Amazon.com now has a service called Unbox, which allows you to download video content, like movies and TV episodes, directly to your PC or TiVo. CSI: New York is among the TV shows they’re offering.

I haven’t tried the PC version, but I have used it with my series 2 TiVo, and I was quite pleased with how simple it was. The quality is at least as good as my cable TV, it’s commercial free, and I can keep the episodes for as long as I want. (Please note that some items are “rentals,” meaning you can only keep them for a certain amount of time. Most TV shows seem to be for “sale,” meaning you can keep them indefinitely, but read the information provided.)

I wouldn’t use this service instead of purchasing a whole season on DVD, but for $1.99 each, it’s a good alternative to waiting for reruns if you miss an episode.

If you are a TiVo user, you’ll need to go to here first to connect your TiVo and Amazon accounts. If you use a PC, follow the instructions for downloading the software you’ll need.

In the interests of full disclosure, yes, we’re an Amazon affiliate — it helps pay for this site and keeps it ad-free. If you use our links, we do get a small commission at no cost to you (and believe me, 3-5% of $1.99 is quite small). Mostly, I’m posting about this because I think it’s a cool service, especially if you have a TiVo.

Gary and actor Joe Mantegna will be co-hosting the 2007 National Memorial Day Concert. to be held in Washington DC on May 27.

Those scheduled to appear include singer Natalie Cole, Academy Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest, county music star Josh Turner, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, actress Bonnie Hunt, actor Charles Durning (a World War II veteran) and the National Symphony Orchestra. Colin L. Powell, former general and secretary of state, will also speak. More details here.

The concert will be broadcast on PBS stations around the country, so check your local listings.

Gary’s currently in Europe with the LDB on a USO tour, and will be heading on his own to Iraq for the USO in the next day or two. He’ll be back in the States for Memorial Day weekend, which for Gary will include the GI Film Festival and acting as Grand Marshall for the National Memorial Day Parade.

After that? A well-deserved vacation before returning to the set of CSI:NY. (We hope he has a very relaxing and enjoyable one!)

As you may recall, we’ve been rather skeptical about the Star Trek XI rumors, filing them under “speculation” — we can now confirm that’s all it was. Gary recently confirmed to the Washington Times that his casting as Dr. McCoy was a “bad rumor.” (Oh! Since I have sort-of an excuse to link to this — if you haven’t seen LOL Trek, you really, really should. I haven’t seen anything quite so funny on the Internet in a long time.)

Finally — I can’t seem to resist pointing out that people are actually still asking this question.

Thanks to the ever-faithful and diligent Glenda, we have some photos for you of the recent concerts at Joe’s in Chicago and the Steppenwolf gala.

Click for larger sizes.

From Joe’s:

There’s more behind the cut!

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Gary will serve as Grand Marshall again this year for the National Memorial Day Parade. The parade takes place on Monday, May 28th in Washington, D.C. Please see the National Memorial Day Parade website for more details.

Gary as Grand Marshall at 2006 Memorial Day Parade

(photo credit to National Memorial Day Parade website)