[Televisionary]

Good morning and welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I cannot believe that this week was in any way truncated as it felt so damn long. (Am I alone in thinking that?) I spent last night watching the pilot for Rob Thomas' new version of Cupid and caught up on some backlog on my TiVo and cannot wait for this weekend. (The wife and I are planning a movie marathon tomorrow night. On deck: Son of Rambow, Hamlet 2, Redbelt , and Amateur. ) ROTFLMAO! Gossip Girl 's Blake Lively and Leighton Meester have signed on to guest star in a November episode of NBC's 30 Rock , where they'll play high school classmates of Liz Lemon in a flashback sequence that reveals that Liz (Tina Fey) was a mean girl (how this squares with her D&D-playing days remains to be seen); the episode revolves around Liz's twenty-year high school reunion, so look for producers to cast adult versions of Lively and Meester's teen characters. Up for the part: Robyn Lively ( Savannah ),

Good morning and welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I ended up watching 90210 's two-hour debut last night, so look for a review of the premiere in just a little while. Could the upcoming second season of comedy Flight of the Conchords --set to air in 2009 on HBO--be the series' last? That's the indication of a report in The New Zealand Herald, in which creator/stars Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are quoted as saying that, due to creative difficulties with creating songs for the sophomore season, Flight of the Conchords could be over sooner rather than later. "The second series seems to me like it would be a good end to the show," said McKenzie. ( TV Guide ) Jennifer Aniston will guest-star on 30 Rock this season as Liz Lemon's former roommate/stalker. But you lucky Televisionary readers knew that yesterday. ( Televisionary ) Ted Danson ( Damages ) has been cast as a lead in HBO's comedy pilot Bored to Death , opposite Jason Schwa

So Gossip Girl viewers. You've read my review of the first three episodes of the second season of Gossip Girl and by now you've all hopefully watched the first Hamptons-laden installment ("Summer, Kind of Wonderful"). Which leads me to be very, very curious: What did you all think of Catherine (Madchen Amick), Nate's secretive lady lover? Did you swoon over Blair's latest boy (Patrick Heusinger), easily the most transparent plot to make one Chuck Bass very jealous? Did you applaud Laurel's near-comeuppance in the form of one Jenny Humphrey? What did you make of the fact that former Lonely Boy himself, Dan, suddenly found himself the most eligible bachelor in all of Manhattan? (Or Brooklyn, anyway.) And the million-dollar question: are you just as hooked on Gossip Girl now that it's returning for a second season of debauchery, designer frocks, and deceit? Talk back here. XOXO, Jace What's On Tonight 8 pm: NCIS (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC

Good morning and welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes both via email and Facebook (I had a wonderful birthday dinner at Comme Ca and saw Ali Larter and Amy Smart); it was definitely a birthday to remember. NBC has gone ahead and ordered the back nine episodes of action-comedy series Chuck a month before the start of its sophomore season. As all Chuck fans know, the first season of the genre-busting series was cut short by the writers strike last season and the Peacock only aired 13 episodes. Series co-creator Josh Schwartz called the news "unexpected" and went to say, "It's an incredible show of faith by NBC and so amazingly nice to get based on the work alone." I couldn't have put it better myself and am pleased as punch that Chuck will get to air 22 episodes this year. Happy days! Chuck returns to the airwaves September 29th. ( Variety ) The Peacock also ordered a fourth season of reality competit

Just when September is right upon us (and with it the return of shorter evenings, the school year, close-toed shoes, and all sorts of responsibilities), the CW is bringing you a bit of an antidote to the end-of-summer blues in the form of Season Two of its guilty pleasure Gossip Girl . I teased you last week with a few tidbits about what the first three fabulous episodes of Gossip Girl have to offer but I'm happy to say that these initial sophomore installments have more pleasure than guilt to offer and are a welcome return to the cattiness and depravity we've come to know and love. While the CW is being especially stern with journos reviewing these opening installments of Gossip Girl about revealing certain elements of the storyline (or I should say, one plot twist which I called during the opening scenes), I will say that there's a host of sinfully tantalizing shenanigans going on when Gossip Girl returns, including some unexpected dalliances out in the Hamptons, where

Good morning and welcome to your Wednesday television briefing. I was up late last night watching the first three episodes of next season's Gossip Girl and my brain is still filled with Hamptons-based intrigue (though if I hear someone use the word "Duchess" one more time, I think I may have to slap them) and I was up all night improbably wondering how school-age Vanessa managed to bypass zoning regulations at Rufus' gallery. But more on Gossip Girl at later time... FX has announced that The Shield will end its run on November 25th. The cabler is set to launch the seventh and final season of The Shield on September 2nd and will air a host of programming around the final season, including retrospective material about the seminal series and a roundtable discussion with the cast and crew, to be hosted by Elvis Mitchell. ( Variety ) NBC Universal has acquired a 100% stake in British television production company Carnival, which has produced such dramas as Hotel Babylon

