Blog Posts by Tara Ariano

Enough options to make your eyes fail.We all look forward to the holidays as a time to relax and reconnect with family. After that thrill has worn off (a couple of hours of togetherness is usually enough, right?), we may look to TV for a respite from the bonding, giving the gathered relatives something to stare at, other than each other. Thanks to @PopCandy, I can direct you to an incredible list of TV specials, events, and marathons the networks and cable channels have planned for Thanksgiving weekend. Because we can all assume TNT will be going hard on "Law & Order," but what about everywhere else? Distracting ourselves with television could be the only way to avoid family squabbles and strife. So this is important. [TV Tango]

They don't usually look this bored on the show. (USA Network)As you may have noticed, the networks mostly don't bother to program their Friday nights, throwing up a mix of repeats of shows that aired on more competitive nights, and cheap newsmagazines. So if they're not going to give you interesting show options, you're going to have to do it yourself. We'll help you out by directing you to Your Time-Shift Friday Show of the Week — the kind that work well accompanied by a glass of wine and a stack of catalogs; or that can be enjoyed even if you doze off in the middle, because you can still pick up the plot thread in the end, or next week.

Show: "Covert Affairs," which airs on USA Tuesday nights at 10 PM EST.

Plot: Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) works as a covert field agent for the CIA, which takes her to exotic locations and causes her to cross paths with exciting, sexy assets and handlers.

Look how excited he is! (Hulu)I've been to the future and brought back this sketch-by-sketch rundown of tomorrow's episode of "Saturday Night Live." Or is it just a series of very educated guesses? Read our"SNL" Sketch Predictor and judge for yourself.

11:30 PM Cold open: Herman Cain (Kenan Thompson) addresses his supporters to defend the continuing viability of his candidacy, but keeps taking alarmingly long pauses throughout.

11:37 PM Monologue: Host Jason Segel talks about his new movie, "The Muppets," and is joined onstage by his co-stars, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy (cameo as themselves).

In a "League" of her own. (YouTube)Suddenly Everywhere: Sarah Silverman

You Might Know Her From: Her eponymous Comedy Central sitcom, "The Sarah Silverman Program," or from her career as a standup comic

First Location Of Her Recent Campaign To Be Suddenly Everywhere: As Stephanie Engler, CEO of an Ashley Madison-esque dating service for people looking for partners with whom to start extramarital affairs, earlier this year on "The Good Wife"

Next Location Of Her Recent Campaign To Be Suddenly Everywhere: As Lori, a therapist specializing in fractured platonic friendships, on last week's episode of "Bored To Death"

Regis Philbin has long been the object of fond and friendly mockery from David Letterman, who has joked on "The Late Show" about everything from Philbin's age to his moonlighting as a recording artist to his insistence upon constantly asking Letterman to have dinner with him. But with Philbin finally retiring from "Live" after 28 years in daytime, Letterman couldn't pass up the chance to spend the eve of Philbin's last show with him. After discussing Letterman's appearance on "Live" this week (and the headline-making smooch Letterman planted on his old friend — and when Letterman refuses to repeat it to Philbin's disappointment, Letterman calls Philbin a "slut"), Philbin stepped outside the studio on Letterman's retirement gift — a Vespa — to scoot off into the sunset, with unfortunate results.

What I love about this Canadian FedEx ad — other than the idea that a Canada goose in Montreal would have occasion to sit at a desk while arranging for a package to be sent to a canine colleague in Miami — is how unassuming it is. American FedEx ads emphasize the awesome power of the company's shipping network to get your package to its destination like YESTERDAY. Whereas this spot is like, "It doesn't have to be there tomorrow, does it? Ehhhh, save a couple of bucks; we'll get it there domino-style." Why brag about speed? Charmingly advertising a service that's "good enough" is so Canadian.

[The Daily What]

Braaaaaaaap!With comic geniuses creating single-topic Tumblrs on what is probably a minute-by-minute basis, it can be difficult to know which ones are worth your time. We can't curate the entire platform for you, but we can bring to your attention the best television-themed sites in a feature we call TV Tumblr of the Week.

Site: Number One

TV Inspiration: "Star Trek: The Next Generation"

Site Production Values: Pretty good, but let's be real for a second: It's hard to capture a BAD screen shot of Jonathan Frakes, as "TNG"'s "Number One," Commander Riker, in his prime. Am I right or am I right?

Hey guys. (Henry S. Dziekan III/WireImage.com; Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com; Theo Wargo/NBCUniversal/Getty Images)Actors have day jobs, but with an eye on a paycheck, a fun day's work, or an Outstanding Guest Actor Emmy, they moonlight in TV guest roles, too. Here are a few performers (and one non-performer) who will soon provide their Guest Services.

Actor: Greg Kinnear
Day Job: Fancy movie star, occasional fake John F. Kennedy
Guest-Starring On: "Modern Family"
Role: A new business partner for Phil (Ty Burrell)
Pros: Ohhhh, these two titans of comedy sharing scenes is going to be great. I am not being facetious.
Cons: Kinnear's so handsome that Burrell's TV wife may very well fall in love with him.