Happiness is a warm TV

Choose a blog

Clay Aiken guest stars on penultimate episode of 'The Office'


Heads up, Clay Aiken fans: The Raleigh-based singer is guest starring on Thursday night's penultimate one-hour episode of "The Office" (9 p.m., NBC).

We're not sure exactly what Clay is doing in the episode, but since part of the plot involves Andy auditioning for a singing competition called "The Next Great A Cappella Sensation," we're guessing Clay might be some sort of judge. Especially considering singers Mark McGrath and Santigold are also in the episode.

You can also catch Clay in the local theatre production of "The Drowsy Chaperone" at the North Carolina Memorial Auditorium right now (May 7-12).

The one-hour 75-minute series finale of "The Office" airs next Thursday at 9. The show's producers swear Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) isn't returning, but we're hearing that Kelly (Mindy Kaling and Ryan (B.J. Novak) will be featured.

NCAA basketball: Final Four and Championship games move to TBS

According to a press release issued today from Turner Sports, the 2014 and 2015 NCAA basketball Final Four games will not air on CBS but on Turner's cable network, TBS. The championship game will still air on CBS in those years, but both the Final Four and Championship games will air on TBS in 2016. Those games rotate back to CBS the following year and they will alternate in that way until the end of time. Actually, until Turner's contract is up in 2024.

Go head and freak out.

(Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal reported the likelihood of this -- and the financial reasons behind it -- back in March.)

Read the full press release from Turner after the jump.

What to Watch on Tuesday: Peter Sagal, a Harley and the Constitution

Hart of Dixie (8pm, CW) - In the second season finale, Zoe plans a New York City vacation and encounters a medical emergency on the plane. Elsewhere, Lemon tries to get Glorianna to perform at the Rammer Jammer.

NCIS (8pm, CBS) - A Department of Defense investigator probes the team's response to the Bodnar case that involves the murders of Ziva's father and Vance's wife.

Constitution USA with Peter Sagal (9pm, UNC-TV) - NPR's Peter Sagal ("Wait Wait Don't Tell Me") undertakes a cross-country motorcycle trip to explore the relevance of the Constitution in modern America, starting with federal power vs. states' rights. Among the issues explored: medical marijuana, gun control and health care.

New Girl (9pm, Fox) - Jess' father (Rob Reiner) visits at an inopportune time, forcing Nick to spend some alone time with him.

The Mindy Project (9:30pm, Fox) - I'm so glad this show has gotten better and better all season. Tonight, Mindy is upset by Casey's decision to spend a year in Haiti, so she tags along with a premed student she's mentoring to a frat party, where she runs into her ex-boyfriend Tom. Also -- and more importantly -- Danny and Jeremy try to steal Morgan back from the midwives.

Awkward (10pm, MTV) - Jenna has second thoughts after Matty moves in. (In other news, I have missed a crucial episode!)

Chopped (10pm, Food) - Four mothers who are not professional chefs compete. For appetizers, they must break down an uncommon protein and incorporate coffee into their dishes.

Body of Proof (10pm, ABC) - A plane crashes in Philadelphia after a passenger opens fire, and the entire team pitch in to work the disaster. With the city's main power grid affected by the crash, Megan must conduct autopsies in between blackouts, and during one of them, a body goes missing.

Watch 'Kanish' -- the Zach Galifiankis SNL sketch cut from Saturday's show

I don't know why this sketch was cut from this weekend's "Saturday Night Live." I love it. It's Zach Galifianakis as Mac Bradkaw as Kanish and Bill Hader as Judd Hirsch as Sgt. Polack. Poorly timed freeze-frames have never been so funny. Enjoy.

Battaglia brothers still celebrating "The Amazing Race" win

A night after we learned they won "The Amazing Race" edition 22, Bates & Anthony Battaglia were on the phone surprisingly early after what seemed to be quite the party last night at Lucky B's, Bates' Glenwood South bar.

