Two posts to come tomorrow

I did watch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice tonight, but I have to wake up at an ungodly hour tomorrow morning to drive to Boston for my COLLEGE GRADUATION, so I do not have time to write about the episode tonight. When I get back tomorrow afternoon I will try to find some time to write about both shows, both of which I enjoyed a lot. Though I must admit, the last five minutes of Private Practice that was hyped for weeks, was not as extreme as I was thinking, not that I wasn't shocked. Leave comments about your thoughts and check back tomorrow for full episode synopses.

Handy chart that speaks to the future of some of our favorite shows

TvGuide.com put together this list of which shows are definitely returning in the fall and those that are definitely not returning, as well as those where a decision has not yet been made ranking the likelihood for return from poor, fair and good. Here are some of the shows I write about or enjoy and their fate:

Definitely staying
90210
Dancing with the Stars
Gossip Girl
Grey's Anatomy
Law & Order: SVU
One Tree Hill
Private Practice

Definitely gone
Lipstick Jungle

Not yet renewed, but likelihood good
Better Off Ted
Castle
Parks and Recreation
Samantha Who?

Not yet renewed, but likelihood fair
Privileged
Southland

Not yet renewed, but likelihood poor
Dollhouse
In the Motherhood
Kath & Kim

So here are some I am shocked about. I'm a bit shocked Better Off Ted and Parks and Recreation seem like they will be saved, while the outlook for Dollhouse seems poor. I am happy to see that most of my favorite shows are on the definitely staying list. Are you shocked by any of this? What would you like to see gone or saved?

Hulu to expand range of shows available

My friend Matt and I were talking about Hulu the other day and since he knew I would be interested, he shared this piece of information with me. According to this Chicago Tribune article, the online video site will no longer only provide television shows aired on Fox channels, NBC and the cable realm, but will also hold shows aired on ABC and Disney. The new group of shows range from ABC shows like Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives to ABC Family shows including Greek and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as well as Disney shows like Phineas and Ferb. I have not yet used Hulu but I hear it is much more user friendly than the network's video players. It may be time I experience Hulu.

The Hills will return in the fall

MTV announced this week that The Hills will return in the fall but Lauren Conrad will not be among the cast. Instead the show will focus on Audrina Patridge, Brody Jenner, Lo Bosworth, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. TvGuide.com has the full story. What do you think? Will you continue to watch? Personally, I can't see how a show with these characters can exist without Lauren. She is the glue that holds all of these people together. I probably would not watch. Lauren is my favorite part. She is the reason the show exists, so why try to continue after she has decided to move on?

Spoiler: SVU guest star stole the show

Tonight's Law and Order: SVU guest starred Hilary Duff and her performance was pretty memorable. The storyline was also interesting with a great twist at the end. Here is what happened, summarized in a short and direct way.

Duff's baby is missing and it was reported by the baby's grandmother. At first the mother sends the police officers off track by saying the babysitter must have kidnapped the baby, but then the detectives find enough evidence to prove the mother killed the baby and buried her in an abandoned area. Or at least they thought the mother killed her until they found out that the baby wasn't killed, but died due to the measles. The episode then centers around the detectives trying to prosecute a mother who chose to not vaccinate her son and when he got the measles it spread to the other baby and killed her. She was arrested for not immunizing her son, which lead to the death of another child. In the end she was found not guilty, but it was interesting to frame this personal choice as something that effects so many other people.

I really liked this episode and, as I said at the top, I loved Hilary Duff's performance. It was very unlike her, especially since I still think of her as her Disney-owned self. I recommend those who did not see it to watch.

Spoiler: 90210 - "Your perfect little marriage fantasy"

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly of tonight's episode.

- Naomi is still staying with the Wilson family and she is a bad house guest. She complains about the food cooked, shares too much information, wants extra chores done for her, etcetera. Near the end of the episode the family tells Annie that Naomi living there cannot be a long term solution and the family agrees they all want her to leave. So when Naomi's sister comes into town, Naomi decides she will live with her so they can deal with their father situation. There was also a scene at the end of the episode where Naomi's sister, Jen, tells Ethan that she won't ever tell Naomi how Jen was Ethan's "first." Drama, drama, drama.
- Dixon is sad Silver is going to a new school because they won't ever see one another, but she insists she can't go back to her old high school. Silver gets to her new, Catholic school and realizes she knows nothing about religion. She is paired with an extremely religious student to tutor her and things do not go too well. Silver tells Dixon she wants to keep her personal life away from school, but Dixon is upset because that leaves very little time for them to be together. And then, when Silver's new tutor friend recognizes Silver as the girl in a sex tape video she was sent online, the religious girl decides she will fast until Silver tells everyone at the new school about her past sins as a way to repent. Dixon points out to Silver that she is hiding and avoiding dealing with her problems and in the end she does tell everyone at her new school about the sex tape and bipolar disorder, but it does not make her feel better, as the new friend had told her it would.
- Naomi and Liam are going on their first official date. But then Liam's cousin comes into town and Naomi makes Annie go on a double date with them even after Annie protests about hating blind dates. It is obvious that Annie is not having a good time because the cousin is weird and she does not like Liam. Also, it is again clear that Naomi tries way too hard with Liam and doesn't act naturally. Annie tells Liam she dislikes him and gives him reasons why, and he admits he is shy around new people. He changes mid-way through the date, begins to act normal and just before leaving asks Annie out on a date after seeming to have a great time with Naomi. Annie, being a good friend, tells Naomi and Naomi confronts Liam. Liam says he doesn't do the boyfriend thing and that Naomi should get out while she can. Naomi interprets this to mean that he is trying to sabotage their relationship and that is why he asked out Annie, but Annie just thinks he is a bad guy.
- Adrianna and Navid are planning and daydreaming about their perfect future together. They don't seem to be very realistic about their decision. When Adrianna tells Naomi about their plan to get married and keep the baby, Naomi acts appropriately and tells Adrianna she is crazy. Naomi is also the person who reminds Adrianna about the need to tell Navid Ty is the baby's father because Navid thinks the father is some random guy Adrianna hooked up with while in rehab. Adrianna and Navid decide they will go to Navid's parents, who he thinks will surely help them now that they have decided to get married and raise the baby. They freak out when they see Adrianna is pregnant but warm to the idea of helping; that is until they find out Navid isn't the father and they refuse to help. His parents also tell him they cannot get married. Navid chooses Adrianna over his family and decides to move in with her. He even redoes the proposal, this time much more elegantly and with a ring. Before Adrianna says yes, she tells him who the baby's father is. He freaks out that she lied to him and made her promise to never lie again, but he does forgive he because he loves her more than anything else.

I liked this episode. It was usual 90210 style. What did you think? Are you enjoying this show lately as much as I am? After a slow start early in the season, the show is truly starting to grow on me.

Dancing with the Stars' outcast is...

...Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough, sadly, because I love Julianne, who has already announced she won't return next season. And as for the rest of the competition, Ty Murray has to go next week, but after that it really is anyones game. Who do you think will or should win?

Spoiler: Gossip Girl - "Blair, I see you are wearing your beret. Who are you spying on tonight?"

Here is the New York Magazine Daily Intel post about last night's episode and I have to say I agree with almost everything they point out. But mostly I agree that Blair stole the show last night with her extremely witty one liners.

Here are a few of my own additions:

- Plus two for Blair referring to Gabriel as a foreigner because he is originally from the south. Only she could say that and it not be offensive.
- Why does no one think it is weird that Serena is dating a much older, successful would-be business man? Minus three for this not be addressed.
- Minus five for the scene between Chuck and Nate where Nate tells Chuck he is not allowed to see Blair anymore. How can these two be friends and yet Nate hate Chuck at the same time?
- Someone mentioned that Eric is out of town. Minus two because where would a young teenager go alone?
- Plus one for Serena standing up for herself to Blair and yelling about how Blair never supports her.
- Plus five for Blair realizing Chuck didn't need her help retrieving Georgina and as revenge stealing his limo, leaving him stranded and having to call a taxi for a ride.
- Plus five for the line "I have so much love in my heart for that girl" said by Georgina about Serena. HAHAHA

What did you think of last night's show? Do you agree that the positives outweighed the negatives? Feel free to leave me messages ranking other moments from the episode.

