We won't admit to watching Cashmere Mafia (at least not yet), but Eli Stone? It's worth it's TiVo timeslot and then some. If you haven't been watching the new series or missed our earlier post, it stars Jonny Lee Miller (one-time husband of Angelina Jolie) as a hot shot (and plain hot) San Fran attorney who suddenly gets communiques from a higher power, leading him to use his legal skills to do … good. Some might argue the calls from above are the result of the brain aneurysm he's living with; others argue he's a prophet.

But the hook? The messages from God, or whoever, are delivered in the form of song. Originally, we thought they were all going to be George Michael songs, though last night's came from the Rascal's "Good Loving." (Michael, who even cameoed in the first episode, does have the names of his songs being used as the names of each episode.)

We've already had "Freedom" and "Father Figure." Last night's episode, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," was just the right mix of musical camp and dramedy. And it was tres entertaining.

After the jump, a clip from the first episode, with Michael's "Faith."

CONTINUED »

Hysterical news anchor Alycia Lane ain't laughing this morning. Philadelphia's ABC brass decided to sack Lane after the brunette went ape shit last month in New York.

Alycia Lane "has been released from her contract effective immediately," KYW-TV said in a statement Monday, the day she had been due back on air.

Lane is accused of scuffling with a plainclothes female officer during a traffic dispute last month. A police complaint also said she used a sexual slur. Lane has denied the allegations.
…
"After assessing the overall impact of a series of incidents resulting from judgments she has made, we have concluded that it would be impossible for Alycia to continue to report the news as she, herself, has become the focus of so many news stories," station president and general manager Michael Colleran said in the statement.

Lane's attorney described the dismissal as "unfair".

In case you don't recall, Lane allegedly attacked a female copper, whom she called a "dyke bitch". We'd expect such language from Michael Savage, not a pretty female reporter. Of course, Lane's not the most stable: she once emailed steamy pictures of herself to married Rich Eisen. No wonder Playboy wants Lane's goods.

Oh, brother!

Gay Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz has been "ousted" from his hit ABC show. Writes Baitz:

I have left the show I created, Brothers & Sisters, from which I was ousted, not fired, an important distinction, to set the whisperers down the lane straight, so to speak.
…
[I am] no longer the instigator of plot, and no longer the voice of the thing. It is no longer in my dreams. I do not wake up and make notes about future episodes.
…
With my show no longer actually even remotely mine, I had no reason to stay west.

Baitz doesn't get into the specifics of the backstage drama, but the South African native says he's happy "being back in New York, the essential grown-up city." As opposed to Los Angeles, which is run by children.

ABC's post-strike season may be saved. The ever-progressive television network has order a masculine spin-off of their female-identified familial rehabilitation reality show, Supernanny. James Hibberd anticipates your titular prediction:

ABC has ordered a pilot for a spin-off to its reality series Supernanny, sources say.

The project puts a gender twist on the familiar Supernanny format. This time, a male child care worker will take a tough-love approach to fixing chaotic households.

The working title is, yes, Supermanny.

The saddest part of this news is that they ordered - and presumably named - the show before the strike.

Matthew Rhys has no qualms playing gay on Brothers & Sisters. In fact, the only down side, the Welshman tells The Advocate, comes when people find out he's not gay.

Dennis Hensley writes:

At a burger stand in the heart of West Hollywood, Calif., Matthew Rhys was straight-bashed. Sort of, anyway. "This huge, muscley guy came up to me and went 'gay power' and sort of punched me… Then the man went, "You're gay, right?" I went, "No, I'm not." he went, "You're not? Oh, I feel betrayed…"

Rhys also tells Hensley that playing gay has some unforeseen romantic advantages.

When you’re in a relationship with a girl, you go to set and you go, ‘I’m going to make out with [Sex and the City’s] Jason Lewis.’ And they go, ‘Oh, you lucky thing,’ and they feel totally secure about it. But if you go to set and you have to make out with a hot blond girl, then you have the argument.

And what of that kiss with Jason Lewis, who reportedly didn't dig the idea. "He was a consummate professional."

In addition to the Rhys piece, the next issue of The Advocate includes a handy guide to gay-friendly businesses and a chat with actor Bobby Cannavale, who played gay on Will & Grace and in The Night Listener. Like so many journalists before him, Brandon Voss asks the requisite "dude crush" question. Cannavale's response: Derek Jeter.

We have a feeling that could be arranged…

Steve Bartelstein lost his WABC job after showing up late for work and, in some cases, not showing up at all. While some thought the handsome journo's career would be consumed by crystal meth, we're pleased to hear that Bartelstein's landed a gig at CBS.

