This week saw religious controversy, space-faring snafus, a rock legend returning to his roots and good television getting its due. All these stories defined the third week of July, 2009.

NASA Erases Moon Landing Tapes

On July 20, the world will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. To celebrate the momentous occasion of man breaking the celestial grip of this watery sphere to challenge the very heavens, NASA announced that the original recording of the moon landing had been taped over decades ago. Imagine the frustration of NASA engineers when they decided to pop in the moon landing tape for old times’ sake only to find it had been replaced by a rerun of Three’s Company. In all fairness, it was an episode where Jack inadvertently triggered a wacky misunderstanding with Mr. Feely, then fell backwards out of his hammock. Totally worth it.

Roe Arrested

McCartney Back at the Ed Sullivan Theater

Paul McCartney mirrored The Beatles’ last public performance this week by playing atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater for a taping of The Late Show. The performance came 45 years after The Beatles’ first appearance at the Ed Sullivan (back when Ed Sullivan was actually there), and was his first appearance on David Letterman. He performed “Get Back,” and a non-Beatles tune no one will care about. It was interesting to see McCartney playing the rooftop concert without being overshadowed by more talented bandmates like Ringo Starr.

Emmy Nominations Go High-Brow

The Emmy nominations came out this week, and, like the Oscars, they added a few nominee slots. They also broke with tradition of nominating the occasional standard-format sitcom by giving nods to brainier fare like Mad Men, Flight of the Conchords, Family Guy and Weeds. Cable networks were the big winners, with HBO leading the field at 99 nominations. With nominations classing up a bit, the Emmy’s are set to become as notoriously selective as the Golden Globes, or perhaps even the coveted Cable Ace Awards.

Episcopal Church to Ordain Gay Bishops

In a controversial move, the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly this Tuesday to ordain openly gay bishops. It’s a move that could see a widening in the growing rift amongst Anglicans worldwide. At their convention three years ago, the denomination declared a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops. They effectively ended this on Tuesday by affirming that “any ordained ministry” is open to gay men or lesbians. The decision came despite the opening remarks of global church leader Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who cautioned the body, saying, “Along with many in the communion, I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart.”