We are so close. I’m mixed on this episode. I like the dark character twists. I don’t like the love triangles so much. Cheating and affairs and all that shit … I just don’t know.

I liked “Time.” Poof. It was gone. Not on television. They even wrapped up the interesting “Time” storyline online. I guess, there wasn’t enough time to finish “Time.”

Enter “Life.” With an initial impression that screams: “Days of Our Lives.”

Here’s a sci-fi question: They have no fresh food. They’re rationing what they have. Why are they all doing heavy calisthenics and burning all their calories? You lose weight when you starve to death too.

The interesting thing in this episode was the discovery of an Ancient chair that might hold the knowledge the crew needs to use the ship or maybe even get home.

There’s a lesbian story arc with Ming-Na’s (E.R.) character. I like it. It’s well done. It’s romantic instead of pornographic like most shows show lesbians. It adds value to the story and the character, which is always a struggle in Stargate with International Oversight Committee members. I just loved it. It is the only relationship that feels real so far. Ming-Na, a guest, supporting character, has shown the most talent.

And that’s just interesting. Homosexuality is lampooned on television. It’s debated in most of the country. And on this show, this show that I’ve trashed all fall, there’s a homosexual relationship that’s portrayed as real is real life is.

Also, Lt. Scott has a kid. We saw that coming.

What I also like is the intrigue being shown by Rush and the conflict between Col. Young and Dr. Rush. We actually have some interaction between the characters that’s meaningful.

Let’s go back to an argument I’ve made for three weeks now: If we were in week four or week five, we’d be on the right track. We’re still behind. We’re through 10 episodes with five episodes of story.

Yes, I’ve decided it: I liked “Life.” It sets a stage. Even a seed sprouts in the end, a sign of hope.

Cause, maybe, just maybe, they’re not doomed every week.

There are so many things that could have gone wrong with “The Blind Side.” What could have been a horribly cheesy, hard-to-swallow “Remember the Titans 2” turned out to be a viscerally engaging film about love, family and the importance of acceptance, and possibly the best film of Sandra Bullock’s career.

To put it plainly, this is the best film I’ve seen in a long time. There were points in this movie where the audience erupted into spontaneous applause. There were other times when I had to cover my face because I couldn’t stand to think of what might happen. And there were other triumphant moments when I gave a couple of hearty fist-pumps. I’m not saying I’m proud of it, I’m just saying it happened.

This incredible true story follows Michael Oher, or “Big Mike,” an intimidatingly large African-American teenager who has a rough past and very little to say about it. Through powerful flashbacks, we discover that Michael is on his own in this world and has been living a transient life, going from couch to couch in his friends’ homes.

He finds himself accepted into a prestigious private school in Memphis (the football coach made sure he got in) and is immediately ostracized because of his size and the color of his skin.

Leigh Ann Toughy (Sandra Bullock) picks Michael up off the street one night after school and without asking any questions, welcomes him into the Toughy home. Slowly, Michael becomes a part of the family and discovers what it means to be loved.

The Toughys are a ridiculously wealthy family whose two children attend Michael’s school, and they own “like, a million Taco Bells,” according to the precocious and adorable S.J. Toughy.

Quinton Aaron, who plays Michael, does a superb job. His character is misunderstood, yet lovable, and he plays stupid in a very smart way. We immediately want the best for Michael, even though he barely speaks a full sentence throughout the movie. His expressions, his tears and his laughter speak volumes about his past, his heart and his thoughts.

S.J. Toughy (Jae Head) is a brilliant young actor with an incredible sense for comedic timing. Reminiscent of a young Macaulay Culkin, S.J. is the first kid at school to accept Michael, telling him the girls at school wouldn’t be so scared of him if he would just smile a little bit.

It would seem that Michael becomes S.J,’s constant companion and protector when it’s really S.J. teaching Michael about friendship, laughter and, most importantly, football. There are several heartwarming sequences where S.J. trains Michael until he eventually conquers on the field.

The second most compelling relationship in the film is that between Leigh Ann and Michael. Bullock plays a strong-minded southern belle, a no-nonsense mother and Michael Oher’s biggest fan. Leigh Ann, who is as tough as nails, advocates for Michael in every area of his life. She takes the boy who had one set of clothes and no place to stay and gave him a home, a new wardrobe, a new truck, a career, and most importantly, a family. The audience questions its presuppositions about race and poverty as Toughy challenges her own.

Admittedly, I rolled my eyes when I saw that Tim McGraw was going to be in this film. However, despite a bad hairpiece, McGraw delivered with the best of them, particularly in a scene where he’s studying with Michael and recites a poem.

And just when you think the movie couldn’t get any better, halfway through we get to see Kathy Bates, Michael’s motivating tutor. Bates is compelling though her part is small.

So, in the end, you should just go see “The Blind Side.” You’ll be a better person for it.

A lot of things were going on yesterday. Oprah was announcing the end of her daytime talk show. Sarah Palin was touring the country, promoting her new book and jabbing at Obama’s policies at every turn. Surely, Taylor Swift was walking around somewhere telling someone that she wasn’t dating Taylor Lautner.

But ask most any girl under the age of 16 (and their moms, for that matter) what November 20 meant to them, and they’d tell you one thing: “New Moon.”

At midnight last night, girls were lining up at theaters all around the world to catch the first glimpse of the sequel. Would it include all the important parts from the book? they wondered. Will the special effects be cool? Will there be enough Edward?

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit I was asking myself the same things as I walked into the theater. And in the end, I was not disappointed.

Catherine Hardwicke’s “Twilight” was lacking in these ways: there was stilted dialogue, awkward special effects and some funny scenes that weren’t meant to be funny. Director Chris Weitz transitioned the cold, awkward world of “Twilight” into a warm, emotional and dynamic “New Moon.”

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg seems to have taken a little more time with this script, as the banter between the characters feels natural. She leaves the “lion and the lamb” quotes in the book where they belong.

The movie touches on almost every important scene in the book, which will please die-hard (or Twi-hard) fans. The movie moves quickly, giving about 15 minutes to process every intense emotion that Stephenie Meyer spent 100 pages talking about, so it can feel a bit rushed. But when you realize that the movie is over two hours long, you re-think that assessment.

The only part of the film that was seriously lacking was the wolf pack. Only two of the four have any serious build, and if you’re going to spend half the movie walking around shirtless, you need to at least get rid of the muffin top. Not to mention the fact that the wolf transformations are by turns incredibly realistic and incredibly…not. The wolves sometimes look fierce and other times, look like cartoons, which is a big disappointment if you’ve seen “The Golden Compass.” And there’s an unforgivable sequence where wolf pack leader Sam Uley jumps off of a cliff and you feel like you’re watching an animation from the “Tomb Raider” computer game you had as a kid.

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner have incredible chemistry. Kristen plays the broken Bella very well, and Lautner exudes the warmth of his character. Plus, he’s not bad to look at either. In the end, your heart breaks when he begs her to stay, and the most loyal Edward fans wonder if maybe they wouldn’t choose Jacob instead.

But in the end, the movie brings you back to Edward and Bella, as it should. It ends on a well-deserved cliff-hanger, leaving the Twi-hards squealing until next June, when the third installment, “Eclipse,” is scheduled for release.

We are told at the beginning of “The Messenger” that Sergeant Will Montgomery is a hero. Wounded while earning medals for bravery, Montgomery is rotated back home and assigned to serve out the rest of his tour as part of the Army’s Casualty Notification Service. Will now has to break the bad news to the families of soldiers who died serving in combat.

Will is paired with Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a tough-talking and hard-partying veteran of the unit who quickly relays the basics of casualty notification. For instance: You never touch the NOK’s (next of kin), you never park to close (you don’t want the whole neighborhood knowing), and you always keep your beeper on and near you at all time (“The Army always has to be first. We don’t want them finding out watching CNN.”).

The scenes of Tony and Will notifying the families are beautifully done. Seeing the two try to follow such a sterile and robotic script in the face of such raw emotion is heartbreaking and involving. They are slapped, spit on and yelled at. The reactions are always different but their method is always the same. The film acknowledges how completely inadequate the whole process is, without suggesting how it could be improved. Is there any good way to notify family members? Maybe there just is not a better way.

“The Messenger” could have easily descended into a preachy and over-wrought mess, but the strength of the performances and the sensitivity of the writing keep the film grounded in real human emotion.

Ben Foster, who has recently been typecast in wild-eyed and unhinged villainous roles like in “3:10 to Yuma” does beautifully understated work here as Will. It would have been easy to play the part over the top, but Foster finds a nice balance. Will may be full of survivor’s guilt, but he isn’t consumed by it. When he finally tells his war story to Tony near the end of the film,

First and foremost, Oprah Winfrey will talk on the air today about ending her iconic syndicated daytime talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She will tell viewers that the show will end its run after 25 years on September 9, 2011. Oprah does have her own network, called OWN, launching next year, but we’re not sure what her future plans are beyond the show.

Other news, the season finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” starts at 9 on Sunday on HBO.

Some future premieres to talk about. ABC will start the sixth and final season of “Lost” on February 2 with a two-hour episode starting at 9 p.m. An hour-long recap of last season will start at 8, and the show will air Tuesday nights at 9 all season long. ABC will also launch an online companion for “Grey’s” addicts called “Seattle Grace: On Call.” on ABC.com. The six-webisode series will be set at Joe’s Emerald City Bar and will feature cast regulars including Gloria Garayua and Brandon Scott.

Over on NBC, “Chuck” will start its third season on January 10 with 2 episodes starting at 9 p.m. Then it will move to a regular time slot with another episode Monday January 11 at 8 p.m.

G4, the video game and Gen-Y network will start a show called “Campus PD” with a look at police on colleague campuses on Florida, Texas, California, and North Carolina. It premieres December 8 at 11 p.m.

The kids are paired off randomly and assigned to sing a ballad to one another. Due to Matt’s freak medical emergency, Rachel is paired with Mr. Schu, much to his chagrin. He agrees to sing “Endless Love” with Rachel to teach the group what a ballad is. The terrified look on Mr. Schu’s face, Rachel’s lovelorn expression, and the off-the-wall voiceovers from the kids make for a hilarious combination.

