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The nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced early this morning at 5:38 am in Los Angeles by Anne Hathaway and Academy President Tom Sherak.

There was no big surprises, in fact all the previous award nominations for the Golden Globes, SAGs etc are pretty much the same as the Oscar nominations.
Avatar and The Hurt Locker both lead the pack with nine nominations each, which also sees directors (and ex-husband/wife) James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow going up against each other.
Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will each co-host the ceremony which airs live March 7 on ABC. What are your picks to win the awards?
Nominations after the jump!!!
Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Best Director
Avatar, James Cameron
The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, Lee Daniels
Up in the Air, Jason Reitman
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Colin Firth in A Single Man
Morgan Freeman in Invictus
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Helen Mirren in The Last Station
Carey Mulligan in An Education
Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in Invictus
Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz in Nine
Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Best Animated Feature
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up
Best Foreign Language Film
Ajami, Israel
The Milk of Sorrow, Peru
A Prophet, France
El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina
The White Ribbon, Germany
Best Adapted Screenplay
An Education, Nick Hornby
District 9, Neil Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
In the Loop, Jesse Armstrong & Simon Blackwell & Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air, Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Best Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger, Alessandro Camon & Owen Moverman
A Serious Man, Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Up, Pete Docter & Thomas McCarthy & Bob Peterson
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All the movie award shows have been going on lately but last night it was time for the music awards, yep the 2010 Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles

It was Beyonce‘s night who took home a whopping 6 Grammys, setting a record for the most wins ever by a female in one night. Taylor Swift also had a big night taking home awards 4 awards including Album Of The Year while Lady GaGa herself had a great night and gave a whopping performance with Elton John.
There was a Michael Jackson tribute performance by Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson. Two of Jackson’s children Prince and Paris came up on stage to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award for their father.
Take the jump for the full winners list!!
Album of the Year: Fearless — Taylor Swift
Song of the Year: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)†— Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Best Solo Rock Performance: “Working on a Dream†— Bruce Springsteen
Record of the Year: “Use Somebody†— Kings of Leon
Best Country Album: Fearless — Taylor Swift
Best Rock Album: 21st Century Breakdown — Green Day
Best Hard Rock Performance: “War Machine†— AC/DC
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: “Run This Town†— Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West
Best Dance Recording: “Poker Face†— Lady Gaga
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Halo†— Beyoncé
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: “Use Somebody†— Kings of Leon
Best New Artist: Zac Brown Band
Best Electronic/Dance Album: The Fame — Lady Gaga
Best Alternative Music Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix — Phoenix
Best Contemporary R&B Album: I Am… Sasha Fierce — Beyoncé
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)†— Beyoncé
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: “I Gotta Feeling†— The Black Eyed Peas
Best Rock Song: “Use Somebody†— Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
Best Pop Vocal Album: The E.N.D. — The Black Eyed Peas
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: “Pretty Wings†— Maxwell
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: “Blame It†— Jamie Foxx & T-Pain
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: “At Last†— Beyoncé
Best Rock Instrumental Performance: “A Day in the Life†— Jeff Beck
Best Urban/Alternative Performance: “Pearls†— India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore
Best R&B Song: “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)†— Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Best Rap Solo Performance: “D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)†— Jay-Z
Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group: “Crack a Bottle†— Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
Best Rap Song: “Run This Town†— Jeff Bhasker, Shawn Carter, Robyn Fenty, Kanye West & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Athanasios Alatas, songwriter) (Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West)
Best Rap Album: Relapse — Eminem
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: “Make It Mine†— Jason Mraz
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: “Lucky†— Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
Best Female Country Vocal Performance: “White Horse†— Taylor Swift
Best Male Country Vocal Performance: “Sweet Thing†— Keith Urban
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album — Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden — Michael Bublé
Best Metal Performance: “Dissident Aggressor†— Judas Priest
Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: “I Run to You†— Lady Antebellum
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: “I Told You So†— Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis
Best Country Song: “White Horse†— Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
Best Americana Album: Electric Dirt — Levon Helm
Best Contemporary Blues Album: Already Free — The Derek Trucks Band
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: Slumdog Millionaire — Various Artists, A.R. Rahman, producer
Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: “Jai Ho†(From Slumdog Millionaire) — Gulzar, A.R. Rahman & Tanvi Shah, songwriters (A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalaxmi Iyer & Vijay Prakash)
Best Recording Package: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today — Stefan Sagmeister, art director (David Byrne & Brian Eno)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972) — Gary Burden, Jenice Heo & Neil Young, art directors (Neil Young)
Best Short Form Music Video: “Boom Boom Pow†— The Black Eyed Peas
Best Long Form Music Video: “The Beatles Love – All Together Now†— (Various Artists)
Best Comedy Album: A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! — Stephen Colbert
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We’ve been getting some previews of the 2010 Pirelli Calendar for the past six months, well now we can finally present you with the full calendar.

