TVSquad

She's trying one more time. That'll make it three attempts, but who's counting. Three attempts since the new century, that is. Anyway, the point is that Geena Davis's new police drama, Exit 19, has been greenlighted by CBS. The Oscar-winning actress (for The Accidental Tourist), is going from playing the first female president on Commander in Chief, to an eccentric New York homicide detective who's also raising two kids -- sans spouse -- in suburban Long Island.

Police stories make for some of the best stories either in real life or on television. I've been lucky enough to know cops over the years (not in a criminal sense, mind you) and find that it's sometimes a mutual macabre or jaded sense of humor we share. There are the by-the-book cops, the hot-doggers, the idealists, the cynical, the naive, the jaded, the good, the bad, and the "I want to get through my twenty and retire" kind of cops.

My favorite cop television shows over the years often reflect those characters and it's sometimes a bit surprising how close they come to actual police I know ... or how far they stray from the reality of police work.

The "big house," that is!

Hilton checked into the beautiful turned herself into authorities last night and began her 23 day stay in jail. TMZ.com has the video of Paris and her teary mom arriving in their car. She actually surrendered miles away from Lynwood, where she will be doing her time. She'll be in a cell and have a shower and phone to use. There will also be a small pod attached to her cell where she can watch TV (a small pod to watch TV? What, is she Michael Jackson?). She says she's ready to face the consequences and learn from her mistakes (*cough*).

By the way, the photo? That's not a publicity photo, it's Paris' mug shot. (Update: the police released the wrong photo.)

In honor of her first day, check out GSN's The Prison Life game. And after the jump, a video of Sarah Silverman joking about Paris at the MTV Movie Awards, with Paris in the audience.

I have to admit that I judged Jeff Goldblum's new show, Raines, before I even saw it. When I heard the plot description that was scattered about on the web several months ago, I think I actually sighed. Another show about an investigator who speaks to ghosts? Why had this become such a hot genre, like westerns or sitcoms many years ago? Did we really need another one, no matter what big name they had for the lead?

Well, I have to eat my words.

After all these years, I still don't know how to pronounced his name. Is it "Tigh?" "Tig?" "Teeg?"

Andrews is probably best known for his work on The Mod Squad. He played Captain Adam Greer, the police captain in charge of Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III and Michael Cole (the original show, not the movie with Claire Danes). Andrews also had recurring roles on Gomer Pyle and CHiPs, and guest starred on several other shows: Murder, She Wrote, Vegas, Quincy, M.E., Hawaiian Heat, Police Story, Marcus Welby, M.D., Police Woman, Playhouse 90, Inner Sanctum, The Dick Powell Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Big Valley, The F.B.I., The Fugitive, and many others.

Andrews died of a heart attack in California on January 27.

You know that crazy Aqua Teen Hunger Force promotion that caused a kerfuffle in Boston recently? Well, if you've got a fat wad of cash I suggest you get yourself over to eBay where some of those neon Mooninites are currently up for auction. This is your chance to own a piece of advertising history. A promotion hasn't caused a scare like this since that time Poppin Fresh got high on wheat germ and held a press conference demanding the immediate execution of Mrs. Butterworth.

Our readers have had a lot of opinions about who exactly is to blame for the misunderstanding, and whether or not local authorities and media overreacted to the incident. I don't have an opinion about it one way or the other, but one thing is certain: a lot more people now know about Aqua Teen Hunger Force who probably had no idea what the heck it was before all of this craziness went down.

[via Lost Remote]

There are several things that bother me about the new CBS show Armed & Famous, which debuts this Wednesday at 8pm. One, it's another damn reality show. I've truly reached my breaking point with these shows, especially ones that are just gimmicks and not teaching us anything new or providing something substantial at the end.

But the main reason I'm bothered about the show is this: the ads keep saying that the show is going to feature "real celebrities" going to work as real cops. Um...since when are people like Erik Estrada and "that guy from Jackass" real celebrities? Latoya Jackson? She has a weird brother. Jack Osbourne? He's the son of a weird father. The hot blonde chick is...um, who is she again?

