(S02E11) "This store has a very strict 'no bravery' policy." Chuck to Ned, gun-toting lunatic

Were you expecting a cameo by Bruce Willis on Chuck tonight? I was. The moment I saw Reginald VelJohnson in cop blues as Al, I just expected that John McClane might turn up at the Buy More looking to buy an iPod for his daughter or maybe a toaster for ex-wife Holly.

Yes, the connection to Die Hard was a major theme, especially with the Buy More staff (and Chuck's family) being held hostage by Ned, a supposed down-on-his-luck schlub who ends a high speed chase through L.A. by driving his compact through the entrance of the store.

(S01E11) "My family will be the death of me."

What an opening act! What a set up! This seemed to be the first of the two-part finale for season one, and in this penultimate episode, the writers really delivered a knockout. I think we're finally getting that clash of Mary's personal and professional life that's been building from the pilot when Brandi showed up.

The abduction of Mary was well done because they chloroformed her. If she weren't drugged, she would have not been overpowered. As it was, she nearly got away. Of course, they thought they were grabbing Brandi so why did they need to knock her out? Also -- continuity error -- Russell said they grabbed the first hot blonde that came out of the house. That's not where Mary was snatched; she was in the alley outside the theater.

(S14E17) "I already know. Get over yourselves." -- Archie Morris, passing by a kissing Samantha and Tony.

Ye gads, that was bloody! I mean, we've seen plenty of blood in the ER over the last 14 seasons, but that was one of the more bloodier sessions I've seen in a long time. It was just flowing everywhere. Too bad that its flow was hampered somewhere down the line by a clot because, if everything was okay, then we wouldn't of had a serious spotlight on one Archie Morris.

So, I guess things turned out well. For us, not for the patient. That was actually pretty bad. And, not for the patient's husband who...well, you'll need to find out what happened to him after the jump. So, Spoiler Alert ahead, mateys.

Hey! Do you guys remember Standoff? It had great actors like Ron Livingston and Gina Torres... it just got kind-of stale after, oh, two episodes. Fox is burning off the remaining 9 episodes of the procedural drama starting this Friday. The show was officially canceled on May 17th when Fox announced its Upfronts schedule for next fall.

The actors from the series have already moved on to other projects. Gina Torres, for example, is preparing for motherhood. She and husband Laurence Fishburne are expecting their first child any day now. And Ron Livingston is currently on stage in the off-Broadway play, In A Dark Dark House, and is still the spokesperson for Sprint Nextel.

Standoff resumes Friday, June 8 at 9 pm on Fox.

This summer, Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo will star in an eight-episode series for Spike called The Kill Pit. The series will focus on a group of Iraq war veterans who attempt to rob a bank and end up in the middle of a stand-off. Leguizamo will play the mastermind behind the robbery, and Wahlberg will play the negotiator who attempts to bring the hostage situation to a peaceful end.

This sounds like an idea that's been done before, but I do like the idea of creating a series that's meant to only last a certain amount of time. This gives viewers the benefit of knowing there's a impending climax as opposed to a show like Lost that will just keep going and risk losing viewers as more and more people give up hope of anything ever being resolved.

The Kill Pit was written by James DeMonaco. Steve Shill will direct the first four one-hour episodes of the series.