lily tomlin

(S03E04) There was family dysfunction all around in this episode of 'Damages.' We had Patty dealing with her son, Ellen dealing with her sister (and jerk of a dad), Tom dealing with his in-laws (who seem like very sweet people), and the ongoing strife within the Tobin family.

And swirling around it all was Patty Hewes, who always knows more than she lets on -- but maybe not enough, as evidenced by her phone call to ... someone in that least scene.

(S03E03) "Tonight's been educational." - Patty

Educational it was, both for Patty Hewes and viewers alike, as last night's 'Damages' proved that it can tell one helluva narrative without any of those pesky "six months from now" flashes. 'Flight's at 11:08' isn't the first episode to put the back and forth, past/present/future jumps on the back-burner, but it is the earliest it's happened in a season. Normally, those narrative devices don't fade away until the climactic moment later in the season when everything collides. What we got instead was a bit of different angle for 'Damages' as last night's episode was driven by the characters and not the over-arching plot.

(S03E02) "Yeah, sure. That's Tommy. He's a good egg. I helped him, he helped me." - The Homeless Man

The questions kept flying tonight on 'Damages' as details from last week's stunning revelation continued to unfold -- in six months time, Tom Shayes is a dead man and now we have a better idea as to why. The only problem with that? There are still eleven episodes left, and assuming this season plays out like the first two, we're gonna have to wait until the last possible second for answers. Fortunately for us, there's plenty of other plots playing out as well.

(S03E01) "Do you think this could have been done to you on purpose?" - Det. Vic Huntley

Patty Hewes for the people? No way. In tonight's season three premiere of Damages, Patty (Glenn Close) may have been appointed by the government to recover billions of stolen assets from scheming financier Louis Tobin (Len Cariou), but let's be honest here -- this is Patty Hewes.

When her name is on the line, you better believe that's all that matters. She's set on finding all that money, but it's to make her look good and has nothing to do with the welfare of Tobin's thousands of victims. With a stellar record as of late (Frobisher and UNR), losing this battle would be a huge blow to Patty's public image. So, knowing all that, what do you think about Det. Huntley's question now? Could someone have tried to kill Patty on purpose?

If you thought the first two seasons of 'Damages' were intense, things get amped up in the season 3 opener.

We won't spoil the shocking surprises, but there's plenty of new cast firepower as well, including Martin Short playing a tough-as-nails lawyer to a Madoff-like family called the Tobins, who are struggling with the fallout of their patriarch's fraudulent activities. Naturally that means plenty of potential sparring time with Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), especially with billions of dollars at stake in the season-long tale. Things will get ugly, which will be fun for the cast and creators.

Season three of the hit FX show 'Damages' premieres Monday, Jan. 25, at 10 PM ET. The legal thriller has a history of making us think things are going one way, and then spinning the story in a completely different direction.

The season two finale is a good example of that. All season long, we'd been teased about a showdown between Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne). But did it turn out the way you thought it would?

If you haven't watched season two yet, read no further. Spoilers after the jump.

When Damages burst on to the TV scene in the summer of 2007, it turned everything upside down. Creators Glenn and Todd A. Kessler and Daniel Zelman took a tired television genre and re-invented it so well that it became hard to pigeonhole Damages in the very category that spawned it. It was so much more than a legal thriller and the drama's tense plotting and unique time shifting storytelling technique made the show worthy of scholarly debate -- blink and you'll miss something important.

Now entering its third season, Damages is prepped to turn the legal world on its head again when FX's superb thriller returns this Monday night, January 25, at 10 p.m. ET. Based on the first two episodes, Glenn Close and the rest of the top-notch cast make the same case that they did the previous two seasons -- this is must see, can't miss television.

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have spoilers for: 24, 30 Rock, Damages, Desperate Housewives, House, Lost, Melrose Place, Private Practice, and Ugly Betty. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

Hewes & Associates is getting bigger.

FX announced yesterday that season three of Damages, which returns to FX in January and begins filming today in New York, has added four big names to the cast. Martin Short and Campbell Scott have both signed on as regulars and Lily Tomlin and Keith Carradine are joining as guest stars.

This news has me really excited. Last season, after William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, John Doman, and Darrell Hammond all signed on, I said it was arguably one of the finest casts ever assembled for a TV drama. With these new names added to the roster, this season is shaping up to be just as good, if not better. The only thing missing from this news? Confirmation that Ted Danson will return for at least a few eps to reprise his role as Arthur Frobisher - hopefully, he'll be back as well.

Fox gives 'Glee' a full-season order, 'House' premieres strong, FX sets a premiere date for 'The League' and more of today's top TV headlines.

This is a clip from an upcoming episode of My Life on the D-List. Kathy Griffin goes to see one her idols, Lily Tomlin, and then the two go out to dinner. But the interesting part of the clip is when Griffin talks about having a ten year ban on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and how it was just lifted (I assume this was filmed before Conan took over The Tonight Show). Griffin appears tonight on Letterman's show for the first time in twelve years so that ban was lifted too.

For four seasons on Bravo, Kathy Griffin has been trying to crawl her way off of what she called "The D-List," taking humiliating gigs and opening up a lot of her personal life to the cameras to try to get some attention. Truthfully, though, Griffin has been off of the D-List for quite some time, which makes tonight's season five premiere of My Life on the D-List (8 PM, Bravo) a bit puzzling. What list is she on now?

Griffin has now won two Emmys for the D-List, had a string of popular stand-up specials on Bravo, and her comedy album For Your Consideration, was nominated for a Grammy this year (she lost to George Carlin's It's Bad For Ya). And this season features appearances by Paris Hilton, Rosie O'Donnell, T.I., Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, and Christina Aguilera - quite a cast for someone supposedly fighting obscurity. Plus, her book Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, hits stores in September on Ballantine Books.

(S05E23 / S05E24) "Isn't it just easier to shut down your hoo-ha until he gives in?" Gaby, offering Lynette her method for getting Tom to give up the idea of going back to college

Well, season five of Desperate Housewives has come to a close. I must say, this season sort of meandered towards the beginning, but really gained steam towards the end. The final episode brought a few stories together, including psycho Dave's, and ended with some good stories heading into next season.

Some say the most important job in the world is that of a teacher. And, really, we've all been placed under the tutelage of someone who was literally paid to provide education. But yet, so often, kids find themselves inspired by - and often in worship of - these individuals, young and old alike, who can play an integral role in shaping one's childhood and, some might argue, the rest of their lives.

Of course, that isn't always the case. Teachers can also be awful monsters whom we never forget for their ability to patronize, degrade, or humiliate us, often leaving one wondering if the man or woman in question took the job merely to torture students. This, naturally, can lead a kid to fantasize about how cool it would be to fall under the instruction of one of the following actors who, despite likely not possessing any type of teaching certification in real life, would probably be a blast to spend 40-or-so minutes on a daily basis.

(S05E07) "Knock it off!" - Gaby to a creepy, clingy and too generous Virginia

Last week, I mentioned how I thought the arrival of Gail O'Grady, Frances Conroy and Lily Tomlin spiced things up on Wisteria Lane. This week, they definitely brought on new spice because the three storylines got more complex and twisted. Sometimes, TV series push guest stars down our throats for sake of ratings (see Britney Spears on How I Met Your Mother for a recent example). However, this is not the case with the three actresses guesting on Desperate Housewives. Tomlin is especially a delight to see in her role as McCluskey's sister and Conroy, as I've mentioned last week, finally gives the Solises a reason to still get air time.