Could Brittany Snow – who played a squeaky-clean ‘60s teen on “American Dreams” – pull off a rich girl from the ‘80s?

(Photo credit: Byron Purvis/AdMedia Photo via Newscom Photo via Newscom)

You betcha, say the producers of the upcoming “Gossip Girl” spinoff.

Zap2it.com’s Korbi Ghosh is reporting that Snow has been offered the role of a young Lily van der Woodsen. You know, before she was a van der Woodsen and Serena’s mom. Ghosh says it’s not a done deal yet, but Snow’s been offered the role and her peeps are in the negotiation process.

The show’s pilot will actually be the May 11 episode of “Gossip Girl,” when we’ll see flashbacks to when Lily was a wild child who flees the Upper East Side to move in with her older sister in L.A. (Krysten Ritter’s already been cast in the part of Big Sis.)

UPDATE: It’s official! Ritter confirmed to Kristin at E! that Snow has indeed been cast as Lily the Teenage Rich Kid.

So what do you think? Compare Snow to Kelly Rutherford, shown below, who plays the elder Lily. A good match?

Or do you think the whole idea of a Lily spin-off is a bad one?

(“Gossip Girl” photo courtesy of the CW)

Holy revelations, Batman!

Just when we thought this episode was all about saying bye-bye to Uncle Pete and hello to the slimy Frobisher of old, “Damages” reminded us – with a BANG-BANG – that this show is all about the relationship between Patty and Ellen.

By the episode’s end, we were right back to the season’s opening mystery, which had kind of gotten lost in all this UNR business. But we still want to know: Who is looking down the barrel of Ellen’s gun?

Frobisher? Wes? Detective Beardy McCheeseburger? It couldn’t be Patty, could it?

It could, and damn, I didn’t see that one coming even though it was as obvious as could be. And Patty looked just as terrified of Ellen as she obviously hoped.

Yet there’s got to be more to this scenario, right?

Realistically, “Damages” is set for at least one more season – and I can’t see them killing off Glenn Close anytime soon. And how on earth could Patty keep Ellen on at the law firm after this? I suspect that “attempting to murder boss” is a firing offense in the Hewes & Associates employment contract.

There’s no new Office tonight, but 30 Rock returns from a week off and it’s bringing a couple of newsy guest stars with it.

Don’t get alarmed. Steve Martin, Megan Mullally and Oprah are nowhere to be seen. No these are actual newsies: Larry King and Meredith Vieira. Exciting, right?

Here’s the episode summary. The photos are from the episode, which NBC is calling “Jalisa” and “Larry King,” because they apparently couldn’t make up their minds.

Jack considers taking the next step with Elisa, but will he be ab

le to choose between his commitment to her and his demanding career? Meanwhile, Tracy’s interview on “Larry King Live” sends New York City into a panic. Out in the chaotic city, Liz Lemon recruits Kenneth to venture out to Queens to retrieve her lost cell phone from a surly cabbie.

From the moment the time-travel superhighway spit John Locke out at Exit Tunisia, the Island Savior was on one wild world tour last night.

Not only did he visit all of his pals from 815, including WAAAALLLT!, but Locke got some face time with a few other important figures, too.

Like Charles Widmore, who, as it turns out, is the one who christened Locke with the Jeremy Bentham alias. (Seems like Widmore and Locke’s parents share the same random dead philosopher sense of humor.)

He’s also the one who casually warns Locke of an imminent war on the island, one that’s presumably going to pit Widmore against Ben.

And speaking of that wily Mr. Linus, he’s one step ahead of Widmore when he steps in to do what Locke ultimately couldn’t. If Locke wasn’t going in that coffin by his own hand, well, Ben was happy to do the job himself.

But … (and isn’t there always a ‘but’ on “Lost?”) does that mean that Ben is the “bad guy” in the war scenario?

Sure, we loathe Ben’s actions – and it’s rather disturbing that he doesn’t care who he plows down while executing his grand plan – but it could be for some greater, more noble purpose.

Means to an end, right? Even if the means are horrible, are they justified if the end is something good for mankind, like saving the world?

I’ve no idea if this is the case, of course, but I can’t help but wonder if Ben turns out to be quite as evil as we think.

That said, let’s jump into “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham,” which began and ended with Locke’s ultimate island resurrection.

