The Lighter Side of 'CSI' and 'Trace!' Plus, 'Idol' and News on 'House' and 'Joey'

Has there ever been a show that has explored the depths of the weird side of human nature better than CSI? I didn't think so. Last night's foot fetish episode was a classic example of how this show loves to take a dark comedy approach when addressing the underbelly sector of society. This guy was so engrossed in his foot fetish that he went to extreme measures to feed it, including dressing as a fireman and setting off smoke bombs in the apartment building. The more he did it, the more it escaladed until one of his victims ended up on the cold morgue slab. The best part of last night's episode, though, was the way the show made fun of itself through the reality television show story line. Everything from the comments (Grissom's "There are too many forensics shows on television" and Hodges "Yeah, but when they cut it together, it will only take 30 seconds.") to the overarching satirical theme played nicely into the show's idea to laugh with its audience. In fact, both of those quotes mentioned above were so awesome that I'm giving them each an honorary Scrubie despite the fact that they were not said on Scrubs. They were just that good. What made Hodges' comment even better was the way they went right into one of those 30-second montages that he just described. You have to love a show that is this self-aware this willing to laugh at itself!

Speaking of laughing, it was nice to see Without a Trace take a lighter approach last night. That show is usually pretty heavy, so I enjoy the lighter episodes mixed in. I don't think they did a very good job of connecting Rachel's incident at the bowling alley when she was young to her present day agoraphobia, though. It happened when she was an adolescent, but she doesn't develop the agoraphobia until just two years ago? I'm guessing it has to do with her childhood friend banging on her door that night, but it still seemed strange to me. All of the dots did not connect in this one, but overall, it was a good episode. I loved the ending with Jack and Danny singing, especially since Danny is one of my TV boyfriends (Scotty from Cold Case and Det. Lee Scanlon from Medium being the other two). Jack's one-on-one with Rachel in the bowling alley was nice as well. I'm not a huge Jack fan, nor am I a Jack hater, but he's starting to grow on me this season. Maybe it's the fact that the writers stopped focusing so much on his messy divorce.


The Idol Moment
We're down to the final 12! Yay! Maybe now this show can stop filling up 2/3 of the weekly schedule. I like American Idol, but in a totally non-fangirl type of way, so the multiple episodes a week format drives me crazy. There is just no way I'm catching all of them. But, alas, it is (hopefully) over, and I'll be able to get down to watching the top 12 performances. Four contestants that won't be competing anymore got the bad news last night. I feel like all four of them had the potential to shine in the top 12, but the problem was that everyone in the top 12 does as well (except maybe Melissa, but she could always surprise me). For the ladies, Ayla Brown and Kinnik Sky got the bad news. Both of them are really talented, so we may hear from them again. Ayla can finally accept that basketball scholarship to Boston College. For the guys, it was Gedeon McKinney and Will Makar. Now that we have our top 12, I'm going for Paris, Lisa, Katharine, Ace, Chris and Elliot (yeah, I have a lot of voting to do).

About Last Night... Fox won the first hour of the night with American idol, followed by CBS' Survivor and ABC's movie Bringing Down the House. At 9, CBS took over with CSI, followed by the second hour of ABC's movie and NBC comedies My Name is Earl (r) and The Office (r). The final hour of the night went to CBS' Without a Trace, followed by NBC's ER (r) and ABC's Primetime. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - NBC premieres its Friday edition of Deal or No Deal.

@9 p.m. - Annabeth tries to build a case against a convicted criminal whom she put in jail years earlier after he is arrested for robbing a jewelry store on CBS' Close to Home. Over on NBC, Danny arrests a chip thief who claims to know someone who is planning to blow up the Montecito on Las Vegas. Old wounds are opened for Conti when the NJP team re-investigates the case of a cop accused of killing another cop on ABC's In Justice.

@10 p.m. - Charlie tries to discredit a psychic who may have helped Don and his team solve a crime on CBS' Numb3rs. Over on NBC, the prosecutors must charge a 14-year old boy as an adult for killing his brother on Conviction. Sci Fi channel's Battlestar Gallactica ends it second season with a special 90-minute finale.

SUNDAY EDITION
@8 p.m. - Valens takes an unexpected trip down memory lane when Lilly reopens the 1998 murder of a drug mule and he becomes the focal point on CBS' Cold Case. Over on NBC, The West Wing returns with a nuclear scare.

@9 p.m. - Paul gets arrested, Lynette and Tom butt heads at work and everyone begins to notice Bree's drinking problem on ABC's Desperate Housewives. Over on HBO, The Sopranos begins its 6th season.

@10 p.m. - Cristina has a bad day when Bailey asks her to take care of her baby on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Over on NBC, A bomber strikes a Boston commuter train, leaving multiple people dead and many more injured on Crossing Jordan.



QUICK CUTS

*NBC is pulling Joey once again. The network announced that the recent decision to order a second edition of its hit game show Deal or No Deal is ending in a bad deal for Joey fans. The extra edition on Friday nights forces the network's Most Outrageous Moments out of its scheduled slot. So, NBC decided to move it to Tuesday nights in Joey's current slot after Joey did so poorly in the ratings this week, which leaves the comedy without a slot. Variety is reporting that the show won't return until the summer, and even then it will more than likely be to burn off unaired episodes. There is no official announcement from NBC yet.

*Fox is ordering another dose of its medical drama House. The show's creator told the crowd at the Museum of Television & Radio's Paley Festival Wednesday night that he had just received word that the show would be back for its third season. Yesterday, Fox confirmed the decision. The show has increased its audience since American Idol returned from more than 12 million viewers to now almost 14 million viewers each week. House airs Tuesday nights on Fox.

*And finally, not getting enough American Idol? Well, the Fox Reality cable channel promises to cure your withdrawal with its new show American Idol Extra. After the contestants are voted off each week, you can tune into the new show to see "the backstage drama of what really happens." The show premieres March 16th on Fox Reality.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for thoughts on Cold Case(I think Scotty has some splainin' to do! Who wants to bet Lil gets up on her high and mighty horse? This is going to be awesome!) and Desperate Housewives (Seems Bree has some splainin' of her own to do!) . Plus, all the latest television news. And coming later today, a brand new feature on Pass the Remote! Every Friday afternoon, check back for Friday Fun. This latest feature on Pass the Remote will provide a fun, anecdote featuring either video, pictures or other media of your favorite shows and their stars. That's every Friday afternoon on Pass the Remote! Be sure to check back later today for this week's edition.


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Talking with 'Mars' ' Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring! Plus, 'Top Model,' 'Earl' and More 'Deal'

Star Kristen Bell talks with bloggers for the Veronica Mars Bloggers Press Day (2/27/06)

Meeting Kristen Bell is quite a thrill. The petite star of Veronica Mars is friendly, gracious and candid, especially when it comes to her recent Maxim magazine photoshoot (to see Kristen's cover and photo spread, click HERE). "I talked with the photographer and with the stylist and with everybody and I was like, 'nothing pink, nothing ruffled. I'm not doing the whole pedophile thing,'" she says with the same charm of her beloved character. The actress had previously turned down the offer to pose for the men's magazine, but she says it all came down to a business decision saying, "There's a good amount, more than you'd think, of Veronica Mars fans that read Maxim everyday and that's the [her upcoming big screen movie] Pulse audience pretty much, so it's kind of like strategically building your career." Bell says that she is happy with the result and that she went for the "most amount of coverage" because she believes "if you see it all, what's the point? There's nothing sexy about it. There's nothing mysterious about it, so I tried to have as much class as possible." There is one bit that she would like to clear the air about, and it has to do with the bubble next to one of her photos that makes it sound like she thinks a good first date ends with her taking her pants off. "They asked 'What do you think about dating?' and I said, 'I think you should always be yourself.' The worst thing I think is like 6 months down the line you're like, 'Oh, I have all these weird habits,'" she says matter-of-factly. According to Bell, the whole thing stems from her own experiences. "On one of my first dates, I was like, 'I'm really full and I'm going to unbutton my pants. If you think that's gross than I'll see you later, but I'm really full,'" she recalls. In the end, Bell says that she went for a more "50's pin-up" look with the shoot and she made the most of the experience.

Another experience that Bell had recently was her appearance on MTV's Punk'd. Host Ashton Kutcher and his band of jokesters set her up with the help of her boyfriend. While filling up with gas, Bell noticed a dog all alone. After asking everyone at the gas station if they knew who the dog belonged to, Bell decided to take the dog home and help it find its owner or a new home if the dog turned out to be a stray. She and her boyfriend drove to a nearby pet store to get some supplies. While he was inside the store, Bell noticed a young boy hanging up a flyer for a lost dog that looked exactly like the one she was holding. She, of course, asked him if she had his dog, and he said yes. Next thing she knew, the boy and his father were accusing her of stealing their dog. Bell and her boyfriend often take in strays to help them find a good home, so she happened to have a flyer with her, which she used to try to prove that she wouldn't steal a dog. She says that the show cut a lot of it out, but "I was really angry with this guy because he was talking down to his son. I'm totally the person to open my mouth and be like, 'You shouldn't talk to your son like that.' He got me all fired up because he was blaming me for stealing the dog." In the end, Bell says that she was happy with the outcome. Before she could share anymore thoughts, she was called away to shoot a scene, and you're suddenly reminded that being a part of a critically acclaimed television show is still just a job, and it's a job that Bell is happy to have.

Jason Dohring jokes with us outside the hair and make-up trailer during the Veronica Mars Bloggers Press Day (2/27/06)

Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas is happy to have Jason Dohring playing Logan Echolls. "He's a fantastic actor that you rarely see on teen shows. He just has an intensity that's amazingly watchable to me," Thomas says. Dohring is indeed impressive; just consider the snappy, quick dialog that he delivers each week. "A lot of it is sarcastic, so there's subtext, which is what's really going on. You say the lines, but it's what's underneath that, especially with this guy because what he says is facetious all the time, but it's what makes it fun," says Dohring with the same intensity that he brings to his character. That dialog carries through the more snarky scenes as well as Logan's more vulnerable scenes. Dohring says that he likes playing both sides of Logan and he believes "it's kind of an interesting dynamic when it's not all Veronica and Logan." He says that Kristen Bell brings a real honesty to her role, especially when her Veronica character is reacting to Dohring's Logan character. "That's what breaks my heart when I see her. She's just so damn honest, " he says genuinely. Dohring also enjoys his scenes with guest star Harry Hamlin (SPOILER ALERT: who more than likely will be making another appearance before this season ends) saying, "It's cool to work with him and talk to him about acting because he's been around [the business] so long."

Before landing his role as Logan, Dohring made a guest appearance on CBS' Cold Case during its first season playing a troubled teen at a military school who may or may not have been involved in the death of one of the school's instructors. In a dark twist, the instructor was molesting some of the troubled teens at the school. The entire storyline culminates in an edge-of-your-seat moment that packed an extra punch to the already emotionally charged episode.

Dohring's character trades jabs with star Kathryn Morris' Lilly Rush on this episode of Cold Case.

Things go from bad to worse as Dohring's character gets a hold of a gun at police headquarters

Dohring looks back on his Cold Case experience fondly, saying "I had a great time on that show. It was so cool." He says he sees the Case gang around because of CBS and UPN being under the same corporate umbrella and they still discuss his episode. "They work such long hours. I got there at 6:30 in the morning and wrapped at midnight and they shot one more scene after I left," he says with the same impressed flair that his fans feel for him. One of those fans, Mars creator Rob Thomas, sums it all up when he says, "He's a really interesting, fun, unique actor."

The Model Moment
Attitudes were in full swing last night as many of the final 13 contestants believed that they rocked their first photoshoot on America's Next Top Model. The shocking news that they would need to be bald for the shoot threw off a lot of the girls, but they were all relieved to learn that it was only a bald cap and not the real deal. Early front runners for me: Sarah and Leslie. It came down to Furonda and Kathy (Pictured to the left. Photo courtesy UPN. Not for use on other sites/blogs). Tyra said that Furonda took the worst photo from the shoot, but the judges didn't see a lot of potential from Kathy. In the end, it was Kathy's lack of potential and her lifeless photo that sent her home. Tyra was quick to remind Furonda that although she was safe this week, she was at the bottom of the heap and would have to work harder to remain in the competition.


About Last Night... Fox won the first hour of the night with American Idol, followed by an hour of CBS' Still Standing and ABC comedies George Lopez (r) and Freddie. At 9, CBS took over with Criminal Minds, followed by Fox's Bones and ABC's Lost (r). The final hour of the night went to CBS' CSI: NY, followed by NBC's Law & Order and ABC's Invasion. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.


~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Four more hopefuls go home (leaving us with the top 12) on the hour-long results show for Fox's American Idol. Over on CBS, the social dynamics of tribe Casaya continue to implode on Survivor.

@9 p.m. - The team becomes the subject of a reality show on CBS' CSI. Over on Fox, Ryan and Marissa's relationship is in jeopardy on the return of The O.C.

@10 p.m. - The team searches for a missing agoraphobic advice columnist who hasn't left her apartment in two years on CBS' Without a Trace.


QUICK CUTS

*NBC is adding another edition of its new hit Deal or No Deal to the schedule. The game show had a five-night run last week before moving to a once-a-week format on Monday. Now, the network has decided to air another edition on Friday nights because the ratings have been strong. The show performed well last Friday night, coming in second for the hour right behind CBS' Ghost Whisperer and winning the 18-49 year old demographic. Look for the Friday episodes to begin tomorrow night on NBC.

*And finally, look for a little something extra when NBC's My Name is Earl is released on DVD later this year. The show's creator, Greg Garcia, announced Tuesday to the audience at the Museum of Television & Radio's annual Paley Festival that the DVD set will include a 15-minute mini episode where Earl meets Family Guy's Stewie Griffin. Garcia is a former producer on that animated series, and both it and Earl are produced by 20th Century Fox TV. In the mini-episode, after Earl wins the lottery and gets run over by the car, he lands in the hospital. But instead of getting his life lesson from Carson Daly (as he did in the pilot), he comes upon Stewie Griffin. In addition to the mini episode, look for lots of commentary and footage from the gag reel that the cast and crew has collected this year. According to Garcia, the DVD set should be out before the second season premiere this fall.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on CSI (You've gotta love an episode that parodies the reality craze! And who better to do it than CSI?) and Without a Trace. Plus, all the latest television news and The Idol Moment!


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'Race' Takes the Plunge! Plus the Scrubies and Nielsen Wednesday

It's only week two of The Amazing Race and already partnerships are forming. How unlikely of a pair are the pretty boys from Florida and the hippies from California? What I'm finding most interesting is the fact that none of the teams seems to hate any of the others - yet. It seems to me that the hate usually starts right out of the gate, but everyone is getting along so far. You know I totally just spoke too soon and now we're going to see major fighting next week! I'm still strongly disliking Lake. I think the main thing that bugs me about him is the way he is so controlling and demeaning. It says a lot to me when Michelle says that doing the Race will give her an opportunity to show to herself and LAKE that she is capable of doing it. Shouldn't her husband already know this? Ugh, he's just so degrading! Moving on, the teams all left the pit stop and headed to Edificio Copan where they had to find Blanco F to get their next clue. After a mad taxi-dash to the location, all of the teams learned that Blanco F didn't open to 8 a.m. One noteworthy event during this taxi-dash was Michelle's comment that Lake "is definitely the typical Type A personality." Now, we all know what she meant, but it seems more likely to me that he is a different "Type A" personality, the kind that begins with an" A" and ends with an "SS."

Once again moving on. Once the location opened for business, teams learned that they would be facing their first Roadblock of the Race. One team member had to climb up the fire escape of Edificio Copan and rappel 400 feet down the side of the building. The rappelling order would be decided by the order in which each team member reached the top of the fire escape. There were three fire escapes to choose from, but somehow most of the teams felt the need to all compete for the first one. A few more climbed the second one, and only BJ and Tyler (team Hippies) chose the third. Most of the teams easily completed the task. And then there was poor Danielle (team "Double Ds") who suddenly realized that she has a huge fear of heights. Problem is that she didn't remember until she was on the top of the building about to take her turn and rappel down, and thus, our first breakdown of the new season commenced. Tears were flowing, but luckily Fran stepped in and coaxed her down. See, I told you the teams are all getting along beautifully! Of course, Fran may have been so helpful because she was concerned about the fact that Danielle's breakdown was holding her up since she still had to take her turn after Danielle, but I'm choosing to see it the other way. After completing the task, the teams had to make their way to the bus station and rip off a departure time (10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m. or 12:15 p.m.) to travel to Brotas, Brazil. BJ/Tyler, Monica/Joseph (team "MoJo") and Eric/Jeremy (team Slacker - as I told you last week, this is what I will be calling them) snagged the earliest departure time, while the other teams had to settle for the later ones.

Once in Brotas, teams had to take one of the marked VW Bugs with a clue on its windshield. Insert your own hippie jokes here. The clue held a Detour - Press it or Climb it. In Press it, teams had to travel to an old plantation and press 15 stalks of sugar cane to release the liquid inside. Once they had pressed all 15 stalks, they had to take the liquid to something that resembled a high school chemistry set and turn the liquid into ethanol (a popular form of fuel in Brazil), and then pour the ethanol into their VW Bugs (again, insert your own hippie jokes here). In Climb it, teams had to travel to Usina Jacare where they would hike in to a waterfall and then perform a 90-foot rope climb up the falls. The three teams on the first bus decided to work together to find the waterfall. Once there, all three teams easily completed the task and learned that they would need to dive 20 miles through the country to find the next Pit Stop. The race was on for first place with BJ and Tyler getting a local to take them to the Pit Stop location. Team Slacker followed, but got concerned when the trip seemed to be taking too long. They pulled off at a gas station only to learn that they were 1 kilometer from the location, so BJ and Tyler (who had pressed on) landed in first with Team Slacker not far behind. Monica's stress issues reared their ugly head again (breathe Mo, breathe), but she was happy to finish in third. Back at the Detours, David/Lori and Wanda/Desiree both chose to Press it, and both teams easily completed the task. Things were a little different at the waterfall as Fran struggled to ascend the falls. After watching Michelle go up rather easily, Fran got the hang of it and, she too, made her way up the waterfall. Danielle/Dani seemed to also easily complete it, and all three teams were on their way to the Pit Stop. Fran and Barry ran into some bad luck when their VW Bug's battery died and stranded them on the side of the road. They were given a replacement car, but no time credit, so they headed to the Pit Stop believing they were in last place. That was because they didn't know about sisters Lisa and Joni's bad day. After getting lost, the sisters finally made their way to Press it. They struggled a little bit with the task, and wound up in last place, and thus, were eliminated from the race. Is it just me, or are the producers just screwing with Phil now? There are four teams who have at least one member whose first name ends in an "A." This, of course, sets up Phil's infamous replacing the "A" with an "ER" on the end of the name. Instead of Wanda and Desiree, we get "Wander and Desiree." I don't care how many seasons there have been, this is still awesome!

How sad was it to only get one dose of Scrubs last night? I've gotten so used to see back-to-back new episodes every week that I have been spoiled! Even though we got only half the new episodes, that didn't mean half the laughs. Who knew that Sacred Heart had a beach on its roof? Or more accurately, that it COULD have beach on its roof? And what do you do with all the sand once it starts seeping, make that pouring, into Ted's office? Build a sand castle in the parking lot, of course! I love Janitor. If you want to go to a real beach, why not start the Dorian-Cox Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida? It comes complete with two big-hearted doctors who linger a little too long in the denial stage of the 5 Stages of Grief. And then there was Dr. Kelso versus Ted. That stand-off was hysterical, and I loved how Ted the lawyer settled for 7 Sunday afternoons off. This show is just too awesome for words, so I'll go ahead and let it speak for itself with this week's look at the funniest, most inventive and all around awesome quotes.

The Scrubies
"Would you like a virgin daiquiri? It's a regular daiquiri. I just have him give it to you." Dr. Cox (referring to JD) to his terminally ill patient on the rooftop beach

"Oh good. The piles are getting smaller." Ted after coughing up another pile of sand

"Looks like rain. That could be a problem." Janitor while standing on his sand castle

"Ted, the only thing I hate more than bikes are procedural cop shows. We get it. The pedophile did it." Dr. Kelso after learning that Ted wanted the weekend off for a charity bike ride

"It's not denial. She could rally!" Dr. Cox to grief counselor Lester Hedrick (guest star Dave Foley) regarding his terminally ill patient

"Oh for the love of God! What is this? Some pansy-get-in-touch-with-my-feelings-because-my-mommy-didn't-love-me group?" Dr. Cox to Hedrick's support group

"What do you think he's dying from? A case of the handsomes?" JD after noticing one of the members of the support group (which we find out is for terminally ill people)

"I know. They hear what they want to hear." Turk to Keith regarding women

And now the night's best delivered (and longest) quote:

"You couldn't push my buttons if you tried. In fact, I have no buttons. Please think of me as button-less -- all smooth like GI Joe's nether regions. And by the by, this message is brought to you by my son Jack, who has been yanking the pants off his toy soldiers and leaving them in provocative positions on my nightstand. It is just disturbing enough, so that leaving the house, I'm cranky and less able to suffer fools, which brings me back to you - the fool. So, go now. Go before you can write a book entitled Help, a Large Doctor is Beating My Ass colon The Lester Hedrick Story." Dr. Cox to grief counselor Hedrick

What did you think about last night's episode of Scrubs? What about The Amazing Race? Be sure to drop me a comment with your thoughts. Also, if you have a quote that you would like to nominate for a Scrubie, leave me a comment and I'll publish it in a future edition.

About Last Night...Fox won the first hour of the night with American idol, followed by CBS' NCIS and two episodes of ABC's According to Jim. The real story of the hour was the poor showing for the return of NBC's Joey, which only managed to garner 3.95 million viewers and a fourth place finish. At 9, Fox stayed in the lead with House, followed by the premiere of CBS' The Unit and ABC's new comedy Sons and Daughters (back-to-back episodes). NBC's Scrubs landed in fourth. The final hour of the night went to ABC's Boston Legal, followed by NBC's Law & Order: SVU (r) and CBS' The Amazing Race. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - The 8 remaining men take the stage tonight on Fox's American Idol. Over on UPN America's Next Top Model kicks off its 6th cycle with a special 2-hour episode that includes a shocking requirement for the first photoshoot.

@9 p.m. - Brennan and Zack are called to the crash site of a small jet carrying Chinese diplomats and one mystery female passenger on Fox's Bones.

@10 p.m. - Russell and Underlay must team together to catch hybrids Derek and a pregnant Christina on ABC's Invasion. Over on NBC, the detectives investigate the death of a banking associate. CBS' CSI: NY look into who murdered a doorman when the body is found in a water tank.



QUICK CUTS

*Fans of Sci Fi channels Battlestar Gallactica will have to wait until October to see the third season. The network announced today that the popular show will begin production in April, with the entire ensemble returning, on the 20-episode season. The show's second season wraps up this Friday with a special 90-minute finale on Sci Fi.

*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday! Fox won both the total viewers crown and the 18-49 year old one with its ratings juggernaut American Idol, which finished 2nd, 3rd and 5th for the week. Rounding out the top 10 was ABC's broadcast of the Academy Awards (#1), CSI (#4), Without a Trace (#6), CSI: Miami (#7), Two and a Half Men (tie #8), Oscar Countdown (tie #8) and Lost (#10). To see the list of the top 20 shows last week, click on over to USA Today.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my interviews with Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell (including her thoughts on that Maxim shoot) and Jason Dohring (I asked him about another Pass the Remote favorite show that he guest starred on. Can you guess which one?) Plus, all the latest television news!

*The Amazing Race picture from cbs.com


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Of 'Models' and 'Mediums.' Plus, Find Out Which CBS Favorites You'll See Next Season

Tyra strikes a pose for the new cycle of America's Next Top Model premiering tomorrow night (photo courtesy UPN. Not for use on other Web sites/blogs)

When America's Next Top Model premieres tomorrow night on UPN, expect a few agape jaws and wide eyes from the 13 contestants vying for a modeling contract and a fashion spread in Elle magazine. That's because they learn very quickly from art director Jay Manuel that they will be bald for their first photo shoot! It's all part of helping the girls achieve this cycle's theme: "Fairy tales come true." At a recent online press conference, Jay Manuel, photographer Nigel Barker and executive producer Ken Mok took some time to field questions about the upcoming premiere and the show's track record. Regarding that latter point, Barker pointed out that "the evidence speaks for itself." Manuel explained that the fashion industry works about 3-4 months in advance, so viewers do not see immediate success from the contestants after the show ends ala American Idol, which releases the winner's single within a week after its season ends. Manuel also explained that the show gives these women the right to work in the fashion business. "I'm proud of our record," said executive producer Mok.

What about the possibility of opening the voting to America? After all, the show is called America's Next Top Model. "Interesting," Manuel says. "But, the whole premise is having industry professionals groom a girl to be America's Next Top Model." And then there are the concerns that the show isn't doing enough to recruit plus sized models. Manuel says the show looks at all women. "It's about personality and having that 'it' factor. Not about the size of the girl," Manuel goes on to explain. Mok agrees saying, "Tyra fights for plus sized models. We're constantly looking for it every season." When it comes to those photoshoots and the photos that they choose to showcase each woman's talent, Manuel explains that it's a decision between him and Tyra. He says they "make sure each girl has her best photo." The contestants' surprised looks tend to stem from the fact that they are surprised the shoot didn't turn out as they expected according to Manuel.

America's Next Top Model is about to enter its sixth cycle and it is the first show to get a guaranteed pick up for next season on the new CW network, so what keeps the show so successful? According to Barker, it's a simple combination of two interesting industries. He says, "People are fascinated by the fashion industry and celebrity. The show delivers all of that in one." ANTM premieres with a special 2-hour episode tomorrow night on UPN beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

Was anyone else having A Beautiful Mind flashbacks during last night's episode of Medium? It definitely borrowed heavily from the Oscar-winning film, but that's OK because it did a nice job with it. The only problem is, when you borrow from a well-known concept, people are going to compare the two. I'm going to refrain from doing so for two reasons: 1) the episode had its own originality thrown in with its borrowed themes 2) I haven't seen the movie in a while, and thus, an accurate comparison wouldn't be fair (In other words, I don't remember). This was the first episode in recent memory where I began to figure things out before they began revealing them to me. I knew that the brother was going to turn out to be a paranoid schizophrenic and that his mathematical equations were, in his mind, a way of helping the country. I wasn't sure if he had been dropped off the roof in reality or only in his mind until they introduced the brother-in-law and I realized that he was the man from Allison's visions. It was an interesting story that led you in all different directions (David Carradine? That one really puzzled me until they made it clear). The picture in the right column above (from nbc.com) of Det. Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt) is my way of thanking the show and NBC for making him a regular. In addition to the fact that I LOVE him on this show, there's the fact that Det. Scanlon and Allison work very well together. I love the way he has come to rely on her insight, even going as far as to work the case last night off the record with her. His presence on the show, as I have mentioned before, has greatly improved it overall.

About Last Night... NBC claimed the first hour of the night with Deal or No Deal, followed by Fox's 24 and CBS comedies King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother. At 9, CBS took over with comedies Two and a Half Men and Courting Alex, followed by the second hour of Fox's 24 and ABC's Supernanny. The final hour of the night went to CBS' CSI: Miami, followed by NBC's Medium and the premiere of ABC's feel-good reality series Miracle Workers. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - The top 8 female contestants perform on Fox's American Idol. Over on NBC, Joey returns on a new night. Tonight, he begins acting weird around Alex in this first of two episodes (the second is a repeat).

@9 p.m. - JD and Dr. Cox grow closer as they go through the 5 stages of grief together when a patient takes a turn for the worse on NBC's Scrubs. A second episode follows, but it's a repeat and it's star Zach Braff's favorite episode (different cast members will showcase their favorites for the next few weeks). Over on Fox, House and his team race against the clock to diagnose a dead woman in order to save a dying man on House. ABC premieres its new comedy Sons & Daughters and CBS rolls out its new military drama The Unit.

@10 p.m. - One team member breaks into tears on a challenge that requires facing an extreme fear of heights on CBS' The Amazing Race. Over on ABC, Denny Crane finds just the right thing to cure his depression after his one-day-old marriage falls apart on Boston Legal.



QUICK CUTS

*CBS is taking an unusual step and announcing some of the shows that will be back next year for another season. New shows Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and How I Met Your Mother will all be back, along with favorites Cold Case, all three CSIs, NCIS, 60 Minutes, Without a Trace, The Amazing Race, Numb3rs, Survivor and Two and a Half Men. Absent from the list are Close to Home, King of Queens, Out of Practice and Still Standing. CBS announced over the weekend that comedy Yes, Dear will not return for a seventh season. The show ended its run last month. Word on the other shows is not expected until the network makes its fall schedule announcement in May.

*Oscar winner Susan Sarandon is set to guest star in a three-episode arc on FX's Rescue Me. She'll play a successful older woman who seduces Franco (Daniel Sunjata). Look for Sarandon's first appearance in the second episode of the third season, which is set to premiere this summer on FX.

*And finally, Bravo wants a longer Runway. The cable channel announced yesterday that it will bring back its popular fashion reality competition Project Runway for a third season. The show gives aspiring designers a chance to break into the competitive world of fashion design. Heidi Klum will return as host. The show's second season wraps up tomorrow night on Bravo.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on The Amazing Race (Welcome back!) and the Scrubies! Plus, all the latest television news!


