Some of those lectures look very promising. Don Shadow, the first presenter on Thursday, is a world class plant expert, and I recognize some of the other presenters as well. The lawn and garden show here in Knoxville is a large event, but has nothing like that. Anyone in the Nashville area should really take advantage of this!

I don't watch any of those fictional shows mentioned above. I do watch Duck Dynasty. I really like that show because it takes me back to when I was very young, because of the resemblances to my family. My DM was a Kay. One of my brothers was a "Jase," and one was a "Willie." And my family did a lot of duck hunting, and we had a lot of fun. I watch real legal/criminal and medical cases, because that is where my interests are . . . searching for facts and the truth, in the real world. Dominic Dunne, ID Discovery, are 2 of my favorites. Recently ID Discovery did the case of a double murder in the town about 5-6 miles from here, that happened years ago. I had a vague memory of the case. Maxmom, I need to look for Monday Mornings. I usually don't watch TV in the mornings, other than the news. I would probably like it because I like Sanjay Gupta. Sue

Rob, just what I said. I have no issue with Canadians (or Mexicans) in U.S. productions, or vice versa. "The Biz" has always been fluid that way. Heck, the news had Peter Jennings, a Canadian! I'm glad to see more Canadian productions being shown on U.S. TV, though I'm less sure of which theatrical releases are Canadian productions until I see the Film Canada logo at the end. :) No issues with Canada protecting their actors in U.S. productions either. It's all so intertwined it's hard to draw a line. More importantly, while there are plenty of Canadian leads, and many successful Canadian actors move to Hollywood or New York to try to make it in a bigger pool, it's not like the producers are pushing out American actors to use them just because they're Canadian (outside of the ones produced in Canada, in which case it's fair). Sometimes a TV actor will start in a runaway U.S. TV show, gain a following and move to Hollywood to make movies. And there's similar traffic around the British Commonwealth due to the easier visa status. There are far far more Brits, Aussies and Kiwis in lead or major roles in U.S. productions, however, than have been mentioned here. There was a show awhile back, Missing Persons, where it was a barrel of mixed pickles on the accents all trying to sound American, where most of them were Aussies. :) True Blood was populated by them all, though Anna Paquin is as much Canadian and Kiwi. :) The Wire probably chose Brits as leads for their low dollar demand for true excellence, but that doesn't explain the teeny bopper shows like Finding Carter. Damian Lewis and Kevin McKidd are fine actors, but I can't believe there aren't Americans who are just as good. The lead on Sons of Anarchy, which is about as American a culture as you can get was led by a Brit. Currently on TV, in addition to those mentioned previously, leads of Forever (Welsh, actually), The Americans (another Welshman), The Affair, and Walking Dead, are Brits. There are more. When people talk about it, they usually talk about superiority of the English actors' training, but that doesn't account for the Aussies, nor that there are plenty of actors all around the U.S. who also get quality training, but they're not being sought out. Also, I don't begrudge the top talents like Idris Elba. I don't know that there is as skilled an American in his class and casting type. The lead of Sleepy Hollow is supposed to be a Brit, so that's fair. But I've heard that half the leads in Pilot Season went to Brits and Aussies. As I said, pet peeve. Especially when the accent slips. :)

Most ratings are now measured as Live +3, so if you watch your DVR's within 3 days of the first airing your viewing will count with the ratings. I don't pretend to understand the advertiser's demo specs, but the bottom line is the networks have to pull in enough ad revenue to offset their licensing fees, per episode. If it doesn't pay for them, they can't afford to continue to license the product. We don't like cancellations either, but it's the nature of the beast. HBO is one of the most prolific and expensive producers at the moment (GoT). Their inventory capital is primarily provided by subscription fees. Streaming and downloading are, AFAIK, funded through subscription sites or pay per view. Those fees replace the advertising revenue stream. The 15/16 season looks heavy on new medical and crime shows. Not much new in half hour sitcoms that I can see. Sorry your favorites are gone- we don't like to see them go either :(