Watch with Intelligence

OMFG: Gossip Girl is Returning Soon

Know how I know? See after the jump. (Warning: potentially NSFW)

The Farmer Wants A Wife Press Kit Gives Me Hay Fever

Sometimes you think things could never, ever happen, but they do. Oh they do. So naive I am to believe that the impossible could not invariably be done. After the jump I have a photo containing the contents of the Farmer Wants A Wife press kit mailed to me today. It oddly disturbs me.

Arrested Development Now Available on iTunes

Had iTunes only been as prominent back when Arrested was airing would this had been worth celebrating. Interestingly though, it doesn't come up on Fox's TV page, neither does it show up when searched for. (You'll see it in the top left brick on the TV shows page after waiting a few minutes.) Any guesses?

Breaking: It's Over...

I can't believe it. It's finally over.

Breaking: Golden Globes Broadcast Nixed

Instead of who's wearing who and who said what, we're getting a...press conference.

Oceanic Reopens Flights, "Taking You Places You Never Imagined"

Fresh from Oceanic Airlines:

OCEANIC AIRLINES ANNOUNCES ITS RETURN TO THE AIRWAYS
“TAKING YOU PLACES YOU NEVER IMAGINED”

Flights Begin December 31 To Nine Markets Oceanic Airlines announced today their return to the airways. Beginning December 31, operations and flights to nine markets will resume, “Taking You Places You Never Imagined.” Destinations include:

Los Angeles, CA
Tustin, CA
Ames, IA
Miami, FL
New York, NY
Portland, OR
Knoxville, TN
Seoul, South Korea
Sydney, Australia

“We are very eager to resume flying and apologize for any inconvenience our temporary closure may have caused our loyal customers,” said Michael Orteig, President, Oceanic Airlines. “Oceanic Airlines is proud to be a top tier flight provider and looks forward to providing travelers with many more years of unparalleled service.”

About Oceanic Airlines
In business for over 25 years, Oceanic Airlines is a major airline carrier and offers the highest caliber of service for international and domestic flights. Destinations include Los Angeles, London, Sydney and South Korea.

Now tell me Losties, what clues about the fourth season does this offer?

Breaking: Lost Moves to Thursdays

According to the press release just sent to me from ABC, Lost will be returning Thursday, Jan. 31. Yes, Thursdays!

Damon Lindelof: Stop Punishing Us and Our TiVos!

Lost co-creator and head writer Damon Lindelof wrote a passionate Op-Ed piece in today's New York Times, where he says exactly what's been on everyone's minds:

Twenty percent of American homes now contain hard drives that store movies and television shows indefinitely and allows you to fast-forward through commercials. These devices will probably proliferate at a significant rate and soon, almost everyone will have them. They’ll also get smaller and smaller, rendering the box that holds them obsolete, and the rectangular screen in your living room won’t really be a television anymore, it’ll be a computer. And running into the back of that computer, the wire that delivers unto you everything you watch? It won’t be cable; it will be the Internet.

He follows up with this:

I am angry because I am accused of being greedy by studios that are being greedy. I am angry because my greed is fair and reasonable: if money is made off of my product through the Internet, then I am entitled to a small piece. The studios’ greed, on the other hand, is hidden behind cynical, disingenuous claims that they make nothing on the Web — that the streaming and downloading of our shows is purely “promotional.” Seriously?

And some of this:

And just as the owners of vaudeville theaters broke down and bought hand-crank movie cameras, the studios will figure out a way to make absurd amounts of money off of whatever is beaming onto whichever sort of screen.

And we’ll still be writing every word.

Strike Notes: Day 1

• The Los Angeles Times is all over the strike, including this article and a rundown on how the strike is going to affect new, returning, and currently running shows.
• Tina Fey was on the scene in front of the 30 Rock building this morning in NYC; Time's James Poniewozik chatted with her, as did the LA Times.
• The Shield showrunner Shawn Ryan explains why he's striking at Deadline Hollywood Daily.
• When in doubt stay tuned to TV Tattle.

