The "Gilmore Girls" star has signed a development deal with NBC Universal. Details after the jump …

The adorable Ms. Graham. Also, a "Bad Santa" photo after the jump. Just because.

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Thoughts after the jump …

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Some thoughts on Tuesday's telecasts, after the jump …

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The CW confirms that the May 15 episode of "Gilmore Girls" will be the last. While I recognize the flaws in the show the last couple of years, I am still bummed. More later.

OK, here's a little more. I've been thinking that, now that it's done, the Emmys can finally show some love for this show, which has been unjustly overlooked for years. Give it one of those career-achievement-ish awards that are really for the body of work even though it's assigned to this year.

Or just give Lauren Graham an Emmy because she has deserved it for so long and because she so tore it up in the karaoke scene in Tuesday's telecast.

My all-time favorite Lauren Graham moment has been in "Bad Santa," and that notion was briefly shaken as I watched the karaoke scene. But my love for "Bad Santa" is less about Graham's acting as it the thought that Oh my gosh, I can't believe Lorelai Gilmore is saying that stuff.

Karaoke gets marks as the top Lauren "Gilmore" moment, although even then I want to be clear that it's a summation of how often she has been very, very good on the show. (For some reason, the scene where Lorelai goes tough-maternal on Rory's friends always comes to mind, because it was a departure from Lorelai's usual behavior but completely consistent with her as a character.) It said to viewers, and it should say to awards voters, that this woman can run through a sequence of challenging emotions and hit every one of them just right — make you smile and laugh and ache and cry.

Yeah, I choked up. Maybe because I know that the show's going away and there won't be more scenes like karaoke. But also because it was oh so good.

Should they call it "Studio 60 at the Overlook Hotel"? and other viewing issues, after the jump

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"Lost" fatigue, some possible spoilers from last night's telecasts and proof that I am a sentimental fool, after the jump …

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Thanks to the completion of a couple of projects and weather that makes me want to stay indoors, I've been keeping better pace with my TV faves of late. …

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All right, I liked Kirk turning himself into Luke, right down to the backward cap and the "No Cell Phones" sign. But that was about it as "Gilmore Girls," in only its second episode of the season, felt run down.

My distaste for Alexis Bledel's acting is thoroughly documented, so I'm going to have a problem when there's a big dramatic moment built around her, as was the case tonight. The Luke-Lorelai stuff had some fair moments, thanks mainly to Ms. Graham, but not enough. And is it just me, or did Lane sound a lot like Paris tonight? I know, everyone speaks in similar cadences but there are differences and the Paris/Lane distinction was not clear — alarming considering that Paris wasn't even in the episode for comparison.

I've been gathering string about "Gilmore Girls" for a piece about the show later this week. Went to the press conference, risked a body-cavity search (see "Scrumming Lauren,"  below) and at The CW's party last night I talked to Liza Weil, Keiko Agena and Sean Gunn. Most of that talk involved last season and the one ahead, but there's been one larger question I've been thinking about.

At the press conference, Lauren Graham said that, if and when the show ends, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has an idea for what the ending should be. Sherman-Palladino is no longer with the show, but it might still honor her idea, which Graham said "is apparently two words."

While I have no inside knowledge, I had an idea about what those two words should be. Think for a minute about the dialogue in this thing, the mammoth, sprawling, nonstop burst of words in every episode. Only two words could end it.

"Shut up."

Now, I am not thinking of that in a mean way. More of a ''shut up and kiss me" kind of delivery. That the show has come to a point where the love among key characters is not only evident but at last satisfying. When, for at least a moment, words are no longer needed — and even if everyone is running at the mouth, someone has the good sense to say ''shut up."

And now I will.

I laughed — very hard — at "The Sopranos" on Sunday night. Wasn't alone, either, since this was a night in our regular "Sopranos" gatherings with co-workers, so the laughter was not mine alone. The Ben Kingsley stuff was funny enough. Mugging Lauren Bacall — one of those things where you think, oh, no, they wouldn't DARE, and then they did. I know at some point, probably even next week, that the show is going to get back to serious business. Still, as I've said before, the makers of the show know that every episode counts these days; they're obviously determined to leave people with the sense that this was a great show, one that could do anything, including comedy — and last night was gut-busting.

I didn't get around to "The West Wing" until this morning. An all right episode. Liked the way Josh went to Sam, since it invoked the scene where Josh brought Sam into the Bartlet campaign; unfortunately, these being smart characters, they then had to talk about how this was similar to that earlier moment, which took some of fun out of it. (Rob Lowe's oddly stylized performance also grated quickly.) The switcheroo at the end of the Bartlet/Santos conflict wasn't much fun either. And I hope the NBC promo was deliberately misleading with its hint that Santos might pick Vinick as his new VP; that's way too tidy for a show that was built in a lot of ways on messiness. As we were reminded every time Josh had to handle a pile of papers.

This was a weekend that began with frustration; I had called a guy Friday morning for a story I thought I would need to write and still hadn't heard back from him by the time my workday officially ended. There was some frustration near the end, too, when the office called about the passing of Linn "Barnaby" Sheldon, to ask if I wanted in on the story. By that point, we had company coming, and I had to pass. I did know Linn, a little, and will probably have some notes about him here later.

In between those points, though, were domestic pursuits — painting, yard work, cleaning house — involving all the folks in the House of Heldenfels, ending with a home that looked and felt better. There were also chances for TV in the gaps.

"Gilmore Girls" was very good for about half the episode, where we saw that Mrs. Kim has her own Mrs. Kim; a vivid reminder how deep the cast is, with Emily Kuroda doing a terrific job. Then, as the show got back to its arc — the Luke/Lorelai wedding or not — it struggled. Lorelai's drunk scene, while showing off the way Lauren Graham can play multiple dramatic notes effortlessly, felt too grimly, deliberately sad, especially when we remember that Lorelai has put herself into this situation. At the same time, though, with Amy Sherman-Palladino officially leaving "GG" at the end of this season, I have to wonder how the new creative team will maintain the show's tonal approach — and if, Aaron Sorkin-like, she is going to leave the show in a horrible little box that the new team will struggle to escape.

I very much enjoyed "Veronica Mars" although I have no idea what I really know about the bus crash. Liked the way that grasping Kendall is now connected to the Fitzpatricks, although I do wonder why no one came across this connection before. Of course, Neptune is a town where most people spend a lot of time NOT looking for the truth. The Duncan clue at the end baffled me, though. Are we really to think that Aaron was not a murderer. And if not, weren't his dealings with Veronica at the end of Season 1 just the tiniest bit extreme? Still, I liked the Wallace-Jackie scene where Wallace spoke so cruelly to her, since it reminded us of how skillful young people are at saying horrible things.  And always enjoy Tina Majorino's presence; her reactions to the unexpected prom date were delightful.

"Veronica" addendum. One reader sent these notes along: "Remember Kendall went to Logan's to "sell" him real estate?  She took hair out of Duncan's drain in the shower and they planted the evidence.  All he has to do is have reasonable doubt with one jury member.  OJ Simpson, Robert Blake, if you are famous and rich, sometimes you get off.  Veronica speculated that Arron killed Lily with an ashtray.  Rumor has it that the actress that plays Lily will be in the last episode so I am thinking another flashback at what happened that night. As for him trying to kill Veronica, more interesting storyline if Arron is out of jail.  Remember, Logan mom's body has not been found.  Here's hoping the new CW gives Veronica another season with it being available to most of the country and not getting moved for a game of some kind of sports."

Thanks for the info. But that shower scene has bugged me because it was so unclear about what was going on — and I remain dubious about Kendall's ability to extract a hair and know whose it would be, especially considering the traffic through that place. Let us now resume the original post…

The bride and I also took in the two-hour return of "Alias." I am not a fan of the show, which always feels exciting for about an hour and then just exhausting. The return was entertaining, and I have a mild curiosity about where it's going, but I can't get too crazed. Seeing Jennifer Garner playing pregnant with her thinner, post-pregnancy face was intermittently amusing. And the closing scene was a giggle simply because one of my TV mantras is that no one ever really dies on "Alias."

And now let's all charge into the new week. I'm really looking forward to "When Andrea Met Kellie…"

I did not expect to go this long between posts, but the days filled themselves up — chasing down a cat to take to the vet, putting a fence back up around a flower bed, Easter morning at church, grocery shopping, giving the grill its spring inaugural. Today at work I was hip-deep in a non-TV project, now finished.

Watching was done, too. Friday night, we kicked back with "Serenity," the big-screen continuation of "Firefly." Sunday night was devoted to '"The West Wing" and "The Sopranos," and in between there I caught up on "Veronica Mars" and "Gilmore Girls." I keep thinking the viewing menu included something else, but right now I can't remember what it was.

Notes on all that viewing:

– I laughed more at "The Sopranos" than at any other recent episode as the guys exhibited their homophobia in so many different ways. For Paulie, of course, it was all about him. Tony's stumbling explanation of how guys get a free pass for any homosexual acts in prison was priceless. And I really like the way they're treating Christopher's NA sponsor, the latest in a line of characters who are not hoods but still want to hang out with some.

