Separated by - Olympic Edition

Separated by the 9-0 Area Code
(Phelps' swimmer pal Ryan Lochte and Jason Priestly, aka Brendan Walsh)











Separated by a Cape & Kryptonite
(Amazingly strong and fascinating Chinese rings gymnast Chen Yibing and Superman)












Separated by the Mean Green
(Big-mouthed swaggering French swimmer Alain Bernard and Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno)













Separated by Slightly Annoying Scoring Tips
(Gymnastics gold medalist and commentator Tim Daggett and consumer advocate Clark Howard)













Separated by the West Water Wing
(Swimmer Aaron Piersol and Bradley Whitford)

Sweet Agony

Studio 60 appears to be back on for the time being. Guess NBC is filling out the gap between the prime time season and the undoubtedly crappy summer season with the remainder of the show's episodes. And while it was good to be back on the Sunset Strip, it was bittersweet. To see Allison Janney back on television opposite Timothy Busfield was like a wonderful little sidetrip down West Wing Memory Lane. And the cast is so, so wonderful - Stephen Weber is brilliant! My only complaint was that Bradley Whitford was totally absent from tonight's episode. Tune in next Thursday at ten for the next installment. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Set Your DVR!

By trying to figure out what project Bradley Whitford is in next, I just discovered that NBC is going to revive Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip! Well, by that I mean air at least one episode. On May 24 at 10, the next episode in the series "Breaking News" will pick up where the show left off. IMDB's summary says, " Jordan faces a scare with her pregnancy. Tom must deal with a crisis. Matt's drug habit is no longer a secret." NBC's site notes that Allison Janney (my hero C.J. from Sorkin's The West Wing) will be guest starring as the show's host. No subsequent airings are listed on IMDB or NBC, but I recall that there were between 5-10 episodes that never aired. I'll take what I can get. Woohoo!

Studio 60 Gets 86ed

I could feel it coming. I mean, really. As soon as I got attached, I knew that it was going to be doomed. Like Carnivale - cancelled. And as an aside to HBO - I'm still wondering if Jonesy died. Like the perfume I wear - discontinued. Like the string of hairdressers I've left behind me in Wilmywood - lost, missing, abandoned, incarcerated. Studio 60 is airing its last episode tonight in favor of a replacement drama. A new mob show created by Paul Haggis of Crash fame. So tune in tonight and bid farewell to Danny and Matt, Harriet and Jordan. And Aaron Sorkin's brilliance. And sadly, sadly, my weekly installment of Bradley Whitford. Mondays just got more Mondayish.

Studio Save Me

I just heard that Studio 60 has been saved by the NBC network execs and a full season has been ordered - 22 episodes. NBC prez Kevin Reilly is standing behind the show, keeping it in its Monday night time slot and declaring that he thinks the show will find its viewership. I think he must be watching and feels like he ought to be noble and live up to what the show is suggesting. Or maybe my letter had some effect. Whatever the reason, this is the best thing that's happened this week - I was worried that I might have to end my affair with Bradley Whitford. So Studio 60, in the words of Tim Gunn, carry on!

Tonight on NBC

Another stellar episode of Studio 60. Although I might be developing an overly large crush on Bradley Whitford. Eh, what's done is done. They're doing a brilliant job of hints and allegations about all the relationships between the characters and creating a sense of tension through the whole show. I admire them for eeking out the storylines instead of trying to spill out all the back story in the first few episodes. Mystery is where it's at. And great laughs. Next week's episode looks even better.

Also, JOHN MAYER is on the Tonight Show tonight. And YES, I am staying up to watch. Because I'm a good fan like that. Review tomorrow - even if I am the only one reading this blog who cares.

My Return to Network Television

They sometimes make fun of me at the office because I often say that the network channels don't exist to me. I can't think of the last show I watched consistently on one of the major networks. (Confession: I didn't watch "The West Wing" until the last season after catching up on reruns during Bravo's Marathon Mondays.) But I'm back!


Studio 60 on the Sunset strip is smart and funny. Great cast. Great writing. And a version of Timothy Busfield that looks strangely like Kevin Costner. Killer opening scene with the kind of monologue I wish I had written. Bradley Whitford as witty and clever and strangely attractive as ever and Matthew Perry with a stellar performance as not Chandler. Steven Weber (of "Wings" fame!) as the calculating show creator. First episode closed with "Under Pressure." Need I say more? WATCH IT!

Y'all Help Me Out Now

Please, kind readers, help me bring Bradley Whitford back to television. I've been a little distresssed since The West Wing wrapped last year. I mean, I know Josh Lyman and Donna Moss are in some alternate TV universe making cute little political babies. But, I need my Bradley Whitford. He's unconventionally handsome - or maybe just so quirky that he's really attractive. Tune in to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip tomorrow night at 10 on NBC. Also in store - Amanda Peet's first non-topless role in years.