First impressions** of Fox's "Fringe."

The net hasn't sent out screeners of J. J. Abrams' new drama but it did hold a few screenings for press the past few days in Gotham and L.A.

Fox execs emphasized that the roughly 90-minute Warner Bros. TV pilot was still "unfinished," but they are still eager to show it off (and undoubtedly get some feedback). I'm writing this with my Spoiler Radar turned up to 11 in a sincere effort (as always) to not ruin any of the drama for viewers prior to "Fringe's" September debut.

About five minutes in to the screening, I realized I've done this show a terrible injustice with the loglines I've been using the past few months, and the suggestion that it would be very "X-Files"-ish. It's not. It's right there in the  patented Abrams-conspiracy chiller/thriller/action milieu with a wildly intricate plot. It's a good sign that the pilot -- penned by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and helmed by Alex Graves -- does not feel too derivative of "Lost," even as it opens with mayhem on a commercial airline flight bound for Boston's Logan airport.

The accurate synopsis: "Fringe" opens with FBI agents including Dunham sent to Logan Airport to investigate the ultra-mind-boggling situation that erupts when a German commercial airliner lands with a plane full of dead people, crew included. And they're not just dead, but dead in a horrible, scientifically inexplicable way. Dunham's dogged pursuit of the how, why and what-the-#$$%@? in the airline case puts her on the trail of a broader conspiracy that extends deeper and wider than she ever could have imagined. Her investigation also puts her in contact with a brilliant scientist who happens to have been institutionalized for the past 17 years. Dunham recruits the scientist's miscreant son to help get him a furlough from the institution so that the elder and younger can help her ferret out the truth.

PRO

Anna Torv. The Aussie star is really good in the skin of the driven, resourceful and not-without-humor FBI agent Olivia Dunham. She's not a warmed-over Kate from "Lost" or "Alias'" Sydney Bristow. She's got her own quirks and traits, and that's a very good thing. Torv is beautiful in an unconventional way. I also appreciate that she looks like a real person, not an 80-pound weakling. Olivia does share Sydney's ability to kick butt and run like the wind when duty calls.

**Once again, these are first impressions and not meant as a review or hit-or-miss declaration. Pilots at this stage of the game are still works in progress.

Harvey Korman was one of those performers who exuded funny with every fiber of his being.

Funny and tall -- that always stood out (up) when I saw him in person. The few times I had the chance to chat with Korman, who died Thursday at 81, he was always in character, or maybe his character was just who he was. Either way, it was always a pleasure. He was friendly and easily approached.

At one cocktail party on the roof of the Paley Center for Media, I distinctly remember Korman and Tim Conway holding court in one corner, doing an impromptu bit of business (a little bluer than they were allowed on air in the "Carol Burnett Show" days), to the delight of partygoers. I believe it when "Carol Burnett Show" alumni gush about how they became a close-knit family. Korman and Conway were in the audience last October for a Q&A I did with Burnett for a promo screening of her "American Masters" special at the Paley Center. They weren't on the panel, just there to show support for their leading lady.

Korman's wild physical comedy translated very well to the big screen, as fans of "Blazing Saddles," "High Anxiety" and "History of the World, Part 1" can attest. But even more than Hedley Lamaar, I'll remember him best in movies as the drug-addled sitcom star Monty Rushmore in "Americathon." That 1979 pic, a comedic look at the future (1998) where the country is so desperate that it mounts a telethon (hosted by Rushmore) to raise cash, was a B.O. bomb in its day and mostly savaged by critics. But it makes me laugh, thanks largely to Korman, and I'm not ashamed to say so.

R.I.P., Harvey Korman.

"Lie to them. If you do it half as well as you do it to yourself, they'll believe you."

Oh Locke. Jeremy. Locke. Bentham. Whatever your name is. Wherever you are...

"Lost's" fourth season finale, "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 and 3," wasn't 88 minutes of television. It was somewhere between a religious experience and a psychedelic journey through time and space, through the earth's crust, past the frozen donkey wheels, past disappearing islands, heroic dudes making the ultimate sacrifices for the ones they love and a latenight break-in at a low-rent funeral parlor in a bad part of L.A. I am still tingling from the enormity and the emotional gamut of the experience.

Friday ayem update: Ratings are in. Big but not nearly as big as you'd think for two of the Greatest Hours of Television Ever. No doubt the DVR numbers will add significantly to the viewership by next week, and the web streams off ABC.com will surely be flowing during the next few weeks. 9-10 p.m. hour of finale averaged 11.9 million viewers and 4.6 rating/13 share in adults 18-49. 10-11 p.m. hour did 12.5 million and 5.1/14 in 18-49.

There's so much to think about, so much info to process and plot development to parse that it would be folly to try to offer anything like a definitive commentary on these segs while the first viewing is still reverberating around my brain. I didn't know how they were going to be able to top last season's gut-wrenching finale, but Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (who penned both hours) and helmer Jack Bender surely did.

So first some top-of-mind observations and a few questions. After repeat viewing(s), I'll try to draw some larger conclusions. There's plenty of time. I think part of the emotional roller-coaster of tonight is having to come to grips with the fact that we won't get any new episodes until January-February. Shudder.

**A moment of mega-significance seems to be the scene toward the end in the life boat (I felt the ghost of Tallulah Bankhead in the scene) when Hurley is talking about "miracles" and Locke moving the island. "One minute it was there, the next minute it was gone." Hurley's statement was such an echo of the conversation Jack had with Locke in the fantastic, fantastic, beautifully shot scene in the Orchard station greenhouse where those two are once again going at it on the science/faith seesaw.

"Just wait til you see what I'm about to do," Locke warns him, and then tells him he has to lie about the survivors' plane crash experience to protect those left behind. Now fast-forward toward the scene in the life boat and Jack as always is scoffing at the notion of miracles, but, the minute he steps into what turns out to be Penny's boat (Penny's boat!), what's the first thing he cooks up? The Big Lie, for their own protection. For his own protection, as Locke warned him in the greenhouse: "the knowledge (Jack has) will eat you alive from the inside out. You're going to have to lie." Oh boy.

"Moonlight" devotee Barbara Hamlin of Jacksonville, Fla., was among those who headed to L.A. this past  weekend to attend the MoonlightCon 2008 at the Westin Hotel near LAX. Part of the "Moonlight"-mania included a trip to the Warner Bros. lot to see the hallowed ground where the now-canceled show was shot.

Update: Hamlin reports the MoonlightCon's auction of "Moonlight"-ana items raised $6500 for the Los Angeles Food Bank. Confab also held a blood drive, appropriately enough, that yielded 50 pints of donations to the American Red Cross.

Variety and this blog have been a bit snarky in poking fun at "Moonlight's" die-hards with a "get a life" tone. But we should never scoff at the kind of passion that smallscreen skeins can generate. Without that kind of fandemonium and earnest appreciation for the medium (which are two different things, admittedly), the TV biz would be bereft indeed, not much different than any other assembly-line product.

Hamlin sent along this appreciation for the kindness shown to her and other fans by the "Moonlight" crew during their bittersweet tour of the show's set, shortly before the bell tolled for good. The crew members appeared to appreciate the importance of showing a little respect to those who took the time to appreciate their handicraft.

The fans of Moonlight gathered in Los Angeles and had scheduled a Warner Bros tour for Friday, May 23rd. This event was scheduled well ahead of “Vampire Down,” May 14th, the Wednesday when CBS officially canceled Moonlight.

Even when the fans were told by one of the members of Moonlight’s crew that they were instructed to dismantle the set Tuesday, May 20th, they still wanted to go to Warner Bros to at least get a glimpse of the building Moonlight was filmed.

The Moonlight crew knew of the fans arrival date…and here’s the REALLY COOL PART…they did start dismantling the set; however, they waited until that Friday before they began to dismantle Mick St. John’s apartment (glossed by the fans as the Fortress of Style) and Beth Turner’s apartment.

To say shrieks of delight and thunderous applause of appreciation ensued would be an understatement. The Moonlight crew even went so far as to give fans various props as keepsakes of their time on the soundstage of Moonlight.

For their graciousness and generosity of spirit to make an extra effort to help fans of Moonlight have a wonderful experience that they will long remember, WELL DONE and BRAVO!!!

Betty White alert! The first lady of television will grace CBS' air as a contestant on the June 12 edition of "Million Dollar Password."

White, of course, was married to Mr. Password, Allen Ludden, for many years and logged plenty of appearances on the show in its 1960s and '70s, Goodson-Todman heyday. Ludden had such a graceful way of handing the cards to contestants on the original show, with its pop-up toaster clues.

In this Regis Philbin-hosted primetime incarnation of the show, White will be paired with "Curb Your Enthusiasm's" Susie Essman. Oughta be fun -- but be forewarned, contestants: White is a heck of a "Password" player.

(From years of watching vintage "Password" reruns, my husband and I have determined that the all-time greatest "Password" player was Peter Lawford. He put so much into it. Carol Burnett runs a close second.)

"Do you believe in God, Jack?"

"Do you?"

"Two days after I found out that I had a fatal tumor on my spine, a spinal surgeon fell out of the sky...If that's not proof of God, I don't know what is."

This exchange between Ben and Jack in "Lost" episode "The Cost of Living," while Jack's imprisoned in the bowels of the Hydra station is more than just an epistemological debate -- it's a heck of a bit of writing that, to my way of thinking, helps prove that the first half of "Lost's" third season has been unfairly maligned as being weak. In preparation for tonight's two-hour, season four closer, I dove into the season three DVD set again.

Time has softened some of the harsher criticism, but in the fall of 2006 it seemed that even some of the show's most devoted fans felt the show was off the rails in the first six segs that aired in October and early November, before taking a two-month break. That skedding pattern didn't work well for the peculiar storytelling pattern of "Lost" -- live and learn, and to ABC's credit, they surely did.

Season three also carries the stigma of having the dreaded Nikki and Paolo storyline, which enough fans   yelped about to get the poor misguided characters buried alive before the end of the season.

But my goodness, let us not forget that the first few segs of season three are the ones that truly introduce us to Evil Sadistic Madman Ben -- beating Sawyer to a pulp, making Kate break rocks in the hot sun in an itty bitty sun dress and keeping them in cages while he plays  major head trips with Jack in the underground glass-walled cage. He's so bad ass he's not afraid to stroll around in tan pans and white shoes well after Labor Day.

This is funny stuff. National Geographic Channel found a clever way to promote its new spesh "Stonehenge Decoded," by summoning rocker Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap fame to share his provocative theories on the centuries-old monument.

Of course, Tap nuts know how important Stonehenge is to the band and its iconography. In five short Internet vids, Tufnel reveals the name of the lone man ("Duncan") that built the mysterious stone structure some 4,500 years ago.

Nige also confirms that he's been spending a good deal of time in a room at his home conducting "sonic vibratory research" and exploring how marinara sauce turns into dirt very much like the soil found around Stonehenge if subjected to the intense levels of guitar feedback (coming through an amp turned up to 11, of course). In fact, Stonehenge was originally an amplifier, Tufnel informs interviewer Jim Piddock.

"Stonehenge Decoded" appears to blend what looks like corny historical reenactment footage with traditional, years-in-the-making, heavy-duty National Geographic research and archaeological studies. It's set to bow June 1 at 9 p.m.

Posted here for your convenience are parts 1 2 and 4 of the Tufnel interview, which is sure to spark debate and fisticuffs among Anglo-Saxon scholars. The other three can be found right here.

Rock and roll! Or in this case, rock!

Discovery Channel takes over the Greek Theater Wednesday night for a concert and party to tubthump the June 4 debut of its Planet Green channel (the channel formerly known as Discovery Home). Perfs are skedded to include Ludacris, Tommy Lee, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Blue Man Group and others. Proceeds will go to a fund established to help rehab areas around Griffith Park that were torched by recent wildfires....

Thursday's a day for serious yakking. In the afternoon, the Hollywood Radio and Television Society hosts a luncheon event at the Beverly Hilton devoted to how the biz can help keep health care issues at the top of the nation's public policy agenda. Sally Field and Jeffrey Katzenberg are set as speakers. Leeza Gibbons will moderate a panel that is set to include top showrunners of shows that work in scrubs: Neal Baer of "Law & Order: SVU" (who really is a licensed physician), Bill Lawrence of "Scrubs" and John Wells of "ER"... In the evening, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences parses LGBT issues in TV with a sesh at its North Hollywood HQ that will include thesps Billy Baldwin, Billy Crystal, Ron Rifkin, "Dirty Sexy Money" creator Craig Wright and Showtime's Robert Greenblatt. Bruce Vilanch is sure to keep things interesting as moderator...

On Sunday evening, Elmo's in town for the fourth annual presentation of the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarships, also at the Leonard Goldenson Theater at ATAS' NoHo home base. Three $10,000 scholarships will be presented by ATAS and Ernst & Young to three grad students pursuing careers in children's media, in honor of the late host of PBS' enduring "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." Also on hand for the 5 p.m. presentation will be Mrs. Mr. Rogers, Joanne Rogers, and actor David Newell, aka Mr. McFeeley.

Sad to learn this evening of the passing of a very funny fellow, Dick Martin, at the age of 86.

Martin was a multihyphenate before the slanguage term was invented. In his long career he worked as a standup comic with longtime partner Dan Rowan (Rowan and Martin were inspired by their partial namesakes, Martin and Lewis), an actor, writer and producer, and later in life, as a very sought-after helmer for shows ranging from "The Bob Newhart Show" to Showtime's groundbreaking "Brothers" to "Family Ties," "Sledge Hammer" and "In the Heat of the Night."

After 1968, of course, Martin's place in pop culture history was cemented as the co-host and co-creator of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," which sought to tame the generation gap with humor for NBC. It worked. "Laugh-In" was the No. 1 show in the country in 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons, and a top 25 show for two more seasons.

Martin had the kind of hound-dog face and a trademark zany-goofy character that just made you smile whenever he was on screen. In addition to all of that directing, in his later years he logged guest shots on everything from "3rd Rock from the Sun" to "Baywatch" to "Diagnosis Murder" to "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place."

Here's a detailed obit released this evening by the Martin family, and here's a good piece from the AP's Bob Thomas that puts into perspective the cultural impact that "Laugh-In" had in its heyday (apropos of this Time magazine cover from the era).

I'm very glad to have had the chance to see Martin in person last September as part of the Paley Center for Media's "Bob Newhart Show" reunion (that event also offered a last chance to see Suzanne Pleshette in her husky, saucy element before her death in January). He told a few good yarns about learning how to be a director by working on the show, and he sounded grateful to Newhart and the long-ago leaders of MTM Prods. (the Camelot of TV production companies) for giving him that chance.

Sock it to me, Dick Martin. If there's a comedy heaven...then he's already reconnected with Dan Rowan (who died in 1987) and they're working up some fresh material for a six-week run at the Sands Hereafter.

More first impressions** on the new crop for 2008-09, starting with CBS because they were the first to get their pilots out post-upfront -- probably because they had more completed pilots than any other net.

(Click here for the previous First Impressions post on "Ex List," "Project Gary" and "Worst Week.")

The Mentalist

PRO:

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Snappy writing makes it a cut above the patented CBS procedural drama, this time focusing on one-time purported psychic whose wife and child were slaughtered by a serial killer. Reformed sham artist now uses his keen powers of observation to help a team from the California Bureau of Investigation solve really hairy and heinous crimes. Think "Monk" without the neuroses, played with depth by Baker.

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Great scene with the investigative team members discussing the case at seafood restaurant gives us a lot of interesting character traits in a short amount of time without clubbing us over the head with exposition.

Nice direction by David "pilot zen master" Nutter.

CON:

A little CBS-formulaic in its execution in parts, starting with Robin Tunney's tough-as-nails team leader character.

Who's ever heard of the California Bureau of Investigation?

Character name of the cute rookie member of the investigative team, Grace Van Pelt (played by Amanda Righetti), makes us think of Lucy Van Pelt and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

**Once again, these are first impressions, and not meant to be a review or hit-or-miss declaration. At this stage of the game, pilots for new fall series are still very much works in progress.

Some interesting tidbits in today's SEC filings from CBS Corp. and CNET Networks on the commencement of CBS Corp.'s tender offer to buy CNET Networks for about $1.8 billion.

Most interesting is the detail offered in the backgrounder on the negotiations, which only reinforces how astounding it is that not one whiff of CBS' pursuit of CNET got out in the press prior to the deal announcement on May 15.

CBS Corp. boss Leslie Moonves and CBS chief financial offer Fredric Reynolds made several treks during the past year to CNET's San Francisco HQ to meet with their counterparts, CNET CEO Neil Ashe and CFO Zander Lurie. Ashe and Lurie also spent a lot of quality time at Black Rock meeting with CBS brass. We also now know that May 14 was a marathon workday for Moonves. Not only was it the day of the Eye's upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall, but the final-final the paperwork on the CNET deal was hammered out that day and night and into the wee hours of May 15 prior to the PR execs for both companies pushing the "send" button on the press release that morning.

The big question now, of course, is whether another suitor will come forth with a higher offer for CNET during the next month or so during the tender offer period. Some have suggested that CBS overpaid in agreeing to a deal that gives CNET a 45% premium over where its stock price was before the deal was announced.

But the CBS response is pretty persuasive. CNET is no Internet pipe dream. It's a real company and web pioneer that survived the first dot-bomb meltdown. For 2008, CNET is forecasting nearly $93 million in earnings on revenues of $446 million. Those are numbers that even a $14 billion company like CBS can't sniff at.

As recounted in this SEC filing (the interesting stuff starts on page 15) Reynolds, intrepid CBS Interactive prexy Quincy Smith and two other CBS execs made the first fact-finding mission to CNET's offices in April 2007. Then Moonves and Ashe made a point of having dinner in July during investment banker titan Herbert Allen's annual moguls' retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Allen & Co. wound up becoming an adviser to CNET on the deal.)

(Pictured above: Leslive Moonves on stage at Carnegie Hall during the Eye's May 14 upfront presentation. He headed back Black Rock later in the day to monitor the last lap of the CNET negotiations.)