At the same time, though, the guys' reaction to Vito's secret life reminded us how unenlightened they are about many things; even young guys like Christopher can't handle the idea of men with men. Even though Tony was less dismayed than the others (and nice to see that his change brought us back to his post-shooting introspection), even he felt social pressure from the others — until that pressure was a challenge to his authority.

As for Vito, I'd like to think that he has found a place where he can be himself and is out of harm's way; the implication in Tony's attitude was certainly that Vito is fine as long as Vito doesn't come back. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as out of harm's way on this show, as we saw early on in the "College" episode.

– "The West Wing" offered some civics lessons, as Santos is learning that even a transition period comes with hard lessons, and old friends are not necessarily the best new allies. And it held out some fun hints of what could be if the show wasn't ending now, by beginning to fill some staff positions. But overall the hour dragged, and I expected more for Bartlet's farewell to Leo than false bonhomie bucking up everyone else.

– "Gilmore Girls." Emily is right. It's time for Lorelai to step into the middle of the Luke/April situation. It's sure not easy emotionally for Lorelai to keep herself apart. And it appears that just about everyone else on the show has had more conversation with April than Lorelai has.

As for ongoing plots. the Rory and Jess thing was a waste of air time (even if it gave the promo makers something to hang the episode on). And Rory is just a bore to watch (partly because Alexis Bledel is bringing little to the part), her attraction to Jess no more convincing than her ambivalence about Logan. Not a great episode overall. Luke's accompanying the field trip kept seeming to go somewhere, only it had nowhere to go. And for all the kerfluffle about Lorelai's parents being in town, why has it not occurred to her that they might be house-shopping for Luke & Lorelai — a very Emily wedding present, yes?

– "Veronica Mars." Not bad, and it feels as if we're getting closer to something on the big mystery. Some interesting visuals on the dream sequence. Lot of empty air, though.

– "Serenity."  Of the three folks under this roof, I am the one least enamored of "Firefly," so I may not be a great judge of "Serenity." While it wasn't completely lacking in entertainment, it never elevated beyond being a so-so action picture. Of course, on a Friday night when we were all eager to kick back, I appreciated the way the movie made few demands on me.

In spite of the ambition in yesterday's post, the day got away from me. I had a story about SportsTime Ohio that ended up consuming part of the day and evening; it was after 8 p.m. before I had the information I needed to write. And while I was working on that, I was trying to track the two local contestants on "Deal or No Deal" to get something about them in today's paper. Since I was on the phone during the end of one player's journey, I ended up e-mailing an NBC publicist for the results, then wrote a brief item about it.

By which time it was well after 9, so the night's viewing was "Everwood" (on recorded delay) with the bride. I got through part of "Veronica Mars" after that, but it was late by then and sleep was demanded. Finished "Veronica" this morning.

So, some thoughts on recent viewing:

"Veronica Mars": Decent episode, although it was pretty clear that Thumper was in the stadium bathroom before the show revealed it. (At least, I think he was in the stadium. Some tricky editing there.) I continue to like the way Tina Majorino has become part of the show; she knows how to do both intelligence and vulnerability. And Steve Guttenberg is fun to watch, although I wonder if the writers are, in essence, playing to his weakness — making Woody transparently suspicious-looking because anything subtler is not going  happen with Guttenberg. Very much liked the way Jackie handled Wallace. And was there anything more loaded with tension than the scene of Veronica and Logan dancing? Talk about issues…

But probably the best thing about the episode is that I don't have to wait a week to watch another new one, since "Veronica" moves its new telecasts to Tuesday beginning tonight.

"The Sopranos": Sunday's episode was the first one this season I had to watch in regular time, since HBO sent out the first four for review before the season started. And I was watching it with friends as part of a regular "Sopranos" gathering, with the two previous weeks' episodes viewed before we got to the new one. My one beef: that Tony's spiritual awakening in the hospital seems to be over. I know, for some things he has no attention span, but the near-death experience after the shooting should have set him off on a more extended journey. But maybe I'm asking too much of Tony.

Vito in the leather bar was weirdly hilarious — loved the cap — and I'm really wondering how that will play out. The Johnny Sack scenes were touching; as calculating and cold as Johnny can be, we keep getting reminded that his love for Ginny (and, by extension, their family) is absolute — far deeper than what Tony feels for Carmela. So, of course, it had to become an issue of weakness.

Also liked the event-planner dialogue with AJ, a nice reference to the previous season and to AJ's overall aimlessness.

As for the bodyguard story, well, didn't you sense soon after seeing this guy that someone was going to pound him? (I suspected Christopher would get the chance to show the difference between bodybuilding and street fighting.) The show's deftness was in the way Tony ended up doing it.

