What is it about Mary-Louise Parker? What is that hoo-doo she does so well? The third-season opener of Showtime's "Weeds" is a Mary-Louise tour de force of sidelong glances, mischievous grins, heavy sighs and "oh fucks" that bespeaks the weariness of working moms everywhere. Who wouldn't get tired chasing a teenager and a pre-teen boy around all day, keeping tabs on them and trying to make a living all at the same time.

What's always been fun about "Weeds" is that it's a crazy suburban fairy-tale about a sexy-sweet pot-dealing soccer mom. Series creator-exec producer Jenji Kohan was smart to ground "Weeds" from the get-go in the heart-breaking story of a woman who was truly living the dream with a husband she loved madly and two beautiful sons, and then wakes up one day (in the pilot) finding herself a widow and forced to make her own way in the world, and to make enough of a living to maintain the comfortable lifestyle that her family has become accustomed to, or more accurately, the only way of life they've ever known. In the dealing with this smack-in-the-face wakeup call, Parker's Nancy Botwin discovers a very real world far removed from the neatly trimmed lawns and tract houses of planned suburbia.

Congrats to WMA's Mark Itkin (pictured) on his appointment as chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame selection committee. Mark's a good guy who loves television, which is a good thing given that his day job is serving as WMA exec veep and worldwide co-head of television. He's been a top agent in the syndication/reality/non-fiction TV biz for a long time, and he's been involved with ATAS for years, so he ought to bring some interesting ideas to the table as to worthy inductees. As On the Air readers already know, there's a very determined woman in Watertown, N.Y. who wants to see the late Bill Bixby get his long-overdue due from the TV Acad (click here if you concur). The most recent batch of names getting the bust-and-plaque treatment from the Hall of Fame last year were Tom Brokaw, James Burrows, Leonard Goldberg, Regis Philbin and William Shatner. Acad plans to sit out this year but come back at it with a spiffed-up event in 2008.

He is a very special young man. Muncie, Ind.-based Ball State University is naming its new communications building after its most famous alumni, David Letterman.

Letter-mom Dorothy Mengering was on hand Monday for the announcement with Ball State prexy Jo Ann Gora (click here for cute pic of Dorothy, known to viewers for her occasional work as a "Late Show"/"Late Night" correspondent). The $21 million, 75,000-square foot facility houses all kinds of state-of-the-art digital media stuff, a surround sound recording studio and post-production facility, is set to open on Sept. 7. Letterman and his mom are expected to attend the ceremony.

"I'm so thrilled that David finally let them do this for him," Mengering told the AP. "He's a very special young man, and I'm proud of him."

Gora noted that Letterman's frequent mentions of the school on his NBC and CBS late night shows have exposed Ball State to millions of people who otherwise never would've heard of it. He's also quietly been a huge supporter of its various institutions, from the Letterman Scholarships established in 1985 to the checks he's written to help launch the school's radio station, among other initiatives. Letterman graduated from Ball State in 1970.

"I'm proud to have been a student at Ball State, and I'm deeply honored to have this recognition for me and my family," Letterman said in a statement.

(Pictured above: Letterman, right, and George Clooney. No, Clooney didn't go to Ball State but I found this nice shot on the CBS press Web site and let's face it, Clooney livens up any post.)

Let's all hoist a colortini toast tonight to Tom Snyder; may he rest in peace after what had to have been a tough battle with leukemia.

The man was born to be a broadcaster, born to talk on TV, without a net, without a script, and without needing much help from other people to tell him what to think. Snyder, who died Sunday in San Francisco at the age of 71, was smart, sharp, fast on his feet and funny, sometimes too funny with jokes that were an acquired taste. At least he had the brains and .... confidence to speak freely on live TV.

Or as Peter Lassally, who was exec producer of CBS' "The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder" and now exec produces the successor show with Craig Ferguson, put it:

"Tom was a true broadcaster, a rare thing. When he was on the air, he made the camera disappear. It was just you and him, in a room together, having a talk."

Snyder had a reputation for being cantankerous, or "prickly," as the AP put it in its obit, but he was way-way nicer than he needed to be during a down phase of his career when a green reporter called his production office one day to ask if she could sit in on a taping of his show.

Been thinking a lot about why primetime TV is in such a superhero-loving moment. No, it wasn't brought on by the onset (onslaught) of Comic-Con this week. It was Television Critics Assn. press tour and all the yak yak yak during the past fortnight about the upcoming season's new shows.

I was struck by the superhero-mania by realizing that that even high-end, Emmy-winning drama types a la writer-producer Kevin Falls and director Alex Graves are working in the genre (sort of) with NBC's "Journeyman." Our hero in this show is a San Francisco newspaper reporter who can travel through time and change the course of people's lives. Falls and Graves during the TCA sesh on the show took pains to stress that they were going for "grounded sci-fi," and that the show would hinge not on time travel but on relationships.

"It's a a time-travel show made by people who don't believe in time travel," assured Graves, whose past  credits include "The West Wing," "Sports Night" and "Ally McBeal." Still, "Journeyman" has a mandate, one that he doesn't quite understand, to change people's lives for the better (and to keep viewers from changing the channel). Sounds superhero-ish to me.

It was NBC's own "Heroes," of course, sparked the most recent mania for supernatural storytelling with its breakout sizzle this past season. (BTW, the two pics posted here are from the soph season opener of "Heroes," tantalizingly titled "Four Months Later," set to air Sept. 24. Not many clues revealed in them but I figured they were a nice touch for anyone interested in this column's topic.)

In the coming season we have variations on the superhero theme in not only "Journeyman" but NBC's "The Bionic Woman," Fox's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," and to a lesser degree (more about people with special powers than save-the-world-itis) in CW's "Reaper," ABC's "Pushing Daisies," from "Heroes" alum Bryan Fuller, and Fox's "New Amsterdam."

So why all the interest in characters with power to bend Newton's laws?

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

The dark gloom of Seattle skies turn bright this season for Shonda Rhimes (pictured left), as she brings her "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff to Los Angeles in the form of "Private Practice."

The overcast weather analogy seems appropriate for the past season of "Grey's" in many ways. The tone of the series was ominous in a bunch of episodes, including arcs on the tenuous relationship between Meredith and McDreamy, George's by-the-threads marriage to Callie, Richard's divorce and Burke's ultimate dismissal of Dr. Yang as a life partner.

And that's just the on-screen tumult.

Of course, nothing got bigger headlines than Isaiah Washington's meltdown and anti-gay remarks, which ultimately led to his dismissal off the show.

(When asked about Ben Silverman's comments, that NBC had talked to Washington about a possible role on "Bionic Woman" while he was still under contract to ABC Studios, Rhimes answered, "I wasn't aware of any conversations." And when prodded for a response on his arrival at the Peacock primetime lineup, she rose above the fray, answering, "He's very talented and I hope he and the show do well, but not as well as 'Private Practice.'")

"It was a dark journey," said Rhimes of the past year, who added later on that it was a "dark season, but I want to get back to having fun."

On Wednesday, ABC topper Steve McPherson agreed, having said "Grey's" would arrive this fall with a slightly lighter tone.

"There was a lot of difficult stuff and emotional stuff going on for a multitude of characters. And I think we're going to get away from some of that  just because of the nature of the storytelling that she (Rhimes) is going to do," he said.

That's not to say Rhimes wasn't happy with the how the stories turned out. She remained on the creative course she set out from Day 1.

"We started with Meredith helping Izzy out of her wedding dress and ended with Meredith helping Christine out of her wedding dress," Rhimes said in bookending the season.

And, yes, she was aware of the unhappiness of some of the hard-core fans — though she didn't necessarily agree with them — those who followed the show to Thursdays from Sundays in a risky programming move by ABC that paid huge dividends.

"I read the blogs," she explained. "I take very seriously what the fans say. They care about the show."

Disneyland is prepping for an invasion of Zac Efron groupies. Disney Channel has set Aug. 14 as the premiere party for "High School Musical 2," to be held at the AMC theater in the Downtown Disney complex that abuts the happiest place on earth. (No matter how many times I go to the park I still choke up a bit at the plaque with the quote from Walt: "Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America.") It'll be followed by an invitation-only party by the pool at the complex's Grand Californian hotel. All the hoopla for "HSM2" marks the first-ever telepic premiere for Disney Channel at Disneyland, which is still recovering from the buccaneers bacchanal it hosted in May for the "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" preem. (Don't forget, details of Disney Channel's plans for "HSM2" bow on Aug. 17 appeared here two long TCA-filled weeks ago, thanks to Variety's hard-working Steven Zeitchik.) And of course, a new live "HSM2: School's Out!" stage show "springs to life," according to Disney's PR missive, at the California Adventure park starting Aug. 18.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

You know how when a jury hears something they shouldn't, and the judge asks them not to consider that piece of evidence in deliberations.

Attorneys say no matter a judge's instructions, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. Well, even though the pilot screened by critics isn't actually the pilot to be shown later in the fall, you can't put the "Cavemen" back in the, uh, cave.

So while the original pilot left many scribes underwhelmed, the public will never know what they missed.

With a new lead recast and a pilot being reshot because "it was too far into the development of the characters," according to ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson, "Cavemen" still has other issues to face.

For example, a few critics felt the Cavemen were actually euphemisms for black people — the characters are superior athletes, are excluded from high-society events and looked upon as second-class citizens.

"We're aware the pilot leans in that direction, but the characters don't stand for one group," explained exec producer Josh Gordon (pictured left).

"But is that a concern?," asked exec producer Mike Schiff (pictured right). "Absolutely. Could it be an issue? Yes. But we want to show these stereotypes as incorrect."

"This is a story about acclimation," added co-exec producer Joe Lawson. "We write the stories from that point of view."

The show, which arrived at ABC very late in the development stage, is based on the popular Geico commercials. And, no, there are no plans for the gecko to appear in future episodes (and, yes, Allstate or other sponsors selling insurance are welcome to buy spots).

To get in proper Cavemen mode, the actors are in makeup for three hours every day and look nothing like the characters they play without their facial hair added. That might work to their advantage if the show doesn't last, as they won't be broad-brushed with a failed series. Though if it's a hit, conversely, they may not be able to cash in.

"I'm not an attractive man, so to be hidden behind makeup is fine with me," joked actor Nick Kroll.

-- Stuart Levine

POSTED BY JON WEISMAN

In whimsical ABC fall entry “Pushing Daisies,” romantic leads Ned and Chuck  are forbidden to touch. So, how will the young lovers played by Lee Pace and Anna Friel (pictured left) endure what Friel called “the longest foreplay ever?”

At TCA on Wednesday, series creator and exec producer Bryan Fuller mentioned that auds would see “Saran-Wrap kisses” and “dancing in beekeeper suits” after floating a much more provocative suggestion for an 8 p.m. show.

“Mutual masturbation,” Fuller said. “It’s very now. We’re trying to bring masturbation back.”

That would certainly help get a show launched.

But even without the afterplay, “Daisies” will be one of the most talked-about shows of the upcoming season, having won over the hearts and minds of a great many critics. Expert pie-baker Ned has a unique ability to bring dead folks back to life with a single touch – only to kill them for good if he touches them a second time. Resurrecting the love of his life puts Ned in what Fuller calls an “impossible romance.”

Had some fun this morning at the LATV Festival panel on how digital media is changing the face of TV. Not sure if we answered that question in 75 minutes, but the panelists were a good cross-section of the biz and they were talkative, which made my job easy. Chris Henchy, veteran writer-producer and head of Will Ferrell and Andy McKay's Gary Sanchez Prods., was one of the panelists, yakking about FunnyorDie.com, the comedy Web site that launched stealthily in April with some very funny Ferrell shorts and an open invitation for undiscovered comic geniuses to submit their own shorts. In "American Idol" fashion, users are invited to vote on their fave/least fave shorts, some of which become "Immortal" and some of which are banished to "the Crypt," never to be seen again.

It's kinda mind-boggling but the Ferrell short "The Landlord" (featuring a pic-stealing performance from McKay's toddler-daughter Pearl) has been viewed more than 40 million times since FunnyorDie.com bowed in mid-April. Henchy (pictured above at right with Ferrell), who's also busy juggling feature projects and an HBO pilot, said they're in the midst of trying to partner with a local comedy establishment to bring some of the undiscovered talents on FunnyorDie out of their basements and bathrooms to a showcase event that would be streamed live, natch, on FunnyorDie. And he confirmed that most of the Gary Sanchez-produced stuff on the site is filmed in under an hour, and slapped up on to the site while the DV cam is still warm. Gotta love the digital age.

Another panelist, "Heroes" co-exec producer Jesse Alexander, promised that the show had lots of fun in store for fans this weekend and Comic-Con and when season two of the NBC hit bows in September.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Putting the exec session brouhaha aside, there were some actual news about "Lost" to report.

As noted previously, Harold Perrineau will return as Michael. We haven't seen him on the island since the end of season two, when he betrayed Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley. They were captured by the Others while Michael and his son Walt were allowed to leave the island.

And then last season concluded in grand fashion, with a flash-forward sequence where we see Jack and Kate in the present in a major American city. Jack is distraught over the death of someone he has read about in an obituary.

So where do we go from here? McPherson said exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse haven't let on what happens next when the series premieres in February for 16 consecutive episodes.

"They haven't released any news about whether we go flash-forward or flashback," McPherson said.

"Lost" has been one of the most buzzworthy series since it launched three years with an expensive pilot -- simulated plane crashes don't come cheap -- that proved worth every penny. And now Lindelof and Cuse have the luxury of knowing when the series will wrap and can write 48 storylines storylines that build up to the finale in 2008.

"Since the show began, Damon and I have talked about how does it end," McPherson said "We've asked is this a traditional series (and should it end) in a traditional way?"

Unlike many shows that start strong and struggle to the finish, the bet here is that there will be plenty of viewers still around when Lindelof and his writing staff wrap up the plight of the Others, castaways and the mysterious Jacob. McPherson is smart to realize Lindelof needed to stay on board and continue the tone he has set forth.

It was imperative to "keep Damon attached until the end of the series," McPherson said.

That being said, the show took some hits in midseason from critics and fans who felt the the plot wasn't moving forward fast enough and seemed to be going through the motions. And ratings fell from year's past as well, but McPherson said the numbers were misleading.

He stated that while the show gets a 4.2 rating in Los Angeles, if you include Live Plus Seven ratings (those who watch on DVRs within seven days of the original airing), the number jumps much higher to 7.2.

Yet, the legacy of "Lost" will never be about viewer totals or demos, but "Can you believe last night's episode"-type discussion often heard among devotees at the office on Thursday morning. In the Variety newsroom, the show probably accounts for about 50-plus "Lost" geek-out what does it all mean emails, and always a few from people begging for no spoilers because they haven't picked it up on TiVo yet or via streaming on ABC.com.

-- Stuart Levine

It's been brought to our attention that offense was taken at the observation in the post below that ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson's joking suggestion that TCA attendees go to Comic-Con to find out the news about "Lost" went over "as well as a Michael Richards routine at the Laugh Factory." While there was never any intention to equate the substance of the two incidents, in the spirit of the concession made by McPherson and "Lost" producers to divulge the news that they planned to hold back for Comic-Con, we'll concede that Richards at the Laugh Factory was not a particularly apt comparison for what transpired re "Lost" during McPherson's TCA sesh.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

There's nothing like a standoff between a network exec and sleep-deprived critics to make TCA invigorating on its next-to-last day.

So when ABC topper Steve McPherson (pictured) let out that a major announcement involving the upcoming season of "Lost" would be divulged at Comic-Con tomorrow -- and not here at the Beverly Hilton with the country's TV press assembled -- well, lets just say the news wasn't well received by TCA-ers. (And for more TCA sound and fury, read what was on McPherson's mind in the post-Q&A huddle courtesy of Variety's Michael Schneider.)