Here's an informational Saturday Night Live visual:

Breaking: Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku Reunite

BEST. NEWS. EVER.

Watch Log: The Reviews are Coming, I Swear!

Sorry for the delay in reviews. A combination of a very busy TV schedule this fall and an unsurmountable of work I've had to do is really making this week move slower than I expected. But fret not, I've got reviews of Aliens in America, The Big Bang Theory, Life, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money and Back to You all lined up for next week. Bionic Woman's review, which I must mention, probably won't be up until after the second episode, seeing how the pilot is just too uneven to truly judge its value. Next week should be better. (I hope.)

But enough about my problems, let's chat about last night's Top Chef shall we? It was down to the final four (Dale, Hung, Brian and Casey) in Aspen and I was dead sure it was Hung leaving last night since the tightly-wound judges (I'm looking at you Chef Tom Colicchio) complained about his lack of personality behind his cooking or something (I find myself resting my thumb on the fast-forward button more often than I'd like at this point in the season). But it was Brian who was sent home -  he had just too much personality and things going on in his dish for the judges to handle. Then again, this is Top Chef and not (America's Next) Top Model, so perhaps fierceness doesn't really come into play here. Oh well. At least we know when the new season of Project Runway starts (November 14). I never fast-forward during that show.

Photo | Top Chef: Bravo

Watch Log: Rescue Me Finally on iTunes

Whenever I check as to where from and why people are visiting Watch with Intelligence, I get a lot of Google searches that read "Watch Rescue Me Season 4." But then Google sort of cheats (in my favor): It just so happens that every word in that query lands in this review, so we're often the first listing. But this site doesn't  contains any video beyond the occasional promo when I'm too lazy to write a preview for a show (sorry Best Years!) - and thus the disappointment. There will be no more searches made in vain any longer, as FX's firemen drama Rescue Me has finally become (legally) available for purchase on Apple's iTunes. You're welcome.

Also, a quick iTunes run-through for any newbies: 1) It's going to cost you upwards of $2 per episode (only six have aired so far - don't fall too far behind). 2) You don't need an iPod to use iTunes, you just need a computer with a halfway-decent monitor, and a credit card or Paypal account. 3) A broadband connection is preferable - dial-up will make it all seem pointless. Go crazy.

Photo | Larry Riley

Previewing Tonight's Season Premiere of My Boys

PJ (Jordana Spiro) and Brendan's (Scott Reid) relationship doesn't really develop much in early episodes of season two of TBS' My Boys (10 p.m.), but the dramedy is offering more of its perfectly harmless charm and breeziness. Tonight's premiere skips a few months after the finale to spring, where PJ and the guys are preparing for their fantasy baseball draft, but it's not easy: PJ and Brendan are in a spat after their onetime lip lock, Andy's (Jim Gaffigan) new faraway suburban home is keeping him out of the fun, Kenny (Michael Bunin) has grown creepily-obsessed with his new girlfriend's (guest star Nicole Sullivan) baby (don't worry - it's not what it seems), and Bobby (Kyle Howard) is finding his new job covering Nascar to be insufferable. The premiere is followed by a second episode (10:30 p.m.), where PJ  is invited to be a guest host on a popular local sports talk show - now guess if she makes a fool of herself with lines like "You put the lotion in the basket!"

Photo | Ben Watts

Watch Log: Previewing Tonight's Episodes of The Closer

Last week was comical, this week things get serious: Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and her Priority Homicide team are in pursuit of missing 8-year-old girl Ruby Williams, whom they fear has been snatched by an egregious sex offender. You'd be hard pressed to find a more worthy for-your-consideration episode of The Closer (8 p.m., TNT) - especially since tonight's episode highlights all of the procedural's strong points, including the under-appreciated Corey Reynolds as Brenda's go-to partner Lt. Gabriels, who grows dangerously close to the case. While not inherently a typical episode, catching the suspect remains second tier to Sedgwick's intense interview room oratory -  this one being her finest yet.

Photo | Ben Kaller

Watch Log: Previewing Tonight's Premiere of The Best Years

The Best Years
Premieres tonight, 8:30 p.m., The N

Watch Log: Previewing Tonight's Veronica Mars Season (Probably Series) Finale

Poor Piz (Chris Lowell), the guy can never catch a break with the ladies, even when he's with a lady. So a sex tape of him and Veronica (Kristen Bell) surfacing on the internet can't help. Keith (Enrico Colantoni) and Vinnie (Ken Marino) face-off, Weevil (Francis Capra) gets busted for selling fake debit cards, and Dick (Ryan Hansen) drunkenly apologizes to Mac (Tina Majorino) for being such a...we won't even go there. With still no word as to whether this finale of the recovering Veronica Mars will be a season or series (everything is leaning way over to series), we'll have to coast on optimism in this two-hour send-off.

Photo | Mike Ansell

Watch Log: Fox's Upfront Presentation

The Upfronts concluded Thursday with Fox's unveiling of their new fall lineup, sprinkled with old favorites, and some admittedly safe - for Fox's standard's at least - new series. One being a post-Katrina drama K-Ville (scheduled Mondays after Prison Break), starring Anthony Anderson as a cop struggling to piece a destroyed and nearly abandoned New Orleans back together with a new partner. 24 will continue in its midseason post-Prison Break timeslot, and has received a pick-up through 2009. And as promised, next season will reinvent the series, possibly dropping CTU altogether from recent reports.

Other pick-ups include New Amsterdam, about an immortal cop that brings lesson from 17th century to solve murder cases. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton-fronted comedy Back to You - about old broadcasters who reunite in a traditional laffer setting -  opens Wednesday nights. The remainder of the fall lineup are reality series, ranging from Hell's Kitchen's Gordan Ramsay yelling for an entire hour (Kitchen Nightmares), and an American Idol spin-off for bands (The Search for the Next Great American Band), to a country-styled Laguna Beach (Nashville).

Midseason has the new Amy Sherman-Palladino series The Return of Jezebel James, about Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose being the latest fast-talking, pop-culture-ready female duo. Also midseason is The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based off the Terminator character, taking place in between the original and Terminator 2. Sometime next spring has The Rules For Starting Over about thirtysomethings...starting over. The Office's Rashida Jones stars.

Check out Fox's schedule here, with clips from all their new series.

Watch Log: CBS and The CW's Upfront Presentations

CBS
Tried and true CBS decided to shake things up a bit this season with a slate of off-beat pick-ups that manage to be odd but relatively appeasing to the typical CBS viewer. Take midseason offering Swingtown (a throwback to '70s swinger couples), probably one of the Tiffany net's raciest series yet. Also out of character: Hugh Jackman-produced Viva Laughlin!, based upon British series Viva Blackpool. Will viewers get the singing and dancing gimmick? And if they do, how long until they're bored with it? As with many of these high-concept shows, it's a test - both for viewers and showrunners - to keep the premise afloat (read: withhold judgment until pilot).

Also, Jericho, The Class, and Close to Home got the axe. 

Accompanied by the fantastic news of How I Met Your Mother's renewal is new series The Big Bang Theory (sadly, The New Adventures of Old Christine has been downgraded to midseason), a geeky sitcom about two glorified geniuses who get a hot dumb-blond new neighbor. Also picked-up: Moonlight, where a vampire-turned-detective tries really hard not to come across as a Angel knock-off. Cane, another attempt to bring The Sopranos down to a broadcast network level, this time with Cuban sugar (canes), and some Latin faces, including Jimmy Smits.

However, the crazed reality series Kid Nation could be a defining moment for the network. As an odd experiment, Nation puts 40 kids in a 19th century ghost town - and try to create a working, habitable community, and with no parents. Pre-Upfront press made the series out to be a Lord of the Flies-type venture, but from the looks of the clips, it seems more like a homelier Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, sprinkled with Disney Channel-precocious kids. Hmm. Perhaps we will see some Flies.

Check out CBS' new schedule here, with clips from all their new series.

The CW
Let's start this one backwards: CW president Dawn Ostroff, after pitching new series and announcing renewals, dropped a hefty bomb towards the end of the presentation when she declared that Veronica Mars is effectively canceled. There's still hope holding out for a dwindling June 15th 11th-hour renewal, but it seems that Ms. Mars and co. will have to go down in Brilliant But Canceled history. Once long-running WB series Gilmore Girls and 7th Heaven bowed out this week, freeing-up two more spots.

Elsewhere, The CW kept its schedule mostly intact, with Beauty and the Geek taking over Gilmore's timeslot, followed by new series Reaper (starring The Loop's Brett Harrison), about a guy who becomes a bounty hunter for the Devil after his parents sold his soul before his birth. Other pick-ups include another Josh Schwartz series, Gossip Girl, about over-privileged New York teens, and girl who blogs about it. And to add injury to insult: Kristen Bell (of Veronica Mars) narrates. There's also Life is Wild where speed-guest-star Brett Cullen moves his troubled family to South Africa to reconnect. Last is Aliens in America, a risky comedy about a Pakistani Muslim foreign exchange student. Could be the funniest or the most criticized series of the fall, probably both.

Check out The CW's schedule here, with clips from all their new series.

Photo | Veronica Mars

Watch Log: CBS' Upfront Note

Sorry about the lack of coverage for CBS' Upfront presentation. We're busy (Darn personal life!), the clips didn't get uploaded to CBS' website soon enough, and I'm stuck working overtime. Check back tomorrow afternoon -  for reports on both CBS and The CW's Upfront presentations.

Thanks for being patient.

Watch Log: ABC's Upfront Presentation

The buzzing sound in the background is my TiVo about to explode after hearing the news about how ABC's fall schedule will have 12, count 'em, 12 new series debuting later this year. Why so many? The Alphabet has hit a lucky, female-skewing stride with Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, and Brothers & Sisters - so lackluster (and admittedly male-skewing) performers like The Nine and Day Break get canned quickly. Yet, it has been gracious with some ratings-challenged series like What About Brian (which experience a surprise reprieve last year), October Road, and Notes From the Underbelly, and offered renewals (Brian however, was cut). Ultimately, ABC had the most holes to fill in its schedule - and there's probably twice as much come midseason.

In also continues to opt for light, quirk-laden dramedies: Christina Applegate stars in Sam I Am, where title character Sam gets a second chance when she is struck by amnesia after a car accident. Tuesday night holds the highly talked-about comedy Cavemen, inspired by the Geico car insurance commercials, and Carpoolers, about working-class men who get chatty in the car pool lane to work, one of which is Jerry O'Connell.

Wednesday however, proves to be ABC's biggest faith-driven risk: the Alphabet plays another surprise hand this year (last year being the bold relocation of Grey's Anatomy to Thursday) by having three new series, highly-buzzed Pushing Daisies (about a baker who can bring the dead back to solve their murders), Grey's spin-off Private Practice (fronted by Kate Walsh and plenty of familiar faces), and all-star casted Dirty Sexy Money (about an aristocratic New York family that hires Peter Krause to keep them out of trouble), hold Wednesday nights on their own. The idea is that Private Practice (which happens to be pitted against NBC's buzz-worthy Bionic Woman) - which has yet to prove if it can stand alone without a Grey's lead-in - can fuel two new shows by acting as a middle ground. We'll see if this gamble pays off as well as the last.

Thursdays maintain the winning Ugly Betty-Grey's Anatomy duo, with the Michael Vartan-fronted drama Big Shots (about CEOs with too many personal issues) getting the prime 10 p.m. slot. Men in Trees will (finally) return to Fridays, opening the night. Following Trees is Women's Murder Club, about a troupe of professional women working together to solve crimes, starring Law & Order veteran Angie Harmon. Sundays will continue untouched with America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.

Other buzzed-about dramedy Cashmere Mafia (another Sex and the City-inspired ensemble that should be Lipstick Jungle's biggest competition) may have to wait until midseason, but there are already talks to push the debut up a few months. Eli Stone (About a lawyer who has spiritual encounters with...George Michael?), and Miss / Guided (With Arrested Development's Judy Greer, finally in a leading role as a high school guidance counselor) are also midseason hold-overs. Also is Lost, which was previously reported to have been renewed for three seasons of 16, uninterrupted episodes starting in January through 2010. 

According to Jim's fate remains up in the air.

Tomorrow: CBS

Check out ABC's new schedule here, with clips of all their new series.

Photo | ABC

Watch Log: NBC's Upfront Presentation

And thus let NBC's Thursday comedy regime rule supreme with the renewal of Scrubs (predicted to be the last season with 18 episodes) and 30 Rock, the bolstering of steady performer My Name Is Earl to a cushy 25 episode pick-up, and the further nurturing of The Office (a 30 episode pick-up with five being hour-long) into the net's latest signature series, which comes with the 9 p.m. timeslot to boot.

Elsewhere, the Peacock stuck with its initial gameplan it instilled in the beginning of year: opening nights with reliable ratings from reality series like The Biggest Loser and Deal or No Deal,  while leaving the scripted series for later hours. Which includes the hiding of Friday Night Lights on Fridays at 10 p.m., right around the time the target audience would be at actual football games. 

The weekend offered relief for Dick Wolf, whose Law & Order franchise - despite forecasts of the cancellation of both the original and Criminal Intent - will continue to live. The original will move to Sundays at 8 p.m. after football season, packaged between Dateline and renewed Medium. Criminal Intent, technically has been canceled by NBC, but has been immediately picked-up by NBC-owned net USA, for a much cheaper price. Also in long-running series news: ER, which gets another, possibly last season.

New series pick-ups include science fiction drama Journeyman starring Kevin McKidd as a time-traveler who helps people in need. Not surprisingly, it's scheduled after Heroes (which received a vague spin-off greenlight to be titled Heroes: Origins). Sandwiched between The Biggest Loser and Law & Order: SVU is Josh Scwartz's (of The O.C. fame) Chuck, about a Geek Squad-type employee who moonlights as a government threat. The disastrous Wednesdays has the Bionic Woman remake (starring Michelle Ryan) and the terribly titled Life, about a cop who returns to the force after a stay in prison for a crime he didn't commit. However, the most buzzed-about NBC series, Lipstick Jungle (starring Brooke Shields and Kim Raver), won't roll around until after football season, or midseason, on Sundays.

Tomorrow: ABC

Check out NBC's new schedule here, with clips of new series Journeyman, Chuck, Life, and Bionic Woman.

Photo | NBC

Watch Log: Previewing Tonight's How I Met Your Mother

It's sad to know that the first of this two-part How I Met Your Mother finale (8:00 p.m., CBS) could work as either a season or series. Which hardly seems fair seeing how Mother has progressed so well in its second season, with some truly landmark episodes like the infamous Robin Sparkles foray or the Slap Bet slapstick. In "Something Borrowed," Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall's (Jason Segel) wedding goes down with every conceivable hitch, Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Ted (Josh Radnor) are withholding a secret, and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) remains Barney - just how we like it. Tonight's episode won't necessarily go down in HIMYM history, but its a true testament to the sitcom's talents: frank dialogue, well-paced storytelling, and some legend...wait for it...dary sound bites.

Photo | Karen Neal

Watch Log: Gilmore No More

Well, I can't say I'm completely surprised by the abrupt canning of Gilmore Girls. True, it is sad to see such a landmark and truly remarkable series be put down in such an off season like this one, it has brought upon one of the biggest sighs of relief - rare in cancellation's sake. Mostly, Gilmore seemed to be treading water towards the end of season five (right around the time Rory decided to check out of Yale for a year), and the near-forgettable sixth season was one hard-pounding nail in the coffin. And as the seventh - dreadfully painful - season rolled around, I wondered if would be given to time to rebound - to properly put these characters and their stories to rest. With this, it won't be able to provide a true, honest-to-Gilmore finale, but it will at least put this show out of its misery.

