Doomsday Comes for the Doctor and Rose on the Season Finale of "Doctor Who"

While I might be sunning myself (and catching up on some reading) here in tropical Hawaii, I thought I would be terribly remiss if I didn't at least say a few quick words about tonight's two-hour season finale of Doctor Who on Sci Fi.

I had the opportunity to watch the two-hour finale ("Army of Ghosts"/"Doomsday") before I left Los Angeles and it was with a certain sadness that I bade farewell to the Doctor and Rose, especially as any announcement about the series' third season airing on US television has yet to be made. UK viewers, however, have the Doctor Who Christmas Special, "The Runaway Bride," co-starring the always hysterical Catherine Tate, to look forward to in just a few days. (Lucky bastards.)

In any event, tonight's two-hour Doctor Who season finale wraps things up satisfactorily in more ways than one. That "storm" on the horizon that the Doctor mentioned at the end of last week's episode does indeed materialize, precipitated by those mysterious operatives known as Torchwood, who finally come out into the open after much teasing from the series' creator Russell T. Davies. Well, the London branch of Torchwood, anyway. As for what's going on in Cardiff, you'll have to wait for SOMEONE to acquire Who spin-off Torchwood to find out what's going on there.

The Doctor and Rose have faced a number of challenges and dangers together, but this is their most dangerous mission yet and it involves the return of several familiar faces as well as the return of some much-loathed enemies. It's also the story, sadly, of how one Rose Tyler dies. Before everyone gets up in arms about spoiler-alerts and so on, let me just tell you that Rose herself admits this in the opening sequence and... things are not always what they appear to be. Especially on a series as surreal and trippy as Doctor Who.

I cannot say enough complimentary things about David Tennant's performance as the Doctor. BBC America is rerunning the first season of Who starring Christopher Ecceleston and, while at the time I loved Ecceleston as the Doctor, he simply pales in comparison to Tennant's nuanced and easily excitable turn. His Doctor oozes with curiosity, passion, and wacky intellect, but it's colored with a deep lonely shade of blue hiding behind his stripy suits and trainers.

Me, I'll admit that the end got me more than a little teary (you'll know what I mean when you see it tonight) but I am excited to see what the next chapter in the Doctor's life brings. In "Army of Ghosts"/"Doomsday," things come full circle for both the Doctor and Rose Tyler (not to mention the Tyler family as a whole) and the direction of the series is forever altered after this two-hour finale. Doomsday does come for Earth (several of them, in fact) and for our brave heroes, both of whom prove that old adage that sacrifice is in fact the cornerstone of heroism with a capital H.

The second season finale of "Doctor Who" airs tonight from 8-10 pm ET/PT on Sci Fi.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: 8th Annual A Home for the Holidays with Rob Stewart (CBS); Identity (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC); Justice (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); 20/20 (ABC; 9-11 pm); Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8-10 pm: Doctor Who on Sci Fi.

It's the second season finale of Doctor Who tonight. On the first of tonight's two episodes ("Army of Ghosts"), ghosts of the dead return to Earth while conveniently (and perhaps not too coincidentally) an invasion force makes its way inexorably towards Earth. On the second episode ("Doomsday"), the invasion force--comprised of two of the Doctor's gravest enemies--attacks the planet and the Doctor is forced into a bit of a quandry when something terrible emerges from beneath the Torchwood Tower. Could this be the end of the Doctor and Rose's beautiful friendship?

8 pm: Hardware on BBC America (11 pm ET).

It's the US premiere of Britcom Hardware, starring Martin Freeman of the original UK version of The Office, taking place at a small (you guessed it!) hardware store. On tonight's episode ("Finger"), Steve cuts his finger off and causes pandemonium in the shop, while Mike's girlfriend attempts to build a collapsible ironing board.

8:30 pm: Black Books on BBC America (11:30 pm ET).

It's the third season of the scathingly sarcastic Black Books, one of my favorite Britcoms. On tonight's episode ("A Little Flutter"), Bernard becomes addicted to gambling after Manny places a bet for him and he begins borrowing money from some Very Scary People. And, no, I don't mean Fran's distant relatives.

9-10 pm: Creature Comforts on BBC America (Midnight ET).

It's a pair of episodes of Creature Comforts, the delighfully insightful and whimsical animated British interview series about Christmas. Tune in to learn why dogs hate wearing Christmas hats and why Corgis tend to get so emotional around the holiday season.

What's on Tonight for December 21

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS); Identity (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); 'Til Death/The War at Home (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); The Office (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); The O.C. (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); My Name is Earl/Scrubs (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: French & Saunders Christmas Celebrity Special on BBC America. (11 pm ET)

The comedy duo that originally dreamed up Absolutely Fabulous (that would be Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders) return for this Christmas special, which aired in the UK in 2005. Let's get celebritied up!

9-10 pm: The Office.

It's a full hour of the best comedy on television: The Office. If you missed the third season Christmas special ("A Benihana Christmas"), written by the talented Jen Celotta, last week, here's your second chance to catch it (or, hell, watch it again). Dunder-Mifflin ends up split down the middle when an argument among the members of the Party Planning Committee leads to two office Christmas parties. Meanwhile, Michael gets dumped by Carol (and right at the holidays too!) and invites the menfolk of Dunder-Mifflin to down their sorrows.

10 pm: My Name is Earl.

It's a repeat of the first season Christmas episode ("White Lie Christmas"), in which Earl tries to make up for years of bad Christmas presents to Joy, while Randy and Catalina compete to see who can keep their hand on a car in a competition and Joy pretends to be married to Earl in order to pacify her supposedly racist parents.

10:30 pm: Scrubs.

Finally! Scrubs is back on NBC's schedule, where it belongs. And on tonight's repeat episode ("My Lunch"), Carla and Elliot suspect Todd of being gay when they learn that he's lied about all his sexual conquests while J.D. doggedly pursues lunch with Dr. Cox only to have his dream meal shattered by a former patient. Ah, J.D., will you ever learn?

10 pm: Afterlife on BBC America.

It's the fourth episode of the supernatural thriller Afterlife, starring Leslie Sharp and Andrew Lincoln, on BBC America. On tonight's episode, Alison searches for a job. Which is difficult because of, you know, the dead people she keeps seeing.

Top TV Picks From 2006

As it's nearly the end of the calendar year (only a few more days to go, in fact) and since I'm leaving behind sunny-yet-chilly Los Angeles for the warmer, tropical climes of Hawaii tomorrow for a much-needed break, I figured now was as good a time as any to look back at some of the shows that that have entertained and inspired me over the past year.

It's been a crazy year, with freshman series dropping like flies (and the season's only half over!) and serialized dramas--those supposed saviors to each and every network--more or less ending up the TV equivalent of three-day-old socks. So, what were the favorite series in the Televisionary household? Which left me wanting more... and which ones made me eager to change the channel? Find out below.

Best Reality Series:

The Amazing Race
Project Runway
Top Chef

While there are a host of other reality-based programs that have captured my heart over the course of the past year (Top Model, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, 5 Takes, and Hell's Kitchen being just a sampling), the above three represent the epitome of my current reality TV fixation. The Amazing Race will always be a favorite of mine as long as the locations are exotic, Phil waits patiently (and points effusively) from the pit stop, and they never, ever revisit that Family Edition format again. Some surprise twists this season had me a little worried (that random elimination in episode 1, for example), but the series has managed to maintain a fresh vibrancy throughout its many seasons and continues to be the best exploration of human relationships (particularly romantic ones) on television. Reality dating shows, take note.

Project Runway engages me in a way I never thought possible and has shown erstwhile fashion designers to be the catty, ego-centric, manipulative little minxes that they really are (in the best possible way!) and has hands-down the best TV host on any series in the form of the walking lexicon Tim Gunn, who proves that being a reality series host doesn't mean being cruel or vindictive.

Finally, Top Chef is a no-brainer here as I'm an unrepentant foodie and love seeing the drama in and out of the kitchen as these chefs compete for the top prize and are put through the ringer with a series of complex, bizarre, and "shocking" culinary challenges each week. Proving that food is just as much an art form as fashion, Top Chef entertains as much as it entices and educates. And that's something I can raise a glass to.

Worst Wardrobe on a Reality TV Series Host:

Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef.

Leather vests. Need I say more? Paging Tim Gunn...

Best British Imports:

Doctor Who
Black Books
Jamie's School Lunch Project

This was one of the toughest categories to narrow down to three contenders (I couldn't be a greedy bastard and choose five), so I went with one drama, one comedy, and one reality series to comprise this category.

Life on Mars would have ended up here, but Doctor Who's second season--and its new incarnation of the Doctor, played with manic aplomb by Viva Blackpool's David Tennant, is consistently engrossing, mind-blowingly bizarre, and just plain cool. Two of my favorite hours this season came from Doctor Who ("The Girl in the Fireplace" and "School Reunion" to be precise) and I love how the series keeps reinventing itself with new faces (not to mention new actors) but still radiates a consistency and vibrancy all its own, in the capable reins of showrunner Russell T. Davies.

It was tough choosing a favorite comedy to place here as there are so many bloody good choices (Peep Show, Spaced, Little Britain) to choose from, but if I had to pick one (and I did), it would have to be Black Books. Despite the presence of a laugh track (which you'll soon forget exists as you'll soon be laughing OVER it), Black Books is one rip-roaring laughter-laden stew of absurdity, black humor, and misanthropic mirth ever devised. Bill Bailey, Dylan Moran, and Tamsin Greig are the simply the very best comedy cast assembled and once you've been seduced by the (dubious) charms of Manny Bianco, Bernard Black, and Fran Katzenjammer, this is one run-down, musty old bookshop you'll keep coming back to.

Jamie's School Lunch Project is one of the most important reality series that you've never seen. It follows celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as he spends two months in the school cafeterias of England and is shocked to discover what the nation's children are eating for their school lunches and that the government is only budgeting a few measly pence per day to feed these kids. His mission is to overhaul the school lunch program, introduce healthy and tasty food (with an emphasis on fresh fruit and veg), and give these kids a fighting chance at life. Informative and heartbreaking, this is gonzo reality television at its best, offering a life-changing and thought-provoking respite from inane game shows and drunken housemates.

Biggest Letdown from a Once Great Series:

Gilmore Girls.

Seasons 6 and 7 have forever destroyed one of my favorite television series of all time. Fortunately, I have my DVD box sets of the early years of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore to keep me company these days. I think you can literally see the very moment when the show drifted into the wrong direction, careening right over those double yellow lines into oncoming traffic. Ouch.

Best US Comedies:

The Office
30 Rock
Arrested Development

Few series manage to be as consistently funny, touching, and sometimes outwardly depressing as the US version of The Office. Proving itself capable of standing on its own two feet (and out of the shadow of Ricky Gervais' groundbreaking original version), The Office has come into its own in 2006, delivering classic episodes that can be viewed again and again (despite the pain from laughing so much). In its characters Michael, Dwight, Pam, and Jim (not to mention the entire extended cast of characters that populate Dunder-Mifflin Scranton), showrunner Greg Daniels and the Office writing team has given us heightened versions of our own office mates and 9-t0-5 lives. Hands down, this is the funniest thing on television today.

I surprised myself by putting 30 Rock on here, but I just can't get the damn show off of my mind grapes, especially since NBC did something smart for a change and created an entire Thursday night lineup of single-cam comedy greats. The show's gotten a hell of a lot more funny since Tina Fey let her Liz Lemon character play the straight man for a change, letting her loose in a madhouse populated by deranged sketch comedy stars, kooky network execs, and beeper salesman boyfriends. It might be set in showbiz, but at its heart it's a brilliant (and bizarro) workplace comedy. Keep on truckin', Girlie Show staffers.

Despite only airing four episodes in 2006 (and all on one night, thank you very much, FOX), Arrested Development has to be on this list for giving us one of the weirdest comedies ever created and prophesying the now ubiquitous TiVo effect that appears in everything from Lost to The Office. Bluths, your brand of wacky humor and love and loathing is dearly missed.

Best Cancelled Series:

Arrested Development

Like you expected anything else. It's nearly a full year since the cancellation of absurdist comedy Arrested Development and I still can't get it out of my head. All I can say is thank god for DVDs, reruns on G4, and the fact that the Bluths ever made it onto the air, much less lasted (nearly) three seasons on FOX, of all places. Still, curious to see what Mitch Hurwitz is able to do with the US adaptation of the scathing satire The Thick of It.

Best US Dramas:

Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Veronica Mars

It's no secret that I'm completely enamoured with Veronica Mars, which in its third season manages to still keep me completely hooked with its interpersonal dynamics, the best father/daughter relationship on TV, and noir-tinged mysteries that twist and turn with every new clue. Plus, it's got some of the snappiest patter around and Veronica and Logan may very well be this century's equivalent of Nick and Nora.

Some detractors may have eliminated Lost from this list, but not me. I'm still wildly addicted to this series and miss my Wednesday night fix very much indeed. It's also proven that people weren't tuning into ABC every week out of habit (thank you very much, Day Break), but rather for the labyrinthine plots, compelling characters, and complex storytelling. Sorry, naysayers, but unless Jack suddenly becomes the lost-long avatar of a dead god worshipped by the Others and foretold in some ancient text deciphered by Walt, I'm in it for the long haul.

Battlestar Galactica has, over the course of its two-and-a-half-and-counting seasons, managed to hook me in a way that few dramas can, delivering a consistently taut metaphor for the war on Iraq one week, a haunting look inside alien culture the next, followed by a kick-ass space opera that's one of the most intelligently written and complex (not to mention beautiful) series on television today and which forces us to examine our own humanity in the face of, if not the Others, than the Other.

And there we have it. A sampling of some of my favorites from 2006. As the year rapidly swings to a close, I'm curious to see what your favorite (and least favorite) series were, which shows you can't get enough of, and which ones you're happy to see the back of now.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The King of Queens/The King of Queens (CBS); Identity (NBC); Next Top Model: British Invasion 2 (CW; 8-10 pm); George Lopez/George Lopez (ABC); Bones (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Dateline (ABC); According to Jim/George Lopez (ABC); Bones (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Medium (NBC); Primetime: Basic Instinct (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Next Top Model: British Invasion 2.

Okay, Top Model might be over and CariDee was crowned the victor, but I need my ANTM fix... Fortunately, the CW is giving us a highlights package of the second season of Blighty version of Top Model. So sit back, relax, and prepare to unleash your inner model.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

It's the second season of Bravo's culinary competition Top Chef. On tonight's episode, chefs must create a seven course dinner inspired by... something "shocking" for Debi Mazur and guests. Meanwhile Ilan and Marcel clash, Ilan tells Marcel to "keep making [his] foams and go cry in the corner," and several of the chefs are accused of committing a culinary sin, leading Marcel to yet again arrogantly lash out at the judges. I'm counting the hours!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas: A "24" Christmas

Calling Jack Bauer... Or perhaps this is more a job for Christmas operative Kris Kringle?

While it doesn't top the hilarity (not to mention extreme cast dedication) of the Scrubs and Charlie Brown Christmas mash up, below is a rather charming little Christmas wish from FOX.com, which recasts Jack and Chloe of 24 with Santa Claus and an elf with the Christmas Toys Unit (heh, CTU) in a Christmas-themed spoof entitled 24th.



Personally, I love that the creators behind this little viral used not only the iconic 24 font but also the definitive split-screen visuals that make the show the tense nail-biter that it is. Plus, how cute is it that Santa's little Christmas Eve mission is called 24th? Now if only they could have gotten Mary Lyn Rajskub to play the elf...

24's sixth season premieres in a two-night event starting Sunday, January 14th at 8 pm.

A Final Take on "5 Takes: USA"

Just a quick post this morning as I'm already feeling the effects of way too much holiday cheer, even though we're still a few days away from achieving maximum holiday impact...

I couldn't let a more than a few days slide, however, without acknowledging the end of the third season of Travel Channel's reality series 5 Takes. While it's been a bit of a bumpy ride, 5 Takes: USA quickly corrected its problems halfway through production to turn out a final round of episodes that was on par with the previous season's highs.

First of all, it seems as though my previous comments about what was lacking with the series this year clicked with the network as they made steps to correct the problems that hampered my enjoyment of the reality series' third season. My main point was that the travel journalists didn't seem to do a lot of, you know, interacting with locals to find the sort of off-the-beaten-path sights and attractions that are a hallmark of this type of travel program. And just like that, the travel journalists (after all this time, I still can't bring myself to call them TJs) were suddenly asking questions of everyone they met about the latest city they were in, using their suggestions as jumping-off points for new activities, and (most importantly) experiencing each city through the eyes of its locals.

The Memphis, Austin, and New York episodes really hit this home with style (and without feeling forced) as the gang split up into various configurations to get to the heart of each city on their tour of the United States. I think that these final episodes perfectly captured that feeling of wanderlust--along with that instant connection travelers can make with new cities and their residents--to reinvigorate the series and reignite what I loved most about the show: namely experiencing that color and culture that distinguishes each and every city from its siblings.

In Memphis, the gang met up with some random strangers and wound up going to one of their houses for some authentic barbeque; in New York, Bevis met up with a rock musician (with impossibly anime hair, I might add) and went to his recording studio to hear some of his songs. And in each episode, every single one of our travel journalists actually fulfilled their brief, as Zach, Lena, Jamie, Bevis, and Tim all became the journos that they were meant to be, questioning every one they encounter about what makes their city great, sampling street food (I loved the scene in NYC in which Zach went bananas for hot dogs and pretzels), and investigating, rather than reacting to, their surroundings.

I'm still not enamoured of the setup for each week's Chase Freedom Rewards excursion (still wish they had to do something to earn it), but it's a small gripe now as 5 Takes: USA managed to get back on track and, more importantly, won me back. While this season of 5 Takes may have been shorter (only 8 episodes) compared to last season, it managed to remind me of all that this nation's diverse cities have to offer and allowed me to experience the US through an outsider's perspective.

I already miss my little 5 Takes fix each weekend but I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be a killer fourth season of this growing franchise. As for where 5 Takes will head off to next, the Travel Channel is staying mum for now, but could I put a vote in for the United Kingdom or Scandinavia? Pretty please?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Identity (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (ABC); House (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (CW); Big Day/Big Day (ABC); House (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order: SVU (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Doctor Who on BBC America.

While Sci Fi might be airing Season Two of the newest incarnation of Doctor Who (complete with another new Doctor, played by David Tennant), catch up on Season One, beginning anew tonight on BBC America as the Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) first meets Rose Tyler for the first time. On tonight's episode ("World War Three"), the Doctor and Rose attempt to escape 10 Downing Street as the world heads towards an interplanetary war with the creepy Slitheen. And what's up with that "Bad Wolf" graffiti and the little pig?

"Boys" of Summer: TBS Orders Additional Episodes of Freshman Comedy

Looks like PJ will be hanging with her boys for some time to come.

Basic cabler TBS has ordered nine additional episodes of its freshman comedy My Boys, the network's first original series.

Series, from Sony Pictures Television and creator Betsy Thomas, will resume production after the New Year and the newly ordered episodes will air sometime during summer 2007.

The back nine order bumps My Boys' episode count to 22 episodes.

News comes as the original 13-episode order for My Boys wraps next week, with TBS scheduling no less than five original episodes just after Christmas Day. The series' ninth and tenth episodes will air back-to-back on Tuesday, December 26th at 10 pm ET/PT, with episodes 11 and 12 popping up on December 27th from 10-11 pm ET/PT, and the final episode will air the following night (that would be December 28th) at 10 pm.

For the uninitiated, My Boys follows the travails on tomboy PJ Franklin (Jordana Spiro), a sportswriter looking for romance, but she discovers that just being one of the guys has its downfalls: namely preventing her from achieving an actual love life. Series costars Jim Gaffigan (Ed) as PJ's married brother, Kyle Howard (Related, Grosse Point) as the object of PJ's affections, Reid Scott (American Dreams) as her best friend, Kellee Stewart (Guess Who?) as her only female friend, and Michael Bunin (Scrubs) and Jamie Kaler (The Family Stone).

