TVSquad

(S02E04) "Where are you living anyway?" - Ned to Emerson

Did you realize that this week's Pushing Daisies episode is actually only the 13th installment of the refreshing series? I forgot about it for a second or two when I told myself "About time!" after realizing that "Frescorts" was going to offer us some Emerson backstory. I guess the almost-nine-months hiatus, thanks to the writers' strike, made us long for more details about the show's characters. In any case, let me say this: Yay for some Emerson backstory!

The CW may have kicked off its fall season on Labor Day, but for most of the other networks, things are just getting started. So what does that mean for you? Heavy promotion for not only the new shows premiering this fall, but for returning favorites as well. To that end, My Name Is Earl creator Greg Garcia and star Jason Lee spoke with reporters recently about Earl's upcoming 4th season.

My Name Is Earl returns for its 4th season on NBC with two back-to-back episodes, September 25 at 8pm. Not only did Garcia and Lee give us a taste of what to expect when we catch up with our favorite Camdenites, but they also dished the dirt on dream guest stars, what previous guest star peed over by craft services, if an Earl movie is in the works, and perhaps a word or two about a famously abrasive 30 Rock star. All of the details are after the jump.

ABC must love the Cox-Arquette family. The network's fall season will feature Courteney Cox in a three-episode arc of Scrubs, and now David Arquette is set to guest star on an episode of Pushing Daisies. This role marks Arquette's first ABC appearance since he starred in 2007's In Case of Emergency, which was canceled after only twelve episodes.

I'll save the character-specific information for after the jump. Arquette will guest star in the fourth episode of Pushing Daisies' second season. While he's definitely an acquired taste, David Arquette seems just odd enough to fit in with the show's unique cast of characters.

(S04E04) " " - The cast of Medium

There are probably a lot of things about being deaf that are not pleasant but not being able to listen to a Godzilla movie is one that never occurred to me.

I understand that actors will often be typecast into a certain role and may play similar characters on television, but I would think the casting director for Medium would have a little more sense than to cast Dr. Martin Candle from Lost as the hearing specialist.

With only one episode left in its run, ABC has yanked In Case of Emergency off the air. The series stars David Arquette, Jonathan Silverman, and Greg Germann as former high school classmates who reunite later in life and discover they're not where they thought they would be at this point in their lives. Last week's episode scored a 1.5 rating, tying with a repeat of Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll.

A repeat of Lost will replace In Case of Emergency this Wednesday at 9 pm.

Even though it's not an official cancellation, it's pretty clear this show is over. ABC also canceled Six Degrees last week. Still on the bubble is What About Brian.

(S01E18) David Arquette stepped in to direct his sister this week and I think we have to say he did a pretty nice job. It didn't hurt that he was given a very fun script to work with. Much like we saw with Dr. Walker and Captain Push earlier in the season, we were again treated to an appearance of a recurring character. Allison's brother Michael (Ryan Hurst) is back. He was also featured in "Lucky" from season one and "Lucky In Love" from season two.

Truth be told, I think the interaction of Allison and her brother would have been enough to sell me on this episode. They were very good together. Two of their scenes stood out to me. The first one was the meeting with Tanya King (Cindy Pickett). Allison's reaction to Michael's "psychic" work was very amusing. Every time she gave a drawn out sigh I laughed.

Having a terrific brother myself, I have a great affection for brother-sister teams. Together, they work past the boring notion of sibling rivalry to achieve greatness. Amy and David Sedaris on the New York Theater Workshop stage. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko. John and Joan Cusack in just about every film either one of them has made. Now, another team is looking to make the list of great brother-sister working relationships. David Arquette will be directing big sis Patricia in an upcoming episode of Medium.

Patricia had this to say about the collaboration: "I was always a bossy little girl and being David's older sister I've bossed him around quite a bit. Now that he'll be directing me it will be payback time...I feel so safe with him. I think I'll be able to go to some of my darkest places." That's kinda creepy, but whatever, you work out those family neuroses. When you're done, maybe you could straighten those Baldwins out.

After yesterday's Q&A session for In Case of Emergency, I decided to ask David Arquette a question or two about his appearance on Howard Stern's show last week, where he talked a little about what broke up the Jennifer Aniston - Brad Pitt marriage (hint: she has bee-stung lips and a couple of adopted kids) and Aniston's subsequent relationship with Vince Vaughn, most of which made the tabloids.

Did he come out of the Stern show knowing he said things that were going to become news? "You definitely think, 'What did i say that they can twist?' because they do twist it. You kind of feel beat up when you get out of there." He went on to say, "I just don't want anyone to get the wrong impression, because I love all those people."

When I asked him how Stern is able to get information like that out of people, Arquette said, "He just asks crazy questions, and you kind of want to answer them truthfully. You don't want to lie."

