TV with MeeVee

Press Tour: "Prison Break": Breakfast With Michael, Lincoln and T-Bag

The tag line for Fox's "Prison Break" in the coming season is: "The only thing harder than breaking out is breaking in." Brothers Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows will be working for the government for a change, in hopes of earning their freedom permanently. But it's not going to be easy.

The cast and producers of "Prison Break" showed up for breakfast at press tour this morning, and nobody got much to eat because we formed a huge scrum around Wentworth Miller (Michael) and Sarah Wayne Callies (Dr. Sarah Tancredi).That's my hand holding the recorder in front of Miller's shoulder.

They weren't giving out a lot of spoilers about the coming season, although Miller told us there won't be a third breakout, after the characters escaped Illinois' Fox River prison in Season One, and the Panamanian hellhole Sona in Season Three.

Is the actor glad to be out of those dank prison cells? Not really, it turns out. "I felt like Michael was at his best in Season One. He had a clear sense of purpose," Miller said. "And then in Season Two (after the escape), the character kind of spun out. And then when we were back inside in Season Three, he had that sense of purpose again." So will the character spin out again now that he's back on the street in Season Four? "No, because this time we're being pro-active instead of reactive. He has a mission."

I asked Dominic Purcell (Lincoln) how the actors feel when they get their scripts featuring the show's trademark outrageous twists. Do they ever think, Oh, come on? "Not really, because with this show you just have to check your brain at the door sometimes, and I think the fans know that and have come to accept that."

Probably the most fun, though, was talking to Robert Knepper, who plays the brutal sex-murdering psycho Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell. He said he can walk into any bar in any town and even the toughest looking characters keep their distance. Women who turn around and find him behind them tend to shriek.

T-Bag chopped his own hand off to escape capture and later forced a veterinarian to reattach it in one of the show's most outrageous storylines. Then he killed the vet. Turns out Knepper is the son of a vet and actually called dad one night to doublecheck the right amount of dog-euthanizing drugs that would be required to take down a man.

Knepper used to help his father with dogs in his clinic, and he felt that the 5cc suggested by the writers just wasn't enough. But he didn't want to spoil the upcoming episode for his father, so he invented a story about dreaming that he had killed a man with a 5cc injection and asked dear old dad if that would be enough. "There was a looong pause," Knepper said with a laugh. But dad came through with the facts - 15-20 cc's was more like it. Ultimately, though, that prop needle was just too big.

The "Prison Break" Season Three DVD will be out Aug. 12.

Much more to come, but I can't hear myself think over the "So You Think You Can Dance" performance going on in front of us now...

Fox Schedules Fall Premieres

Fox just emailed out a press release with all their fall premiere dates, with the action beginning with a two-hour "Prison Break" on Sept. 1 and many shows having two-hour openers. Fox abandoned an earlier plan that had some shows bowing in late August. J.J. Abrams' "Fringe," with Joshua Jackson (right), bows Sept. 9; "House" doesn't return until Sept. 16. "The Simpsons" and the rest of the "animation domination" lineup reappear on Sept. 28.

The complete list is after the jump.

Lunchtime Reads: Oprah, Went, Landry

• I'm not sure why they buried it in the business section on Memorial Day, but the Times yesterday limned Oprah's shrinking ratings.
• From BuddyTV, A few more tidbits about the upcoming fourth season of "Prison Break," including the news that Michael Scofield (actor Wentworth Miller, right) will be getting his tattoos removed. That's going to be a lot of laser time.
• With a 23 percent drop, "Grey's Anatomy" was the biggest loser among TV's top programs in the post-strike viewership decline, says E! Online.
• Women's prison is the place to be for HBO, which has "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball developing an American version of the Brit drama "Bad Girls," says the Hollywood Reporter.
• Jesse Plemons - aka Landry of "Friday Night Lights" - had a great time filming an episode of NBC's upcoming horror anthology "Fear Itself." (AP)

Fox Announces 2008-09 Season Plans

Fox wants you to feel their electricity. No, really. "“Broadcast television needs a jolt. We feel it’s our responsibility, as the No. 1 network for the last four seasons, to provide that electricity,” Fox Broadcasting Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori says in remarks  prepared for his upfront presentation to advertisers in New York today.