Never fear, fans of rich kids, superheroes and aspiring supermodels!

The CW announced yesterday that “Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “90210,” “America’s Top Model,” “Smallville” and “Supernatural” would all be returning in Fall 2009.

More Chuck and Blair? More Superman? More angsty drama from the halls of West Beverly?

All good news, of course!

But such auspicious tidings come with a dark lining: The CW didn’t announce the fates of four other shows, which doesn’t bode well for “Reaper,” “Privileged,” “The Game” and “Everybody Hates Chris.”

Some of those shows will likely be cancelled to make way for the new “Melrose Place” update and “Gossip Girl” spinoff featuring a teenage Lily (you know, back when she was a rock groupie and before she became a van der Woodsen).

So what would you rather see more of?

The Devil and his son?

Or the next Andrew Shue? (Hey, don’t laugh so hard: He was a dreamboat during Melrose-mania…)

(Photos courtesy of the CW)

I logged on to blog about NBC’s announcement that Andy Richter has been named announcer for the new Conan O’Brien-led Tonight Show when it debuts in June.

But as great, and deserving, as that news is, there’s not much else to say about it other than it’ll be great to see Richter on TV again with a regular gig. He’s too funny and likeable not to  have around.

So while I’m here, I might as well go with the fate of a show I’ve watched from the start and blogged about regularly until recently.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is no longer.

The spring move to Friday nights was the first sign, but the pairing with Joss Whedon’s new Dollhouse in a new “sci-fi Fridays” lineup gave pause for hope. With Dollhouse getting disappointing reviews and Terminator still delivering anemic ratings, TVbytheNumbers.com is making the call that the show is deader than the real Katherine Weaver.

There’s no official word from Fox and no guarantees the remaining episodes will air. But I, like anyone paying attention, saw this coming for a while.

John Locke’s turned the donkey wheel – so now what?

Well, tonight we find out how John turns into Jeremy Bentham – and exactly how and why he ends up in that coffin.

If you don’t want to see a single spoiler of “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham,” then stop reading now.

And definitely don’t watch the video clips below.

Because Locke not only winds up in what looks an awful lot like the same Tunisian desert where Ben landed  (the island has quite the speedy transportation system!), but he’ll meet up with Charles Widmore and Matthew Abaddon.

Not to mention…WAAAAALLLLLTTT!

Yes, Malcolm David Kelley guest stars tonight, though we don’t have his scene here.

But keep clicking to view more of Locke, Widmore and Abbadon, oh my!

Keep clicking through for more…

So Daphne’s still alive? It was a bit contrived and felt a bit manipulated, but that’s an outcome I’m happy enough to see that I’ll deal with the shortcomings of how it came about.

“Cold Wars,” as this fourth installment was dubbed, continued the trend toward tighter episodes that focus on fewer storylines and characters. In fact, this one seemed to be about 85 percent Parkman, Suresh, Peter and HRG. That was fine by me. I missed Sylar, but the upside was no cheerleader or Niki/Jessica/Tracey.

Just kidding. But not really.

This was promo’d as a look inside HRG’s head, at who he is, what makes him tick and, ultimately, what side he really comes down on. I’ve complained that characters change sides too often for me on this show. But he’s kind of an example and an exception at the same time. He’s always been a Company man, but for as long as we’ve known him he’s put family first.

What Matt gleaned from his jaunts into the grey matter of Mr. Bennett seems to be as follows…

I’ve tried to convince my wife to watch Chuck with me because, though we have very different TV tastes, I think it’s one show we’d both enjoy.

But then, when I try to explain what it’s about, even I start to think it’s pretty ridiculous. The whole “nerd-turns-spy but keeps his day job selling electronics” premise is a tough sell. As any fan of the show would probably agree, you have to see it to appreciate it.

If only I’d known in advance what a fantastic and exemplary episode “Chuck versus the Best Friend” was going to be, I’d have suggested we watch it together instead of retreating to the basement to watch alone. (Not that I think she’d forego her Bachelor so easily anyway.)

But man, what a perfectly balanced episode. You had a plausibly scary spy plot involving Asian triad gangs tightly wound up in a Nerd Herd side story about Morgan’s inability to get over his break-up with Anna. (Um, when did they break up, by the way?) If that wasn’t enough, a silly C story in which Awesome farms out his wedding planning duties to Chuck leads to the phenomenon that is Jeffster, further tying things together.