McPherson was visibly pissed. In time spent where he could be promoting ABC's new fall lineup, which incidentally has promising new titles in "Pushing Daisies," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Big Shots," he was forced to keep the wolves at bay who kept pressing on why sci-fi nerds heading to San Diego were more important to them -- and to their readers.

McPherson started the brouhaha accidentally. When one reporter asked about what might happen next on "Lost," McPherson said he couldn't give any details and that a major announcement was coming in San Diego. That's when the blood hit the water and the sharks began circling.

After a a woman questioned why the announcement was being withheld, McPherson kidded her about driving down to San Diego together to hear the news firsthand. Though he was joking, it went over as well as a Michael Richards standup routine at the Laugh Factory.

A few minutes later, Rick Kushman of the Sacramento Bee -- in a very reasonable and well-thought way -- asked McPherson how should newspaper editors, who are spending thousands of dollars to send their critics to Beverly Hills for two weeks in a time when papers are being crushed financially, should feel when networks are withholding information from them.

McPherson tried to make light of the situation and said, "I started talking to him before he was available, and I don't know what happened there, but I've cast Don Imus on 'Lost.'" It was a retort that sounded eerily similar to Ben Silverman describing how Isaiah Washington came aboard NBC's "Bionic Woman."

Soon after that, ABC publicist Hope Hartman whispered into McPherson's ear that "Lost" co-creator and exec producer Damon Lindelof had been told of the brewing controversy and allowed McPherson to spill the news that Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael, would be back. (Sorry for burying the lead, but the jostling was too good to pass up.)

-- Stuart Levine

NATPE's inaugural LATV fest celebrating the smallscreen gets underway in earnest tomorrow. I'm planning to start my day on Wednesday at Hollywood & Highland moderating a panel, "Blowing Up the Boob Tube: How the Digital Frontier Has Changed our Relationship with TV," that aims to make sense of what all of the new digital options available to the masses mean for the old-fashioned business of television. (Wish us luck!) Panels, seminars, NATPE Boot Camp (TV producing/pitching/selling 101) sessions are going on all day Wednesday at H&H, and all day Thursday at House of Blues. Here's Variety's story from a few months back on why NATPE decided it was high time this town had its own TV industry-themed panel sesh-fest.

A fantastic time was had by all at Fox's post-TCA party on the Santa Monica pier on Monday night, as evidenced by this pic of "House" star Hugh Laurie in action on the bumper cars. The network took over the whole pier and gave TCA-ers the run of the joint, which had to fulfill childhood fantasies of anyone who ever spent time on the pier as a kid and ran out of quarters. TypePad's power-outage woes and a busy day back in the office kept me from weighing in on much of anything today. But this Laurie pic was too cool to pass up.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

There's enough reason to be taken with Hugh's Laurie's performance on "House" by just watching him on Tuesday night. Listening to him at the TCA panel on Monday makes Laurie's mystique even more impressive.

Born and raised in the U.K., Laurie is as much a Brit as Winston Churchill or Benny Hill. And hearing his strong Blighty accent in person makes one really admire the way he's able to turn that off when the cameras go on.

"I don't know if there's a secret to it or if other people use dialect coaches," he sheepishly explains, remaining incredibly humble.

Laurie's role as the good doctor back in 2004 was the start of a trend of English actors coming to primetime. This fall there's Damian Lewis on NBC's "Life," Kevin McKidd -- most recently of "Rome" fame -- leading the charge in "Journeyman," Michelle Ryan as the title character in "The Bionic Woman" and Lena Headey in Fox's "Sarah Connor Chronicles."

"I can only apologize," Laurie said of the British invasion. "I can't explain it."

But will House use that Americanized acerbic tongue to lash out at a new team of docs this season? With his team -- Cameron, Foreman and Chase -- tired of taking House's abuse and saying goodbye, how does the show's tone shift as it enters season four?

In the season opener, 40 applicants are in line for the the three vacated positions. Unable to remember any of their names, House has each of them wearing a number. So, he's basically just as warm and personable as ever.

"We'll be playing a 'House' version of 'Survivor,'" says executive producer Katie Jacobs. "I'm hoping viewers will be satisfied. David (Shore, co-executive producer) and I talked a long time about not want to cheat the audience."

Among the new actors who are vying for positions at the prestigious Princeton hospital and who might turn into regulars are Kal Penn ("Harold & Kumar," "The Namesake") and Peter Jacobson (most recently he played Debra Messing's husband in "The Starter Wife), who is a plastic surgeon and is able to look at patients much differently than House.

As for the regulars, Foreman has left and is in charge of his own staff of researchers, while Cameron and Chase have also said goodbye, moving to Arizona.  But, this being broadcast television where the boat can rock only so much, each will return eventually, though it's still unclear -- filming is currently two episodes in -- when they will come back and for what reasons.

"We know we'll be back, but we don't know in what capacity," said Jesse Spencer, who plays Dr. Chase. "I don't things will ever be the same (for the characters). It kind of feels like a new show."

Not going anywhere is Dr. Wilson, played by Robert Sean Leonard. And despite the fact that Wilson might receive more abuse from House than anyone else, where other people feel House is insufferable, downright mean and often antagonistic, Leonard considers him a great guy.

"I don't see what's so wrong with House," Leonard confided. "I think he's extremely likeable. As a friend, I would seek out someone just like him."

Laurie can see Leonard's point.

"Though House can be awkward and abusive, people are entertained by him. He's a character worth putting up with. I don't claim to know him well. He's as enigmatic to me as he is to the audience."

-- Stuart Levine

Any sesh with writer-producer Amy Sherman-Palladino is always a treat for the ear, and eye if you share her hat fetish. She talks as fast and with a rapier wit; she is her own best character. Amy and her husband Dan Palladino are up for the big second act following the WB Network's beloved "Gilmore Girls" in the coming season with the new Fox half-hour "The Return of Jezebel James," starring Parker Posey as a successful book publisher who hires her slacker younger sister to carry her baby after learning that she cannot conceive.

It's hard to believe that anyone could channel Amy's spirit and words as well as "Gilmore's" Lauren Graham, but Posey surely does with her own trademark sweetly goofy free-spirit. Posey, known as the queen of indie film, said she'd never seen "Gilmore Girls" but was taken with the "Jezebel James" script when she read it in a laundromat in Albuquerque, New Mexico while filming the upcoming feature "The Eye." Posey had no experience in series TV but she's found she likes the rhythms of the work on the Gotham-based production. It's in the get-it-done spirit of indie pics done on a shoestring budget.
"I like to work," Posey said. "This work is tight...clear...calm...assertive...like (dog trainer) Cesar Millan. I don't want to go in my trailer and be all moan-y all the time. You get bored when you're working on big movies and not doing anything. I really like this" shooting sked, Posey said.

Controversy, what controversy? "Sarah Connor" co-star Thomas Dekker was peppered with questions regarding his now-departed character from "Heroes," Zach, the friend and confidant of Hayden Panettiere's Claire. You get a bunch of rabid fans on the Internet talking about a show with lots of nooks and crannies, and conspiracy theories are going to arise, especially when fan-fave characters leave the scene without much explanation. There was talk that Dekker (pictured in his Zach persona) grew uncomfortable with the role because writers kept portraying him as gay, albeit without explicitly saying so. Dekker said the truth of the matter is as simple as him wanting a steady paycheck, and being offered one on "Sarah Connor."

Dekker was never a regular or even semi-regular on "Heroes." Zach was only supposed to appear in the show's pilot, but even after producers found more to do for the character, Dekker was being retained on a week-to-week basis.

"It was something that got blown out of proportion as far as what happened with the character," Dekker said with a heavy sigh. "From Day 1, in every possible way (Zach) was meant to be ambiguous. We felt that every one of the main characters in the series was so clear in who they were, it was nice to have side characters be a little more open. Me not appearing on the show anymore has nothing to do with anything about the character...I was hired as a guest star in the pilot. I was surprised every week that they called me back. But when something like ('Sarah Connor') comes along, I had to take this opportunity....I have a feeling 'Heroes' will do just fine."

Seth MacFarlane and the gang have assembled at TCA to do a live table reading of the upcoming 100th episode "Stewie Kills Lois" for our lunchtime pleasure. The room is loving it. Alex Borstein and MacFarlane are fascinating to watch. MacFarlane does a mean imitation of Ringo Starr....It's especially fun to watch MacFarlane doing Stewie, and then shifting into other characters.

Now the episode is really getting good, because we're getting to the part that they never could've done on Fox -- even by this show's standards. Let's just say the part we're in right now involves Stewie, and fantasies and riding crops, and Lois. It's just plain crazy, which is what this show's always been known for...

Now we're into Peter telling a story about a one-handed abortionist...I'm not kidding.

Oh no, Stewie's just pulled out a gun and has shot Lois while the family is on a cruise ship.

Now James Woods and Rob Lowe have entered the scene, in night caps, Ernie and Bert style. MacFarlane does a mean James Woods!

Now it's Harrison Ford running around grabbing random people and saying "I want my family back!"

Alex Borstein has managed to crack MacFarlane up with a bit about cancer of the vagina. Peter is now trying to date, now that it's been a year since Lois' death.

Now Stewie is admitting that he shot Lois despite having led everyone to believe that  Lois' death was accidental. "Good luck proving that," Stewie says.

Meg wearing lingerie is opening a package of Jumbo Hot Dogs....when the room groans, MacFarlane breaks character and admonishes: "C'mon, it's either this or Herman's Head folks, you make the choice?"

Now Barbra Streisand is blowing $100 bills out of her nose. Don't even ask!

Now the story is turning so that it looks dangerous that Peter took out a life insurance policy against Lois, just before they got on the cruise ship. But Brian knows the truth and is determined to bring Stewie to justice.

The cops are convinced that Peter did it, especially after finding damning evidence that actually comes from Stewie.

Now there's a scene of Jesus and Lazarus trying to settle up for Lazarus bringing Jesus back to life. Don't ask.

Now Peter's on trial for the murder of Lois. Carter Pewterschmidt, Lois' father, is testifying that Peter confessed to him. It comes with a video featuring an Asian hooker. Don't ask!

Now Peter's on the stand. "I certainly think I'd remember killing her," he says. "I plead the fifth of Jack," he quips when asked if he's a drinker.

Peter's just about to be convincted and .. the Kool-Aid guy bursts through the courtroom. Big oops, he leaves.

Now, the courtroom door flings open and there's a silhouetted figure...it's Lois! She turns and fingers Stewie as the real killer. Cut to black, a chyron slate reads...."To be continued."

OK, table read's over. Questions begin.

MacFarlane confirms that much of it was edited out from the episode that has already been produced and slated to air in the fall. The wild and wooly version we've just seen will run in all its glory on the DVD set, MacFarlane assures. He also confirms that James Woods and Rob Lowe have committed to film a live-action sequence of their little bit -- and yes he's serious. (Woods and Lowe have been on the show before.)

"It's fun because it kind of mixes up the medium a little bit," he says.

"I do know that certain members of the Brolin family were amused by the last gag we did," MacFarlane responded when asked about the show's incessant Barbra-bashing.

"Do you think your comedy works better when it offends people," one questioner asks, earnestly. MacFarlane takes a moment to give it some thought.

"We try to walk a balance of both. I try to have the balance between the classic and the edgy. We do a lot of poop jokes but at the same time we use a 45-piece orchestra every week. We don't try to shock for shock's sake. If something's not funny, we'll cut it out."

MacFarlane notes that the show's ultimate taste barometer is the table reads that they have on each script, which are well populated by writers, actors, network and studio execs.

"No one is shy about gasping in horror if we've crossed the line," MacFarlane says.

So what shocks and offends him? MacFarlane's answer was no surprise to regular viewers of "Family Guy."

"Oh, the Bush administration, I guess." 

A kinder, gentler Terminator? Well, that's not quite what they're going for in Fox's upcoming smallscreen rendition of the action-pic franchise, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." But the Terminator who in this incarnation is hellbent on protecting Sarah Connor and her John will be in touch with her feelings in a way that the mean-spirited robo played by Arnold Schwarzenegger the three "Terminator" pics never was. And for sure, actress Summer Glau, who masquerades as John's high school classmate Cameron (har har), has a different set of curves than Arnie's muscle-bound Terminator of pics past. "Mine will be the most human of the Terminators so far," Glau promised during "Sarah Connor's" TCA sesh on Monday, suggesting that she'll be very much in touch with her nuts and bolts even though her character "can't genuinely feel emotion."

(Pictured, left to right: "Sarah Connor" stars Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau and Richard T. Jones.)

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Fox is one Sanjaya away from bringing "American Idol" back to its former glory.

That's not to say that "Idol" has fallen off the map and is barely breathing. It remains the 800-lb. gorilla that other networks fear when Fox puts it on the schedule every January. It grabs headlines, magazine covers, gossip columns and gobs of Internet chatter.

But, no matter how you spin it, ratings were down last season from the Taylor Hicks-Katharine McPhee season before that, and the finale in which Jordin Sparks was crowned champ, especially, took a big dip in both numbers and viewer engagement.

Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori said at TCA the viewer totals weren't as bad when you account for those who watched the finale on TiVo, and that the right contestant -- a heartthrob, hottie, troublemaker or anyone that can rally the masses in either a love/hate way -- can draw huge attention can spike the ratings in a big way.

"We're one watercooler contestant away from another surge," Liguori said. "There's still a feeling about an upcoming 'Idol' season."

Fox needs "Idol" to continue to dominate. Dating back to January, the network has now won 24 straight weeks in the 18-49 demo and is about to break a 25-week record set by NBC in 1996, but October through December has always been problematic for the network -- shows either being interrupted by the baseball playoffs and/or not connecting at all. "Prison Break" and "Bones" have come out of the game strong but even "House" started slow and needed the post-"Idol" timeslot to give it a kickstart.

"We have to do better in the fourth quarter," Liguori said bluntly. "We have the biggest show on TV and have to take advantage of that."

The beginning of 2008 should be huge for Fox, with "Idol" and "24" starting up, but, as if they needed it, the nework will air the NFC championship game in January and Super Bowl in February, with "House" landing the plum-Super Bowl slot.

Whether the Kelsey Grammer-Patricia Heaton comedy "Back to You" or Anthony Anderson New Orleans-based "K-Ville" catch on remain to be seen, but at some point Fox will have to find other shows to give it year-round consistency, rather than just relying on "Idol" adulation.

-- Stuart Levine

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Cherry Jones has beaten Hillary Clinton to the punch.

Jones (pictured) has been cast as the next U.S. president in Fox's long-running drama "24." She'll play Allison Taylor in the seventh season of the series.

A woman president is nothing new on primetime. Geena Davis took on the role as leader of the free world a few years back in ABC's "Commander in Chief," but the show only lasted one season.

In "24" tradition, it's impossible to say when Jones' character will be "with us or against us," as real-life President Bush might say. Past presidents in "24" have shown to be traitors against the United States.

Jones has previously co-starred in "Ocean's Twelve," "The Perfect Storm" and "The West Wing."

Kiefer Sutherland will be back in action, of course, when the series begins in mid-season, and although the format will be the same, expect other changes after the show fell out of favor last season with hardcore fans and journos.

After winning the Emmy for best drama last year, the show didn't even garner a nomination last week, and it also fell precipitously on the critics' poll.

"Discussions are being made to reinvent the franchise, although it's way too early to talk about specfiics," said Fox topper Peter Liguori on the dais Sunday morning at TCA with newly appointed entertainment prexy Kevin Reilly.

Ligouri was careful not to agree with questioners that the show needed an overhaul, rather saying the franchise is a "living beast" and that the time-clock format creates tension that can be good for the creative process of the show

"I wouldn't categorize my view of the show as disappointing," he said. "Part of the high-wire act is the process of putting it together."

