Teasers for the final season of 'Lost' don't exactly make everything crystal clear

These two videos, presented by ABC executives over the weekend at Comic-Con in San Diego, seem to lend credence to the "Lost is Going to Start From the Beginning and the Crash Never Happened" theory spawned by last May's season finale, which ended in a nuclear explosion caused deliberately by the show's castaways, who were seeking to rewrite history. These clips, along with the presence at Comic-Con of former cast member Dominic Monaghan (whose beloved character, Charlie, died a few years ago), definitely appear to maybe indicate that next year (the show's last) may start things all over again. Right? Or are they part of an elaborate trick, some dream sequence we'll see next year, deliberately designed to throw us all off? The Lost producers would never do that, right? It really doesn't matter either way. Fans of the show are once again in a frenzy online and at water coolers, despite the fact that the next episode won't air until 2010.

—Posted by Mike Shields

TV industry reacts soberingly to the news of Ben Silverman's exit from NBC

NBC Universal doesn't exactly seem torn up over the departure of Ben Silverman. In announcing the exit, Jeff Zucker said Silverman "has many exciting things he wants to accomplish, and we applaud him as he sets off on his new endeavors." Zucker then went all ga-ga over Jeff Gaspin, who is being promoted to chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment. Zucker called Gaspin "an extraordinary media professional" with "an incredible record of success" and "a strong creative executive who also has the business acumen necessary to succeed in today's media environment." Translation: Don't let the door hit you on the tuchus, Ben! Noticeably absent from Zucker's spiel: any reference to Silverman's success at NBCU. That's because there hasn't been much during his two-year tenure. His string of flops includes (take a deep breath) Journeyman, Bionic Woman, My Own Worst Enemy, Crusoe, Kings, Merlin and Kath & Kim. Nary a hit in the mix! Others applauded Silverman's exit in a less roundabout fashion, with one commenter at PIFeedback.com posting three animated GIFs (including the one above) of NBC sitcom characters celebrating. Whatever Silverman's record, tapping Gaspin is a smart move by NBCU. The cable networks under his rule have flourished, especially mini-broadcast network USA, which keeps churning out hit after hit.

—Posted by Marc Berman and Michael Bürgi

Will someone save Marie?

Since the rumors are flying about the demise of Marie Osmond's proposed syndicated talk show from Program Partners, let me chime in here. Chances of Osmond's chatfest hitting the airwaves this fall are unfortunately very slim. And that is a true shame because she has experience, she could be a magnet for women 25-54 in daytime; and she certainly has a lot of star wattage to offer. Although stations in over 80 percent of the country have signed up for the talker, the troubled economy may have thwarted moving forward. There just may not be enough money to get Osmond on the air. Program Partners has promised to issue a statement about the future of the show in the near future. But my prediction is Osmond will be pushed backed to midseason in the hopes of the finding the green to get going. If syndication does indeed fall flat for Osmond, there is always cable. Lifetime, Oxygen, WE, have any interest?

—Posted by Marc Berman

To 'Hell's Kitchen' and back

Gordon Ramsay, like pork rinds or a Beatles Convention, is something you experience at least once in your life. I've tried two out of these three guilty pleasures, so that leaves me with one last thing on my Bucket List. I'm diving head first into Fox's sixth season of Hell's Kitchen. I’ve avoided the show for years, but Ramsay's Jekyll and Hyde persona fascinates me. The Tasmanian Devil impersonation you see in every episode would make Mel Blanc and Chuck Jones proud. In a 2007 podcast profile Bon Appetit introduces you to Ramsay: loving husband, doting father. He's an everyman who's allegedly had an extra-marital affair and has three Michelin stars! I admit that I'm also intrigued because this season's group of pan-toting punching bags looks pretty, well, sassy. I’m hoping the series will highlight skill and not just Ramsay frothing over. Either way, I’ll be trying something new and learning some colorful ways to berate people in the process.

—Posted by Cindee Weiss

There goes the judge: Will Paula exit 'American Idol'?

Every summer like clockwork rumors begin to circulate that ditzy American Idol judge Paula Abdul is not returning to Fox's top-rated reality competition. Abdul apparently was hoping to snag a cool $20 million next year to sit comfortably watching the contestants compete while offering little to no valid commentary (host Ryan Seacrest just signed a three-year deal for $45 million), but those nasty suits have apparently only offered her a measly $10 million. "Very sadly, it does not appear that she's going to be back on Idol," said Abdul's manager David Sonenberg in a published report. "I find it kind of unconscionable and certainly rude and disrespectful that American Idol production companies Fremantle and 19 Entertainment haven't stepped up and said what they want to do. She's not a happy camper as a result of what's going on," he continued. Poor thing. With talk already circulating that Abdul might be joining the fall edition of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, here is a word of advice to the dizzy one: SYTYCD is no American Idol and freshman judge Kara DioGuardi can easily fill your shoes. In this case, greed is not good.

—Posted by Marc Berman

Emmy bestows guest-star gold on greats

True Blood was snubbed. Rescue Me was overlooked. And overrated 30 Rock is nominated for a record 22 trophies. Enough already! But what I love about the just announced 61st annual prime-time Emmy Awards was the recognition for three of my favorite television stars: Carol Burnett, Ed Asner and Betty White. All three made the grade as guest stars: Burnett for NBC's Law & Order: SVU, Asner for CBS' CSI: NY and the always busy Ms. White for the recently concluded My Name is Earl on NBC. Together, the trio has won a staggering 18 Emmys (Asner: 7, Burnett: 6, White: 5). And the three continue to prove that it is still possible to have a career north of 50. But if you think they are “seasoned,” also on the ballot is ageless 92-year old Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine for his role on the final episode of NBC’s ER. Nothing can stop the former Lt. Quinton McHale.

