It's casting season for the broadcast networks' fall pilots, and with every casting announcement we get a peek into what kinds of shows the networks are looking at for the fall. The verdict? Eh. I'm underwhelmed. Especially when it comes to the roles for women.

But you can draw you own conclusions — here are some of the pilots in the works and the actresses attached, with my wildly premature speculation thrown in as a bonus. Feel free to add your own observations in the comments.

BAD MOTHER'S HANDBOOK (ABC) - Alicia Silverstone (Miss Match), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development)

Plot
A comedy about a 32-year-old woman (Silverstone) who is too busy taking care of her 16-year-old daughter (Shawkat) and 48-year-old mother.

Snap Judgment
Would they ever make a comedy called Bad Father's Handbook? No.

Does Alicia Silverstone have a bad track record on TV? Yes.

Will I check this out anyway? Maeby.

GOOD BEHAVIOR (ABC) - Mae Whitman (Arrested Development)

Plot
A dramedy based on the New Zealand show Outrageous Fortune that centers on the matriarch of a family of criminals who straightens out her brood after her husband goes to jail for five years. Whitman plays Roxy, the family's smart teen daughter who has been blackmailing her principal and selling hall passes and permission slips.

Snap Judgment
Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is writing this show, so I'm semi-optimistic about it. And at least Whitman's character is described as "smart." (Really? Her?)

KINGS (NBC) - Allison Miller

Plot
The story of King David, centering on David Shepherd (Christopher Egan), a pure-hearted young warrior who joins the court of the charismatic and authoritative King Silas (Ian McShane). Miller plays Michelle Benjamin, Silas' daughter who falls in love with David.

Snap Judgment
Another show revolving around a male hero in which virtually all the women's storylines revolve around being someone's love interest? Excellent!

Because we don't see enough of that on The Tudors. Or Mad Men. Or Nip/Tuck. Or in every historical epic or action movie in the theaters. … continue reading

Doesn't it suck when things that seem so, so great end up going so, so horribly wrong? No, I'm not talking about Eliot Spitzer, though that certainly is disheartening. I'm talking about The Return of Jezebel James, the new series from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. It stars Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose and Dianne Weist. The premiere is tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

But that litany of great names might add up to nothing. The reviews and promo clips are not pretty. Says the L.A. Times,

The problem is that from these folks you expect a fascinating female lead, but you get instead every uptight, cellphone-clenching, relationship-avoiding, food-issue-riven working woman you've ever seen (and never met).

Uh-oh. Plus, there's a laugh track, which ... why? The Boston Globe notes that the show's stars deserve better:

With her soft deadpan and her renegade vibe, [Ambrose] doesn't belong within a mile of a laugh track. ... Posey, so adept at being both ironic and sympathetic, is no better off in this unfunny mire.

Sigh. Still, I'll probably tune in, and maybe it will be better than it sounds. Or at least better than reading one more headline about Spitzer.

On Saturday, Lifetime offers the return of Alyssa Milano, in Wisegal. She plays a young widow who ascends to power in the mob. I dunno, Lifetime, that's not a very impressive title — why not something like Mother, May I Sleep With the Mob Now That My Husband Is Neither My Stepson nor My Lover?

Milano also produced the film. The Lifetime website has a gallery called "Alyssa Milano: Through the Years" to keep you entertained until Wisegal debuts. It includes this cute photo: … continue reading

Recently, I have been contemplating getting another tattoo. After all, it has been scientifically proven that they are hot. Before I get inked, however, there are two things I have to decide on first: the design and the placement.

Now you see why I am holding out. There is nothing worse than a bad tattoo.

Let's be real, though: The design options are endless; the placement options are not. And what better way to decide where to permanently mark my body than by looking to celebrities for guidance? It seems to be the trend.

First, there's the old-school armband that Pamela Anderson made popular.

Her thoughts on body art?

"Tattoos are like stories — they're symbolic of the important moments in your life. Sitting down, talking about where you got each tattoo and what it symbolizes, is really beautiful."

But what exactly does barbed wire symbolize? Oh, right: There was that 1996 movie written by someone named Ilene Chaiken. But I digress.

Moving on, I present to you arms and wrists.

Clockwise from top left: Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba, Alanis Morissette and Tegan and Sara.

(See more of Tegan and Sara's tattoos here.)

Of course, I could follow the examples of Megan Fox, Alyssa Milano and Christina Ricci and choose the back of my shoulder. … continue reading

Alyssa Milano blogs about baseball.

Margaret Cho vlogs her Sensuous Woman tour and photo blogs getting tattoos.

Pamela Anderson uses her blog to assure us that she's a good mom.

Those are just three of the big-name bloggers on Celebrity Cowboy's list, "66 Celebrities that Blog." Why would people who hire publicists to manage their messages take up blogging? Well, let's see. … continue reading

I absolutely adore child actors who manage to find their way in the business as adults. You already know that I adore Drew Barrymore. I'm also rather fond of Patty Duke and Melissa Gilbert. They're women who managed to grow up in the Hollywood spotlight and come out alive and successful on the other side. Not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, some of them made the transition more gracefully than others, but they all managed it. Another woman who has managed such a transition is Alyssa Milano.

She amused us as Samantha Micelli, tomboyish daughter to Tony Danza in Who's The Boss; played Long Island Lolita Amy Fisher in one of the multiple TV movies made about the story; followed in Drew Barrymore's footsteps in Poison Ivy II; took up residence at Melrose Place; and Charmed us all as Phoebe Halliwell.

… continue reading