TVSquad

This is either great news if you like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray or a warning if you don't like them, but it's interesting news nonetheless: Martha is going to do Rachael Ray's show and then the very next day Rachael will be on Martha's* show.

Yup, Martha will appear on Rachael's show on November 12 to show Rachael how to make a Thanksgiving centerpiece, and then on November 13 Rachael will appear on Martha's show and Martha will teach her how to make a Thanksgiving dessert. Notice that on both shows it's Martha who will be doing the teaching?

I'll admit it: I like Martha (the show and the person). Unlike a lot of daytime shows that feature cooking and other how-to segments, it's not so heavily tilted towards women that men can't get into it. Unlike Rachael Ray, which has way too many segments on makeovers, relationships, and what shoes you should wear.

Today she has Mad Men's Joan Holloway herself, Christina Hendricks. It says in the summary for the episode that Hendricks is going to mix Halloween cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Whenever someone from Mad Men is on Martha they make cocktails. Last season Bryan Batt (Sal Romano) was on and made Manhattans and Rob Roys.

Here's a sneak peek. It doesn't really show too much, except that most of the episode is all about spiders. I hate spiders.

Every show has an off-week. Unfortunately, for Jay Leno when he has an off-week, it takes up five hours worth of our time. Almost every guest was less than entertaining, and even most of the comedy bits missed this week. Luckily, there were some redeeming moments throughout, most of which I've included right here for you. See, I just saved you five hours of time.

With Rachel Griffiths appearing this week, it appears that ABC's ban on their actors appearing on Leno's show may have finally been lifted. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring along a clip of Brothers & Sisters, so I guess they're still feeling a little sour. Or NBC doesn't want to promote a competing network's show too much.

If you haven't seen our game before, we give you a picture from a recent episode of a TV series and you provide the caption!

Last week's winner is Frank with this: "I KNEW you never watched My Own Worst Enemy."

This week's picture is from a recent episode of The Jay Leno Show:

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

• It's bad enough there was a sequel, but now Meet the Parents is becoming an honest-to-God Franchise? Apparently Little Fockers has a director. Also, I want to kill myself.
• Could this whole 3-D movie craze we're in the middle of come to a crashing halt, now that theaters and studios are haggling over the price?
• Look, I haven't seen Twilight, so I know nothing about vampire-lover Kristen Stewart, other than the fact that she looks pissed off all the time. That's why I'm kind of reticent to watch her in a comedy. Read the review of Adventureland to see how she does.
• Martha Stewart has been Tweeting about the upcoming film, Food, Inc. She says that it'll make you only buy organic from now on. Personally, I'm terrified. Cinematical has an exclusive first look at the poster for Food, Inc.
• There's really not much that needs to be said about this: Cinematical Seven: Our Favorite Hot Rod Girls.
  

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa at 8, followed by a new Life.
• FOX has a new Secret Millionaire.
• The CW has The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 8, then a new Stylista.
• PBS has a new Great Performances at 8.
• There's a new Time Warp on Discovery at 8.
• TNT has Christmas in Washington at 8, then the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol.
• Also at 8: Nickelodeon has Christmas episodes of The Naked Brothers Band, Fairly OddParents, and Home Improvement (two episodes).
• At 9, HGTV has White House Christmas 2008.
• Hallmark has Peter Falk in the movie When Angels Come To Town at 9.
• At 10, TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• Martha Stewart guest stars on a new Top Chef on Bravo at 10.
• Sci-Fi has a new Estate of Panic at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

This is 35 kinds of awesome.

Stephen Colbert appeared on Martha last Friday (repeated tonight at 8 on Fine Living Network) and now the video is available online (after the jump - might take a minute to load). Stephen and Martha talk about his new Christmas special and even make a mistletoe ball together. Colbert gets a lot of good lines in (when Martha says she's upset he didn't call her to be on the show, Colbert says he did and she told him "to go to hell") and it's just really funny to see Colbert's persona go up against Martha's prickly persona. It's also great how Colbert says a simple phrase like "hot fudge." (I love the part - and so does the audience - where Colbert puts glitter on the mistletoe part, though I think Martha is kinda ticked he's using so much.)

I want a red and green sweater with a giant "S" on it. Though I fear people will think I'm making some sort of Superman reference and not a Christmas reference.

I hate when this happens.

You're all set to watch something, and you don't even set your DVR or your VCR or any other recording device you might have because you've known about the show for weeks and weeks and you plan to watch this particular episode because you watch the show all the time anyway. And then the day comes and you either oversleep or you're busy doing something else or it just slips your mind for some reason and you miss it.

That's what happened to me this morning.