The best episodes are when Chuck’s two lives converge. That it was capped with a nice Chuck-Sarah moment (that will only frustrater further those hoping for some Chu-rah action) was a nice touch, I thought.

As all “American Idol” fans know, hit songwriter Kara DioGuardi joins Simon, Paula and Randy this season as a new judge.

Since DioGuardi is a New Rochelle native, we decided to track HER progress in the show – rather than the contestants.

I’ve been tracking Kara in the Journal News from the season’s start, but now I’ll be posting Kara Watch on Remote Access, too.

So every Tuesday, I’ll be offering a critique of Kara’s performance from the previous week – and let you know what I’d like to see Kara improve upon in upcoming episodes.

So here you go, everyone, Remote Access’ very first “Kara Watch:”

Alexis, Michael and Danny were the lucky three advancing to the Top 12 on “American Idol,” following the season’s first live performances. But we’ve been following the highs and lows of new judge Kara DioGuardi, a New Rochelle native, as she evaluates the contestants.

Last week: Kara continues to prove she’s a good addition to the judges’ table: She’s more decisive than Paula and Randy, but not as cruel as Simon. Of Casey Carlson’s stiff rendition of the Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” Kara seemed genuinely sorry to report: “Everything about that was wrong.”
This week: Look, I love Danny Gokey. We all love Danny Gokey. Danny Gokey will probably win the whole shebang. So we don’t really need to have him shoved down our throats so early in the competition. Please, Kara, ease up on the overenthusiastic table-pounding and song-inspired cliches. Danny sang Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” so Kara declared him the “hero” of the night. We get it.

(Photo courtesy of FOX)

Having chicken-and-egg issues with Battlestar Galactica? Wondering who made who? Where Earth’s rebellious Centurions came from if the 13th tribe was Cylon in the first place?

If you’re watching these final episodes, you’re probably struggling with at least one of these or other questions. Not everything is yet answerable. For instance, Starbuck’s origins. All signs—her discovering her own corpse, her dreams of the roadsigns to earth—point to her being a skinjob. But only “Daniel,” the artistic number 7 line remains unaccounted for.

But for those questions that have been answered, but perhaps not entirely understood, SyFy Portal offers this most excellent Final Five Primer. Writer Michael Hinman presents in a readable, narrative format an encapsulated summary of human-Cylon history.

As you read it, you realize it’s nothing we haven’t been told already in recent episodes. But it brings details into focus, explains things that were unclear and generally sets viewers up to better understand and appreciate the final handful of episodes that remain.

If absence makes hearts grow fonder, reunions breed disdain. At least that’s how the reunion of the final five felt. They’re a fractious group, torn by a betrayal and the urge by roughly half of them to bolt the fleet for more hospitable horizons.

But they’re not going anywhere just yet.

“Deadlock” saw Ellen Tigh reunite with her husband of thousands of years past, and it was a pretty hot reunion. But I wondered throughout their passionate love scene how he could be so caught up in the moment? I mean, I understand how, but I thought we’d been shown for weeks that he loves Caprica Six so much he was able to impregnate her Cylon-to-Cylon, something previously thought impossible.

That was just the beginning of my questions in this episode.

If you missed Judy Kinberg’s superb documentary about Jerome Robbins on PBS’ “American Masters” the other night, you can catch the repeat as part of THIRTEEN’s “SundayArts” showcase.

Interviews with Broadway actors and such ballet stars as Mikhail Baryshnikov of Snedens Landing, Irvington’s Peter Martins and Maria Calegari and Bart Cook of Carmel help paint a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-of-it portrait of a man whose prodigious gifts and inner demons were all of a piece. Read more of this entry »

I hate that Battlestar Galactica will soon be no more.

There’s only a handful of new episodes left before things wrap up and we’re left to look forward to Caprica or to look back on some choice box sets.

But before then, Ron Moore and Co. have a heck of a finale planned for us. SyFy Portal reports that the finale will be a two-parter that you can choose to watch over two weeks or all at once. That’s because the first part will be a typical hour-long episode airing March 13.

