[Televisionary]

The twists just keep on coming on this edition of CBS' reality series The Amazing Race . However, this is one twist (unlike the initial double elimination) that I can actually get behind as last-place David and Mary discover that this leg has been a non-elimination round. Unlike previous years, however, David and Mary aren't required to give up their belongings and money for the next leg of the race. Instead, they'll either have to check in at the pit stop in FIRST place or face a 30-minute penalty and possible elimination. I like the switcheroo for a number of reasons: seeing contestants shove on all of their clothing was getting really old and the sight of American competing on a reality show and begging for money from strangers -- poor strangers a lot of the time -- just did not sit right with me at all. Poverty also weighed heavily on the mind of Kimberly, who this week uttered what had to be one of the most disgustingly ethnocentric comments ever to be heard on the Ra

I guess October really is a month of ghosts returning to life. Following a series of surprising development moves lately (like the CW's revival of failed 2004 Rod Lurie pilot Captial City ), comes another resurrection, this time at ABC. The network has ordered six episodes of October Road , which was originally developed for this season but never ordered to series. The drama revolves around a young, successful novelist ( Prime 's Bryan Greenberg) who finds himself confronting the past he left behind when he returns to his hometown to teach at the local college and deal with his estranged family. (Hopefully Greenberg's character doesn't encounter killer clowns, a shocking homicide rate, or Poppy Montgomery... as the protagonist in Kevin Williamson's similarly themed Glory Days did.) The pilot for October Road also co-starred Tom Berenger (who coincidentally also co-starred in Lurie's Capital City ) and 7th Heaven 's Geoff Stults. ABC is said to have kept th

I'd be terribly remiss if I didn't take a second look at the pilot for NBC's new Tina Fey comedy 30 Rock . I reviewed the original pilot (sans Jane Krakowski) here and settled in last night to watch the revised version of the premiere episode last night. (What? Don't look at me like that... I had to get through America's Next Top Model , Lost , and Project Runway on Wednesday night!) I have to say, I liked the revised version of 30 Rock even better than the original, even with Rachel Dratch downgraded from star... to, er, supporting cast member. (Isn't it ironic how a show about a network retooling a show about a sketch comedy star suddenly reduced to being a second banana... gets retooled and the sketch comedy star becomes, well, a second banana with a string of oddball minor parts in every episode?) I do have to say that Krakowski is a little more believable as the star of the fictional Girlie Show and Jenna's attitude and reactions come across as a lo

After last week's claustrophobic (in the best possible way) Season Three opener, this week's episode of Lost ("The Glass Ballerina") expanded to focus a little wider, bringing Sayid, Sun, and Jin into the Others storyline, while still keeping us up-to-date about the incarceration of Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. (I'm still v. curious about what's going on back at the beach with the rest of the castaways, but we'll have to wait another week to get to the bottom of that mystery.) What struck me initially was how much last night's episode reminded me of the classic feel of Lost from Season One. While it essentially did continue the storyline from last week, the episode was much more about the castaways' relationships and interactions (as well as the flashback) than it was about the action, plot twists, or island hallucinations, talking birds, or the like. The flashback this week belonged to Sun and Jin (though mostly to Sun), a rarity given that their fla

I'm really torn by last night's episode of Project Runway, the first of a two-part season finale that sees the final four designers--Michael, Uli, Laura, and Jeffrey--present their collections at New York Fashion Week. Getting to show a collection at Bryant Park is a huge feat and an entry to the rarefied world of fashion. Let's just hope all four designers actually get there now. I'm speaking of course of Laura's decision to inform Tim Gunn (and by dint the show's producers) of her belief that Jeffrey had outside help above and beyond that dictated by the rules set out by the producers for this challenge. They were given two months and eight thousand dollars to create twelve pieces to present on the runway. It's an arduous task, regardless of the timeframe, but all of the designers managed to assemble their collections and put the finishing touches on their outfits in the studio in New York. Laura believes strongly that Jeffrey's outfits show a craftsm

The boys over at Nobody's Watching have added several new videos in the last few days, including a hilarious (if way too short) spoof of my favorite treadmill-based video ever (that would be "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go) and a video showing Derek and Will playing a game of 24 ... because, let's be serious, all of us twenty-something guys secretly wish we were Jack Bauer. They've also given you, their loyal fans, the opportunity to tell NBC what you really, really want: "We’re going to pay NBC a little visit with our cameras in the next couple days and make sure we let them know what we think about their new fall schedule. And if you guys have anything you’d like to tell them about any of their shows (good or bad), post it here or call us at 818-620-3151 and we’ll be sure to tell them for you." Start your emailing and phone calls now (though Derek's voicemail box already appears to be full) complaining about the never-ending airings of Deal or No D

Is it just me or are you also excited when the most random of guest stars pop up on your favorite series? Especially when they're delivering low-key performances rather than Will & Grace style stunt casting hamminess. For this reason (and a whole lot more), last night's episode of Veronica Mars ("My Big Fat Greek Rush Week") was an absolute treasure, featuring the sort of random casting that this show always succeeds so well at pulling off. So who was playing who? Samuel Horshack, that poor tortured prisoner who wet his pants during a more than stringent psych experiment, was played by Samm Levine... who will always be Neal from Freaks and Geeks to me. But he's also appeared on Undeclared , Life As We Know It , My Name is Earl , How I Met Your Mother , Still Standing , and Entourage . Busy guy, that Samm Levine. I say, if Rob Thomas can't get Arrested Development 's Michael Cera back for the season, let's keep Samm around for a bit. And, oh, he