orpheus

This story hits a little too close to home for me since I'm a native New Orleanian and have spent more time at Mardi Gras parades than most of the floats in the parade. So forgive my impertinence if things get a little too personal in this post.

The Krewe of Orpheus should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for pulling their invitation to Carlos Mencia to ride in this year's parade. Then it should be immediately stripped for not having the decency to not invite him in the first place.

Here's how it works. Three of the biggest Mardi Gras parades called "Super Krewes" invite big name celebrities to ride in their parades the weekend before Fat Tuesday. No, Fat Tuesday is not the nickname people have for your mother's birthday. It's the actual Mardi Gras day.

'Tis the season to kiss television networks' butts. January is a big month in Los Angeles, when writers and producers are pitching their show ideas to all the networks. This week, networks placed their orders for a whole bunch of new dramas, including some created by well-knowns such as J.J. Abrams and Ridley and Tony Scott. Here is a list of some shows we know about so far:

• Six Degrees, J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias), ABC: stories of six strangers in New York intertwine.
  
• Jericho, Jon Turteltaub, CBS: social, psychological, physical chaos ensue when a small town is cut off from the rest of the world after a nuclear disaster.
  
• Orpheus, Ridley & Tony Scott, CBS: a man's girlfriend is involved in a cult.
  
• Faceless, Joe Carnahan, FOX: prosecutor goes undercover to an underworld organization (a prosecutor?).
  
• Heroes, Tim Kring, NBC: everyday people discover they have super hero powers.
  
• Seeing Red, Graham Yost, NBC: a cop talks to dead people to solve cases.
  
• Untitled Alicia Keys project, Alicia Keys, UPN: inspired by the life of Alicia Keys, the show is about a 24-year-old musician who grew up in Hell's Kitchen.
• Underfunded, David Breckman & Rob Abrash, USA: a brilliant agent for the Canadian Secret Service solves cases despite the agency's severe lack of funding.

So... which of these shows do you think we'll actually see on the air next fall?

[Via The Hollywood Reporter]