jean smart

(S01E14) "My mother is having an affair." - Samantha

How fun is it to watch the Newlys interact? I enjoyed this week's episode because it mainly focused on the weird trio that Samantha forms with her parents. Those of you who've been reading my Samantha Who? reviews regularly know how my I love Regina because of her snarky lines and craziness. After "The Affair," Howard is definitely growing on me.

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(S01E13) "I can get a guy by tomorrow." - Samantha

This line may not have been the funniest one of the episode but it had major implications for both Sam and Todd. What if she hadn't been able to find a date for the gallery show? What if she found a guy who turned out to be prince charming and not a mugger? Those two possibilities could have totally changed the ending of the episode, meaning that Todd could still be thinking of Chloe instead of Sam. Luckily for us, Sam found Jerry O'Connell, who was trying to get in his car using a hanger since his Carpoolers friends left him on the curb, and he turned out to not be the guy for our Sam.

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(S01E12) "Your friend. I want her. Make it happen." - Chapman

If ABC hadn't decided to air 15 episodes of Samantha Who? this season, this episode could have served as a season finale. It not only sent Sam in the unknown (she quit her job at the end of the episode) but the episode also ended with an important kiss that could have Todd rethink his decision to give Chloe a chance and have us wonder for months what his decision would be. But, thanks to SW? being popular, we will get answers to these questions before the season ends and will get a new set of questions to ponder on all summer long.

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(S01E11) "Marry me." - Winston Funk to Sam

This week's episode of Samantha Who? ended up being quite satisfying and I'm not just saying that because the stable boy kissed the amnesiac heroine (which surely pleased the 52.5% of people who voted for "Sam & Todd forever" in our last poll). We were treated with crazy Regina, romance novelist wannabe Dena, teenager with a huge crush Andrea, and smitten with a potential son-in-law Howard. What more can we ask for? Especially after that "look at what you made me do" kiss!

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(S01E10) "I love you." - Todd to Chloe

First, I must thank ABC for the fun Samantha Who? marketing campaign they did these past two weeks or so. I know that the fun ads during which Samantha and her mother talked about a song that meant a lot to Regina, or during which Samantha presented her boyfriend, er, ex-boyfriend, Todd, had an effect on some non-watchers (a few of my friends asked me what the show was about and planned on watching the show this week). Let's hope more join the fun.

Secondly, our favorite amnesiac is back on TV! Yay! This cutesy series is definitely one I enjoy watching a lot thanks to Samantha's duality (evil-Sam versus good-Sam), very well played by Christina Applegate, and thanks to Jean Smart and the devilish Andrea, played by Jennifer Esposito.

That said, let's get to the important part of this post: the review.

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... Six welcome returns.

Every fall season I get stoked about all the new shows, with cool new premises ("A guy travels through time trying to make right what once went wrong!"-- Journeyman not Quantum Leap), and all the big changes in store for existing shows. But it's equally exciting to see which beloved actors will be returning to television. Brad Garrett coming back to television in 'Til Death last year? Cool! Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer both coming back to television ... together? That's gotta be awesome, right? Jerry O'Connell on Carpoolers ... well ... ? I like the guy, but I'm not scheduling a 'Welcome Back' shindig for him.

Half the fun of a new television season is the return of great actors and actresses to the small screen. And while I could have easily done 10 or even 20 of these, I've narrowed it down to the six talents who were most welcome back in my house on a weekly basis this past year. I've even been so bold as to rank them. Feel free to agree, disagree and present your own lists in the comments.

(S01E09) "Without you, I would be nothing." - Sam to Regina
"You wouldn't be nothing; you'd just be less." - Regina

This week's episode was important in Samantha's life: she slept with a man (thus ending her "virgin" status), she learned to express her feelings and said "I love you," she suffered her first post-accident break up and she learned to be a better boss.

(S01E08) "Having amnesia is like an obstacle course." - Samantha

I never suffered from amnesia but from what we've been seeing for now eight episodes, amnesia does seem to be like an obstacle course or, as the cast picture on the right shows, a maze. Samantha has to overcome obstacles put in her path because she doesn't fully know herself or the world she lives in. She must make her way through life without having a map to guide her. It's trial and error. This week, Samantha had to decide between lying and telling the truth and how it would affect her father.

