SPOILER ALERT: If you aren’t completely caught up on the show, don’t read this review!

Last night’s episode of “How I Met Your Mother”, Symphony of Illumination, was a Robin roller-coaster ride. Coming off of the cliffhanger at the end of last week’s episode – in which Robin told Barney she was pregnant – we knew that this episode was going to be a big one. Robin’s pregnancy could pose a number questions, especially what effect it would have on the recent Robin / Kevin / Barney love triangle. Is the baby Kevin’s, and if it is, does that mean the end of Barney and Robin as we know it?

Recap

Well, right off the bat Robin clarified who the baby’s father was, admitting to Barney that the baby couldn’t be Kevin’s because they hadn’t had sex yet. Barney takes the news surprisingly well, excited at the thought of becoming a Dad. To prove to Robin how great having a kid coud be, Barney brings her along on Lilly’s trip to We B Babies. But Barney’s enthusiasm disappears when he sees a former swinger friend, Insane Duane, in the store with his wife and multiple kids. Insane Duane admits that, since he had kids, he hasn’t been to a bar in years. That’s all Barney needs to hear.

Barney and Robin at "We B Baby"

Robin and Barney go to see the doctor together, ready to hear the worst but hoping for good news. When the doctor tells them that Robin isn’t pregnant, the two do a celebratory happy dance on the spot. But Robin’s relief is short-lived. Days later, she gets a call from the doctor who informs her that she won’t ever be able to have kids. Though this is huge news, Robin keeps it from the others, who are left to guess what is really on her mind. At first Robin seems fine with the fact that she’s barren because she’s always been clear about never wanting to have children. But a return trip to We B Babies makes Robin realize the magnitude of her condition, and she suddenly is missing the possibility of one day having kids. In fact, she’s so upset about it that she ends up telling the story to her two imaginary future kids (cleverly mimicking the way Future Ted is telling each “How I Met Your Mother” episode to his future son and daughter). After much resistance, Robin accepts Ted’s attempts to comfort her. She still refuses to talk about what is bothering her, but allows Ted to keep her company in NYC for Christmas.

Marshall stuck on the roof with his Christmas lights

Throughout Robin’s emotional ordeal, comic relief is provided by Marshall’s side-story involving Christmas decorating at the Long Island house and a neighborhood kid named Scott. Scott pretends to help Marshall hang christmas lights and acts like the son Marshall has always wanted. But when Marshall accidentally drops his cell phone off the roof, Scott pulls the ladder away from the house, trapping Marshall without a way to call for help. While Marshall is stranded atop the house, Scott hosts a wild party in Marshall’s house.

Review

One of the greatest strengths of “How I Met Your Mother”, now halfway through it’s seventh season, is that it doesn’t shy away from some of life’s toughest issues. At some point over the course of the show, each character has had to deal with their own big issues – Barney finally meeting his father, Lilly’s breakup with Marshall to pursue her art career (thank God that didn’t take), and Ted’s constant quest for his soul mate (still ongoing). And just last year, mid-way through the season, Marshall’s father passed away. So when last night’s episode came along and it was Robin’s turn for some trouble, it was nothing new to HIMYM fans.

First of all, I loved how the episode started off with a twist on the typical opening, with Robin telling her future kids the story of tonight’s episode. In telling them the story of “how I met your father,” Robin seems to finally put to rest the question of whether or not Barney and Robin end up together. In fact, this opening seemed to confirm that Robin was really pregnant, that Barney really was the father, and that things were going to be a whole lot different from now on.

Robin's future kids listen to her tell the story

But a trip to the doctor not only dismissed Robin’s pregnancy, it gave the episode a 180 spin with the news that Robin was barren. Throughout the episode, Robin’s emotions were all over the place and she took the audience along with her. Though there were brief periods of happiness, the overall feeling of the episode was quite a downer, but that’s okay. I don’t take joy in seeing Robin or the others struggle, but I appreciate the fact that the writers aren’t afraid to delve into the darker side of life that sitcoms so frequently avoid. In the end, these major issues lead to more dynamic characters and greater character development.

To be honest, I was hoping that the pregnancy scare was real. Some people may find that shocking, but I’m ready for some of the characters on HIMYM to change, especially Robin and Barney. After six-and-a-half seasons, everybody is getting older (along with the show itself), and with age comes change. I’m ready for Ted, Robin and Barney to either settle down or get closer to it as the end nears. Still, I can understand why the writers turned Robin’s pregnancy into a fake-out. Last March, HIMYM got picked up for two more seasons, putting it into at least May 2013. Robin being pregnant would probably pose a problem with so much time left before the show finally signs off.

Overall, “Symphony of Illumination” was a solid episode, resolving the pregnancy issue while simultaneously exploring Robin’s attitude towards having kids. Putting characters through hard times makes them more relatable, which leads to more of a connection for the audience and a more enjoyable show. As “How I Met Your Mother” hits the mid-season break of it’s seventh season, it once again proves that a great sitcom doesnt’ always have to stay away from the harshness of reality.

According to the mid-season schedule that CBS announced, Rob Schneider will be starring in a new show come January 12, titled “¡Rob!”. The sitcom follows a man who marries into a Mexican-American family.

“¡Rob!” will be taking the time slot of “Rules of Engagement“, which is being ended five episodes early.

On Monday night CBS premiered it’s newest season of “How I Met Your Mother”, which included a bonus 2nd episode following the first one. Things picked up right where they had left off at the end of last season: Barney is reconnecting with Nora, Lilly and Marshall are dealing with one of the first steps of having a baby (figuring out when / how to tell everyone the good news), Ted is readying himself to restart his search for “The One,” and Robin is coming to the realization that she may still have feelings for Barney.

This first episode proves that the writers and cast of “How I Met Your Mother” still have plenty of funny left in them, despite entering the seventh season of the show. Throughout the course of these two new episodes there was a good mix of classic and new material to keep both diehard fans and new viewers laughing.

However, the most promising aspect of the “How I Met Your Mother” premiere wasn’t the comedy, but rather the directions that our beloved character’s stories are headed.

Barney tries to land a 2nd date with Nora

Just as the monotony of Barney’s playboy characteristic had reached a breaking point, the writers have breathed new life into his character by flashing forward to his own wedding as well as bringing Nora back into the picture. It was a relief to see that finally Barney might start to settle down and put his past six seasons of womanizing behind him. That’s not to say that there’s a need to entirely drop that aspect of Barney – there is still room for boob jokes and sexual innuendos, and the writers seem to realize that. Still, it will be a welcome change of pace to see how Barney’s relationship with Nora (and Robin) will develop as the season continues.

Lilly and Marshall’s baby story line is progressing nicely too. The last season (or two) has been spent watching them go through the pre-pregnancy jitters, every minute of which was funny and enjoyable to watch. But now that it’s certain that they are pregnant, it will be exciting to watch the couple throughout the season as Lilly (and Marshall) deal with pregnant life. Plus, is there any doubt about Marshall being the most hilarious, awesome dad ever?

After focusing on Robin and Ted’s careers last season, it appears that this one will go back to following their quests for love. Though Ted’s endless quest for his soulmate is beginning to drag a bit, it is obviously essential for the continuation of the show (or is it, really?). Still, it will be interesting to see how Robin’s lingering feelings for Barney play into the Barney / Nora / Robin love triangle.

All-in-all, it looks like we’re in for another funny, interesting, heart-warming, and dare-I-say moving seventh season of “How I Met Your Mother.” Who knows how much longer they’ll be able to maintain the “Met Your Mother” gag, but for now they’ve still got us hooked.

Oh yeah, and one more thing – let the awesome guest appearances begin:

Martin Short as Marshall's new boss, Garrison Cootes

Although Boston’s Fourth of July fireworks are a spectacle on their own, CBS decided to jazz them up with more exciting and historic settings.

In other words, CBS fabricated the settings of the fireworks for millions of viewers, putting them behind the State House, Quincy Market, Fenway Park and other places that they simply were not.

David Mugar, who has executive produced the airing of the fireworks for nine years, said this was the first time the fireworks were altered for television, but defended his decision because it is an entertainment show, not news.

“Absolutely, we’re proud to show scenes from our city,’’ Mugar said, according to the Boston Globe. “It’s often only shown in film or in sporting matches. We were able to highlight great places in Boston, historical places with direct ties to the Fourth. So we think it was a good thing.’’

CBS shot the footage several weeks ago.

