Set to record

Maybe it was the warmer temperatures yesterday giving way to a feeling of restfulness, but was it just me or was this year’s Academy Awards telecast a big bore?

Frankly, it surprised me. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are two of the longest running hosts of “Saturday Night Live,” and accomplished comedic actors so thought they’d make me laugh so hard I’d snort.

I laughed a couple of times. Steve Martin comparing himself to Gabourey Sidibe of “Precious” saying the both played characters who were poor black children. (Remember, “The Jerk”? Seem’s Gabby’s mom enjoyed that joke, too.) Alec Baldwin’s obsessive staring at heartthrob George Clooney. Or when they reenacted a scene from “Paranormal Activity.” Or Ben Stiller in “Avatar” make-up.

But after last year’s Academy Awards, hosted by Hugh Jackman, they had a lot to live up to. As far as I’m concerned, the 2009 event was my favorite Academy Award show of all time.

I have to say that maybe it wasn’t Martin and Baldwin. It seemed like the audience was in a bad mood. Did anyone else catch how every time they panned to Sandy Bullock that she wasn’t even cracking her ruby red lips into a smile, which seemed out of character. Or how about George Clooney who looked exhausted and a little ticked off about something. It was like the vibe wasn’t right.

This year’s 10 best pictures were short intros, but I felt like the show kept going and going. It surpassed its three-hour mark, at which I gave up, hit record and went to bed. It was just plain ridiculous.

Isn’t there someone who can say “We’re running super long, let’s cut something!”? Hey, it’s a part of show business. Sure, you’ve rehearsed and put in your time, but it’s a live show. Something’s gotta give. Cut the dancers. Cut one or two of the hosts’ skits. And even though I thought it was a nice touch, cut all that nice words from fellow actors to the nominees bit. They’re all professionals, they realize that there’s a time limit.

I rather have some of that other stuff cut than cutting off a winner mid-sentence, or what they did last night, and just cut off the mike all together. And if they’re going to make it that long, how about making it earlier and get all those important, but nobody-cares-about, awards such as costuming and make-up out of the way? They’re in California, what’s an hour earlier going to do? They can think of it as an hour more to party.

The biggest thing to make a person excited? Kathryn Bigelow’s surprise win for director and movie. But because they were running so late, Tom Hanks came out and read the winner. It was like the biggest award of the night was cheated.

I love Ellen DeGeneres.

But when it was announced she was going to take over the fourth spot after the departure of Paula Abdul, I was skeptical at best.

Sure, Ellen is a pro on the performing circuit. I mean stand-up is super hard. And I know she’s a music fiend. Being a fan of her show, I know how she’s always saying how everyone is great.

Although it took sometime for us to see Ellen to show up on “American Idol” (not until Hollywood week), I was worried. Yes, we need someone to support the artists like Paula. But hearing the hard stuff is a part of life. It’s a part of being an artist.

On Hollywood week, Ellen used her comedy to help people feel at ease. Yes, maybe it even helped her feel like she’s in the club with the other three judges. And when it came down to critiquing the singers, Ellen wasn’t more than just “you’re great.” She gave good points about stage presence and about owning the stage. It was stuff she had every right to say, I mean, stand in front of an audience and make them laugh. I would think that in her early days she was heckled off the stage once or twice. So those kids need to shut up and take the notes.

The way I see it, the American Idol is more than just a pretty face who can sing. In real world terms, once you become THE American Idol, you become a business. You become an artist who has to worry past themselves or even his or her immediate family. They have to realize that an off-night, unhappy fans and not showing up and doing the work affects the thousands of people who will be on the Idol’s payroll. So is it fair that those four people sit up there and tell them they suck? Um, yeah.

I feel that Ellen has been a pleasant surprise. She’s been nice to the contestants. She’s also been fair and been willing to tell them that maybe their performance isn’t the best. On Wednesday night’s show with the guys, she was easily telling them what she liked about their performance, but she was also willing to say that it was out of tune — or worse.

The saddest part of this is that once we get used to Ellen, we’ll have to say goodbye to Simon as he’s announced he’ll probably be leaving after the end of this season. The good news if it’s down to just three again, it won’t be a love fest. And that’s the way I like it.

