The Budget Geek’s TV Shows of the Week (descriptions courtesy TV Guide):

Caprica - Friday, February 26, 9:00pm Syfy
“There is Another Sky”
Episode Synopsis: Tamara befriends gamers while haunting the virtual world; Joseph and Will go on an emotionally revealing fishing trip; Daniel feels compelled to fight for his professional life.

The Budget Geek’s Podcast Pick of the Week:

The ForceCast

The Weekly ForceCast is the number-one downloaded Star Wars-themed podcast currently in production. Hosted by Jason Swank, co-hosted and produced by Jimmy “Mac” McInerney, the Weekly ForceCast podcast features news, commentary, and discussion about the Star Wars films and universe. Most episodes are recorded with a live online audience and distributed later via direct download. Other Star Wars podcasts found on ForceCast.net include:

The Budget Geek’s What’s New in Stores and Online This Week:

Danse Macabre (Audiobook, Unabridged) by Stephen King

Long before he gave us “a one-of-a-kind classic” (The Wall Street Journal) with his bestselling memoir On Writing, Stephen King crafted a nonfiction masterpiece in Danse Macabre, “one of the best books on American popular culture” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

The author whose boundless imagination and storytelling powers have redefined the horror genre, from 1974’s Carrie to his new epic Under the Dome, reflects on the very nature of terror — what scares us and why — in films (both cheesy and choice), television and radio, and, of course, the horror novel, past and present.

Informal, engaging, tremendous fun, and tremendously informative, Danse Macabre is an essential tour with the master of horror as your guide; much like his spellbinding works of fiction, you won’t be able to put it down.

The Budget Geek’s TV Shows of the Week (descriptions courtesy TV Guide):

Caprica - Friday, February 19, 9:00pm Syfy
“Gravedancing”
Episode Synopsis: Daniel appears on a talk show, but his intentions alienate Amanda; Joseph has a change of heart and tries to stop Sam from killing Amanda; Agent Duram homes in on Clarice.

Additional Caprica Links:

Follow Serge, the Graystone’s servant / security housebot on Twitter @sergegraystone.

Keep up with all of the happenings on the planet Caprica by reading The Caprican.

The Budget Geek’s Podcast Pick of the Week:

This Week in Tech (TWiT)



Your first podcast of the week is the last word in tech. Join Leo Laporte, John C. Dvorak, Patrick Norton, and other tech luminaries in a roundtable discussion of the latest trends in high tech. Winner of “Best Video Podcast” in the 2009 People’s Choice Podcast Awards. Released every Sunday at midnight Pacific. Bandwidth is provided by AOL Music, Spinner.com, and Cachefly.

The Budget Geek’s What’s New in Stores and Online This Week:

UR (Audiobook, Unabridged) by Stephen King

Tapping into our primal fears of modern technology that made Cell a #1 bestseller, Stephen King sets his sights on the latest high-tech gadget in UR, in which a mysterious e-book reader opens a disturbing window into other worlds.

Reeling from a painful break-up, English instructor and avid book lover Wesley Smith is haunted by his ex-girlfriend’s parting shot: “Why can’t you just read off the computer like everyone else?” He buys an e-book reader out of spite, but soon finds he can use the device to glimpse realities he had never before imagined, discovering literary riches beyond his wildest dreams…and all-too-human tragedies that surpass his most terrible nightmares.

From vintage cars (Christine and From a Buick 8) to household appliances (Maximum Overdrive) to exercise equipment (Stationary Bike), Stephen King has mesmerized us with tales of apparently ordinary machines that take on lives of their own. UR gives this classic theme an up-to-the-minute spin, resulting in a horror masterpiece for our time and for the ages.

Horns (Audiobook, Unabridged) by Joe Hill



Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a pair of horns growing from his temples.

At first, Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who had been raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once, the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed. But Merrin’s death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. Nothing Ig can do or say matters. Everyone it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone that is, but the devil inside… .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. It’s time for a little revenge … it’s time the devil had his due . . .

(For more details on Horns, click here.)

The Budget Geek’s TV Shows of the Week (descriptions courtesy TV Guide):

The Big Bang Theory - Monday, February 8, 9:31pm CBS
“The Large Hadron Collision” Season 3, Episode 15
Episode Synopsis: Leonard is only allowed to bring one guest for his trip to the CERN science complex in Switzerland, and he’s forced to choose between Sheldon and Penny.

The Office - Thursday, February 11, 9:00pm NBC
“Manager and Salesman” Season 6, Episode 15
Episode Synopsis: In the wake of Sabre’s buyout of Dunder Mifflin, new CEO Jo Bennett (Kathy Bates) arrives in Scranton, awing the staffers with her charismatic Southern style. But Bennett is against having two branch managers, a policy shift that impacts Michael and Jim, one of whom must step down from their managerial post and return to salesman duty. Meanwhile, a Valentine’s Day plan blows up on Andy.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Friday, February 12, 9:00pm CARTOON NETWORK
“The Dutchess of Mandalore”
Episode Synopsis: Satine is falsely accused of creating a terrorist group, so she’s forced to go on the lam until she and Obi-Wan can trace the group’s real origins.

The Budget Geek’s Podcast Pick of the Week:

Star Wars Action News

Marjorie and Arnie C are a husband and wife team who host the best Star Wars collecting podcast on the web.  In addition to product reviews, they also provide special segments on vintage collecting, the Expanded Universe, and other topics of interest to Star Wars collectors and fans.  I subscribe to many podcasts, but this one is #1 on my most anticipated list each week.