In exchange for us shamelessly reminding readers that the Network’s 101 Channel has started re-airing the first 3 seasons of the Golden-Globe-winning legal thriller on Wednesday nights at 10PM leading up it its fourth season premiere this summer, we have been given the go-ahead to give away the complete first season of DAMAGES to one lucky reader.

To enter to win, simply “like” us on Facebook. One winner will be chosen at random and notified via Facebook Message on January 12th, 2011.

DEGRASSI Takes Manhattan (and isn’t leaving!)
As much as we are enjoying this recent influx of DEGRASSI episodes courtesy of its new-and-improved Telenovela-style format, we can’t help but wonder if we’re the only TV Addicts not completely sold on this whole Vanderbilt Prep thing? Crazy abusive student body-aside, if we wanted to watch a show about spoiled wealthy New Yorker’s making really poor decision, isn’t that what GOSSIP GIRL is for?

Not WILDE About Guest Stars.
Despite our affection for everybody involved in FOX’s upcoming [and we should mention very funny] new Fall series RUNNING WILDE both in front of (Will Arnett, Keri Russell) and behind (Creator Mitchell Hurwitz) the camera, we find ourselves asking the slightly awkward albeit painfully obvious question: What are the proverbial powers that be at FOX are thinking? Sure, an ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT reunion that has David Cross joining the Will Arnett laugher for seven of the show’s first 13 episodes may make for a catchy headline, unfortunately, if there is one thing 3 ratings starved seasons of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT taught us it’s that online chatter doesn’t quite translate into viewers. Just ask Joss Whedon.

The success of Olivia Munn.
Cute, yes. Hard worker, absolutely. But talented actress? Evidently CHUCK co-creator Josh Schwartz — who just recently let it slip to EW’s Michael Ausiello that Munn will guest star on the show’s upcoming fourth season premiere as “an impossibly cool, smart, and pretty CIA agent who intimidates Chuck and Morgan” has yet to see her slightly less that stellar work on THE DAILY SHOW. We’re just sayin’

GENERAL Lack of Creativity.
Why GENERAL HOSPITAL didn’t bother to write a decent story for James Franco’s return. So far, the tale has consisted of people endlessly uttering the words “sixty-six” while the actor’s alter ego, conveniently named Franco, pops up to share conversations with people who should be smart enough to have protection, what with knowing a serial killer is on the loose. GENERAL HOSPITAL we’ve got two words for you: “Bor-ing!”

Sony Pictures Television works hard for their money.
From the critically derided ‘TIL DEATH (Which inexplicably remained on FOX’s schedule for the better part of four seasons) and RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (Which by the way, we still have yet to meet one person who actually watches) to TBS’ MY BOYS (Which much to the chagrin of stars Jordana Spiro and Kyle Howard — who were forced to bow out of high profile Fall pilots — refuses do die) and DAMAGES (Which just found itself on the very unexpected receiving end of an eleventh hour reprieve courtesy of our favorite Satellite provider DirecTV) Sony Pictures Television’s track record for keeping their programming on the air remains one of television’s biggest (and in the case of DAMAGES, most welcome) mysteries.

Good News: DirecTV has once again come to the rescue, saving DAMAGES from sure cancelation by inking a deal with Sony Pictures Television to air not just one, but two more [10 episode] seasons of the maddeningly addictive legal thriller starting in 2011. Bad News: Unlike DirecTV’s NBC deal for FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, DAMAGES will air exclusively on DirecTV’s 101 Network. Which means those unlucky TV Addicts that find themselves currently residing on the wrong side of the 49th parellel are sh*t out of luck!

Another LOST, another trek from one side of the island to another. Last night’s outing did offer up some answers (specifically about Jack seeing his dad’s ghost way back in episode three) and some pretty major plot movement, which was great, especially seeing as there are still 4,324,561 questions to answer and only four episodes remaining. Can’t say I understand what that promo last week with the whole Willy Wonka trippy voiceover had to do with the episode that aired aside from the fact that Sawyer and company wound up on a boat for a while (and that was the means of conveyance Wonka and his guests were on during that whole sequence which, frankly, freaked me the hell out as a kid. Come on, I know I can’t be the only one!) The Sun/Jin reunion was lovely… this show does that kind of emotional thing so beautifully.