If there's any part of the press tour that's hard it's a situation like this: imagine being in a room with the cast of a show no one really likes much, extolling its virtues to disbelieving ears. To fill the boredom, the uncomfortable stars and creators start cracking jokes that no one thinks are funny. On top of that, there aren't enough questions to fill the time, so reporters start getting creative in order to keep the discomfort level at a minimum.

That's what I got when I sat in on the panel for the new ABC sitcom In Case of Emergency.

(S01E01) I'm not sure how I feel about this show. It's not bad. It's not good either. It's just there, wallowing in a sea of blandness. Honestly, what was so creative about this show that it deserved to get made? Maybe there's some sharp writing in upcoming episodes that wasn't displayed here. Which would be understandable of course. It is the pilot episode and you need to explain what the show is all about: four high school friends reuniting under unusual circumstances. That's a unique idea... right? Not even close.

Premise: FX's new drama Dirt stars Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, a ruthless editor in charge of two celebrity gossip rags, "Dirt" and "Now." Her successes are unrivaled but her methods have made her one of the most hated women in all of Hollywood. Spiller completely ignores the old adage of "keep your friends close but your enemies closer." She keeps everyone at a distance, only deciding to turn on her charm and offer an open ear when it may lead to the next juicy bit on a tinsel-town starlet or sports icon. To assuage her own insecurities, she's convinced herself that Hollywood needs her when the reality is quite the opposite.

FX wants more Courtney Cox. The cable network has ordered up a full season (13 episodes) of her drama, Dirt, about the world of tabloid magazines. There is one caveat: FX wants parts of the pilot to be re-shot to add more of Courtney Cox's character. She plays the editor of a tabloid and the powers-that-be at FX think she really shines in the role. Some of the supporting characters will also be re-cast. The show is about the world of celebrities, although most of the 'celebrities' on the program are fake, with the exception of David Fincher, director of Fight Club, who makes an appearance as himself in the pilot. The drama is being produced by the company owned by Cox and her husband, David Arquette.

While FX is sure about Dirt, it's still mulling over the drama, Lowlife, starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.

Anna Johns asks a very important question -- with Chris gone, does anybody still care about American Idol? My answer is yes and no. Chris was my number one dude, and I'm destroyed that he's gone. The thrill of the game has left me. I no longer feel the shrill of excitement every Tuesday when Chris takes the stage. I am now filled with blood lust, and I thirst for the demise of Elliott. I don't blame America for Chris' untimely elimination. I blame Elliott. I'm not exactly sure why, but somehow he is at fault. It's certainly not me. Taylor deserves to be in the finale, and so did Chris. Katharine? Eh, I guess. Elliott? Not so much.

With Chris gone, I have a new reason to watch Idol. I want Taylor to destroy them. Destroy them all. When we first met Taylor, he seemed the most unlikely candidate for American Idol. He's got gray hair. He's kinda tubby. And he looks like he's taking a dump when when he sings. This whole season has been absurd, so why not end it with a fireworks display of absurdity. I want Elliott and Katharine to be buried alive under the avalanche of votes that Taylor will receive. I want every man, woman, and child to vote for Taylor. I want more Americans to vote for Taylor then there are actually in America. I want Mexicans to illegally swarm over the border like locusts, with their Cingular Wireless phones in hand, just so they can vote for Taylor. I want him to destroy those other two. I want Taylor to rise from Chris' fallen ashes and pour acid rain all over Elliott and Katharine. I know that being bitter over Chris won't bring him back, but it makes me feel a hell of a lot better.  

Ahead of next week's Upfronts, where the networks lay out their fall schedules, ABC has announced it's picking up a handful of new dramas and sitcoms for next fall. Also, NBC is expected to pick up Tina Fey's new comedy and put it on Thursday nights. Oh, and NBC canceled Teachers. Shocker.

Details, details, details on ABC's pick-ups:

• The Nine, a drama following the aftermath of hostages in a bank robbery;
  
• Six Degrees, a drama about six strangers brought together by mysterious circumstances (Identity meets Lost?);
  
• Day Break, a drama starring Taye Diggs as a cop who tries to figure out who tried to kill him;
  
• In Case of Emergency, a comedy starring David Arquette, Greg Germann and Jonathan Silverman as a group of high school buddies who reunite when their lives intersect in some sort of comedic way;
  
• Help Me Help You, a comedy starring Ted Danson as a troubled celebrity shrink;
  
• Notes from the Underbelly, a comedy about how the life of a couple changes as they're expecting their first child.

There is a lot more speculation about the fall schedules for all the networks here in The Hollywood Reporter.

Will Courteney Cox be able to break free of Monica Geller? Eh. Probably. She's a pretty versatile actress.

Cox will star in a new drama for FX called Dirt. She'll play a tabloid editor named Lucy Spiller. Cox is the executive producer, along with her husband, David Arquette. Production begins in March.