Earlier this month, they joined me for pizza (and my traditional Everybody's a Critic chocolate-chip cookies) to talk about television, screen the pilot of Kelsey Grammer's new Starz drama, "Boss" - look for their take, and mine, in Friday's Daily News - and to answer a few questions, some more serious than others.
(Turns out nearly everyone had an opinion on exactly what kind of tree Barbara Walters should be turned into if such a thing were possible. Most frequent suggestions: bonsai and weeping willow.)
A few other stats from this completely unscientific poll, none of whose results broke down clearly by age or gender:
* Asked how many hours of TV they watch in an average week, the largest number - seven - checked off "between 5 and 15," a range that would put them well below Nielsen estimates. Six more chose 15-30 hours, and just four went with, "I have television pumped directly into my brain 24/7. It's a lifestyle."
* Half the group reported having DVRs (one person reported using a VCR). Of those, most say they remember life before time-shifting, though several agreed with the statement, "Yes, but it makes me sad just thinking about it."
* Seventy percent of the group reported having watched TV online at some point during the past six months, on Hulu, iTunes or online sites such as ABC.com and NBC.com. Six had watched TV shows through Netflix.
* Of the 10 who said they'd watched at least one network evening newscast within the previous week, two were in their 20s and a third was 30.
Something to think about the next time someone tells you "everyone" that age gets their news from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Send email to graye@phillynews.com.
