Midnight

"I was really excited about the whole thing," said Freeman. "It it really gives her character more depth. Up to this point, Tess has sort of been an amalgamation of other characters. She's a little bit mysterious, so she's a reflection of what everyone thinks of her. This [reveal] gives her a place in the story." Friday's (Dec. 3) episode, "Luthor," is sure to add more new twists to the family legacy. Tess finds a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel (special guest star John Glover). But when Clark activates the box, he's transported to an alternate universe where the Kents never found him and he was raised instead by Lionel, as Clark Luthor. While Clark tries to get home, he has to pretend to be his murderous alter-ego -- and as he encounters his friends in the alternate universe he realizes the impact one small change could have had on his life. Throughout the episode, we'll also see Clark Luthor in the Smallville we know and love. "You'll see both worlds going at the same time," Cassidy says."It was a bit of dual personality that week for all of us. But [executive producer] Kelly Souders was directing, and she'd obviously been with the idea from the inception, so she was so versed in who these alternate characters were that it made the transitions easy." Freeman says that with the writers and producers based in LA and the show's set in Vancouver, the cast's interactions with the writers and producers are usually via videoconference. "Kelly came in so ready to learn," she says. "But we really learned from her too. She was totally solid in terms of how she wanted things to look and the different atmosphere." The CW has released some teaser clips from "Luthor," including scenes that display a whole new dynamic between Clark and Tess. "Our characters become textbook week-to-week, so any chance we have to take them and flip them and play something really different is great," Freeman says. "Especially with an actor you're so comfortable with, the way Tom and I are. We had a really great time exploring the different versions of Clark and Tess and how they'd react to each other." Of course, the episode presented the opportunity for Freeman to work with actors she may not be as familiar with as well. Since she was added to the cast in 2008, she's had her fingers crossed to work with the actors who made the Luthors so appealingly devious. "John Glover is awesome," she says enthusiastically of the returning star. "It's been a total dream of mine to work with him from the time I started the show. I've been wondering how they could bring him back in a way that would let me interact with him, and man, they did it so creatively. It was really fun. He's so talented and just brilliant to work with." She pauses. "I do still really want to work with Michael Rosenbaum, though. Just to throw that out there." In the meantime, though, she has plenty of ground to explore with Tess. "Now that she knows she's a Luthor, some major questions are answered for her. She's got this sordid past that's now explained a bit, but it's also very upsetting in a way. It's like now, any evil thoughts or evil doings aren't just circumstantial. They might be ingrained in her; they might be in her blood." Her connection with the Lex clone she's essentially nurtured may grow deeper as well. "Internally, knowing that she's a Luthor definitely changes that connection," Freeman says."It's not just a sort of mothering instinct, it's an actual biological connection to this person." As powerful as the Luthor name is for Tess, it may have an even deeper resonance for Clark and Oliver, and though Tess is currently trying to keep her true identity a secret, Freeman confesses, "It's just like any secret in 'Smallville.' It's a secret until it can't be a secret anymore." How will our trusty superheroes react when they hear that Tess, who they finally have accepted as part of their team, has Luthor blood in her veins? "They'll have a choice -- if and when they find out," Freeman says coyly. "They can accept her for it and base their judgment on her actions, or they can totally not accept it and push her away. Knowing the characters, I'd imagine that Oliver will probably have a much harder time accepting it than Clark will. Clark always wants to see the good in people." We haven't seen much of Tess's relationship with Lois this season, but Freeman assures us that the two will share more scenes moving forward. "Their relationship is more collaborative, now that everyone knows what's going on and Clark's secret is out," says Freeman. "They're all on the same team now, and they can really look at the bigger picture." Chloe (Allison Mack) returns in Episode 12, but don't expect to see much interaction between her and Tess for her first few episodes back. "Allison is back, yes, but we haven't had any scenes together, to be honest," Freeman says. "She's got a lot of other storylines to take care of. In terms of Tess running the Watch Tower, I think that Chloe made this really strong decision to leave, and she understands the repercussions. She'd rather know things have been running smoothly than worry about having been replaced somehow. She's a strong character that way." As this is the final season of "Smallville," Freeman admits that there's the occasional bittersweet feeling on set. "There are little moments of sadness," she says. "When we finished Episode 11, we all sort of looked at each other and thought, 'Well, we're halfway through.' But there's also a sense of excitement in terms of moving on and exploring new things next year." Freeman's post-"Smallville" plans? "I have a plan to maybe sleep for a week," she laughs. "That's as far as my plans go right now." When it comes to whether Tess will continue on the straight and narrow path or go with her Luthor heritage and take a dark turn, Freeman insists she doesn't know what the writers' plan is. Now, though, she's changed her tune a bit. "The writers have two distinct avenues they can take now, with Tess," she says. "Yes, as an actor, it's fun to play dark and evil. But I've gotten to know Tess now, I've gotten to be close to the character, and honestly, I want her to do good and to be happy. I think there's a way to do that and still thrive creatively."

When we caught up with Jared Padalecki on the set of Supernatural earlier this year, he told us that Sam's time in hell was worse than Dean's. "Crowley says, 'I can't imagine what it's like in the cage, and I can imagine so many things,'" Padalecki said, "So we get the idea that Sam was in the bad part of hell. He wasn't like, in the penthouse. He was slumming down there.'" "Sam's soul has been locked in the cage with Michael and Lucifer for more than a year," the angel says. "And they have nothing to do but take their frustrations out on him. If we try to force that mutilated thing down Sam's gullet, we have no idea what could happen. It could be catastrophic." Could it be that Sam - or at least the part of Sam that's topside - is better off without his soul? Say it ain't so! Despite the horrors that Sam's soul has endured, Dean isn't ready to give up on it. "We'll go get it back, and if there are complications, we'll figure out a way to deal with those, too," he insists. Castiel says that if they fail, "Sam suffers horrifically." We saw the personal struggle Dean endured after just four months in hell. Will Sam's post-traumatic reaction be even worse? This situation just keeps getting messier and messier. What do you think, "Supernatural" fans? Is Sam better off with a clean slate? Should Dean and Castiel even bother trying to get the soul back? Do you think "RoboSam" can survive on earth without human traits like compassion and instinct? Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...ated-thing.html

Heh. "Suckers." When Trevino and co-star Candice Accola visited the Zap2it offices last week, I had to get the scoop - especially considering how Accola has been playing out Caroline's vampire transformation this season. "I felt a little fortunate, Vicki transformed so I got to use that as kind of a note sheet, of sorts, a cheat sheet," Accola says. "I mean, I kind of had a certain map to go off of, which there really hadn't been for a werewolf transformation." Luckily, Trevino didn't have to go it alone. Tyler's new friend, and possible love interest, sticks by him throughout the whole grueling ordeal. "It was very interesting. We shot it over 2 days. Candice was with me the whole time," he says. But even with Caroline on hand, he certainly didn't have an easy time of it. When Mason (Taylor Kinney) transformed into a werewolf, we only got to see the before and after. We watched as he attempted to take sedatives and chain himself up, and we heard him scream in agony... but most of the transformation occurred after he'd climbed into his truck, out of sight. When Tyler transforms, we're going to see the whole thing. "You're gonna get the whole enchilada," Trevino confirms. "It's not quick. It isn't something that just happens; it's ongoing, especially because it's his first transformation." Of course, our new favorite monster duo didn't want to give away all the secrets, but they told us as much as they could without spoiling their fun. "How can you explain it?" Trevino says. "It's Tyler going through this crazy struggle. It's like he's being reborn, because you have Tyler and the journey that he went through before this transformation, before this curse, and he doesn't want any part of it, but he has no choice -- it's just happening. He's alone and by himself because Mason isn't around, so it's just this constant struggle, just eating at him." Accola is just as excited as we are to check out the final product. "Even reading it, the writers did such a great job on just pushing the boundaries of what you thought it could be," she says. "They take risks in the kind of transformation and what happens and the lengths that things are going to. It's crazy to watch and to read on the page. I'm really excited." In tonight's Dec. 2 episode, Tyler and Caroline begin to make preparations for the first full moon since Tyler triggered his curse. In the Lockwood's cellar, they'll find evidence of werewolves past, and the restraints used by centuries of cursed Lockwoods... and they'll make a terrifying discovery that will leave both of them fearing for their lives. The transformation itself sounds scary enough. "You're going to see, it's just a constant thing that he's fighting as he's going through it," Trevino says. "It's long and it's painful."

But just like Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)and the rest of the un-merry band of survivors, life must go on. Another episode, the finale even, awaits. In this exclusive Zap2it clip, we pick up where Episode 5 left off with the doors to the CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention) rising, bathing the wary survivors in a bright light. As they enter, they meet the lone scientist (Noah Emmerich) we saw in the previous episode who had accidentally contaminated the last "fresh" sample of zombie flesh -- labeled TS-19 -- he had for testing. Uh oh. Who do you think will come down with the Walker syndrome next and donate their body to science? Let's go back and find Jim. And did you catch his name? It sounds like Dr. Edwin Jenner, reminiscent of Edward Jenner who developed the smallpox vaccine. Well, even if there's no relation, finding a zombie vaccine would certainly qualify for a Nobel, if the committee is alive to bestow it. "The Walking Dead" Season 1 finale titled "TS-19" airs Sunday, Dec. 5 at 10 p.m. ET on AMC. To stay in the zombie loop, be sure to "like" "The Walking Dead" on Facebook and follow @WalkingDead_AMC on Twitter.

Unlike Division agent Michael, however, West is very positive and open, subjecting himself to probing Celeb Slam Book questions with good humor and candor. It's not like he has anything to hide. In fact, most of his fans are already well aware of his musical talents and various tattoos. West's first order of business under Zap2it's sinister too-bright light bulb is to divulge his first "real" kiss. It sounds a little tricky, but as any actor learns, it's all about improvising. Here's the dirty deets: "I'll pass on the name," West tells Zap2it. "I guess it would have been pretty late. I'd have to say junior year of high school. I'm talking first real kiss. I kissed a million girls in kindergarten. So junior year in high school, outside of a movie theater on a slope that we kept slowly sliding down, which is really embarrassing. And then my mom came and picked us up. It was awesome. I don't think I ever saw her again." Her loss we say. West also dishes on his biggest fears, worst habit and a very sweet and scary treat he indulges in once a year. 1) What's your guiltiest music pleasure? There's always something to say about '80s one-hit wonders. Being born in '78, I certainly have plenty of that. I have my iTunes right in front of me. Well, some people truly love the music, but I'll say for certain nights out in Las Vegas and that kind of stuff, I have some Rihanna and Lady Gaga. That's not what I normally listen to, but obviously the world does, so I don't know if that goes under a guilty pleasure, but it would be for me as well as plenty of Motley Crue, Poison and all the hair bands from the '80s, which are a lot of fun. 2) If you could jam with one person dead or alive, who would it be? Joe Strummer, singer for The Clash. Big time. And he is dead, unfortunately. 3) Which celebrity do you find attractive? There are many. I'd have to go with Angelina Jolie on that one. I've liked her since "Cyborg 2," which is a movie not many people saw. Check it out. It's one of her first films. It was pre-"Hackers," but not by much I don't think. 4) What's your worst habit or trait?It's been smoking in the past, which I've cut out. It was biting my nails in the past, which I've now cut out. I'm 32, so I did a full life reversal at 30 of at least paying attention to things more and actually getting them done instead of screwing around with them. I'd say it's just -- I have an inherent laziness that's built in me that I have to fight through all the time. So I would say getting off the couch. I'm very much a huge movie watcher and book reader, and even though that can be productive, it still does mean sitting on the couch. So I think my worst habit is getting me out of the house. Once I get out then I can keep moving. 5) What's the latest book and/or movie that affected you the most? I just finished, believe it or not, "On the Road" for the first time, about five or six months ago. It was one of the reasons why I drove -- I didn't hitchhike -- but I drove from Los Angeles to Toronto to shoot "Nikita." It affected me enough, and I had not done that before. I had done it on tour buses with my band, but you're on a tour bus and you're asleep. It doesn't really count. So that book truly affected me in that sense that I wanted to feel that Americana and see it. I'm currently reading "The Fountainhead," which is going to take me a year I guess because it's like 800 pages. I make sure I start and finish everything, so I can't just stop even though I have other books to read. "Paranormal Activity 2" was really creepy. I didn't really realize it was that effective until I tried sleeping the last couple of nights. There's also a movie that came out called "A Prophet" that came out this year. Brilliant film. It's essentially a "Godfather"-like tale taking place in prison. I hadn't seen a film that powerful as they had been 20-25 years ago in that genre. It seems like it had been a while since the last "Goodfellas." 6) Who do you text with the most? Currently that would be all the actors and actresses I'm working with right now. In reality, my buddy from high school, my sister back in LA and the three good friends who are my roommates. 7) What is your deepest fear?Besides failure, it would have to be sharks and drowning. I did go swimming with sharks in Hawaii a couple years ago to try and get over the fear, and I did a pretty damn good job, but it's still a brutal way to go. And I've always thought drowning would be terrible. 8) What's a surprising activity you do in your free time? I'm pretty much an open book from what people know about me. Besides you know, reading, watching movies, I play the guitar, I go to the gym a lot, I run. I think those things people already know. I started rock climbing here in Toronto. With a rope. Aaron Stanford, one of the actors on the show, is getting really into it. He just started bouldering, so wants me to go with him and do that with no line or anything. I'm trying to find time for that because it's a great way to stay in shape. And it's not boring, that's for sure. It's a great combo. 9) What's your food weakness? Because of Halloween ending not too long ago, my weakness around there are breakfast cereals such as Boo Berry, Franken Berry and Count Chocula. And I'm still frustrated to this day that they are not sold all the time and only sold during Halloween. Obviously someone made the decision -- well, they're terrible for you, so it's a good thing they're not. But it's fun to have during Halloween. I'm looking at them right now. Those three boxes that were sent to me from my roommate in LA they're currently in my kitchen in Toronto sitting next to egg white protein, Emergen C and Clif bodybuilder bars ... and Boo Berry and Franken Berry.

Steven says that playing Jeremy Gilbert has been a "therapeutic" experience. He spent most of his childhood on the move, living with his mom and his stepfather, Luc Robitaille, a pro hockey player. "When we were living in Detroit, I had a real lack of direction," Steven tells the mag. "I started watching movies all day long." Though he never met his grandfather, Steven still got to enjoy him through movies like "The Great Escape" and "Bullit." Of course, when he decided to move to Los Angeles and take acting classes, it wasn't all about following in his family's footsteps. "I watched my grandfather's projects with admiration and looked up to him, but at the end of the day you have to be true to what's inside," he says. According to the mag, Steven was up for roles on both "The Vampire Diaries" and the short-lived new version of "Melrose Place." Lucky for us -- and for him -- he chose wisely. He decided to play Jeremy because the angsty teen was "as messed up as possible in the head" - which appealed to Steven. As for his grandfather, Steven says he's lucky that there's a generation gap between their fans, because he doesn't have to bear the pressure of the comparison too much. "More than anything it's a little fuel in the fire," he says.

The two-minute teaser starts off (how else?) super creepy with Peter (Joshua Jackson) being woken up by a strange phone call. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but I just saw a woman disappear in front of my eyes. Her name was Olivia. She has a message for you. She's trapped in the other universe." Cue Peter rolling over to look at Fauxlivia (Anna Torv). We told you. Super creepy. We also see the real Olivia (Anna Torv, part two!) stuck in the parallel world trying her best to explain the situation after "Walternate" (John Noble) found out she now knows who she is: "My universe is not at war with yours. This all began because a man came over here to save a boy and 25 years later, I came back to save that same boy. Both universes can't survive. There must be another way." In true J.J. Abrams fashion, the trailer ends with a reversed-recorded message, which -- spoiler alert! -- is a man saying, '"Only one way to find out." The highlight of the trailer? This intense exchange between Peter and Fauxlivia: Fauxlivia: You gonna kill me?Peter: No, I'm going to get answers. And if I find out that you did anything to Olivia, then I'm going to kill you."Entrada" airs Thursday, Dec. 2, at 9 pm ET on Fox. Here's the trailer, courtesy of EW: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1545148137?bctid=693300280001 Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: Fox/EW.com Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...et-message.html

ABC could be revving up for a tasty treat. Word is that Warren Littlefield and some former "King of the Hill" writers are developing a sitcom about food trucks, those mobile purveyors of sustenance. Comedian Al Madrigal would star as a man who takes over the family food truck biz. [Vulture] More American Country Awards performers are signing up. Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and The Band Perry will join the previously announced performers for the two-hour special on Dec. 4. [ACAs] "The Walking Dead" is ambling to a close in its first season, and this may be the end of its writing staff as well. Showrunner Frank Darabont has reportedly fired the entire writing staff and will farm out individual episodes of Season 2 to freelancers. Not sure how we feel about that, but we're waiting for confirmation from AMC before we panic as if we're in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. [Deadline] Trinity still holds the record, but "Dexter's" latest episode, "In the Beginning" could presage big numbers for the upcoming Season 5 finale. "In the Beginning" drew the second-highest number of viewers in the ratings history. Approximately 2.54 million tuned in Sunday (Nov. 28), just shy of the Season 4 finale audience of 2.57 million. The show has shown steady growth as well, it's up 43 percent from the Season 5 premiere, and is up 20 percent from the previous week. [Showtime] "Ugly Betty" star Michael Urie, Jed Rees and Lindy Booth have joined the TBS pilot "Brain Trust," a comedy starring D.B. Sweeney as a police detective who's aided by three geeks played by the aforementioned trio. Meanwhile, on sister network TNT, Wynn Everett, William Ragsdale and Suzy Nakamura have jumped aboard the Eliza Dushku small town cop drama "Bird Dog." [Deadline] Spike TV has bagged more "Auction Hunters." The network has renewed the reality series for a 20-episode second season. The show originally debuted on Nov. 9. [The Hollywood Reporter] Reiko Aylesworth (best known for playing Michelle Dessler on "24") has landed a potentially recurring role on "Hawaii Five-0," as Malia, Chin Ho's (Daniel Dae Kim) ex-fiance. Malia is a doctor who Chin Ho runs into when a case leads him to the hospital. This isn't the actresss' first time in Hawaii; She played Dharma member Amy on "Lost."[Movieline]

Fast National ratings for Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 ESPN will most likely end up having Monday's biggest audience thanks to "Monday Night Football." Among the broadcast networks, though, CBS led the way with 8.65 million viewers and a 5.5 rating/9 share in households. ABC (6.7 million, 4.4/7) took a big tumble from its Monday average now that "Dancing" is gone. NBC took third with 6 million viewers and a 3.7/6 as all three of its shows were up a bit compared to recent weeks. FOX (5.7 million, 3.5/5) came in fourth. The CW (2 million, 1.3/2) was also up some over recent weeks. CBS also led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 2.4 rating. FOX grabbed second in the demo with a 1.9, narrowly beating NBC's 1.8. ABC was fourth with just a 1.3, while The CW earned a 1.0. Monday hour by hour: 8 p.m. CBS: How I Met Your Mother rerun (8.5 million viewers, 5.3/8 households)/ Rules Of Engagement rerun (7.8 million, 4.8/7) ABC: "Skating With the Stars" (6.19 million, 4.2/7) NBC: "Chuck" (6.17 million, 3.7/6) FOX: "House" rerun (5.1 million, 3.2/5) The CW: "90210" (2 million, 1.3/2) 18-49 leader: "How I Met Your Mother" (2.7) 9 p.m. CBS: Two and a Half Men rerun (11.25 million, 7.0/11)/ Mike & Molly rerun (8.9 million, 5.6/9) ABC: "Skating With the Stars" (5.8 million, 3.9/6)/Special - "CMA Country Christmas" (7.2 million, 4.7/7) FOX: "Lie to Me" (6.3 million, 3.8/6) NBC: "The Event" (5.8 million, 3.6/5) The CW: "Gossip Girl" (2 million, 1.4/2) 18-49 leader: "Two and a Half Men" (3.0) 10 p.m. CBS: Hawaii Five-O rerun (7.7 million, 5.1/9) ABC: "CMA Country Christmas" (7.4 million, 4.8/8) NBC: "Chase" (6 million, 3.9/7) 18-49 leader: "Hawaii Five-0" (1.9) Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.

In his first big interview since being diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this year, Michael Douglas admits that the disease and intense treatment he's undergone have taken a toll, but he says he's "on the upward curve" now. "To be able to sit here and talk to you, I'm so happy." [Hollywood Reporter] David Cassidy -- or rather his lawyer, acting on Cassidy's behalf -- pleaded not guilty to a DUI charge in a Florida court on Tuesday (Nov. 30). Cassidy was arrested earlier this month but maintains his innocence; he's due back in court in January. [TMZ] Mariah Carey has started having some pregnancy cravings, but they're not the sterotypical ones. "My taste bud situation is unparalleled," she says. "I don't know what it is, but I'm just about fruit for some reason." [People] NFL/VH1 star Chad Ochocinco put weeks of rumors to rest Tuesday by confirming he's engaged to another VH1 regular, Evelyn Lozada of "Basketball Wives." "It's time for me to sit down," he says. "I'm 32, you know, my days are over." [On-Air with Ryan Seacrest]

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) come up with a plan to break the spell cast over vampires and werewolves so that Elena (Nina Dobrev) is no longer an essential part of Klaus's diabolical scheme. "Ergo, you live," Damon quips. There are a few things that stand out to us about this clip. One: Why is Bonnie agreeing to open the tomb up? Of course Elena is her best friend, but this is a spell that actually killed her seasoned, practiced grandmother. Wouldn't she demand they find another way? Two: Katherine is starved for blood. They'd better have a damn good method of keeping her in that tomb because once Bonnie breaks the spell, she basically turns into a juicy steak on a plate. With Katherine's vervain tolerance, almost nothing will be able to stop her from tearing a piece out of Bonnie and any other living person in that tomb. Three: Elena is probably right. Klaus has been alive a thousand years -- if he's got anything, he's got time on his hands. He'll be perfectly content to come whirling through Mystic Falls, killing off every person who had a hand in messing up his plan... and maybe a few extra for good measure. Four: Okay, let's talk about that look Elena gives Damon when she says, "Everyone that I care about, including the two of you." Elena is pointedly making sure Damon knows that she cares about him again, Damon is stunned by it, and Stefan goes on talking like there are no meaningful gazes around at all. Hmmm. I'll say this: it's only been 10 episodes since Damon snapped Jeremy's neck. He's making pretty good time. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

And let us all now praise Timothy Dalton. There could have been easier ways for the character of Volkoff to go in this episode -- the psycho part of him could have melted away in favor of the lovesick part -- but to his immense credit, Dalton played crazy-in-love about as well as I've ever seen it played on television. "Chuck" hasn't really gotten any recognition from the Emmys in its first three seasons, but Dalton gave an award-worthy performance here -- funny, scary, intense and great. While we still don't quite know what Mary Bartowski is up to -- she says her mission is to take down Volkoff's network, but do we want to take her at her word? -- "Leftovers" at least gave us a great sense of why she's stayed embedded with Volkoff for so long. He has a blind spot for her, and she's (presumably) been using that to gather intel on his operations. Sarah recognizes her dilemma, and she helps talk Chuck down a little after he finds out the reason Volkoff is so single-minded in his efforts to get Frost out of CIA custody. Speaking of Chuck himself, this was Zachary Levi's second episode as a director, and it had some common threads with last season's "Chuck vs. the Beard." Like that one, we got a huge dose of key information that deepens the "Chuck" universe, and curiously enough, both episodes involve enemy agents taking over the Buy More and imperiling Morgan. This one, however, was a little smaller in scale and focused more on the actors, and Levi got strong performances all around (including himself). And that's four sizable paragraphs in without even mentioning that, oh by the way,Chuck has the Intersect back. It seemed like kind of a roundabout way to get it back to him -- among other things, why would Steven Bartowski go through Ellie and risk her falling into the spy world? -- but the excited-relieved-nerdy smile on Chuck's face as he said "I know kung fu. Again" was enough to patch over those holes. So where does all the activity of "Chuck vs. the Leftovers" leave us? Volkoff now knows Frost is Chuck's mom, and that her son works for the CIA. He can't be so deep in Mary's thrall that he's willing just to leave Chuck and Sarah alone -- and it's equally hard to believe that Chuck will let things lie. He may trust his mom again, but that seems like all the more reason for him and the team to go after Volkoff and try to take him down and free her from the situation she's been in for so long. On the real-life side of things, too, here's hoping that "Chuck" can get Dalton and Linda Hamilton back for some of the back 11 episodes. Their primary arc will likely be done by episode 13 -- that's all the episodes the writers had to work with at the start of the season -- but as with Shaw last season, it's easy to see a way for them to pop back up in the second half of the season. Fingers crossed that everyone's schedule works out. Other thoughts on "Chuck vs. the Leftovers": The show has gone to the "Die Hard" well before, but Morgan's John McClane impression tonight was just brilliant. The tank top, the bare feet, the hobbling with the gun taped to his back, the not being able to reach the gun because he taped it too low -- note-perfect.Chuck told Devon he needed to be awesome, and he was -- both in helping Chuck and Sarah call in backup and in resetting the boundary between Chuck-world and family world. Awesome can't really unlearn what he knows about Chuck's work, but his setting a line with Chuck and refusal to be informed about the new Intersect was a great way to show how much he cares about Ellie and wants to protect her and their child (aside from asking her to drive a minivan).How strong must the sedative Volkoff's advance woman used on Jeff and Lester have been? It's been a running joke on the show that Jeff does not go down easily, but he faded away in seconds with this stuff.I really, really hope that we get to see the machine guns hidden in the Buy More ceiling again before the season ends.What did you think of the episode? How are you going to pass the time between now and when "Chuck" returns?

The twin revelations that Thomas wasn't planning an attack on the United States (at least not directly) and of the reason why Dempsey was after Leila and her little sister gave the show a nice note on which to go out. But they were more "Hmm" than "Whoa!" as these things go, and while they worked, it's hard to say whether they worked well enough to keep fans on the hook until late February. That the show won't be back until then is not The Event's fault, of course, and if it were coming back sooner, then this would have been a fine bit of teasing to tide us over till, say, mid-January. But that's not what's happening, and NBC's decision to hold off longer could end up hurting the show. So, about those two revelations. Midway though the episode I wrote the following in my notes: "This nuke is going to launch at the fade to black, isn't it?" That the show chose not to do that -- and that it wasn't a nuclear missile Thomas launched after all -- is a big plus to its credit. The question now is why Thomas and Isobel were being so secretive about their plans with Sophia. Is he transmitting a homing beacon, a distress signal or a call to arms into space, and regardless of which it is (or if it's something else altogether), why is that something that needs to be hidden from Sophia? She wants to return to wherever it is they came from, but is that necessarily mutually exclusive from what Thomas is doing -- especially since they don't quite have the technology here on Earth to make it happen? As for the other big moment, seeing that Michael Buchanan hasn't aged in 50-plus years answers a couple questions while raising others. We now know why Dempsey has been kidnapping little girls -- they're the daughters of sleepers, and he's using them somehow to supply his young-making coffee additive. It makes them age prematurely, as does whatever was in the syringe Sean injected into Dempsey's goon. Now that we know -- or at least can very strongly assume -- that Michael is an EBE too, it does explain how he was so certain that the helicopters that came for the Avias passengers weren't friendly. What it doesn't explain is Crazy Journalist Lady's info-dump to Sean and Leila about Michael's Mt. Inostranka research. Mostly likely Michael was just lying about having seen the facility from the air a couple years back, but that's an odd red herring to throw in. It does seem to mean, though, that unless Leila's mom is also an alien, that humans and the EBEs can procreate, and the resulting offspring are different -- at least different enough for Dempsey to want to round them up and experiment on them. Again, if these questions were going to be answered in a couple weeks, or even a little more than a month from now, we'd be more sanguine about where "The Event" was headed. This was a pretty solid episode, one of the better ones it's done in recent weeks. But the fact that we won't find anything out until three months from now takes away from its impact some, and that's a shame.

Zap2it confirms that AJ has been tapped for a recurring role on her sister's series, Hellcats. AJ, who recently appeared in Disney's "Secretariat," will make her CW debut in the second half of the season as a girl who works at a record store near Lancer University. Of course, Aly and AJ are in a band together called 78violet - which was previously known simply as "Aly and AJ." When AJ's character befriends Marti, a musical connection is made, and The CW tells us that "a musical performance with the two is very likely." When Zap2it spoke with Aly at the Television Critics Association press tour over the summer, she told us that despite "Hellcats" filming in Vancouver, she and her sister remained as close as ever. "AJ is so excited about the show," she said. "She's sad that I'm in Vancouver so I'm away a lot, but we still talk every day and we're still always working on our music together. One of the major differences between myself and Marti is that her relationship with her family is really volatile and can be sort of toxic, but I've always been incredibly blessed when it comes to my family. My mom and my sister are amazing." In fact, the music clip that plays during the "Hellcats" title sequence in each episode is a 78violet special. "We are definitely excited about the fact that me and AJ did the opening credits," Aly told us. "The opening title sequence we wrote and recorded, which was a fantastic opportunity." AJ's character's name hasn't been confirmed yet -- nor has exactly which episode she'll make her first appearance in -- but she is expected to appear in several episodes. Follow Zap2it and @cadlymack on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news. Photo credit: Getty Images Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...pisode-arc.html

"We were very excited that that didn't leak, somehow, because we've had that in the works for a very long time," says executive producer Kelly Souders. "It's going to have a very significant role in her life for the rest of the season. Some of it really comes to a head in episode 10. We'll see how it's impacting her and how it's going to start changing her life a bit." Episode 10, airing Friday Dec. 3, is aptly titled "Luthor." It explores not only Tess's connection to the Luthor name, but also gives us a glimpse into what would have happened if it was Lionel Luthor, not the Kent family, who found Clark (Tom Welling) in that cornfield after the meteor hit Smallville. "It's always fun to get to write these characters that we know and love in our world and sort of think about how life would've turned out differently for them with just a few changes," says Souders. "It's always one of the most fun episodes to break of the year, when we change it up a bit." In the parallel universe, Clark is a villainous murderer, and Lois is engaged to Oliver. However, back in the real world, Tess is still coming to grips with the new information about her past. "We obviously have a lot of ideas up our sleeve for the end of the season," says Brian Peterson, also an executive producer. "Having the Luthor name definitely has a profound impact on you." As we approach the last half of the final season, expect to see a lot of familiar characters return -- including everyone's favorite feisty blonde, Chloe (Allison Mack). "She'll be back in 12. She comes back in a very cool and exciting way, in addition to a very very romantic way," says Peterson. "It's very true to who Chloe is and who she's becoming." Mack is expected to appear in multiple episodes, but the showrunners don't share whether her episodes will be joined in a consecutive story arc or if they'll be scattered throughout the remaining months. "That part we can't really say right now, but she definitely will be back for several episodes in the back half of the season." Chloe's first episode back will also see the return of the Black Canary, aka Dinah Lance (Alaina Huffman). "I wouldn't say it's a two parter, but she has a quick cameo at the end of 11, which is the very last episode in this run," says Peterson. "And then she's in episode 12 when we come back. We see her in a different light than we've ever seen her before." Sounds like we may be going into the holiday hiatus on quite a cliffhanger. Another familiar face in the back nine? Look for Clark's mother, Martha Kent, to return with a mission. "Becoming a senator was twofold for Martha Kent," says Souders. "Part of it was to serve the people and part of it was to protect her son. When she comes back, she'll do both." If you're still hungry for hints about what's to come for our heroes, don't worry - we've got a few more tidbits for you. We're all looking forward to Clark proposing to Lois, but the course of true love never did run smooth. We mentioned to Souders and Peterson that we've gotten a lot of tweets from fans wondering when Lois and Clark would get back to being journalists. "You don't see a lot of them at work," Peterson says. "That's actually part of the issue between them now, is that Clark is very busy being a hero." "We can promise in the next run you'll see them back at the Daily Planet working together," Souders adds, reassuring. Of course, one of the reasons Clark has been so preoccupied lately is that he's grappling with the decision of whether or not to reveal himself as a superhero. One particular catalyst will come into play: Clark's friend Oliver. "What's going on with Oliver has a lot to do with Clark coming out, when he's going to do it, how he's going to do it, and what he needs to do before he can do it," says Souders. "Oliver really becomes a big lesson for all the people in the JLA." And as for Lex, our favorite villain of all? The bond between Tess and Lex's clone, Alexander, is growing stronger. "Lex is definitely evolving very quickly now," says Peterson. "He's got this connection with Tess, and with her being a Luthor, he's more tied into the rest of her world in this next run of episodes than he was before."

Williamson is working on a project that could be a "companion series" to "TVD," The CW's most-watched show. Deadline describes the new show as "'The X-Files' meets 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'" and says it revolves around people who track unexplained phenomena. (So, more "X-Files" than "Buffy," based on that logline.) The rather large catch at the moment is that Williamson hasn't actually written a script yet, and The CW hasn't committed to anything. Williamson may co-write it with fellow "Vampire Diaries" creator Julie Plec. "Companion series," by the way, doesn't mean "spinoff." That's TV-exec-speak for a show that people think might be a good match with "TVD" on The CW's schedule. Williamson signed a development deal with Warner Bros. earlier this month. The paranormal project is the first thing he's gotten rolling under the contract.

CBS has signed the star to a talent holding deal, meaning he will headline a new project set for next fall. Sources say the actor was offered the deal the same day The CW decided to not give "Life Unexpected" a full-season order. Polaha is thus far the only dramatic actor on CBS' roster this pilot season. [Deadline] "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" creator Shonda Rhimes is creating a new series for ABC set in the world of public relations crisis management. The show will be based on the career of legendary public relations consultant Judy Smith, who worked with Bill Clinton, Michael Vick and New York Governor David Paterson. Not much is known about the project (it doesn't have a title yet), other than it is being developed for the 2011-12 season and will revolve around the life and work of a PR pro and her dysfunctional team. [Vulture] "Lost" alum Doug Hutchinson (he played Horace Goodspeed) is heading to Lie To Me. The actor will guest star as Lane Bradley, whose rising career as a police detective comes to a screeching halt when his infant daughter is kidnapped. Bradley is described as an intense individual who is controlling of his wife and son and blames his wife for the kidnapping, but he naturally has a few secrets of his own. The episode, "Gone Baby Gone," will air later this season. [Movieline]

The New York Post says the show's high-tech stunts went "completely awry," including wires dropping on the audience, scenery missing pieces and the show's star Natalie Mendoza was suspended helplessly in midair during the climatic end to Act I. As Mendoza finished the number "Rise Above" while suspended over the audience, a wire malfunction left her there -- for seven or eight minutes, while stagehands worked to figure out the problem. In the first act alone, the show was halted four times for technical difficulties. At one point, Spider-Man himself (Reeve Carney) was left dangling above the stage as backstage crew members leapt at his feet to haul him back down to earth. The theatergoers left the performance grumbling about feeling like "guinea pigs" and that the show felt like a "dress rehearsal." This was the first preview performance, with an official opening night set for Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. Hopefully the snafus can be worked out before then. Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: Vogue Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...st-hanging.html

Franco and Hathaway each have a movie out right now, Franco's "127 Hours" and Hathaway's "Love and Other Drugs." Both films have been getting good reviews. Franco has even been in the conversation for an Oscar nomination, while Hathaway is considered more of a long shot. It would certainly be a different way to go from last year's hosts of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. But after our initial surprise, we found ourselves liking the idea. Franco would certainly be a breath of fresh air, while Hathaway has proven her comedic chops in movies like "The Princess Diaries" and "The Devil Wears Prada." Hathaway would be the first female host since Ellen DeGeneres in Feb. 2006 and only the third female host since 1987 (Whoopi Goldberg being the other one). What do you think? Gutsy risk with high reward potential? Or bad idea jeans? The Oscars air Feb. 27, 2011. Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: Getty Images Source:http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2010/11/oscars-report-james-franco-anne-hathaway-to-host.html

Nielsen died late Sunday afternoon (Nov. 28) of complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., his family says. His wife and "dear friends" were by his side. Nielsen's career spans some six decades, beginning with appearances in live TV dramas in the early 1950s. He made his feature film debut in the 1956 sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet" and worked steadily through the 1960s and '70s in both film and television. His movie credits from that time include "Tammy and the Bachelor" (1957), "The Plainsman" (1966) and "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), and he appeared on numerous TV shows ranging from "Peyton Place" to "The Streets of San Francisco." Prior to "Airplane!," the bulk of Nielsen's work had been in dramas, but directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker wanted someone who could play things absolutely straight in the midst of their anarchic comedy. Nielsen fit the bill perfectly, delivering line after memorable line in "Airplane!" without the slightest wink to the audience -- which only made them funnier. He re-teamed with Abrahams and the Zucker brothers in 1982 for the short-lived series "Police Squad!," which parodied the stolid cop shows of the era (some of which Nielsen had previously guest-starred on) with the same brilliance. The show lasted only six episodes, though it did earn Nielsen an Emmy nomination for best actor in a comedy series. His character, Frank Drebin, would live on in three "Naked Gun" movies beginning in 1988. He continued his comedy career in later films like "Spy Hard" and "Dracula: Dead and Loving It," and more recently he played the president in the third and fourth "Scary Movies." Below are two clips featuring Nielsen at his best. The first is perhaps his most famous line from "Airplane!," and the second is the the opening 10 minutes of the first "Police Squad!" episode. Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: Getty Images Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...-naked-gun.html

A recent update on PostSecret, the addictive site where people anonymously share their secrets via postcard, claims that one of the male cast members of the Harry Potter movies is the unknowing father of a child. The postcard (above) features pictures of Jason Isaacs, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Oliver and James Phelps, Tom Felton and Alan Rickman and the following handwritten text: "One of these men is the father of the most amazing little girl in the world. He's never met her, he never will. He probably can't even remember my name." Felton, 23, and the Phelps twins, 24, took to Twitter to laugh off the postcard. Wrote Felton after sharing a Twitpic of the postcard: "My friend just found this on the web! just to confirm that I can be cancelled out of this equation lol!" James Phelps ("To clear things up, this isn't me. Funny, but nothing to do with me") and Oliver Phelps ("Apart from making me laugh, i can honestly say its 100% not me") offered similar sentiments. The other actors on the postcard have yet to say anything. Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: PostSecret Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...love-child.html

Can any of us really predict how we'd act under such extreme circumstances? In Sunday's (Nov. 28) episode "Wildfire," Shane (Jon Bernthal) considers breaking at least one of the Commandments -- on top of the whole "commit adultery" and "coveting thy neighbor's wife" ones, anyway. So yeah, Shane apparently has coveting issues. He's coveting Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) family hard, and killing him with friendly fire could be the answer to regaining that makeshift family Shane once had. It's pretty sad, really. Shane, not to prey on the weak, but Andrea (Laurie Holden) just lost her sister. Instead of trying to steal someone's family, why not try to offer support where it's needed? She's also single. Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...nt-breaker.html

Because what comes next is three months of nothing -- and recent TV history has not been kind to shows that go off the air for a substantial length of time in-season. After Monday's episode, "The Event" will go away for three months before returning Feb. 28 for a 12-week run to conclude the season. (New drama The Cape will fill the 9 p.m. Monday spot in January and February.) We get at least some of NBC's thinking in giving it the break -- serialized shows like "The Event" don't tend to repeat well, and the network can use its late-season NFL games (including the first round of the playoffs) to hype "The Cape" and hope people tune in. But it's also a pretty big risk to take "The Event" off for that long. "Lost" and "24" had some issues when they followed traditional scheduling patterns in their early seasons, but ABC and FOX eventually figured out how to run them in mostly unbroken blocks. And last season, ABC tried the long-hiatus gambit with two shows -- V and FlashForward -- and it didn't really work in either case. "FlashForward" is the more apples-to-apples comparison with "The Event." ABC aired 10 episodes of the show last fall, then put it on a three-month-plus hiatus before returning it to the schedule in mid-March. Like NBC's show, "FlashForward's" ratings had shown a downward trend (though not as steep as "The Event's" has been) in the fall, and after the return, its numbers tailed off even more. "FlashForward's" first episode back in the spring drew 6.6 million same-day viewers, which wasn't a huge dip from the 7.3 million who watched the final fall episode. Two weeks later, however, the show was barely above 5 million viewers, and it stayed there pretty much through the end of the season. "V" only aired four episodes last fall before its long break, but its audience also eroded in the spring. The first episode back drew 7.3 million same-day viewers, compared to 9.2 million in its final fall installment. (ABC did, however, renew it for a second season, which debuts in January.) By giving "The Event" such a long break, NBC will effectively have to mount two marketing campaigns for it -- and the second one will have an even bigger task than the first one. Not only will the network have to remind people who've been loyal to the show so far that it's coming back, but it will also try to convince viewers who have spent 10 weeks not watching the show that it's worth it to join in midstream. We have to wonder if, rather than giving "The Event" a three-month hiatus, restarting the show in January and having it run through late March wouldn't serve the show better. Its same-day ratings are pretty meager (though it is one of the more heavily DVR'd shows on TV this season), and it's hard to envision them improving much after such a long break. Follow Zap2it and Zap2itRick on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news. Photo credit: NBC Source: http://blog.zap2it.com/...entence.html

Unfortunately, despite its obvious quality, Caprica has not been able to build the audience necessary to justify a second season. The remaining first run episodes of Caprica will be removed from the schedule as of next Tuesday, November 2. The final 5 eps will be re-scheduled to air at a to be announced time in the first quarter of 2011, & will conclude the run of the series. Thanks again to all the awesome fans who watched and supported the show, and to the AMAZING cast and crew.