First impressions** from the first batch of pilots to land on my desk (thanks CBS):

The Ex List

PRO:

There's a lot to dine on here in the single-woman's fantasy story of finding Mr. Right at the direction of storefront psychic who tells her to revisit all of her old boyfriends to find the One, within a year or she's outta luck. Cast is uniformly good, particularly lead Elizabeth Reaser as Bella, Anne Bedian as the psychic, Rachel Boston as Bella's sister Daphne and Alex Breckenridge as friend Vivian.

Writing is peppy, very conversational and of-the-moment in its references and meter.

Premise, based on an Israeli series, feels fresh, as does the setting, in a fictional seaside community. The fairy tale-ish element in the premise makes the idyllic-hamlet backdrop work just fine, and helps explain why the femme characters are clad mostly in barely-there sun dresses and itsy-bitsy bikinis.

CON:

Dialogue is a tad breathless here and there, but it's nothing that can't be tapered back.

Characters are uniformly sex-obsessed and ultra vain, which could wear thin.

Reaser and Boston appear to have not eaten for at least five years.

**Once again, these are broad-strokes first impressions, not reviews or hit-or-miss declarations. At this time of year, pilots picked up for the fall are still very much works in progress.

It wasn't a total loss. This is a contrarian view on the season that will go down in the Nielsen annals as the lowest rated on record for the Big Four nets, but there was some good news to be found here and there, amid the wreckage.

For sure, the season-long stats on the 2007-08 campaign are pretty darn ugly, as Variety ratings guru Rick Kissell smartly and soberly details in this season wrap. But in actuality we didn't have a season, we had two abbreviated seasons -- pre- and post-strike. Writers Guild of America leaders were as strategic as Eisenhower and Marshall carving up the European theater in triggering the work stoppage to begin on Nov. 5, to ensure maximum impact on current production and pilot development.

Of course, most everything the WGA was fighting for in its 100 Days War has been at work in force  -- on steroids -- in this topsy-turvy season: the increasing popularity of web streaming of programming and DVR time-shifted viewing, the increasing use of digital extensions of traditional programs to drive traffic to network-affiliated websites and to generate new revenue streams for our half-dozen favorite media congloms.

Beyond the fairness issue and the wonky oh-my-god-younger-generations-will-never-watch-TV-the-same-way-again considerations, let's look at what the nets have to show for themselves program-wise out of the fall and spring mini seasons of '07-'08.

Congrats to "American Idol" No. 7, David Cook. The biggest "American Idol" fan I know walked out of the Variety newsroom on her way to the finale certain that David Archuleta was going to win, even though David Cook deserved to win. Clearly, there was an upset in the duel of the Davids. Gotta be good for the ratings.

Thursday ayem update: Now we know. The David vs. David drama was indeed good for the ratings. Prelim Nielsen's peg the viewership for the 8-10:06 p.m. finale at an average of 31.7 million viewers and an 11.4 rating in adults 18-49. That's a gain of nearly 1 million viewers from last year's "Idol" closer. Hail hail rock 'n' roll. (Elsewhere on the dial, you gotta give credit to CBS' workhorse "Criminal Minds." Even against the flames of the last hour of "Idol," that show is rock steady, pulling in its usual 13 million viewers and 3.3 rating/8 share in adults 18-49.)

For a treat, read the finale coverage by Variety's resident "Idol" nuts, Kathy Lyford and Erin Maxwell from Variety.com's Season Pass blog. It's a hoot.

(Pictured left to right: Fox's Kevin Reilly, David Cook, Fox's Peter Liguori and the man who needs no introduction, Mike Darnell)

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE AND JON WEISMAN

Like a parent with kids on different teams squaring off against each other, Warner Bros. TV prexy Peter Roth will watch with both glee and terror as the 2008-09 TV season kicks off.

Of the four new WB dramas picked up by the broadcast nets during last week’s upfronts, three have been thrown against each other in the same 9 p.m. Tuesday timeslot: “The Mentalist” (CBS, photo on right), “Fringe” (Fox) and “Surviving the Filthy Rich” (CW).

For better or worse, this kind of fraternal battle is becoming familiar for Warners. Mondays at 8 p.m. feature a head-to-head-to-head-to-head slugfest among four WB shows, as hourlongs “Chuck” (NBC), “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (Fox),  “Gossip Girl” (CW) face CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

“It’s a very high-class problem to have,” Roth said. “While it wouldn’t necessarily be our preference to have programs competing against one another, we have been in this situation before.  We suggest since they are all great shows, viewers should watch one of them live, TiVo the others and, preferably, watch them within the advertiser-desired three-day window.”   

At 10 p.m. Thursday, WB rookie “Eleventh Hour” goes up against veteran “ER,” which will begin its 15th and final season. And on the comedy side, it’s no laughing matter for WB as Pushing Daisies” (ABC) and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (CBS) both vie for the same eyeballs at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The on-air brawl between MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Fox News' Bill O'Reilly is getting down and dirty and high-level within NBC Universal and News Corp.

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz has the whole inside story of CEO intrigue and bare-knuckle tactics -- all of which has to be good for the ratings of both programs. The Washington Post's story is getting so much attention that as of this evening I could not pull it up on the Post's website to save my life; the page just kept getting stuck in loading mode. Is there anything more frustrating than the getting the blank white screen and hourglass symbol when you really want to read something?

Hopefully the Post's web wizards will come up with a fix soon. There's nothing TV news loves better than a good feud, especially if it involves two of their own plus the powerful likes of Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, Jeffrey Immelt and Jeff Zucker.

Lots of TV-centric goings-on around town in the next few weeks. CBS Paramount Network TV gets into the swing of summer with a "block party" on the CBS Radford lot on Tuesday night to herald the June 5 debut of CBS drama "Swingtown," about fun-loving, Quaalude-downing, partner-swapping couples in the summer of '76. It's so nice to see "Swingtown" costar Molly Parker all cleaned up and dusted off from her "Deadwood" days...

...Speaking of CBS dramas, a clutch of "Moonlight" fans are descending on L.A. this weekend for what's billed as the first fan-generated confab on the show, "MoonlightCon," at the Westin hotel out by LAX. Undoubtedly these folks will cook up some stunt to draw attention to their cries for another network to pick up their fave rave, which CBS dropped last week. (That's the hint in an email message today from a "devoted Moonlight fan" who promised me that "the fat lady ain't sung yet!") It doesn't appear that their immortal, series star Alex O'Loughlin, is skedded to stop by, but they will be taking a "Moonlight"-centric tour of the Warner Bros. lot on Friday...

...Some of those "Moonlight" fanatics might want to hop a bus to Culver City on Saturday morning, where Sony Pictures TV is holding open auditions for its revival of "The Gong Show" for Comedy Central. The cattle call will be held at a site near (but not on) the Sony Pictures lot on West Washington Boulevard. Click here for the specifics...

...Finally, the upcoming event we're most excited about is the June 4 party to celebrate the opening of Gordon Ramsay's new eatery at the London West Hollywood. The restaurant's moniker is already a mouthful: Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood. Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" is having a nice hot run behind "American Idol" on Tuesdays in the last lap of the 2007-08 season. He ought to be in a good mood, and for once he won't be able to yell at anyone (but himself) about the food.

Can it really be 10 years since "Sports Night" debuted? Sheesh.

Shout Factory reminds us how quickly time passes with today's announcement of the "10th Anniversary Edition" DVD box set of all 45 segs of the ABC comedy. The half-hour from Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme may not be "the show that changed what television could be," as it's touted in the press release, but it was entertaining and a breath of fresh air for its time. It was single-camera before single-camera was cool for small screen laffers.

"Sports Night's" core cast members have certainly done well for themselves in the intervening years: Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Joshua Malina and Sabrina Lloyd. (Robert Guillaume was already doing well for himself by the time this show came along, and he was great in his role as the elder-statesman exec producer at Continental Sports Channel, the Gotham sports cabler where the show was set.) Set, due out Sept. 30, includes two discs of bonus features including deleted scenes, gag reels, behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentaries, etc.

This one opened and closed on high notes but hit some rough sledding in between.

"There's No Place Like Home, Part 1," the first of the tri-part season four finale, is the first "Lost" seg of the season where I had believe-ability issues with the plot that were nettlesome enough to take me out of the thrall of the storytelling, ever so briefly here and there.

Jacob's mouthpiece tells Locke to move the island? I can dig it. Ben is a master manipulator who has secret rooms and stashes of "Doctor Who" props all over the island? I'm down with that. Polar bears in the jungle and black smoke monsters with gnarly tempers? Sure. But Aaron is five weeks old? Give me a break!?! That baby is at least three-four months old if he's a day.

(Saturday afternoon update: A reader with impeccable credentials on all things "Lost" makes two good points that should be noted. First, in the "Lost" chronology, Aaron is actually only seven weeks old at the time of the press conference, given that he was born in season one on day 38. Second, and this I really should've remembered, Screen Actors Guild rules and other labor laws make it virtually impossible to do scenes of any length with infants younger than two months. So we gotta allow some slack there.)

None of the reporters at that press conference would've bought that, and they would've charged that dais to get at Kate with questions about her giving birth on the island. They would've challenged Sayid's assertion that there were "absolutely not" any other crash survivors. How could he possibly know?