Of course, the Facts of Life law requires us to take the good and the bad. That said, we're sorry to say that Bartelstein's got testicular cancer. That cancer, Bartelstein, may explain his ABC tardiness:

Doctors say this had long been in my system. I'm not one to complain nor say anything disparaging. But it's possible my weariness at work was the result of this illness. I'd been showing extreme fatigue for a period of time. Even while I was still on-air, my mother said, 'I notice you're lethargic these days.' "

A mother always knows.

Now that he faces radiation and chemo, Bartelstein insists he's going to hold his head high: "I won't go the hairpiece route. I'll be knowledgeable, charming - and bald."

The View producers seem to have made the right move when they hired Whoopi Goldberg. Variety reported earlier this week that ratings are higher than ever for the daily talk show. While Goldberg, Barbara Walters and the girl are no doubt thrilled, a fan of former co-host Rosie O'Donnell's seeing red.

In a post on her nonsensical blog, a Rosie reader questions ABC's Nielsen numbers:

While im all about creative use of ratings, I think we need to do something with the lovely people at the view insisting that the ratings are up without rosie when in fact they are not…

Rosie goes on to cite numbers showing ratings are down 9 percent among a core demographic, women between the ages of 18 and 35. ABC, however, stands by their numbers and say total viewers are up about 400,000 compared to the same time during Rosie's reign.

GLAAD hooked up with ABC stars to combat homophobia in their new "Be An Ally, Be A Friend" campaign. Click play to see what Ana Ortiz, Sara Ramirez, Rebecca Romijn, Eric Mabius, Becki Newton, T.R. Knight, Michael Urie, Rachel Griffiths and Kate Walsh have to say.

(Thanks to AfterElton!)

Despite reports to the contrary, David Beckham will not be guest starring on Desperate Housewives.

The super star soccer stud was rumored to appear on the ABC sudster with fellow Brit, Robbie Williams.

The equally attactive Eva Longoria put gossip to rest yesterday:

I talked to Victoria the other day. I told her about that rumour, she was laughing. David had a good laugh out of it. No, they are not coming on the show.

Never fear, queers: the hour-long drama will still be getting gay when Tuk Watkins and Kevin Rahm join as a same-sex couple.

In other George Michael-related news (because he, more than anyone, deserves two stories in one day) - the 44-year old queer will play former Mr. Angelina Jolie Jonny Lee Miller's guardian angel in a new ABC drama, Eli Stone.

No word on whether Michael's angel will be made of dust…

Homo media watchdogs GLAAD released their first ever televisual comparison today, the Network Responsibility Index.

CONTINUED »

• Country crooner Faith Hill does not tolerate other women's hands on hubby Tim McGraw's package. An overzealous fan learned that the - (turn and) cough - hard way when she got too friendly at a concert this weekend. Hill wasn't trying to make any friends when she chastised the cock grabber:

Somebody needs to teach you some class, my friend. You don’t go grabbin’ somebody else’s, somebody’s husband’s balls, you understand me? That’s very disrespectful.

Read those first two sentences and tell us that's not the best study in contradiction since the concept of "friendly fire"

• Two lawyers, their sex club tenant and the legal space in-between.

• French actor Michel Serrault, best known for his stage and film work on La Cage aux Folles (The Bird Cage), has died.

• AfterElton offers you ten gay superheroes "you (probably) haven't of"! We know Lord Fanny. She's awesome. Except when she turns into that scary monster. That's not so awesome.

CONTINUED »

The Desperate Housewives are getting a gay neighbor next season. Two of them, in fact.

The ABC series' gay creator, Marc Cherry, confirms a queer couple will be moving into the struggling soap. While the actors have yet to be named, Cherry says the gays, who are moving into Alfre Woodard's old digs, will butt heads with Teri Hatcher's character, Susan. Cherry tells AfterElton:

We're going to have the first male desperate housewives. They will move into the old Applewhite house and one of the gay men will just have a fractious, hateful relationship with Teri Hatcher.
…
I just decided to have them move onto the street and have as many issues as any other couple. And Susan wants to be so politically correct and show how open-minded she is and she puts her foot in her mouth instantly and it goes downhill from there. I'm basing it a little bit on my relationship with my neighbors.

Though Cherry's not leaking any of the juicy details, he promises the show's other gay character - Marcia Cross' evil son, Andrew, played by Shawn Pyfrom - will be back to his old tricks this season.

CONTINUED »