The CW has extended renewals to “One Tree Hill” and “Nikita.” It will be the 9th season for “One Tree Hill,” presumably its last. “Nikita” will start its second season.

“One Tree Hill” has been consistent with the network’s other offerings, even if its not a strong show. Still, its total viewership hovers above the network average. However, much of the main cast’s contracts ended with the current season, and its continuation was largely a factor of their return.

“Nikita’s” renewal was less 0f a shoe-in, as its been borderline in the 12-34 girls demo the network targets.

Well, The Vampire Diaries definitely reminded us all exactly why we keep coming back to watch it this week. Despite all of its crazily written plot twists, and over dramatic “epic” romances, “The Sun Also Rises” managed to both literally and figuratively rip hearts out.

The episode started out on a good leg, with Damon and Katherine’s awesome “goodbye” scene and dealing with his wolf bite, Caroline and Matt dealing with Tyler, and Elena dealing with slowly breaking it to Jenna that she was going to be a vampire.

Towards the middle somewhere, though, the episode took a turn to its classic TVD side. It was full of tragedy and self-sacrificing that all just seemed like a little too much. Elena blamed herself over and over, Bonnie offered to sacrifice herself twice, Stefan decided to sacrifice himself, and Jenna managed to again make a situation that wasn’t specifically about her and make it all about her. Seeing an episode that the entire season had been building for go down in such an over-the-top way was disappointed.

Then things got amazing. Right around the time Damon and Alaric had their bonding moment, the episode went from trying to force epic, to actually being epic. Ian Somerhalder and Matt Davis work so well together; Not only are their scenes together good on the eyes, but they always pack the right level of broody-man emotion. Throw Kat Graham into the mix, and the scenes of the crew preparing their great rescue were some of the most well executed this season.

Jenna’s character has never served a dramatic plot purpose that has really caught our attention, but for whatever reason, her death was one of the saddest TVD has managed, and with all the deaths packed into just two seasons, that says a lot. Elena’s reaction, Jenna’s fear, Jenna’s purpose –it was all very raw and heart wrenching to watch.

And just when we thought that if one more person offered to give themselves up to die we would all vomit, John did it. But John’s was the only sacrifice that made perfect sense, and fit perfectly, and despite the fact that his character is always touch-and-go as far as whether or not we actually like him, his death packed a punch. The letter, and the ring, combined with the cemetery scene and the gorgeous cover of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love by Birdy playing the background made the death’s of two B-list characters seem very hard-hitting in a really memorable way.

Speaking of memorable, there is not a single Matt/Caroline or Tyler/Caroline that can rightfully say they did not appreciate this episode. Poor Matt has been in this awkward stringing along place for so long that to see him keep doing it was serving an injustice to a relationship that once held a very dear place in our hearts. Him finally standing up and saying he couldn’t do it anymore at least showed he has some backbone, though it left their relationship on good enough terms that it can in no way be considered the last angsty scene we will see from them. However, not even Matt can deny the supernatural creature chemistry that always happens with Tyler and Caroline. Her trying to talk him down last episode, the cuddle on the couch at the end of this episode (he was definitely naked right?) and the way they both talk to each other just makes me want to give them their own show and watch them do their snuggle, giggle, cry thing for hours.

And because The Vampire Diaries can never just tie things up and end them, there is still Damon to worry about and his Tyler Lockwood wolf “nip.” Though despite the fact that this show loves its cliffhangers, we can’t help but feel not as worried as we should for Damon for exactly the reason Stefan pointed out: they always find a way.

There are shows with pretty high stakes. Vampire Diaries is one of those shows. Last night’s episode, “The Last Day” took those high stakes and raised them a thousand times higher. For starters, the episode started right out with Damon getting right down to the gritty stuff: aka being selfishly Damon (in a way that we all love) and force-feeding Elena vampire blood so that even if this “elixir” doesn’t work, she still won’t die because she will be a vamp. Clever Damon. So basically, we have taken the already dangerous storyline in which Elena could potentially die and turned it to an even crazier storyline were Elena could potentially be vamped.

But it doesn’t stop there. The show finally answered everyone’s repeated question: where is Michael Trevino (sort-of) and brought back Tyler from wherever it is that angry werewolves go to figure out their lives with crazy she-wolves. Klaus needed a werewolf to finish up his ritual so he called Tyler back to mystic falls by way of throwing his mother down a flight of stairs which all seemed like a crazy far-fetched series of events but it brought Tyler back so hey, no complaints here.

