'Case' Finale at Special Time Tonight

Cold Case closes out its fifth season tonight with a haunting 2005 case of a child killed in a fire. Lilly and co. get involved after the child's mother, a former junkie, claims she saw her deceased son in a park. The episode also marks the return of Bobby Cannavale in a recurring role as a possible love interest for Lilly. When we last saw his Eddie Saccardo character, he was getting on Lil's nerves as he helped solve a cold case (he works narcotics) and charming her co-workers with food and beer. Cannavale is scheduled to return next season for at least 2 episodes (he's set to star in a new show for ABC premiering this fall as well). For more on Cannavale, check out this week's TV Guide blurb on tonight's finale. And here's a preview of tonight's season ender:


Pack your hanky and check out the Cold Case finale tonight on CBS at a special time 8 p.m. EST.

'Scrubs' Brings Out the Old Ball and Chain

Last week, Dr. Kelso retired on his terms (thankfully he made an appearance, although brief, in tonight's episode). This week, Dr. Cox inherited his position, problems and paperwork. Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy Chief Dr. Cox. Even if I hadn't laughed watching him simultaneously bask in his new title (complete with a power trip) and lament the extra work it creates, there were plenty of other funnies to keep me laughing. We had: Dr. Kelso's office being used as "The Brain Trust Clubhouse," Turk's implant, "Ball Mart," Elliot's sorority nickname (CDC = Crying Drunk Chick), Turk's mishap with the champaign bottle, Ted's flashback, JD's speaker prank at the fast food drive-thru, Janitor and Ted's sitcom Legal Custodians, Ted growing a pair and revolting (which led to his own Brain Trust), and probably a host of other funny things that happened during the first couple of minutes when my local station mistakenly ran ER instead of Scrubs, realized their mistake and abruptly cut into Scrubs (sadly, NBC actually OWNS my local NBC!). But, I digress. And now, here's this week's best, funniest and all around awesome lines in this edition of the Scrubies. And since I was out of town last week, this means a double dose of Scrubies for you guys this week!

The Scrubies
"Wow. That takes a lot of ball." JD to Turk (in reference to his recent testicle removal)

"Is it because your balance is off? I didn't want to say anything, but you have been turning left more often than usual." JD to Turk after finding out that Turk's getting a testicular implant

"I've gotta stop with the long fantasies. They're never worth it." JD regarding his overactive imagination

"I can't help but go to a dark place, you know? We're already blessed with this beautiful, healthy daughter, but what if the amnio comes back and it's the worst possible news - it's another girl." Turk to Dr. Cox on the possibility of having a second child

"I'm just doing this thing where I use a slice of wisdom from someone else's life to solve a problem in my own life." JD to Dr. Cox and Jordan
"Seems coincidental." Jordan
"And yet, I do it almost every week." JD

"I mean so psyched, that I even caused some Middle Eastern man to get kidnapped and driven away. Which is probably the exact sort if thing he came to this country to avoid." Elliot to JD regarding their drive-thru prank


And Here Are Last Week's Scrubie Recipients
"Oh my god! That was amazing! I never felt so alive in my whole life!" JD to Turk after the two of them played a little trick on Dr. Cox (who was having a bad day because he couldn't diagnose his patient)
"My heart stopped for a second!" Turk to JD
"We made it. I love you man!" JD to Turk
"I love you too!" Turk to JD

"I keep thinking about Kelso. He reminds me of my grandpa. He's perv-y, demeaning, and an insy bit racist, but you crave his love anyway because he smells like peppermint." Elliot to Carla regarding Dr. Kelso's forced retirement

"That's terrific because I'm so darn lost I just keep procrastinating. I check my email. I pick up a copy of Us Weekly to see which of my favorite celebs is bringing back the fedora. It's Johnny Depp, by the way." Dr. Cox to JD and Turk after they say they're going to help him diagnose his patient

"Turk, focus. We're being insulted! I'm tired of you not focusing when someone insults us. It ends up all on me!" JD to Turk

If you have a line that you would like to nominate for a Scrubie, be sure to leave me a comment and I'll publish it in a future edition.

Catch up on this and other outings of Scrubs with full-length, free episodes at Hulu.com.

PTR Fave Doodles for Doodle Day 2008

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Got doodle?

Better get an eBay account ready.

In support of NF Awareness month, honorary PTR Fave Annabeth Gish is participating in this year's Doodle Day (May 8th). She has contributed her own one-of-a-kind doodle to be put up for auction on eBay May 8th - 18th.

The funds from the auction will benefit NF, Inc., an organization dedicated to providing support to individuals and families affected by neurofibromatosis (NF). Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that affects one in every 2,500 births. NF is more common than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease combined. Funds raised from the Doodle Day auction will go to support education, advocacy, coalitions, and research for treatments and a cure.

Annabeth's former X-Files co-star, Gillian Anderson, is NF, Inc.'s Honorary Spokesperson. She, along with Annabeth and the likes of Robin Williams, Goldie Hawn, Jeff Bridges, Scarlett Johansson, Ellen DeGeneres, Sela Ward, David Duchovny, Medium's Patricia Arquette, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello, Army Wives' Catherine Bell and Kim Delaney, and NCIS' Mark Harmon are just a few of the celebs lined up to participate in this year's Doodle Day. Check out the 2008 complete list.

Be sure to head on over to DoodleDayUSA.org for the whole scoop on this worthwhile cause!

A sample of Annabeth's doodle (which, to us, looks like an awfully nice watercolor illustration):






Sources: AllThingsAnnabeth.com; DoodleDayUSA.org; NF, Inc.

'Bones' Gets the Baby Blues

What could be better than Bones, Booth and a roadtrip to West Virginia? How about Bones, Booth, a roadtrip to West Virginia and a BABY??!! Now, it doesn't get any better (or funnier) than that -- except for maybe those kickass Bones, Booth and the therapist scenes. Oooh, what if we had gotten Bones, Booth, a roadtrip to WV, a baby and Sweets?? Now, that would have rocked the PTR's Best Episodes Countdown! As predicted, Bones wasn't sure which end was up with the baby. And I'm not knocking my girl Brennan because, quite frankly, I'm terrible with babies. She did figure it out in the end, and she actually grew quite fond of the little fella and I'm pretty sure a small part of her is going to miss him. One of her greatest character flaws, her openness when it comes to science juxtaposed with her complete close-mindedness when it comes to everything else, is also one of her greatest charms. Every case manages to sneak up on her, which always leads to some intriguing character growth.

Competing with all this baby stuff was a timely subplot about the fall of some small, rural towns. In order to solve the victim's murder, you have to figure who they are and where they come from. This victim was the product of a small WV town that lost its way after the bridge that brought travelers through it (and provided a huge boost to the economy) washed out in a severe storm. I really liked the end when Bones revealed that she was taking some of her ginormous advance for her new book and using it to fund the rebuilding of that bridge. It seems it wasn't just the baby that opened her mind in this one.

Screencaps courtesy Bones Fans Online. If you missed last night's outing ("The Baby in the Bough"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

The WB goes to the WeB

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

You can't keep a good thing down.

Especially the network who brought us Katie Holmes before she was Mrs. Tom Cruise.

Almost two years after shutting down the spot on the tube that brought us the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek and of which seemed to invent the whole OMG-BFF generation of young television viewing, Warner Brothers Television Group (WBTVG) announced this week they are revamping "the WB" and giving it a new home - on the Web.

Scheduled to Beta launch in early May with a wide launch planned for the end of August, TheWB.com will feature the re-release of a collection of The WB Network’s most popular series and other successful programming, as well as original series created specifically for TheWB.com.

And haven't you always wanted to tell a network what you really think?

During the Beta launch, select fans will be able to start using TheWB.com whilst it is still in development. Beta members will then be able to participate in the expansion of TheWB.com, with new content rolling out over time as the site evolves based, in part, upon user feedback.

“We want to continue the Warner Bros. tradition of authentic voices creating compelling programming for this new digital canvas,” said Craig Erwich, Executive Vice President of Warner Horizon Television, who also oversees TheWB.com. “The office water cooler has moved, and fans of TheWB.com can instantly engage with our content and interact with one another through the site, through the Facebook application, or on their own web sites and blogs."

Did he say Facebook?

Why yes, he did.

For all you Facebook users out there, WBTVG has also created an application that will allow Facebook users to login and access their Facebook accounts while on TheWB.com. Facebook’s more than 70 million users (wowza!) will have the ability to move, mix-up and share the content on TheWB.com from within their own Facebook environment. Facebook users will also be able to add TheWB.com-created application and feature video, photos and more on their profile page; watch full-length episodes or clips from their favorite series, as well as new original series created exclusively for the TheWB.com; and discuss favorite moments, story lines or characters with their network of friends within Facebook.

For its original programming slate, TheWB.com will feature exclusive series from the likes of director/producer McG (of the Charlie’s Angels films fame) and writer/producer Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl, Chuck, The O.C.). McG is working on Sorority Forever, a mystery/drama that peeks behind the walls of one of the most intriguing secret societies in the world: the sorority. Schwartz is developing an untitled project set in the music world which takes viewers to the front of the line and behind the soundboard of a fictional Hollywood rock club, chronicling the lives and loves of the club’s employees, patrons and musicians. The series will also feature on-camera performances by bands both established and unknown.

Other original programming planned for TheWB.com include Rich Girl/Poor Girl, a reality series from Gary Auerbach (Laguna Beach, Newport Harbor) which finds a wealthy Orange County, Calif. girl swapping lives with a low-income Los Angeles teen; and High Drama: Against All Oz, which documents the production of a big-budget high-school musical.

In addition to original and acquired programming, TheWB.com will also feature full episodes from a wide lineup of programs that have shaped popular culture and inspired devoted followings over the past decade, including among others, Friends, Smallville, One Tree Hill, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, All of Us, The O.C., Gilmore Girls, The Wayans Bros., PTR Fave Veronica Mars, Everwood, and Roswell.

“These hit shows still have an incredible amount of equity with their audiences, who grew up with these characters and went through significant events in their lives just as some of the characters did on the programs,” said Brent Poer, General Manager, TheWB.com. “And now, through TheWB.com, users will be able to take an unprecedented level of control over their own entertainment experience by easily editing, remixing, and literally ‘playing’ with their favorite shows. We’re giving the users final cut.”