-- Stuart Levine

Kevin Reilly came to the Beverly Hilton on Sunday, tanned, ready and relaxed -- and refusing to engage in any major NBC bashing. Goodness knows, Fox's new entertainment prexy (pictured left) was given plenty of chances by the questioning during the opening exec Q&A sesh with Peter Liguori, who was upped to Fox Entertainment chairman earlier this month to make room for Reilly's arrival. "You're just picking at that scab aren't you," Liguori (pictured right) quipped as TCA-ers tried to lure Reilly into some snark about NBC, or the "previous place," as Reilly put it, where he was unceremoniously squeezed out with the arrival of Ben Silverman as NBC Entertainment chairman in early June.

The closest thing Reilly allowed was a little skepticism about NBC's decision to revamp its fall Tuesday sked to include new reality series "The Singing Bee," given that the decision was made after the show had one promising airing and then "shluffed off" in the second week. But that was it -- at one point Reilly even stuttered and stammered and made a joke about how hard it was for him to answer such leading questions. He was classy and high-road guy all the way, the characteristic's we've always appreciated about him.

All in all Fox's TCA sesh felt like it was 2001 all over again, the days when Liguori and Reilly where in the same roles they are now except at FX sted the big-leagues of Fox Broadcasting Co. The two looked comfortable together, and even wardrobe coordinated in casual blazer-and-jeans set up. Pressed to reflect on his recent tumultuous experience, Reilly firmly kept the focus on the future, reiterating his appreciation for the "restless" Fox corporate culture and News Corp.'s entrepreneurial DNA. Reilly made it clear that he hasn't blown on to the Fox lot with an "everyone back up, I'm here to fix things'" mentality," he said. "The cheapest advice anyone gives you when you do into these jobs is 'Go with your instincts, stick what you believe in'. I feel like at a certain point during my (NBC) run I was not playing that game, and it was not right for me, and it didn't work for the network. So that's what I'm taking in the door with me" in settling in at Fox.

What Emmy didn't giveth on Thursday morning, the TCA Awards bestowed on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.

NBC's "Friday Night Lights," conspicuously snubbed by Emmy voters, got its due in nabbing best new program. Michael C. Hall of Showtime's "Dexter," another near no-show in the Emmy derby, was deemed best drama actor at the ceremony hosted by "Daily Show's" John Oliver.

Overall the Peacock swept the Television Critics Assn. kudofest with four trophies, including best comedy for "The Office," natch, and Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock" for top dog among comedy actors.TCA-ers didn't overlook NBC's other big frosh drama of last season, picking  "Heroes" the program of the year.

(Pictured: Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler of "Friday Night Lights")

The pilot of CW's "Reaper" has been one of the pleasant surprises in this year's crop of new shows. Everyone I talked to about it says virtually the same thing, that they didn't expect to like it as much as they did. It's hard to describe in a logline, which is usually a good sign for a show. The CW has heard all the industry buzz about the show and thus skedded it as the last of their day at TCA Friday, in an effort to get writers to stick around a dark hotel ballroom around on a beautiful Friday afternoon. Show is particularly well cast, with Brett Harrison playing a slacker dude, Sam, who learns on his 21st birthday that mom and dad inadvertently sold his soul to the devil. Devil shows up to enlist Sam in his new chores of helping him track down nasty souls who have escaped from hell.

Ray Wise, known for his role as Leland Palmer on "Twin Peaks" and a plenty of feature character roles, is utterly charming in his role as the Devil, and he turned on that wicked charm (and ultra-bright teeth) for the scribes on Friday. So did Tyler Labine, who is very good in the role as Sock, Sam's rambunctious friend and fellow coworker in a dead-end retail job at the local big-box Home Depot-esque store. Kevin Smith helmed the pilot seg but he was not on hand for the sesh. Exec producer Mark Gordon said Smith would be around to "help us out once and a while" but didn't sound too emphatic about Smith's ongoing participation. Nonetheless, he set a cool funny-scary tone in the pilot.

(Pictured above, left to right, top row: "Reaper" exec producers Deb Spera, Mark Gordon, Tara Butters, Michelle Fazekas. Bottom row: stars Valarie Rae Miller, Rick Gonzalez, Tyler Labine and Brett Harrison. Pictured below, Ray Wise.)

Amid all the TCA and Emmy craziness, I finally caught up with this week's "John from Cincinnati." As Johnny Bravo would say, whoooaaa momma!

"His Visit, Day 5" is television of the absurd. Ionesco-TV. Samuel Beckett could've written the closing scenes with the motley crew hanging out in the motel parking lot, with assorted dead-gray ghosts and fantasy figures. You gotta give HBO credit for having the corporate courage to pay for it and put it on the air. It's TV that keeps on giving. Once you've seen it, you can't help but spend hours turning it all over in your head trying to answer the question "what just happened?!"

In fact, amid all of the mega-bizarro stuff, there were some discernable, and disturbing, plot-moving points served up, along with some important backstory details dropped in "Day 5." John's spacey soliloquy at the end is full of clues, at least I think they are after spending the past few days thinking about them, even when I was trying not to.

Now that I've had some time to think about it, I'd say this year's crop of Emmy nominees fall into a few broad categories.

IT'S ABOUT TIME:

David Morse. Morse (pictured left) broke your heart every week during the 1982-1988 run of NBC's "St. Elsewhere." But was he nominated? Nooooo. It took a guest shot role on another hospital drama, Fox's "House," to win this underrated actor some Emmy appreciation.

Rainn Wilson. How could he have been overlooked last year? Just the sight of  him in his Dwight Schrute persona (pictured right) makes me laugh.

Mary-Louise Parker. Emmy voters felt so bad for snubbing her last year for "Weeds" that they gave her two noms, this year, one for "Weeds," one for the Oxygen movie "The Robber Bride."

This category can also encompass the new names and faces Emmy voters let into the tent this year, including "30 Rock"; "Ugly Betty" and America Ferrera; "Heroes" and Masi Oka; Neil Patrick Harris of "How I Met Your Mother."

POSTED BY ELIZABETH GUIDER

They went “nuts” to get it back but now the big question is whether the online fans will go bananas for the return of “Jericho” in January.  The even bigger question is whether the CBS series can lure enough new viewers to convince the Eye network to extend the series order beyond the current commitment of seven new episodes.  (Some 3 million TV viewers had deserted the show by the end of the spring, leading to its cancellation.) 

Exec producer Carol Barbee is one who thinks the trick can be pulled off — and her quickly reassembled production team is poised to gun it if the greenlight order does come down. One thing that might help: The release of season one on DVD beginning Oct. 2 and this summer’s repeats of the cult fave on CBS. Plus a whole bunch of promotion, courtesy of the Eye’s newly pumped up promotional partnerships with some two dozen online platforms, from Comcast to Joost. 

The seven episodes that will be shot during the next two months will be, per Barbee, “greatly compressed’ but also “quick-moving,” with the focus laregely on the town of Jericho itself as it struggles to rebuild itself.

“Obviously we had to become lean and mean and our attention will now be on fewer characters,” Barbee told journalists at the ongoing Television Critics Tour Thursday in L.A. She also said that there would be less time to shoot, seven days per episode, but that the team would try to deliver “the same punch.”

(Pictured above, left to right, Barbee, "Jericho" stars Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James and Ashley Scott.)

How happy was Dick Wolf this morning?

"It's like being given pure oxygen," he said from his home in Seal Harbor, Maine, where he learned the news that his HBO telepic "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" led the Emmy pack this year with a whopping 17 noms.

Wolf had been hopeful that the period telepic that he exec produced  with longtime pal Tom Thayer would nab a few Emmy bids, but at his most optimistic he didn't expect it to lead the pack, not by a long shot. He shared the news by phone with Thayer, who's up in Vancouver shooting Sci Fi Channel's "The Andromeda Strain" (featuring "Law & Order" alumnus Benjamin Bratt.)

"I want to bottle this feeling so I could save it and take it out every now and then when I need it," Wolf enthused. "When you work this hard with dedicated people for so long to bring something like this to the screen, it's just an enormous tribute to everyone who worked hard on it."

