Current political voter query: "What do you think of Sequestration?" Scratching-head voter answer: "Sorry. I don't own any horses."

AMC programming apparently doesn't suck that much anymore, according to Dish Network. Dish finally did a carriage deal with AMC Networks, as well as settling its long ongoing issue with HD-channel service Voom.

Joaquin Phoenix says the Oscars are somewhat beneath him. "I think it's bullshit," he told Interview magazine recently when asked about campaigning for "The Master." "I don't want to be a part of it. I don't believe in it. It's a carrot, but it's the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life. I don't want this carrot. It's totally subjective. Pitting people against each other... It's the stupidest thing in the whole world." This kind of stuff has happened before. But getting on the Oscar marketing campaign train is part of the continued selling of a movie. And …

When Republican-minded political organizations wind up running positive commercials for a Democratic candidate, you can only wonder why other businesses like television don't do likewise about their competitors. In a race to fill the Maine U.S. senate seat of the retiring Olympia Snowe, a Republican-minded PAC called Maine Freedom recently bought advertising time on four Portland TV stations in support of Democratic state senate candidate Cynthia Dill.

Looking for TV commercials starring Lance Armstrong? There won't be any -- perhaps for a long time. Allegations of doping have seen to that. Marketers have gone running.

Jumping up on some big digital numbers, YouTube had 52 million views for Felix Baumgartner's big 24-mile parachute jump -- a record drop. More importantly, YouTube had 8 million "concurrent" live views. That blows away the number of some 500,000 live YouTube viewers for this past summer's London Olympic games or -- also from the U.K. -- Kate Middleton's marriage to British royalty.

Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, wants Twitter be the main "second screen" to the traditional TV screen. Makes sense. I have two eyes.

Big double-digit rating declines at MTV? I've heard that story before -- about a decade ago. Should be we worried that viewers aged 12-24 will have nothing to watch on TV -- in a lean-back position?

What better way to address the good, the bad and the ugly of this politically heavy TV season than with trickle-down entertainment? That means full support via social media for shows you love. Talk up your mediocre 1.5-rated drama show among 18-49 viewers; or the lackluster reality program you can't do without that scores a ho-hum 1.2 rating.

Cable television, look over your shoulder. YouTube is gunning for you. Robert Kyncl, YouTube's global head of content, said YouTube does well with advertisers even though it allows consumers to "skip" commercials. How well? "When we looked at our skippable ads in the U.S., we are now making as much revenue per hour as ads on cable TV."