“I’d say we shot from about 8 p.m. till 4 or 5 the next morning,’’ Mugar said. “Among other places, we got video of the Old North Church, the State House, Quincy Market, the statue of Paul Revere, Fenway Park, with the full cooperation of the Red Sox, who let us in and turned on certain lights for our shoot. And we did it all with the intention of superimposing the fireworks over the images. The technical process is called matting.’’

Many viewers were irked by the alterations, including Boston native Penny Thompson.

“I thought it looked fine,’’ Thompson told the Globe from a Shaw’s grocery store in Dorchester. “I just don’t like knowing it wasn’t real. I mean I know the fireworks were real, but I’m saying not real like they changed stuff. That’s not cool.’’

Eric Deggans, a Florida-based media critic and panelist on CNN’s media critique show “Reliable Sources,” brought up the issue of credibility after the alterations.

“It is an ethical issue, and to say it’s not because the show was aired through CBS Entertainment is to imply that the entertainment side of CBS has no ethics,’’ Deggans said. “I think – especially in today’s media environment – the most important commandment for media is to not mislead the viewer. . . . If you’re a viewer who doesn’t know Boston, you’re getting a picture of the layout of the city that doesn’t exist.’’

As some of the most famous an revered fireworks in the country, it seems that Boston’s dazzlers are fine on their own.

British actor Hugh Grant, who doesn’t have a work-in-progress film was in final negotiations to replace Charlie Sheen on “Two and a Half Men” and Grant was offered $1 million per episode as Warner Bros. and CBS had commented they were pursuing “an A-lister” to replace Sheen.

Grant’s “Men” would be so much different from the Sheen’s. It is very interesting to see what would happen from here.

NEW YORK — Katie Couric is leaving CBS.

The 54-year-old newswoman’s contract ends in June. She told People magazine, “In making the decision to move on, I know the Evening News will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future.”

“The bottom line is that I love doing all kinds of different stories. I have a lot of areas of interest and I want to be able to fulfill all of that.”

She said details are still being finalized.

CBS officially issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying, “There’s a lot to be proud of during Katie Couric’s time at Evening News. CBS News, like Katie herself, is looking forward to the next chapter.”

CBS is expected to name Scott Pelley the new anchor of the “Evening News” next week.

Welcome to today’s Charlie Sheen news installment.

Sheen has been officially fired from his starring role in “Two and a Half Men.” His latest comment that he will be back on the show appears to be not a reality anymore.

Warner Bros announced in a statement, “After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on ‘Two and a Half Men’ effective immediately.”

However, if you want to work for the “Winning” star, now there is a chance as Sheen tweeted Monday, “I’m looking to hire a #Winning INTERN with #TigerBlood.” The tweet is a paid-for endorsement from Internships.com.

No idea why everything last night was having trouble luring viewers (perhaps everyone was watching the Lakers/Celtics game?) but several shows hit season or series lows.

“Grey’s Anatomy” drew its lowest rating of the season with a 3.9 in the 18-49 demo. “Private Practice” was actually up a tick to a 2.7.

“American Idol” was down to a 7.2 in the demo, its lowest ratings of the season. It’s still a behemoth, but its looking like the show may dip in the high 5.0 realm before the seasons through–and that would be showing a God can bleed. “Bones” drew a 3.3, a much higher number than “Human Target” the night before, which came out of a much higher demo from American Idol; proving again why its likely “Human Target” will be cancelled.

The NBC comedies were typical of NBC. “The Office” was typically strong, “Parks and Rec” was down but continues its upward trend indicating a likely renewal, while “30 Rock” was about even with its ratings trend. After a better start in the new year, “Community” has fallen back, and its 1.8 rating isn’t quite to definite cancellation, but it doesn’t look good.

On CBS, its looking increasingly likely that “$#!* My Dad Says” won’t come back for a second season. And with “CSI” continuing to trend down, the show is likely about one season removed from cancellation–unless CBS gutsily decided to cancel it this year.

