diff --git a/static/js/pandora/URL.js b/static/js/pandora/URL.js
index ed85aa4b8..fcc24d8ad 100644
--- a/static/js/pandora/URL.js
+++ b/static/js/pandora/URL.js
@@ -90,12 +90,13 @@ pandora.URL = (function() {
                 view = view ? view[0]
                     : position ? pandora.user.ui.videoView
                     : pandora.user.ui.itemView;
-                pandora.UI.set({
+                pandora.UI.set(Ox.extend({
                     section: 'items',
                     item: item,
                     itemView: view
-                });
-                Ox.print('POSITION', position)
+                }, ['player', 'timeline'].indexOf(view) > -1 ? {
+                    videoView: view
+                } : {}));
                 if (position) {
                     split[length - 1] = position[0].split('-').map(function(point, i) {
                         // fixme: this is duplicated, see Ox.VideoPlayer() parsePositionInput()
diff --git a/static/js/pandora/ui/item.js b/static/js/pandora/ui/item.js
index 830e11254..a0b3994bc 100644
--- a/static/js/pandora/ui/item.js
+++ b/static/js/pandora/ui/item.js
@@ -6,9 +6,23 @@ pandora.ui.item = function() {
         keys: []
     }, pandora.user.level == 'admin' && pandora.user.ui.itemView == 'info' ? 0 : -1, function(result) {
         if (result.status.code != 200) {
-            pandora.$ui.contentPanel.replaceElement(1,
-                Ox.Element().html(
-                    'The '+pandora.site.itemName.singular+' you are looking for does not exist.'));
+            // fixme: this is quite a hack
+            pandora.api.find({
+                query: {
+                    conditions: [{key: 'title', value: decodeURI(pandora.user.ui.item), operator: '='}],
+                    operator: ''
+                },
+                keys: ['id']
+            }, function(result) {
+                if (result.data.items.length) {
+                    pandora.user.ui.item = '';
+                    pandora.URL.set(result.data.items[0].id);
+                } else {
+                    pandora.$ui.contentPanel.replaceElement(1,
+                        Ox.Element().html(
+                            'Sorry, we can\'t find the ' + pandora.site.itemName.singular + ' you\'re looking for.' + '<br/>' + JSON.stringify(result.data)));
+                }                
+            });
         } else if (!result.data.rendered &&
                    ['clips', 'map',
                     'player', 'timeline'].indexOf(pandora.user.ui.itemView)>-1) {