TVSquad

As the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tries to whittle the submissions down to actual nominees, it's interesting to take a look at who has made it to the semifinals. It's not a nomination, but it's one step away. Today comes word of the finalists for best comedy actress and best supporting drama actor. There are some surprises.

Chief among those for me is Sarah Silverman. I honestly hadn't even considered her in the running. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like that she is being considered for the simple fact that the base the nominees are drawn from can always use some expansion. And if she is the most surprising inclusion, the most surprising snub just might be Teri Hatcher. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman all made the cut, but not Hatcher. Ouch. The rest of the finalists, and the supporting actors from a drama, after the jump.

The cast of Boston Legal is now moving to children's toys. This only seems like a joke, but it's not. William Shatner, James Spader and Candice Bergen are among the celebrities and artists who will be designing new versions of "My Little Pony", the toy from the 1980's which launched an animated television series and movie.

(UPDATE: Stacey Luchs, a spokeswoman for the show, said Thursday that Shatner and Spader were unaware of the venture and would not participate.)

The special ponies will be auctioned off by Hasbro as a charity fundraiser. Other pony-designing celebrities include LeAnn Rimes, Debbie Gibson and Danny Aiello. Artists designing ponies include illustrator Catalina Estrada from Spain, New York graffiti artist-turned-designer Claw Money and Japanese manga artist Junko Mizuno.

Still, it beats having to redesign Planet Unicorn.

To many people, William Shatner is a beloved TV icon. To others, he's a shameless self-promoter, a commercial pitchman for everything from margarine to hotel rooms. Few feel neutral about Shatner, so this story may come as something of a surprise. William Shatner rarely watches himself on TV and film. Like a lot of actors, when he works, he's in the moment and doesn't go back and study what he did and why. It's been working for him. As Denny Crane on Boston Legal, he's won two Emmys in the last three years.

(S04E19) "No more soda pop!" - Judge Clark Brown

Remember last week, when Alan and Denny made the joke about moving to Wednesdays? Remember how much I loved it? Well, I feel exactly the opposite about this week's version. Last week, the joke was so quick , it could have easily been missed. This week it was about as subtle as Denny Crane himself, Plus, it had the added bonus of already being done.

I don't know what was more underwhelming, the guest appearance of Christine Ebersole or her lame cloned meat case. For a show that has had awesome guest actresses like Missi Pyle, Gail O' Grady and Betty White, the star of Rachel Gunn RN is not an impressive get.

(S04E17) I don't want to seem like I'm not happy for Jerry but did we really need to know so much about him losing his virginity and by "so much" I mean anything at all? More importantly, I have to call BS on Jerry's glowing review of his opening night performance. In my many years of "intimacy," some experiences have certainly been better than others but none of them have ever made me nostalgic for my first time. Not that I don't remember it fondly, it's just not something I would brag about and I really doubt that anyone involved would describe me as caring, respectful or wonderful.

I must admit, Mr. Kelley had me at "THE United States Supreme Court." This was a real test for Alan. On one hand, how does he justify defending a man convicted of raping a child? On the other hand, how will his huge ego be able to pass up the opportunity to argue in front of the highest court in the country?

(S04E16) "During the strike, I fell in love." Jerry Espenson

I think I have finally figured out how Crane, Poole & Schmidt can justify keeping so many nutcases on staff. It's because there isn't one sane person on the entire payroll. In fact, it seems that the higher you rise in the firm, the nuttier you become. Think about it, one named partner is legally insane and another is famous for his dementia. I don't know why Carl Sack hasn't figured this out yet.

In Shirley's case, I suppose she still has a few things keeping her grounded. Although having a father who is losing his battle with Alzheimer's is certainly enough to send anyone over the edge.

Let's face it, we get old. Some of us live a long and glorious life, dying happily in our sleep next to the 26-year-old Penthouse Pet of the Month who is just with our wrinkled old selves because we have money. Others live to the ripe old age of 30 and have a wonderful Lastday ceremony. It really doesn't matter...we get old one way or another.

Most of us try not to admit we are getting old. We use dyes, we have surgeries to move things around, and we pump ourselves with poison so our faces to retain that wonder wax museum sheen. Yet, there are those occasions where you hear about something that triggers that little part of your brain that makes you want to whip out the Bran Flakes and prunes. Here are just a few television-related events that may just have you looking for retirement communities in Florida.

(S04E15) "Life's a cabaret, man." - Denny Crane

Christopher Rich is one of my favorite of Alan's adversaries not only because he's a "hoot" himself but because he is one of the few lawyers who give back to Alan exactly what he dishes out. As much as I adore Alan Shore, it pleases me to no end to see him get frustrated almost to the point of anger. Who knows, one day, he may even lose to someone like Melvin Palmer but I won't hold my breath.

When Alan lost his temper with Melvin, it was great. I can't remember ever seeing Alan look so embarrassed. I guess we shouldn't be shocked that a guy who has no ability to suffer fools also has a deep seated fear of clowns.

Considering how often ABC has opted to not air repeats of Boston Legal during its first four years, it should come as good news to fans of Denny & Alan's buddy dramedy that ION has picked up the series. It plans to re-air the series weeknights in the fall. Personally, I'm thrilled because I missed the first season altogether and various scattered episodes here and there since then. Oh, and Boston Legal isn't streamed at ABC.com.

Alan: "So what do you think of our show going to ION, Denny?"
Denny: "Well I knew technology was making things smaller and smaller, but an ion Alan? Really?"

(S04E11) "Denny Crane. Denny Crane. Denny Crane. Denny Crane." - Taken from the legal briefs of Denny Crane

Is it 1989 or was that Bess Armstrong I saw in the opening scene? All jokes aside, William Shatner, once again, makes me jealous of his life by squeezing the butt that I have longed for ever since I saw The Four Seasons. I was very excited when Denny insisted on trying the case by himself. I have long wondered if he still has what it takes to keep his perfect record and this is where my question gets answered.

So is it yet another Star Trek alumnus coming on-screen, or a reunion of former Murphy Brown costars Candace Bergen and her on-screen amore Scott Bakula, as TV Guide says. Looks like it's both, as Bakula has signed on to join Bergen and William Shatner for an upcoming episode of Boston Legal. In it he will play one of Shirley Schmidt's (Bergen) exes who runs into her at a bar. No word on if his will be a multi-episode arc or a one-time appearance.

Bakula has shown himself to have a bit of comedic chops recently on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and with BL being a dramedy, he might do very well there. Either way, it is good to see Bakula back on the small screen. Quantum Leap remains one of my all-time favorite shows and I'm still mad they haven't found a way to bring it back (despite periodic rumors that they may), while Knight Rider gets a revival. It'd be great if they can get Bakula's character and Denny Crane (Shatner) together in a scene and have them salute one another or slip some other Trek teaser for the audience in the know.

(S04E08) "No one takes Ann Coulter seriously." - Guy Flanders

Just when I thought the Star Trek jokes were through...
Remember the old days when Bill Shatner wanted nothing to do with his Sci-fi past? It's nice to see that a few years and an Emmy will soften even the hardest heart.

I can only guess that Denny's arrest for solicitation is DEK's effort to show "the other side." Is it really that easy for extraordinary bathroom behavior to be mistaken for cruising? I hope not, otherwise I'll have to curtail my mid morning respite/operettas at the office.

I missed Boston Legal this week. I hate that they don't have consistent weekly episodes--how Boston Legal just disappears for weeks to accommodate the U.S. Open or some national dog show. Because I was disappointed in missing the banter between Spader and Shatner or the rest of the absurd cast of characters, I decided to find out what's going to happen on December's episodes of Boston Legal.

Episodes will air on December 4th, 11th, and 18th (Christmas episode!) at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Everyone's got their own idea of what's truly frightening. I'm not talking about people or things who just are scary because they're dangerous or despicable. I mean things that truly keep you awake at night, afraid to turn out the lights. Afraid to be home alone. Afraid to fly on a plane. There are a few characters on television over the years who've stuck out more than others as being truly frightening to a handful of us TV Squadders, and we've put together a list (surprise!) of characters who have haunted us for years. If we're digging up old unforgotten nightmares of your own, well, sorry about that.

The list is numbered, but it doesn't necessarily mean these are ordered. Like I said -- we all have a different definition of what truly frightens us. Make sure you list your own in the comments. Click on a number below to get started.

#10 #9 #8 #7 #6 #5 #4 #3 #2 #1

(S04E04) "I pitched a fly rod right in my waders." - Denny Crane

In case you were confused about David E. Kelley's political leanings, the opening scene should have cleared it up for you. Let's see...Bush lied, the military is intolerant of homosexuals, got it. Sounds like a left wing to me. The scene also asks an important question...where the hell has Sam McMurray been? He was my favorite cast member on The Tracy Ullman Show. Unfortunately, he's one of the few who didn't go on to work on The Simpsons and I, for one, think he should be on TV more.

I don't really know what to make of the young matador. David E. Kelley seems to be hell bent on doing two things this season...pissing off the right wingers and pissing off PETA.