Sounds good to us.

Head on over to TheWB.com to sign up and participate!

Allison Goes For a Ride

I'm not psychic, but I'm pretty sure if I had a dream where my car exploded right when I turned the key -- I wouldn't be starting up my car any time soon. So, I completely understand why Allison saw it necessary to grab her kids and stand across the street when Joe insisted on starting it up. Of course, I'm also pretty sure that I wouldn't allow my husband to turn the key until I had a certified mechanic check things out. But Allison's car didn't explode because it was dead. Don't you just hate opposite dreams??!! I mean, I'd rather the opposite be the better outcome, but there's no need to get all worked up when it's only a fried electric system. All of this led to Joe buying Allison a used-new car that came with something not listed on the Carfax report -- a murder. First, it looked like a carjacking gone terribly wrong, but things soon took a turn for the bizarre (as they often do for Allison). Her car's navigation system had a mind of its own and navigated her to the victim's house where Allison learned that the woman's husband concocted an elaborate system to trigger a gun to shoot and kill his wife. Yikes! Now, I'm going to be totally freaked out about those hanging tennis balls in people's garages and don't even get me started on the navigation system!

Meanwhile, Joe was logging some long hours at work waiting for some news about his patent to come down. Everyone expects Joe to spend long hours when he's trying to launch a business and get his idea marketed, but once again we have an Allison dream throwing a kink in the system. She dreams that Joe gets the good news about the patent from his very attractive partner and then things turn notso-professional between them. When Joe calls her just as he did in her dream, she heads down to his office, but Joe is alone. This must have been another opposite dream, right? Not so much. The next night, things begin to go down just as Allison dreamed, but the episode ends with another dreaded "To Be Continued...!" For the record, I don't think we need to worry because Joe isn't the cheating type. For Allison's sake, let's hope I'm right.

Photos courtesy nbc.com. If you missed last night's outing ("Car Trouble"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

'ER' Catches Bassett for Final Season

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Can you believe ER is entering its 15th season?

Isn't that, like, impossible in today's television landscape - when networks are ever-so quick to push the Cancel button?

I confess I haven't watched ER in ... oh, like, 8 or 10 years. But I may have to check in one final time now that the always-good Angela Bassett is set to join the cast for its Swan song season.

Love. Her.


------

From MSN:

Angela Bassett to join 'ER' cast for final season
April 28, 2008

Zap2it.com

George Clooney may not be coming back for final the season of "ER," but the long-running series has nonetheless upped the star wattage.

Oscar and Emmy nominee Angela Bassett will be a regular for the show's 15th and last season. She'll play an attending physician who returns to Chicago's County General after several years abroad.

"Angela is a wonderfully talented actress whom I've long hoped to work with," "ER" executive producer John Wells tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Bassett has done some TV work in the past -- most recently in a recurring part on "Alias" -- but "ER" will be her first regular role on a series. The show is also bringing back at least one face from its past for the final season: Noah Wyle will reprise his role as John Carter in at least four episodes.

Bassett earned an Oscar nomination in 1994 for playing Tina Turner in the biopic "What's Love Got to Do With It." Her Emmy nod came in 2002 for the CBS movie "The Rosa Parks Story."

She recently appeared in Tyler Perry's film "Meet the Browns" and is working on "Notorious," a biography of rapper the Notorious B.I.G. Her other credits include "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," " Malcolm X" and "Waiting to Exhale."

A Bloody Nightmare for 'Dexter'

By LillyKat
PTR Staff Writer

Got blood?

Like, 5 gallons of it?

Welcome to The Dexter Chainsaw Massacre.

And the crime scene of all crime scenes: a hotel room soaked and spattered in blood that psyches Dex out and ... well, makes him faint and go a little loopy.

“He’s been gone so long, he had to be planning a splashy return. But a crime scene just for me?

Who woulda thought the blood spatter expert would get spattered himself.

Got to hand it to the Icetruck Killer (read: Rudy). He knows how to get to Dex - a point of contention this week as he seemed more concerned about how Dex was dealing with his red nightmare vs. jumping Deb’s bones.

Can we talk?

Uh, no.

But bring over the beer and porterhouses anyway.

Poor Deb ... playing second fiddle again as she watches her brother chat up life (sorta) and throw back beers with stalker Rudy instead of with her. Did we not just want to hug Deb this week? As if I need to mention it one more time, I swear Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall were bro' and sis' in another life. I just love watching their interaction. Carpenter’s Deb can go so deep with how much she cares, yet Hall’s Dexter can remain so painfully inept at being able to express it in return.

So do we notice that things are building to a serious crescendo?

Detective Batista is potentially onto Rudy’s trail given his impromptu meeting of a girl in a club with a prosthetic hand that matches the exact fingernail polish configuration of the first set of severed fingers found in the icetruck back at the beginning of the season. Hmmm, is it any surprise Batista is attacked at the end of the ep? Or that Rudy now has a fat lip?

Next week’s finale is lining up to have Rudy found out as the doer (thanks, CC), and wow, is Deb in for it. But having seen the finale, I’m not sure all our readers will be ready for the insane twist coming with Rudy’s identity.

