Blog Posts by Tara Ariano

Stay warm, bros (Discovery)Actually, make that "MEN Vs. Wild": When series star Bear Grylls returns Monday, July 11, with a new season of his Discovery Channel show, he'll be joined by actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who I guess had enough time between gigs to go to Iceland and test his survival skills against the country's unforgiving landscape.

And, okay, we've seen Gyllenhaal trying to cope with extreme weather before — in "The Day After Tomorrow" — but there he could occasionally duck back into the New York Public Library to warm up. Also, it was pretend. So to see him get on a verrrrrry skinny-looking rope (more of a string, really) to pull himself across a yawning chasm is pretty impressive.

The clip cuts off before he makes it to the other side, but we...probably would have read something about it if he hadn't, right?

You can get on "Portlandia" without an audition!IFC's sketch comedy series "Portlandia" is about to start shooting its second season, and though it's still too early to know what to expect of Season 2, a peek behind the scenes demonstrates how far the show's comic sensibility extends.

Simon Hill Casting, a local Portland agency, has posted a notice seeking extras for the second season of "Portlandia." Rather than the usual dry rundown, the notice is shot through with "Portlandia" spirit — so much so that one suspects it was drafted by series creators Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.

"Thanks for your interest in being an extra in IFC's 'Portlandia,'" it begins. "I hope you like exclamation points!"

Potential extras are warned that the gig is not as glamorous or amusing as...well, as "Extras" might have made it seem. "Extra-ing takes all day long and mostly what you do is wait, sit and wait some more. Bring a book, or if you can't read, a shiny object to stare at."

The notice goes on to assure would-be applicants that the show is

Given the hoopla over Andy Samberg's being named the Discovery Channel's Chief Shark Officer for Shark Week 2011 (starting July 31), he sure keeps a low profile in this new promo! Of course, it's best for even the most charismatic performer not to try to upstage Lady Gaga, whose song "Teeth" provides the spot's very appropriate soundtrack.

If you love MTV's "Teen Wolf" series but wish the network represented the full spectrum of supernatural creatures/afflictions, there's a new series for you to look forward to. Coming August 29, "Death Valley" is a comedic series about the officers of the Undead Task Force in the San Fernando Valley. And hey, it features Don Draper's little Berkeley-dropout hippie friend from "Mad Men"!