TV with MeeVee

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.

Morning "Hillary, Girlfriend, It's Over" Links

• Speaking of cute but not especially talented dudes on "American Idol," as we have been for the last couple of days, Ace Young is going to get whacked on "Bones" next week. Another "Idol" runnerup who I don't even remember - Brandon Rogers? Really? - is also on the ep, which focuses on a barroom singing contest. But just to be nice I'll run a pic of Emily Deschanel from the ep instead. (TV Squad)
• The cops made it official against departing "CSI" star Gary Dourdan y'day. (TMZ)
• Who can afford to maintain an "Extreme Makeover" home?? (Philly.com)
• Bruce Boxleitner joins "Heroes." That ought to get younger viewers excited. Uh, not. (TV Guide)
• Dating show for the mentally disabled? Eeek. (TMZ)
• Sutton-at-Hone councilors in Kent can eat my shorts. (UK Daily Record)
• "Ugly Betty" crew members losing their jobs as the show moves to Taxbreakistan New York are bitter that California hasn't done more to keep productions. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Every "Simpsons" Couch Gag In One (Low-Rez) Video

Tifaux tipped me off to this someone-has-too-much-time-on-their-hands video featuring five sold minutes of "Simpsons" couch gags. Too bad the resolution isn't better.

Best "Simpsons" In Ages

Last night's "Simpsons" was one of the best I'd seen in ages. My favorite part was the wedding registry at the hillbilly wedding, signed entirely with Xs, but there were dozens of other moments: The combined critique of confined feedlot animal operations and of hyper-sincere animal activists... even the couch gag was better than usual.

The Simpsons Are Going To Venezuela Again

"The Simpsons" has been cleared to return to the Venezuelan airwaves, according to the AP. Just a few weeks ago, there was a minor scandal as the show had been yanked from family-time programming for its subversive undertones and poor morals. Once cooler minds prevailed, it went right back on - although it now airs late in the evening.

Venezuelan TV: Bimbos, Si! Bart Simpson, No!

And speaking of Esteban De la Sexface, there's this bit of hilarious moral relativism from Venezuela...

Apparently the zipperheads who run the Televen TV station yanked "The Simpsons" from the 11 a.m. timeslot saying the show is inappropriate for children. And what have they replaced it with? "Baywatch Hawaii."

Live Action "Simpsons" Casting

Ever since that live-action "Simpsons" opening sequence awhile back it's been something of a game to come up with the best possible casting list for a live-action "Simpsons" episode or movie.  Filmonic has an excellent list, starting with Paul Giamatti as Homer and Lorraine Bracco as Marge.

Do you think their list is better than this clip?

"House," "Bones" And Other Fox Series Back In Business

Dr. House will once again be insulting the deathly ill. Why do we love him so.

Booth and Brennan will be flirting inappropriately over the grotesque remains of innocent crime victims. And Peter Griffin will be back sobbing into his beer at the Drunken Clam.

Fox has announced resumed production and post-strike premiere dates for a bunch of shows. Among those that will be back on the set is "24," which will finish up production on its seventh season, even though it won't return until Jan. 2009.

"Bones" will be back with new shows April 14, while "House" follows two weeks later. The much-ballyhooed Julianna Margulies courtroom series "Canterbury's Law" finally sees the air March 10. The complete press release with all the details is after the jump.

D'oh!

"Raising The Bar" With A Twist Of "The Simpsons"

Not that I'm not excited about the return of TV wiz Steven Bochco of "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue" fame. TNT announced today that it has greenlighted Bochco's new courtroom show, "Raising the Bar." Mark-Paul Gosselaar of "Saved By The Bell" and "Blue" stars as "an idealistic public defender who will stop at nothing to help those who cannot help themselves." Uh huh. Gloria Reuben plays his boss. But what I'm really stoked about here is the first - as far as I know - "The Simpsons"-to-live-action casting crossover. Bochco has cast former "Malcolm in the Middle" mom Jane Kaczmarek as the judge on "Raising the Bar." And as we all know she got her judicial training playing Judge Constance Harm on seven episodes of "The Simpsons." How cool is that?!

