ELI STONE

Creative, funny, touching, heartwarming, original; these are all words that aptly describe this mid-season replacement show. Finally, a program that can capture and keep my attention, as well as my heart. This show is so good in fact that I have to ask myself why it wasn't put on in the beginning of the season. In the past, mid-season replacements were the shows that the networks didn't have a lot of faith in, and they were used to occupy our time while the real shows went on hiatus for the holidays. I'm not sure if that's how they still go about it, but if so, they really missed the mark on this one.

Not only is ELI STONE far better than any other show that has recently been put on air, it's better than most of the new shows that debuted to big hype in the beginning of the season. If you've heard about this show and were turned off because of the heavily promoted George Michael angle, don't worry, thus far George has only made an appearance in the premier episode. If you are a George Michael fan, there is at least one more episode that high-lites him. Whichever side you fall on, this show is about much more than the 80s pop icon.

The premise of the show is as follows; ELI STONE suddenly starts having hallucinations, which he comes to find out is what his wayward father suffered through during Eli's childhood. So, as if hallucinations weren't enough, Eli has to contend with the guilt he's suffering over the hostility and anger he's felt toward his late father most of his life. If it all sounds too heavy for you, there are plenty of lighter moments to break up the seriouseness of the medical issue. For example; in one episode Eli believed a World War II fighter jet was chasing him down the street of San Fransisco. Than there's Eli's confidant and guide through this crazy journey, who happens to be an accupunturist who believes using a fake chinese accent will help promote his business. I could tell you more, but you really have to see it for yourself to do the show justice. If you can allow yourself to be taken on a ride that suspends your belief of reality, ELI STONE just may be for you.

BIG BROTHER 9

No, it isn't summer time yet, but thanks to the writer's strike, which is thankfully finally over, CBS decided to throw together a shorter season of it's hit reality show BIG BROTHER. Now, when this show first came on the air, CBS had high hopes it would hit the same ratings bonanza that SURVIVOR did. Unfortunately, the first cycle of BIG BROTHER was painfully boring to watch. The premise is much the same as MTV's jugernaut, THE REAL WORLD. You put total strangers in a house together and watch the fireworks start. The difference between the two is that in THE REAL WORLD, you can't be older than 25 and they get to be part of the world around them. in BIG BROTHER, they are in a house on the CBS lot, they are allowed no outside contact, which includes TV, newspapers or phone calls and they are in a competition to be the lone survivor.

Like I said, the first installment of this show was slower than molases. Originally, the show was on the air five days a week, it was unedited and the evening broadcasts were clips of what happened during that same day. After seeing how boring that was, they revamped the show and made it a little edgier. Now, it is on three days a week and it is a compelation of edited clips from the previous several days. Oh, and in the beginning, BIG BROTHER had a pretty fair mix of young and old contestestants, now 99 percent of the cast is good -looking and in their twenties. However, there is usually the obligatory older person, and by older I mean in their early 40's, thrown in to mix things up a bit.

While I give CBS credit for making BIG BROTHER more excited with these changes, I can't help but be a bit resentfull that they turned it into a network version of THE REAL WORLD. Even more depressing is the fact that this has made a difference in their ratings. I guess our society doesn't want to see middle-aged people on TV. I see their point, I mean if you filled the house with experienced adults you wouldn't get the catty bitch-fights or bed-hopping that you do now, and really, that is more exciting to watch.

This season BIG BROTHER had has tried to ensure we get even more of that, by pairing the contestants up with their soul mates. After taking personality tests, the producers matched up the people who they thought would click and are making them play the game together, which includes sleeping together in the same bed, being put up for eviction together and winning or losing together. Pretty interesting twist, I admit, but I'm afraid it will hamper people's game play. The show just started last week, so we'll have to see if this premise works out, but even if it doesn't, we still have the Summer installment to look forward to.

NIP/TUCK

"Tell me what you don't like about yourself?" That's the question that opens up one of the most creative TV shows to hit the airwaves since THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Doctors McNamarra and Troy may be new to Hollywood, but they are veterans of the beauty industry. The show originally had these plastic surgeons with the magic hands working in the hip world of South Beach, Florida, but they have since moved their practice to the home of fake youth, Los Angeles.

NIP/TUCK is more than just your average TV drama; with storylines that range from fixing a porn stars broken eye socket after she had her female co-star punch her in the face during filming to tightening the female parts of the rich divorcees in town, this show keeps you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think they can't come up with a freakier plot, they hit you with something that's wild, shocking and delicious to watch. The best part of their storylines is the fact that they are pulled from real life! If you want to know how messed up and vain our society is, look no further than FX on Tuesday night.

Thus far this season we have seen the sexy DR. Christian Troy accidently push the mother of his son over his balcony during a session of angry sex, a man murdered by Sean's mentally deranged agent who literally stuffed him to death and Sean's ex-wife dump her lesbian lover to finally give in to her undying passion for her ex's partner. And that, my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg! If you are tired of the rehashed junk that passes for TV programming lately, you must watch this show. Be forwarned though, some of the scenes are extremely dirty; like the one where Sean's ex-girlfriend released her bowels all over the hot tub they were both luxuriating in. Trust me, if fit perfectly into the story.

But it isn't just good story telling that keeps viewers watching, it's the chance to watch two of the best looking men on TV go at it week after week. After you watch just one episode, you'll be asking "what don't I like about myself."

UGLY BETTY

Not only is UGLY BETTY one of the most well-written and acted shows on TV, it is also socially relevant. Now that's saying a lot for an entertainment mediam that most people feel is mostly just fluff. Why, you may ask, do I believe this show has a positive impact on society? Well, let's take a look at the message it sends. First of all, it's a show about an "ugly" girl who not only doesn't feel or act as if she's ugly, neither do the people around her. At least they don't once they get to know her and how smart and kind she is, in fact the show even has a blog written by Betty that gives out advice. That's a powerful message in a world that seems so enamored with the prettiest and thinnest actresses out there. The images girls like Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan protray are ones that tell young girls, and us older ones, I might add, that in order to be loved or taken seriously, you must basically be a walking Qtip. But the show goes even further than that.

Betty Suarez is a first-generation Latin American, which means ABC had the courage to showcase a main character who isn't lilly white. Not only that, UGLY BETTY also showcases an African American woman in a prominant role of second in command at the ficticious high-fashion magazine that Betty works out. Than you have the transgendered CEO of the magazine conglomerate. The best part of all this is the fact that this diversity is given little mention, which means the focus is on the emotional connections they all make and the work interaction they experience. In a time so filled with racial disharmony, that's a breath of fresh air. But no matter how politically correct a show may be, it must also entertain.

UGLY BETTY does that in spades. With storylines like the one where the editor and his sister play paint ball to see who will get control of the top position in the company, to how Betty copes with the fact that her beloved, Henry, has gotten his ex pregnant and must leave town as soon as the baby is born. UGLY BETTY is funny, touching and inspirational, and I highly recommend it as an addition to your Thursday night entertainment.