Where there is Tyler there is of course, Caroline, and where there is Caroline there is Matt. (and as of lately, Sheriff Forbes) After last week’s episode kind of dropped the Matt/Caroline storyline off the face of the earth, probably somewhere with the Tyler/Caroline storyline, it was exciting to have both of these plot pieces come back in one episode. Tyler and Caroline had moment, filled with the wonderful Caroline and Tyler unmistakable chemistry they had pre vamp-knapping, and immediately their “hey I sorta like you,” relationship went right back to being awesome, leaving poor Matt somewhere in the background trying to wrap is adorable head around the fact that every person around him is some kind of hell creature and exactly where he fits into the whole thing. –Which as of right now seems to be somewhere between Caroline and Sheriff Forbes.

In some episodes, Elena and Stefan can get a little heavy with the brooding and self righteous chatter about who is to blame for all the bad stuff that happens around them, but in this one they definitely tugged on a few heartstrings. Seeing Elena deal with a situation that essentially required her to be a little bit selfish was not what we are used to and was definitely a new spin on things. The result was still her usual self-sacrificing behavior however her final scene with Stefan was, if only this once, heart wrenching and not gut wrenching.

Damon seemed uncharacteristically emotion driven and desperate in this episode which gave Ian Somerhalder a chance to show off his acting chops while Damon ran frantically around Mystic Falls enlisting the help of anyone he could find (Matt with a wooden bullet gun?) to stop the ritual from happening and save Elena. Leave it to Damon to always think backwards. Put Elena in more trouble, then, fix the whole thing anyways. Maybe Damon is just a sucker for unusually high stakes like the rest of us.

Anyways, Damon rescued Tyler and Caroline and had a cute little moment where he tried to rescue only Caroline and not Tyler. Silly Damon, they sort-of pretend not to like each other. Don’t you know that? Watching Tyler, Damon, Caroline, and Matt all run through the woods in a rag-tag band of brothers, cast away from the bigger drama was kind of adorable and fun. Also Damon taking the wolf-bite for Caroline was a bit of an interesting plot-line, that could get looked over in the midst of everything going on in this episode, but is definitely not something to be ignored.

Speaking of taking bites, Elena found Jenna lying in a firey field in total transition mode. This means Jenna is going from clueless and in the dark little Jenna, to vampy Jenna all in a matter of two or so TV days. This show has managed to to characterize every possible type of she-vamp: crazy self-centered Katherine, just-wanna-have-fun Lexi, tragically tragic Vicki, sad and confused but still fighting, Caroline, and seriously misunderstood Isobel. Provided Jenna makes it out of this whole ritual debacle alive (along with everyone else) it will be interesting to see what kind of vamp she would become… or better yet what kind of vamp Elena would become. If they both turned that would leave the vampire count in mystic falls seriously high, so all that can mean is we can most definitely expect to see some fatalities in the coming episode.

At just a few minutes before 8 p.m., when all of us were anxiously flicking on our TV’s Michael Trevino (who plays Tyler Lockwood) tweeted “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand we’re back…” and back they were. “The Vampire Diaries” returned from one of the CW network’s famous, fan-dreaded hiatuses with an episode that seriously packed a punch.

“Know Thy Enemy” brought the series back with a big-name packed episode (Hello, Isobel’s back) that housed Katherine and Isobel (and possibly even Klaus?) all in once place, and not only that, but in once scene. The Katherine and Isobel bonding moments left everyone wondering how our favorite leather-jacket-wearing three-some and their pals would pull themselves out of this one, only to send us for a loop when Isobel turned out to be in some trouble of her own. The disappointing news however, is if her disturbingly-fiery death, at her daughter’s feet, was permanent –as most are– this may be the last we see of Mia Kirshner.

The episode without a doubt had everyone on the edge of their couches, beds, or what-have-you, with its unending twists and turns that had us jerking around and screaming at the television right from the start. Sending us from hating John, who seems to constantly make questionable decisions, to feeling for him by the end of the episode –David Anders always delivers flawlessly in that way.

Even Katherine broke out her flat iron, which always implies that she means business. Whenever the she-vamp strolls on screen sporting straight hair, we always wait anxiously for Nina Dobrev’s face-off with herself which has proved on countless occasions to be not only a well maneuvered trick for Katherine but for the post production geniuses who staple it together seamlessly.

Bonnie is getting more super-witch by the minute, proving to be an essential piece to the season’s puzzle. It is refreshing to see her pulling some major weight and becoming a front-running character after she disappeared for a number of episodes after her grandmother’s death in season one and seemed to take the back-burner when Caroline’s vamp storyline first picked up in the beginning of season two.

