Two Tivos To Paradise 11.13.09: Back In Action With All Your TV Headlines

Posted by Al Norton on 11.13.2009

Dollhouse gets cancelled, Oprah may be moving to cable, the People's Choice Awards shows love to True Blood, Desperate Housewives Josh Moore stops by to chat, the future of Torchwood, raves for Curb (among others), a huge ratings breakdown, tons of news & notes, the TV Pick of the Week and more, all in the latest edition of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. Great to be back after a week away dealing with family stuff, all of which turned out well. Actually, while TTTP was on a break, we had one of busier interview periods of all time, with chats running with V's Joel Gretsch, Christian Slater, White Collar's Tim DeKay, and new Brothers & Sisters showrunner David Mitchell Grant over the last two weeks – check out the links at the bottom of the column if you missed anything.

Speaking of interviews, check the site on Monday to find my one-on-one with Jenna Elfman.

Family Guy fans should enjoy this trailer for their upcoming Empire Strikes Back episode. Interestingly, the episode will be available on DVD before it airs on Fox.




‘Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs as they tried to teach me how to news.

Well I Read It In Town In The Melancholy News, The Front Page Story Is Our Love Is Through
Here is a rundown of the big TV news headlines since we last met…

*Fox confirmed what had been suspected for weeks when they cancelled Dollhouse, announcing that no further episodes would be produced after the current order of 13 was completed. The timing does allow series creator Joss Whedon to construct a proper series finale, which will

*Rumors are flying that Oprah will move her daily talk show to her launching-next-year cable network when The Oprah Winfrey Show's contract expires with CBS Television in 2011. OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network) premieres in the fall of 2010 and is expected to carry reruns of the show in its programming as well as exclusive pre & post show clips, and she is expected to announce her plans for the show itself by the end of the year.

*Despite HBO pushing for a third season, Flight of the Conchords star Jermaine Clement told Reuters that there might not be a new batch of episodes, sighting the difficulty in writing both the scripts and the songs required. He did not rule out the show coming back for a 3rd season nor did he seem against the idea of returning as a special. A final decision is due sometime this month.

*A&E will debut The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty on December 13th with back-to-back episodes. The series follows the surviving members of the Jackson Five (Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie) as prepare for a 40th Anniversary tour and album while also recovering from their brother's death. The series was in the works with Michael as a participant before he died suddenly earlier this year. Here is a trailer…



*V premiered to big numbers last Tuesday, with 13.9 million overall viewers and the best demos of any season premiere of the fall. The day of the premiere it was announced that Chuck executive producer Scott Rosenbaum had been named showrunner of the new sci-fi series, replacing Scott Peters. V airs four episodes this month and then returns in the spring for 9 more. Rosenbaum, who is not leaving Chuck, was previously an executive producer on The Shield.

*Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will co-host the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on March 7, 2010 on ABC.

*Showtime released the season premiere dates for their upcoming original programming:

-January 25th: Secret Diary of a Call Girl & Tracey Ullman's State of the Union

-March 22nd: Nurse Jackie & The United States of Tara

-April 11th: The Tudors

*TNT officially picked up Southland, scheduling the premiere for January 12th in a Tuesdays at 10 pm timeslot. The season will consist of the seven episodes that aired on NBC last spring followed by the six that were completed before the network pulled the plug.

*Gregory Itzen will reprise his role as President Logan during 24's upcoming 8th season. He was nominated for an Emmy when he last played the character, during the show's 6th season.

*CBS announced it was cutting the number of episodes for Numb3rs by 6, a move viewed by most as the first step in cancelling the series. Producers told Entertainment Weekly that they would make sure all storylines were wrapped up by the end of the now 16 episode season.

*Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies told TV Guide Magazine that he hopes to start work on the series 4th season in January.

*ABC picked up an additional five episodes of the forgotten, bringing the total to 18, and cancelled Eastwick and Hank. The network also shelved plans for Let's Dance, a new show planned for later this month where celebrities reenacted famous dance routines, as they were having issues lining up participants, although there is talk they may try the show in the spring.

*Oscar and Golden Globe nominated actress Mary Elisabeth Mastrantonio has been cast as the Captain of the Major Case Squad on the new season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Eric Bogosian's character had had that job the last few years and this completes the show's major cast turnover this off-season, with Bogosian and series leads Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe exiting the series.