What, you ask, is up with the kid sitting in the shipping container full of blood? We know it’s Dex. We know it’s his mom. We know something went really wrong. And yet we don’t quite know the whole picture.

Kinda like Rudy.

And as if Dex didn’t have enough on his mind this week dealing with his own bloody nightmare, he had to get rid of Paul.

Yeah!

Sorry, I digress.

Did that not almost seem like … I don’t know … therapeutic considering all Dex was having to deal with this week? I was just beyond irritated watching Paul press charges against Rita for assault when she was having to defend himself against his rage (okay, so Rita might’ve blurred the line a little when she invited Paul in last week, but still … he’s a deadbeat, she’s not. I love Rita. End of story. Go away, Paul).

The special two-hour season finale of Dexter will air at a special time next week – 9 p.m. (Yes, Dex is bumping Lil’ back to her ol’ time slot so that we can all hold our breath and see how this amazing first season ends - and you will not want to miss this!) Check out Showtime's official Dexter Web site for the inside scoop on the series.

Ullman's Final 'State': Best Bits

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Wait a minute.

Time out.

Flag on the play.

How could last night have been the season finale of Tracey Ullman's State of the Union? Didn't it just start? Got to love these cable shows - they are over before you know it, yet they leave you wanting more.

Best bits from the finale:

- Dignity Village: A Restylane free establishment where women over 35-years-old stand in direct sunlight and love it; old celebrities aren't afraid to eat; and where women aren't afraid to look like ... well, crap. Amen to that.

- Suzanne Somers: Has invented the equivalent of the gynecological stairmaster and found a way to market her own bowel movements. Wait, you mean she has not done this, yet?

- Dame Helen Mirren: Promoting Fish Out Those Old Teets at some goofball film festival not frequented by either Cameron Diaz or Dame Judi Dench. Poor Helen ... can't ever escape her younger-days reputation of having flashed her teets one too many times. *DISCLAIMER: I love Helen Mirren. She is well over 35-years-old, not afraid to stand in direct sunlight, knows that actresses are supposed eat, and does want to be seen in public Restylane free and without surgical enhancements. Go Helen.

Catch up on Tracey Ullman's State of the Union online at Showtime.

'Cold Case' Gets Gaslighted

Instead of the usual "The following story is fictional..." disclaimer, this episode should have had one about not watching it while you're home all alone in a dark house with only your scary noise-making pets to keep you company. Let's just say that I jumped, felt cold shivers down my back, and carefully took a peak behind me more than once and leave it at that. Having read that this outing was loosely based on the 1944 classic Gaslight, I had a pretty good idea what was going on with Nancy, but I didn't know who was behind it and why, which made this one very enjoyable. This episode had so many twists and turns and had me going, "Huh???" so much I felt like I was watching an episode of Medium. And just like the psychic drama, everything came together perfectly in the end. I can't tell you how many times I alternated between suicide and murder and then back to suicide before the story unfolded and the answer turned out to be murder. I love psychological stuff and this case was purely psychological. It's really freaky that someone can make another person go insane by convincing them that they already are (and throwing in a bit of family history just for good measure).

The kick of the whole thing was that Daniel was the crazy one -- not his wife. He was sick with jealousy over her natural writing talent and he convinced himself that she stole his work rather than vice versa. He couldn't comprehend how a "child of the state" would be able to write something so beautiful while he, with the PhD and the compliment that his pen had been "touched by the gods," could be left with a book of mediocre poetry. So, he convinced his wife (with some help from the housekeeper -- who was harboring her own case of envy) that she had gone off the deep end just like her mother and then faked her suicide so he could steal her work. The thing that got me, though, was his lack of remorse. You would think that after all of these years, he would have felt a ping or two of guilt for killing his wife and stealing her work (the work that earned him that Poet Laureate title), but he was so cold or nuts or just obsessed with the attention her work got him or all of the above to care about the people he mowed over in the process. Just wow.

It's worth noting that I enjoyed the continuity with Scotty's story in this one. Elisa was the love of his life and someone that won't easily be forgotten, so it feels only natural that a case surrounding a supposed mentally ill woman who allegedly committed suicide would affect him more than the others. My heart broke a little for him when the case pointed back to suicide and he was left searching for any thread of credibility that pointed to murder. He looked so defeated, and Lilly could only reassure him that Nancy wasn't Elisa and her case wasn't about Elisa's suicide or Scotty's guilt. It was a nice side plot that allowed the viewers to fill in the blanks.

I also enjoyed Lilly's interrogation with Annette. The irony that Annette equated Lilly's beauty with her employer's and jumped to the conclusion that she has it easy because she's beautiful was well done. I liked the way Kathryn Morris played Lilly in this scene. That "if you only knew" look on her face when Annette made her assumptions (when we all know that her personal life is a complete disaster) was brilliant. Nice scene. And speaking of nice scenes, how much did we love that Jeffries and the housekeeper/former dancer story??!! I laughed out loud when Vera almost stole his milk. CLASSIC! I wonder if he'll be enjoying any more apple pie in the future. Cold Case moves to 17-0 on the season. Will the season finale next week complete the undefeated season? Tune in to PTR next Monday to find out.

