Yesterday morning I arrived in Los Angeles for the Television Critics Association summer press tour, an annual rite of passage for TV critics nationwide. Basically, we gather together at the Beverly Hilton for two to three weeks of nonstop press conferences for pretty much every TV show currently on the air. I wasn't able to make it to the first week of press conferences, but I'm here for the next eight days to cover the networks and their affiliated cable channels, and as long as I don't pass out from too much off-the-cuff interviewing of random TV celebs, I'll be reporting my findings here every day. (To catch up on last week's gay-related TCA news, check out Michael Jensen's stellar blog posts at AfterElton.com.)

What happened on Monday? Here's the short version: Mia Michaels, Anna Torv, Lena Headey, Summer Glau, Olivia Wilde, Eliza Dushku and Joss Whedon, oh my! For the long(er) version, read on.

Left to right: Cat Deeley, Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe

Today was the first of two days devoted to the Fox television network, and the morning kicked off with a press conference for the unscripted dance competition So You Think You Can Dance. Mia "hot damn she looks like a lesbian (too bad she ain't)" Michaels got grilled on why she's "being so mean" on the show these days. Here's what she said:

I don't think I'm being mean. I'm just being very honest, and we're in the fourth season, and I think as we go, we become more — our true selves come out, and we're comfortable. ... I'm not any different if I'm in a rehearsal studio with my dancers, and if they're not pulling up, they're going to know, and it's very much about tough love. ... I'm Mamma Mia, and they look to me for that tough love actually. So when I say it, America might go, "Oh, my God, that's so harsh.” They're cool with it. They know. They know I only want them to be brilliant.

I have always been an on-again, off-again viewer of SYTYCD, because it seems to repeatedly hammer home traditional gender norms through the judges' commentary that typically derides male dancers who are not macho (not to mention only having opposite-sex dance partners). This is particularly the case with judge Nigel Lythgoe, who always puts down men when he senses the least bit of "effeminacy" in them, while (excessively) praising women who are feminine and submissive. AfterElton.com talked with him after the panel, and Lythgoe essentially confirmed that he's stuck in the dark ages in terms of gender norms. Wake up, Nigel! It's 2008! Seriously, the guy kinda gives me the creeps.

Anyway, after SYTYCD was a panel devoted to the new series from creator J. J. Abrams (Alias), which is called Fringe. It stars Australian actor Anna Torv, whom British readers may remember from her stint playing a lesbian on the BBC's Mistresses. Torv unfortunately was in New York and therefore had to join the conference by satellite, so the stage was populated entirely with men — a theme that quickly came to define the day.

Anna Torv as Agent Olivia Dunham in Fringe

Photo credit: Michael Lavine/FOX

I caught a screening of most of the 90-minute pilot during lunch, and though it started off very promisingly with a mysterious plane full of dead people (think Lost meets The X-Files), around the 40-minute mark it started going off onto a seriously sci-fi tangent. Now, I'm a big sci-fi fan, but this just seemed odd. Like, things didn't connect up. I'm hoping that the pilot will be retooled before it hits prime time this fall to smooth out the rough spots.

On the plus side, Torv delivered what might be the best line of the day when asked to elaborate on her ass-kicking role as Agent Dunham: "I came to the kicking ass naturally." … continue reading

So, I guess we'll find out if Cameron makes it out of that Jeep after all. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been renewed for a second season. A whole new season of Lena Headey and Summer Glau running around in tank tops with shotguns while saving the world? Hell and yeah.

The show's strike-abridged nine-episode first season ended on a big bang of a cliffhanger (which, if you haven't seen yet you should stop reading now, but — gosh, that was like a month and a half ago so what's the hold up?). Cameron went kerplewie after starting the family Jeep while on a cake run for John's birthday. The car bomb was planted by internet café owner/sneaky owner of The Turk Sarkissian. So, looks like she is going to need that recipe for fake Terminator skin that Cromartie cooked up earlier this season.

The series has earned a 13-episode pickup. The extended season is good news and means they can flesh out (puns!) the show's deeper themes about identity, duty, technology and the very nature of the human soul. And, given its prevalence, Lena's scowl might as well have its own subplot. … continue reading

Well, gosh, that was exciting. The two-night, two-episode premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (henceforth to be known as T:SCC because, geez, that’s a lot to type over and over again) was an apocalyptic good time.

Was it perfect? Certainly not. Were there continuity issues? Most definitely. But you’d be hard pressed to find a weak link in the acting department (OK, Thomas Dekker’s John Connor is a bit like Zac Efron with an attitude problem) or a show with more beautiful women kicking ass in tank tops. Whoever decided to put Lena Headey and Summer Glau in a series together deserves a raise, or at the very least, a large muffin basket.

Since I’m just a casual fan of the films, I came to the series with fewer expectations in terms of the Terminator mythology. But for those who demand consistentcy, T:SCC takes place after T:2 and before T:3, thus basically negating (or, more accurately, reimagining) the final film. But, again, since I’m a fan but not a fanatic of the movies, I was just looking for a good story that could balance action with emotion. … continue reading

Have you ever had that dream where it’s the future but it’s not the future — like, everything kinda looks the same but somehow you know anyway that it’s the future — and you’re standing there enjoying a fruit smoothie and all of a sudden Kristanna Loken as a Terminator and Summer Glau as a Terminator both come around the corner and you’re all, like, “Oh no!” but it’s OK because they’re fighting each other? But you’re kinda freaked out anyway and you don’t want to get hurt, so you run into this muffler shop that’s nearby but when you get inside it turns into some kind of Ye Olde Inne and Saloon and Charles Barkley is there playing the piano? And you look outside and the Terminators have spotted you and they’ve decided they want to fight you and they start running towards the muffler shop/Ye Olde Inn and Saloon so you hide behind the counter, but there’s this midget there who’s dressed up like Where’s Waldo (except that he’s also wearing a vest) and he’s totally looking at you with eeeeevil intent and he’s holding a knife? So you decide that you’d rather take your chances with Kristanna Loken and Summer Glau (Terminators or not) than with a murderous midget dressed up like Where’s Waldo so you go back outside ... and when you get outside it’s snowing and the Terminators are making out and then a unicorn comes along and offers you some gum and then you wake up?

Well, if you’ve ever had that dream, then there’s a chance that your dream could come true this Sunday at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention! Yes, folks, on the 13th, Summer Glau and Kristanna Loken (along with Leelee Sobieski) will be making an appearance and signing autographs at the fabulous Shrine Auditorium Expo Center. If my dreams mean anything — and I think they do — then there’ll be Terminators fighting and making out everywhere.

What? It’s totally possible. This one time I had a dream about my car breaking down and then 8 months later it happened! That’s not just a coincidence. … continue reading

Come with me if you want to live. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all dramatic. But with all my favorite shows in or entering repeats, you can understand why Sunday’s premiere of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has me all excited about taking back the future from the endless reality wasteland we’re about to enter. Well, that and the presence of Lena Headey, Summer Glau and some really big guns.

The much anticipated, much drooled-over two-night premiere airs Sunday and Monday on Fox. Since I missed the Yahoo! TV stream of the pilot last week (vacation makes you do the wacky, like not log on to your computer for days at a time), I’m looking forward to it with the proverbial bated breath. Though after looking at Summer, Lena and Lena’s mischievously cocked eyebrow at the premiere party this week, I think I may have stopped breathing altogether.

The reasons I’ll be watching are obvious: Lena, Summer, guns, explosions, fights, killer machines from the future hell-bent on destroying the world as we know it. You know, girlie stuff. … continue reading

I know we’re collectively drooling all over our sensible shoes at the prospect of seeing Lena Headey each week once Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles premieres Jan. 13. But Lena isn’t the only one packing serious heat. Joining her will be the underrated, overly flexible Summer Glau.

But according to a recent Access Hollywood interview, Summer almost didn’t audition for the role of the benevolent teenage Terminator Cameron. In fact, she had never even seen any of the original films in the Arnold Schwarzenegger franchise. … continue reading

Ever wonder what would happen if Joss Whedon sent out a call to action? The answer appeared in the form of 400 actors, writers and fans walking the WGA picket lines with Whedon this past Friday, including Buffy writing alums Drew Goddard and Jane Espenson.

Sarah Michelle Gellar brought doughnuts. … continue reading

Sometimes a list is so close to the hearts of AfterEllen.com readers that all a blogger has to do is tell you about it and sit back to watch the fun. So, I was tickled to find this list in the Los Angeles Times of the "Women of Whedon." The Times asked Joss Whedon to name his five favorite female creations. I was less tickled once I perused the list, however, thanks to at least one dreadful omission. (Get ready to be indignant.) Where's Willow?

While your ruffled feathers relax a bit, let's look at the women he did name. I certainly can't quarrel with the first. … continue reading

Last week I showed you my dream 2008 calendar. Since then, I have been trying to decide what to do with myself until January rolls around so I can officially adorn my cubicle with said calendar. Unfortunately, Bionic Woman, despite Michelle Ryan's abs and Katee Sackhoff's early appearances, is doing nothing to help me pass the time. So I decided to count down the days until the premiere of the next show I can't wait to see, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

We've been keeping an eye on this show, and really, can you blame us? What could be better than Lena Headey fighting for the future of humankind?

Wait, I know what's better than that. A little help from Summer Glau certainly can't be worse.

I've found some lovely Sarah Connor eye candy to hang in my cubicle, not to mention a few videos to watch over and over again. This is the poster I'll be hanging up where it might be viewed by other folks in the office. … continue reading

Jaime Sommers. Supergirl. Sarah Walker. Niki Sanders. Sarah Corvus. All women who kick butt on a regular basis on network TV. None have captured my heart in the way that Buffy, Xena and Syd did, but the possibility is there.

We love that these characters are more than beautifully buff bodies. They're real people, with brains and personalities and problems — even dark sides. Other writers have analyzed why strong women are so popular with general audiences, but at AfterEllen.com, we prefer to focus on the women themselves. And their beautifully buff bodies.

Fortunately, we can count on EW.com to have the right list at the right time. Last week's Butt-Kicking Babes is just what the lesbians ordered. The inspired lineup includes the top 24 hard-hittin' hotties of all time. Actually, it started with 22 — with Buffy and Sydney missing. Fan outcry forced revision of the list, and rightly so. Now most of our favorites are there — Ripley, The Bride, Starbuck, Trinity, Kate Austen — along with some great choices that are less obvious. Here are some highlights and choice quotes from EW's notes. … continue reading

The future is now for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. OK, fine, technically the future doesn’t begin until Jan. 14, 2008. But you can see why a gal would get excited. Fox has finally announced a premiere date for the much-anticipated small-screen Terminator spin-off starring Lena Headey and Summer Glau.

With Bionic Woman yet to live up to its kick-ass potential, The Sarah Connor Chronicles is humanity’s the new season’s last hope to deliver a strong female sci-fi hero. With any luck, thanks to Lena and Summer, we might even get two. … continue reading

After learning of the Sci Fi Channel's Firefly marathon yesterday, I decided I could think of no better way to spend a Friday than by reminding myself how much I like Joss Whedon and the characters he creates.

So I spent the day reacquainting myself with Firefly. The only wrench in this system came when all the episodes had aiered. I was left wanting more. I simply cannot get enough of quirky mechanic Kaylee, cool-as-ice-but-vulnerable consort Inara, weird and wacky River, or tough-as-nails and second-in-command Zoe. And, yeah, the boys aren't bad either.

What I want, ultimately, is a sequel to Serenity, Whedon's big-screen wrap-up to the TV series. Seems Mr. Whedon is not against the idea. Talk of a sequel has been ongoing since the movie was released. And while such talk has cooled, it's never really disappeared entirely. We sci-fi fans don't tend to let go easily. With the new and improved DVD edition scheduled for release in the not-too-distant future, the sequel talk has resurfaced. Comments made by Joss in the newest round of chatter indicate that getting all of his actors back together for such a sequel might prove difficult, based on their current workload. Now, I consider myself a TV-phile, but I can't recall seeing his troops in any starring roles lately. So I decided to check in to see what they've all been up to. … continue reading

Stay home tomorrow, or at least set your TiVo: The Sci Fi Channel is doing an all-day Firefly marathon, starting at 8:00 a.m. (do space cowboys even wake up that early?).

Meanwhile, Jackie Hoffman stops by Late Night With Conan O'Brien tonight. You might know Jackie as the piqued, pregnant friend in Kissing Jessica Stein. Or maybe you caught her side-splitting performance in the original Broadway run of Hairspray. Or maybe you've seen one of her uproarious cabaret shows, complete with Shamu impressions. Here she is with the costar of her recent show Jackie With a Z — yes, that's a uterus, if you couldn't tell.

If her name doesn't ring a bell, you're missing a lot. Hoffman is a rubber-faced, risk-it-all madwoman. She's currently one of the "biggest laugh getters" (the other is Mary Testa) in Xanadu, the stage version of the 1980 Olivia Newton-John movie. … continue reading

The new season of The 4400 starts Sunday, June 17 on USA (9/8c). I liked the first season a lot, but haven't tuned in regularly since then. Still, I like what I've read about the new season so far; the "battle over promicin" (a neurotransmitter harvested from the 4400) is intriguing, and USA has really gone all out with the accompanying ad campaign. They've even created a pro-promicin site, an anti-promicin site and one for the undecideds among us.

Even if you're not into sci fi, you might want to tune in just to see Megalyn Echikunwoke, Summer Glau and — wait for it — Karina Lombard. Hi, Marina!

To catch up, you can watch the season 3 finale on the official website. The site also offers character backstories, timelines, an episode guide, blogs and message boards. I'm not going to read creepy Maia's diary, though. Eek. … continue reading

Today Fox and The CW announced their fall lineups, and one of the first things you might notice (due to its marked absence) is that Veronica Mars didn't make the cut. The CW hasn't included the low-rated but critically celebrated drama in their fall lineup. Remember when Veronica investigated the case of the gay cheerleader? R.I.P., Ms. Mars?

Among Fox's new fall lineup is one series that I am highly anticipating, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, starring Lena Headey (Imagine Me & You) in the title role that Linda Hamilton made famous.

According to the press release, here's what you can expect: … continue reading

At the end of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Sarah vanquished the liquid metal Terminator sent from the future to kill her teenage son, John. Sarah and John now find themselves alone in a very dangerous, complicated world.