christine woods

(S01E03) I hope that the way tonight's episode was constructed isn't going to continue week after week. It's like they've mastered the big "wow" moment at the end of each episode, but there was a serious lag throughout most of this week's installment. We did get some more clues and hints to the futures of more of our cast, including Demetri's fiance's vision.

Unfortunately, I don't think her vision was as conclusive as the previews of that moment would have lead us to believe. We've got the fiance, Zoey, saying that she saw Demetri at their wedding on a beach while there's the strange woman (what city was that she was in) telling him she read a report that he got gunned down three times. But why could she say no more and why did she have to go so abruptly?

All those little moments throughout the episode were good. It kept me thinking and trying to remember everything we already know as I piece together this April 29 puzzle. What was less compelling was everything with the octogenarian Nazi.

(S01E01) Well, that was it. The most eagerly anticipated premiere of the season, if early buzz is any indicator. Is it the next Lost? Is it as good as everyone says it was? It can be. As much as I liked this pilot, though, I can't say that I know for sure how good the show is going to be based on it.

The opening sequence was every bit as epic and awe-inspiring as the opening moments of Lost. Whereas in Lost we had the aftermath of a cataclysmic plane crash on a deserted island, here we had the cataclysmic crash of ... everything! They dropped us right into the moments after the global blackout to immediately show us the impact it would have. It was like the opening of a big budget summer blockbuster.

It didn't take long for Kelsey Grammer to bounce back from his Back to You flop stint. The Fox sitcom, a high profile one at that with Emmy-winner Patricia Heaton as his co-star, was dumped by the network recently. Kelsey was so bummed out that he even tried to get other networks, CBS in particular, to pick up the news room comedy. No dice. Back to You was a dead shark.

Now, less than two weeks later, Kelsey Grammer has been cast in a new ABC sitcom called Roman's Empire. This is big news for a big star and he's the emperor in the title. He's playing Roman.

Roman's Empire is not a three-camera, traditional sitcom, which has been Grammer's playground since Cheers. Frasier may have been one of the best three-camera sitcoms ever. As an actor, Kelsey's accustomed to having an audience watching him work. Empire is a single-camera comedy -- like The Office or My Name Is Earl or Samantha Who? -- and revolves around a nice guy named Leo (Nick Thune), who's dumped by his heiress-like girlfriend (Christine Woods), but remains connected to her crazy family, the Prettys. That's especially true of Roman Pretty, the family patriarch, an outspoken, outrageous character.