Jack, as Kate says earlier in the episode, is a horrible liar and Sun is no better. The press would've smelled the B.S. and pounced. There would've been no decorum or quick exit for the survivors -- there would have been a riot, and the story would've turned to skepticism about the claims of the Oceanic 6. I thought that was where they were going when the reporters started to ask Kate about giving birth and Sun about her husband. The only thing worse than Jack trying to lie to the press was the awkwardness of him instructing the other five how to lie just before they landed. I noticed they weren't looking at Jack with quite the same reverence as before.

Second major hole in the "Lost" ozone layer for me this week: Sun and the business about buying up a controlling interest in her father's mega-conglom. I'm sure each of the 6 got fat settlements from Oceanic Airlines once they turned up, however they turned up. But enough to swoop in and steal control of a multinational conglom from its meglomaniac leader? Oh come on. Those South Korean firms are huge -- it'd take billion(s) and it would not be the kind of transaction you could do in a single morning.

They could've still had what was otherwise a hell of a showdown scene between Sun and her father without that flight of fancy. We know Sun's got plenty of reasons to despise her father. For starters, I can't swear to it but I don't think Mr. Paik was in that opening scene of the Oceanic 6 reuniting with family members on the tarmac of the military facility. (I'll check in the ayem.) OK, he was there....sorry Mr. Paik.

All that said, once again, it was still a mighty entertaining hour of television delivered in the seg penned by our "Lost" leaders, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and helmed by Stephen Williams. We learned a lot.

**It jumped right out at me this time: Kate looks an awful lot like Jack's mom, Margo (played by Veronica Hamel, pictured above).

**I'd been wondering, like every other "Lost" fan, about what to make of Ben and his whining about losing control to Locke and his faux emotional trauma over his daughter. I don't buy it now. I think he's still the puppet master, manipulating every situation he's in for own nefarious ends. Granted, Ben's got more of a challenge these days with all the unruly factions on the island. But as he informed Locke toward the end of the seg: "I always have a plan." He also admitted once again to not being "entirely truthful" with Locke. Duh.

**In the flash-forward scene of Hurley's surprise party, Hurley appeared to have the same style of ceramic Virgin Mary statue that bedeviled dear old Charlie way back in season one, only Hurley's was painted gold. Great line from Mama Hurley: "Jesus Christ is not a weapon" as Hurley holds it over his head ready to strike a charging polar bear or something with it.

**So Jack finds out about Claire, at his father's long-delayed funeral no less. He just can't catch a break. I confess to wishing that they would use Claire's surname more often on the show. It has such a familiar ring to it...

Is there a better character actor in TV these days than Lance Reddick?

His steely presence as the ramrod-straight (well, almost) cop Cedric Daniels added so much to "The Wire," particularly in the final season that wrapped in March. He's creepy-beyond-freaky in his recurring role as the ultra-mysterious Matthew Abaddon in "Lost" this season (on that show, that's saying something). And he's sure to add gravitas to J.J. Abrams' latest small-screen adventure, "Fringe," on Fox in the fall. I probably should've known that he was cast in that pilot but it didn't register until I saw the cast shot this ayem when Fox announced its sked.

The Yale drama school-trained Reddick made his mark on the New York stage (that's clear from his distinctive intonation) and gradually moved into film and TV roles. (He's nothing if not versatile. His C.V. even includes a guest shot as a stage hand in a 1997 seg of "The Nanny.") A semi-regular role on HBO's "Oz" in 2000 and 2001 helped Reddick raise his profile, as did his role in the Emmy-winning HBO mini "The Corner," a precursor to "Wire." He's done guest shots on all three "Law & Order" shows, he's stopped in on "CSI: Miami," "The West Wing" and "Numbers," and been seen in features including "I Dreamed of Africa,' "Don't Say a Word," "Brother to Brother" and most recently, the Tribeca entry "Tennessee."

Here's hoping he gets a long steady gig on "Fringe." He appears to play one of the good guys, an FBI agent working with the femme hero (played by Aussie actress Anna Torv, pictured right with co-star Joshua Jackson) to help solve the mystery of why a plane load of people die grisly deaths on a commercial flight (Flight 627 -- what's the numerology there, I wonder?) into Boston. Their probe begins to uncover traces of a broader conspiracy...but you already suspected that.

Update: Reader AC brings up a good question: Will Reddick's role on "Fringe" prevent him from recurring on "Lost" next season and beyond? I'm thinking probably not, although it will probably take some advance planning on shooting dates, especially because "Lost" lenses in Hawaii. The fact that "Fringe" and "Lost" both hail from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner (albeit different studios in Warner Bros. and ABC Studios, respectively) doesn't hurt either -- both shows will (presumably) be more inclined to help each other make it work. Even if there was no such connection, Reddick's role on "Lost" can only raise his profile with the same demo that "Fringe" hopes to attract, so you gotta believe that the powers that be see Reddick doing double duty on both shows as a good thing all around. Of course this presumes that "Lost's" creative stewards see Reddick's character continuing in a significant way. You can never tell on "Lost," but they've certainly woven him into enough integral plot situations that it stands to reason we're going to see more of him.

This town will miss Warren Cowan, who died Wednesday night at 87 (click here for Variety's obit). I certainly will.

Cowan was such a class act, and so good at what he did. Successful as he was, he never stopped laboring at the day to day grind of being a publicist. He'd drop everything to help a journalist set up an interview or track someone down or confirm a detail. I spoke to him last a few weeks ago when I was trying to find out if there were any writers or producers still with us who worked on Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theater." (The 60th anni of the show that sold a million television sets is approaching next month.) Cowan, of course, represented Berle for many years.

When I went to the Friars Club tribute to Berle a few months after the comedian's death, Cowan ushered me around the room, introducing me to people I never would've recognized otherwise, so that I had no trouble getting all the quotes and color I needed. He did that many times for me (and a few million other reporters) at many events -- always with a big broad smile. (I also never forgot that he was friendly and available to me even way back in my salad days as a UPI stringer. Warren Cowan and Associates was one of the first names and numbers I put in my Rolodex.)

Cowan always pitched stories and spoke of his clients with a respectful reverence that was not affected, and never felt like hype. "I'd appreciate it if you'd consider this," he'd say when pitching something that wasn't an obvious home-run news or feature story.

Cowan clearly loved his work, and he loved this business. Showbiz never had a better press agent.

Fox is giving "Fringe" everything it's got in the fall, moving "House" down to an 8 p.m. slot to give J.J. Abrams' new drama (pictured left) a strong sendoff on Tuesdays in the fall.

There was more shuffling than we expected on Fox's fall lineup. With going for laughs in the Wednesday 8-9 p.m. hour this fall, Fox has done a switcheroo and will slot drama "Bones" at 8 p.m. and its sitcom combo "Til Death" and "Do Not Disturb" (the working title for the newcomer formerly known as "The Inn") at 9 p.m.

Monday will remain home to "Prison Break" at 8 p.m. at 9 p.m., paired with season two of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday are all unscripted, and Sunday remains animation central. Frosh toons "Sit Down, Shut Up" (which seems to have gone back to that title after switching to "Class Dismissed" earlier this week) and "Family Guy" spinoff "Cleveland" (pictured right) won't be ready until spring at the earliest.

Here's Fox's fall sked. Variety's marathon-man Michael Schneider has more details in this report. The January lineup and new show descriptions follow after the jump.

FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2008

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
9:00-10:00 PM   PRISON BREAK            

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    HOUSE   
9:00-10:00 PM   FRINGE         

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    BONES          
9:00-9:30 PM    ‘TIL DEATH             
9:30-10:00 PM   DO NOT DISTURB (wt)            

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    THE MOMENT OF TRUTH            
9:00-10:00 PM   KITCHEN NIGHTMARES             

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?             
9:00-10:00 PM   DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!               

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM    COPS   
8:30-9:00 PM    COPS   
9:00-10:00 PM   AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK      
11:00 PM-Midnight       MADtv   
Midnight-12:30 AM       TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM    THE OT (NFL post-game) 
8:00-8:30 PM    THE SIMPSONS   
8:30-9:00 PM    KING OF THE HILL       
9:00-9:30 PM    FAMILY GUY      
9:30-10:00 PM   AMERICAN DAD            

And now our attention turns to Fox, which wraps up upfront week on Thursday with its 4 p.m. presentation at Gotham's City Center.

Come to think of it, I wonder why Fox didn't go first this year? It's been the No. 1 network in 18-49 for the past four seasons, and in this strike-jumbled year it's going to close out the 2007-08 campaign as No. 1 in total viewers too.

So with NBC sitting out its usual Monday midday slot in this year in favor of the Jimi Hendrix version, Fox might've moved in and made a statement about how far its come since the days of "Mr. President" and "The Wilton North Report." What's the expression Rupert Murdoch is fond of citing -- "Fortune favors the brave" Oh well, maybe next year.

The time has come to get in touch with our inner Preston Beckman and figure out what moves Fox is going to make in the fall and in its January season. It doesn't take a Ph.D in skedding to figure out that the net is going to shine a spotlight on J.J. Abrams’ drama “Fringe” as its hot new prospect for the fall and Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” for midseason.