If you're Alexis Stewart, daughter of domestic goddess Martha Stewart; your childhood was weird. It's an unavoidable fact; no one could grow up around that much tulle and handmade, hand-stamped wrapping paper and escape without any lasting effects. Luckily, Alexis has been able to use this to her advantage. Along with her friend Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, Alexis Stewart is mining her experiences growing up with Martha for her new show, Whatever, Martha.

When I first heard about Whatever, Martha, I laughed. Seriously; it sounded like one of those ideas you come up with at three in the morning after downing a family sized bottle of Cabernet. Kind of an, "oh my God, I just had the best idea for a show: what if we sat around and watched old episodes of Martha Stewart Living and tried to do the crafts while I talk about how screwed up my childhood was and how Martha always forgot my birthdays and stuff" kind of idea. Starting on September 16, that 3 am idea is going to become a reality -- and we have video.

Most people don't turn in to Fine Living Network for laughs, but all that's about to change on September 16, at least for as long as a new comedy series called Whatever, Martha! runs. Imagine, if you will, an entire clip show culled from The Martha Stewart Show.

Now, picture a couple of chicks sitting around and making fun of said clips. That's the concept for Whatever, Martha!, and if this idea reminds you of Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- sans puppets -- that's a good thing.

Fine Living has gotten Martha's blessing for the show. Heck, she's leading the laughs by allowing the clips to be used. Also the two women who'll be presenting the show and mocking her every half-hour are close to her: Alexis Stewart, her daughter, and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, whose father -- Charles Koppelman -- is the chairman of Martha's media empire.

So, this is all in the family for the Stewart camp, and whatever jokes, cracks and observations made by the women will be with the Martha Stewart seal of approval.

I'm not sure who to root for in this particular dispute. The British authorities have banned Martha Stewart from entering the country due to her previous conviction of obstructing justice.

The television personality was hoping to visit England for some business engagements. Stewart's assistants confirmed her visa denial, but didn't give details (I don't understand this particular fact. American citizens don't need a visa to go to England, only need a passport.).

"Martha loves England; the country and English culture are near and dear to her heart," said Charles Koppelman, chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. "She has engagements with English companies and business leaders and hopes this can be resolved so that she will be able to visit soon."

I'm not the biggest fan of Martha, but this seems like a bit of a snow job. She did the crime and did her time. Why do the British authorities feel that she is still some sort of threat?

She did, however, get to visit her ancestral country of Poland. Score one for the Poles! Maybe they'll keep her.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Aaron Barnhart has some interesting thoughts on MSNBC.
• What is TidalTV?
• Star Trek: The Exhibition opens in San Diego today.
• More money problems for Ed McMahon: now Citibank is suing him.
• It was great to see Teri Garr on Letterman the other night.
• There's a 20th Anniversary DVD set coming for Mystery Science Theater 3000.
• Martha Stewart has been banned in the U.K.
• Seth MacFarlane spills the beans about what Family Guy has in store for viewers this fall, and reveals which celebrities are mad at the show.

Soap operas thrive on drama and they're not above borrowing from other sources. You could say it happens all the time, because it does. Of course, you can also go by that old Hollywood axiom that there are really only seven stories and they're told over and over again in a variety of new and different ways. Be that as it may, a look at some soap stories going on now will remind you of some other media.

For instance, on All My Children, you might look at Erica Kane's incarceration for insider trading (or whatever she was supposed to have done that was criminal) and think it's reminiscent of the Martha Stewart case. After all, like Martha, Erica is host of a TV show and an entrepreneur of the highest order. But the part of Erica's story that made me giggle was when she was on the run from prison with fellow con Carmen. Being handcuffed together was right out of The 39 Steps (the Hitchcock movie and now on Broadway) and The Defiant Ones, but the two women from different worlds clicking was more like Ugly Betty. Remember, last season when Claire Meade escaped from prison chained to a tough girl named Yoga? Think the AMC writers were taking notes?

Late last year we told you how Emeril Lagasse was going to leave Food Network. Now we know where he's going.

The chef is going to move his Emeril Live show to the Fine Living Network. The show will air in the same time slot (7pm) that it currently runs in, seven nights a week. The new shows start on July 7th. Emeril is part of the Martha Stewart empire now (except for his many restaurants, which he has held on to), and repeats of Martha's daily syndicated show run on Fine Living every night as well. Both shows will air next to each other on the schedule.

Television icon Martha Stewart has suffered a family tragedy when her dog Paw Paw passed away from renal failure. He was almost 13 dog years old.

The dog's full name was "Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow". He was a 60 pound chow and had appeared on Martha's television programs a few times.

I admit I am neither a fan of dogs nor a fan of Martha but I find any death of a beloved pet to be tragic. All this being said, the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if we're being told the entire truth of the situation. I have a few alternate theories on Paw Paw's death: