It’s not just the economy that’s sagging, George Lopez says — even late-night television is in a slump. But the entertainment doldrums have nothing to do with failing banks and foreclosed homes.

With David Letterman mired in scandal and Jay Leno hobbled by his new 10 p.m. slot, late night is a format the comedian and TV star calls “a little bit down and very white.”

But starting tonight, the comic dubbed “America’s Mexican” promises to bring the fiesta. Read the full story

Have you ever been deliriously excited when you’re almost at the end of an interminable task? The preparation for your SATs? That huge pile of laundry? Moving cross-country? Painting the Sistine Chapel?

Okay, maybe not that last one, but you know what I mean. That’s how I feel this week. The agony that is Project Runway season 6 is almost at an end, and I can feel it, almost like I’m Dorothy and I’ve clicked my heels three times. I want to go home, which in this case is New York City, where in my dreams season 7 is better and Michel and Nina never leave.

Which, according to press reports, they won’t. So we have that going for us, which is nice.

As for this week’s show, I have a confession. Thanks to my penchant for peeking, I saw the final collections months ago, so I figured out who our final three were weeks ago. This week’s shocking double elimination wasn’t so much shocking as expected.
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Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

My sister and I have had a long tradition of Friday morning phone calls where we dish about the crafty craftiness of the previous night’s “Survivor.” We used to call it the magical deliciousness. But the current season in Samoa has been neither magical or delicious. Actually, it’s been sort of tough and chewy.

But last night, which marked the debut of the merged tribe, Aiga, was magical. And delicious. And seasoned with buckets of Backstabbing Sauce, with a side of paranoia salad. Because the merged tribes accomplished three amazing feats: Voting off Erik, who stuck his big, scheme-y head too high and got it lopped off, making Russell so crazy that he played his beloved immunity idol, which he wound up wasting because nobody voted for him, and making everyone so generally cautious that they can’t remember who they’re supposed to turn on first.

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Jim and Pam endure an awkward night with Michael and his date.

We all knew Michael and Helene wouldn’t last.

What was unexpected was that Pam finally came around to accept her boss dating her mom.

Not so unexpected was that Michael still found a way to screw up the relationship, get slapped by Pam and end up with Dwight’s dinner on his cheek.

“Double Date” opens with Dwight bringing New York bagels for Dunder Mifflin staff. A seemingly generous gesture, which, of course, isn’t because Dwight doesn’t do generous.

His master plan to curry favor with coworkers in hopes of getting Jim fired backfires when an impressed Andy throws down the gauntlet and a politeness war is waged.

Like all wars, it’s ugly, what with briefcase polishing and clenched-butt walking. Read the full story

It took almost a whole hour, but Fabio Viviani, everybody’s favorite charming Italian from “Top Chef,” said something in last night’s “Top Chef Reunion Dinner Special” that should be made into a T-shirt for anyone who ever enters a reality show contest…a reality show anything, actually.

“Nobody twist your arm to be here,” he said in his trademark sweetly mangled English, to a table-full of some off his fellow former cheftestants from various seasons of the Bravo show. “Next time they ask you to do something, you say no.”

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Because I know that we live by the TiVo, I wanted to make sure that everyone got 12 hours or so to watch ABC’s reboot of “V,” which premiered last night before revealing any juicy plot points. I normally don’t wait this long to give details,  but given the buzz on this show, which won the night in ratings, I decided to just this once.

I don’t consider them spoilers, because the show’s already aired, and if you’re gonna recap something, you can’t possibly know when everybody at home is going to read that recap. So if you don’t want to know what happened, DON’T READ ANY FURTHER. You’ve been warned.

Read the full story

BY LEE LOGAN,
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

Better known as a spy who uses special ops training to help people, Jeffrey Donovan played a lobbyist for the TV news cameras Tuesday to highlight the economic impact his show brings to South Florida.

The star of USA Network’s top-rated Burn Notice, Donovan was at the Capitol to lobby for more state film incentives and to help announce the new film, entertainment and television legislative caucus. Read the full story

Back in 1984, it was fashionable with my goofy eighth-grade friends to refer to each other as the “V” baby, as in the half-human, half-alien, all gross and reptilian off-spring born in NBC’s space invaders mini-series. It was this disgusting, scaly thing which made it both repellent and irresistable to middle schoolers, along with everyone else.

I don’t know if an updated version of the “V” baby will be featured in ABC’s new take on the story, but if it did, it could only stand to ratchet up the excellent creepy tension that laces Tuesday’s premiere. It’s got all the essentials – the hot but mildly menacing leader Anna (Morena Baccarin, the space hooker from Joss Whedon’s cult-tastic “Firefly”), the burgeoning resistance led by skeptical FBI agent Erica (”Lost”’s Elizabeth Mitchell), a human flunky (”Party of Five”’s Scott Wolf as a guilible reporter) and a Visitor double agent who’s changed his mind about the invastion (Morris Chestnut, of “Boyz N The Hood,” “The Best Man”). “Firefly” alum Alan Tudyk also makes an impression as Erica’s FBI partner – I do love a good Tudyk sighting.

Read the full story

OK, let’s see.

Christopher Walken.

Dramatic reading.

Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”.

Here we go:

(Thanks for the tip, Best Week Ever!)

Michael Cudlitz and Benjamin McKenzie in 'Southland', which will return to TV on Jan. 12 on TNT. (NBC)

Cable network TNT says it has rescued the shot-down NBC cop drama Southland and will bring it back in the new year.

Beginning Jan. 12, TNT will broadcast all six episodes that were shot by NBC for its aborted second season, as well as the seven episodes from the first season.

Produced by John Wells of “ER” fame, Southland won good reviews but not-so-good ratings when it premiered last spring on NBC. It was renewed for this fall, but NBC canceled it before its October return.

Set in Los Angeles, the gritty drama stars Ben McKenzie, Regina King and Tom Everett Scott, among others.