Sibling Rivalry and Grating Voices: Battle of the Sexes on "Top Chef: Las Vegas"

It's interesting as each season of Top Chef wears on to see just how your initial gut-instinct contenders fare as the challenges begin piling up.

I'm happy to say that so far the three chefs that I picked as the three major contenders have all continued to fare well this week. Just which one of them will walk away with the grand prize remains to be seen but there's no doubt in my mind that each of them will be sticking around for some time to come.

On this week's episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas ("Bachelor/Ette Party"), it was a battle of the sexes as the chefs were split down the middle and had to pair three shots with individual dishes at a bachelor and bachelorette party. But before that, there was the Todd English-judged Quickfire Challenge where the cheftestants rolled dice to see how many ingredients they'd have to work with--anywhere from two to twelve--and prepare a dish in under thirty minutes.

So how did they fare this week in Sin City? Let's discuss.

I thought the Quickfire Challenge was an interesting one this week because, though it was based largely on luck, it didn't hit us over the head with the Vegas allusions and because it challenged the chefs to work within some strict confines. Having a limited number of ingredients can be freeing in a way as it forces the chef to commit to strong, intense, and simple flavors and execute their vision precisely. There wouldn't be any superfluous squiggles of puree on the plate or an overabundance of elements.

Plus, it was interesting to see which chefs--Kevin Gillespie and Jennifer Carroll for two--were actually hoping they'd land less ingredients than more. These two are definitely on my Major Contender list and both of them excel at clean, simple flavor profiles that are complex without being chaotic.

So which dishes stood out from among the pack? Despite landing ten ingredients, Kevin offered up a deceptively simple dish of asparagus and celery salad with fennel cream and boiled egg. (Sometimes more can be less.) Once again, Jennifer managed to wow the judges with her simple elegance (which always seems to belie an intensity of flavor) with a smoked salmon with lemon, garlic, shallot, parsley, and jalapeno emulsion. And Michael V. reinvented the humble gazpacho as a nitro gazpacho with compressed cucumbers and toast, a modern molecular miracle that had him walk away with $15,000 and immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

But all was not good in the Top Chef kitchen. I think that Bryan was extremely disappointed to place so poorly in the Quickfire for his poached black cod with carrot-ginger puree and daikon radish sprouts, but it still shows some major initiative and conceptualization. Which can't be said for some of the other dishes. As soon as I saw Jesse's dish--scallops with chimichurri and smashed garbanzo beans with toasted garlic--I knew she'd land at the bottom of the pack. The scallops had no coloring whatsoever and the rest of the plate was comprised of two piles of mush resembling baby food (baby food, people, I'm trying to be kind). I never understand the mentality behind plating in this fashion; there needs to be some thought put into executing a combination of textures as well as flavors and offering up mush and more mush just doesn't cut it. Full stop.

As for Eve, I've been scratching my head as to how she made it onto the series. Her chilled asparagus salad with raisins, pine nuts, and blue cheese was woefully executed, with the blue cheese overpowering everything else on the plate. I made a comment in my original advance review of the season opener that Eve's voice was like nails on a chalkboard and that holds true here. Which I'd try my best to overlook if she had some stunning vision or skills in the kitchen but it doesn't seem to be the case here.

Moving on to the Elimination Challenge, there was some definite bad blood behind the choice of the challenge, with Jennifer Carroll irked about the division of the sexes (in a gender-equal competition like this I have to agree with her) and Ashley upset about the wedding-themed nature of the competition, given the nearly universal ban on gay marriage in America at the moment. Unfortunately, being a chef means cooking for people whose ideas, ethos, way of living, or sense of being conflicts with your own. You are there to compete and as a professional chef, it's not up to you to decide that you shouldn't be cooking for certain people or because of certain circumstances. Top Chef has featured wedding-themed challenges in the past and this season is set in Las Vegas, so it was only a matter of time before something of this nature came up. I can understand Ashley's frustrations about the larger political/social issue but this wasn't the forum for that and it wasn't the intention of the series' producers to make anyone uncomfortable or angry.

(Getting off my soapbox now.)

I have to say that, with the very notable exception of Jennifer Carroll once again (who turned out a gorgeous octopus ceviche with citrus vinaigrette, chives, and smoked salt, fennel, and mint) and Laurine (who offered up a beautifully cooked lamb chop with a pomegranate and pine nut relish), I was pretty disappointed with the performance of the women's team. They did try to play it safe by offering up "familiar" foods to the bachelor's guests rather than make the guests happy and wow the judges, something that the men's team pulled off almost flawlessly.

The men's team rocked the poolside party, managing to pair well with the individual shots and offer up something creative and imaginative. In other words: something cheffy and appropriate. Michael V. completely transformed the golden delicious shot into something inventive and appetizing, delivering an apple sorbet and goat cheese cookie that transformed the sickly sweetness of the shot into something subtle and remarkable. Hector took the blandness of tofu and invigorated it with flavor, offering a tofu, lemon-lime tequila ceviche and guajillo-achiote tortilla that was intensely flavored and memorable. Likewise, Eli conjured up a unique Thai tuna tartare with puffed wild rice, coconut milk, and ginger that removed from memory every bland, underseasoned tuna tartare that came before.

But it was Bryan's dish, a whimsical sweet-and-sour macaroon filled with guacamole, corn nuts, and corn puree that really was the stand-out dish of the evening for me. It was so unexpected, so utterly distinctive and original that I was blown away by its elegance and complexity. It was after all, a play on chips and guacamole with margaritas but Bryan so magically infused it with an aura of mystery and lyrical playfulness that it was a sight to behold. No surprise then that he walked away with the win for the Elimination Challenge. Could there be two brothers left standing in the final rounds? This week proved that there very well might be...

It was no surprise who ended up in the bottom four this week for their lackluster dishes. Eve's Gulf shrimp and avocado ceviche with smokey tomato salsa, creme fraiche, and popcorn was a muddled mess of conflicting flavors and underdeveloped seasoning. Ashley could have cooked just one incredible dish (watermelon carpaccio with ricotta salata and aged balsamic) but instead bizarrely opted to cook two, creating a bay leaf and vanilla panna cotta with cranberry powder and honey as a dessert, which failed to hit its mark entirely. (It was bitter, wrinkly, and lacked the right consistency.)
The judges berated Preeti for the inelegance and lack of adroitness of her dish, coriander and sesame-crusted tuna with spicy eggplant, shiso leaf, and wonton crisp which seemed sad and out of place among the complexity and skill of many of the other dishes. And finally Jessie was reduced to tears when the judges critiqued her Thai chicken lettuce cup with shiitake mushrooms, shiso, and ginger beer, a muddle of ingredients and ideas that failed to be executed properly.

Fortunately, it was the grating Eve who was told to pack her knives and go. I'm glad that she's gotten the boot early; personally, I would have sent her home last week. Even putting aside her voice, Eve hasn't proven in the two installments so far that she can actually pull off a dish. And, let's be honest, the stakes are far too high to keep someone in this competition who is clearly out of her element.

Who do you think should have won? And who should have gotten cut from the pack? Discuss.

Next week on a special extended episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas ("Thunderbirds"), the contestants must serve 300 pilots and crew from the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron with the same "Pride, Precision and Professionalism" on deck that the Thunderbirds show in the air. Plus, Campanile's Mark Peel stops by to guest judge.

Top Chef Preview: Crackin' The Whip



Top Chef Preview: Coming to a Boil

Channel Surfing: NBC Delays "Southland," "Chuck" Co-Creator Josh Schwartz to Pen CBS Comedy Script, "Heathers" Resurrected at FOX, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

NBC has announced that it is delaying the second season launch of Southland by a month. The Warner Bros. Television-produced series, which premiered last spring, was slated to launch its sophomore season on Friday, September 25th but will now instead debut on Friday, October 23rd. The reason behind the late change? According to Variety's Michael Schneider, "insiders said the Peacock hopes to use the extra month to further promote the show, which they worried was getting lost in the fall marketing shuffle." Southland was meant to launch on the same evening as Medium and Dollhouse. (Variety)

Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz and Chuck producer Matt Miller will write an untitled multi-camera comedy pilot script for CBS about a twenty-something couple who have just gotten married and return home after their honeymoon and must learn how to navigate life together. (The premise was inspired by Schwartz and Miller's own recent weddings.) Project hails from Warner Bros. Television, where Schwartz has a deal. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX is said to be developing a contemporary update of 1989 feature film Heathers (one of my personal faves) with Mark Rizzo (Zip) on board to adapt the dark comedy as an ongoing series. Additionally, Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) has come on board the project as a non-writing executive producer. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Lakeshore Entertainment, will reset the film's storyline--about a group of loathsome mean girls who begin dying when one of their members, Veronica, meets J.D., a dangerous new guy at school, and the bodies start to pile up. (Variety)

TNT has ordered a third season of heist drama Leverage, with fifteen episodes of the series expected to air in Summer 2010. (via press release)

Supernatural fans have to head over to The Chicago Tribune where Maureen Ryan has a fantastic and lengthy interview with Supernatural creator/executive producer Eric Kripke, in which he teases that the next season of Supernatural will offer "the fun Apocalypse." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Melissa McCarthy (Samantha Who, Gilmore Girls) has signed on to appear in a recurring role on ABC's fall comedy series Hank, starring Kelsey Grammer. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, McCarthy will play Dawn, the wife of David Koechner's Grady, which would make her Hank's sister-in-law. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a two-year first-look deal with Sam Raimi and Josh Donen's shingle Stars Road Entertainment, under which they will develop network and cable drama series projects for the studio while staying away from the horror genre. The duo have hired former CBS executive Robert Zotnowski to oversee the push into television. Meanwhile, Robert Tapert will continue to remain involved as Raimi's producing partner. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some scoop on what's coming up for Jane Krakwoski’s Jenna on 30 Rock, revealing that Jenna lands the lead role in a Twilight rip-off. "For tax reasons, they shoot it in Iceland and then they realize the sun doesn’t set," executive producer Robert Carlock told Ausiello. "So they’re shooting a vampire movie without having night." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ITV1 has commissioned a seven-part period drama series Downton Abbey from writer Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) that is set at an Edwardian-era country manor house. Series, which will consist of a 90-minute opener and then six one-hour installments, "will focus on the relationship between the Crawley family, who own the Downton estate, and their staff, who live and work at the house. While some are loyal and committed to the family, others try to improve their status, find love and follow adventure." (Broadcast)

Lennie James (Jericho) has been cast in FOX's Lie to Me, where he will play Ray Marsh, the nemesis to Tim Roth's Cal Lightman. Marsh, writes Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, is described as "a charming Brit who ran scams with Lightman way back when and who is now on the FBI and Scotland Yard watch lists. Ray once took the fall for Lightman and spent time in prison as a result. Now, after a 20-year estrangement, Ray is back to collect what he believes he is owed." James will make his first appearance in the second season's fifth episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Just three weeks after its launch, Style has renewed docusoap Guiliana and Bill for a second season. (Variety)

MTV has ordered horror telepic My Super Psycho Sweet 16, in which a serial killer hunts down teens at a high-end birthday bash at a roller rink. Telepic, executive produced by Maggie Malina, has already been shot. The cabler also ordered musical/dance telepic Turn the Beat Around from executive producers Tony Krantz and Steve Levitan and a scripted telepic version of the channel's Made. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lewis Black will star in an original comedy special Stark Raving Black for the nascent pay cable channel Epix, a joint venture between Lionsgate, MGM, and Viacom, which will air the special, filmed in Detroit, in December as well as playing in select theatres in 20 markets. (Variety)

Former Hat Trick co-founder Denise O'Donoghue has been hired as president of international television productions at NBC Universal International, where she will spearhead the studio's local production business, expand their international format licensing initiatives, and "[shorten] the format pipeline" between the US and the UK. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Honor (and Style) Among Thieves: An Advance Review of USA's "White Collar"

Imagine the high stakes tension of Steven Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can crossed with the rapid-fire humor of The Thin Man films and the slick, elegant style of Mad Men.

Still with me? Combine those elements and you begin to approximate the effervescent and engaging new crime drama series White Collar, which launches in October on USA.

Created by Jeff Eastin (Hawaii) and directed by Bronwen Hughes (Burn Notice), White Collar is a cat-and-mouse chase with a twist: the bad guy was caught years ago by the good guy and now assists him in tracking down other nefarious types using his criminal skills, deductive powers, and roguish good looks.

The good guy in this case is FBI Agent Peter Stokes (Tell Me You Love Me's Tim DeKay), a grimly determined G-man assigned to the bureau's white collar crimes division. Which means that he spends his days (and often nights) tracking down art forgers, embezzlers, and con artists with a mix of relish and reluctance, given the quality time he's missing with his beautiful and supportive wife Debbie (What About Brian's Tiffani Thiessen).

As for the bad guy in this equation? It's impish criminal genius Neal Caffrey (Chuck's Matthew Bomer), a man who could charm the skin off a snake... and steal its fangs at the same time. He's so utterly charming that Peter Stokes spent years tracking him down and landing him in a maximum security prison to serve out a four-year sentence.

Which is where we find Caffrey at the start of White Collar's exuberant 90-minute pilot. But Caffrey's not staying put and hatches a plan to escape a Supermax prison... and he pulls this off with without breaking a sweat. (Let's just say that Michael Scofield should take notes.) Caffrey's not looking for freedom but rather his true love, a woman named Kate Moreau who breaks his heart while he's in prison and disappears without a trace. Peter Stokes, pulled off a forgery case, tracks Caffrey down at Kate's flat and it's back to prison for him.

Or is it? Caffrey manages to cut a deal with a highly reluctant Stokes: in exchange for getting him released from prison (his little escape plot landed him an additional four years), he'll be released into Stokes' custody, fitted with an ankle monitor, and he'll bring his criminal expertise to helping Stokes track down the biggest and baddest white collar miscreants, like the enigmatic forger The Dutchman (guest star Mark Sheppard), a man nearly as elusive as Caffrey himself.

And that's where White Collar's story really kicks off, as Caffrey becomes a valuable (if not quite trusted) member of Stokes' crack FBI task force and opts for a cushier life than the one that Stokes arranges for him at a fleabag motel, instead moving into a luxe mansion owned by June (Diahann Carroll), a gorgeous widow whose husband had himself been a stylish felon like Caffrey. Besuited and bedecked in the finest vintage fashion labels (Devore, no less), Caffrey cuts quite a figure. But it's not enough to earn him even a batted eyelash from Stokes' FBI probie Diana (Lost's Marsha Thomason), a gorgeous lesbian agent who Stokes jokes would rather wear Caffrey's fedora than swoon over it.

Despite being inside for four years, Caffrey still has a few tricks up his stylish sleeves and a network of informants, information-gatherers, and criminal experts to turn to when he's gently bending the rules of his release agreement. One such underworld contact is the shadowy and hysterical Mozzie (Sex and the City's Willie Garson), a career criminal with a penchant for banter and intelligence gathering.

While White Collar could be a run of the mill crime drama, it's elevated to new levels by the charisma and chemistry between DeKay and Bomer, who are both so perfectly cast and at ease in their roles that it's easy to fall for their inimical charms. DeKay nails the role of a weary FBI agent whose job it is to stay two steps ahead of the most mercurial individuals while never seeming like a dull stick-in-the-mud or irritatingly lifeless. Bomer effortlessly pulls off Caffrey's charming and debonair ways with a carefree energy and wicked spirit. These two are so brilliant in these roles that it's hard to imagine any other actor playing them with such panache. In their capable hands, Stokes and Caffrey engage in a deliciously mismatched partnership based on mutual distrust, respect, and oneupsmanship.

Kudos too to Thomason for turning what could be a one-dimensional role into a dynamic and memorable character whose sexuality isn't her defining quality but merely one aspect of her overall personality.

The writing in the pilot, courtesy of Jeff Eastin, is whip-smart and there are some great dramatic plants and payoffs as well as sly banter between the two leads and some nice surprises along the way. Director Bronwen Hughes keeps things moving at a brisk pace but also deftly showcases the beauty of the New York skyline and Caffrey's throwback fashioning with a real sense of love and admiration for time gone by. The feeling is something modern but embedded with nostalgia of an era long past; it's fast-paced but never loses sight of Caffrey's devilish nature.

Ultimately, White Collar is a perfect addition to USA's stable of quirky procedural dramas but also pushes the formula into a new direction, infusing the old tropes of criminal investigation with a sense of style, whimsy, and elegant fun. Sy Devore and the Rat Pack that he so chicly clothed would be proud.



White Collar premieres Friday, October 23rd at 10 pm ET/PT on USA.

Fall Forecasting: What Are You Watching Next Season?

With the start of the fall season nearly upon us (in roughly two weeks' time), I'm wondering just what you're most excited about watching this autumn.

I'll be sharing my picks for new and returning series next week but I thought I'd get a jump on the upcoming season by asking you, my readers, which series you are most looking forward to and why.

Are you super-excited for ABC's FlashForward or does ABC's V rock your world more? Are ABC's Modern Family and NBC's Community the end-all, be-all of new comedies? Intrigued by The Good Wife or Three Rivers at CBS? So keen for the series launch of FOX's Glee that you've been singing along all summer? Or eagerly awaiting the launch of HBO's comedy Bored to Death?

Are you looking forward to the return of 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, or Bones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sons of Anarchy, or other returning series?

Discuss.

Channel Surfing: "Sex and Murder" in the "Dollhouse," Same-Sex Snog for "Gossip Girl," Quinn Finds "Beautiful Life," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday television briefing.

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin has a look at what lies ahead for FOX's Dollhouse as she catches up with the Joss Whedon-created series' stars to get some dirt on what's going on inside the Dollhouse next season. "They have a connection," said Tahmoh Penikett of Echo and Paul Ballard next season. "It's not a physical attraction, but I hope it's something that we explore a lot more this season. You're not quite sure what it is. There's a past, there's a history, there's an understanding between them that's very different. I think the audience is really going to like it and be really curious about where we're going in the first few episodes." As for that other would-be couple, Sierra and Victor, Enver Gjokah said, "Sierra and Victor are definitely still involved. They're going to explore that relationship more. They explore the Sierra-and-Victor love as dolls, but then also they're going to go into the backstory of both of them." Lots more detail in the piece, which also hints at just what Season Two is about ("sex and murder"). (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Ed Westwick's Chuck Bass will lock lips this season on Gossip Girl with another man, namely Neal Bledsoe's Josh Ellis, NYU's head of freshman affairs. So what spurs the kissing exactly? "Since Josh is tasked with selecting an incoming student for the honor of delivering the freshman speech, he’s, shall we say, a person of interest to Blair," writes Ausiello. "In fact, she’s so determined to snag the slot that she goes so far as to pimp out her boyfriend to the gay guy in charge." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Ed Quinn (True Blood, Eureka) has been cast in the CW's upcoming fall drama series The Beautiful Life, where he will play the husband of Elle Macpherson's Claudia Foster, a former supermodel who now runs an elite modeling agency. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Beau Bridges (Stargate SG-1) will guest star in an episode of TNT's The Closer next season, where he will play George Andrews, the former partner of G.W. Bailey's Provenza, who "returns to help close a case that has been turned over on appeal." (TVGuide.com)

Paula Abdul will host VH1's VH1 Divas, which returns to the network on September 17th and features performances from Leona Lewis, Adele, Jordin Sparks, Miley Cyrus, and Kelly Clarkson. (Variety)

Zap2It's KorbiTV has a first look at ABC's new promo for Season Six of drama series Grey's Anatomy. (Zap2It)

ABC has given a pilot script order with a penalty to an untitled multi-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Garland Testa (King of the Hill). Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, revolves around a young couple with children who try to balance the adult responsibilities of parenthood with their own youth. (Hollywood Reporter)

Kids cabler Nickelodeon has ordered two live-action comedy series, Victorious and an untitled Scott Fellows project, that will be co-produced with Sony Music and will feature original songs. Twenty episodes apiece were ordered for both series, with the untitled Scott Fellows project, about a boy band that wins a reality television competition, set to launch this fall and Victorious, about a girl who enrolls at a performing arts high school, on tap for January 2010. (Variety)

A&E is moving forward with Jackson family docuseries Jackson Family Dynasty, which will follow Michael Jackson's brothers dealing with their grief over his death and their own issues. A&E plans to launch the series, from executive producer Jodi Gomes, later this year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sky1 has acquired UK rights to ABC comedy Modern Family, which will launch on the pay satcaster in October. (Broadcast)

Rumors are swirling that Hulu might be close to a deal with ITV in the United Kingdom, under which the terrestrial channel would retain a sizable stake, said to be around 25 percent, in the UK version of the online streaming media player. (Variety)

Broadcasting & Cable's Claire Atkinson is reporting that top executives Maria Grasso and Nina Wass have now left OWN in order to pursue other opportunities; the network, owned by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, has yet to launch. Move comes after the network hired former NBC executive Jamila Hunter as head of programming. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Former ABC executive Jocelyn Diaz has been hired by HBO as the head of drama development and production at HBO Entertainment. Elsewhere at the pay cabler, Casey Bloys has been promoted to SVP of comedy, where he will oversee development and production on HBO's comedy series, including Hung and Bored to Death. (Variety)

The Real Housewives are coming to daytime. NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has signed a deal with NBC's owned TV stations for a one-hour daily syndicated strip of The Real Housewives that will launch in Fall 2010. Terms were based on an all-barter basis for the more than 100 episodes of the series. (Broadcasting & Cable)

FremantleMedia Enterprises has acquired international rights to Australian teen drama Slide, which will launch with an online prequel before debuting a linear series on pay television channel Foxtel in April. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Life of Riley: Honesty Is (Not) The Best Policy on "Nurse Jackie"

It was inevitable that the double-life that Jackie Peyton strove so hard to create for herself would come crashing down around her eventually.

And so it would appear to have done so on the gripping and profound season finale of Showtime's exquisite dark comedy Nurse Jackie ("Health Care and Cinema") as Jackie (Edie Falco) was startlingly slammed out of her reverie and into reality.

