Lilly Reminds Us Why Alcohol and Cell Phones Don't Mix! Plus Sutherland Stays with '24' and ABC Breaks New Ground

You know, I had my doubts about last night's 1929 Cold Case. I mean, how were they possibly going to have enough witnesses still alive and with detailed enough memories about events that happened 77 years ago? Clearly, the brilliant minds behind this hit crime drama were way ahead of me. Instead of relying on witness accounts, the story of Violet's murder was told through journals, writings from the time and stories past down through family members. It was all very clever, really. It was also very engaging. Even though I tend to find that the older cases make fascinating history lessons, I don't usually get as emotionally invested as I do the cases from the 80s and sooner, but this season has been a different story. This show has done a nice job of incorporating the history into the older cases, but also making them extremely relevant at the same time. It's an impressive feat, and last night's delving into the high society of the 1920s on the verge of the stock market collapse, was no exception. In fact, I was highly vested in Violet and her journey through Nick Bartleby's twisted web until the very end. I liked that the clock they showed us early on held tremendous significance and unlocked the mystery of who killed her, but the actual killer wasn't very believable for me. I also felt like the pacing was a bit off. The case was moving along at a nice pace and revealing clues piece by piece until the very end. It seemed like they ran out of time, so they simply threw the resolution together. Maybe Lilly's side story with her mother (much more on that later) proved to be too demanding on the episode, leaving the case a little hurried. I don't know. The rest of the story was so well done that the somewhat thrown together ending wasn't a deal breaker for me. I actually really enjoyed this episode. I loved seeing Lena again, and I LOVED the big smile on Will's face when he spent time with her. Her insight was wonderful, and I'd love to see Will start dating her. Kat and Vera crack me up. They get the best one-liners! Just a side note, if you're wondering about the beautiful ending song "300 Flowers," it was an original piece written by composer Michael A. Levine with lyrics by the episode's writer Liz Garcia.


For those of you who are late to the game, let me provide a brief summary of Lilly and her mother. We don't know much other than her mother was an alcoholic, sent Lilly to the store in the middle of the night to get alcohol for her on many occasions (one of those times, Lilly was beaten and attacked), she constantly had different men coming in and out of their apartment and she blew what little money the family had on booze to the point where Lilly would get to school early to get the free breakfast and bum lunch off of other kids. Needless to say, they don't have a great relationship. So, I was surprised at how civil they were to each other, particularly in the first scene at the coffee shop when Lilly found out that her mother was getting married for the fourth time and she wanted Lilly to be her maid-of-honor. Things quickly heated up at their next meeting over dinner at the bar/restaurant downtown. How uncomfortable must fiance Jackie have been? I understand why Ellen hasn't told him about her past problems with alcohol, but Lilly's right in that he needs to know, although, it's really none of her business. What got me was the way her mother brushed off her attack when she was 10 years old as an accident because Lilly "was always running off in the middle of the night." If that wasn't enough, she then blamed Lil's attack on living in a bad neighborhood. Lilly, who normally doesn't drink or drinks very little when she does, kept the booze flowing - BAD IDEA! Things got worse when Lilly's personal life came up, and it wasn't too long before she was stomping out of the bar/restaurant with her unfinished drink in hand and telling her mother that she wouldn't be attending her wedding. I know, you're thinking exactly what I was thinking - things really can't get any worse. Oh, but they can and did. As she stood outside the back entrance of the bar finishing her drink, essentially, drinking alone and dodging strange looks from other patrons, she decided to pick up her cell phone. Right here, I knew this wasn't going to be good, but there's no way I could have predicted what happened next. The number she dialed had an answering machine with a male voice (Motor Cycle Ray, right? Wrong!!). She drunk dialed Kite; her ex-boyfriend from season one who dumped her after she chose her job over him. Here's what unfolded next as she drunkenly slurred her words to his answering machine:

She starts off by identifying herself in that drunk matter-of-fact way.

She then moves to explaining that their "ship has sailed," so she isn't calling about rekindling (thankfully).

She experiences a brief moment of clarity where I thought she was going to hang up the phone, but alas, she did not and things got worse. She decided that she was "just going to say it." "It," being what's on her mind.

Not before taking one more sip, though.

Apparently, "it" was that she was going to change because she's tired of walking home alone. She was sure to include that her mother thinks that she can't change, but she can.

This was the "Oh crap!" moment of the entire scene. It seems Kite came in on the end of her message, picked up the phone and said "Lilly?" She, of course, quickly hung up the phone, looking a little more sober and a lot more shocked.

This scene was sheer brilliance! We're so used to seeing Lilly completely in control, even when she's in relationships. Or last season when she tearfully faced down serial killer George Marks, she maintained control of her emotional state like a pro. But in a moment of weakness fueled by the realization that her mother, who has had a rough life, found the happiness that eludes her, and egged on by the alcohol that prevented her from stopping herself, Lilly finally lost it. And it was a true, poignant and deeply emotional moment for the show, as was the final scene when Lilly seemed to accept her mother's happiness. I wasn't sure whether she would bury the hatchet and show up at the wedding. I was glad they had her stay strong on the no maid- of- honor thing, but still show up at the wedding. It was a change to see Lil's hair up again, since it has been down for most of the season (Remember when the ending montage/personal time scenes used to show her with her hair down and it was a big deal? It seems the tables have turned. Too funny!). You guys know I love Kathryn Morris, and last night was just another example on a long list of why. She played the drunk dial scene so perfectly, and it was yet another scene that should earn her an Emmy nomination but won't. Honestly, her performance last night (across the board) was the definition of brilliance in my very humble opinion. I will never stop lobbying for her or Kristen Bell because they're both too talented to go so unnoticed!

There is some excellent Cold Case award-related news today. Congratulations to the cast and crew for their win at the GLAAD Media Awards over the weekend. Writer Liz Garcia, director Mark Pellington and creator/executive producer Meredith Stiehm accepted the award for Outstanding Individual Episode Saturday night at the bash. The episode "Best Friends" tied for the win with the pilot episode for My Name is Earl. "Best Friends" aired last May on CBS and it told the story the relationship between two girls in 1932. One of them ended up dead after their stolen bootlegging truck went off a bridge. It's nice to see the series get some well-deserved recognition! The awards will air April 15th on Logo and April 16th on VH1.

About Last Night... CBS won the first hour of the night with its combination of the end of 60 Minutes and the beginning of Cold Case, followed by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and NBC's The West Wing. At 9, ABC took the lead with the second hour of Ex. Makeover: HE, followed by CBS' combination of the end of Cold Case and the beginning of the CBS movie and NBC's Law & Order: CI. The final hour of the night went to ABC's Grey's Anatomy (r), followed by NBC's Crossing Jordan and CBS' movie. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Lincoln fears for Michael's sanity on Fox's Prison Break. NBC airs another edition of Deal or No Deal.

@9 p.m. - Ephram talks Kyle into accepting the invitation of a pretty classmate to go to a school dance, but Kyle has a terrible evening on the WB's Everwood. Over on Fox, new discoveries regarding the day's horrific events keep agent Jack Bauer away from CTU on 24. ABC's updated take on The Ten Commandants begins tonight and concludes tomorrow night.




