American Idol salutes Michael Jackson

Take a deep breath, it's a new week entertainment fans. Time for a fresh start after last week's heavy news about Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

In amongst all of the news and tributes this weekend, Fox aired their expensive pilot movie Virtuality and it was pretty much a bust. Probably just as well, since the movie ended with a question that was meant to be explored in the series that was never produced. This could have been the next sophisticated sci fi series, instead it's likely headed for the DVD rack at Blockbuster.

Doing better than expected was Harper's Island. The show still tanked but it tanked less than other scripted fare for the night! How's that for putting a positive spin on it. This past week was all chase as John Wakefield started picking off the remaining guests in full view of the others. A truly exciting episode, but also an annoying one. There were at least three opportunities for the good guys to shoot the bad guy but they either didn't try or they missed. We've been told that several of them knew how to hunt, so they should be able to shoot straight but alas, it wasn't so. Contrived? Or perhaps one of the shooters (Henry?) missed on purpose. There's still an accomplice out there and all will be revealed in the two-hour season finale coming in two weeks.

On my sneak peek pile this weekend was the second season opener of Leverage and what a joy that was! You'll never meet a sweet bunch of thieves! When the episode begins, the team members haven't seen each other since abruptly parting at the end of last season. Fate brings them together and eventually, they all come on board for "one more case." Things go boom, Parker dresses as a nun, a bank is robbed and one of our heroes gets shot. Yikes! Leverage returns to TNT on July 15.

Speaking of Leverage, stars Timothy Hutton and Aldis Hodge were in the audience when their co-star Christian Kane took the stage for an intimate concert in Portland last night. He was joined by old buddy, and one of my favorite singers, Steve Carlson, and another familiar face -- Jensen Ackles of Supernatural. It was all part of a celebration for Kane's birthday and I heard that a good time was had by all, particularly the fans in the audience who hadn't expected such a starry night.

Today's top TV picks:

{headline}American IdolNo, you're not reading that wrong. Fox is airing a repeat of their Michael Jackson-themed American Idol episode from this past season. You'll see the Top 13 performing songs such as P.Y.T., Adam Lambert's Black or White, The Way You Make Me Feel and Beat It.

Watch American Idol tribute Michael Jackson at 8:00 pm on Fox.

The Bachelorette

This week on The Bachelorette, Jillian goes on a road trip to visit the hometowns of the five remaining bachelors. For some, this is a chance to really show her the man behind the man but for others, it's a reminder that this isn't just a game show -- but a decision that will affect their life forever. But the real drama happens when Jake shows up to tell Jillian the truth about Wes. Sparks are going to fly in more ways than one.

Watch The Bachelorette at 8:00 pm on ABC

Dance Your Ass Off

Dancing with the Stars contestant Marissa Jaret Winokur hosts this new reality competition series that combines dancing with weight loss. 12 plus-sized contestants will shake begin shaking their booties tonight on a quest for a $100,000 prize and a slimmer body.

Watch Dance Your Ass Off at 10:00 pm on Oxygen.

News and notable

Reaper's Missy Peregrym has been cast as a rookie police officer in the new Canadian drama Copper. The show is expected to air here in the states on ABC.

Jana Kramer, whom you may know from 90210, will star as a model on the much recast One Tree Hill in the fall.

Sandra "Pepa" Denton of Salt n Pepa and Chilli from TLC will both get their own reality series on VH1 next year.

Airplane repos? That's the idea behind a new reality series from the producer of Dirty Jobs. Here's hoping the planes are still on the ground when they're repossessed. Bizarre.

Photo credit:
Leverage -- Pictured: Aldis Hodge, Beth Riesgraf, Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman Christian Kane. Credit: Alan Markfield / TNT
American Idol -- Pictured: Alexis Grace . Credit: Frank Micelotta / Fox.
Reaper -- Pictured: Missy Peregrym as Andi. Credit: Eric Ogden/The CW

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