Along with the ballads, two new crushes are revealed (A crush? On Glee? Never!). First we see Rachel’s school-girl crush on Mr. Schu, which he desperately tries to nip in the bud by singing her a mash-up of “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police. The message sails right over Rachel’s head.

Then there’s Kurt’s unrequited love of Finn. It all started when Finn yelled at Puck for pushing Kurt into a locker (“Dude, impulse control!”), and grew while they spent time together in Glee Club and football practice. As Kurt says, “I’m madly in love with Finn.” Lucky for him, Kurt and the often clueless football captain are partnered for their ballad.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Glee Club are worrying about Quinn and Finn and their unwanted bun in the oven. When Mercedes tells Puck that the Glee Club is planning to sing a ballad to show their support for the couple, Puck snaps, “Finn’s not the father! I am.” Quickly recovering, Mercedes puts him in his place, telling him that he might be the baby daddy, but it takes a lot more to be a father. She reminds him that Quinn chose Finn, and Puck owes it to her to back off.

Mr. Schu remembers another schoolgirl crush, that of Suzie Pepper, who was so distraught over his rejection she ate the hottest hot pepper in the world and was in a medically induced coma for three days. Fearing the worst from Rachel, Mr. Schu tries to get through to her. But it doesn’t help when Mrs. Schuster invites Rachel over to cook dinner and clean their house. Rachel doesn’t get the message until she’s confronted by Suzie Pepper herself, fresh from two years of therapy and an esophagus transplant.

Ashamed, Rachel apologizes to Mr. Schu with tears in her eyes. He assures her that some day some boy will love her for all that she is, even the parts she doesn’t like. After their heart-to-heart, all is well between diva and teacher.

Back to crush No. 2, where Kurt is helping Finn stop worrying about the baby by getting him to sing “I’ll Stand By You” by the Pretenders. But the cat’s out of the bag when Finn’s mom catches him singing the ballad to a sonogram.

Quinn’s parents (we shall dub them Shallow and Clueless) invite Finn over for dinner. When Finn asks Kurt to help him pick out an outfit for the occasion, they go through a trunk containing his father’s Marine Corps uniform. In a very touching scene, the two boys bond over their departed parents, Finn’s dad and Kurt’s mom.

In the most painfully awkward scene ever, Quinn, Finn, and Quinn’s parents sit down to dinner. Finn chooses this moment (after a pep talk on the phone with Kurt) to sing “You’re Having My Baby” by Paul Anka to Quinn. The disastrous result is that her parents literally denounce the couple and kick Quinn out of their house. Things are looking worse than ever when Finn’s mom tells Quinn she can stay at their house for as long as she needs.

In the final scene, Kurt tells Finn his ballad is “I honestly love you,” before the two are interrupted by Mercedes. Finn is ushered to the choir room, where the entire Glee Club is waiting for him. The group sings “Lean on Me” to Finn and Quinn to show the couple that they’re not alone in dealing with the pregnancy. Credits roll on a group of smiling, dancing, teenagers who will live to sing another day.

Notably absent in “Ballad” was conniving cheer-leading coach Sue Sylvester. In last week’s episode, “Wheels,” we learned that Sue actually has a soul, which only comes out in the presence of her mentally handicapped sister.

With Sectionals only a few weeks away, there’s a lot of sordid drama to get through on Glee. Will Finn find out Puck is Quinn’s baby daddy? Will Mr. Schu find out Mrs. Schu is pregnant with a foam pad? Will Tina make things right with Artie? Will Finn finally choose between Rachel and Quinn? You know what they say: It’s not over till the high school outcasts sing.

And since there’s no threaded storyline that continues each week, Modern Family is the type of show that you can just jump in to and not be too concerned with a convoluted plot. They keep it funny and simple.

The other guest star this week was Edward Norton as the bass player from Spandau Ballet. When Claire is in a tight spot trying to find an anniversary present for Phil, she has what she thinks is a brilliant idea. She invites Norton’s character to the house as a surprise for Phil, wrongly thinking Spandau Ballet is his favorite group. Phil has never heard anything by the band, which makes for some awkward moments between Norton and Phil when the washed up rocker realizes Phil is not a “fandau”.

However, the star of the show to me is always Manny. That chubby little Colombian kid gives the best facial expressions. In a somewhat creepy plotline, Manny has developed a crush on Claire’s eldest daughter Hailey. Hailey is technically Manny’s niece by marriage, even though she is older than him. The whacky age difference, the fact that he is a chubby Latino kid and the glare he gives Hailey’s boyfriend over a tiny espresso cup, takes away from the creepiness factor.

Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.

• 66 percent say the love story in “New Moon” is the biggest draw in their decision to buy a ticket.
• 57 percent claim Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) is the secondary character they’d most like to see in his or her own “Twilight” spin-off movie.
• 39 percent of moviegoers plan to take off time on Friday – from school or work – in order to see the movie.
• 27 percent of respondents surprisingly picked “Breaking Dawn” as their favorite book among Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” novels; 16 percent chose “Eclipse; 11 percent voted for the first “Twilight” and only 8 percent pegged “New Moon” as their favorite. (38 percent said they love all the “Twilight” books equally.)

“New Moon” hits theaters Friday.

In the news, MTV will have exclusive US television rights to Michael Jackson’s “This Is It.” The movie concert will start to air on MTV’s networks in 2011, so don’t hold your breath.

Discovery has another epic series coming out in March. “Life” is an 11-parter and will be narrated by Opray Winfrey.

Lorraine Bracco from “The Sopranos” was cast in a TNT drama pilot called “Rizzoli.” She will play the mother of police detective Jane Rizzoli, who will be played by Angie Harmon.

According to Schiltz, however, when “Monsters” plays in “New Moon,” Twi-hards won’t be squealing for Hurricane Bells. Schiltz told Blast that the song he wrote will introduce everybody’s favorite vegetarian vampire, Edward Cullen.

“Bella gets a camera for her birthday,” Schiltz said excitedly, setting up the scene. “She takes it to school and…’Monsters’ is in that scene. It’s the first time you see Edward on camera. He pulls up in the school parking lot and…he walks out and he’s in slow motion. And then that’s when you hear the guitar riff.”

So if you think you can’t wait ’til Friday, do what I do: put “Monsters” on repeat, close your eyes and imagine Edward Cullen is coming to wish you a happy birthday.

Watch our full interview with Hurricane Bells below:

Tanya DeJesus and Melissa Unger contributed to this report.

Brooklynne Peters and Melissa Unger contributed to this story.

Fans got to submit their questions before the Q & A session and Lutz, who plays Emmett in “Twilight,” answered some randomly selected questions and made the fans swoon with his charm. Here are some of the questions he got to answer.

QUESTION: How do you feel about being part of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time?

KELLAN LUTZ: You know what? It’s a real, it’s an honor to be a part of something that fans are so loyal to and support. It’s a magic carpet ride. To all of us actors, I think we really are living in this “Twilight” zone and it really hasn’t sunk into how big of a phenomenon it is.

Q: What is you favorite part of playing the role of Emmett?

KL: I love how much fun he gets to pick at Bella, especially in “Eclipse.” Kristen Stewart is amazing. Just to make her laugh when we were shooting and have her crack up. She would be like “I’m sorry Kellan, I can’t take it!” It’s so funny. It’s fun.

Q: What is it like playing a tough big brother?

KL: I have a lot of experience playing a tough big brother. I have a large family and I got picked on growing up and I did some picking on the little ones. So it’s always fun playing the big brother role, especially trying to crack jokes on Rob when he doesn’t get it. Again, we have such a great cast and we’re all, without any of us it wouldn’t be the family that we’ve forged.

Q: What is your favorite non-Emmett scene in “New Moon?”

KL: I’ll have to say just watching the Volturi. I never got the chance to meet them. But Michael Sheen’s amazing. I finally got to meet them while shooting “Eclipse,” and they are a great group of actors.

Q: Do you have any secrets you can share with us about “Eclipse?”

KL: I’m topless throughout the whole movie, pretty much!

Q: What are your plans for after “The Twilight Saga” ends?

KL: I’m gonna cry and be depressed. I love being a part of this franchise. To have all you guys, fans, and to play Emmett…I wake up happy everyday and I’m not sad. But when it’s all said and done, I want to be the next action star. I want to play Jason Bourne.

Brooklynne Peters and Melissa Unger collaborated with Tanya DeJesus on this story

But don’t take our word for it. Just ask the teenage girls who waited for hours-upon-end this weekend just to get a glimpse of him as he passed through the Natick Collection on his “New Moon” mall tour. Even without the appeal of his co-star Ashley Greene (”She’s my best friend,” he said), who was supposed to join him (her appearance was cancelled), Lutz, with his blue eyes and movie star smile, had no trouble filling a mall with screeching “Twi-hards” a week before the release of “New Moon.”

But just a few hours before the Natick Collection madness began, Kellan, dressed in black from head to toe, capped off with brightly bleached hair (it’s jet black in “Twilight”) sat down with Blast and a few other reporters to talk about sudden fame, snowboarding and making fun of co-star Kristen Stewart.

Like many of the actors in “Twilight,” Lutz was just another struggling actor before his role in the vampire series thrust him into the spotlight. With a few parts here and there, he wasn’t unknown, but the “Twilight” phenomenon brought him and many of his cast mates unprecedented fame.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that Lutz plays a lovable, bulky vegetarian vampire in “Twilight” who likes to play off of his more serious, sparkly brother, Edward. Edward is caught in a tricky situation with a human girlfriend named Bella and his overwhelming desire to have her for lunch. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

Those who have seen the movie might not be able to picture Lutz in any other role, though he says it came very close to being that way. Initially, he was offered an audition for the part of Edward, the pensive, pining bloodthirsty lead.

“I had just gotten back from doing ‘Generation Kill,’” Lutz said, “which was seven months in Africa portraying Marines killing people. I did not want to play a depressed, complex character like Edward. And my agent’s like ‘It’s gonna be huge!’ and I’m like ‘Cool!’ *click* (simulates hanging up a phone).”

But thanks to that persistent agent and a change of perspective, Lutz found his way to playing Emmett Cullen, who he claims he is more suited for.

“He’s this happy-go-lucky guy with no fears,” Lutz said with a gleaming smile. “He’s indestructible. He’s this monster. And he just laughs, cause nothing can hurt him…and he just makes fun of Bella.”

Fans of the books know that Emmett Cullen spends most of his time finding ways to poke fun at the saga’s clumsy, red-faced heroine Bella Swan, played in the films by Kristen Stewart. Lutz brought that spirit to the set of “New Moon” and “Eclipse” by ribbing Stewart whenever he got the chance.

“I do!” Lutz said when asked if he liked making fun of people on set. “Especially Kristen…we had some great scenes in ‘Eclipse,’ and it’s fun just hanging out with her, ’cause she’s just such a free bird. Saying the funny lines that my character gets to say and having her laugh when she’s not supposed to…(she’d say) ‘You guys, we gotta go again!’ She’s adorable.”

Lutz shared about a specific scene in Eclipse where, though she tried, Stewart couldn’t keep a straight face due to Lutz’s humor.

“There’s a scene when Bella hurts her arm because she hits Jacob,” Lutz said, “and so Jasper and I walk in, and I say some really funny comments. She tried to go tit-for-tat with the humor, (but) she just kept on laughing.”

Lutz, Stewart and the rest of the ensemble cast for “Twilight” have been working together for two years, giving them time to develop a rapport. But critics wondered if that chemistry would be altered when the decision was made to find a new director for the second film, “New Moon.” Once the success of the franchise became apparent after the release of “Twilight” ( “It opened so high that they greenlit it the next day, which was amazing,” Lutz said) the sequels were put on the fast-track to release.

“Twilight” Director Catherine Hardwicke declined to direct “New Moon,” claiming she would need more time to prepare than the studio would allow. Director Chris Weitz (”About A Boy,” “American Pie”) was quickly brought in, and the Twilight world waited with baited breath to see if he could recreate the magic in “New Moon” that Hardwicke had brought to “Twilight.”

Lutz said that the two directors had very different styles, but each suited the story they told. “Twilight” had to make a vampire love story not only realistic, but compelling, and Lutz said Hardwicke succeeded in making that happen.

“‘Twilight’ is an artsy movie, and Catherine had just such a great independent style,” Lutz said. “She really captured the beauty of what ‘Twilight’ is.”

“New Moon,” which details the heartrending loss of first love, called for a melancholy tone, which Lutz said Weitz was perfect for. “(Weitz is) so chill. He’s so easygoing,” Lutz said. “It didn’t feel like work.”

In “New Moon,” much to the fans’ dismay, Lutz and the rest of the Cullens disappear for awhile, acting in Bella’s best interest.

“All us Cullens wish we could be in that movie so much more,” Lutz said. “But we can’t because we’re sticking really close to the book. And we’re in the movie for the really crucial scenes, but we disappear. We go away for Bella’s safety.”

Now, before the second movie has even been released, the third one is on its way — and yes, there’s yet another director. David Slade (”30 Days of Night”) is following Weitz’s tear-tinged “New Moon” with an edgier “Eclipse,” which just wrapped filming.

In “Eclipse,” the Cullens are back…along with some werewolves, some angry vampires and a very clumsy Bella. This makes for a lot of fight scenes, which are Lutz’s forte.

“In ‘Eclipse,’ I worked so much doing fight training,” Lutz said. “My character’s there for all the action.”

But Lutz wanted to make sure he got in on the real action on set.

“I nagged and nagged and nagged so I could do all my stunts,” he said. “And I was so annoying that finally -– I’ve been annoying for the past two years trying to do my stunts — they finally allowed me to do a lot of my own stunts, which is great. ‘Cause whenever I can do that, I put 150 percent into it, versus stunt guys who get paid, you know, to not get hurt. They don’t wanna get hurt, ’cause that’s their job, so they do it, like, 145 percent. I just enjoy doing them. They’re fun to me. I’m a thrill seeker. I like taking risks and getting hurt.”

There’s one film left to make in the series, but Lutz expressed concern that “Breaking Dawn” may never make it to the big screen. Contrary to the pacing of the first three films, Lutz said all of the actors are killing time while the studio has yet to release the names of potential directors, release dates or any other plans for the film.

“We aren’t filming it,” Lutz said. “There’s no word. It’s a real bummer because when we did ‘Twilight,’ we always hoped to continue on with the book series.”

With the success of the franchise came more big-name actors, like Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning. Lutz said he fears that if the studio doesn’t move fast, they’ll lose their cast to other projects, putting the “Twilight” saga on hold.

“Us actors are having offers for tons of stuff now,” Lutz said. “To get the…actors that are a part of this – the Volturi, the wolves, the Cullens, that’s a lot of actors to just say months before we shoot, ‘Hey, can you guys come do this movie?’ ‘Cause we don’t have contracts. Versus the first three films we were all under contract. So nothing’s telling us ‘hold these dates.’ There’s only a small time frame that we could shoot…because of weather. So I hope they make their mind (up) after ‘New Moon’ comes out.”

Lutz said the determination of the film’s future might be in the hands of “Twilight” fans.

“I think it really matters for the fans,” he said. “If they come out and support ‘New Moon’ like they did ‘Twilight,’ and then ‘Eclipse.’ Because we all want to finish this baby. It’s such a part of us and it would just seem empty not to finish the last chapter.”

Lutz also addressed the rumor that “Breaking Dawn,” the longest novel in the saga, might be filmed in two parts.

“I’d hope that they’d want to shoot it all,” he said, “cause it’s such a big book. If they were to split it…there’s not really a clear line. I feel like if you did three fourths of the book and then the last part or something…but I think they would have to shoot it all in one push. Five months worth. But if they don’t greenlight it…”

Portraying a playful vampire and joking around on set makes Lutz’s job sound pretty ideal. It becomes clear, though, that it’s not all fun and games as he described his taxing tour schedule.

“Definitely the hard part,” he said, “is just getting on the airplane and trying to find time to sleep.”

Hopping back and forth between the East and West Coasts and getting three to four hours of sleep on average, Lutz said he relies on the love and support of the fans to sustain him.

“Definitely meeting the fans and the energy that they bring really keeps you going,” he said.

Due to the series’ instant popularity, its stars, and by default, Lutz, instantly lost much of their privacy to the persistent clicks of paparazzi cameras following their every move. Lutz initially didn’t have it as bad as his co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, but it wasn’t long before a photo surfaced of him, shirtless, exercising in his own gym.

“Being a part of ‘Twilight,’” he said, “definitely opened my eyes to how nuts it is to be a named actor and have paparazzi follow you and crash their cars trying to get pictures of you. And all you can do is be like, ‘Ha ha. Karma.’”

But the sudden fame will have no lasting effect on his life, Lutz claims. He said he plans on using it to pursue his acting dreams, but nothing else.

“You know, I’m not here to become famous or to be a millionaire,” he said. “I’m just very passionate. You know, I might have to do my hair before I go out more,” Lutz said. “(But) I’m not gonna let anything change me. I think fame or whatever it is we have changes the people around you. And as long as you stay true to yourself, everyone else will get a wakeup call and you’ll find out who your real friends are and who’s in it to get something else out of you.”

Lutz told us that though he enjoys his work, he’s eager to get home after the press tour to spend some time with none other than his mother for the holidays.

“My mom’s very traditional,” he said, “and puts up lights and cooks great meals with little cookies…it’s just great to be with family. I feel like a little kid when I go home. I have a little stocking full of, you know, candy. It’s great.”

He said he also looks forward to fitting in one of his favorite pastimes over the holiday season — snowboarding.

“I have my season pass in California,” Lutz said. “I bring my dog in my truck, and throw my boards in the back. It’s a piece of crap truck. But it’s my baby. I love it.”

Look for Kellan Lutz in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” which hits theaters this Friday.

The first three films have been made, but Lutz expressed the fear that if “New Moon” doesn’t get enough love from the fans, “Breaking Dawn” might never get made, leaving the saga permanently unfinished.

“We aren’t filming it,” Lutz said when asked about the progress on “Breaking Dawn.”

“It’s a real bummer,” he said, “because when we did ‘Twilight,’ we always hoped to continue on with the book series. Like you saw with ‘Aragon’ –- the fans didn’t support it enough, so they didn’t make the sequel, which would suck.”

Some may find it hard to believe the the cultural phenomenon that is “Twilight” wouldn’t have enough fan power to propel the series to completion. But with no word from the studio and no actors under contract, “Breaking Dawn” falling through could become a real possibility.

“There’s no word on ‘Breaking Dawn.’ They said goodbye to all the crew in Vancouver,” Lutz said. “Like, a real goodbye.”

The actors of “Twilight” were under contract for the first three films in the saga. But with “New Moon,” the cast expanded, enveloping several big-name actors, including Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning. Suddenly, due to the popularity of the series, the actors of “Twilight” have rapidly filling schedules and less time to wait on studio decisions.

“Between ‘New Moon’ and ‘Eclipse’ I did three films,” Lutz said. “Us actors are having offers for tons of stuff now. To get the…actors that are a part of this –- the Volturi, the wolves, the Cullens — that’s a lot of actors to just say, months before we shoot, ‘Hey, can you guys come do this movie?’ Because we don’t have contracts for it. So nothing’s telling us, you know, ‘Hold these dates.’ And there’s only a small time frame that we could shoot in…because of weather. So I hope they make their mind (up) after ‘New Moon’ comes out.”

In the end, Lutz said that it’s all up to the fans.

“We all fell in love with our characters,” he said, “all hoping that you know, we could continue on…it really matters for the fans, if they come out and support ‘New Moon.’ Because we all want to finish this baby. It’s such a part of us, and it would just seem empty not to finish the last chapter.”

TBS’s new “The Very Funny Show” will debut November 19 at midnight, featuring stand-up comics talking about life on tour. The show will follow “Lopez Tonight.”

The CW is developing a medical school drama called “HMS.” Word is that Hayden Panettiere will executive produce it.

That’s it today. A worthless Browns/Ravens game is on “Monday Night Football” tonight. Enjoy.

Or so declared Ben Folds during his Nov. 5 show at Brandeis University’s Shapiro Gymnasium. As it turned out, Folds and his piano were all he needed to prove himself right.

