Having seen the movie version of this show almost ten years ago, I'm not exactly sure why this TV show exists. I guess somebody at ABC Family thought that the premise of two diametrically opposed sisters, one a rebel feminist and one a popular wannabe, was good enough to milk for at least one season? I'm not sure what will happen once the concluding events of the original movie (and The Taming of the Shrew before it) come to pass, i.e. the feminist sister finally dating a boy, thereby making it okay for her little sis to date, but they seem to be providing a number of other sub-plots to fill the time. And I suppose they could always have the older sister date, then stop dating, and the wacky dad can make the younger sis stop dating until big sis is up and running again, thereby stretching out the drama. Seems far-fetched, but this is a sitcom, after all.

Back eighteen million years ago (aka in June) we reported on the rumors that the whizzes behind Gossip Girl were working on a spin-off. Now it seems they've all but confirmed it's happening, though contrary to initial buzz, the new show will not be using the books' tangential series The It Girl (which follows Jenny Humphrey to boarding school) as its source material. Just as well, cuz that platinum-haired moppet is getting on my very last nerve. No official word on what shape this alleged spin-off will take yet, but I've got some ideas for Josh Schwartz et al.

The Simpsons has always been a wellspring of cultural influence, contributing words and phrases to the lexicon ranging from surfer-pilfered Bart-isms like "Cowabunga" and "don't have a cow" to Homer's split-oath "D'Oh" and Nelson's sing-songy taunt "ha-ha." Most recently, the word "meh" was added to the Collins English dictionary, which cited The Simpsons as the term's originator. In ruminating on this latest linguistic development with my cow-orkers®, I had to agree with Zach that it was surprising to see the word affiliated specifically with The Simpsons. I can't remember when exactly I noticed people making use of the word, but I feel like I've been saying it since forever. "Meh" feels like such an instinctively onomatopoetic expression of ambivalence that it's sort of hard to imagine being able to trace it back to its roots. It seems like it's been around forever.

No, HBO hasn't joined the ranks of USA and SciFi in broadcasting the weekly exploits of World Wrestling Entertainment superstars -- the wrestling they're gonna be showing is of the decidedly old-school variety. Their newest drama series, Everybody Hurts, will focus on a family that runs a professional wrestling organization in New York City in the 1970s, back when wrestling was a regional sport, and Andy Kaufman had to go to Memphis to fight Jerry Lawler. Think Hogan Knows Best meets Six Feet Under. It'll be written by The Riches scribe Aaron Blitzstein, who watched regional shows as a child in Baltimore and New York and later did marketing for World Championship Wrestling. (Hopefully, it will be better-written than most WCW storylines. Also, we hope it uses the REM song of the same name as its opening theme.)

Elisabeth Hasselbarf is rumored to be leaving lady chatfest The View and it's not even my birthday! Word is the token right-winger will depart for greener pastures, and by greener pastures I mean token right wing news outlet Fox News. Is this Fox's attempt to compete with MSNBC's lightening rod lezzie leftie Rachel Maddow? Because I think we all know who would win that cage fight -- assuming Hasselboobs hasn't had her acrylics redone in the last 48 hours.

I'm being serious! According to a recently published report, Law & Order and so-called "must-bleed" TV shows of its ilk (CSI, Criminal Minds, The Closer and what have you) that depict death and violence are linked to people buying and eating more food. Something about when being faced with one's own mortality -- because violent, ripped-from-the-headlines murders really get you thinking on a deeper level -- it's easier to rationalize eating that entire can of Pringles. Not that I've done that.

Man, Christina Applegate has been dealt a load of you-know-what in her thirty-six years. She spent the first part of her career establishing herself as a dumb ho in Married With Children and Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead, and the rest of it up to now trying to prove that she is the polar opposite. Add to that a not-so-fun divorce from Blue Steel-lookin' hubby Johnathon Schaech and a plagued Broadway debut (she took that whole break a leg thing sort of literally). But things were starting to look up! She killed in Anchorman as an able comedic sparring partner with Will Ferrell, and even had some success with a new ABC sitcom Samantha Who? (Full disclosure -- I kind of love that show.) So when the poor darlin' announced she had boob cancer, my heart went out to her.

I'd always suspected Mindy Kaling was the tits. Her portrayal of awesome-town valley girl Kelly Kapoor on The Office is waaay up my alley and down my street, as the saying goes. Who could fail to see the genius of her exhortation, "Fashion show at lunch!"?? Only an idiot. My love for Kaling was deepened when I was introduced to her personal blog, Things I've Bought That I Love, which reveals her to be the best kind of girlie girl -- the kind who's unapologetic about liking pretty things but also funny and smart enough to justify her taste with explanations other than "yay, pink!" (Incidentally, I know you've been busy with your real job, Minders, but please update that shiz! For me?)

If there was ever a time to take up swearing, it's now. George Carlin, comedian, is dead at the age of 71, from heart failure. The Manhattan-born comedian had been doing comedy since 1960, and was the host of the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. Before that, he made history for his routine about the seven words you can't say on television, which he was arrested for performing at a comedy show in 1972 (the charges were dropped). The routine later reinforced the government's ability to sanction radio stations when it was played on the air, for some reason. (Hey, thanks, Mr. DJ!)

On June 16, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block will air the first episode of their newest show, Fat Guy Stuck in Internet. Well, technically it's not that new of a show. In a previous, lower-budget life, it was a Web series on Channel 102 called Gemberling (after the main character, as well as the actor who played him, John Gemberling). However, when they went to re-film the show for CN, and they were actually given money to make it look good, everyone decided that a newer, more descriptive name was required to grab the viewer. (Hey, it worked for Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place.) Which got us to thinking: What other shows could use more explanatory names?