements and our favorite prime-time shows.  Sure, we've made fun of and pointed out the obvious ones (like the Staples Shredder or the Blackberry) and the not so obvious (like the bailer from "Safety Training"), but I was staggered to read this paragraph:

So far this season, the Hollywood Reporter says there have been 142 product placements on 30 Rock and 381 on The Office - but NBC says it has always included these promos to up the funny, and Office showrunner Greg Daniels has said his show will no longer do these deals because he "found it pretty impossible to balance the desires of the ad agencies and their clients with the needs of the show."

THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY ONE product placements JUST THIS SEASON? Really? That blew my mind.  Wow.  In this age of TiVo and skippable commercials, I guess this is the next logical step in the evolution of TV advertising... but yeesh!

As sort of disgusted as I am by that number, I'm also surprised and intrigued by the comment that Greg Daniels is no longer allowing these deals on THE OFFICE.  I'm surprised that he can say "no," frankly, especially since new chief Ben Silverman has been a pioneer in the product placement realm.  Whatever the reality may be, I applaud Daniels for putting the needs of the show over the needs of the sales department.