For nearly two hours, the T-shirt-clad Folds belted almost all his classics, along with a couple of newer songs, to the delight of a sing-along crowd comprised mostly of college students. Folds uses every key of his instrument with the fervor and intricacy of a concert pianist, resulting in a fullness of sound that more than did justice to his many multi-instrument studio recordings. Folds once again showed why he singlehandedly made the piano cool again in rock music.

That is, when he wasn’t breaking the Steinway on which he played.

Folds’ merciless pounding ultimately proved to be too much for the Brandeis-owned baby grand. After a low D went dead mid-way through the show, Folds caused what he admitted was a first: a black key completely broke off, which the bespectacled rocker held up to the amusement of everyone in attendance. But the show went on without even the slightest hiccup, displaying the showmanship Folds has become well known for in his live performances.

The Brandeis appearance – which was his second show on the Waltham university’s basketball court – almost didn’t happen. Folds told the audience that he turned down the gig twice before receiving a letter “from a very nice young lady” begging him to come to Brandeis. An attempt at covering a song written by friend and former bandmate nicknamed Snüzz proved to be one of the show’s sweeter moments, with Folds teaching the crowd the song’s refrain and then asking someone with a video camera to record the tribute and post it on YouTube for his friend.

Part of Folds’ appeal – besides his boyish, silky-smooth vocals and his complete mastery of the ivories – is his ability to switch effortlessly from sentimental to silly. Anthems like “Still Fighting It” and “Landed” always empower and inspire, but the crowd favorites were those songs that showcase the wit and profanity that catapulted Folds early in his career. “Rockin’ the Suburbs” was appropriately successful, and a made-up song joking about Brandeis and underage drinking and including an entire stanza of profane filler drew big laughs.

After all, this was a college show, not the Boston Pops.

Folds’ lyrics have matured with each album, but one has to wonder how he will resolve the tension between being 43 and his decision to continue to cater to the more base tastes of college audiences. For now, he seems successful at toggling between his younger listeners (who love his 2001 album, “Rockin’ the Suburbs”) and older, “Boston Pops” fans (who prefer 2005’s “Songs for Silverman” and 2008’s “Way to Normal”) — but will it all catch up with him?

Folds certainly seemed at home Nov. 5 singing many of his more shallow lyrical offerings in front of a sampling of the YouTube generation, as evidenced by his encore selection: “Bitches Ain’t Shit.” Folds retired the satirical Dr. Dre-written song from his live shows, but agreed to play it since he’d never played it live at Brandeis. It was undoubtedly the climax of the show — the song kids had been yelling for Folds to sing the entire night — yet I would have preferred to hear one of his classic ballads like “Brick” or “The Luckiest.”

Filing out of that gymnasium, though, one thought trumped all others: this guy can flat-out entertain. I didn’t take a scientific poll, but I’d venture a guess that if I did I would have been hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t satisfied – even if he plays one thing for the adults, and another thing for the kids.

This week the team of flirty, dramatic lost wanderers finds themselves on a jungle planet with weird food, and suddenly people start getting sick. The race is on to figure out what’s making everyone sick and how to fix it before time runs out.

It’s an episode! Get it? Well, almost. Because it’s another multi-part episode.

But it’s progress. We’ve well established that they’re stranded on a ship in outer space with no chance of getting home. That doesn’t mean they can’t have a little off-world fun, does it?

There’s drama, jungle, disease, rain, but oh no wait, it’s all just a flashback from an alternate reality that they now need to work to prevent. Perhaps even two alternate realities.

Finally, it almost feels like we’re watching Stargate again.

Character development: We learn about these people. We learn their human stories; where they come from; what their burdens are. We learn what makes them tick, and it makes is relate to the characters. How many people gasped when they learned *spoiler* that Eli’s mom’s mystery sickness is that she was a nurse who got HIV from a junkie who stabbed her in a hospital.

These are the kinds of things that add value to the show. The soldier and the scientist working together, helping each other.

In the episode, a team from the Destiny arrives on a jungle world and finds one of their floating recording devices already on the planet with a full recording file. They return immediately and see that the video is actually of them. The team on the tape arrives, comes down with a horrible disease, and they can’t risk going home. But at night, horrible lizard-like creatives emerge and attack, laying waste to the team. Lt. Scott gets bit and goes into a coma. He wakes up to find he’s the only one alive. The alien snake’s venom cured the disease. An unstable wormhole meant that when Scott tried to return to Destiny, it sent him back in time, and that’s how the “real” team found the recording device.

Back to the present, the disease isn’t from the planet, it’s from the water the team brought back two episodes ago. Now the team has to go back to the awful snake planet to capture one of them and extract its venom to cure everyone else.

Things don’t go well, but that’s all the time we have for today. Tune in next week for the dramatic conclusion.

I don’t like all of these multi-part episodes, but it’s progress. It’s already late in the season, but I can sense that we’re getting closer to “good” here in SGU.

As I’ve said before, if we were at this point a month ago, things would be a lot cheerier in the SGU world, especially among fans of SG-1 and Atlantis. If the setup wasn’t so awful leading up to this, I don’t think I’d have said a negative word about the show so far.

“History Repeating” does three things exceptionally fine this time around. First, it balances the continuity by tying up loose ends from plot-points as far back as episode, “Night of the Comet.” Secondly, the tone is spot-on with its chilling moments reminiscent of a good old horror film. Lastly, it’s all about the acting! There was definitely more of an ensemble feel, and stands out as some of the best of the series so far.

There was a bit of everything, from Caroline taking the initiative with Matt to Bonnie’s final scenes out in the woods. Truthfully, everyone was on their A-game, even Jeremy who manages to show a different side apart from his doldrums. Without the trappings of melodrama easily found in other vampire niche franchises, we not only found out more about the supporting characters, but also saw what they’re really made of in the face of danger. There was really a major underlying message about trust and loyalty in this episode.

We have witnessed the quaint Mystic Falls transform into a place of imminent danger after the arrival of vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. This all ties in with the romance angle between the Salvatores and Elena Gilbert – whose uncanny appearance to their “maker” attracts them to her. Yet beyond the vampire love story are a number of gripping subplots; mainly the development of Bonnie Bennett’s (Katerina Graham) magical powers, and the secret society of townsfolk hell-bent on taking down some vampires.

Without holding back, the episode begins as Bonnie sits in science class with an expression of complete boredom. This all changes as we see a figure passing along the dark hallway. Bonnie notices it, and we see it is her ancestor Emily – recognizable by the portrait shown previously to Bonnie by her grandmother. The atmosphere takes an eerie twist as Bonnie follows Emily out the classroom and into the hallway where she receives a haunting message. It becomes apparent this is a nightmare within a nightmare as Bonnie notices Emily sitting in class beside her.

But not everything is a dream. The reality of life in Mystic Falls hones in on a new face, Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis), who, despite his charm and specifics on pronouncing his name, dons a “garish” ring like Stefan and Damon. Elena and Stefan are forced together by circumstance once more, and Damon makes his move for his “precious” – an amber crystal amulet.

The critical point hits its limit when Caroline suggests the idea of a séance to Bonnie and Elena. Because it’s always a great idea to conjure up spirits when your best friend tells you she sees dead people, right? Although the mayhem that ensues is quite predictable, the fear came off as real. Katerina Graham really shines in this episode and there’s nothing better than when we get a bit of paranormal activity by way of possession from dear old Emily. The direction of the scene where doors are slamming while Caroline and Elena desperately try to get Bonnie out of a trapped room is something to remember.

Coinciding with the séance, we get some brother bonding moments as Damon and Stefan meet up on the football field. It’s odd seeing these two actually get along, despite ulterior motives. The chemistry between Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder as brothers onscreen gets stronger and stronger. It was nice to see a bit of a nod to their previous football play in the flashback episode “Lost Girls” reenacted in the present on a much larger playing field. But the moment is short-lived as we later discover Damon’s goal in returning to Mystic Falls.

It turns out that the literal alignment of the stars – the comet – along with the power of the crystal will allow Damon to bring Katherine back. The second shocker turns out to be that the 19th Century undead vixen was not killed after all in the notorious fire. In fact, she was protected by the magic of Bonnie’s ancestor, Emily. Damon is determined to bring Katherine back at all costs, declaring he knew their sire better than Stefan ever could while they were together.

But the best moment comes with the showdown between Damon and Bonnie – whose magic goes into overdrive with her possession by Emily. In one scene she throws the eager vampire into a tree staking him in the gut. She will not allow him to unleash Katherine despite their pact: Damon saves her children, and she protects Katherine. As Emily conjures up a fiery pentagram, Damon helplessly tries to stop the possessed Bonnie from destroying the amulet. Without a moment to spare, the crystal is sent into the air and shattered into pieces. Held back by Stefan, Damon is unable to control himself and lunges at a weakened Bonnie, who falls after Emily completes her mission.

Elena, who also arrives at the scene, is horrified by the turn of events. Damon nearly rips Bonnie’s throat out, but is stopped by Stefan who later feeds Bonnie his blood to heal her. When Elena asks Stefan if Bonnie will suffer the same fate as Vicki, he reminds us that only way to become a vampire is if you die shortly after being bitten and drinking a vampire’s blood. Something to remember, as the series continues to prove no one is entirely safe.

The final scenes of the episode move in a series of montages set to the music from The Bravery. Without dialogue we see a heartbroken Elena finally reveal the truth to Bonnie while dealing with her breakup with Stefan. We see Matt and Caroline make inroads with a bunch of snacks and laughs. Once again, appearances are deceiving as we end the night with the stunning cliffhanger. As Jenna Gilbert (Sara Canning) cleans out her items reminding her of Logan Fells (Chris J Johnson), her ex and recent victim of Damon, there is a knock at the door. Stand at the threshold is none other than a very undead Logan asking Jenna to invite him into the house.

No, we weren’t allowed to ask about “Saved by the Bell.”

QUESTION: What made you want to be a part of this show?

