Although I'm not a baseball fan, I can't let the fact slide (pun intended) that the World Series kicks off tonight on Fox at 8 p.m., featuring our very own Philadelphia Phillies! The Phils battle the Tampa Bay Rays on their home turf, Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Go Team!!


Maybe I'll actually check a little of the game before heading over to the CW for the 9 p.m. premiere of the show that's supposed to fill the void left by Project Runway - Stylista. Although I wasn't initially planning on watching this reality contestant show, all I've read this morning are good reviews about it. The show revolves around Elle editor Anne Slowey and contestants vying for a spot as her assistant. Sound familiar (Devil Wears Prada)? I'm sure there will be plenty of nasty moments, probably more between the contestants, than with Slowey. Just enough to get us thru till Nov. 12 when Top Chef returns to Bravo ... For info visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/stylista
PS - Elle is where my fave Project Runway nasty, Nina Garcia, used to be fashion director. Garcia now gives her wicked opinions over at Marie Claire and is styling her own show for Bravo set to air next spring.

Contestants and Slowey, Stylista

10 O'Clock Dilemma: Here we go again, 10 p.m. Wednesday is beginning to look like rush hour for me. On ABC, it's another dastardly episode of Dirty Sexy Money, while over on NBC, the ladies of Lipstick Jungle will be tackling all things business.
My first choice is definitely another all new episode of South Park on Comedy Central. Tonight, while the world struggles to contain the latest global epidemic, the boys find a way to make money from it in "Pandemic."
And thank God FX has the sense to re-air Sons of Anarchy immediately following its all new debut (10 p.m.) at 11 p.m. At least I get one break.


George Lucas, Ruler of the Universe!
Last night's Scream Awards provided lots of entertainment for your buck. Unlike the long and drawn out Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, this show packed celebrities, sketches, premiere clips and fun into only two short hours!Topping it off at the end was a special Comic Con Achievement Award presented to none other than George Lucas himself.
The 501 Stormtrooper Brigade was in full empire mode as they made their way thru the audience to the stage, flanking on both sides, prior to Lucas' entrance. Handed the award by presenter and huge Star Wars fan, Samuel L. Jackson, Lucas raised it in the air and said, "At last the universe is mine!"
Director Tim Burton was honored with a special award as well and descended from a hot air balloon over the audience to the stage. I'm sure Spike TV will air this show again this weekend. It's worth checking out if you can. Here's a link to a great LA Times blog entry regarding the show http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/10/scream-2008-awa.html
For the official site visit http://www.spike.com/network/spike

OK, so I did manage to watch The Strangers last night on DVD. Not impressed.
Sorry, it started out pretty good, and got spooky fast, but in the end, it was just another run-of-mill slasher flick. Run time is only 86 minutes, so at least it wasn't a colossal waste of time.
Just a few suggestions on DVD that took this same scenario and did it much better:
Wolf Creek - Australian film about friends driving cross-country who encounter the wrong guy. Best line, "Head on a stick!"
Them - French film (with subtitles) that had to be the catalyst for The Strangers, but it is done so much better.
High Tension - Another French film (you can deal with the subtitles for this one). Scared the crap out of me! Never saw the end coming ...
Calvaire - More French - poor guy breaks down on an old country road and is "saved" by a good samaritan whose not what he seems ... thinks the man he rescued is his wife who left him and tortures her for it.
Dog Soldiers - I give this flick my highest marks. British soldiers lost in the woods come across an abandoned farmhouse and decide to shack up for the night, only to find that the home's dwellers are not exactly human. I don't want to give it away, but this film is at the top of my list for this particular monster genre.
Frailty - kind of a thinking man's horror film. Bill Paxton wrote and starred in this thriller, revolving around two brothers whose father thinks Angels are speaking to him, telling him to kill Demons ... only the Demons are real people. There's also an awesome twist at the end! A definite fave.
And the scariest film known to "man"kind - Deliverance. Not exactly your traditional horror, but chilling nonetheless ...
And of course, this list wouldn't be complete without my all-time scariest horror movie - the original 1973 Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This film totally disturbed me, how about you?
For more info on these films visit www.imdb.com


