Is anyone else a little underwhelmed by our current 24 uber-baddie Gredenko? Every time he talks about bringing back the glory of the Soviet Union I can’t help thinking that his goals are suspiciously similar to this clip from The Simpsons

Is it too much of a cliché to say there's a new sheriff in town?

Veronica knows, or will know very, very soon who killed Dean O'Dell. I am really excited, but not nearly as excited as I was for seasons one and two finales. There's something about committing to a whole year of a mystery that makes the payoff more satisfying. Anyway, my final thought is… I have no idea. I think Lucky Tim was the one bugging Landry, though, and that he's going to come through with some clutch info at the last minute. Maybe… Cliff did it? Seriously, I don't know. I'm hoping it's not Mindy or Landry, or if it's them it's for some crazy unexpected reason. Maybe it was the Dean's troubled son?

And before that, Gilmore Girls hopefully continues going strong, though I deeply fear that we'll be seeing more of Lane's Non-Comically Oversized Baby Tummy.

American Idol shoves out House again, sadly, as does the new show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, which… is kind of a great idea. Don't tell anyone I said so. 

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming: I'm not really trying here, because I expect you all to watch Veronica. FX is showing 13 Going on 30, which I've always been morbidly curious about. Hey, whaddya know, Dirt is still airing new episodes. And I've got five words for you: Andrew McCarthy, Hallmark Original Movie. It's called Straight from the Heart. Isn't Andrew McCarthy due for a McDreamy-style comeback some time soon?

So, Top Design.  Let's just dive right in, shall we?

First of all, I knew I was going to watch this show beginning to end before it even premiered.  If there is a reality show that involves an elimination aspect, you've already got my interest.  But when you put the Bravo homo spin on the whole thing, it's basically required by law that I watch it.  And since Project Runway doesn't appear to be coming anytime soon, Top Design is a good enough methadone.

Is it any good?  Yes, it's alright.  I'm not going to say it's wonderful, but it's probably not as bad as everyone says it is.  If Project Runway is gourmet, authentic tiramisu and Top Chef is a freshly baked Mrs. Fields cookie, Top Design is probably some sort of Sara Lee or Entemann's treat.  Not exactly my first choice, but you better believe I'm going eat that shit in its entirety. 

I'm sure you know the premise without me having to tell you — it's Project Runway with interior designers.  Todd Oldham is the host and while he is immensely likable, he has a stilted, book report-y delivery that makes his discomfort evident.  It makes you appreciate how good and poised Heidi Klum actually is.  The cast is rounded out by head judge Jonathan Adler, a woman named Kelly Wearstler and the woman from Elle Decor.  I'm sure you'd know all about them if you were into interior design, but for our purposes they are just Thing 1 and Thing 2. 

One of my favorite parts of the judging portion of the show is that after they inspect the rooms, Jonathan Adler smiles that fakey kind of smile that you recognize from parties.  It's like you're talking to someone and you know that the moment you walk away they're going to start talking about your flaws.

My favorite designer and, in my estimation, the show's frontrunner is Goil ("like gargoyle").  As far as his design goes, he's very Verne Yip-y in that he tends toward the minimal, but personally he seems to be the most humble and easygoing of the bunch. 

Other memorable contestants include:

John, who Bravo hyped as a boundary-breaker for being only the second HIV-positive person ever to go on a reality show — but, unfortunately, he forgot to give one of his rooms a floor and was promptly eliminated in the second episode.

Michael, John's arch nemesis (yes, he got an arch nemesis within two episodes), who appears to be an egg-y Harry Potter.  He is currently trying to deny he is not afraid of paint and manual labor.

Ryan, the bad boy who literally skateboarded into the house with artsy bravado. Last week we said a rather unjust goodbye to Felicia who made the mistake of putting a depressing Roseanne Connor-style afghan on her client's bed.  It was either her or Ryan, but they chose to keep Ryan because he's loud and a magnet for conflict (read: better TV than the wallflowery Felicia).

One of the eliminated contestants, Lisa Turner, really reminds me of a cartoon character but I can't remember who.  I want to say it's a Flintsone, Jetson or someone of the Hanna Barbera oeuvre. Then again, my friend John pointed out that perhaps I'd been thinking about X-Men's Storm all along. 

And, speaking of chicks with crazy hairdos, what the hell was up with judge Kelly Wearstler's (right) hair on last week's episode?  She's normally a hottie, but this particular fashion choice was — how should I put it — truly outrageous.

Finally, someone needs to say something about it (and I'm sure people have — at length), Top Design has the single worst catchphrase on television.  I swear to God.  When someone is auffed, Jonathan Adler says "See you later, decorator."  I'm not bullshitting you.  It's sure as hell no "You're out."  It's not even a "Please pack your knives and go" — which, really, should be re-examined as well.

Guess who got a new messenger bag for 90% off.

• Alan Ball’s post-Six Feet Under series for HBO will feature Anna Paquin as a vampire. The whole thing is set in a world where vampires can make Japanese-made synthetic blood. I have no idea if this will be good or not.
• Kristin from E! Online has the video scoop about Studio 60. If you don’t want to watch it, here’s the deal: if The Black Donnellys does as well as Studio 60 does in its old time slot, Studio 60′s gone. The difference between the two series is that TBD is much less expensive to produce. Time to prepare yourself.
• As previously reported, Mitch Hurwitz (the creator of Arrested Development) will have a new show called the The Thick of It. The pilot will be directed by none other than Christopher Guest.
• Dave Foley is going to host an NBC improv series.
• It’s really surprising how many people like taking naked pictures of themselves. And then audition for American Idol.
• Kristen Bell interviews with TV Guide. I am not allowing myself to read it, so I can’t tell if its interesting or not.
• Brigitte Nielson’s British “extreme” reality show is massively fucked up. For the record, I’m against anything that sells itself as “extreme.”