TVSquad

(S07E08) "Some guy told me to go 'f*ck my face' once. He went to jail." - Officer Krupke

With the Seinfeld reunion coming up quickly (next week's episode is "The Table Read") things kicked into high gear last night on Curb -- especially when it came to the role of Amanda, George Costanza's ex-wife.

It came down to Cheryl and a busy, very popular actress named Virgina Sloane (played by Elisabeth Shue). Right off the bat, that creates a huge conflict since Larry assured Cheryl that she had the role. But beyond that, there were a lot of issues with how "Officer Krupke" played out in terms of conflict. Curb works best when the laughs are organic and too much of this episode felt forced and manufactured.

(S07E07) "Look, it may have been an accident, but you're a murderer." - Marty

Blame is a funny thing. In the absence of facts, the owner of the blame (i.e. the person at fault), is about one thing and one thing only -- public perception. Spin a good yarn and you can make 'em believe whatever you want. However, when you're Larry David, getting past the hurdle of your own reputation can be an issue. If you listen to even half the stuff that Larry says, why would anyone want to believe a guy like him?

(S07E06) "Larry?! You sprayed on Jesus??" - Maureen

For as good an episode as "The Bare Midriff" was, it still had one huge problem that has plagued many past episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm as well. The central conflict -- Maureen's exposed stomach -- was just too much of a stretch (no pun intended). Why's that? The beauty of Curb is how well it sheds light on awkward situations we all relate to. Not so much on this one, because honestly, who in their right mind would think a short shirt like that was work appropriate attire? It wasn't believable, that Maureen thought her shirt was OK for the office. Fortunately, if you were willing to look past the absurdity of the issue, it paid off with arguably one of Curb's top five endings ever.

(S07E05) "Have you noticed if she has any proclivity for chopsticks?" - Larry

It's amazing to me that the main topic of last night's Curb Your Enthusiasm, people in wheelchairs, has never been tackled by Larry before. I'm sure there have been a few wheelchair jokes in the past that I'm forgetting, but this? This was a full-blown, inappropriate mess of incorrectness and every second of it was brilliant. Save for "The Reunion," this was easily the strongest episode of the season. Wheelchairs, wrestling Rosie O'Donnell, and the return of Leon! How can you go wrong?

(S07E04) "Was there a stipulation on the gift certificate? Three hundred dollars and "take me"?" - Susie

I was afraid this might happen. As exciting as it is, even the long awaited Seinfeld reunion doesn't have the power to sustain an entire season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. After last week's reunion, I expected a lull and with that in mind, there's really no reason to be disappointed because this episode had some very funny moments. Unfortunately, not even Christian Slater's caviar addiction could save the day with such fond memories of last week's landmark half-hour still on my mind.

(S07E03) "This is your plan to get your ex-wife back. Pretty f*cking brilliant if you ask me." - Jeff

Larry David a selfish man? Nooooo. How could someone who's never given, nor has any idea how to give, someone the benefit of the doubt be a selfish guy? Wait - don't answer that. Instead ponder this: the moment we've all been waiting for - the Seinfeld reunion - has finally arrived, and we almost didn't get it because for a brief minute, it hinged on what Larry found more enjoyable, a potential funeral or a potential marriage. Selfish? How about sick.

(S07E02) "I don't like you. Why would I want to hug you?" - Larry

Larry David is not all about appearances. It's rare to see him masking his true intentions when most of the time he has absolutely no problem saying how he feels or asking for what he wants. But, much like the episode of this title indicates, when you're talking about a blowjob in a car (or anything crass or uncomfortable), it helps to dress it up a little.

(S07E01) "I'd rather have the thieves than the neighbors - the thieves don't impose." - Larry

Larry David is back, and I feel uncomfortable. Awkward moments, off-color comments, and instances of sheer disgust were all there in tonight's season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm. If you sit back for a second and actually consider all the different elements that made up this episode, it's pretty impressive. More often than not, an episode of Curb is just as intricately plotted out as an episode of Lost.

Remember how Curb Your Enthusiasm ended last season, with Larry posed in happy, jolly family pictures with the Blacks? Did it leave you laughing and dying to know what happens next -- or is this the end?

The answer is now known. There's more Curb Your Enthusiasm on deck, because Larry David has said yes to another HBO season.

HBO announced a seventh season of Curb. It will begin airing in early 2009, giving Larry plenty of time to write the 10 episodes planned. HBO's West Coast prez Michael Lombardo characterized Larry as "excited about it" when he presented at TCA.

That characterization is in line with comments by both Richard Lewis and Jeff Garlin, semi-regular and regular, respectively, in previous months.

And Susie Essman told the New York Post that she had auctioned off a walk-on role in season seven, so it would have been very embarrassing if she didn't know that they were all coming back.

Hurrah! The Daily Show is back from its two week break. Sometimes I wonder if political figures purposely plan their big announcements to occur during Daily Show hiatuses (why am I tempted to use "hiati"?). It certainly felt that way this time around.

"R. Party: Trapped in the Closet": The biggest (or, at least, the most fun) news: Larry Craig's very gay scandal. As if the initial issue wasn't damaging enough, Senator Craig is now attempting to withdraw his guilty plea. Mmm... Scandal. It's so good. When Jon turned to the correspondent in the stall, I thought, "Oh wow. That sounds like Rob Corddry. But no. No, it can't be. But then again the delivery is alarmingly un-crappy... Maybe it's just John Oliver with a weird accent" but it was Rob Corddry! This was the part where I quietly cheered to myself and got some weird looks from the people walking around me.

I feel sorry for people who have never been fired. I think it's something everyone has to experience, and I think that if you haven't been fired from at least one job in your life, there's a certain aspect of your personality that never developed, and you're going to be disappointed later in life in some way. (OK, I'll stop the psychoanalyzing now.)

The new book Fired! by Annabelle Gurwitch, contains a series of essays from famous (and not-so-famous people) who have gotten fired. It's divided into five different sections: The Job So Terrible You Can Only Hope To Be Fired, The Firing You Didn't See Coming, The Time You Deserved To Be Fired, The Time Getting Fired Leads To Something Better, and The Time You Had To Fire Yourself. It's a funny book, but also one that happens to be helpful and more than a little insightful.

Felicity Huffman recounts the day she was fired from the Ed Asner sitcom Thunder Alley; David Cross talks about the day he was fired from a law firm (after he was fired he said to his boss, "wait, I haven't had time to shit on your desk!"); New Yorker writer Andy Borowitz discloses that he was fired from writing for The Facts Of Life because he didn't "get" Tootie; and Freaks and Geeks creator Paul Feig recounts the horrifying story of how he was fired once from a gig as Ronald McDonald. Other essays in the book include those from Bill Maher, Brian Unger (fired from Extra for wearing sweaters and having a big nose), Anne Meara, Tate Donovan, Judd Apatow, Jeff Garlin, Tim Allen, D.L. Hughley, Robert Reich, and Andy Dick. A very entertaining read.

Jeff Garlin, who plays Larry David's loyal manager on Curb Your Enthusiasm, may be getting his own comedy show on TBS. It's one of those show-within-a-show thingies where the character, "Jeff", hosts a variety show but we also watch his exploits when he's off stage. The "Jeff Garlin" character will be a talk show host much like Jack Benny.

Says Garlin, "I play Jeff Garlin, the biggest variety star on television, and pretty much the show follows me getting into trouble each week. This is the show I've wanted to do since I was little."

Phil Rosenthal, of Everybody Loves Raymond, is producing the show, along with Garlin. Production on the pilot begins in March.