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.

Kristin Kreuk and Allison Mack wage a subtle tug-of-war for Clark Kent’s affection on Smallville, but off-screen the two actresses are the best of friends. They’re also no dummies. The CW drama is in its 7th season, and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex) has said this likely is his final year with the show. Suffice it to say, the girls’ current jobs won’t last forever. So they’ve begun work on a somewhat-secretive online project designed to serve the college crowd. The website will be a viral gathering place for teens and young adults to hang out and share information that appeals to their specific age demo. Kristin and Allison used an unusual survey to compile targeted research over the past month, so we await their next move. On a separate note, the gals are also united in support of young artists thru their Juicy Peach program, awarding financial grants to creative up-and-comers. And, of course, lining up new acting gigs is always a priority. Click here to see some behind-the-scenes clips from an indie film Allison just produced (and starred in) with some of her close friends. And be sure to watch the “Ask Allison” V-logs for some candid Q & A’s — and also to hear Ally sing! Smallville groupies are pretty much divided into two camps, the “Clana” fans and the “Chlark” fans. Translation: those who want Clark paired romantically with Lana…or Chloe. Don’t tell anyone, but my money’s on Lois.

With no end in sight to the Hollywood writers’ strike, we’ve got six new episodes of Smallville to savor—and they’re so full of exciting surprises, we hardly know where to begin.  First, Grant and Chloe’s bomber were both clones of Julian Luthor, one successful (Grant) and one not so much.  Zowie!!  Lionel will discover the truth about his supposedly long-dead son next month.  In that same episode, airing January 31, another legend from the Man of Steel mythos comes to Smallville: Marc McClure.  While not a household name, he played Jimmy Olsen in all four Superman movies with Christopher Reeve, as well as the Supergirl film.  And yes, that black ooze roaming the set is Milton Fine (aka James Marsters), who’ll finally materialize in this blockbuster hour.  Next, the Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Black Canary visit the sweet corn capital, a prelude to the much-anticipated return of Clark’s confidante, original cast member Pete Ross (Sam Jones III).  Pete’s last sighting was on May 12, 2004 toward the end of Season 3…and he’s not too thrilled that so many others now know the secret he’s been guarding.  Finally, Jane Seymour will revive the villainous “Genevieve Teague,” presumably in flashback-mode.  Then again, with this season’s mega-twists, who knows…?

A chubby guy in a red suit climbs down your chimney in the middle of the night, eats your cookies, tracks soot on the carpet, and leaves an ugly tie under your Christmas tree—isn’t that creepy enough?  Tomorrow night, Supernatural explores an even darker side of Santa, based on the urban legend with roots in both Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country.  There, older folks can still recall mysterious “Belsnickels” going from house to house with coal and a swat on the britches for kids who’d been naughty.  In Europe, this anti-Claus is called “Krampus,” and looks even scarier than the hobo-like visitors who patrolled Steeler nation as recently as the 1940s.  Sam and Dean’s evil prey is a killer, of course, building upon holiday mythology unearthed by series creator Eric Kripke.  This eerie episode will stick with you long after the needles have fallen from your pine.   The yuletide spirit also comes to Smallville tomorrow, at least until Chloe and Jimmy become trapped with a bomb.  Who wants Lex brought down?  Will Clark reveal his secret to rescue his friends?  And will we learn more details about Grant/Julian plot?   Don’t miss this night of chills…You-Know-Who is making his “list” and checking it twice…

How creative are you?  We live in a techno-era in which seemingly every young person has offered up their aspiring filmmaker skills on YouTube.  But now, for the second year, The CW is giving college undergrads the chance to compete for a network internship in its Making the Cut editing contest.  You’ll be supplied with great footage from Supernatural, Smallville and Gossip Girl, and challenged to create a promo or trailer using imagination—plus whatever visual (or audio) tools you like.  Students can submit multiple entries, incorporating only one show in each video.  This program is a joint-educational effort between The CW and Promox/BDA, the premier national on-air promotion and broadcast design organization.  For young people looking to get their foot in the door, the competition is a unique and awesome career opportunity…so spread the word around your college campus!  The winning entry will be featured on both television and the web.  Click here for more details, and have fun working with three of our most buzzworthy series.

Coolest news of the fall: Last weekend on Veteran’s Day, Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki were cited by General David H. Petraeus, Commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, for the popularity of their CW drama among the military service members, Mediaweek reports. Seasons one and two of Supernatural are the most requested DVDs among armed forces personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 3,000 sets are being shipped to the troops by Warner Bros. Entertainment. Jensen and Jared were honored during their appearance at the “Salute to Supernatural, Smallville and Buffy/Angel” convention in Schaumburg, IL. Master Sergeant Kevin Wise was also on hand to present the boys with a coin from his Special Forces Group, a gesture rarely given to civilians. Click here for awesome photos and comments, plus details on the Supernatural event planned for 2008.

Smallville and Supernatural take a Thanksgiving break this week for the Hilary Duff flick, Raise Your Voice. But the most-recent episodes gave us a lot to ponder, especially (SPOILERS AHEAD) the explosive revelation that Daily Planet editor Grant Gabriel (played by Michael Cassidy) is, in fact, Lex Luthor’s supposedly-dead brother, Julian. Wow!! The Luthor backstory has always been shrouded in mystery: did Lex accidentally kill baby Julian, how did Lex’s mother die, what is Lionel hiding…and what about that “other” brother, Lucas, from Season 2? All we know is, Lex and Julian are in cahoots with a major plan concerning Lionel, and it sounds dark. On Supernatural, the Winchesters won’t have to worry about that maniac-turned-vampire Gordon hunting them down, after Sam…well, popped his noggin off. Most chilling, though, was Gordon’s assertion of who Sam really is…