Meet your new procrastination tool: TidalTV

Just wanted to make sure you've all heard about TidalTV, a new website that streams television programming from CBS (noteworthy if you missed last night's Swingtown, like me!) and niche outlets such as the Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living Network, HGTV, The Weather Channel, and National Geographic Channel. The site is designed to look like your television, so you'll be greeted by a channel guide showing you what selections TidalTV's team of programmers have scheduled for today. (You can watch any of the shows on the day's grid whenever you like, timeslots be damned. The grid is just a cute, efficient way to let you channel surf.) I just caught some of Are We Cannibals? (pictured) on National Geographic. Now, I'm gonna check out The Vampire Killings on MSNBC Features, then cleanse my palate with some I Dream of Jeannie on the Minisode Network. There are other channels devoted to news, fashion, and sports, should your interests lie there. (TidalTV's Sports Illustrated channel is all about the swimsuit issue specials today, just FYI.)

Help the pandas, get a plush

Recently, I received a package in which I found an Ultimate Pandas DVD (pictured) and a 10" plush. Since I named the bear (Harold), I decided that I should probably do my part and blog about why he was sent to me.

DVD International has teamed up with GLOBIO, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental education, to benefit the Wolong Nature Reserve, the world's most famous panda conservation and breeding center in China's Sichuan Province, which was devastated by the recent earthquake. DVD International will donate 50 percent of all sales of Ultimate Pandas to the Reserve, where the DVD was shot over a period of four years. GLOBIO will ensure that the proceeds aid the rebuilding efforts.
Visit UltimatePandas.com for more information. The DVD costs $29.95, and the plush that accompanies it is really, really soft. After the jump, a photo of Harold in his new environment, my office.

P.S. Note the use of not a single Kung Fu Panda joke.

Working out the kinks in 'Twisted: A Balloonamentary'

I watched the new film, Twisted: A Balloonamentary, last night, and was almost literally blown away by the bizarre creations and fascinating people behind "twisting" — the art of contorting balloons into a dizzying array of shapes and symbols. (The film is playing in selected cities this weekend and is already available on DVD. Watch the trailer here.) Though the first design most aspiring twisters attempt is the humble dog (requires one balloon), in this surprisingly engaging documentary, advanced balloon artists create, among many other things, a enormous flying octopus, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, multiple Jesuses, several extremely well-endowed men (in so-called "adult" twisting), a Trojan Horse, 100-foot soccer players in a field of waving green balloon grass, two full-body balloon dresses (once of which was worn by a avid twister to her wedding), and a beautiful geisha made of tiny balloon twists so perfect they look like beads (pictured). The heart-warming nature of the film was conveyed via a theme of redemption-via-twist (one man finds God in the art of making Jesus balloon sculptures, complete with balloon nails and fake blood). Such is the movie's tagline: "Once you can make a balloon dog, you can do anything!" And the super-helpful press kit I received even included two balloons and dog-making instructions for practice at home.

NB: I did not achieve redemption. I did not even make a balloon dog. I barely made it through the film. I did not do anything but quake, down two beers, and beg a friend to come over and watch the film with me. Why? Because I have "globophobia" — a fear of balloons. I have a pretty mild case compared to some people it seems. But after a few minor freakouts, I realized that these people are pros; the chances of an accident slim. But amateur twisters, or — shudder — young children and babies playing with helium-filled latex. That's a no-go zone for me.

To that end: Are you afraid of balloons too? (If so, let's start a support group!) If not, what fears or phobias do you have that are triggered by shows or movies (fear of heights, explosions, blood, claustrophobia, awkward "you're busted!" encounters) that make you cringe, change the channel, or maybe leave the room while your cruel, unphobic friends laugh at you? Let's have it!

Three reasons to watch... Discovery's 'When We Left Earth'

Earlier this week, I went to a screening of Discovery's When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions, a six-part HD history lesson on our space program with never-before-seen, remastered footage that premieres June 8. Amazing. The kind of amazing that makes your mouth drop open and your head turn to the person sitting next to you to make sure that they're seeing what you're seeing.

Here are three reasons, from episode 2's Gemini missions, why you need to tune in... 

(1) The first American spacewalk: Gemini IV astronaut Ed White (below) steps outside the capsule and flies at 17,000 mph, 200 miles above the Earth, for 36 minutes. He "didn't hear" the commands to come inside sooner.

The 'Earth' trailer makes you feel [pick adjective(s)]

I can't say the trailer for Earth, the first feature release from the Disneynature imprint, hypnotized me in quite the same way as that plastic bag did Wes Bentley's character in a certain Oscar-winning film, but I will say it's a rousing reminder that there's so much beauty in the world. (Get the high-def version here.) Seriously, that polar bear making a snow angel, and the baby bird leaping out of his nest, and that herd of antelope plunging into a river… I'm not the only one who's feeling all tingly and exhilarated, right?

p.s. Also, let's be honest: Any documentary featuring a shark and/or killer whale leaping out of the water to capture its prey is totally gonna rule.

p.p.s. Don't you love the way Patrick Stewart pronounces "year" as "yea'h," all classy-like?