Ben Has to Break the Rules

Lost's return this week snuck up on me (in more ways than one)! I was out of town this week (hence the reason why this post is about 3 days too late), so I had to do the whole avoid the Internet/flip the channel whenever anyone mentions Lost/beg friends and family members not to spill any of the details thing. Thankfully, all of this worked so when I sat down to watch it today, I was surprised from start to finish. I suppose it was only a matter of time before they killed Alex. After all, her mom and boyfriend both bit it in that mini finale a few weeks back. Plus as we learned this week, her death is the catalyst for a very important plot point once the survivors get off the island. It explains why Ben continues to pursue Whidmore and how he's able to recruit Sayid. Actually, a lot of pieces started to fall into place during this outing. It seems like this war between Whidmore and Ben goes way back. When Ben broke into Whidmore's penthouse, Charles told him that everything Ben has he took from him. This leads me to believe that Whidmore was behind the Dharma Initiative and he has never forgiven Ben for killing off all of the people he put on that island. Of course killing those people is what gave Ben control of the island, and thus, the battle began. Unfortunately, it has claimed a lot of innocent people in the process.

Meanwhile, Jack is feeling a little green and he's popping pills to make it better. Kate seems concerned (as she should be), but Jack just wants to take the pills and pretend he's not suffering. This couldn't come at a worse time as the parachuters are lying to them (thankfully, Bernard knows Morse Code), the ship's doctor washed up dead, Whidmore's minions are launching a full-fledged attack on the Others' camp, and oh yeah, Ben summoned the Smoke Monster. I knew he was behind that dark cloud's mysterious appearances! Let's just hope that this half-baked plan to involve Jacob doesn't go up in smoke like Whidmore's men.

Screen caps courtesy Lost-Media.com.

'Bones' Shoots, Scores

Having graduated from an SEC school, I know that there are few things better in life than college sports (especially football). With that in mind I was very curious to see how Bones dealt with the world of college basketball. Now, we in SEC country (with the exception of those crazy Kentucky fans) don't consider ourselves gung-ho basketball fans like the ACC because most of our energy is spent on football, but I still got a kick out of the way the episode played up the importance of athletics on a college campus. Brennan was so put off by the fact that a measly 4 students showed up for her anthropology lecture while the entire student body was wrapped up in the game. She even managed to insult Booth in the process. Speaking of which, there was an interesting vibe there when she belittled his obsession with sports (both as a former athlete and a current fan). She really hurt his feelings, and that realization caused her to make amends at the end. But, why does Booth care so much about what she thinks? Sure, they're partners, but they have very little, if anything, in common and that never seems to bother him, but her putting him down, really got to him. Hmm...

I know that Angela is a fun lovin' gal, but I had a hard time believing that she wouldn't have been mortified when her BOSS found that sex tape! Yes, I said her BOSS found her sex tape. A tape of her and a coworker (OK, so they're engaged, but still her BOSS saw her sex tape!) in a storage closet on their lunch break. I'm uncomfortable for her! As usual, I loved the show's lighter moments -- the skull crushing reenactment (complete with ambrosia all over Cam), Bones scoring that basket and feeling a sense of glee, and Hodgins discovering the blue lipstick. And if I could've stop blushing long enough for Angela, I might have enjoyed the humor in those scenes as well. Overall, Bones scores another win.

Photos are copyright Fox Broadcasting Co. If you missed last night's outing ("Pressure in the Game"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

Allison Has the Cure

Most of the time, I consider Allison's gift to be more curse than blessing. But when Scanlon asked her to shut her eyes because he was about to get out of bed and he wasn't wearing any clothes, I was definitely leaning more towards blessing. Of course, if I were actually in Allison's shoes then I probably wouldn't feel the same considering her dreams were causing her to pry into her friends' bedroom. Talk about an awkward morning after! I imagine it's one thing to have visions about complete strangers and another to have them about people you know. It's made more difficult when those friends aren't completely onboard with what you're seeing. Ever since the whole Allison's- role- in- the- DA's- office- got- Devalos- fired thing, Scanlon has been less receptive to her dreams and much slower to act on them. This is disappointing for me because it basically means less Det. Hottie and when we do see him, he tends to be at odds with Allison. So, I was thrilled to see Allison call him on it this week. And, he did come around at the end after she realized that the husband and the other victims' family members plotted the murders before boarding the same flight at New York's JFK airport. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that we get an Allison/Scanlon/Devalos reunion asap.

Once it was revealed that other family members were involved in the string of pain medication poisonings, the story started to sound a little familiar. You see, one of the side effects of the 3-month writers strike was that I spent a lot of my free primetime hours watching my TV on DVD sets. These sets included the first two seasons of Bones, and one of the episodes from one of the seasons included a potential serial killer that wound up being a group of victims' family members who created a scheme where each of them killed another person's loved one for them. The crimes were similar because they were linked through this "murder club." We had a comparable case on this week's Medium. And yet, I still didn't have it figured out until Allison dreamed about the initial meeting at JFK. What's that expression again... fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm always in fooled on Medium! That's what makes it so great. Well that and Joe's kickass scene at the optician's office.