QUICK CUTS

*24's Kiefer Sutherland isn't going anywhere, at least not for the next three years. The actor signed a deal with the show's producer, 20th Century Fox TV, that keeps him there through 2009. The deal also allows Sutherland to produce new material through his new production company. Fox has already renewed 24 for another season.

*ABC will soon be offering episodes of some of its hit shows for free on its web site. Lost, Commander In Chief, Desperate Housewives and Alias will all be available for download during the months of May and June. The trial, which will be ad-supported, will include current episodes of the series, and the entire season of Alias. ABC is the first network to offer episodes from multiple shows on its web site.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for The Bob Newhart Show (season 3) to hit store shelves tomorrow along with Farscape (volume 9) and In Living Color (season 5). To see a complete list of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

While I was out in San Diego on my Veronica Mars set visit, a reporter with the San Diego Union-Tribune followed us around for her feature on blogs. Well, that feature is now finished and up on the newspaper's site. Writer Karla Peterson followed us around the entire day, and she wrote a very insightful piece on the role of television blogs. It's worth checking out. Here's an excerpt:

They came to San Diego from Boston; Seattle; Matawan, N.J.; and other cities not known for their friendly February weather. So when the visitors touring the “Veronica Mars” set ended up eating their lunch outside in the rain, you'd think someone would have complained.

But no one did, because no one cared. The skies over the set may have been blustery, but it was a beautiful day in the “Veronica Mars” blogosphere.

To read more from Karla Peterson's article on the set visit as well as the role of television blogs, click on over to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on Everwood! Plus, all the latest television news!


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FRIDAY FUN: Insight Into the Mysterious Lilly Rush

Because there just isn't enough Cold Case coverage in the world, I present this edition of Friday Fun that is of course, jam-packed with plenty of it! First up, check out some pictures from this hot Julie Dennis Brothers photoshoot with series star Kathryn Morris courtesy of KathrynMorrisOnline (accompanied by a recent article).

Cold Case, Hot Career
By Jay S. Jacobs
POPenterainment.com

Unlike the cases investigated by her TV alter ego, Detective Lilly Rush of the Philadelphia PD, there is nothing cold about Kathryn Morris.

She is the face of Cold Case, the Sunday night police drama which has quietly become one of television's biggest hits. The solidly crafted weekly whodunit about unsolved mysteries features some of the most intriguing cases on television evocatively spanning eras, tones and musical genres with one of the strongest ensemble casts on the air.

Now in the middle of its third season on the air, Cold Case may not get quite as much press as its flashier Jerry Bruckheimer produced cousins like the CSI series or Without a Trace, but it has been firmly entrenched high up the Nielsen ratings lists since its debut. Websites devoted to the cases and the music played on the show have popped up all over the internet. The series has routinely trounced timeslot competitors like American Dreams, The West Wing, The Simpsons and Arrested Development.

That means a lot, because it's a big investment," Morris says of the faithfulness of the show's fan base. A big investment of time and following the show [from] people that believed in us from the beginning.

It is particularly gratifying because this is Morris's breakout role. She has been working in television and film for years, but none of her previous parts had received near the scrutiny.


More excerpts from the article and insight into the mysterious character of Lilly Rush:

On Lilly's choice of profession:

"She wanted to make some kind of difference. She wanted to be needed in some way to this planet. She became guarded due to many incidences in her life. Being a workaholic cold case cop, working with dead people, makes it a lot easier to be detached, really. And she's with a bunch of guys. It's a macho work. They're not expecting her to get all warm and fuzzy. But they do completely respect her tool of being completely emotionally connected and safe for these victims and witnesses. They know that I could get the confession, because they'll feel safe with me. Because I am a woman. Because I'm soft. Because I'm like a sister, like a best friend. Like a girlfriend, and also, maybe, an intimidating hardass. That's what I try to play with."

On Lilly's experience with serial killer George Marks last season:

"George the serial killer was just so exciting for me," Morris says, enthusiastically. I really love working with that actor, John Billingsley. We worked so well together. It was the process of just doing that whole sequence, the two episodes together. That was very thrilling for me. Also, because the time between, when he was gone, I knew that he was going to show up again."

On her co-stars:

"They are the best," Morris enthuses. "I honestly can say that I could not have picked four better guys to spend my years with. We're very close. We've got each others' backs as actors and as people. They're all truly in it for the right reason - meaning the acting. They're friendships that will last a lifetime. That's very rare in this business, and extremely rare in a series. Everybody's kind of grown up on the show. Plus, they really treat me with a lot of respect."

On her own future:

"Just all the experiences I've had so far, I'd like to just continue this and work with even better and more fascinating people as time goes on. I don't ever picture myself being a flashy, overexposed celebrity. If I became enormously famous, I'm sure it would be for my work. I would much rather it be for my work than anything else."

To read more from Morris on her role as Lilly Rush and her experiences on Cold Case, click on over to POP Entertainment. To see more of her photoshoot, click on over to KathrynMorrisOnline.


Have you ever wondered about the two cats that share Lil's house on the hit crime drama? Well, wonder no more because CBS Watch Magazine has an article on the crime fighter's furry friends (a special thanks to Irishkale from Look Again for the scan and the screen captures). Did you know neither cat suffers from a disability in real life? Or that the idea for the disabled cats came from star Kathryn Morris? The show's executive producer Meredith Stiehm explains they're a part of Lilly's psyche.

"She goes to the weakest person and she's drawn to help. In her work she's speaking for the dead, the forgotten, and the tossed aside. So Kathryn thought it was appropriate for Lilly to have pets that otherwise would have been tossed aside or considered defective."

To read more about these two cats, click HERE. And of course, what would an edition devoted to Cold Case be if it didn't delve into the ever present issue of Lilly's hair? New Zealand's Stuff web site gets to the bottom of Lil's 'do. Morris says the obsession with her character's locks is a total surprise to her. She tells the site:

"Oh, God! That hair thing is crazy, isn't it? I never in a million years thought that I would become some sort of hair icon. And there really is no special cut. I just took one big bobby pin, jammed it in my hair and twisted it up behind me. I figured that's the kind of thing Lilly Rush would do."

To read more about that infamous 'do, click on over to NZ's Stuff site. Cold Case airs Sunday nights on CBS. Be sure to catch this week's episode featuring guest stars Meredith Baxter (as Lilly's estranged mother) and June Lockhart!!


That's all for this edition of Friday Fun! Be sure to check back here Monday for the latest edition of Pass the Remote and next Friday for another installment of Friday Fun! Have a great weekend everyone!