The schedule announced this morning puts the most focus on dramas from J.J. Abrams ("Lost") and Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). The network is not exactly reinventing the wheel, but they are putting something besides repeats on Friday night. And the bloated "American Idol" results show gets cuts back to a half hour in '09.

Fox executives on a conference call with reporters this morning admit that, like the other networks, Fox has fewer new shows due to the writers strike's disruption of the development cycle. Of course, when you're the most-watched network among total viewers as well as viewers 18-49 ...no worries mon. And they say they actually have shows in development now for all the way to the start of 2010.

Two new series debut in the fall:

"Fringe" (above), a thriller from Abrams, stars newcomer Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble as allies thrown together to investigate weirdness emanating from a mysterious Boston plane crash. Think "Lost" meets "The X-Files." It will air behind "House" on Tuesday nights in the fall.

"Do Not Disturb" is a comedy with Jerry O'Connell as a manager at an upscale New York hotel; Jason Bateman of "Arrested Development" will direct some episodes.

The "24" prequel also airs in November, as we reported earlier this morning. One Fox exec on the call just termed it "a really cool piece of standalone business."

Coming after the first of the year - along with "24" and "American Idol" - are four more new series, including another giving-it-away reality show, called "Secret Millionaire."

The year's most anticipated drama is Whedon's "Dollhouse" (right). Eliza Dushku, who enlivened the final seasons of "Buffy," stars as one of an underground group who have their personalities "wiped" and replaced with new ones in order to better carry out their secret missions.

In the spring we'll see two comedies, the unlikely "Family Guy" spinoff "Cleveland" and the animated "Sit Down, Shut Up," from "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz. That's about a group of less-than-dedicated teachers, with Bateman leading the voice cast.

Tidbits from the conference call:

Someone just asked the execs how they decided whether to give "Fringe" or "Dollhouse" the fall launch. Entertainment President Kevin Reilly - I think it was him, anyway - said it was "a high-class problem to have." Whedon had seven scripts written from the get-go, but Abrams finished pilot production sooner. Whdeon welcomed the extra time, the execs said.

Upfronts Update! "Reaper" To Return!

Yesterday was full of anticlimactic "news" - Jimmy Fallon taking over "Late Night," "Scrubs" moving to ABC to finish out its run. But after the sun went down here in the east, that was lots of good stuff posted on the fall schedules, including widespread reports that "Reaper" has been given a 13-episode midseason order by CW. We won't know for absolute sure until CBS and CW announce their deals on Wednesday, but it looks like a lock. (Ooops, CW announces late today.)  And I don't care if it came about because the writers strike screwed up the development season. I will watch "Reaper" tonight with a full heart.

ABC will announce its plans this morning. In the meantime...

• Michael Rapaport ("War at Home," "My Name Is Earl") will play a fed on "Prison Break" (Hollywood Reporter).
• Several sources say ABC has picked up "Life On Mars," an American remake of the Brit series about a cop who suddenly finds himself transplanted to the - bad hair alert! - 1970s. Surprisingly, it's a drama. Apparently that was contingent on ABC also picking up producer David E. Kelley's "Boston Legal" for another season.
• CBS has picked up Jerry Bruckheimer's "Eleventh Hour," the drama "The Mentalist," the thriller "Harper's Island," and the Jay Mohr comedy "Project Gary."
• Nikki Finke says it was nice of CBS to renew "The Unit" while several of its stars are visiting troops in Iraq. But she also has a lot of inside scoop on why "Moonlight" hasn't yet been renewed and may not be.

Your Morning Gay Hollywood Update

OK, big whoop surprise, but Luke MacFarlane (right) has come the rest of the way out of the closet, saying the time is right because Scotty, his character on "Brothers & Sisters," is going to marry his boyfriend, Kevin, in the May 11 episode and become a series regular by doing so. MacFarlane, you may remember, has been linked in real life to "Grey's Anatomy" gay champion T.R. Knight, who plays straight on the show but was at the center of the backstage dustup that got Isaiah Washington fired. He's also been photographed with "Prison Break" hunk Wentworth Miller, whose sexuality has been the subject of much speculation and who got dragged into the issue again by MacFarlane's announcement.