Speculation is that “Fringe” will land on Monday in the fall in tandem with “Prison Break” or “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” The betting is that Fox won’t want to mess with success on Tuesday and thus will keep its drama combo of “Bones” and “House” intact on the night for the fall.

Wednesday seems likely to remain Fox’s live-action comedy night, though the net may shuffle things in light of CBS’ decision to sked laffers in the 8-9 p.m. hour next season. Newcomer “The Inn,” starring Niecy Nash and Jerry O’Connell, is likely destined for a pairing with third-year sitcom “Til Death.” Wednesday 9 p.m. could go to “Sarah Connor” if “Fringe” winds up mated with “Prison Break on Monday.

In the fall, Thursday and Friday are expected to remain some combination of unscripted skeins. As ever, Fox has a strong reality bench that includes “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Moment of Truth” and “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader.”

Sunday is set to remain status quo with a stack of animated comedies. Newcomers “Class Dismissed” and “Family Guy” spinoff “Cleveland” won’t be ready to bow until first quarter at the earliest.

Meanwhile, given how much 20th Century Fox TV is investing in Whedon's latest TV effort, “Dollhouse” is sure to land a plum spot in January when “24” and “American Idol,” return to the lineup.

CBS has cozied up to the web heads behind "Lonelygirl15" and the popular Brit web serial "KateModern" to handle the online bells and whistles for its network programs.

The agreement calls for CBS to get a first-look peek at concepts developed by L.A.- and London-based Eqal. Eye and its new online friend are promising that Eqal's creatives will work closely with CBS' scribes and helmers to develop online narratives that tie in directly with the series ongoing storylines.

CBS must've been mightily impressed with Eqal's capabilities because under the deal, Eqal will "build and provide the entire technology infrastructure to host the online show components." That seems like a significant chunk of business to hand over to an outside company, but I suppose if they can do a better job, why not.

Maybe Eqal can help CBS to get its online vid player stop freezing up every few seconds when you're trying to web-stream an episode. It really screws up the timing on "The Big Bang Theory," that's for sure.

Unless Fox pulls out something at the last minute, it looks like CBS' "Eleventh Hour" wins the prize for the most exec producers on a new show this year.

The Jerry Bruckheimer Television/Warner Bros. TV drama, based on a British miniseries of the same name, has a whopping seven e.p.'s credited: Bruckheimer (natch), Jonathan Littman (head of Bruckheimer TV), Danny Cannon (who helmed the pilot), Cyrus Voris, Ethan Reiff, Mick Davis (who penned the pilot) and Paul Buccieri (head of programming for the U.S. arm of Granada, which produced the original Brit mini). NBC's Canadian import, "The Listener," set for a summer '09 run, is a close runner-up with six exec producers listed. Thursday ayem update: Fox also comes close with two series that have six exec producers: comedy "Do Not Disturb" and drama "Fringe."

Funnily enough, "Eleventh Hour" also boasts the smallest cast, at least at this point. CBS' press release info on the show only lists star Rufus Sewell. Sewell plays brilliant biophysicist and government advisor Jacob Hood, who's tasked with investigating "scientific crises and oddities" for the government. (Patrick Stewart tackled the role in the original version.) Hood's often called in "at the eleventh hour," hence the title.

Wonder if Hood will ever run in to the brilliant scientist and plucky FBI investigator from Fox's "Fringe," which mines a similar vein. The social circle for egghead gumshoes following in Scully and Mulder's footsteps can't be that big, can it?

Turner Entertainment boss Steve Koonin has caught the industry's attention this week by storming into broadcasters' upfront week with its programming presentation this ayem at Gotham's Hammerstein ballroom.

Now the Turner cablers have really caught the creative community's attention by unveiling a slew of new projects in development with such notables as George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Joel Surnow and Jon Avnet.

TNT has upped the ante in the cable vs. broadcast race by promising Madison Avenue that it will be all original in primetime Monday-Wednesday by 2010. Guided by Koonin (pictured right) and Michael Wright (pictured below right), programming chief for TNT, TBS and TCM, TNT already has three new skeins set to preem later this year and early next  -- Steven Bochco's "Raising the Bar," Dean Devlin's "Leverage" and Madison  Avenue drama "Truth in Advertising," starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh (pictured above) -- to augment its existing hits "The Closer" and "Saving Grace."

Here's the proof that TNT has a formidable development slate for next year and beyond.

DELTA BLUES (working title) tells the tale of an outstanding but unusual Memphis cop: an Elvis impersonator who lives at home with his mother. Delta Blues comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television and SmokeHouse and is executive-produced by George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Grant Heslov (Good Night, and Good Luck), Abby Wolf-Weiss, Liz Garcia and Josh Horto. The series is written by Garcia and Horto.

MORSE CODE (working title) is a crime drama about a young war hero/Drug Enforcement Administration officer who works in his hometown of Boston.  The pilot is from Warner Horizon Television and is expected to star Donnie Wahlberg (Boomtown).  It will be produced by Wahlberg, Jon Avnet (Boomtown, The Starter Wife) and Walon Green (Law & Order, ER), with Green writing and Avnet anticipated to direct.

UNTITLED JOEL SURNOW PROJECT is a fast-paced, gritty drama about the life of an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The pilot is being executive-produced and written by Joel Surnow (co-creator of 24) and Todd Robinson.

ANGEL CITY (working title) features six cops in three cars during one shift, in the spirit of such classic dramas as Adam-12 and Hill Street Blues. The show, conceived by Los Angeles police officer Will Beall, will be written by Beall and Barry Schindel (Law & Order) and directed by Steve Schill (Dexter). ANGEL CITY comes to TNT from Mandalay Television.

TOUGH TRADE is a dramatic but humorous look at the Nashville music scene. The show, which focuses on a family of country stars who live like the lyrics to a country song, comes to TNT from Lionsgate Television. It is written by novelist Chris Offutt and executive-produced by Offutt, Sean Furst and Bryan Furst.

UNTITLED ROB ULIN PROJECT is a quirky yet authentic family drama in the mold of Little Miss Sunshine. It is is executive-produced by Rob Ulin (Roseanne, Malcolm in the Middle).

TBS, meanwhile, announced a bunch of new comedy projects in the hopper:

UNTITLED WILLIAM H. MACY/STEVEN SCHACHTER PROJECT is a single-camera, half-hour comedy series that comes to TBS from Sony Pictures Television.  It is written and executive-produced by William H. Macy (Fargo, TNT’s Door to Door) and Steven Schachter (Door to Door).  Schachter will direct the pilot, while Macy will star.

UNTITLED HERVEY/SIMMONS PROJECT is a primetime, scripted comedy pilot, executive-produced by Russell Simmons (co-founder of Def Jam Recordings), Stan Lathan (The Steve Harvey Show) and Winifred Hervey (The Steve Harvey Show).  The series stars Joey “Run” Simmons (of Run-DMC), who also serves as a producer, and is written by Hervey.

NATIONAL BANANA ALREADY IN PROGRESS (working title) is a late-night comedy sketch show being executive-produced by Jerry Zucker (Airplane!, My Best Friend’s Wedding).

And for latenight on TBS:

UNTITLED BUNIM/MURRAY PROJECT is a late-night comedy/reality show that takes a group of middle-aged men back to their fraternity days.  It is executive-produced by Jonathan Murray (The Real World) and Gil Goldschein.

UNTITLED JAMIE FOXX/MARCUS KING PROJECT is a late-night sketch and improvisational show executive-produced by Jamie Foxx (Ray, The Jamie Foxx Show) and his longtime collaborator, Marcus King.

TOP TEN (working title) is a late-night show that pits comedians against each other.  The show is executive-produced by Mad Cow Productions and Madeleine Smithberg (co-creator of The Daily Show).

CBS is looking for laughs next season, expanding its comedy presence to Wednesday nights with a new block anchored by "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and newcomer "Project Gary," starring Jay Mohr.

Eye's other new comedy pickup, "Worst Week" (pictured above), nabs the coveted post-"Two and a Half Men" launch pad Monday at 9:30 p.m. Overall, CBS has slotted five new skeins on its fall 2008, with murder mystery drama "Harper's Island" on the bench for midseason.

Beyond the comedies, the other big move on the fall sked is the slotting of new Jerry Bruckheimer drama "Eleventh Hour" into the post "CSI" slot on Thursday, while "Without a Trace" heads to Tuesday 10 p.m. Much talked-about new drama "The Ex List," (fka "Mythological Ex"), has landed on Friday in the 9 p.m. sandwich slot between "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numbers."

Variety's man at the upfronts, Michael Schneider, has all the details in this dispatch from CBS' ayem press briefing.

MONDAY:

8: The Big Bang Theory
8:30: How I Met Your Mother
9: Two and a Half Men
9:30: Worst Week (new)
10: CSI: Miami

TUESDAY:

8: NCIS
9: The Mentalist (new)
10: Without a Trace

WEDNESDAY:

8: The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30: Project Gary (new) pictured above right
9: Criminal Minds
10: CSI: NY

THURSDAY:

8: Survivor
9: CSI
10: Eleventh Hour (new) pictured right

FRIDAY:

8: Ghost Whisperer
9: The Ex List (new) pictured below
10: Numbers

SATURDAY:

8: Drama repeats
9: Drama repeats
10: 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY:

7: 60 Minutes
8: The Amazing Race
9: Cold Case
10: The Unit

New show descriptions after the jump:

CBS believes it has found an opening in the comedy space, adding a new night of half-hours and broadening out its laffer roster.