Mollie Sue's 'Model' Talk! Plus, 'CSI,' 'Earl' and Guest Star News

This week's elimination on America's Next Top Model came down to personality. Unfortunately for Mollie Sue (left - photo courtesy UPN), the judges felt that she just didn't have the right one for the competition. Blame it on her nerves. "I just became so completely nervous. It was so intimidating," the 25-year old Tampa waitress told bloggers last night during a teleconference. "Being a fan of the show for so long, this was so huge for me." Mollie Sue says that she was "so glad" that guest Nick Cannon said that she had a huge personality during this week's improv exercise with the Drumline actor. One thing she wasn't nervous about was her makeover. "I was hoping to walk in and have them hack [my hair] all off," she says enthusiastically. Nor was she nervous about the shoot that found the girls wearing bald caps. She says she was very happy with the way the picture turned out. "It was a really cool idea for a first shoot," she explains. She counts the falling fairy tale shoot as her most challenging, explaining that it was difficult to get all the elements right. "You'd get your body right and then your face would be wrong," she recalls. She says the experience was frustrating, especially since it appeared as if that she wasn't trying. Like last week's eliminee, Gina, Mollie Sue has nothing but nice things to say about fellow contestant Danielle. "She's one of the most amazing people I've ever met. One of my top 5 people ever," Mollie Sue says sincerely. She'd like to see Danielle win the competition, saying that she has "that package" of the right personality and look. Mollie Sue began modeling when she was 15 years old after her mother showed her pictures of Twiggy. She says she finally saw a model that she could relate to, being that awkward skinny girl. She also counts Kate Moss as one of her aspirations, and she plans to keep pursuing this dream. In fact, the recently married model is moving to New York next week to try to make her dream come true. And she offers this advice to all the girls out there hoping to live the same dream that she lived on America's Next Top Model: "Just be yourself." America's Next Top Model airs Wednesday nights on UPN.


Last night's psychic-inspired episode of CSI presented the age-old discussion between science and the occult. Did psychic Sedona really foresee her own death, or was it all apart of her moneymaking business and the power of suggestion? We know that she didn't know that Gordon Wallace killed his wife and buried her in Summerlin. Grissom found a note in Sedona's notebook that said Wallace's wife is in Summerland, a pagan mystical place where souls go before they reincarnate, not Summerlin as Detective Jameson heard. As Greg so appropriately reiterated, Detective Jameson's hearing of Summerlin instead of Summerland, which led him to the body, was all an indication of the power of suggestion. So powerful, that it ended up costing Sedona her life. It seems she never saw that coming.


Was Juliette Lewis born to play that role on My Name is Earl last night, or what? She was perfect as the revenge-seeking Jessie. So Earl married Joy after her friends spotted him in a bar and she decided that he would make the perfect provider for her and her unborn child. In an effort to coax him into marrying a random pregnant woman, her friends got him drunk and the two were married. Too bad that left Jessie, Earl's girlfriend at the time, on the outs, but it did set up a funny confrontation when she found out. Joy knocked out her two front teeth in the altercation. Now, seven years later, Jessie wanted her revenge, so she trained as a bounty hunter to get Joy for a $200 traffic ticket she skipped out on. I loved Randy's Mad-Libs scenes and Joy's second fight that knocked out Jessie's two now-gold front teeth. Classic Joy, and classic funny.

About Last Night...CBS won the first hour of the night with Survivor, followed by NBC's Will & Grace and My Name is Earl (r) and ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - After the Storm. At 9, CBS' CSI easily won the hour, followed by ABC's American Inventor and NBC comedies My Name is Earl and Teachers (r). The final hour of the night went to CBS' Without a Trace (r), followed by NBC's ER (r) and ABC's Primetime. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Country singer Tim McGraw headlines a concert special on NBC featuring special guests Hank Williams Jr and wife Faith Hill.

@9 p.m. - Danny and Delinda are surprised when sparks fly between them on NBC's Las Vegas with special guest stars Dean Cain and Shawn Christian. Over on CBS, Annabeth attempts to link several of her former classmates to the murder of their high school friend who dies after a game of touch football on Close to Home.

@10 p.m. - Don and his team investigate a school shooting only to be surprised with one of the suspects on CBS' Numb3rs. Over on NBC, a routine shift at a psychiatric ward turns the system upside down on Conviction.

SUNDAY EDITION
@8 p.m. - Lilly tackles her oldest case to date - the1929 unsolved murder of a woman - after the victim's pregnant great granddaughter discovers the error while researching her family history. Meanwhile, Lilly's mother (guest star Meredith Baxter) comes to Lilly with an unexpected request on CBS' Cold Case. Over on NBC, the election results are in on The West Wing.

@9 p.m. - A night at the opera leads to murder on NBC's Law & Order: CI.

@10 p.m. - A teenage girl winds up murdered and the prime suspect is a schizophrenic living in a halfway house in the neighborhood on NBC's Crossing Jordan.



QUICK CUTS

*Elizabeth Banks is Scrubbing in to NBC's Scrubs next month. The 40 Year Old Virgin actress will play a doctor with the hots for JD (Zach Braff) according to today's Ausiello Report at TVGuide.com. The role is expected to continue into next season, assuming NBC picks up the comedy for another year. Look for Banks' first episode to air May 9th on NBC. In other casting notes, the Ausiello Report is also breaking news that 24's Mary Lynn Rajskub will guest star on the season finale of the WB's Gilmore Girls. She'll play an aspiring singer who goes to Stars Hollow in hopes of being discovered after an agent selects the town's troubadour to open for Neil Young. Look for her episode to air May 9th on the WB.

*Director Steven Spielberg and reality kingpin Mark Burnett are teaming up for a new reality series that will search for the next big director. The series, dubbed On the Lot, will give aspiring directors a chance to win a development deal with DreamWorks, the studio Spielberg co-created. The sixteen finalists will be divided into teams and then charged with directing a short film each week with a crew of professional actors, writers and craftspeople. The role of director will rotate each week. A panel of expert judges will then judge the films. Look for the series to premiere next season on Fox.

*And finally, FX is setting a return date for its hit fire drama Rescue Me. The network isn't releasing any details about the upcoming third season, but we do know that Susan Sarandon signed on for a three-episode stint. Look for the new season to premiere May 30th on FX.

Quick Web site update: Things are coming along smoothly with PassTheRemote.net. It should be up and running soon. I got stalled last weekend by an illness, but things should be moving along again this weekend. I will be giving you the launch date very soon. To read all about the new site and what it will include, click HERE. Stay tuned!

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for thoughts on Cold Case (Lilly's mother is coming! I wonder what kind of trouble this will spell for our poor Lil). Plus all the latest television news! And be sure to check back here later today for another exciting edition of Friday Fun where you'll get hot insight into one of television's favorite crimefighters. Stay Tuned...