Empire Magazine Publishes Not-So-Great "Great" List

The people over at Empire Magazine have published a list of what they identify as the 50 greatest TV shows of all time, or possibly just the first 50 TV shows their interns could name. You can't please everyone with these lists, in fact starting arguments is part of the idea, and "great" couldn't be more subjective, so I always cut these kinds of lists a little slack. This time, however, there is not enough slack in the world. I can't even tell what Empire Magazine is trying to say with this list, except perhaps that popularity is more important than good writing and there was no good television before 1989 (unless it was British television, where we at least have "Black Adder," "Fawlty Towers" and "Doctor Who").

Sure, some of their picks are widely held as great television. They give a nod to the fantastic cult-classic "Arrested Development," and wisely give the #13 spot to "Battlestar Galactica," but in what universe does "Prison Break" belong on a Top 50 list? It's clear the writers of this list and I share some tastes, but even as a huge fangirl for all things Whedonesque I have to wonder if it's legit to put all three of Joss's shows in the top 50 while ignoring, say, "The Twilight Zone" or "The Prisoner." In the handful of sitcoms that are acknowledged, we're gonna give the nod to "Scrubs" and not "The Dick Van Dyke Show?" Really? Lists like this are ultimately a forgettable curiosity, something to flip through while you're waiting in a doctor's office, but I don't think I've ever seen one that was trying so hard for irrelevancy.

Wentworth Miller Sells Out, Fails To Break From Prison

It's mostly known as "Japandering" - US celebrities endorsing products overseas while acting like they're too good to do it for the domestic market. Some people seem to think it's a horrible thing, but I don't care. Besides, it's not like "Prison Break" Wentworth Miller is advertising something totally unrelated to his fame here in this Israeli cable ad. He's just advertising his cable-ready hotness. (See ONTD for a loose translation and the identity of the transvestite pop star he finds blocking his escape tunnel).

Holy Patrick Duffy In The Shower! Dr. Sara Returns To "Prison Break!"

As greater minds than I have said, W! T! F! After leaving Fox's "Prison Break" in a bitter contract dispute last year, only to have her character decapitated by producers, Sarah Wayne Callies is returning to the show as Dr. Sara Tancredi! Turns out that wasn't her head in the box after all.

A lot of fans will be glad to have her and Wentworth Miller's Michael Scofield back as a couple. And this is a show that has never shied away from outlandish plot twists - like having Michael break his brother out of the federal pen in season one, only to end up in a Mexican jail himself for the duration of season three. But the Hollywood chriopractic community is going to be thrilled with the increase in business after the writers finish twisting themselves into frickin' pretzels to make this one work. Several posts I've seen this morning suggest the shark is bring jumped here - although some say that happened when the head in the box turned up. Anyhoo, interviews with the producers are here and here, and a fan perspective is here.

Morning Reading: What Shows Are Coming Back?

• Handicapping the future of some of TV's on-the-bubble series. (Hollywood Reporter)
• At least we know "Prison Break" is coming back. (GMMR)
• But "Jericho" almost certainly isn't. (TV Decoder)
• I think I'm still more excited about the female spinoff of "Prison Break," but, uh, word is that Fox is cooking up a contemporary "90210" spinoff. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Ratings bode well for "Canterbury's Law," not so much "New Amsterdam." But the real joy is that Dennis Miller's "Amne$ia" totally sucked it. (Televisionista)

Honestly, I don't have a link for this, but the funniest thing I've seen on TV all week was Dennis Miller and Bill O'Reilly - Bill O'Reilly! - waxing wroth over Gov. Spitzer's scandals. I mean, Bill, loofah this.