Written by Liz Brixius and Linda Wallem, the season finale saw Jackie's lover Eddie (Paul Schulze) find out about her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and cause a scene at the hospital, forcing Jackie to sink lower than we've ever seen her before. Throughout the complex and lyrical first season of this unique and beautiful series, Edie Falco has brought a rich humanity to the role of the deeply flawed Jackie Peyton, a woman who tries so hard to do right by her patients but often does more harm than good to herself and those around her.

It was only a matter of time before one of the men in Jackie's life found out about the other. I had thought that her husband Kevin would be the one to learn the truth about his wife's infidelities (the broken wedding ring should have been a clue) but I'm glad to see that Brixius and Wallem inverted that paradigm by having Jackie's secret lover Eddie learn that Jackie was married with two kids.

And it made the scenes in which Eddie furtively grilled Kevin about his marriage and life with Jackie all the more tense and twisted. I understand Eddie's frustration and hurt at learning the truth about Jackie (wouldn't you be furious?) but the ease with which he slithered into Kevin's bar and learned information about Jackie was staggering. I thought that the season would end with Eddie telling Kevin the truth but I'm pleased that we'll have to wait for this scenario until next season; it will make the anticipation for the return of Nurse Jackie all the more painfully sweet.

As for Jackie herself, it was stunning to see her hit rock bottom. Distraught over the knowledge that Eddie had been to see Kevin at the bar and is aware of her double life, Jackie rigs the Pill-o-Matix to give her multiple doses of morphine sulfate, which she then downs on the floor of the bathroom.

Jackie's used prescription drugs in the past to keep her going, to remove the pain of her busted back, to give her energy for a double-shift. She's never used drugs to escape life or seek oblivion as she did here, a game-changing move that speaks volumes about the fact that, despite her good deeds at the hospital, Jackie has truly crossed over into being a junkie.

In this altered state, we're given a glimpse into Jackie's true inner life, a fantasy world where her concept of perfection is painfully just out of reach. Floating on the waves of morphine, Jackie experiences an idealized 1950s vision of the perfect family, the perfect house, the perfect life. But she's somehow separate, removed, distant. And as she hums along to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" the perfect kicker is that in this pristine, drug-altered state, there's yet another fly in the ointment as a rat scuttles overhead in the florescent light.

Zoey (Merritt Wever) has her own cross to bear this week as she deals with her guilt over giving Nutterman (guest star Victor Garber) the wrong dose of medication and sending him into a coma. Her penance is to cast off her colorful scrubs and mope around the hospital in grey scrubs. Loved the reveal that Nutterman has woken up from his coma no worse for the wear... except for the fact that his vaunted critical judgment of films is severely altered. (Garber's line about Showgirls had me in hysterics.)

I'm hoping that Garber could return in some fashion next season as the chemistry between Nutterman and Anna Deavere Smith's Akalitus was just so great. (Hell, give Garber and Wever their own buddy comedy sitcom and I'll watch.) And I loved that absolutely no one cared that Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) was trapped in that elevator, so long as it delayed her investigation of Zoey's involvement in Nutterman's case.

Jackie's mindgame handling of Dr. Cooper (Peter Gacinelli) was absolutely fantastic in its savagery, though I was surprised to see Cooper so willing to help Mo-Mo (Haaz Sleiman) get back at his boyfriend by kissing him on camera. Could it be that Cooper has more depth or compassion than we've believed so far?

Speaking of compassion, Jackie completely left Dr. O'Hara (Eve Best) blowing in the wind. Despite knowing that her comatose mother was set to arrive from London and that she had to admit her as a Jane Doe found in Grammercy Park, Jackie flew the coop and was nowhere to be found when Eleanor's mother turned up. I'm very worried that Jackie and Ellie's friendship might not be able to be salvaged after this twist.

But far more pressing is just what Eddie intends to do to Jackie to make her pay for cheating on him with her husband. I'm more than concerned by just how desperate Eddie might be to get back at Jackie and just how much he can destroy the life she's built for herself at the hospital and at home.

In the meantime, I'm really going to miss the darkly humorous Nurse Jackie. It's going to be a long slog until we can catch up with them again next season and I thought that the writers did a brilliant job at creating some cliffhangers to sustain our interest while also pushing the characters into some very dark places that will resonate long after the ending credits roll. While Weeds gets the hype and media coverage, it's truly Nurse Jackie that's a brand-defining and boundary-pushing series for Showtime, one that catapults the cabler into the level of prestige drama purveyor.

Nurse Jackie will return with a second season in 2010 on Showtime.

Tacos and Trauma: An Early Look at Tonight's Episode of "Flipping Out"

It's a great day at Jeff Lewis' office.

The gloves are coming off on tonight's episode of Bravo's addictive docusoap Flipping Out ("Pajamas and Other Games"), which I had a chance to watch last week.

While the season premiere gave us a glimpse at what Jeff Lewis and his merry band of misfits has been up to since we last saw them in 2008, tonight's hysterically stressed installment amps up the tension between the staffers at Jeff Lewis' office.

Wondered whether Jeff's newest assistant Rachel will crack under the pressure of Jeff's frequent and extremely precise demands? You're in luck as tonight's episode features Rachel attempting to please her boss and failing miserably in the process. While the fallout doesn't quite match up to onion- and guacamole-related debacles of previous seasons, one argument does revolve once more around Baja Fresh. Two words for you: brown salsa.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Jenni go on what must be one of the strangest (or, well, most unique) client calls ever as they're instructed to turn up at a potential client's house for Taco Tuesday... in their pajamas. And they learn quite a lot about their prospective clients' lives in the process.

Poor Jenni is confronted by both her struggling love life and her recent divorce when she, Jeff, and Ryan go wine- and cake-tasting with his future sister-in-law/real estate agent. And we learn that there's a hell of a lot of bad blood between Jeff and his brother, almost as much as the trouble that's brewing between Jeff and Ryan, in fact.

I won't say any more but will urge you to tune in tonight to catch a fantastic and funny episode of one of the most diverting and engaging docusoaps on television right now. I'm obsessed.

On tonight's episode ("Pajamas and Other Games"), Jeff attends a pajama party with some potential new clients; new assistant Rachel struggles to keep up with Jeff's numerous and precise demands; Jeff and Ryan's friendship hits a rough patch when Jeff accuses him of not sharing clients.

Car Fight:



Don't Turn Down Booty Calls:



Taco Tuesday in Pyjamas:

Channel Surfing: MTV Lights US "Skins," FX "Mad" for Cheadle Basketball Drama, HBO to Explore "Savage Love," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

MTV is developing a US adaptation of hit British teen drama series Skins, which airs on E4 and Channel 4 in the UK. Co-creator Bryan Elsley will executive produce the new version, which will be shot in Baltimore with unknown actors, with Company Pictures' Charlie Pattinson and George Faber. "It's been two years that I've been personally involved in trying to get this here to the network," MTV's SVP of series development Liz Gateley told Variety, "and I don't think I've ever had a negotiation drag out as long as this, but I knew it was something very special." Elsley will write the pilot script for the US version of Skins, which MTV has committed to filming. (Variety)

FX has ordered a pilot script for sports drama March to Madness, about a corrupt college basketball program that manages to reach the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament through some duplicitous means. Project, written/executive produced by Joel Silverman, will be directed by Pete Segal and executive produced by Don Cheadle, Dave Miller, and Micahel Ewing. (Variety)

HBO is said to have ordered a pilot presentation for a potential series based around Dan Savage's sex advice column "Savage Love," which appears in alternative weekly papers around the country. The pilot is slated to be taped later this week and the potential series would "focus on current events and cultural trends with sex as the filter," according to a press release. (Hollywood Reporter)

UK viewers will get the chance to watch short-lived serialized horror/thriller series Harper's Island, starring Christopher Gorham, Elaine Cassidy, and Katie Cassidy, on BBC Three and BBC HD beginning Sunday, September 6th. (BBC)

Grant Turck and Alfonso Arau have optioned Gary Jennings' 1980 historical novel "Aztec" and are said to be developing a mini-series take on the project, with John Milius (Rome) in talks to adapt and Arau to direct "at least two hours" of the mini-series, which has yet to be pitched to networks. (Hollywood Reporter)

VH1 has now also cancelled I Love Money 3 after the body of murder suspect Ryan Jenkins was discovered in a Canadian motel over the weekend. The news comes on the heels of the cabler's cancellation of Megan Wants a Millionaire, which also featured Jenkins as a contestant. (Variety)

RDF USA and Artificial Life are said to be developing an interactive animated series, entitled Sleuths, in which viewers can utilize customized avatars that will appear in the episode's broadcast and answer quiz questions; those answering correctly will have their avatar move onto the next round and ultimately "the top five avatars will appear onscreen standing with the show's characters." (Hollywood Reporter)

Former E! and Versus executive Gavin Harvey has been named EVP/general manager of music cable channel Fuse. (Variety)

CMT has ordered a second season of musical competition series The Singing Bee, with 20 episodes on tap for January 2010. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Stay tuned.

The Agony and the Ecstasy: Hell to Pay on "True Blood"

"Bacchus drowns within the bowl/Troubles that corrode the soul." - Horace

On this week's episode of True Blood ("New World in My View"), written by Kate Barnow and Elisabeth R. Finch and directed by Adam Davidson, homecoming proved to be an eye-opening experience for Sookie, Bill, and Jason, Jessica and Hoyt's relationship was tested by Maxine's mercilessness, and Andy and Sam attempted to evade the entire blood-thirsty population of Bon Temps.

The inhabitants of Bon Temps have worked themselves into a frenzy, pushed into an ecstatic state by the malevolent Maryann; their every inhibition is stripped bare, resulting in a wave of chaos overtaking the sleepy backwoods town, a darkness that cascades over the souls of every man, woman, and child and threatens to consume them from the inside out.

A vengeful god demands his sacrifice, after all, and that sacrifice just happens to be our favorite shifter Sam Merlotte. So just how did Sam manage to evade being ripped apart by maenad Maryann's frenzied followers? Lock yourself in the walk-in, turn on your chainsaw, pop open a Tru Blood, and let's discuss "New World in My View."

After the Dallas-set adventures of the Stackhouse clan, this week's episode of True Blood found Sookie (still having some Eric-oriented dreams) and Jason, and Vampire Bill returning to a Bon Temps that was barely recognizable from how they left it. And no sooner do they arrive then they're caught up in the new world order that Maryann has carved out in the town: a lawless chaos where every desire is catered to. Is it Heaven on Earth? Or are these poor people enslaved to a id-hungry madwoman who toys with them as a child might a set of dolls?

This week's episode masterfully brought about a stunning payoff to Jason Stackhouse's story this season, using the fighting skills he gained during his time with the Fellowship of the Sun to full advantage, transforming the once selfish lothario into something akin to Jason the (Non-Vampire) Slayer. I'd wondered just where his character would be taken in the last three episodes and I'm glad that the writers have chosen to follow through on this character's potential to take his story to its logical conclusion for the season. After all, he's now a lean, mean killing machine, so who better to enlist in the forces of good in Bon Temps?

Kudos to Sam to pull off a rather ingenuous disappearing act (hello, fly!), after willingly offering himself as a sacrifice in order to save Jason and Andy. Sam's modus operandi his entire life has always been to run, so to see him take a stand and accept his fate--even if it means certain death--is a major turning point for the character. Once again, Sam Trammel effortlessly pulled off a gripping portrayal of abject terror but also sublimated his fear in order to become a consummate survivor who stops running and makes a selfless gesture of friendship.

I loved Ryan Kwanten's hysterical flare-assisted impromptu appearance as the Horned God before the frenzied mob (aided ably by Andy Bellefleur with twigs), delivering a rather dim-witted (if hilarious) appearance as the god-who-comes. Definitely a highlight of the episode for me and mixed humor with terror quite effectively. Not quite sure how Andy and Jason believe that Sam escaped after being "smote," but they appear to not be asking too many questions right now.

Just why was Terry Bellefleur affected by Jason's threat that he'd shoot Arlene in the head with the nail gun? Could it be that the townspeople's consciousnesses still lurk somewhere behind those pitch-black eyes? Or was it a ruse to get Sam to come out of the walk-in?

Meanwhile, Hoyt and Jessica's relationship was severely tested by the frenzied state of bigoted Maxine Fortenberry, who is even more callously evil and overbearing under Maryann's influence. Her taunting of poor Hoyt was gutting, especially as he found himself unable to stop her verbal onslaught or quell the rising rage in Jessica, who appeared to throw Hoyt aside and sink her teeth into Maxine's neck. Jessica and Hoyt have proven themselves able to get over quite a few bumps in their romance so far but I'm terrified that this might be one encounter that neither can sweep under the rug. It's hard to give into love when your vampire girlfriend may have bitten your mother.

The look of horror on Jim Parrack's face when he sees Jessica bite Maxine underscored just how different their worlds truly are. Deborah Ann Woll's righteous indignation at how Maxine was talking to Hoyt underscores her character's innate love for Hoyt and need to protect him but we're also seeing those darker impulses within her coming to the fore. Fingers crossed that these two stick together instead of falling apart...

Loved that Bill and Sookie had to use their powers in tandem in order to save Tara from Maryann's influence and that Sookie had to dive in deeper into Tara's mind than she ever had in order to bring her friend's personality back to the surface. I thought that the "intervention" scenes were handled exceptionally well, with some real pathos and darkness here. It's a nice counterbalance to Lettie Mae's own struggles with her "demon" in Season One and a rather ironic twist that it's Lettie Mae who so quickly accepts that the thing doing and saying those horrible things wasn't Tara but something else entirely.

It won't be easy for Tara to forget about what happened and her role in this entire affair but it could be the thing that brings her and Lettie Mae something resembling a rapprochement. (It goes without saying that Rutina Wesley was sensational in this week's episode, offering up a performance that was as rough and coarse as broken glass and then shockingly damaged when she regains consciousness.)

Just what did Sookie do to Maryann? While I thought that Sookie might have had some innate weakness vis-a-vis Maryann due to her attack by the maenad earlier this season, the reverse seemed to be true, with Sookie manifesting a white glow around her hand when she forcefully touched Maryann's face. Was it an outgrowth of her telepathic abilities or a visual cue that Sookie can't be affected by Maryann's spell? Is it the key to taking down the seemingly immortal maenad? Hmmm...

As for Bill, he won't be biting Maryann again anytime soon. As soon as he grabbed her and went to sink his teeth in, I actually screamed at the television because I knew just what would happen: that Bill would be infected with her poison. The darkness that clouds the perceptions of Maryann's followers is just as black as the blood that flowed out of Daphne when she was stabbed by Eggs. It's going to take more than some glamouring and fangs to take down this juggernaut. (Loved the payoff of Bill reading that tome about Greek mythology in his flashback a few weeks back; I knew that little plant would come back in a major way!)

And help might just come from an unexpected place, namely the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, who accepts an audience with Bill Compton at her luxurious and well-guarded palace. While we're only teased with a shot of a blood-dripping pale ankle before the episode ended, this was a hell of an introduction to a shadowy and important new personage. I can't wait to see Evan Rachel Wood as Sophie-Anne next week and find out just what assistance she'll grant to Bill against Maryann. With only two episodes remaining before True Blood takes a break until next summer, something tells me that there's only more darkness ahead.

Best line of the evening: "This has to be the worst motherf---ing intervention in history." -Lafayette

What did you think of this week's episode? Just how will our motley crew band together to take down the evil Maryann? What will Sophie-Anne demand of Bill in order to help him defeat Maryann? And just what in the hell will happen next? Discuss.

Next week on True Blood ("Frenzy"), Bill turns for advice to Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana; Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; Jessica tests Hoyt’s allegiance to Maxine.

Everything Fades: Love Among the Ruins on "Mad Men"

Times, they are a changing.

Bob Dylan may not have wrote the lyrics to his hit song until 1964, but the words are especially apt for the goings-on at Sterling Cooper this week on Mad Men.

Just a few quick words about this week's remarkable installment of Mad Men ("Love Among the Ruins"), written by Cathryn Humphris and Matthew Weiner and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, which I thought was absolutely beautiful in its elegance and pathos.

I knew that the matter of Betty's stroke-afflicted father Gene (Ryan Cutrona) would have to come back into play, likely this season but I never expected things to take such a dramatic turn, with Don confronting Betty's manipulative brother William (Eric Ladin) and forcing his hand: Gene would be installed into the Draper household, William would support him financially, and Gene's house would remain untouched.

That Gene would now seem to have become a permanent fixture at the Drapers', pouring out their liquor into the sink (believing it to be Prohibition) and attending Sally's maypole dance with equal relish. I'm very concerned that between Betty's father moving in with them and the imminent birth of their third child, there's going to be a hell of a lot more strain on Don and Betty's relationship. It's clear that what passed between them has been intentionally forgotten for now but secrets have a nasty way of showing up when you least expect them. They can pretend all they want that things are fine between them but the reverse is quite true. The sight of a nearly full-term Betty drinking wine and smoking in bed was startling; it's clear that despite her perfect exterior, she's still firmly gripping onto her crutches to make it through the day, pregnancy or no.

Peggy, meanwhile, attempted to get in touch with her inner flirt after seeing how the men of Sterling Cooper reacted to the scene of Ann-Margret in Bye, Bye Birdie!, which they would be reproducing for an ad for a new Diet Pepsi product called Patio. She ends up, at Don's suggestion, doing some "research" at a Brooklyn bar, where she picks up a young engineering student and fools around with him. (She wisely doesn't have sex with him as he's unable to produce a "Trojan" and we all know how Peggy got into trouble with that situation last time.) The coquettishness with which she says that they can "do other things" and then the following morning admits that it "was fun," is diametrically opposed to the prudish Peggy we've come to expect. Could it be that she's about to get swept up in the sexual revolution to come?

Peggy and Don have become more alike than I would have ever expected from their initial encounter in the Mad Men pilot episode. The forcefulness with which she speaks, the way she envisions the world, the way she offers her opinion all speak of Don's influence and the two are bound by secrets in a way that no one else on the show is. The final shot of them alone in Don's office, discussing the Pampers account, speaks of an equality and understanding between them that must be absolutely foreign to anyone on the outside looking in.

But everything changes. Life goes on, styles, morals, and principles are as fluid as the wind through the grass. Just as Peggy's attitude towards sex is undergoing a transformation, so too is Manhattan itself, as seen from the trenchant battle over the construction of Madison Square Garden, which would force the demolishing of the beautiful Beaux Arts structure of Penn Station, a position which Paul Kinsey is firmly against and makes his "radical" notions known during a client meeting with the Madison Square Garden overseers.

Don manages to charm the client over dinner with Roger (and, yes, things between the two former friends is glacially cold still) but no sooner do they iron out any kinks then Pryce informs them that the London office does not want them involved with this particular client. The encounter rattles Don who questions Pryce why his company even bought Sterling Cooper in the first place. Pryce, of course, isn't sure himself. This can only lead to more trouble down the line for Sterling Cooper and relations are going to get much more strained, I'm sure.

Roger, meanwhile, has just as many family issues to deal with as Don as he prepares for his daughter Margaret's wedding. But Margaret doesn't actually want Roger and new bride Jane attending her wedding; she's fine with him paying for everything and she attended his wedding to Jane but she doesn't see why they need to be at her wedding. It's a position that Roger ascribes to Mona's poisonous influence over his daughter and accuses her of whispering in her ear. Roger even asks Peggy later what her father could do that would force her not to want him at her wedding. (Nothing, says Peggy, he passed away.)

But something tells me that this wedding won't end up happening after all. The invitation which Roger cavalierly tosses on the table in his office clearly shows a wedding date of November 23rd, 1963... which just happens to be the day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Given the public's future mourning over the loss of their beloved president, I dare say that Margaret and Brooks will end up calling off their nuptials in the end. Whether that will be a plus or a minus for Roger remains to be seen.

Best line of the evening: "You're not an artist... You solve problems." - Don to Peggy

Next week on Mad Men ("My Old Kentucky Home"), the writers fend off boredom when they are forced to work after hours; Roger hosts a party while Joan and Greg host a party of their own; Jane pays a visit to Sterling Cooper; Sally has a run in with Grandpa.

Mad Men Sneak Peek: Ep 303: "My Old Kentucky Home"

The Doctor Dreams: First Look at Animated "Doctor Who: Dreamland"

The BBC today unveiled a first look at animated Doctor Who adventure Dreamland, the second animated Doctor Who adventure after 2007's Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest, which finds the Doctor landing in "infamous alien hot spot" Roswell, New Mexico.

The 45-minute animated Dreamland is slated to air this autumn on CBBC on BBC Two and on BBC HD channel in the United Kingdom.

Doctor Who: Dreamland, written by Phil Ford (Torchwood) and directed by Gary Russell (Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest), will feature the voices of David Tennant (once more reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor before leaving the series at the end of the year), Georgia Moffet (Spooks: Code 9, The Bill), and David Warner (Wallander).

But don't look for Moffet to reprise her role as the Doctor's daughter Jenny from Doctor Who. Tennant's real-life girlfriend will play Cassie Rice, a new companion for the Doctor. Project is executive produced by Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, and Piers Wenger.

According to the press materials, the Doctor arrives in Roswell only to stumble upon a "mysterious alien artifact" that leads him "on a mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the Viperox and the clutches of the American military."

"Dreamland is a remarkable project and I'm thrilled with it," said Russell T. Davies in a statement. "Phil Ford is a wonderful writer and promises to send the Doctor into a whole new visual dimension."

The full press release from the BBC, and a larger image of the animated Tenth Doctor, can be found below.

First look at new animated Doctor Who



The BBC today releases the first image of the animated Doctor as he will appear in the new animation, Dreamland, which is due for broadcast later this year.

The six-part series will be premièred via the BBC Red Button on BBC One and the Doctor Who website (bbc.co.uk/doctorwho).

The 45-minute long animation will be broadcast in its entirety on CBBC on BBC Two this autumn and also on the BBC HD channel.

Written by Phil Ford (Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures) Dreamland will see the Doctor – played by David Tennant – arrive at the infamous alien hot spot, Roswell.

During a visit to a local diner he stumbles upon a mysterious alien artefact that leads him on a mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the Viperox and the clutches of the American military.

Joining David Tennant will be Georgia Moffett (Doctor Who, Spooks) in the role of Cassie Rice – the Doctor's new animated companion.

David Warner (Wallander, Hogfather) also stars as the leader of the ruthless Viperox.

In the run-up to the animation, fans will be able to visit the Doctor Who website (bbc.co.uk/doctorwho) to follow a behind-the-scenes production blog on the making of Dreamland, giving the opportunity to follow the progress of the animation as it develops.

Dreamland was commissioned by BBC Drama Multiplatform and will be produced for the BBC by Brighton-based animation company Littleloud.

It is being executive produced by Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Piers Wenger, with Gary Russell as director.

Russell T Davies said: "Dreamland is a remarkable project and I'm thrilled with it. Phil Ford is a wonderful writer and promises to send the Doctor into a whole new visual dimension."

Rosie Allimonos, BBC Drama Multiplatform Commissioner, said: "I‘m extremely excited about Dreamland. It presents an amazing opportunity to expand the multiplatform storytelling potential of Doctor Who.

"To offer the ability to watch this brand new Doctor Who animation on so many different BBC platforms is a real treat for our audience."

Richard Deverell, Controller, BBC Children's, said: "This is a wonderful addition to the already fantastic portfolio of CBBC programming. Having talent like Russell T Davies and Phil Ford at the helm of this project will no doubt ensure it captures the imagination of CBBC viewers."

Award-winning channel CBBC also further reinforced its commitment to British animation as it announced that online portal Cartoon Works is expanding to become a new destination to première short-form content from the UK animation industry.

CBBC has also commissioned brand new animation Muddle Earth, based on the much-loved children's books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, and Shaun The Sheep returns to screens this autumn in a series of new exploits.

BBC Red Button has provided interactive services on digital TV for the past 10 years and is now reaching an average audience of 11 million viewers a week accessing a whole range of BBC content.

It provides audiences with access to the latest news, weather and other general information, while also enabling the delivery of an enhanced experience across major sporting and entertainment events.

Channel Surfing: Sanada Gets "Lost," Jayma Mays Returns to "Heroes," NBC Crowns "Rex," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada (Rush Hour 3) has joined the cast of ABC's Lost in a recurring role for its sixth and final season. Details of Sanada's character are being kept firmly under wraps as is the number of episodes that he'll ultimately appear in. Sanada's casting comes on the heels of the announcement that Deadwood's John Hawkes had signed on to the drama series as Lennon, the spokesperson and translator for a foreign conglomerate. Could these two roles be connected in any way, given Sanada's Japanese background? Hmmm.... (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jayma Mays (Glee) will return to NBC's Heroes, where she will reprise her role as Hiro's former love interest Charlie in one episode of the superpowered drama series. But didn't Charlie die? Yep. "As the dying time-traveler zips back and forth through the ages to accomplish his bucket list," writes Ausiello, "well, isn’t it safe to assume that saving his almost-sweetheart would be pretty high on the list?" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has given a pilot order to legal dramedy Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, about a lawyer with crippling panic attacks who begins coaching clients on how to represent themselves in court. Project, from writer/executive producer Andrew Leeds and David Lampson, BermanBraun, and Universal Media Studios, was originally pitched and sold to NBC in 2007 and then shut down by the writers strike. Barry Schindle (Law & Order) will server as showrunner on the project, which will be executive produced by Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. (Hollywood Reporter)

Keith Carradine (Dexter) will guest star in two episodes of FOX's Dollhouse, where he will play Matthew Harding, described by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello as "a powerful businessman." No other details about Carradine's character are available and it's unclear whether he'll be a client of the Dollhouse or someone looking to take it down. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Mickey O'Connor is reporting that Amalia Zinser (Cold Case) has been cast in the CW's 90210, where she will play tomboy surfer Ivy who serve as a potential love interest for both Dixon and Liam. Zinser's first appearance is slated for October. (TVGuide.com)

BET is said to be in talks with CBS Television Studios about ordering a new season of comedy series The Game, which was canceled in the spring by the CW. Should a deal be reached, however, new deals with the actors would have to be made as their options have now already lapsed. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cabler TLC has ordered a second season of docusoap The Little Couple, which follows married couple Bill Klein and Jen Arnold, who are both under four feet tall. Project, from LMNO Prods., will return this fall with eighteen new episodes. (Variety)

VH1 has cancelled reality dating series Megan Wants a Millionaire, after one contestant was charged with murdering a former model. (Hollywood Reporter)

UK satellite network Sky1 has commissioned a six-part mini-series adaptation of Chris Ryan's hostage crisis novel "Strike Back," which will star Richard Armitage, Andrew Lincoln, Jodhi May, Orla Brady, Nicola Stephenson, and Laura Greenwood. Project, written by Jed Mercurio and directed by Daniel Percival, will launch in Spring 2010. (Variety)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a two-year deal with Big Brother executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan, under which they will form a joint production company, Fly on the Wall Entertainment. Their shingle will develop and produce reality-based programming for the studio. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Blonde Ambition: Televisionary Talks to Anna Camp of HBO's "True Blood"

HBO's seductive vampire drama series True Blood is positively overflowing with memorable and flawed characters but one of this season's most indelible and dynamic character additions is that of naughty preacher's wife Sarah Newlin, played with delicious aplomb by South Carolina native Anna Camp.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Camp earlier this week in an exclusive interview where we talked about Sarah Newlin, Camp's original audition for True Blood (for the role of Sookie, no less!), the love triangle between Sarah, Jason, and Steve, Sarah's darker side, Camp's theatre work (opposite Daniel Radcliffe in Equus), whether the Newlins are gone for good, Mad Men, and lots more.

So what are you waiting for? Toss your hair, flash your pearly whites, sharpen a stake and let's see what Anna Camp had to say about True Blood.

Televisionary: How did you get involved with True Blood? What sort of audition process did they put you through?

Anna Camp: Actually, I auditioned for Alan [Ball] for the pilot a while ago... for Sookie! (Laughs) And of course didn't get cast. Then a year later when he was looking to cast someone for Sarah, he called me up and offered me the part, which was really exciting. (Laughs) So I didn't have to audition; we just talked on the phone, so it was the best kind of audition in a way.

I just fell in love with the storyline and, being from the South originally, I had to be on this show at some point. It's just so creative and not like anything else on TV right now and I was really glad that he gave me that call.

Televisionary: How familiar were you with Charlaine Harris' novels?

Camp: I had watched the entire first season of the show and fallen in love with it. I wasn't originally acquainted with the books but I did read the first two.

Televisionary: Sarah Newlin seems to be a mass of swirling contradictions. How would you describe your character?

Camp: I think that she is discovering who she is all the time too. She comes in very strong and knowing who she is and believing in God and following her husband. Then she faces all of these situations that he's putting her through and surprising her. She's definitely taken down a journey that she didn't expect to go down. She meets Jason Stackhouse and is thrown off guard by that relationship when she's already doubting her husband and her faith.

She's faced with something that's completely the opposite of what she was brought up to believe and seeing how her husband treated Sookie and seeing he wants to cross the line into killing the vampire sympathizers, that's not something that Sarah wants to do.

She's lost and she's confused. She does believe that everything happens because God is willing it to be. She truly believes that Jason was sent here for her and that's why she's taken aback in Episode Seven when she believes that he was a spy. She's definitely confused and lost right now.

Televisionary: When you spoke to Alan initially then about coming on the series, how much of Sarah's backstory did he and the writers tell you before shooting? I was very surprised to learn about the pro-vampire stance in her past, for example.

Camp: I was actually very surprised too! (Laughs) They never really tell me anything! I found out when I got [the script] for Episode Three that that was what was driving her to be so forthright against standing up against the vampires. They didn't really tell me much. They just told me that [Sarah] was the wife of Steve Newlin. We talked about it once we got on the set that we were relatively a new couple, very young and been married for about four years. We sort of came up with a lot on the spot so I didn't really get too much backstory.

Televisionary: When I interviewed Alan a few weeks ago, we talked about the unexpected chemistry that develops between you, Ryan Kwanten, and Michael McMillian in the first few episodes of the season. Did this come as a surprise to you as well? And what was it like working with the two of them?

Camp: It was absolutely a surprise. I just think that the dynamic-- Of course, Ryan [Kwanten] is so perfectly cast; he's nothing at all like his character but he is incredible and a really great actor. And Michael McMillian as well; just great casting. I think we all just hit it off. You can't take it too seriously. You just have to have fun and really believe in your specific part.

When you get three people who are all really committed to playing their roles and you put them all in a situation like that, some magic sort of happens. We all looked forward to those scenes. It was rare that we'd all three get to be in a scene together but when we did it was really, really fun. Lots of improv, lots of keeping each other on our toes, and making jokes. We really hit it off. It was a great surprise.

Televisionary: Despite being terrifying in their fundamentalist beliefs, Sarah and Steve often provide a bit of comic relief in the series. Is comedy something you enjoy doing?

Camp: Oh, absolutely! It's one of my favorite things to do. I didn't really realize it. I grew up acting since second grade and always watched these old movies and these dramatic scenes and wanted to be a very dramatic actor. But it's just so refreshing to have fun, to truthfully have fun and play with the other actors in a really safe, fun environment where you all want the same goal and trust each other so that it's really easy to be funny.

It's also really easy to be funny when you're working with funny actors. It is something that I really love to do and I hope I get to do more of it. I love to make people laugh and it's also fun to balance that line because Sarah has some great scenes where she wasn't funny and was incredibly distraught. To be able to go from scene to scene believably, hopefully, is great and it's great that the writers gave me such diverse scenes to play.

Televisionary: One of the strengths of True Blood is that it enables the characters to exist in a range from comedy to tragedy, sometimes in the same episode.

Camp: Oh, yeah. It's so much fun for an actor to play because you never know what you're going to get. It's all about sort of balancing that [range] and it's also fun for the audience to watch and be totally surprised. A character that's surprising, that surprises from scene to scene and show to show, is the best kind of character to play.

Televisionary: So, who do you find to be more frightening then: the vampires or the Newlins?

Camp: (Laughs.) I'd say the Newlins are pretty scary. I mean, I grew up in the South and I went to church. I was never a very religious person but I knew people that really truthfully believed that God was willing them to do things: that if they got a good grade in school, that was because God said so; if they got in a car accident, God said so. When you really put that much belief into this unknown, undefinable thing, it's really scary how far you can take your beliefs and there's war going on right now because of religion and it's scary. The vampires are pretty scary too but they are also pretty charming and sexy, so... (Laughs.)

Televisionary: We last saw a extremely vengeful Sarah Newlin getting chucked on the side of the road by Jason and then she popped up on television sniping at Steve. Will the Newlins be in the last three episodes of the season?

Camp: Um.... I don't know if I can say. Sort of, not really, I don't know. I read the last three scripts and I was very surprised, I'll say that. (Laughs.) That's all I can say I think.

Televisionary: So can you give us any hints then about what Alan Ball and the writers have planned for Sarah?

Camp: I can't. I actually have no idea what their plan is. But you know what I would love to see happen? I'd love to see Sarah go to her darker side and become incredibly lost and lose all faith in God and go the exact opposite way. I'd love to see her really act out and rebel against the Fellowship of the Sun. That's what I'd write if I was a writer, but I'm not so we'll see. But I'll keep my fingers crossed that they want to have me back.

Televisionary: I was going to say that everything seems to be so hush-hush about next season, so can you tell us if you are returning for Season Three?

Camp: I've heard some rumors that Michael [McMillian] and I will be back in some aspect. I don't know to what extent and I don't honestly think that they know yet to what extent. From the last episode that we get, it's left pretty open so I am hoping that they let us come back in and cause some more trouble or do something fun and exciting. We'll see.

Televisionary: As much as I love the Newlins, I think you guys definitely need to get your comeuppance.

Camp: Don't you think? (Laughs.) I know. I would love to see us totally change heart or have them come after us. I'd love to see the Newlins either have some explosive ending or something exciting happen to them. It was sort of a build up to see them this season and then-- I don't know, you'll see!

Televisionary: You mentioned earlier that you wanted to see Sarah go to an even darker place. I'm wondering what would Sarah do if she were running the Fellowship of the Sun rather than Steve?

Camp: Oh, man! I think after being betrayed by Jason, if she took over the Fellowship of the Sun, she'd be really ruthless and out to get revenge. I think she'd go after the Stackhouses without stopping and really show how strong she can be. This season she was saying that she wanted to be the great woman behind her great man but I think it would be great to see what she could do on her own if she took over and go even crazier. Which would be an awesome job for me to portray as an actor.

Televisionary: In addition to your television work, you're also a well-known theatre actress and you appeared opposite Daniel Radcliffe in Equus last year and with Tony Shalloub in 2007's The Scene. Which medium do you find more challenging or rewarding?

Camp: Oh, my goodness. They're both incredibly, incredibly different. When I first started doing TV and film, it was a scary place. On stage you can be incredibly free because you can do so much physically and with your voice, because you're trying to reach over 1000 people in a room. And when I got [in front of] the camera, I became a little more constrained because I was worried about not being too big or not being over the top.

But then you realize it's very freeing as well because you can say something just with a glint of your eye that you could never do in the theatre because the person in the back row could never see it. So it's really rewarding with how focused and how small you can be. I'm really, really enjoying being in front of the camera these days. But theatre is hard work; there are weeks where you can't sleep, you can't eat, you walk into the same theatre every day. I had a great time in Equus but I was happy to not be naked eight shows a week and I think Dan [Radcliffe] had the same thought. They're both very different but I am finding film very rewarding at the moment.

Televisionary: On that tack, you've become known as an actress who takes risks with her roles, such as the often-nude Jill Mason in Equus. What is it that attracts you to such challenging roles?

Camp: I would rather do something that's challenging rather than something that's easy, always. I had a lot of thought; I didn't even know if I was going to do Equus because of the nudity and because of the high profile [aspect] of it. But you only live once and you have to take those risks because you'll only be a better person or actor because of it. And if you can get through it and learn something and truly challenge yourself, I think that's really the only way to live.

I think those are usually the most fun, rewarding parts to play, the ones that are more challenging and scary. I always said there's a reason why I get offered the parts I get because there's something I need to learn about myself or be challenged by in order to step away from a project and become a better actor.

Televisionary: Unlike many of the actors on True Blood, you are actually from the South. What about the Southern Gothic trappings of True Blood did you find especially appealing?

Camp: I think it's a show that does a great job balancing that comic-booky aspect with the way the Southern Belles, Sookie and Sarah and Tara and Jessica and everyone, acts. I love the Southern women and the way the gentlemen aren't really gentlemanly. It does a really great job of painting the South and is pretty truthful. I've been to Louisiana once in my life but I just love the mystique of it and the location. The relationship between the men and the women are pretty on point for the South. Bill is a very gentlemanly vampire and I think it's just mysterious and sexy.

Televisionary: Because most of your scenes this season were with Ryan and Michael--and one pivotal one with Anna [Paquin]--I'm wondering which other actors from True Blood would you like to have a scene with?

Camp: I would love to work with a vampire! I'd love to be with any of the vampires: Bill or Eric or any of them really. Jessica, I'd love to work with her. I was really sad that when the war finally happened in Episode Eight and Sarah was still out on the dirt road, you know? (Laughs.) I was like, god, it's the culmination of everything she's been fighting for but she gets sidetracked, of course, with Jason.

But to be there and have those two worlds meet, I was really jealous of Michael because I would have loved to have been there to see the two worlds come together. And to participate in the war would have been a great, fun time. So I would love to work with a vampire if I got a chance; I think that would be awesome.

Televisionary: Besides for True Blood, what are you watching on television these days?

Camp: I am watching Mad Men right now. I'm catching up on my Mad Men. I just got Season One so I've been sort of addicted to that and would love to be on that show on some point. (Laughs.) I'm watching HBO, of course: Entourage and Hung.

But Mad Men is taking over my life at the moment. This Don Draper, what is he about? He is the most mysterious man in the world! And then he turns his brother away? That was pretty upsetting but it's just like, what is going on with everybody? I think everyone is just so perfectly cast and it's just beautiful to watch. I just love the time period and I think the acting is incredible.

Televisionary: Thanks to Mad Men and True Blood, Sundays have become the most stressful night of television now.

Camp: (Laughs.) Everybody is dying to watch it but they're just like, oh my god, what is going to happen? I can't wait to see the last three episodes of True Blood. I think it's really going to blow everybody away.

True Blood's final three episodes kick off this Sunday night at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

Photo credits: HBO/John P. Johnson

Talk Back: Much-Delayed Season Six Premiere of "Project Runway" on Lifetime

Two words: halter diaper.

It seems like it's been years since we last caught a glimpse of the catwalk on the sartorial competition series Project Runway.

After what seems like a delay of several years (no, it wasn't quite that long) and a protracted legal battle between studio The Weinstein Company, Bravo, and the series' new network Lifetime, Season Six of Project Runway kicked off last night amid a three and a half hour block of Runway-related programming.

Now that the season has begun, I'm wondering how many of you tuned in last night and what you thought of of the new Project Runway, which returned with our beloved Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, and Nina Garcia, but new executive producers and a new production company.

Did you feel the opener ("Welcome to Los Angeles!") had the same energy and sparkle of previous seasons? Did you dig the series' move from New York to Los Angeles? Did it feel fresh and new or tired and lackluster? Did the delay seem even more apparent when the contestants walked on the red carpet for last year's Emmy Awards? Did any of the contestants stand to you as possible contenders?

And, most importantly, will you tune in again next week?

Talk back here.

Sneak Peek: Next Week's Episode of "Warehouse 13"

Want a sneak peek at the new episode of Warehouse 13, which just happens to feature a very glam Agent Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly)?

On Tuesday evening's episode of Warehouse 13 ("Duped"), written by Benjamin Raab and Deric A. Hughes, Myka and Pete head to Las Vegas to retrieve an artifact from some gamblers and Myka finds herself accidentally trapped in author Lewis Carroll's mirror, unleashing a malevolent entity that was trapped inside.

And if that weren't enough incentive for you, Eureka's Erica Cerra and Niall Matter guest star as well as said Vegas gamblers.

But what are you waiting for? Head to Sin City, roll some dice, and take a look at a spoiler-filled episode clip and the network promo for Tuesday's episode of Warehouse 13 below.





Warehouse 13 airs Tuesday night at 9 pm ET/PT on Syfy.

Channel Surfing: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Ascends to "Thrones," FOX Breaks in with Olmstead and Santora, Edie Falco Talks "Nurse Jackie," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Virtuality star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been cast in the pilot for fantasy drama Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's novel series. Coster-Waldau will play Jaime Lannister, described by The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd as "one of the king's guards and a ruthless usurper of the previous king." Also cast in the Tom McCarthy-directed pilot: Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors), Richard Madden (Hope Springs), Iain Glen (Into the Storm), Alfie Allen (The Other Boleyn Girl), Sophie Turner (Doctor Who), and Maisie Williams, all of whom join the previously announced Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, Kit Harrington, Harry Lloyd, Peter Dinklage, and Jack Gleeson. Production begins this October in Ireland. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has handed out a pilot script order with penalty to drama Break Out Kings, from 20th Century Fox Television and Prison Break writer/producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, about a group of former convicts who become members of the US Marshall service in Manhattan and track down fugitives. Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is attached to direct and executive produce, alongside Olmstead and Santora. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview with Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco, the series' creators Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius, and Showtime president Robert Greenblatt about the dark comedy, which wraps its first season run on Monday. "Don’t pin it down," said Falco of her belief that she doesn't want the audience to have any specific conclusions about Jackie's complex life. "Leave questions. Treat the audience like they’re smart. Let five people who are viewing it have five different ideas about what just happened in that scene."(The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson will star in HBO's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy play The Sunset Limited, about a man who saves another from throwing himself in front of a subway train. Jones will direct the two-hour telepic, which will be produced by Barbara Hall. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Kirsten Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will play Helen, a new office temp at Mode magazine who befriends Becki Newton's Amanda. If the character description sounds familiar, it's because the role was originally meant to be played by former American Idol judge Paula Abdul before talks between Abdul and the series' producers collapsed. "I’ve always considered myself a poor man’s Paula Abdul," Johnston joked to Ausiello and then described her character as "Amanda in 10 years. She’s still trying to get into the right clubs, wearing tight dresses... tragic. I think [Helen] sees herself as Samantha from Sex and the City. Except, of course, she’s a temp." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has given a premium script commitment to an untitled multi-camera family comedy pilot from My Name is Earl executive producer Bobby Bowman about a strange kid who attempts to be normal, even while living among a highly eccentric family. Project, which will be written by Bowman, hails from Peter Chernin's new company and 20th Century Fox Television. (Hollywood Reporter)

Broadcast is reporting that the BBC has announced that it will not order a second season of period fantasy comedy Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire after its funding partner--that would be Comedy Central here in the US--pulled out of the international co-production. (Broadcast)

Anyone else troubled by executive producer Todd Slavkin's recent comments in an E! Online interview about the CW's new Melrose Place, where he describes the "sexual revolution" going on in the series as "post-AIDS"? Said Slavkin: "We feel that there is a current sexual revolution going on. Kind of post-AIDS—where the boundaries are off. Their parents have been shackled, and they want to explore." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Canadian sketch comedy troupe Kids in the Hall have reunited for Death Comes to Town, an eight-episode "comic murder mystery" for the CBC. According to Variety's Brendan Kelly, the series will revolves around a "small town when all its most distinguished citizens are murdered. A suspect is arrested, there's a trial and many dark secrets are revealed along the way." Production is currently underway for a January launch on CBC. (Variety)

BBC Two has given a series order to culinary comedy Whites, starring Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) as a highly successful executive chef who lacks the motivation to turn his restaurants into an empire, Pam Ferris (The Darling Buds of May), Darren Boyd (Saxondale), and Isy Suttie (Peep Show). Project was created by Matt King (Peep Show's Superhans) and Oliver Lansley (FM) and six half-hour episodes will be shot. (Broadcast)

FearNet has acquired five unaired episodes of short-lived NBC horror anthology series Fear Itself, which it will begin running on FearNet.com beginning September 2nd and on FearNet OnDemand beginning September 7th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cartoon Network has ordered a second season of reality series Destroy Build Destroy, which Andrew W.K. attached to return as host of the live-action series. (Variety)

Tijuana Entertainment has hired former Reveille executive Ronak Kordestani as director of development and Todd Berger as a creative consultant. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Finding the Pattern: "Fringe" Cast Teases Season Two

Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, and Blair Brown seem to want to tell us just what Season Two of Fringe is all about... but they seem unable to reveal much in the way of details.

That might be due to threats from Massive Dynamic or the publicity team at FOX, which today released the below sneak peek at Season Two of the FOX drama series, which returns with a story of parallel dimensions this fall. (On September 17th, to be precise.)

According to the official FOX press release, "Each episode of the sophomore season promises to uncover more about the larger threat and while some questions will be answered, new ones will surface. The intensity accelerates as Season Two opens with Olivia’s shocking return to this reality, and a determined Peter, unknowingly in a race against time with an ominous mobile force, pursues information about Olivia’s blurred and perplexing visit to the alternate reality. Meanwhile, Walter reenters the lab to cook up a bit of fringe science, and of course, some custard for someone’s birthday."

So what did the cast have to say about what lies ahead for the members of the Fringe Division and how is FOX positioning the second season of Fringe? Let's take a look at the brand-new thirty-second teaser and the full press release for Season Two of Fringe from FOX.



FRINGE

(Thursdays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT)

Last season’s No. 1 new series among Adults 18-49, FRINGE returns for a second thrilling season and will continue to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world – known simply as “The Pattern” – in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth.

Set in Boston, the FBI’s Fringe Division formed when Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (Anna Torv) enlisted the help of institutionalized “fringe” scientist WALTER BISHOP (John Noble) and his son, PETER (Joshua Jackson), to save her partner and lover from a mind-bending death. Through unconventional and unorthodox methods, the FRINGE team imagines and tests the impossibilities while investigating unbelievable events, macabre crimes and mystifying cases involving teleportation, reanimation, genetic mutation, precognition, artificial intelligence and other fantastical theories. When the unimaginable happens, it’s their job to stop it.

Agent PHILLIP BROYLES (Lance Reddick) guides the group, while by-the-book Agent CHARLIE FRANCIS (Kirk Acevedo) and Junior Agent ASTRID FARNSWORTH (Jasika Nicole) provide support and depth to the team. Underscoring the unfolding mysteries, enigmatic Massive Dynamic executive NINA SHARP (Blair Brown) asserts that the advancement of technology is changing the world of science, and conversely, the science of the world.

In the shocking season finale, Olivia’s anticipated introduction to Walter Bishop’s former lab partner and Massive Dynamic founder WILLIAM BELL (guest star Leonard Nimoy) revealed the existence of a parallel universe and the ability to travel between the two worlds. This new universe has a different, intriguing history and holds secrets of its own, which was evident when Walter stunningly visited his son’s gravestone.

Each episode of the sophomore season promises to uncover more about the larger threat and while some questions will be answered, new ones will surface. The intensity accelerates as Season Two opens with Olivia’s shocking return to this reality, and a determined Peter, unknowingly in a race against time with an ominous mobile force, pursues information about Olivia’s blurred and perplexing visit to the alternate reality. Meanwhile, Walter reenters the lab to cook up a bit of fringe science, and of course, some custard for someone’s birthday.

Created by J.J. Abrams and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, FRINGE is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Abrams, Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman and Bryan Burk serve as executive producers, while Kurtzman and Orci are consulting producers. Additionally, Pinkner and Wyman serve as the series’ show-runners.

Fringe kicks off Season Two on Thursday, September 17th at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX.

First Look: "Dollhouse" Season Two

FOX has released nine promotional images for Season Two of Joss Whedon's metaphysical action drama series Dollhouse, which returns to the lineup on Friday, September 25th.

The nine images can be found below and depict not only a group shot for the series regulars for Season Two but also solo shots of Eliza Dushku (Echo), Tahmoh Penikett (Paul Ballard), Dichen Lachman (Sierra), Harry Lennix (Boyd Langton), Enver Gjokaj (Victor), Olivia Williams (Adelle DeWitt), and Fran Kranz (Topher Brink), all of whom seem to be posing against the backdrop of a bare-bones warehouse set.

Except that is for Echo, who is depicted alternately lounging and posing with a gun in a psychedelically yellow and hot pink room that looks like a windowed jewel box. Hmmm...

Look below to take a peek at just what might lie ahead for the Actives and their handlers next season on Dollhouse. Let the guessing games begin...

(Dollhouse fans, click on the below images to enlarge them.)



DOLLHOUSE: L-R: Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, Enver Gjokaj, Olivia Williams, Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett and Harry Lennix. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Eliza Dushku as Echo. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Eliza Dushku as Echo. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Joe Viles/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Dichen Lachman as Sierra. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Joe Viles/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Harry Lennix as Boyd Langton. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Joe Viles/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Enver Gjokaj as Victor. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Joe Viles/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Olivia Williams as Adelle DeWitt. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Joe Viles/FOX



DOLLHOUSE: Fran Kranz as Topher Brink. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Joe Viles/FO

Season Two of Dollhouse launches Friday, September 25th at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX.

Wrath of Seitan: Vices and Virtues on the Season Opener of "Top Chef: Las Vegas"

I'm ecstatic that Top Chef is back on the air again. While I've enjoyed Top Chef Masters, I'm more than ready to dig into my main course now.

On the season opener of Top Chef: Las Vegas ("Sin City Vice"), seventeen chefs headed to sunny Las Vegas, each eager to take down their competition and walk away the winner of the title of Top Chef. But this first course in the ongoing competition was no walk in the park; rather, it tested the contestants in a series of challenges--from mise-en-place relays to cook-offs and extremely focused thematic dishes--that was tested to separate the wheat from the chaff.

You had the opportunity to read my advance review of the season premiere, but now that it's aired, we can get specific about just what went down this week on the culinary competition series.

So how did the new chefs perform in this first challenge? Let's discuss.

As I mentioned in my advance review of the premiere, the chefs this season are a motley bunch of visionaries, bastards, and egomaniacs. Which is pretty much par for the course when dealing with talented artists and craftsmen. Already my favorites are the stern taskmaster Jen C., whose consummate abilities are manifested in the first episode, even if she has to fend off questions about whether she is the "pastry chef" at Eric Ripert's restaurant. (The subtle misogyny of the comment wasn't lost on me.) I'm also rooting for Kevin Gillespie, the burly and bearded wit whose sarcasm is matched by his raw culinary skills. And I'm intrigued to see how the sibling rivalry between Michael and Bryan Voltaggio plays out this season. Will one brother rise as the other falls? Or will their brotherly feud knock them out of the competition altogether? Hmmm...

I thought that the use of the mise-en-place relay race was a good choice for the first Quickfire Challenge of the season, especially as it pushed the chefs to work together as a team and quickly displayed which of them had some crucial prep skills as well as the ability to work under direct pressure and intense scrutiny from their fellow contestants. In teams of four, the chefs had to shuck 15 clams, peel 15 spot sprawns, clean five lobsters, and break down two steaks from a ribeye.

But there was a twist: in choosing the teams, the chefs grabbed a random poker chip displaying a color. Robin selected the gold chip, winning her immunity in the Elimination Challenge as well as the ability to sit out the mise-en-place relay (a necessity given the odd number of competitors).

Some of the teams got off to an extremely rocky start. I don't believe that Preeti's team ever moved off of the clam-shucking leg (nope, they don't pop open like oysters) and Jen Z. quickly cut herself performing the same leg. But two teams managed to pull ahead quite quickly, finishing almost neck-and-neck. The winners, consisting of the Blue Team's Bryan, Jen C., Mattin, and Jesse, then squared off against one another for the win--and a Vegas-appropriate cash prize--in a timed cook-off. They had 30 minutes to prepare a dish based around the item that they dealt with in their individual leg of the relay.

Bryan prepared a fennel, coriander, and black pepper-crushed rib eye with caramelized celery and a puree of golden raisin and chive. Jen C. offered a clam ceviche with citron vinegar. Mattin cooked a lobster with bay leaves and star anise. And finally Jesse transformed a humble dish of shrimp and grits into a flavorful bowl of spicy prawns and polenta. The winner? Jen C., whose dish of clam ceviche, wowed the judges, despite her worries that it was too simplistic. (Jen: in this competition, simple preparations and clean depth of flavor always wins out.)

For their Elimination Challenge, the chefs were tasked with creating a dish based on a personal vice. They'd have $150 budget and two hours of prep time to carry out their vision, which would be judged by Wolfgang Puck. But there was yet another twist: they wouldn't be competing against the whole group, but rather the chefs would be going head-to-head with their specific teammates, with one person to be selected as a potential overall winner and one person up for elimination from each group.

So what did they prepare? Not unsurprisingly, most of the chefs went with a, shall we say, alcohol-infused vice to prepare their dishes, with a hell of a lot of whiskey, scotch, and bourbon flowing throughout the kitchen. And the protein of the day was clearly poached halibut of some kind, with no less than three chefs preparing halibut in this particular challenge. Let's take a look at what each of the cheftestants cooked up by team.

Red Team (Kevin, Michael V., Eve, Preeti):

• Kevin: slow-cooked arctic char with salsa verde of turnips and celery salad
• Michael V.: rack of lamb with coconut sauce and cauliflower gnocchi
• Eve: shrimp and scallops with English peas in a curry cream sauce
• Preeti: pork tenderloin with bourbon sweet potato puree and vermouth-braised dandelion greens

Green Team (Laurine, Ron, Ash, Jen Z.):

• Laurine: bacon doughnuts with chocolate and Belgian beer sauces
• Ron: jerk bass with collard greens and Haitian hash
• Ash: poached halibut with ratatouille and parsley coulis
• Jen Z.: chile relleno stuffed with seitan and a grilled tomatillo salsa

Blue Team (Jen C., Bryan, Robin, Jesse, Mattin):

• Jen C.: poached halibut with whiskey, bourbon, scotch, and black peppercorn sauce
• Bryan: New York strip steak with parsnip puree and bourbon reduction caramel
• Robin: pork tenderloin stuffed with chorizo and green chili bread pudding
• Jesse: "the whole bird," braised chicken with whiskey reduction, Yukon potatoes, and a fried egg
• Mattin: buffalo rib eye with zucchini and garlic mashed potato and Madeira sauce

Black Team (Mike I., Ashley, Hector, Eli):

• Mike I.: olive oil poached halibut with wood-roasted eggplant puree
• Ashley: chicken liver and thigh ravioli with red wine demi-glace
• Hector: smoked and deep-fried rib eye with carrot puree and ceviche of celery
• Eli: "buttered" scotch with scallops, pulverized cashews, and beer powder

The standouts were clearly Kevin's arctic char with salsa verde of turnips and celery salad, a dish which cleverly inverted expectations about cooking time, with the arctic char slow cooked and the turnips, typically a vegetable that requires a lot of cooking time, quickly prepared as a verdant salsa. The Green Team's Ron landed in the top scorers for his island-infused bass, even though the judges weren't quite clear what his vice was (though his harrowing story about his 27 days at sea was memorable). Jen C.'s poached halibut was also a clear favorite and Puck praised her for its exquisite execution, saying that all halibut should be cooked so beautifully. Also in the top: Mike I.'s olive oil-poached halibut with its eggplant puree, a gorgeously pared down dish that was focused and memorably resembled the bar of soap Mike said he mother had washed his mouth out with.

Ultimately, the win went to Kevin for his arctic char and I'm extremely happy with the results. He showed not only immaculate execution in his dish, but forethought, vision, and charm as well, imploding out expectations of the dish and making us see the ingredients in new and unexpected ways. Bravo.

So who ended up on the bottom this week? Eve for her unbalanced dish of shrimp and scallops in a curry cream sauce, which lacked heat and flavor and offered the judges some rather unappetizing overcooked shellfish; she claimed that she toned down the dish in the final seasoning but it was such an unfocused and odd dish to begin with. Jesse's whole bird concept landed her on the chopping block due to the dryness of her chicken breast (she pulled it out of the braising liquid too quickly) but it was more the execution than anything else and the judges seemed taken with her conceptualization of the dish, with Puck praising her and saying that a few more attempts could yield a very memorable dish. Hector was criticized for his choice to deep-fry the rib eye steak rather than cooking it on the wood-burning grill if he wanted to infuse it with smoke flavor; he said that he wanted to transform the steak into something resembling chicharones but I think this was a mistake overall, especially in an American steakhouse like Cut.

Finally, there was Jen Z. who not unsurprisingly was marked for elimination for her "clunky" chile relleno, which she stuffed with seitan, a soy-based alternative meat that shaped out of soy gluten. It lacked heat and elegance and the choice of seitan was just astonishing. I understand that she wanted to take a risk and do something innovative and different but there's a difference between blind risk and calculated risk. The texture of the seitan was all wrong, the flavor was lacking, and there were huge chunks of garlic in the mix. Plus, the dish just lacked refinement and creativity. It wasn't all that unexpected then that Jen Z. would be the one to pack her knives and go.

What did you think of this week's episode? Do you agree with the judges' verdict that Jen Z. should have been sent packing for her gamble with seitan? Who are you rooting for so far? Who will win in the end? And who should go home now? Discuss.

Next week on Top Chef: Las Vegas ("Bachelor/Ette Party"), it's a battle of the sexes rages when the male chefs battle the female chefs in a competition to cater a poolside bachelor-and-bachelorette party; Todd English drops by to guest judge.

Top Chef Preview: Rolling with It



Top Chef Preview: Addressing a Vegas Tradition

Autobiography in Four Courses: Past, Present, and Future on the Season Finale of "Top Chef Masters"

Our lives can best be described as the sum of all of our experiences leading up to this specific point in time.

The same was true for the three master chefs--Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, and Michael Chiarello--facing down the gauntlet on last night's season finale of Top Chef Masters ("Top Chef Master"), in which the trio squared off against one another in a perfectly fitting final challenge.

This series is after all called Top Chef Masters, so I wanted to see what these incomparable master chefs could do when the gloves were off and there were no vending machines, microwaves, or mise-en-place relays to get through. In other words, I wanted to see what they could do with larger budgets, limitless imagination, and unfettered ambition to draw upon.

Their challenge: to prepare a four-course meal that best represented their entire careers thus far (and into the future), with each of the courses representing a specific crucial turning point in their lives. For these masters, this was the ultimate challenge, an opportunity to showcase their culinary styles, their unique history, and serve up a series of dishes that were completely personal and individual to them.

So how did this talented troika do and which one was named the winner? Let's discuss.

As I mentioned before, I thought that this challenge was entirely fitting with the message and motivation of the series. Whereas Top Chef showcases up-and-coming chefs, Top Chef Masters has given us chefs who are at the top of their game, with multiple restaurants and awards under their belts. In many cases, they are household names with clearly defined personal brands behind them.

So it made sense then that the final showdown between Keller, Chiarello, and Bayless would be one in which they would have to call upon their personal histories, the key moments in their lives that defined them as chefs, and create a series of dishes that reflected their identities at their most personal.

Each of the courses therefore would represent a very specific moment: the first course represented their first food memory; the second the moment they realized that they wanted to become a chef; the third course a reminder of when they opened their first restaurant; and the final course a glimpse into their present and future. In other words, where they are today and where they'd like to go next.

Given that this was the season finale, there was not only $100,000 on the line for charity but also some steep pressure. Joining our esteemed panel of critics for the judging were the Top Chef judges themselves--Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Padma Lakshmi--along with the five winners of the previous seasons of Top Chef: Harold Dieterle, Ilan Hall, Hung Huynh, Stephanie Izard, and Hosea Rosenberg.

Personally, I thought it was a great twist to have not only the Top Chef judges there (a nifty bit of network and brand cross-promotion, given the launch of Top Chef: Las Vegas), but also the winners of the previous cycles. Chiarello didn't quite see eye-to-eye with me on this and seemed almost insulted that these chefs would be critiquing his food as though they were beneath him, an attitude that landed him in trouble (and rubbed me the wrong way) in last week's episode.

So what did the master chefs offer up for their four-course autobiography? Here's a look, chef by chef, at the four dishes they served the judges:

Hubert Keller:

• First Course: "Baekeoffe," Alsatian lamb, beef, pork, and potato stew
• Second Course: salmon souffle with Royal osetra caviar and riesling sauce, served with a choucroute flan
• Third Course: lamb chop with vegetable mousseline and thrice-blanched garlic, vanilla-merlot sauce served in a hollow potato
• Fourth Course: Wagyu beef cheeks and celery puree with pinot noir, lemongrass and ginger sauce; pan-seared sweetbreads with Perigord truffles on scrambled eggs with spinach

It's no secret that I was rooting for Hubert Keller to win this competition. To me, he is the living embodiment of a true master chef, a visionary in every sense of the word who is not only technically adept but also inherently creative and whimsical and enjoys teaching his craft. His Baekeoffe made me drool with envy; it looked absolutely heavenly and, despite it being summer here in Los Angeles, I wanted to dive into that Le Creuset Dutch oven and eat every last morsel of that dish. It was such a personal dish to him, represented his roots, his memories, and his family so well and was such a specific regional specialty to boot.

Sadly, his salmon souffle wasn't quite as awe-inspiring as it should have been; I think the judges were more taken with the perfectly cooked salmon and the caviar and riesling sauce than with the souffle element itself. Keller's third dish with its nearly-raw stud of garlic in the lamb should have been heavenly but it was that sharpness of the garlic--surprisingly not dulled by thrice-blanching--that overwhelmed the palate. Which was sad as the lamb was cooked so beautifully, the spinach still green and verdant, and (despite Padma's distaste) the vanilla-merlot sauce sounded gorgeous. I think his Wagyu beef cheek and sweetbread duo was more on the mark and I applaud him for using cheaper cuts of meat and then cooking them efficiently and thoughtfully in order to render them smooth and supple. But would it be enough?

Michael Chiarello:

• First Course: duo of gnocchi: crispy potato gnocchi with fonduta, peas, and summer truffles and ricotta gnocchi with tomato sauce
• Second Course: polenta with rabbit, asparagus, wild mushrooms, grilled duck, and rabbit liver
• Third Course: ginger-stuffed rouget with mango salad, fresh wasabi, and bottarga
• Fourth Course: brined short ribs with five-onion cavalo nero, served with the essence of smoldering vines

I was a fan of Chiarello's until the last few episodes where his ego and arrogance completely turned me off. I believe he's a talented chef but he tends to get sidetracked by having to constantly assert his authority. Last week's "young man" comment to Dale completely undermined what he has attempted to accomplish as a master chef. I also didn't appreciate his Saveur-pointed jest in last night's finale. Yes, it was tongue-in-cheek. Or was it? Despite the laughter around the dining table, I felt that it was in poor taste. But perhaps I'm biased against Chiarello at this point.

I do think that his gnocchi looked incredible and he wisely offered up two variations on the classic Italian dish, a combination of textures and flavors that were balanced and complementary. I thought his choice of Mason jars for his serving vessel of his second course was odd until I saw that he composed these almost as one would rillettes, a decision which paid off when the judges tasted the creaminess of the polenta offset by the exquisitely prepared rabbit and duck. Third course, however, was a major misstep for Chiarello with his crispy fried rouget. Yes, the fish was cooked perfectly and scented with ginger but he didn't elevate the dish or take it in a new direction; it was so completely ripped out of the 1980s that it seemed out of place with the rest of his dishes. Finally, there was his melt-in-your-mouth short ribs with cavalo nero (a favorite of mine); I'm not sure you needed the smoldering vines there as well but they clearly added to Chiarello's overall "story" and seemed to lend itself to Chiarello's claim that in the future we will be eating with all of our senses... But don't we already do that now?

Rick Bayless:

• First Course: barbecued quail with hickory house sauce, "sour slaw," and spicy watermelon salad
• Second Course: ahi tuna with Oaxaca black mole, plantain tamal, and grilled nopales
• Third Course: achiote-marinated cochinta pibil with sunchoke puree and crispy pigs' trotters
• Fourth Course: arroz a la Tumbada with tomato-jalapeno broth, and chorizo "air"

I've grown to love Rick Bayless over the course of these ten episodes; he seems to be the polar opposite of his officious appearance as a guest judge on Top Chef a few seasons back: calm, cool under pressure, a true master in very sense of the word. These last few weeks have won me over into Bayless' camp and his passion for Mexican cuisine is evident in every dish he prepares, demonstrating his belief that the culinary tradition deserves to join that great pantheon of Italian and French cuisine.

Like Keller, Bayless pulled off a regional specialty for his first course that also defined his background as the son of a barbecue pit smoker, offering up a luscious quail with his family's hickory house sauce, a sour slaw, and a piquant watermelon salad with sprouts. It was a dish vastly different to his typical Mexican approach and spoke volumes about where he came from. His second dish, the Oaxacan black mole with ahi made me want to jump inside the television and wolf it down; the tenderness of the ahi was balanced by the sweet sharpness of the plantain and the crispy bite of the nopales (prickly pear cactus); a gorgeous and inventive dish that spoke volumes about the twenty years it took him to pull off the complicated Oaxaca black mole. Well done, Rick. The sunchoke puree of his third dish, a duo of suckling pig "cake" and crispy trotters, elevated it to spellbinding heights as it transformed a humble peasant's dish into haute cuisine. Bayless was a little let down by his final dish of arroz a la Tumbada, but that could be because the dish sat out a little too long before getting served, with the mussels drying out somewhat. I loved the use of the chorizo "air," which is a molecular gastronomy technique that Bayless doesn't usually turn to.

All in all, twelve amazing dishes from three extremely talented master chefs. But like Highlander, there can be only one. I would have been chuffed if Keller or Bayless won but I was surprised to see that the critics and judges ranked Keller in third place, bumping him right out of the competition, a mere half-star behind Chiarello. But I had a feeling that in the end the dazzling talents of Chef Rick Bayless would win out and he did manage to pull off an incredibly inventive, stirring, and beautiful selection of dishes that took us on a journey through the inner backstory of this remarkable chef.

No surprise then that Bayless walked away the ultimate winner, with $100,000 for his charity and bragging rights. I'm curious to see just what Bayless and the other chefs do next and I'm more than excited about hopefully getting to taste one of Bayless' signature dishes one day.

Do you agree with the judges? Who do you think should have won and why? Discuss.