I normally stay away from politics (well, unless they are on 24 or The West Wing) but I couldn't help myself when we saw that Sarah Palin (John McCain's running mate) had give all her children unusual names (Track, Bristol and Trig? Really?) and that two of the girls just happened to share names with famous TV witches. No, there's not a Sabrina or Samantha, but instead she's named them Piper and Willow (see clips after the jump if you have no idea who we're talking about, or are suffering through withdrawal). Palin is only 44 and clearly could have been a fan of the addictive WB dramas, and been inspired to give her kids these TV-centric names. Seems too unusual to just be random. Now do you think it is just a coincidence that a probable fan of The WB is plucked out of relative obscurity (she lives in Alaska) the very same week the WB launched their new site with these shows on them?

All right, I may have lured you in under some false pretenses. There will never, ever be Veronica Mars action figures. There are a few busts of Veronica and Logan Echolls, but manufacturing action figures is far too expensive a process for the few thousand they would likely sell. Heroes, on the other hand, is still on the air -- and still pretty popular, despite last season's meanderings -- which means the action figures are coming fast and furious. Hmm... What Veronica Mars cast member is on Heroes now? Let me think...

Viewers of The Wire know him only as Cedric Daniels, last seen beginning his career as a lawyer after resigning his position as Baltimore's police commissioner. Lost followers puzzle over his appearances as the mysterious "recruiter" Matthew Abaddon, seen intersecting with major characters at key moments in both flashbacks and fast-forwards. But this fall, Lance Reddick hopes fans of both shows rediscover him as yet another complex character: Agent Phillip Broyles of the Dept. of Homeland Security on Fringe, the new J.J. Abrams series airing on Fox. We caught up with the straight-shooting actor earlier this week at the New York premiere party for the show, where he spoke his mind about his past, present and future.

TWoP: It's not possible for any television show to be more critically acclaimed than The Wire, and yet it was almost entirely overlooked by the Emmys throughout its five seasons. How much does that bother you and your castmates?

Confession time. I loved the cable series Monster Garage. Loved it. Watched every episode at least once. I was so hooked that I once trekked over to my local Barnes and Noble to meet the host, the tattooed and possibly crazy, now husband of Sandra Bullock, Jesse James. Now mind you, I'm a pretty oridinary thirty-something woman with no ink, no motorcycle in the garage, and no checkered past or juvie stints on my record, but I still love shows where tough-looking guys weld and blow things up. And Jesse James does it better than anyone. (Trust me, or check out this video for proof.) He's sort of the anti-Ty Pennington (nothing against over-enthusiastic goofball Ty and his megaphone), but James speaks softly and carries deadly weapons.

Awesome news. Just when I'd run out of excuses to keep writing about the Olympics. Michael Phelps swoops in and saves the day. (Thank you, Michael!) Hot off of his record-breaking performance at the Olympics, swimmer Phelps has been tapped to host the season opener of Saturday Night Live. I'm thinking I might need to find some excuse to work in the office (here at 30 Rock) on Saturday, September 13th so that I can stalk catch a glimpse of the golden boy. Personally, I love when sports stars host SNL. I don't expect them to be funny, so I'm always pleasantly surprised if they are. Plus, its nice seeing the athletes, who are usually so dead serious during their competitions, loosen up a little bit.