Having come to the Gossip Girl party fashionably late, I'm finding myself yelling at the characters on screen to slow down for the love of god. Is it just me or are you finding that Gossip Girl seems to be going through a nasty strain of The OC Syndrome, whereby the writers burn through as much story as quickly as possible, a condition which can ultimately lead to creative burn out? This week's episode of Gossip Girl ("All About My Brother") definitely brought the drama but it also forced the action to occur so rapidly that many of the revelations and reveals lacked any real tension as a result. In the course of two episodes, Little J rose to become Queen Bee of her little social clique, nabbed a wealthy Upper East Side boyfriend, disobeyed her father, threw a luxe party that was crashed by Blair Waldorf, lost said boyfriend, and apologized to her father. A little much perhaps? I understand that the season has been truncated slightly due to the writers strike but t

Greetings, Gossip fans. I'm wondering this chilly morning in LA what everyone thought of last night's episode ("The Blair Bitch Project"), the first new installment since the series took a breather following a writers strike-related production shutdown. I used the Gossip Girl 's, er, spring break to catch up on the previously aired installments to date and wound up kind of getting hooked on the series. When it works, it's like a teenage version of Les Liaisons dangereuses , seen through the modern prism of Cruel Intentions , albeit with a better wardrobe and a slightly more tongue-firmly-in-cheek mentality. When it doesn't work (i.e., anything to do with Vanessa or Nate's dad), it makes me want to rip out my stylishly coiffed hair. But enough about that. I was curious to see how the series' writers would deal with the fallout between dethroned Queen Bee Blair and backstabbing social climber Jenny (the series' most delicious storyline). After m

It's always a happy day when Misha Barton isn't cast in something I'm watching. The waifish former OC star won't be appearing in a multiple-episode arc this season on the CW's guiltiest pleasure, Gossip Girl . Instead filling the role of Georgina Sparks, a new nemesis for Serena (Blake Lively): former Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Michelle Trachtenberg . Yes, the Buffy's lil' sis--a.k.a. The Key, a rather animated ball of light--herself will be joining the cast of Gossip Girl this May. Trachtenberg will bring, I am sure a delicious cattiness to the role of Georgina, who shows up on the Upper East Side after a stint in rehab to make life even more hellish (though still luxuriously stylish) for poor Serena. As for Misha, let's just hope she doesn't throw any more lawn furniture into the pool now that the news has broken. 'Cause that would be a travesty. What's On Tonight 8 pm: Deal or No Deal (NBC); Smallville (CW); Miss/Guided / Miss/Gui

WB comedy mascot Michigan J. Frog must be rolling in his amphibian grave. While the comedy department at netlet The CW may have been shown the door this week (along with more than 25 CW staffers who lost their jobs ), the drama department, under topper Thom Sherman, has been busy, snapping up another pilot this week as the mad crush into a truncated and chaotic pilot season continues. The CW has ordered a pilot for drama How to Teach Dirty Rich Girls . Like its predecessor Gossip Girl , it too is based on a series of teen-centric novels from Alloy (and author Zoey Dean) and will be written by Rina Mimoun--who last performed writing duties on this season's Pushing Daisies --and executive produced by Alloy's Bob Levy and Leslie Morganstein. Story revolves around a Yale-educated girl who loses her job as an assistant at a tabloid magazine and is hired as a sort of live-in tutor/life coach for two teen heiresses in Palm Beach. Can she get these two to see sense while she figures ou

Fans of freshman drama Gossip Girl can rest a little easier: the series will be returning for a second season of Manhattan-based intrigue and innuendo next season. (Maybe the mysterious Gossip Girl herself had some dirt on Dawn Ostroff?) Gossip Girl was one of six series that received early renewal orders today from netlet The CW, according to a press release issued by the network. Other CW series getting the thumbs up for the 2008-09 season include America's Next Top Model, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Supernatural , and Everybody Hates Chris . All six series will return for the fall season, while the lack of a mention for freshman comedy Aliens in America does not bode well for that series. Also missing from the renewal list: Reaper . Stay tuned.

My position on Gossip Girl is slowly changing into something akin to--dare I say it?--amused appreciation. Will it ever blossom into the fullness of love experienced by the future Mrs. Televisionary (recounted in a post about her love for Gossip Girl here )? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I do have to say that I was completely sucked in by this week's repeat installment of Gossip Girl ("Dare Devil"). Maybe it was the complete and utter lack of Chuck (still a little too creepily smarmy for me) and Nate (far too whiny pretty-boy), but I actually really enjoyed this week's episode, which put the spotlight on little Humphrey, Jenny, and on the burgeoning friendship/repeated strolls-down-memory-lane between Rufus and Lily. Jenny dished it out as good as she got it when she was on the receiving end of Blair's "generosity," snagging an invite to the annual Waldorf slumber party and falling victim to a mean-spirited game of Truth or Dare in which the s