But on March 20, SciFi Channel will re-air that installment at 8 p.m. and follow it with a whopping two-hour second part. That’s three hours of Battlestar Galactica to send fans off into a post-BSG world. Excited yet?

The only question is if I’ll be able to resist watching the first part a week earlier so that I can savor the marathon that night. I’m not much for delayed gratification, I have to admit.

Of course you could look at the first part as the penultimate episode leading into a still generous two-hour finale.

And that’s how I intend to rationalize the decision not to wait.

The accompanying photos here, courtesy of NBC Universal, are from tonight’s episode, “Deadlocked.”

By the way, did you get your Cylon Detector yet?

Don’t blame me for the episode’s title: This one came courtesy of Walter Kendrick’s bratty granddaughter, who was visiting the Big Apple from out of town.

And wasn’t it sweet that dear ol’ Grandpappy Kendrick took some time off from orchestrating murders to take the kiddies to the zoo?

Kendrick actually didn’t do much in this installment except worry about some confusing stock trade that was supposed to happen with the help of a cokehead trader. Except the trader got busted with his hooker companion – and now Patty knows something’s up because Kendrick got Claire Maddox to defend the aforementioned hooker (in order to keep it on the down-low. Oops.).

Anyway, this hour was all about Uncle Pete, which I was pretty happy about. I’ve been wondering what’s up with this old geezer, who seems to know all Patty’s secrets and exactly how to get rid of any trouble-causing employees. (Well, almost. That hit on Ellen didn’t go exactly as planned.)

As it turns out, Pete actually IS Patty’s uncle. Or so she says. Patty told Ellen that Pete is her mother’s brother – and the Fibbers later discover that Pete is Pete McGee, whose versatile, lengthy rap sheet suddenly stopped years ago when Patty started defending him.

So the agents set up a sting with some crooks dealing with the still-shady Pete; they wire those crooks up and then swoop in to arrest Pete, too. They give him an ultimatum: Give us Patty, or you’ll go to jail and never see your dying wife of 60 years again.

And Patty was right: Pete is the most loyal man she knows, because he totally messes with the FBI plan.

There’s not a lot of The Office or 30 Rock in the near future.

In fact it’s reruns only tonight, with the hilarious “Baby Shower” and the less hilarious “Retreat to Move Forward,” respectively. But it’s a good time to look ahead and see what’s in store for future Peacock Thursdays.

30 Rock returns next week, Feb. 26, with “Larry King,” which may or may not actually be titled “Jalisa.” Here’s the summary…

Jack considers taking the next step with Elisa, but will he be able to choose between his commitment to her and his demanding career? Meanwhile, Tracy’s interview on “Larry King Live” sends New York City into a panic. Out in the chaotic city, Liz Lemon recruits Kenneth to venture out to Queens to retrieve her lost cell phone from a surly cabbie.

A week later, on March 5, both shows return. Check out the summaries after the jump.

Last week I gave “Lost” a big compliment: I said I loved how the show occasionally allows the characters to voice the same frustration and confusion that we, the audience, often feel while watching this cuckoo-crazy series.

For instance, a couple of episodes back, Sawyer smacked Daniel around until he explained the island’s time jumps. When the off-island gang gathered at the marina last week and argued about returning to the island, Kate did what any reasonable person would do: She said, “You people are crazy” and drove the heck home.

But I must have done something to jinx all that, because last night’s episode, “316,” had all of the Losties practically mute, but simmering with unasked questions. I know they’ve seen some seriously bad juju since 815 went down, but come on, what’s going on now is not remotely normal – even by their messed-up standards.

Wouldn’t SOMEONE have said, “Huh?” when Eloise Hawking was sketching out this insane return-to-the-island plan?

And didn’t you want to shake your television when Desmond walked out of the Lamp Post station without asking Mrs. Hawking, “OK, exactly WHY isn’t the island through with me, you crazy old bat?”

Then at some point on that ridiculously long Ajira Airways flight, you’d think Jack would have asked an injured Ben, “So, dude, what the hell happened to you?”

But here’s the biggest question I had: Why, oh why, was Sayid wearing a purple tank top that showed way, way too much man cleavage? Was the cop escorting him (shades of Kate and the original 815 marshal, by the way, but more on that later) from the Fashion Police? Now THAT would be a credible explanation.

