EW's Best of TV 2007

The writers of Entertainment Weekly have made their list of best moments on TV for 2007.

Do you agree with their choices? Did you love the Sopranos going to black? The Lost Fast FORWARD? Pam saying how she felt on The Office's beach day? Starbucks' death on Battlestar Galactica?

What's missing? Any thoughts on what they over looked?

Check out the list HERE.

Best/Worst Hair on TV

Entertainment Weekly, always with the great photo essays, has one posted of the Best/Worst hair on TV.

What do you think? Do you like Chuck's do? How about Sock (pictured) from Reaper? The girls from Gossip Girl? Pam Beesly?

You can see the list by clicking HERE.

Hollywood WGA Strike Rally, Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Hollywood WGA Strike Rally, Tuesday, November 20, 2007

- by Jon Gus, Hollywood Correspondent

With upcoming talks between the WGA and AMPTP set for this Monday after Thanksgiving, Los Angeles experienced one more large rally from the WGA. This time it looked like they pulled out all the stops.

Hollywood Boulevard was blocked off from Vine down to La Brea this afternoon for the last huge show of solidarity before negotiations resume. With thousands gathering in the streets at the intersection of Ivar and Hollywood (including Tate Donovan and Patton Oswalt *pictured*), the WGA put on quite a show. Literally. In the center of the intersection, on the back of flat bed truck, a stage was set up with speakers, a band and WGA President Patric Verrone, who gave a brief rally speech before introducing Alicia Keys (pictured) to sing two songs (including “No One,” from her recently released album). Keys riled up the crowd before singing by saying, “I’m a writer, too. Without written lyrics, there would be no songs.” The strikers responded with loud cheering, sign waving and chants after Keys finished each song and then the march began down to Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Members of several different unions were also in attendance for the rally to show their support and to celebrate the importance of labor unions in America : Service Employees International Union, CTW, SAG, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Nurses, and AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) to name a few.

There were also two men dressed like ranchers riding horses. When a striker asked one of the WGA staff what they were there for, the staff member replied, “I have no idea. It’s Hollywood .”

http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/

(All photos are the property of TheTwoCents.com. Available for use with permission from TheTwoCents)
Click the album to see all the photos from the event.

Pencils2MediaMoguls Campaign!

Okay, what is Pencils2MediaMoguls?
We’re asking people to use our site to buy pencils to send to the six media moguls who run the six corporate conglomerates.

Why pencils?
A lot of different fan sites were suggesting that people send pencils to networks and studios. United Hollywood and Strike Points met with some of the television showrunners, and together we decided to follow the fans’ lead.

Pencils have become the symbol of our cause: We are putting them down until we get a fair deal.

To keep reading and for more information visit UnitedHollywood.com

Largest WGA Strike Rally of Week One at Fox

Largest WGA Strike Rally of Week One at Fox

Jon Gus - TwoCents WGA Strike Correspondant

Parts of Pico and Avenue of the Stars in front of the West Hollywood gates of Fox Studios were shut down between 10am and 12:30pm Friday as 3,500 writers and their supporters rallied for the fifth day of the WGA strike. Their objective today was to get the attention of the AMPTP (Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers) and demand a deal with the group.

20 years ago, the WGA willingly took a cut on their share of VHS and DVD sales in order to help grow the format. They now feel they’ve done their part, been fooled in a way, and want to establish their fair share of the millions of dollars in profits the studios now reap. From a $19 DVD sale, writers get 4 cents – they want another 4 cents from the now dominant home video format ad also want royalties on the burgeoning internet and iTunes distribution markets. Another 4 cents doesn’t seem like a lot considering the statistic that roughly 48% of WGA members are unemployed at any given time.

On Thursday, a corporate email went out to Fox employees alerting them of the impending strike. It read, “Please be advised that the Writers Guild of America will be conducting a large strike rally with between 2,000 and 4,000 participants outside the Fox studio on Friday…. Such rallies as this are considered normal when a union is on strike…. If there are large gatherings of people around lot or plaza entrance gates, please remain calm and courteous as you enter the facility.” (Hollywood Reporter)

The Teamsters are also expected to honor the WGA picket lines by not crossing them. This would have a major effect on TV shoots and other productions underway on studio soundstages citywide. (Hollywood Reporter)

As I walked toward the large crowd of red shirts gathered on the corner, a news helicopter hovered frozen in the sky overhead, transmitting the images of the writers marching up and down the sidewalks below. A few strikers brought instruments with them to entertain others or merely themselves as they milled about with their signs: one writer stood with a black electric guitar slung around his shoulder and when asked why he didn’t plug it in, he replied that he hadn’t found anywhere to plug it in yet; one writer drummed a drum; another writer walked by playing “When The Saints Go Marching In” on a saxophone (which I hummed involuntarily the entire walk back to my car).

Photographers with their large, beige telescope lenses walked along side the moving masses snapping an occasional shot of the festivities. Or at least it seemed like festivities. It was a full-out media attraction, which was exactly the intent of the organizers.

Cardboard boxes of food and danishes sat on the bright green grass between the sidewalk the street, orange beverage dispensers were set up on tables as refreshment for the Guild members in attendance, and countless signs waited upside down, stacked around the base of a tree, ready to be grabbed and hoisted. Anyone could easily walk right up and join right in. Some made their own signs, none of which were without a twist of humor or wit: WGA Rules!; Suck My Pencil!; an image of Mr. Burns with an evil grin holding an AMPTP picket sign, a digitally altered photo of President and COO of Fox Entertainment Peter Chernin giving the bird.
Spirits were high. Lively conversations and laughter emanated from groups of 3, 4, 5 or more strikers standing in circles, chatting.

One circle contained Bill Prady (pictured), creator and executive producer of The Big Bang Theory. Crossing the lot entrance gate, I spotted Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, Superman Returns) and some fellow colleagues from House, and I asked them for a quick picture. Kal was very friendly and when asked why he was here, said that he felt it was important to be there as a SAG member supporting the writers he worked with on the show.

Norman Lear, the legendary writer and producer who produced such popular sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, was also in attendance Friday speaking to the press.

The rally died down slightly at 12:30pm, but many strikers still remained, walking up and down the sidewalks with their signs. No longer held back by police road blocks, cars and trucks began passing by, blaring their horns in solidarity.

Television and Film Writers’ Strike, Show Runners Rally – 11/8/07
By Jon Gus

TV show runners, most of which are also writers and WGA members, turned out Wednesday to support the strike. Below are a few clips posted on YouTube of the event featuring Carlton Cuse from Lost, several writers from the Office, as well as other hit shows.

Show Runners Rally
Lost & Desperate
The Office Is Closed

[All Photos - Property of TheTwoCents.com. Do not use without permission.]

When Will Our Favorite Shows End?

Hey gang,

TV Guide has a GREAT (constantly updating) list of when scripted shows will run out while we wait for the strike to end.

Examples:
30 Rock: Ten episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four left.

Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are three left.

The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes will be produced. Twelve half-hour episodes have aired, so there is zero half-hour episode left.

Check it out HERE.

Bloggers Show TV Writers Some Love

On November 13th, this blog and the blogs listed below will be on strike for the day in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America. As fellow writers and as TV fans, we are coming together to express our strong support for the writers and their goals. We believe that when a writer's work makes money for a company, that writer deserves to be paid.

Many writers depend on residuals for a stable income, and that income shouldn't be based on an outdated formula which ignores the existence of new media and all but a tiny percentage of DVD sales. The talented writers responsible for so much of what we love about television should and must be paid fairly and equitably, and we will stand with them until they reach that goal. For everyone's sake, and for the sake of television, we hope both sides can come to an agreement quickly.

To further that goal, we are calling on our readers to sign this petition and to contact the following television networks, voicing support for the writers and for a return to the negotiating table:

ABC
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
(818) 460-7777

FOX
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 369-1000

CBS
7800 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 575-2345

NBC / Universal
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 777-1000

After the blackout, we intend to continue our campaign to support the WGA until the dispute has been resolved fairly. Since we will not be posting any new content on the 13th, we encourage our readers to visit United Hollywood instead for frequent updates about the strike.

In solidarity-

The CineManiac
Daemon’s TV
Ducky Does TV
Gabby Babble
Give Me My Remote
Glowy Box
I am a TV Junkie
The Media Pundit
Mikey Likes TV
Pass the Remote
The Pie Maker
Ramblings of a TV Whore
Seriously? OMG! WTF?
Silly Pipe Dreams
Tapeworthy
Televisionary
TiFaux
Tube Talk
The TV Addict
TV Series Finale
Watch with Intelligence

Some WGA Strike News

Jon G, our West Coast Correspondent, has passed on the following information.

News from the WGA strike western front. The letter below was posted on the WGA website from Patric M. Verrone, President, WGA West.

Highlights:

"Our membership support is extraordinarily solid. Over 125 showrunners picketed Wednesday at Disney and an ad featuring some 400 screenwriters (including some of the biggest names in the business) will appear in Thursday's Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Members have come from as far away as Amsterdam to picket and we have received e-mails of encouragement from all over the world including writers in India and Afghanistan."

"Finally, I'd like to address a concern that, spoken aloud or not, is on the minds of everyone. We are not currently at the bargaining table and people want to know when we will return. Before I answer let me remind everyone that it was nearly four months between the time we put our proposals on the table in July and the first time we had a single counter proposal from the AMPTP on new media issues. The companies sought to get us to bargain against ourselves in that time. Thanks to the resolve and patience of our negotiation committee, we did not. The last move made on Sunday was our presentation of a comprehensive package. It is up to the companies to respond to that package. When they indicate that they are ready to do so, we will return to the bargaining table as soon as possible."


You can read the whole thing HERE.

Report from the Hollywood Writers' Strike

Television and Film Writers’ Strike – 11/7/07

Jon Gus

TwoCents West Coast Correspondant

Television and film writers picketed for a third day Wednesday throughout Hollywood and New York.

In front of every studio in Burbank – WB, NBC/Universal, Disney, ABC – writers marched back and forth covering each entrance in their red shirts while waving their Writers Guild strike signs high.

The strikers were still in good spirits, too. Chants and cheering could be heard rallying passing cars, trucks, and Vespas to honk their horns in support.

Reports from NPR to the New York Times put entertainers like Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and John Lithgow on the scene striking as writers or supporting their colleagues.

TV Writers On Strike

This is not a good thing for a website with content that is heavy on scripted TV, now is it? Dramas, Comedies, Soap Operas even Talk Shows are in trouble. We could be in for a long winter of crappy reality shows and reruns.

I support the writers. They are the magic behind the screen and let's all hope that they find a way to make both sides meet up and get everyone back to work!

Writers' demands for a bigger slice of DVD profits and revenue from the distribution of films and TV shows over the Internet has been a key issue.

AP Story
CNN Story
E! Story
Variety Story - focusing on Writer/Actors like many on "The Office"
Hollywood Reporter Story
Entertainment Weekly Story
USA Today Story

I'm SO Torn!!

Entertainment Weekly has a cool new element on their page.

They have a best Emmy winning comedy bracket. NCAA style!

Shows like Cheers, Barney Miller, Cosby Show, Wonder Years, Golden Girls and more.

Where am I torn? I'm down to the final game and I've pitted "The Office" up against "Friends".

HELP! Who is your winner? Go HERE to fill in your brackets then come back to let us know in the comments!

Football Made Me Miss NUMB3RS!!!

NOT ANYMORE!!

In a first for network television, CBS today announced a new viewer-centric marketing initiative to keep audiences informed if their favorite television show is delayed due to sports or news overrun. CBS Eye-lert, which launches this fall, will enable viewers to be notified via email and text message if the start time of a program will be delayed.

Through the coordination of CBS Interactive, broadcast operations, email and phone systems, viewers can subscribe to CBS Eye-lert by registering on CBS.com, CBSNews.com and Sportsline.com. This fall, when an NFL game runs beyond 7PM ET, thus causing a delay on the Network, viewers will be notified by email or text message prior to primetime and again once the specific start time of the primetime show has been determined. That way they can adjust their viewing or recording plans.

