Here are some of the contenders for today's biggest...news...of...the...day...

• A set-top box from Netflix Inc (NFLX) that "will pipe Netflix's streaming service to TV sets..."
• Earnings from Home Depot Inc (HD)...
• Earnings from Staples Inc. (SPLS)...
• Earnings from Medtronic Inc. (MDT)...
• A move by Napster Inc (NAPS) to open "the world's biggest MP3 download store with more than 6 million songs in a direct challenge to Apple Inc's (AAPL) iTunes store..."
• Coal shortages in China...
• PPI data that showed "Prices paid to U.S. producers, excluding food and fuel, rose more than forecast in April..."
• A comparison between the current economic environment and that of 1979...
• Comments from the USDA head that "ethanol is not having a 'major' impact on food prices, and downplayed calls by lawmakers and industry groups to make changes to programs that promote increased use of biofuels"...[note - see yesterday's post on ethanol stocks...]

While those are all stories worth watching, I think it is obviously clear that the biggest news is this pair of "TV-related" stories -

• Pa. professor leads 'Buffy the Vampire' study - "A professor at Ursinus College in suburban Philadelphia thinks 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' is worthy of serious academic study..."
• Extinct Australian Tiger gene functions in mouse - "For the first time DNA from an extinct species, Australia's marsupial Tasmanian Tiger, has been used to induce a functional response in a living organism, a mouse embryo..."

As far as the second story goes, this is not first time we discussed a group of scientists trying to imitate Jurassic Park. As I reiterated back in February, it is all fun and games until the animal escapes. Hasn't anyone watched the SciFi Channel? It seems like every weekend there is a movie about some sort of lab-created hybrid mutant animal that escapes and attacks some attractive college students who are drinking beer. I guess that means I am safe...