TVSquad

(S06E09) Tonight, we started with 38 dancers, and by the end of the hour, the Top 20 stood revealed. I'm never quite sure how to take these episodes; American Idol always has one, as well. For the most part, it's just contestants walking in front of the judges and hearing "Yes" or "No." For those of us who've been watching since the beginning and finding our early favorites, it can be a little tense and exciting.

But then I think about someone who's never watched the show, and who's maybe tuning in for the first time tonight. What a boring hour of television they would be in for. You barely get any snippets from the good dancers who make it through. Mostly it's just a parade of faces you don't know and lots of crying.

But before we get to the tears, we need to get excited. For the first time, and to give everyone a more even playing field going into the first performance show, this Monday at 8pm ET, FOX offers a special non-elimination episode where the Top 20 get to show us their stuff.

I'm watching season one of Ally McBeal for Jane After Dark this week, and will give a full review this weekend. But I have to say, I'm just a few episodes in, and I'm already hooked. It's a weird blend of The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and My World and Welcome To It.

And it's very weird seeing Calista Flockhart, whom I mainly know from Brothers & Sisters, and all of her co-stars, whom I know from other current shows, on Ally McBeal. What's even more amazing is all of the musicians featured on this show: Elton John, Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, Al Green, and many more.

This past Monday's episode of House, "Brave Heart," showed us a side of House that we've seen bits of this season, but finally got proof of - he is getting better. Granted, a healthy House means a return to many of his old shenanigans but apparently it also means trying to forgive the past.

House's military brat upbringing was brought to light in season five's "Birthmarks" where we saw House say good-bye to his father - a man he didn't seem to have too much love for. In this past Monday's episode, House took a cue from Wilson (who'd been conversing with Amber) and before dozing off to sleep, he spoke to his late father admitting that maybe he'd been focusing on the wrong things because there had been some good times.

Well... what good times? There was no context to back up House's claim. Now we have it. House producer Greg Yaintanes has posted a deleted scene, a flashback, where young Greg recalls some of those good times. I never pegged House as an ice-cream cone fan. Take a look.

[Watch full episodes and clips of House, as well as other shows, over at SlashControl.]

Here's some good news for you "LieHards" out there:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox has ordered an additional three scripts for Lie to Me, the Shawn Ryan-helmed drama.

Assuming Fox approves the scripts once they've had a chance to see where the story goes, that'll bump Lie to Me's season two total to 16 episodes. It's not a full back nine - but it's closer. That being said, don't forget that Lie to Me was a mid-season replacement earlier this year and the fact that it got picked up at all was a pleasant surprise.

Chevy must have focus groups and research that tells them that Howie Long is a good spokesperson for their products. As a Fox NFL anaylst, he's fine alongside the likes of Jimmy Johnson and Terry Bradshaw. That said, I can't stand Howie Long in his commercials.

Long is smug and arrogant in all of 60 seconds. He's supposed to be selling the advantages of Chevy products -- while dissing those of Honda in direct jabs at the Japanese company -- but he rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it's his smile. He just acts like he has no humility. He's all confidence and self-assuredness. Those two qualities should make him an excellent pitchman. That's what Chevy is trying to project.

(S02E04) "If we don't do exactly what this guys says, he will kill Cal." - Foster

Looks like it didn't take long for Cal's decision to buy out Zoe to catch up to The Lightman Group. Cash poor, Cal has been relegated to handling simple, pedestrian cases that do nothing more than bring in a paycheck. As the episode opened, there was obviously the possibility that Cal was actually at that singles mixer for himself, but it became clear pretty quickly what he was up to once he started grilling that blonde about marital fidelity.

Lightman looked embarrassed that he had to be doing it, but it did lead to a very heated discussion between him and Gillian. It would have been nice to see them argue a bit more about where their income will come from, but then a case that guaranteed to not pay anything wandered in the front door. Good thing, too, because it turned out to be arguably Lie to Me's strongest episode to date.

(S06E06) "I've crossed some line and I'm having trouble getting back to the other side." - Chase

Another week, another case that no one cares about... well, almost. Ever since House's visit to the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital, it's been tough to get invested in anything other than what he's going through. Each week, the case du jour has been largely disposable (save for Dibala) as nothing really relates to anything else. However, it seems like David Shore and Co. must've realized that too because "Brave Heart" made a good attempt at bringing what's become a very segmented story back together.

Fox is looking to turn National Geographic's Cesar Millan, aka the Dog Whisperer, into a funny idea for a sitcom. And no, that's not the part they hope is funny.

The network is looking to cast That 70's Show's Wilmer Valderrama in the potential sitcom's title role, assuming it's called "The Dog Whisperer." Hung's co-executive producer Emily Kapnek will write the show's pilot.

If this gets to the air and becomes a wild success, just imagine the bar this could set for other reality show stars to get their own half-hour sitcom. Then again, try not to or your skull will cave in.

Do you just love it when life imitates art? It makes me wonder if art can legally sue for copyright infringement.

Fox wants Simpsons viewers to design a new character as part of a contest for a future episode at TheSimpsons.com. Aspiring character engineers have until Oct. 24 to submit their entry.

And here's the best part: you don't even have to know how to draw to enter. All you have to do is describe your character and the animators will draw it for you. That should come in handy for the next WGA Strike. I wonder if the winning character will go in a fire extinguisher case in case of contractual emergencies.

There are plenty of ill-conceived female characters all over prime-time TV (just pick any show on the CW for starters) but is it fair to dump Glee into that category? While Glee undoubtedly has some of the most egregious, misshapen teen girls around, I don't think it's this fall's worst offender.

Sadie over at Jezebel makes some very salient points in her gender-critique of Glee, but she misses the mark when she calls the show "cheap and disingenuous." Yes, stock portrayals of female characters can reinforce harmful stereotypes, but I don't think that's what's happening on Glee.

As an avid fan, I think you can appreciate the show without dismissing it because it doesn't portray women in a positive light. This is a Ryan Murphy show. And no one comes out looking good in a Ryan Murphy show.

Warning: the following might be NSFW, if your W objects to cartoon nudity.

We told you last week about Playboy's new issue with The Simpsons mom Marge on the cover. Well, she's also the subject of a pictorial inside (complete with a questionnaire) and now the images have made it online. After the jump, one of the pictures (here are the rest).

The funny part is (and something I didn't really think about before) was that Matt Groening drew these pics himself.

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, Fox is holding a contest in which fans can create a character online that will appear in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons. Entries can be submitted on The Simpsons website (although apparently not yet) and should include such information as name, age, appearance, occupation and catchphrase ("D'oh!").

I suspect that all entries will be the property of Fox upon submission. Since the show has been around for so long, it must be tough to invent new, unique and interesting characters so Fox is having the fans do it.

Of course, everyone could always just submit themselves as a candidate. It would be a little like that "Simpsonize yourself" craze from not too long ago. So many celebrities have made appearances on the show over the years, it would be nice if a non-celebrity, the sort that kept the show in business, would have a cameo.

Take that, NBC! When the word leaked yesterday that the performers from Glee had been uninvited to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade because the folks at NBC didn't want to give the Fox show a national platform to strut their stuff, plenty of people thought it was a low blow. Well, something else has come along that's just as big a national stage.

On October 31, the Glee cast will sing the National Anthem at the World Series. That's game three, and it'll be a chance for the singers to put their own unique spin on "The Star Spangled Banner."

Jonah Hill will soon be stomping around Seth MacFarlane's territory. The comedian has signed on to co-write and contribute voice work to a new Fox animated series. The show will center on a rich seven-year-old kid who walks and talks like an adult and has trouble adapting to public school.

I'm looking forward to Hill's animated show, but I'm also a little wary. You'd think a show co-scripted by Hill would end up on a cable network. The young comedic actor has developed a reputation for his very blue comic rants and ad lib scenes in films like Knocked Up, Funny People and Superbad. It'll be interesting to see him hold his tongue for Fox and still deliver the laughs.

Not that the future of this series was ever in doubt, but Fox has extended its original season-and-a-half order of The Cleveland Show to a full two seasons. Given the strong premiere ratings for the show, seasons beyond number two will likely be in the bag. If Fox didn't extend, they'd have to deal with an irate Seth MacFarlane who currently controls most of their Sunday night line-up.

Is The Cleveland Show going to end up being more popular than its progenitor Family Guy? Do these ratings simply represent a high initial interest in the new show that will wane over time? I have used the analogy of The Jeffersons spinning off from All In The Family, but did The Jeffersons ever beat All In The Family in the ratings?

Whatever the case, Seth MacFarlane doesn't have to worry about it for at least two seasons, and probably longer.

[Watch clips and free episodes of The Cleveland Show at SlashControl]