—Posted by Marc Berman

Emmy disses Battlestar and nerds everywhere cry out in pain

Once again, nerd/art gets no respect. Last winter, it was Oscar's dismissal of The Dark Knight for best picture that had fan boys threatening an Oscar boycott. Now, Battlestar Gallactica gets shut out of the major Emmy categories in its last shot (the SyFy show wrapped its final season in March). The show did nab several sound and special effects nominations, and one for best direction, But no best drama nod (despite six nominations up for grabs), and no acting awards. That was in spite of the show's continued brilliance this season, which culminated in a thrilling season finale. We're not talking about Sci Fi cheese like Xena or Hercules here. Battlestar won a Peabody award three years ago and inspired a discussion on human rights at the United Nations for God's sake. If not the show, didn't any of the shows performers warrant an Emmy nomination this year? Mary McDonnell, whose character battled cancer while holding onto the presidency wasn't worthy? Or James Callis, who was able to elicit empathy in his depiction of slimy and self-serving Gaius Baltar? What about Edward James Olmos, who broke down this past season when he found out his best friend of 30 years was secretly a robot? It's just tough for sci fi, even smart, sophisticated sci fi, to get respect. I guess Emmy voters—who tend to be on the older side—probably just can’t get past the original 1970s Battlestar and the dorky toys it inspired.

— Posted by Mike Shields

'Big Brother' and its tattoo view

If you’re a fan of The Marx Brothers (I certainly am), you might recall the lyrics to "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" sung by wiseacre Groucho in 1939 theatrical At the Circus. It went something like this: "Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia? Lydia the Tattooed Lady. She has eyes that folks adore so, and a torso even more so. Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclopedia. Oh Lydia the queen of tattoo. On her back is The Battle of Waterloo. Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too. And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue. You can learn a lot from Lydia! La-la-la...la-la-la. La-la-la...la-la-la." Fans of CBS' Big Brother, of course, have a new version of Lydia the Tattooed Lady: Lydia Tavera, the 20-something dish-water blonde covered from head to toe with tattoos.  Don't let the over-abundance of skin decorations fool you. This Lydia managed to get herself off the block (in place of Braden), and could be a contender if she continues to play her game cards right. Stay tuned as the summer's smarmiest guilty pleasure continues.  

—Posted by Marc Berman

Will Richard Hatch shed his clothes for a 10th-anniversary all-star 'Survivor'?

It looks like CBS is planning another all-star edition of Survivor to coincide with show's 10-year anniversary. The network has apparently approached the first-ever winner, Richard Hatch, to return for an unprecedented third time in midseason for its "Heroes vs. Villains" installment. But there is a potential snag. The recent jailbird and current halfway-house occupant can travel out of the country to participate only if the government says so. Any winnings would have to be applied to the estimated $400,000 he owes in back taxes. (Rule of thumb: When you win $1 million, you need to tell Uncle Sam). If CBS does move forward on this all-star edition, I have my own wish list for the heroes and villains. Heroes: Gretchen Cordy, Colby Donaldson, Hunter Ellis, Paschal English, Kel Gleason, Kimmi Kappenberg, Gervase Peterson, Michael Skupin and Kelly Wiglesworth. Villains: Rudy Boesch, Rob Cesternino, Ace Gordon, Sue Hawk, Maralyn Hershey, Jerri Manthey, Judd Sergeant, Stacey Stillman and Jeff Varner. Please, no more Rob and Amber. It looks like their 15 minutes is finally over. No need to bring them out of oblivion.

—Posted by Marc Berman

Dave vs. Sarah: Round two?

Has anyone noticed David Letterman has started making fun of Alaska Governor (at least for the next month or so) Sarah Palin again? Most thought it was going to be a long while before Letterman went anywhere near the former vp candidate, after his much-publicized mea culpa a few weeks ago, which followed some distasteful jokes about Palin's daughter and Alex Rodriquez. But there he was on Monday, doctoring up Palin videos to make it seem like she was saying crazy things (always funny). But Letterman, after getting heat over a joke about Palin's slutty looks, once again made a crack about the governor's appearance, saying that if John McCain had been elected, she'd have been the most attractive veep since Spiro Agnew. Whoa. Careful Dave. You're seriously risking people throwing the sexist label your way. Totally cool and reasonable to make fun of Palin's odd political moves, but I'd watch anything to do with her sex appeal. As a 20-plus year viewer, I think Letterman's a genius. But I also thought he was out of line with jokes about Palin's daughter. I also thought his initial apology was overly defensive and insincere. And according to Page Six, it also seriously irked CBS head honcho Les Moonves. Yes, Palin and her husband masterfully played victim, attached terms to Letterman like "statutory rape." And some in the media got hysterical, like columnist S.E. Cupp, who when appearing on Fox News' Hannity somehow blamed President Obama! But I still think it would have been TV if Letterman had Palin on the show for a serious, respectful conversation. Doesn't look like that's happening anytime soon though.

—Posted by Mike Shields