The Slug

You Dropped a Bomb on Me, Baby

(AP Photo/HO/CBS)

"Jericho" has become so bad, it's good. Last night's fall finale was filled with plenty of shockers. James Remar ran off. Hawkins received a creepy IM. Skeet Ulrich revealed his affinity for Sinead O'Connor. That annoying guy was elected mayor. (Who holds an election after a nuclear bomb drops outside your town? Jericho, that's who.) Dale, the whiny 16-year-old orphan, became the owner of a grocery store and a murderer all in one episode. Hawkins received a creepy IM. And those zombified plane survivors finally decided to show up.

We have no conspiracy theories about this show. (But CBS does have a verrry interesting scene on Innertube revealing some of Skeet's past, if you're into that sort of thing.) All we hope is that when "Jericho" returns in February, the town will experience its first Very Merry Nuclear Winter.

Mel on Michael

(AP Photo Illustration/Derrik J. Lang)

Come on. You sooo knew it was going to happen. Someone was going to ask Mel Gibson what he thought about Michael Richards' racially charged tirade. And he was going to say something. Well, that someone was Entertainment Weekly. And that something is slightly awkward. Read it for yourself.

"I felt like sending Michael Richards a note. I feel really badly for the guy. He was obviously in a state of stress. You don't need to be inebriated to be bent out of shape. But my heart went out to the guy." — Mel Gibson in Entertainment Weekly's Dec. 8 issue.

Mission to Mars

(AP Photo/HO/The CW)

"Veronica Mars" scored its second largest audience in the whodunit's history last night with the episode that wrapped up the sometimes plodding, sometimes riveting college rape storyline. As far as the mystery goes, The Slug's money — all two dollars of it — was on Mercer from his first smarmy moment on screen. Then he got an alibi from Logan and was cleared of the charges two episodes ago.

So then we were clueless. And then it was Mercer! And he had an accomplice! And then that totally random prisoner experiment storyline from the beginning of the season made sense! So sneaky. We love it. Looks like Veronica's next case will be: Who murdered Dean O'Dell? Right now our money is on that pot-growing den mother Karen. Yes, it's out there. But so is "Veronica Mars."

Slug Gift Guide: Draw a Blanket

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

Tickle me who? Playstation whatever? The gift of 2006 for kids big and/or small just might be the Linus blanket. (It's already sold out at UrbanOutfitters.com, but you might be able to find one in stores.) This satin-trimmed, ultra soft blankie has a portrait patch of the codependent "Peanuts" character on it and comes in a big box that reads: "A Little Security for the Holidays." It's nostalgic. It's cute. It's enough to make even the crabbiest of Lucys say "Awwww." And $5 from every blanket sold — Urban has them for $34 — goes to Project Linus, an organization that supplies handmade blankets to sick kids.

Without Further Ado

(AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Nicole Richie and Ashley Olsen topped peta2's — guess that's like MTV2 — worst-dressed list for decking their skinny selves out in fur in 2006. The Slug conducted our own experiment. We plugged the names of the Hollywood starlets who made the list into the AP Photo Archive to see who turned up in pelt the most. The results were furnominal.

1. Ashley Olsen. Although Richie was the furriest on peta2's list, we actually found more photos of the Olsen Twins donning fur. We gave 'em bonus points for appearing in a snapshot next to a fur-clad Anna Wintour, editor of Vouge and notorious PETA adversary.

2. Nicole Richie. What a minx. The Slug spotted Richie in a few fur-covered outfits including a furry capelet during a "TRL" appearance and a black number at New York Fashion Week last fall that looks like it was made out of "Black Beauty" but probably wasn't.

3. Eva Longoria. She barely wears clothes, let alone fur. But we did spot the "Desperate Housewife" wearing a fur shaw while attending a benefit at the American Museum of Natural History. But the photo was taken in 2005. Null and void.

4. Christina Ricci. Sorry, PETA. Your beef with Ricci must be personal because we couldn't find one photo of Ricci wearing fur in the entire AP Photo Archive. Why didn't Lindsay Lohan make the list instead? She's worn plenty of fur this year. Oh. Is it because she bought a button?

