(S01E05) Geez Louise, there sure was a lot of sex in that episode. A lot. Elmo was suffering from a late fall heat wave... double entendre is intended. Basically, everyone is hot and horny. Except the raccoon.

So... the big news is that Jack and Marin hooked up. A lot. In fact, their first tryst happened within the first 15 minutes of the show. So much for the sexual tension, but I think that's a good thing. I guess the writers have a good grasp on how that little storyline was going to get old soon. Although, sleeping together could just add another layer to the sexual tension between Marin and Jack. Only time will tell.

ABC is giving Men in Trees a little help by giving it a Tuesday night premiere slot right after the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars on September 12th. This has got to be good news for the show, which is unfairly placed in the Friday night lineup on ABC. Men in Trees, starring Anne Heche as a fish-out-of-water in an Alaskan town populated with men, was originally scheduled to premiere on Friday, Sept. 22nd. Instead, ABC will air the pilot on the 12th and then again in its regular time slot at 9 p.m. on the 15th. Not sure what prompted the change... perhaps it was my glowing review??

ABC certainly doesn't seem to be making the same mistakes as it did early this century when it relied on only one show (Who Wants to be a Millionaire) to carry its entire programming schedule. In other words, it's not counting on the successes of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy to carry the the whole network. So, only does it have a full slate of new series to try out on the public, but it is also experimenting with a few concepts that haven't been seen in awhile.

One of these is a new anthology series named Masters of Science Fiction. Created by IDT Entertainment, the same people who gave us Showtime's Masters of Horror, the six episode series will feature adaptations of stories from acclaimed science fiction writers such as Harlan Ellison, Robert Heinlein and Robert Sheckley. Each episode will be introduced by physicist, author, and recurring actor on The Simpsons Stephen Hawking.

A number of actors from current and new ABC series will be cast in this anthology. This includes Anne Heche from the upcoming series Men in Trees, Terry O'Quinn from Lost, and Desperate Housewives' James Denton. Also appearing will be Sam Waterson (Law & Order), Elisabeth Rohm (Angel), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), and Macolm McDowell.

I have to give props to Reuters for its headline for this story, ABC Matches Heche with "Men". As Mandy Moore would say, "that's funny."

Heche will play a shrink who moves to Alaska when she learns her husband has been cheating on her, only to discover Alaska is full of single men (it is?). Also cast in the pilot are Derek Richardson, from the movie Hostel, and Emily Bergl, who played Francie Jarvis on Gilmore Girls. We last saw Anne during an arc on Nip/Tuck where she played a woman in the witness protection program.

• On the cover: the 10 best dressed celebs at the Daytime Emmys.
• Stupid poll of the day: what repeat did you watch last Thursday night, CBS' Cold Case ("I like revisiting old shows and seeing how the show has evolved") or Bravo's The West Wing ("Since this awesome show is canceled, I have to catch the reruns"). First off, what a bizarrely specific, needless poll. What repeat did we watch last Thursday at 8? If we're talking across the dial, why single out Cold Case on one of the big four networks and The West Wing over on cable? And The West Wing is canceled? Huh? This is a TV magazine, right?
• You can get your horoscope (scroll down) too. Though who the hell knows what this has to do with TV. Anne Heche's birthday was May 25: "Anne is still stunning, gorgeous, talented, and straight." Probably. Maybe.
• Play Spellbound. Sort of the poor man's Boggle. But, again, it has nothing to do with TV.
• Enter a contest to win a cameo on your favorite show (if your favorite show is Veronica Mars, Two and a Half Men, Cold Case, Medium, or Girlfriends).