Da, da, da-da, da, da, da … just the few notes of “Bugler’s Dream” coming over the TV’s airwaves and I know that for the next two weeks I’ll be another couch Olympian.

Summer is great. But for me, it’s the Winter Olympics I love the most. Why? Because beyond the tearful underdog stories of the athletes, there’s just something about what Winter Olympians do. In nearly every single sport there’s a level of getting hurt, really, really hurt. Even in curling, y0u could fall on the ice. 

And it’s that level of excitement that makes me want to watch from 8 to past midnight nearly every night. 

Now, I’ll be the first to admit it. I rarely watch any of these sports when they’re not on the Olympics except hockey and maybe sometimes figure skating. And I guess that’s why I root a little louder for games such as cross country skiing, which under normal circumstances I would have to be bribed to watch. 

There’s something about when an American athlete straps on an official Olympic uniform and marches out to do what he or she does best. They’re risking it all for just three spots on a podium and the love of an entire country.

Because as far as I’m concern, going down a mountain 80 miles to only land on your face and slide down 200 feet shows that you’re willing to give your life for your country. All for a chunk of gold, silver or bronze, and the chance to be on the front of the Wheaties box.

Being an Olympian will bring them fame — at least for a few weeks — but probably not fortune. Most of these Olympians are in debt to their ears, especially if they aren’t in the “popular” sports such as Nordic Combine, which is more popular in Europe.

But as Scott Hamilton curtly reminded a fellow commentator, they are never a former Olympians. Once they have donned the American Olympic outfit and have marched in the Opening Ceremony, win or lose they are Olympians. They are the best of the best. And for good or bad, they’re heroes.

This year, we have had wonderful hosts in Vancouver, Canada. And when an American is out of the picture, I always cheer Can-a-da. I mean they’ve given us Canadian bacon, Michael J. Fox, John Candy, Mounties and hockey. And because you just have to love our neighbors to the North, it might sound a little anti-American, but I’m rooting for them to take the gold in hockey. I mean, what have they ever asked of us?

So this year, I cheered on Apolo Ohno and Shani Davis speed skate their way to gold. When Bode Miller was awarded gold, I felt like it was writing a note to say he’s sorry  for Torino. As I watch Lindsey Vonn, win a gold and wipe out in race after race, I realize that those dreams are so fleeting.  Just ask Lindsey Jacobellis when her hotdogging cost her a gold in the last Olympics and this year she didn’t even place.  Or when I watch Evan Lysacek win gold in men’s figure skating, I realize that Iron Curtain has finally fallen. 

Will Olympic gold bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan? Probably not. Will these athletes be able to woo Congress to help with health care. It’s highly unlikely. But for two weeks every four years, we are united as one country, and as one world.  

And isn’t that really what the Olympics is all about?

More people? More Others?

I thought the last season of “Lost” was about getting answers.

Clues revealed!

Mysteries solved!

The beginning of the end!

I think I’m more confused after Tuesday night’s season premiere than I was during last season when characters of ABC’s island fantasy were time-jumping and the flashbacks were actually flash forwards and vice versa.

Here’s what (I think) we know:

•  The hydrogen bomb went off and everyone is alive, except Juliet, who died in Sawyer’s arms.
•  The island is still there.
• Sawyer is still ticked at Jack. Even more so since Jack’s scheme to blow up the island resulted in Juliet’s death.
• Miles tried to commune with Juliet and she told him, “It worked.” I assume she meant Jack’s plan.
• The Man in Black is now inhabiting the body of John Locke and he also is the smoke monster.
• Don’t mess with the smoke monster. 

Here’s what I want to know:

• Why did only the principal characters survive the bomb blast? What happened to all those annoying Dharma Initiative people?
• Who are these Latin-spewing new Others in the temple?
• Who are the Americans doing the translating? And why are they dressed like hippies? Have they been there since the 60s? Were they on Oceanic 815?
• What was Desmond doing on the plane? He never was on Oceanic 815, right? He didn’t show up until season 2 in that riveting season opener when they opened the hatch. What gives, brother?
• What year is it on the island?
• Where is Boone’s sister, Shannon? Wasn’t she on the plane with him?
• Why did the scary looking leader of the new Others drown Sayid and declare him dead? And how did Sayid come back to life?
•  Why didn’t they bring Juliet to the healing temple? I would have voted yes for that. I don’t care if the woman who plays her is on “V” or not. Priorities, people, please.
• And what is up with the plane? If it never crashed, then who are those people on the island? Will Charlie and Claire show up in a future episode and declare that there are two realities?
• And what really does Jacob have to do with anything? I think he’s just distracting us from learning more about the characters we care about: Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, Ben, Hurley and did I mention Kate?