Morning reads

• The evil get eviller. (AP)
• The Emmys show switches from the Shrine to the Nokia. Just so you can tell your limo driver where to go. (Reuters)
• Britney Spears has been hired to ruin guest star on "How I Met Your Mother." (GMMR, from whom we stole the awesome graphic)
• And her casting has already averted a guest appearance by Alicia Silverstone. (TV Guide)
• Big Thursday for "Lost," as we learn the final two members of the Oceanic Six. (Buddy TV)
• "Lost" is also the most time-shifted episode, with a DVR audience of 3.7 million!! (TV By The Numbers)
• Maybe it's time for us to get paroled from "Prison Break"? (Buddy TV)
• Tom Goodman went quality in drowning his sorrows over the end of "The Wire." (The Bastard Machine)
• Nikki Finke says you shouldn't be too happy about the launch of Skynet Hulu. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Spinoff City: "Prison Break" And "Family Guy" To Get Relatives

According to the Hollywood Reporter, both "Family Guy" and "Prison Break" are set to have spinoffs on Fox. The "Family Guy" one will be based on the character of Cleveland Brown. The one with the deli. You know... the, uh, token black character on the show. Yeah, that guy.

It could be pretty funny, but since Cleveland's the only character on "Family Guy" with any common sense, I don't quite see it moving in the same wacky-hijinks vein as "Family Guy." It would be brilliant if they made Cleveland's interactions with his unfaithful and domineering wife, Loretta, into a heartbreaking drama worthy of HBO. That could work pretty well.

Meanwhile, the Prison Break spinoff will be set at a women's prison. I imagine it will be something like this:

Morning Reading

• Actors aren't always the same age as their characters? My word is turned upside down. (TV Squad)
• The inside poop on the end of "Las Vegas." (TV Guide)
• Interview with Richard T. Jones of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." (TV Addict)
• Dennis Miller is a d.b. Not exactly news, but we never tire of saying it. (TV Barn)
• ABC goes VOD with ADS. (TV Squad)
• "Prison Break" is looking good for a fourth season. (BuddyTV)
• TV station honchos in Alabama swear it was technical difficulties that blocked their transmission of a controversial "60 Minutes" report about some local pols. Then when they got caught, they broadcast the segment on their local news. (NY Times)
• Keeping the books fair and square in Hollywood? That. Will. Never. Happen. (United Hollywood)
• The sad song choices may not be "American Idol" contestants' fault. (ET Online)
• Those poor performances have made Simon Cowell a mint, though: The "Idol" judge just paid about $80,000,000 for a house in London. That's equal to the amount of foreign aid that the UK sends to Zambia each year. (Heatworld) (Real Estalker says it ain't so, though.)

Writers Strike: So Now What About "24"? And "Lost"? And...

The staff of your favorite sitcom is champing at the bit to start writing new jokes beginning Wednesday, assuming writers vote tomorrow to end their strike. But serial dramas are in a very different place, as the shows with the most to gain or lose as Hollywood returns to work. In recent seasons, the networks found out that shows like "24" and "Lost" play best in big chunks uninterrupted by reruns, allowing viewers to get fully absorbed in the often complex storylines. But the strike screwed up networks' plans. So what's up with your favorite drama series?

Well, the showrunner - aka the producer who makes it all go - is probably figuring that out at this very second, or possibly staring at his telephone in agitation, waiting impatiently for a call from the network that will give him his marching orders. (Shonda Rhimes aside, most showrunners are still men.) But even though the situation remains unsettled, the contradictory plans for Fox's "24" and ABC's "Lost" will give you a feel for what's really going on out there.

The anti-terrorism drama "24" was due to air 22 straight from early January through May sweeps, tag-teaming the Nielsen ratings with "American Idol" as in years past. ABC and "Lost" producers had committed to three more seasons of 16 episodes each, this year and in 2009 and 2010, giving dubious viewers some assurance of an orderly wrapup to the mystery-laden series. "Lost" was due to start airing in late January or February with a more-or-less uninterrupted run until May.

Writers Strike: All The Latest Bad News

It really is Apocalypse Hollywood. And Jack Bauer can't save us.

That's what I wrote last night, and it appears even more accurate in the cold light of day. The effects of the strike are being felt faster than anyone thought. Fox late yesterday announced a complete schedule re-set for the rest of the 2007-2008 season, which includes sliding Day 7 of "24" until next season.

