The whole weekend seems to be building up towards another epic Sunday (in terms of non-sports television). We have the debut of Martha Stewart's "Men Who Make Us Laugh" on Hallmark at 8pm, followed by the season finales of Showtime's "Californication" and "Shameless" and another episode of "After Lately" on E! --- Please check out our TV news items, the TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan, and the listings. more ›

Topping our must-watch list for the weekend are "SNL" with Jim Carrey as host on Saturday, while our Sunday will revolve around Showtime's launch of a 2-hour block composed of: "Californication," "Episodes," and "Shameless" - all great shows that deserve your time and if you are a Showtime subscriber, these shows are the reasons why you subscribe. We've already written up "Episodes" and "Shameless" (just watch them already), and today's column focuses on season 4 of "Californication" - a bittersweet shamble peppered with jokes and ridiculous situations that compelled us to watch the entire season in one sitting. more ›

We talked to LL Cool J last night at the TCA after-party and he gave us some inside info about the next season of "NCIS: Los Angeles": "I've been doing a ton of training. My tech advisor is a Master Gunner so I've been learning a lot. I can 'consciously aware' put my weapons together in the dark, but I'm not 'self-consciously' aware yet - I can't play the piano blindfolded yet. I went down to Camp Pendleton to do some training with the Marines, they've got their own Special Ops group now. There's going to be a _lot_ of action this coming season, it was a lot of fun." more ›

"Californication" fans should note that in the upcoming season, Rob Lowe will join the cast to play a movie version of Hank Moody and Michael Ealy ("Sleeper Cell", "FlashForward) will also have a several-episode arc. more ›

Yes, the question of what to get someone perennially comes up but if you know of any of their TV-viewing proclivities answering that question gets a lot easier. Here are some ideas that go beyond the obvious: Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVI. As if it would be a surprise, we are the type of person(s) who spew a continuous stream of dialogue while viewing anything on TV and MST3K was a show built for us. Volume XVI features not only four incredibly bad films, including the horrific by seasonally perfect Santa Claus (which involves a dance number from Satan among other things) but the set includes a miniature Tom Servo character to accompany your viewing pleasure... more ›

G4's "Attack of the Show" host Olivia Munn will be gracing the cover of the January 2010 Maxim, here's a behind-the-scenes video. more ›

This weekend, the focus comes down to Sunday programming for probably the last "big" finale of the season: the season finale of Showtime's "Dexter". With virtually no competition, this will be the show to watch and both Twitter and Facebook has been abuzz for the last couple weeks with viewers going gaga over John Lithgow's incredible performance as the serial killer "Trinity". I'm not going to be able to watch "3rd Rock From the Sun" or read Lithgow's children's books to my kids without thinking about the creepiness he has brought to TV this season. Bravo to Lithgow and all the other on and off-screen talent that brought this season to us. more ›

What we effed up: Not Tivoing "Mad Men" so we're watching it later tonight. Not that you can spoil it for us since it will probably involve Don jumping in the sack with yet another woman, some new account or other work crisis, and Betty doing something risque. We're not saying that the show is predictable or boring because these are major plot points for almost any show and what makes "Mad Men" special is the style and delivery. Cheers. more ›

Series Premiere of the Night "Trauma"(NBC @ 9pm): Yes, "Trauma" is another drama in a medical setting but a major difference is its emphasis on action (surely you've seen the nearly-3D billboards all over LA). Starring Anastasia Griffith of "Damages" fame (check out our Emmys red carpet interview with her), the series focuses a lot more on the details and specifics of a situation rather than if the head nurse is having an affair with the hospital administrator. If you can tear yourself away from Ken Burns' latest epic, it would be worth checking out tonight. more ›

Weekend Edition Why are we saying that Showtime takes Sunday night? Look at the scheduling. "Mad Men", while a darling of the critics (oursElvis included), has been even more slow-paced than usual this season and will be winding up soon. HBO has "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and the admirable "Bored To Death", but they are personality-driven comedies that almost require you to be a fan of Larry David and Jason Schwartzman, and while we are fans of theirs a comedy can't hold a stick to the visceral and compelling (and humorous in its own right) "Dexter" in the same time slot. Thank goodness for HBO OnDemand so that I can watch "Curb" and "Bored" later. more ›

It's official, Sean Hannity is the only entity that ever existed on "Hannity and Colmes". Alan Colmes has left the show and will not be replaced but he was always treated as either invisible or a punching bag. When watching the show, it was amazing to note that Hannity would either shout Colmes down or Colmes' microphone would seem to get magically weaker. If we were naive we could hope that this is a harbinger of the death of this kind of programming but look at the political entities we are dealing with. more ›

This Sunday night at 8pm brings the premiere of "Britz" (pictured, right) on BBC America. "Britz" is a thriller featuring two young British Muslims, each pulled in different directions by personal experiences in post 9/11 Britain. This drama asks (perhaps a year or two late) whether the laws we think are making us safer, are actually putting us in greater danger. more ›

A couple season finales happen this Sunday on HBO. Ironically, "True Blood" finishes its first season on the weekend that the film "Twilight" premieres. Somehow the hype machine has ensured that "Twilight" will be a big hit this weekend even though it is nothing more than a teen romance movie with marginal acting and poor writing. In contrast, "True Blood" has been a rollercoaster with some great character development and performances, ensuring that we will eagerly await its return. more ›

Looks like "60 Minutes" scored the first post-election interview with President-elect Barack Obama - it will air on Sunday at 7:00pm on CBS. more ›

Looks like HBO will buy a documentary on president-elect Barack Obama and will air it in 2009. The documentary was produced by actor Edward Norton's production company, Class 5 Films, and was bought "in the seven-figure range". A nice bet by Norton paid off evidently. more ›

It's a Jon Hamm/"Mad Men" weekend: on Saturday, the man who plays Don Draper will be hosting "Saturday Night Live" and Sunday brings us the season finale of the mult-Emmy-winning show from AMC. Both are a must watch. more ›

If you're not heading home to hit the bottle hard after this week, more power to you. I'm not sure what solace TV will provide this weekend, what with "The Starter Wife", that, despite all the heavy hype, looks less than funny. more ›

Although it might be "understood that Hollywood sells Californication", the boys who wear tube socks on their magic johnsons are headed to court to argue that you can't just steal it. Showtime has found itself on a little roll with "Weeds", "Dexter", and now the sexy/dickish David Duchovny series "Californication", but someone forgot to ask the Red Hot Chili Peppers if it was kosher to use their word for the show. The Hollywood Reporter's... more ›

8:00pm So You Think You Can Dance FOX - Two dancers get the boot 9:00pm Fat March ABC - The fat marchers have made it all the way from southeast Massachusetts to Connecticut. The men face a strength challenge. but wait! there's more! 9:00pm Hell's Kitchen FOX - Finalist hell! The final challenge!!! The winner becomes the new head chef at one of Gordon Ramsay's Las Vegas restaurants! 10:00pm Weeds SHOWTIME - Season premiere!... more ›