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'Veronica' Gets Implosive! Plus, Hurley in Wonderland, 'Idol' and 'Model'

Can Veronica Mars be any more awesome? I mean, I'm sure it could, but it's hard to imagine after seeing episodes like last night's first rate outing. Once again, creator/executive producer Rob Thomas didn't let is down when he declared this episode his favorite so far. So many interesting, integral things happened that I'm still working to decode it all. First of all, no big surprise that Thumper is to blame for Felix's murder. It also wasn't a huge surprise to learn that Felix lost his life because of his relationship with Molly Fitzpatrick. We knew that Thumper was working with the Fitzpatricks because Veronica learned several episodes back that he was selling drugs for them at Neptune High. Since he is also a PCHer, it made sense that the Fitzpatricks would turn to him when they wanted Felix dead for dating Molly. What I didn't know was that Thumper basically set up Felix's death. He apparently lied about things that Felix had said about Molly, and the Fitzpatricks bought it. Logan was the perfect fall guy and Dr. Griffith was the perfect fake witness because he was in big time to the Fitzpatricks for his coke habit. The real witness was too afraid to come forward because he lives near the PCHers, and thus, Logan gets the blame. Case closed, except for the small fact that Sheriff Lamb refused to believe any of it because Veronica and Weevil didn't have any legally obtained proof. This didn't make Weevil too happy, so he took matters into his own hands and set up Thumper. He drugged him and stole the Fitzpatricks' cash that Thumper was supposed to drop at the church confessional. When Thumper showed empty handed up at the Fitzpatricks', the gang refused to believe his story and they gagged and tied him to a urinal in an undisclosed location. From the sounds of things, it seemed that Thumper was in the old Shark Stadium bathroom - the very same stadium that was about to be imploded. We saw Thumper's bike chained to the infrastructure, but I'm not going to assume that Thumper died in the implosion. He may have been tied up to a different bathroom in the vicinity. We'll just have to see.


In other Mars happenings, Beaver and Mac seem to be dunzo after she pressed him about their lack of physical contact. Beav kept using Dick as an excuse, but something seemed to be up there. I'm not sure why he was acting weird about it, but he definitely seemed on edge. Logan won the essay contest and the week-long job in Mayor Woody Goodman's office. Speaking of Woody, is this guy seeming more and more guilty by the week or what? He has Keith look into a bizarre DVD he got in the mail that shows the inside of his house. Keith determines from the time of day and darkness factor that the DVD was shot in November or December, so it can't possibly have anything to do with Woody's incorporation plan. Next thing we know, he's telling Keith to drop the case because he discovered that it was his wife's gardener who was upset with his firing over some dead hydrangias. It wasn't so much the lame story, but the way he told it in such an overly convincing way. I wonder if the DVD actually has something to do with the bus crash. Does someone have something on the good mayor and his possible involvement with the crash? I think the clue is definitely hidden on that DVD that Keith so industriously copied onto his computer. Woody seemed a little too insistent that he get his DVD back for it to not have some dirt on him. Meanwhile, the Sadie Hawkins dance brought a few surprises. Jackie, determined to change her man-eating beyotch image, asked a mentally disabled kid to the dance and seemed to have a good time. Wallace went with Jane, but spent most of his night pining over Jackie, whom he kissed in the parking lot as she was leaving. Needless to say, Wallace and Jane are dunzo, but Jackie isn't hoppin' on the Wallace bandwagon. She's really working hard at changing her reputation, and going with Wallace right after he broke up with Jane isn't the best way to go about it. Logan manned the ticket table with Woody's daughter, but Veronica (who was taking pictures) rescued him after Gia almost drove him insane. The two shared a somewhat intimate moment as they took to the dance floor. From the looks of things, Logan still has it bad for Veronica.

Random Mars Musings

1) Logan copying Easy Rider and winning the essay contest was priceless, as was Veronica's annoyed reaction.
2) There were so many awesome lines last night, but one of my favorites transpired between Lamb ("There's got to be something outstanding we can get him on") and Weevil ("If I did it, then it's definitely outstanding").
3) Logan booting Lamb from his parking spot was one of the best things this season. I'm still laughing at Lamb's reaction.
4) Veronica's face off with Lamb in his office was classic as well. I loved the way she pointed out that she had done his job for him, so the least he could do was to go get the legal evidence to arrest Thumper.
5) Furonda wasn't bad! I'm usually not a fan of the Top Model guest stars, but she did a decent job as Woody's secretary.

What did you think about last night's revelations? How about the episode as a whole? Feel free to drop me a comment with your thoughts. Also, don't forget to take advantage of your chance to be on national TV during an upcoming episode of Veronica Mars. All you need to do is film you and your friends at your VM viewing party and send it in! Click HERE for all the details.


So Lost decided to toy with us a bit last night. One of the theories about this show is that the island, plane crash and survivors are all apart of someone's imagination. Last night, the show delved into the possibility that it's Hurley's imagination triggered by his history of mental illness. Things got even more complicated at the end when we flashed back to Hurley's time in the mental hospital when he and "Dave" had their picture taken and we saw Libby, who had been helping Hurley through his recent illusions on the island, sitting at a table in the same mental hospital. Hurley did say that he recognized her from somewhere, and now we all know where. Is the island and everything that goes with it a part of Libby's imagination? Or is Hurley imagining it all and included Libby because he has seen her at the hospital? Or is this just another plot meant to confuse us even more? There's no way to know yet. It is interesting that the island, like Dave, seems to keep tempting him with food and not allowing him to lose weight. How cute was it when Hurley and Libby kissed? Elsewhere, Sayid managed to find out that the real Henry Gale was more than likely murdered, but "Henry" wouldn't give him any information. He did spill a few of the island's secrets. Apparently the bearded-guy isn't as powerful as we think and even God doesn't know where this island is located. What exactly does that mean? Assuming God is omniscient, where does that leave the island? And then there was the fact that Henry says he didn't enter the numbers into the computer, and yet, nothing happened (that we know of). If he's telling the truth, then this lends more credence to the social experiment theory, but if he's lying, then it could be a plot to get the survivors to stop entering the numbers. As usual, the plot thickens!


The Idol Moment
Well, this season is certainly shaping up to be a very unforgiving one. You have one bad performance, and you're gone the next night. It happened to Lisa last week and now Mandisa this week. I can't say that I'm sad to see Mandisa go. I think the girl is immensely talented, but something about her attitude bugs. Maybe it was her self-serving song choices or her seemingly religious exclusive attitude, but something just didn't sit well with me. Plus, she butchered that Shania Twain song the other night. I was surprised to see Elliot in the bottom three because he had received a lot of praise for his performance Tuesday night. I wasn't too surprised to see Paris there, though, because I know the judges (with the exception of Simon) were not pleased with her take on "How Do I Live." I thought she was great, but once again, one so-so performance landed her in the bottom 3 as it has the other contestants. I'm just happy that my girl Katharine McPhee was safe this week. She really rocked the house with her rendition of Faith Hill's "Bringing out the Elvis."


The Model Moment
We were so close to getting rid of Jade! Somehow, I knew it was too good to be true, and Mollie Sue (left - photo courtesy UPN) would be the one to go home. Honestly, I thought that Brooke was going home after her horrendous Covergirl commercial and her inability to crack her shyness during the improv activities. Mollie Sue didn't seem any more inept than the others when she was doing her commercial. I think she was a victim of overcompensating. The judges had repeatedly told her that she needed to show more personality, so she over did it in the ad. Ultimately, they felt that she just didn't have the right personality to be a top model and there's no way of teaching it, so she was sent packing. Jade has the stuff, but her attitude is so loathsome. I'm still not over her Covergirl ad! And then to blame the director, it was just abhorable. She needs to grow up and learn to take some responsibility. I'm going to scream if she wins this competition. Last night's challenges proved quite difficult, even for the usually composed Nnenna. Of course, I'm sure her boyfriend drama was no help. Can you believe Jade told her to stay with him just so the drama would continue in the hopes of throwing Nnenna off??? That's a special kind of horrible!

About Last Night... NBC won the first hour of the night with Deal or No Deal, followed by Fox's Bones and CBS' The Amazing Race. At 9, Fox took the lead with the American Idol results show and Unan1mous, followed by ABC's Lost and CBS' Criminal Minds (r). UPN's Veronica Mars landed in fifth, ahead of the WB's Bedford Diaries. The final hour of the night went to CBS' CSI: NY (r), followed by NBC's Law & Order and ABC's The Evidence. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Another castaway is voted off on CBS' Survivor.

@9 p.m. - Grissom and his team investigate the case of a psychic who envisioned her own death on CBS' CSI. Over on NBC, Earl tries to fix #45 on his list - "ditched Jessie (guest star Juliette Lewis) to marry Joy." It's college acceptance letters time on Fox's The O.C.


QUICK CUTS

*Bernadette Peters and Josh Lucas are set to guest star on NBC's Will & Grace. Peters will play Karen's (Megan Mullally) sister and Lucas will offer Jack some sympathy after a professional setback. Look for the episode with both Peters and Lucas to air on May 11th on NBC.

*And finally, Whoopi Goldberg will guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent according to TV Guide. She'll play a foster mother gone bad on the hit crime drama. The role will be a recurring one in the future. Look for her episode to air in May on NBC.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts from Mollie Sue on her Top Model experience. Plus CSI, Earl and 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

'TAR' EDITION: The 'Race' Gets Fishy!

Is it just me or are these teams still the nicest teams (with the exception of Lake) to ever run this Race? They all get along well while still maintaining the competitive edge needed to propel them to the final. Maybe Team Hippie's kindness is wearing off on all? Whatever the reason, I'm loving it! Even Lake is getting a bit more tolerable lately (I'm sure he'll go ahead and ruin it next week). Anyway, all the nice teams left at their respective departure times and opened their clues to find that they had to drive 135 miles to Catania, Sicily and find the Antiteatro Romano to get their next clue. Team Hippie was first out the gate with Team Slacker close behind. Nothing too noteworthy here, except for Team Slacker's comment that even when they get ahead of Team Hippie it's no fun because the happy hippies just smile as they follow along behind them. Lake thought that Phil shorted him two dollars, but thanks to Michelle, he soon realized that he needed to check the rest of the envelope. Once at the Antiteatro Romano, Team Hippie learned that it didn't open until 8:30 a.m., so the ever resourceful team decided to create a makeshift sign-up list that would determine the next day's order. Team Slacker almost fell for it, even though the list was on crumbled, torn paper. It seems the word "official" threw them off. The funniest part of this little tactic was the way that Team Hippie was pretending to speak for Team Slacker, and everything they said was exactly what the two frat boys were saying! Classic! Now, I have to root for Team Hippie. See, their happiness is spreading through TV screens now! Man these two are infectious. Moving along, the two teams were so far ahead of the others that they were the only two at Antiteatro Romano when it opened the next morning. Once inside, they learned that they would need to count the statue heads on the fence posts that surrounded the amphitheater. Once they had the total, they would have to find the groundskeeper and give him the correct number to receive their next clue. I was really excited because I thought this was going to be one of those classic Amazing Race challenges that seems really easy, but turns out to be hard. You know the kind, teams count some random item, tell the appropriate dude, only to find that their counting is off, so they have to go recount. But alas, this was as easy as it sounded, and both teams quickly completed it and received their next clue, which happened to be a Detour: Big Fish or Little Fish. In Big Fish, teams had to walk to a local outdoor market and find a certain vendor who would give each team member a 32-pound swordfish. They then had to carry the fish 1/3 of a mile to another vendor to receive their next clue. In Little Fish, teams had to travel to the same market and sell four kilos of a small fish (Selling Detours are NEVER the way to go on this show!). Both teams wisely chose Big Fish, and despite being covered in fish juice, easily completed the task. They learned that they would need to drive 40 miles to Siracusa to find their next clue. Both teams took off for the destination.

Meanwhile, the rest of the teams soon discovered the advantage that the earlier teams had - no traffic. It seems that Catania is a city of 400,000 people and according to Lake, they were all driving on the roads he needed to drive on at the same time. Team Nerds got more and more frustrated as Fran/Barry got more and more lost (I know, par for the course). Team MoJo seemed to navigate through the mess much easier than the other teams and quickly reached Antiteatro Romano. They began counting the heads, but Mo came up with 41 (the correct number) and Jo came up with 40, luckily for them, Jo decided that Mo must be right and they received their next clue with Fran/Barry in hot pursuit (thanks to Fran's assertion that the groundskeeper must be on the ground). MoJo chose Big Fish (which was a BIG mistake for them), while Fran/Barry chose Little Fish. Things started out well for MoJo, but Monica's stress issues coupled with her frustration soon took over and she became a crying mess. The team got more and more frustrated as they couldn't find the right vendor. Meanwhile, Fran/Barry began selling their fish, but business was a little slow. It started to pick up a bit, adding to MoJo's frustration. Finally, MoJo found the vendor, got their clue, and began making their way to Siracusa. Monica was very upset about the fish guts all over her white tank top. Fran/Barry finished selling their 4 kilos, and they too were on their way to Siracusa. Meanwhile, Lake/Michelle reached Antiteatro Romano and quickly completed the counting task. At the Detour, the team chose Big Fish and easily delivered the 32-pound fish thanks to Michelle's 3-year old (she said that she could carry the fish because she was used to carrying her 3-year old). Lake/Michelle took off for Siracusa, but Lake wanted to pay a taxi driver to navigate them out of the crowded streets of Catania. Michelle tried to tell him that she knew the way and they would see a sign, but he was insistent (as usual). Luckily, he saw the sign right in front of his face and the two were on their way. Ray/Yolanda and Team Nerds finally reached Antiteatro Romano and quickly completed the counting task. Both teams chose Big Fish, and neither seemed to have much difficulty with it. They, too, were finally on their way to Siracusa.


Team Slacker reached Siracusa first, and encountered this leg's Roadblock. This task required one team member to play kayak polo and score a goal. Jeremy opted for the challenge, but started off a bit shaky when he bumped into another player's kayak. Soon enough, he scored the goal and Team Slacker opened their clue to learn that they would need to travel by foot to the next Pit Stop. Team Hippie wasn't far behind as they completed the Roadblock and began the search for the Pit Stop. In the end, Team Slacker reached the mat first, with Team Hippie not too far behind. Back at the Roadblock, Fran/Barry arrived before Team MoJo, but Barry struggled to score the goal. Team MoJo arrived and Jo made easy work of the task, allowing the dating couple to once again pull ahead of Fran/Barry. Barry didn't struggle for too much longer, though, and the married couple soon completed the task and made their way to the Pit Stop. Meanwhile, Lake/Michelle reached the Roadblock, and Michelle decided that she needed to complete the task for once. She struggled to make the score, and Lake got frustrated on the sidelines (Can you even imagine this guy at his kids' sporting events? How many times do you think the refs have to eject him?). Michelle pointed out that the task wasn't as easy as it looked. She finally scored, and Lake gave us one of his usual displays of overexcitement. Then, the team opened their clue to find that they needed to travel by foot, which excited Lake so much that he couldn't contain it. He yelled out a "Whoo-hoo!" and threw his arm in the air. So, where does that leave us? That's right, Russia - bad. On foot - good. The "World According to Lake" is a very bizarre place. My laughter over his excitement soon subsided, though, because the greatest thing to ever happen on The Amazing Race happened. They cut to a shot of Phil waiting at the Pit Stop in true Phil style. There was a band playing and suddenly... wait for it... Phil danced!!! That's right, he was doing a little jig that will now be known forever as the PhilJig. His little arms were swinging and his legs were ahoppin' - there just aren't words to express the sheer awesomeness of this moment, so you're just going to have to trust me. Back at the race (which I couldn't pay much attention to after the PhilJig), Ray/Yolanda reached the Roadblock and Ray stumbled a bit as he tipped his kayak, but the miscue was short lived and the team made their way to the Pit Stop. Team Nerds got through the task and weren't far behind Ray/Yolanda, but it wasn't enough to beat them. Team Nerds came in last and were eliminated from the race. But, at least we got the PhilJig - we'll always have the PhilJig!

