We have a "new" new No. 1 show! Although CSI returned to its No. 1 spot at the top of the Nielsen list this past week with over 20 million viewers tuning in to see Laurence Fishburn’s first episode, the previous week’s prime time ratings king was CBS’ new hit The Mentalist!

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this show from its beginning in October and I’ve always enjoyed looking at its star, Australian actor Simon Baker. However, I haven’t yet watched an episode. But with 19 million viewers now tuning in, I’ve decided to give it a shot tonight at 9 p.m.

Afterall, it’s the first new-season show in recent memory to land on the top of the charts – now that’s saying something!



The Mentalist stars Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has an incredible track record for solving serious crimes by using his intense skills of observation (a former con-man-turned-cop).

On tonight’s episode the evidence in a poisoning death points to Jane’s former shrink as a suspect.

For more information or to watch visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/

Charm School Girls

Ok, I'm gonna try to keep it short and sweet today, wish me luck.Last night, I caught up on VH1's latest skankfest Rock of Love Charm School (originally aired Sunday at 9 pm, but will undoubtedly repeat all week). This show is a carbon copy of last year's Flava of Love Charm School, changing out Monique as hostess, for Sharon Osbourne.
And instead of the "ladies" from Flava of Love, this one features the "ladies" of Brett Michael's Rock of Love. Fourteen of the worst of the worst from Rock's two seasons gathered at some mansion in Los Angeles to battle it out charm school-style for a chance at winning $100,000 (yeah, that's about $60,00 after taxes - it's not gonna go as far as they're hoping). Of course, one can't deny that the publicity one gets from this show won't help (hurt) a career ...
In either case, it's up to Sharon to turn these sorry subjects into "ladies." Good Luck!
All the faves are back: Raven, Jessica, Kristy Jo, Destiny, Rodeo, superdrunk Courtney (she passed out the first day on Rock of Love and did it again last night), Brandi C., Brandi M., Angelique, Megan, Dallas and yes, season one runner-up Heather (who "loved" Brett so much she actually got his name tattooed on the back of her neck).
I've already written too much regarding this mess. But, just to let you know, at the end of every excruciating episode, one contestant will be expelled from Charm School and last night it was the aforementioned drunk Courtney. Hey, at least Sharon arranged for her to go to rehab!
Don't waste your time. It was really bad ...But just in case you don't want to heed my warning, you can check it out at http://blog.vh1.com/2008-09-08/the-charm-school-rock-of-love-girls-cast-the-first-season-ladies/

Over on ABC at 10 pm, Denny Crane continued his hilarious shenanigans on Boston Legal. Who'd ever thought that William Shatner could be so funny and entertaining! He totally makes the show, along with James Spader.
Spader, who started out his career playing the worst teen villians in John Hughes' movies, is the last person I would've thought I would like. But, hey, if I'm ever accused of a crime, I totally want his Alan Shore to defend me!
Don't miss the opportunity to catch this fine show while it enjoys its last season. For info visit http://www.abc.go.com/primetime/bostonlegal/index?pn=index

Shatner as the wacky Crane

So, moving on to tonight: It's the return of Fox's superhit Fringe! I found myself really missing this show last week (it wasn't on due to the debate). Tonight's episode finds dangerous and deadly occurrences following a man who has the ability to harness electricity. Dr. Bishop (the superb John Noble) enlists homing pigeons to help him break the case. Fringe starts at 9 pm. For info or to watch previous eps visit
http://www.fox.com/fringe/

Over on CBS at the same time, Aussie hunk Simon Baker stars in the second ep of the new hit The Mentalist - When a high school girl's body washes up on the beach, CBI investigator Patrick Jane (Baker) sets a trap to get a group of surfers to turn on one another and reveal what really happened.
I haven't checked out this one yet, but coworkers enjoyed last week's show. For info visit
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/


The "Real" Housewives

At 9 pm Bravo will bring the rich biches back - I mean, The Real Housewives of Atlanta - for their second episode. I have to admit, this is my kind of reality TV. You just have to marvel at the way these broads can spend money! And, of course, money doesn't buy happiness, as is well illustrated on this show! Check it out http://www.bravotv.com/Real_Housewives_Of_Atlanta/season/1/index.php

Following at 10 pm is the season finale of The Rachel Zoe Project. This show just caught my attention about two weeks on the recommendation of a coworker and I love it! It's ending way too soon for me. Rachel Zoe is a "celebrity stylist" and spends most of her time running all over the world (she's based in LA), finding the "hero" dress that some big star needs to wear to some awards show, or even for a whole press tour.
Tonight it looks like Rachel may have to fire one of her assistants! Will is be mean girl Taylor or nice guy Brad? My vote's for Taylor, she's really been making things difficult for Brad lately, and he's always stepped up to the challenge. Of course, probably no one will get fired, it was just a ploy to make us all watch!
For info visit http://www.bravotv.com/The_Rachel_Zoe_Project/season/1//index.php
Mean Girl Taylor


For those of you who asked yesterday, CMT will be rebroadcasting last weekend's episode of My Big Fat Redneck Wedding tonight at 10:30 pm. Enjoy the wacky redneck nuptials of Jeanne and Phil (refer to yesterday's post for more info). Just prior from 9-10:30 CMT is airing the first two episodes of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team. A fine show that both guys and girls can enjoy - for totally different reasons, you'll see what I mean.
Visit http://www.cmt.com/ for information on either show.
Jeanne & Phil tying the knot


And for the hopeless romantic (girls, you know who I mean), E! presents a favorite tonight at 8 pm. Sandra Bullock stars in Hope Floats, as a jilted wife who moves back home with her mother, and is courted by an old boyfriend ... and if you've seen this one, you know who I mean - Justin Matisse, played breathlessly by the gorgeous Harry Connick Jr.
If you haven't seen this one, drop everything and watch it - ladies, you won't be sorry. And if Justin's just not enough, tune in to Late Night with Conan O'Brien on NBC at 12:35 am, where Harry will be promoting his new Lifetime movie Living Proof, premiering Saturday night at 9 pm.
Dreamy Harry Connick Jr.


For the football crowd, get your fix on FX at 7:30 pm with Invincible, the gridiron saga of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a 30-year-old sandlot player who earned a spot on the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles. I've seen it, and I recommend it. Enjoy.

Of course, you can always go out and rent/buy Memorial Day Weekend 2008 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, out today! I know a lot of people have issues with this one (not to mention what the creators of South Park did last week), but I enjoyed it. It's always nice to see Indy in action again ...

I know I said short and sweet, but just a little news ... Terrence Howard is officially out for the Iron Man sequel. He's already been replaced by Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark's best friend and future armor-clad hero War Machine.
According to RopeofSilicon.com, sources close to the deal with Howard say negotiations fell through over financial differences. Careful Terrence, you may be sorry ...
Handsome Howard


And last, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, what were you thinking? I'm talking about the tell-all book coming out today by former Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick. As usual, with "celebrity bios," something scandalous must always be revealed - I mean, why would we want to read it if there wasn't something juicy being offered (remember Barbara Walters scandalous affair with a gentleman of color?).

Anyway, McCormick apparently describes a teen life of debauchery that includes romancing her TV brother Barry "Greg" Williams (who also admits to dating TV mom Florence Henderson for God's sakes), dates with Michael Jackson and Steve Martin (Steve, who knew?), hitting wild Hollywood parties at the Playboy mansion and the home of Sammy Davis Jr., cocaine binges, trading sexual favors for drugs that lead to unwanted pregnancies, and blowing an interview with Steven Spielberg because she was high. Need I go on?
Not enough to get me to read it, but just in case you're interested, "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice" hits bookstores today.

Short and sweet, I'll keep trying ...

OK, so I'm guilty! Yes, I spent another LOST Monday with the Sci-Fi channel's 4-episode marathon of my favorite psychological thriller. I won't go into any details, just to say that if you ever wanted to get in on those LOST conspiracy conversations at work, Monday nights provide the perfect chance for you to get caught up for Season 5, debuting in January.

Back on over at ABC last night, Dancin' with the Stars made its season debut. I would say it was a loooong two hours, but I taped it and watched at 11 p.m. And although I said yesterday I could get thru it in about 20 minutes just watching the dancing and critiquing, it actually took about 35 minutes. Which is still way better than 2 hours of mostly filler and commercials!
All the contestants danced last night and one will go home during tonight's broadcast, another 2 hours, from 9-11 p.m. And the fun continues Wednesday night, with a 1-hr. results show at 8 p.m. during which another contestant will be voted off.

Anyway, here's my thoughts ... judge Bruno Tonioli was on fire last night -- where does he come up with those wacky euphemisms? He compared comedian Jeffrey Ross (who I think will be going home tonight) to the horrendous atrocity of Cloverfield in 3D. Cloverfield, for those of you who don't know, featured a gigantic monster lumbering its way thru New York City, knocking down everything in its path. And I think it was a correct comparison. Poor Ross, he seemed to be really trying, but some people just don't have it on the dance floor.
The Cloverfield Monster

I can't say much more for celebrity chef (is this guy still famous?) Rocco DiSpirito. He faired a little better than Ross, but not much.

