TVSquad

It's coming. The table is set, the players are on the field, the sails are raised, and the pretty maids are all in a row. Of course, I speak of the 2008-09 television schedule. In just a few short weeks viewers will be able to dine on a number of favorite and new dishes that are being served by the networks as well as the increasing number of cable channels who are delving into original programming.

While other fall seasons have come and gone with nary a whimper, this season may be different. Due to the prolonged Writers Strike many shows ended their seasons quite early. Programs like Life, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, and Heroes haven't aired original episodes since the end of 2007. Heck, there hasn't been a new episode of The Shield since June of last year! So, the beginning of the 2008-09 season will be a second chance for some of these shows, particularly the ones that premiered last season, to show their worth to fans and the networks.

Indeed she will, but she'll have some help. In a change born of trying to keep current with the state of television today, the Emmys will be hosted by the five nominees in the Reality TV Host category. Klum will share hosting duties with Ryan Seacrest, Jeff Probst, Howie Mandel, and (the man that should win it all) Tom Bergeron.

It's a great idea. The standard formula of these shows is something just asking to be shaken up. Klum is probably the biggest question mark here, for the simple fact that she has Tim Gunn to handle much of the unscripted action. I'll be curious to see how she handles the role, and I'm confident that the rest of the nominees will be just fine. The linked article also has a great stat. The average audience of the five nominated shows has been as high as 70 million. Jiminy. The broadcast takes place Sept. 21st, on ABC.

All Dick Smothers wants to do is dance, dance, dance*, but Dancing with the Stars doesn't want him.

The one half of the Smothers Brothers tells TV critic Terry Morrow that he has applied to be on the hit ABC dance reality show three times, but they keep on turning him down. Smothers says that he loves the show and he could keep up with all of the dancing that has to be done (he's 71), but the show won't even give him a chance.

As Morrow says, Smothers is probably too unknown to be a big draw for the show, since he hasn't been on television in years. Maybe they can do a special "TV Legends" episode of the show, and have Smothers be on it, along with Barbara Eden, William Shatner (hey, he's on an ABC show too), Tom Selleck, and Florence Henderson.

* Craig Kilborn reference. Come back Kilby!

[via TV Tattle]

As we wind down the 2007/2008 television season, some are already starting to turn their attentions to the Emmy awards. The Hollywood Reporter has a good article breaking down the categories and the front runners for nominations. Although, it's a four pager, and if that annoys you, you can hit up the print version.

There's a nice bit of spin right off the top as Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences' chairman and CEO John Shaffner says, "The audience is coming back to scripted television!" He goes on to add, "It seems like viewers missed it during the strike. The quality in primetime has never been better. It's so amazing and great that it seems unfair to have to hold a contest." Really John? I guess we give him points for enthusiasm, but all of those articles I've seen about ratings being down across the board sing a different tune. More on the prospective Emmys, after the jump.

(S06E20) Episode 20. The big show. We've followed these three couples for two and a half months and it's finally time to crown a champion and put season six in the books. As Tom called them out, we have the Olympic gold medalist, the one-armed hero, and the grid-iron god. You could make a case for any of them taking home the mirror ball, and the title of season six champion. But first, there was one more round of dances to get to. We'll have that, the winner, and so much more, after the jump.

Gallery: Dancing With The Stars: Season Six

With the finals upon us, we call in our favorite ballroom pro for one last chat about the goings on down at the DWTS studio. This week Jonathan gives us his thoughts on the new cha cha faceoff, as well as the freestyle performances from the remaining couples.

He also offers up his pick to take home the big mirror ball. Getting to some viewer questions we talk about the music, the judges comments, and get an update on those future plans he hinted at earlier in the season. All that, and more, after the jump.

(S06E19) After two and a half months, it all comes down to this. As Tom put it, the end is near and the trophy is within reach. Like we have seen in the past, finals week brings with it the big freestyle numbers. There was a new twist this year though, the Cha Cha Faceoff. The couples were tasked with sharing a cha cha number, each of them providing a one minute segment. It all came together to make for a great night of dancing. Read on past the jump for the scores, and a look at each of the performances.

Gallery: Dancing With The Stars: Season Six