"Scheduling delays from sports overruns and breaking news are a fact of life in network television and the CBS Eye-lert is a great way to reach audiences in real-time so they can stay current with their favorite show," commented George Schweitzer, President of the CBS Marketing Group. "CBS Eye-lert is literally a game changer for our audience, so when the Jets run long, 'Cold Case' viewers won't come up short."

VeriSign will provide the wireless component that will enable any mobile phone user to receive a text message informing them if there are delays in the CBS program schedule.

CBS Announces Its 2007 Fall Premiere Schedule

CBS today announced plans for the premieres of its new and returning series which includes the early debut of its freshman reality series KID NATION, as well as SURVIVOR: CHINA and most of its Sunday lineup during the week of Sept. 17. The Network will launch the remainder of its schedule beginning Monday, Sept. 24, the official start of the 2007-2008 season.

CBS's new reality series KID NATION premieres Wednesday, Sept. 19 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) followed the next night with the debut of SURVIVOR: CHINA, Thursday, Sept. 20 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

Premiering on Sunday, Sept. 23 are the 40th season of 60 MINUTES, the longest running and highest rated newsmagazine (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT), the fifth season of COLD CASE (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and sophomore drama SHARK in its new time period (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

VIVA LAUGHLIN, the new mystery drama with music, will have a special preview on Thursday, Oct. 18 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) following CSI before moving to its regular Sunday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) time period on Oct. 21 to take advantage of a two week window in the schedule without football overruns.

CBS's new season rollout begins in earnest on Monday, Sept. 24 with the third season debut of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT), the series premiere of the new comedy THE BIG BANG THEORY (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT), the fifth season premiere of television's Number One comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN (9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT), the return of last season's Number One new comedy RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the sixth season premiere of CSI: MIAMI (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), the night's Number One drama.

NCIS begins its fifth season on Tuesday, Sept. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the third season premiere of THE UNIT (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the series debut of CANE (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS premieres its Wednesday dramas on Sept. 26 with the third season of CRIMINAL MINDS (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the fourth season premiere of CSI: NY (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

Television's Number One scripted program, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, returns for its eighth season on Thursday, Sept. 27 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the sixth season premiere of WITHOUT A TRACE (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) which returns to its former time period.

The Network's top rated Friday lineup returns on Sept. 28 with the third season premiere of GHOST WHISPERER (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), the debut of the new drama MOONLIGHT (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the fourth season premiere of NUMB3RS (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

48 HOURS MYSTERY returns for a new season on Saturday, Sept. 29 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS's 2007-2008 Premiere Dates

Wednesday, Sept. 19
8:00-9:00 PM KID NATION (Series Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 20
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR: CHINA (15th Installment Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 23
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES (40th Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM COLD CASE (5th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM SHARK (2nd Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 24
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (3rd Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN (5th Season Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (2nd Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI (6th Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 25
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (5th Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM THE UNIT (3rd Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM CANE (Series Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 26
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS (3rd Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY (4th Season Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 27
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (8th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM WITHOUT A TRACE (6th Season Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 28
8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER (3rd Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM MOONLIGHT (Series Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS (4th Season Premiere)

Saturday, Sept. 29
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY (Season Premiere)

Thursday, Oct. 18
10:00-11:00 PM VIVA LAUGHLIN (Special Preview)

Sunday, Oct. 21
8:00-9:00 PM VIVA LAUGHLIN (Time Period Premiere)

NBC's ALL-STAR Blog!

So, NBC had a big party, invited cast members of their new and returning shows, the press and YOU!

They did a live blog from the event a bunch of cast members showed up to blog on NBC.com!

You can check it out HERE.

"House" Gets Some New Faces

Five actors have been cast in Season Four of the Emmy Award-winning series HOUSE, which premieres Tuesday, Sept. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Olivia Wilde (“The Black Donnellys,” “The O.C.”), Kal Penn (24, “The Namesake,” “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle”), Peter Jacobson (“The Starter Wife,” “Law & Order”), Anne Dudek (“Big Day”) and Edi Gathegi (“Lincoln Heights,” “Gone Baby Gone”) play candidates for a fellowship opportunity with Dr. House. The actors have been cast for an undetermined number of episodes.

HOUSE stars Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant diagnostician who thrives on the challenge of solving medical puzzles to save lives. In the Season Three finale, the set-in-his-ways House was confronted with a series of major changes to his team – neurologist Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) left Princeton Plainsboro because he didn’t want to turn into House; House randomly fired old-money intensivist Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), claiming he learned everything he’s going to learn during the past three years, or nothing at all; and immunologist Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) resigned, knowing House will be completely unaffected by her decision. But any effects of this “house-cleaning” on House, or the changes it may bring to House professionally or personally, remain to be seen…

During the recently completed 2006-07 season, HOUSE ranked as the No. 1 scripted series in Adults 18-49 and the overall No. 3 show in Adults 18-49 (behind only the Tuesday and Wednesday airings of AMERICAN IDOL). HOUSE ranks as FOX’s No. 1 scripted program across the majority of key demos, including Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Teens; ranks No. 1 in its Tuesday 9:00 PM time period among all key demos; and is the only scripted series to rank among primetime’s Top 5 programs across Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Teens.

ABC Finally Gives Us A Conclusion to "The Nine"

Starting August 1, "The Nine" will be back to air the rest of its season. Starting with an episode called "Turning Point" and running for six consecutive episodes to the Season/Series finale on September 5th.

"Turning Point” -- Eight of the nine are brought to the District Attorney’s office to relive the security guard’s murder, Kathryn is offered an endorsement by the Mayor for District Attorney, and Lizzie becomes aware of the relationship between Jeremy and Franny.

“The Nine” stars Lourdes Benedicto (read her TwoCents & Five Questions) as Eva Rios, John Billingsley as Egan Foote, Jessica Collins as Lizzie Miller, Tim Daly as Nick Cavanaugh, Dana Davis as Felicia Jones, Camille Guaty as Franny Rios, Chi McBride as Malcolm Jones, Kim Raver as Kathryn Hale, Scott Wolf as Jeremy Kates, Owain Yeoman as Lucas Dalton.

Recurring: Tom Verica as Ed Nielson, Jeffrey Pierce as Randall Reese.
Guest cast: Joshua Malina as Tim Marley, April Grace as Andrea Williams, Alex Fernandez as Mayor.

Donald and Jerry Back to NBC

NBC was really busy yesterday!

They announced a small return from Jerry Seinfeld and a bigger return for Donald Trump!

Jerry Seinfeld returns to NBC in a rare guest-star turn when he appears as himself in the second-season premiere of NBC's critically acclaimed comedy "30 Rock" on October 4 (Thursday, 8:30-9 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

"Thursday night is a powerful comedy line up for NBC. To have Jerry join '30 Rock' for its second season launch is impressive, to have him return even for one night in his old Thursday night turf -- is just classic," said Silverman.

"I was thrilled to be asked to guest star on NBC's hit comedy '30 Rock'. I think it's going to be so refreshing for me to be playing myself in a show that has nothing to do with neurotic, dysfunctional New York characters," said Jerry Seinfeld.

Also, NBC has renewed "The Apprentice" for mid-season with a creative twist. In a new celebrity version of the popular series, celebrity contestants will vie for Donald Trump's attention in what will be the highest-profile competition in the groundbreaking series' run, it was announced today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

"It's always good to be in business with Mark Burnett and Donald Trump," said Silverman. "I am so excited to offer viewers what promises to be the most explosive version of 'The Apprentice' that anyone has seen."

"The success of 'The Apprentice' has been a great experience for me," said Trump. "I look forward to working with Ben, NBC and Mark, the best team in television. I believe that celebrity 'Apprentice' will bring our wonderful show to new heights."

A list of the participating celebrities will be announced at a later date for the series' seventh season. Contestants will be raising money for various charities throughout the competition.

Play Along At Home!

NBC also shared these cool bits of info for web heads!

Starting in late August fans of "The Office" will be able to deepen and enrich their entertainment experience with "The Office 360." Beginning with the launch of a special Dunder Mifflin corporate site, fans will be able to join and form new branches as part of an online job fair. Once branches are established, weekly tasks will be assigned from "Corporate." Tasks will mostly correspond to topics or events featured in the broadcast show, but will also include online-specific challenges such as creating individual branch logos or ad campaigns, completing online games and interacting with other Dunder Mifflin branches. Through continued participation fans can earn Schrute-Bucks for themselves and their branch, which they can use to decorate their virtual office as they climb their way up the Dunder Mifflin corporate ladder.

"Heroes 360" continues to evolve on multiple platforms this summer. NBC.com's YamagatoFellowship.org will offer a webisode documentary series exploring the legend of Takezo Kensei, Hiro's very own hero. On ActivatingEvolution.org, fans will uncover videos exploring Shanti Suresh, Mohinder's sister, and the mysterious virus that killed her. Astute "Heroes" viewers who visit NBC.com frequently, will learn more about the season two characters as they are slowly introduced throughout the summer through hints and glimpses of future plotlines. Since launching in January '07, "Heroes 360" has had nearly 200 million page views and 30 million unique visits across all platforms.

This fall, casual and hardcore fans alike can play along with NBC Fantasy Talent Scout. Participants can build their own talent roster from three online agencies featuring characters from all NBC shows. By actively playing a subset of their roster each week, users will earn points and enter for a weekly cash prize, as well as a quarterly top prize of $100,000. Each character has an assigned phrase or action, and if the characters do or say this action or phrase - players earn points. For example, if a user has chosen Michael Scott (Steve Carell, "The Office") in their active roster and in that week's episode he says "That's what she said!," they earn points.

NBC's Fall Premiere Dates!

Don't Jump! We have news on The Office's return!! You may want to put a Post-it note somewhere to be in front of your television on Thursday, September 27th at 9pm as "THE OFFICE" is set to premiere with a one-hour episode!

The rest of the NBC shows hit the air like this:

A calendar of NBC's Fall 2007-08 series premieres follows. New series are capitalized (except for "ER") and all times are ET:

SEPTEMBER 11
"The Biggest Loser" (8-10 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 17
"Deal or No Deal" (8-9 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 24
"CHUCK" (8-9 p.m.)
"Heroes" (9-10 p.m.)
"JOURNEYMAN" (10-11 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 25
"The Singing Bee" (9:30-10 p.m.)
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 26
"Deal or No Deal" (8-9 p.m.; marks Wednesday debut)
"BIONIC WOMAN" (9-10 p.m.)
"LIFE" (10-11 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 27
"My Name Is Earl" (8-9 p.m.)
"The Office" (9-10 p.m.)
"ER" (10-11 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 28
"Deal or No Deal" (moves to new day, 8-9 p.m.)
"Las Vegas" (9-11 p.m.)

OCTOBER 4
"30 Rock" (8:30-9 p.m.)

OCTOBER 5
"Friday Night Lights" (9-10 p.m.)

OCTOBER 25
"Scrubs" (9:30-10 p.m.)

CBS and Mandy Speak About Criminal Minds

This was just released by CBS.

ON BEHALF OF ABC STUDIOS AND CBS PARAMOUNT NETWORK TELEVISION:
"Last week, Mandy Patinkin asked to be released from his role on Criminal Minds. We have honored this request, which was not in any way connected to contract renegotiations or salary issues. His departure from the series will be explained to audiences in an episode to be filmed in the near future and broadcast early next season. We thank Mandy for helping to make Criminal Minds a strong and successful series, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors. A new character will be added to the series for next season."

ON BEHALF OF MANDY PATINKIN:
"Due to creative differences, Mandy has asked not to return to Criminal Minds this season. Mandy would like to thank the studios and network for releasing him from the series and he wishes the cast and crew continued success in all of their endeavors and looks forward to continuing to work with the Disney and CBS companies in other capacities in the future."