Reality-Free

['Saturday Night Live' - 'Season 36, Episode 8']

For a show that can be as hit-or-miss as 'SNL,' it's puzzling when they choose a host who all but guarantees a miss. I can't remember an episode, in all my 20-plus years of watching the show, that was worse than the Dec. 18, 2004 effort that marked De Niro's most recent hosting go-round.

"But it's De Niro!" you yelp, "how can you say such things about acting's greatest treasure!?" He may be, but to say that De Niro is out of his element live on stage at Studio 8H, is like saying pizza is awesome. It's just true. Can he brave the "elements," and drop his whole "I'm an acting robot, programmed to read my lines and collect awkward pauses for fuel," shtick? We could only hope and pray.

['Smallville' – 'Luthor']

John Glover returned to chew the scenery as Lionel Luthor this week on 'Smallville.' And judging by this episode's cheeky final scene, it looks like he plans to stick around for a while to see "how it all turns out" as the show comes to a close this season.

And that's just fine by me. Glover's big-haired baddie was always a force to be reckoned with on 'Smallville,' and now he's back with a vengeance. Stripped of the white hat that he wore during his last few seasons on the show, he's bound to cause more pain and havoc for Clark Kent and friends than Rick Flag and Darkseid combined. Did you see what he did to Jor-El? This guy means business.

This might be the final nail in the coffin, 'Life Unexpected' fans.

Although the CW show hasn't been officially canceled by the network -- a third season could be picked up in May, though the likelihood of that happening is slim -- another troubling piece of information has emerged.

According to the site TVShowsonDVD.com, Warner Home Video just announced the April 5 DVD release of 'Life Unexpected: The Complete Series.' The six-disc set will reportedly include every episode from both seasons, two featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Welcome to the Soap Round-Up, our weekly recap of all the soap action this past week. Each week, we sum up all the best stories from each and every soap, from 'All My Children' to 'The Young and the Restless.'

If you don't want to know what aired already, consider this a SPOILER ALERT. ... Oh, one last thing, please comment and join the conversation.

For instance, on 'Y&R,' were you surprised when Skye turned up on Victor's jet? I could have sworn that Jack was in on the fake death bit, but it was the Mustache at it again. What did you think of Victor's latest move? Share your thoughts ...

'The Young and the Restless'

Adam followed Sharon to New Orleans and they renewed their love affair. Nick and Michael searched for Sharon. Nick was upset when Phyllis arrived to do a story on Adam. Victor told Nikki to move out of the ranch. Lauren suspected Daisy was gaslighting her. Nick rejected Sharon after learning she had been with Adam. Victor whisked Skye away and arranged for her to have a new identity. Adam was arrested for Skye's murder. Daisy was ordered to live with Phyllis.

'Off the Map' is the latest medical series from the ladies behind 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Private Practice,' Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers and creator Jenna Bans.

If you haven't figured out their winning formula by now, this show proves that hot doctors plus interesting cases equals a sexy hit show. 'Off the Map' (premieres Wed., Jan. 12, 10PM ET on ABC) adds an exotic locale to the mix, with a Doctors Without Borders-style program taking these medical professionals to a remote South American jungle.

AOL TV has an exclusive sneak peek of the show, which star Jason George (remember him as Bailey's love interest, Dr. Ben Warren?) describes as "kind of like 'M*A*S*H,' but with a 'Romancing the Stone' tone. We're not in the middle of a war, but we are strangers in a strange land, and doing things our way, not necessarily the right -- or even the legal -- way. There's sterile and there's clean enough. We're definitely on the "clean enough" set. [Laughs]"

Dear Bob,

(I can call you Bob, right? I mean, we've never met, but I feel like we can be chummy enough for me to do that... no? Well, Ok, let me try again...)

Dear Mr. De Niro,

Despite the fact that I haven't seen a movie with you in it since the bitter and boring disappointment that was 'Showtime,' I'm still a huge fan of yours. Sure, you haven't exactly made the smartest career decisions over the last ten years; your most memorable roles lately seem to be in the endless stream of 'Fockers' movies that inflict themselves on the public every few years. But you built up plenty of goodwill with me over the decades, through movies as diverse as 'Taxi Driver' and 'Midnight Run' (still one of my favorites), for me to forgive the 21st century portion of your IMDb profile.

So, as a big fan of yours, I'm here, on my virtual knees. I don't usually beg anyone for anything, as I have my pride. But, pride be damned; I'm begging you right here and now:

Please don't suck on 'SNL' this weekend like you did the last time you hosted. I just can't go through that again.

Last spring, after a major earthquake hit Haiti, I tried to think of a way to help the people of that devastated country.

I ended up putting dozens of TV-related promotional items, pieces of memorabilia, DVDs and books up for auction on eBay, and TV fans bowled me over with their support for the cause. Over the course of a month or so, between the eBay auctions and some other efforts, we raised more than $12,000 for Partners in Health, a respected medical charity with clinics and doctors all over Haiti.

