For savvy TV fans this is the biggest week of the entire season.  Not only do we learn what shows have made the Fall 2008 schedule, but we’ll also GASP! again and again at the season finale shockers.  Beginning tomorrow, The CW will roll out ten series eye-poppers over the next eight nights.  Turn off the cell-phones, unplug the computer and don’t answer the door.  This is gonna be good.  Beauty & The Geek offers an unexpected romantic battle—presumably over Tommy, whose “geekiness” escapes us—before awarding the big payoff.  Wednesday, will Tyra choose Top Model’s first-ever “plus size” winner?  After seven years, Michael Rosenbaum bids farewell to Smallville, but only after Lex finally learns Clark’s secret in a huge showdown at the Fortress!  And Dean Winchester?  Yikes! Guess who’s come to collect on his Supernatural soul-deal?  The Sunday comedies leave on a high note, with Everybody Hates Chris and The Game poised to return next season.  On Gossip Girl, will Lily go thru with her grand wedding—or run to Rufus?  And what are the “bigger” secrets Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina) promises are yet to come?  One Tree Hill, as usual, tosses every character into the drama blender, with one person’s survival, well…suspect, at best.  But next week’s Reaper finale may contain the most chilling revelation of all.  Yeah, this sprint-to-the-finish makes the TV marathon worthwhile.  Feel free to vent nightly, as needed…

We’ve reached that annual summit where magazine editors feel compelled to tell us which celebrities are this year’s Most Beautiful or Sexiest—since we can’t determine that for ourselves.  People has offered a teaser of its upcoming Top 100 list, and loses credibility with the selection of Rumer Willis.  It does note that Bruce and Demi’s kid is best friends with the sizzling Jessica Szohr (Vanessa on Gossip Girl), so she scores points for that.  By the way, how perfectly did Vanessa and Nate blend on this week’s episode?  To avoid hogging seven individual spots, People lumps together the entire young, beautiful cast of Gossip Girl; no arguments here…it’s the best-looking group on plasma.  TV Guide was hit-and-miss with their choices.  Patrick Dempsey as Sexiest Man?  McPlease!  Runners-up for the overall sexiest titles included Jared Padalecki from Supernatural, and a trio of Gossip-ers:  Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford and Leighton Meester.  In sub-categories, Erica Durance (Lois on Smallville) was crowned Sexiest Sci-Fi Gal; Supernatural’s Sam and Dean (Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) are Sexiest Siblings; and Blake Lively (Serena) has the Sexiest Pout.  Others receiving nominations are Tom Welling, Ray Wise (the devil on Reaper), Penn Badgley, and One Tree Hill co-stars Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty.  Are there any CW stars you feel were overlooked?  Sound off…

It’s been a month since Clark Kent entered the comatose mind of madman Lex Luthor, and amnesiac Kara was whisked out of Motown. Tomorrow night, Smallville returns with the first of three all-new adventures, and it’s a hum-dinger featuring Sam Jones III as “Pete Ross,” back in the Corn Capital after moving to Wichita 78 episodes ago. Recently, former scribes Jeph Loeb and Michael Green revealed that the series was originally penned as the story of young Bruce Wayne, but the studio squelched it because of the successful Batman film franchise. At that time, Warner Bros. felt they’d never make another Superman movie, so “you can take this property and see what you can do with it,” Loeb recalls on WizardUniverse.com. Smallville went on to become a network hit, and—you guessed it—the studio produced the 2006 film Superman Returns. For a time, Smallville was prohibited from adding Lois Lane to the cast or showing any Kryptonians, since they were to be part of the big-screen feature. And, as much as we’d like to see a “Bruce Wayne” cameo in Metropolis, this summer’s blockbuster, The Dark Knight, sinks that possibility. Still, many fans surmised that Ian Somerhalder’s six-episode arc in Season 3 was an inside nod to the Caped Crusader. Ian’s mysterious charmer was named “Adam Knight,” linking TV’s Adam West (Batman) with the Dark Knight. Coincidence?

