TVSquad

There's no doubt that the names Spike Jonze and David Cross usually belong on the quirkier side of the entertainment world, but I still never would have expected something like this. Apparently, the two have created a comedy pilot for Channel 4. That's right: a British comedy.

The show, called The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret, will be co-written by Cross and Shaun Pye (you may know him as Andy's smarmy nemesis on BBC/HBO's Extras) and star Cross, Will Arnett and Spike Jonze.

Ricky Gervais of The Office and Extras fame is going to design a man purse -- but it's for a good cause.

The U.K.'s Prostrate Cancer Charity (part of the Charity Aids Foundation) asked television stars and other celebrities to design a man's handbag for The Manbag Company. Each unique design will be auctioned off to fight prostate cancer.

Of course, Gervais is a funny man and a cool, self-effacing celeb. But, it'll be interesting to see if even he can make something as inherently uncool as a man purse into swag a guy will want to spend money on -- cancer be damned.

When you hear about this celebrity tussle, I think you'll feel like me: "I would love to be a fly on the wall to watch these two go at it!" It turns out that Bravo's reality star, Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis, is fighting with Ashley Jensen, who plays Christina on Ugly Betty.

Jeff, who specializes in buying properties then fixing them up and selling them -- flipping -- has a house under construction right next door to the home of Ashley and hubby Terence Beesley. If you've watched even one episode of Flipping Out, you know that Jeff has OCD and is extremely difficult to work for -- he fires workers at least twice a season -- and presses buttons like nobody's business.

This tussle falls under the pressing buttons category. Lewis had a deck built onto the house he was re-constructing, the one right next door to Ashley's, and went over the property line. Now, in Yonkers that would be a reason to get upset; in Hollywood, it's a good enough reason to go to war.

Remember when we all watched the Emmy Awards several weeks ago and wondered why they didn't just have Ricky Gervais host the damn thing since we all agree that getting five reality show hosts to host it was a pretty bad idea? Well, Gervais has actually been approached to host another awards show, The Oscars, but he has turned it down.

Gervais tells BBC News that his agent has been approached about him hosting the telecast but that he would be too scared to do it. Besides, they would probably want him to stick to a script and not let him adlib as much as he would like to.

In recent weeks, TV Squad has reported that HBO has made episodes of their new drama series In Treatment available for free viewing online. Now, HBO has taken another step in expanding its brand and making some of their top shows available on the web. The cable channel has just inked a deal with YouTube to create an HBO channel online. The HBO/YouTube site is up and running -- you can click over there today and start catching up on HBO series.

The initial line up is impressive, starting with the Gabriel Byrne drama In Treatment. You can also catch up with Entourage episodes, which are always fun. There are more laughs with Flight of the Conchords, Extras, Stand Up Comedy, Def Comedy Jam, and Real Time With Bill Maher. On the dramatic front, there's The Wire. In addition, you can watch episodes of the award-winning magazine show Real Sports, as well as the Latino documentary series Habla y Habla.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Are You Afraid of the Dark? - Season 5
• B.L. Stryker - Season 1
• Comanche Moon - Complete Mini-Series
• Dark Shadows - The Beginning: Vol. 3
• Extras - Extra Special Series Finale
• Family Affair - Season 5
• The Fugitive - Season 1, Vol. 2
• Ghost Hunters - Season 3, Part 2
• Highlander: The Source (movie)
• Hotel Babylon - Season 1
• The Invisible Man - The Complete Collection
• The Jackie Gleason Show - The Honeymooners: Collection 2 (color)
• The Justice League - The New Frontier and New Frontier Special Editions
• Newhart - Season 1
• Punky Brewster - Season 4
• The Red Green Show - 1999: Collector's Edition
• The Smurfs - Season 1, Vol. 1
• State of Play - Complete Mini-Series

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Alex Haley's Queen - Complete Miniseries
• All Creatures Great and Small - The Complete Collection
• Allo' Allo - Series 7
• Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown - Remastered Deluxe Edition
• Criss Angel Mindfreak - Season 3
• Extras - Complete Series
• Family Guy - Blue Harvest
• The New Adventures of Old Christine - Season 1
• The Rockford Files - Season 5
• Sabrina, The Teenage Witch - Season 3

Tonight, in a lavish press conference, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the winners of the 2008 Golden Globes. Here are the winners in the major TV categories:

Best TV series, comedy: Extras, HBO

Best TV series, Drama: Mad Men, AMC

Best actor, TV series, comedy: David Duchovny, Californication

Best actress, TV series, comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock

This feels weird. Normally, there is a good bit of excitement around the nominees of the Golden Globes, particularly since it's the first big award ceremony of the year and a precursor to the Academy and Emmy awards. However, with the WGA strike in full swing, and the awards ceremony stripped down to a simple one-hour press conference televised by NBC, it all seems a bit anti-climatic.