Ben Silverman's having a good week. First he charms the assembled multitudes at TCA on Monday, getting through his first big press test as co-chair of NBC Entertainment without any scars. Then he wakes up this morning to a bounty of Emmy good news, with comedy series noms for "The Office" and "Ugly Betty," plus two NBC rookies, "Heroes" and "30 Rock," flexing some muscle by landing high-profile series noms that could translate into a bigger ratings next season. It could've been a Ben trifecta if "The Tudors" had hit big, but, hey, it did get costuming and a few other arty type nods. Congrats Ben.

(Pictured above, L-R, "Office" costars Melora Hardin and David Denman with Ben Silverman.)

The series writing and directing noms are always a good bellwether of what shows or individuals are deemed best of breed by industry standards. There's so much politicking and campaigning that goes into the race to grab top series and acting noms. Writing and directing noms are a little more above the fray, though it does seem that Emmy voters sometimes see them as consolation prizes for deserving shows that don't crack the top series categories. To wit, "Battlestar Galactica" (pictured left) was recognized for drama writing and directing, but the show's rabid fans will have to keep the faith until next year to see it break into the top echelon of nominees.

It wouldn't be Emmy noms morning without running into a sleepy Mike Darnell, Fox's exec vp and guru of all things alternative and specials, and his super-nice wife Carolyn (pictured right on the Emmy red carpet in 2005), who works as an awards consultant to HBO and Fox, among others. Mike staked out his usual spot on the stairs in the lobby of the Leonard H. Goldenson Theater where all the hubbub goes on at 5:40 a.m. "I can't believe we're here," Mike chuckled as he slouched against a huge planter. "We look pretty good for this time of the morning, don't you think?" He had an omelet-looking item on a paper plate next to him but he didn't seem to be hungry. Carolyn noted that this year makes it an even 20 years that she's been rising before dawn from their home in Calabasas to take in the Emmy noms announcement.

Mike was happy, of course, to see "American Idol" in the running for reality series though it will once again face four-time winner "Amazing Race." He was disappointed for "So You Think You Can Dance" (especially with ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" nabbing a series nom alongside "Idol," "Race," "Project Runway" and "Top Chef") but hey, at least it's a contender for choreography.

As I kept running around the theater lobby trying to find a spot that would grant me four precious green bars indicating a WiFi connection (no such luck), I also did my best to drag details of the Sept. 16 Emmy telecast out of Mike, who is overseeing the show for Fox. The big question is, who's going to host?

Fox is always in something of a bind when it gets its quadrennial Emmycast because it doesn't have too many host-type talents a la the other nets. Ryan Seacrest? Jeff Foxworthy? Wayne Brady? who's now on Fox's air as host of "Don't Forget the Lyrics." "House" star Hugh Laurie would also be a good choice -- he's nominated this year (after inexplicably being left out last year) and so is the show, and Laurie's very much on record as being a funny guy from his "Bit of Fry and Laurie" days in Britain. Mike smiled and shuffled his cowboy boots a little but wasn't about to give me any insights on the host, but he did drop a big hint that the Emmycast set is getting an extreme makeover and will look very different this year.

Click here to get the lowdown on all the noms from Variety.com

Wow, didn't see that coming. HBO's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" overcame its critics, historians and otherwise, to clean up with some 17 Emmy bids, including a bid for best made-for but not one for the pic's star Adam Beach. Go figure. Still, exec producer Dick Wolf (pictured left on "Knee" set with actor August Schellenberg, who played Sitting Bulland earned a supporting nom) is a happy guy today, with the "Knee" bounty plus a lead drama actress bid for "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay. AMC's period Western "Broken Trail" did well too, coming in second to "Wounded Knee" with a total of 16 Emmy chits, including a lead actor bid for the evergreen fave Robert Duvall. Cowboys and Indians indeed. (I was in the minority among TV pundits in generally liking HBO's filmed take on the landmark 1971 historical tome by Dee Brown, as I discussed with Wolf in this column back in May.)

All in all it's been a good year for new series ("Heroes," "Ugly Betty," "30 Rock") and another breakthrough year for basic cable, especially over at FX with Minnie Driver snaring a lead drama actress bid for "The Riches" and Denis Leary getting his due for "Rescue Me." Bravo flexed some muscle with two entries in the reality-competition race, "Project Runway" and "Top Chef." Kyra Sedgwick is back for a second year for TNT's "The Closer," and of course Tony Shalhoub is the one to beat for lead comedy actor for USA Network's "Monk." USA also looked sharp with "Starter Wife" a contender for mini and lead actress bid for Debra Messing. Lifetime deservedly earned a nom for its "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy," one of its better telefilm efforts in recent years. I think "Mastectomy" star Sarah Chalke deserved a seat in the lead movie/mini actress category, but the competition was tough. Gena Rowlands tough.

The drama and comedy series noms went as we might've predicted last night. The absence of "24" on the drama side is a little surprising, and with all due respect for David E. Kelley, I've just never quite gotten "Boston Legal" but Emmy voters to love him so. "Heroes" (pictured right) was something of a surprise but not undeserved, by any means. The Acad likes to reward any new show that gets people talking about primetime TV. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the snub of critical, Peabody-winning darling "Friday Night Lights," especially in the lead acting categories for Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. (This should teach me to go out on a limb with Emmy predicts, as I did earlier in the week after "FNL's" TCA sesh.) "FNL" did land bids for casting and for directing, for the pilot helmed by exec producer Peter Berg.

Also in the near-shutout category is Showtime, which mounted huge campaigns for "Dexter" and "The Tudors," both of which were held to a handful of noms each in tech categories.

"Lost" to my mind was snubbed, but I can't say unexpectedly. It would've been a nice surprise if voters got over the rough patches at the start of this past season to honor the show's fine second half, but so be it, and just wait 'til next year. Good to see Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson recognized for their work in the supporting drama actor heat, but really couldn't they have thrown Dominic Monaghan a bone -- he died already! At least Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse got a writing nom and helmer Jack Bender got a directing nom for their work on the wonderful two-hour finale, "Through the Looking Glass."

Peacock's "30 Rock" (pictured left) impressed by scoring a comedy series bid -- it certainly would've been enough for the first-year show to land bids for star-creator Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, whose much publicized parenting issues obviously didn't get in the way of Emmy voters evaluating his work. Ricky Gervais was a surprise in that category as well for HBO's "Extras." Would've expected Zach Braff to pop up in the funny-men heat but he was probably elbowed out by Gervais. Very, very cheered to see Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer break into the supporting field on the comedy side for "The Office."

No surprise whatsoever to see "Sopranos" clean up with 15 noms in its swan-song year. Who could deny the show a deserved last hurrah? James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro and Lorraine Bracco all are deserving of the recognition, as is Tim Daly, who played the writer friend Christopher Moltisanti whacked during his downward spiral in his last days and is up for guest actor. "Sopranos" as usual dominated he drama writing field with three noms, including one for capo David Chase and the much-discussed finale, "Made in America."

POSTED BY JON WEISMAN

Chuck Lorre didn't even own a TV in the 1970s, so any similarities between his new CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" and the swinging late '70s icon "Three's Company" are completely coincidental. Really, Lorre insists.

Lorre, co-executive producer Bill Prady and the cast of "Big Bang" seemed a little taken aback to find themselves in the unexpected position of being asked to compare and contrast their program to that of Jack, Janet and Chrissy during the "Big Bang" TCA sesh on Wednesday.

Tops on the list: Three decades after Suzanne Somers redefined the role of the dumb blonde on "Three's," is it possible that Kaley Cuoco's Penny (pretty small-town gal befriended by two neighbors who are Caltech physicists) is ... dumberer? (Pictured from left, "Big Bang" stars Jim Parsons, Cuoco, Johnny Galecki)

No way, said Lorre.

POSTED BY MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

vs.

Get ready for the Monday night battle between TV's slightly dweeby "awesome" peddlers.

CBS' critical fave "How I Met Your Mother" has helped restore the term "awesome" into the current lexicon (rescuing it from its use as '80s retro fodder). Neil Patrick Harris' character, Barney, is such a proponent of "being awesome" that Tuesday's TCA panel for "How I Met Your Mother" promised a primer on the path to awesomeness.

But now comes NBC's "Chuck." Not only does "Chuck" lead Zach Levi (above, left) bear a passing resemblance to "HIMYM" star Josh Radnor (right), but the new series includes a character who goes by the name... wait for it... "Captain Awesome."

On stage at the TCA, Harris couldn't resist poking fun at the fact that both shows will now face off Mondays at 8.

"A war is brewing!" he quipped.

Then there's the case of this rather unusual "Family Circus" comic, which ran in papers on Monday. In the post below, Stu writes that Thomas joked during the session that he found the mention "better than an Emmy nomination."

But later, exec producer Carter Bays (who created the show with Craig Thomas) admitted after the session that the cast and crew were a little bit puzzled by the strip.

Were "Family Circus" writers Bil and Jeff Keane simply looking for a hip pop culture reference? Were they trying to make a clumsy statement about the dangers of watching too much TV?

But On the Air might add, what are little Billy and Dolly -- and especially pre-schooler Jeffy and toddler P.J. -- doing watching such a grown-up show in the first place? Shouldn't those kids be watching "How I Met Dora the Explorer"?!

Bays suggests a future "Family Circus" strip: "Instead of watchin' 'Rules of Engagement'... tonight I'll tell you MY 'Rules of Engagement'!"

-- Michael Schneider

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Bob Barker, you're priceless... and, it seems, irreplaceable.

That's the message CBS entertainment topper Nina Tassler was telling a roomful of critics, when one of them (yours truly) asked why it's taken so long for the network to find a replacement for Bob Barker as the host of classic gameshow "The Price Is Right."

Barker held the skinny mic at "Price" for an astonishing 35 years and retired over a month ago but gave notice in 2006. Granted, finding someone to fill those shoes is a tough assignment -- almost as difficult as winning a Showcase Showdown -- but there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency over at the Eye to get a new guy (or gal) in place for the transition.

Drew Carey is currently the leading candidate but sources say they're stuck in contract negotiations.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Despite the informal press conference setting, Neil Patrick Harris knew there was only one way to dress for the "How I  Met Your Mother" chat session: suited up!

So there was Harris (pictured left) on the dais positioned between show creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, all three discussing the awesomeness that is Barney, how Ted and Robin cope after their breakup and what's in store for newly married couple Marshall and Lily.

Critics, at least the ones here at the Beverly Hilton for CBS TCA seshes, weren't shy expressing their fondness for all the characters and were hoping for answers to the big question -- who, exactly, is the mother of "Mother"?

The first installment of season three, which airs Sept. 24, may just start to unravel the secret.

"Episode one will show that we haven't forgotten about the title of the show," said Thomas, not giving away more than that.

POSTED BY JOSEF ADALIAN

Jeff Zucker didn't feel the need to check out Ben Silverman's TCA debut Monday. But Leslie Moonves managed to lend CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler (pictured left) some moral support today by catching her session with reporters -- most of whom had no idea Moonves was in the house.

Moonves apparently waited until the house lights dimmed before sneaking into the back of the BevHills Hilton ballroom where Tassler met the assembled scribes Wednesday morning. And just as quietly as he arrived, Moonves was gone a few minutes after Tassler wrapped up her controversy- and blunder-free appearance.

Despite his elevated role, the Eye supremo still feels obligated to schmooze the nation's TV press. He's expected to be at the net's all-star party Thursday night. We're hoping wife Julie Chen will be there, too, with some fresh "Big Brother 8" gossip.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The hot topic at the Nina Tassler panel at TCA on Wednesday was Mandy Patinkin's mysterious exiting of "Criminal Minds." Questions came in different forms but CBS Entertainment prexy Tassler stayed on point, saying only that Patinkin (pictured left) "came to me and asked to be released for personal issues."

Is it that Patinkin wanted out to work on another project? Was it health-related? Does he get just tired of the series grind and decides enough's enough?

Tassler wouldn't budge. She said several times that she hoped that Patinkin would come out in the near future to tell his version of events, but it doesn't seem likely. What's in it for him by explaining why he wanted out?

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

When CBS entertainment topper Nina Tassler went for a checkup a few months ago and the doc handed her a bag of peanuts instead of test results, she knew it was time to give "Jericho" its second-season pickup.

The Skeet Ulrich series started out well in the ratings last fall but soon began to fade. Then when it went on a three-month hiatus from November to February, pretty much any momentum the show might've had left was quickly evaporated.

"Maybe it wasn't good for the show and maybe it had an impact," Tassler said of the hiatus. You think, Nina?

Once CBS decided not to renew, the emails from outraged viewers came flooding into the exec's offices on Beverly Boulevard. I wonder if the Eye IT guys were able to install a "Jericho" spam filter to allow Tassler and Leslie Moonves to view non-"Jericho" messages in a more timely manner?

Though she wasn't convinced enough the series was viable enough to be put on the fall schedule, Tassler decided "Jericho" was worthy of a midseason slot. CBS has ordered seven new episodes, as Variety reported last month.

"The emails had reached a certain pitch and I thought that maybe this show needs a second chance," said Tassler (pictured left). "I went on the message boards and read the emails. It seemed like a segment of the population felt they weren't being counted."

Certainly "Jericho" fans aren't the first group to sound howls of protest when their favorite shows are canceled. If viewers voices were always heard by network schedulers, "Freaks and Geeks," "Veronica Mars" and "Deadwood" would still be on the air.

Whether the "Jericho" renewal begins a new trend on how much viewer reaction will play into the decision-making process for renewals remains to be seen, but its nice to realize that voices are being heard.

In the first episode back, Tassler said Stanley (Brad Beyer) would be getting engaged.

(Pictured above: Shaun Daily, a Nevada disc jockey who led one of the many fan-fueled "Save 'Jericho'" campaigns.)

-- Stuart Levine

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

CBS will launch the majority of its new fall schedule the week of Sept. 24.

Except for "Kid Nation" (pictured), which bows Sept. 19, and "Survivor: China," which unfurls the following night, the new lineup will kick off on Sunday, Sept. 23 with the 40th edition of newsmagazine "60 Minutes." James Woods starrer "Shark," which moves to Sundays from Thursdays, starts its second season that night at 10 p.m.

The network is waiting a while to premiere its new musical drama "Viva Laughlin." The series will launch on 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18 before moving to its regular 8 p.m. Sunday time slot three days later.

-- Stuart Levine

Big panel, big show, big challenges.

The "Friday Night Lights" cast and crew were well-received by the TCA-ers in the show's sesh on Tuesday. The crix weren't overly gushy but there was a general consensus that this Peabody-winning show is a fine example of quality triumphing over anemic ratings. Getting a wider audience to appreciate the show had become something of a mission for the previous steward of NBC Entertainment, before Kevin Reilly hustled out of Burbank in June following the Ben Silverman shakeup.

To Ben's credit, in the eyes of "FNL" fans, he's vowed to support the show and one of his first bulletins on Monday in his exec Q&A was a time slot switch for the show that at least takes it out of the vortex of 10 p.m. Friday (where only CBS has found the right mathematical equation to get a decent number lately with "Numbers"). Now "FNL" is due to get a little hammock support at 9 p.m. on its namesake night between "Deal or No Deal" and "Las Vegas." And Silverman's co-topper, Marc Graboff, praised the show for being "efficiently produced," which was another thing that helped it survive for a second season.

Dick Wolf was busy today. He started the day with the "Law & Order" panel at TCA on Tuesday, breaking the news that Linus Roache is joining the mothership-show's cast in the upcoming season as executive assistant D.A., or the successor to Jack McCoy now that Sam Waterston's character has advanced to the big D.A. gig.

Wolf then hopped from TCA Central at the Beverly Hilton a few blocks down Wilshire Boulevard to the Regent Beverly Wilshire to moderate the "State of the Industry" sesh for the Hollywood Radio & TV Society. The HRTS panel was lively, and Wolf had plenty to say about the state of the biz he's in. Not surprisingly, much of the conversation revolved around the words "online video" and "new platforms."

