According to Entertainment Weekly, Lori Loughlin has joined the cast of the as-yet untitled Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off that is currently in development.

I know... I don't understand either why anyone would think to create a 90210 spin-off now, but that's beside the point.

The point is that I've been in love with Lori Loughlin since I was a teenager (anyone else remember Secret Admirer?), and I'm overjoyed at the possibility of seeing her on a weekly basis again.

Welcome back Lori!

Jewel Staite and a number of other actors are auctioning off dinner dates on eBay to fund cancer treatments for a fellow actor named Babz Chula (which explains the sign Jewel is holding in the photo above)...

The winning bidder will receive a free dinner with Paul McGillian and Jewel Staite at a pre-selected restaurant in Vancouver, BC at a mutually agreeable date to be determined by both parties in between May 1, 2008 and December 1, 2009.

As any red-blooded sci-fi geek is aware, Jewel played the role of the adorable Kaylee in the Firefly TV series and the follow-up movie Serenity. She is currently appearing in Stargate Atlantis on the Sci-Fi Channel.

The auction runs through April 12th and is currently at $1,500 (Canadian). Other dinner dates include David Duchovny and Chris Carter from the X-Files, as well as other actors that you might (or might not) recognize.

So, anyone have a couple grand and a ticket to Vancouver to spare?

Paige Davis returns to a new and improved Trading Spaces starting tonight at 9:00 PM central. Ratings for the show tanked after Paige was unceremoniously dismissed in 2005 when the producers wanted to "take the show in a different direction". But since then new management has taken over at TLC and one of their highest priorities was to return the show to its glory days.

Should be interesting to see how it works out. Good luck Paige!

I'm having an 80s flashback! (No, it's not drug related. )

I've been watching MTV circa 1983 (in stereo!) for most of the night. Someone posted three hours worth of MTV on Google Video from the time when they used to actually play music videos and stuff...

• MTV 1983 - Part 1 (1:25)
• MTV 1983 - Part 2 (1:39)

The videos are pretty cool: Night Ranger, Huey Lewis, Prince, The Police, Quiet Riot, etc. (And a really strange Tubes video called "Monkey Time".)

But it's actually the commercials that are the most interesting slice of 80s life. When's the last time you saw a commercial for an Atari 2600?

If you remember the 80s fondly, check these video clips out. They're gnarly! (That's a good thing. )

(via Boing Boing)

The History Channel is airing an interesting-sounding new documentary this week called Life After People...

What would happen to planet earth if the human race were to suddenly disappear forever? Would ecosystems thrive? What remnants of our industrialized world would survive? What would crumble fastest? ...

Using feature film quality visual effects and top experts in the fields of engineering, botany, ecology, biology, geology, climatology and archeology, Life After People provides an amazing visual journey through the ultimately hypothetical.

It premieres this Monday, January 21st at 8:00 PM Central time.

(via Boing Boing)

The folks behind the classic Mystery Science Theater 3000 are back together working on a new project, called Cinematic Titanic...

Looks pretty damn funny. The DVD is for sale here.

Looking forward to the fourth (and final) season of Battlestar Galactica...

Is it April yet?!? Frak! (via ExtraLife)

I've noticed a striking brunette in a number of different commercials lately, but didn't actually make the connection until tonight that they were all the same brunette...

Her name is Penelope Fortier and in just about each new commercial I've seen her in, I've thought that she reminds me a little bit of Kate Beckinsale (although not so much in this photo).

She has recently appeared in commercials for Radio Shack, Verizon, and in Mastercard's "My Favorite Things" spot.

However, in addition to her acting/commercial appearances, Penelope is also a talented singer. Check out her MySpace page to hear a selection of her tunes or watch her music video.

Or you could clicky-click the 'Continue Reading' link to see these videos here and now.

I watched the second episode of NBC's new Bionic Woman earlier tonight (on TiVo of course). I enjoyed this episode more than the premiere (previously blogged here), although that's not really the point of this entry.

... SPOILER ALERT! ...
This episode centered around Jaime's first official "away mission". She manages to save a teenager from a bunch of generic paramilitary terrorists, and then steps aside while her new mentor (formerly known as Grey's Anatomy's Dr. Burke) uncovers the location of the rest of the terrorists and their conveniently left-over cache of deadly nerve gas. There, Jaime discovers a map with a number of locations prominently targeted including Jackson, Mississippi and Portland, Oregon. Oh yeah, and another one slightly closer to home...


That's right, the Bionic woman saved me (and the rest of Springfield) from certain gaseous doom.

(I think I experienced a little of that the last time I had a La Bamba burrito. )

Got a few TV things that I'd like to discuss today... A while ago I blogged about Amazon Unbox on TiVo. Of course, I never actually used the service until just last week. I noticed that Unbox had a number of fall television premieres available for download. For free...

Big Bang Theory premieres Mon 9/24 7:30c on CBS

Big Bang Theory is a harmless half-hour sit-com about a smoking hot stereotypical dizzy blond who moves across the hall from a pair of MIT uber-geeks. Actually, the geek humor is pretty damn funny and the budding puppy love that one of the geeks has for his new neighbor is extremely cute. So, this series is probably doomed.

Chuck premieres Mon 9/24 7:00c on NBC

I think Chuck could be a hit. Coincidentally, it's also about a geek who's life changes after he meets a smoking hot blond. Chuck is a life-long underachiever who accidentally has all of the government's extra-super top secrets uploaded to his brain. So obviously, Chuck teams up with the blond spy to help save the world, one episode at a time. Good stuff.

Bionic Woman premieres Wed 9/26 8:00c on NBC

I've been looking forward to this one, because of its shared parentage with Battlestar Galactica. As with BSG, the original bionic lore has been updated and twisted a little bit. OK, a lot. The first episode was interesting, but awkward. It tried a little too hard to be as cool as Galactica. I'll keep my eye on this one. We'll see...


Journeyman premieres Mon 9/24 9:00c on NBC

I think this has potential, but probably won't last. Journeyman is about a man who takes, uh, journeys. Through time. So he can help people. I know, I know... You're thinking Quantum Leap. And you'd be right. But there are differences, and the tantalizing hint of an interesting mythology, which is where the potential come in.

Life premieres Wed 9/26 9:00c on NBC

Life is good. This show is about a detective just released from a maximum security prison after DNA evidence proved that he didn't commit the heinous crime. With millions from a huge settlement and high motivation to return to the job (and find out who framed him), the main character is quite the character. I hope this one makes it.


Burn Notice new episodes June 2008

Finally, if you enjoy kick-ass spy action with a healthy side of humor, you should be watching Burn Notice on USA. Unfortunately, if you haven't caught it yet, you're a little late... As I type this, the two-hour season finale is on. The Season 1 DVD will be a must-have for me. Have to wait until next summer for Season 2. D'oh!