TVSquad

As we reported previously, ABC decided to spin the wheel and cancel three of its shows -- Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and, the big surprise, Eli Stone. Surprise to me, at least, because I felt that Stone was moving in the right direction since its very strong season premiere. With its slightly new direction, continuing character growth, and imaginative visions that placed the show nearly in the realm of 'musical drama,' the show seemed to be heading in the right direction.

(S01E05) "I need your boobs." -- Matt Dowd to Taylor Wethersby

Hi again, everybody! Jason has American Idol duty this week, so I'll be handling the reviews for this week's installment of Eli Stone. When you think about it Idol and Eli have a lot in common...they each feature singing numbers on their shows. I guess the major difference, other than one being a reality game show and the other being a legal drama, is that no one on Idol has visions. Well, with Paula Abdul you never know. Anyway, on with the review.

I felt that this was the strongest episode of the season since the premiere and that the program may have finally hit its groove. It's been touch and go for the first few episodes as the character of Eli has been established and the cast surrounding him has been fleshed out a bit. And, there was a bit of worry when the plot started to veer away from Eli and focus on cases by the other partners in the firm. But, it looks like they found the right mix with, at least, this episode.

(S19E05) 'The Monkey's Paw', 'The Bart Zone', 'The Devil and Homer Simpson', the entire 'Treehouse of Horror V' (the end scene where the Simpsons' bodies turn inside out actually freaked me out a bit), 'Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace' and 'Homer3'. Why do I mention these previous 'Treehouse of Horror' stories and episodes? Well, they're examples of funny yet creepy stories that The Simpsons did so well each and every Halloween.

So, uh, what happened?

(S19E02) Mr. Burns: My boy, you are a star!

Homer: Whoo-Hoo!

Burns: An opera star!

Homer: Oh.

We're back to the silly in this week's episode of The Simpsons as another bodily injury gives Homer an advantage in life. I'm surprised that this is the second Homer-centric episode in a row. Usually, the producers are good at going around the Simpsons circuit to focus on another family member or the group as a whole from one week to the next. Maybe my surprise is due to the fact that I haven't been a regular on the Simpsons boat for the last few seasons.

Not too long ago I told you about a very cool (and very disturbing) video that showed what Homer Simpson would look like if her were an actual person. The video shows a normal-looking man slowly morphing into a Homeresque manifestation. The New Age music only adds to the surreal, nightmarish quality of it.

Well, Adnan Saleem, the person who created the video, sent us a note to let us know he's also done the same for Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Watch as the line between comedy and complete, unholy terror is slowly erased before your eyes. And I mean that as a compliment, these videos are really cool, but c'mon, they're also really creepy, which is the point, I think.

The image on the right is another creation of Adnan's. It's Snowball II, of course.

Check out the videos here.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

Here's my list of what I believe are the top 14 Simpsons episodes in regards to heartstring tuggery. Share your own in the comments and tell me why mine are wrong.

Let's get to it:

(S06E25)

Burns: Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun. I will do the next best thing: block it out.

In no episode has Burns been more evil than in the two-parter "Who Shot Mr. Burns" that bridged the sixth and seventh seasons. He becomes so evil in fact, that Smithers actually turns against him, even though it "violates every sycophantic urge" in his body.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The episode begins with another normal day at Springfield Elementary, with one minor difference: Super Dude, the classroom gerbil, has died, crushed by his own water bottle. Willy buries the gerbil in the boiler room, assuring the dead rodent that his own father simply got thrown in the bog when he died. Although, didn't his father appear in the season ten episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love?" Yes, he did, but let's not worry about that, okay? Okay.

Well, it's time to start shifting all my DVDs over again to make room for yet another Simpsons collection. According to TVShowsOnDVD (via ToonZone), the eighth season of the show will be out on August 15. Like the last two sets, this one will also come in a "head case," this time shaped like Maggie's head. If you're like me and prefer something more "shelf friendly" you can also purchase the less fancy regular-shaped box.