Photos courtesy nbc.com. If you missed last night's outing ("A Cure for What Ails You"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

T for 2: 'Chronicles' Renewed

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

The fight to save the world will continue.

And let me just thank the television Gods for that.

Fox has thankfully and officially picked up Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles for a second season, ordering 13 additional new episodes. T:SCC came in as the highest-rated new scripted series this writers strike shortened season among adults 18-49 with an average of 10.5 million total viewers.

Um, is it bad ol' Lilly Rush isn't keeping up with those numbers these days? Perhaps we should send Cameron over to help? Actually, Charley will do just fine.

Alas, I digress.

Now, onto how in the world Cameron is going to make it out of that jeep explosion.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Morris Talks to the Movieguy

With so many PTR Faves earning their very own posts lately, I'm almost inclined to declare this PTR Faves Week. Unfortunately, there's no way to know if this influx of publicity will continue throughout the week in order to sustain it. This time its Kathryn Morris's turn. Sometime back when she was doing the press junket for Resurrecting the Champ, she stopped by Chuck the Movieguy's chair and reminisced about her early days in the acting world and shared some insider info on her role as Joyce, which in my opinion is some of her best work (and don't tell Lilly Rush, but I just LOVED her character in this film). Since Champ is now out on DVD, I thought I'd share this recently posted video of her down-to-earth interview with Chuck the Movieguy.


You can see more of Chuck the Movieguy's interviews, including one with fellow PTR Fave Kristen Bell, at You Tube.

Ullman's 'State': Best Bits

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Borrowing from Gossip Girl: OMFG.

Ullman was on absolute fire this week. She had me in tears twice. This week's best bits:

- Another mutiny on JetBlue: "In Chicago, a JetBlue flight headed for Tampa has been on the runway for 12 hours." And the passengers are getting restless. Let's roll. Full disclosure: I love JetBlue. If I could fly JetBlue everywhere, I would. Are you kidding? DirecTV screens in every seat, Business Class legroom without the Business Class price. BUT ... I do know they got reamed for their whole 80,000 hour, keep-the-passengers-prisoner routine in the Perfect Storm Winter of 2007. To be fair, what the heck is with the FAA rule prohibiting planes from returning to the terminal once they've been cleared for departure but of which CAN GO NOWHERE because Blizzard Bertha has shutdown the airport? Hello? Is this one? Ullman turned that one into a priceless sketch without the blizzard.

- 60 Minutes' Andy Rooney: Is he 117 years-old-now, or ...? Clearly, he knows what to do with a pencil. And marker. Computer not so much. Suggestive convulsing hand gestures not withstanding.

- Cameron Diaz: So burpalicious promoting her Oscar-buzz worthy Terrible Time of the Month film (where does Ullman get these names ... hysterical). Anyhooo, the film is some sort of pseudo-Charlie's Angels action flick to rescue women in Africa facing ... well, a certain unpleasant change to their womanhood. Does Diaz really burp that much? And if so, isn't there a prescription for that? There's a great Bollywood pharmacist who can make sure she understands the side effects.

... and this week's winner ...

- CNN Reporter Campbell Brown: "Horror. Fear. Terror. Nightmare. Disaster. Catastrophe. Terror. Fear. Back to you, Brian." OMFG. I am still laughing today at this one. Why is it that our broadcast journalists seem to have this thing for forecasting the end of the world each night at 6:30 p.m.? Suffice it to say that, as far as Ullman is concerned, Brown is the Debbie Downer of Reporters. And she's got a plethora of material with which to work. Too. Flipping. Funny.

New episodes of Tracey Ullman's State of the Union air Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime. Even if you don't get Showtime, you can catch up on all the goods over at the show's official Web site.

Bell's Peachy Cover

PTR fave and newly minted movie star Kristen Bell (her comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall just opened in 2nd place this past weekend) is on the cover of the current issue of Atlanta's Peach Magazine. In the article, she discusses her rising fame, the paparazzi, and what she'll be wearing on her wedding night some day. Here is the full text of the story:

Clear As a Bell
Kristen Bell's unpretentious Midwestern grounding keeps her unfazed by Hollywood and her own rising stardom

By E.C. Gladstone
Exclusive Photos by Steve Erle

This woman is going to make someone a fantastic wife.

It’s not the first thought you’d expect to come to mind for a young Hollywood hottie, and when it does, smack in the middle of a late-afternoon chat with television (and soon, big-screen) sweetheart Kristen Bell, I actually blurt it out loud.

“Hey, thanks!” Bell responds, so sincerely that it only cements the image.

And it isn’t just because of the 27-year-old blonde’s shimmering eyes and mood-altering smile. Or her charmingly breathless tardy arrival at our meeting—dressed Annie Hall-style in a straw fedora, navy jacket and Ugg boots—explaining that she just got back from an overnight trip on the back of “a friend’s” motorcycle. Kristen’s marryability has more to do with her impressively centered sense of self, her equal appreciation for subjects serious and silly, and her enthusiasm for what she admits might be considered “boring” activities.