Everyone Loves a Bad Boy

(AP Photo/HO/Fox)

It was a good night for bad boys. (Spoiler alert if you haven't watched "Heroes" or "Prison Break" yet. You can watch the latter online.) On "Heroes," we got our first glimpse at homocidal super serial killer Sylar (played by  Zachary Quinto from "24.") Is it just us or is he waaay attractive for serial killer? Too bad he slices heads open and eats brains. Oh, and who would've thunk Eden was a Lindsay Lohan-ish brat before she met H.R.G.? Hmmm. We want some doughnuts.

Meanwhile, on "Prison Break" — a surprisingly good episode that redeemed the thus-far wonky second season — Agent Kellerman (played with a wink by Paul Adelstein) flipped and shot FBI madman Agent Mahone instead of the Brothers Burrow. There's nothing conventionally sexy about Kellerman. Homicidal tendencies. Receding hairline. Some cushion. But The Slug loves, loves, loves it when a bad boy turns good. Although, he'll probably turn bad again. He only shot Mahone once!

Slug Gift Guide: Our Lips are Sealed

(AP Photo/Hillary Rhodes)

Yesterday we recommended a nifty gadget for grandma. Today we're suggesting a gift for somebody you don't like. (If you don't like your grandma, get her both. And why don't you like your grandma!?!?) It's lip gloss called Lip Venom. The company line says Lip Venom is a "spicy, tingly gloss that enhances lips' natural color and shape with a blend of essential oils including cinnamon, ginger, and wintergreen, in a jojoba oil base."

The Slug says it's the Cover Girl equivalent of Chinese water torture. Once you apply this stuff to your smackers, your lips irritatingly tingle for hours. (We should know. We tried it.) But darn. They do look good. (We should know. We looked in the mirror.)

Karma is a Bizzle

(AP Photo/HO/CBS)

We already told you what happened on the Thanksgiving edition of "Survivor: Cook Islands." Nathan Gonzalez, king of the mixed metaphor, will be missed. We were particularly impressed when he called Jonathan Penner a "dirty, stanky, whack fruitcake" in his final words. And just in time for the holiday season, too! But when we asked him why he didn't hatch a plan to vote evil Jonathan off when he had the chance, all Nate-Dog could do was attempt to justify voting off Brad, Rebecca and Jenny. Sigh. Here's what else he had to say.

The Slug: Do you regret calling Brad a nancy boy?

Nate Gonzalez: It has caused some controversy. I've heard some people saying I'm a homophobe. The honest truth: I love Brad. Brad's my boy. I think he took offense that I said that so I'm gonna apologize. But me calling him nancy boy had no direct connotation to his sexual preference. I knew he was gay when we merged as a tribe. I had no problem with him being gay. As you can see now, we had a little time together outside the game. So we were cool. I think he took offense because we were tight. We were homies.

The Slug: How did it feel to watch Jonathan stab you in the back?

Nate Gonzalez: I was hurt. It was the biggest sucker punch you have ever had. It just hurt. You go so far in a game. This isn't like a pickup game of basketball. This is a one-time game. You can't go back and redo. So it really hurts when somebody takes it away. I knew the second I saw my name come up at Tribal Council that Jonathan betrayed me.

LISTEN: Was Nate kissy kissy with Parvati?

Slug Gift Guide: Buy the Book

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

Hope y'all didn't purchase all your holiday gifts on Black Friday. Beginning today, The Slug will begin presenting cool/weird/hot/stupid gift ideas. This is stuff that's crossed our desk, fallen on our heads or otherwise entered our personal space and made us go a.) hmmmm b.) ahhhh c.) ohhhh or d.) yummy.

First up: Something for granny that'll help her understand iPods. It's called Playaway. It's basically a tiny audio book player that you can plug headphones into. The online store sells everything from "The Da Vinci Code" to "The 9/11 Commission Report." Unlike an MP3 player, you can't change what's on it — which makes it perfect for regifting! We like 'em most because they look like lil' books. Cute, huh?

Ho Ho "Housewives"

(AP Photo/HO/ABC)

Alama is alive! Not like we didn't see that coming. Come on. "Desperate Housewives" is such a soap opera. And if soaps don't show a body then the person you think is dead isn't — unless you're watching "Passions." Hopefully, this means more Dixie Carter in 2007. (That's right. No more "Housewives" until next year.) But the most interesting part of last night's episode was the creepy admission by the pedophile next door played by Matt Roth. Wonder what this means for Lynette. Also, glad to see The Slug ain't the only person getting into the holiday spirit waaay too early.