Anyway, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a landing, because this flight into “316” is now taking off! Click through to read the way-too-detailed breakdown…

I’m all set for tonight’s episode of “Lost,” which picks up right where we left off – with Ben and Mrs. Hawking launching the plan to bring back (at least some of) the Oceanic 6 back to the island.

I’m also psyched about a recent interview with Michael Emerson: TV Guide got Mr. Benjamin Linus to spill a few details about what upcoming episodes will reveal about Mystery Island’s prince of darkness.

Emerson says we’ll definitely learn more about Ben’s back story, which may help us decide whether he’s good or bad. (Throughout the series, Ben’s been saying he’s “one of the good guys,” but we all know that Ben lies. A lot.)

Click here to read the whole interview, but let’s focus on what Emerson had to say about Ben’s childhood girlfriend, Annie:

TVGuide.com: So you think Annie will pop back into the picture?
Emerson: Yeah, I think so. In fact, I may go so far as to say we may already know Annie. Have you considered that? I’m not speaking from knowledge of a script because that’s not a thing that has been written, but stranger things have happened on the show. Everyone is more connected then they ever thought, and it’s often by blood.

Verrrrry interesting, wouldn’t you say?

So if Annie is someone we know, could it be Charlotte?

I’ve been a little lax on my “Gossip Girl” info this month, partly because I’m miffed that the show is taking a ridiculous SEVEN WEEK hiatus right smack in the middle of winter – exactly when we chilly couch potatoes need the glamorous Upper East Siders and their fabulously impractical cold weather wardrobes the most!!! Plus, I seriously need to know what’s up with Chuck’s dead dad’s sex club, like, right now!!!

Deep breath. Whew, calmer now.

So anyhoo, I’ve gotten a hold of myself and come to grips with the fact that “GG” won’t be back until Mar. 16. Which makes me in a better place to finally bring up the news that Serena’s getting herself a new boyfriend.

Don’t worry, Aaron Rose isn’t coming back. That would truly be too much to handle.

No, Serena’s latest dude will be played by actor Armie Hammer, whose biggest claim to fame is as Male Prefect in that kids’ movie about a horse named “Flicka” and an upcoming role as the Devil’s son on “Reaper.”(The CW does so love to keep casting in the family.)

Then I realized this guy’s name was not ARTIE, but ARMIE, and began to giggle madly, wondering, “Armie? Seriously, who names their kid ARMIE?”

Some Googling revealed that it’s actually short for Armand, which doesn’t make it much better, but it does make it more interesting: This kid is the 22-year-old great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer.

Which means he’s likely richer than God, considering that his IMDB profile mentions that he spent his “formative years in the Cayman Islands after his father saw the movie, ‘The Firm.’”

Okaaay.

Then again, perhaps Armie’s beach-bumming childhood will help him tap into the character he’ll be playing on “GG.” He’s set to be in a few episodes later this season as Gabriel Serrano, a hot European socialite who sweeps Serena off her feet.

Kristin at E! and Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello are calling this a ripped-from-the-headlines plot, since it was reportedly inspired by actress Anne Hathaway’s troubles with her Italian scam artist ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri.

Poor S. She just never catches a break in the romance department.

(Photos courtesy of the CW)

If ever there was a time for Sylar to point that finger at a forehead in need of splitting open, it was on the road with the most annoying protege ever.

Last night’s episode of Heroes was a tightly scripted clinic on how not to get bogged down in competing, sometimes dull storylines. “Building 26” took us from a wedding in India to a comic book shop in southern California. And I don’t think there was a dull spot along the way.

I’ll start with the psycho killer. (Qu’est-ce que c’est?)

That kid all but dared Sylar to ventilate his skull, lying to him about his father’s whereabouts twice. And Sylar, as he did previously with his adoptive father, showed some restraint. OK, technically he’s still a serial killer—how awesome was that line—but he’s also a man on a mission that’s about more than acquiring new abilities.

He’s been my favorite character since the beginning, and he only gets more interesting.

When commandos busted through the doors of that diner, and Sylar started absorbing automatic rounds in his chest while sending his assailants flying, I was rooting for him. Rooting for the bad guy! And I was rewarded when Sylar left the kid behind to get gassed and bagged.