"The Simpsons" Finds A Replacement For W.

TV Squad clues us in that there's an exciting new candidate entering the presidential race this Sunday, and he's a law-and-order candidate with a finger up his nose. Or possibly a thumb up his- NO, that would be wrong, let's not go there. But anyway, on Sunday's episode of Fox's "The Simpsons," it's Ralph Wiggum, the moronic son of Springfield police chief Clancy Wiggum, who'll be throwing his hat in the ring. Jon Stewart and Dan Rather are among the guest voices who'll show up to cover this insurgent candidacy, says the Squad.

Homer Simpson, Viral Video Star

Last night's episode of "The Simpsons" wasn't really all that great, but it did have one fantastic moment: A parody of the viral video titled "Noah takes a picture of himself every day for six years." Have a look at the original:

Now try Homer's version:

Gothamist points out that the composer behind that song didn't get paid for its use here.

Hank Azaria On (Non-Union) Late-Night Internet TV

Most of the late-night comedy shows are off the air for the strike, but the web show LateNet With Ray Ellin has stayed in production, showing live on PalTalk (with a live internet-chat audience), then posted later on Daily Comedy. Last week Ray had as a guest Hank Azaria, the voice of many, many "Simpsons" characters, who is also now starring in a Broadway show about the invention of TV.

Hank shared anecdotes about his early days acting, the development of characters like Apu and Comic Book Guy, and tales of how George Takei flirted with the interns. What's particularly fun is the way he slips into the character's voices at various points, recounting his favorite lines or just talking about characters with their own voices. The video plays immediately when the page loads, so I've put it after the jump as a favor to everyone who doesn't want their whole office to know they're goofing off at work.

"Simpsons" Video Game Rocks

This Sunday, we have an all-new "Simpsons" episode (finally!) and today we have the release of the all-new Simpsons video game. The plot's a little convoluted: the family finds out they're in a video game and have to fight through a variety of parodies of other video games to stop a flood of poorly-produced merchandise being sold in their names. During the game, Homer tries to eat as much as possible, Bart tries to become Bartman, Lisa tries to save the earth, and Marge and Maggie try to clean up a violent, sexually-explicit video game modeled on "Grand Theft Auto."

They had me at "mice dressed up as pimps:"

I also like the "Land of Chocolate" video where Homer insults white chocolate for not containing any cocoa solids. I couldn't agree more.

Halloween Specials: "Grey's Anatomy," "Bones," "Simpsons," More!

"Grey's Anatomy" had its Halloween special last week, and BuzzSugar has the talk about it.

"Big Bang Theory" is celebrating Halloween tonight, and you can find out more at Seriously OMG.

"Bones" is up for a Halloween special tomorrow night, and TubeTalk is all over that one.

On Sunday, "The Simpsons" will have "Treehouse Of Horror XVIII" and Wikipedia has the best details I've found so far: Parodies of "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" and "E.T." and a story about Flanders punishing the town's kids for their naughtiness.

Oddly, the "Family Guy" episode also involves a bit of "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" parody, although it's not a Halloween special. It is, however, the 100th episode, "Stewie Kills Lois," in which Stewie actually makes a serious attempt on his mother's life. Yeah, matricide is always hilarious.

Los Simpsons Cantan

I love the "Max Power" episode of "The Simpsons," in Spanish or any other language. Here's a clip:

"Simpsons" Movie References

Continuing in my "Simpsons" crazy mode today: let's talk about "Simpsons" movie references. They pay homage to movies all the time, sometimes in just one shot and sometimes for the better part of an episode ("Bart of Darkness" is a tribute to Hitchcock's "Rear Window," for example). But of course, last night's Season 19 opener had the best movie reference ever: "The Simpsons Movie."

Joey DeVilla has compiled a great list of stills from "The Simpsons" and the matching movie stills that go with them. I've posted the first six pairs (just 3 movies, and pretty easy) here, but he's got a lot more at his site. How many can you identify?

In the comments to the post are additional suggestions, including a favorite of mine, the one where Homer goes all "Requiem For A Dream" at the Krusty-Burger.

Answers to the first six images after the jump.