What did you think of last night's episode? Were you bummed about Team Nerds? Drop me a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to tune in later today for the regular edition jam-packed with thoughts on Veronica Mars and Lost. Plus, the Idol and Model moments and 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

Benson Wants a New Partner? Plus the Scrubies, News from 'Mars' and Nielsen Wednesday

Elliot (Meloni) comes to Olivia's (Hargitay) aide after she's cut in the throat (photo courtesy nbc.com)

Was last night's episode of Law & Order: SVU intense or what? Lou "La Bamba" Diamond Phillips makes for one nasty bad guy! I think my heart completely sunk when Elliot reached the little boy and he was already dead. After hearing how Phillips' character was beyond psychological help, I was glad when the sniper got him. Admittedly, the big stabbing/cutting scene was over hyped, but in this case, I'm glad it was because it meant that the episode's other secrets remained that way. I'm glad Olivia is OK. What is going on between Elliot and Olivia? I get that they put each other above the job, and thus, compromised the job, but the real question is why? Is there something between these two that goes beyond the normal partner relationship? Every time you read an article with either actor they'll swear up and down that Olivia and Elliot will never hook up, but they don't seem to rule out possible attraction between the two. Did Olivia decide that she needs a new partner because she's too close to Elliot and it's affecting her judgment? Or, does she have feelings for him that she knows she can't have? I was certainly getting that vibe from Elliot, particularly when he was talking to Huang. His real anger seemed to be aimed at himself for letting his feelings for Olivia cross the partner line. I got a similar vibe from Liv when she was pointing her gun at Phillips as he held one to Elliot's head. The way she tearfully said that she would have done the same for Elliot just seemed a little more than partners to me. This is definitely an interesting development if nothing else. I have a feeling that these two will never act on their feelings (if there are any there to begin with), but it's fun that the show is toying with it for now. I can't imagine an actual hook-up being good for the show, but raising the sexual tension could make things very interesting. We'll just have to see. What did you think about last night's shocker? What do you think is going on between Liv and Elliot? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.


Did last night's episode of Scrubs seems a little out of order to anyone else? There was no mention of Carla's pregnancy and they finally acknowledged JD's shaved head from a couple of episodes back. It was weird. Anyway, I loved the way JD's shaved head got him in with the religious group. What more can you say about an episode that manages to incorporate JD getting Turk's butt (to the tune of "Brick House" no less), a frat costume party gone very bad, references to Gilmore Girls, Dr. Cox finding his happy place, Janitor's evil eye plan, a Elliot/Keith and Perry/Jordan double date, a jealous JD, and Jordan identically dressing Perry and Keith? So much awesomeness packed into one half hour, I think my head is going to explode! Anyway, here's a look at last night's funniest, greatest and all around awesome lines.

The Scrubies
"You don't like Cox?" Elliot to Jordan on last names they dislike
"Oh, I love Cox." Jordan
"Greatest conversation ever!" The Todd

"What are you two going to do? Stay up late and eat raw cookie dough and pinky swear that your diet will start tomorrow?" Dr. Cox to Turk regarding Turk and JD's night off

"Mothers and daughters: they speak so fast, but they speak so true." Turk regarding Gilmore Girls

"I'm so mad at Lorelai, I can't even talk right now!" JD to Turk regarding Gilmore Girls

"I am so g-darned pissed right now." JD to Dr. Cox after he thinks that Dr. Cox is being nice to the interns and not him

"You handed it off to me like a tiny yellow baton." JD (regarding Dr. Cox's pencil) to Dr. Cox after he thinks he sees Dr. Cox being nice to the interns

There's a look at this week's Scrubies. As always, if you have a line that you would like to nominate for a Scrubie, drop me a comment and I'll publish it in a future edition. Also, you can always leave a comment on anything Scrubs related.

Well, Gilmore Girls finally returned last night. I enjoy this show, so I decided to start TiVo-ing it, but I won't get a chance to watch the episodes until the weekend. Here's a link to TV Guide's Watercooler (and its new blog format!) with all the dish on last night's outing.

About Last Night...Fox grabbed the first hour of the night with American Idol, followed by CBS' NCIS and ABC comedies According to Jim (r) and Hope & Faith. At 9, Fox maintained its lead with House, followed by CBS' The Unit and NBC comedies Scrubs and Teachers. The final hour of the night went to NBC's Law & Order: SVU, followed by CBS' CSI: Miami (r) and ABC's Boston Legal (r). For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - CBS' The Amazing Race moves to its new night and time! Yay! Tonight, the stress of the race gets to a lot of the teams as some get lost on their way to the next clue in Sicily. Over on UPN, the models tackle a Covergirl commercial that tests their improvisational skills and one of them wins a guest role on Veronica Mars. I've seen advanced clips of this episode and it doesn't look like the girls master the commercial too well, especially Sara (who incorporates a very un-Covergirl like image into her ad) and Brooke (who lets her stress affect her take). Elsewhere, Jade takes a rap too far at Furonda's expense and Nnenna continues to deal with her boyfriend drama. Over on NBC, look for a special edition of Deal or No Deal.

@9 p.m. - Remember how ya'll trusted Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas last week when he said that last week's episode was one of his favorites and it totally turned out to be awesome? Well, then you're in for a real treat tonight because this episode is Thomas' absolute favorite of the season so far! Tonight, Veronica works with Weevil to bring Felix's killer to justice (NOTE: this is the last Wednesday episode as the show will be moving to Tuesday nights next week). Also, while you're watching the fabulous Mars tonight, don't forget to film you and your friends watching it for a chance to be on UPN during a future episode of the series. Click HERE for all the details and be sure to read today's Quick Cuts for more Mars morsels. Over on ABC, Hurley asks for Libby's help when he begins to believe that the island is having a strange effect on him on Lost (NOTE: this episode runs until 10:05 p.m.). NBC switches Heist to an earlier time.

@10 p.m. - NBC moves Law & Order back to its original slot. Over on ABC, the tragic, accidental death of a newlywed husband prompts a wife to discover posthumously that her husband had been concealing a year-long battle with cancer on The Evidence (NOTE: Starts at 10:05 p.m.).



QUICK CUTS

*Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas is answering fan questions again at TVGuide.com. Today's Insider column has the answers to some of your burning questions including what Kendall was doing in Duncan's shower, if we'll see Veronica's mom again, scoop on Neptune High's upcoming prom and much more! Click on over to TVGuide.com for all the scoop on this awesome show straight from the source.

*American Idol castoff Lisa Tucker will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of Fox's The O.C. Tucker, a real-life Orange County resident, will return to the fictional O.C. just in time for the Harbour School's prom. Look for her episode to air April 27th on Fox. In other casting news, actress Parker Posey will make a three-episode guest appearance on ABC's Boston Legal. She'll play "a recent transfer from another firm and a blackberry-carrying politico looking to make partner," according to the press release. ABC hasn't released any air dates for her episodes.

*Feeling a little behind when it comes to your favorite ABC shows? Well, the network is here to help. Look for recap specials for Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy to air before the shows enter into May sweeps and their respective season finales. The network plans to air the Housewives and Anatomy refreshers on Sunday, April 23rd in each show's respective slot. Look for the Lost refresher to air April 26th in its normal slot.

*South Park, Battlestar Gallactica, House, The Shield and Boston Legal all have one thing in common - they're the most recent recipients of a Peabody Award. The awards honor the best of broadcasting in 2005 as determined by a panel consisting of industry executives, critics and "experts in culture and the arts." The University of Georgia has given out the awards for the past 65 years. This year's recipients will receive their statues when Jon Stewart hosts the ceremony in June.

*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday! CBS once again won the week in total viewers and Fox took the 18-49 crown. The Eye network was led by CSI (#3), Without a Trace (#7), CSI: Miami (#8) and Survivor (#9). American idol (#1, #2), Grey's Anatomy (#4), Desperate Housewives (#5), House (#6), and a three-way tie for the ninth spot between two episodes of Deal or No Deal and Lost rounded out the top 10. For more of last week's ratings and the full top 20, visit USA Today.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for something a little different. With The Amazing Race moving to Wednesdays and joining Lost, Veronica Mars and the Idol and Model moments, it's all too cumbersome for one edition. So, look for a special Amazing Race edition earlier in the day every Thursday and then the regular edition at its regularly scheduled time with thoughts on Lost, Veronica Mars and the Idol and Model moments. 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

Amy Branches Out! Plus, Sending Out an S.O.S, Stamos to the 'ER' and 'SVU' Guest Star News

Is Everwood's Amy Abbott the most realistic young woman on television? I've always felt that she was a realistic teenager, and now that she has moved on to college, she has grown into a very realistic young lady as well. Last night, she realized that her newly formed opinions developed during her college experience are in direct conflict with not only her best friend Hannah, but also her father. She wanted her father to teach the abortion procedure at her university, but he refused because he doesn't believe in the procedure. She ended up turning to Dr. Brown, which I thought she should have done all along, but I guess she wanted to share the experience with her dad. Amy is still trying to figure out who she is and what she believes, and college is broadening her experiences, so she's more than likely going to find herself at odds with her more conservative father and town more than she would probably like, but it's all a part of growing up. Meanwhile, we finally learned that Ephram wants to help Kyle out of guilt for "abandoning" his own son. Knowing that he has a son out there that he isn't a part of raising him is haunting Ephram and leaving him guilt ridden. And then there was Nina's struggle with how to act around Jake while he is overcoming his addiction to pain meds. I was really glad that Jake handled it himself without having Andy talk to her. Speaking of Andy, I loved his reaction to Delia's speech. She picked the perfect topic, and it was a nice shout-out to season one. I'm loving having this show back!

S.O.S

(Save Our Shows)

There's only a month left until all of the networks announce their fall schedules. That means new shows to look forward to all summer, but it also means that some of our favorites may not make the cut. Most of your Pass the Remote favorites are already guaranteed a slot (Cold Case, The Amazing Race, CSI, Without a Trace, America's Next Top Model, My Name is Earl) and others are considered shoe-ins (Desperate Housewives, Medium, Law & Order: SVU, Lost, Everybody Hates Chris). That leaves Veronica Mars, Everwood, Scrubs and Alias. Alias is ending its run this spring, leaving the other three in limbo. Mars, Everwood and Scrubs are certainly very high on the Pass the Remote list, so you can understand why I'm worried. These three shows are also three of the best written shows on television. It would be a shame to lose any of them. Hopefully, you're reading this now and frantically wondering what you can do to save each of these quality shows, and I'm here to give you all the pertinent information. The best thing you can do is to write to the appropriate people and let them know how passionate you are about these shows stuck on the bubble. Here's the who, what, when and where for the three aforementioned shows.

Veronica Mars

WHO: Current UPN President Dawn Ostroff (she'll be running programming at the new CW network) and CBS Corp.'s Les Moonves (CBS Corp. will own 50% of the new CW network and Mr. Moonves first proposed the VM/Gilmore Girls night)

WHAT: Glowing letters about television's best show. Don't forget to include you age/sex for demographic purposes. If you aren't up for letter-writing, MarsInvestigations.net has made it real easy with their postcards.

WHEN: Now!!

WHERE: Send your letters to:
Dawn Ostroff
UPN
11800 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Les Moonves
CBS Corp.
7800 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Everwood

WHO: Like VM, Everwood is vying for a spot on the new CW network, so letters should also be sent to Dawn Ostroff and Les Moonves.

WHAT: Letters that let the higher-ups know what a delight this show is and how it would make a great fit on the CW (neither Ostroff nor Moonves currently air the show since it is on the WB). Be sure to include your age/sex for demographic purposes. You can include these gems from TV Guide's Matt Roush if you'd like as well:

"Everwood is an evergreen that deserves a new chance on a new network."

"It's still TV's best family drama, a truly endangered species."

WHEN: ASAP!!

WHERE: See VM addresses above

Scrubs

WHO: Kevin Reilly, president of NBC entertainment

WHAT: A letter that reinforces your support for the show. As always, be sure to include your age/sex for demographic purposes. Here are some recent words from TV Guide's Matt Roush that you can include as well:

"I love this show, which is enjoying a creative high this season."

WHEN: Now!!

WHERE: Send those letters to:
Kevin Reilly
President
NBC Entertainment
3000 West Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91523

or:

Kevin Reilly
President
NBC Entertainment
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608


In addition to writing letters, you can continue to tune in to these wonderful shows. Remember that Everwood is now airing Monday nights at 9 p.m. on the WB, Scrubs is on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC and Veronica Mars will move to Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on UPN next Tuesday (April 11th), but be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 9 p.m. for the latest episode (creator/executive producer Rob Thomas' favorite of the season). For more information on how to save all of these shows, you can click over to MarsInvestigations.net (Veronica Mars), Save Everwood Now and SupportScrubs.com. You can also vote in USA Today's annual Save Our Shows Campaign. Save Our Shows!!

