Comedy Archives

Looks like a does of jealousy is going to mix with all the spy fun on the latest "Chuck." In "Chuck Versus the Mask," airing at 7p.m. Feb. 8, Hannah gets sucked into the spy world. As you can see in the sneak peek here, Chuck and Sarah have some words about Shaw and Hannah. Meow. I added some interview shorts with guest stars Brandon Routh and Kristin Kreuk.

Thursdays are already a big comedy night with FX's "Archer" and NBC's "30 Rock" (plus "Community," "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office"). But this Thursday is special because "Important Things with Demetri Martin" and "The Sarah Silverman Program" return to Comedy Central.

Jon Hamm showed his "Mad Men" castmate, January Jones, how to host "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. Hamm hosted the show for his second time, capitalizing on his Don Draper character and his sex appeal with some shirtless, and several funny, sketches.

The show started out slowly with the cold open that spoofed Barack Obama's State of the Union address. It just wasn't funny; Fred Armisen still hasn't found the perfect impersonation. (Read The Kyles Files Armisen opinion here.)

But let's not dwell on the bad; there was so little of it last night anyway. Hamm brought things back to life with his monologue, in which he showed some of his pre-Don Draper gigs. In each of them--my favorite being the one where he slugged Kristen Wiig--he was dressed and acted just like Draper.

"And uh, believe it or not that's how I got 'Mad Men,'" he said.

In other highlights, Bobby Moynihan's Snooki came back to "Weekend Update," and Michael Bublé showed that he can do comedy as well as sing. Check out the clips below and if you want more or want to watch the full episode, got to Hulu's "SNL" page.

One of the best recurring skits on "Saturday Night Live" these days is "ESPN Classics," when Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte play sports commentators Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink.

In the bits they are hosting some kind of women's sporting event sponsored by a woman's product such as Tampax or Summer's Eve. They're hilarious, and not for the sporting part of the skits.

That's why I'm eagerly anticipating NBC's special, "SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars," at 8 p.m. Sunday. Sudeikis and Forte will host--as Twinkle and Stink--the look at past "SNL" sports sketches and appearances by sports stars. They plan to present some brand new material, too.

"My favorite part of the sketch is the period in between when Jason has--excuse me, when Pete Twinkle--delivers the sponsor little jingle," Forte said during a conference call this week. "In between the last word [of the jingle] and when he caps it off with Tampax. Or something.

"I wish that lasted forever--and oftentimes it does."

Judith Light, Becki Newton, Vanessa Williams, Eric Mabius, America Ferrera, Michael Urie, Tony Plana, Mark Indelicato and Ana Ortiz of "Ugly Betty." (ABC photo)

"Ugly Betty" will stumble down the catwalk for the last time this spring, ABC announced Wednesday.

Ewan O'Hara (John Cena) helps Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dule Hill) uncover a scandal on an Army Base in "Psych." (USA photo)

PSYCH
9 p.m. Wednesday, USA
Tune in or out? out of four

I'm "seeing" silly fun coming to 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

"Psych," which has been on hiatus since October, returns on a new night and with a few surprises: James Roday gets serious! And guest star John Cena, the hulking WWE star, delivers his share of laughs.

Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte will host "SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars" as their characters Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink. (NBC photo)

Don't expect to see the Masturbating Bear on "Saturday Night Live." Or Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

THE INBETWEENERS
8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, BBC America
(Check bbcamerica.com for repeats schedule if you missed the first two episodes.)
Tune in or out? out of four.

If you're having a bit of "Glee" withdrawal, I've got just the medicine for you: "The Inbetweeners."

The British import airing on BBC America is more akin to the teen romp "Superbad" than to Fox's high school musical comedy, bringing a somewhat raunchy, always hilarious and much truer account of life as a teenager.

As if "Better Off Ted" needed any kind of pinch hitter to get any, well, better, ABC's fantastic workplace comedy Tuesday gets a visit from one of my favorite actors, Eddie McClintock of Syfy's "Warehouse 13." In "Mess of a Salesman," airing at 7:30 p.m., McClintock plays Ted's brother, Billy, who gets a job selling equipment to Veridian Dynamics. Billy is something of a talker, not unlike McClintock's "Warehouse 13" character, smooth Secret Service agent Pete Lattimer. Watch the clips above and below and be sure to tune in tonight. "Better Off Ted" needs more viewers! Check out my interview with Eddie McClintock here.

"Saturday Night Live" addressed the late-night war between Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and NBC three times this weekend, scoring two out of three times.

The late-night wars of words continued Thursday, with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien taking aim at each other. David Letterman took more pot shots at Leno, and basically reveled in the whole NBC debacle. Jimmy Kimmel took Leno to task--on Leno's show!

Conan O'Brien and David Letterman had more to say about NBC's Lenogate Wednesday. Conan got some help from Kenneth the Page, and an f-bomb dropping Ricky Gervais. I can't wait to see him on the live Golden Globes broadcast Sunday.

Go to Hulu for full episodes and click this link for all kinds of other Conan-Jay news.

NBC's Thursday night comedies get very special guest stars this week. On "30 Rock," James Franco plays himself. On "Parks & Recreation," Amy Poehler and her real-life hubby, Will Arnett, go on a date--and doesn't go too well. And on "Community," Jack Black plays Buddy, a new student who joins the group. Check out the sneak peek videos below, and click the VIDEOS link at the top of Show Patrol for more sneaks.

"Better Off Ted" already was a great comedy (that too few people are watching) that I didn't think could be much more funny, and then along comes this gem of an outtakes clip.

It's the"what we could have done" version of "The Impertence of Communicationizing," the first of two episodes that aired on ABC Tuesday. It is unbelievably nasty and wonderful. In the ep, a memo is sent around Viridian Dynamics with a typo instructing employees to speak offensively to each other. On TV, characters attacked each other with "clean" insults. In this version, they use tons of cuss words. Here's the unedited version of the episode. WARNING: It is full of nasty, not-for-work-or-kids language. So what's your favorite dirty insult, you [bleep]-guzzling gutter [bleeps]?

• SAVE BETTER OFF TED
• THE WATCHER LOVES BETTER OFF TED
• MY REVIEW OF SEASON 2
• MY REVIEW OF SEASON 1

Charles Barkley called it.

At the end of his stilted monologue on last night's "Saturday Night Live," the Round Mound of Rebound said, "We got a great show tonight. Some of it is great; actually some of it we're gonna do anyway."

Well, I guess his opening was all about honesty. They did the "not great" stuff anyway. And Barkley didn't get much more relaxed, flubbing and forgetting lines in several skits. Take a look and tell me what you think. (NBC bigger worry: Jay Leno moves back to late-night.)

CHUCK
"Chuck Vs. The Pink Slip," 8 p.m. Sunday, NBC
"Chuck Vs. The Three Words," 9 p.m. Sunday, NBC
"Chuck Vs. The Angel De La Muerte," 7 p.m. Monday, NBC
our of four

To say almost anything about the first three hours of the new season of this hilarious spy comedy would spoil the fun. For fans that fought so hard to keep NBC from shelving such a deserving series alive, I'll just say that "Chuck" delivers the same marvelous comedy, romance and pop culture references it has in the past. And action? Now that nerd-turned-spy Chuck (Zachary Levi) has been given special spy abilities, he delivers even more kung fu fighting, yet he remains as sweet and bumbling as ever. Everyone should watch this show!

After the sneak peeks below are links to all kinds of Chuckness on Show Patrol.

Conan O'Brien took aim at NBC, Jay Leno and rumors about their "situation" Friday night, proving again why he's tops in my book as a late-night host.

"We've got a great show for you tonight," O'Brien said during his monologue. "I have no idea what time it will air, but it's going to be a great show."

"This world might end in 2012, but this show will not."

That's what we see Bart Simpson writing over and over on the school chalkboard during the opening credits of the 450th episode of "The Simpsons."

After 20 years of crafting the show, creator Matt Groening and everyone involved in the animated phenomenon can say that "The Simpsons" still is going strong.

Fox wraps up its yearlong celebration of the 20th anniversary with "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" at 7 p.m. followed by "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3D! On Ice!," an hourlong documentary from "Super Size Me" creator and "Simpsons" fan Morgan Spurlock.

The CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" celebrates its 100th episode Monday, but the show's creators feared it might be the last during filming.

Neil Patrick Harris nearly took a tumble off the roof of a cab while performing the episode's big song-and-dance number, exec producers/creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas said in a conference call Wednesday.

Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox reunite on "Cougar Town." [ABC photo]

"Friends" co-stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow reunite Wednesday on Cox's series "Cougar Town." Kudrow plays a demanding dermatologist, Dr. Amy Evans, who Jules and Ellie want to see despite her reputation as being one mean woman. Check out the three clips below, followed by ABC's description of the episode. Click here for more sneak peeks.

ABC isn't making me a fan lately. What does the network have against one of TV's best comedies, "Better Off Ted?"

As EW's Ken Tucker reported last week, the network seems to be engaging in a "relentless campaign to hide this wonderful sitcom" by airing it in tough time slots, such as the Jan. 1 episode that ran after the over-time Rose Bowl. It's been airing on Tuesdays, but sometimes at 7:30 p.m., sometimes at 8:30 p.m. and sometimes at both, like this week.

On Tuesday we'll see two episodes of the marvelous series for which I fear we'll soon be launching a "Save Our Show" campaign.

Just in time for the Season 3 premiere of "Chuck" on Sunday, the comedy has its own iPhone app at iTunes.

With "Doctor Who: The End of Time" Part 2 airing this weekend, I thought it appropriate to not only provide sneak peeks of the final David Tennant appearance as Doctor Who, but to give a little bonus fun.

I just had a big 'ol Chuckgasm. And now I'm going to give you one. Actually, these sneak peek clips of the Season 3 premiere of NBC's spy comedy will. I've got three sneak peeks, several cast interviews and an extended feature that catches you up on the show. You may have seen some of these already, but I thought I'd just put them all together in one place. Enjoy and tell every single person you know to tune in to NBC at 8 p.m. Jan. 10 and 7 p.m. Jan. 11 for Season 3 of "Chuck." You will not regret it.

If you like comedy, romance and action, then chuck out "Chuck" when it begins it's third season Jan. 10 on NBC. (And catch up with a marathon of S2 Jan. 7 on Syfy.) NBC's latest promos for the series show why, if you do like those three genres, "Chuck" is a show for you. The network also has released a video clip with the show's stars talking about their first jobs.

Here's the latest promo for Season 3 of "Chuck," which begins Jan. 10 on NBC. It's called "Love Versus Career," and gives some insight into the romance-not romance between Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Chuck (Zachary Levi).

Did you catch the "Secret Santa" episode of "The Office"? If not, NBC released a producer's cut of the episode that includes 9 extra minutes. You can watch it below. Happy holidays!

James Franco and Muse closed out the decade for "Saturday Night Live" this past weekend.

Jame Franco

It was one of the better shows of the comedy showcase's 35th season, but I don't think any of the holiday skits beat out those I singled out from past seasons in the post "Great 'Saturday Night Live' holiday sketches." (The Vincent Price sketch comes close.)

One special note: You'll notice I praise Kristen Wiig, who I criticized in my ranking of the "SNL" players for overdoing her annoying, repetitive characters such as Gilly and Penelope. This weekend she did more one-off characters and she was a joy to watch.

So what did you think of the final "SNL" of the decade?

The folks at "SNL" could have used an editor for the Thursday special, "A Very Gilly Christmas."

Kristen Wiig as Gilly.

Some great sketches were MIA, including "Christmas Eve at the White House," with Chevy Chase as President Gerald Ford, "Dysfunctional Family Christmas" with Dana Carvey, and "Debbie Downer" with Rachel Dratch.

Below are some of my favorites, starting with an all-time great: Schweddy Balls. Some of these skits were included Thursday and some were not. I wish I could find video for Will Ferrell's "Mark Jensen's Family Christmas" and especially "The Robert Goulet All-Holiday Special." It's a classic. NBC has Dana Carvey's "Lost Ending to 'It's a Wonderful Life'" and Justin Timberlake's funny "Give it up to Homelessville" on a special nbc.com video page, so I couldn't embed them.

Here's my daily post about "Chuck": Season 3 begins Jan. 10 on NBC, but before that Syfy is doing a Jan. 7 marathon of S2 "Chuck" episodes so newbies can get caught up with TV's best spy comedy. And they should. It's so awesome. Below is the marathon schedule.

The "Chuck" marathon includes episodes featuring guest stars such as Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile"); John Larroquette ("Boston Legal"); Melinda Clarke ("The O.C."); Tony Hale ("Arrested Development"); Chevy Chase ("Community"); Scott Bakula ("Quantum Leap"); Morgan Fairchild ("Falcon Crest"); Bruce Boxleitner ("Babylon 5") and former New York Giants star Michael Strahan.

Don't miss my interviews with Chuck himself, Zachary Levi, and producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, plus with co-stars Ryan McPartlin (Chicago man!) and Vik Sahay.

As if we needed more proof that "Glee" bad boy Puck should get more solos on Fox's hit comedy, the actor who plays him, Mark Salling, has released his ode to the show on Youtube. And to think, Salling joked with me at the beginning of the season that he can't even sing. (Watch my video interviews with cast here.)

We soon learned that wasn't the case when Salling sang "Sweet Caroline." We want more! Did you hear about the "Glee" Golden Globes nominations?

We get a double dose of "SNL" this week. James Franco hosts "Saturday Night Live" at 10:30 p.m. Saturday with musical guest Muse. Before the weekend, however, "A Very Gilly Christmas" airs at 7 p.m. Thursday on NBC. Kristen Wiig's creepy Gilly character gets the spotlight along with some new holiday skits. But I'm looking most forward to some classics, such as Alec Baldwin talking about his Schwetty Balls. Here are a couple of promo vids.

I never am sure how folks like this become so big, but two of the "stars" of MTV's new reality series "Jersey Shore" came on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" on Tuesday. "The Situation" and Snooki talked about nicknames, among other things.

Have you seen "Jersey Shore"? I hate to sound snobbish, but should I bother watching it?

CASTING "JERSEY SHORE, THE MOVIE"

"Chuck" Star Zachary Levi and producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak chatted during a conference call last week about the upcoming third season of the spy comedy.

Knowing how interested "Chuck" fans are in the show, I decided to print the entire transcript of the interview with questions from dozens of reporters and bloggers. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I've provided a Cliff's Notes version first. But these three guys are pretty funny, so you might want to skip to the QA.

• The Intersect gives Chuck new abilities, but with glitches.
• Chuck "is able to kind of lend a hand in the kick butt-ery," Levi said, adding "he's still ... the somewhat bumbling hero."
• Levi says fans shouldn't worry Chuck will change: "Chuck still is the guy that everyone came to know in Season 1, he's just had to learn and grow and change as the situation in his life has forced him to do so. But he does it still with the same heart that he approaches everything with."
• Casey (Adam Baldwin) will serve as Chuck's sensai, Fedak said. Schwartz said he'll even compliment Chuck, plus "Casey's harboring a secret of his own that he's kept quiet to the team and that's going to come into play this year as well."
• Brandon Routh's character will lead the team, which means friction with Casey.
• Folks at the Buy More will face their own challenges this year, including cut backs and potential management overthrows. The producers hinted that Casey may become the new assistant manager.
• Kristin Kreuk plays a new member of the Nerd Herd who will "set multiple hearts aflutter."
• Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) isn't the only person who knows Chuck's secret and becomes involved in the spy game, Fedak said. Someone else will learn about Chuck as well.
• Chuck's deeper spy life will strain his relationship with Morgan (Josh Gomez), even though they get their bachelor pad.
• Levi said Strahovksi is "a beautiful, strong, limber girl" who is an ace at fight scenes. His biggest challenge with those scenes, he said, "is just my lank-itude, my, you know, long limberness and, you know, trying to make that look as snappy as possible."
• Chuck will fight Steve Austin's baddie on an airplane and possibly with nunchucks.
• "Lester (Vik Sahay) really goes bananas," Schwartz said. "You will see what Lester sleeps in." (My past "Chuck" coverage)

NBC is ramping up its promotional of spy comedy "Chuck," and so am I. This show is terrific and everyone--that means you too--should tune in on Jan. 10. It'll be awesome!

Watch the NBC video below in which cast members Zach Levi, Yvonne Strahovski and others take us behind-the-scenes of the new season. And if you want to get caught up with the show, nbc.com are showing 5 episodes from S2 every 13 days until the Jan. 10 premiere. Here's everything I have on "Chuck."

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" wolfboy Taylor Lautner extended the "Saturday Night Live" poke at Kanye West that was started by that other Taylor--Lautner's sweetheart Taylor Swift--when she hosted the late-night show.

In his monologue, Lautner showed off his martial arts skills by attacking a dummy of West and knocking off his head as if to show the Swift dummy also on stage how he should have defended her honor during the VMAs when West took the mic from her.

Lautner's athletic and cute. But funny? Not so much.

That was just the start of another lame episode of "SNL," which seems to be the norm for the 35th season.

Who can't wait until Jan. 10? Who? Who? Me, for one, and hopefully millions more will tune in for the new season of "Chuck" on NBC. The network has been releasing all kinds of fun promos. Enjoy!

This Thursday is Christmas, at least on NBC's comedies. "Community" kicks everything off at 7 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by "Parks and Recreation," at 8 p.m. by "The Office" and at 8:30 p.m. by "30 Rock," with guest star Julianne Moore. Check out the sneak peeks from NBC below.

Taylor Lautner hosts this weekend's "Saturday Night Live." In his first promo clip, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" star chats with Kristen Wiig. The show airs at 10:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC. (Check out this season of "SNL" so far.)

Life's going to be a little glum after Wednesday's mid-season finale of "Glee." The hit comedy won't return to Fox's schedule until April 13. We're just going to have to fill the void with the show's soundtracks, the second of which dropped Tuesday. In "Sectionals" we'll hear "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls," Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain On My Parade," The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Here's what the network has to say about "Sectionals," which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday:

The Golden Globes crowd won't want host Ricky Gervais pointing at them. Getty Images photo

"They said I could turn up, say what I wanted and get drunk," the star of the British version of "The Office" told a teleconference I took part in on Tuesday. "So it really is my kind of gig."

Gervais won't be cruel or distasteful to the Globes crowd, he said, but plans "gentle ribbing" of at least some of the actors present.

"Anyone who's younger and thinner and richer and more attractive than me. That's the ones I'm going for," Gervais said. "Rainn Wilson's safe again. Steve Carell is on the cusp."

BETTER OFF TED
8:30 p.m. Tuesday, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

Something has to be wrong with a company that posts a DNA compatibility chart of its single employees to encourage match-ups in an effort to reduce health insurance costs.

It's funny, too. And that's exactly how this fantastic workplace sitcom opens its second season.

Robin Williams returns to HBO at 8 p.m. Sunday with his stand-up act, "Weapons of Self Destruction." He almost didn't get to do it. Williams had to postpone part of his tour earlier this year when he underwent surgery to replace his aortic valve. He returned to the tour and in July taped the special. Here are two sneak peeks courtesy of HBO.

Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte were a hit on "SNL" this weekend.

Blake Lively did fine as host, but Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte owned this weekend's "Saturday Night Live"--good, bad and truly bizarre. (OK, maybe only the good and bizarre.)

But first, yes, "SNL" did two timely jokes involving Tiger Woods and White House party-crashers the Salahis. They may have been obvious and obligatory, but I laughed, especially the Tiger Woods skit. [More on Tiger Woods from other Chicago Now bloggers.]

The Glee Club performs on mattresses. Fox photo

It's yearbook photo time on "Glee," which means the cast just has to sing Lilly Allen's "Smile" (and a tidbit of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile").

In "Mattress," airing at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Fox, most of the club is happy to be left out of the yearbook, except Rachel, who just has to have her Glee Club success documented. Quinn wants to be in the yearbook, too, but as a Cheerio. The club gets cast in a mattress commercial, and something's up with Will and Terri's relationship.

Zach Braff will appear in a handful of "Scrubs" episodes this season, then narration duties will pass to Kerry Bishe. ABC photos

SCRUBS
8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

If you thought this silly sitcom was over last season when Dr. John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) left Sacred Heart Hospital, surprise! ABC brings "Scrubs" back for a ninth season with a two-hour premiere, slightly tweaking the formula with cast changes and a new mission: Now Drs. Cox (John C. McGinley), Kelso (Ken Jenkins) and intern Denise (Eliza Coupe) are terrorizing med students. J.D. and Turk (Donald Faison) are back too, briefly resuming their bromance before Braff leaves the show permanently. Then awkward student Lucy (Kerry Bishe) will take over narration duties full-time from J.D., and we'll get to see exactly what this new "Scrubs" is all about. Offbeat and wacky, I'm sure.

Read on to watch two video sneak peeks of the new season, and don't forget to check out all the video sneaks by clicking on the "videos" button at the top of Show Patrol.

Remember when Zach Braff died? Rememer when Braff came back swinging?

Jim Gaffigan chats with Conan O'Brien earlier this year on the "Tonight Show." NBC photo

When you hear the name Jim Gaffigan, food probably comes to mind. The comic is famous for wringing laughs from Hot Pockets, Cinnabon, spray cheese, cake and his beloved bacon.

But on Tuesday, a ghostly apparition from Gaffigan's past re-emerges in the form of the complete series DVD set of "Pale Force," the series of animated shorts that began in 2005 on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" in which Gaffigan mocks his and O'Brien's alabaster-white skin. Gaffigan voices the freakishly white superhero Pale Man and his sidekick, Conan O'Brien.

"I just loved the idea of going on a TV show with a piece of animation that makes fun of the host," the 43-year-old told me in late October. "I just think that's a funny idea."

When NBC announced that it would bring back its comedy "Chuck" two months early on Jan. 10, fans lit up social media Web sites with virtual cheers.

Actor Vik Sahay was just as happy.

Lester (Vik Sahay) still will view Chuck (Zachary Levi) with disdain.

The other half of the good news is that NBC ordered six additional episodes of "Chuck," which was saved from cancellation by forceful fan campaigning. Now nerd-turned-spy Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) will have 19 episodes to save the day, woo sexy spy Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and keep out of Lester's way at the Buy More.

"Lester's hatred and envy of Chuck is just growing deeper," Sahay said, even though he swore he cannot reveal any secrets about the new season, not even one little tidbit.

"No, I can't, because the tidbit will be a string that unravels my barely contained excitement about the season."

Since "Saturday Night Live" just completed a week off, airing a repeat of the not-so-great Gerard Butler episode on Saturday, I thought this would be a good time to rate the show's regular cast members.

Now in it's 35th season, I'd say "SNL" is holding about a C average. Some weeks have stood out--like Taylor Swift's Nov. 7 episode. But some--January Jones' Nov. 14 ep--have been complete and total fails.

Sure, the success or failure of a week has a lot to do with the hosts and their ability to inspire good writing or deliver laughs. But I'd say it's mostly up to the writers and the regular cast to make those guest hosts look good. So how are the cast members doing? Here's how I'd rate them.

Am I on or off? Let me know how you think in the comments. "SNL" begins a 3-week stint of new episodes on Dec. 5.

10 BEST "SNL" Digital Shorts

Peter Facinelli really is getting into "Twilight."

"I'm literally addicted to it," Facinelli told the L.A. Times' Hero Complex blog. "Everybody I come in contact with I'm like 'let me transform you; let me bite you.'"

The actor, currently back at work on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" where he plays Dr. Fitch Cooper, recently shot a skit for G4's "Attack of the Show" in which he parodies "The Twilight Saga."

It's the second time "AOTS" has parodied "Twilight." The first, with "AOTS" hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn, is classic. Check out both clips below and let me know what you think.

Blake Lively, Taylor Lautner and James Franco will host "Saturday Night Live" in September.

This week "Saturday Night Live" is repeating the Gerard Butler-hosted episode, but the NBC show has locked in December's line-up of hosts and musical guests.

• Dec. 5: Blake Lively/Rihanna
• Dec. 12: Taylor Lautner/Bon Jovi
• Dec. 19: James Franco/Muse

Will Lively prove to be livelier than January Jones was when she hosted? Will Lautner give a shout-out to Taylor Swift, who did the same to him when she hosted? Will Franco return to the guest seat during "What Up with That?" like he did earlier this season? Will I find more ways to link to old posts about "Saturday Night Live"?

Eve

Season 4 "So You Think You Can Dance" contestants Katee Shean, Kherington Payne and Comfort Fedoke guest star as members of the rival club, who perform Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious." Expect to hear glee-tastic versions of a mash-up of "Hair" and Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," John Lennon's "Imagine," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and, as you can see in the vid below, Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach."

As "Chuck" fans know, TV's best spy comedy returns to NBC earlier than expected with a two-hour season premiere on Jan. 10, followed by another new episode on Jan. 11. NBC has released the first two trailers for the season. Enjoy!

Andy Samberg introduced a new musical "SNL" Digital Short on the latest episode of "Saturday Night Live," hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. "Two Worlds Collide" features him and "Reba McEntire" (Kenan Thompson). It's nasty and I love it. But how does it rank among other musical shorts? Here's my Top 10 list. I think I've remembered most of them, including "Ras Trent," "Hero Song" and "Daiquiri Girl." What do you think?

High energy and a 1,000-watt smile went a long way for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as he hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.

It's amazing how certain songs can elicit such strong feelings from listeners. "Endless Love," for example, makes me feel like puking. But in the "Ballad" episode of "Glee," it makes Kurt think about singing with Finn, Finn think about Rachel's butt and Rachel think about Mr. Schuester in a way she hasn't before. And Puck? Well, listen carefully to what he's thinking about. Take a look at these sneak peek clips provided by Fox. "Ballad" airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, on Fox.

For more sneak peeks, hit the button labeled "Videos" at the top of Show Patrol.

Don Draper would be chain-smoking and guzzling lots of drinks: Betty Draper bombed as host of "Saturday Night Live."

Actually the actress who plays Betty--January Jones--proved that not everyone can handle live comedy. She was a deer in the headlights, so obviously nervous she forgot lines, flubbed lines, missed cues and cracked up in the middle of skits (which I found to be the best parts of her skits).

A past "Community" episode ended with Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) rapping using Spanish they learned in Senor Chang's (Ken Jeong) class. In the latest Webisode, Abed reshoots the segment using the actors from his "Community College Chronicles" film project. But Troy is there to watch.

"Community" airs at 7 p.m. Thursdays on NBC. For more Web extras, go to NBC.com.

In the latest "Community" Webisode, Abed Nadir (Chicago's Danny Pudi) shows his student film "Community College Chronicles." The Greendale film student casts other students as the people in his study group and shoots a day in their lives. Check the show's site on NBC.com for new posts.