FOX has ordered a pilot for a new cop show with the working title of New Amsterdam. The new series is about a cop who, unbeknownst to everyone, is actually centuries old because he's cursed with immortality. I always thought that was the plot of Colombo, shows what I know. Allan Loeb and Christian Taylor wrote the pilot script, but beyond that not much is known about the series. I like to think the cop will spend most of the episodes lusting after septuagenarians who are way too young for him.

Also, it took me longer than I care to admit to piece together that "New York" used to be called "New Amsterdam," hence the immortal cop has been there a long time. I'm a bit slow at times, but I get there eventually.

Some b-list celebrities are working hard in Indiana right now on a celeb-reality show for CBS. Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne, Wee Man, Trish Stratus, and La Toya Jackson are training to be reserve police officers in Muncie, Indiana. The celebrities will be trained like other police officers, which also means book-learnin' about the constitution and laws. Oh, and they'll be carrying guns when they respond to emergency calls from the public (with another, real officer).

That sounds safe. I'm sure nothing will go wrong. La Toya Jackson seems like the stable kind of person you want carrying a badge and a loaded weapon. No word yet on when the reality series will air, but it sure does sound like summer content.

(S03E07) Well, are those of you who predicted that Edie was going to get shot tonight disappointed? She is still alive and kicking. In fact, all of the housewives are. But a lot of mysteries about Orson are dead now with poor, demented Caroline Bigsby. Her gun and her lunacy certainly suggest that she could be the one responsible for Alma's and Monique's deaths.

Does anybody actually buy Orson's explanation of how Alma got her bruises? Actually, his last crack about his recommendation to put salt on a wine stain being the reason why Alma decked him does kind of ring true... I still haven't seen any creepy behavior by Orson to Bree since they got married. Creepy behavior? Yes. Just not toward his wife.

Regis just asked Chevy Chase if tonight's Law and Order episode was based on the Mel Gibson case. First of all, dumb question. Second, Chase said it was kind of inspired by the case.

Right.

(S10E10) Towards the end of this episode, Kyle gives his younger brother Ike the most sound advice I think anyone can give a kid who's immersed in his very first crush:

Kyle: You need to have a life. Have fun. Then ruin it by having a serious relationship.

Is Diane Sawyer the worst interviewer or what?

Here's part one of her interview this morning with Mel Gibson on Good Morning, America. She seems to ask all the right questions, but in the end, not really. She just barrels through the questions, in that "this is a celebrity, let's be more touchy-feeling with him instead of investigative-reporter-ish with him" sort of way. You can see why Gibson chose her. She has that air of respectability, but in reality she's slow pitch softball ("Where does this anger come from?"). Maybe we should hold judgement until the second half of the interview airs tomorrow, but this clip just looks like a Daily Show parody than a real interview. The interruptions are annoying (why so many voiceovers?).

It's worth it though to hear Gibson talk about choking his toaster. And, no, that's not a euphemism for anything dirty. (Video after the jump.)

Former Thief star Malik Yoba will return to TV on the new Jeff Goldblum drama for NBC, Raines. He'll play the former partner of Goldblum's detective character.

Oh, what's this one about? It's about a guy who solves crimes by...speaking to the dead! What an original concept!

Seriously, what's up with that? Medium isn't enough? And Ghost Whisperer? And doesn't the guy on The Dead Zone see people who are dead? Heck, even the blonde on Cold Case sees a "ghost" of the victim at the end of every episode.

I don't remember Columbo or Banacek or Barnaby Jones having to talk to the dead to solve crimes.

Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer will speak with Mel Gibson on October 12 and 13.

She actually set up the interview a few months ago, because it is supposed to be about his new movie Apocalypto. But you just know that Sawyer is going to ask him about a certain incident involving a California highway, some alcohol, and some cops. Or maybe not, since Sawyer has been a terrible journalist ever since...well, ever since I can remember. So maybe she'll ask him what he thinks of puppies, and nod in that understanding head nod journalists do so well, and not really grill him as to why drinking too much alcohol makes you say hateful things.

Seriously, what would you ask Mel Gibson if you could sit down with him for an hour or so?

[via TV Newser]