Remote Destinations

The OC

Fox

Thurs., April 13, 9 p.m.

Our favorite Orange County friends have been in the news a lot lately. First, there were rumors that Mischa Barton, who plays Marissa, is trying to get herself fired from the show. Then, on a different note, Verizon announced plans to turn Atomic County-the graphic novel Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) created-into a series of 14 brief cartoons that you can watch on your cell phone (because, you know, we've all been waiting to be able to do that). Finally, on the actual TV show, Seth wasn't accepted to Brown, and then he lied about it. Oops.

Inside the Actors Studio: Hugh Grant

Bravo

Sun., April 16, 9 p.m.

The Hugh Grant episode of Inside the Actors Studio is absolutely hilarious, or so I'm told. It's not hard to imagine, though, that an interview with Grant would be pretty amusing. He's an actor whose charm has contributed to the huge popularity of several romantic comedies, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually. When his image was tarnished by his 1995 arrest for soliciting a Sunset Blvd. prostitute, he used that charm to win back the public's favor with a self-deprecating appearance on. Basically, he's charming-and charming usually leads to funny TV interviews.

Saturday Night Live

NBC

Sat., April 15, 11:29 p.m.

Talk to anyone who's seen the Lindsay Lohan remake of The Parent Trap, and they'll tell you the same thing: she used to be so wholesome. Even in the more recent remake of Freaky Friday-which I may or may not have watched with a group of friends last weekend-she still looks like a typical teen. But once she started publicly feuding with Hilary Duff, she just wasn't as relatable. Lohan will host SNL for the third time this weekend, and, like any good host, she'll mock herself and try to show us just how down-to-earth she really is. It should be fun to watch, even if we can't have the Lohan of 1998 back.

Alias

ABC

Wed., April 19, 8 p.m.

In its first two seasons, Alias was intelligent, edge-of-your-seat entertainment. Now, five seasons into it, it still is-some of the time. The show centers around CIA super-agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) and her friends and family, who are also spies. It has always been a cult phenomenon, and its loyal viewers have stuck with it through some less-than-stellar patches. Even a cult following, though, wasn't enough to save it from cancellation-this week's two-hour episode is the beginning of the end. Expect to see familiar faces reappear over the next few weeks, all leading up to the grand finale on May 22.

Shrek 2

HBO2

Thurs., April 20, 6:30 p.m.

Maybe you loved Take the Lead, but my favorite Antonio Banderas movie is definitely Shrek 2. His character, Puss in Boots, was the only one to receive a collective "aww" from the audience, and that happened more than once. Maybe that's why Puss has his own sequel in the works, set for release in 2008. But aside from the sword-wielding feline, Shrek 2 is also notable for being a sequel that was almost as entertaining as the original. It's a fairy tale, so it all ends happily ever after, but Shrek 2 is a lot of fun along the way. And for a Thursday evening, why not?