Spoiler: The Hills - Another two for one deal

Here are summaries of the last two episodes of The Hills, starting with the one that aired last week.

- Stephanie is an awful employee. She is slow to react, not focused and, plainly said, not doing her job. And it is clear Lauren is having a difficult time keeping track of her.
- Heidi tells Spencer they either see a therapist or she is ending their relationship. They go to therapy and the therapist says their drama sounds high school-ish, which is what I have been thinking for months!
- The guys, namely Brody, Frankie and their friends, are planning a trip to Hawaii. They even invite Spencer who lies about being in Las Vegas to get out of having to go. The girls get a little upset that they were not invited. At the end of the episode the girls plot to crash their vacation.
- Audrina and Justin run into one another and their interaction is so awkward. Audrina knows they will never work because he does not make her feel special. She tells him this and he doesn't even seem all that upset about it.
- It is obvious that Brody's girlfriend is jealous of Audrina, and she, at this point, has no real reason to be.

Now onto the newer episode.

- Heidi is pushing Spencer to be a better guy. Her ex-boyfriend, Colby, comes to LA to visit and Spencer and Colby meet. Spencer makes fun of Colby for being very religious. Spencer even goes as far as to compare Colby to an alien because such a man is so rare, which only further proves how closed-minded Spencer is.
- Audrina sets her eyes on Brody, who has a girlfriend. Stephanie even tells Audrina to hook up with Brody to make Justin jealous. As a side note, Stephanie is such a sucky friend! She is always stirring up trouble. But back to Brody and Audrina: Brody originally makes it clear that he only has feelings for his girlfriend but in the end the two end up sleeping together.

The common thread between these two episodes: Stephanie is an idiot! I hate her character lately. What did you think? Did you enjoy these episodes?

Fox won't air Obama news conference

This link has the news, but here is my opinion: This is a bad idea and sets a bad precedent. It only takes one network to move out of order for the rest to take the option seriously in the future. Before long no news conferences will air on the big network channels and the American public will lose touch with what is happening in our country.

Spoiler: OTH - Two post in one!

I know, I know, this post is a little late. But to make it up to you, I will post about both last week's episode and tonight's episode at once. Let's start with a very quick and short recap of what happened in last Monday's pretty boring episode.

- Victoria the bitch is back and, as Sam says at the beginning of the episode, she is frightening. Brooke doesn't want to talk to Victoria, but Victoria finds a way to get through to her. Victoria explains that the company is in trouble and she needs Brooke back. Victoria guilt-trips Brooke, saying she needs to think about the people who work for her, and of course Brooke agrees to save the company. Brooke gets 51 percent ownership of the company and Victoria still does not have a daughter, only a business partner.
- Nathan is told by his team's coach that he needs to step up and lead the team. There is a player on the team who says he knows he is better than Nathan, and the two are fighting for a position. In the end, Nathan overcomes this and teaches the other player how to play another position so that the two can work as a team and play well together.
- Jamie, based on test scores, is a "gifted" child. He goes to a new school to see if he likes it, but hates it and doesn't fit in. In the end, Jamie, Hailey and Nathan all agree that he is better off at his regular school and Jamie gets to stay with his friends.
- Mouth and Millie are together, happy and finally had sex! But now they live in two different states, yet they vow to make their long distance relationship work.
- Peyton is in a car accident and is too quickly revealed to be OK. Also, Lucas tells Brooke about the pregnancy complications so now someone else also knows. In the accident the Comet was totaled, which saddens both Lucas and Peyton. Lucas puts Peyton on bed rest because he does not want to risk anything happening to the baby. Lucas also decides that he will fix the car for her since it means so much to both of them.
- Jack is moving to live in a new foster home and it is far away, so Sam and him have to say their goodbyes. They agree that they are boyfriend/girlfriend and kiss/cry, then say goodbye. Sam misses Jack and Victoria comforts her. In other Sam news, in a fight with Brooke Sam gets angry that Brooke is using Sam as the excuse as to why they did not go with Julian to LA.

I have come to expect more from OTH and this episode just didn't deliver as I wanted it to. Moving on, here goes with the newest episode's recap.

- Peyton hates being on bed rest and is going crazy. But friends keep visiting her and she seems to be doing OK.
- Victoria and Sam are bonding and spending a lot of time together. This worries Brooke because she does not want Sam to be disappointed when Victoria screws up. Victoria notices Brooke is doing her best work, which makes her suspicious because she knows Brooke works best when she has a broken heart. In other Victoria news, we see that Sam's birth mother has been trying to get in touch with Sam but Victoria is shredding the letters. Meanwhile, Brooke sees Victoria and Sam spending so much time together and is kind of jealous. It isn't long before Brooke finds the evidence of Victoria shredding the letters and confronts her. Brooke yells at Victoria for trying to get a do over with Sam after abandoning Brooke all those years ago. Sam wants Brooke to give Victoria a second chance. And when Brooke tells Sam about the letters she at first doesn't want to meet her. We also find out that Sam's mother works at the diner where Sam hangs out and that she has never had the courage to talk to her. But Sam reveals she does want to talk to her mom and know why her mother gave her up and why she wasn't good enough. So Brooke stands by Sam and helps her talk to her mom.
- A music artist wants to buy one of Hailey's song. We later find out this artist is Nick Lachey. At first Hailey does not want to give it to him because she does not want to sell her music, but in the end she lets him record the song.
- Jamie is still trying to hook Skills up with his teacher. Jamie has a school dance coming up and someone else asked the girl he wanted to go to the dance with before he had the chance to. Jamie decides he then doesn't want to go to the dance. But Skills talks him into it and even goes to the dance with Jamie. They arrive at the dance (side note: what 5-year-old has a dance like that?! It looked like a senior prom.) and everyone is having fun besides Jamie. But after Skills gets the courage to dance with the teacher, Jamie finds out the girl he likes really likes him back and they hold hands.
- The player who, at the beginning of Nathan's B level career, lost his spot on the team to Nathan is back and he begs the coach for another chance at his spot on the team, but to no avail. Also, the coach tells Nathan that there have been scouts showing interest in him. Nathan gets an offer that includes a two-year deal to play professional basketball in Europe. Nathan realizes that playing in Europe would mean giving up on his dream to play in the NBA so he passes it up. But he does recommend that the scout look into giving that player who left the team a look, which allows for this player to get a second chance at his dream.
- Throughout the episode, Lucas is fixing the Comet and having flashes of memories Peyton and he shared. We get a glimpse of Lucas and Peyton's last day together years ago before Peyton moved to LA. We also find out that it was Peyton who originally sent Lucas' book manuscript to possible publishers.

This one also didn't deliver. I guess unless Dan is killing people, limos are flying off bridges or crazy nannies are running around I am not too pleased. I want jaw-dropping moments. I hope those come sometime soon. Not that these last two episodes were bad, they just weren't as extreme as I would have liked them to be. What are your opinions. Have you too been a bit disappointed lately?

Spoiler: Dollhouse - Life after death

Tonight's episode was much more low key than other recent episodes and centered around Echo being imprinted as a woman who just died. The woman who just died is Margaret and the imprint takes on the identity of Julia. Margaret was suspicious that someone was going to kill her so she had planned to have the imprint take over her life and solve her murder. Julia was mentioned to her family members as a good friend so she is welcomed into their lives. Margaret is expecting Julia to enjoy her time with the family but she instead finds out most of her family members did not like her. As for murder suspects, Margaret thought it would be someone who was jealous of her money but it never crossed her mind that it could be a family member. Julia first suspects her husband, than her brother and at the last second figures out it was her son. She also rights some wrongs, rewriting her will and writing a note saying she was suspicious of her son.

