TVSquad

This is no way to wish Paula Deen a Happy Thanksgiving.

At an event in Atlanta this morning, someone threw a ham and it hit Deen right in the face. Now, I'm not sure if they did it deliberately, it seems more like they were shipping/packaging hams and she didn't know it was going to be thrown to her. You can hear someone say "oh my God" in this clip and catch a quick glimpse of her husband as she walks off camera. She's fine though. (Update: I embedded new video.)

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Whenever a celebrity cook appears on a talk show like The Late Show or The Tonight Show, it's hardly ever a real cooking demonstration. Letterman will start drinking cooking sherry right out of the bottle or Conan will just go nuts and spread butter all over something he shouldn't.

Last night was particularly crazy, as Conan, Garry Shandling, and Andy Richter helped Paula Deen make... something for Halloween. It gets kinda hectic so I'm not sure what it was.

This is one of the more enjoyable clips you'll see this week. Paula Deen was on the Today Show a few days ago to make some coffee cake, but things got out of hand after some mysterious guy walked onto the set and laid on the ground behind the counter.

Deen gets off one of my favorite lines of the year, wondering where the guy came from. As a bonus, another TV personality makes a random appearance to try some of the cake and Ann Curry acts all Ann Curry-ish.

[via Slashfood]

Paula,

It has come to my attention, via this article at E! Online, that you are thinking of doing a View-like women's talk show. I don't know if this is a bad idea in general, though I think that you are better off just doing your cooking shows and not risk spreading yourself too thin. But I'm not worried about you doing a talk show as much as I'm worried about the person who you might do the show with.

Kate Gosselin???

Once upon a time, Melanie Hutsell was on top of the world. And by "on top of the world," we mean she was on Saturday Night Live, doing characters whose signature dialogue quietly seeped into the mainstream conscious and were applauded on arrival by the studio audience. And then she vanished, only to become the butt of many a joke among SNL aficionados.

But we found her via butter enthusiast Food Network superstar Paula Deen, who somehow got word that the actress and writer had moved on from the Delta Delta Delta sorority sister, Di, to impersonating Deen herself. In fact, Hutsell had been impersonating Deen for several years, "anywhere they would have [her], in theaters, churches, temples - you name it."

• At 8, CBS has A Home For The Holidays with Faith Hill.
• ABC has the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas at 8.
• AMC has the movie Prancer at 8, followed by the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol.
• History Channel has a new Modern Marvels at 8, then new episodes of The Universe and Extreme Trains.
• Food Network has Paula's Southern Christmas at 8.
• BBC America has a new Christmas episode of My Family, then Blackadder's Christmas Carol.
• At 9, TBS has Funniest Commercials of the Year 2008.
• Lifetime has the movie A Diva's Christmas at 9.
• ABC Family has the movie White Christmas at 9.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has a new ECW.
• At 10, ABC has The List.
• There's a new Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo at 10.
• At 11, TBS has a new Frank TV.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

As I mentioned earlier today, I'm a fan of Food Network. When there doesn't seem to be anything on the major networks or I don't want to bother to pull out a DVD, the first cable network I'll channel-surf to is Food Network (then TCM). The shows manage to be entertaining even if you don't use the information in them, but I'm getting a lot of my recipes these days from the network and their web site.

Now they've launched a magazine to go along with the channel.

You know why Rachael Ray is smiling all the time? She's the richest food star in the world. According to the latest Forbes list of top-earning celebrity chefs, Rachael Ray leads the pack. In fact, of the top 10 names, all but two are TV stars.

Therefore, you better believe that all that exposure on Food Network, Bravo, Travel Channel, Fine Living, BBC America, and Fox -- not to mention syndication and appearances on talk shows and demonstrations on the Today Show -- makes a big difference.

The Food Network is one of my favorite channels, I admit it. I can tune in just about anytime and enjoy Ace of Cakes or Good Eats or Boy Meets Grill or Paula Deen, whatever. Generally speaking, they seem to have a good, consistent and enjoyable programming package.

Okay, that's what's good about FN. Now for the sour to go with the sweet. Last night I was catching up with The Next Food Network Star, watching the second showing of the reality competition show because I wasn't able to watch the original broadcast. No big deal, right? Wrong!

Move over, Rachael Ray! Another Food Network bird is straying for the nest to try her wings in syndication. Southern diva Paula Deen is readying a daytime cooking show for syndication in 2009. She also following Rachael's lead by not giving up her secure and lucrative connection to Food Network. Her Paula's Home Cooking and Paula's Party programs will remain Food Network staples.

The challenge for Paula will be coming up with a show that's not simply an echo of her other two shows. Unlike Rachael, who does a full-fledged talk show with a cooking segment, Paula's new effort is being called a "cooking" show. That could be limiting.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Phenomenon, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• FOX has a new Back To You at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• Food Network has a new Good Eats at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9, then a new MonsterQuest.
• HGTV has a new Deserving Design at 9, then a new Design on a Dime.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new "Fall Harvest" episode of Paula's Home Cooking, followed by a new Dinner: Impossible with guest Priscilla Presley.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park.
• The new season of Project Runway gets underway at 10 on Bravo.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, PBS has a new NOW, followed by new episodes of Washington Week and Bill Moyers Journal.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• CBS has a Jericho recap special at 8, then a regular episode.
• At 9, FOX has a new Standoff.
• USA has the season premiere of Monk at 9, then the season premiere of Psych.
• Discovery has a new Man vs. Wild at 9.
• There's a new Paula's Party on Food Network at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• Sci-Fi has a new Painkiller Jane at 10.
• At 10:30, BBC America has a new Hollyoaks.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, NBC has a new Identity, followed by a new Raines.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• PBS has a new NOW at 8, then a new Washington Week.
• Sci-Fi has new episodes of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Painkiller Jane.
• Also at 8: CMT has a new episode of Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search.
• At 9, TLC has a new What Not To Wear.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• Food Network has a new Paula's Party at 10.
• At 11, HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher, with guests Bill Moyers, Governor Brian Schweitzer, journalist John O'Sullivan and political anaylst Amy Holmes.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, NBC has a new Identity, then a new episode of Raines.
• The CW has an ew Smackdown! at 8.
• PBS has a new NOW at 8, followed by a new Washington Week.
• TLC has two new episodes of What Not To Wear starting at 8.
• Also at 8: Sci-Fi has a new Stargate SG-1, then new episodes of Stargate: Atlantis and Painkiller Jane.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Cory in the House.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new Giada's Weekend Getaways (in L.A.), then a new Paula's Party.
• At 10, Comedy Central has the special The Amazing Jonathan: Wrong On Every Level.
• At 11, HBO has a new Real Time With Bill Maher, with guests Bill Bradley, Sheryl Crow, Scott McClellan, and Laurie David.
• Also at 11: IFC has the second season premiere of The Henry Rollins Show.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, PBS has a new NOW, then a new Washington Week.
• NBC has a new Identity at 8, followed by the Miss USA 2007 beauty pageant. Tara Conner's time is up already?
• The CW has a new Friday Night Smackdown at 8.
• CBS has March Madness all night.
• At 9, ABC has a new Six Degrees (yup, it's true).
• There's a new What Not To Wear on TLC at 9.
• FOX has a new episode of The Wedding Bells at 9.
• Also at 9: Hallmark has a new Mystery Woman flick, In The Shadows.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Paula's Party, focusing on "Fair Food," which I would assume means where the food comes from and not the quality itself.
• At 11, HBO has a new Real Time With Bill Maher, with guests Shirley Franklin, mayor of Atlanta, and author David Frum.

Check your local TV listings for more.