The New Kirk?

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that JJ Abrams and company are in negotiations with actor Chris Pine to be the young version of James T. Kirk in the next "Star Trek" movie. For a summary of Pine's career, go here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517976/maindetails.

If signed, Pine would join Zachary Quinto of "Heroes" as the young Spock, Zoe Saldana of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series as the young Uhura and Anton Yelchin as the young Chekov. The article also confirmed that Eric Bana will play Nero, the movie's villain. Leonard Nimoy will reprise Spock in the movie, while there's a possibility that William Shatner will put in an appearance as Kirk.

There are several interviews all over the Net with Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the movie's writers, about what you can expect in the next film. Personally, I like the idea of going with relative unknowns as the young version of the Enterprise crew members, and Abrams directing the project can only mean good things.

FIRST PICKUP: "Gossip Girl" (CW, 9 p.m.) has become a guilty pleasure among the coveted 18-34 crowd, and the network is rewarding the show by picking it up for the full 22 episodes. "Gossip Girl" is also one of the top five downloaded shows on iTunes.

TUESDAY NIGHT REVISITED: I complained yesterday about "NCIS" and "Bones," and the TV gods heard my despair and delivered me two solid installments. Both series returned to the quirky humor that made me a fan in the first place. "NCIS" put Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in the uncomfortable spot of having one of his ex-wives, his ex-girlfriend (and current boss) and current girlfriend all together at the same time to great effect.

Meanwhile, "Bones" finally got the Bones-Booth relationship back on track with the bizarrely funny mystery set among horse fetishists. The conversation between Bones (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) at the end of the episode is an example of why the series has so devoted fans in the first place.

My only complaint about "Reaper" is that we need to see the Devil (Ray Wise) as much as possible. This was genius casting.
And please, TV gods, let us keep these prospective doctors on "House" for as long as possible.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Unlike the last two days, I didn't do reviews of Wednesday's lineup because most of the shows are new series.

Of course, the best new series of the season (I may have mentioned this once or twice) is "Pushing Daisies" (ABC, 8 p.m.) I was worried that I may have gone overboard with my praise despite whopping critical approval and very strong ratings for last week's "Pie-lette," but an informal survey of friends, family and co-workers have all been as positive about the show as I have.

The sitcom duo of "Back To You" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "Til Death" are the only other non-reality offerings by the networks at this time.

So far, one of the biggest disappointments this season for me has been "Bionic Woman" (NBC, 9 p.m.) I like all of the actors, but the writing hasn't been up to par, quite a surprise considering the talent behind the camera. But I'm sticking with it, hoping that it will improve. It's followed by "Life," a series that I've enjoyed so far, but is one of those shows that people will either like or hate, with little middle ground.

Speaking of disappointments, "Private Practice" (ABC, 9 p.m.) hasn't been exactly winning over the critics or the legions of "Grey's Anatomy" fans. While the ratings have remained solid, this is one series that needs to find its footing quickly. Meanwhile, "Dirty Sexy Money" (ABC, 10 p.m.) has been one of the season's delights, but hasn't found an audience.

My postings for the next few days may be spotty, since I'm going to be at the Austin Film Festival, but during that 96 hours of sleep deprivation is a session with the producers of "Friday Night Lights," which I hope to report on next week.