Tiffani Thiessen: Ever since I read the script, which has been a little over a year ago now, I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the characters. I fell in love with the show, and more and more, when the cast was brought together, the more excitement I had for the show and wanting to be a part of it. This is really the first time I feel like in my whole entire career which has been over 25, 26 years of doing this that I finally feel like I’m kind of playing a role a little closer to home for me, which is kind of exciting.

QUESTION: Was there instant chemistry when everyone began working together? I know you’re very close working together with Tim and Matt as well.

TT: We are, from day one. I of course had met Tim through the testing process of us being put on screen and doing our scenes together, and we had chemistry from day one. I absolutely adore that man and then met Matt, actually, after we had already started shooting the pilot. We actually were on the same flight going to New York to shoot the pilot last year.

Then Willie Garson I actually had known just being in the business for so long. We had met prior, and I’ve always really enjoyed him and loved him, so I was really excited to know that it was actually really kind of a special cast that we were putting together. I couldn’t be more thrilled with everybody I’m working with. It’s really a nice group of people. Being away from home, it makes it so much nicer when you actually like the people you’re working with.

QUESTION: It feels like there’s more to your character than what we’ve seen. We almost feel like maybe she’s hiding something. What sort of background can we expect as we move along?

TT: I think you’ll start to see background on all of our characters, especially the guys. Surely, this show is definitely the guys’ show. It’s Matt and Tim’s show, and Willie and I definitely play more of a supporting role, but you will definitely see much more of me in the further episodes as you’re coming along. Last week or two weeks ago you saw a little bit more of what I really do for a living and kind of my career, which is really nice to kind of see because we really never saw that in the pilot, and it was something that we kind of came up with actually after we shot the pilot.

They’re definitely putting more of what I do outside of my relationship with Tim into the show a little bit, and that’ll continue on even, hopefully, in seasons from here on out, which hopefully there’ll be five to ten years of White Collar. In general, I can’t give you exact specifics, ideas of what’s going to be happening, but I can promise you you’ll see a lot more of her.

QUESTION: What about any sort of action scenes. Do you get involved in any of the sort of cops and robbers element of it?

TT: I don’t think so. It’s really not part of my character and my storyline in this show. Again, I’m definitely a supporting role, especially being that I’m the wife of Tim’s character, but you will see a lot of a triangle in a sense of what I can do and help with Matt’s character as well, especially, I think, when it involves the storyline of Kate. You’ll see that a lot as well.

QUESTION: As a first-time mother, how do you think that it will play out balancing your roles and responsibilities of motherhood and your part on White Collar?

TT: You know, that’s a very good question in the sense that I really don’t know being that I am a first-time mom, so it’ll be a very different kind of thing for me being that I’ll be working and being a mother at the same time. There are millions of people who do it. My mom did it herself, so I know I can handle it, but it’ll be a very new experience, so it’s hard to say what is going to be like. It’ll be all brand new for me.

QUESTION: Is the onscreen relationship between you and Tim’s character, Peter, seems to be loving, but also a bit strained by his professional commitments. Now, with the charming and charismatic Neal Caffrey entering the picture, how do you think this partnership will affect Elizabeth and Peter’s marriage as the show develops?

TT: I don’t know if I would actually use the word strained. I think in every marriage there’s always the challenge of making time and making priorities in their relationship when people have careers, and what you will start to see more and more is my career, being that it takes up a lot of my time as well. I think it’s going to give a lot of, not so much looking into Peter’s career and how it affects our marriage. There’s also my side of it as well.

I think she is very understanding to that. She’s been living with it for so long and knows what he does for a living, and she knows what she married. I don’t think there’s a strain to it. I think there’s a challenge. I think probably the challenge is the word I could use for that. I think what Neal brings into it is that I think my husband on the show is very kind of black and white in the way he thinks, and I think Neal is definitely much more colorful, and I think he will definitely teach my husband a little more of the colorful side of being romantic and all those things that you do need in a marriage as well.

QUESTION: I know you did a short film a couple years ago that you directed, and I wanted to know is that something you still want to be doing? Is there a chance maybe you could direct an episode of White Collar?

TT: I do. You’re so sweet. Yes, they definitely know directing is something that’s in my thinking of wanting to do more and more, and it all really just depends on time and all that. I wanted to make sure that when we started the show my focus was on my character and what I’m doing as an actress. Now with my new role coming as a mother, it’s going to be a little more challenging, but it’s definitely something I want to do more of, so yes.

QUESTION: You’ve been in the business for a long time since you were very young. If you weren’t in the entertainment business, what else would you want to be doing?

TT: It’s so funny. Last year when we did the pilot, we really didn’t know what Elizabeth’s character was going to do for a living. They had some ideas, and they kind of changed it, and then I had come to Jeff Eastin, our creator of the show and said, you know, it’s funny. I think it could work, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do if I wasn’t an actor. I’d always wanted to be an event planner, and I think it could work really well for Elizabeth’s character being that she’s in New York City. We could really show the city in a different light, and they loved it. I have to say funny enough, that was my idea, and that’s exactly what I would do if I wasn’t an actor.

QUESTION: What would you say to those that haven’t seen White Collar yet to convince them to watch?

TT: Oh gosh, well, besides having really cute guys on the show, it’s definitely the type of TV and movies that I like to see. I’m a huge fan of The “Thomas Crown Affair” and those kinds of feels of movies and shows and 48 Hours, which is so interesting, Catch Me If You Can, things like that. If people are really into those kinds of movies and those kind of story-telling, they have to watch this show. It is so absolutely entertaining. The characters are so rich and so fun to watch and follow.

As well as you see New York City in a completely different way. It’s shot in a beautiful way. It’s interesting, a lot of shows that are shot in New York City can be a little more dark and gray, and this show really, I think, kind of captures New York City in a really beautiful light, and it’s nice.

QUESTION: You’ve played a wide variety of characters. How do you think these roles have prepared you to play Elizabeth Burke?

TT: It’s funny. I think I’ve made this statement before a few times, but it is really true is that this is the first character in over 25 years of me doing this that I actually feel like it’s the closest to me that I’ve played in all the different shows and movies that I’ve done in my career. I think it’s more about myself and my own experience that I can bring to Elizabeth. She has this really solid wonderful marriage. I feel like I have that with my own husband. She’s career-driven, which I feel like I am. It’s all those things that you put towards a character like her that I feel that are definitely very much me.

QUESTION: USA Network has some big hits out there right now. How does it feel to be a part of the network?

TT: Absolutely exciting. I tell them this all the time that I feel blessed to be on such an amazing network. This is the first time I’ve ever done a cable show, and I’m utterly thrilled and over-the-moon with the fact that they’re so supportive and they’re so behind their shows, and they really do give such a great chance of us really trying to make it. It’s nice. It’s nice to feel like we’re really wanted in a sense and really have a lot of passion behind us. It’s a lovely, lovely feeling.

QUESTION: You mentioned that Elizabeth is the closest to your personality. Do you know if your pregnancy will be incorporated into the show?

TT: I don’t know. That’s actually going to be up to the writers and the executive producers and USA and Fox and everybody involved. I’m going to be still somewhat not too pregnant along when we’re finally coming to the end of the season. We really don’t have too much more left, so it’s really up to them if they want to. I’m open to whatever they feel. We tried to time it to a certain degree so I wouldn’t show too, too much.

QUESTION: We’ve also grown up watching you as you’ve grown up in front of the camera. What’re the challenges that you have if any in creating a new character knowing that you have a career behind you?

TT: Yes, well, it’s bittersweet at times. There’s good and bad. There are people who of course followed my career and who have loved the shows that I’ve done in the past and are always up to seeing something new of myself or any of my past co-stars, which is really wonderful. Then there’s always people who have opinions, and of course, that’s how the world works, and that’s A-OK.

Some people were really open and loving to the fact that I’m actually playing a role that’s quite different than what I’ve played in the past. Like I said, it’s definitely much more close to home for me, this character, but some people had a hard time with it. Some people didn’t believe the relationship between Tim and I, which is so funny to me because we had chemistry from day one, but that’s how the entertainment business works. That’s how people are, and that’s okay. Everybody has their opinions.

QUESTION: Well, we’ve seen on the show that Neal has escaped from prison for love. What’s the most romantic thing a guy’s ever done for you, and then maybe what is the cheesiest thing a guy’s ever ….

TT: Oh, gosh. Well, my husband himself is definitely romantic. I mean, he is romantic almost every day whether it’s leaving me cute little notes somewhere throughout the house or the way he proposed to just the day we got married. He was amazing and romantic in everything he did, so I’m blessed to have a husband like that. The cheesiest, God, that would be really hard. I wouldn’t want to out anybody because I feel like anybody who wants to put themselves and their heart out there is a wonderful thing, and we shouldn’t put them down for it, right?

QUESTION: You’ve been on a few shows that have been a little short lived in your career. What makes White Collar something you think can surpass a couple of seasons?

TT: Well, I think a few reasons. People are already enjoying it. We’ve had a lot of great feedback and a lot of great critics really loving the characters and the storylines and the show and us on it, which is exciting, the fact that we are on a network like USA. They are so behind us, and they really put us out there, and it’s nice to have the passion behind us because I think that helps a lot. These network shows, sometimes they don’t give it a chance, and it’s nice to know that we have somebody who’s really given us a chance. I think we, knock on wood, I think you’re going to see us for awhile.

QUESTION: On television, there tends to be a fine line between that perfect supportive spouse that’s believable and the one that is so over the top that you’re like, no one in this world exists quite like this, and you are actually doing a wonderful job being that supportive spouse that we definitely believe. How do you strike that balance, and how do you plan to keep it going?

TT: Thank you so much first of all. That’s very sweet of you to say. That means a lot to me because I really try, and Tim and I both have long talks about this as well as our creator, Jeff, that we really wanted this to be a relationship that does work on TV, not one that has a lot of problems, not one that you constantly see drama, which you see a lot on TV.

Funny enough, Tim and I come from marriages that work, that really do work like that, so I think we really take it from just our own experiences. Tim’s been married for quite some time to a wonderful woman and has two great kids. My husband and I have this wonderful relationship and humor has a lot to do with it, communication, all those things I feel that are so, so important. I take those just being from my parents who’ve been married for over 45 years. My grandparents were married for 67 years. It’s important, so I feel like I take from my own life and really try to bring what I can to the relationship and the characters.

QUESTION: Have you had a favorite moment so far, either one that’s coming up that we can keep an eye out for or one that’s already been aired?

TT: Wow, that’s hard. I think there are a couple episodes coming up that I’m definitely a little heavier in, which is kind of nice to really get to explore my character a little bit, but each episode is so exciting and so fun, and it’s such a ride that it’s hard for me to pick out one more than the other or one little bit more than the other. That’s a hard choice. I have to think about that a little longer, and I know we wouldn’t have time.

QUESTION: What kind of pressures do you think that women or you, yourself, still face as far as looks and beauty pressures and things like that?

TT: You’re right. It’s all there. It will never go away. I don’t think our business and the entertainment business in general will ever just be okay with how people are. I think we’re in a business that critiques everything we do, and you kind of just take it with a grain of salt. I look at my grandmother, and I think she’s aged beautifully, so I hope that I could be a smidgen of how she’s aged.

There’s nothing you can do. All you can do is take of yourself and do the things that make you feel good and make you healthy and age appropriately, but there’s always going to be people out there are going to say something, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Like I said, you have to take it with a grain of salt.

BLAST’S CONCEPTION ALLEN: You mentioned that you had some influence on the career of your character. That being said, are you going to be able to also provide future input into shaping and developing her as well? I know that the producers and writers have the job of carrying that out, but would you have a chance to put some input into that?

TT: It’s interesting. We are very lucky to be on a show (and that’s all of us across the board) that our executive producers and writers are very open to anything we have to say, which is so nice because not a lot of shows are like that. They believe a collaboration always works best, and not that we are there writing the show, nor is that what we’re supposed to be doing, but they’re always very open to any time we have a question or concern or have an idea, they’re always open. It’s nice to be able to get on the phone or sit down with them and talk with them about it, and we all feel that way, which is really great.

BLAST: Your character is one of the, obviously, highlights of this show. Will we have, I know you said that she won’t necessarily be doing the action.

TT: No, I don’t see that unless something changes, but who knows. I don’t see it, though.

BLAST: Will we see maybe a centered episode around her, perhaps, maybe?

TT: I don’t know. That’s a question that really I can’t answer. Again, I say the show really is Matt and Tim. It’s their show, and it was from day one. I knew that coming in. I came in knowing that this role was supportive, which I was completely happy with.

It’s funny. I’ve been doing this for so long that I was actually okay not having to work every day and having the weight of a new show on my shoulders. As well as I really just fell in love with this character, and I fell in love with the cast that they started to put together, but you’ll see definitely, there’s an episode coming up that I’m much more heavy in, and you’ll see that every now and then that I’ll be a little heavier in certain episodes. It’s not something you’re going to see every week because, again, it’s not my show. I’m a supportive role on the show.

In news news, CNN quickly replaced Lou Dobbs with the king of the touchscreen, John King. King will host a weeknight political show at 7 p.m.

Spike has a new cars show called “Unique Autosports: Miami,” starting February 28 at 10:30 a.m. There will be eight half hour episodes combining cars, celebrities and beautiful Miami. Guests will include LeBron James, Diddy, and players from the Yankees.

A bunch of news out of SyFy today. The network formerly known as Sci-Fi has a comedy series coming out called “Outer Space Astronauts” starting December 8 at 9:30 p.m. The show is about eight quirky soldiers who travel the stars looking for adventures. It’s basically making fun of Stargate, and it shows how much the network has changed in 10 years.

SyFy got good ratings on the premiere “Ghost Hunters Academy” on Wednesday, drawing 2 million total viewers, the best ratings for a reality series on SyFy since January 2008’s “Ghost Hunters International.”

Famed author Ray Bradbury will executive produce a six-episode miniseries about six of his short stories. “The Bradbury Chronicles” hasn’t been picked up by a network yet.

I think it’s only fair that I preface this review by saying that I absolutely love disaster movies. Bruce Willis versus an asteroid the size of Texas in “Armageddon?” I’m there. Jake Gyllenhaal battling wolves in frozen New York in “The Day After Tomorrow?” Save me a ticket. Kurt Russell fighting to get out of an upside-down cruise ship in “Poseidon?” Oh hells yeah.

So I came into “2012” with rather high expectations, and for the most part, if you want a disaster movie, it delivers, cliches and all. At nearly 150 minutes, the movie is a bit overstuffed, but the pacing is solid throughout and never boring. And Emmerich lovingly covers every imaginable disaster movie cliché. From the cute and precocious kids to the dog with a better survival instinct than most humans, to the tearful goodbyes between survivors and their doomed family members- all the predictable beats are hit.

“2012″ is delightfully preposterous. A mash-up of pretty much every disaster movie ever made, the movie depicts worldwide destruction on an impressively massive scale. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and clouds of ash combine to not only destroy the world, but to kick it in the face while it’s down for good measure.

Roland Emmerich brings a destructive glee to the proceedings, depicting the end of the world with real élan. Emmerich, having already destroyed the world twice in “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow” knows how to handle his set pieces and puts his reported $200 million dollar budget to good use. He constructed scenes depicting entire cities crumbling in 10.5 earthquakes and being washed away by 100-foot tidal waves that are stunning in their scope. Unfortunately, a fairly cheesy script hampers the film and detracts from the visual delights.

When US Geologist Adrian Hemsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discovers there is something screwy going on with the Earth’s crust that is going to have cataclysmic consequences for the planet’s surface, the US President (Danny Glover) and the rest of the world’s leaders decide to keep Earth’s impending doom a secret from the majority of the planet. Instead they offer safety to the select few with a bank account big enough to bankroll hastily-built arks in China- even salvation is getting outsourced these days.

While the idea of a massive worldwide conspiracy to cover up the world’s end is intriguing, it is handled rather ham-fistedly. At one point, a possible whistleblower threatening to expose the conspiracy is killed in a car crash in the same tunnel where Princess Diana died. A detail meant to give the death gravitas and shock value, got a laugh instead at my screening.

Fortunately some inspired casting enables the movie to roll past most of its narrative rough spots.

The conspiracy storyline may be a dud, but Chiwetel Ejiofor is not. Ejiofor- in the year’s most earnest performance, and I mean that as a compliment- makes Hemsley’s decency feel like a genuine trait and not a result of simplistic screenwriting. Oliver Platt does just the right amount of scene chewing as presidential advisor Carl Anheuser, who battles Hemsley’s more noble instincts. You know Anheuser’s a jerk because he doesn’t let his ex-wife or his senile mother know the world is ending.

John Cusack puts in a solid everyman turn as Jackson Curtis. Curtis’ quest to prove himself to his children and ex-wife is the emotional core of the movie. Cusack brings a just the right amount of quirkiness to the part and emerges as a surprisingly adept action lead.

During the family’s mad drive through a Los Angeles that is slowly crumbling into the Pacific Ocean, Curtis proves himself to be the world’s greatest limo driver- dodging falling buildings, tumbling billboards and collapsing freeways. The scene is genuinely thrilling and the film’s most exciting.

“2012” is not high art, but it is a lot of fun. Emmerich’s genuine affection for the material, and solid acting by an interesting cast helps keep things moving and delivers some solid popcorn-ready entertainment.

“2012″ is now in theaters.

“Halo Legends” will hit DVD and Blu-ray on February 9. Distributed by Warner Home video and produced by 343 Industries, part of Microsoft Game Studios, the CG and traditional anime will explore the history and origins of the Halo universe and some of its characters. The eight episodes will cover seven storylines, which will also be available via On Demand and Digital Download.

The episodes will fall inside Halo’s 26th Century continuity as humanity battles aliens to protect the ever-expanding space colonies of Earth. Halo fans will recognize some characters and locales from the games. Each episode will be 10 to 17 minutes long, with about two total hours of viewing.

Halo Legends will have the same look and feel as “The Animatrix” and “Batman Gotham Knight,” in that each episode will be self contained. Each episode will be presented as imagined by a the director or animator. Children of the 80s and anime fans, alike, will recognize the work of some of these creative contributors including Shinji Aramaki, who did character designs on “MASK;” Mamoru Oshii, creator and writer of “Jin-Ro;” and Hideki Futamura, a key animator on “Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.”

Extras on the two disc will include a “making of” feature, audio commentary with the directors and a mini-feature detailing the rise of the Halo franchise from an Xbox game to a mammoth property commanding over $1 billion in revenue with games, comics, novels and other merchandise. The Blu-ray will retail for around $35, the two-disc set for around $30 and the DVD for around $20.

“Dollhouse,” “Hank” and “Brothers” all got the proverbial pink slip. “Dollhouse” through no fault of its own was set in no man’s land Friday night and seemed destined for failure from the start of the second season. “Hank” and “Brothers” never got off the ground.

Elsewhere, The CW will things fresh through at least May with new episodes of “One Tree Hill,” “Gossip Girl” and the new “Life UneXpected” all revolving around each others. “One Tree Hill” premieres with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. on January 18, followed by the start of “Life UneXpected” at 9 p.m.

The at-times controversial news anchor Lou Dobbs announced live on the air and unexpectedly that he was resigning from CNN immediately. Dobbs was under contract until the end of 2011, but CNN apparently released him. He was by some measure the voice of the right for CNN, though his views on immigration made him a lightning rod at times.

The innovative Joss Whedon drama’s second season was a disaster from the start with a Friday night time slot it had to share with “Stargate Universe” and the fans’ social calendars. DVR couldn’t save it, either.

A few weeks ago, FOX announced it would pull “Dollhouse” during the November sweeps period due to low ratings, and yesterday the rest of the ax came down. FOX will air all 13 episodes of the second season starting on December 4, however.

Are you a die-hard Dollhouse fan? What do you think of this? Share your thoughts below.

“In the midst of my creative journey composing The Fame Monster, there came an exciting revelation that this was in fact my sophomore album,” Lady Gaga said in a statement. “I would not add, nor take away any songs from this EP; it is a complete conceptual and musical body of work that can stand on its own two feet.”

The standard and deluxe versions of The Fame Monster will be released on November 23. The collector’s edition super-deluxe version will be released on December 15.

Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi” have all been #1 hits.