(S01E07) "Everyday with me is an adventure." - Samantha

That's how I feel when I watch Samantha Who?, one of my guilty TV pleasures. We never know what to expect every week because the lead character doesn't know herself. The series has been one of the most popular new comedies of the season partially because of its lead-in (Dancing with the Stars) and its star (lovable Christina Applegate). I'm not ashamed to say that I enjoy it for its bubbly storylines (we all need a few series in our weekly watch list that don't require us to think too much), its lead character/actress, the devil/angel parts played by Andrea and Dena, and for Jean Smart!

About two years ago, I set out to list the hottest women on TV who are over 40, over 50, and over 60. There were a lot candidates to choose from, even in the over 60 category, making it a particularly tough set of list to compose.

But now that our friends at AOL have decided to compile a list of TV's 50 sexiest women of all time (starting today with Nos. 50-41), I'm going to take on an even greater challenge: making one master list of seventeen beauties over 40. It's not as easy as you think; the TV landscape has changed a bit, and a few new strong contenders have recently entered their 40s, and a few of the previous list members have left the TV landscape. To make this list, a woman has to have been a regular or significant guest on a TV series or news program in 2007. So, after the jump, a list -- in no particular order -- of fifteen beauties who combine looks, maturity and grace to make one compellingly sexy package.

Thumbnails are with the list, but you can click on the gallery below to get a much better view of these lovely women. Then add your own choices in the comments.
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ABC crammed in eight (!) panels today on new and returning series as the TV Critics summer 2007 press tour -- finally -- came to an end.

As predicted in my preview story about today's sessions, Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice) was indeed asked about ex-GA cast member Isaiah Washington, who was canned last month by ABC and then scooped up by rival NBC for a role on Bionic Woman.

A reporter wanted to know what Rhimes thought about NBC president Ben Silverman saying he was in talks with Washington prior to the actor being let go at the end of the TV season.

TV Guide reports that Christina Applegate's new ABC series is now titled Samantha Who? As Bob reported about a week ago, the network failed to get permission from the estate of Dr. Seuss to use the title Sam I Am, which was the original title of the series but also refers to the Seuss book Green Eggs & Ham.

Before settling for Samantha Who?, the network and the people behind the show briefly retitled this series Samantha Be Good.

While critics -- and TV Squad commenters -- may be wondering if Jack Bauer's time has run out as ratings for 24 have dropped this season, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh defended one of his favorite shows saying that 24 has not jumped the shark.

Noting that the show's creators are friends of his who have been swamped with work, including other projects, Limbaugh told a caller who asked if 24's salad days were behind it, that he expects next season will be thrilling. "They're going to be back next year with an entirely different concept about this in a whole lot of different ways," Limbaugh said.

Acknowledging complaints from many fans (I'm raising my hand here) that Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart were wasted this season as the Logans were only given but fleeting screen time, Limbaugh urged fans, ". . . [D]on't give up on it."

[via TV Tattle]

TV Guide critic Matt Roush said he's been receiving a lot of complaints from fans of 24 wondering what in the heck has happened to their favorite drama this season.

Between wasting the fabulously compelling return of the Logans -- Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart -- and the recently cutback on the number of scenes containing the fair-haired American hero Jack Bauer, Roush said he must concur with many fans' assessment that, 16 hours into this season, it's not looking too good.

What does 24 need to do in the remaining eight hours left in season six to redeem itself? Roush says, "A change of scenery, a change of personnel, something, anything to rouse 24 from the dead-end torpor it has found itself in this season."

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent 24 episode*

Jean Smart's Martha Logan was given the best lines during the 13th hour of 24's sixth season. In fact, the former first lady's character may have been given some of the most campy, over-the-top bits of dialog from all five-and-a-half seasons of 24.

While some viewers -- okay, at least me -- are hoping that Martha Logan will stick around, her lines, which were delivered with gusto, are a big reason why Martha's a much more compelling character than, say, Marilyn Bauer, Josh Bauer, Graem "Plastic Wrap" Bauer, Milo Pressman and Sandra Palmer.

Here are five choice Martha lines from the latest episode: