While Lindsay Lohan continues her publicity tour for “Georgia Rule,” here’re a few items for your televisual edification:

Why does Mickey Mouse hate America?: Here’s the most precious way of disseminating hatred, ever.

“The squeaky-voiced Mickey Mouse lookalike, named Farfur, is the star of a weekly children’s program called Tomorrow’s Pioneers on the official Hamas TV station (Al-Aqsa TV). Farfur and his co-host, a young girl named Saraa’, teach children about such things as the importance of the daily prayers and drinking milk, while taking every opportunity to indoctrinate young viewers with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the US and support of "resistance" – the Palestinian euphemism for terror. …

“Farfur's performance is unquestionably funny and entertaining, as is the character’s comic timing. For example, as he rhymes off a list of world figures, he chirps: “We will win, Bush! We will win, Condoleezza! We will win, Sharon!” Then, without missing a beat, he quips, “Ah, Sharon is dead” (sic), reinforcing his message that the plan for world domination is progressing. …

“The effectiveness of this program is heightened by including child viewers, who phone in to the show and recite poems with images of hate and violence; for example, ‘We will destroy the chair of the despots, so they will taste the flame of death;’ and, ‘Rafah sings ‘Oh, oh.’ Its answer is an AK-47. We who do not know fear, we are the predators of the forest.’”

Kids these days.

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“Lost” has been cancelled. Well, after the 2009-2010 season, that is. ABC announced that the series will wrap it up after three more seasons of 16 episodes each, and yes, they’ll run straight through, without repeats or interruptions. So they have 48 episodes to explain what happened in the previous 72.

Because I know how much you love the language of the press release, here’s a whole bunch of it:

“In considering the powerful storytelling of ‘Lost,’ we felt this was the only way to give it a proper creative conclusion,” said [ABC Entertainment president Stephen] McPherson. “I always said that we would allow the series to grow and give viewers the most compelling hour possible. And, due to the unique nature of the series, we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout, and to give the audience the payoff they deserve. ”

“Additionally,” said McPherson, “having Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse signed on to complete the journey of this show was critical to me and the network. Damon and Carlton have tremendous talent, and we’re thrilled that they’ll be with the show throughout its run.”

“This is a bold and unprecedented move for ABC,” said Lindelof and Cuse, executive producers. “The show would not be what it is without the vision and support we’ve received from Steve McPherson, Mark Pedowitz and everyone at ABC and ABC TV Studios. We always envisioned ‘Lost’ as a show with a beginning, middle and end. By officially announcing exactly when that ending will be, the audience will now have the security of knowing that the story will play out as we’ve intended.”

Lindelof and Cuse added, speaking in perfect harmony, “Once we establish precisely what that is.”

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The networks’ upfronts – where they unveil their fall schedules to advertisers and one another – are next week, and nobody has a clue as to how this will all shake out.

It all has to do with the hubbub over DVRs and if people are watching commercials, but then, the schedules in some cases will be so overhauled that past records of viewing would more or less get thrown out the window, so no one knows how much to charge or what to pay for a 30-second spot. Its pretty technical nature makes it a little less fun, but it’s still entertaining to imagine the chaos as network executives hurtle about cluelessly as they tinker and hone their meticulously strategized schedules, only for viewers to dash all that sweat and tears by recording everything and watching it when they feel like it and skipping through the commercials.

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From an otherwise nuts-and-bolts-y story on networks plugging some of its summer programming into May sweeps:

“Jeff Bader, executive vp of ABC Entertainment, said his network also hopes to use its high-rated shows to promote … its midseason holdover “Traveler”, (which) it previews May 10, following “Grey’s Anatomy.” ‘It’s all about sampling,’ Bader said. ‘Putting ‘Traveler’ after ‘Grey’s’ gives it an audience of more than 20 million people. When will there be that big of an audience again?’”

Can you just hear the wistfulness in his voice as he says, “When will there be that big of an audience again?” You can hear the audible sigh that follows, as well as the even more deflated, “I’m going to clean my gun again.”