As Variety's Michael Schneider reports, Wolf recounted for the HRTS aud the “horrifying moment” he discovered that not only does his 14-year-old son not watch network TV, but none of his son’s classmates do either. “At the end of the day, are we eating our young?” Wolf asked.

POSTED BY MICHAEL LEARMONTH

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann carried the flag for NBC News at TCA on Tuesday, but as usual, Fox News wasn’t far from his mind, or anyone else's, for that matter.

Posted in the lobby was a bit of guerilla marketing that had all the hallmarks of a Fox News stunt. Someone hung a poster with the faces of all of cable news’ 8p.m. anchors PhotoShopped onto horses with the headline, “Fourth in a four-horse race,” pointing out that since June Olbermann has been finishing fourth in the 25-54 demo 24% of the time.

A sign, perhaps, of respect, and the fact that the 8 p.m. time slot is the most competitive in cable news. Fox News' Bill O’Reilly dominates, but Olbermann is up 67% in the second quarter over the same period last year, gains he freely attributes to his on-air feud with O’Reilly and his anti-Bush commentary. (Olbermann called for the resignation of President Bush and Veep Cheney the week of July 4.)

MSNBC is hoping to take his recent gains to the next level by associating him with the Campaign '08, despite his partisan rantings. Olbermann co-anchored MSNBC's election night coverage with Chris Matthews last fall, and the network announced he would be moderating a Democratic candidate’s forum for the AFL-CIO in Chicago on Aug. 7. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden are among the candidates who have RSVP'd for the jawboning sesh with more than 5,000 union members and their families.

Despite his animus for Fox News, Olbermann defended that network for scheduling a Democratic debate, to which Clinton, Obama and Edwards have thus far failed to commit.

“I don’t think I would be advising any of the candidates to turn down free TV time, whether its on Fox News or Al Jazeera,” he quipped.

-- Michael Learmonth

I think there might've been more people at LAX to greet the Beckhams last week than those who turned out on Monday night for the NBC spesh "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America." The hourlong 8 p.m. infomercial for Posh and Becks Do America averaged 4.9 million viewers and 2.2 rating/7 share in adults 18-49 demo, per prelim Nielsens and Variety's star ratings reporter Rick Kissell. Not exactly a gooooaaaaal for NBC but heck, it's summer (and it does validate Peacock's decision to downsize the show from multiple segs to a special). You'd expect there to be more hoopla in L.A. for the new import and yawns around the rest of the country. And let's face it folks: The Spice Girls were never the Beatles, or even Gerry and the Pacemakers. With all due respect to Simon Fuller, they were a pre-fab pop confection that hit for a minute during a low point for the music biz.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Does the fact that viewer totals are excruciatingly low mean NBC's stellar Thursday night comedy lineup has little chance to be placed in the same class as in the days of "Cheers," "Friends" and "Seinfeld," all of which were ratings behemoths?

Ratings, mind you, have never come close to being equated with quality. Geez, "Veronica's Closet" and "The Single Guy" probably have higher numbers than "The Office" or "30 Rock" will ever do ... combined.

But after a TCA panel with the creator and star of each of the four comedies that air on Thursday -- "My Name Is Earl," "Scrubs," "30 Rock" and "The Office" -- it's quite obvious these guys (and lady) are funny. Really funny. What exactly does somebody have to do these days to get people to tune in?

"It's our job to make the shows good and Ben's job to make them watch," said Lorne Michaels, exec producer of "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live" godfather, about the job new NBC topper Ben Silverman has ahead of him.

When a reporter asked "30 Rock" star/creator/exec producer Tina Fey (pictured) whether she was confident last fall that hers was the NBC show-within-a-show would survive to see a second season, unlike Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," Fey didn't hesitate in her response.

I was 100 percent sure," she said. "I have a nasty streak in me."

(Pictured above, from right: "Office" exec producer Greg Daniels, Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey and "My Name is Earl" exec producer Greg Garcia.)

POSTED BY MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

(Updated Friday morning with fresh comment from Steven Moffat, see below)

Never mind the bollocks, "Coupling" creator Steven Moffat (left) may have to explain a few things the next time he rings Ben Silverman.

Back in his pre-NBC days, Silverman helped Moffat bring the hit BBC comedy over to the States -- where the U.S. "Coupling" promptly fizzled.

Why did the Yankee "Coupling" fail? (For one thing, see the image to the right: It was promoted as a sex-drenched romp, rather than a plain ol' funny show, as the BBC version was.) Moffat offered up his own hypothesis last week during BBC America's TCA session (where he was promoting his new BBC series "Jekyll"):

“I can answer it with three letters: N-B-C. Very, very good writing team. Very, very good cast. The network fucked it up because they intervened endlessly. If you really want a job to work, don’t get Jeff Zucker’s team to come help you because they’re not funny …I can say that because I don’t care about working for NBC. The way in which NBC slagged off the creative team on American “Coupling” after its failure was disgraceful and traitorous. So I enjoy slagging them off. That’s the end of my career in L.A.”

Hmm... that's what makes this part awkward: According to Silverman -- now co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios -- Moffat has been in contact about, yes, doing something for him at the Peacock!

"I find that a little hypocritical," Silverman said. "(Moffat and "Coupling" exec producer Beryl Vertue) have called me a number of times about doing a show."

The lesson?

"Never say never," Silverman added.

-- Michael Schneider

Friday morning update:

Just a few comments, if I may (and I'm assuming Ben's been quoted correctly.)

1.  I have NEVER been contact with NBC about making a show.  Not once.

2.  I have NEVER said I won't work for NBC, I just assumed they wouldn't want me (and I wouldn't blame them, really!)

3.  At the time of American Coupling, Ben Silverman was the producer of the show, not chairman of NBC - it was HIS work, and his team's work that suffered so badly from network interference.  It was, in effect, Ben I was defending.  Oh, the irony!

4.  I know and like Ben, but I've seen him type on his Blackberry, and realise he might have been trying to say something else entirely.

Steven Moffat

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Jay Leno remembers the "Tonight Show" transition well.

As Johnny Carson was stepping down as the king of latenight in 1992, both Leno and David Letterman were in line for the job. Letterman was at the time a 12:30 a.m. cult fave and Leno was a steady stand-up comedian who would often act as a fill-in host for Carson.

After much behind-the-scenes wrangling, Leno got the job and the ratings have been steady, so NBC can feel like it made the right choice. Letterman, of course, moved on to CBS where the network was finally able to create a latenight beachfront.

But now Leno will be on the other end of a "Tonight Show" transition, though this should be much smoother. Maybe not so much for Jay, though.

Speaking of Conan, NBC has finally taken the sensible step of making his show readily accessible for people to goof off with at work. Buried in the Peacock's raft of TCA announcements today was the news that as of Aug. 27 segs of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" will be available for streaming on the NBC.com Web site, starting at 5 a.m. PT the morning after they air. And surely "Late Night" will also be a prime offering on the yet-to-be-named joint venture NBC Universal is whipping up with News Corp. Now if CBS would only do the same thing with David Letterman and Craig Ferguson, there'd be no need to stay up late anymore...

The build-up to Monday's exec sesh with newly minted NBC toppers Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff (pictured left) was more dramatic than the actual 50-minutes of Q-ing and A-ing. The Hilton's International ballroom was packed, there was an audible buzz in the room and in the lobby outside. A number of top industry agents and execs were on hand, just because....It was rock-star anticipation time. (For a good time read Brian Lowry's review of "The Ben Silverman/Marc Graboff Show.") And get the lowdown on all the news out of the sesh from Variety's TCA avatars Joe Adalian and Michael Schneider.

By any measure, Ben aced his first TCA test, with a lot of help from Marc on those nagging "why'd you sack Kevin Reilly?" questions.

Graboff took those blows for the team, provoking laughter when he asserted in a very lawyerly fashion that "Kevin was not fired," which in point of fact is true. He just got demoted when his boss decided to recruit a new top-top guy.....But that's so late May. (Besides, it's not like Reilly's on the unemployment line. He'll get his TCA turn on Sunday as Fox's new head programmer.)