SAVE EVERWOOD NOW! Click HERE to learn how to help the show get another season

Don't forget to help Veronica Mars with the $4,000 Shower Campaign. Click HERE for details

The Genius From 'Mars': Rob Thomas Talks College, Kendall and Which Episode He Can't Wait to Show You

Thomas stands in front of the ill-fated bus (photo courtesy The Attractive Nuisance)

When you meet Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas, you're expecting someone intimidating. After all, this is the man behind what Buffy creator Joss Whedon calls "the best show ever," and it's the show that author Stephen King can't take his "eyes off of." Someone this creative and talented has to be intimidating, right? Not in Thomas' case. The surprising thing about him is his approachability and his candidness when it comes to discussing his critically acclaimed UPN show or the hot topics facing its future success. Ask him about the new CW network (the merger between CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. that will essentially shut down both the WB and UPN, Veronica's current home, to form one, unified network this fall), and he candidly and honestly lights up with excitement. Thomas feels its a positive development for his little-show-that-could, that is, as long as Veronica makes the cut. Things have been promising on that front since CBS Corp.'s Les Moonves announced the merger back in January. At the press conference to introduce the CW, Moonves excitedly raised the prospect of a Gilmore Girls (currently airing on the WB)/Veronica Mars night on the CW when it launches this fall. It's an idea that Thomas feels could help his show garner more viewers. Gilmore Girls averages around 6 million viewers an episode, almost double that of Veronica's average audience.

With the recent brief February Sweeps hiatus, a move UPN says was designed to help the show find its audience again after suffering from its ratings-plagued lead-in South Beach, a lot of new episodes are still left to air (which UPN says it plans to show uninterrupted until the second season finale in May). Some of the show's most interesting plot points, including the most intriguing one - who caused the bus accident that claimed so many students' lives - are still left for viewers to unravel. Included in those plot points is the upcoming "Versatile Toppings" that features guest star Kristin Cavalleri as an outed gay cheerleader at Neptune High. Thomas says viewers can also expect to learn more about the students killed in this season's central mystery - the bus crash. And if that wasn't interesting enough, Thomas excitedly promises that episode 17 "Plan B" is one to watch for this season, calling it "an amazing episode." He says, "I think Veronica Mars gets at its best in episodes 17-22. Things happen fast." The same was true for last year's Lilly Kane murder mystery as it unraveled in the season's final episodes and viewers were surprised to learn who was responsible. Thomas says when he plans out the central season-long mystery he tries to strike the right balance. "You don't want it to be so obscure that no one figures it out, but you don't want it to be so easy that 60% of the people have it figured out," Thomas notes. He believes it's all about the small bits of information along the way saying, "We try to get all the clues in there so people look back and go 'Oh, yeah.'" Some of those clues will introduce some elements of the season three mystery as this season progresses. Thomas devilishly points out that the next mystery is already planned out and he thinks that "savvy viewers will see what it will be." He coyly says that viewers should pay close attention to the next three episodes to find the clues.

Next season's big mystery and a hopeful move to the new CW network aren't the only changes in store for Veronica Mars. This season marks Veronica's senior year in high school, so expect her to head off to college next season. With the loss of Neptune High, many viewers may be wondering how the show will morph from a high school setting to a college one. Thomas says that the basics will stay the same, including the mystery-of-the-week and the big overarching mystery. He says he's not worried about the change because he believes Veronica is more than just a high school show. "So many high school shows are built around a coming-of-age story, so it's about high school and those formative years. We are sort of a noir-mystery show, so it's less about 'what personal strides am I making in high school?' We're not tied to those age years." He also expects that "the characters we love will be back." One character not returning next season is Kendall Casablancas (Charisma Carpenter) because Thomas explains that her story is a one-season thing. He says, "In any given season, we're going to have our regular cast and each year we'll probably have 2-3 big recurring guest actors who are integral." Last season Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna were integral to the season-long mysteries, but play little to no role this season (Rinna's character committed suicide last season). Thomas says, "We need new blood each year." And more characters to further the show's penchant for blurring the line of moral ambiguity. Thomas likes that area of the show even if viewers are a little more black and white at times. "I think a lot of television is built around moral absolutes. With noir, the genre itself is all suppose to exist around that gray area," he explains.

One of the more talked about plot points this season has been the relationship between Duncan (Teddy Dunn) and Veronica (Kristen Bell). Many fans would love to see Veronica with bad-boy Logan (Jason Dohring) because they don't feel that Duncan was a good person after he got former girlfriend Meg Manning (Alona Tal) pregnant and dumped her for Veronica. Thomas blames himself for the resulting Duncan-hate. "I think the audience didn't go along with that relationship largely because we didn't invest enough into showing it," he says also pointing out that it paled in comparison to season one's Logan and Veronica relationship. But Thomas is quick to clarify that Duncan did not sleep with Kendall Casablancas. He says the show meant for that revelation to be ambiguous at the time, but he wants it to be clear now that Duncan was not the type to do something like that to Veronica. He says Veronica never fully confronted him about Kendall because "the type of guy he is, Veronica would just trust Duncan."

For now, fingers are crossed and hopes are high that the CW gives Veronica a chance to expand its audience next season, but Thomas says these next few weeks are critical with his show going head-to-head with ratings juggernauts Lost and American Idol. And then there's the recent hiatus that UPN employed to help the show with a better lead in. Now with that lead-in, America's Next Top Model, returning this week and Veronica next, things will hopefully look brighter for the show. Thomas knows that fans grumbled about Veronica's sudden absence from UPN's February schedule, but he is quick to point out that the move was "good for us." He goes on to say that it further showed the network's and president Dawn Ostroff's commitment to giving the show the best chance for success possible. And Thomas is happy to have the network support. Veronica Mars returns March 15th at 9 p.m. EST on UPN.

About Last Night... ABC won the first hour of the night with its Oscar telecast, followed by CBS' Criminal Minds rerun and the second hour of NBC's Dateline. At 9, ABC continued its run with the Oscars, followed by CBS' Cold Case (r) and NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The final hour of the night went to ABC's Oscar telecast, followed by CBS' CSI (r) and NBC's Crossing Jordan (r). For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Fox airs special back-to-back episodes of 24. Over on NBC, Deal or No Deal begins its weekly run.

@9 p.m. - ABC Family's hit summer show Beautiful People begins its next cycle of new episodes.

@10 p.m. - Allison tries to help find a missing person who is close to the District Attorney and finds herself experiencing paranoia and delusional encounters with government agents trying to route out terrorism. Over on CBS, Horatio asks Natalia to reveal a dark secret form her past in order to solve an investigation on CSI: Miami.


QUICK CUTS

*Preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research shows that last night's Oscar broadcast on ABC was down in the ratings compared to previous years. The data shows this year's broadcast down about 3 ratings points, which would make it the least watch Oscars since 2003. More accurate numbers are expected later today and tomorrow.

*So, you love Desperate Housewives, but do you want to smell like one? Disney/ABC and Coty Inc. are hoping that you do. The media group and the fragrance company are joining forces to develop a new scent based on the popular satirical dramedy about the happenings on the fictional Wisteria Lane. They plan to have the scent on department store shelves this fall. This is the first time Coty has teamed up with a major studio to produce a perfume based on a hit television show.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the fifth season of The Brady Bunch to hit store shelves tomorrow along with Three's Company (season 6), The Cosby Show (season 2) and Hogan's Heroes (season 3). For the full list of releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a special preview of America's Next Top Model and thoughts on Medium. Plus, all the latest television news. And be sure to stay tuned to Pass the Remote all week for more news and information from my Veronica Mars set visit including an interview with Veronica herself, Kristen Bell.