Who doesn’t like juicy insider scoops? I keep an ear close to the web’s entertainment grapevine and have noticed provocative chatter involving our favorite WBNX shows. Here are some of the most recent scuttlebutt items: E! Online reports that if ABC cancels October Road, The CW may be interested in picking up the Bryan Greenberg drama. TV Guide says that both Michael Rosenbaum (Lex) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana) told producers they don’t want to be regulars on Season 8 of Smallville, but will make time for guest appearances. The mag also notes that one of the show’s long-running characters will die—for real—in the April 17 episode. Friends star Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), 39, is a tabloid magnet, with Star affirming she’s frozen eggs for her future role as mother; and The Daily Mail hinting that off-screen romance has bloomed between her and Traveling film co-star Aaron Eckhart. Gossip Girl, by nature, is buzz-a-licious, though Leighton Meester (Blair) flat-out denied reports of tension among the young actors. Think of the catfight possibilities if Mischa Barton (Marissa on The O.C.) had not turned down an offer from Josh Schwartz to join the series as a new foe for Serena. There was a puzzling rumor that young Eric van der Woodsen (Conner Paolo) would be revealed as the never-seen title character. But exec producer Stephanie Savage nixed that notion, saying “we’re all” Gossip Girl—everyone in the tech-culture who TMs, emails, snaps photos or shares secret info via the web. Finally, the New York Post claims the 14 girls from the current round of Top Model need to learn some house-etiquette, after food fights and assorted sloppiness over ten weeks caused thousands of dollars in damage to their posh NYC rented loft. Heard any news, yourself? Pass it along!

CW devotees are breathing much easier with this week’s early announcement that six series will definitely return for the fall season: Smallville, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, America’s Next Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, and rookie sensation Gossip Girl. That leaves 7½-hours yet to fill, and it’s very possible that one or more current shows will also make the cut—such as The Game, Reaper or Aliens in America. One slot could be taken if the network likes the pilot it just ordered for How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls, about a young ex-tabloid reporter hired to be the live-in tutor/life coach for a cosmetic mogul’s granddaughters. Will reality fare Beauty & The Geek, Pussycat Dolls or Crowned get another life? The still-untitled fashion magazine competition is a firm “go,” but which of the network’s other look-see projects will dazzle the programmers? Answers come within ten weeks, as the 2008-09 Upfront Presentation is set for May 15. Tracking potential development slates, The Futon Critic lists four dramas and two comedies on the CW radar:

• The Collection: a dramedy based on the life of famed designer Isaac Mizrahi
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: romantic misadventures of a female advice columnist
• Undercover: an updated version of 21 Jump Street
• Maria Sharapova project: drama set inside the world of women’s pro tennis
• Sherri Shepherd project: comedy about a married woman—and her husband’s “other family”
• Nanny Dallas: dramedy about four nannies and the rich families they service

Though 13 episodes were previously ordered for star-laden midseason comedy Eight Days a Week, the writer’s strike seems to have thrown the series in limbo. Hopefully it’s a candidate for this fall. Remember, new ideas for shows are pitched almost daily, so the above choices can quickly expand. What are your thoughts or predictions for The CW’s third season schedule?

Supernatural ends with a mid-season finale nailbiter tonight, but don’t worry—we won’t leave ya hangin’ without your boys.  We’ve uncovered some rare footage of Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and even CW colleague Taylor Momsen (Jenny on Gossip Girl) to tide you over until new episodes return.  Jensen and Taylor share the unusual common bond of having taped six full episodes of a series that somehow never made it to the airwaves.  Between his stints on Dawson’s Creek and Smallville, Jensen headlined the drama Still Life, and you can click here to watch the entire 39-minute pilot.  During that same 2003 campaign, Jared was still heavily involved with Gilmore Girls, but filmed a short action presentation for Young MacGyver, which was not picked up.  But you can click here to enjoy the seven footage clips.  Taylor was only 12-years-old when she was cast opposite Emmy nominee and fan favorite Jane Leeves (Daphne on Frasier) in the dysfunctional-family comedy, Misconceptions.  Watch the premiere episode here and judge for yourself whether it had long-term potential.  Something to consider: if any one of these three shows had become network hits, we wouldn’t have the remarkable brother-like chemistry on Supernatural…or the ideal social-climbing little sister we’ve come to love on Gossip Girl.