8 pm

American Idol: 7.2 demo, 21.5 million viewers

The Big Bang Theory: 3.9 demo, 12.8 million viewers

Wipeout: 2.2 demo, 6.9 million viewers

Community: 1.8 demo, 3.8 million viewers

8:30 pm

$#!* My Dad Says: 2.7 demo, 10.4 million viewers

Perfect Couples: 1.5 demo, 3 million viewers

9 pm

Grey’s Anatomy: 3.9 demo, 10.4 million viewers

The Office:3.6 demo, 7 million viewers

Bones: 3.3 demo, 10 million viewers

CSI: 2.8 demo, 12.6 million viewers

9:30 pm

Parks and Recreation: 2.6 demo, 5.1 million viewers

10 pm

The Mentalist: 2.9 demo, 14.7 million viewers

Private Practice: 2.7 demo, 7.3 million viewers

30 Rock: 2.3 demo, 4.6 million viewers

10:30 pm

Outsourced: 1.7 demo, 3.6 million viewers

TMZ reports that Charlie Sheen, 45, is going to pay the “Two and a Half Men” crew a portion of their salaries for the two weeks the show has been down due to his ‘not-so-great’ behavior. Warner Brothers and CBS will pay the remaining portion.

Also, according to the source, “Men” star is ready to come back to work next week to complete the season although a CBS executive told the source that no one on the show is ready to go back to work on Monday and no one has asked the network to pay a third of the crew salaries for the downtime. A Warner Bros. executive added: “We sincerely hope that Charlie’s rehab is going well. We hope that he is healthy in the very near future and we look forward to the return of production of ‘Two and a Half Men.’”

The show is reportedly scheduled to be produced again at the end of this month, based on the assumption that Sheen can handle it.

According to Associated Press, a spokesman for “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen says the actor wants to get back to work this month.

He is currently in rehab but wants to return to his top-rated comedy show by the end of February. Publicist Stan Rosenfield said Thursday that it’s a “target” projection, however.

Sheen sought treatment for undisclosed reasons following a 911 call when he was said to be intoxicated and in pain, and quick stay at a Los Angeles-area hospital last week.

For now, CBS has two unaired episodes of “Two and a Half Men,” which are to be aired on February 7 and 14.

“Chuck” returned after a holiday break Monday to register a 2.1 demo rating and 5.8 million viewers, its highest demo point of the season. “The Cape” dropped precipitously from its last new episode, from a 2.6 demo to a 1.7 range. It’s not likely to see a second season with those numbers. “Harry’s Law” debuted to a 2.2 rating. That’s good for NBC, but does not bode well for a first episode.

“House” delivered a 3.6 demo rating, maintaining its relatively poor-performance this season (by its own standards). “Lie to Me” had a 1.8 demo rating. That’s better than last week’s rock bottom, but still not enough to earn a fourth season. The show has two episodes until its season, and more-than-likely series finale.

CBS won with its typical slate delivering strong points. The eye was the only network to average more than a 3.0 demo–it averaged a 3.5 last night.

8 pm

How I Met Your Mother: 3.9 demo, 10.5 million viewers

House: 3.6 demo, 10.5 million viewers

The Bachelor (8-10): 2.7 demo, 8.7 million viewers

Chuck: 2.1 demo, 5.8 million viewers

8:30 pm

Rules of Engagement: 3.2 demo, 9.9 million viewers

9 pm

Two and a Half Men: 4.6 demo, 15.5 million viewers

Lie to Me: 1.8 demo, 5.9 million viewers

The Cape: 1.7 demo, 6.1 million viewers

9:30 pm

Mike and Molly: 3.8 demo, 13 million viewers

10 pm

Hawaii 5-0: 2.9 demo, 10.5 million viewers

Harry’s Law: 2.1 demo, 11 million viewers

Castle (Repeat): 1.5 demo, 5.7 million viewers

CBS has extended full season pickups to all of its freshman series, including Hawaii 5-0, Mike and Molly, The Defenders, Blue Bloods, and $#*! My Dad Says.

CBS has by far had the most success this season with new shows, though none have broken out to hit status. Hawaii 5-0 and Mike and Molly have both been averaging low-to-mid 3.0 adult 18-49 ratings, truly renewal-worthy.  $#*! My Dad Says has been hovering around a 3.0, but it has the benefit of The Big Bang Theory as its lead in, so it should be doing more. The Defenders and Blue Bloods have both been low, but at least they are competitive in their hours.

So much for all those rumors that he was done and it was done.

Charlie Sheen has signed on for at least two more seasons of the comedy “Two and a Half Men,” according to reports.

And not only is he not leaving the show, he’s being paid more than any other actor. Variety reports that Sheen will become the highest paid person on television when he gets $2 million per episode next season.

