Michaela McManus in Law & Order: SVU by Will Hart/NBC Photo
Jeers to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for casting another ridiculously glamorous actress as an assistant district attorney: Michaela McManus. Judging from her debut episode as hard-charging D.C. transplant Kim Grayleck, the One Tree Hill hottie may give Elisabeth Rohm a run for her money as the L&O franchise's stiffest ADA ever. And instead of 25-year-old Scarlett Johansson lookalikes like McManus, doesn't the New York City DA's office ever hire anybody who looks like, say, Sara Gilbert (who was great in a guest role as a rape victim who put her son in foster care)? Where do they find these ADAs - at the Wilhelmina School of Law?
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Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Klum, Tom Bergeron, Jeff Probst, Howie Mandel by Bob D'Amico/ABC
Jeers to the Emmys for the disastrous decision to have the five nominees for best reality show host emcee the telecast. From the deadly opening (in which Howie Mandel all-too-truly declared, "we've got nothing") to winner Jeff Probst's mercifully brief sign-off, the five-headed monster sucked up airtime - and just plain sucked. Hey, ABC, how about getting an actual comedian to host the show? (And no, Howie doesn't count.) Remember when Conan O'Brien and Ellen DeGeneres killed on Emmy night? ABC didn't need to look far: The net's own Jimmy Kimmel scored more laughs presenting the reality-host award than the five nominees did the entire night.
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James Roday by Alan Zenuk/USA
Cheers to James Roday for his outstanding performance on the Psych summer finale! Roday has been tragically underrated since the pilot, and this episode especially highlighted his talent. His concern for Gus’ safety during the robbery was matched only by his shock that Juliet was dating someone else. In the end, it was the best episode of the season thus far. • Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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America's Next Top Model by Mike Rosenthal/Pottle Productions Inc./The CW
Cheers to America's Next Top Model for looking good again. Tyra Banks' reality staple had seemingly reached the end of its creative runway, but the 11th cycle has proven surprisingly fierce. Casting the transgendered Isis could've been a stunt, but she's an intriguing competitor, and the impressively diverse field ranges from a wide-eyed but small-minded Alaskan (Hannah) to a tattooed, sexually ambiguous Angelina Jolie lookalike (Elina). With Project Runway stuck in a season-long malaise — hello, Suede? — it's good to see Tyra and Co. are back in fashion.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!Related:• Ratings: Top Model Looking Better and Better
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Robert Sean Leonard by Adam Taylor/Fox
Cheers to Robert Sean Leonard for bringing down the House. He's been doing skillful, subtle work for two decades — I always thought he should've gotten a huge movie career out of Dead Poets Society — but Leonard has never been better than in the aftermath of Amber's death. As Wilson has finally stood up to his abusive mentor ("We're not friends anymore, House. I'm not sure we ever were"), Leonard has more than held his own opposite the formidable Hugh Laurie. So where's his Emmy nomination?Related:• VIDEO: Robert Sean Leonard sizes discusses the Wilson-House friction• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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The Hills courtesy MTV
Jeers to The Hills for repeating itself. MTV's soap shook up the LC-Speidi feud last season when Lauren started hanging out with Spencer's sister, Stephanie. Now they're shaking it up again as Lauren's hanging out with... Heidi's (much less interesting) sister, Holly. Only this time, Heidi's hoping Holly might "like, peace out" the situation with Lauren, since they all used to be friends like "the three Musketeers." (That sound you hear is Alexandre Dumas spinning in his grave.) This should prove once and for all that The Hills isn't totally scripted, because no writer would come up with such a lame story line.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Rachel Maddow by Ali Goldstein/NBC, Bonnie Hunt courtesy Warner Bros.
Cheers to a pair of great talk-show guests who’ve smoothly transitioned into the host’s chair: Rachel Maddow and Bonnie Hunt. Liberal pundit Maddow, one of Keith Olbermann’s favorite talking heads, now follows Countdown on MSNBC with a self-titled show—and beat CNN’s Larry King in the ratings on her first night. Meanwhile, David Letterman fave Hunt has launched her own syndicated daytime show and has quickly proven as adept at friendly celebrity chat as fellow funnywoman Ellen DeGeneres. Whether they’re guests or hosts, Rachel and Bonnie are welcome in my home anytime.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler/NBC
Cheers to Saturday Night Live for finding the best possible reason to reunite Tina Fey and Amy Poehler: a hysterical opening sketch. The ex-"Weekend Update" coanchors and Baby Mama costars brilliantly lampooned Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. (Clinton: "I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy." Palin: "And I can see Russia from my house.")
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar in Raising the Bar courtesy TNT
Posted by JennieO...Jeers to TNT for its over-the-top overpromotion of Steven Bochco's tepid "new" series Raising the Bar. And many more jeers to Mr. Bochco himself for hiring third-graders to rewrite discarded Hill Street Blues episodes to bring them into the late '80s. That he is misusing such a talented cast so badly, and obviously not allowing any barbers on the set, is terribly sad. I hope this show goes swiftly into that dark night.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Blayne by Barbara Nitke/Bravo
Cheers to Project Runway for eliminating the most irksome contestant in the show's history: Blayne. The desperate-for-a-catchphrase tanning-booth addict got the boot for an "avant-garde" outfit (designed with the almost-as-nightmarish Stella) that inspired judge Michael Kors to reference one of his greatest lines ever: "It looks like she's pooping fabric." As rude and disappointing as co-loser Terri was, I only wish Runway had also gotten rid of the bizarrely narcissistic Suede. As Suede might put it, "Suede must go!"• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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