21st Century Digital Boy: Hulu, “Star Trek,” “Idol” Loss, and “Jon & Kate”

Jon & Kate Plus … Date?: Can’t help but start with the worst first. If thereÁ¢€â„¢s one thing thatÁ¢€â„¢s certain in the world of entertainment, itÁ¢€â„¢s the love of a good old-fashioned scandal. Only this time, really not that surprising or scandalous — itÁ¢€â„¢s just too bad. Pure as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet, the reality TV version of Eight Is Enough, the Gosselins from TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8, are now embroiled in a Á¢€Å“cheatingÁ¢€ hullabaloo of sorts.

For those not yet in the loop on this one, husband Jon was apparently caught partying late with a woman who wasnÁ¢€â„¢t his wife and (shock!) that’s set off a firestorm of public opinion. It was a bad judgment call thatÁ¢€â„¢s awakened all the perfect parents out in TV land, all of whom now feel free to psychoanalyze the real human beings in thisÁ‚ delicate situation. The Gosselins’ site doesnÁ¢€â„¢t say much, but the blogÁ‚ Gosselins Without Pity (ouch!) is hot to trot (natch) about this story.

The bottom line? Look, having eight kids so close together in age, and all in a goldfish bowl to boot, has got to be traumatic. Both these parents are Á¢€Å“stress casesÁ¢€ who, once upon a time, thought a reality TV show was a good idea. TheyÁ¢€â„¢ve made their money, scored their book deals and traded up in the lifestyle category (and then some). But if you look at them closely these last couple of seasons, theyÁ¢€â„¢re prettyÁ‚ miserable (watch theÁ‚ body language). Jon and KateÁ‚ are a lost couple, working their way around each other (despite the cameras) and itÁ¢€â„¢s obvious.

They donÁ¢€â„¢t need a television show or the money, they need counseling and their kids.

If JonÁ‚ and Kate really care about their family, their relationship and their kids Á¢€” who will, in all likelihood, need therapy once the show is over Á¢€” they need to end this, circle the wagons and pull the plug with TLC. And to all you condemnatory voyeurs:Á‚ go back to spying (read: quietly judging) your neighbors like people used to do in the 50s and 60s.Á‚  It’s time for this show to retire, for the sake of all those involved. And don’t cry for them or for TLC… network execs there areÁ‚ probably secretly hoping to drop the pilot ofÁ‚ The Octomom Show in J+K+8‘s place.

Disney joins Hulu: WeÁ¢€â„¢re guessing that the hit Internet show Dorm Life had little to do with this weekÁ¢€â„¢s Hulu-Disney announcement, which finds Disney/ABC programming like Lost and GreyÁ¢€â„¢s Anatomy joining the ranks of Fox and NBC on the video site founded by NBC/Universal back in 2007. Hulu emerged as one of the most popular Á¢€Å“online video destinationsÁ¢€ and although itÁ¢€â„¢s still running behind GoogleÁ¢€â„¢s YouTube service, a staggering 380 million videos were viewed on Hulu as of last month. How long before Hulu is challenging AppleÁ¢€â„¢s iTunes for a corner (or more) of the music market? We think not as long as it’s taking CBS to decide if Hulu is the right fit for them…

IdolÁ¢€â„¢s Brother dies: American Idol champion/ favorite David CookÁ¢€â„¢s brother Adam lost his battle with brain cancer. Sad state of affairs. Our condolences to the family. Read more here.

The Prequel Frontier: ItÁ¢€â„¢s no secret that the new Star Trek prequel directed by JJ Abrams (Lost, Cloverfield) is due out next weekend. ItÁ¢€â„¢s no secret that it will be one of this summerÁ¢€â„¢s blockbusters. ItÁ¢€â„¢s also no secret that this reboot of sorts is a sleeker, shinier, techie-er (Trekkier?) future that has wowed all those whoÁ¢€â„¢ve screened it. WhatÁ¢€â„¢s still interesting after all these years (over 40 at this point) is how the short-lived sci-fi television show from the 60s went on to be so influential. Fans looking for the best episodes of both the original series and The Next Generation can score four episodes on one DVD for each of these first twoÁ‚ ST series.

The original Star Trek “Best of” compilation includes classic episodes “The Trouble with Tribbles,” “Amok Time,” “The City on the Edge of Forever” and “Balance of Terror”; while the The Next Generation collection offers Á¢€Å“The Best of Both Worlds Parts I and II,Á¢€ Á¢€Å“Yesterday’s EnterpriseÁ¢€ and Á¢€Å“The Measure of a Man.Á¢€ Each set is well done, well packaged and retails for fifteen bucks.Á‚ Both are due out a week from tomorrow, May 12.