The Show Girl

I seriously cannot wait for 'Top Chef All Stars.' Seeing cheftestants from seasons past, going head-to-head to prove they deserved to win is my idea of good TV. Add new judge Anthony Bourdain to that equation and I'm practically giddy. I caught up with Tony and head judge Tom Colicchio to find out who's changed the most, and who they'd want to hang out with outside of the show.

Plus, fans of 'The Nanny' can stop watching their box sets on a loop -- Fran Drescher is back on TV with a new daytime talk show. Excuse me, tawk show. So who's her dream guest? Well let's just say she's aiming pretty high ...

I also get totally '80s with the stars of 'Glory Daze.' What's their stance on the bright clothes and crazy hairstyles? And what would their characters' '80s theme songs be? Yep, making people sing on the spot is never not entertaining.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

'Storm Chasers' has been insane this season, hasn't it? I mean, of course a show about tracking tornadoes gets its fair share of weather issues, but it's the drama when the storms stop that really keeps people tuning in. And there's plenty of it.

On tonight's episode (10PM ET on Discovery), the Twistex team tests out their new tower probe, and the results are amazing; the TIV team is in major trouble, and things only get worse when Sean misses his first chase in over a decade; and tensions rise between Joel and Reed on team TVN yet again, and the guys could miss a pretty huge intercept because of their constant tinkering with the Dominator.


Reed, Josh and Chris dropped by the AOL offices in the Dominator to show off the car, talk 'Twister,' tease what we can expect for the rest of this season and rate themselves on a scale of 1 to Crazy.

The 'How I Met Your Mother' gang has survived some pretty horrific holidays together -- including the epic 'Slapsgiving' episode heard round the world -- but this year's Thanksgiving is particularly jinxed.

Guest star Jorge Garcia (you might remember him from a little show called 'Lost') plays the Blitz, Ted (Josh Radnor) and Marshall's (Jason Segel) old college pal who seems to be a bit cursed when it comes to timing. The Blitz comes back into their lives, and his curse gets mysteriously passed on, rendering Turkey Day a bit of a mess.


I caught up with Garcia, Radnor, Segel, Cobie Smulders and guest star Jennifer Morrison -- who ends up hanging out with all of Ted's pals and even hosting them for the holiday -- to find out what's in store for 'Blitzgiving' (Mon., Nov. 22, 8PM ET on CBS). Skateboarding dogs and Robin in KISS makeup anyone? Yes please!

In the grand tradition of 'Animal House' and 'Revenge of the Nerds,' TBS's latest sitcom 'Glory Daze' follows four guys in their freshmen year in college, all pledging Omega Sigma fraternity ... in 1986. Yep, totally tubular on the boob tube, dude, we're flashing back to the '80s.

Joel (Kelly Blatz) is your average guy, super determined and planning on pre-med ... until he meets his dream girl. Jason (Drew Seeley) is super conservative, single-handedly reminding us why sweaters over your shoulders went out of style. Eli (Matt Bush) is the horny virgin who tries to reinvent himself as God's gift to college women. And then there's Brian (Hartley Sawyer) -- star athlete and chick magnet, but he's got some major daddy issues.



I caught up with Kelly, Drew, Matt and Hartley -- all ironically born in the decade they're living in now on TV -- to get the scoop on their new show (premieres Tues., Nov. 16, 10PM ET), the big name guest stars coming to play and what kind of crazy hijinks they've been up to.

If you haven't watched 'The Big C' because you think it's just a show about someone dying of cancer, you couldn't be more wrong. It has been the biggest, most pleasant, must-watch TV surprise all year.

Of course a show starring Laura Linney was going to garner some buzz, but the entire cast provides laughs, tears and genuinely touching moments every week. Recovering from a major character death last week, we go into the season finale knowing that change is imminent.

But does that mean Cathy will seek treatment for her cancer? Will her husband be able to deal with her decision? Will her son finally snap out of his teenage bubble? And will her eccentric brother Sean, played by John Benjamin Hickey, ever grow up?

I caught up with the hilarious Hickey to talk about this season's success, what's in store for tonight's finale (Mon., Nov. 15, 10:30PM ET on Showtime), his interesting past with costars Linney and Cynthia Nixon, his plea for a certain Oscar-winner to guest star, ghosts and ... Bristol Palin?

Tracy Morgan is so perfect as Tracy Jordan on '30 Rock,' it's easy to forget that he's actually acting.

But not in 'Tracy Morgan: Black and Blue.' The comedian's first HBO comedy special (premieres Sat., Nov. 13, 10PM ET) is all TM ... which is to say it's like TJ uncensored. Really uncensored.

I caught up with the foul-mouthed funnyman to find out how he was approaching this momentous event and what he wanted to say while cameras were rolling at the legendary Apollo Theater. Watch him rant about everything from Lindsay Lohan and life on TV, to the BP oil spill and Barack Obama.

It's no secret: I miss 'Lost.' A lot. So when I heard star Jorge Garcia would be visiting 'How I Met Your Mother,' I knew I had to get my fix. I hit the set to find out what he's up to with the 'HIMYM' gang, what his character has in common with Hurley and the question he's asked most often since 'Lost' ended.

I also catch up with the TVN Team from 'Storm Chasers' to get up close and personal with The Dominator, their indestructible beast of a car. That thing has some insane added features! If you're a fan, sound off in the comments for a chance to win Reed Timmer's new book 'Into the Storm.'

Then I chat with Tracy Morgan about his HBO stand-up special 'Tracy Morgan: Black and Blue.' His hilarious, subject-hopping, bleep-filled tirades taught me one thing: don't ever ask him if he's just like his '30 Rock' character Tracy Jordan.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

Put on your jelly bracelets, and your cool graffiti coat -- it's time for another very special Robin Sparkles episode of 'How I Met Your Mother.'

Whether she's singing about going to the mall or building sandcastles (where else? In the sand people!), Robin Scherbatsky's '80s Canadian popstar self is a huge 'HIMYM' fan favorite. And how could she not be with lyrics like "You're good at pull-ups and have radical hair" and pals like Tiffany and a sassy robot.

I caught up Cobie Smulders, Robin Scherbatsky herself, to find out what Robin Sparkles is up to in this week's flashback episode (Monday, 8PM ET on CBS). Here's a hint: it involves the return of an '80s TV icon (who also happens to be Canadian), a Pussycat Doll and outerspace.

OK, now that's rad.

Amy Sedaris is one of those rare women who can light up a room and make you laugh out loud, even when she's playing a completely horrible character.

Best known as Jerri Blank, the middle-aged ex-junkie in her so-wrong-it's-hysterical 'Strangers With Candy,' Sedaris has popped up on some very fun TV shows recently, including 'The Middle,' 'The Closer' and an upcoming stint on 'Royal Pains.'

Next stop: 'Raising Hope,' Fox's freshman hit sitcom (Tuesdays, 9PM ET).

['Sons of Anarchy' - 'Firinne']

'If you love him, give him more.' -- Father Kellan Ashby

Kellan Ashby hit Jax Teller's most vulnerable spot hard when the priest talked about how painful it could be for a child to grow up in "the life."

Mike Rowe's TV aspirations reach well beyond 'Dirty Jobs' and manly voiceover work. In fact, the Discovery Channel host has been saying recently that he'd love to be on another show.

That show is 'South Park.' Really.

So I couldn't help but ask: why 'South Park'? Here, Mr. Rowe explains just exactly what he'd like to do on the foul-mouthed, un-PC cartoon, why he can see Cartman falling in love with 'Dirty Jobs' and how man-cow impregnation factors into all of this. Yes, in typical fashion, this does get a little filthy, but that's just the way we like Mike.

Now that the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' has made the move to Sundays (10PM ET on Bravo), the work week is a little less crazy, boo.

So we decided to ease the Monday blues by combining two things we love on Twitter: tweets from NeNe, Sheree, Kim and Phaedra, and the hysterical vocal stylings of Kevyn Smith and Jeremy Johnson, the guys behind We Sing Your Tweets, a.k.a. "sweets."

Kevyn and Jeremy have made some epic celebrity tweets even sweet-er by singing them, turning random 140-character thoughts into true emotional performances ... and getting tons of attention on Twitter for it. So we asked them to do some AOL TV exclusive sweets of some of the 'RHOA''s most ridiculous tweets. Watch, enjoy and follow them on Twitter or visit their blog for more.

Three things I love collided on Thursday: the set of 'How I Met Your Mother,' Bay Cities sandwiches and 'Lost' alum Jorge Garcia.

Jorge is guest starring on 'HIMYM''s big Thanksgiving episode in a few weeks -- titled 'Blitzgiving' after his unlucky character Blitz -- and was showing off his big grin and comedic chops that always brought much-needed levity to the island drama on 'Lost.'

But something was different ... and after a quick chat with the happy-go-lucky star, he admitted he's now shunned something big from his 'Lost' past and Hurley's life: meat.

"I've been a vegetarian for about four months now," Jorge admitted, after I commented on his meat-free caprese sandwich (my personal favorite from the Santa Monica, Calif., sandwich institution). That's right -- this means that the owner of Mr. Clucks wouldn't be caught dead chowing on fried chicken now.

'Human Target' is back and sexier than ever. With two new ladies joining Chance and the crew -- one as a beautiful billionaire boss and the other as a tough-talking team member -- the return of one of last year's most intriguing new series is definitely something to sing about. So, that's exactly what star Chi McBride did for me right here.

I also chat with Tom Pizzica, 'The Next Food Network Star' runner-up who has a Big Chef-worthy new show called 'Outrageous Food.' (Does the idea of a 105-pound hamburger make anyone else a little nauseous?)

Then I stop by the set of Fox's new hit sitcom 'Raising Hope' to get some fan questions answered and uncover a big change coming. You think Jimmy can't grocery store stalk Sabrina any more than he already does? Wait until you see this.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

Every once in a while, a show comes along that proves TV can actually be educational. This week, I preview one of those shows, 'Great Migrations.' National Geographic's new 7-part special is full of breathtaking footage of animals all around the globe and fun facts. Like what, exactly, is this animal?

I also have scoop on AMC's 'The Walking Dead,' straight from the show's zombie-killing cast. Are you pumped for this new series? Tell me why in the comments and you could win some cool limited edition 'Walking Dead' freebies.

Then I check in with Russell Simmons -- the man behind Def Jam, Phat Farm, various charities and hip-hop site GlobalGrind.com (not to mention some very entertaining tweets) -- and the ladies behind his businesses to hear about their new show 'Running Russell Simmons.'

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong