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I have been rambling on about Chuck since October of 2007. My initial couple of posts were about how Chuck might be affected by the writer’s strike at the time. The strike caused some down time for the show, splitting the first season up. That was the first of many struggles for Chuck. Mondays at 8EST was a tough time slot for the show, facing things like Monday Night Football, Dancing With The Stars, and eventually House when it was moved to the time slot. Also, while very original, Chuck definitely fits a viewer niche. The show is part romantic comedy, part science fiction, and all wrapped up in action. While many would argue that it’s got something for everyone, others might acknowledge that aspects of the show may put some people off. Considering it’s competition, Chuck has done reasonably well. The viewer numbers, while down in the second season, aren’t as low as many shows that the network has kept. More over, the ever-important demographic for ages 18-49 continues to stay strong at 2.3 million viewers.

Debuting with solid shows like Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone, Chuck has watched both series officially die. Now it sits on the edge, awaiting NBC’s press release on May 5TH. But with an incredibly hyped finale tonight, Chuck has more than just network politics going for it. It has amazing viewer campaigns which may rival even Jericho’s nutty fans.

ChuckTV.Net was an early supporter of the show. Featuring cast & crew interviews in podcast segments and teasing upcoming episode media, it was one of the first to launch it’s own Save Chuck campaign called the Watch/Buy/Share campaign. The idea is to get as many people to watch, buy seasons or episodes of, and even just share seasons or episodes of the show in an attempt to snag viewers. Chuck is a great show, but part of it’s low viewer numbers stems from the fact that people haven’t given it a chance because other stable shows in it’s time slot already have them pulled away. While the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, & LA Times rave about the show it faces a target demographic that is less influenced by media and more influenced from their friends and social networks. ChuckTV.Net was all about spreading the word of the show through user created youtube highlights and just getting people interested enough to watch and episode. They also initialized writing NBC Universal, with claims that individual personal letters raving about the show means significantly more than online petitions and emails. Head over to their campaign headquarters for more Chuck ideas.

Zachary Levi’s unofficial fan site began encouraging people to buy a $5 dollar footlong at Subway today and dropping off a comment card indicating your support for the show. This all stemmed from very obvious product placement in a few Chuck episodes this season. You can get the full details on that campaign here or check out the facebook event page.

These are just two examples of what many sites like www.pleasesavechuck.com and Give Me My Remote are promoting, and that’s not counting the groups on Facebook and twitter buzz. You can search for #chuck & #savechuck at Twitter’s search page for more information on that.

And on that note, I’m going to have to excuse myself to dive into this chicken teriyaki sub. I’ll leave you with my reason for watching Chuck. Chuck airs at 8EST, 7 CST on NBC. Tonight is the season finale. Don’t freak out.

Yvonne Strahovski As Sarah Walker in Chuck

NOTE: Anyone wishing to wait until the album drops to listen to any new Dave Matthews Band material should ignore the rest of this post. Of course, if you’re that interested in DMB, then sharing of a live set isn’t new and you’ve already heard this.

Big Whiskey & the Groogrux King is far from a typical album name. The album, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, is a tribute to the late LeRoi Moore who passed away after a freak ATV accident last August. That fall marked the first time the band played without all original members since 1993, only two years after the band’s founding. Everything about this album is a tribute to the monster woodwind member of an unusual band consisting of electric and acoustic instruments varying from guitars, a violin, and a horn section – and that was just the base lineup. Guests could come in on anything from banjos to tribal chanting. The live Dave Matthews Band experience is a major part of the success of the band, and as such I give you what I feel will probably be the most emotional song on the album. From the Madison Square Gardens show on April 14TH, here’s Why I Am performed live by the Dave Matthews Band. The audience at the end of the song? They’re chanting LeRoi. I will probably not make it through this album or the show I’m hitting next September without crying. Don’t give me any shit about it.

