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TV Junkie: 'Sons of Anarchy' Premiere Tonight! Thoughts on Eddie Murphy as Oscar Host.

Tonight it's all about the return of FX's "Sons of Anarchy" at 10pm for a 90-minute premiere. While I felt that last year we went a little astray with the gang in Ireland, it all came together beautifully in the final third of the season and it's a shame the show received scarcely any recognition for it's continued excellence. This is one of top shows on television and it's all about performance. Yes, Katey Sagal finally won a Golden Globe (where are her Emmys for her role in #SOA?), but this ensemble is so good that we find ourselves missing her less and less when she's not in a scene. In short, tonight we see SAMCRO return from their recent stint in prison, we see Jax continue his yearning for a difference kind of life, and we deal with new law enforcement in town - these are the basics, and they're not a surprise, but the depth of each of these basic points will be felt to the last episode.Also: An hour before tonight's premiere of "Sons of Anarchy", Executive Producer Kurt Sutter and the cast will sit down inside the SOA clubhouse for an exclusive chat on FXNetworks.com. Check out the six behind-the-scenes videos we have included at the end of this post.
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This Labor Day weekend was rife with rumors of Eddie Murphy interested in hosting the Academy Awards and today the rumored deal was made official: Eddie Murphy will host the Oscars this upcoming February 27th. I'm a huge Eddie Murphy fan and he might do a fine job at hosting but does anyone else find it incredibly strange to be discussing Eddie Murphy hosting the Oscars when we hadn't even heard about it a week ago? While Murphy has been a presenter and nominee at the Oscars, he is not known for his hosting abilities, nor has he presented a body of live performance work done in the past decade or more. The man was an incredible performer, but to reference his stint on "Saturday Night Live," which ended in 1984 by the way, as a basis for giving him the role as host of the Academy Awards in the year 2012 seems tenuous at best.
If I had seen him do a set at Just for Laughs in Montreal this year, or heard about him doing some secret shows at the Laugh Factory in the past, I dunno, 3 years, I would say he was getting back into it. Am I excited about seeing Eddie Murphy host the Oscars? Yes! He is a notorious film buff and appreciates the history of the ceremony and the art form. I just don't understand how this came together and it's a story I'm looking forward to obtaining the details of.
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"Arrested Development" fans, and fans of good comedy, will appreciate that David Cross will have a recurring role on ABC's "Modern Family" as a city councilman who faces off against Claire Dunphy.
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The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan: "Web Therapy," "Frontline," "Sons of Anarchy," "Chelsea Lately," "Conan" (2nd half), "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon". Wednesday AM - Vuelta a Espana
8:00pm Web Therapy Showtime - Psychic Analysis An Internet psychic wants Fiona's help in regaining her abilities.
8:00pm History Detectives PBS SoCal/KOCE - A 1775 Almanac; a 1920s media exercise guru; whether NASA may have transported Andy Warhol's art to the moon.
8:30pm I Walk Alone TCM - (1947) After 14 years in prison, a bootlegger (Burt Lancaster) finds his ex-partner (Kirk Douglas) is now a new breed of gangster.
9:00pm Frontline PBS SoCal/KOCE - Top Secret America The fight against terrorism affects the safety of the United States
10:00pm Sons of Anarchy FX - Out Sam Crow reunites with family, confronts new law enforcement and shifts business alliances.
10:00pm POV PBS SoCal/KOCE - Better This World Bradley Crowder and David McKay face allegations of domestic terrorism in federal court
10:00pm Chopped Champions Food - Champions' Tournament: Part 2 Pre made breakfast food in the first round; expensive fish and unusual snack food in the entree round
11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Musician Gloria Estefan; comic Chris Franjola; comic Iliza Shlesinger; comic Matt Braunger.
11:00pm Conan TBS - Actor Jeremy Piven; actress Aubrey Plaza; Lindsey Buckingham performs.
11:30pm The Colbert Report Comedy Central - Interview, Gov. Tim Pawlenty
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Reality-TV stars Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian; actor Michael Emerson; The Jim Jones Revue performs.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Comic Wanda Sykes; actor Nick Swardson; Roger Daltrey performs.
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - A tribute to Jimmy's Uncle Frank Potenza; comic Don Rickles.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actress Lisa Kudrow; journalist Richard Engel.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actor Denis Leary; actress Olivia Munn; The Antlers perform.
Wednesday AM
7:00am Vuelta a Espana Universal Sports - Stage 17, final week of this epic bicycle race!
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Donald Trump was a fading TV presence when the WGA strike put a dent in network schedules.
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Pickets are being held outside at movie and TV studios across the city
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For some critics, this feels less like a momentous departure and more like a footnote.
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Disneyland's famous "Fantasmic!" show came to a sudden end when its 45-foot animatronic dragon — Maleficent — burst into flames.
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Leads Ali Wong and Steven Yeun issue a joint statement along with show creator Lee Sung Jin.
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Every two years, Desert X presents site-specific outdoor installations throughout the Coachella Valley. Two Los Angeles artists have new work on display.