In other news, Boyd does not like the idea of eternal life being a possibility and is also visibly having a difficult time letting go of Echo; Topher talks Boyd into letting him run tests on an active but he really imprints Sierra so he has someone to hang out with and celebrate his birthday; Mellie knows something is wrong with Paul but she says she is willing to ignore it; and Paul runs Mellie's prints through the FBI database with the help of a friend and a match is pulled up but only to disappear after a few seconds, making him more suspicious.

Next week's episode looks crazy. Paul finally finds the Dollhouse and gets inside and we are prompted to expect the return of Alpha. What did you think of tonight's episode? Do you agree that it seemed like a filler show where not all that much happened?

Spoiler: PP - "Do you think you should tell her something before there is anything to tell?"

I know I have already said this, but I think Private Practice may be one of my favorite television shows. If you watch Grey's but not PP, I highly recommend watching PP too. It is a great hour of television that is always cutting edge and tackling the difficult medical topics. And last night's episode was another roller coaster. Here is what happened in the episode, which appropriately started with a flashback of the Noah/Addison kiss.

- A man named William meets with Naomi and tells her he wants her to start a new practice with him. He says he can help her think bigger and it is obvious he has tons of money. She says she does not want to leave her practice and later in the episode he compares the practice to a child saying she could not orphan her baby. But William is persistent. He tells her he will be back in two weeks to present her with an offer. We then see William visit Charlotte and he asks her how "his" practice is doing. Seems sketchy. We'll see where this storyline goes. And as for Naomi, Sam knows she is keeping something from him. When she goes to his office ready to discuss it with him, Sam cuts her off before she can begin thinking she is going to talk about her relationship problems. He tells her he can't handle talking about their personal lives anymore and that they can no longer be friends so that he can finally get over her.
- A woman comes in to see Sam and he finds out she has an STD. She says she got it from her husband who she has known is cheating. Sam prescribes her some medicine and she leaves in a rush. Cooper is called to the hospital because a patient had an extreme allergic reaction. We find out that the woman with the STD is a teacher and that she has been sleeping with one of her 17-year-old students. When she found out she had an STD, she knew the kid must also so she gave him the prescription and he reacted badly. This leads the doctors at the practice to get into a debate about statutory rape and whether or not the teacher should be arrested. After Sam and Cooper warn the teacher to stay away from the student, she goes to visit him in the hospital and the parents find out about the affair. Shortly after the teacher is arrested but not before Sam talks with her and in convinced that she really loves him. The doctors are asking the teacher to just turn off her feelings, which is much harder said than done. In the end though, she does cut ties with the student and the child is told to let go and move on.
- Pete is still dating Lisa, who is the mother of one of his patients. He decides to tell her Violet's baby may be his and she reacts better than I would have expected. She is willing to make it work because she really likes Pete. But then Pete realizes he wants to be there for Violet and the couple breaks things off.
- Dell is still acting out and everyone is clearly fed up with him. At the end of the episode he breaks down to Pete about missing Betsy and it is clear that Dell is truly a mess because he feels like a part of him is missing. The worst part is that no matter what Dell wants to do, he cannot actually do anything because he does not know where Betsy is. He is stuck constantly worrying about her.
- Cooper is helping Violet get ready for the baby's birth. In other Violet news, Sheldon comes to her for advice because he has a patient who thinks she is in love with him but in reality the patient is in love with someone else and only transferring the feelings to Sheldon. At the end of the episode Sheldon bursts into Violet's office and tells her he loves her. He then proposes and the episode ended before she could answer.
- Addison is caring for a pregnant woman who has shortness of breath. She is accompanied by her brother-in-law who seems overly supportive and loving. Addison realizes the mother needs surgery so she is rushed to the hospital. When they get there, Addison finds out Noah was assigned as the surgeon on the case. The woman needs a new heart and her pregnancy is making her heart problem worse. Addison asks her to consider an abortion, which would buy them more time, but she refuses and is willing to take the chance. Noah gives her 48 hours to live. A few hours later, while the doctors are waiting for a heart, the patient's husband is brought into the hospital. He is diabetic and overdosed on insulin. He is brain dead and the same blood type as his wife, making him a possible donor. His heart could be used to save his wife. The wife is at first timid because she does not want to have a piece of her husband in her body, but her brother-in-law clarifies, "You are not taking from him; He is providing for you." But before the surgery to remove the husband's heart can be performed, Charlotte stops the doctors because she thinks the circumstances are too coincidental and she wants a medical examiner to look at the body. Charlotte and Addison both think he was murdered and Addison realizes that the dead man's brother, who is a nurse, would know exactly what to do so that his heart would have kept pumping. Addison is suspicious. She eventually confronts the brother but it ends up being a lesson for her, one about wanting something you can't have. The death is ruled an accidental overdose. At the end of the episode, Noah, after acting very professional for the entire episode, confronts Addison and asks why she kissed him back. At this point I do not know whether we are supposed to want them together or not, since I can't think of the last time adultery was condoned in such a way.

Side notes
- How adorable was the scene where Pete's new girlfriend, played by Idina Menzel, is walking to the elevator and as Sam passes by her comments on how he "likes her!" Menzel, in real life, is Taye Diggs' wife. It was adorable to see this interaction.
- While Addison and Noah are waiting for the heart transplant, Noah mentions how morbid the process is because it means they are waiting for someone to die. This made me think about the field of breaking news journalism. I have friends who work at the Boston Globe city desk and I have heard them more than once mention how boring their night has been and how they wish someone would get shot. It is weird how many professions prey on the pain of others.

Next week is the Private Practice season finale. The previews looked insane and I cannot wait for the episode, but I am also sad to see it go. As for spoilers, the actor who plays Noah told TvGuide.com that the final scene is mind blowing. As for this week's episode, were you also pleased and very entertained?

Spoiler: Grey's Anatomy - "Don't you have a dress in your pile that doesn't make noise when you move?"

After a few-week-long break, Grey's was back last night and the episode was worth the wait. Here is a summary of the action.

- At the very beginning of the episode we hear from Meredith that she does not want to wear her engagement ring or wear a dress at the wedding because she isn't that type of person. But then we find out that Meredith is letting Izzie plan the wedding as a way to keep her distracted and we immediately realize that Izzie is not going to let Meredith have a wedding and not wear a dress. At one point in the episode, the chief even orders Meredith to go to Izzie's room and try on dresses instead of attending to patients. By the middle of the episode we hear from the oncologist that the drug Izzie is on will make her feel so sick she will wish she were dead, but we also see Izzie playing tricks - pretending to flatline, etc. - so she seems to be doing OK. But then she tries to get out of bed and collapses. She also throws up. She is obviously affected by the medicine. She tells Cristina, who so far has been such a great friend to Izzie throughout her cancer ordeal, "I'm just another person trapped inside a sick, dying, cancer-ridden body." But Meredith is trying really hard to keep Izzie's mind off the cancer and even agrees to have a traditional wedding to appease her. Meredith even lets Lexie know she has a spot in the wedding party.
- When Derek and Meredith go to the kitchen for breakfast, Lexie and Sloan are there. Since Sloan and Derek are still fighting, this is an awkward encounter. While working together on a patient, Derek and Sloan force Lexie to pick sides between them but she wiggles her way out of it. She then goes to Meredith for help. Meredith tells Derek he has to forgive Sloan. (Also, as a side note, Derek tells Meredith that the chief will be his best man instead of Sloan, which pisses Meredith off because the chief broke apart her family when she was a child and she is not ready to forgive him.) By the end of the episode things are back to normal with Derek and Sloan and Derek even compliments Sloan in front of a patient's wife.
- Hunt is visiting the hospital's therapist and she wants him to claim his feelings. But Hunt swears that his time in Iraq has nothing to do with him almost choking Cristina to death, which is obviously untrue. At the end of the episode we find out that Hunt is mad at himself because he thinks he "wrecked" Cristina.
- Cali's dad (guest star Hector Elizondo of Pretty Woman fame) is in town and he is very angry at George for breaking his daughter's heart. To turn his attention, Cali introduces him to her GIRLfriend, something he was not at all expecting. Her father reacts very badly and tells her that she must come back home to Miami with him. Cali's dad meets with the chief to ask for her transfer and it is obvious that he loves his daughter so much, but he also refuses to let her be her own person. At the end of the episode Cali cuts out her father for not accepting her for who she is.
- Hunt gives the doctors their assignments for the day and tells George he is to report to Alex. Not only is this unfair because they are equals, but Alex and George hate one another. A patient they were supposed to be working on together, who they later find out was suicidal, tries to kill himself by jumping out one of the hospital's window. During an interaction immediately prior to this man jumping, Alex and George get into a screaming match and agree to hate one another and stop trying. In other news having to do with these characters, George is praised by Hunt for staying calm under pressure and tells George he should specialize in trauma. While at the bar, Alex admits he is horrible under pressure and that he is worried this will affect how he acts around Izzie.
- Bailey is at the hospital on her day off to watch Arizona perform a surgery on a child. We also find out that Bailey has not yet told her husband that she is considering specializing in pediatric surgery. Arizona and Miranda are also attending to a terminally ill little girl who has only a few hours to live. When Arizona tells the father he should stop trying to find new procedures to try on the daughter he yells at her for giving up on the child. The father refuses to accept that his daughter will die soon and keeps leaving the room to make phone calls looking for other solutions to save her. Meanwhile, Miranda rocks and lays with the dying girl. When it comes time for the surgery Miranda is supposed to observe, she chooses instead to stay with the girl so she does not have to be alone. It is not long before Bailey works her magic and helps the dad realize he needs to be with his daughter while she dies. A few minutes later she does die and I have to admit I cried. At the end of the episode, Arizona encourages Bailey to tell her husband and also says what Bailey did with the dying child was heroic.

Season finales to watch and other, more personal, notes

TvGuide.com has this list of the must-watch season finales, all of which air in a few weeks. Some included are 90210, Grey's, SNL, Dancing with the Stars and Private Practice. Here is the link.

Also, I promise to post about Grey's and PP sometime today and I may even catch up with a OTH post and Dollhouse too. Again, I apologize for being so behind this week. Things will take a bit to get back to normal since this week I now moving out of my Boston apartment, then there is graduation and I am also going on a vacation the second week of May. But things will return back to normal (aka consistent) soon.

Return of Who Wants to be a Millionaire

ABC announced the return of Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Regis Philbin at the helm. According to this article, the show will air 11 times Aug. 9 through Aug. 23. Will you watch?

Spoiler: 90210 - "Show no pity. That's my motto"

A lot happened on this week's episode of 90210. Here is a play by play.

- Naomi and Annie are trying to be friends following Annie's decision to attempt to have more girl friends since she has spent most of her time only having boyfriends. About half way through the episode principal dad tells Annie that Naomi's father is being sued for sexual harassment. At this point, Naomi does not even know yet. I was worried Annie was going to spill the beans, but she doesn't. And when Naomi finds out that Annie knew but didn't tell her, Naomi gets angry at her. Their fight does not last long and to solve the problem Naomi faces after her father refuses to pay for her stay at the hotel, Annie invites Naomi to move in with her family. They agree to make it work but first make a deal that they will always be bluntly honest with one another, which leads to a cute scene where they tell one another the things that bug them about the other.
- Liam is a bad influence on Ethan. After last week when they bonded on the trip, the two seem to now be friends. This would be fine if Liam wasn't pressuring Ethan to cut class and do other things he wouldn't normally do. Ethan is acting like a jerk following last week's epiphany about him being sick of always acting as expected.
- Donna and Kelly have a lot of scenes together this week and a lot is talked about and decided. Donna is looking for a place to open an LA store and she is very specific in what she is looking for. But with this decision it is necessary to explain her situation with David: We already knew the couple was separated, but we found out that this separation stemmed from Donna's desire to move back to LA while David wants to stay in Japan. Kelly and Donna go to a psychic because Donna is in search of answers about what to do, stay in LA or go back to Japan. The psychic is very vague only telling Donna to look for a sign and Kelly, who was not looking for advice, that she will meet a man with a six pack. The two then ask two random women on the street where they could go to let loose and have fun and the women send them to a lesbian bar. But that doesn't stop the fun; Donna and Kelly have a great night anyway. On their way home, Donna walks by a store for lease and instantly knows she is meant to open her store there. On the night of her store opening Donna talks to David and gets upset that he did not choose her over Japan. But the opening goes smoothly and while on an errand to buy more crackers Kelly runs into Ryan, who is holding a six-pack of beer. He is her six pack. They go back to his place, she tells him she is not looking for committment and they have sex.
- Silver is getting ready to go back to school and it is clear she is worried. While at the Peach Pit a group of girls sitting near her make fun of her and laugh at her. She admits she is afraid to go back to school and Dixon tells her to put on a smile and pretend nothing happened: "Never let them see you sweat." At the end of the episode we find out that Silver has decided not to go back to her old school because she doesn't want to face her old friends. Instead she has enrolled in a Catholic school and will get a fresh start.
- Adriana, throughout this episode, is preparing for the adoption of her baby. Navid is being very supportive ; He makes sure she eats right, gives her her prenatal vitamin, goes to the lawyer with her, etc. As the episode goes on we find out that Adriana is really trying to not think of the baby as a person or else she will have a harder time giving him or her up. She and Navid meet with prospective parents and Adriana acts weirdly, asking weird questions. She is being very picky with choosing a parent and looks for reasons as silly as wearing the wrong shoes that mean she should not let that couple adopt her baby. Navid points out that they - him and her - would make the perfect parents; that they are everything she is looking for in a couple. He then proposes marriage and tells her he wants to raise the baby with her. Looks like these 16 year olds are getting married. Very One Tree Hill if you ask me.

Well that's it. Let me know if you liked the episode.

Spoiler: GG - "I'm a cater waiter at a seder" hahaha

Before we start, here is the New York Magazine Daily Intel rundown of this week's Gossip Girl episode. Now for my own additions.

- Plus two for the scene at the beginning of the episode when Blair is showing Cyrus a scrapbook about the happenings of the previous few weeks. Of course Blair would document her life in such a way.
- Plus five for Dan's joke about how the tree doesn't really grow in Brooklyn :)
- Plus one for Darota needing time off because she is in love.
- Plus two for Lily finally acting like a mom (regardless of how pregnant she looks).
- Plus one for Cyrus standing up for Eleanor to his mother.
- Minus five for Rufus' decision to sell the art gallery and get a new profession because in a recession who goes looking for a new profession?

So I guess I didn't have all that much more to add. I do want to point out this: In the books the love triangle that is always present is between Serena, Blair and Nate, but it seems like the overarching love triangle in the show is between Blair, Nate and Chuck. Who do you think Blair belongs with?

Did you like the episode? Any positives or negatives I missed? Feel free to point them out.

The latest casualty for Dancing with the Stars...

...is Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska. Anyone crushed? Also, I have not yet watched Monday's episode but feel free to leave comments about the group dance. Was it a disaster, which is usually is, or did they perform well? I can't wait to watch it.

Project Runway will return with only a few minor adjustments

Interesting news for Project Runway fans: read here for details.

Battlestar prequel

I am probably telling you (Matt) information you already know, but there is a Battlestar Galactica prequel in the works. The new show will be called Caprica and is set for a 2010 release. Joanna Weiss has this article about the new show.

Warning: I may be a little slow in posting the next week or so

It is finals time at Northeastern and I am less than two weeks away from graduation. While this is a very exciting time, I am also SWAMPED with stuff to do. Tonight there are new episodes of both Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill airing, but I also have a final exam tomorrow, so it is quite likely that I will not be watching my two favorites shows, instead opting to study. But I promise to post about GG, OTH, The Hills, 90210 and the rest of my usual shows as soon as I catch up and watch the shows. I apologize in advance and hope you can understand and continue to check my blog. Thanks!

Summer = the return of my favorite dance show

So You Think You Can Dance, my favorite dance show, returns May 21. That means I am only 34 days away from dance bliss. Anyone else counting down the days? For those who have not yet experienced the awesomeness, I suggest becoming addicted :)

Spoiler: 90210 - "I don't want my whole life to be about that"

This week's episode was a chance for Silver to move past her disorder and reclaim her life. It was also the show that included the return of Tori Spelling aka Donna. Here is what happened.

- Kelly will not give Silver space to live her life. Kelly has Silver on a very strict schedule and says she needs consistency in her life, which essentially sucks all of the excitement out of her existence. Even when Donna shows up on their doorstep, Kelly refuses to let Silver break routine. At the end of the episode Silver gets Kelly to realize that a little spontaneity is necessary and they both loosen up a bit.
- Donna is in LA from Japan where she is a very successful fashion designer. She traveled to California to check in on Silver after hearing about her problems. During the episode she runs into and ends up designing a dress for Diablo Cody to wear on the red carpet. By the end of the episode, Donna was hinting at moving her fashion line to California.
- It is spring break and Dixon proposes that he and Annie go on a road trip to Arizona under the guise that there are really great water parks there. They tell their parents that they will be at their grandmother's home in Palm Springs and instead drive to Arizona. Once there, Dixon reveals that he really wanted to go to Arizona because that is where his birth mother lives. Dixon needs to tell his mother he is sorry because when he was 8 years old he was asked if he wanted to live with his mom or be adopted. Because at the time she was dealing with her bipolar disorder, Dixon chose adoption and now feels guilty. Annie and Dixon go find his mother but Dixon realizes he is not ready to talk to her, so Annie does.
- Ethan, Liam and Naomi participate in a Habitat for Humanity project. Liam is not giving Naomi the attention she wants so she starts having doubts about what his signals have meant. She even goes as far as to send Ethan to talk to him. But once Naomi and Liam have sex in the woods, there really isn't much room for her to misread the signals. Yet he continues to ignore her and treat her badly. She is trying to hard yet he is being a jerk to her except when they are alone.
- Ethan asks Liam for some peyote, which is a drug supposedly found in the area where they are building a house. Liam gives Ethan tea, which Ethan thinks is made with the leaves of this drug. Thinking he is tripping, Ethan goes on a rant about how his entire life he always has on a happy face and doing what is expected of him but that on the inside he is sad; He does not want to be a phony any more. Then Liam tells Ethan they drank regular old tea, thus his confession was not drug based. Ethan punches Liam but in the end they bond and become friends.

As a side note, did anyone notice the product placement of Dr. Pepper? Could they have been hitting us over the head with it any more obviously?

I have been interested in the last few episodes of 90210. Have you also been enjoying? What do you like or dislike? How did you feel about the return of Donna? Leave it here.

Spoiler: The Hills - Way more Heidi/Spencer drama than I ever needed to witness

This week was all about Spencer and Heidi with a little of Stephanie thrown in. Here is a short recap of what happened.

At the very beginning of the episode Stephanie is stirring up trouble by telling Spencer that while at home Heidi met up with her ex-boyfriend Colby. When Heidi gets back to California, Spencer is angry with her and talks about how all they ever do is fight. He even lies when Heidi asks if he has seen the bartender again. Later in the episode we see Spencer meet the bartender at a club. While out with Stephanie Heidi talks about how she thinks Spencer has another life. After getting angry about her situation with Spencer, Stephanie and Heidi decide to go to clubs looking for Spencer since they know he is out with his friends. Stephanie and Heidi find Spencer with the bartender at a club. Spencer tells everyone to stay calm, but Heidi freaks. The girls even spend time throwing insults at one another; Stephanie calls the bartender a home wrecker. Heidi leaves the club saying she wants nothing to do with Spencer. The next morning Stephanie suggests the couple go to therapy and Heidi mentions the option to Spencer. He does not want to and Heidi even goes as far as to give him an ultimatum: they try therapy or she walks away. Spencer says Heidi is blowing things out of proportion and Heidi freaks out that Spencer won't apologize. She more than once threatens to break up with him.

In other events, Kelly asks Lauren for referrals for an open intern position at People's Republic since Whitney is now working in New York. Lauren thinks of Stephanie and she applies for the position. They show footage of the interview and it is so awkward. I don't know why Kelly would ever then higher Stephanie, but she decides to give her a chance. In the end, Kelly puts Lauren in charge of Stephanie saying that if Stephanie screws up, it will be Lauren's job to fire her.

The previews for next week show a blossoming love between Audrina and Brody. That should be interesting. What did you think of this week's episode? Are you as sick of Heidi and Spencer as I am?

Who got kicked off Dancing with the Stars tonight?

That would be Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer. Anyone crushed? Which pairs were your favorite this week? And let's talk about next week being group performance week. It always amazes me how awful the group performance is each year. Maybe this year will actually be decent instead of humiliating.

Simon Cowell too tired, may leave Idol

UsMagazine.com has this article bringing light to a recent Simon Cowell's interview in which he said he is getting tired of being a part of three television shows and that if he were to drop one it would be American Idol. I have never come to a clear decision about how I feel about Simon. While I know he is at times harsh, sometimes I feel like he is the only person really listening to the people singing. Do you think his departure would help or hurt the show? Without him would you be more or less likely to watch Idol?

Zac Efron hosts SNL and actually makes me laugh

Maybe I enjoyed last night's episode of Saturday Night Live because I like host Zac Efron or maybe it was actually a funny show. Here are a few of the memorable skits, including the monologue and a segment from Weekend Update.

Is 'dancing' a form of rehab for celebrities?

The Associated Press put together this article about the idea that Dancing with the Stars is the "new rehab" for celebrities. The link is from boston.com and it is an interesting idea. Maybe these shows are forcing celebrities who would otherwise not have a chance the opportunity to turn their lives around.

Spoiler: Dollhouse kicks it up another notch

Though the episode a few weeks ago was talked about as the game changer and one to watch, I think last night's episode of Dollhouse was by far the best so far. It takes a lot for a television show to shock me yet last night I was shocked into speechlessness by the show three times.

The first shock came in a storyline between Mellie and Paul. Mellie arrives back at her apartment from her "vacation" to find that Paul is OBSESSED with the Dollhouse, even more so than before. Paul even goes as far as to tell Mellie to leave again because she is not safe around him. But Mellie says she needs to be there for him. In the midst of normal actions, Mellie turns into November. She talks to Paul and tells him that the person on the inside has been discovered and that communicating with him will get more difficult. She also says that Mellie only exists to keep an eye on Paul. Because of this, Paul should not talk to Mellie about the investigation anymore because it will get back to those inside the dollhouse. She tells him she is a sleeper active, which means she is controlled from inside the house and could be turned on to kill him instantly.The biggest hint she provides is that he needs to investigate why the dollhouse exists. She also warns that he "must maintain the illusion" meaning he needs to pretend he does not know Mellie is an active because if he pushes her away, then those inside the house will be suspicious.

The next shock came in a storyline with DeWitt. At the beginning of the show she is leaving the dollhouse to go to headquarters for what we are lead to assume means she will be reprimanded. While gone Mr. Dominic is in charge. We also see that Victor is being brought to an engagement with "Miss Lonely Hearts" who is someone he frequently visits and spends romantic time with. What we find out is that DeWitt is this woman who continually pays for romantic getaways with the imprint "Roger." Though this we also see the cracks in DeWitt's character - that she is stressed about the dollhouse, is emotionally unstable and actually has feelings regardless of the stoic front she puts on while at work.

The last shock came while they are trying to find out who is the mole on the inside of the dollhouse. Sierra is imprinted as a spy and is sent to headquarters to gather information and Echo is imprinted as another spy who interviews everyone with access to the lab, which is where the evidence of a mole was found. Sierra finds that Topher's assistant is the mole, but she was only planted by the real mole as a cover up. The actual mole is Mr. Dominic, which if we think about it, explains many of his past actions including when he tried to kill Echo. Dominic swears headquarters sent him to the dollhouse to help and that he has been working to keep Paul off their trail, but in the end DeWitt has him "sent to the attic." But before he is wiped, he is alone with Echo and says she will erase them. I'm not sure what that means, but I think he is forewarning Echo's revolution in a fashion similar to Alpha.

At the very end of the episode, DeWitt is talking with Boyd and mentions how Echo not only saved the Dollhouse, but is also taking care of them. Because of this, Boyd is freed up to become the new head of security in Dominic's place and Echo got a new handler.

I especially liked this episode because each active got their own section of the show. This allowed for each storyline to be developed and each shock to come at its own time, without them all building up and happening in succession near the end of the episode. Did you like the episode as much as I did? Were you also surprised? Let me know.

My blogging experience

As my college career comes to a close and I wrap up some loose ends in my classes, my Online Journalism professor asked us to write a post on our blog about our blogging experience. I think the best way to do this is to start at the beginning. When I was first asked to come up with a topic for my blog I had a hard time, but then a friend mentioned that when he was in this same class a few semesters ago he did his blog on television. Knowing that I too have a passion for television, I decided it might be worth while to also do the topic. What I did not know was how easy and fun it would be.

I had never thought about having my own blog, but now that I have faithfully been updating one for three months I cannot imagine not posting on it at least a few times a week. I always had, and will continue to have, something to talk about.

At first I was bothered by the fact that very few people read my blog; mostly it was just my mom and my friend Matt. But after a while a few other friends began following my blog and a few weeks ago someone found my blog while searching online and she now also follows. Knowing that people are finding my blog made me realize that I really am writing this for a reason.

One of the things I try to do frequently with my blog is ask questions at the end of my blog posts. I do this in an attempt to get reader feedback and the lack of comments sometimes bums me out, but I do know that if I keep at it, then eventually I may be able to build a fan base.

Also, I really tried to post in a variety of forms. I reviewed new television shows, posted about industry news, put up videos and, of course, wrote episode summaries of the shows I faithfully follow. I feel like that variety keeps my blog interesting and hopefully helps make people want to come back.

I love writing and I love television so keeping my blog updated never seems like work. It is more fun than anything. Even though I no longer have to write on my blog, I plan to keep with it as long as possible. Now that I am in the routine of updating it so frequently, I might as well keep with it.

Spoiler: Southland premiere - "Every once in a while you get to take a bad guy off the street for good"

Tonight was the night for NBC premieres. I already posted about Parks and Recreation and now it is time for Southland. It is a cop drama that follows three groups of police officers - those who handle gang violence, a group in charge of missing children cases and the cops who are on the streets day after day. I really enjoyed the show for two main reasons: there is more than one storyline happening at once and, on a similar note, the cops cruising the streets were shown responding to more than one crime scene. These are two things many other cop shows, namely Law & Order and CSI, don't do. On these shows they usually only focus on one case at a time and on this new show there is more variety within each episode.

At the heart of this show is a rookie cop who is still learning what to do and not to do when responding to disturbances. The other cops, throughout this first episode, give him a hard time for being rich. One of the female cops who is also frequently picked on tells him that it isn't personal. When responding to a call, a superior officer on a power trip pulls rank on the new cop, which leads to the superior being shot and the rookie shooting the shooter. This is also the first time the new cop has shot and killed a person. He is torn up about killing someone and this is when his partner utters the line we have seen in previews for the show for weeks: "You're a cop because you don't know how not to be one."

After watching the show, I must say that I do not yet feel any real connection to the characters but maybe that will change and we will get to know them better in the coming episodes. I really did enjoy the show and may continue to watch in the future. Did you watch and enjoy it as much as I did? What did you like or dislike?

Spoiler: Parks and Recreation premiere - "It's gonna take a little extra work, but why not try"

I have to admit that as much as I love Amy Poehler, I had very low expectations for her new sitcom, Parks and Recreation, which premiered a few minutes ago. It was created by the same people who brought us The Office, which worried me because I really don't like The Office. I do not usually like documentary-style television shows, but I did not mind it as much as usual with Parks and Recreation.

The show takes place in Pawnee, Indiana (not a real place) and Poehler's character, Leslie, works in the parks and recreation department of the city government. The basis for the show is that there is this empty lot that a few years ago was bought with the idea of it being turned into condos. But when the developer went bankrupt, the land was left half completed. There is a large pit in the middle of the land and one neighbor in particular thinks it is dangerous. At a City forum meeting, Leslie vows to fix the situation and put a park on the land. Though she is told by numerous people that she should not try to and despite not having the means, Leslie gets her boss to give her access to the plot of land.

Poehler's character is quite refreshing. She thinks she is much more important than she really is, even comparing herself to Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi, but this oblivion makes her funny. Also, she is humorous without being over the top.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Will I watch every week? Probably not, but I am glad I experienced it this once and I am also glad to announce that I was not disappointed. I may not have laughed out loud, but I did smile a few times. What about you - did you watch? Will you watch next week? Let me know if you were please or disappointed.

TvGuide.com scoop on 90210, GG and Dollhouse

Each week TvGuide.com has this feature called "Mega Buzz" where they answer reader questions. Here are a few I think followers of this blog will want to know. Here is the entire post if you want to read other questions.

Please tell me the banana from last week's racy episode of 90210 is replacing Annie as the show's main character. At least it had appeal. Get it? — Lee
MICKEY: Hey Lee, smell my flower. I'm sorry to say that Shenae Grimes will be sticking around. (Dustin Milligan, who plays Ethan, on the other hand, will not be.) If it helps, I'm hearing that Naomi's special brand of emotional terrorism will again set its laser sights on Annie toward the end of the season. So, there's that for you to anticipate. In the meantime, keep the banana out of it.

Will there be a continuation of Gossip Girl's storyline about Lily and Rufus' child? — Yankee
MICKEY: I had a college roommate who called me Yankee. I called him A--hole. For the Supremes fan in the house, the love child/never-meant-to-be will show up May 4 to wreak havoc on Lily and Rufus' blissful, excitement-free union. I'm hearing it's kind of cliff-hang-y, as the season's final two episodes will tee up the Brittany Snow spin-off and reveal exactly what Bart Bass had in that envelope.

What's coming up for Dollhouse's Mellie/November? Will Ballard figure out she's a Doll? — Miss B
MATT: Turning to Dollhouse: Yes, Mellie soon will return from her "trip out of town," only to be met by an increasingly (and rightfully, considering the far-out stuff that's been going on) suspicious Paul.

Fox making bank in name of recession

Fox is in the works to produce a reality TV show that chronicles businesses that, during this difficult economy, are forced to lay off employees. According to a TvGuide.com article, the show is called Someone's Gotta Go and is already in production. The premise is simple: each week a staff member will be fired on camera. Honestly, everyone is trying to find ways to make the recession something they can profit from. Every media outlet, from television to newspapers, is full of recession based stories and other items. But do you think this is taken too far? Would you watch this show?

Latest Dancing with the Stars casualty...

...is David Alan Greer and his partner Kym Johnson. Joining them in the bottom two was Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska. Not too shocked with this outcome. Either could have gone. In all honesty, at this point, the only male dancer who seems to truly be succeeding is Gilles Marini. Other than him, I can see the rest of the celebrity guys being sent home one by one the next few weeks leaving the women to fight for second, third, etcetera places.

In other related news, Julianne Hough will not be returning to the show next season (though that was what she said about this season and that didn't stop her). The whole story is here. I'll be sad to see her go. She is an AMAZING dancer and I'm sure many men who watch the show, or are forced to by their female significant others, do so because she isn't so bad to look at.

Spoiler: SVU - "Unlimited access"

The cops have a handful of women being killed in the same manner and all are posed to shock the person who finds the bodies. There is a police officer from another unit who had been working on the case before SVU became involved and he refuses to share the case. It is later pointed out that he is obsessed with finding the killer, but eventually he does allow the SVU cops to assist and they work together.

Not too long into the episode they find a witness to the most recent murder who gives a good enough description that they can put together a sketch of the man she saw in the hallway of the apartment building before the woman was killed. Once the sketch is released a man who looks like the sketch is chased down by men who think he is the killer. After being taken into custody and questioned, the officers leave him alone in the interrogation room and he tries to kill himself. While he is in the hospital, another woman turns up dead in the same fashion.

Because of partial DNA found at one of the crime scenes, the police are able to narrow the search down to a particular family. One of the men works for an airport as a man who delivers lost luggage to homes. They connect the dots and realize that more than one of the women had just returned from trips. Though at first his lawyer says he had an alibi for when the murder took place, the detectives figure out that he had been studying murders and serial killers, thus was working to make sure he got off. He had planted an alibi for a certain day and had used extreme heat to accelerate the decaying process of one of the bodies so that it would look like she was killed much more recently than it actually had. At the end, we are told that he confessed to a few of the murders.

In side news, I'm not sure what made me think of this tonight since I very frequently watch Law & Order, but embedded below is a rather funny SNL skit from a few years ago. I highly recommend watching it. It makes me smile :)

Watch more Mymedia Yam videos on AOL Video

Spoiler: 90210 - "It doesn't make sense because Silver wasn't making sense"

This week's episode picks up right where it left off last week and we do get some answers about Silver's actions. Here is what happened.

Silver runs from Mr. Matthews' house and causes everyone to worry about her. Everyone - Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, Kelly, Ryan, Adrianna, Naomi - jumps to the conclusion that she is on drugs and that is why she is acting out. They even organize a search party, all splitting up, to look for her: "We have to find her before she hurts someone or herself." Silver calls Dixon and freaks him out by saying stuff like without you my life is not worth living. Instead of trying to find out where she is, Dixon is so bewildered that he simply hangs up on her. Dixon then retreats and begins to give off an air of carelessness; He no longer cares whether or not she is OK, he instead thinks she is playing a game. Silver's car is found abandoned in a parking lot by the police and the only clue anyone has to work with is that Silver told Dixon she was going to "the source." Silver shows up at the train station and we find out her plan is to go to Kansas, where Dixon is from, in an attempt to better understand him. A stranger, who at first seemed to be stealing Silver's things while she slept, ended up helping her by taking her cell phone and calling the last number she called, which happened to be Dixon's phone. Knowing she is at the train station, they get there in time to see Silver miss the train to Kansas and run onto the train tracks. Dixon realizes he has to talk Silver off the tracks. It is also in this moment when he realizes what is wrong with Silver - she is manic depressive. The reason he knows Silver is bipolar is because his birth mother also suffered from the disease. Dixon promises to get Silver help and in that moment she allows herself to be helped.

In other, less dramatic news:
- Annie and Ethan, at the end of the last episode, were discussing the possibility of breaking up. While together and looking for Silver, Annie freaks out and tells him they can't break up. She says she made sacrifices for him and if he is no longer in the picture than everything she did would have been mean hearted. In the end, their break up becomes official, but the good news that stems from this is that things between Annie and Naomi seem to be looking up. Now that Ethan is out of the picture, they are allowed to be friends again.
- Ryan apologizes to Kelly for sleeping with Brenda and admitted he did it as punishment for her. They may be on the road to again being friends also.
- While everyone was out searching for Silver, Navid and Adrianna stayed at Kelly's house watching her son. At the beginning of the episode Adrianna tells Navid that she is leaning toward giving up her baby for adoption mostly because she has no idea how to be a parent. But after having to take care of Kelly's son and doing a pretty good job Adrianna admits that it was kind of fun and Navid points out that they make a good team. If Adrianna chose to keep the baby, I know Navid would be there to help and support her 100 percent.
- The Wilsons, after a minor freak out where Deb yelled about how Beverly Hills is a bad influence on the kids, decides she likes the multitude of choices available in California and agrees to make their new home permanent. The possibility of moving back to Kansas is no longer there.

I like how they used this episode as a way to teach teenagers and young adults about bipolar disorder. After the episode, Jessica Stroup, who plays Silver, made a public service announcement about the disease and talked about how people with it can live full lives with medical support.

As for previews, next week is the return of Tori Spelling and it was also shown that Dixon goes searching for his birth mother. Are you excited for Spelling's return to the show? If you are not a fan, does this make you want to watch? And about tonight's episode, did you enjoy it? I suspected they were going for a bipolar storyline after last week, but I do think they did it well. Let me know your thoughts too.

Spoiler: The Hills season premiere picks up right where they left off

Sorry it took me a day or so to post about last night's season five premiere of The Hills, but it took me a bit to find time to watch the show. As for the action, there were no real surprises. The second episode in particular contained many of the same themes previous episodes have contained. Here are quick summaries of the two new episodes that were aired last night.

In the first episode, it was Lauren's birthday and Lo and Audrina planned a surprise party for her. Heidi is purposely not invited but when Stephanie mentions to Heidi that there is a party, Heidi invites herself and Stephanie does not protest. So Heidi shows up at the party and it is obvious no one wants her there, but since the party is on a boat it isn't like Heidi can just leave. In other action, Spencer is at a bar with a friend and is flirting with the bartender. Stephanie's ex-boyfriend is at the bar and texts Stephanie this information; Stephanie then shows Heidi the text, which leads to Heidi freaking out. Spencer, at the end of the episode, gets into a fight with Cameron, punching him numerous times, for telling on him. Heidi is on the boat and starting drama, complaining about Spencer. In a weird scene with Lauren and Heidi they come to the agreement that they still love one another but that they can't be friends because of Spencer.

The second episode of this new season aired immediately following the first and was a continuation of the action from the night of the birthday party. Spencer confronts Stephanie and once again says she in not loyal to her family because she showed Heidi the text about his flirting. She then throws it in his face that he has no friends and cannot exist without Heidi, but that he should be preparing himself for the single life because he is ruining his relationship. In an odd, only-on-reality-TV scene, Heidi goes to the bar where Spencer was drinking the night before and talks with the bartender he was flirting with. She then goes home and confronts Spencer. He, not surprisingly, turns the fight around on her and says Heidi should not have had to talk with the bartender but instead should have just believed his side of the story. Heidi is still mad and in classice Heidi fashion decides to go home to Colorado to think. In a scene between Stephanie and Lauren, they start talking about Heidi. Stephanie does not understand why it wasn't OK to invite Heidi to the party and Lauren, who is visibly pissed at Stephanie, says it is not OK for her to push Heidi and Lauren together, especially since Lauren does not want it. Back to Spencer, he calls Brody and says he needs to talk because he is in a desperate situation. Brody and Spencer have not been friends for months, if not years, and yet Spencer calls Brody after his fight with Heidi because he has no one else to call. While in Colorado, Heidi's mom, who has never liked Spencer, sets it up so that Heidi's ex-boyfriend Colby shows up while they are at dinner and the mother constantly reminds them about how great they were as a couple. Also, in her interactions with her mom, Heidi keeps mentioning how her friendship with Lauren is back on track and getting better, but in reality Lauren still does not want them to be friends. Heidi must be living in a fantasy world. In the last scene of this episode we see Spencer back at the bar again flirting with the bartender. At this point he is obviously asking for trouble.

The previews for the season show a few interesting storylines: Audrina and Brody have some sort of romantic interlude that leads to each of their significant others freaking out; Lauren gets Stephanie a job at People's Republic and Kelly tells Lauren that she is responsible for her; Heidi invited Lauren to her wedding and Lauren questions why she would want her to be there; and, most surprisingly, Spencer calls Lauren and apologizes for his actions the past two years.

