The TV Addict 

Good News: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS has commenced the search for a slew of fourth season fresh faces, including three new series regulars and one recurring guest star. Bad News: To fill the void that is about to be left by exiting fan favorites Adrianne Palicki, Zach Gilford and Minka Kelly. [Source]

Good News: SUPER SIZE ME’s Morgan Spurlock will produce and direct THE SIMPSONS 20th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL IN 3-D ON ICE. Bad News: The special won’t actually be in 3-D or on ice! [Source]

Good News: Arguably, television’s most memorable survivor Richard Hatch was this close to returning to the series that put him on the map (and ironically enough, in jail for tax evasion) for SURVIVOR’s 10th anniversary “Heroes Vs. Villains” edition Bad News: Until that is, a federal judge in Rhode Island denied his request to leave home confinement early. [Source]

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
KING OF THE HILL (7:30PM FOX)
Continuing to mine this TV Addict’s homeland for “Yuks” comes tonight’s KING OF THE HILL season finale which has Boomhauer swapping houses with a Canadian family for the summer causing friction in the neighborhood.

THE SIMPSONS (8PM FOX)
After swarms of unemployed workers from Ogdenville descend on Springfield, the mayor closes the borders and citizen Homer goes on border patrol. Which, as any SIMPSONS fans will tell you, means you should expect power to go to Homer’s head by… what, the eleven minute mark?

FAMILY GUY (9PM FOX)
Now far be it from us to suggest yet another alterna-”mother” theory, but is anyone else the least bit suspicious that all three male stars of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor) are providing cameos on tonight’s FAMILY GUY season finale? Think about it.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (9PM ABC, CTV in Canada)
Good News: After a five year flash-forward and 22 episodes of waiting, Dave’s endgame finally comes to a close. Bad News: For Susan and MJ.

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Okay, I’m not a complete and total moron. But I have to admit that in the case of the article posted earlier this morning — regarding Jeff Probst perhaps influencing the outcome of SURVIVOR’s finale — I had a complete and total brain fart.

As several regular TV Addict reader’s were quick to point out, the votes are cast at the final Tribal Council, long before the live telecast at which the winner is announced. As a long-time SURVIVOR fan, I don’t know how the heck I could have forgotten that… but I did.

That’s why we have the best, smartest readers around: They keep us honest!

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
AMERICAN IDOL (8PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
In week three, the kids sing Motown. Anybody else feel as if this show has gone, as so many reality shows do over the course of their runs, from charming to almost sad?

SCRUBS (8PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
Dr. Cox… wait, are we reading this right? Dr. Cox actually praises J.D.? Isn’t that a sign of the apocalypse?

BETTER OFF TED (8:30PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
The company tries to create meatless beef in the laboratory. Quick, someone get us that “Where’s The Beef?” lady from the Wendy’s commercials on the line! She’s dead? Oh. Um, never mind.

LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
Someone goes rogue and causes a whole lotta trouble for the others on the island. Based on the commercials that have been airing all week, I’m going with Sayid. He’s got “rogue troublemaker” written all over him.

NEW & NOTABLE:
SURVIVOR (8PM CBS)
Tonight’s episode is either a not-as-new-as-they’d-have-you-believe clipfest covering the first 15 days or a brand new episode. Commercials say one thing, listings say another. Guess you’ll have to tune in and find out!

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By: Couch Tater

Okay, folks, it’s officially time to grow up.

For those who haven’t heard, the Parents Television Council is up in arms following an accidental flash of penis revealed on the September 25 episode of SURVIVOR: GABON. (Go ahead do a quick Google image search. I’ll wait.)

I’m willing to bet that 95 percent of you would never have seen contestant Marcus Lehman’s no-longer private parts were it not for the fact that the PTC turned this flash-in-the-pan(ts) moment into a major scandal by filing an indecency complaint against CBS with the Federal Communications Commission and, in turn, making his the most seen crotch since Britney stepped out of a limo sans panties.

Seriously?

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For all its flaws, BROTHERS & SISTERS knows how to play the emotional beats of a story. When Kevin walked into the living room to see that his mom had not only ignored his “no flowers” edict but transformed the room into a virtual greenhouse, it was both predictable and charming. “Tonight, Kevin, you don’t get to be guarded or cynical,” she told him, barely holding back her tears. And it was interesting to get the perspective of older, newly-out Saul, who called his nephew’s commitment ceremony “one of the bravest things” he’d ever seen. It’s an interesting commentary on how far network television has come in a relatively short period of time that Kevin’s big day was not given the sort of “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” treatment that it might have received only a decade or two again. (Think DYNASTY’s sexually confused Steven or MELROSE PLACE’s perpetual also-ran, Matt). Frankly, it’s kinda surprising to me that this show got “the gay story” so right and yet completely blew the Justin/Rebecca situation. I can’t help thinking that the ickiness of their relationship might not have been so jarring had they show done what I’ve been begging them to do for ages and slowed down. Not every story has to unfold in two episodes. that episode-ending kiss may have been a little easier to accept had viewers had the summer hiatus to adjust to the idea. Instead, it was too much, too soon. Meanwhile, did anyone else half expect Robert and Kitty to announce they’d be adopting Rebecca? And I’ll make an early prediction right now: Next season, the Walker clan will discover that their mysterious new sibling is… Ryan Atwood, a troubled kid from the O.C.! Oh, and a note to the ABC promo department: A new family member and a kiss everyone saw coming a mile away do not constitute “the jaw-dropping cliffhanger of the year.”

I have to admit that I skipped out on the first two hours of last night’s SURVIVOR fest. As exciting as this season has been, I found that I didn’t really care which of the four gals walked away a winner. I did, however, tune in for the reunion special, which is always a blast. Did someone forget to tell Jeff Probst when it was going to be? Is that why he showed up looking as if he hadn’t washed his hair for a week? That said, he’s such a pro and always knows exactly what questions to ask. He talks about the things we the viewers want to dish about, unlike a certain Chenbot whose BIG BROTHER interviews are just notoriously awful.

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You know how just the other day I was bitching about the fact that too many shows have come back from their extended strike-induced absences with lame episodes featuring virtually no plot movement? Well, although SUPERNATURAL’s first post-strike episode (with the GHOSTFACERS reality crew) wasn’t my favorite, last nights offering more than made up for it. The Winchester boys were in find sted as they dealt with a zombified doc, the search for Bella, the ticking time bomb that is Dean’s date with death and perhaps the most highly-anticipated demons ever, Lillith. Anyone else get goosebumps every time her name is mentioned? (Maybe it’s because I only recently finished reading the Morrigan’s Cross trilogy by Nora Roberts, which featured a cool-ass vampire by that name.) The episode was gruesome (stolen body parts!), revealing (Lillith killed Bella’s folks) and funny (”Demons? Untrustworthy? Imagine that!”). I know, I know, there was a time when I loathed this show with a fiery passion. Well, you people can pat yourselves on the back for having made a believer out of me. I hope you’re happy!

The second the needle hit the record during the opening seconds of LOST, I knew this was gonna be a good one. From the John-related flashbacks to what may have been my favorite line of exposition this season (”Hopefully, the man who lives in the cabin can tell us what to do about the people who are going to kill us.”), this week’s tale definitely made up for last week’s less-than-thrilling hour. Of course, as always, more questions were raised than answered, (Especially once John entered that damn cabin, which left me with, to quote an AP article which came out last week after Paula Abdul’s infamous IDOL double speak, “the furrowed brow of mystification.”) And how precious was the scene in which Hurley and Ben shared a candy bar?

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When CASHMERE MAFIA premiered, I commented that it felt like a show written by men about women. Well, the same can’t be said for the show its creator was attempting to rip-off before it could even air, LIPSTICK JUNGLE. Everything CASHMERE got wrong is done right on JUNGLE, especially smaller moments. Take, for example, the scene in which ticked exec Nico (Kim Raver) casually over-peppered a rival’s salad while talking to their mutual boss. Once Nico left the table, the victim of her little prank took a bite of the newly spiced salad. Where CASHMERE no doubt would have played this scene big, with a coughing fit and perhaps chugged water, JUNGLE went with a very quick, subtle reaction shot before moving on. And that’s the difference here. The leads feel like people as opposed to caricatures. I wasn’t completely sold on Lindsay Price’s Victory at first, but by the midway point, she’d grown on me. And Brooke Shields hasn’t been this appealing since… well, ever. Sure, there were credibility issues… I mean, would a woman hoping to move up the corporate ladder really allow herself to be manhandled — no matter how hot the man doing the handling — in a public bathroom during a party she was hosting? But when, after pushing the hottie away by proclaiming herself a married woman, Nico went home to a husband so oblivious to her as a sexual being that he failed to notice the phone number written in magic marker upon her thigh… well, you just had to cringe on her behalf. I wasn’t thrilled with Andrew McCartney, who seemed terribly miscast (although someone at NBC was definitely trying to get the most bang for their buck where he’s concerned… the night before the show debuted, LAW & ORDER CRIMINAL INTENT showed scenes for its next episode trumpeting that it starred “LIPSTICK JUNGLE’s Andrew McCartney!”). I’ve tried to get into CASHMERE, but found it tough going. I suspect JUNGLE is going to quickly become a favorite. Hey, what do you know, even with the strike, NBC has managed to turn Thursday back into Must See TV night!

Last week’s episode of LOST left me underwhelmed and convinced that it had originally been part of a two-hour offering, and after this week’s boffo installment, I’d bet cash money I was right. Given the relative debacle that unfolded after the show introduced the “tailies” last season, I was worried when upon hearing so many new people would be coming aboard in this episode. But each and every one of them were welcome additions, adding to the canvas as opposed to the tailies, who seemed designed as little more than a water-treading plot device. Heck, five minutes after we met Charlotte, I was in love with her… which was extremely important in order for the moment when Ben shot her to have an impact. Now some of the people who take LOST a whole lot more serious than I do tell me that the flashbacks in this episode don’t play be previously established “rules” regarding points of view and such, but that doesn’t bother me. I’m not one of the viewers who looks for hidden meaning or freeze-frames shots to figure out who’s hiding out in that freaky-deaky cabin. All I want is a good, exciting story, and even when I can’t necessarily remember every detail of what’s come before, LOST tends to deliver.

Answer me this, PROJECT RUNWAY fans: Was this week’s outing not the funniest ever? I swear, by the time Christian and Sweet P started arm wrestling, I was half convinced the contestants had been slipped some kind of drug. Even dour Jillian cracked a few smiles! During the runway show, it was obvious that Michael Kors and Nina Garcia had no clue what to think of the spandex numbers being worn by WWE divas. “I feel like the pope at a sex club!” said Kors at one point. Christian was obviously disappointed that his leather-and-lace outfit didn’t win, and rightly so. While he’s usually overconfident to the point of being obnoxious, this week, the kid rocked it and was — as he loves to proclaim — fierce. But I’m afraid the judges made the right call: There was no denying that Chris’ leopard-in-a-cage outfit was a total winner. By the way, is it just me, or should Chris totally be cast as Edna Turnblad the next time Broadway is looking to recast Hairspray? And that’s a compliment, people! Heck, I wish he’d played the role in the movie instead of John Rivolta.

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I caught the special Christmas episode of SUPERNATURAL the other night and… brace yourselves… I really liked it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for little old people who happen to be demon-worshipping pagans. Is it just me, or does this show — which, as many C.T. haters out there know, I’ve only see a few times — love to play with the homoeroticism between the brothers? When Sam and Dean tried to buy a wreath, the guy selling them obviously thought they were a couple and they played it up, very tongue in cheek. What? Is it just me? I know this isn’t the first time I’ve seen that kind of exchange played. Meanwhile, for those who recommended episodes for me to check out after my confession to, um, not liking (to say the least) this show, you might be interested to know that I’ve been doing just that and will be offering up a new piece in the next couple weeks which will… um… well, let’s just see how my viewings go, shall we?

Is it time for season three of DEXTER yet? I seriously love that show. Yes, I’d be a tad happier if they didn’t write every season-concluding episode as if it were a series finale. Would it kill them to give a guy a cliffhanger?

Am I the only one who fast-forwards through SURVIVOR’s “remember your fallen tribe mates” crap each and every season? I suppose if you’re going to do a three-hour episode, it’s good to have a block of time in which everyone can go make snacks, phone loved ones, check their e-mail. And if there’s one thing I never, ever want to hear another contestant on this show say it’s, “I’m not ready to go home yet.” I’d rather listen to them whine and complain about wanting to go home than have the final four using the worst line in the book instead of just being honest and saying, “You know something? I worked every bit as hard as you did, and I want that cold, cool million bucks. So hell no, I don’t want you voting my butt out.”

Before the new season of BIG BROTHER begins in February, Julie Chen should be forced to watch Jeff Probst whether he’s hosting tribal council or a reunion show. This guy is both entertaining and asks the hard questions. He calls people on their moronic moves, and finds out what we all want to know. “Courtney, are you anorexic, bulemic or delusional?” or “James, you had two hidden immunity idols and didn’t use either. Are you a moron?” Okay, so I’m paraphrasing.

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For absolutely no good reason, I found myself watching ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? The contestant — a Mensa member — made it all the way to the million dollar question, but opted to take a half-million rather than risk it all on the final answer. Good thing, because he would have lost. I’d have been out a bit earlier, when they asked for the capital of Brazil. What I found truly amazing was that they stretch this crap out for an entire hour! Seriously? 10 questions in an hour? Even President Bush could answer — or at least attempt to — more than that in the allotted time! And note to producers of these type shows: If you’re going to show the audience sitting behind the contestant, make sure your sound effects track doesn’t have them cheering wildly or laughing as if host Jeff Foxworthy said something truly funny when we can see that everyone in the studio is sitting in rather stony silence.

Over the summer, I watched all three seasons of GREY’S ANATOMY on DVD, and now I’ve watched the first two episodes of the fourth season. All I can say is that the way they are treated Callie is criminal. Look, I’ll admit to liking Izzy and George together. They’re cute in a sickening kinda way. But Callie was actually good for him, and I loved the conflict the relationship created between her husband and his friends. Here’s hoping karma sends her flying into McSteamy’s arms. And how great was the scene where Bailey — having been repressing her rage since being passed over as Chief Resident — went off on Karev and then sat back, looking as if she needed a ciggie ’cause venting was just about orgasmic for her. Great, great stuff.

I’m liking SURVIVOR more than I have in years, and I can’t really put my finger on why. But for the love of Oreos, won’t someone shove some form of sustenance down Courtney’s throat? That girl is scary thin. Like, Callista-Flockhart-during-the-ALLY-MCBEAL-years thin. Meanwhile, is it just me, or is this the year of the Christian on CBS’ reality shows? First we spent the summer listening to BIG BROTHER’s Amber and Jameka talk as if God had nothing better to do than sit around and smite their fellow houseguests, and now Leslie keeps talking about how she just needs a little private time with the Big Guy. Babe, you’re in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do for hours at a time… how much more alone time with the notorious G.O.D. do you need?

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