SAVE EVERWOOD NOW! Click HERE to learn how to help the show get another season

Don't forget to help Veronica Mars with the $4,000 Shower Campaign. Click HERE for details

Martin has a Prescription for Disaster and 'CSI' Goes Chimney Sweeping! Plus 'Idol' and 'Desperate Housewives' News

You guys know that I'm not a big fan of the "Martin the Addict" story line on Without a Trace mainly because it's just so cliched. I was hoping that last night's episode would spell the end of the story line, but I fear that it is only about to get worse. For those of you who didn't see the episode, we're now at the point where his pain killer addiction is affecting his work. You know the drill from the million and one other shows that have covered this ground in the past; he lashes out unexpectedly to the victims' families, makes poor judgment calls in the line of duty and almost gets himself killed (Danny has to step in and save him right before he gets shot blah, blah, blah). Seriously Without a Trace, you are so much better than this! And for the record so is Eric Close' acting talents, and they just seem wasted on this story line (although, he is doing a fine job with what they have given him). I'm all for throwing a bone to the characters on procedurals from time to time by giving them personal story arcs, but it seems that this show is either hit or miss when it does it, and this addiction arc is a definite miss for me. Regardless, I did enjoy the irony of the case having to do with a prescription drug manufacturer's son. It was very timely with all the lawsuits regarding the newer drugs on the market that got FDA approval based on their clinical trials, but are having adverse affects in the real world. This made the plot very believable and relevant. It was nice to see that this one had a happy ending, too. Maybe not for Martin just yet, but certainly for the 5-year old kidnap victim, his family and hopefully the millions of children who would have been exposed to a drug that may have taken their lives as it did the few children in the trial.

I never put anything past CSI. How can you? I mean this is a show that has introduced us to the world of Plushies (people who like to dress up in animal costumes), taken the scuba-diver-in-the-tree urban legend to new heights, explored the world of S&M with Lady Heather and grossed us out with melted bodies in the trunk of a car, so I always expect the unexpected when I sit down for an hour of this show. This is why I always say that the show doesn't take itself too seriously and it has a healthy sense of humor, which is what I expect from this particular crime show. I save the heavy stuff for some of the other crime shows I watch. Last night's body-in-the-chimney story was the perfect piece in the bizarre puzzle that is CSI. As I was watching the beginning of the episode, I really couldn't believe they had a story where someone dumped a body down the chimney because it just seemed so crazy, but then I realized that it was just so CSI. It got less bizarre as the episode progressed, though, because we learned that the body was merely a means to an end. Once the body was discovered, a warrant was obtained and the house searched. Once the house was searched, it was only a matter of time before the team found the second body in the house, which was the real murder victim. The homeowner was connected to a cold case from last year where a young female photographer went missing. He was the prime suspect, but the team didn't have enough evidence to obtain a warrant. So, the victim's father, who worked at a hospital, stole a badly burned body from the hospital morgue and shoved it down the chimney in hopes that the investigators would find his daughter's body and arrest her murderer. It was a complicated plot, but it worked and it fit perfectly into the world of CSI.


An Idol Moment
(this new weekly feature will detail the latest elimination(s))
It was elimination time again last night and that meant four more American Idol hopefuls had to pack their things and go. On the girls side, it was Brenna Gethers (top left) and Heather Cox (bottom right). I think these were the correct choices again. Brenna has one of the worst attitudes I have ever seen on this show and I think that kept her from sticking around longer. She has a decent voice (although she really didn't showcase it well the other night), but I think that her biting attitude sunk her. Heather also had a decent voice, but I think that she made a horrible song choice that led the audience to compare her to Mariah Carey. On the guys front, David Radford (top right) and Jose "Sway" Penala (bottom left) were sent packing. David was too forgettable and I always felt that "Sway" was just alright, so I think the correct two went home here as well.

About Last Night... Fox won the first hour of the night with the results show for American Idol, followed by CBS' Survivor and NBC's Deal or No Deal. At 9, CBS took over with CSI, followed by the finale of Fox's Skating with Celebrities and NBC comedies My Name is Earl and The Office. The final hour of the night went to CBS' Without a Trace, followed by NBC's ER and ABC's Primetime. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - NBC's Deal or No Deal wraps up its 5-night run, but will return Monday to begin its weekly airings. Over on Fox, it's the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

@9 p.m. - My Name is Earl's Jaime Pressly guest stars and Wayne Newton and Howie Mandel make cameo appearances on NBC's Las Vegas as it moves to its new night and time. Over on CBS, Annabeth faces a defense attorney who misleads the jury on Close to Home. A convicted rapist case divides the National Justice Project on ABC's In Justice.

@10 p.m. - NBC rolls out its latest Dick Wolf legal drama Conviction that, according to the press release, is a "character-oriented story focusing on young assistant district attorneys in New York who handle tough, high-profile cases that challenge their experience." Over on CBS, Don and Charlie deal with a personal case involving an anti-war bombing on Numb3rs.

SUNDAY EDITION
@8 p.m. - ABC airs The 78th Annual Academy Awards.


QUICK CUTS

*Actress Carol Burnett will guest star in an upcoming episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives. She'll play the evil stepmother of Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) who comes to town with her husband after Andrew announces he wants to be emancipated. So far, Burnett is scheduled for only one episode, but the option to bring her back for future episodes remains open. The episode is tentatively scheduled to air April 9th on ABC.

*And finally, it seems that the WB's Charmed will cast its final spell this spring. Multiple sources are confirming to TV Guide's Mike Ausiello in his Ausiello Report that the new CW network (the merger between UPN and the WB) has pulled the plug on the show after eight seasons. Details about the final episode are remaining hush-hush, but according to Ausiello, Brian Krause is likely to appear. The series finale is scheduled to May 21st on the WB.


That's all for today. You don't want to miss Monday's edition, though. I'll have all the dirt from Veronica Mars showrunner Rob Thomas, including which episode he's really excited about, what's in the works for next season, what's next for Kendall and much, much more! That's Monday on the Rob Thomas edition of Pass the Remote! As always, I'll also have all the latest television news. And be sure to tune in Tuesday for a special America's Next Top Model preview.

SAVE EVERWOOD NOW! Click HERE to learn how to help the show get another season

Don't forget to help Veronica Mars with the $4,000 Shower Campaign. Click HERE for details

Hatch: Part Deux! Plus the Scrubies, a Photo Tour of 'Mars' and Casting News

Last night's hour of Lost was one of the show's best in a quite a few episodes. I kind of liked the lack of the usual flashbacks that center on the characters' lives before they crashed on the island. Seeing what happened to Claire during those two weeks that the Others had her was fascinating. We learned that they took her because they were planning to take Aaron out of her womb, but we still don't know why they want him. Whatever the case, it seems that the Others are part of the Dharma Initiative and they had their own hatch (complete with their own medical Dharma-like logo). Kate's discovery in the locker room was very interesting. The lockers had the torn and tattered clothing that we're used to seeing on the Others, but there was also a box of straggly hair pieces, one of which looked an awful lot like the beard we've come to identify the leader of the Others with (Speaking of the leader, did you notice him wearing normal clothes and clean shaven in the flashback?). The whole thing made me think that this whole push-the-button trick is nothing more than a psychological experiment after all. If the Others are in on it, then they may be dressing up in those rugged costumes as part of the experiment. And speaking of the Others, where were they last night? I thought there was an agreement that the survivors of flight 815 wouldn't enter the Others' area of the jungle? Weird that nothing happened to Claire, Kate or Rousseau. Speaking of Rousseau, we finally got to meet her mysterious Alex who disappeared when she was only a child, and it seems that she shares her mother's pendant for hating the Others.

Was Scrubs in top form the other night or what? An hour-block of this show and we get a raccoon shower gag, Janitor and Dr. Cox love (and hate, but only at work), Elliot on rollerblades, a burning bed (Janitor has a key to JD's - awesome!), Elliot and Keith love (much to JD's chagrin), Carla finishing Dr. Cox's sentences when his mouth is full, the return of the fabled "Dr. Acula" screenplay and a running sore spot on who makes Elliot's cell phonebook. So much funny packed into one show! As usual, here's a look at the other night's best and funniest lines.