So where are we headed? I guess that’s what will keep me (and 12 million “others”) tuning in for the next 15 weeks.

The writers, who despite losing their way in season 4 and at times during last season, are masterful at creating suspense  and head-scratching twists and turns.

If episode one is any indication, there is NO way they will be able to address all the answers in 15 more episodes.

But I’ll be watching just in case.

About the guest blogger:

Bill Kohler doesn’t really watch TV, he DVRs TV. It’s the best invention since high-def. It has allowed him to watch every episode of “Lost,” “The 4400,” “Eli Stone” and “Castle.” He’s still smarting over ABC’s cancellation of “Life on Mars” and “Eli Stone.” 

When I was preparing to watch the season opener of “Lost” Tuesday night, I found out what was really lost — the second half of season six’s premiere. Seems my DVR decided that the show should be more of a mystery than it already is.

Thank goodness for ABC.com, which has the episodes because I was able to see the final hour last night from my laptop. That was great, but I thought watching one more hour would help me figure out what the heck is going on. Um, is it just me or is it as confusing as ever?

[SPOILER ALERT--if you haven't seen the show yet don't read any more]

So Juliet told Sawyer  (via the ultra-sensitive dead people mind reader Miles) ”it worked.” Like the rest of you, I’m thinking she meant the whole change time thing. Which is the confusing part because they aren’t back to the original year and they are still on the island.

Then, there’s the whole past flashback showing the group on the plane and landing in LA. That means, maybe, Juliet was right and Oceanic 815 didn’t crash on the island. But what’s interesting is that as the story unfolds in what I like to call the Non-Crash Past, is that it seems that a.) they were meant to meet, crash or not and b) like Locke had said all along, their lives were much better on the island.

In Non-Crash Past, Jack meets a wheelchair-bound Locke as they look to find missing luggage. Jack’s luggage is the casket with his dad in it and Locke, well, his contain knives. Before Locke leaves, Jack offers his surgical assistance. Does this mean that for Locke, Jack was always his savior — on or off the island? 

But for the unlucky, in Non-Crash Past, Kate has managed to escape her federal marshal, exchange a few words with Sawyer in an elevator, talk with Hurley, pull a gun on a taxi driver and kidnap an unsuspecting and still pregnant Claire. In a little way, they touched each other’s lives. For Kate, getting back to the right time meant she lost any salvation she had earned on the island.

And in Non-Crash Past, Sun and Jin are lost to each other. They don’t talk. Jin is angry. They aren’t the couple we have grown to love. Jin is not the man we know he can be. And to me, this is the saddest part of the time shift because we rooted for them.

In the time I like to call the New Not Really Past, which seems to be running in a now history-altered past, it’s all kinds of surprises.

First, there’s Jacob’s death at the hands of Ben. The man we thought was Locke is really a man we believe to be the bad to Jacob’s good (if you believe that Jacob is the good guy) who has taken on Locke’s form to get around a loophole that didn’t allow him to kill Jacob with his own hands. And oh yeah, Locke is also the smoke monster. Um, what? Oh and one more thing — the real Locke has been dead since Ben killed him.

In the New Not Really Past, Hurley seems to be talking to the dead Jacob. So does that mean he’s the next chosen one? Or was Hurley always the chosen one because it was his lottery-winning numbers that were the same numbers that had to be put into the computer so that didn’t pull planes from skies? And so who really gave Hurley those numbers? Is it not the bad-no-name guy who put this plan in to kill Jacob? Was that the bad dude’s idea all along?

Then there’s this Is This the Future or the Past segment. At the beginning, we see the island entirely underwater. Is this another nod to what really is going on because water has traditionally been thought of something that washes away sins. So by baptizing the entire island underwater, does that mean that all the sins have been washed away? And the “Lost” image opener. I’ve always thought it was smoke, but as the image appears, is it really water? Has there been a message there all along?

It’s enough to make my brain hurt. And enough for me to say that “Lost” has so far been one of the most phenomenal shows ever on TV.

My only hope in the final season of “Lost” is that the writers will give us a huge payoff and answer all of our questions. I don’t want to be left hanging on for a “Lost” movie. Because they might just lose a fan for life.

By the time I was old enough to have real memories of watching series television,” “Bonanza” had been off the air for years. 

But in my house, if there was a re-run, it was likely that the show was on. My parents had fond memories of the show, which ran from 1959 to 1973. My dad said his father would only sit down for one show — that was “Bonanza.”  And mom, as a child, had sent a letter to the show detailing an episode she’d written.

That’s why I’m sadden over the announcement f Roberts’ death, because it closes a long chapter in the show, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

I know it’s hard to imagine now, but the show was cutting edge when it first aired because it was the first hour-long western to be televised in color. And it took advantage of that by filming on location in Lake Tahoe, Nev., where the Ponderosa ranch was supposed to be located; with its costuming (best seen on the ladies of the night); and, of course, who could forget that famous map burning up at the beginning.

The show centered around thrice widower Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his three sons by three different wives Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon) riding on the range. 

Today, watching “Bonanza” is often a game of “can you guess who that is.” Many times you could catch well-known stars doing bit parts or even lengthy guest appearances. Victor French, who would go on to play alongside Michael Landon on two shows — “Little House on the Prairie” and “Highway to Heaven” — was a regular character actor. During an interview he joked about how in one scene he the good-for-nothin’ being hanged and when they turned back to the mob, he was there, too.

People clamored to make guest appearances on the show. Why? Because it was actually well-written. Although there was shoot ‘em-up violence, it was blood and gore. It was something a whole family could watch together. There was a combination of the funny antics that Hoss and Little Joe would always get into to, but it was often balanced by more serious episodes.

Landon joked during an interview with Johnny Carson that if there was a girl that one of the boys fell in love with, chances were she would be dead or gone by the end of the episode.

 When “Bonanza” began, Roberts was a teenaged hearthrob, not to mention a veteran actor. The idea was that he would be the break-out star. With his acting skills and his talent with his guitar, many thought Roberts was the most likely of the trio of guys to get the mailbags of girls’ letters. Seems that went to Landon, the ever ornery Little Joe. 

As the show went on Roberts became unhappy with the storylines saying that had been recycled. And, in fact, they had. Back then a show usually did 32 episodes a season, until the 13 we’re used to now.

Roberts left in 1964. A Shakespearan stage actor, he wanted real storylines. But slowly they dwindled as the eldest son had started to become no more than a foil to his little brothers’ games. It was best he moved on, but many “Bonanza” fans were upset that he didn’t seem to love the show as much as they did when asked to reflect on it. 

However, he went on to a successful career including “Trapper John, M.D.,” which ended its run in 1986. He continued to act until the late 1990s.

Roberts made a few guest appearances on the show, but he eventually left for other opportunities.On the show, they said he moved away.

Before the show’s end, tragedy struck. In 1972, Blocker, a fan favorite and the cuddly teddy bear of Hoss, died during a gall bladder surgery at the age of 43. With his death, it was like the show had lost its heart.

“Bonanza” would last only one more season.

As the Ponderosa ranch became part of TV history, the surviving men continued to work in the industry. 

Greene passed away from prostate cancer in 1987.

Landon died in 1991 from a form of pancreatic cancer.

Reports have said Roberts, who passed away Sunday, also died of cancer.

I’m wondering if they’re all gathered tonight over a campfire in the big ranch in the sky.

I don’t know what it is about Mark Valley that makes you want to watch him. His chiseled chin? His impossibly-that-blue-blue eyes? And he’s not that bad of an actor either.

Valley is starring in Fox’s “Human Target” ( 8 p.m. Wednesdays). 

I’ve been a fan of Valley’s since his stint on my soap, “Days of Our Lives.” Although I preferred the original cast member over him for Jack, I still liked Valley. And when he got his own series on Fox, the disappointedly short-lived “Keen Eddie” in 2003.

With more recent appearances on “Fringe” (which by the way he’s married to his ‘Fringe’ co-star Anna Torv), Valley seemed to finally have all the stars aligned.

