Laffy Taffy: Molly Shannon Heads to "Pushing Daisies"

Pushing Daisies has been on a roll these past few months. Besides for being the most eagerly anticipated new series this fall, the drama has had two of the highest-profile guest star casting announcements so far.

In addition to the previously announced Paul Reubens (who'll play homeopathic anti-depressant salesman Alfredo Aldarisio), TV Guide's Michael Ausiello has revealed that Pushing Daisies has secured former SNL cast member Molly Shannon for a multiple-episode arc this fall.

Shannon, who guest starred on 30 Rock last season and starred in NBC's pilot for The Mastersons of Manhattan, will play Dilly Balsam, the proprietor of a saltwater taffy shop across the street from our hero Ned's Pie Hole. (The restaurant, I mean, not his, er, actual pie hole.)

Shannon's first appearance is scheduled for November sweeps and she'll appear in an as-yet-undetermined amount of episodes of Pushing Daisies' first season. Teehee. I'm laughing out loud already.

Pushing Daisies premieres Wednesday, October 4th, at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: China (CBS); My Name is Earl (NBC); Beauty & the Geek (CW; 8-10 pm); Ugly Betty (ABC); Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); The Office (NBC); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Don't Forget the Lyrics (FOX)

10 pm: Without a Trace (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: The Office.

On tonight's repeat episode of The Office ("The Job"), Michael is up for a promotion at Dunder-Mifflin Corporate and decides to hold a day of Survivor-inspired challenges at the beach as a means of choosing his successor, leading a jealous Pam to watch Jim and Karen from the sidelines.

10-11 pm: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on FX.

FX's hilariously subversive comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia continues tonight with two back-to-back episodes. On the first ("Dennis and Dee's Mom is Dead"), Dennis and Dee's caustic mother has died but the bad news is that she gave all of her money to a do-gooder ex-lover (guest star Stephen Collins) while Dennis turns her former home into a party mansion. On the second ("The Gang Gets Held Hostage"), the bar is invaded by the McPoyles and the gang taken hostage (with hilarious results) while Frank attempts to find his hidden will.

10 pm: Tim Gunn's Guide to Style on Bravo.

See the style maven make it work on his own fashion series, where he and supermodel Veronica Webb take on one hapless fashion victim and make them over into a sartorial superstar. On tonight's episode, Tim and Veronica take on the challenge of remolding a former prom queen who is about to turn 30.

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

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Katie Lee Packs Her Knives: Breaking News from Bravo's "Top Chef"

The android has left the building. Or the test kitchen, anyway. Top Chef 's robotic host Katie Lee Joel, the veritable "Uptown Girl" herself (pictured at left), will NOT be sticking around for a second course of Bravo's hit culinary competition. According to a well-placed insider, Joel will "not be returning" to the show. No reason for her departure was cited. Unfortunately, the perfect replacement for Joel, Top Chef judge and professional chef Tom Colicchio, will not be taking over as the reality series' host (damn!). Instead, the show's producers are currently scouring to find a replacement for Joel. Top Chef 's second season was announced by Bravo last month, but no return date has been set for the series' ten-episode sophomore season. Stay tuned as this story develops. UPDATE (6/27): Bravo has now confirmed the above story .

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Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

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