Perhaps not a coincidence that the WGA has scheduled its first mass picket for Friday at Fox? (Scribe Vibe)
 

We'd like to bring you some hopeful news, but so far there isn't any. The strikers mock greedy moguls. Moguls mock the strikers. Just about everyone in the industry is caught in the middle - and/or looking to the writers to set the tone for their own looming negotiations. Oh, and oil is headed for $100 a barrel. Yup, nothing but good news.

THE LATEST:

• Will sad TV fans turn to MySpace? The producers of "thirtysomething" hope so. (AP)
• Are some soaps already hiring scabs who'll work behind the anonymity of email? (United Hollywood)
• Breaking down Fox's complicated plan. (TVG)
• Fox shuffle means only one more "Prison Break" in 2007. (Televisionista)
• Studios threaten to sue showrunners (who live on both sides of the strike). (Televisionista)
• Strike could be bad news for "Heroes" fans. (TV Squad)

The United Hollywood YouTube page is a great place to look for WGA strike video. Here's one with legendary comedy producer Garry Marshall:

"Prison Break" Loses An Online Fan

I was looking at referrers for my post the other day about "Prison Break" and was glad to see I'd been picked up by Prison Break Online. I went over to see what was happening on that site and found this news. The proprietor of the site since it and the show debuted is pulling the plug on Dec. 31. Known as Angel, she says she doesn't want to put in all the time and work anymore - understandable for an unpaid fan site. But she says the real reason is what happened with Dr. Tancredi...which she expands into a pretty compelling indictment of the show's treatment of women overall. They tend to end up in boxes, and often in pieces. And she's tired of it. This is a solid, heartfelt piece of TV crit from a true fan, and worth a read if you watch the show. ... Or produce it.

"24" Could Take A Few Pointers From "Prison Break"

The writer's strike is especially dangerous for serials like Fox's "24" and "Prison Break." They depend on hooking viewers with ongoing suspense - continuing plotlines punctuated by weekly cliffhangers. Continuity is important. That's the main reason the network has taken to airing them in long, uninterrupted strings of episodes, rather than the repeat-laden schedule normal for sitcoms and traditional dramas like "Bones" that wrap up their stories each week. With a long strike, "Prison Break" could end up paused indefinitely in the middle of a season's complicated adventures. "24," set to debut in January, might not air this season at all. Will viewers still care if and when when they return? Well, I'll care about "Prison Break." But "24," maybe not.

"24" gets all the attention and bigger ratings. But "24" also gets all the abuse. Last season was widely reviled by both mainstream critics and blog-comment wiseasses. The show, starring Kiefer Sutherland as anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, has become deeply ingrained into the popular consciousness. It's also become something of a joke, with its endless close calls, fakeouts and miraculous escapes. The writers are making it up as they go along, yet feel obligated to jack up the stakes each and every season. By last year's season six, the dangers Jack faced, the complications of the story, seemed both wildly over-the-top and boringly repetitive.

"Prison Break" had some of the same problems last season, its second. The first year, the focus was entirely on Michael Scofield's elaborate plot to break his brother, Lincoln Burrows, out of the fictional Fox River penitentiary in Illinois. But the breakout led to a second season spent roaming the U.S. and even Central America as the characters fought the elaborate conspiracy that sent Lincoln to prison in the first place. The challenges they faced seemed both wildly over-the-top and mundane  ... just like "24," in other words. Fortunately, ahem, the second season ended with Michael thrown into a hellish Panamanian prison. Now, in season three, he's once again trying to deliver on an impossible escape plan. The show is once again cohesive, focused and at times gruelingly suspenseful.

The strike might render all this moot. Watching last night's two-hour "Prison Break" extravaganza, however, it occurred to me that Fox ought to take some lessons from that show to help "24"...

Lane Garrison: No Break From Prison For A Long Time

The total sentence for the "Prison Break" star involved in a DUI crash was 40 months, which was actually pretty lenient. TMZ says that he got a less-than-maximum sentence because he cooperated so well with the investigation, came clean right away, and has been more than willing to offer financial assistance and restitution to the family of the boy who died in the crash.

With credit for good behavior and for the 91 days he's already served, Lane Garrison might be back on the streets and acting again in a couple of years.

At that point, he'll have a real understanding of how to play someone trapped in prison.

Morning World Series Go-Sox Linkage

• As we told you late yesterday, The Pie Maker broke the news  that "Pushing Daisies" has been picked up for a full season. So y'all bettter get on the bus and watch tonight, 'kay? You don't want to be left out of this funny, poignant and deeply weird series. To be perfectly honest I wasn't sure it would go over with America, but it has, even big time. So if you haven't tried it yet, now is the time. First pitch on the Series isn't until 8:35, and you'll be granted special dispensation to miss the first half inning as long as you don't live in Massachusetts or Colorado.
• Disappointed and underwhelmed by this week's "Heroes?" (GMMR)
• All the scoop on what happened in the season finale of "Damages," which really is the best show I'm not watching. (TV Squad)
• Like "24" hasn't got enough problems, the L.A. fires are screwing with the shooting schedule. (Buddy TV)
• My friend Tim interviewed David Duchovny while the "Californication" star kept one eye on the news, worried about the fires coming near to his house. It's a podcast. (The Bastard Machine)
• A women's-prison spinoff for "Prison Break?" Sounds porn-y to me. (Televisionista)
• Rate Schrute Farms on Trip Adviser. For real. For "The Office" fans, fun! (TV Squad)

"Prison Break" - What The Hell?!

OK, SPOILERS ABOUND FROM HERE ON... but if you don't already know what we're talking about, I'm not impressed with your concern for "Prison Break." Because the big development on last night's episode of the third-season Fox drama was a) a screamer, b) a possible jump-the-shark moment, c) a ripoff of "Seven," among other movies, and d) all over the Internets before the show was over.

The baddies behind this season's big plot left Linc a box last week that was said to contain a message that would make him and Michael toe the line. And when Linc opened the box early on in last night's episode, after a certain amount of sepia-toned, faux-dramatic foreshadowing, he found that the box contained the severed head of Dr. Sarah Tancredi.

That's right. Five (?) weeks into the season, they croaked Michael's love interest with extreme prejudice.

It's hard to tally up all the things that are wrong with this...even harder to do it without making jokes about giving head...but I am going to try...

MeeVee Exclusive: Paul Adelstein, From "Prison Break" To "Private Practice"

I'm not a big "Grey's Anatomy" fan. We have people for that. I am, however, a big "Prison Break" fan. My jaw dropped when I found out that the homicidal, fanatical and ultimately tragic Agent Paul Kellerman of "Prison Break" was moving over to become a Santa Monica pediatrician on the "Grey's" spinoff "Private Practice." It's quite a little stretch. So after the "Private Practice" session at press tour this summer, while all the "Grey's" devotees were chasing creator Shonda Rimes and star Kate Walsh around the room, I cornered Adelstein for a chat. (At right, Adelstein during the press conference.)

I call it an exclusive, although my friend from JewReview.net was there and got in a couple of questions about Adelstein's faith. His suburban-Chicago congregation got so out of control with the lavish bar mitvahs, the actor said, that their rabbi banned them before he could have one.

With the two of us, Adelstein was funny and pretty candid, especially about playing Kellerman. On "Private Practice," he's Dr. Cooper Freedman, a good doc with a screwed-up dating life who's close friends with Amy Brenneman's Dr. Violet Turner.

Cooper, he said, is an example of "people in their 30s who really have this extended adolescence now, which I think is prevalent in this country and a really interesting thing to explore...

"Prison Break" Star Wentworth Miller: Too Busy For Love

Televisionista says that the print edition of Instyle.de has an interview with "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller. He addresses all those gay rumors: Yeah, he knows about them, and they won't die.

In reality, he says, he's just been working really hard, and doesn't have time to date anyone. Being on TV has been a lifelong dream for him, and he doesn't want to screw it up now.

They also have a list of things that make him happy, including chocolate, A&F clothing, Scrabble, and "The Simpsons."

"Throbbing manhood" is not on the list, so we know he's obviously straight.

