The TV Zone

Hey, really: What will writers do if the members of the Writers Guild of America go on strike (maybe tomorrow, although recent press reports now suggest a walk-out is still days away.)

They could flip burgers, of course. Which is a possibility suggested in this short film shot just last week and which was recently brought to my attention by Gregg Rossen (who's working on a Jamie Kennedy project for Fox, and who co-wrote/directed this with Brian Sawyer; not flipping burgers yet.)

Who are the folks pictured herein, pursuing their new vocations (which could begin in, ohhh, just about eight hours from now)? They include vets like Paul Guay, who co-wrote "Liar Liar," and Doug J. Eboch, scribe of Reese Witherspoon spooler "Sweet Home Alabama," and Thomas Dean Donnelly, who worked on 2005's "Sahara." (He flipping burgers, and asks a customer, "Cheeseburger, fries and a Diet Coke. Do you want to go more archetype than stereotype?"

Very amusing. And with a strike approaching, writers need all the amusement they can get. Rossen told the LA Times yesterday, "it's all very tongue-in-cheek. It's not exactly what the writers are going to be doing [if there is a strike] but gives perspective. We want to support our fellow writers. It's good for people to laugh at something."

“Wheel of Fortune” marks the show’s 25th anniversary with three special theme weeks originating from Radio City Music Hall.

The festivities kick off with "Best Friends Week" (airing Nov. 5-9). These five shows will feature New York-area pals playing together.

Needless to say, several Long Islanders will be attempting to buy vowels. They include:

On Nov. 7: Gina Varacchi of Medford and Eric Gustafson of Centereach; Kathy Uptonof Massapequa and Heidi Spraul of Patchogue.

On Nov. 9: Vikki Rella of Nesconset and Kristin Bunger of Babylon.

“Wheel of Fortune” airs weeknights at 6:30 on WLNY/10/55 and 7:30 on WABC/7.

TV fans, of course, remember the late Robert Goulet from his scores of appearances on variety and talk shows over the years.

But how many of you out there remember when he actually starred in a serious, World War II-era espionage drama?

The show in question was “Blue Light” and back in January 1966, ABC had high hopes for it.
The show debuted on the same night the network launched the soon-to-be-smash “Batman” as part of its then-radical notion of a “second season.” (Fancy way of saying our fall shows really stunk.)

In “Blue Light” (not to be confused with Kmart’s “Blue Light Special”), Goulet played David March, an American espionage agent. He posed as a foreign correspondent who had officially renounced his American citizenship. But he secretly belonged to an elite secret group called “Code Blue Light,” whose purpose was to infiltrate the Nazi high command. (Time magazine said “Robert Goulet has turned in his operetta cloak for a dagger.”)

Alas, “Blue Light” aired against “The Beverly Hillbillies.” one of the most popular shows of its era. It never attracted an audience and was gone by the fall.

Whoopi Goldberg kicks off 30 days of guest co-hosts this Thursday on Turner Classic Movies, where November is Guest Programmer month. Each night at 8, a celebrity from showbiz, literature, public affairs and even “Sesame Street” joins TCM’s Robert Osborne to introduce films they’ve chosen as being personally memorable or influential.

Goldberg’s picks are fascinating, led by Jean Cocteau’s dazzling 1946 take on “Beauty and the Beast” [photo at right]. Says Whoopi, “When I couldn’t explain why I wanted to be a person in cinema, this would be the first movie I showed [people]. Because magic happens and that is what the movies are about.”

Nice way to kick things off. The “View” cohost’s Thursday picks also include Barbra Streisand’s “Funny Girl” (10 p.m.), Robert Young’s 1945 love story “The Enchanted Cottage” (12:45 a.m.), and Andy Griffith’s 1957 power-of-celebrity drama “A Face in the Crowd” (2:30 a.m.).

Other intriguing choices this week come from Alfred Molina (the 1953 British workplace comedy “Trouble in Store” Friday at 8 p.m., followed by “The Secret of Santa Vittoria” and “Divorce Italian Style”), Donald Trump (“The African Queen” Saturday at 8 p.m., plus standbys “Gone With the Wind” and “Citizen Kane”) and Gore Vidal (Bette Davis’ “The Letter” Sunday at 8 p.m.).

Check out TCM’s interactive calendar of Guest Programmers for picks from the likes of Alec Baldwin, Matt Groening, Tracey Ullman, Harvey Fierstein, Martha Stewart and Kermit the Frog.

Yes, by now you surely know the big news and if you don't, then here it goes...sit down...take a deep breath...drink the coffee...let the dog out...back at the terminal? Okay, here it is:

Sabrina Bryan was voted off "DWTS" last night.

What can I say that Bruno didn't already? ("Vooote, peeeeple. You muz voote...") That's certainly part of it, but there's more. Cam - one of the most improved of the hoofers - was in the bottom two. That didn't make any sense either.

So what can I say? I feel cheetah'd - that's what. Sabs is just another Melinda Doolittle - someone so far and away better than anyone else that viewers just ASSUME that she'll power her way on to the finals by sheer force of ability. Why text-message in a vote or pick up the phone? No reason! She's so good that you don't NEED to vote for her. "DWTS" tried to nullify the (what I call) "Doolittle Effect" by apportioning judge votes with viewer ones; that way if a team scores a perfect thirty (as Scary did the other night), then the chances of getting the boot are minimized.

But still...if no one at home votes, then what's the point of even a perfect thirty? Yes, Sabs was done in because she WAS so good - so far and away better than any other clod-hopper here that viewers figured they didn't need to bother.

Nevertheless, this looks bad for "DWTS," or rather makes the show look bad. Imagine: Marie Osmond advances while Sabrina Bryan is dumped? Who's kidding who here? It's not a talent contest; it's barely even a popularity one (yes, Jane Seymour and Marie have better name recognition, but they're not exactly major A-list celebs either.) It's about a flawed system that's entirely dependent on the flawed voting habits of a few million people. That's it. Hence, Sabs goes.

Plus, I have yet another theory: Sabs was simply too good and viewers - mostly older - were turned off by her. They'd much rather see Marie faint and stumble, or Jane in some silly tutu; to watch Sabs was to remind us each of our own considerable lack of ability. She wasn't - as political consultants might say - "relatable."

Plus, one more little theory: She was also hurt by getting the post position on Monday. It (the foxtrot) was one of her weaker performances, and by the time voters got around to punching the buttons, they'd entirely forgotten about it.

That's it. No more over-baked theories. There are other more important things to think about (let me re-phrase that: There are IMPORTANT things to think about.)

But Sabs is gone. Sigh. Happy Halloween.

Set the recorder to catch a seven-hour festival of fright flick faves. For Halloween, Bravo puts together its “100 Scariest Movie Moments” (Wednesday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.) and “Even Scarier Movie Moments” (Wednesday 4-6 p.m.).