I don't know about you, but at this point I am already too sucked into the lives of these people, even though I HATE Spencer, to walk away. Did you watch the premiere? Did you enjoy it? Do you plan to watch the rest of the season?

Spoiler: Dollhouse - "This house is out of balance"

The previews last week showed the actives waking up with their memories and trying to escape. What we didn't know was that this was all part of a plan set by Dr. Saunders. The doctor thinks the actives have been glitching and having memories of their pasts because they have loose ends they need to tie up in their old lives. So DeWitt decides that it would be OK if they are allowed some supervised freedom and the opportunity to close personal loops. So a few select actives - Echo, Victor, Sierra and November - as set to as they were before they became actives but without any distinct memories only ideas about the things they need to set right.

In other news, Paul Ballard finds out his home is bugged. Also, while rogue, Caroline calls Paul and leaves him a message. She doesn't say much but does tell him that the dollhouse is underground.

Also, Topher, when confronted by Echo as she is demanding to be let go, explains the active process very simply - he puts them in the chair and programs them. He even references a similarity between the actives and computers. It was nice to hear this explanation.

DeWitt also talks a bit about Caroline to Echo. She says that Caroline wanted to forget and become an active because she couldn't live with the consequences of her actions.

Previews for next week show that those in charge at the dollhouse figure out there is a spy inside the house. Looks interesting. What did you think of this week's episode? Any surprises? Are you looking forward to next week?

Spoiler: ER finale - "Tough day? About the same as every other"

I just finished watching last night's two hour series finale of ER. I have to say, I am pleased. The show is a celebration - of the opening of The Carter Center - but is also just another episode; the doctors are still worried about their patients. The writers did not try to surprise us or throw too many things our way. Instead it truly was just another day at County. I am not going to do the usual play by play, but instead am only going to highlight the important parts of the episode.

- During the opening credits the original theme song was played and all of the cast members, new and old, had their names displayed.
- The show fittingly takes place during a huge rain storm. But as the episode - and therefore the day - goes on, the weather clears.
- A teenager who had been drinking at a sleep over is brought in with a 4.20 blood alcohol level and is in a coma. Tony becomes rather attached to the patient, sitting by her bed, and eventually takes the opportunity to speak with Sarah about the dangers of drinking.
- The episode takes place on Sam's birthday. We find out that Tony and Alex had restored a car for Sam as a present. She reluctantly takes the car because of all the hard work Alex put into it, but did not want to because Tony put a lot of money into it. At the end of the episode, as Tony and Sam stand outside the room of an old woman who just died leaving her partner of 72 years alone, they hold hands, hinting toward a promising future.
- Mark Green's daughter, Rachel, is about to start medical school and wants to work at County. She meets with Dr. Banfield, who is in charge of making the decisions on who to hire. If you remember, Mark was the doctor on the case for Banfield's son when he died. Kate does not seem all that thrilled by the idea of having his daughter work at the hospital.
- There is a reception for the Carter Center opening and there are some friendly faces there. John even talks about why they named the center after Joshua, his son, who was stillborn. He says that he and his wife, Kem, decided that they wanted to make a difference in other people's lives and that it made the loss of Joshua more bearable. Kem even makes the trip from Paris to the opening. We see the husband and wife interact and it is obvious the relationship is strained, though we never find out why.
- Some of the returning stars - Carrie, Susan, Corday - get together for drinks after the receptions and reminisce while catching up on one another's lives. It was nice seeing them all together again.
- There are an old man with a fractured penis. Apparently this is the cool new injury to be discussed on hospital TV shows.
- Carter says he is trying to stay awake because he has a very important phonecall to make, but we do not find out to whom. We also see that though John is not back on the schedule at the hospital, at more than one point during the show he is at the hospital and helps with procedures.
- Guest Star Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls fame plays a new doctor on the show. She assists on the care of a mother who delivers twins and then has complications. When the mother dies, the doctor stresses and thinks she may not be able to be a doctor after all. She is worried about not being able to save people. Brenner tells her you can only try.

At the very end of the episode, Sam gets a call about an explosion and informs the ER staff that at least eight trauma victims are on their way into the hospital. The entire staff gets ready and is waiting for the ambulances. Amidst the frenzy, the show just ends. I think this was the perfect ending to such a dramatic series. It was their way of saying that even though there is no more show, the hospital will always be there and there will always be people in need of help.

I am pleased, yet also very sad to see the show end. Your thoughts?

Jay Leno drama in Boston

Here is a story getting national attention about Boston's NBC affiliate refusing to air the new Jay Leno show nightly when it starts in September. The station instead will air an additional hour of news. Ed Ansin, the station owner, said he believes a local newscast at 10 p.m. will draw better ratings than Leno would. I actually completely disagree and would not be happy if the new Leno show was not aired. Even the other option, airing Leno at 11 p.m. does not work for me because that only pushes back the time Conan and Jimmy would air. What do you think? Would you prefer to watch Leno or local news coverage?

ER finale

Note to my loyal readers (yes, all 10 of you): Tonight was ER's series finale and though I really wish I could have experienced it in real time, I had the opportunity to work and took it. Therefore, I DVRed the show and will not watch and post about it until sometime tomorrow night. Please come back then for my thoughts. I apologize, and I do promise an awesome post tomorrow, one that was worth the wait.

For now, if you watched and feel compelled to leave comments about how great/awful or satisfying/unsatisfying it was, please do so. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

To hold you over until my post - here is a boston.com review of the show by long time fan Sarah Rodman.

90210 regular will not return next season

We all knew that with a new person at the helm of the show we were in for some changes. Well Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair recently announced that she is shaking things up. The first major change is that Dustin Milligan, who plays nice guy jock Ethan, won't be returning to the show next season. But new castmate Matt Lanter, who plays bad boy Liam, will become a show regular next year. Getting rid of the good to make way for the bad? Are bad boy characters more able to stir up drama? I think that was the thought process behind this move. But I have to admit, the show will definitely be different without Ethan.

Long time soap to end run in September

Guiding Light, the CBS soap opera that has been on the air for more than seven decades, will air its last show Sept. 18. Here is the boston.com Viewer Discretion blog post about it. Notice the comments and how sad people are about the cancellation.

I never watched this particular soap but I do sometimes watch Days of Our Lives, another long running daytime show. My worry is that this will start a trend where many of the daytime soaps will be discontinued. I feel for those who have followed Guiding Light for years and will have to cope with an empty hour in the middle of their days.

True Blood fans won't have to wait long for new episodes

I know this news will make one of my regular readers (you know who you are) really happy. The HBO series True Blood will return June 14 and not in the fall, which is when the first season aired. Here is a full boston.com story. I have never watched the show and really don't fit in with the vampire enjoyers crowd, but I know there are many True Blood fans out there. The show has gotten pretty great reviews. Those who follow the show will most definitely be happy to not have to wait until fall for new episodes.

Here is the trailer from before the show season aired. You can watch it to get an idea about what the show is.

Cupid's return

In a rare move, ABC executives have recast a show that 11 years ago failed and are revamping it for a new run. The show is named Cupid and this time around stars Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson.

"In 1998 ABC debuted a series called "Cupid" about a man who believed he was the titular Roman god of love and a psychologist trying to convince him that he was crazy. Critics loved the romantic comedy and its stars Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall. It did poorly in the ratings, however, and it was canceled after 15 episodes."

Here is the full story on boston.com, from which the above excerpt was pulled. The show debuted last night. Did anyone watch? What did you think about the new-again show?

Real World renewed for four more seasons

MTV announced this week that the Real World, one of the original examples of reality TV, has been renewed for four more seasons. The show has been around for 17 years and has already been on for 21 seasons. Do you think this was a good idea? I know we all watched Real World when we were in high school, but do you still watch? Who do you think the audience for the show is today? What cities have they not used yet that would be interesting locales to shoot the show? And, most importantly, what other stunts do you think they can pull?