From Across the Pond: "French & Saunders Christmas Celebrity Special"

If you've never experienced the comedic duo of French & Saunders (that would be Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, naturally), you are seriously missing out.

After all, it was on their show that they first premiered a little sketch about insufferable fashion victim Edina and her buttoned-up daughter Saffron that would eventually go on to become international comedy smash hit Absolutely Fabulous. (While French originated the role of Saffy on French & Saunders, Julia Sawalha played her on the series.)

Both of these comedians are talented in their own right and have gone on to various series of their own. Saunders wrote and starred in Ab Fab (and the upcoming Clatterford, which airs in the UK under the name Jam & Jerusalem); French starred as Geraldine Granger in the much beloved series The Vicar of Dibley (itself getting the Stateside makeover treatment this pilot season as comedy The Minister of Divine for FOX). Both have had numerous side projects and yet have continued to come together for 25 plus years now to collaborate on French & Saunders material.

The most recent of these collaborations is the 2005 French & Saunders Christmas Celebrity Special, which BBC America is premiering Stateside on Thursday night. For Anglophiles and fans of Brit telly, this is a rare treat and Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders go to any lengths to savagely skewer celebs, whether it be Elton John or Boy George and George Michael (seen above) or feuding former in-laws Jackie Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen. (Though I defy all but the most avid British tabloid readers to immediately recognize Jackie Stallone.)

French and Saunders excel at movie parodies and their recreations--and, um, re-envisioning--of famous scenes from famous flicks are always spot on and hilarious. (If you don't believe me, you must run out and watch their What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Misery, Kill Bill, and The Exorcist spoofs.) No one and nothing is safe as these comedians tackle everything from quiz show Mastermind to Mike Leigh Oscar bait Vera Drake, here performed with wild abandon by French and Saunders.

Also being skewered this time around: long-running Brit soap EastEnders, which gets the F&S treatment in a sketch featuring the Extras--two older female professional extras who wind up bollocking up every single production they appear in. Here these two try to steal the scene away from Little Mo, Alfie, and Kat (don't ask) in a Walford Square scene in which they end up selling underwear from a market stall. But the real gem of the special has got to be the sketch in which these two play decidedly crooked child care professionals who have stumbled onto a sure-fire get-rich-quick scheme: dress up the kiddies as celebrity lookie-likies. Anyone who has ever seen even a snippet of Ground Force will get a kick out of "Charlie Dimmock," but the star has got to be the littlest "J.Lo."

But this isn't just your run-of-the-mill average celebrity spoof show. This is jaw-dropping comedy at its most self-aware; neither French nor Saunders are afraid of looking "ugly" in pursuit of comedy and they're happy to play up their own insecurities and frailties: most notably, French's jealousy of Saunders and Saunder's patented grumpiness. And often they will break character during a scene, to either goad one another about the awfulness of their attempted accent (both seem terrible at Southern American dialects) or to question the veracity of their scenes.

In the end, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders might just be the two oldest kids playing dress up, but there's something endearing--not to mention entertaining--about seeing French and Saunders transform themselves into a wide array of eccentrics and, yes, celebrities for our amusement. It's the perfect tongue-in-cheek antidote to the chaos of this time of year (or any time of year, really). And, in the end, isn't that what we all need this holiday season?

"French & Saunders Christmas Celebrity Special" premieres Thursday at 11 pm ET and 8 pm PT on BBC America.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/The Class (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); House (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Identity (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (WB); Supernanny (ABC); Bones (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC); What About Brian (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8:00 pm: Everybody Hates Chris.

Now on its new night (Mondays) and at a new time (8 pm), it's the second season of former UPN comedy Everybody Hates Chris. On tonight's repeat episode ("Everybody Hates Elections"), Chris comes to the realization that he must make the best campaign speech of all time in order to win the class presidential election.

9:30 pm: Old Christine.

I can't tell you why I like watching this traditional sitcom, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus is like a warm blanket of coziness after a long Monday. On tonight's episode ("Oh God, Yes"), Christine's son Ritchie decides he wants to attend church.

10-11:30 pm: Eleventh Hour on BBC America.

Patrick Stewart plays Charlies Xavier, mutant rights activist and the strongest telepath on the planet-- Okay, maybe not. In this new import from Blighty, Stewart plays a scientist dealing with paranormal phenomena. On tonight's episode, a friend of Hood's (that would be Stewart, natch) believes that someone is sabotaging his work and threatening him. Joining Stewart: Ashley Jensen of Extras and Ugly Betty.

Permanent Break for "Day Break" While "Show Me the Money" Shown the Door

This is one bad day Taye Diggs' character won't wake up to discover hasn't happened yet.

ABC has pulled struggling drama Day Break from its schedule, effective immediately.

Drama, which was filling in for sibling Lost during its 13-week imposed hiatus, was expected to depart from ABC's lineup at the end of December, but after severely dismal ratings this week, Day Break was given the chop late on Friday.

Day Break's current timeslot will be filled with repeats of comedies. Given that ABC doesn't have that many comedies on the air at the moment, I'd imagine they would be of the According to Jim or George Lopez variety. (No word on what will happen to those playfully coy Lost Moments that have been popping up during Day Break; the last one was quite a shocker in fact.) Beginning in early January, the slot will be taken over by the launch of new midseason comedies Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency.

But it's not the only announced casualty at ABC, either: game show Show Me the Money, hosted by William Shatner, has been canned as well, effective immediately. It will be replaced with (shudder) America's Funniest Home Videos.

Stay tuned for news on whether or not Day Break will eventually conclude its run online.

Polls Are Nearly Closed: Be Sure to Vote for Televisionary for Best Culture Blog

Wahoo!

Voting is almost over for the race for Best Culture Blog for the 2006 Weblog Awards. Follow the link at the right (or, hell, the left) to click through to the virtual voting booth and be sure to tick the box next to Televisionary! (Or click right here.) You can vote once a day, per computer, from now until 11:59 pm tonight!

So get out there and spread the word!

"Domo Arigato, Mr. Scott-o": Dunder-Mifflin Celebrates with an Extended "Office" Christmas Party

Aren't office Christmas parties usually the same? You start off not wanting to go, wind up having some fun, and end up staying way too long?

I was hoping that the Christmas episode ("A Benihana Christmas") of The Office, written by Jen Celotta and directed by Harold Ramis, wouldn't feel that way, but I did feel that it dragged on a little too long and would have been a lot better (not to mention tighter) at a super-sized 40 minute length than the one-hour episode it was stretched into. I'm not sure why the network decided to increase the length of the episode the way it did, but I wish they hadn't been quite so overzealous, because a compacted version of "A Benihana Christmas" may have become one of my favorite episodes.

