Apparently some dark times have overtaken Yogi Bear and his family.  Check out this creepy array of decaying fiberglass statues.  We know we had tears in our eyes when we saw this. 

On the bright side, your picnic basket will be safe.

Pet Name:  Cherish Bliss

Pet Owner: Gamesviller herwhimsicalness

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Today, we officially announce the all-new Bingo Zone to the outside world! (Press release below.) Thank you to everyone who played Bingo Zone during its "beta" period--and a hearty "Welcome!" to all the new players who join us today and every day after. The new Bingo Zone is a big step forward for us, and it's just the start of the new games and big prizes we have in store! Stayed tuned... Sincerely, Chris Cummings Manager, Gamesville.com

LYCOS DEBUTS ALL-NEW BINGO ZONE® TO CELEBRATE GAMESVILLE’S 12TH ANNIVERSARY

Bingo Zone®, one of the web’s longest-running free bingo games, now features all-new design and real cash prizes

WALTHAM, Mass. — June 23, 2008 — Lycos, Inc., a leading provider of social publishing, media and search services, today announced "the cash is back" in a new version of an old favorite with the all-new Bingo Zone® on Gamesville.com, one of the web's premier destinations for casual, massively multi-player online games and game shows. Now in its 12th year, Gamesville is one of the web's friendliest online communities, where users meet and compete to win real cash prizes, for free.

Bingo Zone was the first game launched by Gamesville in 1996, and the web's first "free bingo game for real cash prizes." Bingo Zone uses essentially the same rules as ordinary bingo. Because Bingo Zone is advertiser-supported, it is always free to play, yet pays winners real cash. Prizes start at $1 and increase by $1 periodically until someone wins. Games last roughly six minutes, followed by a brief commercial break, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On its opening day, more than 20 percent of Gamesville members played the new Bingo Zone.

"Bingo Zone was 'casual games' before that term ever existed," said Christopher Cummings, senior product manager for Gamesville. "A truly social online experience, Bingo Zone combines the interactivity of a game show with the popularity of social networking and the community spirit and joy that comes when friends and family win real cash."

In addition to progressive cash prizes, the new Bingo Zone now includes:

• Fresh design with larger cards and clearer patterns for enhanced readability
• Unique bonus game, "Dickie's Bonus Balls," played via in-game chat
• Ability for players to select their own daubers
• Timed commercial breaks featuring both video and display ads

Stand-up comic and satirist George Carlin passed away this weekend at the age of 71.

Carlin is probably best known for his routine on free speech, Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television, which led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity. ("My name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," he told The Associated Press earlier this year.)

We'll always remember Carlin for this mind-bending musing: "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?" 

Are you the kind of person who takes great joy in planning, organizing, and directing weekend activities for your friends and family? Do you love games? Writing? Excel spreadsheets? Then we want to hear from you, because Gamesville and our parent company Lycos are looking for an Associate Games Producer. To apply, please visit the Lycos jobs website.

Best known for playing iconic NYPD detective Christine Cagney on the 1980s drama, “Cagney & Lacey,” it is not an overstatement to say that Sharon Gless is a television legend.  The Emmy Award-winning actress currently stars in the USA series, “Burn Notice,” as Madeline Westen, the mother of the main character, Michael Westen (played by Jeffrey Donovan).  The premise of the series is that Michael was fired as a covert operative and now works as a freelance spy as he tries to discover why he was fired – and by whom.  Gless has also recently appeared on the series “Nip/Tuck” as a twisted talent agent.  We just had the chance to talk to Sharon about “Burn Notice” and her illustrious career.

GV: How did you decide to participate in “Burn Notice”? 
SG:  The pilot script was sent to me.  I read it and I was sitting alone and I laughed out loud.  I just thought it was very clever and I had not remembered anything like it on television.  The fact that [the main character, Michael Westen, played by Jeffrey Donovan] had been burned  – or fired – as a spy … I thought it was a fascinating premise and very funny. 

What appealed to you about your character?
I always said I never wanted to play mothers, but the last two roles I played were some of the most interesting mothers on television.  Sometimes the mother can be a thankless role, but [Madeline] was a very colorful character.  I never knew the show would become what it became. 

