HASBEENGATE: This promo photo of the cast of the new Stargate spinoff on the Syphilis Channel (and you have to ignore the photoshopped Toonces, I guess) is interesting for exactly one reason. The likelihood that you've heard of the actor corresponds exactly to the level of disappointment in agreeing to do the show that the actor is expressing in the photo.

I mean, Robert Carlyle looks like he's trying to escape through a trapdoor.

RETURN OF THE REPRISE OF LADY REDUNDANT WOMAN: So if Matt's going to ask the grownups are reading and Isaac's going to get into Spaceboy 1.0's love of The Decemberists, it's time to pull this Venn Diagram together: what media are you promoting for your kids these days?

Right now, Lucy (almost six) is very much in love with her Junie B. Jones books and the Cam Jansen mysteries, and it's really a joy to see her able to more-or-less read them on her own now. On tv, she is deeply into the adventures of Word Girl, and we thus far don't regret our decision to give her the gateway drug into the reality tv world by letting her watch The Amazing Race with us this season, through which we're trying to teach her about geography, teamwork, patience, politeness and planning. Thank goodness this hasn't been a season with abusive teammates.

[Speaking of which, the Travel Channel will be reairing season 12 soon, with Kynt/Vyxsin, TK/Rachel, and Ronald and Christina, a/k/a Team I Wasn't A Supportive Father When You Were Growing Up, And I'm Not About To Start Now. Given the redemption arc they get, can you recall any reason that this season would be objectionable?]

And, interestingly, she seems to be completely out of her Disney phase for the moment -- no Princesses holding her interest, no demands to listen to Troy and Gabriella in the car. Phew.

A VERY SPECIAL: James Cromwell as an ailing bishop. Ewan McGregor robs a convenience store and takes hostages, Kirsten Dunst is a troubled teen and Bob Newhart is going blind. Let's talk about your favorite ER guest roles as the slow discharge from County General continues.

SPOILER ALERT: The NYT TV Highlights/Listings are normally pretty good about avoiding spoilers, but I must quibble about tonight's, which (if accurate) reveals a major plot point/character twist and piece of casting on Chuck tonight of which I was not aware, and which I don't think was public knowledge even on spoiler trafficking locales. Grrr!

THIS WATER IS HEAVY!: Another episode which begged for HD - camels, castles, crushing poverty - but beyond that, not that interesting of an episode. Everyone arrives at the same time and, despite being spotted a speed-bump, the stunt fellows damned near lost it by taking the [needle] in a[n actual] haystack task. Unless you are in the back of the pack, is this ever a good idea?

The Roadblock was a good one - and a good lesson about reading the clue a couple of times before working the problem.

I try to make allowances for voice-overs, since it's unclear exactly when Victor said such douche-baggy things about his sister -- perhaps not in the middle of the race -- but he's the only racer I left who I really don't like. Next week, hopefully, he will be eaten by a tiger.

FEATURE REQUEST DEPARTMENT: I'm always interested in seeing what other people are ordering on Amazon, so I check their bestseller list about once a week, but could Amazon introduce filters so I don't have to see the same titles over and over again? In particular, I'd LOVE it if I could have a no-Twilight filter. Currently, on the 100 sellers, 10, including all of the Top 5, are Twilight-related, and Meyer's other novel, The Host, also makes the list. Something that filtered diet books would also be appreciated.

And, since we haven't had this since the holidays--what are you reading now? I'm currently about 2/3 of the way through Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, which demonstrates the frightening convergence of all major pop culture through the show.

SETTING THE TONE: With only two episodes of ER to go, it's time for us to start saying farewell to Chicago's County General Hospital. Bill Carter and EW compile some oral history.