MeeVee Video Top 5: Returning Champs--Simpsons, Daily Show, Survivor, and more

Some shows are like old friends with familiar faces.  Granted they'll never you give the honest friend's advice such as, "you in THAT bikini....I don't think so" or "you should dump Karen, she's definitely cheating on you".  Now that we think about, maybe our friends aren't that great after all.  In any case, many of us have grown old with these shows.  They've given us laughter, excitement, and sometimes, for some reason, tears.  We're calling these shows returning champs.  They may not be the longest running shows out there, they're just considered champs in their own respect.

This week Video Top 5 has trivia games for ER and The Simpsons.  Test your knowledge so that maybe you will score high enough to brag on your MySpace page. We also have full episodes and weekly clips from the show that somehow helped make voyeurism cool, Big Brother:  Check out past clips from Jon Stewart and gang on The Daily Show and catch some exclusive clips of Survivor: China.  Finally, we have our YouTube Clip of the Week.  If you haven't seen that obnoxious kid from University of Florida get tasered, you just haven't experienced life.

"The Simpsons" And "Family Guy" Premieres

  "He Loves To Fly And He D'Ohs" was not the best "Simpsons" episode ever, but it was far from the worst, and it delivered more than a few laughs. I'm guessing you'll hear at least a few of the best lines over the next week:

Homer: Can you sing "Say you, say me" but make it about beer?
Lionel Richie: Beer you, beer me...

Homer: Commercial is for losers and terrorists! (which of course, reminds me of the line about how cats are for losers who live in apartments).

Stephen Colbert: Here's an important tip: stop doing that!

"The Family Guy" premiere, the retelling of "Star Wars," was at least as good. The golf joke at the beginning was worth the whole hour alone, and I loved the cameos from Chevy Chase and Rush Limbaugh.

Sure, it took more than a few jokes more than a little bit too far, but that's half of what makes it such a great show Just one example: at one point, John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra actually appear, performing the theme song - and are slaughtered by the Empire along with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

And the casting, of course, was perfect, especially the creepy old pedophile dude as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Meg as the horrible garbage monster.

The Simpsons Go To Paris... And Everywhere Else

In honor of the 19th season, I present you with my two favorite bits of "The Simpsons" influence in the world. First, the Harper's Bazaar spread featuring the Simpson family and Linda Evangelista in Paris, and the scholarly tome (it's like a thousand pages) "Planet Simpson" (if you wish to purchase it, I recommend Harvard.com).

This family, fictional as they may be, has conquered the world. They're in high fashion, in the ivory tower, and of course everywhere in the pop-culture universe. "D'oh!" really is in the dictionary, you know.

Fox. Sunday. Be there.

"The Simpsons" Get Some Awesome Guest Stars

This Sunday, The Simpsons premiere will feature Lionel Richie as himself, and the voice of Stephen Colbert as a life coach. Oh hell yes. I am so going to be there, and I am so going to have my beer hat on.  I know it conflicts with "The War," and I just said you absolutely had to watch that, but PBS will be re-airing it several times, so you've got a pass there.

Anyway, this is the beginning of the 19th season. The plot outline says that Homer saves Mr. Burns from drowning, and Burns rewards him by taking him on the company jet for a night out in Chicago. I'm not sure how the life coach or Lionel Richie get involved, though. 

Here's an interview with Stephen Colbert that has clips from the episode. Best detail: Stephen's favorite character is Kent Brockman. He's particularly fond of the moment where Kent welcomed the insect overlords in the episode "Deep Space Homer."

Fall TV Night-By-Night: Saturday and Sunday

Saturday? We don't need stinkin' Saturday. Watch college football on ABC, or "Torchwood" on BBC America, and forget about "Cops" and the endless reruns on the other networks. Sunday, though, is as always another story, featuring the season's most bizarre new show ("Viva Laughlin," right) and several returning favorites.

ABC's trio of hits - "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters" - returns on Sept. 30. The big excitement here has to be Dana Delaney and Nathan Fillion joining the cast of "Desperate," a show that seems in definite though not desperate need of some fresh fuel. It will be interesting to watch the ratings here.

