Well Lostees -- this is it! The night we've all been waiting for ... at least since last May! Tonight LOST returns. And if you missed the re-airing of last season's finale last week (and again on Sci-Fi Channel Monday night), lucky for you there's a clip-show recap at 8 p.m. on ABC.

But the real "fun" begins at 9! Two whole hours, promising us some answers, to be replaced, I'm sure, but a whole lot more questions!! Why do we put ourselves thru this trauma?

Anyway, tonight's episode titled "Because You Left" deals with the aftermath of the departure of the Oceanic 6 from the island, which itself departed to parts unknown ... and don't be late (9 pm sharp!) because I'm told the first scene is a real shocker!

This season will deal with quantum physics and some of those characters who are dead or left for dead will be turning up once again -- in flashbacks? We'll have to wait and see.

Tonight, Jack shaves (seriously, the beard did nothing for him), and he and Ben try furiously to reunite the Oceanic 6 for a trip back to the Island, a necessity, not a request! Most will have to be dragged kicking and screaming. I've also heard rumor that Locke's not really dead (you don't say), while those left behind will be dealing with the rigors of living on a time-travelling island!

But one thing's guaranteed -- Sawyer spends the whole two hours shirtless!! Yummy!! Here's a sneak peak for all the ladies!


That's all I could muster, except for talk of Ana Lucia returning ... even my fave Lost spoiler site www.lostpedia.com doesn't have anything to offer except episode titles.

Get ready for heated discussion tomorrow!

For more info on LOST visit http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=index



Also on tonight (like anything else matters) is On the Set fave Top Chef (Bravo, 10pm). Tonight's episode is the fan fave Restaurant Wars challenge, where cheftestants are divided up into two teams, given an empty room, a kitchen and a budget and tasked with creating their own restaurant. Things should get heated (as they have in the past) when some chefs are taken out of their kitchen comfort zones and challenged to manage, serve, host, etc.

And if that wasn't enough -- it looks like things are getting cozy between Hosea and Leah, who says on the promo that she's never before cheated on her ..... oooh "Watch What Happens!"

Top Chef recap tomorrow! For more on Top Chef New York visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

Another audition episode of American Idol debuts at 8 on Fox. I don't know about you, but I thought last night's ep was a big yawn!! I'm still waiting for Eddie Idol to chime in ...



And lastly, tomorrow 8:30 am sharp, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces the nominees for the Academy Awards!!! I'll be posting as soon as I can get them!
For more info visit www.oscar.com

As last night's epsiode of Top Chef opened last night I was pleasantly surprised to see something I could get the Elfman for Valentine's Day -- that "I 'heart' Padma" T-shirt that Stefan was wearing!!

The perfect gift!! No one I know 'hearts' Padma more ... And it's conveniently available at http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

On to the Quick Fire Challenge: The Return of Hung!! Just what I was waiting for. Hung was the winner of Top Chef Season 3 and, as Padma said, "The fastest chef in Top Chef history."

Hung was on hand to help Padma judge the challenge which gave the cheftestants 15 minutes (in honor of Hung's being so fast) to make something delicious from ordinary cupboard staples. Ordinary meaning Spam, garbanzo beans, canned chili, and other ingredients that our "chefs" aren't used to cooking with. You know, the crap we cook with everyday!

Our chefs buzzed around the Top Chef kitchen and here's what they came up with:

Jamie - bruschetta with garbanzo beans and smoked fish
Stefan - Baked bean soup with Spam
Hosea - Sweet pea soup with pork rinds (Hung was excited about the pork rinds!) and Spam
Fabio - Mac & cheese with roast artichokes and chili pepper
Arianne - Open-faced turkey Spam sandwich (eewww!)
Carla - Asian salmon cakes w/mayo (homemade, of course)
Rhadika - Red bean dip w/bread
Leah - Waffles, strawberries and sausage
Jeff - Baby conch (remember Hung is big on fish) w/coconut sauce

After tasting the bottom three were determinied: Leah, Rhadika and Jaime
Top 3: Hosea (pork rinds), Stefan and Jeff (conch).

Hung picked Stefan as the winner, which ticked off Hosea, because he had shared his Spam with him. Stefan got immunity.

For the Elimination Challenge the cheftestants were tasked to go Back to Basics and create a seasonal meal, family-style lunch including dessert. They drew knives dividing the teams into Pig (Jeff, Fabio, Rhadika), Chicken (Stefan, Jaime, Carla) and Lamb (Arianne, Leah, Hosea).

Back at the apartment, the teams rallied together to come up with their menus. A heated exchange erupted between Jaime and Stefan with Jaime leaving telling Stefan to do "whatever you want." This only endeared her to Stefan more, "She's so cute when she's pissed." Hey Stefan, she likes her own gender, give up already!

The following morning they packed up and headed for the Whole Foods Store, or so they thought. Actually they were taken to the country to a place called Blue Hill at Stone Barns, owned by chef Dan Barber (yeah, I know, never heard of him either). The farm specializes in growing local produce and raising their own meats, hence Pig, Chicken and Lamb. The chefs would be cooking for the farmers.

Pork team decided to roast pork loin, with sausage ravioli and a basil pesto sauce, roasted vegetables, with creme brulee for dessert.

The Chicken team made roast chicken and chicken cutlets w/tomato salad, chicken consumme and a nectarine/strawberry tart.

Team Lamb went with a duo of lamb, heirloom tomato salad, rosemary garlic potatoes, and a berry trifle.

In the kitchen, Fabio became frustrated when it took Rhadika almost an hour to peel and cook corn -- "what?" he stated. Arianne was having a hard time tying up the lamb, so Leah stepped in to do it. And the Pork team was worried about meat getting done on time.

As time was running out, Arianne declared the lamb "perfect."

At the tasting: Team Chicken's consumme came into question - why serve soup on an 85-degree day? The chicken entrees went over well and the tart was considered good.

Judges declared the lamb a "mess," saying it was sliced wrong, with the grain. They also didn't like the aggressive pesto, and found the trifle "unappealing." Uh-o.

Team Pork's dishes were overshadowed by the "overwhelming pesto", while the tomatoes were well received. Unfortunately the creme brulee was deemed too sweet.

Team Pork were the first called to Judges Table and declared the winners of the challenge. All three actually won, and were promptly sent back to retrieve the rest of the cheftestants, who weren't so lucky.

Team Pork: Jeff admitted to taking off the pig fat, which the judges didn't like because it ruined the flavor. Fabio was criticized for his overwhelming pesto. And Rhadika was asked if making the salad and dessert was enough?