Online, the Moviefone folks are picking their 31 Best Horror Films of All Time. They’ve already counted down all but Numero Uno, which is announced on Wednesday’s big day.

And CBS.com plans to host a Halloween “Ghost Whisperer” séance with the series’ co-executive producer and renowned medium himself, James Van Praagh. Log on at 3 p.m. Wednesday for the one-hour event.

Boo!!! Now that I've got your attention, may I direct it to Wednesday's episode of "CSI: New York" (entitled "Boo," I believe) which heads out to poor, beleaguered, much-haunted, and much-maligned Amityville, where one house on one particular avenue known as Ocean reputedly bled, and told people to "get out," etc. A movie was made about it, too. I'm sure you've heard about that.

Tomorrow's "CSI" special Halloween edition is a keeper, however, because Mac, Stella and Danny head out to A-ville to solve a horrific crime when the local cops can't quite cope. What's the deal? Peter Lenkov, executive producer, told me yesterday, "It's something I've wanted to do for three years, and now the timing is right because the episode actually airs on Halloween, and the last two seasons, Halloween didn't fall on a Wednesday. So we got lucky.

"We've paced it a little differently - it feels much more like a ghost or horror story - and [use it] to debunk some horror myths along the way. The whole story of the house that bled from walls or has strange voices? It felt like our CSI could get into a situation where they could debunk or explain some of that to an audience."

The story line: There have been multiple homicides in A-ville, and "you find out that the local police are busy on another [crime] taking place at almost the same time. They bring in the pros from Manhattan to sort of help them.

Lenkov adds, "science will explain how [ghosts] exist, and - I don't want to give away too much...but the idea was to do a horror-like episode [and explain] how a house speaks, or has a voice, or how it can bleed through walls."

(Science!? And all along I thought the movie was a perfectly accurate representation of the facts...)

Joe Mantegna makes his first appearance on the now Mandy Patinkin-less “Criminal Minds” this Wednesday (Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. on CBS).

Mantegna plays David Rossi, a long-retired agent who once helped found the Behavioral Analysis Unit and now returns to action, sez CBS’ press, with “some unfinished business of his own.” (Why are we not surprised?)

Sneak a peek at him here, in a video preview with Jayne Atkinson, “24’s” Karen Hayes.

And stay tuned to “Criminal Minds” for a Nov. 14 sweeps shot by Jamie Kennedy in an episode about “a cannibalistic serial killer.”

So maybe the reason I loved last week’s “Heroes” episode so much was that Maya and Alejandro weren’t in it. That thought struck me watching last night’s episode, where they were, and where they seemed to sink the whole hour again in a trough of whatever black sludge comes out of Maya’s eyes when she goes all homicidal.

That “power” is a killer, both literally and figuratively when it comes to the show. It’s silly, number one, and sillier, number two, when Alejandro holds her hands to snap her out of it. These new actors (Dania Ramirez and Shalim Ortiz) don’t display much charm, either -- there’s no hint of buoyancy or playfulness in their portrayals. I know their Hondurans-fleeing-to-America situation is dire, but still. Something appealing or at least intriguing should seep through. But nada.

“Heroes” now has so many characters, it can’t begin to service them all each week, and it’s become increasingly crucial what an episode’s mix is. Between that south-of-the-border dreariness and the Ukraine winter/murder and Peter’s Ireland mopiness, last night’s hour just didn’t exude much magic. Even Hiro’s time trip to 18th century feudal Japan felt a little limp, his normal exuberance mired in romantic woes. (Though that last-minute betrayal twist was pretty nifty.)

Weird, isn’t it, that suddenly the show’s most compelling character seems to be Bob, that Company functionary (or is he?) played by cool-customer character actor Stephen Tobolowsky. Beware the guys in the glasses. With this show, they’re always more cagey than you expect.

(BTW, the episode’s “in memory of” end credit was for Tim Susco, the “Heroes” location manager who passed away Aug. 15 at the age of 25.)

Watch last night’s and other second-season “Heroes” episodes here, or with second-screen cast/crew commentary here (this week from episode writers Kay Foster and Adam Armus, with H.R.G. actor Jack Coleman).

[Above: Masi Oka and Eriko Tamura in NBC photo by Justin Lubin.]

Welcome to the Most Important Show on Television! Or the MIST, when the writers' strike is called early Thursday morning. (Okay, IF it's called.) In a lackluster - or actually pretty abysmal - season so far, "DWTS" is king or queen, in part because the show's not prey to that new phenom known as "live plus 7," when a show's overall rating is actually accrued over a week's time. Most viewers, I imagine, check out "DWTS" in real time, or "live," which makes it a genuine water-cooler show. With a looming writers strike, that should only add to its, ummm, watercoolerishness.

Last night? Mostly blah. (That will NOT add to its watercoolerishness.) The first three contestants underwhelmed, though Scary overwhelmed. Let's get to our wrap:

Sabs: Clever the way they - she - got in all those plugs for the Cheetah Girls movie; was this a commercial or pre-dance routine. I couldn't be sure. Sabs, as always, was good, but I think the judges (at least Len and Bruno) nailed it: This foxtrot seemed like a lot of hard angles, with abrupt moves and grooves. She's far better than anyone else, but tonight was a passion-free zone.

Jennie: Her mambo was tacky; all those frills and all that booty-shaking. Come on! She's become one of the best dancers in the comp, or at least one of the gutsier ones. She's better than THIS silly display.

Jane: If Jennie was tacky, this was beyond tacky. I can't even think of a word - OK, tawdry, way beneath Jane. And that outfit! (Not the one pictured here, of course, which is actually quite nice, I think.) Calling Britney.

Cam: I may be the only one in the country, the world, who thought Cam really nailed last night's samba; the music was perfect, and his dancing excellent. He goes up in my estimation every week.

Scary: Queen o' the night. A really first-rate performance (the rhumba.) Nothing about it that missed, in my humble - and admittedly ignorant - opinion. But what the heck? Who else knows anything about sambas or mambos or bambas or whatever. Most of us are lead-foot ignoramuses; all we can do is judge the overall aesthetic quality of a dance routine (or: If we like it, it's good). Scary was best of the night.

Marie: Fright night for Marie. This is her last night. This should be her last night. She's gone. Those times she flopped on the floor? I actually thought she passed out again, or as Carrie Ann so delicately put it, "I was a little uncomfortable seeing you down again..."

Helio: Yup, 'Neves back. A very good cha cha cha cha cha...

Before this day gets completely away from me, I wanted to make note of a passing: Jim Cummins, a redoubtable network news reporter who graced "Nightly News" for almost thirty years, died Friday after a long battle with cancer.

Cummins? Anyone with even the slightest familiarity with "Nightly" knows his work - blessed with both Mid-Western solidity and intelligence. The moment he came on screen, there was no edge or hype, but a calm recitation of fact and analysis. He was first-rate, and no doubt a reason he lasted at NBC News through so many difficult network "transitional periods," as we now euphemistically refer to them.

Just to give you a sense of what this guy did over so many years, here's his bio, as posted on MSNBC (and dated 2004):

"Jim Cummins was named Bureau Chief and Correspondent, NBC News Southwest Bureau, in June 1989. Currently based in Dallas, Cummins had been an NBC News correspondent in Chicago since 1978 when he joined NBC.

"Cummins has covered a broad spectrum of domestic and international news developments including the Iran hostage crisis in 1979; the 1981 civil war in El Salvador; America’s worst domestic U.S. airline disaster, in Chicago, in 1979; Presidential election-year politics; labor negotiations in the U.S. auto industry; the U.S. farm-debt crisis; Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992; the Killeen Texas Massacre in 1991; the Midwest floods in 1993; the California earthquake in 1994; and the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building in 1995.

"Cummins began his broadcast news career in 1969 at KGLO-TV, Mason City, IA. He moved to WOTV-TV in Grand Rapids, MI, as an anchor/reporter in 1970. Three years later, he joined WTMJ-TV, the NBC-TV affiliate in Milwaukee. Just before joining NBC News in 1978, Cummins was a general assignment reporter for WMAQ-TV, the NBC-TV station in Chicago.
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"Cummins won a National Emmy in 1993 for his reports on the Midwest Floods. Additionally, he earned 2 National Emmy nominations for his journalistic efforts during Hurricane Hugo and the Civil War in El Salvador. In 1995 he was awarded the Marquis Who’s Who In America.

"Born in Cedar Rapids, IA, Cummins received his B.A. degree in 1967 and his master’s degree in 1968, from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He and his wife, the former Constance Driscoll, are the parents of six children."

Steve Capus, NBC News president, said this, in part about Cummins late Friday:

He was “a gentle giant of a man” who had “spent decades making Americans feel right at home, with his down-to-earth, warm reporting style, delivery and presence...Jim and Connie had a vision for life after NBC. A damnable cancer diagnosis came a short time after he left the job, and those plans took a backseat to a courageous battle."

Is Regis Philbin smarter than a fifth grader? How about Clay Aiken? The two stars kick off a sweeps month of celebrity guests on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (Thursday at 8 p.m. on Fox).

Coming up Nov. 8 is Tony Hawk, while the Nov. 15 show features Kellie Pickler and Billy Bush joining host Jeff Foxworthy.

Watch outtake video from the Aiken episode here.

If it’s Halloween, then it must be time for Zacherle to resurface.

And yep, the calendar doesn't lie. Cool Ghoul John Zacherle, now 89, the legendary host of NY TV’s horror/comedyfest “Chiller Theatre” way back in the day (before moving into a successful radio career at the original WNEW-FM and elsewhere), still walks among us.

Zach will be heard doing his thing Halloween night on the new-and-improved WCBS-FM/101.FM night between 8 and 10 p.m.

Now, if only some local TV brainiac would bring back “Chiller Theatre!”

And speaking of ticking clocks (see: "writers strike," as it "uh-oh...") I quite enjoyed last night's "60 Minutes" piece on French boss Nicolas Sarkozy; does this guy hate the press or what? He screams at photographers in New Hampshire, and now blows off Lesley Stahl in the middle of an interview. CBS has just now posted the video of the entire segment, which I happily direct you too (the commercial that leads into the piece lasts only a few seconds, so be patient - unlike Sarko!) By the way, is it just me or is "60 Minutes" hitting on mostly all cylinders these days? A very good broadcast last night, and in case you didn't notice, there was another news-breaking interview with Afghan prez Hamid Karzai as well.
In any event, here's Sarko going nutty on Les.


Warning: Do not ask crazy Frenchman about wife.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...

No that clock you hear - which is very annoying, by the way - is not "60 Minutes" but the clock clicking the moments away until Thursday morning when the Writers Guild of America very likely calls a strike against the industry. Very likely, I say, because it's looking real bad from where I sit, and while the sun could break through the ominous clouds at any minute (or, just to
continue mixing my metaphors, that stupid clock could stop ticking) it doesn't seem likely at this point.

Producers submitted another proposal last week and so far, silence from the writers. Nick Counter, head of the producers' Alliance told TV Week that "we'll continue to negotiate until we reach an agreement irrespective of whether they strike. I told them this morning [last week]: They can strike for six months or 12 months or 24 months; at some point we have to reach an agreement. There are no divorces in our industry. It's just a question of when and how much damage is caused."

Yes, that does sound ominous. So what happens? Lots and lots of things. No, David Letterman won't sit there mutely, but he will be hard-pressed to write his own Top Ten every night. No, Jay Leno won't ditch his monologue, but it won't last half the show anymore either. No, Stephen Colbert won't end his run for the presidency, but he's gonna have a hard time writing both his own show AND his own speeches. And just when we started to like "Grey's Anatomy" again
(sort of, sometimes...OK, I'm STILL bugged by that George/Izzy thing), we'll have to get used to repeats. (And when we get more details on the impact of the strike on "Late Show" et al, we'll post 'em right here.)

Consider the '88 strike as template for '07 (that one lasted about five months): The producers let the writers twist in agony; the writers let the producers (who happen to also be the networks) live with repeats.

Ratings decline, and suddenly, shows like "The Biggest Loser" become the most watched programs in the land (not really, but...)

By the way, for an interesting take on where producers stand, go to Nikki Finke's must-read "Deadline Hollywood" blog; this recent posting even suggests that the networks would WELCOME a strike because of the lousy ratings for so much of the new season fare...

First, “Nature.” Now “60 Minutes” is on the bee-disaster bandwagon, too.

This Sunday, both shows are spotlighting the crisis in which honeybee colonies around the world are suddenly and inexplicably disappearing, threatening the pollination of not only all those pretty flowers but also a huge percentage of the food that feeds us.

Pennsylvania beekeeper Dave Hackenberg sounds the alarm on both programs -- the “Nature” hour “Silence of the Bees” (Sunday at 8 p.m. on PBS) and a Steve Kroft segment on “60 Minutes” (Sunday at 7 p.m. or after football on CBS).

There’s online preview video of “60 Minutes” here and the more comprehensive “Nature” hour here. (“Nature” is also filled with the coolest macro-photography of bees doing their thing.)

The PBS link also leads to lots more info about the Colony Collapse Disorder that’s providing one of the most fascinating real-world mysteries in ages.

And you were worried about global warming . . .

[Above: Honeybee keepers examine abandoned beehives in PBS photo by Whitney Johnson/EBC.]

Fans of “Battlestar Galactica” can catch a free preview of Sci Fi’s series-event movie “Razor” in movie theaters Monday, Nov. 12, even though it doesn’t debut on TV till Nov. 24.

The story of Lee Adama’s mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus will be screened only in a few theaters in the New York area as well as around Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Seattle.

NYC theaters include the AMC Empire 25 on West 42nd Street and the AMC Union Square Stadium 14 on Broadway in Manhattan, as well as the Bronx’ AMC Bay Plaza 13 on Bartow Ave. No screenings are scheduled on Long Island, but it’s also at the Commerce Center Stadium 18 on Route 1 South in North Brunswick, N.J.

To score some of the limited number of free tickets, register online at BattlestarEvent.com. Each theater will have two showings Nov. 12, at 7 and 10 p.m.

“Battlestar Galactica: Razor” debuts on Sci Fi cable Nov. 24 at 9 p.m. The “BSG” series starts its fourth Sci Fi season in 2008.

[Above: Stephanie Jacobsen as Kendra Shaw, Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama, Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace in Sci Fi's "Razor," photo by Carole Segal.]

Good Lord, you don't wanna get sick in Seattle Grace. They leave chainsaws with fingers stuck in them, which are then grabbed by guys with crazy legs, who use them to cut off their unruly feet. And the residents are cool with that, because they've got a lot more important things to worry about.

Like, their sex lives.

Which is why I was personally glad to see Dr. Hahn back full time at SG last night. Dr. Hahn is played by the fabulous Brooke Smith (daughter of super-duper-power-flack, Lois), and lemme tell ya, this Brooke ain't no Shields. Why, she's so tough she makes Bo Dietl look like Little Bo Peep. That was a good scene - "good" as in "amusing" - where she goes in to tell the David Clennon-character to say goodbye to his daughter - quickly - because she's gonna cut her heart out. Clennon doesn't appreciate her abrupt bedside manner (who would?! Except maybe Jack the Ripper) and it's left to girly-man George to explain that he'd give HIS heart to HIS father. (Well, good for you, George - the old man's been dead and gone a season. Easy for you to be giving away your heart.)

Anyway, Erica Hahn brings a different dynamic to SG, and if my gaydar isn't broken, I would say this is a lesbian dynamic. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some lesbian lovin' on "GA" - and as Sloan would put it, it sounds REALLY dirty when you drop the "g." I'm sick and tired of all these whiny hetero homeboys and girls on "Grey's Anatomy." Why, Jane Doe (she calls herself Ava, I think) isn't back an hour, and Karev's off getting "re-acquainted" with her in some laundry closet. Enough! We need adults around here. We also need lesbian love affairs. We need Erica Hahn. The story possibilities are limitless: Yang, dispensed by Burke, gets back at him by throwing herself into the arms of his old nemesis. Or: Now that none of the nurses will have anything to do with him, Sloan tries to "cure" Hahn; we'll see how THAT turns out. Meredith - ashless and loveless - finds a need to explore her emotional torment in other ways.

And so on. Do you see where I'm going here? That's right. Another "GA" spin-off. I think the Logo network would be interested...

Don't know about you, but I'd sure approach a Fox News documentary on abortion with extreme caution. Would the Red State Network slant the perspective - and reporting - so far to the right that by the time you're done watching, you'd feel so relentlessly clobbered with anti-Roe-v-Wade-right-to-life doggerel that you couldn't even get up from the couch? One assumes - heh,heh - that Fox likes to play to its audience, so why trust it on this incendiary topic?

So much for MY fair-and-balanced perspective: Fox has, in fact, proven that it can undertake a subject of this emotional magnitude and handle in a manner that's both intelligent and sensitive, and as proof, check out tomorrow night's hour-long "Facing Reality: Choice" at 9, hosted by E.D.Hill and produced by Rachel Feldman. (Of course no one expects you to sit home and watch it, so at least set your DVR or whatever to the program.) It's good, and FNC can be faulted for just two major defects - the Saturday burial ground time slot and the blunt fact that one hour (really, just 44 minutes) is an absurd amount of time for a subject like this. (Why not stake a claim, FNC? CNN is draping itself in green - YOU can drape yourself in coverage of a story that's one of the most important in the forthcoming election. Go ahead, FNC - you can do it. I know you can.)

"Facing Reality" explores the stories of three women - each white, each living in Bible Belt Country - who got pregnant and had to decide whether they should get an abortion. There's no narration or commentary; the camera follows them - really follows them, including one instance right through the procedure itself. The result are portraits that aren't quickly sketched, but deeply drawn, because each woman struggles at various times with different emotions, and shifting circumstances.There's Jeanne - drug addict, keeps getting pregnant, declines abortion, puts some up for adoption; Brooke, struggles to get pregnant, finally does with a baby with a fatal chromosomal disorder; and Kayla, aspiring cosmetician, gets pregnant, has non-supportive boyfriend. Their stories are not set up as "representative" - just stories, and well-told ones at that.

Last night on “30 Rock” — clearly the funniest comedy on TV — Liz hires her creative heroine (Carrie Fisher), once a radical “Saturday Night Live”-type comedy writer, now an alcoholic has-been.

Here are five things we loved about Thursday’s episode:

1. The writer lives in a “gentrifying” neighborhood known as Little Chechnya.

2. A reference to the “227” movie — “New Jackee City.”

3. The failed NBC show “Supercomputer” (a great homage to Fred Silverman’s fiasco, “Supertrain”). This show, we know now, was responsible for spinning off “Cosby” “Miami Vice” and “Highway to Heaven.”

4. The creepy guy as the power-mad head page, who forces the dreaded “page-off” with Kenneth.

5. Alec Baldwin’s brilliant therapy role playing as an inner-city deadbeat dad — done in an attempt to get Tracy to overcome his hostility to his absent father

Rock on, “30 Rock.” You’re the best

If you haven’t yet caught the cool new CW comedy “Aliens in America,” about a Wisconsin geek and his Pakistani exchange student roommate -- and most of America unfortunately still hasn’t -- here’s your chance to watch at leisure.

This week’s episode, a what-to-wear conflict called “The Metamorphosis,” is available now as a free download from iTunes. Watch it on the go, and show it to your friends. (Episodes also stream online at The CW site.)

This little gem, delightfully both silly and smart, is so far doing abysmal ratings that make us fear for its survival. And “Aliens” deserves better. Of course, so did “Freaks and Geeks,” of which it so charmingly reminds us in its savvy depiction of high school hell.

Add the timely culture-clash element (and the presence of “Gilmore Girls” fave Scott Patterson), and “Aliens in America” should be soaring. Help it take flight on Monday night (8:30 p.m. on The CW).

[Above: Adhir Kalyan in CW photo by Sergei Bachlakov.]

Into the wild, with Penn and Krakauer

Blessed with one of the better titles in all of TV, "Iconoclasts" - returning tonight at 10 for a third season on Sundance - nonetheless has some peculiar defects. It sometimes (if memory serves) teeters on the edge of blandishment if not outright puffery. These profiles can be nicely attired hagiographies, without much substance, and (after all) what Hollywood bigshot wouldn't wanna be an "iconoclast?" The compliment's delivered in the title alone.