I’m having a little trouble getting fully into V, and I finally figured out why: It’s those damn invaders we saw at the end of the midseason cliffhanger who have since gone totally missing. They kind of represent for me what’s not working about the show, and that’s the overall feeling that there are about 10 aliens and 10 members of the resistance. There are 20-something ships hovering over cities, and yet the only time we see those is in little clips glimpsed when Anna is addressing the world. The show should have, from the start, opened up the canvas and introduced us to characters from around the world — both on other ships and in the resistance — who could, over time, come together in exciting ways. Instead, it feels as if the fate of the entire world has come down to whether or not Anna’s daughter can achieve… um, some goal involving Erica’s daughter. Wanna rachet up the excitement? Let’s show a Visitor munching on someone — I vote for Valerie, mainly because Lourdes Benedicto and her alter ego just kinda bore me — and get this party started!

How amazing was the DAMAGES finale? I’ll admit, I believed Tom’s death was going to turn out to be some kind of elaborate hoax right up until Joe gave him that fatal swirlie. Jeez, what a way to go! (Note to self: When it comes time to do the Best & Worst Of The Year, poor Tom definitely gets a nod for “Most Undignified Death of 2010″.) From the first season, I suspected Ellen was going to turn out to be Patty’s daughter. Then, when we learned Patty had been pregnant in 1972, I assumed she hadn’t actually had a daughter, but rather a son, Tom. I should have known both of those scenarios were far too expected for my favorite twisted drama. It’s looking unlikely that this amazing show will get a fourth season, and that’s a shame. But man, did it go out on a high.

When telemundo’s EL CLON (THE CLONE) started, I couldn’t have been more excited. The idea of a story that not only dealt with the concept of cloning but the cultural diffrences between America-born Muslims and those raised in a stricter Moroccan environment fascinated me. The network’s other big telenovela offering, DONDE ESTA ELISA? (WHERE IS ELISA?) — about the impact of a teenager’s disappearance on her extended family — seemed like a one-note concept that would bore me quickly. Flash forward a month or two and hear me say something I haven’t said since reversing my position on SUPERNATURAL: Man, was I wrong. EL CLON has turned into a yawn-inducing mess that makes little sense while ELISA proved from the beginning to be a wildly-gripping soap that America’s dramas could definitely learn a thing or two from. The biggest problem with CLON is that it’s characters are — not to put too fine a point on it — moronic. Years go by and yet they don’t grow or change. Christina has been yearning for Leonardo from day one despite being dumped by him over and over again, while leads Jade (the stunningly gorgeous Sandra Echeverria) and Lucas pine and whine to the point of being annoying. Being the addictive personality I am, I’ll continue watching CLON… but I’ll bitch about it every step of the way. As for ELISA, the sudsy drama has expanded to cover not only the teen’s disappearance, but a woman whose husband is having a secret affair with her gay best friend, a major business rocked by scandal and the lead investigator falling in love with Elisa’s married mom (played by the riviting Sonya Smith). Thank god for subtitles, as I don’t speak more than four words of Spanish despite the best efforts of my high school teachers. If you’re looking for a new fix, give ELISA a try. It’s fairly easy to figure out who’s who, and it’s kinda nice knowing that in another 14 or so weeks, it’ll all come to an end as per the telenovela format.

Good News: The latest issue of Rolling Stone features GLEE cast members Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Cory Montieth, Jane Lynch and Dianna Agron. Bad News: The cover does not pull out to reveal, you know… the rest of the cast.

Good News: Disney Channel will shine the spotlight on HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL alum Sharpay Evans in a new original movie set for summer 2011. Bad News: For actress Ashley Tisdale’s career, who we could have sworn was last heard telling anybody who would listen she was ready to move on with the Disney channel. [Source]

Good News: DirecTV might rescue DAMAGES from cancelation. Bad News: That this insanely addictive series, which by the way is having its strongest season to daten needs rescuing! [Source]

If two seasons of DAMAGES has taught this TV Addict anything, it’s that those who say “No” to Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) do so at their own peril.

Which is why, rather than join Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) in turning our backs on New York’s most powerful litigator following two years packed with a seemingly endless cadre of characters and a parade of plot twists so complex they make LOST feel like an easy-to-follow CBS procedural — here we go again, ready and willing to dive in for another season.