The Scrubies
"Marge, the patient should not have to be braver than you." Dr. Cox to JD

"You know where there's all kinds of equipment for women - Todd Land." The Todd to Carla and Elliot after they complained about the lack of gym equipment for women at Sacred Heart

"Where's your wife going?" Dr. Cox to Carla after Turk left

"That's why it's such a magical place." Dr. Cox to Turk after explaining to him why the hospital gym needs to stay female-free

"Welcome to Fuglyville." JD (narration) after trying to pick an intern for a booty call

"The ladies cannot resist that ivory rascal." Dr. Kelso describing the albino radiologist

"If the pear-shaped shirt fits, wear it." Elliot to JD during their argument after learning that he's upset that she told Keith that he's unhappy with his doughy physique

"Let's face facts. You're their teacher. How competent can they be?" Dr. Cox to JD regarding his interns

"I had no idea you were going to go all cotton on their asses." Carla to JD after hearing him say that he was going to crackdown on his interns

"You bested me again you little chocolate b*tch!" Dr. Kelso to the brownie he was trying to resist

"That's Keith? That kid's the best intern we've got. Hell, I'd like to bronze him, turn my office into a Keith-edral and convert to Keith-tianity." Dr. Cox to JD

BEST EXCHANGE(S) OF THE NIGHT...

Elliot: JD, I really don't want to do this. Can't we just go home and put on our PJs and watch Grey's Anatomy?
JD: Oh, I do love that show. It's like they've been watching our lives and then just put it on TV.
Elliot: Yeah

Dr. Kelso (to Janitor): Do you know the number one cause of death in a hospital?
Dr. Cox (passing through): Your breath?
Dr. Kelso (to Janitor): Infection. And do you know how quickly infection spreads in a hospital?
Dr. Cox (passing through again): Your breath.
Dr. Kelso (finally acknowledging Dr. Cox): That doesn't make any sense!
Dr. Cox: Don't care.

So there's a look at some of the best and funniest lines of Tuesday's double dose of Scrubs. If you have a line or exchange that you would like to nominate for a Scrubie, leave me a comment and I'll publish it in a future edition. Or, if you would just like to chat about Scrubs or Lost, be sure to drop me a comment at well.

As I have been telling you, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity earlier this week to visit the set of the brilliant Veronica Mars. It was such a full day with so many interesting things going on, that I'll be splitting up my coverage of the event. On Tuesday, I brought you some initial thoughts and reactions to the visit as well as some pictures of the cast members on set that day. Today, I thought I'd give you a brief photo tour of the world of Mars. These photos are only a small handful of what we got to see Monday, but I will be sharing lots more with you in the future. In the meantime, you can click on over to any of the blogs I have linked over in the right side column of this page under "Veronica Mars Blogs" for more pictures. Here's a brief tour:

The Mars kitchen

The Mars living room (photo courtesy The Attractive Nuisance)

Veronica's desk in her room (photo courtesy The Attractive Nuisance)

Neptune High (photo courtesy The Attractive Nuisance)

Neptune High's famous bathroom where Veronica wheels and deals

Sheriff Lamb's office - quiet as usual. Maybe Lamb is off working on his abs

Table for two at Java the Hut!

So, there's just a sampling of the photos from the set visit. As I said, I will continue to bring you more from my visit in the coming days and weeks. Coming up Monday, I'll have an entire edition devoted to all the great and interesting things that creator/executive producer Rob Thomas had to say, including which episode he's very excited about, what's in the works for next season and what about Kendall? That's Monday on Pass the Remote. I would like to give a tremendous thank you to Chelsea and Sienna at mPRm for organizing this fabulous bloggers press day, Holly at Warner Bros. for answering all of our questions, giving us a wonderful set tour, and being so helpful during our visit, Rob Thomas for spending more time and answering more questions than was required of him, Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Ryan Hansen, Kyle Gallner and Percy Daggs (and, as Magnolia pointed out, his mom!) for taking time out of their busy schedules to chat with us and take pictures, and all the wonderful people who work so hard every day to bring us one of the best shows on television. You guys rock!

About Last Night... Fox won the first hour of the night with American Idol, followed by NBC's Deal or No Deal and two episodes of CBS' Still Standing. At 9, Fox kept its lead with the last half hour of Idol and the premiere of Free Ride, followed by ABC's Lost and CBS' Criminal Minds. The final hour of the night went to CBS' CSI: NY, followed by NBC's Law & Order and ABC's Barbara Walters Oscar special. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - We find out which four contestants are leaving and last year's winner Carrie Underwood performs live on American Idol on Fox. Over on UPN, Chris resorts to desperate measures to hide his "F" from his parents on Everybody Hates Chris. The survivors find out that two members secretly ate some of the tribe's reward on CBS' Survivor.

@9 p.m. - The team investigates the murder of a man found stuffed down the chimney of a residential home on CBS' CSI. Over on NBC, Earl attempts to pay back the government for all the back taxes he owes on My Name is Earl. Fox airs the finale of Skating with Celebrities and we find out who is named the champion on this special night and time.

@10 p.m. - The team tries to find a missing 5-year old and Danny begins to notice Martin's pain killer addiction on CBS' Without a Trace. Over on NBC, Dr. Carter (Noah Wylie) returns on ER for more than just a teaser scene this time.


QUICK CUTS

*There's some BIG SCOOP on the Cold Case front courtesy of TV Guide's Ask Ausiello. [Don't read any further if you don't want to be spoiled] Meredith Baxter has just been cast to play Lilly's (Kathryn Morris) mother. She'll appear in episode 19 that is scheduled to air April 9th on CBS. [End spoiler warning] Talk about your "family ties." Cold Case airs Sundays on CBS.

*And finally, NBC will launch a new interactive web site for Crossing Jordan later this month. The web site will have webcasts, viewer polls and Nigel's latest blogs. Additionally, leading up to the May 7th season finale, viewers will get a chance to help Nigel (Steve Valentine) play Cupid to the love triangle that has come about this season between Lily (Kathryn Hahn), Bug (Ravi Kapoor) and Lily's love interest Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Brandau (Ethan Sandler), who is played by the real-life husband of Kathryn Hahn. The site - www.nigelblog.com- will launch March 12th, with thoughts from Nigel on the latest case, immediately following that evening's episode broadcast. Crossing Jordan airs Sundays on NBC.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for CSI (Bodies stuffed in a chimney? Can only be CSIThursday!) and Without a Trace (Maybe this will signal the end of the "Martin the addict" story line). Plus, all the latest television news. And don't forget to come back Monday for all the scoop from Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas.

SAVE EVERWOOD NOW! Click HERE to learn how to help the show get another season

Don't forget to help Veronica Mars with the $4,000 Shower Campaign. Click HERE for details

The 'Race' is On and A 'Cold' Line is Drawn! Plus, 'Alias,' 'The West Wing' and Nielsen Wednesday

And they're off! The next set of 11 teams vying for a million dollars via a race around the world left the starting gates last night and headed off to Brazil. Instantly, I was excited because I knew this was a return to The Amazing Race I'm used to and love. In fact, it threw me off a little when we learned that the teams would be leaving the country in the first episode because I was thinking they would stick around for a while. Family Edition must have messed with my head. Since we don't know the teams too well yet, I'll just post some initial reactions to each of them. Also, since I'm so scrunched on space and time today, I won't be doing a recap. But, the episode recaps for The Amazing Race will return next week. In the meantime, here are my initial reactions to each of the teams:

LAKE/MICHELLE - I am NOT liking Lake at all. He's rude, demeaning and refuses to read the clues thoroughly (and then claims that he's only partially at fault when things go wrong). When he told his wife to "Shut the **** up!" I about lost it with him. Can this guy be any more obnoxious and horrible? Is he trying to channel Jonathan from Jonathan and Victoria?

