(S07E01) As the seventh season commences, the cases continue. Tonight it's a flashback to 1966 and the events on a ship known for suicides, but the real crux of the show was more current. What's going on with Lily Rush since her near-death experience last year? When the case against Kitchener seems to be going soft, her reaction makes me wonder if our Lily is contemplating going Dirty Harry (Harriet?) on us.

I've been following the progress of this for a little while. A&E has been working with Tony Danza to follow him as he spends a year teaching 10th grade English. Originally set up in Yonkers, New York, the show was shut down after the pilot was shot when the New York school board pulled out of the project. Adrift and without a home for awhile, the team stuck at it until Philadelphia came on board this past Wednesday and agreed to host the show.

This isn't a spoiled celebrity getting up to antics, though; Danza is serious about being a good educator to these kids. Before he got into acting, he procured a degree in education. In other words, this is a real-life documentary about a first-year teacher. He just happens to be Tony Danza.

The teaching profession is one of the most underpaid and under-appreciated professions in this country, so I applaud Danza for stepping into that arena so sincerely. I'm already more interested in his struggles in this arena than I will ever be about the pampered whining rich brats of [insert so many show names here].

Well, this is disappointing. That damn recession has hit show business, too! Cold Case isn't going to film in Philadelphia anymore. As fans of the show know, the Philly locations are like another character, giving the moody procedural a gritty reality that contrasts to the colorful flashbacks. It's really too bad because that local color is missed when it's gone. The shots of Miami in CSI: Miami, for instance, glamorize that program, even if they only drop them in occasionally. That's how it was for Cold Case with Philadelphia.

Before I spoke to Katey Sagal at last night's FOX party, I ran into Danny DeVito, who was conveniently wearing a It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia hat, just in case people had no idea what show he was there to promote.

We talked a little about Asbury Park, NJ, where he grew up, but then the subject turned to his current show, and the new holiday-themed DVD subtitled It's A Very Sunny Christmas. The DVD will be a never-before-seen feature-length episode where the gang spread Christmas cheer with their usual blend of inappropriate humor, uncomfortable situations and general mayhem.

DeVito mentioned the DVD as he talked about the exploits his character, Frank Reynolds, will be up to this year. "It's off the charts. I'll tell you, Oh my god. There's an intervention; I'm over the top they come in and intervene. I go to a frat house and have lots of fun there. We have a Christmas DVD coming out that's off the charts, doing everything we can't do on television. It's like basically sex, and drugs and rock 'n' roll. Anything we want."

What in the hell happened last night on The Colbert Report? Or perhaps I'm really wondering why I attended Monday's taping of TCR in Philadelphia and not the final and certainly most epic one.

In true Colbert fashion, TCR ended its four-night run in the City of Brotherly Love with a big ol' Democratic bang. Thanks to Chris Matthews' big mouth, the nation expected Hillary Clinton's "surprise" appearance, but little did we know both Barack Obama and John Edwards would be appearing as well... On the same night! Despite the fact that this was all a blatantly desperate attempt to get a little Colbert Bump action (Edwards knows it's too late, right? I mean, what with him dropping out of the race and all), there really is no better way to seem hip to that all-important youth vote.

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Back on the night that Stephen Colbert announced that he'd be hitting Philadelphia, taking the show on the road for the first time, I had decided to go to bed early and just catch the rerun in the morning. My friend called me just as I began to doze off and immediately told me that she had gotten tickets for us to see Colbert in Philadelphia. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about, so when I hung up, I just shrugged it off as a late-night half-dream. The next morning, I watched the episode and it finally made sense: We were about to go on another Colbert Report adventure.

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(S07E01)
Simon: "Did you honestly think, Udi, and I'm gonna ask you this question seriously, that you had any chance of getting through and winning?"
Udi: "Yes I did."
Simon: "Then you're nuts."

What strike? An American Idol two-night four-hour extravaganza with no real competitive programming on opposite it? Sounds pretty status quo, though I'm sure FOX doesn't mind the almost complete lack of original scripted programming on the dial. My obsession with the Idol started because my wife wanted to see all those terrible singers the FOX hype machine paraded on our TV screens before the first season. It's had me ever since. Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie, Taylor, Jordin and ... Let's roll up our sleeves and get this thing started so we can find out!

I've got my tub of cream cheese and cheesesteak sandwich next to me so I can get in the right mindset. Philadelphia here we come. And, per the picture to the right (Ben Haar, 24), let the circus sideshow begin. Oh, and thanks Ben for ruining the Princess Leia slave outfit for an entire generation. Bastard! Where's Ryan to bring some semblance of sanity to this freakshow?

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Just to prove that no news is too small when it comes to their ratings juggernaut American Idol, FOX has announced that the two-night four-hour season premiere (EXTRAVAGANZA!) of Idol will feature the auditions from Philadelphia (Tuesday 1/15 8pm/7 Central) and Dallas (Wednesday 1/16 8pm/7 Central). That's it. They'll tell us later what nights to tune in for the auditions in San Diego, Omaha, Atlanta, Charleston and Miami.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as big an Idol geek as the next guy, assuming he's a big Idol geek, but, really? This is your Idol announcement? My favorite part is how they tease us about the other cities. We could tell you now which episodes are which cities but we won't. Maybe they'll tell us ... "after the break." Ryan? Anyone? If I don't know what night Omaha is airing right now, I'm going to boycott the whole season!

Let's face it: Local news programs pretty much suck. Morning progams in particular. The weather guys are never right, the anchors cheerfully chit-chat about stupid stuff, and the reporters are always out doing lame bits with giant vegetables. But, every once in a while you see something that you can't turn off. In Philadelphia, it's Mascot Monday. The local FOX affiliate's morning program concludes each Monday with a baffling segment where the anchor dances with mascots

Don't ask why. Just watch and laugh (video is embedded after the jump). And if you like it, there are a whole bunch more of them on YouTube.

[Thanks, Sam!]

Things are really looking up for Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie on Full House so many years ago. Shortly after revealing that she was overcoming an addiction to methamphetamines, she was hired by Fuse music television to host a show about stripping. Fuse is keeping her around. She's set to start filming a series about malls for the music channel, called Get Malled, beginning on Monday in Philadelphia. The series also includes guest appearances by Justin Long ("I'm a Mac") and Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives. After the series, Sweetin says she has two movies lined up, although nothing is listed on her IMDB bio.

[Via TV Tattle]