Viewers concerned that tonight’s season premiere opens with Parsons trying to move on with her life as a upstanding member of the New York City District Attorney office needn’t be. After-all, Patty Hewes is to the legal profession what Dexter Morgan is to dolling out justice. We may not agree with their methods, but there is absolutely no arguing with the fact that, dammit, they get results. Which means, the question is not so much if Parsons will be brought back into the fold, but when. Particularly with the third season of the FX legal thriller pitting Hewes against her most challenging and potentially dangerous adversary to date: Lily Tomlin.

No really. It’s David versus Goliath when the U.S. government appoints Hewes to recover billions of dollars in stolen (and hidden) assets from a greedy Bernie Madoff-esque tycoon named Louis Tobin (Len Cariou) in a story very-much ripped from the headlines. A task which is made all the more difficult thanks to the the family matriarch Marilyn (Tomlin) who not surprisingly knows far more than she is letting on, her holier-than-though son Joe (Campbell Scott) who harbours one or two secrets of his own and Tobin family lawyer Leonard Winstone (Martin Short) who seems to be willing to do everything in his considerable power to keep the law firm of Hewes & Associates from getting to the bottom of things.

Add to that the mysterious introduction of Julian “sort of an architect” Decker (Keith Carradine), an equally evasive homeless man, and one surprise so killer that we wouldn’t dare spoil it here and once again DAMAGES flawlessly sets the stage, time jumps and all, for another highly explosive and equally addictive season.

In other words: Just when we thought we were out… they pull us back in. Big Time. Grade: A-

DAMAGES premieres tonight on FX at 10PM (Sunday January 31 at 10PM on Showcase in Canada)

Photo Credit: Craig Blankenhorn/FX

Sarah Chalke is officially a mother! Unlike that other show where the identity of the mother is shrouded in secrecy, Chalke puts to rest all those pesky ‘mother’ rumours (See: belly!) when she makes her much-anticipated return to SCRUBS on Tuesday January 5th.

Giving hope to nerds, geeks and dweebs everywhere comes this spy shot from the January 8th instalment of DOLLHOUSE. Topher Brink finally gets the girl Glau, when Bennett (Glau) and Brink (Fran Kranz) take a break from (hopefully) bringing down the evil Rossum Corporation to share an intimate moment.

Joining DAMAGES for its upcoming third season is funny-man Martin Short. Yeah, this should be interesting.

Just when you thought THE BIG BANG THEORY couldn’t get anymore WONDER-ful, enter Danica McKellar. Best known as Winnie Cooper on THE WONDER YEARS, McKellar will play a love interest for Raj when Sheldon and Koothrappali attend a university mixer on the upcoming January 11th episode.

On January 14, things at Oceanside Wellness are about to heat up when McSteamy himself, Mark Sloane follows Addison back to Santa Monica in a last-ditch effort to help his just-discovered pregnant daughter (Leven Rambin) get some much needed medical attention.

AMERICAN IDOL (9PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
Our prediction: It’s not a good night to have the letter “M” in your name with Megan Joy, Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre being our odds on favorites to end up in the bottom three.

LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
In an effort to help save twelve-year-old Ben’s life, Kate beings to reveal the truth to Jack about the lie she told in order to protect Aaron. No wonder they call it lost.

LIFE ON MARS (10PM ABC, GlobalTV in Canada)
In the series finale, a mysterious caller offers Sam a chance to return to 2008, but a confusing set of circumstances makes him wonder whether he even wants to do it. Not the least of which being… it’s now 2009!

DAMAGES (10PM FX)
Just how big is tonight’s second season finale of DAMAGES? 97 minutes big long, so set your PVR/DVR’s accordingly.

NEW & NOTABLE:
I GET THAT A LOT (8PM CBS)
As much as CBS might think it’s hilarious to trick average folk into thinking celebrities have assumed ordinary jobs. Just how far off really is Jessica Simpson from working behind a counter? We’re just sayin’

SOUTH PARK (8PM CBS)
An April Fool’s joke goes bad on tonight’s episode of SOUTH PARK. Kinda like the TV Addict’s gag from earlier today.

DRAG RACE HIGH (10PM Speed)
Rival High Schools build their own dragsters to race in front of friends and family. Proving once again, that boy did our parents send us to the wrong high school.

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (8PM ABC)
Maybe now that television’s funniest two mean mommies have finally gone into labor, someone at CBS can get their act together and develop a Marly and Lindsay spin-off.

BETTER OF TED (8:30PM ABC)
BETTER OF TED has the advantage of debuting as just the right time: when viewer’s wouldn’t mind reveling in corporate comeuppance. It’s big business satire anchored by more-moral-than-his-employers straight arrow Ted (Jay Harrington, channeling Jon Hamm, except with boyish charm), head of research and development for Veridian Dynamics, a company responsible for weaponizing pumpkins and freezing its employees on a whim. Stocked with a top-notch cast (particularly Arrested Development’s Portia De Rossi as Ted’s icy, tight-laced boss), it bares the same potential of so many failed ABC comedies: it’s funny enough, but inconsistent — it needs time it probably won’t get to find its footing. — Aleks Chan

LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
Kate returns to the island just in time to ruin Sawyer and Juliet’s happily ever after… awwwwwkward.

DAMAGES (10PM FX)
Call us a stickler for details, but we’re fairly certain that the official episode description should say, “Ellen discovers a another dark secret about Patty’s personal life.”

NEW & NOTABLE:
CRIMINAL MINDS (9PM CBS, 8PM CTV in Canada)
One of New England’s deadliest serial killers may be murdering again after a 10-year hiatus. Lucky for us, we don’t live in New England.

CSI: NY (9PM CBS, CTV in Canada)
Talk about bad timing. Ashlee Simpson takes a detour on her way to the CW’s MELROSE PLACE re-boot only to get mixed up in a seedy motel killing.

MAN V. FOOD (10PM Food Network)
The host attempts to set a record at Raleigh’s Roast Grill by devouring 17 hot dogs in one hour. Been there, done that. Okay not really. But 17 hot dogs in an hour is now totally going on our “bucket list.”

GARY UNMARRIED (8:30PM CBS)
Gary and Allison disagree on what extracurriculoar activities Louise should be involved with. Which should come as no surprise considering the show isn’t called GARY MARRIED.

AMERICAN IDOL (9PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
With apologies to Reuben Studdard’s painfully bland “Celebrate Me Home,” saying goodbye to IDOL hopefuls just a helluva lot easier thanks to former IDOL Carrie Underwood’s take no the Motley Crue ballad “Home Sweet Home.”

LIFE ON MARS (10PM ABC, Global in Canada)
Annie and Sam go undercover when a flight attendant is murdered. What’s more, the pair gets invited to a party by a bunch of swingers! And Gina Gershon guest stars! What more do you people want? Then again, the show’s been cancelled, so fine, I give up. Watch FLAVOR OF LOVE reruns on the TVGuide Network for all I care. But don’t come crying to me about the lack of decent programs out there!

DAMAGES (10PM FX)
All you need to know is right there in the title of tonight’s offering: “Uh Oh, Out Come The Skeletons!”

NEW & NOTABLE:
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (8PM CW)
Wait… it’s already makeover week? Bring on the tears!

THE PARENT TRAP (8PM Encore)
One of my all-time favorite Disney flicks in which… oh, hold up. This is the Lindsay Lohan remake? Er… never mind.

ALL MY CHILDREN (8PM SOAPnet)
Zach accuses Kendall of still being in love with Ryan. So much for “always, only you.” 

CRIMINAL MINDS (9PM CBS)
A series of murders have religious overtones. And it wouldn’t be a police procedural if one of the team didn’t have a personal tie to the case. I wonder how often that happens in real life? Anyone? Bueller?

HUMAN PRETY (9PM Animal Planet)
The sadist in me loves this show, on which the animal kingdom lashes out at humans, proving that every dog (and hippo and alligator) truly does have its day.

LAW & ORDER (10PM NBC)
The mistress of a big-wig in the financial world goes belly up. And not in the way that the government can bail out, either.

SOUTH PARK (10PM Comedy Central)
Two words: Jonas Brothers. Let the mockery commence.

MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL (10PM Bravo)
The big difference between this and AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL? It features male models as well as female. Oh, and there’s no Miss J. Really, who wants to live in a world without Miss J? (Mr. Jay, on the other hand, you can take. He’s annoying.)