Gail: Hi, everybody. I've had an exciting day so far; while I was in the shower, Oliver ("Bad Kitten") pried open the laptop and opened 17 programs, including a folder of pictures of himself and that search feature with the little dog wagging his tail. It was such a mess, I had to shut down by pushing the button, annoying Windows. I've learned an important lesson, though: Close the laptop completely and, possibly, shop for cat handcuffs, size medium. In any case, I'm safe at the office now, and except for the stuffed shark that just arrived from the Hallmark Channel, no animals are in sight. So let's chat.

brandon: i was just wondering how do the tv networks base their rating on. are there still nielson boxes in house or since everything is digital now is that how they figure them out

Gail: Nielsen is deliberately mysterious about how it acquires its ratings sample. Some houses still have Nielsen boxes. But during sweeps months, they also still send out paper diaries for people to fill out. If you've ever seen one of those diaries, you'll wonder even more about the accuracy of ratings, because I can't imagine anyone actually filling them out completely. Yes, everything is digital now, and technically Nielsen could probably get viewership info from cable and satellite companies that would be way more accurate -- but there's a privacy issue. Do you want big brother (not "Big Brother") knowing everything you watch, and telling?

Patti: Hi, Gail! Have you heard if "Aliens in America" or "Reaper" have been cancelled?

Gail: No word yet on either one. I would renew them both, but I'm not a network programmer, and it's hard to predict what the CW will do. In particular, ratings for poor "Aliens in America" have been pretty low.

suzyjax: With the writer's strike over, I was curious about Law & Order CI. I assume they are making new episodes, is that right? Also, will the new ones premier on NBC or USA? I also notice that Monk and Psych are moving over to NBC. Will that be new episodes or just "new to NBC"?

Gail: NBC announced that it would air "Monk" and "Psych" this summer, but that will be reruns -- and actually, I haven't heard anything about the plan lately. With reality and game shows doing so well, NBC could still drop the plan altogether. I haven't heard that "CI" will return to the network from USA except as repeats.

Carrie: I was very upset to learn that October Road is going to be cancelled! This is a GREAT show. It is funny and intelligent and poignant and just juicy enough to keep you wanting more without being tacky. I really want to know if Hannah smartens up before she marries Ray and if Nick finds out he's Sams dad. I am originally from the Boston area and I also really appreciate the fact that no one tries to do a Boston accent. Tom Berenger slips a few words in here and there, but he's not too far off. (Unless you are Matt Damon, Ben Affleck or Mark Wahlberg no actor should try to do a Boston accent because they can't pull it off.) I really feel like this show has never had a fair shot. As an end of the season fill in last year it was opposite ER and now this year it started later in a season that was screwed up to start and put opposite Medium. I love Medium too, but every week I taped October Road and missed Medium if I had to make a choice.

I know I probably don't have a chance to change things, but I and several of my friends who also love this show would love to be able to write the network an tell them how we feel. I was hoping you might have the appropriate address at the network for us to write to.

Gail: Every show, no matter how low-rated -- well, maybe not "Viva Laughlin" -- has people who thinks it's great and the best show on TV. In the end, though, a network may think it's time to cut its losses with a show like "October Road," which got a second season even though ratings for the first run were low. I don't get involved with "save our show" campaigns because I think they're 99.9 percent futile, but if you want to join one, you should try an online search and find out what you're supposed to mail in this time.