TVSquad

(E03) So, I thought that last night's Tin Man was a vast improvement from the first night. Sunday night felt like a Sci-Fi Channel rip-off of the original story -- slightly modernized with scarier special effects (scarier in comparison to the overall-wearing lollipop-holding munchkins).

By contrast, Monday night proved that Tin Man had its own story to tell. This was a story that would use the Wizard of Oz as a jumping off point and rethink the classic.

(E02) After reading the comments about last night's part one of Tin Man, I'm a bit skeptical about how many people will (or won't for that matter) tune in tonight. Sure, plenty of people found it entertaining but those who hated it seemed to really loathe it.

For myself, I thought it was pretty good but I like the original story enough to find almost any variation of it amusing. I also know not to expect much from a Sci-Fi channel miniseries. So, I fully anticipated that the special effects would be inconsistent and the dialogue would be insipid.

Nevertheless, the actors were good, great even. Alan Cumming is a genius and Neal McDonough is good enough as the embittered ex-Tin Man. I didn't think that Zooey Deschanel was that bad either--so many people complained about her. She does have an abrupt delivery though (which doesn't work well with some of her mediocre lines).

(E01) Like many people, I am a big fan of The Wizard of Oz. For a little warm fuzzy nostalgia, I'll put on the original movie with Judy Garland. I've read Gregory Maguire's The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (and loved that version too). I even own the soundtrack to Wicked (although I've yet to see the show). And who can forget The Wiz?

I guess it was only a matter of time until the Sci-Fi channel added their version to the ever-evolving list of stories about Dorothy and her journey through Oz. Tin Man aired last night on the Sci-Fi channel from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT and will continue tonight and tomorrow night (same channel, same time).

We began last night with D.G., the Midwestern waitress who speeds to work on her motorcycle, has weird dreams, and believes there's something more to life than waiting tables and windy prairies. D.G., unlike the gentler Dorothy, is a little too tough at times. I don't mind her talking back to everyone but I do mind her going after longcoats with a stick when she sees the men beating up Tin Man's family.

NBC's got a lot of new shows this fall. The panels have been non-stop and swag-free today -- and not without a bit of controversy.

First up was Law & Order creator Dick Wolf and new Law & Order cast members Alicia Witt (CI), Adam Beach (SVU), and Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order).

Sisto's character on L&O comes with emotional baggage that makes the angst he carried around as Rachel Griffith's brother on Six Feet Under seem like a birthday party, which is interesting since Wolf is no fan of serial drama.

Rick and Steve are a gay couple, and they're animated. I don't mean they're lively, I mean they're the stars of a new animated series for Logo called Rick and Steve. The series, which begins July 10 at 10:00 p.m., features voice work by Alan Cumming, Margaret Cho, Wilson Cruz and Peter Paige. The music for the series is composed by the same folks who wrote the music for Avenue Q.

The characters in Rick and Steve resemble tiny posable toys, which makes the show look like something created for the Nick Jr. set. Of course, the themes are just a tad more adult than that, or so I gathered by watching the trailer.

June is Gay Pride Month, and throughout the entire month Turner Classic Movies is showcasing several movies with various depictions and stereotypes of gays and the gay lifestyle. The focus isn't necessarily movies with a gay theme, but movies with gay characters, or movies with gay actors, writers and directors. Some of the movies include The Maltese Falcon, Designing Woman, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

I would also include at least two Hitchcock films in this line-up: Psycho and Strangers on a Train, which allude to certain characters being gay during a time when blatant depictions were much less common.

The films will be shown every Monday and Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. in June, and will be hosted by Robert Osbourne and Richard Barrios, along with guests Tab Hunter, Alan Cumming, Michael Musto, Ron Nyswaner and Charles Busch.

Every celebrity has a fragrance nowadays. I mean, you would expect people like Jennifer Lopez and Maria Sharapova to have their own fragrance. But Alan Cumming? Celine Dion? Paris Hilton? Michael Jordan?

Slate dives into the sweet smelling waters of celebrity perfumes and colognes.  I like the description of Cumming (yes, yes, yes, insert you own joke here): "a witty, rather macho blend of bergamot, black pepper, Scotch pine, whiskey, peet, and white truffle that belies the star's epicine image."

I'd like to have a cologne of my own, but it would probably be an unappealing mixture of cheese pizza, Reese's peanut butter cups, and newspaper ink.