The Show Girl

Tracy Morgan is so perfect as Tracy Jordan on '30 Rock,' it's easy to forget that he's actually acting.

But not in 'Tracy Morgan: Black and Blue.' The comedian's first HBO comedy special (premieres Sat., Nov. 13, 10PM ET) is all TM ... which is to say it's like TJ uncensored. Really uncensored.

I caught up with the foul-mouthed funnyman to find out how he was approaching this momentous event and what he wanted to say while cameras were rolling at the legendary Apollo Theater. Watch him rant about everything from Lindsay Lohan and life on TV, to the BP oil spill and Barack Obama.

It's no secret: I miss 'Lost.' A lot. So when I heard star Jorge Garcia would be visiting 'How I Met Your Mother,' I knew I had to get my fix. I hit the set to find out what he's up to with the 'HIMYM' gang, what his character has in common with Hurley and the question he's asked most often since 'Lost' ended.

I also catch up with the TVN Team from 'Storm Chasers' to get up close and personal with The Dominator, their indestructible beast of a car. That thing has some insane added features! If you're a fan, sound off in the comments for a chance to win Reed Timmer's new book 'Into the Storm.'

Then I chat with Tracy Morgan about his HBO stand-up special 'Tracy Morgan: Black and Blue.' His hilarious, subject-hopping, bleep-filled tirades taught me one thing: don't ever ask him if he's just like his '30 Rock' character Tracy Jordan.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

Put on your jelly bracelets, and your cool graffiti coat -- it's time for another very special Robin Sparkles episode of 'How I Met Your Mother.'

Whether she's singing about going to the mall or building sandcastles (where else? In the sand people!), Robin Scherbatsky's '80s Canadian popstar self is a huge 'HIMYM' fan favorite. And how could she not be with lyrics like "You're good at pull-ups and have radical hair" and pals like Tiffany and a sassy robot.

I caught up Cobie Smulders, Robin Scherbatsky herself, to find out what Robin Sparkles is up to in this week's flashback episode (Monday, 8PM ET on CBS). Here's a hint: it involves the return of an '80s TV icon (who also happens to be Canadian), a Pussycat Doll and outerspace.

OK, now that's rad.

Amy Sedaris is one of those rare women who can light up a room and make you laugh out loud, even when she's playing a completely horrible character.

Best known as Jerri Blank, the middle-aged ex-junkie in her so-wrong-it's-hysterical 'Strangers With Candy,' Sedaris has popped up on some very fun TV shows recently, including 'The Middle,' 'The Closer' and an upcoming stint on 'Royal Pains.'

Next stop: 'Raising Hope,' Fox's freshman hit sitcom (Tuesdays, 9PM ET).

['Sons of Anarchy' - 'Firinne']

'If you love him, give him more.' -- Father Kellan Ashby

Kellan Ashby hit Jax Teller's most vulnerable spot hard when the priest talked about how painful it could be for a child to grow up in "the life."

Mike Rowe's TV aspirations reach well beyond 'Dirty Jobs' and manly voiceover work. In fact, the Discovery Channel host has been saying recently that he'd love to be on another show.

That show is 'South Park.' Really.

So I couldn't help but ask: why 'South Park'? Here, Mr. Rowe explains just exactly what he'd like to do on the foul-mouthed, un-PC cartoon, why he can see Cartman falling in love with 'Dirty Jobs' and how man-cow impregnation factors into all of this. Yes, in typical fashion, this does get a little filthy, but that's just the way we like Mike.

Now that the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' has made the move to Sundays (10PM ET on Bravo), the work week is a little less crazy, boo.

So we decided to ease the Monday blues by combining two things we love on Twitter: tweets from NeNe, Sheree, Kim and Phaedra, and the hysterical vocal stylings of Kevyn Smith and Jeremy Johnson, the guys behind We Sing Your Tweets, a.k.a. "sweets."

Kevyn and Jeremy have made some epic celebrity tweets even sweet-er by singing them, turning random 140-character thoughts into true emotional performances ... and getting tons of attention on Twitter for it. So we asked them to do some AOL TV exclusive sweets of some of the 'RHOA''s most ridiculous tweets. Watch, enjoy and follow them on Twitter or visit their blog for more.

Three things I love collided on Thursday: the set of 'How I Met Your Mother,' Bay Cities sandwiches and 'Lost' alum Jorge Garcia.

Jorge is guest starring on 'HIMYM''s big Thanksgiving episode in a few weeks -- titled 'Blitzgiving' after his unlucky character Blitz -- and was showing off his big grin and comedic chops that always brought much-needed levity to the island drama on 'Lost.'

But something was different ... and after a quick chat with the happy-go-lucky star, he admitted he's now shunned something big from his 'Lost' past and Hurley's life: meat.

"I've been a vegetarian for about four months now," Jorge admitted, after I commented on his meat-free caprese sandwich (my personal favorite from the Santa Monica, Calif., sandwich institution). That's right -- this means that the owner of Mr. Clucks wouldn't be caught dead chowing on fried chicken now.

'Human Target' is back and sexier than ever. With two new ladies joining Chance and the crew -- one as a beautiful billionaire boss and the other as a tough-talking team member -- the return of one of last year's most intriguing new series is definitely something to sing about. So, that's exactly what star Chi McBride did for me right here.

I also chat with Tom Pizzica, 'The Next Food Network Star' runner-up who has a Big Chef-worthy new show called 'Outrageous Food.' (Does the idea of a 105-pound hamburger make anyone else a little nauseous?)

Then I stop by the set of Fox's new hit sitcom 'Raising Hope' to get some fan questions answered and uncover a big change coming. You think Jimmy can't grocery store stalk Sabrina any more than he already does? Wait until you see this.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

Every once in a while, a show comes along that proves TV can actually be educational. This week, I preview one of those shows, 'Great Migrations.' National Geographic's new 7-part special is full of breathtaking footage of animals all around the globe and fun facts. Like what, exactly, is this animal?

I also have scoop on AMC's 'The Walking Dead,' straight from the show's zombie-killing cast. Are you pumped for this new series? Tell me why in the comments and you could win some cool limited edition 'Walking Dead' freebies.

Then I check in with Russell Simmons -- the man behind Def Jam, Phat Farm, various charities and hip-hop site GlobalGrind.com (not to mention some very entertaining tweets) -- and the ladies behind his businesses to hear about their new show 'Running Russell Simmons.'

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

Mike Rowe has done over 250 'Dirty Jobs' (Tuesdays, 9PM ET on Discovery), but even when he's covered in sewage, up to his knees in garbage and being bitten by angry lemurs, we very rarely hear him curse.

Until now.

I asked the 'Dirty Jobs' frontman his favorite dirty word, and got a bleep-filled answer and very thorough explanation. Looks like he's put some thought into this one ... watch and see the fabulous filthiness fly.

To kick off the week and celebrate 'Southland' going back into production this Thursday in L.A., TNT hosted a cocktail party for select TV critics and journalists to mingle with the 'Southland' cast.

The overall consensus: everyone is ready to be back at work.

The cast and producers were all very tight-lipped about what's in store for season 3 of their critically-acclaimed, network-shuffled show (premieres January 2011), but they were very chatty regarding just about everything else.

Mike Rowe does a lot of 'Dirty Jobs,' but this week I get him to do the one job that millions of people around the world do every single day, often multiple times a day. Any guesses? He also shares cold, hard cell phone picture evidence (shown here) that a lemur bite is serious business, and says he'd love to romance the main character on one of TV's funniest shows.

I've also got details on the latest season of 'In Treatment,' including new castmembers Debra Winger and Amy Ryan and what the airing schedule is like this year, since they love to change it up and confuse us all.

Then I catch up with Cheryl Hines and Denise Cramsey to talk about their new reality-renovation show 'School Pride,' which they say has "the biggest impact of any renovation show ever" ... and judging by the emotion it stirs in me, I might have to agree.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

The set of 'Parenthood' is like a carnival and a three-ring circus combined. The night I was there to chat with the cast, there was also a big crazy dinner celebration at the Braverman house -- you'll see what that's all about next week, although star Joy Bryant did tease "lots of surprises, new announcements." Hmmm ...


Between scenes, I caught up with stars Erika Christensen and Sam Jaeger to find out if Joel will finally get to bring home the bacon, or if Julia will continue to be the breadwinner. And star Monica Potter cast her dream TV parents for Kristina, which includes a very controversial choice to play her dad. Plus, Bryant and Dax Shepard tried to bribe their TV kid with a trip to Magic Mountain.

We also dished about a cute new guy for Haddie and the castmember that everyone wants to have more scenes with ... any guesses? Watch and see the glorious madness that is 'Parenthood.'

I'll take any excuse I can get to hang out with Mike Rowe. Sure he's on a hit TV show, has a deep, velvety voice and is often described as "ruggedly handsome," but he's also hilarious and a genuinely good guy. Pretty much what you see on TV is what you get with Mike.

As 'Dirty Jobs' returns with new episodes (Tues., Oct. 19, 9PM ET on Discovery), Mike talks about working his way up -- to the sewer -- and reminisces about his glamorous Discovery Channel beginnings on a little travel show called 'Romantic Escapes.' He then explains why deep down, he doesn't like people (he kids, he kids!), and tells me why they'll never run out of 'Dirty Jobs.'

We also dish about most popular episodes, an upcoming manscaping segment with producer and regular target Dave Barsky going under the wax and what Mike will probably be doing in 20 years.