arg... ok I figured out somewhat of a workaround..
I typically use my widescreen lcd for windows/firefox/etc while watching tv on the 4:3 lcd. I run MCE windowed so I can move the mouse between the LCD's. However, it forces the mce window to widescreen.
Instead, I maximize MCE then alt-tab away. I can skip forward and back using the remote - but if I need to do anything else I have to bring mce back to the top, then alt-tab back out.