A couple of people I know have asked me why the four-week "May sweeps" television period started in late April and ends so early this year, on the 21st of the month. As best as I can tell, the answer is Memorial Day. The networks don't want sweeps going on over a holiday weekend because it "distorts" how many people would otherwise be watching the tube. By law, Memorial Day is the last Monday of May, but May ends on a Saturday this year, so Memorial Day is on May 26 this year. Since television ratings weeks end on Wednesdays, the sweeps period ends the Wednesday before Memorial Day, and that's the 21st this year.

Next year, sweeps will be late, ending on May 26, since Memorial Day will be May 31, 2004. And in 2009, sweeps will be very early, since May 2009 ends on a Sunday. Memorial Day 2009 is May 25, and sweeps will end on May 20, providing our Benevolent Media Masters think that all networks, undoubtedly to be owned by one company by then, still need to compete for ratings.

It's not all bad for Sunday, May 25, though. After the morning's run of the Indianapolis 500, Food Network is kicking off the sixth season of the amazing Good Eats with a six-hour marathon starting at 1PM CT, continuing through 6:30 PM CT and the premiere of the first season-six episode, "Crustacean Nation III," all about frozen crabs (insert your own joke here). New Good Eats is reason enough to own a TV.