January Jones of "Mad Men" hosts this weekend's new "Saturday Night Live" with musical guests the Black Eyed Peas. NBC has released the promos with Jones and Fred Armisen. I hope this is no indication of the upcoming episode. But Jones is sure nice to look at. The actress played beer pong with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week. Take a look..

Warning: Post contains some R-rated, but hilarious, material.

Jon Lajoie stars as spaced-out Taco in FX's "The League." FX photo

Jon Lajoie is used to being an Internet sensation.

The Canadian comic gained fame and millions of Youtube views with such spoof music videos as "Everyday Normal Guy" and "Show Me Your Genitals." (See his page.)

Now fans are viewing "The Birthday Song" from FX's latest inappropriate comedy, "The League" (9:30 p.m. Thursdays). Lajoie's character, Taco, sang the hilarious, R-rated tune to his brother's 5-year-old in the series premiere.

In it, he tells a group of children exactly how Ellie came to be--in a very graphic way.

"It was kind of awkward singing that to kids," Lajoie told me Tuesday.

"Glee" returns Wednesday after two weeks off with a stellar episode. In "Wheels," paraplegic singer Artie (Kevin McHale) gets the spotlight when Mr. Shuester (Matthew Morrison) challenges the glee club to raise enough money to rent a wheelchair-accessible bus so Artie can travel with the kids. The musical numbers--including a wheelchair-riding version of "Proud Mary"--are awesome as usual. But the drama is particularly poignant: Gay gleek Kurt (Chris Colfer) struggles with how his being out affects his dad (Mike O'Malley), while a look into the private life of ruthless Cheerios Coach Sylvester (Jane Lynch) surprises. "Wheels" debuts at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Fox. Here's a clip of Artie singing Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself."

NBC MAKES IT OFFICIAL: 'CHUCK' BACK IN JAN. 10

Ryan McPartlin says the new season of "Chuck" will be awesome. NBC photos

"I'd be 350 pounds easily," the Glen Ellyn native told me Monday.

That extra weight wouldn't be good for the actor, whose buff Captain Awesome will be going shirtless again during the upcoming third season of NBC's "Chuck."

"Unfortunately, but that's not my choice," he said, laughing. "I went home to Chicago and spent a lot of time at Giordano's [for pizza] and Portillo's [for hot dogs]. I went up to Wisconsin to some apple orchards, got some ice cream and donuts.

"And of course, right away they're like, 'Your shirt's coming off.' It took my about three weeks to get back into 'Awesome' shape."

McPartlin, 34, might be showing those Awesome abs a lot more now that NBC has ordered six additional episodes of the spy comedy, for a total of 19. The "unofficial word" is that the show will return in January instead of March, McPartlin said Monday.

That's all great news for "Chuck" fans that rallied around their series to prevent it from being canceled. NBC might have been better off keeping the comedy around this fall: "The Jay Leno Show" is tanking in the 9 p.m. hour, and "Trauma," the 8 p.m. show that replaced "Chuck" on Mondays, has been canceled.

Kanye West did not interrupt Taylor Swift's monologue during "Saturday Night Live" tonight. Instead, the country singer took a swipe at the rapper for stealing her spotlight at the VMAs earlier this year.

Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader join Taylor Swift onstage. NBC photos

"You might be expecting me to say something bad about Kanye
and how he ran up on the stage and ruined my VMA monologue.
But there's nothing more to say, cuz everything's OK.
I've got security lining the stage."

Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader then appeared on the stage, looking like security personnel and flashing a sketch of West.

When Swift finished the song, she said," We have a great show. Kanye West is not here ..."

Wanda Sykes and her first guests, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Phil Keoghan tape her show Friday. Fox photo

George Clooney, Condoleeza Rice and Michael Strahan.

That's comic Wanda Sykes' dream lineup--of living guests--for her new talk show.

"I bet you Clooney will loosen her up, huh? Get us some drinks and Conde, oh boy," Sykes joked, adding about Strahan, "She likes the football player."

Taylor Swift slams Kanye West in "Monologue Song (La la la)."

Taylor Swift hosts "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, with musical guest Taylor Swift. Here are the promos she shot with Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. "SNL" has had a couple weeks off. You think it'll come back strong, or be as bad as it's been most of the season?

Here's my take on two DVD sets that came out last week, "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan" and "The Mighty Boosh Special Edition."

What are we going to do with our Mondays after tonight? "Greek" wraps up another awesome season with a song, a dance and a battle-bot showdown.

Before you get to the video sneaks, though, check out the "Greek Rap" performed by actor/singer and apparent "Greek" fan Zach Selwyn (above). Below you'll find ABC Family's description of the finale, along with three videos--including a great surprise in the last one. So if you don't want it to see a spoiler, don't watch the last one, OK? Can you wait? I didn't think so. The finale airs at 8 p.m. Monday on ABC Family.

Andy, Erin, Kelly and Ryan get their groove on. NBC photos

In it, Kelly (Mindy Kaling) and Erin (Ellie Kemper) shoot a video for their new girl group, Subtle Sexuality, with a song that allows Mindy to slam the former object of her affections, Ryan (B.J. Novak). "Male Prima Donna" is an outstanding, auto-tuned triumph. With the gals in all kinds of wack clothes, Ryan rapping as Mr. Understood and Andy (Ed Helms) stealing the show as the Nard Dog, I can't picture how it could be better.

Ladies and gentlemen, here's Subtle Sexuality:

Abed (Danny Pudi) becomes Batman on "Community." NBC photos

They're both biracial. They both like making new friends. They love pop culture from the 1980s.

And it turns out they both do dead-on, hilarious impersonations of Christian Bale.

In the comedy's Halloween episode Thursday, Pudi's socially awkward Abed tones down his frenetic persona to be the Dark Knight at the Day of the Dead party his classmate, Annie (Alison Brie), is throwing for their Spanish class.

"It was such a treat to play Batman," Chicago native Pudi told me via e-mail Wednesday. "But it wasn't the first time. There was one Halloween ... around 1990 when I played the Dark Knight. That Batman was a little more innocent and the costume wasn't as good. I believe it was from Walgreens and made of plastic."

THE LEAGUE
9:30 p.m. Thursday, FX
Tune in or out? out of four.

One question popped into my head after watching FX's raunchy new comedy about the arrested-development members of a fantasy football league: Do straight guys really make so many homo-suggestive comments in a day? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but really guys, just try sex with your buds if you are so curious.

(I should probably be offended that they use gay jokes as weapons, but these boys are so hopeless, it's not worth effort. Besides, their preoccupation with the subject matter makes me laugh.)

NBC and "30 Rock" have created this online exclusive showing Frank (Judah Friedlander) and Lutz (John Lutz) dueling over their knowledge of porn. It's hilarious, if you're into crazy porn titles. Enjoy. For more "30 Rock" clips go to NBC.com.

Jim Gaffigan is headed to Chicago. Comedy Central photo

His Jan. 30 Chicago Theatre show sold out Thursday, causing producers to add another show on Jan. 29. He'll get to see his family in the Windy City and Indiana. Finally, the comic who has famously riffed on Hot Pockets, bacon and cake will get to chow down on another favorite--deep-dish pizza.

"Where my hotel is ... kind of determines what deep-dish I'll get," he told me Thursday. "Because I not only love pizza, but I'm lazy.

"I remember when I worked at Zanies, sitting in a Giordano's at 10:30 in the morning, waiting 'til 11 so I could order a pizza. So it is a sincere love."

Nightman is coming to Comedy Central next summer. FX photos

Frank, meet Cartman.

Things just got sunnier on Comedy Central. The network that already brings us the kid curmudgeon Cartman will now have Danny De Vito's nasty little man Frank Reynolds and the self-centered gang from Paddy's Pub. The network landed syndication rights to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and will begin airing old episodes of the FX comedy next summer.

New seasons of "Sunny" will continue to air on FX, which has ordered sixth and seventh seasons so far. (The show is currently in its fifth season.) So we can potentially watch Mac, Dennis, Charlie, Dee and Frank all the time. Woo-hoo!

I attached the Comedy Central press release below. For a sneak peek at this week's "Sunny," follow the Greenman link.

Puck and Rachel get hit with a Slushy during the "Mash-Up" episode of "Glee." Fox photo

In this week's "Glee," Puck (Mark Salling) surprises everyone when he serenades Rachel (Lea Michele) with his "personal tribute to a musical Jewish icon." We finally get to hear Salling, who told me during the Chicago stop of the Gleek Tour that he's been a guitarist and songwriter "all my life," perform his solo of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," which he said was his favorite song to sing (see second video).

In "Mash-Up," airing at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Puck's performance heats up the love quadrangle of Rachel, Quinn, Finn and Puck. But it won't get too hot: Slushies will be thrown. Sorry Puck, that's the price of true love.(Did you hear Joss Whedon will direct a "Glee" episode?)

Joss Whedon will direct an episode of Fox's "Glee."

Joss Whedon

On Monday, both Whedon and Fox confirmed that he will direct one of the final nine episodes of the musical comedies freshman season. Fox picked it up for a full season earlier this fall.

"Why GLEE?" Whedon wrote on fan blog whedonesque.com. "Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven't seen the show yet). Why me? Because they're struggling and can't afford real directors."

He went on to say who he will kill off on "Glee" and talked about "Dollhouse" and other news. Read the full post below.

Are you giddy about Whedon directing "Glee"? Read what Whedon posted on his fan site below:

Greenman is back!

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" creators Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton promised that Charlie Day would don the green body suit this season, and he is.

In the upcoming episode of the FX comedy, Greenman goes to Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. But that, I believe, is all in flashback as the gang tries to explain to a judge why they received a huge parking citation for during the World Series. Watch a sneak peek of "The World Series Defense" below. It airs at 9 p.m. Thursday on FX. (Watch video sneak peeks of other shows.)

If you like watching "Saturday Night Live" players crack up during sketches, you probably loved last night's "SNL."

Anheuser-Busch sponsored most of the Gerard Butler-hosted "SNL," introducing never-before-seen dress rehearsal outtakes from past "SNL" seasons. They were great, but I admit that I'm one of those giggle-fit fans. (Harvey Keitel, Bill Hader, Sean Hayes and the wall-challenged Robot all had me giggling too.)

The outtakes were great, but the highlight for me--as is usually the case--was Seth Meyer's "Weekend Update." Meyers' sharp wit and cutting commentary were back in full force. I've listed some of the best below.

The 20th "Treehouse of Horror" special confirms my theory that everybody wants to break out in song. In it, Moe the Bartender spikes Marge's beer with Homer's blood and tries to seduce her with a song. You think Marge posing in Playboy is scary? Wait until you hear Moe sing. Earlier, Apu turns action hero when he saves the Simpsons from zombified Springfield, and Lisa and Bart have a showdown a la Alfred Hitchcock. I'm never disappointed in this annual event.

I'm starting my weekly (and late) review of "Saturday Night Live" with a disclaimer: I fully admit that I watched "SNL" through the haze of a mighty hangover thanks to Saturday's ChicagoNow bloggers' party and, um, karaoke extravaganza.

Still, I'm now calling the show "Saturday Night Lame." Wow, what a stinker it was. Poor Drew Barrymore. You'd think the "SNL" writers would have busted out some of their better material for Barrymore, who has hosted the sketch show more often than any other woman (six).

They didn't.

This week's episode of "Glee" is called "Throwdown," so it's little wonder that Quinn gets upset when she sees how well Finn and Rachel are getting along--as you can see in the peek below of the kids singing "No Air." Also below, the Glee Club sings Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holdin' On." The episode airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Fox.

Wanda Sykes keeps it raunchy in her HBO special "I'ma Be Me." HBO photo

WANDA SYKES: I'MA BE ME
9 p.m. Saturday, HBO
Tune in or out? out of four

Charlie (Evan Handler) and Sue Collini (Kathleen Turner) meet with Rick Springfield in "Californication." Showtime photo

CALIFORNICATION
9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime
Tune in or out? out of four

Jack McBrayer doesn't mind being recognized as his "30 Rock" character, Kenneth the Page.

"Kenneth, first off," a reporter said during a conference call with the actor on Thursday, "I'm sorry, Jack-"

"Same thing," McBrayer responded with the same southern drawl as Kenny.

The Emmy-winning "30 Rock" returns at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 15 with the episode called "Season Four." And Kenneth the page (Jack McBrayer) is not happy. NBC released three sneak peek videos you can watch below, followed by the network's description of the episode.

Wedded miss? "The Office" co-workers gather for the wedding of Jim and Pam. NBC photo

If you haven't heard, this Thursday Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) get married on "The Office." NBC didn't send out screeners, but they've flooded the Internet with sneak peeks of the hour-long episode that begins at 8 p.m.

ABC debuted two new sitcoms last week that are headlined by former "Back to You" co-stars Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. That sitcom didn't have the staying power of either star's previous hit show, Grammer's "Frasier" or Heaton's "Everybody Loves Raymond." One of them returns to form in the new series. Keep reading to find out.

Amber Riley and Chris Colfer became TV stars thanks to "Glee." Fox photo

Just a year ago, "Glee" star Chris Colfer was in high school. His co-star, Amber Riley, had been rejected by "American Idol." Now they're on one of the hottest shows on TV.

Here's your chance to become TV stars, Chicagoans--and not on a reality show!

Fox is casting for a new scripted comedy pilot, and the network is turning to the Web to find 18- to 22-year-olds who can pass for teens about 16 or 17 years old. The two-week search started Oct. 5 and ends Oct. 19, so hurry up.

The as-yet-untitled project comes from the executive producers of "That '70s Show"--writer/producer Mark Brazill, producers Tom Werner and Mike Clements. It centers on a group of teens and is based on Brazill's working-class upbringing in Buffalo, NY. Several roles will be cast, including the four below.

Are you ready to sing another song over and over and over and over and ...? "Glee" returns at 8 p.m. Wednesday with "Vitamin D," in which Mr. Schuester pits the boys against the girls. The boys sing a little Bon Jovi and Usher, as you can see in the clip provided by Fox. Don't say I didn't warn you about having the songs stuck in your head.

Madonna almost had a moment with Lady Gaga on "Saturday Night Live."

"Saturday Night Live" almost had a moment this week, but Kenan Thompson got in the way.

Madonna did get one funny line out, though, asking Gaga, "What the hell is a disco stick?" (Don't get it? Listen to Gaga's "Love Games.")

Thompson, as DJ Dynasty Handbag, sat between the warring divas and when they went in for a kiss, he gave them his cheeks. The skit didn't end nearly as hot as it could have.

Cleveland tries to connect with Donna's kids, but Meadowlark Lemon suffers for it. Fox photo

THE CLEVELAND SHOW
7:30 p.m. Sunday, Fox
Tune in or out? out of four.

FRIDAY UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a "48 Hours" producer, was arrested Thursday and indicted on one count of attempted first-degree grand larceny for his alleged involvement in the Letterman extortion plot. He is due to be arraigned later Friday.

David Letterman. CBS photo

"I have a little story that I'd like to tell you ... Do you feel like a story," Dave asked as the studio audience applauded.

He went to tell how a man had tried to extort $2 million from him or else the man would make public news that Dave had had sexual relationships with female members of his "Late Show" staff.

The man was arrested on Thursday. Letterman did not identify him, but TMZ and Radar Online report the alleged extortionist is Robert Halderman, 51. TMZ says he's a New York businessman, while Radar Online claims he is a CBS producer who had been living with the woman with whom Letterman had relations.

So that's the news. Now back to Dave's hilarious story.

In this NBC video, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer take us behind the scenes at the wedding of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly on "The Office." They so sweet! Tune in at 8 p.m. Oct. 8 for the wedding, but don't forget to watch this week's episode, "The Promotion," as well!

Ryan Reynolds hosts this weekend's "Saturday Night Live," and frankly, I don't care if it's as bad as last week's "SNL" season premiere. Just write Reynolds into every skit, sucky or not. (And please, send up his shirtless movies scenes in at least five of those skits.) NBC released this promo for the show with Reynolds, Kenan Thompson and, um, musical guest Lady Gaga. Enjoy.

Megan Fox hosted and U2 performed on the disappointing season premiere of "Saturday Night Live." NBC photos

Megan Fox hosted the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live," but she's not the talk of the night.

"SNL" newcomer Jenny Slate made sure people noticed her debut. She dropped an F-bomb in the "Biker Chick Chat" sketch that did not get bleeped. And guess what? The slip-up didn't even help the skit.

When "Family Guy" returns at 8 p.m. Sunday, Stewie and Brian take on the "multiverse" and other animation styles. It is hilarious. I love how Seth McFarlane and company gently poke at their fellow Fox series "Fringe," as well as Disney, other animated shows and comic strips. Watch the sneak peek for the Season 7 premiere, "Road to the Multiverse," below.

Fox is showering us with gifts from "Glee" today. Here's a sneak peek of the Sept. 30 episode, "The Rhodes Not Taken." Kristin Chenoweth, who just won an Emmy for her role as Olive on the dearly departed "Pushing Daisies," guest stars as April Rhodes, an old classmate of Will (Matthew Morrison) who he enlists to re-energize the Glee Club. The episode also features the Glee Club singing "Somebody to Love." Unfortunately the sneak doesn't show Mercedes (Amber Riley) belting out her part. Have to save something for when we all tune in at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 on Fox.

"The Simpsons" launches its 21st season with Seth Rogen co-writing and guest voicing a premiere called "Homer The Whopper." Need I say more to get you to watch? I won't, but Fox has provided the video interview and sneak peek below. Afterward you can read the episode description. A tease: Homer might become a big movie star.

This latest episode of "Glee," called "Preggers," has been my favorite of the season so far. So silly and touching. It had everything that is great about this show: comedy, heart, music and Jane Lynch. Fox has provided this clip of Kurt and Tina practicing their dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies." It's awesome. Enjoy.

MODERN FAMILY
8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

COUGAR TOWN
8:30 p.m. Wednesday, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

President Obama took a seat on David Letterman's couch Monday. See video below. CBS photo

President Obama doesn't think racism is the cause of all the criticism he's faced lately.

"Well, first of all, I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election, so ... I ...," Obama told David Letterman Monday as the "Late Show" audience interrupted with applause. "This is true. This is true."

Letterman replied, "How long have you been a black man?"

Obama said that his election "tells you ... a lot about where the country's at."

The show was taped earlier today in New York and will air at 10:35 p.m. on CBS. During his visit, the first time a sitting president has been a guest on a late-night talk show according to CBS, the president promoted his policies and talked about his daughters.

Letterman gave 10 reasons why Obama came on the show, which you can read and watch below.

The "Glee" club will perform on our TV screens a lot more this season. Fox photo

Let's hear it for the nerds, geeks and Gleeks.

Fox has ordered a full season of the new comedy "Glee," the network announced on Monday. That means nine more episodes will be filmed to air after the already-shot 13 episodes.

PARKS AND RECREATION
7:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC
Tune in or out? out of four

COMMUNITY
8:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC
Tune in or out? out of four.

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
9 p.m. Thursday, FX
Tune in or out? out of four.

WARNING: Some might consider some of the information in this article to be spoilers. Apparently the show's creators do not.

I was planning to hold onto these video clips previewing Season 5 of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" until I posted my interviews with Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney, but after watching the first four episodes of the season, I have to share them now. Thank you FX for sending them out. ("Sunny" Chicago premiere party alert after the vids!)

Totally frigging hilarious. I can't wait for more, even though the gang isn't bringing the Nightman tour to Chicago. Enjoy and come back Wednesday night for my interviews with the guys.

Syfy's hit series "Eureka" closes its third season at 8 p.m. Friday with "What Goes Around Comes Around." As usual, Carter (Colin Ferguson) and the people of Eureka are delaing with odd goings-on. Syfy provided the video sneak peek below, and the episode description afterward.

"Saturday Night Live" has locked in hosts Megan Fox, Ryan Reynolds, Drew Barrymore and Gerard Butler.

Host Megan Fox and musical guest U2 will help "Saturday Night Live" launch its 35th season on Sept. 26.

I'm still kinda pissed off that "SNL" guru Lorne Michaels dumped cast member Michaela Watkins, who developed memorable characters and impersonations in her one season on the show--celeb blogger Angie Tempura ("Bitch please"), plus newswomen Barbra Walters and Hoda Kotb.

Have you seen Jimmy Fallon imitate "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson on "Late Night"? He's hilarious. Fallon was at it again last night, airing a new "Robert is bothered" skit that's just too funny. Fallon's also come up with a Robert is Bothered Web site that has more skits, like Robert's Shark Week rant below. If Twilighters aren't offended, they should suck this stuff up.

"Glee" opens its freshman season at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, on Fox. Fox photo

If Fox's wonderful comedy "Glee" hasn't won you over yet, well, where have you been? The network has aired the pilot three times! But it's not too late to join the fun at McKinley High School.

The series kicks off its first season at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, with an episode called "Showmance." You'll be hard-pressed to find a better first episode of any series this fall.

As "Showmance" begins, Glee Club has just a few members and may be shut down. But things have a way of changing comically on "Glee."

Here are some of the characters you'll come to know, love and laugh with on "Glee," as seen through interviews with the actors who play them. I had the chance to interview them when the Gleek Tour came to Orland Park in August.

They loved "Showmance." You will too. RedEye photo

The general consensus about Fox's comedy "Glee"?

It's not a loser. The gleeks who told me about their most embarrassing high school memories got together and watched the show's fall premiere, called "Showmance," at RedEye on Thursday night. They loved it.

The episode kicks off the series' freshman season at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, on Fox. And don't forget the tweet-peat of the pilot at 8 p.m. Friday on Fox. You don't want to miss this series. At least that's what these gleeks think.

Joel McHale is all about Show Patrol. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. But he is all about Show Patrol readers, especially if they watch his new fall comedy, "Community," on NBC. Next week I'll offer my fall winners and losers, and "Community" is on the winner list--and not because McHale is giving me a shout-out. Despite having gone to a community college myself, I found the mocking of such schools and their students funny. The fall semester for "Community," co-starring Chevy Chase and Chicago native Dan Pudi (with McHale in video below), begins at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 17.

When I asked readers to share their craziest high school memories with me for the Glee Club event, I didn't expect so many confessions of public indecency.

Wow, I love these gleeks. And that's why I'm inviting everyone who submitted stories to watch the fall premiere of "Glee" with me on Thursday, a week before it airs on Fox.

The following ChicagoNow members are now part of the Show Patrol Glee Club. Besides the sneak peek, they're going to get some "Glee" swag that Fox so kindly provided. Congrats. I'll see you Thursday.

Looks like David Letterman stole the Top 10 sketch from Britney Spears on the "Late Show," which was taped earlier Tuesday to be broadcast at 10:35 p.m. on CBS.

THE COMEDY CENTRAL ROAST OF JOAN RIVERS
9 p.m. Sunday, Comedy Central
Tune in or out? Have only seen clips, but I plan to tune in.

Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers will reunite on the "Weekend Update" anchor desk. NBC photo

It's back to the anchor desk for Amy Poehler this fall, at least temporarily.

The former "Saturday Night Live" and current "Parks and Recreation" star will appear in the Sept. 17 season premiere of "Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday."

She'll rejoin co-anchor Seth Meyers on Sept. 24. "Parks and Recreation" begins its second season on Sept. 17. NBC plans to air six episodes of "Weekend Update Thursday."

The cast of Fox's outstanding fall comedy "Glee" embark on a 10-city tour in August that will bring them to Orland Park on Aug. 21.

The Gleek Tour stops from 3 to 6 p.m. at Orland Square mall, 500 Orland Square. Cast members Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Dianna Agron and Mark Salling will appear at the Hot Topic store. 

They will sign autographs, do a Q&A session and give fans a sneak peek at the upcoming season that launches at 8 p.m. Sept. 9. And extended cut of the pilot, which aired earlier this year, will be broadcast at 7:58 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Read about the "Glee" panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Matthew Morrison (from left), Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron and producers Ian Brennan and Dante Di Loreto gleeked out fans at the "Glee" Comic-Con panel. Fox photo

Fox is pushing up the fall premiere of its wonderful, beyond hilarious fall comedy "Glee" a week to Sept. 9.

If you ask me, that's not soon enough.

The network is no doubt responding to the enthusiastic welcome the episode received from a thankful crowd at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. At least a thousand fans, including Joss Whedon, the man behind the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" musical episode and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog," were doubled-over laughing at Jane Lynch and crew.

"Glee" creators Ryan Murphy ("Nip/Tuck"), Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan literally packed the episode, called "Showmance," with three laughs a minute and at least five songs, including versions of Kanye West's "Golddigger," Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It," complete with hilariously inappropriate choreography.

The episode made up about 45 of the best minutes I spent at Comic-Con.

After watching "Chuck" fans go wild at San Diego Comic-Con, you'd never guess that the comedy almost died at the end of its second season.

The room was packed with 4,000 screaming, enthusiastic fans happy to have "Chuck" back, presumably at mid-season, although show creator Josh Schwartz hinted that it could be back sooner than January.

The "Chuck" cast and creators sent the love right back to the crowd, all of them expressing gratitude for the grassroots campaign by fans that they said had a major impact on NBC's decision to bring the show back.

"We have the best fans in the world," series star Zachary Levi said, mentioning all the work fans did to save "Chuck." "It was incredible. We love you so much. Thank you so much."

Michael Ian Black (left) and Michael Showalter play deluded hosts of a sketch comedy show in "Michael and Michael Have Issues." Comedy Central photo

MICHAEL AND MICHAEL HAVE ISSUES
9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Comedy Central
Tune in or out? out of four

The Simpsons. Fox photo

He's directing "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice," a documentary about the cultural phenomenon of the Fox animated series.

"When they first called me about this, I thought it was a prank and I hung up," the "Super Size Me" director says in a Fox release. "And then my agent called back and said, 'No, no, this is for real,' at which point I fainted. Then when I woke up, I called everyone I knew because it was the coolest thing I could ever get to do in my career."

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie get the Spurlock treatment on Jan. 14, Fox says, the final special that will wrap up the network's year-long celebration of "The Simpsons" 20 years on TV.

Kevin Dillon (left), Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly and Jerry Ferrara of "Entourage." HBO photo

ENTOURAGE
9:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO
Tune in or out? out of four.

"Entourage" could sure use some Viagra.

Sacha Baron Cohen has been on a whirlwind tour to promote his latest ambush comedy, "Brüno."

Usually, Cohen dons his latest alter ego, the flamboyantly gay Austrian fashionista, but earlier this week let me down when he went on "Late Show with David Letterman" as himself.

He was back on the show Thursday night--as Brüno--delivering the "Top Ten Reasons to See the New Movie 'Brüno.'"

The movie opens Friday.

Kanye West chats with Ellen DeGeneres after performing for her variety special. TBS photos

Viewers of "Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show" on Saturday may not see one of the sweetest moments from Ellen DeGeneres' variety show that was filmed at the Chicago Theatre.