82-year-old Cloris Leachman stole the show, not with her dancing, but with her antics at the judges stand. She slung her bare leg up and on the table right in front of a flabbergasted Bruno (the first person ever to leave him speechless), got on her knees and prayed in front of Len Goodman and practically sat in Kari Ann's lap!
I'll also put Susan Lucci in my bottom three. Don't get me wrong, she looked great! But she also looked incredibly uncomfortable performing her segment. I'm only hoping her strong fan base keeps her around for a while ... her partner, Tony Dovolani is delicious!

My faves from last night were the adorable Cody Linley (of Hannah Montana fame). He lucked out by getting 2-time champ Julianne Hough as a partner. She makes everybody look good.
Also, after admitting he was the "worst dancer in N'Sync, Lance Bass proved he can work it on the dance floor. I'm looking forward to his improvement in future episodes. His partner is newcomer Lacey Schwimmer.

Derek Hough
And the top vote getter from the judges was model/TV spokesperson Brooke Burke, who was lucky enough to land Julianne's bro, the super cute Derek Hough, as her dance partner.
My gut tells me that Maurice Greene is also one to watch this season. He was the last dancer of the evening and he has the other 2-time champ, Cheryl Burke, to guide him straight to the top. His dancing style was reminiscent of Season 3 winer and fave Emmett Smith!

My primary reason for watching, though, was the return of my fave pro -- Maksim Chmerkovsky! He's the hottest thing to hit the dance floor since Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever! Unfortunately, his partner is Olympian Misty May-Treanor, and he's really got his work cut out for him. The girl doesn't have any dancing experience, but she's an athlete, and athletes have a dedication that has been unmatched by other contestants so far (remember Apollo Ohno and last season's winner Kristi Yamaguchi?). Maybe he'll be able to turn it around to their advantage! We'll have to wait and see.
Overall, the show's contestants were not as impressive as previous seasons, with some even earning 4's from the judges. "I forgot we had a 4," quipped host Tom Bergeron of the low score. Overall scores ranges from 23-12 (Burke and Ross, respectively).
For more info visit the official website at http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=index

On TV Tonight: Australia's handsome Simon Baker returns to network TV on CBS at 9 p.m. as The Mentalist. He stars as the roguish mentalist, whoonce made his living fooling people into believing he was a psychic.

Though he cannot really read minds, he developed a keen intuition about people, leading him to his current occupation as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation on murder cases. For information and full episodes visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/

Over on NBC, the competition continues on The Biggest Loser: Families, with a special guest appearance. Fresh from his debut (and possibly last night) on Dancin' with the Stars, Rocco DiSpirito teaches the contestants to shop for and make healthy and affordable meals.

I'll be reluctantly tuning in to 90210 on the CW at 8 p.m. Only because E! News reported over the weekend that Luke Perry IS in talks to reprise his role as Dylan MacKay!! YAY! As I reported last week, Brenda revealed in a conversation with Kelly that Dylan is indeed the father of Kelly's son Sammy (my only reason to keep watching).

And, Fox is offering up another vexxing episode of it's new JJ Abrahms thriller Fringe! I'm really getting into this show. It's not too late to check it out. Tonight's episode will center on another occurance in "The Pattern" featuring a bus full of frozen commuters. For more information visit http://www.fox.com/fringe/
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FX is rerunning last week's episode of Sons of Anarchy tonight at 11 p.m. It's not too late to get in on this fine show. Think of it as the Sopranos on Harleys.

So, against my better judgment, I actually watched The Hills last night, after completely missing last week's episode. It just happened to be re-airing at 11 p.m. last night, just when my LOST marathon was ending. And for something completely different, Lauren Conrad was MIA for most of the episode ... she was on some trip and only arrived back home at the very end and guess what? The show wasn't really better/worse without her. All these "characters" (I mean we all KNOW its scripted, right?) are so interchangeable that it really doesn't matter who's onscreen.
Unfortunately, next week's ep actually looks interesting with Heidi's mom coming to visit. And guess what? She's going to give Heidi a hard time about her fiance Spencer (does anybody LIKE this guy???)

TV on DVD: Well, not exactly, but it was one of HBO's most successful series. Sex and the City: The Movie bows on DVD today. And, yes, being a huge fan of the show, I ran right to the theater to see it last June. Although critics complained that it was like a 2-hr. episode, I loved it! I mean, that's what we the fans wanted wasn't it?

Anyway, if you're a fan of the show, I highly recommend the movie. If you've never seen the show, it doesn't make much sense to watch the movie. Enough said.