From what we can tell, the party hasn't stopped. The brothers sounded...celebratory. Indeed, the comments came so fast, we aren't exactly sure who said what much of the time.

But here's what we got.

How long did you have to keep that million-dollar secret?

"Too long!"

"If one more person asked me, I was gonna ..."

"Since December."

"Actually, it was fun. We like teasing people. Like every week I told people we were losing. And they'd come back and say, 'I thought you lost.'"

Are you still friends with the Blondes?

"Yeah, they're over right now. Want to talk to them?" (We expressed our disbelief.)

"We still talk to the country singers, we still talk to (the newlyweds) Max & Katie."

Even though, they called you old athletes last night?

"They did? I didn't hear that."

"That's OK. We're still extremely good looking. And we still won. They said that and we beat them."

You guys really played the game well. You had the athleticism, but you also took notes. But you also seemed to be able to make people like you enough that they didn't feel threatened.

"Yes, we're not just good looking, we're smart!"

"We're just friendly people. But if we have to beat you in a foot race, we'll do it. We're not going to be mean."

Speaking of mean, Bates, you were awfully mean to your brother during that Titanic task.

"Yeah, well. He didn't know what chartreuse looked like. I didn't know what chartreuse looked like. I was not happy."

"He can be mad at me for a second, but then we just keep going."

The other place you guys struggled seemed to be with navigation. Was that the taxis or do you have some problems with directions?

"We didn't want to look too good."

"It wasn't us!"

"We should have gotten a map every place we went, but we would rely on these maps Bates drew. That wasn't good. We should have gotten a map every time."

"Those maps worked sometimes."

OK, so besides the million, you won two trips and some cash. Do you have to take those trips together?

"I hope not!" (in unison)

Is there any place that you visited during the Race you'd like to go back to visit?

"I'd like to go back to Bora Bora and Africa. This is Anthony, for the record. That's where I want to go."

"I'm not going with you."

"You're not invited to go with me."

"Good, because I don't want to go."

What do you want to do with the million besides inviting everyone in Raleigh down to Lucky B's for a drink?

"That's it. That's all I want to do. Make sure you print that."

"L-G-Ripped"

"Hashtag"

"Yes, LGR hashtag."

"No, it should be hashtag LGR"

OK, guys, thanks. Congratulations again. I guess I'll see you around.

"We're going to have a new show."

"Tell her the name."

"It's 'Battaglia & Battaglia.' Handsome brothers do America! There will be lots of women and lots of drinking. Print that!"

Recap: Bates Battaglia and brother Anthony win "The Amazing Race 22"

Let's not bury the good news: I didn't waste 12 weeks of viewing and more than 30 hours of recapping!

But let's start at the beginning: there's a review of the four remaining teams with little bios. Bates & Anthony are described as having positive attitudes. They've been on a roller coaster, Phil says, and of course, there is talk of their relationship with the Blondes.

The Newlyweds leave first for Belfast. There they'll get into a Ford Fiesta and drive to a park. Bates & Anthony leave second; they'd like to see the Derby Moms get eliminated from the final four because they are tough. The feeling is mutual; the Derby Moms say they don't understand why the Newlyweds and the Blondes would work to help Bates & Anthony because they're such a strong team. I gotta say, the Derby Moms make a lot of sense. Bates & Anthony do seem to have special super powers of niceness that blind everyone to the fact that they are the most athletic team and they are no dummies either.

At any rate, the teams meet up on the ferry to Scotland and arrive to Belfast all at once. The teams run for their Fiestas and there's a directional divide. Bates & Anthony follow the Newlyweds; the Blondes and the Derby Moms go the other way. Bates & Anthony have been directionally challenged through the entire Race, but they know how to follow real good. They've made the right choice to follow the Newlyweds (after all, Mrs. Newlywed has a PhD), and they're in the mix with the second strongest team.