*Sir Ian McKellen is starring in a new comedy that is being shopped to both US and UK networks. The Academy is a mocumentary with McKellen playing his fictional brother Murray who is trying to raise money for his acting school.

*ABC hasn't officially renewed Shark Tank but they have taken unused footage to make two new episodes, which means that with the three other unaired hours they will have five full outings in the pipeline for whenever the show returns to the line up.

*Fox is working on a 15 episode first season of Masterchef, an adaptation of a very successful BBC series where 132 cooking amateurs are put through the paces by a group of judges until one Masterchef is chosen. Gordon Ramsey will produce and have an on-camera role as well, meaning he will now be a regular on three different Fox series.

*A&E gave a 10 episode first season to an untitled reality series that follows Kirstie Alley as the actress attempts to lose weight while being a Mom to her two teenage daughters.

*Donald Trump and Omarosa are re-teaming for a reality s how where the infamous Apprentice contestant tries to find love. Omarosa's Ultimate Merger will air on TV One and feature a group of 12 bachelors competing to win heart, with The Donald serving as executive producer as well as having an on-air role, giving advice to her before she eliminates someone each week. The 8 episode season is being filmed at Trump Intl. Hotel and Tower in Las Vegas.

*Academy Award winner Barry Levinson, Emmy winner Diane English, and Jim Belushi are teaming up on a legal drama based on the life of criminal defense attorney Mickey Sherman. No network is attached yet.

*A week after being named showrunners for the upcoming third season of In Treatment, husband and wife team Anya Epstein and Dan Futterman put a new half hour drama in development with HBO. T follows a woman as she undergoes a gender transformation into a man.

*Ryan Seacrest is producing Bank of Hollywood< for E!, a new series where people pitch/beg Hollywood celebrities for money for everything from helping a charity to getting a new car. The panelists, who will be giving away their own money, include Candy Spelling, Vanessa Russo, Sean Patterson, and Melody Thornton. Look for it in early December.

*Norm Macdonald is starring in Sausagefest, a new comedy in development at NBC about two 20 something best friends with very different Fathers. Macdonald would play one of the Dads. The pilot is written by Josh Heald, who also has Sequestered in development at Fox, where a group of 12 strangers is forced to live together while on jury duty.

*You read about Robert De Niro's Tribecca Productions getting into the TV business on this page a few weeks back and now comes word that they have signed a two year deal with CBS Television Studios. The three NYC based shows they are working on are…

-A drama about the counterterrorism division of the NYPD written by Terry George, whose screenwriting credits include Reservation Road and Hotel Rwanda. The series is based on the Christopher Dickey book Securing The City.

-Felony Review follows a group of young Assistant District Attorneys who are getting the chance to prosecute the big cases for the first time. Julie Martin (Kings, Law and Order, Homicide) is writing the show, which would air on The CW if picked up.

-Alphaville is set in the area know as Alphabet City during the 80's and has not only De Niro but also Spike Lee on board as executive producers, with John Ridley writing the script. Alphaville would air on Showtime.

*The People's Choice Award nominations were announced this week. Here is a quick rundown of the TV categories.

Favorite TV Drama: CSI, Grey's Anatomy, House, Lost, NCIS

Favorite TV Comedy: Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Two and a Half Men

Favorite TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Heroes, Lost, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood

Favorite TV Talk Show: Chelsea Lately, Live with Regis & Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tyra Banks Show

Favorite TV Competition Show: American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance?, Survivor: Samoa

Favorite TV Drama Actor: Hugh Laurie, Keifer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Matthew Fox, Patrick Dempsey

Favorite TV Drama Actress: Anna Paquin, Blake Lively, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katherine Heigl, Mariska Hargitay

Favorite TV Comedy Actor: Alec Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, Jim Parsons, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Carrell

Favorite TV Comedy Actress: Alyson Hannigan, America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Eva Longoria Parker, Tina Fey

Favorite TV Obsession: Dexter, Gossip Girl, The Hills, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, True Blood

*Science fiction legend Ray Bradbury is set to pitch networks on a six hour mini-series that would feature six different directors, each adapting their favorite of his short stories.

Sometimes I Feel I Have To Get Away, Bells Chime, I Know I Have To Get Away
Josh Moore is a fast rising acting talent, with a role in the Clint Eastwood directed The Changling on his resume. He can currently be seen every Sunday on ABC's hit series Desperate Housewives playing Parker Scavo. We recently caught up with him for an email chat.

TTTP: What was the audition process like for the role of Parker Scavo? Did you read with your would-be on screen parents?

Josh Moore: I did not get to read with Felicity and Doug. That would have been cool! The process started with an audition with casting up against four or five other boys my age. Then I got the call back with Marc Cherry. I think it had been narrowed down to three of us at that point. And finally, I got the call that I was going up for the deal with the network execs. It was really pretty quick, but when you are waiting for an answer on something so big it seems to take forever! It was an anxiety ridden period, but well worth the stress!

TTTP: It's one thing to get your first TV gig, it's another to get it on one of the most popular shows on the air. How nervous were you on your first day on set?

Josh Moore: Ugh! I was extremely nervous. I did a pretty good job of keeping my cool and I don't think anyone could really tell how nervous I was. But once we started working, Flicka (Felicity) made me totally comfortable. My scene was with her and she just made it such a great experience. I was so pumped when it was done!

TTTP: What was it like working with Clint Eastwood on The Changeling?

Josh Moore: It was AMAZING! He's so efficient and easy to work with. Considering he makes these great dramatic films that pull you right in, it is interesting how little "drama" surrounds him and his work. There is a purity to how he works that makes the whole thing so satisfying. Although I only spent two days on set with Mr. Eastwood, and my scenes were quick, being directed by him was one of the greatest experiences I think I'll ever have as an actor. I hope I have the opportunity to work with him again someday.

TTTP: Do you find yourself being pulled more towards comedic or dramatic roles? Has having DH on your resume opened some new doors?

Josh Moore: Although I'm very comfortable doing comedy and have done a lot of it, I find myself more drawn to dramatic roles. That is what I hope to have the opportunity to do more of in the future.

Yes, having DH on my resume has opened some new doors and I am thankful for all of those new opportunities. We'll see where it leads!

TTTP: Tell me about what Parker has going on the rest of the season.

Josh Moore: Parker is just going to keep being himself I'm sure. Smart, funny. He adds a great dynamic to the family with his witty comments and sense of humor. With such rowdy big brothers, Parker seems to be a pretty "good" kid. But ya never know......there may be some craziness in Parker's future too. That might be fun to play!

Don't miss Desperate Housewives, Sundays at 9 pm on ABC.

But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
All you need to know about the Nielsen's for the past two weeks…

Thursday
17.1 million watched game two of the World Series, making it the most watched program of the night…Grey's Anatomy was the top scripted series in the demos, with The Mentalist winning the total audience battle (the first time it has topped its CSI lead-in)…CSI. now ranks third in the demos at 9:00, behind both Grey's and The Office…While Private Practice beat The Mentalist in demos (barely), it had more than 60% less overall viewers. On the other hand, it had more than twice as many overall viewers as The Jay Leno Show…Community and Parks & Recreation hit season highs in demos…The Vampire Diaries continues to shine for The CW, setting new demo highs (again)…FlashForward dropped to a season low in demos…

Friday
Ghost Whisperer was back on top in it's weekly swap of the demo title with Medium…Smallville maintained it's strong demo showing of the last few weeks…Ugly Betty was the lowest rated show of the week for ABC in the demos…Fox airing of a House rerun easily topped the best numbers that its usual Brothers, Till Death, and Dollhouse line up put so far this fall…The Jay Leno Show put up a series demo low…

Sunday
Game four of the World Series pulled in 22.8 million viewers, a 47% increase from game four last year…Desperate Housewives was up from last week to 13.7 million, tops for any scripted show on Sunday…Brothers & Sisters had their best demos since last March…CBS Three Rivers (7.7 million) and Cold Case (8.6 million) continued to struggle, while Amazing Race (11.1 million) is a week in, week out producer…Dexter reached season/series highs on Showtime…

Monday
Game five of the World Series was the most watched program of the night in both total audience and demos, up 30% overall from game 5 last year…How I Met Your Mother posted a strong 9.1 million at 8 pm, with lead-out Accidentally On Purpose doing a great job of holding on to that audience, posting 8.5 million totals…Dancing with the Stars 16.2 million was a season low…Heroes and the recently cancelled Trauma posted their best numbers since September…Castle more than double the audience of The Jay Leno Show at 10 pm, with CSI: Miami more than tripling it…

Tuesday
NCIS dominated the night with 19.1 million but was down 11% in the demos…Also down in the demos was The Biggest Loser (9%), with both drops attributed to the premiere of V…Dancing with the Stars results show was up 4%...The Good Wife continues to easily win the 10:00 battle, topping the forgotten and crushing The Jay Leno Show…

Wednesday
The 6th and final game of the World Series pulled 22.3 million, and the series average of 19.4 million was a 39% increase over last year, with the demos for the series being the best in 5 years…America's Next Top Model continues to chug along for The CW, showing an increase in demos for the second week in a row…Criminal Minds and CSI: NY won the 9 and 10 hours respectively for CBS, although both were down from their average…Modern Family's 8.8 million was strong considering the baseball competition but lead-out Cougar Town dropped to a season low 6.9 million…The Jay Leno Show hit a Wednesday low for demos, being beaten by all the major networks as well as an episode of South Park…

Thursday
The Mentalist was the nights most watched show with 15.4 million, and it topped Private Practice in the demos for the first time…Community was up again and won the timeslot in 18-34, helping lead-out Parks & Recreation hit a season high in demos…Bones beat FlashForward in overall viewers and tied it in demos despite Fox not being able to hype the new episode (the 7th game of the World Series would have aired in that slot)…Grey's Anatomy had its typical dominant night in the demos although, as usual, they finished second to CSI overall…Survivor's 12.7 million at 8:00 was more than enough to win the hour…The Office had the best numbers of the evening among male viewers…The season premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County was up 44% from last year and was the highest rated premiere in series history…The League was up 56% in week two…It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia had its most watched non-season premiere episode in series history…

Friday: 20/20 dominated the night thanks to the interview with Rhianna…Law and Order aired twice on Friday, with the special 9:00 episode topping all other scripted programming in demos…Reruns of House and Bones continued to perform much better than Fox's original Friday night lineup of new episode of Brothers, Till Death, and Dollhouse…The Jay Leno Show hit an all-time low in the demos…

Saturday: Saturday Night Live posted its best numbers of the season…The premiere of The Wanda Sykes Show was up 16% from MadTV's average last season…

Sunday
Sunday night was all about football, with NBC's coverage of the Eagles-Cowboys game netting just under 20 million viewers, making it the second most watched Sunday Night Football telecast of the season…Desperate Housewives was the top scripted show of the night with 13.3 million, and Brothers & Sisters followed up with 9.1 million…Fox's Family Guy Presents Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show was not a smashing success, pulling in less than an average episode of Family Guy, with those low numbers playing a role in the actual episode of FG that followed putting up season low numbers…CBS' Sunday night story remained the same, with strong ratings for The Amazing Race and poor numbers for Three Rivers and Cold Case…Mad Men's season finale was up 33% from last season, and the season average was up 20%...

Monday
Lopez Tonight debuted in front of a very strong 3.2 million pair of eyes over three networks (the show airs regularly on TBS but the first night ran on TNT and TruTV as well). The TBS only demos were higher than the averages put up by The Jimmy Kimmel Show and The Late Late Show, and combining the three networks it topped The Late Show and The Tonight Show in demos as well…The first new episode of House in three weeks was the nights top scripted performer in demos…The comedy hour of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory once again crushed all competition in just about every measurable audience…One Tree Hill hit season highs in their key demos…CSI: Miami saw a increase thanks to the first of a three night sweeps special featuring Lawrence Fishburne appearing on all three CSI series as part of one long story…Not only did NBC entire Monday night line up (Heroes, Trauma, The Jay Leno Show) put up season lows in demos, the numbers for Jay were the lowest for the series…ABC was pleased with the 17.7 million that Dancing with the Stars drew as well as with the 10.3 million who tuned into Castle…

Tuesday
V dropped 29% in the demos and 4 million viewers overall but still finished with 10.5 million total, good enough for second in the timeslot in totals and demos…NCIS topped 20 million again, winning the night and most likely the week…NCIS: Los Angeles 16.1 million was more than enough to top the 9:00 hour, and The Good Wife did the same with its 12.8 million…The Biggest Loser was up 6% in the demos over their two hours, with the second hour putting up the top 9:00 demos…The Dancing with the Stars results show came in with 15.5 million…