Which isn't to say that I didn't have fun, because I did. There's a lot going on here and the central storylines were hilarious and managed to come together in expected ways. Brief recap: Michael gets dumped by girlfriend Carol (Carell's real wife Nancy Walls) right before Christmas and slumps into a depression, which is alleviated when Andy, Jim, and Dwight take him for a long working lunch at Benihana (sadly no Buddha drinks to echo the scene between Carell and Catherine Keener in The 40-Year-Old Virgin). Meanwhile, back at the Dunder-Mifflin offices, a clash between Angela and Karen at the party planning committee leads to not one, but two office Christmas parties.

I think that the idea behind the episode was comedy gold. Angela angry is always a treat. (Remember last year when she destroyed a box of ornaments after Yankee Swap went awry?) I loved the new relationship between Pam and Karen, suddenly partners-in-crime united for the newly formed Committee to Plan Parties, who decide to throw a margarita and karaoke party, in sharp contrast to the solemn Nutcracker-themed affair that Angela is hosting. Seeing just that little bit of prickliness from Jim when he notices his current girlfriend and his former flame suddenly bonding was perfect; you'd be uncomfortable too. I nearly cried when Pam tried giving Jim his Christmas present (fake letters from the CIA that she had been sending Dwight; Jim's present was to choose the mission he'd like them to send Dwight on) when he gave them back to her, saying that he didn't think he should do stuff like that anymore. His rationale was that he was back at Scranton for a clean start and falling into old ways meant falling into old pitfalls too. While he may have been talking about pranking Dwight, he was really (sniffle) talking about his friendship with Pam.

Other highlights: the scene in Benihana, which could have SCREAMED product placement went off without a hitch, providing a funny and random backdrop to the male bonding (and alienation in the form of Dwight) that was going on; Carol's split with Michael, precipitated by a Christmas card he sent out in which he had Photoshopped himself into a pic of Carol and her kids on a ski trip; Oscar's cameo ("It's still too soon," he mutters to his boyfriend); Kelly singing karaoke about and to Ryan; a spiffy-looking Roy giving Pam a Christmas present after seeking her advice on how to wrap presents. Michael doing something terribly, terribly racist and marking his Japanese date so he could tell her and her friend apart, as all "waitresses look alike." And how could you not love Jim's spontaneous creation of a committee to determine the validity of the committee to plan parties', er, party?

What didn't work so much? The cold opening with the dead goose, for a start. It went on way too long and was too complicated. It just didn't ring true at all with the rest of the show. While Dwight might be an eccentric (a creepy one at times), I can't honestly believe he would slaughter a goose in the office. Think about health and safety, for one. (I know Dwight would.)

Also, did any one else actually immediately notice that the girls that Michael and Andy brought back from Benihana were not their waitress Cindy (Brittany Ishibashi) and her friend but two different girls altogether? I think the joke was supposed to hit when they walked through the door to the office, but I had to rewind TiVo as I suddenly thought to myself, wait, that's not Cindy. I think that we're supposed to believe that Michael couldn't pull Cindy and so went off with a different waitress, but it would have been far funnier if the girl Michael brought to the party had been a lot less attractive than she was. Instead, it just seemed odd and deadened the flow of the previous scene.

But all in all, I'd rather spend a winter's night with the gang from Dunder-Mifflin than anyone else. "A Benihana Christmas" had its hysterical moments and its emotional ones (I'm getting all misty-eyed thinking about Jim changing his mind about Pam's gift), along with a surprise ending in which Michael calls... someone and invites them to share the all-inclusive trip to Sandals Jamaica that he arranged for now ex-girlfriend Carol.

Hmmm. I wonder who this mystery woman could be. We'll find out in "The Return," scheduled to air right after New Year's, which sees not only prodigal employee Oscar return to Dunder-Mifflin, but a newly tanned Michael as well. Happy holidays, Office workers, and see you in January.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); 1 vs. 100 (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC); Justice (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); 20/20 (ABC); Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Doctor Who on Sci Fi.

It's the second season of Doctor Who, with the latest incarnation of the Doctor played by the talented David Tennant. On tonight's episode ("Fear Her"), a mother conceals her daughter's supernatural abilities, while the Doctor tries to take Rose to the 2012 London Olympics. Good times.

8 pm: Hardware on BBC America (11 pm EST).

It's the US premiere of Britcom Hardware, starring Martin Freeman of the original UK version of The Office, taking place at a small (you guessed it!) hardware store. On tonight's episode ("Bondage"), Mike and Anne try bringing some much-needed fun to their relationship with... you guessed it: bondage.

8:30 pm: Black Books on BBC America (11:30 pm EST).

It's the third season of the scathingly sarcastic Black Books, one of my favorite Britcoms. On tonight's episode ("Moo-ma and Moo-pa"), Manny panics about the imminent arrival of his parents and Fran blackmails Bernard into letting the 'rents stay with him, but they are all forced to go along with some misinformation Manny had been telling his parents. Naughty, Manny!

9 pm: Battlestar Galactica on Sci Fi.

On tonight's episode ("The Eye of Jupiter"), it's the fall season finale of Battlestar Galactica (fortunately, it's only a few weeks' wait until January 21st for new episodes): The algae planet seems to contain more than just, well, algae as Tyrol learns when he may have discovered the Eye of Jupiter, leading to a deadly standoff between the humans and Cylons for control of a possible route marker to Earth.

9 pm: Spaced on BBC America (Midnight EST).

If you missed it the first time around (and I don't know why you would do that to yourselves), BBC America is giving you another shot at catching the first brilliant and hysterical season of Spaced, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson as Tim and Daisy, two 20-somethings so down on their luck that they pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat... On tonight's episode ("Art"), Brian is invited to a performance art piece by his ex-partner Vulva (yes, you read that correctly) while Daisy has a magazine interview that goes decidedly unwell.

9:30 pm: Peep Show on BBC America (12:30 am EST).

Starting tonight, BBC America is reairing the second season of the so-painful-it's-hysterical Britcom Peep Show. On tonight's episode, Mark, convinced that they'll sleep together, attempts to stop his nemesis Jeff from taking a business trip with Sophie. Meanwhile, Jeremy becomes uncontrollably possessive over his new girlfriend Nancy.

"Veronica Mars" Finally Turns Up at iTunes

Mars attacks... iTunes!

Has anyone else noticed that CW drama (and Televisionary obsession) Veronica Mars suddenly (and inexplicably, given all this time) has, as of Wednesday, turned up on the iTunes Store?

While there's no sign of previous seasons (yet, anyway), the nine episodes that have aired to date of Veronica Mars' third season have turned up under the CW network's banner on the iTunes site. As per the standard download price, fans can download individual episodes of Veronica for $1.99 a pop or opt for the Season Pass option, being offered at $34.99.

Considering that cult shows live or die by the strength of their online fan base (some hint that it was brisk iTunes sales that showed NBC the potential of The Office during Season Two), it's only smart to offer Veronica Mars for download, especially given the show's Internet-savvy target demo.

It's a long, cold wait until new episodes of Veronica Mars start airing next year on the CW, so I might just have to pass the time catching up with the gang in Neptune on my iPod. And for those friends of yours still on the fence about tuning into Season Three, here's your opportunity to catch them up before new episodes begin.

Consider this your holiday season PSA.

Casting Couch: Fillion Shifts into "Drive"

That noise you hear? It's the collective sound of Firefly fans gasping for air as Captain Tightpants himself reunites with Firefly executive producer (and Joss Whedon collaborator) Tim Minear.

FOX has announced that Nathan Fillion has been cast as the lead in the midseason drama Drive, about an illegal underground race across America (think The Amazing Race on crack and throw in some violence and you get the idea). He'll play Alex Tully, a landscaper who is coerced into joining the race in order to track down his wife, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious syndicate.

Fillion replaces Ivan Sergei, who played Alex in the original pilot and who will next appear in the pilot for USA's dramedy To Love and Die in L.A.

According to Fillion, he was originally approached by Minear to participate in the pilot but had to turn it down thanks to scheduling issues (he was filming feature White Noise 2), but the two former co-workers met up at a summer barbeque and Minear again brought up the idea of Drive and showed him the pilot.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Personally, I couldn't be happier. I saw the original pilot of Drive back in early November and Ivan Sergei was by far the least interesting element of the pilot, giving a somewhat wooden performance that failed to make the menace, breakneck speed, and tension of the race really come alive. Being a huge fan of Fillion, I think he'll add an emotional, sympathetic note to Alex that's really needed for the audience to jump in his pickup truck with him.

While I was a little disappointed by some elements of the original pilot, I do hear that storylines and characters are being rejiggered for the second go around and Fillion's involvement definitely piques my interest.

And who knows? Maybe Wash and the rest of the gang can turn up along the way.

Mamma Mia: Product Placement and Seasonal Seppuku on "Top Chef"

Was it just me or was that a particularly enjoyable episode of Bravo's Top Chef?

I wasn't sure how they'd manage to top last week's satisfying elimination of Frank (thank god he's gone), but the producers managed to do just that this week, with a twist ending that I didn't really see coming and a fantastic elimination challenge that really pushed the chefs to work together and produce tasty, beautiful food for 200 guests at a holiday party. (I still wonder what these guest thought at attending a party during what Padma kept referring to the "party season" in the middle of a hot--and extended--LA summer.)

The one low point in the entire episode was the Quickfire Challenge, which forced chefs to create a cocktail using Baileys Irish Creme and pair it with a tasty bite. While the brief seemed (notice I used the word seemed) to call for a savory amuse bouche, most chefs went the obvious route and created dessert pairings. The whole thing was basically an extended five-minute commercial for some new swill that Baileys is pushing on an unsuspecting populace; the chefs weren't thrilled and neither was I by this blatant shilling and forced product placement. The Quickfire Challenges are meant to test chef's abilities and palates, yes, but they should never be soapboxes for corporate sponsors. Plus, the guest judge was one of the most awkward and uncomfortable participants ever to appear on Top Chef; she was completely devoid of any charisma or personality and she seemed so completely awkward eating their dishes on camera. Seriously, guys, let's not put the audience through this again.

Immunity was awarded to Cliff for his dish, a beautiful pairing of original Baileys, rum, vodka, and vanilla bean and grilled beef, creme fraiche fondue with nutmeg and chocolate. I was really impressed by Sam's sweet-and-savory apple and rosemary french toast as well; he's definitely one to watch. Mia's dish was selected as the least favorite by the guest judge and Betty was also called out for her drink, in which the cream-based Baileys and lime juice curdled, creating a disgusting looking drink. Ouch. Then there was Marcel, who in true Marcel fashion created a series of little dishes, including a tapa on top of a vanilla vapor. Seriously, Marcel? Vanilla vapor? To that I say one big UGH.

Cliff had immunity going into the Elimination Challenge, in which the chefs were separated into two teams and given $1500. Their task: to create a memorable holiday cocktail party for 200 guests on the Warner Bros. lot. A tough challenge, to say the least, especially on such a tight budget. Right from the start, it was obvious that the two teams (Sam, Betty, Ilan, and Marcel on the orange team; Cliff, Elia, Mia, and Michael on the black) couldn't have chosen more different approaches to the task. The Orange Team had a much more elaborate take on the event and decided to create 15 dishes and stagger their deployment throughout the event. Their dishes had a wide array of ingredients, tastes, and variety, including a mix of both sweet and savory, meat and seafood, crab cakes and blue-cheese stuffed beef roulade. It was an incredibly ambitious and possibly risky attempt to produce so many different dishes so quickly and keep them hot and fresh and keep the crowd fed and happy.

The Black Team, on the other hand, took a different tack. At first they were going to make only two (yes, TWO!) dishes, both of them seafood-based, but eventually realized that they needed to have more than two options at a cocktail party. I say eventually realized, but it was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision at the bulk restaurant supply store when Cliff called Mia and Michael to tell them that he was nixing the lobster and potato dish they had discussed; Mia thought this was a huge mistake and told Cliff so. Earlier she had felt that the chefs weren't listening to her ideas--which included figs wrapped in prosciutto atop Gorgonzola--and clashed with her teammates early on. Michael, meanwhile, grabbed some filet and lobster tails and created an impromptu surf-and-turf nibbly that actually caught on with the crowd later. In focusing on only four dishes (which included a rather novel sweet and savory strawberry dish with pancetta and a beautiful marmalade-glazed scallop perched on a Belgian endive cup), Elia's team believed that they could maintain rigorous quality, rather than send out a sub-par quantity of different dishes. However, a cocktail party is made or broken on the selection--and variety--of its dishes and had they extended this quality to, say, eight dishes it would have been commendable rather than misguided.

As it was, the Orange Team managed to keep their table laden with beautiful foods and offered guests a huge selection to choose from. They also wisely put Betty out front to interact with guests (she's a consummate salesman and host) and staggered the dishes, starting with a first batch, then a second later into the night, and then moving desserts into the mix slowly throughout the event. At no time did it seem as though there was a lack of food or the table was empty or people were kept waiting. A huge feat considering that they only had four chefs, $1500, and a kitchen-on-wheels to work with... and still managed to produce 15 dishes under those conditions. Meanwhile, the Black Team struggled. Elia and Cliff were cooking many of the hors d'oeuvres to order, meaning that there would be periods in which two of the four platters on their nearly-empty table were, well, nearly empty themselves. Not exactly a promising sign for a cocktail party... Food needs to be coming out of the kitchen constantly and there can't be even a few minutes in which there's nothing for guests to eat. Badly done, team.

Obviously, the Orange Team won the challenge easily and their team leader, Sam, was awarded a gorgeous 20-piece set of Global knives (I had to wipe the drool off my television). Marcel just had to speak up (quelle surprise) and say that while Sam may have been the de facto leader of the team he managed to work independently and didn't need any guidance. Oh, Marcel. Just keep your mouth shut, vanilla vapor boy. Despite everyone else on the team agreeing that Sam was the winner and justified to win the prize, you really had to speak up? Grr.

Marcel wasn't the only one who couldn't keep their mouth shut in front of the judges, as Mia exploded with rage at Cliff, unleashing an obscenity-laden verbal assault on the immune chef. I have to say that I was a little surprised by all of this. Of course Cliff was going to throw you under the bus, honey; you were the most argumentative of the entire bunch and I didn't really see you do anything to try to help the team to a win other than whinging and complaining the entire time. Elia may have been the leader but she wasn't directly responsible for the loss (I do think it was a team effort) and Cliff was immune. Mike, as much as I'd like to see him go already, came up with a dish on the fly and saved their communal asses, so he couldn't really have been called out. Which leaves Mia.

Mia starts screaming at Cliff and begins to have a major breakdown in front of the judges, which was completely unprofessional. I'm all for defending yourself, especially in front of Tom and Padma (and Gail when she's there) but to actually flip out like that and say the things that she was saying to Cliff was just plain wrong. Afterwards, Mia cried in the corner and suddenly started to spill way too much personal information about herself, including her how she was homeless, sold drugs at age 11, walked the street trying to sell rock to feed her family, etc. And then suddenly became fixated on the notion that she would eliminate herself from the competition and save Elia from a possible expulsion by the judges. Which would have bee hugely altruistic had we not seen Mia at the beginning of the episode say how homesick she was and how much she missed her family. I don't mean to think the worst of people but most of the time it's rare for someone to do something completely selfless. Was Mia unhappy being there? Yes. Did she think that the other chefs failed to value her opinion and experience? Yep. Did it look more noble to eliminate oneself in order to "save" a comrade than to simply quit and walk off the show? You betcha.

Either way, the judges had conferred and were about to issue their proclamation when Mia suddenly said that she would pack her knives and go and pleaded with the judges not to eliminate Elia. Personally, I'm not entirely sure that it was Elia who was going home that night, despite her inclination to take the blame as the team leader for the loss. While Cliff had elimination, it could have been any of Elia, Mike, or even Mia herself who were going home. Instead of letting things play out naturally, Mia threw herself on her sword (claiming it was for Mia) and offered herself instead. How was she that certain that Elia was going to be sent home? I'd be really, really curious to know who Tom, Padma, and the guest judges intended to boot. On his blog, Tom insists that they were about to send home Elia and calls Mia's action "one of the first acts of genuine selflessness I’ve witnessed on the show to date." Me, I'm still not too sure, but that might be because, despite living in Los Angeles, I'm still a jaded New Yorker at heart.

In the end, Mia packed her knives and left Top Chef. While she's proud of what she has accomplished in her life, I do wish that she would have stayed in the competition rather than eliminated herself in order to save Elia. Was it really Elia's head on the chopping block? I don't think we'll ever really know the truth, despite what Tom says. Having it seem like it was Elia makes for good drama and it doesn't make Mia's sacrifice (whatever the reason) in vain.

What did you all think of that ending?

Next week on Top Chef: chefs must create a seven course dinner inspired by... something that we'll have to wait until next week to find out what it is, for Debi Mazur and guests. Meanwhile Ilan and Marcel clash, Ilan tells Marcel to "keep making [his] foams and go cry in the corner," and several of the chefs are accused of committing a culinary sin, leading Marcel to yet again arrogantly lash out at the judges. I cannot wait!

Golden Globe Nominations Revealed: Love for "Big Love," "The Office," "Lost," and "24"

I woke up early this morning in order to catch the Golden Globe nominations (which are announced at 5 am here on the West Coast). Well, okay, I overslept a little bit but 5 am is pretty darn early for me!

Read on to get my thoughts on the major category nominations and click here to get the full list of both feature film and television nominees.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

24 (FOX) - Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television i.a.w. Real Time Prods.
BIG LOVE (HBO) - Anima Sola and Playtone Prods. i.a.w. HBO Entertainment
GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC) - Touchstone Television
HEROES (NBC) - NBC Universal Television Studios i.a.w. Tailwind Prods.
LOST (ABC) - Touchstone Television

As expected, drama bigwigs 24, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, and Heroes are duking it out with newcomer Big Love (easily one of my favorite new series of the year), which I'm pleased as punch to see nominated in this category. Not everyone loves the polygamists in HBO's gripping drama, but we here in the Televisionary household can't get enough of the Henrickson clan. Still, if I had to pick a winner in this category, it would have to come down to Televisionary Obsession #1: Lost. There I've said it.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

PATRICIA ARQUETTE - MEDIUM
EDIE FALCO - THE SOPRANOS
EVANGELINE LILLY - LOST
ELLEN POMPEO - GREY’S ANATOMY
KYRA SEDGWICK - THE CLOSER

Evangeline Lilly all the way for me, I'm afraid. While there's no question that all five of these women named are gorgeously talented actors, my heart lies with the enigmatic Kate and it's heartening to see her get singled out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. You've come a long way from Canadian dating commercials, Evangeline, though you've got some steep competition here. Let's just hope the voters were impressed enough with your recent performance as a captive of the Others to take home the statuette.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

PATRICK DEMPSEY - GREY’S ANATOMY
MICHAEL C. HALL - DEXTER
HUGH LAURIE - HOUSE
BILL PAXTON - BIG LOVE
KIEFER SUTHERLAND - 24

Seriously, some good nominations here. (Interesting that there's no repeat nod for Matthew Fox this year.) I'm happy to see Michael C. Hall here for Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter and even more happy to see Bill Paxton here for Big Love. But as for who will take home the Golden Globe? Sorry McDreamy, but it's probably Jack Bauer.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Touchstone Television
ENTOURAGE (HBO) - Leverage and Closest to the Hole Prods. i.a.w. HBO Entertainment
THE OFFICE (NBC) - Deedle Dee Prods. with Reveille i.a.w. NBC Universal Television Studio
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - Touchstone Television
WEEDS (SHOWTIME) - Showtime i.a.w. Lionsgate Television and Tilted Prods., Inc.

All I can say is THANK GOD that The Office was nominated. I was actually all worked up earlier today when I thought for a split second that this awe-inspiring comedy was snubbed. Fortunately, I think that was a fever dream brought on by all of the Christmas cookies I ingested last night. Whew.

I'm not happy to see Desperate Housewives here again, as I have a seriously hard time accepting that DH is a comedy (an unfunny dramedy, at best) and if one one-hour series had to be included in this category, I would have rather it had been newcomer Ugly Betty (also nominated here), which IS a comedy, just of the one-hour variety. Entourage and Weeds are always safe bets for nominations, though I was hoping that Scrubs or 30 Rock would somehow manage to pull a nomination. While I like My Name is Earl, my love for the series has dwindled this season, a pale shadow of its former self. Fittingly, the series was snubbed this year.

If you couldn't guess, I'm rooting with all of my heart for the gang at Dunder-Mifflin to trounce the ladies of Wisteria Lane and to take home the prize for The Office.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL

MARCIA CROSS - DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
AMERICA FERRERA - UGLY BETTY
FELICITY HUFFMAN - DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS - THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
MARY-LOUISE PARKER - WEEDS

Tough race in this category, though I am thrilled to see that only two of the Housewives were nominated. (Not going to be a good day in the Hatcher household, methinks.) I love Mary-Louise Parker's bravura turn as Nancy Botwin on Weeds, but am thrilled that both Old Christine's Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ugly Betty's America Ferrera received nods this morning, making this race a lot more interesting than last year's category, in which all four main Housewives were nominated, alongside MLP.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ALEC BALDWIN - 30 ROCK
ZACH BRAFF - SCRUBS
STEVE CARRELL - THE OFFICE
JASON LEE - MY NAME IS EARL
TONY SHALHOUB - MONK

It's obvious that I'm rooting for The Office's Steve Carrell to win for his always hilarious, always painful performance as Michael Scott on the NBC comedy. (While things in this world are always uncertain, the one constant is that I'm pulling for The Office.) But I couldn't be happier to see 30 Rock get some love in the form of a nomination for Alec Baldwin who can casually toss off some bon mots like "You have the confidence of a much younger woman" and have it read as both astonishingly mean and whimsically complimentary. Zach Braff fortunately gets a nod for his consistently funny performance as J.D. on Scrubs. Scrubs never gets enough love and I'm hoping its new berth on NBC's relaunched Thursday night comedy lineup changes this.

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

BLEAK HOUSE (PBS) - BBC and WGBH Boston Prod. i.a.w. Deep Indigo
BROKEN TRAIL (AMC) - Butchers Run Films and Once Upon a Time Films i.a.w. Sony Pictures Television
ELIZABETH I (HBO) - Company Pictures and Channel 4 i.a.w. HBO Films
MRS. HARRIS (HBO) - Killer Films, Number 9 Films and John Wells Prod. i.a.w. HBO Films
PRIME SUSPECT: THE FINAL ACT (PBS) - Granada and WGBH-Boston Prod.

Tough call, but I am going to go for the deliriously beautiful and gripping Bleak House.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

GILLIAN ANDERSON - BLEAK HOUSE
ANNETTE BENING - MRS. HARRIS
HELEN MIRREN - ELIZABETH I
HELEN MIRREN - PRIME SUSPECT: THE FINAL ACT
SOPHIE OKONEDO - TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH

It's tough competing against yourself, but Helen Mirren did turn in two magnificent performances this year. Still, I think it will come down to one of her turns or Gillian Anderson's vulnerable performance as Lady Dedlock in Bleak House.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

EMILY BLUNT - GIDEON’S DAUGHTER
TONI COLLETTE - TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH
KATHERINE HEIGL - GREY’S ANATOMY
SARAH PAULSON - STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
ELIZABETH PERKINS - WEEDS

Come on, Elizabeth Perkins!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

THOMAS HADEN CHURCH - BROKEN TRAIL
JEREMY IRONS - ELIZABETH I
JUSTIN KIRK - WEEDS
MASI OKA - HEROES
JEREMY PIVEN - ENTOURAGE

It's got to be Weeds' Justin Kirk, or I'm not coming into work the next day. His fiercely funny performance as Nancy's brother Andy invigorated the pot dramedy's second second and he even managed to steal the show away from Mary-Louise Parker, no mean feat.

So who do you think will win the Golden Globes? Who deserved their noms, who didn't, and who was wrongfully snubbed?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: Cook Islands (CBS); The Office (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); 'Til Death/The War at Home (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); Scrubs/30 Rock (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); The O.C. (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); ER (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8-9 pm: The Office.

It's a full hour of the best comedy on television: The Office. On the third season Christmas special ("A Benihana Christmas"), written by the talented Jen Celotta, Dunder-Mifflin ends up split down the middle when an argument among the members of the Party Planning Committee leads to two office Christmas parties. Meanwhile, Michael gets dumped by Carol (and right at the holidays too!) and invites the menfolk of Dunder-Mifflin to down their sorrows.

9 pm: Scrubs.

Finally! Scrubs is back on NBC's schedule, where it belongs. And on tonight's episode ("My Best Coffee"), J.D. discovers that he and Kim (Elizabeth Banks) are actually quite compatible, after all, while Carla must decide whether or not to return to work now that the baby ihas been born.

9:30 pm: 30 Rock.

On tonight's episode ("The Break-Up") of the show that coined the term "mind grapes," Liz finally dumps her beeper-salesman boyfriend (Dean Winters) and tries to enter the the dating world of Manhattan with Jenna, while Jack has some romantic issues of hios own when he begins seeing a high-ranking government official.

10 pm: Afterlife on BBC America.

It's the third episode of the supernatural thriller Afterlife, starring Leslie Sharp and Andrew Lincoln, on BBC America. On tonight's episode, socially awkward Daniel has a particularly horrifying first date. And I don't mean your run-of-the-mill first date horror, but true, palpable horror.

"Gilmore Girls" Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino Returns to Comedic Roots with "Jezebel James"

While there are a number of pilot and series orders worthy of keeping one's eye on during this busy pilot season--The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Canyons, and The Bionic Woman being the first three to come to mind--every now and then there's a certain project that comes along that you can't help but root for, especially when it comes from the fertile minds of one of your favorite television creators.

Especially when said creator has let you down a wee bit by leaving the series that made them a mythic name around the Televisionary household after sort of sinking the show a bit.

If you couldn't guess who I was talking about just from that sentence above (or if you don't bother reading the title, I suppose), here goes. Fox has ordered a multi-camera pilot from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino with the working title of The Return of Jezebel Ja