And The Golden Globe Goes To...

...(sounds of crickets chirping)...

One of the latest casualties of the strike is that the WGA hasn't granted exemptions to both the Golden Globes and the Oscars, meaning that no writers will be cleared to work on those show.

In addition, all of the writers, plus most of the actors and directors, have said they will honor the picket lines and not attend the awards shows if the strike is still going on when they are supposed to air. That means there will be no one to present the awards and no one to receive them if the producers decide to go ahead and air them anyway. The Golden Globes, set to air in early January, are the first awards show coming up to be affected by the strike.

Though I always have a lot of fun trying to predict who will win what, I can't say I watched any of these shows with any sort of frequency. And this year's Golden Globes nominations were especially annoying with who got picked and who didn't, both on the movie side and the TV side. (I can't think of a movie more overrated by critics for some time than "No Country For Old Men," but that's a discussion for another time.)

Meanwhile, an interesting twist to the strike that may help bring about some sort of resolution has been the willingness of writers to seek out funding for projects other than the studios. With the availability of hedge funds out there as well as new media platforms like YouTube and Google - which have tons of money - some writers are looking to cut out the studios as middlemen and go directly to the Web with their projects.

It's a bit ironic, since the major sticking point between the studios and WGA are residuals for writers from new media broadcasts of their projects. By not giving any ground on this issue, the studios are running the risk of making themselves obsolete.

You can read more about this new idea for making movies at the L.A. Times Web site here: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-webwriters17dec17,1,299083.story?ctrack=3&cset=true.

And, Jimmy Kimmel has announced his late-night talk show on ABC would return to production at the beginning of January, joining both "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night" on NBC.

"SCRUBS" FIX: My brother sent me a link to a very funny Web site, which is good for people wanting their "Scrubs" fix. To learn more about the staff at Sacred Heart Hospital, visit here: http://www.rateyourdoc.org

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: First off, my apologies. CBS listed a new episode for "NCIS" last night, but re-ran the season premiere.

So, be forewarned that tonight's episodes of "Criminal Minds" (CBS, 9 p.m.) and "CSI: NY" (CBS, 10 p.m.) are also supposed to be new. We'll see.

The finale of "Journeyman" (NBC, 10 p.m.), a complex and clever series that never found an audience, airs tonight. The producers have promised to wrap up at least most of the questions surrounding Dan Vasser's (Kevin McKidd) time travel. That's something, at least, though I would have liked to have seen more of this show. It follows "Clash of the Choirs" at 8 p.m.

I won't get into "Duel" (ABC, 8 p.m.) too much except to say I was really glad that woman who hates men got booted last night. Her "Oh, I think a woman should win it all, and if it was up to me, it would only be women in those chairs" comments made my sense of schadenfreude work overtime when she proved to be less smart than a lunch lady. Buh-bye.

Finally, the CW is all-new with "Crowned" and "Gossip Girl."

Late Night Shows To Return

NBC is already rolling out the ads promoting the return of "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno and "Late Night" with Conan O'Brien, scheduled (right now) for Jan. 2.

Both shows had been pulled for the WGA strike, but both are set to return -- without writers. What's another name for a late-night comedy show without comedy writers? Usually, it's train wreck.

This is actually a good thing for the writers, since late-night shows without jokes for the hosts are going to wear thin real quick for viewers, and ratings are likely going to drop fast, putting more pressure on the studios to return to the bargaining table.

Meanwhile, "The Late Show With David Letterman" is negotiating individually its own deal with the WGA through Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants. Once a deal is struck, "The Late Show" would return with a full writing staff. Again, with individual deals being struck, it would again force the studios as a whole to return to the negotiations, something they have refused to do for nearly two weeks now in a gamble to try to break the union.

And once Letterman does return, he's one of the most vocal pro-union guys anyway, so it would give the writers a great forum on the air to plead their side of the strike.

AROUND THE DIAL: Some people have been asking, when will the lone filmed-but-unaired episode of "Desperate Housewives" actually return? According to TVGuide.com, Jan. 6. This is the follow-up to the cliffhanger about the tornado that hit Wisteria Lane. If you don't want to find out who lives and dies before the episode, then DON'T go to TVGuide's Web site, because spoilers are posted. ...

Not a TV item, but the new, frakkin' awesome trailer for "The Dark Knight" is posted here: http://www.atasteforthetheatrical.com. I can't believe I've got to wait another seven months for this movie! ...

MONDAY RECAP: So, I checked out "Duel" last night on ABC. Not bad, not great. Mike Greenberg was solid as a host, but enough with the freaking commercials already. It's as bad as "Deal or No Deal," where they try to make every big moment a cliffhanger by inserting another commercial. Even the contestants last night were exasperated, which was actually pretty amusing. Meanwhile, the contestants themselves seemed to be an annoying group of wankers, with the exception of the girl who is leading right now. She seems OK. The questions themselves haven't proven too difficult, either. You can check it out again tonight at 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, "Journeyman" continues to show great flashes of brilliance, which makes it a shame that Wednesday's episode is the series finale. However, producers have said they anticipated this might be the end, so expect several questions about Dan's (Kevin McKidd) time-traveling to be wrapped up.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: The networks continue to horde new episodes like squirrels with chestnuts, offering them slowly and reluctantly. But CBS is all-new tonight, with "NCIS" leading things off, followed by "The Unit" and "Cane."

"Duel" is followed by new installments of "According to Jim" (ABC, 9:30 p.m.) and "Boston Legal" (ABC, 10 p.m.)

NBC is all-reality tonight, continuing with "Clash of the Choirs" at 8 p.m. and followed by "The Biggest Loser" season finale at 9 p.m. Fear not, "Loser" fans; NBC is returning with "The Biggest Loser: Couples Edition" in January.

Finally, cable puts out some interesting offerings, with a new episode of "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 10 p.m.) But the pick of the night is the insanely clever "Life On Mars" (BBC America, 9 p.m.)

'Clash' vs. "Duel'

With the writers' strike going on, it's hard to tell if some of the programming choices made by the networks would have been made if there had been made if there had been no strike.

Witness tonight, which sees the debut of two new reality game shows that will be airing all week. ABC kicks off "Duel" at 8 p.m., in which sportscaster Mike Greenberg of ESPN's "Mike & Mike" fame serves as host as a group of trivia contestants face off against each other in an NCAA-style bracket for a $1.5 million prize.

NBC counters with "Clash of the Choirs" (NBC, 8 p.m.), in which five choirs, under the tutelage of professional singers, compete in an "American Idol" type format. (Though, would you want to be the judge that disses a choir? I'm sure there's a circle of Hell for people like that!)

Of the two, "Duel" sounds a bit more promising, especially for a trivia nut like me. The problem with a lot of primetime game shows is that the trivia is often not very challenging and the networks overuse the shows. ABC itself did this with "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" a few years ago, showing it so often that people burned out with it.

For me, I'm hoping we have scripted television back soon enough.

WGA UPDATE: Speaking of the writers, the WGA has announced that it will start negotiating with individual studios and production companies, since the conglomerate of studios walked away from the bargaining table over a week ago and refuses to come back. Though there are several hundred production companies to deal with, at least one, David Letterman's "Worldwide Pants" has announced it will eagerly begin negotiating. Hopefully, this tactic will help jumpstart negotiations in general.

'LOST' RETURNS: ABC will give me a slightly belated birthday present (because, yes, it's all about me) when "Lost" returns to the schedule Jan. 31, switching to Thursday nights in February and airing in the "Grey's Anatomy" slot of 9 p.m. Since ABC has obviously been successful in this time slot, it's a good deal for "Lost" fans, especially since it likely won't be going against any new episodes of CBS' "CSI."

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: Pick a new game show, because most of the rest of the offerings tonight are reruns.

Two notable exceptions are "K-Ville," (Fox, 9 p.m.) and "Journeyman" (NBC, 10 p.m.), both of which are likely gone for good whenever the writers do return. "Journeyman" fans will at least get a bonus episode this Wednesday at 10 p.m. Also new is "Notes From The Underbelly" (ABC, 9:30 p.m.), followed by a new "October Road" at 10 p.m. Also new is "CSI:Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.)

Also of some interest might be "Antiques Roadshow" (PBS, 8 p.m.) which airs three episodes in a row from Savannah.

Yet More Quick Hits

I'm off today, but still updating...

It looks as if "Journeyman" is pretty much toast after NBC failed to pick up its option on the show. The network will burn off the remaining couple of episodes, so hopefully, we may get a bit of resolution.

It's probably too late to do any good, but you can go to savejourneyman.net to see the online effort to save the show. ...

"High School Musical 2" broke so many records when it aired over the summer that Disney has decided to make "High School Musical 3" for the theatres. Fear not, I'm sure the network will also show it on the small screen as well...

Despite the writers' strike and all, ABC has decided that "Big Shots" is so bad that it has yanked the series despite having three new episodes on the shelves. If only ABC could have figured that out over the summer. ...

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: The only really good thing to watch tonight is "Pushing Daisies" (ABC, 8 p.m.) It's followed by the pilot episodes of "Private Practice" and "Dirty Sexy Money," so now is your chance to catch up.