It what could definitely be considered the twist of the episode, Alaric got his brain/soul/good nature swapped with Klaus in some kind of bizarre possession ritual, leading to him approaching Katherine in a rather suggestive way. If every viewer on the planet wasn’t already wondering what was going down in Mystic Falls, they are now.

Also, Stefan and Damon had another of their recent brotherly chats, knocking glasses when they realized that for once, they may actually be one step ahead of the game. And though it is almost too much brooding, good looks, and sarcasm for us to take in, it always proves to be gold when the writers give Paul Wesley and Ian Sommerhalder their moments together.

Matt and Caroline continue to tug at viewers’ heartstrings episode after episode, (though now he seems to have thrown her under the sheriff-mommy bus) which leaves everyone with the same daunting question: Where is Tyler Lockwood? Fans have been assured that crowd-favorite Michael Trevino is returning soon, but for many soon is not even soon enough.

A recent study by California-based media research company Experian Simmons seems to prove what many already believe: Democrats and Republicans have different tastes. Their research reveals that Republicans are more likely to be enthusiastic about shows with big ratings while Democrats seem to gravitate towards shows that are less popular but more critically acclaimed.

“The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores from Democrats and Republicans but with higher concentrations of Republicans,” according to Experian Simmons senior marketing manager John Fetto, “Looking at the Democrats side, I don’t mean to make light of it, but they seem to like shows about damaged people. Those are the kind of shows Republicans just stay away from.”

The degree to which Republicans gravitate to more popular shows is striking: nine out of ten top shows on the Neilson list appear on the Republican list as well. None appear in the Democrats’ top 10. Democrats tend to adore “Mad Men” while “American Chopper” and “Pawn Stars” are more popular with Republicans.

While at first glance it might seem that there’s a “high brow versus low brow” conflict at the heart of these differences, the reality is more complicated. Republicans favor reality shows based around competition but certain particularly unabashedly trashy reality shows — “Jersey Shore,” “Kourtney & Khloe” — are more favored by Republicans. Animated comedies such as “Family Guy” score higher with Democrats, as do most shows on the CW.

Democrats also tend to love NBC’s Thursday night comedy block. “30 Rock”, “Community”, and “Parks and Recreation” appear in the Democrats’ top 15. Republicans tend to rate those shows lowly while, maybe surprisingly, giving “The Office” even slightly higher marks than their Democrat counterparts.

“Modern Family,” a show featuring a gay couple with adopted kids, seems like an unlikely choice for the Republicans’ number three spot, yet there it is. This and similar details of the study make it difficult to wax analytical about how viewing habits relate the supposed “culture war” between the Left and the Right in the United States. But for anyone hoping for less partisanship in American politics anytime soon, the bad news seems more concrete: Glenn Beck’s show tops the Republican list while Keith Olbermann’s program is tops with Democrats.

Here are each group’s favorites:

SAN DIEGO — The cast and team for TheCW series "Supernatural" arrived to Comic-Con International fresh from filming their sixth season. Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins, Eric Kripke, Ben Edlund and Sera Gamble met with press to shed light on what to expect this year. So for fans dying to know what is in store for the Winchester brothers, and the series’ direction? Here’s the basic rundown.

Season 6: Fresh Start

If there was anything made specifically clear by writers and producers Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, and Ben Edlund, it’s that the show is starting from scratch. With a different angle but somewhat familiar playing field; when Blast asked about the tone of the series in Season 6 Eric Kripke described it as being more a noir feel about it. There are no fedoras, cloaks, or daggers instead it will have plenty of twists and turns throughout the season. "No one is who they seem…" writer and creator Eric Kripke explains, "Everyone’s got ulterior motives."

The new season promises to bring in more "monsters" similar to the types from the show’s earlier seasons. But angel and demon fans rest assure, there will still be trace elements from the mythology threaded into it from last season. In other words, no fear, Castiel (Misha Collins) will still be around and his development will be just as dynamic as ever. Overall, considering the new direction in tone for Season 6, expect the unexpected!

The CW Network today announced that its series "Smallville" will return in the fall of 2010 for a 10th season.

"Smallville," a modern retelling of the Superman legend, stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent. The series moved to Friday nights this season, where it currently ranks as network television’s No. 1 show in its time period among men 18-34 and men 18-49.

It averages more than 3 million viewers per week.

"Smallville" joins "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl," "90210," "Supernatural" and "America’s Next Top Model" as shows renewed for another season on The CW.

I’ve never met anyone, anywhere who watches the CW’s “Smallville,” but if you do, then you witnessed Microsoft market its Project Natal motion-sensing technology on the show over the weekend.

The video is embedded below, but I just don’t know. It’s a kind of awkward segment. Certainly didn’t rescue me from the waters of uncertainty about Microsoft’s new technology. Also, could only find a French-subtitled version, so there’s that.

But you decide.

ABC announced it was canceling “Ugly Better” after its springtime run, citing low ratings.

The show will have its 20-episode season cut short. In a statement, ABC Entertainment chairman Steve McPherson said “We’ve mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty’s final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell.”

MTV has to premieres tonight “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” starts at 10 and “Take the Stage” is at 11. The network’s season one finale of “Teen Mom” on Tuesday earned 3.6 million total viewers.

The CW continues to prove its trying to be like USA Network circa 1989. CW picked up the pilot for “Nikita” a new look at the old sexy spy film/series “La Femme Nikita.”

A few more dramas in the works…

ABC approved an untitled crime drama pilot from writer Richard Hatem and director Gary Fleder, according to THR. The show matches a sexy female detective who works with a disgraced ex-cop to solve crimes.

NBC has a new 60-minute drama pilot in the works called “Justice” about a former Supreme Court justice who quits the high court to start his own practice.

Two very different season finales tonight: “America’s Next Top Model” at 8 p.m. on The CW and “South Park” at 10 on Comedy Central. No premieres on this Wednesday.

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.

If you need more proof that the new “Stargate SG-1″ DVD is never going to get made, here it is: MGM Studios is seeking a buyer. The cash-strapped studio got permission from lenders to skip interest payments on loans through January as it seeks a merger or acquisition, possibly with Fox/News Corp., Time Warner, or Viacom. Rumors about a private equity fund also cropped up, but most reports have it that Lionsgate will come out ahead of a possibly bidding war. The New York Times values MGM at between $1.5 and $3 billion, down from the $5 billion that Comcast, Sony, and venture capitalists spent taking MGM private in 2004.

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.

Today was the day of reckoning for several faltering television shows.

“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.

This week on the Vampire Diaries: witchcraft, relationship drama, and a vampire staking. For those that tuned in last week, remember that vampire Vicki is no more, and now the rest of the small town of Mystic Falls is coping with her disappearance. Meanwhile, an old female friend of Stefan’s comes calling for his birthday.

All the stress of this situation, and the horror of vampires existing in general, has left Elena feeling confused and sullen. What makes Elena so likeable as our heroine, is her conflicting and complex feelings on this whole new world. Unlike a certain other vampire saga heroine (Bella, okay, it’s Bella), Elena doesn’t immediately accept Stefan as the personification of a mythical creature. She doesn’t leap into his arms and confess, “Oh you’re a vampire? That’s totally fine because obviously we have romantic interest in one another and absolutely nothing is going to come between that.” Her hesitancy is refreshing and very human. It’s easy to identify with the isolation she feels by carrying the burden of Stefan’s secret and not being able to talk to anyone about it.

Two sub-plots that have been playing out in the last few episodes have done a great job in moving the story along. One involves the key townspeople (the sheriff, the mayor) being in on the vampire secret. They are aware of the existence of vampires in the town, but they don’t know that Damon and Stefan are the ones they are hunting for. They also have the knowledge of how to fight the undead. In another awesome plot twist (seriously, they get me every week) Damon manipulates the “informed” townspeople to his advantage.

The other storyline that I’m glad is finally getting more attention, deals with Elena’s best friend Bonnie. Bonnie is a descendant of Salem witches and discovered a few episodes ago that she does have the power to practice witchcraft. Judging by next week’s episode preview, this particular plot-line will finally be developed more.

“The Vampire Diaries” airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Stephenie Meyer did not invent vampires. Not every show, film or story involving vamps needs to be compared to "Twilight," but these comparisons inevitably happen due to its intensely massive popularity. The new CW show "The Vampire Diaries" is so much more than a love story between a human and the undead. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the "Twilight" series, but what this new show gives viewers is characters with depth and some realism.

The premise of the series involves a high school student Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) struggling to pull her life back together after the death of her parents. Enter the mysterious Stefan Salvatore- the new kid in the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Elena and Stefan’s relationship develops very naturally during the course of the show; it doesn’t feel too sudden or intense. Elena has normal, teenage girl reservations about dating Stefan that have nothing to do with him being a vampire, a fact she is not privy to at first. Aside from you know, being 145-year-old vampire, Stefan comes with a lot of complexities. He works hard to maintain an animal blood only diet (yes, I know just like Edward), has issues with constantly lying to Elena, and is trying to keep his meddlesome and evil brother at bay.

