Do You Hulu?

Okay, I'm a TV addict - I freely admit it. I have certain shows I absolutely love and can't think about missing. VCRs and DVD players have been great for recording and playing back programs, so I was ecstatic when we finally got a DVR. No more VHS tapes or discs - now I can record my favorite shows and watch them anytime I want.

Because I'm an insomniac, I typically watch a lot of TV at night after my family has gone to bed. Makes for some "hard to get up" mornings, but then again, I've never been a morning person.

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered Hulu.com! What is Hulu, you may ask? Hulu is a website offering commercial-supported streaming video of TV shows and movies from many of the biggest television networks and movie studios. Hulu videos are currently offered only to users in the United States. And get this - the name Hulu comes from Mandarin Chinese hulu translated as "holder of precious things."

Although Hulu has been up and running for almost a year (March 2008), I did not learn about this neat site until this year's Super Bowl. I know, I know, I'm not a sports fan - I'm one of those nuts who tapes the Super Bowl and then fast-forwards through the game just to watch the commericals! Voila` - Hulu!!

The first commerical I saw starred Alex Baldwin - mooshy, mooshy ...



Since the original commerical, several other TV stars have done Hulu commericals: Eliza Dushku, Homer Simpson, and Family Guys' Seth McFarlane.

Now I can watch many TV shows from my childhood - Starsky and Hutch, Saturday Night Live, Flipper, Lost in Space and Buck Rogers - as well as newer shows which are now off the air - Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Hulu is also great for catching up with current shows you may have missed, or forgotten to program the DVR for - Fringe, Legend of the Seeker, Dollhouse, House or Lie to Me.

Just when you thought television couldn't get any better, along comes Hulu. How do they do it? 'Cause:

They're aliens and that's how they roll ...