“To put a fitting end on the 2 1/2 months of whirlwind speculation, I’m looking forward to returning to my CBS home on Monday nights,” Sheen, 44, said in a statement.

A few cable premieres tonight. “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” is on Animal Planet at 9, and “The Singing Bee” is on CMT also at 9. The finale of “Sanctuary” is on SyFy at 10 p.m. On Saturday, the premiere of “Pit Boss” is on Animal Planet at 10 p.m. On Sunday, A&E has the finale of “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” at 10 p.m.

CBS approved “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Good Wife” for second seasons. “Los Angeles” is the highest-rated new show this season with an average of 16.8 million viewers per week. “The Good Wife” has been a winner in the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot, helped by the failed Leno show on NBC.

Speaking NBC, the network announced its post-Olympic schedule.

• Mondays: Chuck at 8; Trauma at 9; Law & Order at 10.
• Tuesdays: The Biggest Loser at 8; Parenthood at 10.
• Wednesdays: Mercy at 8; Law & Order: SVU at 9; Law & Order: SVU at 10.
• Thursdays: Community at 8; Parks and Recreation at 8:30; The Office at 9; 30 Rock at 9:30; The Marriage Ref at 10.
• Fridays: Who Do You Think You Are?; Friday Night Lights at 8; Dateline NBC at 9.
• Saturdays: The Biggest Loser at 8; Law & Order at 9; Law & Order: SVU at 10.
• Sundays: Dateline NBC at 7; Minute to Win It at 8; The Celebrity Apprentice at 9.

TNT renewed its new drama “Men of a Certain Age” with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula for a 10-episode second season.

This spring, Discovery will debut “Worst Case Scenario” putting Bear Grylls risking his life to survive the worst possible situations.

The 90-minute season finale of “Sons of Anarchy” drew 4.33 million total viewers, making it the best-rated episode ever for this series, now through two seasons. FX announced it has ordered 13 episodes for the third season, which we’ll have to wait until next September for.

ABC is moving “Ugly Betty” to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. as of January 6 as part of ABC Comedy Wednesday. “Shark Tank” comes back to ABC on January 8 at 9 p.m.

Syfy has another new whimsical comedy series. “Outer Space Astronauts” premieres Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. The series was created by Russell Barrett, who developed the series at his home using computer graphics. It’s a five-par series airing Tuesdays at 9 after the first episode.

Bravo will sign on for a third season of “Shear Genius” starting in February.

Tonight is the finale of “Shark Tank” at 8 p.m. on ABC, as well as “Flipping Out” on Bravo at 10. No premieres tonight. The American League Championship Series continues on FOX tonight, so that will take up all the television-related attention.

Leading up to the new sci-fi drama “V,” ABC is hiring skywriters to draw huge letter V’s in the sky at 26 major landmarks across the US from Friday until the series opens November 3. “V” will have four episodes before a hiatus until early 2010.

FOX recently approved a new comedy called “Rehaab,” from writer/producer Sam Laybourne (“Cougar Town”). The show centers around a man who pretends to need rehab in order to re-connect with a former high school sweetheart who’s now a rock star.

Finally this morning, Samuel L. Jackson has two products in the works for CBS. The first is a comedy about the wife of a congressman who inherits her husband’s seat after he dies suddenly. We wonder if Victoria Kennedy is paying attention to that one. The second is a medical drama about an ER doctor who treats patients in unusual ways. Jackson will executive produce both shows. He is, after all, the highest paid man in Hollywood.

Tonight is the premiere of “Tosh.0″ at 10 on Comedy Central. For you lady cop fans, “Police Women of Broward County” has its season finale tonight at 9 on TLC.

HBO will renew “Bored to Death,” a comedy about a Brooklyn writer, and CBS is going all in on “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Good Wife,” giving both new shows an order for at least a full season after very high ratings for both. CBS carried the evening on Tuesday, as it has done since the two shows premiered in September.

Showtime has been full of winners over the past few years, and the network is betting on another. The tentatively titled “Behind the Green Room Door” will allow viewers to go inside the green room where celebrities and comedians meet and talk candidly with each other. This show will include appearances by onathan Winters, Eddie Izzard, Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, Robert Klein, Penn Jillette, Bob Saget, Sandra Bernhard, Andy Dick, Rain Pryor, Rick Overton, Paul Mooney, Bobby Slayton, Jim Jefferies, Patrice O’Neal, Brendon Burns, Larry Miller and Reginald D. Hunter, plus some newcomers.

Finally today, BET is developing a documentary series about Michael Vick and his return to the NFL after spending 18 months in prison.

FlashForward is on tonight along with Vampire Diaries. Stick to your couches, kiddies.

The premiere season has just about wound down at this point, but we have a few cable shows on tap tonight.

Animal Planet premieres “Weird, True and Freaky” at 9 p.m., with “Lost Tapes” to follow at 10. MTV has some reality shows starting tonight; most notably is the reality-drama “The Hills” at 10 with “The City” to follow at 10:30.

Actor Omar Miller is joining CSI: Miami as a regular starting with the October 5 episode. Miller will play Walter Simmons, an art chief from Louisiana who joins the crime fighting CSI team.

CBS had the best night on Friday, according to Nielsen, with premieres of “Ghost Whisperer,” “Medium” and “Numb3rs” scoring big on the ranking charts. We predict that will continue tonight as CBS has new episodes of three of its biggest shows, “NCIS,” the new “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “The Good Wife.”

We wonder how long “NCIS: Los Angeles” will continue to air on Tuesdays. The two NCIS shows are hits, and we have to assume one will get moved to bolster a slower weekday.

“Dancing with the Stars” is on ABC tonight and “So You Think You Can Dance” is on FOX.

Finally, no it’s not the 90s, but new episodes of the new “90210,” and “Melrose Place” are on The CW tonight.

By the way: Because of a reporting error, we said “NCIS: Los Angeles” aired on Mondays. It airs on Tuesdays.

Another big weekend of television-watching is coming up.

Tonight CBS premieres “Ghost Whisperer” at 8, “Medium” at 9 and “Numb3rs” at 10. “Smallville” starts its new season at 8 p.m. on The CW.

FOX has the series premiere of “Brothers” at 8 p.m. and the much-anticipated season 2 premiere of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” at 9.

“Law and order” is still around, with another season starting up at 8 p.m. tonight on NBC.

On Saturday, NBC premiere’s “Saturday Night Live” at 11:30, and CBS has “48 Hours Mystery” at 10 p.m.

And then it really gets out of hand on Sunday, with premieres including:

• ABC: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” at 7p.m., “Desperate Housewives” at 9, and “Brothers & Sisters at 10.”
• CBS: “60 Minutes” at 7, “The Amazing Race” at 8 and “Cold Case” at 10.
• FOX: “The Simpsons” at 8, “The Cleveland Show at 8:30, “Family Guy” at 9 and “American Dad” at 9:30.
• Showtime: “Dexter” at 9 and “Californication” at 10.

Criminals and Al Bundy rule the tubes tonight.

CBS has the most premieres tonight with “The New Adventures of Old Christine” at 8, “Gary Unmarried” at 8:30, “Criminal Minds” at 9, and “CSI: New York” at 10. The drama continues on NBC with premieres of “Mercy” at 8 p.m. and “Law and Order: SVU” at 9.

ABC offers the series premiere of “Modern Family” tonight at 9 p.m., which is Ed O’Neil’s return to primetime. Blast will be running our interview with O’Neil later today, and we’ll continue to talk about our time on-set with ABC.

ABC also has premieres of “Cougar Town” at 9:30 and “Eastwick” at 10 tonight.

FX is starting a new comedy show about fantasy football. “The League” follows a bunch of guys in the suburbs and their shenanigans. That will start-up on October 29 at 10:30 p.m. following “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” FX has ordered six episodes of the new comedy show.

MTV continues the reality shows with “Disaster Date,” a hidden-camera show about people who set up their friends on a blind date with an actor who makes things disastrous for them. The fun times begin September 28 at 6 p.m.

Nielsen says that SyFy’s season finale of “Eureka” gained 2.3 total viewers last Friday at 9 p.m., which is impressive for the cable network.

Syfy’s season three finale of Eureka last Friday at 9p averaged 1.1 million A18-49, 1.2 million A25-54 and 2.3 million total viewers. HBO’s return of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Sunday night gained 1.1 million viewers on Sunday night. A new show followed, “Bored to Death,” to the tune of about 1 million viewers.

Finally for you Melrose Place fans, Heather Locklear will join The CW‘s version of the show on November 17, reprising her role as Amanda Woodward.