What made “Keen Eddie” such a nice fit for him was that he was able to be a smarty-pants who still has a swagger. That’s why I think “Human Target” will be a nice fit. 

In it he plays Christopher Chance, a kind of James Bond/MacGyver-type of hero. He protects his clients without really caring for his own welfare as his boss (Chi McBride, playing another detective after his “Pushing Daisies” gig) points out. 

In the premier episode, which competed with Sunday night’s Golden Globes, Chance has to save a train engineer from a murder-for-hire plot. He enlists Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley -whose break-out role was in 1976’s “Bad News Bears” ), a computer hacker to help him out. 

The death-defying scenes have been amazing. And a surprise cameo by Danny Glover at the end was fun. But I was totally turned off by the fight scene that ran way too long. So long that it almost made you want to stop rooting for our hero.

Fox has always had a problem with keeping action-packed shows like  this. But Wednesday nights, an old “Bones” slot, along with “American Idol” lead-in, will just be the two things that could help this show.

And everyone could use another hero.

I wish I would have posted while I watched Sunday night, but I didn’t want to miss anything.

Ricky Gervais, as the Globes’ first-ever host, was wickedly delightful. Although he probably could have waited until after 10 p.m. for the masturbation jokes. But his jabs at Mel Gibson were funny.

Some highlights: 

• Mo’Nique’s speech for his Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her turn in “Precious.” She has been very forthcoming about how her brother molested her as a child. And telling other sex-abuse victims that it’s OK to tell somebody that it’s not OK to touch was heartfelt and true to her character.

• Drew Barrymore for her Best Actress in a Miniseries for “Grey Gardens.” Although she stuttered on and on, it was nice to her to compliment Mo’Nique’s speech. But she forgot to mention her co-star Jessica Lange. That aside, we she mentioned that she had been coming there since she was 7, it gave us an understanding how long of a career she’s had. The miniseries won the top prize in its category, too.

• Jeff Bridges won his first Golden Globe for Best Actor for “Crazy Heart.” In interviews, Bridges said this was a defining role for him. Although I haven’t seen the film yet, it’s one I am eager to watch. Bridges has found a piece that puts his love of music and his enjoyment of acting into one movie. 

• James Cameron for “Avatar.” He admitted that he had to pee when he went up to accept  his best director award for “Avatar.” He nicely acknowledged ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow saying he thought she deserved it for “Hurt Locker.” After a quick trip to the bathroom, he was back again winning best picture for “Avatar.”

• Toni Collette, winner for Best Actress in a TV Comedy/Musical for “United States of Tara,” admitting that she was in the bathroom the first time she was ever nominated and miss her category completely. This time, she waited it out.

• Robert Downey Jr.’s win for Best Actor for “Sherlock Holmes,” was worth the speech about all the things he wouldn’t have done.

• Sandra Bullock’s Best Actress win for “Blind Side,” was a nice speech. And it showed off her German background. Her late mother was a German opera singer.

• Meryl Streep’s Best Actress win for “Julie & Julia” was touching as she talked about how much Julia Childs reminded her of her own late mother’s zest for life.

• “The Hangover” won for Best Comedy/Musical. It wasn’t a surprise because it is the highest-grossing R movie of all time. And pretty darn funny.

• Although “Mad Men” win for Best Drama wasn’t a surprise, “Glee”  for Best Comedy/Musical had me singing “Don’t Stop Believing.” The show is one of the few non-cable series that was recognized this year.

• Michael C. Hall’s win for Best Actor  in a Drama for his twisted turn as “Dexter” was wonderful win. His cap covered his balding head as he is going through treatment for cancer, it was nice to see him win.

• Juliana Margulias won for Best Actress in a TV Drama for “The Good Wife.” She made a stab about the 10 p.m. drama, which is gone from her old network, NBC.

• Martin Scorsese was presented with the Cecil B. Demille Award for his lifetime achievement. It was a nice tribute from presenters Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio

For a complete list of winners go to www.goldenglobes.org

I’m for CoCo.

If you’ve turned on the TV in the last week, you’re heard about the whole Conan and Leno match for the 11:30 time slot. 

Leno misses his old format, and it seems as if his viewers were too. The 10 p.m. Monday through Friday slot has been a struggle for Leno and his ratings.

