Is NBC – arguably the granddaddy of the network television system – killing the very medium it helped create?  That’s the question that’s being asked as “The Jay Leno Show” has sunk to new ratings lows.  The show garnered a 1.2 rating (approximately 5 million viewers) on Friday, October 16th and, with the show airing at 10pm 5 nights a week, that’s five less hours that will be available for scripted programming.  Indeed, the Leno experiment has also claimed its first victim, as NBC announced that it was cancelling the critically-acclaimed series “Southland” even before it began its sophomore season.  The reason?  The NBC suits, according to the Hollywood Reporter, decided it was too dark and gritty for network television – especially for the 9pm hour where all dramas on the network are now relegated, thanks to everyone’s favorite big-chinned funnyman.

Whoa – too “dark and gritty for network television”?  Maybe this is a reason why the best shows are now on basic and premium cable.  For two years in a row, the Emmy for Outstanding Drama didn’t go to a network show or even one on HBO or Showtime – it went to AMC’s “Mad Men.”  FX has churned out one fantastic show after another – “The Shield,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Rescue Me” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” just to name a few.  In fact, FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” – a show seen on a basic cable network with an average viewership of roughly 1 million – beat out “The Jay Leno Show” recently.  Critics have been saying for about the past decade that the best shows are on cable now because they don’t have to worry about standards and practices.  Personally, I think that’s nonsense – “The Sopranos” didn’t become one of the most revered dramas of our time because they could show nudity and have Tony drop the f-bomb every five minutes.  It became a hit because there was little to no network meddling.  Executives at HBO, Showtime, FX, Comedy Central, et al are all more prone to buy the pitch and have the confidence in their creative teams to go off and deliver a great finished product.

But now it seems that NBC just wants to save a few bucks and, in doing so, aren’t seeing the forest for the trees.  “The Jay Leno Show” is a black hole in the schedule – it’s sucking in everything else in its orbit.  Leno’s anemic ratings are now bringing down the local newscasts that follow him and that, in turn, is bringing down the ratings for “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”  Granted, a good part of Conan’s ratings erosion is due in part to losing a good deal of Leno’s audience – older viewers – but Jay’s poor performance sure as hell isn’t helping matters.  According to the Los Angeles Times, affiliates across the country are going on the record of how unhappy they are with the Leno experiment.  When the affiliates are about to mutiny, you know you’ve got a problem on your hands.

It boggles my mind that NBC – once the network of “Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere,” and “The West Wing,” just to name a few – would drop a show for being too “dark and gritty.”  Maybe NBC needs to go back into their past (and no, I’m not talking about recycling their old shows like the failed revivals of “Knight Rider” and “the Bionic Woman”) and remember what it is that made people watch.  If they want to go ahead and save themselves a few bucks, that’s their prerogative.  But to television historians such as myself – and as someone who proudly wore a Peacock pin on the lapel of a polyester blue blazer as an NBC Page – it’s just plain sad. –Ron Motta

For a movie series that brings back such warm and fuzzy memories, the original “Star Wars” trilogy had some pretty gory moments.  From the burnt carcasses of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in the original to Luke getting his hand cut off in “The Empire Strikes Back,” the movies could get a little brutal.  One of the best known moments in the whole trilogy was in “Empire” when Han Solo, on the ice planet Hoth, saves a near-frozen Luke Skywalker by slitting open Luke’s Tauntaun and stuffing him inside.  In fact, the scene was so famous that George Lucas – never one to miss a merchandising opportunity – gave children the chance to recreate the scene with the “Open-Bellied Tauntaun” from Kenner:

It looks more like Han Solo is delivering a bouncing baby Luke to the Tauntaun, but I digress.

Now, nearly 30 years after “Empire” graced theaters, the geniuses at ThinkGeek.com decided to go one step further.  Originally, the ThinkGeek team came up with an April Fools gag by announcing that Lucasfilm was merchandising a Tauntaun sleeping bag.  The joke was repeated as fact on many film websites, including Corona Coming Attractions, but demand swelled so much that ThinkGeek HAD to give the fans what they wanted.  Arriving in early November, ThinkGeek’s Tauntaun sleeping bag comes complete with a saddle, fur-like exterior and intestine-like interior and even has a lightsaber zipper pull.   It sells for $100, which is a bit pricey for a sleeping bag, but hey, George Lucas has to eat, too (lobster and champagne that is).  It’s a perfect companion piece to Kropserkel’s “Godfather” horse’s head pillow.  Now, if only ThinkGeek will come up with a dissectible Jar Jar Binks… –Ron Motta

An article in the November issue of Yoga Journal magazine offers readers a great series of poses designed to help weary travelers work the kinks out on the road. The mag’s available on the newsstands, and it’s definitely worth checking out (you can also read an article on the magazine’s site that offers some ideas about healthy eating on the road).

But the article got me thinking about other yoga tools travelers can use. There’s this free practice on You Tube: A 16-minute video that offers a chance for laptop lugging travelers to get in a quick workout designed to unravel the stresses caused by flying and re-energize once they’ve landed at their destinations. Or you can carry a book like The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga, by Sage Roundtree, which offers up 50 different routines in a small spiral-bound format—plenty to keep you keep you limber, energized and centered for however long your trip is. —Jennifer Dennis

Head to a local 5K to watch the runners and walkers and you’ll be amazed. Not by the commitment of the athletes, but by the range of footwear you’ll see passing by. Sure, there’s a variety of colors and brands (Nike’s made it possible for wearers to get pretty creative), but what’s interesting is the footwear philosophies the shoes seem to represent. It’s as if the very idea of of what a fitness shoe should do is up for grabs. Prime examples:

MBTs (Masai Barefoot Technology) are walking “anti-shoes” with an off-kilter look—in place of a traditional, flat sole is a thick, rounded bottom. MBT’s makers say their shape makes walkers’ movement more natural, mimicking the movement that the human foot was meant to do, over shifting sands and uneven terrain. Their web site says they can alleviate back pain and give you a better workout. (The idea must be fairly popular, because I saw Skechers ads showcasing the same distinctive look )

From more sole to less—and for a distinctively pro-hippie vibe, check out the Tarahumara Huarache Running Sandal. These puppies are are just what the name implies: A flat, strappy sandal designers say will help you run freer, more in line with the way your body naturally wants to move, and more like the Native American long distance runners, who cover staggering distances is double-quick time. It’s certainly a look that will get you noticed at the next marathon you run.

And speaking of looks that will get you noticed—how about a shoe with separate toes, like gloves have separate fingers? Vibram Five Fingers shoes have a light, thin rubber on the bottom and a minimalist shoe body. Makers say the shoe allows the joints, bones, and muscles of your feet to get the exercise they need to stay in shape—the same way you workout the other parts of your body.

Which of these are the real thing—a shoe that will help you perform and feel better—and which will go the way of slide fitness? Only time will tell…—Jen Dennis