Given how well that went (and I give a ton of the credit to the readers who bought things and to a dedicated crew of 'Chuck' fans who helped a lot with the whole enterprise), I thought I'd try another eBay charity auction during this holiday season. This time, there are items from 'True Blood,' 'House,' 'Fringe,' 'Community,' 'Supernatural,' Conan O'Brien's show, 'Doctor Who' and several other shows for sale. One hundred percent of the purchase price of every eBay auction item will go to Partners in Health.

Read on for more info on what's being offered right now and what kind of items will be up for auction soon.

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by e-mailing us at tvsquad@gmail.com. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have spoilers for: '30 Rock,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Dexter,' 'Glee,' 'Smallville,' 'The Defenders,' 'The Office,' and 'V.'

The groundbreaking American version of 'Queer as Folk' ran for five seasons (the U.K. original aired for 10 episodes), and, with Dec. 3 marking 'Queer as Folk's' 10th anniversary, we're taking the opportunity to check in with what the show's stars have been up to since 'Queer As Folk' wrapped in 2005.

The British original -- created by 'Doctor Who' revival creator Russell T. Davies -- starred future 'Undeclared' and 'Sons of Anarchy' star Charlie Hunnam and 'The Wire' scene stealer Aidan Gillen and debuted in 1999.

And the American remake, starring Gale Harold, Hal Sparks, newbie Randy Harrison and Emmy-winning TV vet Sharon Gless -- followed the next year, and made a splash on Showtime with its randy, funny tales (and very graphic sex scenes) about the loves and lives of a group of gay Pittsburgh pals.

['Bones' - 'The Twisted Bones in the Melted Truck']

Here's the plan: my house is currently packed up in boxes as we get ready for a move to Colorado in a few days. Needless to say, time is limited to espouse on Temperance's new hair style or Booth's interest in thin ties. So, to keep it fairly short, I'm going to throw out a few topics on this week's episode of 'Bones' that you can discuss in the comments. In addition, if you have topics you want to discuss, please do so. Just keep it on topic and avoid the nastiness and flaming.

Don't worry, we'll return to the normal 'Bones' review next week. (Just as long as I can find my computer.)

On 'Outsourced' (Thu., 9:30PM ET on NBC), Todd's American digestive system does not respond well to Indian street food. Still, he's trying to stay strong for the rare chance to view a U.S. pro football game.

But a fellow American says, "I got poop nicknames for pretty much every Indian food ... Oh man, you better go home. You're gonna be out of commission for a few days."

As Charlie carries Todd out of the office, he warns concerned employees to give him a wide berth.

Cooper is seething with anger and still reeling from the attack and rape of his fiancée Charlotte. On 'Private Practice' (Thu., 10PM ET on ABC), his rage boils over when dealing with a difficult patient.

Justin has gained 282 pounds in three years. He confesses to the doctor that he wanted to get bigger, but it's gotten "out of control." His reason for the weight gain? "I just don't want to get touched anymore."

It takes a few seconds for this to register with Cooper: Justin is being molested. He leaps up, jogs down the hallway, spots Justin's father and punches him. They fall to the ground, and Cooper keeps pummeling him until security drags them apart. He assumes Justin's dad is the culprit. But that's not the case...

['Grey's Anatomy' - 'Adrift and at Peace']

In an episode that just happened to have Christmas music playing in the background, Derek took Cristina fishing, Meredith and Owen argued, Bailey was still on a search for a solution to fistulas, Callie gained a backbone, and Teddy was given a re-hashed storyline.

This episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' really had nothing to do with Christmas, except for the occasional decor in the hospital. Instead, this episode chugged along with several of the plotlines we've been following this season, without any resolutions in sight.

It was interesting seeing Jamie Chung ('Dragonball Evolution') as one of the patients this week, because I still remember her from when she was on 'The Real World: San Diego.' I know that her part was small and a bit forgettable, but she did show some decent acting chops, so maybe she'll prove more interesting in 'The Hangover Part II.'

['Fringe' - 'Entrada']

This week, we were treated to a blue and red interchanging intro segment. That means we're finally done with this one episode "Over Here," one episode "Over There" nonsense. Plus, as promised, we got the resolution to the great Olivia switch storyline that's been running all season.

As a continuation of the overall story, 'Entrada' was a great chapter. As the culmination of a multi-episode struggle for Olivia to find her way home, while Fauxlivia exacts her mission in "our" world, it was a bit disappointing. Maybe they're saving all the fireworks for the aftermath next week.

It's not that it wasn't a satisfying episode in a lot of ways, because there were some great, genuine character moments. Walter even coined a new word I simply have to figure out how to work into a conversation. But, with all this build-up, I was expecting a nigh-epic explosion of confrontations on both sides of the veil between universes.