Tube to web

Advantage addiction

Melevision.net is a personal blog that takes the obsession of a confessed TV addict to the wider waters of the internet. The blog is run by New Jersey-based Meleah Rebecca Hawthorne,who says that Melevision brings the best and worst in television to its readers. She declares,“The blog tells you what to watch and what to avoid,from yesteryear’s classics to today’s newest shows. And if one of our favourite stars lands on the front page with some juicy gossip,we have it covered.” True to the promise,Hawthorne has filled the blog with gossip,news and even certain must-watch videos of shows ranging from American Idol to the Simpsons to Seinfeld. Our only cavil — the site could do with a better design and less clutter in the sidebars.

Virtual replay

Missed the 15th episode of the cooking show on Zee Marathi? You can rest assured that you’ll find it on Mypopkorn.com. Most of the major players — Zee TV,Star Plus,SAB and Sony — are available here and the site is regularly updated,so if you missed something yesterday,you’re likely to find it here today. The options also include regional channels of Zee. The major problem here is that it’s devoted to general entertainment channels (GECs),and even there the options are limited as there are no English GECs included and most of the channels belong to Zee group. So that means if you’re one of those who only watched the National Geographic Channel or ESPN,you’re better off getting TiVo to record your shows.

Wide range

Watch Indian TV Channels (watchindiantvchannels.co.cc/) goes back to the basics—no lengthy posts,no pictures and certainly no tittle-tattle. It compiles a list of Indian TV channel feeds and the range is wide enough to satisfy the fussiest couch potato—everything from Aaj Tak to Channel V to Live Kirtan from Golden Temple. One can also download the toolbar to access more channels from around the world and a number of live radio stations.

Up-to-date

By far,Television without Pity (televisionwithoutpity.com) is one of the most comprehensive and well designed television sites anywhere on the web. the site is kept updated and has information about so many shows,a TV addict can happily trawl through the archives for weeks. The site is conveniently divided into sections such as Best of Decade and Globes (about Golden Globe nominee and winners),but our favourite is Brilliant But Cancelled,which details shows which didn’t notch up the ratings and eventually got canned by channel executives,but which have a strong following. It is here that one can find information about old BBC gems like Fawlty Towers and Black Adder,and recent short-lived series like Firefly and The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Flashback

Crazy Hindi TV Serials (hindiserials.blogspot.com) is a blog with a difference. Its stated objective is to keep its visitors updated about all the bizarre happenings on the most popular Hindi soaps. There is also plenty of TV news and gossip,but what we love the best are the nostalgia posts about well-loved shows from long ago such as Buniyaad,Hum Log,

Ramayana and Mahabharat. Read it for these posts,rather than the ones about the current shows—you’ll find the latter info in newspapers,anyway.