Conan, they said, was also not doing well in his earlier time slot. 

And NBC executives having been thinking of moving Leno back, pushing back “The Tonight Show” and pushing even further back “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

So the joke goes, that means “The Tonight Show” will be tomorrow morning. And “Late Night” would actually be early morning.

Man, Johnny Carson must be turning over in his grave.

The illusion is that Leno is such a bigger draw than Conan and that his loyal fans don’t like his new spot. And that Conan can’t do the comedy he can do at his later timeslot. 

Let’s think of a scenario: What would have happened that when Carson announced he was leaving and said he was passing it onto Leno, that he suddenly had a deal with NBC for a 10 p.m. show?

 The truth is, Leno wouldn’t have survived. The audience loved Carson and he would have probably won his timeslot. He might have even been a strong enough lead-in that people were willing to sit through the news for “The Tonight Show,” but probably not.

They’re both great performers, but maybe the problem really is that when Leno wanted to say goodbye to “The Tonight Show,” he should have meant it. Instead he opted for a 10 p.m. slot, kicking out any NBC from doing any 10 p.m. drama. And doing so, put another kink in NBC’s overall ratings.

Entertainment Weekly reported in its Jan. 22 edition that “The Jay Leno Show” numbers plummeted from 18.4 million to 5.3 million, which is lower than “Law & Order: SVU” or “ER” were attracting. The other problem? The local news stations reported they were losing viewership, too. 

It’s from these local stations that were having the biggest problem with Leno as their lead-in. And if those stations aren’t making money, then losing that station could mean losing a lot of viewers. 

There’s been talk of Conan jumping ship for Fox, where he used to work when he wrote for “The Simpsons.” And last week Conan used every chance he could to poke at NBC. He even went so far as to put “The Tonight Show” up on Craig’s List. He’s had some interesting bids. 

Leno should be ashamed of himself. Carson entrusted him with “The Tonight Show.” And when Leno decided to leave, he did the same to Conan. By putting this whole thing into play, he’s risking the future of the show. Isn’t there something about honor?

It’s not like Leno needs the gig. He always said all the money he made with “The Tonight Show” he put away. He lived off his nightly stand-up gigs. If he really needs the money he can sell one of his cars.

If this doesn’t come to some friendly resolve, Leno might lose what he needs most: celebrities. If fans of Conan think he’s getting the shaft, they might skip Leno’s show. And without celebrities, there goes even more ratings down the tube.

The problem is that putting Leno at 10 was never a good idea. It was just NBC thinking of a cheap way to avoid producing good shows (“Southland” or “Friday Night Lights” anyone?). 

Watch out peacock, you could be next.

This summer The CW sent along its usually bundle of DVDs of pilots. There were the ones I expected, the new “Melrose Place” and “Beautiful Life,” which after that pilot it’s no wonder it was canned.

But among all those same-old-same-olds, I discovered on gem, “Life Unexpected”  
 premieres at 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18). At last, something I didn’t think sucked.

The show is about Lux (Britt Robertson), a 15-year-old foster kid who wants to get out of the system. The only way she can do that is to be emancipated minor. But in order to do that, she has to hunt down her biological parents. She finds her mom, Cate Cassidy (“Rosewell”’s Shiri Appleby), who happens to be her favorite morning radio DJ. Her father, Nate “Baze” Bazille (Kristoffer Polaha) didn’t even know she existed. The judge decides that Lux can’t be emancipated, instead her parents are given temporary custody. 

Where this could have easily became a Hallmark movie is that everyone is happy and they live happily ever after. But when Lux first asks Cate if she wanted her, she told her truthfully “no.” She was a kid herself. And then there’s the fact she just became engaged to Ryan (Kerr Smith, a “Rosewell” alum), who just so happens to be her co-star on the radio. Is he ready to take on that? And, then there’s that little problem of sleeping with “Baze.” 

Baze lives overtop the same bar he runs. Not exactly kid-friendly living. He has to deal with forcing to grow up for the sake of his daughter and the fact that he’s even a father at all.

After the pilot, I couldn’t wait to see the show and realized it hadn’t been put on the fall lineup. I’m glad it’s finally making its debut Monday night. 

The CW has unexpectedly done something right with “Life Unexpected.” It looks like the station is growing up.