[Televisionary]

It's that time of year again as the Television Critics Association has announced their nominations for the TCA Awards, which will be handed out on July 19th in Beverly Hills. Making headlines: AMC's Mad Men has tied HBO's The Wire with the top number of nominations. (For those of you looking for a sign that critics are clearly behind the itty-bitty cabler and the recent Golden Globe winner for Best Drama, there you go.) This year's group of nominees are quite exciting choices (as seen from the full list below), with some of Televisionary's favorite programs represented, including multiple nominations for Damages, 30 Rock, Lost, Pushing Daisies, and Flight of the Conchords , to name but a few. The full list of nominees for the TCA Awards is as follows: Program of the Year: John Adams Lost Mad Men Ken Burns' The War The Wire Comedy: 30 Rock The Colbert Report The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Flight of the Conchords The Office Drama: Damages Friday Nigh

Le sigh. Am I the only one already missing Flight of the Conchords ' Bret and Jemaine? (Not to mention the series' deliciously absurd supporting characters, Mel and Murray.) HBO's zany comedy, Flight of the Conchords , wrapped its freshman season on Sunday night and I am already bemoaning the disappearance of the absurd series from my Sunday night viewing lineup. After all, what other series can boast hilariously tongue-in-cheek music videos about robots taking over the world, Frodo being tempted by that damned ring, or have a spot-on David Bowie (each from a specific decade, no less) visit their series lead in a dream sequence? Or, in the case of the Season One finale, have their other series lead dance a 1980s-style dance to some synth-pop because he's angry? Answer: just one and that's the pure magic and joy of Flight of the Conchords , which I will definitely miss until the series returns in 2008. (For those of you who simply can't wait that long, the Season

Mel must be positively beaming with joy. Pay cabler HBO has announced that it has ordered a second season of offbeat comedy Flight of the Conchords , which wraps its freshman season on September 2nd. (Sniffle, sniffle.) Flight of the Conchords , which follows the travails of Bret and Jemaine, members of the eponymous satirical folk rock band, will return with new episodes in 2008. Timeslot companion Entourage was renewed for its fifth season and will also return next year. " Entourage is a full-fledged cultural phenomenon, and Flight of the Conchords has quickly become a show to watch," said Carolyn Strauss, president of HBO Entertainment, in a statement. "I'm delighted that we'll be bringing new seasons of these distinctive series to our subscribers." Best news I've heard all day... and one that will keep me going until the release of the full-length Flight of the Conchords album in January 2008.

HBO's drama John From Cincinnati may have wrapped its first season last night but that hasn't stopped the pay cabler from enacting a swift blow to the series. That's right, folks. John From Cincinnati is dead. Just don't expect the convoluted metaphysical surfing drama to rise from the dead any time soon. HBO has confirmed that it has canceled the series, which failed to connect with critics and viewers alike. In the meantime, the pay cabler hasn't yet decided whether it will renew comedy Flight of the Conchords for a second season. On that front, I have to beg for some mercy and only hope that HBO sees the merit of keeping the quirky comedy around for a while longer. Pretty please? What's On Tonight 8 pm: NCIS (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-9:30 pm); Gilmore Girls (CW); Just for Laughs/Just for Laughs (ABC); On the Lot (FOX) 9 pm: Big Brother 8 (CBS); The Singing Bee (NBC; 9:30-10 pm) ; Beauty and the Geek (CW); Primetime (FOX); House (FOX)

It's no secret that my love for NBC's comedy 30 Rock knows no bounds and I've been shouting from the rooftops whenever possible about getting people to tune in to HBO's new musical-comedy series Flight of the Conchords . In watching this past week's Flight of the Conchords (and several episodes of 30 Rock saved on my TiVo and iPod), I couldn't help but be struck by some similarities by the series' respective scene-stealers, Kenneth the Page and Mel the Fan. (Am I alone in thinking this?) Were these two separated at birth? Let's compare and contrast the two lovably bizarre and tragically misunderstood naifs. Name: Kenneth Ellen Parcell ( 30 Rock ) Occupation: NBC Page Marital Status: Single (though was pressured into making a move on Cirie) Likes: Attending church at Eighth Day Resurrected Covenant of the Holy Trinity, knitting woolen bikinis for his granny, sandwiches, Jack Donaghy, ChapStick, starting every day with a smile. Dislikes: The "evil

Hiphopapotamus? Rhymenocerous? Do these names ring a bell? I'm just wondering if I'm the only one who's hooked on HBO's newest surreal comedy masterpiece , The Flight of the Conchords. I'm a little surprised that no one seems to be talking about this quirky, compelling, and hysterical series that, like Lost , rewards repeat viewing again and again. Okay, so there aren't any smoke monsters or cursed numbers or anything, but there are hilarious musical numbers that you might miss because you're laughing so damn hard. This week's installment of Flight of the Conchords ("Mugged") was no exception as I found myself choking on my laughter (not an easy feat, mind you). Worried that Bret and Jemaine will get lost or injured during their tenure in Manhattan, band manager/New Zealand consul Murray gives the boys some tools to help them navigate their way--reflective belts, fold-out maps, I Heart NYC gear--and, er, blend in. Sure enough, the guys are mug

I'll keep this short and sweet, rather like HBO's Flight of the Conchords itself. If you've never seen New Zealand folk parody band Flight of the Conchords in action, you're in for a real treat. I've seen the duo--comprised of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement (as " New Zealand's fourth most popular digi-folk parodists ")--several times, most notably at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and right here in Los Angeles at a little place called Largo. They always manage to make me roar with laughter, with their understated comedic stylings and their hilarious pop/folk/parody songs. So imagine my surprise when I learned last year that the duo would be shooting a 12-episode series for HBO entitled (quelle surprise!) Flight of the Conchords . Conchords the series kicks off on Sunday night with a brilliant pilot episode that I've rewatched about a dozen times since I first saw it in early January. (Can't wait for Sunday to watch it? You can d