CBS will still have "60 Minutes" at 7 and "Cold Case" at 9, and it's swapping in James Woods as "Shark" at 10. The show has curdled a little as Woods' bracingly hard-edged character has gotten soft around the edges; we'll see if that trend slows or accelerates as Jeri Ryan's character becomes his co-worker instead of his boss. Kevin Pollack as the new DA ought to be good, though. But the big news here...

Fox Popcorn. "Family Guy" Movie Spoof.

Don't believe bloggers or old-school journos when they tell you they can't be bought. There is one price we all have: Food. I mean, what are you going to do, send it back? It'd spoil. So I should probably tell you that I am sitting here munching from a giant-ass can of Fox Sunday Animation popcorn as I write this. The Fedex guy brought it the other day with a DVD of upcoming episodes of "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and the rest. It's in four flavors: Regular, Cheese, Caramel and, uh...Orange. (That's not the flavor, that's the color.) Anyhoo, all that's prep to telling you that the ever-hilarious and deeply sick "Family Guy" has a season premiere on Sept. 23 you won't want to miss. It's called "Blue Harvest," and it's a "Star Wars" parody. I think we can all agree that Lois looks hot in the Princess Leia haircut, no?

Michelle Pfeiffer Was On "The Simpsons?"

Michelle Pfeiffer was getting her star on the walk of fame today, and signing autographs for fans, when one came up with a DVD of "The Simpsons."

Pfeiffer: "The Simpsons?" Why would I sign that?
Fan: You were in it, Season Five.
Pfeiffer: I was?

She was, although in just one episode. She did the voice for Mindy Simmons, a co-worker who flirted with Homer. It may have been just an hour of work for her, but fans didn't forget: she's one of only three women ever to express an interest in Homer. The other two?  Marge, of course, and country star Lurleen Lumpkin.

Monday Morning Reads

Our friend The TV Addict has done an awesome thing for those of you who wish you were at ComicCon but weren't. He's collected links to videos of all the panels like "Heroes," "The Simpsons" and "Lost." ...... Kathie at Give Me My Remote apologizes for being remiss in recapping the "Chuck" panel at ComicCon (featuring Zach Levi, right) and links to a video by way of amends. ... Televisionista has some excellent pix from the "Heroes" beach location, as Hayden Panettiere films a smooch with her new TV boyfriend, Nick D'Agosto, then hits the waves with her real boyfriend, Stephen Coletti. ... TV Squad reports on some "Big Brother 8" foolishness and makes an excellent point: "How pathetic do you have to be to go through the trouble of hiring a biplane to try and influence the results of a reality show?" ... Variety sez New York magazine is calling out Bravo over conditions for contestants on shows like "Top Chef" and "Project Runway." ... Variety also sez CW's "Gossip Girl" is coming out a week early. ...

Sneak Peek At Upcoming "Simpsons"

I haven't made it out there yet, but my friend who visited an L.A.-area 7-11 turned into a Kwik-E-Mart for "The Simpsons Movie" reports that people are still lined up outside to buy Buzz Cola and other "Simpsons" products. He also says that the clerks were, like Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, of Indian descent and pretty harried. One more sign that people are still crazy for the show. Hell, I am. And this morning Fox spilled some deets on the upcoming season ...

Lionel Richie and Stephen Colbert guest in the season premiere on Sept. 23, which finds Homer becoming accustomed to traveling by private jet. ... Steve Buscemi of "The Sopranos" is once again a criminal, a bank robber who takes Marge hostage in the Sept. 30 episode. ... Comic Book Guy gets some competition from Jack Black in the Oct. 7 episode. ... Later in the season, Kelsey Grammer reunites with his "Frasier" co-stars David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney as Sideshow Bob and his brother and father. ... Jon Stewart, Dan Rather, Placido Domingo and Topher Grace are also set to visit Springfield this year.

"The Simpsons" hit the high notes

AP reports that "The Simpsons: Testify" will come on on Shout! Records in September, featuring more than three dozen songs from the last nine seasons of "The Simpsons." The tracklist includes classics like "Baby Stink Breath" and "Springfield Blows," plus guest star performances like David Byrne singing "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" and the B-52s' duelling-themed "Glove Slap" (to the tune of "Love Shack"). I want mine now.

