150: Third anniversary edition

Who doesn't love ponies? Anyway, after being off "the air" since December, the world's most dangerous, stupid and pointless podcast about television is back! We have a new podcave (actually, someone else's office). We've gone through three producers, one intern, any number of Question Girls, a dozen or so 12-step programs, a grand jury investigation, two foreign tribunals and successfully (and almost legally) avoided international sanctions. So, happy third birthday to us! We can't be killed. We even took a phone call from Qatar, so put that in your Doha pipe and smoke it! Our world domination continues. See, now you want to listen. It's free. Easy. And also quite popular on iTunes. Although we turned down an invite to go on "Fighting Talk," our good friends at the BBC and my recent appearance on Bill Simmons' "B.S. Report" podcast have finally nudged the decision-makers at TVTM to consider expanding the cult. Even though tens of thousands of people listen to us monthly (when we're not too lazy to actually do the podcast) we are very much an acquired taste, as any number of our measly 573 or so TVTM Facebook fans will attest. In theory, this podcast is about television. In practice, it's a collection of rants, asides, dribs and drabs of actual answers to listeners who have questions, inside jokes, terrible impersonations (Walter Cronkite, Juan Antoniio Samaranch, The Count from "Sesame Street," Vladamir Putin, Dora the Explorer, the Existential French Woman and "hundreds" more, including our patron saint, Bill Walton. Plus porno versions of all of those people, except Walton.) These podcasts are not to be confused with the TV Talk Machine's spin-off "Celebrity Podcasts" (see link on right side of this blog) where I talk professionally with a number of important people I like in the industry and do it with actual TV knowledge. Those have value. And a point. If, however, you'd like to listen to our more regular TVTM podcasts and you're a newbie wondering why we have listeners around the globe (that part is actually true), iTunes availability, a Facebook fan page and a toll-free hotline for those living in the U.S. of A, then here's a quick primer: Our cast is made up of Yours Truly, plus Question Boy (Chronicle political writer Joe Garofoli) and Manny (Chronicle business writer Benny Evangelista) who "mans the knobs" and produces this thing. Or as we like to say, "produces" this thing. (We go through producers like Spinal Tap goes through drummers, just FYI.) Whenever we're not too lazy, we put on our shorty robes, head to the podcave and answer your questions while channeling Walton and any number of other bad voices we can conjure. We encourage people to take the TVTM logo with them when they travel and take "Flat Bastard" photos that are posted on our Facebook page (seriously, you should go look). We ask only that you set your bar low for information and entertainment. No animals are hurt in the creation of this podcast.