Here’s part one of my conversation with Michael to substitute for our podcast. If you’d like to chime in on anything, feel free to leave a comment below. Every comment will be entered in to win a TV DVD set of your choice!

Jennifer Smith: Hey Michael! Do you miss me?
Michael Hickerson: More than you’ll ever know.

[Ed note: I just made that up. Here we go with the real conversation.]

JS: Where in the world is Jennifer Smith?
MH: Last we heard, she was on the run from Dawn Osteroff. Seems that Osteroff was very unhappy about comments made on the podcast, concerning her handling of the Gilmore Girls debacle. It was rumored that Osteroff had hired the entire cast of Jericho to come, hunt down Smith and perform pantomime episodes which she’d be unable to Jericho through since it was live….
JS: Note to self…Don’t tell Dawn Osteroff about my fear of snakes. Oh! Damn! But seriously? What would be worse than “Jericho! The Musical!” I mean, if I couldn’t fast forward through that show, I wouldn’t watch it. Oh, wait….
MH: Nope, but Skeet will make sure that you are up close and personal with the acting stylings of the older brother….
JS: Here’s the $64,000 question….will Skeet’s older brother Peyton EVER find acting work again? Should “Jericho! The Musical!” ever come to fruition, I would hope that the producers would give that guy the old heave ho.
MH: It’s really too bad shows like Hollywood Squares and MatchGame aren’t still around. Dude could totally have a second career on those.
JS: Holy crap! You’re right! He’s totally headed for the Squares.

MH: So, how much do you hate the Jericho fans now?
JS: I just don’t understand what we’re missing about this show to make people so passionate. Was it because it was such a large cliffhanger? Was it because people actually thought the show was good? Was it because I live in bizarro Jennifer Smith world where everybody loves what I hate? I just don’t get the passion behind this show. It was mediocre at best….
MH: I think it just shows how lemming like many can be…you turn out crap and people think it’s great. They’re not used to greatness because the networks don’t get challenging shows a chance to develop. Seriously, if X-Files were to start today, it’d be gone in four eps….
JS: I think Jericho actually started off with potential, then somewhere around the time those fake Marines showed up in town, that was all she wrote. The idea on a whole would’ve been a much better mini series. Like I said, I’ve always loved the concept, it’s just the execution that was miserable. And that fact that it is such a blatant LOST rip off makes me cringe even more.
MH: It so desperately wants to be Lost..but it never can be. The characters are all one-note and the writing is horrific. I could write better on a bad day with one hand tied behind my back..but yet I am here and they’re there making a show….life isn’t fair.
JS: Maybe we could each tie one hand behind our backs and write a show. It’ll be our bit.

JS: What did you think of the Rescue Me premiere?
MH: Brilliant…absolutely freaking brilliant. No show goes from drama to humor to back again so quickly. Nicely done and the reveal at the end left me wanting MORE, MORE, MORE!
JS: Now I’m beginning to think that Shiela is dead. I didn’t think about it until listening to the TV Guide podcast on my way up to my current battlestation, but I hate myself for having Michael Ausiello think for me. I think it would be WAY better drama if she was dead, and it would get her off the show (I consider her to be easily the worst character). Two birds, one stone. The fire scene blew my mind. I’m still standing by my original belief that Rescue Me is better than The Shield.
MH: First of all, get Michael Ausiello out of your head…he is evil.
Second of all, I am not sure if Sheila should be dead or not…though it’d be interesting if her dead husband couldn’t find her to communicate…I mean, we did see the dead husband assaulting Tommy in the elevator. Was it because Sheila was dead or that he knew about the scheme for the two million bucks? Good shows make us ask questions and leave us begging for more. Rescue Me is a great show…you do the math.
JS: I guess the biggest question is, how did Tommy’s name get forged on that document? And I still have no idea why he was with Sheila in the first place. That woman gives women everywhere a bad name.
MH: Didn’t we see Sheila forging his name on documents last year? I may be filling in details that aren’t there since it’s been since last summer I saw season three….
JS: Ooh. Maybe you’re right. Maybe someone out there knows. If you know, comment!

JS: And The Sopranos finale?
MH: I haven’t seen it yet…but I’ve got it on the old archive feed….I have only seen the first two eps of the last half of season six. But I’ve heard enough about it in the media to feel like I have seen it….the thing that worries me most is Ron Moore loved the ending. This does not bode well for Battlestar.
JS:I hadn’t watched The Sopranos in years (don’t do well with gratuitous violence) but was at casa de parentals and they happen to have HBO so I thought I tuned in, figuring it would be one of those cultural events to define the year. The episode on a whole was pretty boring, and at first I hated the ending. Now, thinking back on it, I’m loving it more because holy crap did it take balls to end it that way.

JS: Are you as obsessed with Kathy Griffin: My Life On the D List as I am?
MH: Not particularly no….she was OK on Seinfeld but she annoys the stew out of me…
JS: I HATE reality shows, but I’m loving every minute of this one. I think I have a soft spot for it because I myself am also a celebrity personal assistant, so I’m loving that aspect of it. It’s like watching a much more amusing version of my own life. Kathy is brash, but her special form of self deprecation is rocking my face. Really fun summer watching, you should check out an episode.

JS: What else are you watching this summer?
MH: The 4400, The Dead Zone, Kyle XY, Doctor Who.
JS: I don’t think I can get into any of those. Can you sell me on them, or are you just watching out of boredom?
MH: Honestly, the only one of the four I’d unreservedly recommend is Dr Who. Dead Zone is just going through the motions and a pale imitation of what it once was. Why it got renewed is beyond me. The 4400 was a limited run show that got renewed and has struggled since to find a storyline. Kyle XY I just started as it looked interesting and so far I have enjoyed the episode I’ve seen.
JS: He doesn’t have a bellybutton. That freaks me out just a tad. Plus, I hated the Kyle XY media onslaught for the premiere.
MH: So far, it’s interesting. It’s got Nicholas Lea from X-Files….so there you’ve got a connection.

Come back tomorrow for part two of our conversation. And don’t forget to leave your thoughts below for a chance to win your favorite TV show on DVD!