But, taking a page from my heroes Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, I shall press on in true television reporting style and present my prediction for winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Musical or Comedy.

The media can spin the death of the sitcom all they want. I'll even give them that the traditional multi-camera format that Lucy and Desi founded does seem to be dying a slow death, but comedy itself is alive and well on television. Ever since Ally McBeal stretched the definition of television comedy by daring to be nominated in comedic categories despite being an hour long "drama" (don't you know that dramas are one hour and comedies 30 minutes; it's the only way to tell the difference), the "sitcom" has morphed into the "comedy."

Almost gone is that multi-camera stage set and the live/canned studio audience. Instead we have shows that are filmed just like their dramatic counterparts that happen to be funny. And all of this year's Globe nominees for best musical or comedy TV series fit into this category (sorry According to Jim, maybe next year). Check 'em out after the jump, along with our picks for who should win!

According to the UK entertainment site Digital Spy, Ricky Gervais is talking about doing a spin-off of Extras, which he recently concluded with a holiday special. The spin-off would focus on Shaun Williamson's character Barry (referred to most of the time as "Barry from EastEnders") and co-creator Stephen Merchant's clueless agent Darren Lamb.

Williamson confirmed to a British radio station that he is in talks with Gervais about the spin-off. "We talked half-jokingly about a show with the pair in a camper van, solving crimes," he told the station.

I was going to write a long, elaborate intro about how excited I am that it's a new year, but I decided to make this image instead. Look out, Alec and Tina! There's a weeping angel behind you! And check out how Heidi is super excited to be with the not-so-excited guys from Flight of the Conchords. And it looks like David Anders enjoys speaking in big speech bubbles. No, I'm not still buzzed from New Year's Eve, I just have a little too much fun in Photoshop. However, I'm sure some of you are still somehow hungover from celebrating days and days ago, so let's jump right in...

I've only seen two episodes of Extras, the HBO comedy starring Ricky Gervais. The show just ended, but not before Gervais got in a scathing monologue about how celebrities act and why the public is wrong to idolize them. It's December 20 and I thought I already had all of my favorite TV moments of 2007, but this one makes it just under the wire.

The show has always been listed as a "comedy," but there's a lot of serious, painful truth in the show too, as illustrated in what Gervais has to say during an appearance on a reality show within the show. This isn't just the Andy Millman character talking, it's Gervais himself. You'll nod your head in agreement, and maybe even cringe a little bit. What a way to end the series.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then the season finale of Survivor and the reunion show.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, followed by a new Extreme Makeover.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America, then the Redskins/Giants game.
• There's a new CW Now on The CW at 7.
• Also at 7: Lifetime has the holiday movies Christmas at Water's Edge and A Diva's Christmas Carol.
• At 8, FOX has a new episode of The Simpsons, then a new King of the Hill.
• Nickelodeon has a new Unfabulous at 8.
• BBC America has two Eddie Izzard standup specials starting at 8.
• At 8:30, HGTV has White House Christmas 2007.
• At 9, Nickelodeon has two Christmas episodes of Home Improvement, followed by two Christmas episodes of George Lopez.
• HBO has the series finale of Extras at 9.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9.
• At 9:30, FOX has a new American Dad.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Xavier: Renegade Angel, then a new Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S04E06) One of the pleasures of watching original Office creator Ricky Gervais's follow-up show Extras was that you got to see the kind of bland, run-of-the-mill sitcom The Office could have been if Gervais hadn't stayed true to his original vision. When the Whistle Blows, the show that Gervais's character creates for the BBC, starts out as something original and creative, but slowly becomes the worst kind of mediocre as network executives tamper with its presentation. The sellout is symbolized within the show by Gervais's character putting on a silly wig and a pair of comical glasses.

Watching Jim, Dwight, and Michael drive to Utica in three matching fake mustaches, I couldn't help but be reminded of that silly wig. We're nowhere near sell-out territory, but tonight's episode was a reminder that mediocreville can be as close to The Office as Utica is to Scranton...