Eye surprised some -- even inside Warner Bros. TV -- by ordering a full 22-episode season of "The New Adventures of Old Christine," a show that the network had appeared to have soured on not too long ago. But the laffer could suddenly play a major role in opening up Wednesday night, perhaps alongside either fellow Monday refugee "Rules of Engagement" or newcomer "Project Gary." (A "Christine"/"Gary" matchup would work well, as both shows deal with recent divorcees looking to reinvent their lives.)

On Mondays, net will likely bow newcomer "Worst Week" at 9:30 p.m., in the plum spot behind "Two and a Half Men." Eye execs are said to be extremely pleased with how "Worst Week" turned out. But even more interestingly, the show is single camera -- a departure for the net, which has mostly stuck with multi-cam laffers (to great success).

But with the other nets fairly limited in the kind of comedy they do, CBS believes it has an opening to capitalize on its Monday success by taking several more shots.

Meanwhile, another sweet slot in CBS' sked, Thursdays at 10 p.m., is likely to go to the new Jerry Bruckheimer thriller "Eleventh Hour." Eye has had success in the past with a "Bruckheimer into Bruckheimer" strategy, and may want to employ it again here.

Other holes in the sked include Tuesday at 10 p.m., where proven player "Without a Trace" can slide right in. Also, on Sundays, "Cold Case" is expected to move up to 10 p.m., leaving the 9 p.m. spot open (for "The Ex-List"?)

Frosh entries include dramas "Eleventh Hour," "The Mentalist" and "The Ex-List." Comedies are "Worst Week" and "Project Gary." Gone are "Cane," "Jericho," "Kid Nation," "Moonlight," "Shark," "Viva Laughlin" and "Welcome to the Captain."

Here's a stab in the dark at what a CBS schedule might look like Wednesday morning:

Mondays

8 – "Big Bang Theory"

8:30 – "How I Met Your Mother"

9 – "Two and a Half Men"

9:30 – "Worst Week" (new show)

10 – "CSI: Miami"

Tuesdays

8 – "NCIS"

9 – "The Unit"

10 – "Without A Trace"

Wednesdays

8 – "New Adventures of Old Christine"

8:30 – "Rules of Engagement" or "Project Gary" (new show)

9 – "Criminal Minds"

10 – "CSI: NY"

Thursdays

8 – "Survivor"

9 – "CSI"

10 – “11th Hour” (new show)

Fridays

8 – "Ghost Whisperer"

9 – "The Mentalist" (new show)

10 – "Numb3rs"

Saturdays

8, 9 - Drama repeats

10 - "48 Hours Mystery"

Sundays

7- "60 Minutes"

8 – "The Amazing Race"

9 – “The Ex-List” (new show)

10 – "Cold Case"

-- Michael Schneider

Bemoaning the collapse of network primetime ratings? ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel thinks the tide's about to turn.

"TV sets are bigger than ever, kids are fatter than ever and gas has never been more expensive," he told advertisers at the Alphabet net's upfront presentation Tuesday. "We have a whole country sitting on its couch right now. If we can't sell TV to them, we should be ashamed of ourselves."

Kimmel repped the one piece of entertainment in what was, by design, a bare-bones ABC presentation this year. No bands, no celebs and no party.

"ABC may be the worst date ever," Kimmel quipped to the media buyers in the aud. "We expect you to put out, and won't even buy you a drink."

Alphabet net took a few lumps, but Kimmel saved much of his more biting swipes for NBC. The Peacock dubbed its recent upfront presentation the "infront," he said, "because they're just in front of the CW."

Kimmel also referenced NBC's recent pledge to air a 52-week primetime sked.

"They may even have to go outside Ben Silverman's production company for some of them," he said. (A joke sure to resonate among rivals who've noted the number of Reveille projects on NBC's air.)

Kimmel even teased ABC for acquiring "Scrubs" after seven years on NBC. "It's always a good idea to borrow shows from the network in last place," he sniffed.

Kimmel also briefly referenced the upcoming late night upheaval, jokingly reading a letter from "Bob Iger," claiming Kimmel's safe from losing his slot to a rival talk show host. Earlier in the day, ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson didn't rule out recruiting Jay Leno for a show once he became available, but said Kimmel would be consulted and a part of the process if that were to happen.

-- Michael Schneider

ABC saved a few development tidbits for its upfront presentation at Avery Fisher Hall today. One that stood out was ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson confirming that the net is developing an adaptation of the online serial "In the Motherhood," which stars Leah Remini (pictured left), Jenny McCarthy and Chelsea Handler (pictured right) as typically harried moms.

This is the first I've heard of this thing, but the Internet shorts are sponsored by Suave and Sprint and are hosted by MSN at www.inthemotherhood.com. And  it appears that each of the three- to four-minute shorts are inspired by stories sent in by bona fide harried moms from around the country. Production looks high-end, as these things go.

As as harried journo-mom myself, I've got no time right now, but I'll have to check 'em out when I'm off deadline -- and after a certain 7-year-old's bedtime.

That's the word on CBS' frosh vampire drama starring Alex O'Loughlin (and his pecs, pictured left).

There's no official confirmation yet of "Moonlight's" fate, but those in the know say Eye execs were not impressed with the show creatively -- it had quite a bit of behind-the-scenes drama among scribes and producers -- and the ratings in its post-strike return were just not strong enough to warrant a renewal. Also, there was a long-running fight between the network and Warner Bros. TV on money issues for the show (meaning that CBS wanted the studio to spend more and the studio wanted CBS to pony up some too.)

In the real world, "Moonlight," which also starred Shannyn Sossamon (pictured right) was not immortal.

And yes, CBS brass are girding for the wrath of the show's small but loyal cadre of bloodthirsty fans. There's always a chance that it could land at another network, but that might be a tough sell with this particular show.

Now it's really just down to the fate of "Moonlight," because CBS has made it official on pickups for drama "The Unit" and comedies "How I Met Your Mother" and "Rules of Engagement."

"Mother" renewal was never really in doubt, but "Unit" seemed very much on the bubble until the last 72 hours or so and "Rules" was not exactly a slam dunk. Second-year drama "Shark" was the other lingering hold out, but as of last week it was pretty clear that a renewal was not in the cards for James Woods and Co.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

First off, I'm a huge champion of "How I Met Your Mother." The cast is terrific, the writing consistently funny and the direction by Pam Fryman is stellar. So speaking from a fan's perspective, last night's episode left me disappointed.

The first time Britney Spears appeared on the show a few weeks back, it was a great piece of stunt casting as showrunners Carter Bays and Craig Thomas integrated her character just enough so that we knew it was Britney but it didn't interfere with how smoothly the rest of the actors work together and it didn't take anything away from the storyline.

Not so much last night. It wasn't that Britney's character -- a young woman who has a crush on Ted but sleeps with Barney to get even -- was involved too much in the episode but, rather, Britney just plain can't act. Period. She looked stilted and foolish in scenes with TV pros such as Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor.

Ratings for "Mother" shot up for Britney's first appearance, and for a show this good that has never received the high ratings it should — series just got the OK from CBS for another season, yeah! — any way to push the Nielsen meter is smart, but last night's episode felt to me as if it had crossed a line in pimping to get viewers.

From Britney's perspective, coming on as a guest star is a smart move. By working on "Mother's" tight sitcom schedule, it helps keep her life straight -- or straighter than usual -- and makes her seem a bit more like a "normal" person and not just tabloid fodder.

But her exposure and rehab felt like it came at the expense of "Mother." I'm hoping it doesn't happen again next season.

She made it! Word is that CBS has given a full-season pickup to Julia Louis-Dreyfus starrer "The New Adventures of Old Christine." Pickup of the Warner Bros. TV comedy for a fourth season lends more credence to the notion that the Eye intends to open up a new comedy block next season. The betting is on Tuesday or Wednesday nights from 8-9 p.m.

Meanwhile, another Warner Bros. TV show on the bubble at CBS, vampire drama "Moonlight," is still awaiting the final word on its primetime mortality.

Here we go with the first main event -- ABC unveiled its fall sked this ayem.

Lineup is mostly similar to what worked for the net last fall, before all hell broke loose with the strike. As predicted, new drama "Life on Mars" (pictured left) landed the plum post-"Grey's Anatomy" slot on Thursday. "Boston Legal" moves from Tuesday to Monday 10 p.m. to make room for "Eli Stone," which the net showed major faith in by picking up for a sophomore sesh.

Ashton Kutcher the producer scored by landing the Tuesday 8 p.m. berth on the fall sked for Katalyst's latest unscripted concoction, "Opportunity Knocks" (pictured right), plus Katalyst got a midseason order for a beauty pageant thing co-produced with Tyra Banks' shingle. So Katalyst is 2 for 1, because from the looks of ABC's release, doesn't seem like comedy "Miss Guided" is back, but we don't know that for sure yet.

I don't think I'm the only one who looks at this sked and thinks -- good grief, after May 29, we're gonna have to wait NINE LONG MONTHS before "Lost" comes back!?! Oh, the agony.