Team Lamb: Judges immediately asked who made the lamb, to which Arianne owned up and admitted not knowing how to tie it up properly. So why was she the only one working on the lamb, judges asked? Head judge Tom Colicchio said her "butchering was a big problem." Hosea, who said he roasted the potatoes, admitted he could've broken down the meat. Colicchio replied he should have said something ...

After sending the chefs back to await their fate, there was some interesting discussion around Judges Table. As pointed out by the Elfman, new judge Toby Young had quite a few conflicting views with Colicchio -- all valid points. However, Colicchio stood firm saying Arianne "really did a disservice to the lamb." Padma stuck up for her, while Young said she can't cook. Padma replied that actually before he came in, she did some really great cooking. To which Young replied, that he thought they were supposed to be juding on what was done in that particular challenge! Colicchio concurred!

In the end, Team Pork was deemed safe, because Jeff recycled the green tomatoes he found on the ground, and that was a big part of what the farmers stood for.

On Team Lamb, Leah was chided for not doing enough, and Arianne was sent to pack her knives and go, calling Hosea a "wimp."


Luv this gif of Carla!

Sorry to see her go, thought she'd definitely outlast Carla (not my fave). And for Jan vs Jan, who asked, Fabio is my fave this season. I think a final 3 showdown between Fabio, Stefan and Hosea would make my Top Chef!! Also, I like the new judge. Toby Young definitely has some interesting insight, and I also like the way he debated Tom last night!

Next week it looks like the Hosea/Leah hook-up might be happening, but more importantly it's -- THE RESTAURANT WARS CHALLENGE!!!

If this is your first season, don't miss next week. The Restaurant Wars Challenge is legendary Top Chef stuff. It can literally make or break a cheftestant. Back in Season 3, Hung's only real competition, Trey, was sent packing after his disastrous turn running the restaurant.

It works like this -- the chefs are divided up into two teams, each tasked with opening their own restaurant. They are usually given an empty room and kitchen and they have to come up with a theme, menu, layout and decorations, all on a certain monetary budget. Each team must also elect a restaurant manager (Trey's downfall), head chef, server and hostess, taking some of the chefs out of their element. It's usually the most interesting episode of the season, don't miss it!!

For more on Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

Yes, American Idol returned with great anticipation last night on Fox. And for those of you who are hooked, there's another two hours tonight beginning at 8! Last night's show was conducted from Phoenix, Arizona, while tonight it moves to Kansas City.


I must admit I was a little disappointed because there weren't too many trainwrecks last night. Yeah, that's why I watch baby! I love to see those people making asses out of themselves -- that's great television!!


Nothing tickles my funnybone like seenig judge Randy Jackson sitting at the table with a piece of paper in front of his face because he's cracking up over some baaaad singer!


OK, highlights: Let's start with the kid with the REALLY DEEEEEEEEP Voice!! James Earl Jones called -- he wants his voice back. I felt a little bad for this kid, because he was sweet, I'm sure he takes a beating with that voice, and the judges weren't too kind.


The crying rocker had to go though -- really man, get a band .... or hop on over to VH1, because Brett Michaels says this is his absolute last season of Rock of Love!


And let's not forget bikini girl -- like you guys could! I don't think I've ever seen Simon Cowell so excited! But girlfriend got her groove on and even sassed new judge Kara DioGuardi with this exchange:


Kara, "Honestly, you don't have the chops to sing that song, sweetie."


Bikini Girl, "But your demonstration wasn't any better."


Oh Snap!!



For those of you who enjoy rehashing Idol each week, I'm hoping to put together something interesting here. Like the Elfman, I have a couple of friends who are Die-Hard Idol watchers and each season I get emails from them that seriously critique and sarcastically comment on each episode. I've invited them to join me here. Should be informative and hilarious! Keep your fingers crossed ...


For more info on American Idol visit http://www.americanidol.com/


What else is on tonight? Glad you asked ...




Over on ABC they're re-airing last season's Lost finale -- you know the one that shows exactly how the Oceanic 6 got off the island. It was an edge-of-your-seat finish and if you missed it or ever wanted to join in the Lost discussions at work, here's your chance to get your feet wet before next week's season premiere.
The broadcast boasts a few never-before-scenes as well as pop-up commentary to get you up to speed. For more info on Lost visit http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=index




On Bravo at 10 p.m. Top Chef Season 3 Champion Hung returns to judge the cheftestants. Can't wait. Hung was the most dangerous player they ever had on the show, and he never copped to any of it. Remember the Breakfast Quick-Fire Challenge in the apartment. "Hung you just broke the truffle oil on the floor."
Hung -- "No I didn't," as he flung himself across the room. Hung was always running behind everyone else, with knife in hand. He was also one of the most interesting players. Looking forward to seeing him.

Stop back tomorrow for the Top Chef Recap.

For more information on Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php


And on MTV, The Real World serves up another episode at 10 from Brooklyn, NY. Last week, the guests arrived to meet & greet and fight with each other. Trust me, you didn't miss anything, except MTV's first ever post-op tranny! However, I'm sure we'll be in for the usual shenanigans soon. For more info on season 17 visit http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season17/series.jhtml


Later on, if your curious, fresh from his Golden Globe for Best Actor Drama, Mickey Rourke stops by to chat with Jimmy Kimmel at 12:05 on ABC.


In Other News:


Last night's episode of Nip/Tuck barely kept me awake. Looks like the writers are happy about their Christian-Breast Cancer storyline as most of the ep centered on that. Julia showed up briefly, as did Kimber, if only to mock Christian's circumstances, calling it "karma, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

Sean hooked up with the med student, but promptly blew that opportunity. Liz did sleep with Christian, but he only did it to prove he still could, which severely ticked the lesbian off! I think the best part was the androgenous couple that was staying at their practice for surgery, with the "wife" showing the 17-yr-old Indian whiz kid med student her appreciation in an x-rated way. Although "she" wasn't quite what she seemed ...




I erroneously reported Monday that Patrick Swayze would be hitting Jay Leno's Tonight Show to promote his new series on A&E, The Beast. Seems Mr. Swayze has been in the hospital since his interview with Barbara Walters aired, being treated for pneumonia. His camp says the actor is doing fine and recovering well. Best wishes to you Patrick!


And while all the glitz and glamour returned to the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night, not all the audience did. Ratings for the gala show were estimated to be 14.6 million, which was way better than the 6 million that tuned in for last year's star-deprived awards announcement, but was also down from the 15.7 million people who tuned in for the 2007 broadcast.




Fox reports that this will be the last season for Prison Break. Thanks! I loved this show's first season and was still intrigued during the second. The first season was brilliant, but ended with the prisoners escaping (thus, no more "prison break"). They spent the second season on the run and most ended up in a Panamanian prison for the third season -- forging another "break."

This season, however, they've been hired by someone (the gov't, maybe, who the hell knows), to recover a device called Scylla that has all "the company's" info on it. I lost interest after four episodes, but might tune in to see how it all ends.

The final episodes will air on Friday (Friday?) nights, beginning April 17. Well, if it wasn't already dead, putting it on Friday night was the final nail in the coffin.

For info on Prison Break or to catch up visit http://www.fox.com/prisonbreak/



ONLY 7 MORE DAYS TO LOST!!



Up tomorrow, Top Chef Recap, The Beast teaser and saying Goodbye to Gill Grissom

Forgive me, I've been meaning to post this for the last week ...

According TV Guide, those of us who can't get enough of Top Chef can check out Bravo's web site for Top Chef: After the Knife. This weekly Web series follows the show's dismissed foodies into the eliminatd-cast house.

As the catch phrase for Bravo goes "Watch What Happens!"

For more on Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

And, hey, I really need to check these sites I recommend more carefully -- seems my cutie-bear Chef Tom Colicchio has his own blog over there as well. Oh la la -- lucky me!

Also, if you're a big fan of Padma's, like our very own Elfman, you can check out her looks from week to week in her Photo Gallery -- oh behave, Elfman!

Well, the chefs were back last night and trying to get their game on, unsuccessfully for some.

Last night kicked off back at the apartment with fan fave Fabio cooking a hearty breakfast of Spam, pork and beans -- "The breakfast of champions," he beamed! Yes, folks, a Top Chef contestant actually enjoys SPAM! I see an commercial endorsement up ahead for Fabio.

On to the Quick Fire Challenge, or should I say the Diet Dr. Pepper Quick Fire Challenge: The cheftestants were tasked by the luscious Padma and guest judge Jean-Christophe Novelli (don't ask me, never heard of him, but apparently he's a big deal, the players were impressed) to create the Ultimate Sweet Treat in 45 minutes without using any sugar!

Jeff created a spring roll baklava with frozen yogurt; Jaime made a Napoleon; Hosea did roasted green figs and peaches (which weren't a hit for Fabio); Carla did another baklava w/bananas; Rhadika made a tasty bread pudding; Eugene made some kind of bilinis w/bananas; Ariane did healthy whole wheat crepes w/ pears and almonds; Fabio made a granola-oat tart (??); Melissa opted for a yogurt-stuffed burrito; Leah made crepes and Stefan created a cherry/chocolate mousse.

Novella didn't like Carla's, Ariane's or Jaime's, landing them in the bottom 3. Tops went to Rhadika, Leah and Jeff. Rhadika was chosen winner and received immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

Chefs were given the night off to relax before tomorrow's DOUBLE Elimination Challenge.

Hottie-bear Chef Tom Colicchio arrived bright and early at the apartment to hand out the challenge. They were tasked to create a Family-Style Meal for a Blind Tasting (meaning they wouldn't know who the other judges were). Everyone was given the chance to cook whatever they wanted -- a signature dish, if you will.

Players were split into two groups, with different cooking times, so as not to overlap at the tasting. By drawing knives, they were divided into Team A: Melissa, Hosea, Fabio, Eugene and Jaime; and Team B: Ariane, Stefan, Jeff, Melissa and Carla.

Because she had won the Quick Fire, Rhadika got to choose which team she wanted to be on. She chose Team A to get away from Stefan!

Each player got $100 to shop for ingredients to make enough for 12 diners.

All were told that in addition to Novelli as a guest judge, Tom and Padma would be joined by Gail's replacement, notorious British food critic Toby Young (again, never heard of him, but after last night, I think he'll make his mark here).

The catch: Each team got to be the blind tasters for the other team. The team serving got to watch the tasting team's reactions to their entrees.

Rhadika decided to make a spicy cod bisque, which she boasted was a big hit at her restaurant, and crab salad. It came out bland.

Fabio decided on an old family recipe for ravioli, mushroom sauce and lamb, cooked in sealed plastic in boiling water. The lamb didn't cook enough.

Jaime went for scallops -- again, which bothered Fabio immensely, leading him to the best line of the night -- "For Christ's sake, it's called Top Chef, not Top Scallops!" Fabio, we luv you man!!

Eugene made Red Snapper with daikon fettucine, which was just about a disaster with the judges.

Melissa made tuna tacos. Tacos?? on Top Chef? -- again, judges weren't impressed.

Over on Team B:

Stefan made a traditional dish of red cabbage and duck, which went over well.

Jeff opted for Tapas (3 small servings of appetizers). Judges thought there was too much happening, although snarky Brit Young thought it was the most interesting dish served. He actually likened it to Tom Cruise's cameo in Tropic Thunder, the unexpected stand-out of the whole movie.

Carla wanted to make a vegetarian pea risotto, but decided to add some protein in the form of scallops. Bad move -- her dish would've faired better with just the risotto, which Tom called an entree, not a garnish!

Ariane made pan-seared skate (a form of fish), which Novelli called "fabulous!"

And Leah made fried fish over bread. The American judges weren't impressed, however, Young appreciated it greatly (he's British, remember, fish & chips anyone?)


Just a little eye candy -- Tom & Padma

At Judges Table, Stefan, Jaime and Ariane were called out first and to their relief, the judges thought their dishes were the best. Jaime finally won a challenge over Ariane, making her very happy indeed!

Melissa, Eugene and Carla were the bottom three. And for the first time this season, judges had to decide which one to keep and rid the show of the other two.

Tom cited Melissa's Tuna Tacos as a "failure of imagination." While Young disagreed with their "unpleasant smell."

Eugene had the most visual dish of the three, but the fish was "overcooked," as well as having too mild flavor and lacking punch.

Carla, desparately trying to save herself, declared that, "if you take the scallops off my dish, it would be perfect."

In the end, Melissa and Eugene were told to pack their knives and go and Carla got the reprieve.

Coming up next week: The Return of Hung!!

Here's a quick run-down of what new on TV tonight:

On CBS, beginning at 9 p.m., it's the 35th annual Peoples Choice Awards. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the first show of Hollywood's Awards Season professes that winners are be determined by the general public's votes. Perhaps, but it's also one of those awards shows where just about every celebrity in the audience is either presenting or winning, because that's the only way they get them to show up.



If you missed the return of Scrubs last night, ABC is graciously showing it again tonight from 8-9 p.m. Stay tuned, because after an all-new 20/20 at 9 p.m., featuring a search for a missing daughter, Barbara Walters presents another of her "specials," during which she interviews Patrick Swayze.



If you didn't know, Swayze (he of the beloved '90s-mullet) has been heroically battling pancreatic cancer for about a year. I'm still a huge fan of his, and expect to watch with the tissue box nearby. BTW, FX took time out during Nip/Tuck last night to promo Swayze's new show, The Beast, which debuts Jan. 15 -- I'll be watching!



And speaking of FX, Damages returns for its second season tonight at 10. Although I have season one on DVD still in shrnk-wrap on my shelf, I know that this show is to the legal profession what Nip/Tuck is to plastic surgeons! Starring Glenn Close in her Emmy-winning role as litigator from Hell, Patty Hewes, I think I'll be taping this to watch later, because ...



You all know what returns tonight at 10 on Bravo -- another fun-filled episode of Top Chef, that's what! Tonight's show will introduce a snarky new judge in the form of Britian's Toby Young, and the cheftestants don't look too thrilled! And, of course, my fave hottie-bear chef Tom Colicchio and Elfman's fave hottie hostess Padma Lakshmi will be on hand as well. Be there and check back tomorrow for a full rehash!

Just a quick note, Elfman:

Noticed on the schedule that your favorite cookbook author and reality show hostess will be appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow ...

Oh yeah, you guessed it -- Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi!

Says it's part of Oprah's Sandwich Showdown, which I'm guessing is a repeat from earlier this year. Sound a little familiar to you?

Anyway, I know you'll take the luscious Padma any way you can get her so don't forget to DVR it! And keep playing the lottery, you know you'll need at least a billion to get her attention!

Oh, and here's your favorite photo again -- enjoy!

This week’s Top Chef started out in the apartment shared by the Chestestants. The self-professed Dynamic Duo, Fabio and Stefan, were entertaining each other with witty banter while Stefan was carving a watermelon. A Bromance is definitely in the making between these two fan faves.

Hosea called his sister for an update on his father, who he let us all know had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She assured him all’s well and to keep pursuing his dream.

On to the Quick Fire Challenge: The task was to cook a holiday meal using only one pot. And, if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, the guest judge was none other than Martha Stewart! Wow, this show’s really getting some clout. There have been some interesting guests this season …
Eugene and Jamie opted for a stew; Stefan chose a veal Celtic ghoulash; Hosea went for paella; Melissa did pork and apples; Jeff made risotto with pork and potatoes; Karla chose a brined turkey breast; Ariane made a caulilflower puree with filet mignon, and Fabio cooked up mushroom polenta with duck breast.
After sampling all the dishes, Martha deemed Jeff, Eugene and Fabio most unworthy. While Hosea, Jamie and Ariane made the cut. Jamie was so ready to actually win a challenge, however, Martha was more impressed with Ariane. Ariane won immunity for the Elimination Challenge (and good thing she did). Seems Jamie’s always losing to Ariane.

For the Elimination Challenge the chefs were tasked to make hors d’ouevres for a Christmas themed AMFAR benefit (American Foundation for AIDS Research) in the Prince George Ballroom. They were given three hours to make enough treats for 250, including hostess and Tony award-winning actress Natasha Richardson. Guest just for this challenge was chef Michelle Bernstein.
Of course, there’s always a catch … and this one was each chef was given a line from the 12 Days of Christmas song and had to create their dish themed around it i.e. A Partridge in a Pair Tree, 5 Golden Rings, 3 French hens, etc.

"Once again, I picked a crappy theme," joked Fabio, who was unlucky enough to get 9 Ladies Dancing.

The rest were:
Hosea – 11 Pipers Piping
Jeff – 10 Lords a Leaping
Melissa – 8 Maids a Milking
Jamie – 7 Swans a Swimming
Ariane – 6 Geese a Laying
Eugene – 5 Golden Rings
Stefan – 4 Calling Birds
Leah – 3 French Hens
Carla – 2 Turtle Doves
Radhika – A Partridge in a Pair Tree

After shopping for ingedients, the chefs went to work in the Top Chef kitchen with Hosea smoking everyone out, while cooking his pork.

Unfortunately, the next morning when the chefs returned to complete and pack up their dishes, they found that someone had inadvertently left one of the massive refrigerator doors open and some food had spoiled. Specifically Radhika’s 40 ducks and Hosea’s 20 lbs. of pork, which left them at a severe deficit.
In the spirit of Christmas, all the chefs pulled together and helped their fellow contestants so everyone had a decent chance at the challenge. More pork was found and Radhika had saved the duck parts that she wasn’t using and made her dish with mostly leg meat.

All went well at the party, although some dishes were clearly not as well liked as others. Guests were all given red AIDS ribbons and asked to leave their ribbon at the table with their favorite dish. Despite losing his original pork, Hosea won the most ribbons and was the judges choice for best.

The bottom three were Eugene for his bad seveche, Melissa for her overpowering blue cheese and Jamie for her undercooked scallops.


Added just for fun!

Back in the waiting room, Chef Tom Colicchio stopped in to give the chefs a pep talk. Funny, how the last two seasons, the Top Chef judges kept saying that they didn’t think they could find contestants better than the season before, but they had.

Not the case this season. According to Colicchio, these folks just aren’t measuring up for a top cooking show like Top Chef. To cite an example Colicchio used Ariane’s 8 Geese/Laying dish, Deviled Eggs. "I mean, you’re never gonna win with deviled eggs," a clearly frustrated Colicchio stated. "You need to start making the dishes that got you here!"

After making his point, Colicchio let the group know that due to they’re banding together to help Hosea and Radhika and in the spirit of Christmas, no one was going home this week. All breathed a sigh of relief.

Up next (and I don’t think they mean next week, probably after the holidays), the chefs will face Gail’s replacement for the rest of the season, the obligatory snarky British judge Toby Young. And it’s clear by the preview that they’d prefer to have Gail back!

Just a quick reminder, amidst the Holiday Rerun Hell, there's an all new episode of Top Chef on Bravo tonight at 10 p.m.

This week the Cheftestants are catering a Holiday Party with special guest judge -- the Holiday Hostess from Hell -- Martha Stewart!!

Should be interesting ... stop back tomorrow for my recap!