“I love to go on walks, I love to knit,” she lists. “My roommate Amy and I love to find different Martha Stewart recipes out of Real Simple magazine.” Her idea of a perfect Sunday is getting coffee and a newspaper and hitting some hot open houses. Last summer, rather than go clubbing, the former star of Veronica Mars and new cast member of über-hot Heroes convinced her friends to join in an overnight camping trip in her backyard, a wildlife-filled wonderland in the Hollywood Hills.

Clearly grounded with Midwestern values, this Michigan native also admits she’s both thrifty with her spending (she succumbed to the urge for Christian Louboutin heels only this year) and conservationist. She brings her own bags to the grocery store and grabs the soaps and shampoos when she stays in fancy hotels. In car-obsessed L.A., she proudly drives a Saturn. “I have so many beautiful things in my life, material or otherwise,” she explains, “that to keep indulging makes me feel almost uncomfortable.”

We meet at M Café de Chaya, the kind of place where K-Bell (as friends call her) is quickly recognized not as someone famous but as a regular. The macrobiotic luncheonette (ironically, just spewing distance from Hollywood’s favorite artery-clogger, Pink’s hot dogs) is a slice of heaven for this long-time vegetarian who has no need to seek out the limelight.

Her new film, Forgetting Sarah Marshall—in which Bell plays the title character—is “by far the biggest movie I’ve ever done,” she says, which has led her to an unfamiliar and slightly exhausting amount of self-promotion. Diving into the world of producer Judd Apatow’s improv comedies was “phenomenally intimidating,” Kristen confesses, but shooting at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu helped allay her anxieties. “It was be-yootiful,” Kristen says with a sparkle, singling out experiences like yoga on the beach and swimming with horses (both for scenes that were cut from the film) as the most memorable. Not that she’s complaining, but Bell, who also shot her three seasons of Veronica Mars on the beaches of San Diego, isn’t much of a surf-and-sand person in real life.

“Noooo. I think I’m the only person in Los Angeles that doesn’t appreciate the weather,” she says. “I’m from Detroit, and I love the cold. I love bundling up. It makes me feel secure. I get intimidated by a really sunshiny day, because it’s like, now we have to do something outside, we have to do something relaxing. I always get really excited when it rains, or when it’s hot-chocolate weather, because there’s no expectations.” When asked if she’d rather be back in New York (where she attended NYU for two years before getting her Broadway break), Bell answers “yes” so quickly you’d think she’s on a game show.

And as you read this, she’s spending three months in the Big Apple filming When in Rome. Her only regret about returning there is having to leave her canine housemates—two rescued corgi mixes named Lola and Mr. Shakes, as well as Sadie, a Labrador-retriever refugee from Hurricane Katrina. “I’m a homebody,” confesses Kristen, who’s equally enthused about video games (Guitar Hero, Rock Band…Mariocart!) and good books (on her night table: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and Mark Haddon’s A Spot of Bother).

Bell’s childhood sounds refreshingly normal, with a few asterisks—such as the fact that she wanted to change her name to Smurfette, or Matthew, at age four (she also gave all her dolls male names, including Kevin, a pink rag doll she still keeps on her bed). Eventually she settled on answering to Annie (her middle name, which is what her family still calls her). Her most rebellious act at Catholic school—at least that she’ll admit—was rolling her skirt too high to pass the “pop-can” test.

When it comes to her physical attributes, Kristen is more proud of being chosen “Queen of Geek Chic” by Geek magazine than her rankings in more mainstream men’s magazines. “I think it’s the ultimate flattery,” she says. “Because the definition of geeks, it’s people who like what they like ‘cause they like it. They’re not trying to fit in.” It probably didn’t hurt that she had a role in Fanboys (shot in 2006, but just released recently), playing the cutest Star Wars freak you’ve never met. She also provided narration and a body scan to the videogame Assassin’s Creed. “That’s for real gamers,” she says, “and I’m not even going to attempt to claim that that’s me.”

Bell is a geek in her own right—of the musical-theater type. In March, she and Heroes co-star Zach Quinto got to live out a minor fantasy, performing a number from Bye Bye Birdie at an Alzheimer charity benefit. “We’ve been dying to sing together. We sing [current Broadway musical] Spring Awakening in the car all the time,” she confesses, admitting her iPod play list could easily be mistaken for that of your average gay man. “I really want to go back to Broadway and go do a classic musical, do some Sondheim.”

Almost instinctively, the moment Kristin’s sweet sincerity feels like it’s starting to cause cavities (apparently everyone she’s ever worked with is the most wonderful person on earth), she’ll turn serious and deftly fend off any inquiries into her romantic life, which may or may not involve fellow Michigan export Dax Shepard.

“My personal life is not your business,” Kristen says politely as she plays with the modest gold-heart pendant around her neck. “It’s not something that I want on display.” Bell says that is for her own sanity. “I don’t ever want to completely lose a sense of myself and totally become what the public sees.” She is made anxious by the phenomenon of “becoming important to people you don’t know.” The narrator of television’s Gossip Girl doesn’t begrudge the paparazzi—too much. “You can definitely shield yourself from them. What you can’t do is outrun them. They are the fiercest drivers you’ve ever seen. They put everyone else on the road at risk.” As for the photogs who regularly camp outside her house, she shakes her head. “Why does anybody care what I’m getting at Ralph’s [supermarket]? That’s not interesting. Who cares!?” What interests Bell more is doing what she can to help Invisible Children, an organization started by friends to rescue and rehabilitate juvenile warriors in Uganda. She’s also a spokesperson for the Helen Woodward Animal Center, an animal shelter based in Santa Fe.