DANIELLE/DANI - There isn't really much to say about a team that agrees to being called the "Double Ds" (it's a play on their names, but I think we all know the other meaning). It annoyed me that this team decided to try to use their looks and low-cut clothing to complete the Detour, so I was glad when it didn't work.

BJ/Tyler - Definitely the fun team of this edition. They don't seem to take anything too seriously, which has been working to their advantage.

RAY/YOLANDA - This is one of my favorite teams. They work very well together and they seem to have a great relationship. I'm interested to see how things develop since they have been long-distance dating their entire courtship (a staggering 5 years!).

JOHN/SCOTT - This is a fun team as well, although they did bicker a bit on the first leg. I liked that John was able to conquer his fear of flying (even lifting off in a helicopter!).

DAVE/LORI - The self-proclaimed "Geek Team" of the race. They have a very loving relationship that borders on a little too PDA for me at times, but it's nice to see a couple get along so well on this show because we usually see the opposite. Although, the race is still young. We'll check back in with them closer to the end when they're stuck in a taxi facing elimination with a driver that doesn't know where he's going.

ERIC/JEREMY - This is another team that I don't like. Yes, they're funny, but they lost so many points with me when they said that they want lots of money, but don't want to work for it. This team will forever be known to me as Team Slacker because of this proclamation.

FRAN/BARRY - This is the token "older team" that seems to have become a staple of each season. I actually like these teams, so I'm all for TAR bringing them onboard each season. They tend to prove that muscle and youth aren't the only determining factors on who succeeds in the race.

LISA/JONI - These two sisters are hysterical! The one who wet her pants had me cracking up. I want them to stay around just for the comic relief.

JOSEPH/MONICA - Better known as "MoJo" (it's a combination of the first two letters of each of their names). I (heart) this team. They remind me JonVito and Jill from several seasons back who are possibly my most favorite team ever! I have high hopes for this team. Monica has a few stress issues, but I'm hoping she can keep it together.

WANDA/DESIREE - Another one of my favorite teams so far. They work well together and they seem to be very on their game.

In the end, best friends John and Scott landed in last place and were eliminated from the race. What did you think of the premiere? Are you happy to have the real Race back? How about the teams? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.


And now we move to a more debated hot topic at the moment with last Sunday's episode of Cold Case. We finally met Lil's mystery motorcycle man, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The rumblings on the Internet stretch from happiness to complete hatred regarding the storyline. It seems a line has been drawn between thinking it worked and thinking it didn't. I find myself somewhere in the middle. I was disappointed because I was hoping that this new relationship would be more of...well...a relationship. It didn't come across that way to me, though. I really wanted Ray to just kiss Lilly or something, but it never came to fruition. I'm holding out hope that we haven't seen the last of this storyline, but the actor (Brennan Elliot - see below) is not listed in the cast list for the next two episodes, so it doesn't seem too promising. I did like the way the case seemed to parallel Lilly's life, especially with the whole "Bad Boy" thing. Roween seemed to lose herself with Julious and even went as far as to agree to the robbery. Lilly seemed to do the same thing back when she first met Ray and they almost got married. Both women had a sensible side that kicked in when it needed to, and neither went through with their plans. Roween tried to help Phil, and it ended up causing her death. Lil moved on, but she obviously got back in touch with Ray recently since the two seem to have been hooking up prior to this episode, but I think she realizes that she and Ray more than likely will not end up together because their lives are just too different. Their scene in the interrogation room seemed to sum it up perfectly - she cares for him (maybe more than she's willing to accept), but she's trying to keep herself from getting close to him because she has been burned too many times. I did like the way we saw a different facet to Lilly, but she still remained within her normal perimeters. For instance, she told Scotty she needed another minute with Ray, but she also told Ray that she couldn't blow off work to hang out with him. It was a nice contrast to the "new" and "old" Lilly. We also got to see her actually happy with someone, which was something that we really didn't see with Kite. Oh, and Kathryn Morris just earned a tremendous amount of brownie points with me (As if she needed more with me - we all know I think she's fabulous!) for this tremendous transformation. She went from:

"Oh crap!" she tells Scotty after seeing Ray pull up on his Harley

To:

A smiley, flirtier Lilly

All in the course of a few steps as she said goodnight to Scotty and walked forward to meet Ray. It was also the moment when we all realized that she and Ray had a little secret thing going on. She had me fooled until the big smile in this scene, and then it was all clear. Overall, I enjoyed the episode. I just hope we haven't seen the last of this little mini-relationship between Lil and Ray.

About Last Night... Fox won the first hour of the night with American Idol, followed by CBS' NCIS and NBC's Deal or No Deal. At 9, Fox continued its dominance with the last half hour of American Idol and comedy The War at Home, followed by CBS' premiere of The Amazing Race and ABC comedies According to Jim and George Lopez. The final hour of the night went to NBC's Law & Order: SVU, followed by ABC's Boston Legal and the final hour of CBS' The Amazing Race. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - The ten remaining guys perform tonight on Fox's American Idol. NBC continues its week-long every night run of Deal or No Deal. Over on UPN, find out what some of the former contestants are doing now on America's Next Top Model: Where the Girls Are.

@9 p.m. - Fox premieres its latest comedy Free Ride at 9:30. The show follows the antics of a recent college grad who moves back home. UPN repeats an interesting episode of Veronica Mars as Veronica helps Keith determine who is haunting the bus crash victims' families.

@10 p.m. - Barbara Walters airs her annual Oscar special on ABC. Tonight, she interviews George Clooney, Patrick Dempsey, Matthew McConaughey and Mariah Carey.



QUICK CUTS

*We finally have a return date for ABC's Alias! The spy caper will return later this spring to finish its final season. The show will come back with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, April 19th, and will occupy the 8 o'clock timeslot for the run of its final episodes. ABC also announced Tuesday that current timeslot occupants, George Lopez and Freddie, will end their seasons earlier than expected to make room for Alias. Invasion, which will take a four-week break to make room for The Evidence beginning March 22nd, will also return April 19th.

*Rob Lowe is returning to NBC's The West Wing later this spring. The actor will reprise his role as speech writer Sam Seaborn for the final two episodes of the political drama. Joining Lowe for at least one of the final five episodes will be Mary-Louise Parker, Deavere Smith, Emily Proctor, Marlee Matlin, Gary Cole, Tim Matheson, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish. The show will end its seven season run this spring on NBC.

*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday! NBC won the week in total viewers, but Fox won in the 18-49 year old group. NBC was led by its Olympic coverage, which grabbed the 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th spots. Fox was led by that ratings jauggernaut American idol, which found itself in 1st, 2nd and 7th place. Dancing with the Stars - finale(#3), Grey's Anatomy (#6) and Dancing with the Stars - Thursday (#9) rounded out the top 10. For the list of the top 20 shows from last week, click on over to USA Today.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the return of the Scrubies and a photo tour of the Veronica Mars' set! And be sure to tune in later this week and next for more on my Veronica set visit. I have plenty of pictures and stories to share with you. I also have some scoop on America's Next Top Model that I will share with you next week before the big premiere. Plus, all the latest television news!

SAVE EVERWOOD NOW! Click HERE to learn how to help the show get another season

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