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…

Supernatural returns to the CW schedule tonight with a big reveal.  For those who missed it earlier, Ruby will confess to why she became a demon, and also tell Dean exactly what she’s able to do regarding his “one year to live” soul deal.  Katie Cassidy has brought a cunning new dimension to the show, usually showing up to rescue our boys from certain death.  I’m anxious to see where her story goes over this season’s final four new episodes, which begin April 24.  What are Ruby’s real motives?  Prior to this underworld role, the 21-year-old hottie gave pop-stardom a brief try, recording a dance-mix of “I Think I Love You”, the 1970 hit made famous by her father, David Cassidy, and The Partridge Family.  Clearly, acting is her forte.  Katie’s recent film with Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson, Taken, just premiered in France and will debut in the U.S. later this year.  She’s also ready to star as “Lucy Ewing” in the long-delayed big-screen epic, Dallas.  Her Supernatural comrade, Jared Padalecki (Sam), will begin shooting the new Friday the 13th movie later this month in his home state of Texas.  Can you believe it’s been 28 years since “Jason” terrorized the original Camp Crystal Lake visitors?  Perhaps in three seasons alongside Jensen Ackles, Jared’s picked up a clue about vanquishing that hockey-masked menace.

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.

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.

January is the month when we’re bombarded with entertainment awards too numerous to mention. Often, they go to the same cast of characters—whichever show Hollywood deems hot and trendy at the moment. For a more accurate reflection of what viewers are passionate about, however, the recent E!Online poll is worth noting. It asked website visitors which series they’d like to see more coverage on, and two CW dramas swept up nearly 60% of the votes. Supernatural (29%) and One Tree Hill (28%) dominated to such an extent, they were eventually removed from the ballot to give other shows a fighting chance. Not just here in Cleveland, but across the nation, those serials have a loyal, vocal fanbase. Nominations were also announced for the 39th annual NAACP Image Awards, and, as usual, The CW leads the pack with 18 nods, more than all four of the other networks combined. Girlfriends and Everybody Hates Chris picked up seven apiece in comedy categories, and America’s Next Top Model is also vying for the Outstanding Reality Series title. Finally, TV Guide polled its readers to find the “Most Heartwarming Series” of all-time, and Gilmore Girls topped the list. It was “can’t miss” viewing for me, for sure, but was it more heartwarming than, say, Little House on the Prairie, which nearly always left an embarrassing lump in the throat? Your thoughts?

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.

Only 17 more shopping days left, and if you’re one of those lucky few who’ve completed the task before the mad rush, WBNX has some relaxing holiday TV rewards for you! More than two dozen Christmas-themed episodes and specials are coming your way between now and December 25, starting with The CW’s “Merry Monday” comedy lineup of Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends and The Game! The boys on Supernatural encounter the anti-Santa, while the Gossip Girl socialites unwrap…well, who knows what? Many of our daily comedies also have some memorable yuletide scripts, including Raymond, Frasier, George Lopez and According to Jim. And, of course, kids love the animated specials about Grandma and her hit-skip reindeer and The Story of Santa Claus. You can find a complete schedule of the holiday fare here on our new Christmas webpage, along with exclusive festive screensavers and other extras featuring your CW faves. Spread the word…and enjoy! P.S. Have you seen our new “Cleveland snowglobe” logo on air? Watch for it!