More Details Emerge On "The Simpsons" Movie

Yahoo! News has a few more details about the upcoming "Simpsons" movie: They plan to skewer environmentalists and environmental skeptics, religion and religious skeptics, and Bono.

Yes, the saintly rock-star/activist Bono. During an unsuccessful environmental activist campaign (with guest-rockers Green Day, no less) Lisa meets a cute boy from Ireland who insists he isn't related to the U2 star. Romance may (or may not) be in the cards for the little girl in pearls.

Also, as many have long suspected, the film will feature full-frontal Bart nudity, when Homer dares Bart to skateboard nude through town.

First Photos Of "Simpsons" Themed 7-11 Stores

Seriously, OMG! has pictures of the 7-11 stores tricked out to look like Kwik-E-Mart stores from "The Simpsons," along with details of what exactly they'll be carrying in those stores: Buzz Cola, Squishees, Radioactive Man comics, Krusty-O's, and special-edition pink donuts with sprinkles.

Only twelve 7-11 stores nationwide will be converted to Kwik-E-Marts, but nearly every store in the franchise will be selling the custom "Simpsons" goodies.

Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart? Springfield!

First, the US Postal Service decorated some of its mailboxes to look like R2-D2 units in honor of Star Wars. Now Yahoo! News tells us that Fox and 7-11 are turning a dozen of its stores into complete replicas of the Springfield Kwik-E-Mart from "The Simpsons" in honor of the "Simpsons" movie coming out this month. And contrary to earlier rumors, it's not just 7-11 stores located in towns that happen to be named "Springfield."

Nearly every 7-11 outfit across the country will be selling new or renamed products inspired by "The Simpsons:" Buzz Cola alongside Coke and Pepsi, Squishies instead of Slurpees, and Krusty-O's in the cereal aisle. Duff Beer, sadly, will not be available: this is, after all, a film marketed to all ages. Other businesses are also getting into the act: JetBlue is running a sweepstakes and showing nonstop "Simpsons" episodes on its TVs this month, as well. As Simpsons-movie-mania sweeps the nation, there is little left to say except "See you at the Kwik-E-Mart!"

Create Your Own "Simpsons" Character

I was trying to think of something clever or funny to say about it, but let's just leave it at this: you can create your own "Simpsons" character over at the Simpsons movie website. Awesome.

Mine looks a little unsympathetic. I think it's the smile, maybe the combination of that and the nose. I can get him to look stupid or mean, but not friendly. Of course, that's probably pretty accurate.

MeeVee Video Top 5: Season Finales -- Heroes, The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives

With summer just around the corner, kids are anxious to get out of school, families are getting more excited about the big family vacation, and television hits the crapper. Reruns, lame game shows, and movie-of-the-week specials are just a taste of the non-euphoric viewings that are synonymous with summer. The good news about the dog days of summer is that just before everything hits the crapper, you get that lovely climax: the season finale.

This week, we hand-picked five of TV's hottest series to highlight. Catch full episodes of Heroes and Desperate Housewives. After 18 seasons, The Simpsons still remain one of America's most treasured families. Play The Simpsons trivia game online to see if you have a grasp of all 400 episodes. We also preview bonus clips from America's Next Top Model, and sneak peeks from the season finale of The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman.

Last, but not least, we have a parallel parker who is so bad, she makes Billy Joel seem like a good driver!

Weekend Picks: May 18-20

Law & Order -- The Family Hour
The 18th(!) season concludes with an ex-senator on the chopping block for murder. Thanks to a judge who loves the limelight, the trial quickly becomes a three-ring circus. Why, how outlandish and improbable!

The Simpsons -- 24 Minutes / You Kent Always Say What You Want
The 18th(!!) season concludes with a parody of 24. The Springfield Elementary Counter Truancy Unit (SECTU), protects the school bake sale from disruption by stink bomb. Meanwhile, Kent Brockman gets fired for swearing on the air. The Simpsons (and Law & Order) can now legally vote. That's a lot of little yellow people.