"Prison Break" Star Wentworth Miller On "Ellen"

Wentworth Miller goes on "Ellen" and is introduced with Ellen DeGeneres talking about how hot he is: "I need a fan! He's a criminal all right, he's criminally good-looking... he'll take your breath away..."

Uh, isn't Ellen batting for the other team?

Miller talks about quitting smoking and about co-star Lane Garrison's drunk driving arrest. Then they lighten it up a little by talking about high-temperature filming and how good-looking he is. Apparently, before he got famous, he had a car with no A/C, and he'd spray water over himself when it got too hot. Now, during filming of scenes set in a Panama jail, he sprays water all over himself to look extra sweaty. Basically, he's doing the same thing he used to, but he gets paid for it now. Spooky.

Morning Links Madness!

First, one more look at the only really funny moment during Sunday night's Oscarcast:

• Talkin' 'bout Fox bleeping the Emmys. (New York Times)
• "Match Game" wiseacre Brett Somers has died at 83. (Associated Press.)
• Tim Goodman has some last thoughts on the Emmycast: "All this controversy about Sally Field's stupid speech. The woman should be banned from accepting anything, except advice. Like this: Shut it. Take the trophy, go home." (SFGate.com)
• A sweet sentiment from The TV Addict: "This summer will be forever remembered as quite possibly the best summer of television ever." (TVAddict.com)
• Josh Schwartz talks about "Gossip Girl" (boo) and "Chuck" (yay): "It's really hard to do a show about people in their 20s. It becomes a lot of navel-gazing, people complaining about their lives. But if a guy in his 20s is complaining about his life because he was almost killed by a ninja the night before, now you've got something." (BuzzSugar)
• Pix of Neil Patrick Harris of "How I Met Your Mother" and his boyfriend at the Oscars. (Televisionista)
• Recapping "Prison Break" at GMMR: "I felt like I needed a shower after watching tonight’s episode just to get the stink and the grime off of me." (GMMR)
• Pictures of the "Smallville" action figures and pictures of the stars at Emmy afterparties - which is more lifelike? (Televisionista)

Season Begins With "K-Ville," "Prison Break"

The single best performance on any new series this fall belongs to Anthony Anderson as Det. Marlin Boulet on Fox's "K-Ville." The post-Katrina New Orleans police drama, debuting tonight on Fox, centers on Ninth Ward native Boulet, who struggles to hang on to his home, his family, his city and at times his sanity amid the ruins. Anderson's fiercely committed performance gives this show a gravity that helps it overcome a couple of overblown action sequences. Along with the third-season premiere of "Prison Break" on Fox tonight, it gets the fall TV season off to a solid start. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.)

Boulet is rebuilding his flood-damaged home amid the ruins of his neighborhood, even though his wife and child have moved to Atlanta to escape the devastation. He's also still recovering from the horror of Katrina, which was made worse by the desertion of his partner, one of many Nawlins cops who simply fled amid the madness. As the series opens, he gets a new teammate, Cole Hauser's enigmatic Trevor Cobb, an ex-Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan. They roar into action when gunmen target a series of benefits for Ninth Ward rebuilding. A couple of gunfights and car chases later, the case leads to some mercenaries who after serving in Iraq found post-flood Nawlins a similarly fertile environment...                                                                      (Above: Hauser and Anderson.)

Wentworth Miller Interview On Dutch TV

Don't worry, after the intro it's in English with Dutch subtitles. "Prison Break" hottie Wentworth Miller talks with some dude from Dutch TV about the weather, the stresses of trying to make a living as an actor, and the problems of privacy and celebrity.  The first part is below. Then, click on through for part two, which begins with discussion about Season 3 of "Prison Break." Wentworth says he likes the "intensity and danger" of the 3rd season, and thinks that moving the setting back to the prison was probably the right move for the show. 

Fall TV Night-By-Night: Monday

A big night for all the networks, with a couple of tough head-to-head matchups.

ABC will find out if "Dancing With The Stars" remains strong. The new "Samantha Who?" got much buzz for Christina Applegate (left) as an amnesiac trying to change her screwed-up life, with Jean Smart and Kevin Dunn as her parents and Barry Watson as her boyfriend. It's not clear if repeated title changes and an Oct. 15 premiere date reflect backstage problems or just the usual Hollywood mishigas. "dancing" and "The Bachelor" bow on Sept. 24.

