Manufacturers Drop Plasma TVs as LCD Takes Over

When it comes time for the holiday episode, don't expect a surprise

(NEWSER) - Christmas “takes over the airwaves as comprehensively as it does malls, office lobbies, and public service announcements”—but unfortunately, the Christmas TV plotline always falls into one of three categories, writes Torie Bosch for Slate :

• Money woes: “A holiday season without gifts doesn't really feel like a holiday at all,” so when Christmas bonuses are denied, tragedy ensues. But, as Bart Simpson said in one such situation, “If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.”

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(NEWSER) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

• TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things Oprah Winfrey.
• Books: The Da Vinci Code for singlehandedly sustaining the book industry, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for blazing the trail of combining geek lit with high lit.

Goth retail mainstay is relevant again thanks to books, films

(NEWSER) - Like much of America, Ylan Q. Mui had forgotten all about Hot Topic, the mall mainstay for baby Goth merchandise—and then Twilight came along and made the store relevant again. The uber-popular vampire franchise “accomplished what the store had tried but failed to do: It made goth mainstream,” Mui writes for DoubleX . And thanks to Hot Topic hawking Twilight merch before any other outlet, sales are up for the first time in 5 years. More»

Nation's first TV energy standards expected to pass

(NEWSER) - The consumer electronics industry is kicking hard against California's plans to introduce energy consumption maximums for TV sets. An industry lobby group argues that buyers should be allowed to decide whether they want a power-hungry flat-screen TV set or not, and warns that the move could cost the state jobs by sending TV buyers out of state to pick up their chosen model. The measure looks likely to pass despite the objections, notes the Los Angeles Times. More»

Americans are more and more likely to have watched shows online

(NEWSER) - More and more Americans are watching television exclusively online and ditching their cable or satellite service. One-quarter of families have tuned in online, and 25% of those viewers have watched a full-length show on a computer—a 67% jump just since 2007. “The idea that you come home and your entertainment choices are dictated on what some entertainment channel decides is not for me,” a tech-savvy early adapter tells the Los Angeles Times. More»