The models include the likes of Miranda Kerr, Ana Beatriz Barros, Lily Cole, Eniko Mihalik, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Catherine McNeil, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Daisy Lowe, Gracie Carvalho, Marloes Horst and Georgina Stojiljkovic.
There is only 12 months in the year but Terry Richardson managed to get us a total of 30 photos for this calendar. There isn’t enough words to describe how hot this calendar is and there is lots of nakedness.
NSFW Photos After The Jump!!!
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Allie Is Wired linked with Heidi Montag’s Deep Thoughts & The Hot Links!
AskMen have released their annual list of the most desirable women for the year 2010, last year Eva Mendes topped the list, she isn’t holding on to that spot anymore.
I’m going to post the top 10 in photos and then put the rest of the women in the jump below, I’m actually very surprised that Emmanuelle Chriqui tops the list. Like yeah she is hot and everything but she isn’t really the hottest women of the year is she?

01. Emmanuelle Chriqui

02. Marisa Miller

03. Kate Beckinsale

04. Alessandra Ambrosio

05. Jessica Alba

06. Beyonce

07. Penelope Cruz

08. Cheryl Cole

09. Eva Mendes

10. Miranda Kerr
Readers of AskMen voted in an online poll of who they think are the hottest women in the world and this is the results that came from that poll.
To view the rest of the women then take the jump!!!
11. Megan Fox
12. Gisele Bundchen
13. Bar Refaeli
14. Erin Andrews
15. Padma Lakshmi
16. Kelly Brook
17. Natalie Portman
18. January Jones
19. Monica Bellucci
20. Paz Vega
21. Kristen Stewart
22. Keeley Hazell
23. Scarlett Johansson
24. Adriana Lima
25. Layla Kayleigh
26. Malin Akerman
27. Jessica Biel
28. Heidi Klum
29. Odette Yustman
30. Olivia Munn
31. Brooklyn Decker
32. Mila Kunis
33. Zoe Saldana
34. Salma Hayek
35. Audrina Patridge
36. Katy Perry
37. Giada De Laurentiis
38. Shakira
39. Emma Stone
40. Zooey Deschanel
41. Ashley Greene
42. Kim Kardashian
43. Elisabetta Canalis
44. Emily Scott
45. Lakshmi Menon
46. Grace Park
47. Brooke Burke
48. Megan Gale
49. Olivia Wilde
50. Freida Pinto
51. Taylor Swift
52. Holly Weber
53. Emily Blunt
54. Marion Cotillard
55. Emma Watson
56. Rihanna
57. Lucy Pinder
58. Christina Hendricks
59. Coco Rocha
60. Eliza Dushku
61. Anne Hathaway
62. Ivanka Trump
63. Aishwarya Rai
64. Jennifer Hawkins
65. Maria Sharapova
66. Halle Berry
67. Izabel Goulart
68. Gina Carano
69. Leona Lewis
70. Tricia Helfer
71. Sophie Monk
72. Ana Ivanovic
73. Alesha Dixon
74. Eva Longoria
75. Leighton Meester
76. Kristen Bell
77. Joanna Krupa
78. Chelsea Handler
79. Anna Paquin
80. Selita Ebanks
81. Whitney Port
82. Jessica Simpson
83. Diane Kruger
84. Cate Blanchett
85. Blake Lively
86. Kristen Wiig
87. Maria Menounos
88. Angelina Jolie
89. Denise Milani
90. Carrie Underwood
91. Julia Allison
92. Carey Mulligan
93. Audrey Tautou
94. Alexa Chung
95. Erin Burnett
96. Diora Baird
97. Sasha Grey
98. Arianny Celeste
99. Jamie-Lynn Sigler
source: Top 99 Women [AskMen]
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The 2010 BAFTA nominations have been released and they are dominated by Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and An Education which all have eight nominations.

You may notice that Sandra Bullock isn’t nominated for Leading Actress for her role in The Blind Side, this is because she is ineligible as the movie hasn’t opened in the UK yet.
The ceremony will be held in London on February 21, for the full list of nominations click the jump below.
BEST FILM
AVATAR – James Cameron, Jon Landau
AN EDUCATION – Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer
THE HURT LOCKER – Nominees TBC
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE – Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
UP IN THE AIR – Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Daniel Dubiecki
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
AN EDUCATION – Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer, Lone Scherfig, Nick Hornby
FISH TANK – Kees Kasander, Nick Laws, Andrea Arnold
IN THE LOOP – Kevin Loader, Adam Tandy, Armando Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche
MOON – Stuart Fenegan, Trudie Styler, Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker [fuck yeah!]
NOWHERE BOY – Kevin Loader, Douglas Rae, Robert Bernstein, Sam Taylor-Wood, Matt Greenhalgh
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
LUCY BAILEY, ANDREW THOMPSON, ELIZABETH MORGAN HEMLOCK, DAVID PEARSON – Directors, Producers – Mugabe and the White African
ERAN CREEVY – Writer/Director – Shifty
STUART HAZELDINE – Writer/Director – Exam
DUNCAN JONES – Director – Moon
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD – Director – Nowhere Boy
DIRECTOR
AVATAR – James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 – Neill Blomkamp
AN EDUCATION – Lone Scherfig
THE HURT LOCKER – Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – Quentin Tarantino
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE HANGOVER – Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
THE HURT LOCKER – Mark Boal
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – Quentin Tarantino
A SERIOUS MAN – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
UP – Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
DISTRICT 9 – Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
AN EDUCATION – Nick Hornby
IN THE LOOP – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE – Geoffrey Fletcher
UP IN THE AIR – Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
BROKEN EMBRACES – AgustÃn Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar
COCO BEFORE CHANEL – Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Philippe Carcassonne, Anne Fontaine
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN – Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Tomas Alfredson
A PROPHET – Pascale Caucheteux, Marco Chergui, Alix Raynaud, Jacques Audiard
THE WHITE RIBBON – Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Margaret Menegoz, Michael Haneke
ANIMATED FILM
CORALINE – Henry Selick
FANTASTIC MR FOX – Wes Anderson
UP – Pete Docter
LEADING ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES – Crazy Heart
GEORGE CLOONEY – Up in the Air
COLIN FIRTH – A Single Man
JEREMY RENNER – The Hurt Locker
ANDY SERKIS – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
LEADING ACTRESS
CAREY MULLIGAN – An Education
SAOIRSE RONAN – The Lovely Bones
GABOUREY SIDIBE – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
MERYL STREEP – Julie & Julia
AUDREY TAUTOU – Coco Before Chanel
SUPPORTING ACTOR
ALEC BALDWIN – It’s Complicated
CHRISTIAN McKAY – Me and Orson Welles
ALFRED MOLINA – An Education
STANLEY TUCCI – The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ – Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
ANNE-MARIE DUFF – Nowhere Boy
VERA FARMIGA – Up in the Air
ANNA KENDRICK – Up in the Air
MO’NIQUE – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – Nowhere Boy
MUSIC
AVATAR – James Horner
CRAZY HEART – T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton
FANTASTIC MR FOX – Alexandre Desplat
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL – Chaz Jankel
UP – Michael Giacchino
CINEMATOGRAPHY
AVATAR – Mauro Fiore
DISTRICT 9 – Trent Opaloch
THE HURT LOCKER – Barry Ackroyd
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – Robert Richardson
THE ROAD – Javier Aguirresarobe
EDITING
AVATAR – Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 – Julian Clarke
THE HURT LOCKER – Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – Sally Menke
UP IN THE AIR – Dana E. Glauberman
PRODUCTION DESIGN
AVATAR – Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
DISTRICT 9 – Philip Ivey, Guy Poltgieter
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE – Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS – Nominees TBC
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco
COSTUME DESIGN
BRIGHT STAR – Janet Patterson
COCO BEFORE CHANEL – Catherine Leterrier
AN EDUCATION – Odile Dicks-Mireaux
A SINGLE MAN – Arianne Phillips
THE YOUNG VICTORIA – Sandy Powell
SOUND
AVATAR – Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson, Addison Teague
DISTRICT 9 – Nominees TBC
THE HURT LOCKER – Ray Beckett, Paul N. J. Ottosson, Craig Stauffer
STAR TREK – Peter J. Devlin, Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Mark Stoeckinger, Ben Burtt
UP – Tom Myers, Michael Silvers, Michael Semanick
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
AVATAR – Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones
DISTRICT 9 – Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE – John Richardson, Tim Burke, Tim Alexander, Nicolas Aithadi
THE HURT LOCKER – Richard Stutsman
STAR TREK – Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton
MAKE UP & HAIR
COCO BEFORE CHANEL – Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen, Jane Milon
AN EDUCATION – Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS – Sarah Monzani
NINE – Peter ‘Swords’ King
THE YOUNG VICTORIA – Jenny Shircore
SHORT ANIMATION
THE HAPPY DUCKLING – Gili Dolev
MOTHER OF MANY – Sally Arthur, Emma Lazenby
THE GRUFFALO – Michael Rose, Martin Pope, Jakob Schuh, Max Lang
SHORT FILM
14 – Asitha Ameresekere
I DO AIR – James Bolton, Martina Amati
JADE – Samm Haillay, Daniel Elliott
MIXTAPE – Luti Fagbenle, Luke Snellin
OFF SEASON – Jacob Jaffke, Jonathan van Tulleken
source: The official nominations for the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2010. [BAFTA]
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So did you all watch the 67th Golden Glove Awards last night? I did and surprisingly I actually thought it was pretty good. Ricky Gervais did a great job at hosting the ceremony.

Let’s take a look at the list of winners shall we? ….
Best Actor Television, Drama- Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Best Supporting Actor Television, Drama- John Lithgow, Dexter
Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture- Mo’nique, Precious
Best Animated Feature Film- Up
Best Original Song, Motion Picture- Crazy Heart, “The Weary Kindâ€
Best Original Score, Motion Picture- Up, Michael Giacchino
Best Actress Television, Drama- Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Best Actress Television Series, Comedy- Toni Collette- United States of Tara
Best Actress Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical- Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Actor Mini-series, Drama- Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Best Actress Mini-series- Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture- Up in the Air, Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Best Actor Television, Comedy- Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television- Grey Gardens
Best Foreign Language Film- The White Ribbon
Best Television Series Drama- Mad Men
Best Supporting Actress Mini-series- Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture- Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Bastards
Best Director Motion Picture- James Cameron, Avatar
Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical- Glee
Best Actor Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical- Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Best Actor Motion Picture, Drama- Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress Motion Picture, Drama- Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best Motion Picture, Cmomedy or Musical- The Hangover
Best Motion Picture, Drama- Avatar
None of these really surprise me but I don’t think Avatar is the best drama movie, my vote would have been for Up In The Air or The Hurt Locker. Then again these ceremonies are usually all about money. What are your thoughts on the winners?
source: 2010 Golden Globes Full Winners List & Photos [Allie Is Wired]
Popularity: unranked [?]
The new year is upon us and that means we will get a batch of new and old TV shows popping up in the coming weeks, so here is a list of what is apparently the top shows that you and I should be tuning into.

“Human Target” Premieres January 17 on Fox
An action show based on a DC Comics graphic novel – yeah, boys are gonna love it. Ex-”Fringe”-r Mark Valley stars as Christopher Chance, a private security guard who integrates himself into his clients’ lives and then makes himself a human target in order to draw the threat out. But what drives him? Hmmm, cue fingers drumming on table. The preternaturally chiseled Valley is assisted by “Pushing Daisies” vet Chi McBride and “Watchmen” weirdo Jackie Earle Haley. No love interest has been announced. So yeah, girls are gonna need that.

“Lost” Final season premieres February 2 on ABC
It’s not a new series, but it deserves to be on this list because a lot of newbies (and oldies who’d given up) are going to want to tune in to catch what’s sure to be a crackerjack last season of “Lost.” Most shows keep going until they run out of gas and get cancelled, leaving the creators with little time to wrap up loose ends. But the makers of “Lost” knew they’d need to plot the finale to their twisty show long in advance, so back in 2007 they got ABC to agree to an end date of May, 2010 – even though the show was and is a ratings powerhouse – so they could start working backwards and make sure everything hung together. Mysteries like the smoke monster will finally have to be solved (or I’m starting a riot, dammit!), so apparently the sixth season will no longer devote precious minutes to flash forwards and other time travel business. But surely it’ll find time to show Jack and Sawyer with their shirts off again, no? Or else, you know – riot!

“Past Life” Premieres February 11 on Fox
You must watch at least one episode of this show just to enjoy how incredibly bad it is. And perhaps you’ll only have a chance to watch one episode of this show – that’s just how bad it is. Though it’s reportedly inspired by the novel “The Reincarnationist,” about a guy who goes to an institute specializing in the past-life memories of children to help him figure out why he’s remembering being a pagan priest in ancient Rome, it’s more plausibly inspired by the sound of TV executives scraping the bottom of the crime show barrel. In lieu of the novel’s “Da Vinci Code” intrigue, the show is a straightforward procedural, pitting a female believer (Kelli Giddish of “All My Children”) opposite a macho skeptic (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away”) as they investigate unsolved crimes by talking to people who are going through some sort of past life regression. The pilot episode has a teenage boy remember being a little girl who was drowned a couple months before he was born. Oh, the angsty faces! Oh, the silliness! You’ll die laughing, but don’t worry – you’ll be reincarnated so you can laugh at this show again.

“Parenthood” Premieres March 1 on NBC
Ron Howard had a family comedy hit on his hands with “Parenthood” in 1989, starring Steve Martin as the eldest brother in a loopily loveable clan. Two decades, a couple of Oscars and another family comedy (“Arrested Development”) later, Howard’s finally getting around to milking that cash cow on the boob tube. The TV version of “Parenthood” doesn’t seem to have been updated much. There’s still a single mom (Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls”), a ne’er-do-well brother (Dax Shepard) and an earnest dad (Peter Krause from “Six Feet Under”). But now the controlling parent played by Rick Moranis in the movie has gender-bended into Erika Christensen in the series. Judging from the trailer, the pieces don’t seem to fit together as well this time. (Do you really buy Krause as a dedicated family man?) But if anyone can spin a laugh out of sweetly dysfunctional family dynamics, Howard can.

“The Marriage Ref” Premieres March 14 on NBC
Jerry Seinfeld is producing this reality show about ordinary married folks and the celebrities who judge them. Turnabout is fair play, tabloid readers! For our alleged viewing pleasure, an assortment of actors, comedians and sports stars will crack wise and decide who’s right and who’s wrong in disputes between real-life spouses. We’re not sure if anyone gets voted off or if winners get to trade in their frumpy spouses for a celebrity. But we’re pretty sure that Seinfeld, who met his wife when she was newly married to someone else, isn’t qualified judge anyone’s union, ever. Ditto for sports stars, for pity’s sake. We’re also sure that Seinfeld’s wife has him over a barrel while this show is on the air. And that’s why we can’t wait to watch!

“Sons of Tucson” Premieres March 14 on Fox
This sitcom sounded like it could be a lazy cross between “Malcolm in the Middle” and “My Name is Earl” (please let hick worship die soon), but it’s actually a pretty shrewd one. Three brothers are about to be sent to a foster home when their father goes to prison, so they hire a loser to pose as their dad. The loser? Tyler Labine from “Reaper,” who’s just young, burly and caustic enough to keep the show sizzling. The kids are too caustic for their own good – they sounds like irony-lovin’ screenwriters, not kids in a fairly horrible predicament. But with writers from “Wonderfalls,” “Samantha Who?” and naturally “Malcolm in the Middle” plugging away at this show, they’re sure to grow on us.

“Treme” Premieres in April on HBO
From David Simon, creator of “The Wire.” That’s all discerning TV viewers need to know, really. “The Wire” was the best series of the last decade and Simon has the kind of talent that can only get sharper (and maybe angrier) with age. But if you need to know more: “Treme” is set in New Orleans three months after Hurricane Katrina, when people are just starting to come back. The title refers to one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, which is where much of its music and dance originated. Several of the main characters seem to be jazz musicians. The cast includes Wendell Pierce (Bunk on “The Wire”), Steve Zhan, Khandi Alexander and Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”). But as in “The Wire,” the real stars will be the social issues Simon tackles. Expect a lot of singing, dancing and outrage.

“Boardwalk Empire” Premieres in the fall on HBO
It’s like “Mad Men” but set in the 1920s with gangsters and gun molls! Martin Scorsese lent his name to this drama by directing the pilot, which is the brainchild of “The Sopranos” scribe Terence Winter. (If you’ll recall, “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner also came out of David Chase’s talent lab.) Steve Buscemi stars as Nucky Thompson, the “undisputed” ruler of Atlantic City (wanna lay bets on his rule getting disputed?) just as Prohibition takes hold. Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon and Michael K. Williams (Omar on “The Wire”) round out an excellent cast. Lots of attention to period detail should make this show the most stylish of the New Year. Or perhaps the most glamorous show on TV? The 1920s were an even better-looking decade than the 1960s, don’t you think?

“A Game of Thrones”
There are already two blogs devoted to following the casting and Northern Ireland location shoot of this series’ pilot episode, which HBO hasn’t yet confirmed will air. The reason for the feverish fan interest? The series is an adaptation of the first novel in George R.R. Martin’s beloved fantasy series that uses knights, tournaments, creatures and icy locations in the service of telling human stories where villains aren’t always the bad guys and where the honourable solution isn’t always the best one in the long run. (Thanks to Time Magazine and the Chicago Tribune for these observations.) Lena Headey from “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” will play a royal woman who’s as cunning as the men around her. Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Jennifer Ehle and Mark Addy costar. With any luck, HBO will green light enough games to take us through all the novels in Martin’s saga.
The only one of these shows that I will be watching is Lost, I’m glad it is ending but I am also going to miss it. Any of these shows catch your fancy?
source: 10 TV shows to watch in 2010 [MSN]
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