TVSquad

CBS held an "informal" press conference ("informal" being code for "take all the reporters in the massive ballroom and cram them in a meeting room a quarter of the size") for the hit show Jericho. On the panel were executive producers Carol Barbee and Jon Turletaub and stars Skeet Ulrich, Ashley Scott, and Lennie James.

First of all, let me say that the shock of the session came right away, when Lennie, who plays Hawkins, opened his mouth and a British accent came spilling out. I guess I need to watch more British TV, since he's been around for a long time, starring in shows like The State Within. Anyway, the producers fielded most of the questions, mainly revolving around the long break between halves of the season as well as what we'll find out about the various cast members this season.

(S01E09) Tonight, we got a "very special episode" of Ugly Betty. Heavy on the holiday sentiment, the hour kicked off with Daniel's question to Betty, "What is a family?" One day in Queens later, and he just may have figured it out. Fortunately, Marc's last minute blackmailing of Wilhelmina and Ignacio's arrest kept things from getting too sticky sweet.

I know a few writers who think creating parallels between characters or storylines is a cheap, sorta lazy tactic, but I love it. Juxtaposing characters and letting them play out similar themes in separate storylines is always satisfying to me. The show has contrasted Wilhelmina and Betty effectively in the past, but the series' real core involves the parallel arcs of Daniel and Betty. They're both young, in new positions at Mode, have trying family situations and are romantically-challenged. They have the greatest potential to learn from one another - Daniel about family and Betty about her capacity as an independent, professional woman.