Desperate Housewives -- Getting Married Today
It's merely the third season finale for DH, and Bree's returning to Wisteria Lane to witness Gaby and Victor's big fat not-at-all-Greek wedding. As if one wedding wasn't enough, a surprise wedding takes place in an unexpected location!

Weekend Picks: April 20-22

Wife, Mom, Bounty Hunter -- Series Premiere
Kicking butt and taking names! This brand-new series features the daily life of a female bounty hunter named Sandra. In this debut episode, Miss Femme Fatale checks on a "skip," then heads back home for her daughter's birthday party. You know, the usual.

The Apprentice -- Series Finale
Find out which of the four crafty business peeps wins the coveted apprenticeship with Donald Trump, as the show whisks off to the famous Hollywood Bowl. Which lucky soul will hear the words "You're hired?"

The Simpsons -- Marge Gamer
Marge goes online for the first time, and becomes obsessed with a role-playing game that Bart and many of their neighbors are playing. Meanwhile, Lisa develops her own obsession -- for soccer -- and Homer becomes a referee.

The Sopranos -- Remember When
Tony and Paulie take a trip south to escape some potentially sticky situations in New Jersey. Junior recovers part of his old self during a poker game. Expect lots of attitude and near misses.

Weekend Picks: Feb. 16-18

Simpsons - Springfield Up
The Simpsons continues to deliver its brand of biting animated satire, family-friendly comedy and big-name guest stars even into its 18th season.  This week Eric Idol, of Monty Python fame, portrays a filmmaker returning to Springfield to see how the subjects of his documentary have grown.  Boy is he going to be impressed by how Homer’s grown!

Amazing Race: All-Stars - Season Premiere
If you haven’t yet had your fill of stereotypical contestants (blond white women are ditzy, we get it) racing around the world for one million dollars, get ready for a new season of The Amazing Race!  Winners of seasons past reunite for a chance at another big payday and even tougher mind-bending challenges!   

Beauty & The Geek - Season Finale
The third season of wraps up on Sunday, after an eleven hour marathon on MTV, but not before surprise visitors throw the final two teams for a loop and one contestant makes the ultimate sacrifice for the team.  After this episode, you’ll never look at your IT department the same way again! 

Dec. 27: Eva Longoria, Vanessa Minnillo Seeing Double; Cops Bust Courteney Cox; Simpsons Celebrate New Year

*The Simpsons ring in 2007 with their own resolutions [The Futon Critic]
*Eva Longoria, Vanessa Minnillo seeing double [The Hollywood Gossip]
*Cops pop Courteney Cox [TMZ]
*Have Mario and Karina danced their last dance? [Glitterati]
*It's almost time to get some Dirt [Popbytes]

MeeVee Picks the Top Ten TeeVee Christmas Clichés of All Time

The holidays are truly a magical time of year. Trees are decorated, lights are twinkling, children are smiling, and television writers are taking a nice big break from creating new material. Yes, we’ve all noticed that quite a few recycled story lines float around in December.

In fact, a recent scientific study at some highly reputable university or other has determined that there are only ten possible Christmas episode plot lines. See if you can find all ten this season.

10. The crazy last-minute gift adventure. TV was doing this long before Jingle All The Way hit the big screen. Homer Simpson, king of the last-minute gifts, had an adventure in The Simpsons' very first episode. When he didn’t have enough money for presents, Homer tried to win big at the dog track, only to end up flat broke. But he adopted an abandoned racing dog named Santa’s Little Helper, and wwound up scoring a gift that the whole family loved. Awwww.

NBC Thursdays Enter New Golden Age

Thursday nights are a good time to be alive. With the triumphant return of Scrubs to the Must-See-TV lineup, NBC will be pumping out two hours of the most rock-solid comedy in recent memory. My Name Is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock, and Scrubs is about as good as it gets.

One can’t help but think back to those carefree Thursdays when Cheers was in its prime, or when Friends was still in its infancy. Assuming Scrubs picks up where it left off, viewers will be treated to four wickedly smart comedies in a row. (Okay, maybe Earl isn’t smart. But it’s fun!)