[Televisionary]

Am I the only one that wants to punch Spike in his inane Mad Hatter face? Last night's episode of Top Chef ("Tailgating") was filled with Spike's ridiculous antics, from his middle-school playground feud with Jennifer (leading to his snide cheer of "yay, lesbians!") to the, er, "friendly" bubble bath he took with Kiwi Mark. Throughout it all, even when he was shirtless, Spike kept on a series on ridiculously jaunty hats that only served to underplay his precarious position in the competition. While there's always been drama on Top Chef (just look at Season One's argument between Tiffani and Dave or the rift between Marcel and Betty) and, well, odd incidents (the Marcel head-shaving incident from Season Two), this season seems to be devolving into an odd mix of serious chefs (Richard, Antonia, Stephanie) and drama queens. I am tired to tears with Lisa and Dale (though the boy can cook), Spike and Jennifer, and what appears to be a never-en

I am still trying to catch my breath. I'm talking about my reaction last night after reading Joss Whedon's brilliantly evocative script for his new seven-episode drama series for FOX, Dollhouse . If there's one thing that Dollhouse has been this development season in Hollywood, it's been THE script to try to get your hands on. After weeks of conniving, begging, and bartering, I finally managed to get my greedy mitts on the script and hungrily devoured the 54-page script in about fifteen minutes, seemingly without pausing to breathe. While I had extremely high expectations for Dollhouse (I always trust in the Joss), I was worried that, after all of the hype and hoopla, it wouldn't quite live up to my preconceived notions about the project. I am happy to say that not only were those expectations matched but they were exceeded. This isn't latter-day Alias by any stretch of the imagination: while there are still costume changes and choreographed fight sequences,

I was more than a little baffled by some of the ideas thrown about in last night's episode of BBC America's addictive culinary competition series, Last Restaurant Standing . Raymond Blanc had tasked the four remaining couples with creating restaurant experiences that would "surprise and delight" their customers, while increasing the number of bookings (and for the first time start to turn tables), and I expected them to seriously give the matter quite a lot of thought. One of my favorite elements of the meal at Tom Colicchio's Craft (besides the legendary and delicious food) is when the waitstaff bring you a complimentary cellophane-wrapped pastry for the next morning. It also needn't be free: at Grace , you can order a morning-after box of treats to go or stop by Wednesday nights for "doughnut shoppe," when pastry chef Maria Swan pairs a changing selection of doughnuts with various ice creams and sorbets and a host of other delicious toppings. Inst

In this day and age, we've all gotten used to hyperbole in our television promos: this is the episode where everything changes; nothing will ever be the same after this episode; etc. However, in the case of the second season finale of Torchwood ("Exit Wounds"), airing this Saturday on BBC America, the hyperbole is--for a refreshing change of pace--completely apt. It's funny because while I was r eviewing fellow Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures yesterday , I made an offhanded remark about the poor staff of Torchwood 3 never getting a happy ending. Never has that been more true than in this brilliant, heartbreaking episode, written by the talented Chris Chibnall and directed by Ashley Way. While this series has always been a far darker, more grim reality than that presented in Doctor Who (or the bubblegum and sunshine of Sarah Jane Adventures ), I didn't quite expect to get as emotional as I did watching this installment. For two seasons, we've s

Is it too good to be true: a mini Arrested Development reunion? Well, sort of. Former Arrested Development cast members Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler will lend their voices to FOX's animated comedy pilot Sit Down, Shut Up! from creator Mitch Hurwitz. The project, based on a live-action Australian comedy series, revolves around the staffers of a high school who are more preoccupied with their own dramas and issues than those of their students. Also joining the cast: Cheri Oteri, Nick Kroll, Will Forte, Tom Kenny, Regina King, and Maria Bamford. While it's not quite the Arrested Development news I've been hoping for (say it with me: feature film, feature film), I'll take what I can get, especially if we can find a way to get Bateman and Arnett in a scene together, even if they're just animated...

I am very happy to read that Rob Thomas will be taking a back seat on the upcoming drama pilot for the spin-off of Beverly Hills 90210 to focus on his other projects. Whew. I read the script for 90210 yesterday and was less than thrilled. I know that Thomas wrote it extremely quickly (a week, according to The Hollywood Reporter ) on a rather tight deadline as CBS Paramount Network Television fast-tracked the project. The Veronica Mars creator then found himself in high demand, with two other projects getting ordered to pilot at ABC: the revival of his own series Cupid and Good Behavior , the US adaptation of Kiwi series Outrageous Behavior . 90210 was an iconic series and managed to completely tap into the zeitgeist of the 1990s in a way that no other series--especially one geared towards teens--had managed to do. It also went on to influence such series as The O.C. , Gossip Girl , and, well, every other teen drama that came after it. So why was Thomas' rushed script for 90210

If there's one word for Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, it's... cute. The Sarah Jane Adventures launched Friday night on Sci Fi with a 90-minute installment and I was curious to see how the Doctor Who formula (alien plots are counteracted by human or human-and-Time Lord pairs) would be applied to this new series. After all, Torchwood modified the familiar Doctor Who story by injecting it with heaps of darkness and sexuality. In Torchwood , there are never any happy endings, no one ever gets a day off or a holiday to the other side of the universe, and the would-be saviors of humanity are forced to focus on work rather than the significant relationships in their lives. The Sarah Jane Adventures takes the opposite tack, bringing a lightness and youth to the war against alien invaders and simplifying the plots significantly. I realize that I am not within the ideal demographic for this British series but I can't help but shake my head at Sci Fi's decis