Last night’s Top Chef challenged the cheftestants to create appetizing dishes for judge Gail Simmons’ Bridal Shower. The show started out focusing on Stefan’s growing infatuation with Jamie, who’s clearly not interested. Jamie — “Hello, does the word lesbian mean anything to you?”
The Quick Fire Challenge paired the chef up and against each other in a tasting contest. Whoever could guess the most ingredients in the sauce they were tasting went on to the next round. Hosea won easily identifying the most ingredients in a traditional mole` sauce.
For the Bridal Shower Elimination Challenge teams were chosen for the following categories — Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, with Blue being the most difficult because, as fan-fave Fabio so eloquently put it, “There is no freakin’ blue food!”
So they chose to focus on the blue ocean as their theme with Chilean seabass, a fish the judges would later call “very forgiving.”
Rhadika was on the Borrowed team, so they chose to “borrow” something from her Indian heritage. The New team consisted of Eugene, Karla and Danny and they chose to do a sushi roll, wonton salad and sorbet. Eugene’s rice didn’t turn out right, so they went with a “build your own” sushi platter. Only Eugene failed to explain this to the dining guests.
The Old team featured Hosea (who had immunity from winning the Quick Fire), Jeff and Stefan. They chose to go with the old, heirloom tomatoes, making a trio of appetizers that included an old-style turine, sorbet and gazpacho.
Gail and her friends showed up to be served along with guest judge and Gail’s boss, the editor of Food & Wine Magazine (sorry, didn’t catch her name). Prior to service, head judge Chef Tom Colicchio called the Blue team’s food “boring,” and the New team’s dishes “out there,” stating it’ll either be spectacular or horrible.
Something Old was the first to service, the sorbet went over very well. Something New was next up. Unfortunately, Danny snuck some mushrooms into the bottom of Karla’s salad and she was upset – so were the guests. They were confused by the dish and didn’t like it.
In the meantime, things were falling apart for the Borrowed team in the kitchen. They didn’t allow enough time for the lamb to be properly cooked and were afraid to serve it too rare. Luckily for them, the rest of the chefs ponied up and helped out giving them more time to cook the lamb. And good thing, because the lamb and the rest of the Borrowed dishes went over extremely well with the guests. They loved it!
The Blue team elected to have Fabio give the presentation of their food, because “They think I’ll be more charming!” (Yes, you were, Fabio!) The women at the table loved him, but the Chilean seabass fell a little flat.
At Judges’ Table, the Old & Borrowed teams were chosen as the best, with Jeff’s sorbet, Jamie’s carrot puree and Ariane’s lamb cited as the favorite dishes. Jamie was expecting a win finally and everyone was expecting that as well. But the win went to Ariane for the second week in a row. Jamie was visibly upset.
That left the New & Blue teams in the bottom, with the entire New team almost getting the axe. “Right now I wish I could send all of you home,” Colicchio said, clearly disgusted. Colicchio seemed most flabberghasted by Danny’s oblivious reaction to their dishes being considered awful. He even copped to putting the mushrooms in Karla’s salad, when the judges made it clear they didn’t like it. So it was by his own undoing that Danny was sent to pack his knives and go …

Next week Martha Stewart arrives to spice things up in the Top Chef kitchen!
Top Chef repeats tonight at 8 p.m. on Bravo or visit


Don’t forget, tonight at 8 on CBS, it’s the final episode of Survivor: Gabon leading up to Sunday night’s finale and reunion show! Check back here tomorrow for a recap.

Last night’s Top Chef was ruined for me when Kathie Lee Gifford showed up!!! AAAHHHH! I can’t stand that woman!
Fortunately it wasn’t until near the end, so I got to enjoy the first 40 minutes or so.The chefs were tasked to createa breakfrast amuse-bouche for the Quick Fire Challenge, which was judged by Padma and celebrity chef Rocci DiSpirito (Fabio’s a big fan – no, not that Fabio, the contestant on Top Chef, whose quickly become the fan fave).
Amuse-Bouche – another on of those cool terms I’ve picked up watching this show. It refers to a culinary bite-sized starter (appetizer per se). Some chefs had trouble limiting their offerings to bite-size while others hit the mark perfectly. Leah was chosen the winner, gaining immunity for the Elimination Challenge.
This week’s Elimination Challenged gave the chefs $100 and 30 minutes to shop for ingredients to come up with a 2 ½ minute television presentation creating an original dish.
Fabio went right for the tuna and asked to cut it himself. Eugene and Hosea followed suit cutting their own fish. Eugene for sushi and Hosea for a tuna dish. Melissa, Leah and Jeff went for shrimp. Jamie and Ariane went for salads (salads? Usually the kiss of death on this show). Jamie a frise salad and Ariane a beef steak salad.
Daniel conjured up a ginger soy steak. Leah chose to sear some duck, while Carla and Stefan decided to dish out some soup (tortilla and minestrone, respectively. Alex was the lone holdout for some dessert – choosing to make crème brulee. Fabio immediately thought this was a mistake, due to the time constrictions (they were only given one hour to prepare).
All chefs got an opportunity to make a live presentation for the judges, who were amused when Daniel smoked out the studio. Disappoints wer Jamie, Leah, Alex and Carla, while judges were impressed with Fabio, whom Rocco called “A dream guest,” and Ariane, whose presentation was “perfect.”
Melissa, Alex and Jamie made the bottom three, while Ariane, Fabio and Jeff were chosen to go to the Today Show and present their dishes to the female hosts. This is where Kathie Lee showed up – Ugghh! – and proceeded to spit out Jeff’s shrimp dish. Kathie Lee, as usual, always has to be the center of attention.
In the end, the Top Chef judges chose Ariane as the winner and she received Rocco’s book and some culinary tools. She also got to do a segment on this morning’s Today Show, but I forgot to watch, anybody else see it? I’m sure we can find it on Youtube.
As foretold by Fabio, Alex’s crème brulee proved to be his undoing and he was sent to pack his knives and go … now he can devote all his time to his upcoming wedding. Good luck Alex.Just wanted to add that I’m totally luvin’ Fabio!! He’s definitely the break-out star of the group so far. What do you think? Who’s your fave?
Top Chef repeats tonight on Bravo at 8 p.m.Next week the contestants get to cook for judge Gail Simmon’s bridal shower.

Tonight on CBS at 8 p.m. is an all new episode of Survivor: Gabon! And from the looks of the previews, this is the episode where the family members are brought in. It's getting pretty nasty, can't wait to watch!

And WTH is going on over at Seattle Grace? Find out tonight at 9 on ABC with a new ep of Grey’s Anatomy. According to show creator Shonda Rimes, the Izzy-Denny storyline is leading to a conclusion we’ll never see coming, and it doesn’t involve Denny being there to take Izzy to the other side (remember, Denny a ghost, he died 2 seasons ago). Personally, I hope they keep him around awhile, I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan and have really enjoyed his return, no matter how ridiculous …

JD Morgan, nice

After Grey’s, at 10 p.m. stay tuned to find out who Barbara Walters finds the Most Fascinating People of 2009. Guests will include Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Sarah Palin, Tina Fey, Miley Cyrus, Thomas Beatie and Frank Langella. At the end of the show, she’ll reveal who the No. 1 Most Fascinating Person is …. I’d put my money on Barack Obama, an easy guess.



In Other News: According to today’s NY Post, Real Housewife of Atlanta and troublemaker NeNe Leakes and her husband Gregory have been evicted from the five-bedroom house they were living in when the show was being made. The couple is said to owe more than $6,200 in back rent from an owner who lived overseas, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. When asked by the paper where she was living now, NeNe replied via email: “It’s none of your business.”

Naughty NeNe

The Office has been granted that oh-so-important spot after the Superbowl on NBC Feb. 1.

Showtime has renewed David Duchovny’s hysterical Californication for a third season. You can expect it in late 2009.


And totally off the TV topic, but I have to give a shout out – J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter and the richest woman in the UK, is releasing a new book today.

“Tales of Beedle the Bard” hits the bookshelves with raving applause. It’s a book of tales from the wizarding world, including “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” which figured prominently in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the best-selling book series in the world (over 400 million copies in 67 languages).
I’ll be picking up a copy!

The Angels are Back for the Holidays
Gentlemen, buckle your seat belts and start your engines …. Tonight’s the night you’ve been waiting all year for.Yes, that’s right, Christmas is coming early – as in ABC’s 10 p.m. presentation of The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show! I don’t remember where, but I did read that demographically, this show is second only to the Superbowl in male viewership ratio.
And all your faves will be there and barely dressed – Heidi Klum, Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosia, Miranda Kerr, etc. (honestly, where do they get these names?) with special musical guest Usher for us ladies to gawk at.
And ladies, while watching this show with your significant other tonight, keep in mind that one of the models said that those “wings” they wear are no picnic, with some weighing up to 30 lbs.! Yeah, they totally have my sympathy (not)!

Every Time A Bell Rings, An Angel Gets Its Wings!

Unfortunately for the Elfman, this happens to be the same time as Bravo’s all new Top Chef (will you choose Padma over the Angels?). Tonight the contestants take over the Today Show for a cooking challenge to be guest judged by that fancy footer from this past season of Dancing with the Stars, Rocco DiSpirito. And I’m with you Pat Pat – where is Ted? I so miss my Queer Eye guy! Elfman informs me that judge Gail Simmons won’t be finishing the season, so I guess that requisite snarky British judge will be replacing her sometime soon. What about Anthony Bourdain too? He’s got to pop up soon.
My dream episode would feature beligerant Brit Gordon Ramsay! Just imagine him at Judges’ Table!
And Elf – don’t worry, tonight’s episode repeats at 11 p.m. right after the Angels leave the runway to go back to the North Pole.

Chef Rocco

Christmas Treats: Tonight is the first airing over on TNT of that perennial holiday favorite A Christmas Story. Can you believe I actually work with someone who hasn’t seen this one? For those of you who don’t know, it is the Christmas season in Northern Indiana and Ralphie desperately wants a genuine Red Rider BB gun under the tree. The movie revolves around this pursuit and how Ralphie tries to overcome the obstacles in obtaining this gift, mainly in the form of adults who bleat "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!"

Poor Ralphie, give the kid a break!
TNT usually airs this on a 24-hour loop Christmas Day. It airs tonight at 8 p.m. and repeats at 10. And if you haven’t seen it yet, I double dog dare you to watch!

The Double Dog Dare!

On ABC, Rudolph, Hermie and Yukon Cornelius show Santa the way on another Rankin & Bass classic – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at 8 p.m.


And the Christmas tree gets lit in New York City tonight during Christmas in Rockefeller Center live on NBC at 8 p.m. Teen queen Miley Cyrus will be on hand to provide some holiday tunes.

It's Miley!
OK, so don't kill me for posting a pic of this pixie ...

Not a holiday special, The Grammy Nominations Concert fills the viod between Rudolph and Victoria’s Secret at 9 p.m. on ABC. I don’t know if they’re actually going to announce the nominees or not, but it features performances by Celine Dion, BB King, John Myer, Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters.

Congratulations everyone! We've made it thru Fall Sweeps ... now on to Christmas TV repeat time. Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and went out and contributed to the failing economy on Black Friday. Once again, sorry to have left anyone hanging over the holiday weekend, just couldn't bring myself to blog when there was plenty of other stuff to do.

Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi sample some food with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl
For those of you who missed Wednesday night's excellent episode of Top Chef, it repeats tonight on Bravo at 10 p.m. For those of you that watched or managed to catch it on the many repeats this past weekend, let's discuss!
Special guest judges the Foo Fighters made for a particularly interesting ep. The Foos were brought in for the elimination challenge which consisted of contestants breaking into 2 teams and cooking a Thanksgiving feast for the band and their entourage before their concert. The winning team got to go to the show while the losers had to do all the clean-up. The catch, no kitchen. Everything was set up outside the arena with just microwaves and toaster ovens. How fun is it to make a turkey in a toaster oven? I couldn't tell you from experience, but apparently Arianne did an excellent job.
Team Sexy Pants went on to win and had a great time at the show. Team Cougars failed miserably with dessert and got stuck with the clean-up. Danny gave the finger to the winning team after the concert. (Nice, Danny)
At Judges Table, Arianne was complimented on her supreme turkey, Eugene got congrats on his pork dish and Carla and Alex were deemed safe too. Daniel's undercooked potatoes put him on the chopping block, along with Jeff, who tried to do too much and Richard, whose s'mores were "disappointing."
Disappointing enough to get him sent home. Bye-Bye Richard.
I will miss the token gay guy who had the BIG crush on top judge Tom Colicchio. What did you think?
Top Chef offers up a new episode, featuring cooking on the Today Show, Wednesday at 10 p.m. For more info visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/best_of/index.php

On last night's Amazing Race, the final four teams raced for a spot in next week's finale. So we're down to separated couple Ken & Tina, mother/son Toni & Dallas, siblings Nick & Starr (who I think are a shoe-in to win it all) and Frat boys Andrew & Dan (how have they made it this far?). And, as has become the norm this season, mistakes abounded.
Dallas couldn't differentiate between Stalin and Lenin (Tina helped him out and immediately regretted it). But that was nothing compared to what he did later ... leaving his bag in the taxi with his team's money and passports! Ken & Tina ran to the Pit Stop without first getting their clue. They had seen Andrew & Dan running and just followed them, causing Phil to send them back to get their clue before they could be checked in. Toni & Dallas and Andrew & Dan raced to the woman with the Shetland pony within seconds of each other, but neither team received their clue from her.
Nick & Starr easily came in first, followed by Andrew & Dan and Ken & Tina, all solidifying their place in the finale. Having to beg for cab fare on the street cost Toni & Dallas precious time, and it must have been a LOT of time, because Phil actually went to them to let them know they had been eliminated. For more info visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/

Sorry to see Dallas & Toni go ...

I know this is long overdue, so bear with me or just skip to the next subject. Those of you who tuned in Thanksgiving night to Survivor got what was to be expected ... the oh-so-boring catch-up show. The one where CBS says you'll see never-before-seen clips, but you never learn anything new.
However, I still haven't blogged about the great episode from the week before! If you haven't seen it, it's worth it to go to the website and watch.
Day 28 started out with Bob telling Sugar he made a fake immunity idol ... WTH? Why would you tell Sugar that, she has the real idol, afterall. This episode also featured the fan-fave Reward Auction, which generally consists of contestants getting a certain amount of money and then getting to bid on various food items. Randy won a plate of cookies and gave everyone one. Sugar refused, and Randy insisted she take the last one, which she promptly gave to Matty. Randy said Sugar could kiss his ass.
Matty, Sugar, Ken and Crystal conspired to get rid of Bob first, then Randy and Corinne. Randy wants Suzie gone 'cause she flipped and voted for Marcus, saying "The hell with her."
Crystal called Randy "a troll."Amazingly, Ken won immunity at a Domino challenge. Feeling desperate, Randy schemed to get the "fake" idol from Bob to save himself. Sugar said, "Randy is an ass and I loathe him," then told Bob to give Randy the fake idol just to make even more an ass of him.
The Cookie Controversy came up at Tribal Council. Crystal is still very angry with Randy. At the vote, Corinne cast Suzie saying, "Payback's a bitch." Sugar voted Randy, saying "Randy's a disgusting old chauvenistic, alcoholic bigot." Randy said, "Suzie, this vote is not strategic, it's personal." And, as expected, Crystal voted for Randy. Before the votes were read, Randy brought the fake idol into play and was told by Jeff that it was fake and would not count, causing an uproar of laughter from his tribmates.

Bye-Bye Randy
Randy left with his tail between his legs ... saying "The Hell with these freaking people!"
An all new Survivor airs this Thursday on CBS at 8 p.m. To watch last week's episode visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

Tonight, Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, stops by for a sit down with James Lipton on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio at 8 p.m. Can't wait to see this. You have to admit, there's just something about those Brits! I mean, just the fact that this kid is still so together, after being cast as the most famous boy-wizard in literary history at the tender age of 10, and he hasn't gone all Lohan on us, is pretty amazing.

Lipton chats up Harry Potter
And as long as we're on the subject ... ABC Family will be airing the first four Harry Potter movies this coming weekend, during which there will be exclusive sneak peeks of next July's Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince. Tune in.
Sorry, I couldn't resist ...
Harry Potter, then


And now


And now on to the Christmas Shows: ABC celebrates the season tonight with Shrek the Halls at 8, followed by the original animated Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Not to be outdone, ABC Family will air the live-action, Jim Carrey-starring movie of the same name at 8 p.m.

Sorry, I find this guy creepier than any horror movie I've ever seen ... I find this film unwatchable, literally, I walked out of the theater! And that's the only film I can remember ever walking out of! I'm sure some of you like it, but I'd rather watch The English Patient on a loop than suffer thru this!
I'll take my Grinch animated, please!

And get used to it ... 'tis the season for all your favorite and not-so-favorite Christmas show repeats. If it's not your thing, use this time wisely to get caught up on all those summer movies you missed. They'll all be hitting the DVD shelves before the end of the year.
The CW's Supernatural will be back Jan. 15. And my fave sexy surgeons return to FX Jan. 6 with the remaining eight eps of last season's Nip/Tuck!

I watched Will Smith's Hancock and Vince Vaughn's Fred Claus this weekend. Fred Claus is the usual ... nothing new here, but Vaughn's entertaining. I enjoyed it.
Hancock, I have to admit was a disappointment. It's one of those movies where we already saw all the good parts in the preview. It starts out fine, then tries to become a serious, emotional flick halfway thru ... I wasn't feeling it.

Cheers!

Sorry everybody, no time for frills today! Wanted to blog more about last week's Top Chef, but there just wasn't time. No time for photos or proofreading either, so please forgive.

The fur really flew last night on Bravo during the Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion. And I loved it!
Let’s see, where to begin … the host stared off with a bang, stating that they received an overwhelming number of emails from viewers who don’t believe that blonde babe Kim isn’t really 29. She says she’s 30 now.
Next it was revealed that CNN’s Anderson Cooper loves loudmouth NeNe.
Who responded with much love for Anderson. Viewers also emailed over NeNe’s “saggy boobs,” saying she should dress more appropriately. And NeNe confirmed that she hasn’t been in touch with Curtis (who she believed was her father), since the paternity test resolved that he wasn’t.
After being asked the identity of Big Poppa, Kim revealed that he’s legally married and seeking a divorce. Which really set NeNe off! Calling Kim a liar and saying, “close your legs to married men!”
Kim replied with “grow up and you’d better back your ass up!”
Lots of bleeped cursing followed with NeNe boasting Kim’s a “trashy hooker” and wears a wig. Lisa climbed onto NeNe’s lap to keep her from getting up.
The host, looking nervous, took the show into commercial. After the break, he asked Kim if she was wearing a wig. To which she replied, that 3 years ago she found out that she got sick and found out she had cancer. NeNe apologized, saying she didn’t know about the cancer. About a minute later, Kim said she didn’t have cancer, that it was something else she didn’t want to talk about it. (It still wasn’t confirmed she wears a wig, but I can totally see it now.)
Following brief summaries of Sheree, DeShawn and Lisa, the show got back to the battle between Kim and NeNe, with the host bringing up NeNe’s song about Kim. I don’t remember what Kim said, but Lisa totally flew off the handle, calling Kim a “liar who needs medication.”
Then when Kim responded, Lisa said, “You don’t want to start with me, I’ll flip you over that couch!”
The show closed on an up note with the addition of NeNe’s gay boyfriend Dwight, who brought some all too needed comic relief. The show will repeat numerous times over the weekend. Check it out! Or you can watch it here http://www.bravotv.com/ Real_Housewives_Of_Atlanta/season/1/index.php

The Foo Fighters stop by Top Chef tonight on Bravo at 10.
Last week’s episode concluded with Fabio winning with his spericle olives, and Jill going home from making a bad quiche from Ostrich eggs. Sorry, there wasn’t time to post more ..