Viewer warning thus dispensed, check out tonight's edition on Sean Penn and Jon Krakauer. With the possible exception of Dave Chappelle - who ultimately iconoclasted himself - no one over three seasons of this series better deserves the title of "iconclast" that Penn, I should think; Krakauer's just a hell of writer, which is credit enough.

Anyway, they're paired (everyone's always paired up on "Iconoclasts") because they collaborated on the movie version of Krakauer's "Into the Wild" - just released - which was directed by Penn. This COULD be a thinly disguised hour-long trailer for the movie if you choose it to be, or it COULD be an interesting look at two particularly talented and gutsy people, which I chose it to be. (I'd also advise checking your opinions on Penn's politics at the door - if possible; he's still a talented and gutsy person.) These two have a lot to say about their respective crafts, as they totter/drive/stumble/climb about the Alaskan wilderness. Penn on acting: He now harbors a "dark bitter hatred" for it. Krakauer on life: The worst thing imaginable is "boredom..." He'd rather be "dead," says he, and you truly believe him.

Book/movie's about Christopher McCandless, the kid from Emory who gave away his life savings, burned his last dollar, and trekked into the Alaskan wilderness. Best of all tonight - check out the scenery. It will simultaneously take your breath away and almost help you understand how it might lure a young man to eternity.

Just in time for Halloween, find out “How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills.” It’s an original web series spoofing both old-time educational films and fright film conventions, and its cool comedy comes from, of all places, CBS.

The network’s interactive division has been posting six episodes a week for the last three weeks (“666,” natch), and as of today, they’re all streaming at a dedicated web site and at CBS.com. Learn “How to Defeat Satan” (or a killer doll), as well as “What to Do If Your Corn Has Children in It.” Get wise to “Know Your Ghosts” or “Know Your Four Ejection Seats.”

It’s quick and breezy fun since the installments are generally less than 2 minutes long. (You’ll have to sit through preroll commercials first. Nothing's free in this universe.) There’s also director’s commentary and a blog, plus behind-the-scenes photos.

Now that it’s been yanked off CBS’ air after just two episodes, “Viva Laughlin” can enter pop culture legend under the category so-bad-it’s-jawdroppingly-essential. We wouldn’t want this pseudo-musical mess polluting the airwaves weekly, but we can’t let it pass, either, without saying you MUST see it at least once just to savor its sheer, mind-numbing wrongheadedness.

Thankfully, CBS’ Innertube video site still has the pilot available, located under the Recommended tab, and you might want to get there before they kill the streams, too. (They’ve already 86’d “Viva’s” CBS.com show site.) It's also available via AOL Video.

Watch as many minutes as you can stand. (The lily-livered among us could consider fast-forwarding the time bar to about halfway through for Hugh Jackman’s least-objectionable “Sympathy for the Devil” number.)

Don’t thank us. Really. We’re ashamed of ourselves already.

[Above: Hugh Jackman and Lloyd Owen in CBS photo by Robert Voets.]

Pardon me, but I’m about 30 years late on this one.

I have discovered a great TV drama: “The White Shadow.”

The back story: I was bored watching Game One of the World Series last night so I wanted to see what other sports might be on. I clicked to YES and what I found there wasn’t sports per se, but a rerun of the drama about a white ex-NBA player who now coaches at a predominantly minority L.A. high school.

I never watched it back in 1978 and ‘79. But, bored, I stuck around and found myself riveted for the entire hour.

This episode featured Peter Horton, a decade before “thirtysomething,” as a wealthy kid whose father transfers him from a ritzy high school to the inner-city Carver High because — there are rumors the boy might be gay. (Of course, the word used throughout the show isn’t gay, but “homosexual.”) And of course, the rumors dog the boy at his new school.

Per that time, the issue gets tiptoed around but enough for Ken Howard’s Coach Ken Reeves to smell something akin to McCarthyism (guilty until proven innocent). The teenaged Horton puts on a compelling performance.

It was all so earnest — and Afros, sideburns and bad fashion aside — it made for great viewing.

Much more compelling than the BoSox’ blowout.

I can’t wait for the next episode.

Critics will cry, but all the viewers who fell in love with “October Road” will rejoice when last spring’s soapfest returns to the ABC lineup Nov. 22, in a one-time broadcast in the Thursday 10 p.m. “Big Shots” timeslot after “Grey’s Anatomy.”

(Of course, “OR” might actually be better than “Big Shots.” But that isn’t saying much.)

“October Road” then moves to its regular slot of Monday 10 p.m., where “The Bachelor” will have ended. Trapped -- I mean, starring -- in the suds are “That ’70s Show” fave Laura Prepon and “One Tree Hill’s” Bryan Greenberg. (Watch previous "October Road" episodes online here.)

Also coming back is another critically reviled ABC entry -- the hee-larious pregnancy comedy “Notes From the Underbelly,” which will air in the Monday 9 p.m. hour after the deserves-better freshman “Samantha Who?” All the Monday changes take effect Nov. 26.

[Above: “October Road” cast photo by ABC/Art Streiber.]

Good news for all of us pie-eaters: ABC has given “Pushing Daisies” a full-season order. The critical and cult fave -- there’s already a cool fansite up called The Pie Maker -- is right behind the less impressive (but safely spun-off) “Private Practice” in getting the network’s go-ahead to continue into spring.

The show that looks and acts like nothing else on TV -- it’s scrumptious enough to eat! -- has held up well through its first three episodes as both bizarre mystery and quirky romance (and just sheer weird fun). The fourth "Pushing Daisies" airs tonight at 8 on ABC.

Or you can watch all the “Pushing Daisies” episodes online here or here.

On tube or computer, the storybook look is eye-popping either way -- especially in HD.

[Above: ABC photo by Craig Sjodin from tonight’s fourth episode of “Pushing Daisies.”]

Now, this is a SPINOFF.

Fox is planning "Prison Break: Cherry Hill,” a new series that would be set at a women’s prison and center on Molly, a new regular character that will be introduced on “Prison Break” later this season, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The 411: Molly is an upper-middle-class wife. After suffering a family tragedy at the hands of the Company — the government conspiracy that framed Michael (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) and put them behind bars — she seeks them out at the hellish Panamanian prison Sona in her quest to exact vengeance.

By the way, I’m sure no one at Fox remembers that almost 20 years ago the fledgling network premiered a comedy set in a women’s pen. But I do.

The cast of “Women in Prison” included CCH Pounder (“The Shield”) and Peggy Cass (“The Hathaways,” numerous game shows) and was a laff riot.

Suffice to say, it wasn’t renewed for the 1988 season.

We wish Fox good luck in their second try -- but they have a long way to go if they hope to top the greatest women-in-prison TV moment: the "Angels in Chains" episode of "Charlie's Angels."

January's upcoming return of "24" gets previewed during the World Series on Fox Thursday night, as well as online starting at 1 p.m. Thursday.

