ABC has cast some familiar television faces in an ambitious family-oriented pilot called Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas. The West Wing's Janel Moloney (yes, she's done other stuff, too, but to me she's still Donna) and Patrick Breen (who's been on lots of shows like Eli Stone and The West Wing, too), will play the adopted parents of Gwen Malloy, the star of Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas. Jodelle Ferland, a 13-year-old veteran has landed the Gwen role, and the show will revolve around her. Ferland is a vet, having appeared in features like Tideland, a Terry Gilliam film, Dark Angel and The Collector. On TV, she was in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital.

Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is being talked up as a Harry Potter meets Pan's Labyrinth, although the plot also has elements of Nim's Island in there, if you ask me. Gwen is an adventurous kid who discovers a magic atlas. The atlas is the key to a secret world beneath our own reality.

(S04E10) "Who's that from?" -- Kutner

"Santa, of course. Don't you know that I worship him? Oh wait, that's Satan. Sorry, I get them confused." -- House

Well, maybe it was the fact that I haven't seen an episode of House in nearly two months, but dear ol' Greggie seemed more cynical than his normal cynical self. Most likely it was due to the holidays. You know, the holidays that came and went over a month ago. I know that FOX is trying to save as many episodes of its hit shows as possible, but it would have been nice if they aired the House Christmas episode around, you know, Christmas.

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