MONDAY:

8:00 p.m.  “Dancing with the Stars”
9:30 p.m. “Samantha Who?”
10:00 p.m. “Boston Legal”
 
TUESDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Opportunity Knocks”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Eli Stone”

WEDNESDAY:

8:00 p.m.  “Pushing Daisies”   
9:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
10:00 p.m. “Dirty Sexy Money”

THURSDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Life on Mars”

FRIDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Wife Swap”
9:00 p.m. “Supernanny”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
 
SATURDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY:

7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

NEW SHOW DESCRIPTIONS

“LIFE ON MARS”
“Life on Mars” is based on the BBC series created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah. The series revolves around Sam Tyler, a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective.

“Life on Mars” stars Jason O’ Mara as Sam Tyler, Rachelle Lefevre as Annie Cartwright, Colm Meaney as Gene Hunt, Stephanie Jacobsen as Maya, Lenny Clarke as George Randall, Patrick Wenk-Wolff as Colin Raimes and Richard Benjamin as Milton Kornboll.

The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett and David E. Kelley are the executive producers. The pilot episode of “Life on Mars” was executive-produced by David E. Kelley, Tommy Schlamme, Bob Breech, Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett, and was produced by David E. Kelley Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

“UNTITLED ASHTON KUTCHER/TYRA BANKS PROJECT”
A beauty pageant unlike any you’ve ever seen, from executive producers Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks.

“OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS”
“Opportunity Knocks” is a new show that breaks the mold of typical game and reality shows. We will be showing up on America’s doorstep and testing how well they know their family. Our mobile team will arrive at “Anywhere, America” in a semi-truck that is full of flat screen TVs, new furniture and big cash prizes that the family can win right there. We will take the action of a game show directly into our contestants’ homes, setting up shop in a family’s front lawn. The instant our host, JD Roth, knocks on the front door, the game will begin. Hollywood will invade a suburban neighborhood, and each week one lucky family will play the game of a lifetime in front of all their friends and neighbors.

The host poses trivia questions to family members based directly on their lives, each other and articles found in and around their home. If they’re able to prove they know their family inside and out, they’ll win the prizes of their dreams.

Executive producers for “Opportunity Knocks” are Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke, J.D. Roth and Todd A. Nelson. “Opportunity Knocks” is produced by Katalyst Films and 3 Ball Productions.

“THE GOODE FAMILY”
A new animated series from Mike Judge, creator of “King of the Hill.” “The Goode Family” is obsessed with doing the “right” thing, whether it’s environmentally, politically or socially. Unfortunately their efforts often have unintended comic consequences.

“The Goode Family” is voiced by Mike Judge as Gerald, Nancy Carell as Helen, Dave Herman as Ubuntu and Abby Elliot as Bliss. Executive producers for “The Goode Family” are Mike Judge, David Krinsky, John Altschuler, Michael Rotenberg and Tom Lassally. The series is produced by MRC and 3 Arts Entertainment.

Fox is sending millionaires down in the hole, as they say on "The Wire," for its latest reality venture.

"Secret Millionaire," which net announced today with a six-seg pickup, will send a group of rich folk into "some of America's most impoverished" neighborhoods to make new friends and figure out who's most deserving of a six-figure bit of philanthropic largess at the end of the series when they reveal their true identities.

"Secret Millionaire" hails from RDF USA and will be exec produced by Chris Coelen, Greg Goldman and Bruce Toms. It's based on an RDF show that was a hit on U.K.'s Channel 4. No air date has been set, per Fox.

It's a time-honored NBC upfront tradition: Network talent who come out on stage... and proceed to make jokes at the network's expense. Most of the time, the jokes get big laughs because, well, they're kinda true.

This year, it was "Late Night" and future "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien's turn to lob a few at his masters. The company's ballyhooed "NBC Universal Experience" event -- held in lieu of the traditional upfront presentation -- earned several cracks.

O'Brien noted that NBC held its upfront at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall w hen he first joined "Late Night" in 1993; the network eventually also held its presentation at Radio City Music Hall. "Now we're all standing in a soggy tent outside the NBC store," noted O'Brien, who suggested that next year's event be held at a falafel stand in Midtown.

There were references to NBC layoffs: "To give you the true NBC Universal Experience tonight, half of you were let go," he quipped.

And to NBC's ratings woes, noting that the net was going to 52-week programming because "we're tired of coming in fourth only 36 weeks a year."

Then, making it a bit more personal, he took shots at the long, drawn-out transition process on the "Tonight Show." When NBC first announced he was taking over the institution, O'Brien said, he was still a sophomore in college.

He then took time out to go ahead and announce his plans to step down as host of "The Tonight Show"... in 2024.

"I'm doing this to spend more time with my third wife," he joked -- presumably to the amusement to his real (first and only) spouse.

-- Michael Schneider

  VS.

The late night TV world is about to be rocked by another major host transition. But Lorne Michaels says he's got bigger worries.

Taking part in the official "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" announcement, Michaels (who will also play a role in "The Tonight Show" once his protege, Conan O'Brien, heads west) said he's less concerned by his competish on CBS and ABC (and perhaps Fox), and more worried about other distractions that are keeping viewers from tuning in to any of those shows.

"We're in a big fight in network TV," said Michaels, perhaps framing the theme for this week's upfronts. "The enemy isn't other network TV shows. It's cable and Guitar Hero."

-- Michael Schneider

There they were, just steps from each other: The man who moved "Project Runway" from Bravo to Lifetime, and the NBC Universal execs who are still none too happy about how it all went down.

According to eyewitnesses at Monday's William Morris Agency shindig (held indoors at the Museum of Modern Art), The Weinstein Co.'s Harvey Weinstein walked into the party -- and immediately into a gaggle of NBC Universal suits, including network/studio co-chairman Marc Graboff.

Weinstein gave Graboff a bear hug, the observers said, and strongly suggested that the two sides put their differences behind them.

That, of course, is a large order: Peacock last month filed suit in New York Supreme Court against "Project Runway" producer the Weinstein Co., asserting the shingle violated NBC and Bravo's right of first refusal.

Insiders say the Weinstein Co. would like to settle -- and is concerned that all of the press surrounding the dispute may have a negative impact on the franchise.

But that any settlement that NBC might sign off on probably wouldn't go over well at Lifetime, which signed a five-year deal to take over the show -- cable's top-rated reality skein -- effective November.

At the very least, NBC would want the Weinsteins to hold off on launching season six -- the first for Lifetime -- in the fall. Peacock execs believe that's cutting too close to the wrap of Bravo's fifth and final "Runway" edition. But Lifetime has already announced the November launch.

Another insider, however, pooh-poohed the notion that settlement talks could be in the offing. Both sides have made their positions clear in the past: Peacock claimed TWC didn't give NBC U proper notification that another party had made an offer for "Runway," and that as a result, the sale to Lifetime is invalid, while the Weinstein Co. has said that NBC, quite simply, didn't put out an aggressive bid and that the law suit is "sour grapes."

Ultimately, things remained civil at the party, but no hatchet was buried. NBC U topper Jeff Zucker did joke that he hadn't seen Weinstein driving his kids to school lately -- a reference to Weinstein's quip at the Lifetime upfronts that he'd start chauffeuring Zucker's household around town as a way to get back in his good graces.

-- Michael Schneider

ABC has no shortage of riches in its comedy casting this year, even if most of its pilots will be shot after its upfront in this wacky year.

“Will & Grace” trouper Megan Mullally is the latest to sign on to an ABC project. She's joined the cast of “Bad Mother’s Handbook,” starring opposite Alicia Silverstone. “Handbook” hails from ABC Studios and scribes Jenni Konner and Ali Rushfield; premise focuses on three generations of femmes in a family in which a 30-something woman is overwhelmed with responsibility for taking care of her teenage daughter and her own mother.

With the casting set, the single-camera pilot is set to lens later this month with Richard Shepard (an Emmy winner last year for the pilot of "Ugly Betty") directing. Mullally, a two-time Emmy winner for her work on “Will & Grace,” toplined her own daytime yakker in the 2006-07 season. More recently, she’s been busy on Broadway co-starring in “Young Frankenstein.”

In addition to Silverstone and Mullally, ABC has a comedy pilot set with Alyssa Milano ("My Brother's Hot and Other Dilemmas"), pictured right; Damon Wayans ("Never Better"); and Portia de Rossi in an untitled entry from scribe Victor Fresco.

This just in: It looks like CW's cult-fave drama "Reaper" is getting a last-minute reprieve, 13 segs for midseason. Also, I'm getting behind in reporting the good news. ABC's struggling midseasoner "Eli Stone" has also escaped the ax. Both dramas hail from ABC Studios. Coincidence? Hmmmm...

CBS is rolling the dice on another multi-generational comedy, giving the pickup nod to  "Worst Week," based on the Beeb's "Worst Week of My Life."

Laffer, penned by Matt Tarses and helmed by Adam Bernstein, revolves around a young couple in pre-wedding mode navigating the idiosyncracies of their soon-to-be in laws. Series stars Kyle Bornheimer and Erin Hayes as the couple, and "That '70s Show's" Kurtwood Smith (pictured left) and "New Adventures of Old Christine's" Nancy Lenehan (pictured right) as the bride-to-be's mom and dad. (Sorry, I couldn't readily put my hands on pics of Bornheimer and Hayes.)