CBS has a lot riding on the success of its Monday-night comedies, notably the growing popularity of "How I Met Your Mother." But "Big Bang Theory" looks like a loser, with two nerds getting all hot and bothered over their new neighbor Kaley Cuoco, in a lame Internet-era version of leering "Three's Company" comedy. And no one understands why the underwhelming "Rules of Engagement" is back while "New Adventures of Old Christine" waits in the wings. Still, with "Two And A Half Men" and "CSI: Miami," CBS will likely continue to rule Mondays. All its shows roll out Sept. 24.

CW, Fox, NBC and a schedule after the jump.

"Prison Break" Loses Doctor, Gains Model

We mentioned earlier that "Prison Break" lost actress Sarah Wayne Callies, but we did not mention that while heart-throb star Wentworth Miller is very much still on the show, he's also modeling for Korean retailer Bean Pole. I found a whole set of pics of the man looking less like a bean pole and more like a hunk of delicious beefcake. Start with this one, and head over to Televisionista for the rest:

"Prison Break" Preview - One Look At Bellick And I'm Scared Straight

"It's just that every time I look at you, all I can see is the man who killed my father. You're on your own." Ah, it's nice to have "Prison Break" back, even if it's only a 15-minute clip from the Sept. 17 season premiere. Click here to watch. There isn't anything in the way of big plot spoilers, just a glimpse of how rough Michael Scofield and Agent Mahone are going to have it in the Panamanian prison known as Sona. This time it's Linc on the outside trying to get his brother out - and the prison is run by the prisoners, because the government is escared of them. Well, actually, there is one memorable spoiler in this clip - the sight of a muddied Bellick staggering through the prison courtyard in his tightie whities kinda spoiled my lunch. Watch at your own risk.

MeeVee Video Top 5: Action - The Amazing Race, Prison Break, 24, and more

Car explosions, intense car chases, and monster football hits are just samples of the big-time action found in many of today's popular TV shows. With shows like 24 and Friday Night Lights, some TV shows are creeping up on Hollywood as big budget productions.  These heart-pounding shows are just constant reminders of how bland our lives truly are. That reminds us, we gotta go pick up our clothes at the dry cleaners.

The Amazing Race: All-Stars shows us that no matter what your age, gender, size, or sexual preference, when you have the chance to win money you'd do just about anything. Check out some of the highlights from previous shows.

We have the explosive interviews with the producers and director of 24. Get their take on the show everyone talks about Monday mornings at the water cooler. This week we also have full episodes of Friday Night Lights and behind-the-scenes of Rescue Me.

Finally, we have some hot yo-yo action. This guy can "walk the dog" and then some!

Monday Morning Roundup

TV Squad recaps the finale of "Stargate Atlantis," as well as Sunday's installments of "The Dead Zone" and "4400."... Televisionista turns on its gaydar to keep up updated on the latest on "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller's private life, and also talk of boycotting John Travolta in "Hairspray" because of his position on homosexuality. ... The Hollywood Reporter says Missy Peregrym of "Heroes" has landed the female lead in the fall show "Reaper," opposite Bret Harrison of "The Loop."

Tonight's Picks: Monday, April 2

Prison Break -- Season Finale
The end is near and the clock is ticking.  Michael races to rescue Linc and beat Mahone at his own game.  Speaking of saving, Sucre is risking it all to rescue Maricruz, while T-Bag and Bellick find themselves in deep doo-doo on a river in Panama.

The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman -- Season Premiere
Doctor, Navy officer, and complete hottie Andy Baldwin is the latest Bachelor to hunt down his woman on national TV.  Tune in to see the lucky ladies and their boy wonder meet for the first time, as Andy celebrates his 30th birthday.

Dancing with the Stars -- Third Round
Ten stars remain, and the newly Paulina-free pack puts on their dancing shoes to cut a rug once again.  Look for Billy Ray Cyrus to lead the losers, and Joey Fatone to make his boy band proud.