Ding Dong, the witch is dead. That was the feeling among some of the Big Brother house guests this week. Chima, the drama queen of the house was forced to leave unexpectedly.

Within days Chima had her head of household power taken away and was nominated for eviction. The pressure seemed to be too much for the freelance journalist from California. Chima had told house guests earlier in the week, “I’m not giving them the satisfaction of voting me out.” She rebelled against the shows producers, refusing to wear her microphone. The reality show diva even deliberately threw it into the pool, which ultimately led to her demise in the house. The other house guests were not allowed to say goodbye and were told about her expulsion after she left the house.

“Chima has been evicted by the producers from the Big Brother house for violating the rules. She will not be part of the shows jury,” according to a statement released by CBS.

With the unexpected eviction taking place, Michelle’s head of household rein was cut short. The power was up for grabs. Jordan managed to golf her way through the competition and became head of household for the first time this season. The house guests were then faced with a whirlwind of events on Thursdays show. They had a power of veto competition, an eviction, and a new head of household competition.

With her team quickly losing the power in the house, Lydia spun out of control. She began yelling and threatening the house guests, telling them to send her home. At the nomination ceremony Jordan respected Lydia’s wish, nominating her beside Natalie. During the power of veto competition, it came down to Michelle and Jordan. The southern bell proved to be more of a threat than people thought, winning her second competition.

At the P.O.V. ceremony Jordan kept her nominations intact. Lydia left the house with a vote of 3-1, Kevin being the only vote to keep her in.

Thursdays show concluded with the house guests beginning the next H.O.H. competition. They’re dropping aluminum cans into a plastic tube in a race to fill the tubes with 24 cans or whoever has the most after an hour. America will have to wait until Sundays show to see who takes home this critical competition.

“There’s no better way to reach large numbers of male listeners than through exclusive sports programming” said Dan Mason, the president and CEO of CBS Radio in a statement released this morning.

And with that cheerful tone, the corporate machine is axing 104.1 WBCN: The Rock of Boston, leaving most of New England without a dedicated modern rock and roll radio station.

On August 13, Mix 98.5, one of those “80s, 90s and today” top 40 stations will move to the 104.1 frequency. CBS Radio will launch 98.5 The Sports Hub in the other slot. WBCN will continue to operate as a web-only broadcaster. In Hartford, a very similar radio station with the same frequency, 104.1 “Radio 104″ WMRQ was shut down in much the same way by owner Clear Channel several years ago.

According to the company website, CBS will try to change the call letters of 98.5 to WBZ-FM, named after its historic AM news and talk station.

This is a money decision for CBS.

“Advertisers will have an array of opportunities to brand themselves on the website using text, audio, and video, along with the capability to target consumers down to a specific zip code,” the company said about its new sports station.

Morning show personalities Toucher and Rich will run mornings on the new sports station.

Blast learned the news today while editor John Guilfoil was giving a video game themed broadcast on the morning show of the independent 101.7 WFNX, the only remaining rock station in Boston. However, WFNX and WBCN have decidedly different music and decidedly different listeners. While there is much crossover, WFNX is known for its indie rock while WBCN blasts the harder stuff. WBCN gained its fame in the 1960s, when it was at the forefront of the growth of progressive rock.

The move marks the end of an era in Boston and is utterly devastating to Boston’s suffering local rock music scene, which has been on the downturn for almost a decade.

Let the games begin … again. Get ready for another season of twists, deceit and back stabbings, weeks of slop, and the always entertaining “showmances.”

Thursday night marked the premier of the 11th season of Big Brother. This summer 12 new houseguests and one from one of big brother’s past seasons packed their bags and headed to Los Angeles. They’re ready to be locked up and compete for $500,000.

Whether the contestants hated or loved their high school years, they’ll be reliving them this season on Big Brother. The show’s theme this year is “High School Cliques” and the producers have found all the necessary stereotypes: the blonde bombshell, the jock, the brainy computer guy and the outcast. The houseguests have been divided into four groups: the brains, the off beats, the athletes and the popular people. Each group will compete against the others, fighting to stay in the competition.

In Thursday’s premier the first Head of Household competition was held and led to the introduction of a mystery houseguest, Jessie from Big Brother 10. Jessie took the title of the first head of household, giving him the power to nominate two people for elimination. This is the first twist of the season, and there’s a good chance it’s not the last. And as the houseguests settle into their new home and get to know each other, bonds will be formed and controversy will erupt. But one thing’s for sure; it looks like we can prepare ourselves for another summer of household favorites to cheer for and some not-so-favorite Villains who we love to hate.

