Give thanks for the end of ‘Jon & Kate’

Thanksgiving celebrations coincide with a winding down of the pop-culture year. Here are three things to be thankful for as you carve turkeys and channel surf among parades, dog shows and football.

The end of Jon and Kate
The series finale of “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” airs Nov. 23, and on the episode, the couple will sit together for interviews one last time.

According to a TLC source, the Gosselins will “provide new insights on their recent life events and what the series has meant through the ups and downs of the last several years. How will they each respond to the uncertainty of the future?”

The future remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: If Jon and Kate are no longer together, their power to interest the public is greatly diminished. They’ll be forced to create media images as individuals and not as a collective tour de force of bad behavior, and they’re going to be judged in a much harsher light.

Let's hope that this means navigating the new phases of their careers more carefully, and limiting the “Plus Eight’s” exposure to the cameras.

The end of the sex tape
I feel like the needle really moved this week when Pam Anderson admitted to having “the talk” with her 11- and 12-year-old sons.

This wasn’t a birds-and-bees talk — this was the “most of the world has seen mommy and daddy have sex because we, like many other celebrities, recorded it, and then it sort of got passed around the Internet” talk.

Let's hope this full-circle moment won't just be just fodder for the kids’ eventual therapy, can serve as a larger lesson in celebrity sex-tape accountability. This year alone, images of Rihanna, Carrie Prejean, and Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart have all hit the Internet, and there are probably a few I’m missing.

It’s a way to get famous, but not something you ever want to talk to your tweens about some day. Resist the record button.

The return of the comedy
“House,” “Lost,” I loved you so, but I’m so glad there are some new acts at this rodeo. There’s been a lot of bad news this fall, and much as your conflict and brooding appealed to me, it’s really good to have some comedies that make us laugh again.

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Sure, there’s laughing in plenty of reality shows, but it's more of the laughing at and not with variety.

“Modern Family” and “Glee” are new bright lights in the week, and this season of “The Office” seems to have a new spring in its step. Thanks, writers.

Full ‘Moon’ at the movies
No-brainer alert: “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” will be No. 1 this weekend.

The only question out there is how much the film will make — some are predicting an opening that beats out “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.” That blockbuster scooped up $158 million when it first hit theaters in July, although that was over a five-day, not three-day period.

All this is bad news for Sandra Bullock, who returns to the big screen for the third time in five months with her starring role in “The Blind Side.” Maybe Oscar buzz for her role will offset the expected box-office buzzkill.

Scoop will return Nov. 30. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc