how did i not know about this?

...or did I know about this and think it was a dream? Allison Janney has a secret role in the May 11th episode of Lost called "Across the Sea". Two of my favorite things coming together. A mild explosion just occurred in my brain.

Thanks to Will Keck at TV Guide Magazine for the juicy tease story about Allison's role in one of the last episodes of the series. Read it!

Not too spoilerly highlights from the article...

No one's officially saying what role she'll be playing in the episode.

This episode should provide a lot of answers about Jacob, Man in Black, and their histories.

The writers practically (and geniusly) wrote this part for her not expecting her to do it.

She went out of her way to make her schedule work. Seriously, how awesome is Ms. Janney?!

a peek at lowe on parks & rec

Thanks Ausiello for this first glimpse of Rob Lowe on Parks & Recreation. I'm super excited for him to join the show. I've been loving this season, but I do think they could use some fresh blood. The effort to fit Ann and Mark into each episode is starting to seem awkward (Paul Schneider is leaving the show, so I assume a breakup is looming). Hopefully, Lowe and fellow newcomer Adam Scott will only enhance a show that has secured a spot among my favorite comedies.

For a little scoop from Ausiello: But Lowe’s character, Chris Traeger, will be brought in to fix Pawnee's budgest crisis. He will win everyone over with his “very optimistic, positive, forward-thinking” attitude, according to EP Michael Schur. Sounds a lot like our friend Miss Knope.

best food ever

I'm not necessarily a lover of food shows. I never took to Top Chef like I thought I would. But two things excite me about Best Food Ever, the new food series from TLC: John Goodman and sandwiches.

The series, premiering May 3rd with an episode entirely devoted to sandwiches (which, let's face it, is the best thing about having opposable thumbs), will feature popular dishes and restaurants from across the country.

And John Goodman narrates.

Mr. Goodman, if you know what's good for you, you'll visit Flo's Clam Shack in Newport, Rhode Island. Order steamers, clamcakes, and chowder. Dipping is encouraged.

missed connections documentary

Not TV-related really, but this sort of fascinates me.

conan's big news

He found a home!


Conan has signed a deal for an 11:00 show 4 nights a week on TBS*. Not many people saw that coming! Rumors of FOX or possibly a premium cable spot have been swirling for weeks. Here are some of the latest details on the TBS deal.

Having not yet read any of the reactions or analysis from smart people who know about this stuff, I think I like it. TBS has been re-branding as a comedy network for the past couple of years, and we've seen some decent programming come out of it (My Boys being a favorite of mine). I've never seen George Lopez's new show (now moving to midnight after Conan), but this seems like a solid pairing, and Lopez has been building some momentum for late night on TBS for the past few months.

I also think there's an advantage to the 11:00 timeslot versus 11:35 for Leno and Letterman. Among the young audience especially, viewership of late night local news is dwindling. Personally, I'd much rather hop over to Conan right after my 10pm shows. I'm not likely to stay awake through the later programs anyway (still love you, Kimmel).

Twitter, blogs, and entertainment news will be all abuzz with this news today. Feel free to post your thoughts here!

*special thanks to Memphis Steve

props to southland's shawn hatosy

I watch a lot of television. All kinds. I can rely on many shows to deliver noteworthy moments every week - shows like Mad Men and lately Modern Family make me want to post clip after clip on this blog.

Other shows fall further below the radar with actors who will likely never receive golden statues, but still deserve recognition for some great performances. Shawn Hatosy's performance in last week's episode of Southland called "What Makes Sammy Run?" was one of those for me.

If you don't know, Southland was a discarded NBC cop series dropped by the network for being "too gritty" but quickly picked up by TNT. Although it remains to be seen if the show will live to see a third season, TNT proved to be a good home for their second season.

There are a few kinks with the characters and storytelling that need to be worked out, but this show has something special that many cop dramas haven't since the days of NYPD Blue and Homicide. The stories written and performed for Ben McKenzie (Officer Ben Sherman) and Michael Cudlitz (Officer John Cooper) have been particularly strong.

All of that said, nothing has moved me more than Shawn Hatosy's performance as Detective Sammy Bryant last week. There were no monologues or action scenes, nothing too crazy, but just damn good, subtle dramatic acting. I won't give too much away, but these scenes involved a young boy who has appeared continually throughout the series. He's a kid living in a gang-ridden neighborhood in a family with a deep history of crime and gang activity. Detective Bryant is trying to save this kid from that life by encouraging his other interests, which include reading books that most young boys wouldn't go near. It's a sad ending for this kid (though not the one you would expect) and the raw emotion and grief that Bryant feels is beautifully played by Hatosy. It's the kind of scene that sweeps you up and gets your heart racing.

I've been a fan of Hatosy's since his performance in the Farrelly brothers' comedy Outside Providence, which took place in the area where I grew up. Shawn, if Saved by the Tube was handing out little golden statues, there'd be one with your name on it. Made of chocolate.

Check out "What Makes Sammy Run?" on the TNT site, which has full episodes available. TNT also runs repeats quite often if you want to catch up on this season. That episode alone has me on board for season three. What say you, TNT?