"Everwood": I'm on and off in terms of watching the show, although I like it for the most part when I do. (I did cring on Monday night at the way mastectomies' aftermath were treated as loathsome scarring.) At its best, it reminds me a little of "Veronica Mars." The characters are allowed to be smart and articulate, but not in the fake-grownup way of "Dawson's Creek." And their emotions feel genuine. I also like that it's not a teen show, even though many of the characters are young.

Yesterday I was talking to Glenn Gordon Caron, the writer-producer behind "Moonlighting" and now "Medium," and he was explaining how "Medium" is really a show about married, settled grownups — something that can be a challenge for young TV writers to handle. He's right, too; "Medium" repeatedly sets up opportunities for melodrama, then dials it down to a reasoned discussion. "Everwood" often does the same thing, testing the characters but not making them cartoons. But that may also explain why The WB never seemed as enthusiastic about "Everwood" as it did about lighter and simpler shows.

"Gilmore Girls": Not sure about this one, especially with the return (again) of Jess in tonight's episode. Didn't buy for a minute Rory's getting back together with Logan — and was disappointed that Paris was shuffled off again in short order.  Am wondering when Lorelai is going to get off the pot and deal with Luke about his daughter. It's long past time.

I had hopes for tonight's "Gilmore Girls," hopes that the show would take advantage of its Valentine's Day tie-in to have Luke get back on track toward marrying Lorelai. And there were promises made, and ideas bounced around. But at the end of the episode, there we were again, with Luke and Lorelai not quite connected, and April a huge question mark between them.

In fact, for a show that has projected at least an air of optimism over the years, this episode proved a pretty big downer, as if Luke's skepticism about Valentine's Day was allowed to reign. If we accept Valentine's Day as something of an illusion, a day where we put aside real-world concerns for a bit of romance as we imagine it, then the show carried that idea another step — to say that the romantic ideal of "Gilmore" is also an illusion for viewers, because the characters have to function in a real world where a tyrannical father, say, can spoil a moment.

Between typing I am still wiping away the tears of laughter and delight from watching last night's "Gilmore Girls." Specifically, the finale sequence of dinner at the Gilmores, a virtuoso piece of television if there ever was one. Character, humor, anger, pace — and completely involving, even when watched on Wednesday morning as a warm-up before going to work.

Even before that piece, it was a good episode, although a painful one. "Gilmore" has often been about heartbreak, and there's a lot of it in the air at the moment for Lorelai — the perfect wedding postponed, her isolation from Luke's daughter. Yes, there is humor as well, notably in the scene of the town watching the tableau of Luke and daughter, but when Luke rattles on obliviously about his child to Lorelai, you know it's a thousand little paper cuts to Our Heroine.

The newspaper stuff was also OK, although we've seen the Rory-takes-command moment coming almost as long as we've been waiting for Paris to complete her transformation in Captain Queeg. Still, Logan's finally proving capable was well done. And anyone who has watched "Gilmore" for long had to feel at least a twinge of pain for Paris when she tried to share the credit for the paper's coming out; her controlling ways, after all, are her attempt not only at success but at being loved — tough love, on her terms, but still loved.

And then the dinner sequence. Incredible. I need to watch it again.

So I gave myself a nice wallow in two weeks of "Gilmore Girls" and, as is so often the case, I found myself laughing and trying to keep up with the cultural references. (Russ Tamblyn and Peter Brook on the Yale Daily News staff? Did someone have to explain the Frances Farmer line to Alexis Bledel?) Which was fun, with reservations. Yes, Keiko Agena is swell as Lane, and I liked seeing her briefly morph into an even scarier version of the angry Mrs. Kim, and I like as well what Emily Kuroda does as Mrs. Kim. And just the idea of Paris Geller in any scene makes me happy, so imagine my delight at seeing Liza Weil taking Paris through what looks like a prelude to her very own Caine Mutiny.

But Agena and Weil are both looking way too old for their parts. And while Bledel is still OK at the light stuff, she just shouldn't be given any heavy dramatic lifting at well. The scene with the therapist did not cut it. She just couldn't balance the drama and the comedy. And for those of us with long if selective TV memories, she was working opposite the guy who played Bubba on "Frank's Place" — Robert Harper is his name — and he does know how it's done.

And then there's Luke and Lorelai. Allow me an "Oh, crap." Or two. Not only are they in a rocky spot, they're in one built on good intentions. Except that Luke is an idiot and Lorelai is once again doing that thing of hers — that "Oh, a horrible mistake is being made here yet I must do nothing except get that look that is breaking that Heldenfels guy's heart, because I assume (wrongly) that I am powerless to stop it."

I may not be making sense at this point, but the show bothered me. I went to "Gilmore Girls" for comfort food and instead got a drinking cup full of tobacco-tasting maple syrup.