So it looks like Subway saved Chuck. According to this New York Times story, the series essentially got renewed for a third season because the sandwich artists brokered an intense deal that will let them prominently insert their brand into most episodes. I’d count on a scene where a footlong turkey club possesses healing properties.

I’m simultaneously exhausted by and resigned to this kind of advertising. If embedded product placement keeps good shows on the air by offsetting their costs, then I at least can rejoice that I get another season of 30 Rock or that a scripted series like Chuck is being presented instead of yet another half hour of Jay Leno’s stupid ass.

But on the other hand… I have never, ever seen product integration that doesn’t completely disrupt a show.

Sure,  some evils are more extreme—like that ridiculous episode of Ugly Betty where Amanda’s entire subplot is about eating Healthy Choice frozen dinners—but even less pronounced pimp-outs—like the 30 Rock where Liz keeps showing everyone a picture of her boyfriend, and it just happens to be on her iPhone—are jarring.

It’s disruptive because I never forget that the shows I’m watching are fake, so I know that no product appears “naturally” in the course of an episode. If I see someone using an iPhone in my actual office, then I might think, “Hmm… interesting. I need to learn more.” But if I see Liz Lemon using one in hers, I think, “Apple paid for this scene.” And then I’m pulled out of the artistic experience and forced to consider how the inevitability of commerce has once again intruded on a narrative.

And look… I know ads are necessary to keep non-PBS programming afloat, and I know that DVR makes it so easy to glide past commercials that companies need to stick a Coke in Michael Scott’s hand in order to make me see it.

But that doesn’t mean I like it.

I’m especially troubled by the thought that I might get used to this type of marketing… so used to it that a Subway sandwich in a Chuck episode won’t register, and I’ll just ignore it like I do so much advertising in the world.  Then what will happen? What will companies do to grab my attention after that? Will they make sitcom stars tattoo brand names on their foreheads, so that every close-up is a commercial?

How do you guys feel about all this?

All sorts of good came out of Television Town today.

For one, Law & Order is being renewed for a twentieth season. I know I’m one of the thirteen people left who still watch the new episodes, but this show is my macaroni and cheese. I’m soothed by the predictable structure of the plots, by the reliably sassy (and always too-brief) appearances from my beloved S. Epatha Merkerson, and by the fact that I tend to personally know at least one person in every episode. (When you go to theater graduate school, date a theater professional, and interview theater actors for a living, this is what happens. You end up at parties with the dimwitted cop from that episode about street fighting and the distraught dad from that one where the suburban girl gets killed in a seedy motel.)

I’ve been watching Law & Order nonstop since my early college years, when it was constantly running on A&E, so this love affair is now over a decade old… but my passion still burns. Yes, the writing is weaker than it was in the Benjamin Bratt/Angie Harmon years, but there are still things to love. Anthony Anderson’s Bernard, for instance, is one of the greatest cop characters in the history of the series… all gruff bluster and snack breaks. If only he could have spent some time with Lennie Briscoe. Imagine the wisecracks!

(As a sidebar, I play trivia on Wednesday nights at this local bar, and my current team is named Jerry Orbach’s Eyes. If you’ve seen those organ donor posters on the NYC subway, then you know what I’m talking about. And for the record, we’ve taken first place in both games we’ve played. Orbach!)

Oh, and the other piece of good news? Wanda Sykes is getting her own late-night talk show on Fox. Apparently, all lesbian comics eventually end up on gabbers. Rosie’s had two. Ellen’s still going strong. And now Ms. Wanda is about to tear it up. If Margaret Cho jumps completely over the rainbow—which seems possible—then look for Cho Chat! to start airing weeknights at 11:30 on The CW.

How do you guys feel about these announcements? If the cast of Law & Order appears on Wanda Sykes’ couch, will you tape it?

Who knew hamsters could be so cocky? Take a look at the thuggish, ruggish rodents in this ad for the Kia Soul:

After the jump, I’ll explain why this commercial rocks my face.

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As you head into your weekend, I’d like to introduce you to Mother Knowledge. She will now sing Happy Birthday in her self-described “prayer language.”

My birthday is December 9. Are there any volunteers to come sing in the prayer language to me?

My friends’  Facebook updates suggest that not everyone loved this week’s season finale of Lost, but I sure did! I’d call that some excellent television, y’all, and if Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) and Michael Emerson (Ben) don’t win Emmys, then I will go to Helen Hunt’s house, steal two of her 449 award statues, swaddle them in bubble wrap, stick them in FedEx envelopes, toss in two handfuls of Hershey’s Hugs, and mail them to “Liz and Mike c/o Bad Robot.”

Don’t worry… I’ll leave a few Hugs for Helen Hunt as well.

After the jump, I’ll discuss one reason the finale inspired me to pilfer Emmys. If you haven’t yet watched, do not keep reading.

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There’s a strange kind of controversy devloping around Spike Jonze’s long-delayed, over-budget film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, and it’s just the sort of thing that makes me want to buy a ticket.

Advertising  Age reports the movie isn’t kid-and-family-friendly enough to satisfying studio brass, but based on the trailer (which I can’t embed), that seems to mean the picture will be smart, sophisticated, and emotionally honest… which is pretty much the opposite of schlocky “family” entertainment like Hannah Montana: The Movie (which I reviewed, God help me.)

But having a tough sell is one thing. Not being able to sell it is another. Here’s the most damning section of the AdAge piece:

The second, unavoidable reality is that regardless of who had creative control, Warner Bros. no longer has the dedicated infrastructure or expertise to market sophisticated, adult movies.

It shut down both its Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse labels in May 2008 but greenlighted “Wild Things” back in 2006. In other words, while Warner Bros. suits may never have expected to get a traditional kid-friendly picture along the lines of a “Harry Potter” when they hired Mr. Jonze, they also had no idea the marketing division best-suited to sell “Wild Things” would be extinct two years later.

Warner is denying all this, of course, and putting a positive spin on things… but I find it remarkable that the buzz on this movie is saying, “It’s too good for its own studio.” Usually, it’s filmmakers or actors who take the bulk of the negative heat.

Given my knee-jerk allegiances, this “artist as underdog” narrative makes me eager to support the film. If I buy ticket, I can feel like I’m sticking it to the man!

But it’s more than just politics that’s making me excited. Did you watch the trailer? This movie looks amazing. It’s the sort of thing that would have spoken to me as a kid, because it seems to treat childhood seriously… not as a cartoonish freak show full of precocious moppets and product placement.That kind of respect can give a film a permanent place in a kid’s heart. (I will always love the book The Bridge to Terabithia, for instance, precisely because it depicted young characters experiencing (and surviving) believably tough situations.)

Those are my current thoughts. What do you guys think? What was your response to the trailer? How do you feel about the fact that Warner might not know how to sell this film, even if it’s great?

Hey everyone… here’s the video of my appearance this afternoon on CNN.com. The audio and the video don’t sync up, but it’s still a good time. (If nothing else, you can get lost in the ridiculously blue eyes of my fellow commentator… Pete Cashmore from Mashable.com.)

I really enjoyed this conversation… how do you guys feel about Twitter?

Please welcome Lana LoRusso, charming hostess of the sassy entertainment site The Lanalogue.

After the jump, she’ll be listing the pros and cons of watching The Hills. Where do you stand?

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Have you guys heard about this program Reel 13? It’s on Thirteen, the NYC arm of PBS. Every Saturday night, it features a classic film (like On the Town or, um, Dances With Wolves), a recent indie (like The Squid and the Whale or Gosford Park), and short film by an emerging filmmaker.

In the spirit of the times, online votes determine which short film gets shown. To vote for one of this week’s candidates, go here.

Granted, it seems a little silly to vote for a screening of a movie that you can watch right there on the website, but I guess Thirteen assumes that lots of viewers will never make it online. At any rate, it’s definitely cool to be a finalist, and it’s even cooler to win.

That’s why I’m throwing my support behind I Love My Suit, a quirky silent about a guy who just loves his suit… to an increasingly loopy degree.

I happened to meet the star, Paul Swinnerton, at a conference a few weeks ago, and he totally sold me on the movie. Having seen it and chuckled, I am happy to offer my endorsement. (Take that, Oprah and Obama!)

But of course, you should vote for whichever film you like most. All that matters is that you vote. With no presidential election this November, Reel 13 may be providing the year’s best chance to participate in our democratic system.

(Note: I originally thought this program was going to be available throughout the country, but it’s a Thirteen-only affair. If you live outside the metropolitan NYC area, then it’s clearly a good idea to go watch the films online… because otherwise, you won’t be able to see them.)

Hey y’all… I’ll be on CNN.com’s “blogger bunch” at around 12:10 PM today. I’ll be discussing whether Twitter is a force for good or evil.

To watch, just go to cnn.com/live.

See you there!