Martha Kent once described Smallville’s Oliver Queen as “blonde-haired, incredibly handsome, with a smile that lights up the room.”  Safe to say, Ollie has always been popular with the ladies.  His real-life alter ego, Justin Hartley, has also got quite a bit of favor with The CW.  In addition to his covert crimefighting in Metropolis, Justin has been given roles in three previous series pilots: Aquaman, Spellbound and Eight Days a Week.  And earlier this week, the 31-year-old signed a new talent-holding deal with the network, says the Hollywood Reporter, meaning he’s definitely wanted for more CW facetime.  Already there’s online conjecture that Justin could star in a Green Arrow spinoff, and the webmaster on Smallville’s premier fanlink, Kryptonsite.com, penned a well-reasoned column listing 15 reasons why such an idea hits the bull’s-eye.  Last Thursday’s “Emerald Archer” guest-appearance gave Smallville its best ratings since Nov. ‘07 (WBNX was #2 among the country’s top 25 metered markets!), and the leathered superhero was universally praised for his recurring role last season.  With potential Justice League sidekicks like Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman—and even Chloe—a spinoff could make sense, as Smallville’s eighth year is on the horizon.  Plus, an additional two hours of weekly airtime will become available this fall when Friday Night SmackDown departs.  But whether it’s with his bow-and-arrow or a suit-and-tie, Justin isn’t going anywhere.  And that should make a lot of CW viewers extremely happy.

The conclusion of a nearly four-month-long Hollywood writers strike has TV fans asking one question:  What does this mean for my favorite shows?  In most cases, the news couldn’t be better, according to trade sources Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, TV Guide, Mediaweek and E! Online.  Let’s start with the dramas: Smallville has four new episodes finished (including tonight’s), and will now produce five more this season.  Supernatural will air its remaining two new eps this month, and add another five or six for spring.  One Tree Hill will stockpile six more hours to the six already completed.  Reaper still has three new shows ready, with five or six more ordered—and you can expect the rookie dramedy to delve much deeper into the “deal” mythology when it returns.  Breakout freshman hit Gossip Girl has aired everything produced, but will quickly resume work on up to a half-dozen more stories.  Variety reports that the Upper East Siders may even get an early Season Two launch this summer, following the successful pattern of The O.C.  Life is Wild has ceased production at this time.  On the comedy front: The Game received a solid vote of confidence, with a pickup of eight or nine more episodes—to go with its four remaining new shows.  Everybody Hates Chris (12) and Aliens in America (eight) have enough new laughs in the can, so they won’t produce any more for this season; and Girlfriends, currently the longest-running network comedy, will bid adieu after eight years with a likely one-hour retrospective now in discussion.

Nearly 20,000 readers responded to a survey in this month’s issue of Portrait magazine which asked about our favorite couples on current TV shows—whether the romantics are “together” or not. Fans left little doubt as to which series they’re most passionate about: One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and Smallville. Those three dramas alone account for nine of the top 11 slots on the publication’s 2nd annual list. Click here to see the reasoning behind each choice, as well as each couple’s best on-screen moment. Here are the top results:

As Smallville returns with a landmark new episode tonight, its fictional hero is about to get some major star treatment here in Cleveland.  Superman was, of course, created by Glenville youngsters Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster nearly eight decades ago, but 2008 marks the 70th anniversary of the Man of Steel’s very first appearance in Action Comics, a long-running series published by D.C. Comics.  Ten years ago, Superman was honored with his first image on a 32-cent U.S. postage stamp, unveiled with much fanfare at Public Square.  Now, however, city leaders want to truly embrace their “native son” with a Summer of Superman celebration that may become an annual event.  According to the Plain Dealer, a plaque will be placed on Siegel’s childhood home; a Superman statue is planned for East 105th Street; and a traveling Superman show is booked from September thru January at Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.  Leaders also favor honoring the superhero at a series of area events this year, including the Ingenuity festival—with an ultimate long term goal of establishing a Superman Museum in Cleveland.  For those interested in classic videos, click here to see the original Superman cartoon from 1941, and notice the slick animation of those early days.  Tonight on WBNX, Smallville picks up with Clark Kent frozen in the Fortress, while Bizarro Clark takes over his life.  The episode also marks the return of James Marsters as Brainiac, a guest-appearance by Superman film co-star Marc McClure (Jimmy Olson), and a wild twist in the Julian Luthor clone drama.