At the end of the live show, the talk show host opened up the floor to audience questions. A newlywed asked for advice about marriage, to which DeGeneres, now married to actress Portia de Rossi, said, "Marry someone with your same shoe size."

De Rossi peeked out from the stage wings and DeGeneres smiled.

Lem (Malcolm Barrett, left) faces the consequences when his boss, Ted (Jay Harrington), joins the secret Medieval Fight Club on "Better Off Ted." ABC photos

BETTER OFF TED
8:30 p.m. Tuesday, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

ABC's excellent workplace comedy "Better Off Ted" returns on Tuesday with the first of six brand new episodes, and I can't wait. (Especially after ABC last week reran the brilliant episode in which the company, Veridian Dynamics, installed water fountains that their black employees couldn't use.)

David Alan Grier performs at the 2008 TBS Presents "A Very Funny" Festival: Just For Laughs. TBS photo

David Alan Grier won't tell any jokes about the Rod Blagojevich scandal when he hosts the "Comedy You Can Believe In" show at 7 p.m. Friday at the Vic Theatre.

"I don't find that funny," he told me during a call to promote the Just For Laughs festival in Chicago this week. "What's the best Rod Bla-, Bla-, Bla-, Bla-, Bla-, Bla-, Bla- ... Blagojevich joke you've heard?"

Grier, whose festival show is being filmed to be aired on TBS at 9 p.m. June 28, feels better about another politician from Chicago, so much so that he's titled a book after him.

"It's called 'Barack Like Me.' Get it?" he said. "'Barack Like Me.' Not 'Blagojevich Like Me.' Woo!"

Grier won't be doing his own stand-up during the show, but he'll perform funny bits between the sets of comics Bruce Bruce, Mark Curry, Eric Spears, Marina Franklin, Joe Koy and Ralph Harris.

"I'll try to come up with stuff that's funny, to stretch your comedy laughter dollar," Grier said. "As opposed to 'just the dude that's hosting.'"

Grier laughed about a wide variety of topics, from his past trips to Chicago to Speidi to Roland Burris to his meltdown after "Dancing with the Stars."

NURSE JACKIE
9:30 p.m. Monday, Showtime
Tune in or out? out of four.

As Nurse Jackie, Edie Falco takes a tried-and-true TV staple--the tarnished saint--and makes it into another Emmy-worthy character not unlike her Carmelo Soprano. She transcends the material given her, which is good but nothing new, as her Jackie pops pills and cheats on her sweet hubby but thrives in her job of healing the sick. It's a tour-de-force performance.

Paulo Costanzo stars as Evan Lawson in USA Network's "Royal Pains."

Paulo Costanzo is rolling in wealth on his new TV series, "Royal Pains."

As Evan Lawson, the social-climbing brother of Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), he gets to spend time in East Coast mansions and on beaches in the Hamptons with lots of babes. But those aren't even the best perks, he told me recently.

"My trailer is actually made of platinum and virgins," he said. "Platinum's more expensive than gold, just so you know. And diamond studs as well. Don't forget the diamond studs."

Ellen DeGeneres tapes her show on May 3, 2008, in Pioneer Court in downtown Chicago. She'll be back in town next week. Tribune photo/Zbigniew Bzdak

It's a good thing Ellen DeGeneres won't be throwing out the opening pitch at Tuesday's Cubs/Sox game.

"I have held a baseball before," DeGeneres said Wednesday. "I've played baseball--not baseball, softball. It's the same thing--whiffle ball, it's the same thing, right? Football, actually. Actually, I've seen the games."

The comedian and talk show host, who will be in town to film "Ellen's Bigger Longer & Wider Show" June 17 at the Chicago Theater, plans to sing during the seventh inning stretch. She told me during a conference call that she's excited to come back to the Windy City, where she filmed an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" last year.

Yes, that was Mark-Paul Gosselaar on Monday's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." He just looked like Zack Morris from "Saved By the Bell."

The "Raising the Bar" star did the entire interview as his "Bell" character, complete with bleached blond hair, 1990s clothes and a huge, old-school cell phone.

WEEDS
9 p.m. June 8, Showtime
Tune in or out? out of four.

Last season some viewers and critics complained that the cannabis comedy jumped the shark with its Mexican drug ring story. They must have been high.

President Barack Obama left for the Middle East on Wednesday, but last night he had more important matters on his mind: His endorsement of Conan O'Brien as the new "Tonight Show" host.

The TBS Presents A "Very Funny" Festival: Just For Laughs from June 17-21 in Chicago keeps growing.

Robert Smigel and Dino Stamatopoulos. Courtesy TBS

"The Unaired Bozo Circus Parody: The Original 'TV Funhouse' Pilot" is a dark parody, with Bozo as a boozed up clown. Performances are set for June 17 and 18 at the Lakeshore Theater.

Below are other additions and changes to the festival schedule, all from a TBS press release:

Conan O'Brien launched a new era for NBC's "Tonight Show" on Monday, proving that his brand of humor can work at any time of the night.

And unlike his shaky start as "Late Night" host 16 years ago--when he was fired after one show and then brought back--O'Brien kicked things off with a fast-paced, topical and hilarious hour filled with classic Conan--pre-filmed videos, silly studio hijinks and a sharp back-and-forth with his first guest, Will Ferrell.

"It's so incredible because no one thought you could do it," Ferrell said. He then offered O'Brien advice for living in L.A., including tipping him off to a hot burger joint called Burger King.

Conan O'Brien promises to create a lot of new skits for his "Tonight Show" that will utilize his new surroundings at Universal Studios in Burbank, Calif.

"It would be a shame to just dust off the 'Late Night Show' and move it to 10:30 p.m.," he said during a recent chat with reporters. "I think people would be disappointed if I didn't reinvent myself to some degree."

Still, I hope he'll bring back some classic Conan beyond what he's already promised to keep--Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Noches de Passion With Conan O'Brien, Year 2000 and Jim Gaffigan's Pale Force cartoon. Here are three I'd like to see again:

Conan O'Brien begins his West Coast-based "Tonight Show" on Monday. NBC photo

Conan O'Brien isn't just moving to an earlier hour and "The Tonight Show." He's had to move his wife and two children across the country, from New York to L.A. Last week O'Brien talked with reporters about getting used to his new city.

Conan O'Brien hits a California beach. NBC photo/Paul Drinkwater

He still plans to be silly.

"I feel like I'm going to have plenty of opportunities to make a jackass of myself in that hour," he told reporters last week when talking about "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," which kicks off at 10:35 p.m. on NBC.

O'Brien, with his tall red hair and gangly build, has been playing the fool for 16 years as host of "Late Night" at 11:30 p.m.--and I mean that in the most complimentary way. He never fails to crack up his audiences, even when a joke bombs.

"Even more than the joke, I love responding to how the audience responds to a joke. I like it when a joke doesn't work," he said. "I like it when a joke leads to me acting something out. I like it when things go off the rails a little bit. That's just my sense of humor and my sensibility."

Jay Leno signed off as host of "The Tonight Show" on Friday with a low-key performance that was, in some ways, typical of any night from the past 17 years.

It just took a few minutes to get started.

Leno tried to quiet his audience for almost two minutes before he was able to start his monologue, which focused on all the changes in the world since he started hosting "The Tonight Show" in 1992.

PUSHING DAISIES
9 p.m. Saturday, June 6 and 13, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

Of all the shows canceled over the past few years, "Pushing Daisies" is the one I'll miss the most.

ABC stopped production of this whimsical-yet-dark comedy about a sweet pie maker with a magic touch last fall, but thankfully the network is airing three unseen episodes on consecutive Saturdays.

As angry as I am over the cancellation, I have to give ABC credit for having ever taken a chance on the show. It's like nothing before it. I just wish the network had allowed creator Bryan Fuller to film a proper series finale. (Kristin Chenoweth isn't happy about that either.)

Anyway, as the story goes ...

Bill Crystal sings to Jay Leno on Thursday. NBC photo

Jay Leno is counting down to his final "Tonight Show" on Friday--apparently with the worst jokes he can muster--when he'll hand over the long-running chat fest to Conan O'Brien, who will be his final guest.

But on Thursday night, Billy Crystal, Leno's first guest when "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" launched 17 years ago, serenaded Leno. As he has on the Oscar telecasts, Crystal changed the words to famous songs to reflect his, um, feelings:

SARAH CHALKE'S KISS & TELL

MANEATER
8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Lifetime
Tune in or out? out of four.

Even playing a gold-digger, Sarah Chalke is adorable. She stars as a vapid socialite who schemes to land Hollywood's hottest new producer--and by hot, I mean smoking Philip Winchester. Of course, her plans backfire.

TIM MEADOWS LOVES CHICAGO

Tim Meadows. Tribune photo

TBS has ordered 10 episodes of "The Very Funny Show," which will be taped at Zanies Comedy Club in June during TBS's Just For Laughs festival. Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member and sometime Chicago resident Tim Meadows will host the half-hour, late-night standup series. It will premiere in November, TBS said Thursday.

The Goode family: Gerald, Helen, Bliss, Che and Ubuntu. ABC photo

THE GOODE FAMILY
8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC
Tune in or out? out of four.

Mike Judge skewered red state values in his Fox animated comedy "King of the Hill." Consider his new series the reverse: He's mocking blue state values.

JANE LYNCH SERVES UP LAUGHS

Rob Thomas' hilarious comedy "Party Down" wraps up its first season Friday, but its motley crew of cater-waiters isn't serving its last laughs.

Starz has given the series a second season, which means Thomas and his co-creators--John Enbom, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd--are busy brainstorming 10 more events the Party Down team will cater. Nothing's set in stone, Thomas told me last week, but it's obvious these guys would make awesome party planners.

JANE LYNCH SERVES UP LAUGHS

Rob Thomas' hilarious comedy "Party Down" wraps up its first season Friday, but its motley crew of cater-waiters isn't serving its last laughs.

Starz has given the series a second season, which means Thomas and his co-creators--John Enbom, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd--are busy brainstorming 10 more events the Party Down team will cater. Nothing's set in stone, Thomas told me last week, but it's obvious these guys would make awesome party planners.

Morgan (Joshua Gomez) will be eating a lot of Subway sandwiches on "Chuck." NBC photo

Go get a foot-long, people. Subway not only helped with the Twitter campaign to #savechuck, but the company has struck a deal with NBC to become a major sponsor, which means more Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Jeffster, Ellie and Awesome for all of us.

Posted at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, May 19

NBC'S FALL SCHEDULE

NBC finally made the official announcement today: “Chuck” will be back next season, and Subway will be a major sponsor.

Go get a foot-long, people. Subway not only helped with the Twitter campaign to #savechuck, but the company has struck a deal with NBC to become a major sponsor, which means more Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Jeffster, Ellie and Awesome for all of us.

NBC says the show will return to its 7 p.m. Monday slot after the Winter Olympics. That's a long wait until next Spring.

'GLEE' MAKES ME HAPPY
JANE LYNCH ON 'GLEE'
JANE LYNCH ON "PARTY DOWN'

The cast of "Glee." Fox photos

Murphy came up with the optimistic, uplifting musical comedy, "Glee." Fox has been so taken by the show that it's airing a special preview after Tuesday's "American Idol."

"I wanted to do a show that has a bigger heart and is kinder," Murphy told reporters last week. "But make no mistake. It still has an edge."

RYAN MURPHY TALKS 'GLEE'
JANE LYNCH ON 'GLEE'
JANE LYNCH ON "PARTY DOWN'

GLEE
8 p.m. (or after "American Idol") Tuesday, Fox
Tune in or out? out of four.

Posted at 2 a.m. Tuesday, May 18

JANE LYNCH TALKS "GLEE"
"GLEE" WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

After eight years of living in the dark, strange world of “Nip/Tuck,” Ryan Murphy was ready for something different.

Murphy came up with the optimistic, uplifting musical comedy, “Glee.” Fox has been so taken by the show that it’s airing a special preview after Tuesday’s “American Idol.”

“I wanted to do a show that has a bigger heart and is kinder,” Murphy told reporters last week. “But make no mistake. It still has an edge.”

It definitely has an edge, mixing “Mean Girls” with “Election” and the darkest parts of “Hairspray.” It captures high school life—losers versus popular kids—in an only slightly heightened manner. But it's heart is with those geeky types who populate the glee club, a group of underdogs Murphy thinks viewers will love.

"I didn’t want to do a show where [all the characters] were all sort of super glossy and fantastic," he said.

Murphy said his own experiences as a high school musical theater geek informed the story—especially how getting a theater part made people feel "optimism about what you can become.”

“It’s just about a belief in yourself,” said Murphy, who grew up in Indiana. "I remember that feeling, and it was very important to me. And that’s what I wanted the show to be about.”

Ryan had a lot more to say about the series, how he picked the songs and debuting after “Idol.”

Posted at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 19

JANE LYNCH TALKS "GLEE"
RYAN MURPHY FINDS "GLEE"

GLEE
8 p.m. (or after “American Idol”) Tuesday, Fox
Tune in or out? out of four.

Posted at 12:05 a.m. Tuesday, May 19

"GLEE" WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY
JANE LYNCH TALKS "PARTY DOWN"
RYAN MURPHY FINDS "GLEE"

Jane Lynch sets the tone for Fox's wonderfully subversive new comedy, "Glee," by shouting the show's very first line.

"You think this is hard?" the Chicago native's character, Sue, yells at the cheerleaders she's coaching. "Try being water-boarded, that's hard."

In a high school full of mean girls, Sue, coach of the highly successful Cheerios, may be the meanest. Because of that, Lynch has many of the funniest lines in the show's pilot, which Fox is giving a special preview Tuesday after "American Idol." The show will return this fall.

