I can’t believe it’s already Labor Day weekend.  Next week means back to school, and back to some of our favorite TV shows!  In addition to the Democratic National Convention, which starts Tuesday night, a number of shows are starting to return.  Here’s a look at a selection of sporting events and other programs airing on TV during the coming week. 

 

Friday:

America’s Next Top Model – 8 pm on CW

Boss – 9 pm on Starz

Strike Back - 10 pm on Cinemax

 

Saturday:

Dina’s Party – 7:30 pm on HGTV

College Football – 8 pm on ABC (Alabama vs. Michigan)

Doctor Who – 9 pm on BBC America

 

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Legend has it that Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, was once asked about Scouting’s time-honored motto “Be Prepared.”

 

“Be prepared for what?” someone asked.

 

“Why,” responded Baden-Powell, “any old thing.”

 

As Tropical Storm (and potentially Hurricane) Isaac barrels through the Gulf of Mexico, Verizon is taking that motto to heart, readying its network and service operations for the worst the storm could possibly deal to our customers in Florida. From testing our backup generators at all of our facilities to readying our fleet of vehicles to respond at a moment’s notice, we’re trying to leave no stone unturned by planning for the worst but hoping for the best.

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We have a big week ahead of us, with new shows, season finales, and, of course, the Republican National Convention beginning Monday.  Check PBS, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and others for nightly coverage.  Here’s a look at a selection of sporting events and other programs airing on TV during the coming week.

 

Friday:

America’s Next Top Model – 8 pm on the CW

Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta – 9 pm on TLC (Miranda Lambert helps her bandmate find a dress)

Boss – 9 pm on Starz

 

Saturday:

NASCAR: Sprint Cup – 7:30 pm on ABC

NFL Football – 8 pm on CBS (exhibition game, Texans vs. Saints)

Tanked – 9 pm on Animal Planet 

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Blog courtesy of Verizon #SmartHome Ambassador Jean Parks (@geekbabe)

 

Have you ever wished for a ‘Smart Home?’ I don't know about you but I've longed to be able to control my home heating/cooling, lighting and security all from one central place that I can access from anywhere I might be. Yes, there are various individual systems out there but few of them do it all, and having to deal with multiple accounts, passwords and bills frankly annoys me.

 

Here’s what’s on my smart home wish list (besides a robot to fold my laundry!):

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We have two freebies to tell you about today. The first is for all you Karaoke fans: the Karaoke Channel on Demand is free on FiOS TV through August 27. With hundreds of songs to choose from, you’ll find titles from all genres including rock, country, pop and more. Whether you want to sharpen your skills or host your very own karaoke party right in your living room, this is a perfect time to test the waters. You can find the Karaoke Channel in the Premium Channels Video on Demand folder. And if you like what you see, sign up for the package for just $7.99 per month. 

 

Next Monday, we have our second free preview of the month with the Tennis Channel.

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TGIF!  There are a lot of shows to check out in the next few days, including the season finale of Political Animals on USA, the season premiere of Hell on Wheels on AMC, and Joe Jonas’s new reality show on E! – and that’s all Sunday night! Here’s a look at a selection of sporting events and other programs airing on TV during the coming week.

 

Friday:

Teachers Rock – 8 pm on CBS

Boss – 9 pm on Starz (season 2 premiere)

Strike Back – 10 pm on Cinemax (season 2 premiere)

 

Saturday:

The Devil Wears Prada – 8 pm on ABC

The Timey-Wimey of Doctor Who – 9 pm on BBC (now in HD on FiOS!)

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(Ed's note: This is the first in a series of Verizon community blogs that will be cross-posted each Friday as part of Forum Discovery Fridays on Verizon at Home. Today's blog is from Link Hoewing of Verizon's PolicyBlog and AVP of Internet and Technology Issues.)

 

I got a note from an old friend just after Verizon announced its new 300 mbps/65 mbps service, posing this question: “I’ve been asked what people will ever do with all of this capacity. Do you have an answer?”

 

I hesitated to give the quick response that came to mind given my own experiences with innovation in technology.  Back in 1976, I got my first computer when Timex came out with a small machine that hooked to your TV and saved data to a cassette tape. Then in 1981, I bought an “IBM “clone” (a computer made from knock-off parts based on the then-very popular IBM personal computer) that my brother-in-law made and sold. As I recall, it came with a 20-meg hard drive, and I distinctly remember his comment: “You’ll never need all of this memory.” Yeah, right.

 

But let me delve into this matter a little more seriously. Why a 300 meg offering now? Why do – or will –  consumers need or want it?

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Great news! As of today, BBC AMERICA HD is now available on FiOS TV!

 

Many of you have shown interest in this high-def channel and now it’s here. You can find it on FiOS TV Channel 689 (BBC AMERICA is in standard-definition on Channel 189), in FiOS TV’s Extreme HD and Ultimate HD packages.

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The new season of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" premieres Sept. 16. But you can see it on Sept. 5 in Manhattan with the cast and crew if you win our grand prize in our sweepstakes.

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It’s Friday and time once again for the What to Watch blog post. As the Olympics wind down, there are a few not to be missed events, along with some series premieres and finales you may want to catch over the next few days. Here’s a look at a selection of sporting events and other programs airing on TV during the coming week.

 

Friday:

Soccer – 6:15 pm on the Olympics Soccer channel (repeat of the women’s gold medal game)

Track & field finals, BMX cycling and men’s diving – 8 pm on NBC

Common Law – 10 pm on USA (season finale)

 

Saturday:

Women’s basketball – 4 pm on NBC (Team USA vs. France)

Track & field finals, men’s diving and women’s volleyball – 8 pm on NBC

Tanked – 9 pm on Animal Planet (season premiere)

UFC 150 – 10 pm on Pay-Per-View

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Great news today for FiOS TV customers who have certain Samsung smart TVs or Blue Ray players: You can now watch 26 live TV channels and thousands of FlexView movies and TV shows on these devices.

 

 

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My recent family vacation to a tropical island made me wonder what movies had been filmed there, and who appeared in them.

 

So last weekend, as the reality of the “real world” returned, I let my FiOS TV remote do the walking as I ventured into our FiOS TV Video on Demand (VOD) menu at home and started my search.

 

The navigational flow of the Video On Demand menu made it easy for me to find several movies filmed on the Garden Isle of Kauai where many movies have been shot. With all due respect to Elvis, I opted against watching him shake his hips hula style in Blue Hawaii or Paradise Hawaiian Style.

 

Having watched all the Jurassic Park movies, Avatar, Soul Surfer, Just Go With It and the classic South Pacific, all partially filmed on location on Kauai, I pressed on with my Video on Demand search and found a movie shot on the island starring funny guys Ben Stiller and Jack Black called Tropic Thunder.

 

While the $3.99 movie was a major let down, my experience finding it was not.

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It’s Friday and time for What to Watch, with part two of our Olympics edition! I’m sure many of you have been enjoying the Olympics coverage so far, and we have a lot to look forward to during week two.  Here's a look at a selection of Olympics events airing on TV during the coming week, along with a few other programs that might be of interest. 

 

Friday:

Tennis – 7am-3pm on Bravo

Track & field opening day – 10 am on NBC

Archery – 11:15 am on NBC Sports Network (men’s individual final)

 

Saturday:

Tennis – 9 am on NBC (women’s singles gold medal match)

Badminton – 11:15 am for women’s singles and 1:45 pm for women’s doubles on MSNBC (who knew badminton could be so controversial?)

Swimming – 8 pm on NBC (gold medal finals)

Dina’s Party – 7:30 pm on HGTV (RHONJ alum Dina Manzo’s party planning show)

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