TV

Jarrah joins dark side.
Sideways: He still loves Nadia.
March on, Locke army.

Yay for new Southland! Well, yay for you, I should say. The episode's called "Phase Three," and it is the first completely brand spankin' new episode to air since NBC canceled the show and TNT picked it up. And I was anticipating this day, until I remembered that me and some other lucky Dallas fans already saw this episode at a January screening.

Yeah, kind of a bummer, but the thing with Southland is that it's awesome. Those of us that have been watching since the very beginning are invested. And if Jay Leno can return to The Tonight Show and beat David Letterman just like that, than doggone it, we're going to make sure everyone knows about the greatness that TNT's bringing us.

The episode starts with the cool, HBO-like intro stills, then we see Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) getting jumped after he and his partner, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), come on the scene of a small riot. We then backtrack and see an elderly man pruning rose bushes in his front yard before a shadowy figure approaches. Then, Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) is on the phone with her partner, Russell, who we last saw shot and bloody in the season finale. He's in the hospital with a nasty scar on his stomach, but otherwise he seems good - and almost like he's flirting with Lydia?

SPOILER ALERT! Don't read any further if you don't want to know what happened on tonight's episode of Lost.

Haiku reminder: Check back here on Wednesday morning for Samantha Urban's much shorter -- and more poetic -- recap.

Finally, the Sayid episode (OK, I admit it, while everyone else was oohing and ahhing over Jack and Sawyer, Sayid was always my Lost crush).

Sayid (Naveen Andrews) spent the entire episode, both on the island and in Sideways World, wrestling with his evil past (Iraqi Republican Guard, torture, etc.) and the hope for a violence-free future. On the island, he confronts Dogen (Hiroyuki Sanada), who nearly kills Sayid until he's stopped by the sight of a ... rolling baseball. Dogen, lovingly caressing his baseball, tells Sayid to leave the temple and never return. And yes! A baseball has 108 stitches -- I learned that from Bull Durham -- and so does a Buddhist or Hindu rosary (not a Catholic rosary, as also stated in Bull Durham -- it's not the one-stop resource for info, apparently, that I'd always thought it was.) But anyway, there's that pesky 108 again. We learn later that Dogen's 12-year-old son was killed on the way home from a baseball game, when Dogen was driving drunk.

PHOTO by Mario Perez/ABC: Naveen Andrews as Sayid on Lost

Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly and Jermaine Sellers all sort of fell into the same trap. It's called Boring. (No offense, because I love Andrew in particular. Not tonight, though.)
Closing out the show was Lee Dewyze. During his montage, he talked about being placed in an alternative high school. But thanks to a supportive teacher and a better attitude, he pulled through.
"I'm a nice guy; I always was a nice guy," he said. "I just made bad decisions."
This week, he ditched the guitar for a half-nervous/half-believable rendition of "Lips of An Angel." I'm still on the fence with this guy (he reminds me of David Cook, only not as talented), but Simon proclaimed him to be "head and shoulders above everybody else on this side of the competition." I think that might be debated on various blogs tomorrow, but OK.

The Duncanville resident jokingly called last week's horrendous performance (and subsequent lashing by Simon) "a great confidence booster." This week, he went back to his original style with "Come On Get Higher." Was it stupendous? No. But it was 100 times better than last go-round.
While the first three judges still dissed him for various things (Ellen suggested he pursue an acting career instead), Simon had only good things to say.
"You really listened to the criticism," he said. "I'm really impressed not just with your performance tonight, but by your attitude and your work ethic. You didn't whine, you got on with it. So congratulations; you did great."
That should keep him safe for another week. Maybe.

In another attempt to make a popular song his own, Todrick chose Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It." But unlike last week, he kept the basic melody, which was nice. I personally enjoyed the whole thing. (Except for the backup singers, who were distracting.)
The judges, on the other hand, despised it all.
"What happened to Todrick, with his unique spin on stuff that was not crazy all over the place?" Kara asked.
Simon, who called him "Tondrick" tonight, suggested he go back to dancing instead of singing "because this is not working out at all for you." Then Mr. Cowell threw the "theme park" barb out, which always hurts. Oh, and there was this: "You're getting this completely and utterly wrong."
Will Todrick be the first of our locals to hit the road? I say no. I believe that we at home were entertained by him, which can't be said of all of the guys tonight. He has a fan base; he'll get through.

The North Richland Hills teen is in a very good position at this point in the show. Not only is he a great singer, he's somoene the judges want to take under their wings. Simon even said he wished he could pick out Alex's songs for him. Wow.
But Alex is also "possibly our most nervous contestant," as Ryan pointed out. Last week those nerves were on full display, but tonight, all was under control. Sitting on a stool with his guitar and singing "Everybody Knows," he came across as very talented and oh-so-cute to teenage girls everywhere. (Despite the mullet. And that's difficult to pull off.)
Ellen, who'd compared him to an unripe banana last week, believes that banana has been placed in a paper bag. (Meaning it's now fully ripe.)
"Underneath that mullet is a little Sam Cooke voice," she added. "Out of everybody here, you have the most unique style. I like it."
Kara said he has "an incredible recording voice. People would kill to have that tone." As for Simon, he advised Alex to develop a "killer instinct" so he can fight to win this thing.
See? They absolutely adore him. As do lots of other folks, I'm assuming.

I love that our locals are so darned likable. Casey, the 27-year-old from Fort Worth, said in his montage that he a) has never watched American Idol; b) hasn't had a TV for most of his life (a lightning storm blew out their set when he was 7 and they never got around to replacing it); c) bought and restored his house ("It's a tiny little house, but it's home so I love it"); and d) has a mysterious pre-show ritual that involves something hidden in a small box.
As for his performance, he went with "I Don't Want To Be," which we longtime Idol watchers are sick of at this point. But hey, we've never seen someone wail away on an electric guitar whilst singing! So that was fun. It seemed to me like a complete performance rather than a simple singing audition.
Randy loved it, Ellen noted a "stiffness" about him (I'd agree with that), Kara felt he took two steps backward and Simon agreed with Kara.
"You've turned into somebody who can be seen in any bar in America -- somebody trying to be a rock star," he said.
No worries. I predict fans at home were impressed enough to vote a'plenty.

Poor guy can't seem to get a break. During his montage, he mentioned his band, Purple Haze, and how they're missing him as the lead singer.
Oh, and about last week: "Standing up there while the judges rip on you? That was something else."
Hopefully he was ready for more. After a sleepy rendition of John Mayer's "Gravity," the panel all agreed that it wasn't terrific. But Simon was the only one who really lashed out.
"I think Purple Haze may get their lead singer back this week," he said, calling it a "so-what performance." Ouch. (But true.)

At the start of the show, Ryan reported that Crystal Bowersox was taken to the hospital "and under doctor's orders will not be able to perform tonight." Apparently, she will bounce back completely by tomorrow. Which makes one wonder what her mysterious ailment could be.
So the guys might be at a disadvantage; they learned at 10 a.m. today that they'd be performing tonight. First up: Michael Lynche, who performed James Brown's "It's a Man's World" with bravado. I thougth it was a little boring, but the judges were giddy. Simon said the performance "was like going from a pussycat to a lion in one week." I suppose.

Ali Fedotowsky didn't win the heart of Bachelor Jake Pavelka, but she'll get another chance to search for a mate on TV as star of ABC's The Bachelorette when that new season starts May 24.

Fedotowsky, 25, was a frontrunner on the just-finished Bachelor, but left to keep her job. She had second thoughts, but was told it was too late to rejoin the show.

She's looking for "a reliable, funny and humble guy who can challenge her," ABC says.

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read this if you don't want to know what happened -- or didn't -- on Monday night's episode of 24.

This will be my final recap of this season's 24. No, the season's not over -- not even halfway there -- but last night I fell asleep watching it. For someone who's been raptly tuned to every single episode of 24 since it began in 2001, that's saying something. And that something is not so good. Season Eight, thus far, has all the excitement and panache of creamed corn. I don't think 24 has jumped the shark so much as rolled over and let the shark eat it.

The first post-Olympics Chuck was one of the weaker episodes of the season - but there were still enough bright spots to make it worth my while.

The episode, "Chuck Vs. The Fake Name," revolved around Chuck's growing entrenchment in the spy world. He had to impersonate an assassin in front of some goofy stereotyped Italian mobsters that had something or other to do with the Ring. Turns out, they want to kill Agent Shaw (Brandon Routh), who's busy wooing Sarah... who reveals to Shaw that her real name is Sam. (I doubt it.) This revelation seems to spark something in Chuck, as he decides to break up with Hannah (Kristin Kreuk).

Leno's return to late night television at the helm of the Tonight Show began with a spoof of The Wizard of Oz. In grainy black and white, Jay is lying in bed, surrounded by anxious friends, a re-enactment of the classic scene in which Dorothy awakens from Oz's technicolor dreamland to find herself back in her Kansas farmhouse.

The difference is what Jay is waking up from was more like a nightmare. His opening monologue made only a few glancing references to the last several months of tumult and drama. No mention of Conan O'Brien, an affectionate jab at David (Letterman) and Oprah (Winfrey) with whom he appeared in a Super Bowl spot, and one joke at the expense of his home network NBC.

Other than that, the "new" Jay quickly settled into "old" Jay mode and tossed out jokes about Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Tiger Woods and Toyota. With jokes about incompetent government and greedy airlines, Jay continued his re-branding as the Tea Party TV host, an effort that will receive a considerable boost tomorrow (Tuesday) night when his main guest will be former governor Sarah Palin.

Oh, it has been too long. What, you ask? Too long since I've blogged? Too long since we've had new episodes of How I Met Your Mother? How about too long since you've noticed just how precious teacup pigs are?

Let's go with the last two. I was excited at the prospect of new HIMYM goodness, yet worried about Carrie Underwood's guest turn on this episode (I know I've got to let her "Christmas" special go, but... it wasn't just a dream). Nevertheless, the American Idol winner was, dare I say it, perfect for the role of a woman who was leading Ted along. Ergo the episode title, "Hooked."

And did I mention teacup pigs?! Try to hate them, you can't.

Before Jake's parents, siblings and siblings-in-law met the final two ladies, Jake blurted out that none of the other girls in the house liked Vienna. Warning bells went off all over the rented Pavelka abode.
But first, they met Tenley. Tenley comes across as the perfect Ballerina Barbie on TV and in front of Jake's parents, so they absolutely adored her. Lots of crying ensued.
When Vienna arrived, nobody was really all that welcoming. Vienna didn't help matters; when they mentioned that she and Tenley are very different, she replied, "I'm not a robot."
"I feel like I'm trying to talk people into Vienna," Jake said. You think?
But by the end of the day, his family members warmed up to the vixen and admitted that maybe they'd pre-judged her.
I personally hope he picks Vienna. Why? Because she makes him laugh; she's aware of his "roughhousing," as his mom put it (Tenley doesn't know that if she sits on the side of the pool, he'll push her in); and she's 100 percent into making him happy. (For now. I'm not saying they'd have the love for the ages or anything.)
Tenley, meanwhile, is not quite over her ex. My opinion. Plus, he claims that they have an emotional chemistry that's "alarmingly hot," but the physical connection is quite a bit cooler. Me, I don't see any hot emotional chemistry with them, but maybe the producers are choosing not to show that to us. They do that sometimes. Keeps us on our toes.

"I need one girl to reveal herself as the perfect girl for the next 60 years of my life," Jake said at the start of tonight's finale. No pressure, Tenley and Vienna! (And what happens if they have a 61-year marriage? His wife can be a total slacker for the final few months?)

Dallas' KERA-TV (Channel 13) has won a national Gracie Award for its original documentary Boyfriends, which features.local teen couples and their relationships.

The award, from the American Women in Radio and Television, is for outstanding reality film.

If you missed it, watch at www.boyfriendsweb.com, where you'll also find information on forming and keeping healthy relationships.

Read on for KERA's news release:

Listen to this week's Talking TV right here or download it on iTunes.

This week, Tom and I discuss the need for a Olympics reality show, Jay Leno's smug commercials and whether or not laughing at Karl Pilkington on "The Ricky Gervais Show" is okay. You'll come for the TV talk, but you'll stay for Tom's imitation of a curling team.

The Wheelmobile, a 39-foot Winnebago that tours the nation in search of Wheel of Fortune contestants, is coming to Dallas. It'll be at the Dallas Convention Center from 2 to 6 p.m. on March 6 and at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth from 2 to 6 p.m. on March 7.

Visit the CBS 11 site for more information.