Dave Matthews Band – Why I Am (Live 4/14/09)

I grew from monkey into man
Then I crossed fifteen million with the wave of my hand
I grew drunk on water, turned into wine
’til I was slave and master at the same damn time

But it’s why I am
It’s why I am

Why
I
Am
Still here dancing with the Groogrux

Out of my head and into you
Well hello

A king of men, it makes no sense
And I bow to the priest while I worship the witch

But it’s why I am
The only one to make you smile
Why I am
A snake in the wood pile
Why
I
Am

Still here dancing with the Groogrux King

Out of my head and into the world
So when my ghost takes me from you
You can remember the fool I am
Don’t cry baby, don’t cry

It’s the flute and the wind of the world
Wrong and right, us and them of the world
It’s the you and the me of the world
Only one way out of the world
It’s the flute and the wind of the world
Wrong and right, us and them of the world
It’s the you and the me of the world
Only one way out of the world

It’s why I am
Unlikely to agree
Why I am
Climb out of my monkey tree

Why
I
Am

Still here dancing with the Groogrux King
I’ll be drinking big whiskey while we dance and sing
When my story ends it’s gonna end with him
Heaven or hell, I’m going there with the Groogrux King

Why I am
The apple of your pretty eye
Why I am
A snake in the wood pile

Why
I
Am

Still here dancing with the Groogrux King

Out of my head and into the world
So when my ghost takes me from you
You can remember the fool I am
Don’t cry baby, don’t cry

Some new stuff is up at ReLife if you want to check it out. Yes, that was a shameless plug and here are three more (the first one is sincere, the latter two are my ironic facebook observations:

Church Under The Bridge

BandWagon

Why I can’t get a girlfriend - I stole the idea for this one from another blogger, but it amused me nonetheless.

Cross-posting FTW.

TO: All CU-Boulder Students FROM: Office of the Chancellor

DATE: April 15, 2009 SUBJECT: A statement from the CU-Boulder leadership to CU Students on the 4/20 gathering

Dear Students:

As another April 20 approaches, we are faced with concerns from students, parents, alumni, Regents, and community members about a repeat of last year’s 4/20 “event.”

You know, ’cause last year’s stoner convention attendance doubled from 2007 and we’ve heard 20,000 may be attending this year. That’s a shit ton of people, yo.

Let us start by saying that we share their concerns. A gathering of thousands on our campus for the sole purpose of engaging in unlawful activity is contrary to everything that CU-Boulder stands for and is in no way condoned. This event only serves to harm the reputation of this great university and is comprised in large part of individuals with no investment in the university at all.

Despite the fact that no one’s been hurt at a CU 4/20 event and it’s really not all that different from the hundreds of thousands (low estimate) of college students across North America who are “harming the reputation” of their own universities.

The increasingly large crowds that have gathered in recent years present safety risks for participants, whether students or people not affiliated with the campus. This activity violates a number of campus regulations designed to provide for the well-being of our campus and neighboring community.

So many people lighting their papers and bowls at once are clearly a contributing factor to rising concerns about global warming. And you might burn your thumb!

On April 20, 2009, we hope that you will choose not to participate in unlawful activity that debases the reputation of your University and degree, and will encourage your fellow Buffs to act with pride and remember who they really are — part of a dynamic environment of teaching, research, learning, and service, nationally recognized for its unique and stellar academic programs, outstanding faculty, and proud students and alumni.

We could join chess club. I heard they need some active bodies!

Some people drink, some people don’t
Some people think, some people won’t
Some people like to smoke a bowl
And some people don’t
Some people do
Some people don’t
And it’s okay, ’cause it’s meant to be that way

- The wise and noble Dave Matthews

Sincerely,

Phil DiStefano
Interim Chancellor

Julie Wong
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

Deb Coffin
Dean of Students

Monday is 4/20. I bet you almost forgot. Be safe, friends, and have fun.

There are three albums I’m looking forward to this year. blink-182’s as of yet untitled fall release, Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind, & Dave Matthews Band’s first endeavor since the loss of LeRoi Moore, who’s title refers to his nickname – the Groogrux King.