Baby names...

With the recent trend in naming children and hearing said names on television I wondered what I might name my children.  If Michael Jackson could name one of his kids "Blanket" might I be tempted to name mine say; Pillow, Sheet, Comforter, Bedroom, Pull-out, Sham, Bunk-Bed, Afgan, 100% Pure Cotton??

Or maybe I should stick to fruits, like Apple, Banana, Peaches, Grapefruit, Papaya, Watermelon, Grapes, oh the choices.... but we have time....

Spartacus: There Will Be Blood. And Naughty Bits.

Today at press tour, Starz played a trailer of its Roman drama Spartacus, debuting in January 2010. It's similar to the one below, except that ours had more nudity. This job still has its benefits: 

So: lots of slow-motion blood. Lots of skin. Lots of stylized violence. It's 300, the series! Will there also be acting and narrative? We don't know yet! But you don't want to know that. You want to know whether Lucy Lawless gets naked in it!

Caprica gets a release date

"Caprica," the new series that takes place 50 years before the events of "Battlestar Galactica," will debut Jan. 22 on Syfy with a 2-hour premiere. That pilot episode is already available on DVD.

"The Plan," a "Battlestar Galactica" TV movie that was set to air in November, may have a different release date now. "The Plan" comes out on DVD in October, and the Syfy air date for that will come some time after that.

The network's press release on the show is below.

SYFY ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR CAPRICA

All-New Series Premieres Friday, January 22, 2010

New York, NY – July 24, 2009 – Syfy has announced the airdate for its highly-anticipated upcoming series Caprica.  On Friday, January 22, 2010 @ 9 PM, the show will kick off with a 2-hour premiere and will air regularly on subsequent Fridays @ 10 PM.

Humanity's storyline takes completely new twists with Caprica, which follows two rival families and their patriarchs – Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – as they compete and thrive in the vibrant realm of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own.  This original, standalone series will feature the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, and family conflict in an omnipotent society that is at the height of its blind power and glory…and, unknowingly, on the brink of its fall.

Caprica also stars Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy) and Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone).   The series is from Universal Cable Productions and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson.  Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the pilot.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

Ben Silverman Leaves NBC: Exit the No-Hit Hitmaker

Ben Silverman ditched NBC, a not-entirely-surprising move considering how his two years at the top of the network were filled with bombs (My Own Worst Enemy, Knight Rider), blows to NBC's reputation (I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, Knight Rider) and PR disasters (news of wild partying, serially insulting the heads of almost every other network, Knight Rider).

Lost, Alternative Reality?

I'm still not sure how seriously to take all the videos at the Lost Comic-Con panel, but having seen some of it so far, they're at least thought-provoking. Several of the vids suggest that we're going to see an alternative universe in which the bomb blast did change time and avert the crash of Oceanic 815. Or maybe the producers just want us to imagine what that would be like, and talk about it. So please do.

'Find My iPhone' Leads to Criminals' Arrest

When Colorado resident Dustin Simantob and his dad returned to their car after a three-day river trip, they found the windows busted out and their belongings, including two iPhones, stolen. While they reported the crime to the Mesa County Sheriff's Department, the 15-year-old boy decided to do some detective work of his own.

In an e-mailed account of his story, Simantob told Mashable that a new feature for the iPhone's OS 3.0 led to the recovery of his stuff and the arrest of the criminals. When he got home, Simantob used the much ballyhooed 'Find My iPhone' feature to pinpoint the exact address where his device was located. The feature, powered by MobileMe, also allows you to remotely display a custom message on the phone's home screen or to even erase all your personal information from the phone, but Simantob didn't have to resort to that. He called the police who, according to the boy, laughed when he read the address. Apparently, these petty thieves were well known in Mesa County. The police went over and recovered Simantob's iPhone, his wallet, his dad's iPhone, a GPS, and even some belongings taken from another car.

Apple couldn't write up a better endorsement for this iPhone feature. They should go ahead and ask Simantob and his dad to officially endorse it. As for the criminals, they'll be spending some time behind bars. Of course, that doesn't mean they won't continue to handle hot phones.