Evil older brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is the most fascinating character of the show. He harbors resentment towards Stefan for denying his natural thirst of human blood, and the brothers are still at odds over a mysterious secret from their past involving another woman. Damon is always quick with a sneer and scathing comeback, and makes no apologies for tearing the throats out of various townspeople. He finds his younger brother’s attempts to keep him from feeding humorous. Stefan has his hands full just trying to deal with Damon and his impetuous acts of rage and terror.

The writers of the show have given their monsters traits from several schools of vampire thought. No coffins, crucifixes or garlic, but a wooden stake can end them as well as the sunlight. Super speed, sensitive hearing and even mind control powers are granted but unless you invite them into the house, they are powerless at the doorstep. Strength of powers depends heavily on the amount of feeding with human blood, which is what makes Damon much more powerful than Stefan and ultimately why Stefan cannot simply take his brother down. And no, neither of them sparkles in the sunlight.

This week’s episode brought another Damon-initiated problem into Stefan’s world. In a great plot twist, an impulsive Damon turns the troubled Vicki into a vampire. Vicki is the love interest of Elena’s brother Jeremy and probably the absolute worst person possible to become a bloodsucker. Before Damon’s interference, Vicki was happily living the life of a hard-partying druggie. Add some serious blood-lust to her already addictive tendencies, and the mortals of the town should probably only go out in daylight. Stefan tries in vain to teach Vicki how to control her thirst, but of course Damon is standing by to complicate matters. Coupled with the girl’s rebellious streak, it makes a difficult task for Stefan to control her and keep Elena and Jeremy safe. There’s an explosive action scene near the end that I won’t ruin, but once again the writers pulled off another fantastic plot twist.

"The Vampire Diaries" airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Blast will be running a feature-length podcast interview with Michael Shanks. Our readers will recognize Shanks as Daniel Jackson in all those years of “Stargate SG-1.” The interview will be up next week, but we wanted to confirm his appearance on The CW’s “Smallville.”

Shanks will play Hawkman in two episodes, “Society” and “Legends” which he told Blast are due to air in early 2010, possibly January.

The Canadian actor is working on a few other projects, but it wasn’t all good news. Shanks said that the next — and currently untitled — “Stargate SG-1″ movie is “not coming any time soon,” as the DVD market is down and financial issues aren’t making things easy for MGM to green light another Stargate film.

Make sure you read Blast in November. Did we mention we’re doing a Stargate-themed giveaway? Make sure you register an account to be eligible.

Tonight is the season premiere of “Ugly Betty” on ABC at 8 and “lobstermen” at 10 on Discovery Channel. and we also have the season finale of “Psych” on USA at 10 p.m. “Storm Chasers” premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. on Discovery

News Corp. will shut down Fox Reality Channel by March 31, citing low ratings for the four-year old network.

Could this finally be the end of “Jon & Kate Plus 8?” TLC will halt the show in mid-November, and has said it will not launch “Kate Plus 8″ on November 2 on the heels of Jon Gosselin’s court order preventing the pair’s children from being filmed. We’re sure that there will be more to this story.

Showtime will order a one-hour pilot of an American import of the British drama “Shameless,” with William H. Macy. The show is about a working-class family of eight children with an alcoholic father — no we’re not still talking about “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”

The CW has six — count’em — six new shows in development. “Spy School for Girls” is about women spies being trained by the CIA. “Plymouth Rock” is a space-themed melodrama about people on a space ship traveling to another planet, and the fun that ensues there. “Confessions of a Backup dancer,” will be written and executive produced by Ilene Chaiken (“The L Word”). “The March Sisters” is a modern-day Little Woman. And finally, there’s an untitled crime drama coming out of Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Entertainment.

ABC gave “The Gates” a 13-episode order for the season.

Finally, the Yankees and the Angels begin game one of the American League Championship Series at 7:30 on FOX. We couldn’t care less.

NBC's Trauma premieres tonight at 10

Not a lot of new stuff on the tube tonight, but there’s some news to discuss below.

On network TV, FOX premieres “Lie to Me’ at 9 p.m. tonight, while NBC debuts its “Trauma” at the same time. MTV premieres another reality show, “Disaster Date” at 6 p.m., and truTV has the premiere of “Operation Repo” at 10. Tonight is also the season finale of A&E’s “Hoarders,” which is also on at 10.