I think I'll spend the rest of the week rewatching the Saw saga - only two more days till Saw V! If you're a horror fan and have never watched Saw, do yourself a favor and rent it. The first Saw flick is brilliant on a level with the Morgan Freeman-Brad Pitt thriller Seven.
Yes, Saw did delve into sequel Hell, but I must admit, I've enjoyed them all - though not as much as the first. I'll be checking out the new one this weekend - Saw on the big screen is a must in my book!

BTW - Toni Braxton was the unlucky contestant on Dancing with the Stars last night. Bye-Bye Toni.

Being October and this close to Halloween, it's only appropriate that Spike TV is honoring the best in horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres tonight at 9 p.m. with the Scream Awards 2008.
Nominees were chosen by storytellers including Wes Craven, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Frank Miller, Eli Roth, Guillermo Del Toro, Heroes creator Tim Kring and vampire novelist Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).
Leading the pack, by no surprise, is The Dark Knight with 21 nominations. Iron Man, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Cloverfield, The Incredible Hulk and Wanted also garnered multiple noms. Fans voted online to determine the winners.

Some of the oddball categories include "Holy S-t Scene of the Year" and "Most Memorable Mulitlation." Spotted on the red carpet were attendees Liv Tyler, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Billy Corgan, Wes Craven, Stan Lee and Ron Perlman, to name a few.
Presented from the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, this 2-hour shockstravaganza will also feature the requisite never-before-seen clips from upcoming genre films Watchmen, Friday The 13th, and, the reason I'll be watching, Twilight.
For more info visit http://www.spike.com/event/scream

Over on ABC tonight, we get an extra hour (just what we need) of Dancing With the Stars. The recap show takes over the 8 p.m. time slot, followed by the results show at 9 p.m. For those of you who can't get enough ... http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=index

And at 10 p.m. Eli Stone gets enticed by a sexy singing visit from Mrs. Cruise herself, Katie Holmes. I hope she checked with the Scientologists to get permission before her sizzling performance! What would Suri say?


Fox presents another new and confusing episode of Fringe at 9 p.m. I totally missed last week's and haven't had a chance to look it up online yet. Here we go, it's only October and I'm already way behind ... http://www.fox.com/fringe/


Atlanta's Wives
And in case you wanted to catch up ... Bravo is delivering all 3 episodes of the Real Housewives of Atlanta beginning at 8 p.m. tonight. The new ep bows at 10 p.m. and is titled "Who's Your Poppa?" Perhaps a reference to self-proclaimed black-girl-in-a-white-girl's-body Kim's benefactor Big Poppa, who so far refuses to appear on air. Afterall, she just spent $18,000 of his hard-earned cash on her daughter's birthday party last week (that ep airs at 9 p.m.). Visit http://www.bravotv.com/Real_Housewives_Of_Atlanta/season/1/index.php

Finally, if you could just kick yourself for missing the premiere of NBC's Crusoe last Friday night, you get a reprieve ... it re-airs at 11 p.m. on USA.


The Strangers
Halloween Horror Watch: Hopefully before the Scream Awards I'll get a chance to indulge my horror vice. I'm expecting The Strangers (out on DVD today) to be waiting in my mailbox when I get home tonight (love ya Netflix). I meant to see this one in the theaters, but you know, sometimes life gets in the way.
It features Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a couple pondering their relationship while visiting an isolated vacation home. Overnight, they are terrorized by three "strangers."
Horror flicks like this are always my faves! There's nothing worse than being out in the middle of nowhere (a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and having some freaks show up on your doorstep! I'll let you know if this one makes the cut (pun intended) ...But in case you can't wait till tomorrow, follow this link to the trailer http://www.thestrangers.net/