The 19-year-old Swift is the youngest performer to ever win the award and the first woman since Shania Twain in 1999.

“I’ll never forget this moment,” an emotional Swift said in a statement, “because at this moment everything that I have ever wanted just happened to me.” Swift also joked about her infamous Kanye West interruption experience at the VMA’s. “I want to thank every single person here tonight for not running up on stage during this speech,” she joked.

In other news, Sugarland picked up their third consecutive Vocal Duo of the Year Award.

Of several noteworthy performances, four-time Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney performed the duet “I’m Alive” with Dave Matthews.

Here are the winners:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Taylor Swift

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Brad Paisley

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Taylor Swift

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Sugarland

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Darius Rucker

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Fearless
Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Big Machine Records

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“I Run To You”
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley
Capitol Records Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR
“In Color”
Written by Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
“Start A Band”
Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
Arista Nashville

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Love Story”
Taylor Swift
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Mac McAnally – Guitar

But Aerosmith fans don’t need to fret. NME Magazine reported the story this morning that Tyler isn’t going anywhere. He appeared at Perry’s solo gig at New York’s Filmore venue and informed the audience that he was in fact NOT leaving the band. Tyler and Perry then broke into one of the band’s biggest hits “Walk This Way”.

Just proves you can’t always believe what you read.

The new record represents a Mayday Parade that has weathered the up and down system of the industry. “Anywhere But Here”, hit stores in October of this year and the boys have been showing it off to the masses as co-headliners of the Alternative Press “Fall Ball 2009” tour with The Academy Is…, Set Your Goals, The Secret Handshake, and You Me At Six. Lead singer Derek Sanders managed to find a few minutes to talk to Blast from the road and tell us how things are going for Mayday and how they feel touring on a new record.

BLAST: How is the tour going so far?

Sanders: It’s just fun. We’re with good people, good bands. We’re just trying to give as much energy as possible. We have these pretty sick new risers. We just try to jump around while at the same time trying to sound good.

BLAST: How have fans been reacting to “Anywhere But Here”?

Sanders: It’s hard to tell but I think its been pretty cool. I don’t really know how to judge that. I mean as far as kids coming up to me or on myspace and twitter things have been good, but I don’t really know if anyone would come up to me and say that’s bad. I feel like it’s been a pretty good response but I guess only time will tell.

BLAST: How does “Anywhere But Here”’s sound differ from “A Lesson in Romantics”?

Sanders: It doesn’t have the double vocal sound as much. Other than that, its the same kind of songs for us. I feel like if anyone was a fan of the EP or the full length, it’s the same stuff.

BLAST: I read that you feel the new songs are more “structured” than your previous ones. What does that mean? What accounts for that?

Sanders: The thing is we spent more time in pre production and things like that. Sitting there and deciding on every single part and making sure that every single part was right. We just spent a lot more time with the songs. We made sure everything was really tight and flowed.

BLAST: You guys had about 50 songs for the record. How did you narrow it down to the songs that came out?

Sanders: It was really tough. It was a really hard thing. There was no way to make everyone happy. There are a handful of songs I would have loved to be on the album that didn’t make it. Everyone else feels the same way. We just tried to do our best to make everyone happy. I feel like it came down to the best 11 that we chose. It was just between us, our producer, our management and the label and everyone just choosing.

BLAST: What is going to happen to all the songs that didn’t make it?

Sanders: A couple of the ones that didn’t make it, were into made b-sides for and they come on the deluxe edition. The rest of them? I don’t know. I guess its a possibility we could hang on to them and use them down the road on the next CD or whatever. I don’t know at this point but I’d really love for people to be able to hear some of those songs that didn’t make it.

BLAST: That’s still an incredible amount of songs. Do you guys write on the road?

Sanders: That’s actually how we do a lot of our writing, on the road. And a lot of that is possible now because we’re riding on a bus instead of a van. So you have time to sit down and work out ideas with everyone spread out on the bus rather than cramped into a van. So that makes it a whole lot easier. On the road is where we spend most of our time. Over the past two years we’ve spent nine months out of the year on the road. You just get an idea for a verse or a guitar part and you write it down, and when it comes time to start working on the album you pull it out. And we throw all of our ideas in and put them together to try and make the new songs.

BLAST: I know you worked with David Bendeth, who produced Paramore and Underoath. How did that relationship start?

Sanders: Whenever it came time to choose producers, there were a couple of guys we were talking to, but when talking to David on the phone, it just really made sense. He’s a really smart guy. He’s a really talented guy. He just has a passion for what he does. He really cares a lot about music and I don’t know, it was just really cool. He brought a lot to the songs and we even did a little bit of writing with him.

BLAST: Any last words of wisdom?
Sanders: Thank you to the fans to anyone out there for listening and giving us a chance. The support means a lot. We really appreciate it.

“A Lesson in Romantics” and “Anywhere But Here” can both be found at all major music retailers. The rest of the AP Fall Ball Tour dates can be found at Maydayparade.com or at their Myspace.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (Media credit: KCSPresse / Splash News Online)

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner arrived in Paris on Monday and checked into a luxurious hotel before going out for a late dinner where they met up with Fergie, People reported.

They did a press event on Tuesday and got ready to leave for the next stop on their European “New Moon” press tour.

But Robert and Kristen were among the last to leave.

“[Pattinson and Stewart] were the last ones to leave the terminal to board the plane,” one photographer on the scene told People. “Out on the tarmac, he took her hand, like young lovers. They stopped and looked at each other, their plane, the scene. They seemed very calm, in love. They continued holding hands boarding the plane.”

Let the comments begin.

In the news today, ABC made some moves, giving an order for five more episodes of “The Forgotten,” and canceling the new series “Eastwick,” which nobody watched.

ABC also nixed “Let’s Dance,” on news that Kathy Griffin was to host and celebrities weren’t flocking to join the show, according to reports. ABC will use a filler reality series in that time slot, instead of “Let’s Dance,” which was set to debut November 23.

“Lopez Tonight” scored 3.2 million viewers on TBS, TNT and truTV when it premiered Monday, beating Conan O’Brien and David Letterman in the 18-34 demographic.

truTV will launch a new reality series about professional football, going behind the scenes from draft day to the Big Game in “NFL Full Contact” produced by NFL films.

The CW will premiere “Life Unexpected” January 18, tagging in for “Gossip Girl,” until that mega-popular show returns with 12 more episodes later in 2010.

Finally, Nielsen has reported that Americans are watching more television than ever before, with an average of four hours and 49 minutes per day, per American. This is a 20 percent increase from 10 years ago. We have more choices than ever, and we can DVR anything we want. Life is good, right?

Preliminary sketch of Plymouth Rock Studios front gate, which may never exist

The Boston Globe has reported that mere weeks before groundbreaking, the $550 million in funding for the construction of Hollywood East in Massachusetts has been pulled, leaving the future of Plymouth Rock Studios, the movie industry in Metro Boston, and countless jobs up in question.

A week ago, the Globe started investigating Prosperity International LLC, of Orlando, Fla., finding “its track record was thin, at best.” Today the studio said it was cutting ties with its would-be financier.

In January, we said Plymouth Rock Studios would be a marvel in green technology, being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified structure with a 21st century earth-friendly setup. The studio, when finished, is supposed to have 14 sound stages and 10 acres of outdoor sets.

Now it’s just a question mark.

A&E will premiere two episodes of “Intervention” at 9 p.m. and 9:30 followed by the second season premiere of “Hoarders” at 10 on November 30. This is the eighth season of “Intervention.”

Evolution Media, producer of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County” is working on a men’s reality series called “Boys Club: ATL.”

On “Memento,” the follow-up to Flyleaf’s platinum 2005 debut, nothing is understated, and each song tends to bleeds into the next. Some don’t seem to have any breathing room, with Mosley’s howling, deafening guitars, pounding drums, or some combination of the three filling any and all available space. Religious or not, Mosley’s warbly vocals (am I the only one who thinks she sounds a bit like Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez?) tend to be a bit melodramatic.

That’s not to say that “Memento Mori” is devoid of catchiness. First single “Again,” in particular, has deservedly made a dent in the Modern Rock chart. Even the strongest songs, however, are that kind of Paramore-esque alternative rock that angsty teenagers flock to, but that anyone past their early 20s might feel a bit embarrassed for even listening to, let alone enjoying.

Besides getting a free peek at some of music’s hottest upcoming artists, Universal and co. are giving away an autographed guitar, an autographed skateboard, backpacks and the like. Anyone who registers at the bottom of the website has a chance to win signed stuff from some of their favorite artists! Also, if you’re currently in school make sure you add which you are attending.

The site hopes to promote upcoming artists on Universal and their affiliate labels as well as connect to fans of their music.

News on this Monday morning, The Disney/ABC/NBC/Universal/Heart television partnership announced it was cutting 10 percent of jobs at A&E and Lifetime, which the TV group acquired in August.

While Lifetime is cutting, Showtime is adding. The premium network will be the first to air “Twilight” on January 23. On January 25, “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” airs at 10 p.m. and “Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union” at 10:30. Monday will be comedy night next ytear with “Nurse Jackie” at 10 and “united States of Tara” at 10:30. Showtime also announced that the fourth and final season of “The Tudors” will premiere April 11 at 9 p.m.

Bravo announced that “The Real Housewives of Orange County” attracted nearly 50 percent more viewers on its season five opener last Thursday than it did last year.

TNT acquired the exclusive syndication rights to the CBS drama “The Mentalist” which will start airing the cable network way out in 2012. “The Mentalist” is in its second season. USA Network got exclusive cable syndication rights to the hit CBS spin-off “NCIS Los Angeles.”

A ton of A&E news today. A&E has a reality miniseries about the Jackson Family called “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” scheduled to start December 13 at 9 p.m. with a two hour premiere. The series will focus on Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon Jackson preparing for a tour after the death of Michael. A&E also announced that it approved an hour-long pilot for “Sugarloaf” about a Chicago cop who gets fired after his captain shoots him and wrongfully accuses him of sleeping with his wife. The cop moves to Florida and joins the state police. A&E’s new drama “The Quickening” will star Jeffrey Nordling, John Heard and Michael Arden with Radha Mitchell. The show is about a cop who gets demoted to desk work after it surfaces that he’s bipolar.