The Ashton Kutcher-produced series “The Beautiful Life” staring Mischa Barton appears to be an abject failure. The CW pulled the show from its fall schedule after just two episodes and ordered production on the show halted after miserable ratings.

Also getting axed is A&E’s “The Cleaner.” The Benjamin Bratt drama will not get renewed for a third season.

ABC announced that the new alien-infused drama “V” will debut November 3, with a four-episode run, followed by a major cliffhanger, followed by nine more episodes next spring.

In other ABC-related news, the always busy Jerry Bruckheimer is working on a pilot for a new series called “Hopscotch,” which Variety says promises to be a “high-concept police procedural” drama. Variety reported several networks were vying for the opportunity to land the new series, which is chock-full of “hit potential.” Chris Levinson will write the series, and Warner will producer.

The CW approved a new, untitled reality series about New York socialite Tinsley Mortimer, because they know you just can’t get enough of watching rich people spend their money. The series is approved for at least eight episodes.

NBC has an interesting-sounding project in the works. In the tentatively titled “Slacker Sons,” Variety reports that two brothers get rich by developing their own energy drink. They buy the family home and end up helping out their divorced dad who gets laid off from his corporate wageslave job.

Finally today, Vincent D’Onofrio is leaving Law & Order: Criminal Intent after eight seasons playing the quirky detective Robert Goren.

Here’s a whole bunch of photos from the next episode of The Vampire Diaries, airing on Thursday on The CW.

When Elena (Nina Dobrev) attempts to prove Bonnie (Katerina Graham) wrong about Stefan, her best laid plains take an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Mr.Tanner (guest star Benjamin Ayres) reluctantly lets Stefan join the football team after he impresses everyone with his skills. Finally, the town is shocked by an act of violence. Steven R. McQueen, Sara Canning, Zach Roerig and Kayla Ewell also star. John Dahl directed the episode written by Barbie Kligman & Bryan M. Holdman

Be forewarned: If you plan on visiting Mystic Falls, avoid deserted locations at night, particularly around wooded environments. Failing to do may send you to a grim fate, much like the victims from “Night of the Comet,” the latest episode of “The Vampire Diaries.” Yet despite the romantic factor, the follow-up to the pilot continues its momentum in exciting viewers with its bloody thrills and vampiric rampages.

An episode like “Night of the Comet” is somewhat of a surprise when the vampire storyline almost takes a backseat to the more crafted human relationships. Sure it starts off as deja-vu, when yet another random couple is murdered one night, but while this acts as a nice plot device for Damon’s character, (Ian Somerhalder) it serves as reminder for us the danger at hand.

The first half of the episode ties up some loose ends by going through the aftermath of Vicki Donovan’s attack. We witness both her brother Matt, and Elena’s brother, Jeremy, check in on her. However, it’s Jeremy who steals the scene every time he’s with her. It’s a definite credit to the show in casting Steven R. McQueen who, despite a noticeable growth spurt since the pilot, provides enough wit and vulnerability necessary for us to connect with his character.

In the original book, Elena’s sibling is a younger sister. There have been doubts as to whether the changes would diminish the quality. Fans should rest assured because the deviations from the original all work in adding into the spirit of books; the eternal strength of love, and the act of finding redemption.

The director for “Night of the Comet,” Marcos Siega, doesn’t waste time working up the tension between Elena and her brother, Jeremy. One pivotal scene happens at the coffee house when Elena confronts her brother once again about using drugs. The blocking of the scene is tight, and just when you think Jeremy will say what we want to hear, he just takes off. Another scene stealer is Elena and Jeremy’s aunt, Jenna (Jenna Somers), a somewhat free spirit who finds she must adapt quickly to new responsibilities of being a parent to her sister’s children. Her presence in the episode adds the much needed humor to balance the brooding angst. The rants she makes while scouring for drug paraphernalia in Jeremy’s room is an episode highlight. The combination of all these scenarios is part of how “The Vampire Diaries” will continue to thrive this season.

On the romance front, Stefan and Elena continue to make inroads, but to her credit she doesn’t take the typical route of the “damsel” by rushing to her “dark prince.” Instead she takes a step back and lets Stefan know she’s still dealing with the loss of her parents. Naturally, this doesn’t stop Stefan from making an effort, but it’s a relief to see Elena act level headed about her relationship.