CBS is all-new with "Kids Nation," "Criminal Minds" and "CSI:NY."

Finally, I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the debut of "Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants" (CW, 9 p.m.), in which moms and daughters compete in a reality-show beauty contest. Writers, please return soon!

Time Travel, Part 1: A 'Journey' Worth Taking

I'm writing about "Journeyman" (NBC, 10 p.m.) one more time, imploring TV viewers to give one of the most imaginative hours of the week another chance.

When I first reviewed the pilot earlier this year, I thought "Journeyman" to be a solid, if confusing, effort, kind of a mix of "Quantum Leap" and "Tru Calling," among others. But I also said much of the confusion was a deliberate effort of the producers, who wanted to show the disorientation of the lead character, Dan Vassar (Kevin McKidd).

But "Journeyman" has come into its own over recent weeks, carving out its own mythology by establishing a season-long arc as Dan continues to bounce around other people's lives, only to have his trips to the past affect his own life in the present in unforseen ways. And, unlike other shows about time travel, people within Dan's circle such as his wife and son, and now, his brother, are in on the secret, creating some strong subplots as they must deal with Dan's sudden disappearances.

Unfortunately, "Journeyman" is among the weakest ratings-wise of NBC's new shows, and even a network like NBC, which is usually pretty good about giving shows a shot at establishing themselves, may not stick with "Journeyman" too much longer. There are new episodes tonight and next week, but after that, the future is cloudy, especially with the writers' strike.

NBC gave "Life" a shot at the post-"Heroes" timeslot last Monday, and with the disappointment both creatively and in the ratings for "Bionic Woman," I'm wondering if NBC isn't re-thinking its strategy on Wednesday nights, with both "Bionic" and "Journeyman" not making the cut. ("Life" and fellow freshman "Chuck," both excellent series themselves, are safe, having received full-season orders.)

I'm curious to see which direction the writers will take "Journeyman" (once they get back to work), but I'm worried I won't get the chance. You can watch episodes of "Journeyman" online to catch up with the series, and now is a perfect time as most of the network offerings are in rerun mode.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: I've got to say, with a writers' strike and this late into December, there are a surprising amount of new, dramatic offerings still going on this week.

After ABC airs another "Peanuts" special (which have been doing nicely in the ratings) with "I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown," (ABC, 8 p.m.), the network airs new episodes of "Samantha Who?" "Notes From The Underbelly" and "October Road."

A new "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 8 p.m.) is the perfect Hanukkah gift for me. After reruns of the other CBS comedies, "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.) is also new.

Another Hanukkah gift: A new "Aliens In America" (CW, 8:30 p.m.), one of the best freshman shows this season, anchoring an all-new CW night that includes new installments of "Everybody Hates Chris," "Girlfriends" and "The Game."

Finally, one of the bigger disappointments, both creatively and in the ratings, "K-Ville" (Fox, 9 p.m.) is all-new, following a "House" rerun.

It's A Strike, And They Are Out!

There's an ancient curse that says: "May you live in interesting times."

Unfortunately in Hollywood, things just became more interesting.

To the surprise of perhaps no one, the Writers Guild of America made good on its strike threat, hitting the picket lines this morning.

As a viewer, you should start seeing the effects almost immediately, as late-night talk shows such as "The Tonight Show" or "The Late Show With David Letterman" will be forced to switch into rerun mode. This will actually affect the studios in two ways: Not only will they have to air reruns of these shows, but they won't be able to use the shows to promote the various movies coming out this holiday season.

Almost as immediate will be daytime TV, with things like soap operas only having a week or two of new episodes, at the most.

As for prime-time TV, the effects are a little more hazy. Most of the network shows have enough episodes to make it through January. So, will networks try to stretch those episodes out by sprinkling in some reruns, or will they continue to burn them off, hoping for a quick resolution to the strike?

And what about shows on the ratings bubble, such as "Journeyman," (NBC, 10 p.m.) for example? The strike may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise for fans of ratings-challenged series, because NBC is more likely to burn off the remaining new episodes in the can than yank the show because of its poor ratings.

Several shows that were planned as midseason replacements already have several episodes in the can, so they can also be used to fill air time for a while, but some shows, like "24" or "Lost," that have complicated, season-long story arcs probably won't get launched in the winter as planned, because the networks won't want to start those seasons, then suddenly yank the show when the episodes run out.

Of the shows currently on the air, "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) is among the most affected: Not only has NBC postponed plans for the "Heroes: Origins" spinoff (a series of six, one-shot episodes featuring a character unrelated to the show's main story arc, written and directed by some big-time Hollywood names like Kevin Smith), but the producers also announced that if the writers went on strike, the Dec. 5 episode would have an alternate ending that would wrap up the current storyline (if that means getting rid of the Wonder-less twins, then strike writers, strike!)

But what it will mean most of all is more reality-style TV. Not just shows like "Survivor" or "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.), but prime-time game shows, news programs, sports and music specials.

People hoping for a quick resolution to the strike are in for a disappointment. Both sides are sticking to their guns, not for greed, but for necessity. (Check out last week's blog for the issues they are striking over).

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: Enjoy the fresh episodes while you can. "Chuck" (NBC, 8 p.m.) leads things off, followed by "Heroes" and "Journeyman."

You may want to watch ABC to get a preview of life during a writers' strike. After an extended "Dancing With the Stars," "Samantha Who?" kicks off at 9:45 p.m., followed by "The Bachelor" at 10:15, so be aware those of you with VCRs and DVRs.

I'm hoping the strike will give struggling shows like "Aliens In America" (CW, 8:30 p.m.) a chance to catch on.

Sadly, it won't affect "Prison Break," (Fox, 8 p.m.), which airs a two-hour episode tonight. "PB" is scheduled to go off in January, to replaced by "The Sarah Conner Chronicles" on Mondays, then return in April. Yes, of all the dramas out there, "PB" is probably the most safe of any show during the strike. That's just wrong.

Finally, enjoy the lineup of CBS sitcoms, followed by "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.) Considering how often "CSI" reruns are shown anyway, will people notice if the network starts airing repeats regularly?

'Hero-ic' Effort?

The current issue of Entertainment Weekly blasts "Heroes" for what having what it describes as a sub-par season, and even many fans of the show are anxious for something eye-popping to happen.

As I pointed out a few postings ago, "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) was blasted by some last year because it had so many diverse plot threads that only came together after a full season. The writers seem to be taking the same approach this season.

That being said, the writers need to speed things up just a bit. It's hard to care about new characters when we are only seeing glimpses of old ones. We've barely seen Niki (Ali Larter, who spent part of the summer filming "Resident Evil," so she probably wasn't available) this season, and Hiro (Masi Oka) and Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) were completely absent from last week's installment.

Meanwhile, the show seems pre-occupied shoving new, uninteresting characters down our throat. Enough with the brother-sister plague carriers, already. Other than serving as a plot device for getting Sylar (Zachary Quinto) back to New York, they've detracted more than they've added. And Micah's cousin (Dana Davis), who has one of the more lame superpowers ever in duplicating whatever she watches on TV? (I'm curious, if she were watching "Heroes" and saw someone use their powers, such as Nathan flying, would she be able to fly as well?) But at least I know who to call when I can't operate my George Foreman grill.

Tonight could be a pivotal episode for "Heroes," since it marks the introduction of the lovely and talented Miss Kristen Bell as Elle, a mysterious woman with a mysterious power who seeks out Peter. Certainly, bringing in the likes of Bell is something that's going to be exteremely exciting for a lot of fans, but will the producers drag out her introduction as well so we can have a few more quality moments between Claire and her boyfriend?

Don't get me wrong, "Heroes" is still must-see TV for me, but the producers need to get us back to the characters we spent a season rooting for first, then introduce other characters into the mix (unless it's Kristen Bell, then they can give her as much screen time as they want).

I do find it interesting, though, about how impatient viewers are these days. TV isn't a two-hour movie; writers should get a few episodes to establish storylines and characters. Take a look at "Chuck," (NBC, 8 p.m.), which some people said was slow out of the gates. I disagree; "Chuck" took its first two episodes to set up the series and characters, then kicked it into overdrive by putting Chuck (Zachari Levi) into full-time spy situations. The result has been that "Chuck" is one of the more pleasant surprises this season. Ditto for "Journeyman," (NBC, 10 p.m.), which some viewers complained about being "confusing," when that is precisely the point. Our confusion mirrors Dan's (Kevin McKidd), who suddenly finds himself in different eras, seeing his dead fiancee. Who wouldn't be confused by that?

As always, it's all about finding the right balance, something not always easy to do on the TV landscape.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the premiere of "Samantha Who?" (ABC, 9:30 p.m.) last week. It fulfilled the primary function of a sitcom - it made me laugh, something ABC sitcoms really haven't done in years. How long the premise of a woman re-discovering herself after amnesia may end up getting stretched thin, but it's hard to believe the same network that's given us this also gave us "Caveman" and "Carpoolers." But then, it's hard to believe the same network that has given us the god-awful "Big Shots" also airs "Pushing Daisies." So, what do I know? But given "Samantha's" timeslot between "Dancing With The Stars" and "The Bachelor," expect it to last a while.

What do I know, indeed? I find "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 8 p.m.) to be the best sitcom of the night, arguably the best on TV right now because I'm not enjoying the full hour versions of "The Office," yet "HIMYM" is the lowest rated CBS comedy, losing out to the likes of "Big Bang Theory," "2 1/2 Men" and "Rules of Engagement." But maybe the success of those shows, combined with "CSI: Miami," will keep "HIMYM" around for a while longer.

Speaking of great sitcoms, thank goodness for diminished expectations, because "Aliens In America" (CW, 8:30 p.m.) has been a riot, though no one seems to be watching. It follows "Everybody Hates Chris," and is followed by "Girlfriends" and "The Game."

Finally, I gave up on "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "K-Ville" (Fox, 9 p.m.) weeks ago, and haven't missed them. While a lot of "PB" fans were angered over the death of Dr. Sara, I've always hated what I thought was one of the dumber-written characters on TV. (How this woman got her M.D., I'll never know.) But "PB" is an example of trying to milk a show too much instead of finding a natural ending.

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Welcome to the best week of the year - fall TV premiere week.

You've got new shows galore and old favorites returning. Which ones will fail? Which will succeed? Which shows are you rooting for?

Of course, last week saw the premieres of two Fox shows, "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "K-Ville" (Fox, 9 p.m.), but this is the week that pretty much everything is new.

As I've posted previously, right now, NBC has the most interesting slate of new shows, followed closely by The CW. Of all the new NBC offerings, I believe "Chuck," (NBC, 8 p.m.) has the broadest appeal. Following the misadventures of a geeky store clerk, Chuck (Zachary Levi) finds himself having the entire American intelligence network downloaded into his brain by his former college rival.

Now operatives from both the CIA and NSA want the knowledge in his head and are keeping a close eye on him.

What makes "Chuck" different is that we actually get insight into the protagonist's home life. We're not just pulling for Chuck to not get killed, we're also pulling for him to get that assistant manager's job at work.

Oh, and "Chuck" also has perhaps the best-ever Ninja-vs.-geek combat sequence.

"Chuck" leads off an entire night of fantasy-based shows for the Peacock, with the season premiere of "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) and "Journeyman" (NBC, 10 p.m.) For more insight into "Heroes," you can check out this week's edition of "Entertainment Weekly," which has a great cover story on the show.

"Journeyman" is a show a lot of viewers may find confusing at first, but I think that's partly deliberate from the show's writers to reflect the confusion the lead character Dan (Kevin McKidd) is experiencing. Dan, a journalist, suddenly finds himself bouncing around through time, following the life experiences of a single family Dan accidentally meets. By the second episode, things get a bit clearer for Dan, though obviously how and why he is bouncing around through time will remain the season's big mystery.

There are plenty of other highlights tonight for a wide range of viewers. CBS kicks off its lineup with the season premieres of returning comedies "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 8 p.m.), with guest stars Mandy Moore and Enrique Iglesias, "2 1/2 Men" (CBS, 9 p.m.) and "Rules of Engagement" (CBS, 9:30 p.m.), followed by the premiere of "CSI: Miami" at 10 p.m. The Eye also premieres the new comedy, "Big Bang Theory" at 8:30 p.m. Feel free to skip it.

ABC goes the so-called reality route, with the season premieres of "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.) - go Wayne Newton! - and the 11th edition of "The Bachelor" at 9:30 p.m.

UGLY COUCH TIME: On Tuesday morning's edition of "Live With Regis & Kelly," (WMAZ, Tues., 9 a.m.) former Maconite Christina Stefano Wood will appear as a finalist in the national Ugly Couch Competition.

MORE VIRAL MARKETING: A couple of items e-mailed to me from helpful publicists may interest you. If you want to check out the season premiere of one of TV's best shows before it airs in "Friday Night Lights," it is currently running on Yahoo! at: http://tv.yahoo.com/falltv2007/friday-night-lights/show/38958/videos/4151897.

Also, for fans of MTV's "Jackass" (I don't count myself among that group), Dr. Steve-O is getting his own show on USA. You can check out a preview at the official Web site, http://drsteveo.com/.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: There's not much I haven't already listed, but I should point out that the excellent "The War" (PBS, 8 p.m.) is continuing tonight. There are also new episodes of "Weeds" (Showtime, 10 p.m.) and "Californication" (Show, 10:30 p.m.)