Maureen Ryan Is the Boss of Your Tivo

Have you ever known a TV critic you've agreed with? Really agreed with? Agreed with so much that you come to rely on her and hang on her every recommendation? Agreed with so much that you've fantasized: "Ah, if only I could have her brain removed from her head and implanted in an electronic device directly attached to my TV!"

Well, if you have, and that critic is the Chicago Tribune's sharp and tireless Maureen Ryan, and you own a TiVo, you're in luck. Today, TiVo announced a deal with the Tribune to connect Ryan's brain directly to your TV: well, not literally, but by offering an option to have the critic's recommendations automatically recorded on your own DVR.

It's a good choice, and an idea you could imagine being taken much farther. Why not, for instance, offer an interactive feature similar to iTunes' playlists in which you could upload your own Season Passes, or subscribe to or scan other viewers'? Or friends and relatives'? Or celebrities'? I want to watch the exact same TV programs as Jennifer Love Hewitt, dammit!