Posted at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 18

Vik Sahay

Sahay, who plays nerdy Lester Patel on the NBC comedy, told me on Monday that he's "blown away" by fan support that has saved the much-loved but low-rated show.

"I am so moved and overwhelmed and grateful," he said. "I kind of can't believe it, but it looks like [fan support] made a huge impact. ... I'm kind of speechless and blown away by it. And so appreciative and grateful."

MY EARLIER CHAT WITH VIK SAHAY.

Vik Sahay loves "Chuck" fans.

Sahay, who plays nerdy Lester Patel on the NBC comedy, told me on Monday that he's "blown away" by fan support that has saved the much-loved but low-rated show.

"I am so moved and overwhelmed and grateful," he said. "I kind of can't believe it, but it looks like [fan support] made a huge impact. ... I'm kind of speechless and blown away by it. And so appreciative and grateful."

Posted at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17

'CHUCK' ALL THE TIME

Put the gun down, Zach, "Chuck" is coming back for a third season. NBC photo

Sometimes the good guys prevail. Fans of “Chuck,” you are the good guys.

NBC has renewed the spy comedy for at least 13 episodes next season, giving fans who have campaigned to save the show something to celebrate—a third season. We have to thank all the fans, critics and advertisers such as Subway and Nerds for never giving up on this awesome—yes, Captain, I said it—awesome show. We should also tip our hats to Chuck himself—Zachary Levi—who has been out there everywhere working for a renewal.

Posted at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE JUST SHORTS
8 p.m. Sunday, NBC

Who better than Andy Samberg to host this new special that NBC says will present the late-night comedy show’s “greatest short films from the past 34 years?” After all, he and his buddies from The Lonely Island, “SNL” writers Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, are responsible for several of them.

Their “SNL Digital Shorts” include “[Bleep] in a Box,” “[Bleep] in My Pants,” “Motherlover” and “Lazy Sunday.” Samberg will introduce plenty of older shorts too, including the Christopher Guest-directed “Synchronized Swimmers” with Martin Short, Robert Smigel’s “TV Funhouse,” “MacGruber,” “Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey,” “Mr. Bill” and others.

Posted at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 17

Will Ferrell—and a horde of other oldies—returned to the “Saturday Night Live” studio last night to make the season finale a fun reunion show.

Still, the finale didn’t outdo last week’s Justin Timberlake showcase.

Surprise appearances ruled the night. Besides Ferrell, “SNL” alums Norm Macdonald, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler popped in. Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Moss and Artie Lange also showed up, along with musical guest Green Day and a few others I'm sure I missed.

Put the gun down, Zach, "Chuck" is coming back this fall. NBC photo

Sometimes the good guys prevail. Fans of "Chuck," you are the good guys.

NBC has renewed the spy comedy for at least 13 episodes next season, giving fans who have campaigned to save the show something to celebrate--a third season. We have to thank all the fans, critics and advertisers such as Subway and Nerds for never giving up on this awesome--yes, Captain, I said it--awesome show. We should also tip our hats to Chuck himself--Zachary Levi--who has been out there everywhere working for a renewal.

The good news comes with possibly bad, however. According to reports, creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak and Warner Bros. Television had to agree to a smaller budget than the previous two seasons.

That could mean fewer great guest stars, alterations in the writers' room or, gulp, ditching some of the regular cast members.

Reports have the show airing on Friday nights this fall, possibly up against another low-rated series, "Dollhouse," which Fox has reportedly renewed. I've got calls in to NBC and will keep you posted, but for now, happy-happy, joy-joy!

Will Ferrell--and a horde of other oldies--returned to the "Saturday Night Live" studio last night to make the season finale a fun reunion show.

Still, the finale didn't outdo last week's Justin Timberlake showcase.

Surprise appearances ruled the night. Besides Ferrell, "SNL" alums Norm Macdonald, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler popped in. Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Moss and Artie Lange also showed up, along with musical guest Green Day and a few others I'm sure I missed.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE JUST SHORTS
8 p.m. Sunday, NBC

Who better than Andy Samberg to host this new special that NBC says will present the late-night comedy show's "greatest short films from the past 34 years?" After all, he and his buddies from The Lonely Island, "SNL" writers Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, are responsible for several of them.

Their "SNL Digital Shorts" include "[Bleep] in a Box," "[Bleep] in My Pants," "Motherlover" and "Lazy Sunday." Samberg will introduce plenty of older shorts too, including the Christopher Guest-directed "Synchronized Swimmers" with Martin Short, Robert Smigel's "TV Funhouse," "MacGruber," "Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey," "Mr. Bill" and others.

Posted at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 15

FAMILY GUY
8 p.m. Sunday, Fox
Tune in or out? out of four.

A psychic tells Peter Griffin that in a past life he was a 17th Century English gentleman named Griffin Peterson, who founded the colony of Quahog in America after he was torn from his great love, Lady (Lois) Redbush, by the jealous—and short—King Stewart III. As if the time-traveling main plot isn’t funny enough, this season finale gets merrily sidetracked with appearances by Alan Rickman, Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor, who are mocked after lending their voices.

And don’t forget that Eminem and Stewie will introduce the entire Animation Domination line-up on Fox Sunday.

Posted at 5:15 p.m. Friday, May 15

JIM JEFFRIES - HBO Special preview - Sluts and Studs

JIM JEFFERIES: I SWEAR TO GOD
9 p.m. Saturday, HBO
Tune in or out? out of four.

The Australian comic alternately charms and offends the audience in his first full-length HBO special, railing against Pandas (“[Bleep] ’em. Let ’em die off.”), Christians (“You’re wrong.”) and people who don’t get drunk (“No one gives a [bleep] that your kids don’t have bruises!”). His assessment of terminology used for burn victims—“Burned beyond recognition? You ever seen a burn victim? The term should be ‘burned to recognition’”—is particularly cringe-inducing. With more jokes about AIDS, atheism and South African gay bars that always cross the line, Jefferies’ stand-up sermons are challenging. But once you forget political correctness, you’ll be a convert.

Posted at 12:15 p.m. Friday, May 15

Sign Mark-Paul Gosselaar up for that “Saved by the Bell” reunion Jimmy Fallon has been pushing.

Gosselaar, who played high school hunk Zack on the 1990s teen series, told RedEye on Friday that he and Fallon have “something good cooking.”

“I don’t want to give too much away but I’m doing his show June 8,” Gosselaar said. “I’m not going to do the standard interview, I’ll put it that way.”

A psychic tells Peter Griffin that in a past life he was a 17th Century English gentleman named Griffin Peterson, who founded the colony of Quahog in America after he was torn from his great love, Lady (Lois) Redbush, by the jealous--and short--King Stewart III. As if the time-traveling main plot isn't funny enough, this season finale gets merrily sidetracked with appearances by Alan Rickman, Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor, who are mocked after lending their voices.

And don't forget that Eminem and Stewie will introduce the entire Animation Domination line-up on Fox Sunday.

JIM JEFFRIES - HBO Special preview - Sluts and Studs

JIM JEFFERIES: I SWEAR TO GOD
9 p.m. Saturday, HBO
Tune in or out? out of four.

The Australian comic alternately charms and offends the audience in his first full-length HBO special, railing against Pandas ("[Bleep] 'em. Let 'em die off."), Christians ("You're wrong.") and people who don't get drunk ("No one gives a [bleep] that your kids don't have bruises!"). His assessment of terminology used for burn victims--"Burned beyond recognition? You ever seen a burn victim? The term should be 'burned to recognition'"--is particularly cringe-inducing. With more jokes about AIDS, atheism and South African gay bars that always cross the line, Jefferies' stand-up sermons are challenging. But once you forget political correctness, you'll be a convert.

Posted at 10:45 pm. Wednesday, May 13

THE OFFICE
8 p.m. Thursday, NBC

The comedy celebrates its fifth-season finale and 100th episode with the return of Amy Ryan as Holly Flax, Michael’s (Steve Carell) old flame. Michael’s plans to win Holly back at the annual Dunder Mifflin picnic go awry, as does Dwight’s (Rainn Wilson) plan to win the volleyball tournament.

30 ROCK
8:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC

Jack Donaghy’s dad, Milton (Alan Alda), needs a new kidney, which gives Jack (Alec Baldwin) an idea that involves a ton of guest cameos (Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Elvis Costello, Adam Levine, Clay Aiken). Meanwhile, Liz (Tina Fey) gets some cred as a relationship expert and Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) helps Tracy (Tracy Morgan) overcome his fear of returning to his old high school.

Posted at 3:55 p.m. Wednesday, May 13

I love pop singer Adele, who is guest starring as herself on the latest episode of “Ugly Betty” airing at 7 p.m. Thursday on ABC. In the episode called “In the Stars,” the British chanteuse croons “Who Wants to be Right as Rain?” at a photo shoot planned by Betty, Marc and Matt (America Ferrera, Michael Urie and Daniel Eric Gold) that ends with a surprise wedding. Enjoy the song.

I love pop singer Adele, who is guest starring as herself on the latest episode of "Ugly Betty" airing at 7 p.m. Thursday on ABC. In the episode called "In the Stars," the British chanteuse croons "Who Wants to be Right as Rain?" at a photo shoot planned by Betty, Marc and Matt (America Ferrera, Michael Urie and Daniel Eric Gold) that ends with a surprise wedding. Enjoy the song.

Posted at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12

Showtime’s “Weeds” keeps making interesting casting choices for the fifth season that begins June 8.

Alanis Morissette (left) will join the cast for at least seven episodes. This follows the casting of Jennifer Jason Leigh (right) as Nancy’s sister, Jill. If you haven’t watched Season 4 yet, turn away! Spoilers ahead.

Posted at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 12

Eminem and Stewie Griffin will, um, rap, during Sunday's Animation Domination. Fox photo

So Eminem does have a sense of humor—and a heart.

The rapper—who's been getting dissed by Mariah Carey’s hubby, Nick Cannon—will take on Stewie Griffin from “Family Guy” this Sunday. An animated Eminem will appear with the cartoon kid in segments throughout Fox’s Animation Domination line-up. (MySpace Music will make a special Eminem announcement Sunday.)

"It was a thrill to work with Stewie," Eminem said in a Fox press release. "I'm a big fan of talking babies and their humor."

THE OFFICE
8 p.m. Thursday, NBC

The comedy celebrates its fifth-season finale and 100th episode with the return of Amy Ryan as Holly Flax, Michael's (Steve Carell) old flame. Michael's plans to win Holly back at the annual Dunder Mifflin picnic go awry, as does Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) plan to win the volleyball tournament.

30 ROCK
8:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC

Jack Donaghy's dad, Milton (Alan Alda), needs a new kidney, which gives Jack (Alec Baldwin) an idea that involves a ton of guest cameos (Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Elvis Costello, Adam Levine, Clay Aiken). Meanwhile, Liz (Tina Fey) gets some cred as a relationship expert and Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) helps Tracy (Tracy Morgan) overcome his fear of returning to his old high school.

Alanis Morissette, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Alanis Morissette (left) will join the cast for at least seven episodes. This follows the casting of Jennifer Jason Leigh (right) as Nancy's sister, Jill. If you haven't watched Season 4 yet, turn away! Spoilers ahead.

Martin Short

Short has been added to the festival, which runs from June 17-21 in local theaters. He joins Ellen DeGeneres, David Alan Grier, Lisa Lampanelli, Jimmy Fallon and a ton of other comics who will perform here in June as part of the Just For Laughs fest.

Posted at 9:50 a.m. Monday, May 11

TBS has announced it’s bringing even more funny—and Martin Short—to Chicago this summer with the debut of the TBS Presents A “Very Funny” Festival.

Short has been added to the festival, which runs from June 17-21 in local theaters. He joins Ellen DeGeneres, David Alan Grier, Lisa Lampanelli, Jimmy Fallon and a ton of other comics who will perform throughout the city in June. (Find more info at this earlier post.)

Posted at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 10

Justin Timberlake was back on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, bringing some great surprise guests, favorite old sketches and a digital short to rival “[Bleep] in a Box.”

In “Motherlover,” Timberlake and Andy Samberg—dressed in the Jodeci-like get-ups—picked up where “[Bleep] in a Box” left off. As their crass crooners leave a police station, they dump their gift boxes into a garbage bin.

When they realize it’s Mother’s Day, they concoct “the second best idea that we’ve ever had” by deciding to “[bleep] each other’s moms.”

“It would be my honor to be your new stepfather,” they sing to each other.

Added bonus for the boys? Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson play their mothers.

Justin Timberlake was back on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, bringing some great surprise guests, favorite old sketches and a digital short to rival "[Bleep] in a Box."

In "Motherlover," Timberlake and Andy Samberg--dressed in the Jodeci-like get-ups--picked up where "[Bleep] in a Box" left off. As their crass crooners leave a police station, they dump their gift boxes into a garbage bin.

When they realize it's Mother's Day, they concoct "the second best idea that we've ever had" by deciding to "[bleep] each other's moms."

"It would be my honor to be your new stepfather," they sing to each other.

Added bonus for the boys? Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson play their mothers.

Posted at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 5

The season and possible series finale of “Scrubs” airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday on ABC, and it’s going to be packed with guest stars. More than 50 former guests—including Tom Cavanaugh and Amy Smart—return (see complete list below).

Only writer/director/creator Bill Lawrence could pull this off.

In “My Finale,” J.D. (Zach Braff) is leaving Sacred Heart Hospital to move closer to his son and Kim. But before he goes, he wants to get that hug from Dr. Cox (John C McGinley) and learn the Janitor’s (Neil Flynn) name. He’s also dealing with Elliot (Sarah Chalke), who pushed him to take their relationship to another level by moving her furniture into his apartment.