The PR machine is in overdrive for the 2008 William S. Paley Television Festival, the fest's 25th anniversary installment, which moves its location this year from its cramped quarters at the DGA to the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight. (Wahoo!) While the festival's organizers are being pretty coy about the full lineup and schedule this year, what with teasing us about a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion , they have quietly nailed down some dates for some of the panels: March 14th: Elvis '68 Comeback Special (Opening Night Selection) March 15th: Pushing Daisies March 17th: The Comedy World of Judd Apatow & Friends March 18th: Chuck March 20th: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion March 21st: Dancing with the Stars March 25th: Dirty Sexy Money March 27th: Mad Men (Closing Night Selection) The full lineup and schedule, including the date for the previously announced panel for Gossip Girl, is slated to be revealed on February 4th. Individual tickets for members of the Paley Cen

It pays to be a member... of the Paley Center, that is. As with most years since I moved out to Los Angeles (five years ago, for those keeping score), I'm planning on attending as many William S. Paley Television Festival events as I can (and as many as my wallet will allow). The festival's organizers--from the Paley Center for Media--have been particularly canny this year, teasing the audience with little glimpses into this year's lineup (March 14-27 at the Arclight, in the Cinerama Dome, no less), which so far includes panels for Pushing Daisies and Gossip Girl and a special evening with Judd Apatow. If that wasn't enough, they then made me drool with sweet, sweet anticipation with their latest tantalizing unveiling of the schedule, which features panels for Chuck , Dirty Sexy Money , Dancing with the Stars , and Mad Men . And, oh, a reunion of the cast from a little show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Yes, that's right, ladies and gents, the cast of the cult

Ah, love and marriage. They go together like a horse and... well, you know. Except, that is, when the couple is in dispute over a TV show. Which is why Jace has been kind enough to hand over his laptop to me, the future Mrs. Televisonary, so that I could voice my opinion about a show that I consider to be one of the best new breakouts of the season but that he doesn't watch. Gasp! How can this be, you ask? How can two people who share such an unhealthy passion for all things television, from Damages to Doctor Who , disagree about a show? The show in question is Gossip Girl , a fizzy, fun, frolicking fable about a group of Upper East Side teens and their shockingly soapy lives. Not since Beverly Hills, 90210 has a show about teenagers been so ridiculous and so completely enthralling. Creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have brought to life a winningly wicked cast of characters, played with aplomb by a gorgeous and capable cast. Blake Lively is pitch perfect as fallen angel

A few freshman series got a slight vote of confidence from their respective networks. NBC has ordered three additional scripts for each of its new dramas, including Chuck , Journeyman , Bionic Woman , and Life . While it's not quite the back nine order that I've been hoping for (especially in the case of Chuck ), it's definitely a step in the right direction. CBS, meanwhile, extended the order for four additional scripts from its primetime soap Cane . So far the CW's Gossip Girl has been the only freshman drama to receive a full season pickup, despite a staggering 30 percent drop in viewership between the series opener and second episode. Given the immediacy of the strike situation (nearly everyone--myself included--now believes that the strike is definitely happening), I am surprised that the networks aren't handing out additional script orders--even as many as nine--left and right. There's no guarantee that these scripts will ever be shot but, given the loomi

I'll admit it: I just turned 30, which puts me a little outside the intended audience for the CW's newest teen drama, Gossip Girl , which launches tonight on the netlet at 9 pm ET/PT. That said, I was completely hooked on the early seasons of The OC , which is probably a good thing as Gossip Girl , based on the ever popular line of novels, comes from showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Before you ask, yes, that is Veronica Mars ' Kristen Bell lending her voice as the eponymous Gossip Girl, a sort of Perez Hilton for the Noxzema and Marc Jacobs crowd, who dishes out dirt on the Upper East Side denizens via her popular website. Into her withering gaze comes former It Girl Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), who fled Manhattan following a mysterious incident, and has now returned home after time at boarding school. Her return to the rarefied world of upper crust Manhattan causes turmoil of all kinds, especially towards her former best friend Blair Waldorf (Leigh

Get out your Prada shoes and Marc Jacobs handbags. Gossip Girl is launching a little earlier than expected. Realizing that schools and colleges would already be back in session (duh!) during the series' original launch (September 24th), the CW has bumped the premiere date for Gossip Girl up a week, to September 19th at 9 pm, directly behind the season premiere of America's Next Top Model . Which, well, should have dawned on the programming execs in the first place. Considering the scads of buzz and promotion that the netlet has been rolling out for Gossip Girl , one would think that they'd, you know, want to launch the series ahead of the pack. Therefore, the planned two-hour launch for ANTM will be cut down to an hour and Gossip Girl's launch won't have to go directly up against the premieres of Bionic Woman on NBC or Private Practice on ABC. Probably a smart move on the part of CW, which hasn't proven itself to be the most savvy programmer. For once, the