MonkIs it lame of me to continue mourning the loss of Bitty Schram, aka Monk's original sidekick, Sharona? Traylor Howard as Natalie just doesn't do it for me (honestly, few things pronounced "trailer" thrill me.) The tears she wept when she found out Monk had disappeared were so annoying. If he had gone missing on Sharona's watch, she wouldn't have called Stottlemeyer weeping. She would have gone out and found Monk herself! Also, I'm a little over the six-fingered man who supposedly killed our OCD hero's wife. I think creator Andy Breckman watched The Princess Bride one too many times (although it would be cool if the murderer ended up being played by Christopher Guest in the finale). OK, let me stop whining and talk about wh
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Todd Bridges and Jenni Meno, Skating with Celebrities
The Book of DanielThe mob won't give Daniel back the church funds unless he lets their favorite construction company — the Vaporellis — build the St. Barnabas school. I'd say that entitles Reverend Webster to three Vicodins, but then, I'm not Jesus (who notes that three pills are "a new record" for our beleaguered priest). "I don't think this will kill me," Daniel tells the Savior. However, his confusing the Vaporelli brothers with a gay couple just might do him in — though that Vaporelli on the left did dress nicely. Somehow, it didn't surprise me that Yoda the computer genius turned out to be an obnoxious adolescent letch, nor was I bowled over that Jessie ran off with Victoria's jewelry. It's this overabundance of whimsy that's turning this potentially p
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Todd Bridges and Jenni Meno, Skating with Celebrities
The Book of DanielThe mob won't give Daniel back the church funds unless he lets their favorite construction company — the Vaporellis — build the St. Barnabas school. I'd say that entitles Reverend Webster to three Vicodins, but then, I'm not Jesus (who notes that three pills are "a new record" for our beleaguered priest). "I don't think this will kill me," Daniel tells the Savior. However, his confusing the Vaporelli brothers with a gay couple just might do him in — though that Vaporelli on the left did dress nicely. Somehow, it didn't surprise me that Yoda the computer genius turned out to be an obnoxious adolescent letch, nor was I bowled over that Jessie ran off with Victoria's jewelry. It's this overabundance of whimsy that's turning this potentially p
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MonkAfter weeks of the USA Network (over)promoting the new season of Monk, the anal-retentive gumshoe is back and as in need of meds as ever. Tony Shalhoub continues to mine the hilarious quirks of his character, particularly during the opening scene when he compares the work of different shirt inspectors while shopping for clothes. (Monk says No. 8 is his "soul mate." He once wrote her a fan letter.) But what seems to be an extraneous gag quickly segues into the night's mystery. Ah, the Monk mysteries. Even a 5-year-old can solve them with just one peek at the episode's roster of guest stars. Hmmm, let's see, No-Name Actor No. 1, 2, 3... aha! Malcolm McDowell, best known as Alex from A Clockwork Orange and my second childhood crush after Tim Curry
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Question: Taping my shows and watching them later, I saw three Christmas-themed episodes in a row: The Dead Zone, Monk and Smallville. My first question is: Why does every episode have to end with someone yelling: "Look! It's snowing on Christmas day! Yeeeaaaahhhhh!"? I thought The Dead Zone was nearly unwatchable, the worst of the bunch, though the hot female psychic was wonderful to see — I hope she does more guest appearances in the future. Monk was a little better, though I figured out the mystery right after the crime was committed. I'm not sure if it is bad writing or the fact that I've seen so many Monks that I am starting to think like him. Finally, Smallville was the best of the bunch, and it was heartwarming to watch Lex actually figure out the true meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas!
Answer: If there wasn't an element of predictability in the way Christmas episodes play out, we'd probably be disappointed. (And I'd be surprised if the female psychic is back much, since
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Now that the dust has settled a bit on all the 2006 mid-season changes that will be kicking in as soon as the holidays are over, here's my night-by-night scorecard of the imminent battles we'll be covering a month or so from now.
Monday
The big news is the return of 24 on Fox, with a four-hour blast January 15-16, followed by all-new episodes through the rest of the season. For the first two months, Skating with Celebrities (a rip-off of Dancing with the Stars) will be 24's lead-in. But come mid-March, Prison Break will return. What a one-two punch that promises to be!
CBS will coast along by capping off its popular comedies with
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With Prison Break on hiatus and 24 still a month away, those who like to watch TV on the edge of their seats can fill the void with Showtime's 10-hour Sleeper Cell (premiering Sunday, Dec. 4 at 10 pm/ET). This engrossing and unnerving nail-biter is a rare treat: a thriller with a brain and a soul.
Airing in a concentrated pattern over two weeks (through Dec. 18) for maximum impact, Sleeper Cell plunges us into a dark underworld of corruption and religious zealotry.
"This isn't just a war on terror. It's a war within Islam," says undercover FBI agent Darwyn (the charismatic Michael Ealy), who has infiltrated a small band of sociopathic Muslim extremists living behind a facade of normalcy in Los Angeles. Darwyn is a devout Muslim whose own faith is tested by the actions he must perform in order not to blow his cover as an ex-con.
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Question: Any scoop on the upcoming season of The Shield? Anything on how much impact Forest Whitaker will have on it? Also, how great is it that it will be 21 episodes? That's almost like a whole other season of 24, unless they do what USA does with Monk. Will this season be split up or will it run for 21 straight weeks?
Answer: The Shield will almost certainly split this next (possibly its last) extended season into two parts. Nothing's set yet, beyond the fact that the season will premiere in January. As for the buzz, those who've seen early rushes say Forest Whitaker is terrific as the new Internal Affairs snoop, as he sets about taking down Vic and the Strike Team. (Of course, I wouldn't expect to hear anything negative from the buzzmeisters at FX, but they were certainly right about Anthony Anderson last season.) Can't wait ...
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Ready for NuCassie?
As previously reported by TVGuide.com, Guiding Light is recasting Cassie Winslow, Reva's ex-stripper sister who married into Caribbean royalty. The role was abruptly vacated when Laura Wright jumped ship to play General Hospital's new Carly. As a result, Nicole Forester will make her daytime debut as NuCassie on Nov. 4. Who the heck is she? Well, Forester has previously guest-starred on prime-time shows like Two and a Half Men, Monk, Will & Grace and Beverly Hills, 90210. She also costarred with Michael Madsen and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, The Young and the Restless) in the 2003 straight-to-DVD fright-flick Vampires Anonymous. Keep reading for another juicy nugget of Cassie-related casting news....
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The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
For both of you who skipped reading Damian J. Holbrook's deliciously snarky blow-by-blow of Sunday night's Emmycast, those wiseguys from The Sopranos, MIA this year, contracted out a hired gun named Inspector Clouseau to get the job done for HBO. Fueled by nine wins for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers — including a gold lady for star Geoffrey Rush — HBO amassed 27 Emmys overall, the same tally as the top two broadcast networks, ABC (with 16) and CBS (11), combined. Monk's Tony Shalhoub and Medium's Patricia Arquette were the night's "not so expected" wins and Felicity Huffman beat out Housewives favorites Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross. Boston Legal's James Spader (a repeat winner) and William Shatner packed a one-two punch, and everybody showed Raymond
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