So the 50 guest stars? I bet Lawrence has another crazy fantasy sequence planned for viewers.

Lawrence might be in his own fantasyland if ABC picks up “Scrubs” for a ninth season. Everyone involved in the show thought this was it. But the show has garnered decent ratings for ABC, so Lawrence and the network are in talks to bring it back. The catch? Both Braff and Judy Reyes have said they are done with the series. And McGinley, Flynn and Donald Faison have done pilots that could get picked up as fall series.

Do you think “Scrubs” could work without Braff and the other stars we’ve come to love? Leave me a comment and enjoy these sneak peeks of the finale.

Posted at 6:15 p.m. Friday, May 1

Ellen Page of “Juno” fame guest stars on this Sunday’s “The Simpsons,” playing Alaska Nebraska, a young music sensation not unlike Hannah Montana. Well, I shouldn’t say that because I’ve never met Hannah Montana, or Miley Cyrus. She/they probably aren’t as mean as Alaska Nebraska is. Anyway, in this video from Fox, Page chats with the voice of Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith.

The new episode, called “Waverly Hills 9021-Do’h!,” airs at 7 p.m. Sunday on Fox.

Posted at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 1

The Save “Chuck” campaigns got a big boost on Friday. Candy maker Wonka said it will deliver more than 1,000 packs of Nerds candy to NBC in support of the spy comedy.

According to Wonka, “Chuck” co-creator and producer Josh Schwartz came up with the idea when he was interviewed by The New York Times’ Dave Itzkoff. In the April 20 story, Schwartz said fans could send Nerds just as “Jericho” fans has sent CBS peanuts to save that show.

Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, right), as fans know, is part of the Nerd Herd computer tech team at the Buy More.

You can send Nerds to NBC at the below addresses. Check my past “Chuck” posts for more ways to show support. NBC is likely to make an announcement on the show Monday, May 4.

NBC’s “Chuck”
Attn: Ben Silverman
3000 W Alameda Ave., Admin Bldg
Burbank, CA 91523

NBC’s “Chuck”
Attn: Angela Bromstad
100 Universal City Plaza, Bldg 1320E 4th Floor
Universal City, CA 91608

Ellen Page of "Juno" fame guest stars on this Sunday's "The Simpsons," playing Alaska Nebraska, a young music sensation not unlike Hannah Montana. Well, I shouldn't say that because I've never met Hannah Montana, or Miley Cyrus. She/they probably aren't as mean as Alaska Nebraska is. Anyway, in this video from Fox, Page chats with the voice of Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith.

The new episode, called "Waverly Hills 9021-Do'h!," airs at 7 p.m. Sunday on Fox.

Zachary Levi of NBC's "Chuck" clowns with a giant Nerds box.

According to Wonka, "Chuck" co-creator and producer Josh Schwartz came up with the idea when he was interviewed by The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff. In the April 20 story, Schwartz said fans could send Nerds just as "Jericho" fans has sent CBS peanuts to save that show.

Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), as fans know, is part of the Nerd Herd computer tech team at the Buy More.

You can send Nerds to NBC at the below addresses.

Posted at 9:20 a.m. Friday, May 1

Starz airs new episodes Friday of its extremely funny comedies “Head Case” and “Party Down” at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., but I can’t wait for you to see the, so here are some clips from the eps.

On “Head Case,” Dr. Goode (Alexandra Wentworth) works with Mario Batali, Kevin Nealon (above) and Sandra Bernhard.

The “Party Down” caterers work a corporate retreat where Casey (Lizzy Caplan) helps speaker Rick Fox, which gets Henry (Adam Scott) and Roman (Martin Starr) all riled up. Robb Corddry guest stars as well. You can watch more clips below, and on Starz’s YouTube page.

JANE LYNCH ON "PARTY DOWN"
THE WATCHER CHATS WITH "PARTY DOWN" CREATOR ROB THOMAS

President Obama discussed his first 100 days in office at 7 p.m. Wednesday, pre-empting shows on most of the networks.

The creator of ABC's very funny "Better Off Ted," Victor Fresco, has something to say about that. Obama bumped the season finale of his sitcom, about the people who work at a morally-questionable corporation called Veridian Dynamics. So Fresco created this mock commercial from Veridian.

It's pretty hilarious. ABC will air the show's season finale, but the network has yet to decide the date.

READ MY REVIEW OF "BETTER OFF TED" HERE.

Posted at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 29

President Obama discussed his first 100 days in office at 7 p.m. Wednesday, pre-empting shows on most of the networks.

The creator of ABC’s very funny "Better Off Ted," Victor Fresco, has something to say about that. Obama bumped the season finale of his sitcom, about the people who work at a morally-questionable corporation called Veridian Dynamics. So Fresco created this mock commercial from Veridian.

It’s pretty hilarious. ABC will air the show’s season finale, but the network has yet to decide the date.

READ MY REVIEW OF "BETTER OFF TED" HERE.

Posted at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 29

READ MY REVIEW OF "KROD MANDOON ..."

Sean Maguire stars in Comedy Central's "Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire," which airs new episodes at 9 p.m. Thursdays. Comedy Central photos

Sean Maguire was suffering for his job one recent Friday.

“I got absolutely shit-faced last night,” the star of Comedy Central’s “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire” said. “The phone was ringing and I was like, ‘That can’t be for me.’”

We connected the day after the debut of “Krod,” an off-the-wall, Monty Python-like spoof of sword-and-sorcery films that’s filled with juvenile sex and body-part jokes and a lot of sword-fighting. Maguire had attended the premiere party, a task he says he doesn’t enjoy, so he used his “go-to move”: “Get drunk and that way no one will be able to find you,” he said, joking about the thought process behind his getting blasted. “Nothing bad can happen if you’re boozed up.”

Maguire, who did a similar movie mockery in “Meet the Spartans,” pulled himself together and happily chatted about “Krod,” singing “Every Sperm is Sacred” in a Monty Python movie, being a “buff man” and his love of topless skateboarders. Believe me, this is a guy you want to hang out with.

READ MY REVIEW OF "KROD MANDOON ..."

Sean Maguire stars in Comedy Central's "Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire," which airs new episodes at 9 p.m. Thursdays. Comedy Central photos

Sean Maguire was suffering for his job one recent Friday.

"I got absolutely shit-faced last night," the star of Comedy Central's "Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire" said. "The phone was ringing and I was like, 'That can't be for me.'"

We connected the day after the debut of "Krod," an off-the-wall, Monty Python-like spoof of sword-and-sorcery films that's filled with juvenile sex and body-part jokes and a lot of sword-fighting. Maguire had attended the premiere party, a task he says he doesn't enjoy, so he used his "go-to move": "Get drunk and that way no one will be able to find you," he said, joking about the thought process behind his getting blasted. "Nothing bad can happen if you're boozed up."

Maguire, who did a similar movie mockery in "Meet the Spartans," pulled himself together and happily chatted about "Krod," singing "Every Sperm is Sacred" in a Monty Python movie, being a "buff man" and his love of topless skateboarders. Believe me, this is a guy you want to hang out with.

Posted at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28

PULLING: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON DVD set
$24.98 in stores from MPI Home Media
Tune in or out? out of four.

Many writers have compared this biting British comedy, which has aired on Sundance Channel in the U.S., to “Sex and the City,” but that does “Pulling” a great disservice. The humor is much darker in “Pulling” than in “Sex.” And Donna, Karen and Louise are anything but glamorous, which makes them much more relatable than the “Sex” gals.

Posted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 27

Everything I’ve ever written on “Chuck,” including an interview with Vik Sahay.

I’m going to work late today, because I’m watching yet again the phenomenal Season 2 finale of “Chuck,” which blew my mind Monday.

How many different ways can I express how many different kinds of awesome it was? Best … TV … season … finale … ever.

And I say “season” finale as opposed to “series” finale because NBC MUST bring it back after that beyond delightful, fully satisfying, unbelievably riotous hour.

NBC, can you be awesome? Save Chuck! I’ve recently come into a little bit of money … Will that help your decision?

I’m not going to do a blow-by-blow of the episode here. But I do want to share some of the best writing on TV ever. Below you’ll find some of the great lines from “Chuck Versus The Ring,” which was written by co-creator Chris Fedak and Ali Adler.

Lauren Conrad told reporters last week that in the May 3 episode of Fox's "Family Guy," "they basically make fun of me for being dumb."

And how. Here's a clip from the episode, titled "We Love You Conrad," in which "The Hills" star plays herself as a brainy target of Brian's affections. Read more of the Conrad interview here. The episode airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on Fox.

Posted at 10 p.m. Monday, April 27

Morgan (Joshua Gomez, center) introduces Lester (Vik Sahay, left) and Jeff (Scott Krinksy, right) as Jeffster makes a triumphant return to “Chuck” in the season finale Monday. NBC photo

”Chuck” closed out its second season with an incredible episode that, as creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak have said all along, was a “game-changer.”

Jeffster is a wedding band! And Lester is the wedding singer!

Oh, wait, maybe that's not the game-changer. Maybe it has to do with Chuck (Zachary Levi). (No worries, no spoilers here.)

Anyway, “Chuck” has deservedly earned a groundswell of support from a rabid fan base, several TV critics including this one, and secret agents all over the world. (They can’t be vocal because they are secret agents—but trust me.)

“Chuck” needs the love, as it is what they call a “bubble show.” NBC is deciding whether it should return next fall. All the networks are looking over schedules, ratings and the money machine to decide the fate of several bubble shows.

Zap2it asked visitors to its site to vote on which bubble shows should return and which should get canceled. People voted to save four of my fave comedies, including my beloved “Chuck,” the wonderful “Reaper,” “Better Off Ted” and “Samantha Who?”

Read the list and vote at Zap2it.com.

Posted at 3:55 p.m. Monday, April 27

LC TALKS ABOUT "FAMILY GUY"

Lauren Conrad told reporters last week that in the May 3 episode of Fox’s “Family Guy," “they basically make fun of me for being dumb."

And how. Here are a cpuple of clips from the episode, titled “We Love You Conrad,” in which "The Hills" star plays herself as a brainy target of Brian's affections. Read more of the Conrad interview here. The episode airs at 8 p.m. may 3 on Fox.

Posted at 12:25 a.m. Monday, July 27

Matthew Bomer (right) and Tim DeKay co-star in a new USA Network series tentatively called "White Collar." USA photo

Don’t panic, “Chuck” fans. Just because Matthew Bomer’s pilot for USA Network, “White Collar,” has been greenlit for a series doesn’t mean all hope is lost for “Chuck’s” renewal.

Bomer wasn’t a series regular on “Chuck,” where he occasionally played spy Bryce Larkin, Chuck’s former bud and Sarah’s former boyfriend. (He’s back for Monday's season finale, by the way.)

Posted at 7:55 p.m. Friday, April 24

An NBC rep for the series "Chuck" said rumors the the series has been renewed are not true.

"No decision will be made until early May," NBC's Jamie French wrote in an e-mail.

He was responding to a post on the Web site series.nu which said that the show has been given a 13-episode order for next year, citing a source at NBC.

"The NBC insider says that Chuck will get a third season of 13 episodes. But another insider at WB is telling its not 100% sure, but its looking very good for the show," the post stated.

WB is Warner Brothers, the studio that produces "Chuck," which airs its Season 2 finale at 7 p.m. Monday. (Be sure to watch and Save Chuck!) I was unable to track down a Warner Brothers rep.

"Chuck" has been ratings challenged during both its seasons, but it does have a rabid fan base and, simply because its so damn good, deserves to be renewed. Here's hoping that rumor turns into fact come May.

Posted at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 23

Here are several sneak peeks at the Season 2 finale of "Chuck," which airs at 7 p.m. Monday. It's going to be awesome!

Tune in, and don't forget the big Finale and a Footlong "Save Chuck" event going on. On Monday you should go to your local Subway, buy a footlong and leave a note in the suggestion box stating that NBC should SAVE CHUCK!

For more ways to save the show, including snail mailing NBC, go to this post.

Enjoy the clips below, and the finale.

Here are several sneak peeks at the Season 2 finale of "Chuck," which airs at 7 p.m. Monday. It's going to be awesome!

Tune in, and don't forget the big Finale and a Footlong "Save Chuck" event going on. On Monday you should go to your local Subway, buy a footlong and leave a note in the suggestion box stating that NBC should SAVE CHUCK!

For more ways to save the show, including snail mailing NBC, go to this post.

Enjoy the clips below, and the finale.

Posted at 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, April 21

Cartman obviously reads the news. In the mid-season finale of “South Park,” he decides he’s going to run away from home to become a pirate.

Cartman doesn’t get it quite right, though, in "Fatbeard." He enlists Butters and others to join him on Skull Island, where they can hunt for buried treasure. He just has to figure out how to get to Somalia.

The episode airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday on Comedy Central.

WATCH A VIDEO PREVIEW

Lauren Conrad, above with Brian, voices herself on "Family Guy." Fox photos

"The Hills" star Lauren Conrad won't be attending the wedding of her co-stars, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, but she is guest starring on an upcoming episode of "Family Guy."

Conrad was asked about going to the wedding Monday during a conference about "Family Guy."

"Probably not," she said laughing, adding that she was invited.