The next task involves one team member doing a cannonball into a muddy bog and swimming laps in a snorkel in under four minutes. Anthony does the task but Bates has the pleasure of helping to squeeze Anthony's 'junk' into a wet suit. Anthony says it's hard to breath in the mud, but nonetheless manages to do it in just over two minutes.

Next, Bates & Anthony have to find the 'Thing With a Ring," which turns out to be a statue. They get stuck in traffic which puts the Newlyweds and the Derby Moms ahead.

Awaiting them is a Detour. Tray It involves serving five courses to first-class passengers on the Titanic (the setting is the place where the Titanic was built); the food must be served in the correct order. When all courses are served, teams will get the next clue.

Spray It involves finishing one side of a piece of graffiti art by using a picture of the other half.

Spray It sounds fairly easy to me but Bates & Anthony choose Tray It. The Newlyweds start it first and figure out what will become the major hurdle: there's a menu list and there's a chart with seat assignments. Follow the menu list; the seat assignments are secondary and tell you, when there are menu options which items the person chose. If you follow the seating chart, you'll get it wrong.

But first Bates & Anthony have to figure out what consomme looks like. (The Derby Moms had to figure out how to pronounce it.)

Bates is doing the serving and Anthony is doing the plating. The serving involves not just carrying the tray, but carrying the tray about 100 yards back and forth and running up a bunch of stars. It's exhausting.

At first, Anthony makes the seating chart error, but he fairly quickly figures it out. Then Anthony drops the second course. Bates is not happy. By the time they get to the fifth course, it seems things are going well. It's dessert, after all. But Anthony can't get the dessert course right. The menu item is unfamiliar but it has the word 'chartreuse' in it. And Anthony thinks 'chartreuse' is red. It's not. It's yellowish or green.

It gets heated; Bates gets really mad and Anthony gets kind of scared. Anthony predicts Bates will kill him if he gets it wrong again; he gets it wrong again and Bates threatens to kill him. Bates calls Anthony the worse partner ever. It feels very big brother/little brother; like Bates used to beat up Anthony when they were kids. On the other hand, it's kind of interesting to see Bates lose it.

Even with the chartreuse debacle, Bates & Anthony are right behind the Newlyweds. It's pretty much a foot race to the pit stop. The Newlyweds win by a few seconds and get a trip to the Dominican Republic. Mr Newlywed talks stuff too: he says the Newlyweds won't be intimidated by some old athletes.

It's so cool that they'll soon eat those words with a side of chartreuse.

Sadly, though Bates & Anthony's friends, the Blondes are bested by the Derby Moms. After they were bested by the fact that one of the Blondes can't swim and had a freak out at the muddy bog.

Still, they leave graciously because they've seen that people are good all over the world.

It's down to the final 3. Bates says he doesn't want to relive the feeling of losing in a final like he did when he didn't win the Stanley Cup. Not winning, he says, is not an option.

The 12th leg has the Newlyweds leaving first, heading to Liverpool, then off to London to have a beer and get the clue for their final destination. Bates & Anthony say they feel freakin' awesome and Bates likes their chances of finding a bar because that plays to their strength. Yes, you can consider that a Lucky B's plug. Anthony correctly predicts that the Blondes are toast and the Derby Moms are in it.

Bates, in another show of his dark side, wishes a rough leg on the Newlyweds, like he and Anthony had after winning three legs in a row.

They're off to Washington, D.C. where Bates lived for a little while. The first clue sends them to the Lincoln Memorial and the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. Bates breaks out the dictionary and calls the speech 'iconic.'

From there, the teams are sent to 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue where they're told they'll take a picture with President Obama. Now, just think about that. The president of the United States who gets criticized when he takes a vacation is going to make time to take a picture with the contestants on a reality competition show.

As ridiculous as that sounds when you say it out loud, all the teams actually think the POTUS, the Leader of the Free World, is going to take a picture with them. Mr. Newlywed, a staunch Republican, even gets kind of excited, although when he discovers that it's just a green screen picture he tries to pretend that he's relieved. Bates took his scruffy hat off and everything. (Although I think the President would have said, "Please, put your hat back on." That hair. Ugh.)

The roadblock is a throwback. The teams have to say a code phrase to the right secret agent among 50 agents to get a case that opens with the combination that matches the order of their arrival in New Zealand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Bates takes the job and beats Mr. Newlywed, who started the task first. And he's written down the order of his finishes.

That sends Bates & Anthony to National Stadium where they must complete Play Ball, a task that involves one team member being suspended from a zip line. The flying team member has to toss a ball to the teammate below dressed in mascot garb (well, as a giant inflated baseball); the teammate must catch it. Anthony flies, Bates catches. Anthony feels confident because he and Bates played baseball as kids. Bates points out they didn't play baseball dressed as a giant baseball. That makes catching the ball like trying to catch with one eye closed. Still, Bates catches it on the second attempt.

That sends them to Go Global, which sends Anthony in a giant bin of blow up globes, some marked with the 10 countries they visited. Anthony has to toss the globes to Bates, Bates has to put them in the right order in which they visited and then the clue will be revealed. It's a bit of a Chuck E. Cheese nightmare, but with patience, Anthony succeeds. Anthony reveals that they would look at the maps on the plane rides to identify the countries; Bates admits he wouldn't have been able to identify the countries before the Race.

But they do find them, and that means they can head to George Washington's Mount Vernon, the finish line. On the way, Bates says he's so nervous the rest of his hair might fall out or turn gray. (Fall out! Fall out!) Anthony says win or lose, he wouldn't have wanted to do the Race with anyone else.

But of course, it's win, not lose. In Lucky B's shirts no less. Anthony head butts his brother in a display of joy. Phil brings up his false teeth, and Anthony says now he can buy new dentures. Bates says he hasn't felt like this in a long time; hockey hasn't given him that sense of triumph lately. The Race, they say, is really amazing. And the Blondes pledge to be friends for life.

All that's left to say is: Hey man, can I get a loan?

What to Watch on Monday: A drone strike on 'Castle'

How I Met Your Mother (8pm, CBS) - Years ago in Central Park, Robin buried a "something old" for her wedding, but now she can't find it.

Rihanna 777 (8pm, Fox) - Pop singer Rihanna invites fans and photographers along for the ride on her November 2012 tour that flew to seven countries for seven concerts.

Castle (10pm, ABC) - A whistle-blower is killed and the crime scene gets sealed by Homeland Security. As Castle and Beckett continue to pursue the case, they learn that the cause of death was not a car bomb but a missile from a military drone.

Dear Mom, Love Cher (10pm, Lifetime) - The life of Cher's mother, Georgia Holt, is explored, from her humble roots in Arkansas to her triumphs and disappointments as a singer and actress in Hollywood.

Bates Motel (10pm, A&E) - Norma encounters a mysterious stranger and Bradley becomes annoyed with rumors at school.

Hawaii Five-0 (10pm, CBS) - The body of a girl who was kidnapped 10 years ago is found and Five-0 searches for the culprits, who have now taken their next victim.

Revolution (10pm, NBC) - Miles and Neville find themselves on the same side of a cause, and Rachel and Aaron are captured by militia forces.

What to Watch on Sunday: Bates Battaglia could win 'Amazing Race' tonight

The Simpsons (8pm, Fox) - Lisa voices her displeasure at a hologram of music legend Bleeding Gums Murphy, and Sonny Rollins (as himself) shows up to ask her to stop boycotting the record label. Also, Grandpa is injured while babysitting Bart and then decides he'd rather be looked after by his grandson than by the nursing home.

Amazing Race 22 (8pm, CBS) - In the season finale, the final four teams continue to race in Belfast, Ireland, and former Carolina Hurricanes player Bates Battaglia and his brother Anthony (left) are in the mix. After one team is eliminated, the remaining players fly to Washington, D.C., and scour some of the city's historic landmarks for a chance to win $1 million. Will Bates and Anthony come out on top? Check back after the show for Adrienne's recap.