A trailer promoting the seventh season, starting Jan. 13-14 on Fox, will also be shown at 1 p.m. Thursday in Times Square and other locations around the world.

Here's how Fox PR teases the upcoming season: "Set in Washington, DC, 'Day 7' opens with CTU dismantled and Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on trial. Bauer's day takes an unexpected turn when former colleague Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) returns. Meanwhile, President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) leads the country alongside White House Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin (Bob Gunton) and First Gentleman Henry Taylor (Colm Feore). A national security crisis prompts an investigation by a team of FBI agents including Agent Janis Gold (Janeane Garofalo), Agent Renee Walker (Annie Wersching), Agent Larry Moss (Jeffrey Nordling), Agent Sean Hillinger (Rhys Coiro) and security specialist Michael Latham (John Billingsley). Although CTU is no longer, Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and Bill Buchanan (James Morrison) are back for another momentous day of shocking events."

How do these things happen? For weeks I've wondered - "who votes for Billionaire Guy? Who? Reveal yourselves, Billionaire Guy fans, and explain why you think he's worth a vote over any of the other dancers...?" I began to speculate: Perhaps he paid off the entire city of Dallas to vote for him. Perhaps his millions of employees block-voted, recognizing that continued employment was preferable to a few little white lies... I don't know. It just didn't make
sense. Yesterday, I got this explanation from a reader, Rebecca, who said: “Mark is a hottie, even at 49. At least, he is giving it his all... attitude is a large part of this contest. Give him a break! HOTTIE…” To each her own. But Monday, I finally figured out his charm and that at least part of what Rebecca said was absolutely true – it’s the ham quotient, the “I’ll do Anything to Get a Vote” attitude. He actually CARED about “DWTS” – about being here, and doing the best he could, and – most of all - trying to scrap out a win each week against all odds. I decided I liked his spirit, even if I didn’t necessarily feel the same way about his dancing. I wanted Billionaire Guy to move on to the next week and the one after that…And then what happens? He gets voted off. There is no justice in “DWTS” land.

So now I have something to really think about.

Namely, will Cheryl get back with Larry?

On last Sunday’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm" — still the funniest show on TV — Cheryl David (Cheryl Hines) walked out of her marriage to jerko supremo Larry David. It was of course, a case of -- cliche alert -- art imitating life since LD’s real-life marriage to eco-activist Laurie David checked into splitsville several months ago.

The Davids’ actual union probably didn’t disintegrate in a manner as funny as what we saw on TV, which as Larry might say was pretty dark, pret-ty dark.

Cheryl dumped Larry when he hung up on her frantic air-phone call because Larry deemed it more important to talk to the cable guy about his malfunctioning TiVo.

So what happens next? I’m not sure I want to see “Curb” go down this road for its remaining episodes. I think the "will she or won’t she come back?" storyline will drag the show down if it gets stretched out. I’m hoping there will be some resolution this Sunday, but I don't think that's gonna happen. An HBO spokesman told the Associated Press earlier this week that “the split would indeed constitute a full arc."

What would you like to see happen with Larry and Cheryl? Send me a comment.

CNN has plugged "Planet in Peril" (tonight and tomorrow at 9) so relentlessly that you don't even have to have cable to know about it; "PinP" refs are everywhere, and have seamlessly merged into a TV ecosystem that has turned green at every flick of the channel (except for Fox News where green remains banned even from the dress code.)

Yeah, TV's gone green - at least for the moment, or until some other cause comes along - and CNN's gone green too. That's a good thing, heaven knows, though I still can't quite get over the sensation of watching John Roberts chat amiably and aimlessly about carbon footprints on "American Morning"...but that's another blog.

Today, "Planet in Peril," and my simple verdict on this sprawling, and well-meaning venture comes in five words (how's that for "quickie"?): Good television, sometimes-questionable journalism. And the program is truly misnamed: "Some Wild Animals in Peril," or "China's Culinary Crimes," or "Anderson Cooper Should Really Start Watching What He Eats and Drinks...And For God's Sakes, Lay off the Makeup" could also work as titles, but they're not as catchy as "PinP" so we'll stay with that.

I watched 123 minutes of this four-hour spread (the only ones available for review), and many of them were engrossing, and particularly well produced. No expenses seemed spared by Time Warner. Watch Anderson study wolves in Yellowstone. Follow Jeff Corwin through the jungles of Madagascar. See Sanjay Gupta go to a restaurant in China that serves animal penises (on second thought...) The overall judgments of this broadcast also seem indisputable and CNN probably even errs on the side of caution: That vast numbers of species are being wiped out, and that China's out-of-control consumption habits are alarming, and that the rise in chemicals we ingest is shocking.

But my gripes are two-fold: Foremost, much of this could have, and in fact has, appeared on the Discovery Channel and its assorted satellite networks, including Animal Planet (with Corwin.) "PinP" is treating all this like new news, when to viewers of TDC et al, it's all very old and very familiar news, if no less disturbing news.

And second, CNN couldn't decide which part of the imperiled planet it wanted to concentrate on. And with attention so widely scattered, the program doesn't necessarily address any of the issues fully or adequately.

In China, Gupta threads his way through food markets, a restaurant, and a vast iron ore mine; he seems disturbed - he IS disturbed - but he also seems lost: A tiny figure who can't quite seem to make up his mind about what crime to address, or how it should be addressed. (The program's big on problems, very small on prescriptions.)

CNN also implies, although (at least in the large swath I saw) hardly proves, that human chemical ingestion may be related to rampant pollution in China. Except we later learn that Anderson (who gets a blood test) should be blaming his pancake make-up for some of the nasty stuff he’s absorbed over the years.

Anyway, go ahead and watch. It's worth the trip. Just don't be surprised when you realize you've seen some of this before.

We wrote yesterday about CNN's special investigation, "The Noose: An American Nightmare," which will explore what happened at the Hempstead police department; it's been re-scheduled due to coverage of the California fires, and will now air Thursday at 8.

Finally! One of those great “whoa!” moments that takes you completely by surprise and takes your breath away. Like last fall when they cut to a shot of cheerleader Claire lying on a table and chatting away with her rib cage cut completely open. Whoa!

“Heroes” did it again last night when Matt’s in-the-marked-for-death-picture dad lured his cop kid and Nathan Petrelli past a door in his Philadelphia apartment that led to -- everywhere! Matt found himself in a humongous jail cell, while Nathan was on that Manhattan rooftop overlooking the (forthcoming) apocalypse. It all ended up being a dream -- daddy is Molly’s “nightmare man,” after all -- but it was a doozy of a twist, utterly unexpected.

More please! After laying track the past few weeks, “Heroes” is finally zipping along. We also got a great dose of wonder and joy in Micah and his copycat cousin Monica, who’s just discovering her abilities. Turns out that reintroduction feels crucial to the show. With everybody else jaded or uber-motivated On A Mission, Monica represents that aching-heart intimacy the story needs to stay personally affective, to keep from lapsing into pure genre adventure. She reminds us what the show is really about -- people in crisis, perplexed by their sudden “powers,” overwhelmed, fearful, sometimes excited, but afraid of losing themselves by becoming entirely other persons.

Like Nathan. What’s up with the split personality? Is he going all Niki on us? And the older generation of “heroes” represented by Suresh’s boss Bob and the Petrellis’ mom and Matt’s dad, the latter actually invoking the catchphrase “save the world” last night -- good guys? Bad guys? For that matter, are we sure The Company is evil? And what about lightning-fingered new girl Kristen Bell and her on-the-phone “daddy”?

There’s suddenly so much going on that we don’t even notice when half the cast is MIA. No H.R.G. and Haitian to speak of, no Claire, very little Hiro, no Sylar and the (I’m still not into them) Hondurans. They’ll all be back next week, but “Heroes” seems so full of rich characters that they can rotate to keep the show feeling fresh. Let’s enjoy it while we can. You know what’ll happen once they’re past November sweeps . . .

Watch the episode again here, or with fun video commentary from star Greg Grunberg (Matt) and producer Greg Beeman here.

[Above: Noah Gray-Cabey as Micah, Dana Davis as Monica, in NBC photo by Chris Haston.]

We already know about the "Faint, but what about the rest of the night? My down-and-dirty summation: Jennie and Scary had their best "DWTS" outings so far. Everyone one else - blah, except for Sabs, who couldn't blow this comp if she wanted to.

Now, to the scores:

Marie: Lumpy, tired, bland, sodden. But Marie faints and gets the sympathy vote. Now, call the doctor...

Jane: This comes under the heading "GBD" - good but dull. She rhumbaed. I snoozed.

Mark: Hey! I liked Billionaire Guy tonight. "Dream of Jeannie" was a risk, so were the eyeglasses, and the gimmick probably stole a few million glances away from the fact that the dance wasn't all that accomplished, but at least it was diverting.

Sabrina: Another winner. She takes a slow song, and makes it energetic and visually interesting.

Jennie: The best of the night, to this point. She just had it all, or mostly all - grace, style, athleticism. She's one of my favorite dancers - all heart, and you really get the sense that she's working hard to win this thing.

Helio: A bummer of a performance. And from Helio! The guy was board-stiff and his rhumba rivaled Jane's for dullest. Though an off-night, one hopes voters don't penalize the comp's best male hoofer.

Scary B.: She and partner Maksim have a snippy little moment in the prologue...plus, she's gotta cold...and he's wearing a protective mask (whaaa??!!)...and, of course, you realize, the more dismal the picture painted by producers, the better the dance. They - the producers - did not disappoint: This was by far the night's best. No way Scary lands in the bottom two tonight.

Cam: Oh Lord, back to his brickish ways. It was a very bad night for Cam, and he seemed to know it would be lousy - why else open the shirt? Keeps his fans' eyes (whoever they are) off his leaden feet. Too bad - he had a great week last week. But he should be fine.

Wonder what they're saying backstage at "Dancing with the Stars" this morning? Is our medical screening stringent enough? Is it stringent at all? What happens if something really serious were to happen? And, of course, you don't need to be a cardiologist to know that when someone falls into a dead faint - as Marie Osmond did last night - after stringent exercise, then it could (emphasize could) be symptomatic of something serious. No one - at least not at this point - knows how Osmond was revived, or whether she was carried off-stage, or whether
medical personnel even attended to her, but after the bizarre scary moment (when she collapsed right before a stunned Len Goodman who was about to presumably explain why her samba stunk), "DWTS" went to a commercial and when the show came back, Tom Bergeron explained, "I want to quote her exactly - the first words out of her mouth were, 'oh crap...once in a while that happens to me...'" She joked about it. Bergeron joked about it. And because the show must go on, the show went on...But someone had better call the MD.

We don’t get to see foreign films much anymore since the demise of the old Bravo -- the old, OLD Bravo -- which back in its 1980s-90s glory days actually used to run commercial-free Kurasawa films and other gems from global masters. (Yearning sigh here. “Project Runway” will never equal “The Seven Samurai.”)

Now this week, Turner Classic Movies takes a stab at the art-film market with two nights of Louis Malle titles this Tuesday-Wednesday (Oct. 23-24), in honor of what would have been the French director’s 75th birthday. While Malle did make films in the United States (where he lived after marrying Candice Bergen in 1980, until his death in 1995), including “Pretty Baby” and “Atlantic City,” his international reputation rests on the great French-language features TCM now celebrates.

Tuesday lineup:
8 p.m. - Elevator to the Gallows (1957), Malle’s first non-documentary film, with Jeanne Moreau.
9:45 p.m. - Zazie Dans Le Metro (1960), with Philippe Noiret.
11:30 p.m. - The Fire Within (1963)
1:30 a.m. - Murmur of the Heart (1971)
3:30 a.m. - Black Moon (1975), with Joe Dallesandro.

Wednesday lineup:
8:00 p.m. - Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987)
10:00 p.m. - Lacombe, Lucien (1974)
12:30 a.m. - Calcutta (1969), a documentary Malle also narrates.
2:30 a.m. - Place de la Republique (1974), a Paris slice-of-life.
4:15 a.m. - God's Country (1985), a Malle-narrated look at small-town Minnesota farm life and politics.

The films are further explored at TCM’s website.

I, for one, am inconsolable over the cancellation of the first (scripted) show of the new season - that being (what else?) "Viva Laughlin." It went down in flames only a couple of hours ago, after CBS execs woke up on the west coast and wailed, in unison, "what in God's name were we thinking?" Variety broke the "Viva (Not) Laughlin" story on its website just a little while ago.

Inconsolable only because the mind reels over the possibilities of where this show would have headed had it survived. I mean, just imagine. Hugh Jackman performed in 75 of the silliest seconds on network TV in years when he sang "Sympathy for the Devil," and then that gloriously silly sequence was upstaged just minutes later when Melanie Griffith - in the role of Bunny Baxter - sang (and danced) to Blondie's prehistoric hit, "One Way or Another."
Television like this comes along but once a decade, if that, and now it's over. So, inconsolable.

Variety reports that the singing (or lip-syncing) stopped forever when CBS checked out this morning's ratings after last night's telecast. It scored a 1.2 rating among young adult viewers, and yes, that number is as bad as it looks.

Three weeks ago, a rope noose was found hanging in the men's locker room of the Hempstead Police Department, and now the national TV media is weighing in. In an 8 p.m. broadcast tomorrow entitled "The Noose: An American Nightmare," CNN looks into the wake of Jena 6, and it doesn't have to look too far before the Hempstead firestorm rears its ugly head.

The network talks to deputy chief Willie Dixon, who says he believes he was the target: "A noose in my mind represents the darkest periods in this country's history...it wasn't enough to lynch an African American. You could castrate him to add insult to injury, and after the lifeless body was hanging from a tree, you would then set that individual on fire."

And more: Police Chief Joseph Wing tell CNN that "in the ensuing days and weeks, I had to deal with the media and media relations. And very important, I had to deal with the morale of the officers... because this is one act it was one individual, but it has such an adverse impact on all of the officers that are working hard. "

And this from Corey Pegues, president of the Long Island chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives: "We're appalled that in 2007, someone has the audacity to put a noose in a police department, where people are sworn to protect and serve."

Meanwhile, the broadcast has an an interview with Nassau County Det. Sgt. Gary Shapiro, who says "the noose is not specifically mentioned in New York State's statutes, but symbols which could possibly be, that could bring some sort of a bias or hateful message, can be addressed through harassment laws that previously existed, to deal with that type of behavior." He says nooses will (per CNN) "eventually be included in New York's hate crime law..."

CNN’s Kyra Phillips reports...

Here's medium-big news from the Torre front: He'll be a guest on "Late Show with David Letterman" next Monday.

CBS says this'll be Joe's "first broadcast network television interview since leaving the team," but it's hardly a surprise. Over the years, Joe's been on the show at least six times, which qualifies him as a semi-regular. The last time (per CBS) was April 10, 2006, when he pitched to Johnny Damon on 53rd Street.

Oh, and "Bee Movie" guy Seinfeld will be on too.

The Fox Movie Channel (FMC) will also honor the late Deborah Kerr.

The cable channel announced Friday it will air two of the actresses’ best-known movies on Sunday.

At 4 p.m., “The King and I” (1956) in which Kerr played Mrs. Anna, the British schoolteacher brought to Siam to educate the king’s (Yul Brynner) extensive brood, airs at 4 p.m. Kerr doesn’t sing such classics as "Getting to Know You," her voice is dubbed by the ubiquitous Marni Nixon.

That’s followed at 6 by “The Innocents” (1961) in which Kerr plays a governess haunted by spectres that may or may not be real. Truman Capote co-wrote this movie, which was adapted from Henry James’ “Turn of the Screw.”

As previously blogged, Turner Classic Movies will also honor Kerr Sunday by airing “From Here to Eternity” (8 p.m.) and “Separate Tables” (10:15 p.m.).

I’m really gonna miss “Mad Men.”

But I’m glad that it’ll be back in the summer of 2008. Something to look forward to, along with finding out whether Willie Randolph will still be managing the Mets.

Anyway, last night’s finale was plenty intense: Don finally showing some emotion (learning the fate of his brother, returning to an empty house) was a satisfying breakthrough. And Betty’s first tentative steps away from being a submissive housewife was a nice touch as well.

But the pregnant Peggy (and she didn’t know it?) storyline was right out of grade-Z soap opera. Peggy sure has looked porky the past few months — and I guess it’s been about nine months since she had that late-night tryst with groom-to-be Pete, so it wasn’t a total surprise. But can’t “Mad Men” do better than that? (You just know that Peggy is gonna give away the baby when next season arrives, the better to focus on her new career as junior copywriter.)

All I can say, it’s gonna be a lot more fun in ‘61.

(And very cool was the shots of the wrap party. I always wondered what the actors looked like as their 2007 selves, not their 1960 characters, and now I can rest peacefully)

What did you think of "The Mad Men" finale? Post here.

Old 'do but new-found dignity.

Me, I didn't mind last night's "Grey's Anatomy," but - as I think I just mentioned - that's me. You? You may be a different story, and please don't be shy about saying so. But I saw glimmers of hope, which suggested that whatever has ailed this show a few episodes in may be a passing phase, or a new-season rough patch.

The big issue - Izzie had turned into a complete dope, without compass bearing or focus or (most glaringly) dignity. Meanwhile, the show itself - which has seemed to struggle weekly on exactly what point of view it wants to take with certain characters - offered no clues and instead allowed Izzie to fall deeper into a post-Denny-Duquette funk that threw her into the arms of George, who (in turn) was also wrecked as a sympathetic core character.

Anyway, last night, "Grey's" tried to set matters straight. I actually liked the cafeteria scene, when Izzy put up her dukes, and then Callie deflated her with just one casual prick - "I came to talk..." Izzie, unattached balloon that she has become, visibly deflated right there on the spot. It was a good night for Callie, in a way, because she (as well she should) became the moral core that has eluded the show, and by so doing, gave true and much needed perspective on the George/Izzie fling. Callie reminded viewers what was so grievously wrong with it, and SHE reminded viewers what damage had been done - and, incidentally, the damage done to the show. (Even though Karev probably had the best observation, saying how pathetic she had become.) I say all this because it seems to me that at least "Grey's" is attempting to ground itself again, or (apologies for the mixed metaphors) trying to get that
damned compass working again.

That's good, but it's just a start.

“Sopranos” creator David Chase has finally spoken out about his controversial send-off to the HBO series. The comments appear in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly and are excerpted from Chase’s upcoming “The Sopranos: The Complete Book.”

Was he surprised by the reaction to the final episode?

“No,” he says. “We knew there would be people who liked it and would try to go with it and other people who would be perplexed by it and shut their minds to it. This just felt like the right ending.”

Chase says he didn’t expect people to be so angered about the ending:

“We didn’t expect them to be that --- for that long. It’s one thing to be deeply involved with a television show. It’s another to be so involved that all you do is sit on a couch and watch it. It seemed that those people were just looking for an excuse to be --- off. There was a war going on that week and attempted terror attacks in London. But these people were talking about onion rings.”

Many fans have developed their own elaborate theories – like the one that says Chase was re-creating the Last Supper, but he insists there is no puzzle to be solved.

“There are no esoteric clues in there. No Da Vinci Code. Everything that pertains to that episode was in that episode. And it was in the episode before that and the one before that and seasons before this one and so on. There had been indications of what the end is like.”

Well, well, well - now THIS is interesting: Broadcasting Magazine is reporting that Jon Stewart has just a signed a contract extension that'll keep him at "Daily Show" through Dec. 31, 2010. Said the mag: "Stewart informed his staff of the news Thursday afternoon and a formal announcement is expected shortly. The length of the extension coincides with the 2010 expiration of David Letterman’s deal at CBS..."

And that, of course, is the interesting part. If Dave steps away, then, maybe...

But the bear who will prowling around the woods at this time will be - you guessed it - Mr. Jay Leno. After NBC rudely pushes him aside in 2009, my guess is he'll be able to go anywhere he pleases, including CBS. (Speculation has long included Fox and ABC...) But everyone has long expected a Jon-for-Dave swap when the time comes.
Meanwhile, here's more "Daily Show" news: Today, Comedy Central launched a new "Daily Show" website that'll include the show's ENTIRE "video history," dating back to 1999. (Stewart's hosted just under a thousand editions.) A press release