The Slug

It's Been Nice Knowing You

(AP Photo/HO/Disney/Gene Duncan)

In the year since launching The Slug, some unimaginable stuff occurred within the realm of popular culture. Anna Nicole Smith died. "Survivor: Cook Islands" divided their tribes by race. Bob Barker retired. And we blogged about it all. We hope we kept our original promise to "simultaneously investigate and celebrate all thangs pop culture." Even if you don't think we did, well, we've totally had a blast trying to, anyway. Remember folks: Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.

Happy Halloween from The Slug!

(AP Photo)

It's the day we've been excited about and/or dreading for months! Today is both Halloween and the death of our pimp: asap, The Associated Press' premium multimedia news service. Celebrate this bizarre day with this YouTube link to Tim Curry's performance from "The Worst Witch." For those of us privileged enough to have had HBO back in the 1980s, you can't deny you squealed fervently every time this came on.

Loose Ends

(AP Photo)

Look out! asap's endingstravaganza has begun! The Associated Press' premium multimedia news service is nearing its final hour with content all about conclusions. Online now, you can find a list of great literary outcomes, a story about the death of indie rock, an essay discussing the end of a meal and videos about the finales of wars and movies. Stay tuned. Later today, The Slug will reveal our favoritest TV finales.

Changing the Channel

(AP Photo/HO/Fox)

Most fall TV shows have either settled into their timeslots or disappeared altogether. (Bye, "Nashville" and "Viva Laughlin"!) This season, The Slug's digital video recorder has been so heavily weighed down with new and returning programming that we've had to toss a few overboard to keep chugging along. Here's the four shows we've downgraded on our DVR so far this season. Oh, in case you were wondering, we never started recording "Cane," "Big Shots" or "Life" in the first place. 

"Prison Break." Two episodes of that Panamanian hell house were enough for us! Everything that happened during the first two seasons to the Schofield brothers was seemingly dropped, so The Slug decided to invest our time in new shows instead of staying locked up with the twists and turns of "Prison Break."

"Journeyman." Technically, we're still DVRing this "Quantum Leap" look-a-like so we can catch every second of the "Heroes" preview, but we not actually watching Kevin McKidd bounce around the 20th century anymore. We love the oh-so-moody opening credits of "Journeyman." The plots that follow 'em? Not so much.

"Moonlight." Will that human reporter and vampire private investigator ever get together? We'll never know because somewhere around the third episode, it dawned on us that "Moonlight" didn't feature enough of "Veronica Mars" alum Jason Dohring — and it's possibly the most boring vampire show ever. Yes, even moreso than "Dark Shadows."

"Bionic Woman." This one pains us the most because it was one of our favoritest pilots from the new fall TV season. Unfortch, "Bionic Woman" has lost her momentum over the course of the first five episodes. The dialogue is clunky. The action is  slow. And her kid sister is more annoying than Dawn from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ever was.

The Beginning of The End

(AP Photo/HO/Lucasfilm)

Boo! As you may or may not have heard, The Slug's pimp — asap, The Associated Press' premium multimedia news service — is scheduled to die this Halloween. We're fairly certain asap is taking The Slug with it to the netherworld, so we're gonna spend the next few days looking back and examining the ends of thangs within the pop culture universe (as will all of asap). Don't get weepy on us just yet. The end isn't really always the end. Just ask George Lucas.

The Slug Buys It Now

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Last night, The Slug attended eBay's Game Show Night, a press event featuring Andy Ritcher and Paul F. Tompkins as hosts of a made-up eBay-themed game show — complete with podiums, flashing lights and prizes. It was cute and fun. Unfortch, we weren't selected to come on down. However, we were clued into the auction site's cool new features, which include a handy-dandy countdown page (no more hitting refresh only to learn you've been outbid by someone in Montana) and the ability to embed video in listings. Time to go shopping for old Yaz records!

Halloween Costumes Ideas

(AP Photos)

The Slug's favoritest holiday is just around the corner. That means it's time to dress up like a celebrity train wreck and hope everyone else in the room gets it. The Slug suspects lots of folks will be Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton, so we're opting for other topical pop-culture icons. This year, we're keeping it simple (and cheap!), so all our ideas consist of just three elements. Let us know which of these five characters you think would garner us more tricks than treats.

• Bee Hive Wig + Black Tooth Makeup + Illegal Substances = Amy Winehouse
• Computer Chip Contacts + Cleavage + Sagging Ratings = "Bionic Woman"
• Bad Weave + Glittery Bra and Panties + No Facial Expression = Britney Spears
• Wallet Chain + Suicidal Tendencies Shirt + Farting = "Evel" Dick Donato
• Ponyhawk Wig + Microphone + No Talent = Sanjaya Malakar

Let the World Cyber Games Begin

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

The World Cyber Games Grand Final — could that name be any longer? — kicked off here in Seattle last night with an Olympic-like ceremony. We've covered gaming competitions before, but we've never seen any video game contest as epic as the WCG Grand Final. Competitors from all over the world are battling each other  in multiplayer matches in games like "Gears of War," "Counter Strike" and "WarCraft III" throughout the huge Qwest Field Event Center. You can be a spectator online or in person. The action continues through Sunday.

Sleepy in Seattle

(AP Photo/Cheryl Hatch)

So how much did you love "Pushing Daisies" last night? And who won "Top Chef"? You'll have to tell us later because The Slug is on assignment in Seattle for the rest of the week. Posts will be more sporadic than usual. In our absence, keep yourself busy with some AP reading material about a reality TV tussle, a "Desperate Housewives" controversy and the latest chapter in the Britney Spears custody trial. Check back later for our first report from the World Cyber Games Grand Final, which is being held at the Qwest Field Event Center this weekend.

Pushing "Pushing Daisies"

(AP Photo/HO/ABC)

The facts are these: Everyone loves "Pushing Daisies." And rightfully so. The Slug hearts the ABC show about a pie maker who brings people back from the dead so much that we've watched the pilot episode three times! It's is the most perfect television experience ever. The direction is magical and innovative. The cast is impeccable and endearing. The plot is involving and fast-paced. The dialogue is snappy and funny.

Unfortch, you can't watch the first episode of "Pushing Daisies" online before the Oct. 3 premiere. Boo. Despite that, we implore you to please, please, please pay more attention to this comedic gem when it finally airs — ahem, Oct. 3, if you're not paying attention — than you did "Wonderfalls," "Arrested Development" and "Knights of Prosperity," especially if you're a Nielsen home.