Paul Wesley really owns the role of Stefan, and the chemistry he has with Nina Dobrev in this episode is enough to make even the snarkiest critic secretly root for them. Damon’s part in the episode, however, is a bit of a toss up. Somerhalder’s take on the more puckish, sarcastic side of his character is a bit inconsistent. At times he’s spot on, like during the rooftop scene where Damon taunts Stefan by taking hold of Vicki and accusing his brother of “eating bunnies” for strength. Other times he seems almost a little over the top when he is at the boarding house flirting with Elena. It’s all slightly too unrestrained, and he needs to pull back a little. This isn’t to suggest Somerhalder is without his own appeal, he certainly has the acting chops to take on the devious Damon. The issue really comes from his strong onscreen charisma. He doesn’t need to do much to make a point. All it takes is just one sideways grin, threatening tone, or intent glare to speak volumes.

The best scene where this works is during his confrontation with Stefan informing him that the only time they’re closest to humanity is when they’re ripping someone’s throat out. Another other highlight takes place at the counter at what appears to be the coffee shop. In this scene Damon is alone, and Vicki seems to recognize him. She insists she knows him, and he responds without any pretense that it is “unfortunate” for her. It begs the question as to whether Damon perhaps feels as burdened with his existence as Stefan. Again, it’s the little details Somerhalder injects into his role as Damon which stand out.

If the pilot set the premise, then “Night of the Comet” gives us tone for the series by showing there is more to love than just the pretty undead. “The Vampire Diaries” has a lot of characters that are not just likable but at times easily relatable. All in all, “Night of the Comet” is a pleasant surprise with a couple of small growing pains. However, if the trailer for the upcoming episode, “Friday Night Bites” promises anything, it will certainly pick up on the action.

“The Vampire Diaries” is on Thursday Night at 8 p.m. on The CW

This summer Blast brought you coverage of “The Vampire Diaries“ straight from Comic-Con International in San Diego. The supernatural love story between a vampire and a human girl was showcased at the convention not just once but twice with a viewing during the popular Preview Night, and later in its regularly scheduled panel.

No, we’re not talking about “Twilight” … this time.

Since then the buzz over the new “Vampire Diaries” series has exploded into a bit of a phenomenon, drawing comparisons to the mega-popular “Twilight” craze. Despite the similarities, “The Vampire Diaries” is not just a brooding love story as much as it is also a thriller at times — an element which adds to its appeal.

After months of anticipation fueled by countless online promotions and on billboards strewn everywhere, the series made its debut last week with incredible results. “The Vampire Diaries” surprised nearly everyone when its ratings resulted in a staggering 4.8+ million viewers on Thursday night, making it the highest rated series premiere ever for TheCW. With the talents of a production team consisting of Leslie Morgenstein (“Gossip Girl”), Bob Levy (“Gossip Girl”), Kevin Williamson (“Scream” “Dawson’s Creek”) and Julie Plec (“Kyle XY”) the series proved itself golden on its first night.

And so it seems vampires and love stories won’t be unpopular any time soon. But to the show’s merit, it holds promise on going beyond a simple trend. This is clear when we see how the show treats the family relationships between the human characters. As long as “The Vampire Diaries” continues to focus on the relationships of its characters in a way viewers can relate, it will undoubtedly prove its staying power.

Tonight continues with another new episode, “Night of the Comet”, which deals with the aftermath of Damon Salvatore’s arrival — nicely portrayed by Ian Somerhalder — and the havoc he may cause in Mystic Falls.

Catch “The Vampire Diaries” every Thursday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

“It ain’t just looking pretty!”

That’s Natalie Floyd’s philosophy on modeling and the premise of the new CW series, “The Beautiful Life.” The show chronicles the behind-the-scenes drama of the fashion world through the lives of several young hopeful models. Mischa Barton (“The O.C”) and Sara Paxton (“The Last House on the Left”) leads the cast which also includes Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical”) and Floyd.

Floyd plays Hayley, “a free-spirited rocker chick” and the love interest of Bleu’s character Isaac. Portraying a model should come pretty naturally to Floyd who began modeling at the age of 15. She’s modeled for designers Charlotte Rousse, Neiman Marcus and Roberto de Villacis but Floyd’s aspirations were elsewhere.

“I’ve always been about acting,” Floyd said. “The modeling just kind of worked into my life on its own while I’m pursing my real passion.”

On the show, the fierce, cutthroat side to the modeling world full of backstage politics is revealed as newcomers Raina (Paxton) and Chris (Benjamin Hollingsworth) try to make a name for themselves. Floyd insists that “The Beautiful Life” is true to reality.

“It is literally a scripted behind-the-scenes peek of the modeling and fashion industry,” she said. “I think many people who decide to watch it will get a new perspective on the life a model has to lead.”

