As you well know, Tim Russert sadly passed away this week.  He was a determined interviewer that made politicians squirm while sitting face to face with him on Meet The Press.  He leaves an enormous vacancy for NBC to fill.

TVDeuce is glad to throw our 2 cents into who should replace Tim Russert.  So here are our four Russert Replacements.

KURT LODER
Russert had some tough interviews.  Presidents, Prime Ministers and he had to have James Carville sit near him on occasion.  Those are great resume builders.  But did Timmy have to interview a doped up Courtney Love?  Did Russert ever have to try and interview the Wu Tang Clan?  Kurt Loder has.  To me, Loder is a great pick because he can handle politicians.  Interviewing music stars that have a false sense of entitlement and intelligence is a great apprenticeship for handling our nation’s elite in an interview.  Plus, when he’s on vacation they can have the eternal 23 year old John Norris fill in with his wacky haircuts and boot-licking personality.

COLIN QUINN
If you were one of the 29 people that watched Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn, then you know that he can easily fill the void.  His experience from Remote Control and Saturday Night Live also help seal his credentials.  His gruff exterior and smugness give him an edge that will translate well on Sunday mornings.  Also, they could make the chair smash through the wall like on Remote Control if he thought somebody was giving him the run around.

SERENA ALTSCHUL
Once an MTV news correspondent and now doing CBS Sunday Morning pieces, Serena brings something that Russert never could; hotness.  Man is she cute.  She could use that for her benefit by lulling politicians into a false sense of security and then hit them with the big question.  An interview with Bill Clinton could get very interesting.

FRED & BEN SAVAGE
Why not.  These two brothers already have our trust, so why not let them have at it with the most powerful people in the world.  The only problem I could foresee is the two of them getting into an argument with somebody like John Kerry or Dan Quayle over who’s career tanked quicker and how the networks have “black balled” the two of them because their acting skills aren’t quite on par with Matthew Fox.  Their tag line could be “If its Sunday, its the bros Savage.”

So who would you get to take over the Meet The Press spot?

Everybody lies.  Whether it’s about why you were late, or why there’s a poster of Brian Austin Green in your bedroom.  We all lie.  But we expect that TV shouldn’t lie to us.  But it does.  Here are 4 ways TV has lied to me.

#4 - MTV MUSIC AWARDS. Every year they tell me that it will be better than ever before!  However, I find myself sitting there, unamused like I’m watching a Will Ferrell movie.  Every year they say its going to be cra-zay!  However, all I see is that the frame rate of the show doesn’t seem to be 27fps and I don’t know, who any of these people are.  Now I know why old people get scared when they leave the home!

#3 - ALEX TREBEk KNOWS ALL. I thought he knew the answer to everything.  However, he does not know how to cure lepracy or how to fix the transmission of a ‘99 Ford Aspire.  So don’t ask.  He also doesn’t know that Steel Magnolias is a guilty pleasure of mine, that I only order the #2 at McDonalds or that for 3 years of my life my brother gave me a daily “DDT” (Thank you very much Jake “The Snake” Roberts!)  So don’t fall into the Trebek hype.

#2 - “IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT, ITS NEW TO YOU!” Goodwill tried this ad campaign, didn’t work well for them either.  What NBC couldn’t do with this slogan, is remove the awful stench and idea that you’re still watching a rerun.  You can call her your prom date, but its still your sister.

#1 - DANCING WITH THE STARS.  Umm, in what alternate universe are former 90210 rejects and brothers of Nick Lachey considered stars?  I think we need to develop a national standard on what is a star.  I don’t like the idea that Jim Varney’s widow could go around calling her husband a star.  Can we get some Federal Star Naming Commission together?  But until then, we need ABC to stop it.  When you get Ernest Borgine on there, then give me a call.

HOW HAS TV LIED TO YOU AMERICA??