Posted at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19

YouTuber Fridolizzer86 posted this "Chuck Versus the Cancellation" video Friday. Check out a big collection of Chuckness at ZacharyLevi.Net

Do Chuck and Sarah finally get things going on Monday’s “Chuck”? (Watch it! Watch t! Watch it!) The teaser below for “Chuck Versus the Colonel” kind of hints at that, as does NBC’s description of the episode below. DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING!

It’s the last episode before the April 27 season finale, called “Chuck Versus the Ring.” Be sure to watch both eps, write to NBC about why they should keep the show, and join all the “Save Chuck” campaigns around the world, some of which you can find in my previous plea and The Watcher Mo Ryan’s previous plea.

Also, enjoy my interview with Vik Sahay, who plays Lester, in anticipation of another appearance by the great song stylists Jeffster, coming before the end of the season.

Posted at 7 a.m. Friday, April 17

SIT DOWN, SHUT UP
7:30 p.m. Sunday, Fox
Tune in or out? out of four.

I like a good “nut sack” joke as much as the next guy, but when it’s coming from the minds and actors behind “Arrested Development,” it’s more than a little disappointing.

Posted at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15

YES, ROSE STARRED IN "FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY"

Anika Noni Rose stars in HBO's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." RedEye/Chase Agnello-Dean photo

You can't keep Anika Noni Rose down.

The actress has chosen to play characters that, although outwardly very different, share her obviously indomitable spirit.

"I grew up in a little town and I decided to do something that people automatically were like, 'Really? Good luck,'" Rose told me during an interview at the RedEye offices. "I know that feeling that you are bigger than the constraints around you."

Posted at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, April 15

We already have Ray Wise’s hilariously droll Satan on the CW’s funny “Reaper.” Now TBS is bringing us a whole family from hell.

The cable net has greenlit 10 episodes of a half-hour animated comedy called “Neighbors From Hell,” about a devilish family that moves into the suburbs. The Hellmans include dad Balthazor; his wife, Tina; their two children, Mandy and Josh; and their dog, Pazuzu. They have come to Earth to keep humans from going to hell.

Apparently their devil is nothing like the one Wise plays.

“South Park” writer-producer Pam Brady wrote the pilot and will exec produce with Mireille Soria. Fox TV Animation, DreamWorks Animation SKG and Jeffrey Katzenberg developed the series.

Posted at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 14

KATHY GRIFFIN: SHE’LL CUT A BITCH
8 p.m. Wednesday, Bravo
Tune in or out? out of four.

Oak Park native, self-proclaimed D-lister and “crazy bitch” (according to Cher) Kathy Griffin attacks the A-listers again in her new stand-up special, filmed last month in Portland. This time Griffin riotously recounts rubbing elbows with stars such as the Jonas Brothers (“I’m calling [BS] on their [bleeping] purity rings!”), Cher (“Who knew Cher’s real hair is Cher hair?”), the desperate housewives (“Marcia Cross’ face looks like a hockey rink”) and Mary Tyler Moore (“She said, ‘Thank you,” and walked away from the crazy lady”). Griffin gives us a bawdy backstage pass to her experiences at the Emmys, the Grammys and in Cher’s bedroom. If Griffin’s still a D-lister, I’ll wear Cher’s hair.

Posted at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 14

Is “Saturday Night Live” turning to a new old friend to help close out its season? Unconfirmed reports say Justin Timberlake will host the May 9 episode and perform "Love Sex Magic" with musical guest Ciara. And he won’t do it in two minutes flat.

Posted at 8:15 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2009

Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanagh and “Trust Me” won’t be back on TNT. TNT photo

We saw the writing on the wall when Eric McCormack signed up to do a pilot for ABC. TNT isn’t bringing back McCormack’s “Trust Me” for a second season, the New York Times reported Friday. McCormack, Tom Cavanagh and Monica Potter starred in the comedy-drama about a Chicago advertising agency. TNT has three new dramas in the hopper—the Ray Romano series “Men of a Certain Age,” Jada Pinkett Smith’s “HawthoRNe,” and Dylan McDermott’s drama “Dark Blue.” (The show titles have apparently changed.)

Posted at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 13

Stan’s dad really wants him to win the Pinewood Derby in the new episode of “South Park,” appropriately title “Pinewood Derby.” It airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 15. Randy wants that win so badly he comes up with a questionable plan to assure the win.

Posted at 4:45 p.m. Sunday, Apirl 12

LESTER wants you to save "Chuck."

It’s Chuck Versus the Network Pick-Up time, people. The wonderfully fun NBC comedy “Chuck” has just three episodes left in its excellent, awesome, amazing sophomore season. And we want it to be renewed.

Vik Sahay, who plays Chuck’s duplicitous Buy More workmate Lester Patel, wouldn’t tell any secrets about the last three episodes, but he did say what’s coming is exciting.

“I had been hearing [creator] Josh Schwartz talk about a game-changer before I knew what was happening at the end of the season,” Sahay said. “I thought, ‘What could that be?’ When I read it and started shooting it, I thought, ‘Yes this is a game-changer.’”

Fans of "Chuck" can expect a return engagement from the hilariously bad musical misfits Jeffster before Season 2 is over. Just don't expect an EP from the two actors who play band members Jeff and Lester.

Vik Sahay

The Canadian actor, who plays Lester opposite Scott Krinsky's Jeff on the NBC comedy, said neither of the actors has had musical training. Sahay doesn't even play Rock Band in his spare time--or does he?

"I do many, many things in the privacy of my own home that I never intend to be public," he joked. "Let's leave it at that."

Posted at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, April 12

"Chuck" returns at 7 p.m. Monday on NBC. HELP SAVE "CHUCK"

Fans of “Chuck” can expect a return engagement from the hilariously bad musical misfits Jeffster before Season 2 is over. Just don’t expect an EP from the two actors who play band members Jeff and Lester.

“As much as performing like that is terrifying for Lester, it’s 10 times as terrifying for one Vik Sahay,” Sahay told me during a recent phone interview. “That would just be an odd one.”

The Canadian actor, who plays Lester opposite Scott Krinsky’s Jeff on the NBC comedy, said neither of the actors has had musical training. Sahay doesn’t even play Rock Band in his spare time—or does he?

“I do many, many things in the privacy of my own home that I never intend to be public,” he joked. “Let’s leave it at that.”

Posted at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, April 12

Can’t get enough of Janeane Garofalo? Lucky you then—the comic actress is all over TV lately—and on two shows Monday night.

Posted at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 12

Zac Efron hosted “Saturday Night Live,” and it wasn’t awful. It also wasn’t great. The best skit featuring Efron was the post-“High School Musical” bit in the video above. Troy Bolton returned to high school after a year in college—disillusioned that not everyone in the world sings their feelings.

Posted at 4:50 p.m. Friday, April 10

.

TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION
9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime
Tune in or out? out of four.

Posted at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9

KROD MANDOON AND THE FLAMING SWORD OF FIRE
9 p.m. Thursday, Comedy Central
Tune in or out? out of four.

You have to love a show that offers rippling pecs, nubile women and flashing blades. I do, anyway.

SEAN MAGUIRE: FROM 'MONTY PYTHON' TO 'KROD MANDOON.'

KROD MANDOON AND THE FLAMING SWORD OF FIRE
9 p.m. Thursday, Comedy Central
Tune in or out? out of four.

You have to love a show that offers rippling pecs, nubile women and flashing blades. I do, anyway.

Posted at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 9

PARKS AND RECREATION
7:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC
Tune in or out? out of four.

Posted at 11 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Amy Poehler comes to prime-time Thursday in "Parks and Recreation." NBC photos

After building on her "Saturday Night Live" popularity with a starring role in last year's "Baby Mama," Amy Poehler now stands among a group of funny gals who are fast becoming TV franchises. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Poehler's new prime-time comedy, "Parks and Recreation," debuts on NBC. Her fellow first ladies of laughs can be found all over the TV dial, and they're hilarious. Keep reading for a rundown.

Posted at 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2009

We haven’t seen the end of “Pushing Daisies,” "Eli Stone" and “Dirty Sexy Money." ABC says it will air the unseen episodes of the cancelled series on Saturdays over the summer.

The “Pushing Daisies” news actually made me smile today. I miss it. Here’s the schedule from an ABC press release:

Posted at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, April 8

Good news, fans of baseball, cursing and laughter! HBO has renewed “Eastbound & Down,” the comedy from executive producer Will Ferrell.

The hilarously raunchy show stars Danny McBride (left) as Kenny Powers, “who used to be a star pitcher until his self-destructive behavior knocked him out of Major League Baseball.” In the successful first season that concluded in March, Kenny began teaching Phys Ed at the North Carolina middle school he once attended. The season ended with Kenny getting another big-league job offer.

New episodes will film later this year and air on HBO in 2010, the network said today. Ferrell producers the show with McBride, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Jody Hill and Ben Best

Posted at 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 8

This outta be good—and rude. Joan Rivers will be the target of the next Comedy Central celebrity roast.

The network said Wednesday that the show will tape in LA on July 26 and air at 9 p.m. Aug. 9. It did not announce a list of comedians who will blast away at Joan, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

In fact, they could probably ask Joan herself for some jokes.

“I'm thrilled to be doing this for Comedy Central,” Rivers, who can be seen on NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” on Sundays. “The last time I was roasted I was half of a two-for-one special: Joan of Arc and me.”

Joan's latest book is called “Men Are Stupid And They Like Big Boobs.” No reason to add that last bit, except that it made me laugh.

In August 2007, Tracy Morgan appeared on the WGN Morning News and cracked everyone up. The folks at WGN tell me that the clip (above) with Larry Potash, Dean Richards and Robin Baumgarten will be used on the April 23 episode of the NBC show.

Posted at 10 p.m. Tuesday, April 7

In August 2007, Tracy Morgan appeared on the WGN Morning News and cracked everyone up. The folks at WGN tell me that the clip (above) with Larry Potash, Dean Richards and Robin Baumgarten will be used on the April 23 episode of the NBC show.

Posted at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2009

Isn’t it just Chuck Bartowski’s luck that he finds a dream job at the company run by his long-time computer-genius hero, but things go horribly wrong?

I’m not telling any fans of my favorite current TV comedy anything they don’t already know, but that genius, Ted Roark, is played by Chevy Chase. And Ted is not quite what Chuck (Zachary Levi) expected.

Posted at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2009

Get ready for a “High School Musical” parody on “Saturday Night Live.” Zac Efron is hosting the April 11 episode.

It’s the “HSM” star’s first time as host, as it is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut as “SNL” musical guests. Efron’s latest film, “17 Again,” opens April 17.

Efron’s past movies, including “Hairspray,” should offer “SNL” writers plenty of inspiration for comedy-musical skits. And his desire to dirty up his image should give Andy Samberg some real ammunition for a raunchy digital short a la “Natalie Raps” or “[Bleep] in a Box” or “[Bleep] in My Pants” or … You get the idea.

By the way: Does anyone else think Efron and "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford look alike? I just noticed the similarities in their arched eyebrows, scruffy dos, jawlines I envy ...

Efron recently appeared on “The Graham Norton Show,” where the Irish talk show host and comic David Walliams gently ribbed the 21-year-old star.

Posted at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, April 5

Rod Blagojevich made headlines last week when he was indicted, so it was inevitable he would appear on “Weekend Update” on Saturday.

Seth Meyers welcomed the former governor—actually Jason Sudeikis’ version of him—to the “Saturday Night Live” news skit. But I have to say, the real Blago might be funnier.

“Same ass, different D,” “Blago” said when asked by Meyers how he was doing. Either the audience didn’t get it, or like me they simply didn’t think it was funny. Very few people laughed.

The names Meyers came up with for Blago weren’t bad. Some might be good for future RedEye covers. Watch the video above for the complete skit and decide for yourself.

I’ve included other skits I liked from the episode, hosted by Seth Rogen. Just click the link below. For the show’s misses—such as Fred Armisen’s cold open as President Barack Obama—go to nbc.com.

Feel free to tell me in the comments section what you thought of the episode.

Posted at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, April 5

Rod Blagojevich made headlines last week when he was indicted, so it was inevitable he would appear on “Weekend Update” on Saturday.

Seth Meyers welcomed the former governor—actually Jason Sudeikis’ version of him—to the “Saturday Night Live” news skit. But I have to say, the real Blago might be funnier.

“Same ass, different D,” “Blago” said when asked by Meyers how he was doing. Either the audience didn’t get it, or like me they simply didn’t think it was funny. Very few people laughed.

The names Meyers came up with for Blago weren’t bad. Some might be good for future RedEye covers. Watch the video above for the complete skit and decide for yourself.

I’ve included other skits I liked from the episode, hosted by Seth Rogen. Just click the link below. For the show’s misses—such as Fred Armisen’s cold open as President Barack Obama—go to nbc.com.

Feel free to tell me in the comments section what you thought of the episode.

Rod Blagojevich made headlines last week when he was indicted, so it was inevitable he would appear on "Weekend Update" on Saturday.

Seth Meyers welcomed the former governor--actually Jason Sudeikis' version of him--to the "Saturday Night Live" news skit. But I have to say, the real Blago might be funnier.

"Same ass, different D," "Blago" said when asked by Meyers how he was doing. Either the audience didn't get it, or like me they simply didn't think it was funny. Very few people laughed.

The names Meyers came up with for Blago weren't bad. Some might be good for future RedEye covers. Watch the video above for the complete skit and decide for yourself.

I've included other skits I liked from the episode, hosted by Seth Rogen. Just click the link below. For the show's misses--such as Fred Armisen's cold open as President Barack Obama--go to nbc.com.

Feel free to tell me in the comments section what you thought of the episode.