Finally this morning, HBO is planning a new drama called “T” about a woman who undergoes gender transformation into a man. No word on an air date.

Judging from her music, guitarist and singer Anna Rose has a lot to say. From everything to music technology, gender gaps in the industry, musical theater and sight reading-she hits the nail on the head.

The daughter of a ballet dancer and composer Alan Menken, Anna Rose grew up in an artistic and musical environment. First introduced to the guitar at age 5, she is now wowing audiences with her solid voice and musical skill. Her upcoming debut, ‘Nomad’, was co-produced with William (Billy) Sullivan, and includes five songs from her current EP.

BLAST: I appreciated that in your bio you mention that your musical process includes “full takes, no Auto-Tune, and maybe one synthesizer”. What do you think of the use of technology in music and recording these days?

Anna Rose: You know, I think the use of technology is wonderful, but personally I don’t think I have the experience to put it to its full use. My experience lies in playing guitar and singing and doing things live. The best way to capture what I do is capturing things in full takes…I don’t think there is anything wrong with Auto-tune (but) I choose not to use it in my work…it’s dishonest for me.

BLAST: I also like your quote about wearing dresses. It really struck me because as a drummer…wearing a dress is not much of an option, which people sometimes forget. Do you feel like there is an assumption of how a female musician should look on stage?

AR: Absolutely. I think that there is still that stigma of female musicians kinda just being the figurehead of a great operation…the puppet. I don’t think that’s the case with every musician…I think every great female artist has fought against it…I fight against it all the time. Keith Richards can get up in a T-shirt and jeans…if a girl does that it’s like she didn’t get dressed up for the occasion.

BLAST: That being said, do you feel there is a divide between men and women in the field of rock and music? Or does bringing it up create that divide?

AR: You know, I work really well with male musicians, my band is all guys. Personally, I’ve found I end up working with male musicians. That being said I know of some brilliant female musicians I would love to work with. Good music is good music. The important thing is to let your music be the most important part of it…and that’s what bridges the gap. It’s important for music to just be music, and not just an industry of people trying to be cool.

BLAST: So you started on piano. Do you read music or do you feel you learn and write more by ear?

AR: I don’t read music, I read tablature for guitar, but I really do everything by ear primarily. I don’t want to advocate people not learning music, it’s important for certain paths….my particular path as a writer doesn’t necessarily require that.

BLAST: A lot of guitarists strive on soloing. (The solo on Picture is awesome—reminds me of Voodoo Child Slight Return there) What do you think about that? Do you think there is too much of a focus on soloing in the guitar world?

AR: Well, first, that solo isn’t me…that solo is my lead guitarist, Adam Stoler, he’s my musical director for my band. My whole band is comprised of some (great) musicians…but I’m a rhythm player through and through. I think soloing is important …it’s a different animal than playing rhythm guitar. You’re kind of born to be a solo player or a rhythm player…its just never been my thing. But I envision for sure.

BLAST: Ok, random question. Are there any guitar riffs you’d rather not hear again?

AR: I can’t think of any off the top of my head! That’s an awesome question! I hate guitar riffs with a lot of chorus on them or chamber…anything ‘chorusy’ or ethereal…unless it’s meant for a certain sound effect. Oh! The theme from the original Beverly Hills 90210…but I also obsessively watch it. Maybe that’s my own fault.

BLAST: I noticed in another interview you stated that though you idolize a lot of artists from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ’70s that you listen to, and recording one of their songs would be blasphemous in a way. What do you think of all the remakes of Beatles songs and the all the things like Rockband and even the film Across the Universe, which take from these artists?

AR: Across the Universe was really really well done…with unique takes (on those songs). Covering someone else’s song, when it’s your own take on it….is an homage to that artist. When you’re redoing a song that was made famous by Johnny Cash or something…you need to have your own unique stance on it. Personally I think I’m too young and early in my career to have the right to do that. I need to explore my own creativity and have a couple of pieces of my own work out there before I can say I am good enough to cover someone’s song. I have too much respect of that work to even go near it, though I do cover things live but I won’t record them

BLAST: Your father has written many pieces for film and musical theater. If you could cover a musical theater piece, which show would you work from?

AR: I grew up with so much musical theater, there’s a song that my dad wrote for the live musical for Beauty and the Beast, called “The Change in Me” that is a really beautiful song. In terms of shows that are really kickass, Little Shop of Horrors. I think musicals come and go in popularity but…I think they are really wonderful expressions of our culture.

BLAST: Another random question for you-do you look at the fretboard in terms of notes or shapes?

AR: I look at it in terms of shapes, absolutely. Despite the fact that I consider myself as a guitarist, I don’t consider myself an incredible guitarist…I wouldn’t presume myself as an incredible guitarist, and I definitely look more toward shapes.

BLAST: Anything else?

Next thing coming up is my first music video, filming on Nov 14 on Connie Island (look on Youtube or her website and Myspace page: http://www.annarosemusic.com and www.myspace.com/annarosemusic) and I’m really excited! I’m doing a show on December 7 at Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. My EP is five songs that are taken from my full length album that will come out in February called Nomad. And hopefully a tour in the spring!

BLAST: Come to Boston!

Definitely!

Anna Rose’s band is comprised of Adam “The Splendor” Stoler, Tyler McDiarmid, Jamie Bishop and
Jordan Perlson. To check out music and more, go to www.annarosemusic.com.

I can think of a few things off the top of my head that I learned about with my eyes glued to the television and my hand in a box of Cheerios as a child: Counting, counting in Spanish, bottle caps, and a mastery of the ABC’s are a few examples.

But here’s one thing I learned about on Sesame Street that you might not think of right away: death.

When Will Lee, the actor who played Mr. Hooper, died of a heart attack in 1982, instead of covering it up on the show or saying Mr. Hooper moved away or went on vacation, the show decided to tell children the truth: “Mr. Hooper died.” They told Big Bird this in the episode “Farewell, Mr. Hooper,” broadcast on Thanksgiving 1983. Later in the episode, Big Bird wants to give all the cast members drawings that he made of each of them. When Big Bird asks where Mr. Hooper is, they remind him that Mr. Hooper is dead, to which Big Bird replies that he’ll just wait for him to come back, so he can give him the drawing. The adults pause and tell Big Bird that when someone dies, they never come back.

It was real. It was powerful in a way that insulating modern television may never be again. It was one of TV’s most important moments, and it would affect me just as much when I saw it for the first time in the late 80s. (I wasn’t born when it originally aired)

But most of my Sesame Street memories aren’t nearly as sad!

It this doesn’t completely floor you, nothing will: (see more here)

Register a free account with Blast, and leave a comment about your best Sesame Street moment for a chance to win a free DVD.

The inclusion of Richard Dean Anderson in this episode of “Stargate Universe” was a happy anecdote. He’s now a 3-star general.

Totally changed is the senator’s wife, role from a raging alcoholic who’s emotionally out of control to this oddly grounded matron who has to comfort and reassure her daughter. I guess grief is a process.

Oh wait … HEY! A sex scene! Col. Young, (Justin Louis) millions of light years away, used one of the ancient communications stone devices to take over a soldier’s body on Earth to communicate with everyone back home. And he has sex — in that soldier’s body — with his wife. I’ll leave that one out there for you to comment on. We also learned that Young had an affair with Johansen (Alaina Huffman) before any of this all happened. It might has also been the reason she has decided to leave the Stargate/Icarus program shortly before the attack that forced them to evacuate through the Ninth Chevron.

And then, two of the other characters, in two other people’s bodies, get drunk and go clubbing. Elyse Levesque plays a decent drunk. Not great, but decent.

We do learn more about these characters. The senator’s daughter role (Levesque) gets a back story that’s not too surprising. She was a shallow, rich, bitch, whose boyfriend is dating her best friend now. She didn’t have real friends, and she’s beginning to learn that her happy little life wasn’t so great. This is all good stuff. This is character development. There remains much work to do on the three fronts of character development, writing dialog, and acting it out.

The Eli character (David Blue) was also improved. We knew he was an underachieving misfit with a sick mom, but we saw more of his inner monologue. We gets to take over the body of an attractive, fit man and gets to be popular with the ladies for once.

Improvement was made in this episode, but I still can’t help but wonder if this much progress could have been made in three episodes instead of seven. We are also having all of these “good” moments on Earth, instead of on the ship the show is set in.

We learned in previous episodes that the ship, “Destiny” recharges its power by flying through a sun, but each pass doesn’t recharge the batteries to 100 percent. Earth has a master plan to fire the ship’s weapons, to lower the ship’s power, to force the ship to further recharge its batteries entirely by flying through another star, hopefully giving the ship enough power to dial the Stargate back to Earth. We know this fails, because that would essentially end the show. A nice twist is the fact the plan might have worked — or it might have blown up the ship — if Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) hadn’t staged the whole thing to fail.

Rush showed me something in this episode. He’s spiteful and arrogant, but we’re finally seeing clearly that his goal is to study the ship and learn more about the universe. The ship might be very well able to get everyone back home, but Rush’s experiment is ongoing.

On a side note, it’s so refreshing to continuously see the talent that Carlo Rota brings to the table every time. The man who played Morris O’Brianon in “24″ added something to “Stargate Universe” in his brief appearance as a member of the International Oversight Committee.

This was the best episode of “Universe” yet, but it came six weeks and seven episodes later. You get the feeling we’re an an impasse here. They’re stranded. Earth tried to intervene/interfere and failed, and now they have to figure things out for themselves. If this were week four, I think people would be more drawn in to the suspense.

“This misfortune has fallen among many of our friends in the past,” Mae said in a statement, “and after touring for eight years this sort of thing is bound to happen.”

The band, which was scheduled to play at The Middle East in Cambridge last night, rented a van and performed as planned. With only four dates left on their U.S. tour, Mae has decided to press on with the help of the bands they are touring with, Deas Vail and Jenny Owen Youngs.

The van and trailer have not been found.

The band is currently accepting donations from fans for the loss. To donate, click here.

“It’s in these moments that our fans lift us up and remind us why we do what we do,” Mae said. “We thank you for the immediate outpouring of love and support.”