Why my TiVo thinks I'm a housewife

I decided to check out Ask Rita and the new Ellen DeGeneres show, because I used to enjoy their stand-up comedy on TV back before they were talk show hosts. I remember back in the 90's when everyone in the world seemed to have a Jenny Jones-style talk show, but now they're being hosted by people I've heard of.

Also, I was about to yawn off Dr. Phil, but then came the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge, where they take 12 fat people and put them in a Real World-style loft and try to help them. A grandiose public psychology experiment. I'll save my observations for another post, but suffice it to say I want to see how it ends, and I also want to see what happens if someone tries to quit.

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Why is it that we instantly recognize a one-note song, written loosely in the style of Morse code, as the theme to a newscast?

I thought it was just in movies, though the only example I can think of is that the intro theme to All Things Considered on NPR sort of lapses into a single note during the parts that the newscasters talk over.

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I've been strongbad emails all evening. Man, how did I ever miss out on this for so long?