How in general do you choose which roles you want to take?
I try not to repeat things.  I played two mothers in a row [on “Burn Notice” and “Nip/Tuck”], but they are totally different.  I try to do something that is unusual or something you don’t see on television all the time.  There is so much more to Madeline than just a manipulative mother.  She’s a difficult person, and she’s difficult for Michael to deal with, and there’s a lot of stuff underneath that is interesting about her. Both of her boys were damaged in their own ways. And with the potential longevity of a television series, a lot comes out about the characters.

Which of your characters are you most like?
There’s a little piece of me in everything that I’ve played.  I wasn’t like Chris Cagney, but there is a piece of me in there because I played her for so long. 

 What qualities of “Cagney and Lacey” do you think made it so resonant with audiences – even today? 
I think it was very daring for it’s time.  There were some episodes that some affiliate stations would not air.  It was the first time that there was this type of honesty between two characters – they talked about their intimate feelings and you saw their lives outside of the jobs. No other shows really dealt with alcoholism the way we did. I’ve seen shows where in one episode, a character is an alcoholic, and then she is cured.  We had the luxury to build it up over many years. 

What was it like reuniting with Tyne Daly for the “Cagney & Lacey” TV movies?
It was great!  When we finished the four movies, I was very, very sad saying goodbye to her.  We had a wonderful time together.  I didn’t enjoy playing Cagney in those movies as much as I did the series.  When they had Cagney married, I said “Ew! You can’t have her be married!” [laughs]  But being back onscreen with her again, it touched me more than I thought it would. 

Did you rewatch the series when it came out on DVD?  Any favorite episodes?
I never watch myself.  I cannot watch “Burn Notice,” and I couldn’t watch “Nip/Tuck.”  I’ve never been able to do it – all I see are the flaws.

 What’s next for “Burn Notice”?
They’re doing some fun stuff with my character this year.  You’ll see some stuff with Michael and me, maybe some stuff to resolve our issues.  It’s all very secretive. 

 What else do you have planned?
I am coming back to “Nip/Tuck.”  But I also can’t really say much about that – I’m sorry!  I was sworn to secrecy.

 That’s OK!  I’ll just have to watch and see.

Please be advised, Gamesville's database will be upgraded at 4AM eastern time on Friday, June 20, 2008. During that time, Gamesville games will not be available. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you very much for your patience.

Yesterday, we received a question asking how to export your Gamesville avatar for email.  This is a great question about which many of you may have been wondering.  Hopefully, this will help...

There are four options for downloading your avatar on this page.  You can download it as a 48x48 buddy icon for AIM, a 100x100 avatar for social networks like Facebook, a 150x235 avatar for your cell phone, or the full size - 300x400.

If you would like to add your avatar as a signature in your email, follow the following steps.  I will use Lycos Mail as an example.

1.  Upload your downloaded avatar to a photo client like Photobucket or Picasa - whatever you prefer.  Most of these sites have included an embed code, meaning the site generates a snippet of HTML that you can copy and paste to use photos you have uploaded on other websites.  On Picasa, you can find this HTML code under the option "Link to this photo," for example.

2.  Log into your Lycos Mail account and click "Options," and then find and click on the "Signature" link.

3. Here, you will find a box where you can add content for your signature.  In this box, paste the embed code for your avatar given to you by your photo client.  

4.  You will then see your avatar!  Now, simply click on the option for the signature you have created and your avatar will show up on the bottom of all of your emails.

If you use an email client other than Lycos Mail, you can find instructions regarding how to create a signature through the following links:

Yahoo! Mail

AOL Mail

Hotmail

We hope you find this helpful - let us know if you have any other questions. 

Special effects guru Stan Winston died this Sunday.  Stan is most well-known for his visual effects work on "Aliens", "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", and "Jurassic Park", for which he won Academy Awards. 

A pioneer in the world of visual effects, Stan was a co-founder of special effects companies Digital Domain, Stan Winston Digital, and Stan Winston Studios.  Most recently, he worked on special effects for the films "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". 

Personally, I will never forget sitting in the darkened movie theatre as a kid and watching the dinosaurs of  "Jurassic Park" come alive in the most eye-popping and thrilling of manners.  Stan created some of cinema's most imaginative and enduring images that will live on through new and old movie fans for years to come.  He was truly a genius of the entertainment industry.

Here's a clip show of some of Winston's best work.