The CW’s “The Beautiful Life” premiered tonight at 9 p.m. You can also watch her as Ariana Osgood in the web series “Private.”

SAN DIEGO — Last week Blast brought an inside look and review on the upcoming CW series’ “The Vampire Diaries” with a review of its pilot during the Comic-Con International in San Diego. Since then, the fledgling series has been the hot topic between loyalists of the books (“The Vampire Diaries” is based on a series by L.J. Smith), fans of its cast like Ian Somerhalder of “Lost” fame, as well as its producers like Kevin Williamson who brought another television hit, “Dawson’s Creek”.

And while the frenzy for all things vampiric hasn’t slowed down, as witnessed by the legion of “Twilight” fans awaiting Stephenie Meyer’s second installation in her series, “New Moon” it begs the question as to whether “The Vampire Diaries” will pander to the popular trend or pave its own way?

Blast spoke with the cast and producers about this dilemma recently. When asked about concerns from fans about its parallels between the books and its depiction onscreen? Producers Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson and Bob Levy were happy to clear some things up.

“Well, the thing is there are very big fans of the books” Williamson said.

“There was this ongoing joke about Damon and oranges on (a fansite) and I thought I had missed something in the books. So, I went back and tried to re-read everything because I didn’t want [fans] to think I hadn’t gone through it” Plec added “So, that site posted it up, and I thought, ‘Perfect! Now at some point we can have Damon with an orange in a scene!’ So it’s just a little nod towards fans.”

Certainly one of the series’ strengths will be the books, themselves, which provide a strong enough platform to make television translation fairly easy. Anyone who has read them will notice that, while the obvious alterations have been made — as casting the heroine, Elena Gilbert, with a brunette actress instead of a blond — the context of the characters are very close to the books despite a few bumps. In fact, the whole debate about hair color is absurd when one realizes how wonderful Nina Dobrev is as the lead. She makes the character likable and interesting as opposed to the mean girl type Elena is in the books. For some this may be a good thing or a bad thing — along the same lines as defining whether Blair Waldorf is necessarily bad or good.

And for clarification, due to all the ruckus about blond versus brunette, Elena could have any colored hair as long as it bore the stark resemblance to a particular character. It’s supposed to have a deja-vu effect and serves nothing more than a plot device in the books. And insofar as romance aspect of the series.

“It’s really about the love story between these two characters (Elena and Stefan)” said Levy. On the possibility of the series getting darker: “I think this is a case where Kevin (Williamson) is at his best. He balances both aspects great. Overall, we will be focused on the relationships between the characters (and) blend them with the plot.”

For those curious as to whether we can expect Elena to do some action scenes like her leading men seen in recent promos: “You know, I’ve been asking that question too!” Nina Dobrev told Blast. “I’ve been asking the writers, ‘When will I get to jump off a roof too?’ You know I grew up with an older brother and played every sport imaginable. So yeah, I would like to do some action scenes. There are some things I can’t talk about but if you read the books, you’ll know it’ll surprise you. So not right now, but eventually.”

Paul Wesley may have gotten some of the action fighting, but so far he doesn’t necessarily have a favorite scene. “It’s a scene that hasn’t happened” he revealed, “but when Elena eventually finds out Stefan is a vampire … when they get to that point, for me, that’ll be my favorite part because it’s such a big moment for them, because he truly loves this girl.”

There is something to be said for that comment considering the character he portrays, Stefan Salvatore, wears his heart on his sleeve, but his brother Damon is another story. “He controls life. Life doesn’t control him … except sometimes it stops, and makes him work a little bit harder” said Ian Somerhalder who plays Damon.

On the traits of playing a more villainous character as Damon Salvatore: “It’s all about perspective, isn’t? It’s fun getting to play him. I mean Damon has an immense amount of strengths. He has mind manipulation powers, and can make you think whatever you want? How cool is that? But when that doesn’t work, it throws him off a bit. So the thing about about Stefan is he loses the love of his life, and there’s this vendetta for (more than one hundred years). I promise him an eternity of misery.” He added the last part with a grin, perhaps unintentionally.

“The Vampire Diaries” is not a series for all demographics. It’s catered toward a particular niche. That niche of viewers tuning to the series will be either of the nerdcore, whose love for vamps and the books know no bounds, or those looking for a weekly escape preceding the successful cult series, “Supernatural.”

The show needs time to grow outside of the shadow of “Twilight” which has saturated the media beyond the popularity of the books and into the personal lives of the actors themselves.

“The Vampire Diaries” is set for Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. on The CW.