Today is the first day of the all-important May Sweeps. So I’ll post this week’s edition of Ten On early so that I can keep my eyes on Channel 37.

1. UNPLUGGED: While those of us who work in television are already up to our hips in sweeps planning, there’s a group out there that hopes all of that work goes for naught. They used to call their annual effort, “TV Turnoff Week.” But now it appears that they have set their sights on more than just the “boob tube.” TV Squad explains what else they want you to stay away from for the rest of the week.

2. STILL THE KING: After rumors that Katie Couric might be pushed off of the CBS Evening News and tapped to replace Larry King, who might be ready to retire, the CBS brass stepped up and denied the Couric was going anywhere anytime soon. Then CNN stepped in and extended King’s contract into 2009. At close to $7 million a year, it is less than half what Couric is bringing in.

3. WHAT THEY PAID FOR?: And speaking of Couric’s salary, the week after the aforementioned rumors about her anchoring demise, the CBS Evening News brought in a new record low in terms of viewership. Last week, the Eye’s evening news attracted 5.39 million viewers, putting it more than 2 million behind second place World News on ABC. NBC Nightly News had 8.17 million.

4. CYBER CAMPAIGNING: Obama is winning the race to the White House…at least as far as online video streams are concerned. According to Nielsen, who this month is measuring television viewership, Obama had 518,000 unique viewers on his site accessing more than 800,000 video streams at 16 minutes per stream. Hillary Clinton drew 351,000 unique viewers and John McCain trailed at a mere 38,000 viewers. I’d call that a landslide for the Democrats; wonder if that will translate into actual numbers in November?

5. CIRCUS FREAKS: Remember the old show Circus of the Stars? It went off the air years ago. Probably for a reason. That notwithstanding, NBC has dipped deep in creativity to create an update of the show. Celebrity Circus premieres in June, well outside of May sweeps. Probably for a reason. The incredible list of “celebrities” who’ve signed on so far promises to insure the Peacock network with a blockbuster that you won’t forget for at least 18 seconds. Maybe CBS will bring back its defunct Pirate Master. What a week for TV that would be!

6. AND THE EMMY® GOES TO…: Beginning this year, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will hand out an Emmy award to recognize the best host of a reality show. Anyone care to toss in their guesses for the first win? (And please don’t mention that Seacrest guy!)

7. JUST IN CASE: If you were a Jew who managed to slay a dragon, would you be able to indulge in a feast? The answer to this all-important question can be found on a “comprehensive analysis” of mythical animals and whether they would be kosher. Why? I’m still wondering.

8. MONTANA MEMOIR: Miley Cyrus, better known as “Hannah Montana” — and no, I’m not remotely familiar with her work — is writing her memoir. Seriously. The girl is 15. How long can the memoir be? If Cliffs Notes ever produced a summary, it might run a full paragraph.

9. HOW THE WORLD WILL END?: No, it has nothing to do with global warming, and I’m not trying to disasterize here, but I can’t help but wonder in the back of my mind if a story like this one might one day explode into something even the world’s finest doctors and researchers can’t stop. I refer to a story of a “genetically distinct” virus discovered in a remote part of Bolivia. The highly-deadly organism appears to be carried by rodents. This one has a 30% fatality rate, so it’s not time to sound any major alarms…unless you live among rodents in the remotest parts of Bolivia. I was amused by one of the comments: “It’s about time someone posted a piece of news like this. I was almost feeling safe for a minute there….”

10. PAIN AT THE PUMP: The question isn’t, “How high are gas prices?” but “How affordable is gas for the average American?” So says Charleston’s Post and Courier. They did some research to compare the rising price of gas over time in relation to per capita income. Yes, you know how this one ends. But what might be amazing to you is how recently the average price of gas was just a few pennies over a buck. Those were the days.