Official announcement after the jump …

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As the Byrds once sang, funny how a circle is a wheel.

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I know there are two hours left to the season. Still…

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

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It's been too long without you …

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The bad-hair theory of crime, with spoilers if you didn't watch Tuesday, after the jump …

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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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Last night a little after 9, I turned on "American Idol" and it wasn't very good. There was this guy from Texas, and he didn't really sing. He talked instead. His audition went on forever, it seemed, even though the judges weren't all that excited by what he did.

All right, I'm kidding. In fact, we should probably give some thanks to the president for having the State of the Union address last night, since it made "Idol" just one hour instead of two.

An odd hour at that. Fewer really bad singers, and some decent ones who did not get through, starting with Frank Byers Jr. of Arkansas. He got bashed for being over the top, but I don't entirely see the distinction between his performance ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine") and that by Sundance Head, 27, of Porter, Texas, whose rendition of "Stormy Monday" was good but also flamboyant, and got him sent to Hollywood. A lot depends, as we've seen before, on the story you bring with the voice.

I should digress here to say that the news that Sundance's father was Roy Head had me half-singing "Treat Her Right" this morning, when I watched my recording of "Idol." Biiiiiig radio song in my youth.

Anyway, even there were only four Hollywood-worthy singers showcased during the hour — out of 23 or more chosen — I had the feeling that either the overall quality of singers in Memphis was pretty good (certainly better than the two previous cities), or that the hour was edited to make it seem less excruciating than Seattle and Minneapolis. When the judges start shrugging off people as "nothing special," then there's enough good stuff that they can be picky; I think some of those "nothing special" singers would have gotten through in the Seattle/Twin Cities auditions.

And who has already gotten TV time and a ticket to Hollywood? Besides Sundance, Danielle McCulloch, 18, of Collierville, Tenn., whose torchy ways seemed to affect Simon on a non-singing level; Sean "Castro" Michel, 27, of Bryant, Ark., who already has me curious about what sort of makeover "Idol" will inflict on him; charmingly low-key Melinda Doolittle, 28, of (Some Place I Scribbled And Can't Read), Tenn., and new dad Phil Stacy, 28, of Jacksonville, Fla.

I watched "Veronica Mars" late last night and was not knocked out. Some good stuff, although I have gotten really tired of Logan's moping.

The ongoing attempts to push a self-contained story to the forefront didn't work for me last night. The resolution of the animal-lab tale felt rushed, especially in the context of a show that used to take its time establishing characters and mysteries. I understand the reason for it — to give the occasional viewer something to be satisfied with, instead of demanding loyalty for week after week — but it just doesn't feel like "Veronica Mars."

In an earlier post, I mentioned that "Studio 60" annoyed me with a two-parter because I didn't think it had enough to sustain a two-part tale. With "Veronica," I'm always ready for two and three and four and 18 parts, so one isn't enough. Yes, I know there's the ongoing murder mystery as well. I still feel as if "Veronica" is out of sync.

Sometimes getting to see shows ahead of time can be frustrating. In July, a bunch of us saw a new episode of "The Shield." It was really good. But the show doesn't come back on the air until January. So there was considerable whining about having to wait to see more. It was like getting an appetizer at a banquet, then having to sit through hours of speeches before you get the rest of the meal.

So two episodes of  the third season of "Veronica Mars" arrived in the mail yesterday. And since I had a break between writing my DVD column and covering Leonard Nimoy, I watched them. Now I'm sitting here, knowing that "Veronica's" third season doesn't start until Oct. 3, and I've also seen the Oct. 10 telecast and, well, I WANT TO SEE THE OCT. 17 EPISODE AND I WANT IT NOW.

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a "Veronica" fan. But I had some fears going into the new season. Veronica and her peers have gone off to college, for one thing, and that's a significant change to deal with. And instead of doing a season-long story, the show will have three shorter serials, so new viewers can join in easily. And, in its third season, "Veronica's" characters have so much history — both chronological and emotional — that it still has to walk the high wire between being too obscure for potential new fans and being too obvious for people who have memorized every detail.

I am pleased to report that "Veronica" gets two out of three. The shift to college starts off very well; imagine, for starters, how Veronica might do in a criminology class. The show recognizes the ways that college can be just like high school, so there are similarities in the characters' interaction. But it's also a place where someone like Veronica has to realize that she didn't learn everything in high school; the two episodes refer more than once to how well people judge others' character, and that's an issue for Veronica and for her father, Keith.

The shorter story arc actually feels better than the longer ones of the first two seasons. By the end of the second episode, it feels as if things have moved very fast and that more revelations are coming soon — a big reason why I WANT TO SEE THE OCT. 17 EPISODE AND I WANT IT NOW.

The one flaw may be in trying to bring new viewers up to speed. There is a lot of explanation and even introduction woven into the first show, relationships sketched, references to the past. If, for example, you don't know what a jerk Dick Casablancas has been, you get ample new evidence.

But the many layers of "Veronica" can't all be covered in a show that is still moving rapidly forward, so I suspect some new viewers will be unclear why Logan is so sad, or where Kendall fits into everything. But I urge those viewers to watch because soon enough they will see that "Veronica" is funny and clever, dramatic and surprising. And those of you who have been watching should need no more convincing — only a painful cry of "Is it Oct. 3 yet?"

If last night's episode was the last of the season, it would be a pretty dazzling ending. (One quibble: Shouldn't Veronica have thought of Mac as math tutor? First person I thought of.) Once again, money and power had reigned in Neptune. Justice would be denied. Veronica, Logan, Keith, Wallace — all would have emotional baggage to carry into another season, while evildoers like Woody and Aaron would still be safe somewhere.

Of course, it's not the last episode, and the promos promise some resolution next week. But I hope whatever explanations we get, they don't undercut "Veronica's" core issues: the class warfare never ends, that pain doesn't just go away, that life is hard and unfair, and still all we can do is figure out the right thing, regardless of consequences. And I have to admire any show that can fill me with dread for an hour — and refuse to comfort me at the end.

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.