Here is an update, and a few fun related links to pass the time until your favorite shows grace the airwaves [warning: read at your own risk; most of these sites contain spoilers].

BONES
The series debuted again last week, and airs Monday nights at 8pm on FOX. Baby-faced John Francis Daly (Freaks & Geeks) has been a great addition to the cast.

4/21: “Player Under Pressure”
4/28: “The Baby in the Bough”
Fan site: Searching Bones

BROTHERS & SISTERS
Returned last night, airs Sunday nights on ABC at 10pm. I can’t wait to find out if Ken Olin’s character is Rebecca’s real dad, and how that will affect her relationship with Justin. One of the best ensemble casts on television, and Danny Glover has been icing on the cake.

4/27: “Double Negative”
Production blog: Bloggers and Sisters

GREY’S ANATOMY
Begins again this week on ABC, will air regularly on Thursday nights at 9pm.

4/24: “Where the Wild Things Are”
Writers blog: Grey Matter

HOUSE
Returns next week, airs Monday nights at 9pm on FOX. Let’s hope they bring back Cut-Throat Bitch for the remainder of the season.

4/28: “No More Mr. Nice Guy”
Fan site: House is Right

4/24: “Twenty Four Candles”
5/1: “Burning Questions”
Fan site: Ugly Betty News

I don’t watch Gossip Girl, but I know that it starts up again tonight as well. What am I missing?

I abandoned Survivor several seasons ago because the contestants had become predictable and the challenges repetitive. This season I tuned in because the theme is Fans vs. Favorites, although I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t familiar with most of the returning cast from recent seasons. It has turned out to be very entertaining. Without giving too much away, I will say that last night’s Tribal Council was the best since Season 1 (when Sue verbally assaulted Richard Hatch for being a snake). The alliances and the twists keep me glued to the screen, and my money would be on Cirie to win it all. She may not be super athletic, but her mental game is strong and smart.

I find myself laughing out loud at Samantha Who, and that is a rare feat these days (the only other sitcoms I watch regularly are 30 Rock and The Office; both are fantastic but Arrested Development was the best). The show is very cleverly written and I am very impressed with Christina Applegate’s comedic chops (high marks for facial expressions and physical comedy).

The supporting cast of Samantha Who is stellar as well. Jean Smart is brilliant and needs her own show…again (Designing Women, for the young and uninitiated).  Jennifer Esposito plays over-the-top and inebriated quite well, and Melissa McCarthy is becoming one of my favorite new actresses. I never watched Gilmore Girls (I know, shame on me; I would love it), but I loved her in the film The Nines.

Don’t forget to set your DVR/TiVO…the second half of Season 4 begins next Thursday at 10pm on ABC. Lost will now air in this later time slot, after Grey’s Anatomy.

After cleaning out my home office and filling up four bags full of old CDs (mostly compilations, soundtracks & CD singles) and VHS tapes to sell, I felt a sense of accomplishment. That was short lived.

Tonight I brought those items to Rasputin, and then applied every cent of the store credit earned from the sale of the CDs and tapes to obtain 7 new DVDs. 

In alphabetical order, here are the latest additions to my collection:

DINER
1982. Directed by Barry Levinson. Starring Kevin Bacon, Ellen Barkin, Tim Daly, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke and Daniel Stern. Classic college, coming-of-age male bonding film.

THE GIFT
2000. Directed by Sam Raimi, co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. Starring Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi and Hilary Swank. Underrated thriller with Blanchett as a psychic. Reeves plays against type and pulls off town creep with great success.

ONCE
2006. Directed and written by John Carney. Starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. From Sundance to the Oscars, this was the little-film-that-could, and last year’s indie darling with the best soundtrack of the year.

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE
1990. Directed by Mike Nichols, written by Carrie Fischer. Starring Annette Bening, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, Shirley Maclaine, Denis Quaid, Rob Reiner and Meryl Streep. Fischer’s thinly veiled autobiography on the big screen, she was a mess and it made for a very entertaining film.

ROMEO + JULIET
1996. Directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, Leonardo DiCaprio, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau (Michael on Lost), Paul Rudd and Paul Sorvino. A very visual and fast paced contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s original.

THIRTEEN DAYS
2000. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Starring Kevin Costner, Steven Culp and Bruce Greenwood. Fascinating look at Kennedy and his team during the Cuban missile crisis.