About Last Night...NBC won the first hour of the night with Deal or No Deal, followed by CBS comedies Two and a Half Men (r) and The New Adventures of Old Christine and a tie between Fox's Prison Break (had more total viewers) and ABC' Wife Swap (r). At 9, NBC stayed in front with Deal or No Deal, followed by CBS' coverage of the NCAA Basketball Championship and Fox's 24. The final hour of the night went to CBS's NCAA coverage, followed by NBC's The Apprentice and ABC's Miracle Workers. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - The final nine contestants perform country songs on Fox's American Idol. Over on the WB, Gilmore Girls returns and Rory takes a few days for herself with a visit to Stars Hollow.

@9 p.m. - JD changes his night off so he can hang with Turk, but Turk is bummed to lose his "Turk Night" on NBC's Scrubs. Over on Fox, Michelle Trachtenberg guest stars as a teen heart transplant patient rushed to the hospital on House. The WB premieres its new Rebecca Romijn romantic dramedy Pepper Dennis.

@10 p.m. - It's being billed as the event of the season and the one that sets up star Mariska Hargitay's maternity leave. Olivia and Elliot face their most difficult case yet when a serial pedophile (Lou Diamond Phillips) murders family members and kidnaps the younger children. Oh yeah, and Olivia gets stabbed! Boston Legal is a rerun and The Amazing Race moved to Wednesdays, so check out this interesting episode of SVU tonight.



QUICK CUTS

*John Stamos is joining the cast of NBC's ER. He'll reprise his guest role from earlier this season on the long-running medical drama. Stamos was set to join the show last season until his ABC comedy Jake in Progress got picked up for another season. Jake's return was short-lived (one episode), freeing Stamos for a permanent role on ER (although his role on ER is still dependant on whether ABC picks up Jake, a highly doubtful scenario). Look for his full-time debut this fall when the show returns for a 13th season on NBC.

*And finally, Jerry Lewis will guest star on NBC's Law & Order: SVU. The comedian will play Detective Munch's (Richard Belzer) homeless uncle on the hit crime drama. The detectives find him on the streets and arrest him as a suspect in a murder case. Look for Lewis' guest appearance next season on SVU.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on Law & Order: SVU (Olivia gets stabbed! TV Guide's Mike Ausiello calls this ep a pivotal one!) 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 'Case' of the 'Cabaret' Murder! Plus 'Housewives,' 'CSI' Casting News and TV on DVD

Lilly Rush hates musicals people! I mean, really hates them. This was problematic last night on Cold Case, of course, since her case du jour revolved around one. What does she have against them anyway? I'm not sure, but whatever it is, she feels quite strongly about it. Just see her expression in this first screen capture from last night's episode to confirm her obvious hatred of everything show tunes. Her loving detective family felt it only fair that they torment her at the bar by serenading her with said show tunes. I have to say whatever the reason for Lil's loathing of musicals, it made for one of the best scenes of the season. I was laughing hysterically at this scene in the bar. Oh, and Vera as Danny Zuko? Priceless! Wouldn't you love to get your hands on the old home movie of that? I love how this show always manages to surprise us. I would have pegged Vera as the musical hater, not Lilly. Is Lilly just a stick in the mud, and thus, her hatred of musicals stems from that and nothing more? Going back to Vera, I liked the subtle hint at his pending divorce when the gang was betting on who killed Dennis. I was disappointed that the only singing we got from Tracie Thoms (Kat Miller) was a brief line in passing that Lilly abruptly stopped. I'm telling you, the girl HATES musicals and all things associated with them. In addition to leading to the hysterical ending scene at the bar, Lil's hatred set up some funny scenes that lended a lighter side to a usual heavy show.


Unlike our girl Lil, I enjoy musicals, so watching the fictional cast of the 2002 Philly production of Cabaret was quite a treat. Dennis was one of those undeniably likable characters. He was a cabby making his stage dreams come true with a lead role in the famous musical. Even when we thought he was going to leave his fiancee for his selfish co-star, we found out that he realized that Nora was nothing more than a distraction and he was finally ready to commit to Gloria. His message in the program was really sweet, and I was glad Gloria got to see it. Writer Andrea Newman has written several episodes this season, and in every one, she has done an excellent job of creating plenty of viable suspects. Most of the cast and crew on Cabaret were plausible killers. They all had fitting motives, but Lyle was just a bit crazier than the others. Sure, director Rafe embellished his relationship with his agent and even lied about said agent's visit on opening night, and Nora turned into a psycho selfish beyotch when she thought that this agent was going to pick only one of them to sign and then wanted Clinton to scare Dennis enough that he'd mess up, but these two were sane when compared to Lyle. Not only was he harboring some serious feelings for Nora, but he was also harboring some serious resentment. Seems that the musical director really wanted to be on stage in Dennis' place. And there was the small matter of him being completely insane under his cool demeanor. Lilly got to the bottom of it when she painfully pointed out that people don't clap for the musical director. I just love the way she finds these suspects' psycho button and pushes it. Speaking of Lil, she seemed more like herself again last night. I'm definitely enjoying having her back even if it is probably only short-lived (SPOILER ALERT) since her mother rolls into town next week (END SPOILER ALERT).


Just when I thought that Bree had turned a corner with her alcohol problems, she winds up passed out in the picture to your left. I know she wants Peter, but drinking herself unconscious in a bar is probably not the best way to go about it. It was especially disheartening because she had been so happy earlier when Lynette clearly took her side at the deposition. I actually think that Bree and Peter would make an interesting couple, but I understand Peter's hesitation. Meanwhile, Gaby and Carlos left the hospital with their new baby. How funny was that car seat scene? Gaby's instant connection to the newborn surprised me, but I don't think that will last forever (and previews seem to indicate that it won't as well). I think these two are going to have a rough road ahead of them now that we know the baby has a father. Speaking of a rough road ahead, the Susan/Karl/Edie triangle just got more complicated. Karl still has feelings for Susan. He really can't marry Edie under those circumstances because it's terribly unfair to Edie. What a tangled web this show weaves!

About Last Night...CBS won the first hour of the night with Cold Case, followed by the second hour of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (which had more total viewers) and NBC's The West Wing. At 9, ABC took over with Desperate Housewives, followed by a second episode of CBS' Cold Case (r) and NBC's Law & Order: CI (r). The final hour of the night went to ABC's Grey's Anatomy, which once again had more viewers than its lead-in, followed by CBS' CSI: NY (r) and NBC's Crossing Jordan (r). For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - NBC airs back-to-back episodes of Deal or No Deal. Over on Fox, we learn what caused Michael to devise his complicated plan.

@9 p.m - Andy cancels his first Internet date to lend emotional support to Nina on the WB's Everwood. CBS airs the NCAA Basketball tournament championship. Over on Fox, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards guest stars as a Homeland Security executive on 24.



QUICK CUTS

*Musician Kid Rock will appear in an upcoming episode of CBS' CSI: NY per csifiles.com. He'll play an integral part in the investigation of the murder of a limo driver. He'll share scenes with Mac (Gary Sinise) and even make the suspect list. Look for Kid Rock's appearance on CSI: NY in the May 3rd episode on CBS.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the sixth season of Dawson's Creek to hit store shelves tomorrow along with The A-Team (season 4), Full House (season 3), Knight Rider (season 4) and Magnum P.I. (season 4). To see the complete list of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on Everwood, along with a special SOS edition. Plus, all the latest television news!


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