the buzz log

Sezmi: A New Way to Watch TV

Cheapskates and cable-discontents will rejoice in the news that a TV service called Sezmi is coming soon. Customers in L.A. are already testing out the competitor to TV and DVR services that "sez" it offers a cheaper, more net-friendly alternative.

The all-in-one idea is a combo of local broadcast, cable channels like CNN, TNT and Comedy Central (without the cable price), Internet offerings like YouTube, and downloadable movies. (To get the service, you do need a Broadband connection.)

There's still a box and a remote. The welcome screen can be customized for you, and even for the kids, so the choices are geared toward whoever logs in — and you can have your own list of shows recorded just for you.

It's lower cost than cable, about $5 a month — or about $25 if you want to include pay channels. There is an initial hit of $300 for the box — but at 1 TB it supposedly holds a whopping 1,000 hours or programming — about six times bigger than Tivo. Still, for both movie downloads and cable, it's not a bad deal.

There is a downside: Some key sports channels aren't included, like ESPN, which we know would be a deal-ender for some die-hards. And movie buffs might miss the lack of HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax. But Sezmi has a library of TV shows available for download and rental, so you could potentially dump your Netflix. (More savings.)

Now if we could just have one remote control. That would really be priceless.

Filed under: TV

High definition, the final frontier. Where nerds can boldly go where no moviegoer has gone before. With the Blu-ray release of the "Star Trek" movie prequel, these brave fans can obsess over the film's tiny details, including whether or not a very famous robot had a cameo that nobody noticed.

Consumers of popular culture may remember the rumor. It stated that director J.J. Abrams had slid in a cameo appearance from everybody's favorite nearsighted scrap pile, R2-D2, somewhere within 2009's "Star Trek." But where, exactly? When the movie hit the big screen, folks flooded the theaters, hoping to catch a glimpse. Searches also soared on "R2-D2 star trek" and "where is R2-D2." Alas, near as we can tell, nobody was able to spot him. Until now.

The blog Gizmodo has located the brave droid's appearance, and frankly, it's no surprise that 99.999% of the world couldn't spot the "Star Wars" star. R2-D2 appears for about one microsecond during a huge battle scene. Floating across the screen from left to right, the droid appears to be enjoying himself, however briefly. And no, C-3PO doesn't scold him for being too adventurous (for once).

Though the movie still appears to be photoshopped, the site insists it's the real deal. Commenters have backed up the blog. Folks who say they've watched the movie in slo-mo can also see Artoo. This isn't the first time a cinematic alien has crossed franchises. Back in 1999, George Lucas snuck E.T. into "The Phantom Menace." If only he'd banished Jar Jar to a galaxy far, far away...

Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.

1. Sarah Palin (Searches increased by 762%). Some speculate that the former Alaska governor's book tour looks like the start of a political comeback.
2. Susan Boyle (+558%). The freshly famous singer received an apology from Sharon Osbourne, who dissed the performer's looks.
3. Butterball.com (+405%). Your turkey helper is here — but beyond Butterball, there are even more help lines that dole out Thanksgiving tips.
4. Easter Island (+348%). A new theory blames rats for the mystery behind the felled palm trees.
5. Michael Lewis, "The Blind Side" (+144%). The writer's non-fiction book has been turned into a feel-good movie starring Sandra Bullock.