Mr. Selfridge (9pm, UNC-TV) - Arthur Conan Doyle convinces Harry to allow a seance to be held at the store. Also, Agnes transfers to the fashion department and develops a closer relationship with Henri.

Game of Thrones (9pm, HBO) - Robb considers a compromise to mend his alliance with House Frey. Meanwhile, Melisandre visits the Riverlands and Tywin plans strategic unions for the Lannisters.

Revenge (9pm, ABC) - Emily adjusts to being Daniel's fiancee again and plans her next move, but Aiden has trouble accepting her new role.

Nurse Jackie (9pm, Showtime) - A heavily medicated Jane Doe is brought into the ER and Jackie orders Zoey to find out her identity.

Mad Men (10pm, AMC) - Roger changes tack to make new business and Pete has an awkward run-in with a client.

The Bletchley Circle (10pm, UNC-TV) - In the Season 1 finale, the killer becomes obsessed with Susan and plants a series of false clues in order to lead her into a trap.

What to Watch on Saturday: Zach Galifianakis three-peats as SNL host

Cops (8pm, Fox) - Season 25 ends with officers from Las Vegas Metro Police dealing with an unruly suspect. (I hope I didn't give away any plot surprises!)

Smash (8pm, NBC) - A surprising incident occurs and connects "Bombshell" and "Hit List."

Doctor Who (8pm, BBC America) - Bodies are found in Victorian Yorkshire with skin that is waxy and glowing red.

My Cat From Hell (8pm, Animal Planet) - Jackson helps out when a cat who pees on everything comes between two roommates who have lived together for five years. Later, a cat is constantly bullying another cat int he same household.

Life with La Toya (10:30pm, OWN) - La Toya Jackson goes on a date with a firefighter in tonight's installment of this bizarre reality show. (Yes, it's a scrimpy night of TV.)

Saturday Night Live (11:29pm, NBC) - Zach Galifianakis (Can I say too many times that Zach is from North Carolina? Zach is from North Carolina.) hosts SNL for the third time. His musical guest is Of Monsters and Men.

What to Watch on Friday: Is it the ultimate ending for 'Happy Endings'?

Kitchen Nightmares (8pm, Fox) - Chef Ramsay helps the owners of a Cajun-style restaurant in Nashville, who had to relocate their eatery after Hurricane Katrina and have been unable to rebuild their customer base.

Happy Endings (8pm, ABC) - Back-to-back new episodes close out Season 3. In the first, Penny's mom (Megan Mullally, left) and Dave's dad (Michael McKean, left), who have been dating, visit and announce that they'd like to adopt a baby. In the second, Alex and Jane's older sister, the alpha female, is getting married and Jane is charged with planning the wedding. ABC has not yet announced whether "Happy Endings" will get a fourth season. (Please, ABC!)

30 Days in May (8pm, BET) - Boxer Floyd Mayweather's 2012 stint in jail for domestic battery in an incident involving his ex-girlfriend is chronicled.

Maron (10pm, IFC) - A new series based on the life of comedian and celebrated podcaster Marc Maron. In tonight's opener, an abusive tweeter torments Marc, so he decides to teach the internet troll a lesson. Dave Foley guest stars tonight (future guests include Denis Leary, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Jeff Garlin and others). This isn't a particularly strong debut -- Maron seems a little awkward and uncomfortable in the lead actor spot -- but that gets better in later episodes, so definitely check back next week. (In fact, next week's episode with Denis Leary is online right now if you want to check it out.)

Blue Bloods (10pm, CBS) - Danny blames himself when a young woman commits suicide because he had made a promise to her in the wake of her parents' death. Meanwhile, violence involving a gang at a housing project erupts and effects the Reagans.

Ke$ha (10pm, Logo) - Ke$ha meets an inspiring fan in Manchester, England, in the opener of this series following the life and career of the pop singer.