“I’ve had a lot of very, very lucky breaks, and I’m very grateful for them,” she says. Her first, arguably, was getting the dual roles of a banana and a tree in a suburban-Detroit Raggedy Ann & Andy musical at age 11. When she scored the part of Becky Thatcher in the Broadway musical version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (which led her to leave school after her sophomore year), she reveals, “I ran up and down the hallway of my building crying.” Just three days after arriving in Los Angeles she landed an appearance on hot cable drama The Shield. And more recently, she wormed her way into what’s become an increasingly significant role on Heroes, after meeting some of the show’s writers and confessing she was a “psycho fan.”

Bell admits the perception of her in Hollywood may present some limitations. “I’m not pretty enough to play the pretty girl and not homely enough to play the awkward girl,” she says, but she’s thrilled to have already portrayed such varied characters in nearly every genre and every medium. “I don’t ever want to play the same role over and over again. I don’t want my value to go up because of who I am as Kristen Bell. I want to remain an actress.”

There’s just one more thing her future husband will want to know. Does she still have her Catholic-school uniform? “Oh, sure. I tucked that away when I was 18. I’m gonna wear it on my wedding night!”


To see more photos of Kristen from the magazine, visit Atlanta's Peach Magazine's site.

'Scrubs' Proves its Manhood

You know men and their obsession with proving their manhood -- it's a never ending quest. But, watching JD (a.k.a. every girl's name ever invented) competing for his, while Turk tried to regain his was classic! Of course, they each had their own reasons: JD wanted to teach his infant son about being a man and Turk wanted to feel like a man again after losing a testicle in a tragic encounter with daughter Izzie. But it wasn't just the episode-long manhood competition that was classic. We also had remote wrestling, "The Janitorial," Rate Dr. Reid's Butt, the over-ambitious idea of a tri-daily Janitorial, invisible Ted, The Todd's "Entire Coffebucks 5," Squat & Surf (the act of surfing the net while sitting on the toilet), Turk and JD admitting that they are "a little married," all of Eliot's stories ending with "and then he hanged himself," everyone touching Dr. Cox after reading his "interview" in The Janitorial, and Turk's missing testicle (which, for the record, isn't a funny situation, but the way the story came to light, Turk's reaction to JD finding out, and the ensuing conversation between Turk and JD including which testicle went was HILARIOUS!!). As usual, here's this week's best, funniest and all around awesome lines in this edition of the Scrubies.

The Scrubies
"Rate Dr. Reid's butt??!! Yes, 9.2!! Thank god this hospital's full of white guys." Eliot after seeing the writing on the bathroom wall

"Check this out. I'm going to take this to Kinko's and get it blown up poster-size." Turk to JD regarding their cover story in The Janitorial about their smackdown
"Get two!" JD to Turk

"You're the only one your son has to model himself after when he's trying to figure out how to be a man and seeing the occasional poster of Paul Mitchell whenever you take him by the beauty salon isn't going to cut it." Dr. Cox to JD

"I think all the ladies in the greater metro area should expect to see about 8 inches." The Todd's weather report for The Janitorial

"How did you get Sam out of daycare?" JD to Dr. Cox
"Put on a wig and a skirt and told them I was you." Dr. Cox

"Wow, Turk's pretty quick without that testicle weighing him down. I wonder if Olympic athletes have ever thought of that?" JD (narration)

If you have a line that you would like to nominate for a Scrubie, be sure to leave me a comment and I'll publish it in a future edition.

Premiering 'Sarah Marshall'

If you've been watching the talk shows this week, then you know that PTR Fave Kristen Bell has been making the rounds promoting her new comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. David Letterman, Regis & Kelly, The Today Show, TRL are just some of the places she has stopped by so far. And her tour isn't over yet -- look for her to pop up on Rachael Ray and Craig Ferguson tomorrow. Last week, though, she was in LA for the premiere of the comedy which also stars How I Met Your Mother's Jason Segel. She plays the title character in the film about a man trying to forget the girl who just dumped him. Of course, it's difficult to forget someone when they're staying in your exact same hotel in Hawaii. Anywho, here are some more pictures from the premiere (all photos courtesy Getty Images/Wire Image):

Bell with costars Jason Segel and Mila Kunas

You can see more photos from the premiere at Getty Images. Forgetting Sarah Marshall hits theaters this Friday.

Getting Back to the 'Gossip'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

OMFG.

Gossip Girl is back with brand new episodes beginning Monday, April 21st at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Central) on the CW.

For those not in the know, the show is based on the popular novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar and revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York's Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions. Featuring an ensemble cast, the series is narrated by a seemingly omniscient character, Gossip Girl (voiced by PTR Fave Kristen Bell), who runs a blog about her fellow Upper East Siders — consequently stirring the plot and creating potential rivalries in this exclusive and vicious circle of friends.

Check out the official Gossip Girl Web site for the scoop on the series.