Wednesday
16.8 million viewers were looking for both kinds of music when they tuned in to the Country Music Association Awards, winning the night easily…A season high demo turnout for The New Adventures of Old Christine lead to the best numbers for Gary Unmarried in over a year….Glee returned as the most watched show of the night among 18-34 year olds…Law and Order: SVU hit season highs and almost tied Criminal Minds in the demos…CSI: NY put up its best numbers since September as part two of the three night CSI event

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Fox picked up a sixth season of American Dad, renewing the animated series through the 2010-2011 season…Comedy Central gave Nick Swardson a six episode first season of a sketch comedy show, set to premiere in early 2010…Rena Sofer is joining the cast of NCIS in a recurring role…Discovery gave a second season to Swords while ordering a first for Airplane Repo, a reality show that documents the work of a team of people who, as you might guess from the title, repossess airplanes and helicopters…Ian Sander & Kim Moses, the team behind Ghost Whisperer, have three new shows in the works with ABC, including a female-centric legal dramedy written by best selling author Jennifer Weiner and Boston Legal alum Michael Reiz…Dance Your Ass Off, the most watched first-year series in Oxygen history, got a second season pick up…CBS picked up an additional 5 episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, bringing the first year comedy's total to 18…Style ordered 8 episodes of Jerseylicious, a reality show set in a New Jersey beauty salon…TNT picked up reruns rights to The Mentalist while USA did the same for NCIS: Los Angeles…TLC continued their nuptials-based programming with orders for Battle of the Wedding Planners (3 wedding planners compete to give a couple the best low budget wedding), Happily Ever Faster (a look at a wedding chapel in Los Vegas), and Four Weddings (four brides attend and rate each other's ceremonies)…NBC made two casting moves for new series this week, with stand-up comedian Tom Papa getting the lead role in the Jerry Seinfeld produced reality series Marriage Ref, and Doctor Who star David Tennant being given the title role in Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, playing a lawyer who suffers from panic attacks while in court and ends up coaching his clients to represent themselves…The newest season of The Bachelor (The Bachelor: On The Wings of Love) premieres on January 4th…Colin Hanks has been cast opposite Bradley Whitford in the new Fox series Jack and Dan, already given a 13 episode order from the network…24 alums Sarah Wynter and Reiko Aylesworth have signed on for the new season of Damages…New seasons of Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal and Paranormal State will run back-to-back on Tuesday nights on A&E starting on December 15th…TV Land and the TV Guide Network will be sharing reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm…Battlestar Galactica vet Michael Trucco will play Sarah Shahi's ex-husband in the USA pilot Facing Kate…Life Unexpected, the CW drama that has generated much critical buzz from critics, has been given a premiere date of January 18th, taking over the Gossip Girl time slot for 10 weeks, which allows GG to have 12 weeks in a row of new episodes when it returns…Kathy Griffin will take a rare dramatic turn when she guests on an upcoming episode of Law and Order: SVU…Wynonna Ryder and Barry Pepper will co-star in the Hallmark original movie Love Is Not Enough: The Lori Wilson Story, the real life story of one of the co-founders of Al-Anon…Fox has picked up Mark Burnett's Our Little Genius, a new game show featuring ubersmart 6-12 year olds proving their intelligence for big bucks…TV Land ordered a third season of She's Got The Look

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The top thing I watched since the last column went to press AKA The Best Of What's Around…Doing things a bit different this week, spreading the wealth as we've got two weeks worth of shows to give thanks and praise to…

*The Mad Men season finale was truly amazing, a shock-to-the-system close to another excellent season of the two time Emmy winning drama. Series creator Matthew Weiner simultaneously blew up the show while at the same time giving it a "we're getting the band back together" vibe. Jon Slattery's performance, both in this episode and over the last half of the season, was remarkable. For a show that is very character driven to have so much plot action and still seem true to its roots is a major rarity and a fine example of why Mad Men continues to be the best show on television.

*Taylor Swift hosted what I thought was the overall funniest (and most consistent) SNL of the season. Here are two of the sketches I enjoyed the most…





*I have always had a complicated relationship with Curb Your Enthusiasm; when they take real life situations and point out the absurdities, I like it. When they create truly outrageous situations for Larry, I sometimes even love it. What I don't like is when they take something that is somewhat real life driven and then turn it up to the point where it loses that sense of real life. I am referring to the belly shirt episode, which was just ridiculous, and not in a good way. While clearly some people do dress inappropriately at work, no one would ever wear a shirt like that to an office, and it just seemed silly. Also silly was Larry's stream issues; I wasn't offended his urine got on a painting of Jesus, I was offended I had to watch such a stupid plot line.

All was forgiven the following week with the dark and wonderfully unrealistic black swan episode, which hard me laughing start to finish. Richard Kind is almost a savant when it comes to playing ingratiating characters, and the Larry's rant about not introducing people had a nice pay off.

I am not sure words could do justice to the sheer comedic pleasure derived from seeing Larry David sing West Side Story songs last Sunday with a passion that truly could not be faked. Easily the highlight of the season for me.

*Paul Johansson is never going to win a Emmy, or even a Norty, for his work on One Tree Hill but let there be no doubt that in Dan Scott he has created one of the more interesting television characters in the last 10 years. Some of the plot lines he has to deal with are a tad outlandish (the dog eating his heart-to-be being a particular low point) but not a lot of actors could play someone who kills their brother in cold blood and still make him emotionally compelling for years after. Chad Michael Murray's exit from the show means we will probably never see any sort of final scene with Dan and Lucas but I would love to see OTH bring Craig Sheffer's Keith Scott back for an hour with just him and Dan talking (the one time they were together post-murder was a brief jail scene where Dan realized he was going to hell).

I have always been a huge fan of characters on their search for redemption and Dan's journey is one that will stay with me for years to come.

*I've seen the first two weeks of The League and while I am sure it's not a good show, I am not sure it's not one I want to keep watching. The show is clearly written by men as some of the dialogue coming out of the female character's mouths is nothing you would ever hear any woman ever say. That aside, the show lands in this category for this scene from the pilot (it's the first option, the birthday song)



People Say I'm Crazy Doing What I'm Doing. Well, They Give Me All Kinds Of Warnings To Save Me From Ruin
What's flashed before my eyes the last two weeks…Assuming Modern Family keeps up its current quality level it's going to be tough to beat for the Best Comedy Norty. Even the episodes that are just ok have something to offer, and the cast is top notch…The build up that Sons of Anarchy is doing is as good or better than last season, with the plot twists and manipulations all believable and in-character. You really are missing one of the best dramas on TV if you are not watching…The New Adventures of Old Christine is the most consistent comedy you are not watching and I bet when reruns hit Lifetime next year the show picks up a larger audience…I admit to no longer being a regular Heroes viewer but Mrs. Tivo is, which means it's still on in my house once a week, and every time Robert Knepper is on-screen I am hypnotized. His T-Bag on Prison Break was entertaining enough but I did not think he had this level of charisma and screen presence. My guess is he will be in very high demand once his run on the show ends…Loved Josh Hopkins' Greyson loosening up a bit on last week's Cougar Town. The "confidence in my sexuality" song was a riot…While it's true that not a ton of stuff happens on Ugly Betty that isn't the characters being put in some sort of new spin on the same old situations, that doesn't mean the cast isn't so good that it isn't enjoyable viewing. In particular Eric Mabius' Daniel Meade has shown legitimate growth and maturity over the seasons, while at the same time his falling into the clutches of some sort of cult is extremely believable based on his emotional vulnerability…Julie has never been my (or anyone's) favorite Desperate Housewives character but the writers have done a truly miserable job at explaining why she would have had an affair with Nick. Some sort of flashback about why she feel for him would have been in order if they wanted the audience to buy into it at all. Is it purely physical? Was there some sort of emotional connection? I guessed it was him she was having the affair with simply because he was the most obvious, "shocking" choice, but it's weeks later and I still don't have the "why"…I enjoyed the first two hours of V, certainly enough to see these four episodes through and then check out what new showrunner Scott Rosenbaum does with the show…The premiere of Lopez Tonight was entertaining enough, although I want to see when George Lopez' monologue does not rely on his stand up material and ends up being more "issues of the day" based….Speaking of talk shows with entertaining enough premieres, The Wanda Sykes Show earned itself a few more viewings from me, in particular for how loose and relaxed the roundtable segment was…I was enjoying White Collar quite a bit anyway but now that Natalie Morales (The Middleman) has joined the cast, I am head over heels with the show…I have heard some call The Middle a "poor man's Malcolm in the Middle" and to that I say, "so what?" Malcolm was a great comedy and if Patricia Heaton's new comedy comes in at 75% of that each week it's still worth your time. What I like the most is how genuine the family is; nothing seems forced and the dialogue and situations ring true…

TV Pick Of The Week
WWII in HD is more than just a run-of-the-mill History documentary, it's an incredible 10 hour look at World War II through eyes you have never seen before, literally and figuratively. The network launched a search for color footage of the war and ended up with more than 3000 hours of it, most of it never seen by the public before, and certainly not in the form that you will be; all of it has been converted to HD.

Gary Sinese narrates the five night special and throughout the episodes the stories of 12 different individuals are interwoven with the footage. Those providing voices to bring these individuals to life include Rob Lowe, Josh Lucas, Amy Smart, Rob Corddry, LL Cool J, James Kyson Lee, and Ron Livingston.

Trust me when I say you've never seen anything like this before, and I mean that in the best of all possible ways. Don't miss WWII in HD, Sunday - Thursday at 9 pm on History.

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Here is some other noteworthy programming of the next seven days…

*I have been known to bemoan the lack of quality mini-series on the current TV Landscape so I think it only fair that I point out Lifetime has a two night, four hour movie premiering this weekend. Everything She Ever Wanted (8 pm both nights) is based on Ann Rule's best selling book and stars a fantastic Gina Gershon and Two Tivos favorite Victor Garber but the real secret weapon here is Ryan McPartlin, who sheads his Awesome skin quite easily in a role that makes you realize the guy is definitely in the right business. Even better is that this crazy story of love and murder is based on a true story. Pop some corn and settle in on the couch.

*AMC's six hour, three night remake of The Prisoner begins Sunday night at 8 pm. Even when the plot and dialogue let you down, the stunning visuals of the series more than make it worth checking out.

*Sunday Night Football's (NBC) Colts-Patriots match up is more than likely going to hit some season highs in the ratings, a game that features two perennial AFC powerhouses as well as the two best QB's in the game today.

*It may not be as well known as Shark Week but Expedition Week kicks off on Sunday night on the National Geographic Channel. First up is Search for the Amazon Headshrinkers, followed on Monday by Expedition Great White. Wednesday finds the premiere of Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition and then Thursday gives us Mars: Making The New Earth. All air at 9:00 pm and all contain some truly stunning visuals that make tuning in a sure bet for entertainment, especially if you have HD.

*Sundance airs a fascinating documentary on Monday night that examines the lives of young women growing up in Iran. The Glass House (9 pm) follows four girls over a period of 18 months and is more than worth your time.

*If you think there just isn't room for another cooking show on TV, think again, as Bravo premieres Chef Academy Monday night at 11 pm.

*Heather Locklear makes her much hyped debut on the new Melrose Place Tuesday at 9 pm on The CW.

*Fans of mellow pop and quality guitar playing will want to check out Fuse Presents: John Mayer Live from the Beacon Theater this Tuesday at 9 pm.

*Another season of American's Next Top Model comes to a close on Wednesday (The CW, 8 pm), meaning a new winner will be crowned and then have her moment stolen by Tyra.

*Academy Award nominated actor Edward Norton guests on Modern Family (ABC) this Wednesday at 9 pm.

*Project Runway's first season on Lifetime comes to a close Thursday night at 10 pm.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, Accidentally on Purpose, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Better Off Ted, Big Love, Bones, Bored To Death, Breaking Bad, Brothers & Sisters, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, Chopped, The Chris Isaak Hour, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy's Girls, Damages, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Glee, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Hung, Iron Chef America, Jon & Kate + 8, Last Restaurant Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Make Me A Supermodel, Man v. Food, Medium, The Middle, Modern Family, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Party Down, Private Practice, Project Runway, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark Tank, Shear Genius, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…, Sports Soup, Supernatural, Table For 12, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty, V, The Vampire Diaries, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Will Work for Food

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. Sorry to overwhelm you with TV news this week but I wanted to get you fully up-to-date. This weekend Mrs. Tivo and I will be visiting the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science, so when we return in seven days I'll have a review of that as well as the latest in TV headlines.

Don't forget to come back next Friday for all the news, and while you're at it, why not just bookmark the movies/TV page here at 411mania.com and make it that much easier for you to find your entertainment industry hook up! You can also follow us on Twitter!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.