And yet, as I continue to mull over the impending finale, I am increasingly growing depressed by fact that I will no longer see Lorelai (Lauren Graham) or Rory (Alexis Bledel), or any of our Stars Hollow friends...ever...again.I will miss you Gilmore Girls, along with the other, loyal-to-the-bitter-end fans who appreciated your truly unique brand of feminine quirk, wit, and style forevermore.

Photo | Courtesy of Warner Bros. Television

Watch Log: Veronica Mars Returns Tonight

Don't forget that the last five episodes of Veronica Mars start tonight at 9:00 p.m. on The CW. Please don't forget. Ms. Mars' future is in your hands Nielsen box owners! In tonight's episode, "Un-American Graffiti," Veronica (Kristen Bell) is hired by a Middle Eastern restaurant owner whose being attacked by racial epithets. Keith (Enrinco Colantoni) busts Piz (Chris Lowell) and Wallace (Percy Daggs) with fake ID's at a bar (provided by Veronica naturally), Logan (Jason Dohring) gets closer to Parker (Julie Gonzalo) on her birthday, and Veronica and Piz (Pizonica if you will) share a...moment. Also, tonight also marks the first of five stand-alone episodes in creator Rob Thomas' latest attempt to save the series from a creative slump. We'll see how it goes.

Photo | Courtesy of Warner Bros. Television

Watch Log: 24 Spins-Off Into 17

If you're like me, you're probably fed up with 24 this season. And guess what? So are the producers! Instead of dragging out the next seven episodes with more low-register yelling, ridiculous episodes of Office Antics with Milo and Nadia, and implausible  President-suddenly-awakening-from-a-coma nonsense, they ended the hunt at 17 hours instead of the eponymous 24.

Except, has cutting the fat ever been more obvious? Producers have lamely tried to defend themselves, but I suppose an old-fashioned epiphany had a large role in this decision. Good, because if things would have continued after last night's episode, I might have stopped altogether: President Palmer collapses again! But manages to pull it together...again! According to a doctor friend, he shouldn't have woken up, much less run the country. It's like a drinking game with this guy. But I think the best show of insanity last night was Jack's ingenuity to hang on the axle of a sanitation truck while it drove away. The episode proceeded to Jack following Fayed into the staple piped warehouse where they held the suitcase nukes.

And then things got crazy.

Out of nowhere, Jack fires the first shot. Terrorist dies. Apparently, Jack the American Hero can fire off keen single shots that can take out a small army of evil-doers. And Fayed? Hung by the conveniently located chain hanging from the ceiling in the room they battled it out in. But the last minutes proved to be the most obvious display of damage control: in true 24 style, Jack receives a call from a distressed Audrey, who apparently didn't die (I bought it in the beginning seeing how Kim Raver will be on NBC's Lipstick Jungle with Brooke Shields this fall), and is being held by shady Chinese megalomaniacs. We'll see if 24 can get it together before season's end, but as far as I see it, I expect a mixed bag of results. Season six proves how nearly impossible it is to follow such a landmark season like 24's fifth. And I wouldn't be completely surprised if they killed Audrey off during May sweeps.

And something that's been bothering me: what happened to President Logan? Wasn't he flat-lining in an ambulance a few hours ago? Is he dead or what?

Watch Log: Sweeps Finally End (Sort of)

Oh boy, where to begin. Lets start with the complete sham that this February sweeps has been. Nothing really established itself as a definitive sweep moment, so we instead got many Very Special Episodes that will Have Everyone Talking. Except I was never talking about how thrilling or groundbreaking it all was (when it usually is) because I was far too busy with my jaw writhing around on the floor watching incredibly flat sweep episodes from shows that have proven themselves to be strong performers.

Take Grey's Anatomy, whose three-episode ferry boat fire incident made me hunger for a regular episode of the soap, which has been growing on me this season with the evolution of George from a man-child to a firm, respectable adult, Bailey resharpening her knives to full-on Nazis status, Christina letting some love in, the fantastic Alex and Addison romance, and the stabilizing relation between Meredith and Derek. Everything seemed to be forgotten these last three weeks as things went from okay to ridiculously inane. Forget there was a major, life-threatening incident involving hundreds of people, because Meredith is having and inner incident of her own that is much more important. Hardly.

The entire concept of Meredith acting as the last remaining thread between her friends and complete breakdown is as implausible as the thought of her death itself. Her name is in the title - what did Shonda Rhimes expect us to do, freak out? Except oddly, some people did, and some people actually led themselves to believe that Meredith might actually die (which wouldn't be so terrible for me, as I see her as the weak link here, plus those voice-overs are like nails on a chalkboard). Viewers, don't head yourself for a loop next time (which hopefully will never happen again, Shonda), because unlike the realms of Seattle Grace itself, lead actors are under contract.

And 24, boy is this show beginning to show its age. I almost knew every word of dialogue before it was said, the shocks before they surprised, and the inevitable attempt to assassinate the president before the season even started. Past seasons were easier to dismiss because they provided genuine edge-of-your-seat moments, ripe, rich dialogue, and an unrelenting urgency that could make you queasy. 24 needs to refine its formula before it starts to feel formulaic. Perhaps cut the fat and just make an awesome movie? Just a suggestion.

Also, some people should be handed a good chastising for running some painfully misleading previews for shows like Heroes and Lost, both of which promised answers. I half expected an asterisk next to the words "You're Questions WILL Be Answered," that leads to fine print stating this: "We're LYING!"

That aside, Lost and Heroes actually turned out to be the best thing this February Sweeps. Lost (which I have forgiven for its depressing first six episodes) returned with a stellar episode about Juliet's past, and Heroes (as always) continues to evolve its widespread storylines.

Watch Log: Why I Didn't Watch the Superbowl

Super Bowl Sunday Weekend, where families unite under one roof, consume absurd amounts of greasy, fried foods (nachos! fried chicken!), and gleefully enjoy the game itself, the overweening commercials, the halftime show (this year featured Prince), and the show CBS programmed afterwards, Criminal Minds. I did none of these and instead acted upon the upcoming Oscars by finally sitting down the Little Miss Sunshine DVD I've had sitting on my desk for the last month.

Don't knock me, I've never been much of a football kind of guy (hockey's my game), Prince is great, but I know I can catch him on YouTube, Criminal Minds is downright depressing television as a broke-down procedural (look towards Law & Order: SVU for solace), and the overrated ads...are ads. I find it perplexing and inscrutable - how can anyone subject themselves to hours of pure ad nauseam? Forget that they're the "best part," because Super Bowl commercials are consumer manipulation at its finest: how depressing is it to think of giddy advertisers sitting around a round table to pitch wooden and inexplicably corny TV spots, knowing that you actually want to watch them? And the small-country price for 30 seconds? Yikes. I'll take the subversive, witty dramedy Little Miss Sunshine over that any day.

Watch Log: Shonda Rhimes Can Speak!

We're all aware of the whole homophobic slurring over on the Grey's Anatomy set, and Issiah Washington - after meeting with associations like GLAAD yesterday - has issued this statement via EXTRA's website:

With the support of my family and friends, I have begun counseling. I regard this as a necessary step toward understanding why I did what I did and making sure it never happens again. I appreciate the fact that I have been given this opportunity and I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally.

But if you wanted more ambiguous, look no further than Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes, who finally released a statement today:

I speak for all the executive producers here at ‘Grey's Anatomy’ when I say that Isaiah Washington's use of such a disturbing word was a shocking and dismaying event that insulted not only gays and lesbians everywhere but anyone who has ever struggled for respect in a world that is not always accepting of difference.

We’ve been working within the ‘Grey’s’ family as well as with ABC and Touchstone Television to address the issue in a way that underscores the gravity of the situation while giving us all a foundation for healing. We applaud and encourage Isaiah's realization that he needs help and his subsequent choice to seek immediate treatment for his behavioral issues.

We appreciate the support the fans have always given our show, particularly during this stressful time. Creatively, we continue to strive to make the best television we can with the hope that our show reflects the talent, hard work and professionalism of our cast and crew.

Translation: please don't stop watching our show!

Watch Log: "Veronica Mars" Returns, "Heroes" and "24" Duke it Out, Issiah Washington wants PSAs

Time Zoned
Sorry for the late post today, been busy elsewhere. Nevertheless, I have plenty to share. Tonight of course is President Bush's State of the Union address, which will run from 9-11 on the East coast and 6-8 on the Pacific coast - mine's on from 8-10, since I'm stuck in boring 'ol Central time.

Four of the five major networks will not have any programming (at least not anything new) tonight, so don't tune in...except to The CW which will be airing the returns of Gilmore Girls (8 p.m.) and Veronica Mars (9 p.m.) - both of which you should watch, even though they're both having off seasons right now, these returns might fare better. Though there is another installment of American Idol auditions, but that's better left recorded for a sick day.

Ratings Report
Last night marked the first of many battles between Fox's long-running thriller 24 and NBC's newest hit, rookie drama Heroes. So who won the overnight ratings challenge? Surprisingly, they both faired about evenly, with Heroes winning the hour in highest ratings with 14.84 million, with 24 very close behind with 14.44 million. I predicted this, seeing how incredibly accessible Heroes is being a new series and how 24 would typically draw a certain variety of viewers (ones whose TiVos are filled with repeats of CSI, The Wire, The Sopranos and the such) - thankfully there are a lot of them.

The winner however, happened to be CBS' Two and a Half Men, which garnered 16.1 million against both shows. How did that happen? Perhaps the longtime skewering of CBS as an elder demographic attracting super-net aren't meekly made.

Issiah Grins a GLAAD Smile
The latest of Issiah Washington's tours of desperation continued as he sat down with GLAAD and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network yesterday and proposed an anti-name-calling public service announcement. No decisions have been made.

Also on the Issiah front is an interesting tidbit from E! Online's Kristin Veitch about how Dr. Burke won't receive a farewell episode if ABC does choose to fire him (which would be effective immediately). This is particularly distressing since major plot occurrences have already been shot for February sweeps for Grey's Anatomy.

Really, there's a lot of truth behind "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Watch Log: Understanding D'Anna's Words

This is a new daily (-ish?) post with me blurbing something TV related, most of the time about what I managed to watch the previous night. Note that I write this in the precious free time before I have to leave for work so don't expect a novel!

Okay, after watching the "season premiere" (it's more like second half of the same season, but whatever) of Sci-Fi's amazing Battlestar Galactica, I am on a witch hunt of sorts. The episode ended on a litle sour note as Lucy Lawless' Cyclon model D'Anna was put into "cold storage." This of course was only after traveling with Baltar and shady preacher man-Cylon to an algae planet that held the Eye of Jupiter (Whatever that is. This religious side-plotting is growing tedious.), and standing beneath a glowing light of celestial superpowers, wherein she sees the faces of the five remaining Cylon models.

And she gave us some clues:

"I'm sorry, I had no idea..."
This is the easy one. It's someone D'Anna has been able to interact (and most likely was made up with feud from the 'sorry' part) with through her character's run - quick, someone whip-out the DVDs. Everyone is a suspect here.

"So beautiful"
Ummm. My guess here is that it's a women. How many men are beautiful nowadays? Now if she would have said brawny, then we would have something.

Also of note:
Starbuck has apparent innate abilities to draw the Eye of Jupiter on the wall of her ex-apartment. Is she some sort of predestined heroine? The Cylon D'Anna spoke of? You decide and get back to me.