And to all my Twilight fans out there, don’t miss The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. Robert Pattinson, aka Edward Cullen, stops by to spend some time on the couch.
Summit Entertainment has announced the Twilight's sequel, New Moon, will begin filming in March (hopefully with a November release date).

"I had to spit it out into my napkin," Padma Lakshmi, in Bravo's promo for tonight's episode of Top Chef. I don't know about you, but unless she said that after the quick fire challenge, whoever's food she's referring to is going home ...
This is exactly what I love about this show ... the judges' snarky comments! That's what last week's opener was missing, so I'm glad to see it's starting already. Whatever the dish is, I wonder if it'll compare to Season 3's notorious broccolini side dish. I can't remember who made it, but head judge/chef Tom Colicchio called it "the single worst dish in Top Chef history." While guest judge chef Anthony Bourdain said it was "horrifying!" Really, horrifying!! Food? (Dibs to Elfman for reminding me about the "horrifying" quote, thanks).
Top Chef airs tonight at 10 p.m.

So here it is already Wednesday, and I'm still catching up from the weekend. Long story short, dating couple Terence & Sarah were the unlucky last place finishers on the Amazing Race this week. They were eliminated.

Terence & Sarah
Lots of mistakes were made as the season winds down. A Fast Forward was offered at the beginning of the leg, and although they made it there first, Terence & Sarah had to opt out since Terence is vegetarian and it involved eating meat. This ultimately led to their demise. (Nick & Starr easily finished it and came in first again.) Ken & Tina forgot to read a clue at the bottom of a glass of milk, then returned their cow costumes and had to go back for them. And frat boys Andrew & Dan took a cab to the Pit Stop instead of going on foot (as the clue advised) and had to go back to the last challenge and walk it in.
During a commercial break, we got a promo for this week's Survivor, which has Randy thinking of asking Bob for his "immunity idol." Bob's idol is fake, he made it while on Exile Island last week. Should be interesting ...

Over on Wisteria Lane, the Deperate Housewives' lived thru a nightclub fire that saw the demise of Edie's creepy husband's mysterious doctor - at Dave's hands no less. Everyone else survived, making the episode quite a yawn. The most exciting thing for me was near the end when ABC chose to give us a promo for LOST, starting Jan. 21! Mark your calendars ...

HBO's True Blood was equally boring. Bill completed his sentence, turning the young girl into a vamp. Seems the vamps in this series can only be turned by being burried after they're bitten. Sookie and Sam got closer. Tara got arrested on suspicion of DUI and is bailed out by a strange woman whose agenda we don't know yet. Jason's new girlfriend got murdered by the mystery killer, while the two were tripping on vampire blood. Jason asked to be locked up, believing that he did it and must have been the killer all along. And Sookie rescinded her invitation to Bill after he ruffed up Jason, when he came home to find them together (remember, a vampire must be invited into your home or he can't enter). This Sunday is the finale and we're supposed to find out who the killer is ...

And what the hell is going on over at Seattle Grace? While I'm enjoying Grey's Anatomy again, and I love Denny Duquette, how are they going to explain last week's ending. Izzy, who is desperately trying to let her dead fiance, Denny, go, finally gave in at the end and touched him .... WTH? Can't wait to see where this goes tomorrow night.

Bye-Bye Cody
Last night saw Hannah Montana costar Cody Linley leave the dance floor for the last time on Dancing with the Stars. I guess Julianne Hough didn't have to speed thru her surgical recovery afterall.

Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta came to a impasse last night with the show culminating in a dinner where the girls tried to get Kim, Sheree and NeNe back together as friends. It didn't work. Which leaves everything open for an all out brawl next week on the Reunion show (Tuesday, 9 p.m., Bravo).The only other highlight was Project Runway's Mychael Night showing up to offer some fashion design tips to Sheree. Next week, following the reunion, the original real housewives are back for season 3 of the Real Housewives of Orange County.

FX's Sons of Anarchy builds to next week's finale tonight at 10 p.m., while over on Comedy Central, the boys of South Park skewer Twilight.

Over on PBS tonight is the second episode of Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work. I'm totally into this one. It's a guilty pleasure I can't deny (hey, I admit it, I just love the way they talk). And tonight's episode is supposed to feature preparations for the Queen's birthday celebration and a visit by Tony Blair and his wife to the Queen's Balmoral estate.

And speaking of lovely-voiced Brits, Twilight star Robert Pattinson stops by the Today show tomorrow to promote, what else, the most anticipated movie of the holiday season. His co-star Kristen Stewart will appear as well. Today airs from 7-11 a.m. on NBC.

Yeah, just another excuse for
a pic of Pattz
In other Brit news (and I know this is a little late): BBC announced that Scottish actor David Tennant will leave the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who. Tennant has played the show's time- and space-traveling alien hero since 2005. He will appear in a Christmas special and four hour-long episodes to be aired in 2009 and 2010, but when the show returns for its next season there will be a new Doctor. Oddly enough, besides the Doctor, Tennant is best known for playing Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.

The Doctor
And as long as we're on the subject, a new trailer for Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince is supposed to be attached to Twilight and debuting in theaters this weekend.


Bad Boy Bruno
Bruno sighting: Production on NBC's Medium was temporarily shut down earlier this month when an unruly extra in a tense courtroom scene turned out to be Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, in disguise, filming his next movie. Security forcibly removed Cohen from the jury box and production resumed.
The film is tentatively titled: Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable. Now that's a mouthful.

Sexy Jackman!
And finally, congratulations to Hugh Jackman, People magazine's newest Sexiest Man Alive. I couldn't agree more!The saucy-aussie, who will next be scene on the big screen in Baz Luhrman's Australia with Nicole Kidman, sure is one tall drink of water. And let's not forget, we'll get to see him in his rugged sexiness this summer in his very own Wolverine flick. Now that's something to look forward too! Yum!

Sexier Wolverine!