"Worst Week," from U.K. production powerhouse Hat Trick, has had strong buzz for a while at CBS. Sometimes getting too hot too early can hurt a pilot's chances, but it obviously wasn't a problem this time around.

"Worst Week" was one of two comedy pickups CBS dispensed today. The other went to "Project Gary," the Jay Mohr starrer that had been kinda low-profile but came on strong last week after the pilot screenings.

NBC made an honest latenight host out of Jimmy Fallon on Monday, confirming him as the successor to the "Tonight Show"-bound Conan O'Brien on what will soon be known as "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

The noontime news conference didn't tell us much that we didn't already know, but the smiles were plentiful, as evidenced by this three-shot of "Late Night" exec producer Lorne Michaels, Fallon and NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker. Variety's hard-working man at the upfronts, Michael Schneider, delivered this report from the newser via Blackberry this ayem.

"You can never really be sure of these things," said Michaels, who took a risk in 1993 recruiting the then-unknown comedy writer O'Brien for the job of succeeding David Letterman. "But he's funny and smart and has a really good work ethic. You have to want this more than anything, and I think he does."

Looks like Fallon is going to get his formal intro to America as O'Brien's successor on tonight's edition of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien. As seen in this pic, clearly O'Brien's going to take him under wing and show him the ropes.

"Ok, now, the guest sits here, you sit behind the desk..."

Word is that CBS has just made it official on its hot drama pilot "The Ex List" (fka "Mythological Ex"), from 20th Century Fox TV and scribe Diane Ruggiero.

Series is based on an Israeli series about a woman who's told by a tarot card reader that she needs to get married by year's end, and that the man of her dreams is someone she's already known in her life, which of course sends her on a journey through her past. Buzz is that CBS supremo Leslie Moonves in particular sparked to the pilot -- it's believed to be the one he was talking up to investors as his favorite on CBS' earnings conference call earlier this month.

U.S. rendition stars Elizabeth Reaser (pictured in center), Rachel Boston, Alexandra Breckeridge and Adam Rothenberg. Timothy Busfield helmed the pilot. Ruggiero and Jonathan Levin are exec producers.

Meanwhile, the other no-brainers dramas pilots picked up by CBS are Jerry Bruckheimer's "Eleventh Hour" (which is said to have formally been picked up a week or so ago but kept under wraps so as to not bruise any other egos)l Simon Baker starrer "The Mentalist," both from Warner Bros. TV. Also ordered is "Harper's Island," a murder mystery from CBS Paramount Network TV and Jon Turteltaub's Junction Entertainment (the one-time home of "Jericho").

There's chatter that the "X-Files"-esque "Eleventh Hour" could be bound for the post "CSI" berth on Thursdays.

Frosh CBS drama "Moonlight" may be facing "Jericho" syndrome. The vampire drama starring Alex O'Loughlin has its rabid fans, but not quite enough of them to make it a slam-dunk pickup for season two.

The Warner Bros. TV drama seemed to be about 50-50 for a renewal during the weekend, but those odds are getting longer, insiders say. CBS is high on a bunch of its drama pilots this year (no surprise there) and thus, there may not be room on the Eye's sked for more "Moonlight" next season.

Speculation is that "The Unit," another bubble drama that is expected to secure a renewal, may move into "Moonlight's" Friday 9 p.m. berth in the fall.

Nothing's official yet but it looks like Fox has decided to take a pass on the Bernie Mac comedy that Bruce Helford penned for Warner Bros. TV, "Starting Under." However, the network is said to be bound and determined to getting the comedian back on its air as soon as possible, and execs hope to start developing a new project with Bernie Mac after the upfront madness ends.

Warner Bros. TV, which has a deal with the comic, is equally determined to find the right fit for the star and will likely shop a new project around town, though there's an understanding that the welcome mat is definitely still out at Fox for Mac.

During the weekend, the signs were that Fox would pick up "Starting Under," about a blue-collar guy who's forced to move in with his son after losing his job, and then give it a major overhaul. But somewhere between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, there was a meeting of the minds and it was decided that it would make more sense to just start over again from scratch.

Bernie Mac, of course, enlivened Fox's air from 2001-2006 as the star of "The Bernie Mac Show."

Jay Mohr is on the move to another night at CBS. That's what everyone who's been obsessing about pilot pickups this weekend seems to think. It's official: CBS made the pickup call Monday ayem.

Buzz on Mohr's laffer pilot, tentatively dubbed "Project Gary," from scribes Ed Yeager and Ric Swartzlander and ABC Studios is very strong -- Monday 9:30 p.m. strong.

Mohr's spent the past few seasons on CBS' Friday night lineup as a regular on "Ghost Whisperer." If the pilot lives up to its advance billing, it outta be fun to see Mohr exercising his comedy chops again as a middle-class, mid-30s dad who's recently divorced and struggling to juggle his re-entry into the dating scene with the demands of his ex and his kids. Sitcom also stars Paula Marshall and Jaime King.

Per the Eye's custom, skedding news will be kept under wraps on a Need to Know, retina-scan clearance level until Wednesday ayem just prior to CBS' Big Shew at Carnegie Hall.

Primetime in the 2008-09 season is gonna be all over the map -- Australia, Israel, Canada and the U.K. for starters.

In this strike-interrupted pilot season, networks are embracing concepts and formats from overseas like never before. After writing "based on a ----- series" about 50 times while tracking the pilot buzz this weekend, I got to wondering about the origins of these projects.

I doubt that I'm the only one who assumes that if a property is being exported to the U.S., it must've been a hit at home, right? Wrong. At least that wasn't the case with "Sit Down, Shut Up" (pictured left), the live-action Australian sitcom that has inspired the Fox animated series "Class Dismissed," from Mitch Hurwitz and a bunch of his old "Arrested Development" cohorts. Fox gave it the greenlight on Saturday on the strength of a short presentation reel.

Original "Sit Down" ran for 13 segs on Australia's Channel Ten in 2001 but wasn't well received by critics or viewers, according to a post on "TV Tonight," a blog that bills itself authoritatively as "Australia's leading TV blog." In fact, this voice of Oz TV greeted the news that "Sit Down" had been fingered as a U.S. animated series with a pithy: "Now I've heard everything."

CBS is believed to be thisclose to picking up has picked up an unusual drama project, "Mythological Ex," that is based on an Israeli series of the same name (and retitled "The Ex List" for the U.S.).

Tracking down any details of this show -- revolving a woman sent on a soul-searching journey after a tarot card reader tells her to get hitched pronto to Mr. Right, who is someone who has already been in her life -- on the web in English was kinda tough.

From what I could gather, the series airs on Israel's Channel 2, an outlet that bowed in 2005, and is produced by a company called Reshet TV. Here's the link to the company's home page. If anyone who reads Hebrew can provide further guidance on whether "Mythological Ex" has its own page within, I'd be grateful. (Thanks to reader Phil, here's the link to the page, with clips of the show.) The image at right was all I could turn up through the Google Image search.

Word is that CBS execs are over the moon about the potential of the U.S. adaptation penned by Diane Ruggiero.

MONDAY UPDATE: Now we know. It's alive! It's alive! Click here for the latest.

One of the cliffhangers in this pre-upfront weekend is the fate of CW's "Reaper."

Its aud may be small (really small) but their love for the show burns like, well, hell fire. Its culty cachet is evidenced by its status as a Television Without Pity selection, among other examples of web-based fawning over the show about a young slacker who learns on his 20th birthday that he's going to work for the devil -- thanks to a Faustian bargain his mom and dad made some years back.

"Reaper's" pre-launch buzz about the strong cast (Bret Harrison, Tyler Labine and Missy Peregrym and Ray Wise as the Devil) and better-than-average writing didn't translate into much sampling. Show had a tough start and never found its footing in the Nielsen sense.

Word on the street as of this writing is that "Reaper," from ABC Studios and creators/exec producers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, is very much on the bubble, and its only fighting chance may be as a midseason replacement. Here's to hoping the devil gets his due, for season two. We should know by Monday ayem.

Sci-fi pilot "Virtuality" shot high up on Fox's radar on Sunday with word that Peter Berg has signed on to helm the two-hour pilot and exec produce. Project is believed to be set to lens this summer.

Berg (pictured left), whose Will Smith actioner "Hancock" hits multiplexes in July, has been one of the most sought-after helmers in this truncated pilot season. "Virtuality," penned by "Battlestar Galactica's" Ron Moore and Michael Taylor, revolves around a long-range NASA mission and involves a limitless world of virtual reality.

Berg's producing partner Sarah Aubrey and Film 44 banner will be a coproducer along with Universal Media Studios and Lloyd Braun and Gail Berman's BermanBraun banner.

Fox seems hell-bent on fantastic voyages with its drama picks his year. J.J. Abrams' "Fringe" sounds "X-Files"-ish with a femme FBI agent investigating reports of unusual medical and scientific phenomena. Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" is about people who live together in a futuristic dormitory and are "imprinted" with different personalities for various assignments. Also back for more reality-bending fun next season are the cyborgs of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."