You can catch Big brother 11 on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m., Tuesdays at 9 p.m., and Thursdays at 8 p.m.. You can also watch “Big Brother After Dark” on Showtime every night from 12 a.m. until 3 a.m. If that’s still not enough Big Brother for you, you can always watch the drama unravel live 24 hours a day on the CBS live feed.

On Wednesday, CBS hosted the Recording Academy’s “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night.” The hour-long special combined the reading of nominees in six of the 110 Grammy categories with performances of previous Grammy winning songs by the top stars in America’s music industry.
The nominees announced were:

Best New Artist

Adele

Duffy

The Jonas Brothers

Lady Antebellum

Jasmine Sullivan

Album of the Year

Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”

Lil’ Wayne – “Tha Carter III”

Ne-Yo – “Year of the Gentleman”

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss – “Raising Sand”

Radiohead – “In Rainbows”

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals

Alicia Keys feat. John Mayer – “Lessons Learned”

Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland – “4 Minutes”

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss – “Rich Woman”

Rihanna and Maroon 5 – “If I Never See Your Face Again”

Jordan Sparks feat. Chris Brown – “No Air”

Best Country Performance for a Duo or Group

Brooks & Dunn – “God Must Be Busy”

Lady Antebellum – “Love Don’t Live Here”

Rascal Flatts – ” Every Day”

The Steeldrivers – “Blue Side of the Mountain”

Sugarland – “Stay”

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

Big Boi feat. Raekwon and Andre 3000 – “Royal Flush:

T.I. feat. Kanye West, Jay Z and Lil’ Wayne – “Swagger Like Us”

Lil’ Wayne and Jay Z – “Tha Carter III”

Ludacris feat. T.I. – “Wish You Would”

Young Jeezy feat. Kanye West – “Put On”

Record of the Year

Adele – “Chasing Pavements”

Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”

Leona Lewis – “Bleeding Love”

M.I.A. – “Paper Planes”

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “Please Read the Letter”

The complete list of Grammy nominees can be found here. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will air Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 on CBS.

American history has its heroes. Washington. Lincoln. King.

Murrow.

If you don’t understand how important journalism is in a society, you need only read a biography of Edward R. Murrow and see what he did during World War II and then during the American anti-communism years.

Read the biography first. Then you can watch “Good Night and Good Luck.”

Murrow was born 100 years ago Friday. A heavy smoker, he died in 1965 at 57. Though he smoked three packs a day, he was one of the first journalists to report on the connection between cigarettes and cancer.

Though he was one of the founding fathers of television and remains perhaps the most influential broadcaster on any medium in history, he was prophetically aware of the dangers posed to an insulated citizenry.

What follows are excerpts from a speech Murrow gave in Chicago in 1958. It could have easily been given 50 years later and could be about not only television and radio but the Internet and computers. It is relevant during the rule of McCarthy, the rule of Nixon and the rule of Bush.

Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.

For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive. …

One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles. The top management of the networks with a few notable exceptions, has been trained in advertising, research, sales or show business. But by the nature of the coporate structure, they also make the final and crucial decisions having to do with news and public affairs. Frequently they have neither the time nor the competence to do this. It is not easy for the same small group of men to decide whether to buy a new station for millions of dollars, build a new building, alter the rate card, buy a new Western, sell a soap opera, decide what defensive line to take in connection with the latest Congressional inquiry, how much money to spend on promoting a new program, what additions or deletions should be made in the existing covey or clutch of vice-presidents, and at the same time– frequently on the same long day–to give mature, thoughtful consideration to the manifold problems that confront those who are charged with the responsibility for news and public affairs. …

I began by saying that our history will be what we make it. If we go on as we are, then history will take its revenge, and retribution will not limp in catching up with us.

We are to a large extent an imitative society. If one or two or three corporations would undertake to devote just a small traction of their advertising appropriation along the lines that I have suggested, the procedure would grow by contagion; the economic burden would be bearable, and there might ensue a most exciting adventure–exposure to ideas and the bringing of reality into the homes of the nation.

To those who say people wouldn’t look; they wouldn’t be interested; they’re too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter’s opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost.

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.