Tonight: The Return of "24" and Mark Valley in "Human Target"

If you can tear yourself away from our favorite dyspeptic Brit comedian Ricky Gervais and his Golden Globes hosting gig, we highly recommend tuning into Fox tonight for an outstanding action fix.

First off, you can relive last season's finale of 24 at 7pm, and then the real fun begins at 8pm. Attractive and appealing actor Mark Valley -- Olivia's late boyfriend in Fringe, three years on Boston Legal, and the lead in Keen Eddie, Fox's spiffy and adorable police drama from a few seasons ago, and a real-life military veteran -- stars in DC Comic-based hour Human Target. He plays Christopher Chance, a security expert/bodyguard who puts his life on the line for his clients, and he's ably assisted by a great supporting cast led by Chi McBride -- House, Boston Public -- and the always superb Jackie Earle Haley -- Breaking Away, Little Children, Watchmen.

The Human Target pilot re-airs Tuesday at 9pm, then the show settles into its regular slot on Wednesdays after American Idol. We think this sounds like a winner, based on nothing but Flaming Nose intuition, but with Mark Valley -- who deserves a super breakout hit on his own -- in the lead we're behind it all the way.

At 9pm it's the season opener of 24, and we're in the eighth year of Jack Bauer's excellent adventures, played with teeth-gnawing intensity by Kiefer Sutherland. This time around Jack's in New York, swept up in international intrigue revolving around President Taylor (the returning Cherry Jones) and a re-jiggered CTU under new management. Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is still around, but we'll be seeing terrific new 24 faces like Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump), Freddie Prinze Jr. and several more great additions.

For those of you who've sort of drifted away from 24 -- and I'm one of them -- the addition of the Big Apple as background should give a shot of moxie to Bauer's predicaments, and let's trust that this will be a season of 24 worth waiting for.

So, it's Fox tonight if you're looking for something a little more harrowing than the histrionics on the Golden Globes Red Carpet -- not that there's anything wrong with that!

Golden Globes on Sunday!

(We've deleted the widget because even though the Globes are long gone it keep loading up and slowing down the page.)

We offer up this widget to keep us informed of the upcoming festivities on Sunday evening! We'll be posting our choices before the show, of course.

Looking most forward to Ricky Gervais as the host, a choice which could potentially make the show the most savage and uncomfortable awards show ever, or else the most amusing, or more likely a combination of the above qualities. He is brilliant, and it will be almost unbearable to watch what will unfold under his Golden Globes reign.

But anyway, here's the widget, with all the latest info! At the very least you get a Beverly Hilton Hotel webcam so you can check out the L.A. weather situation!

Exiting and Uplifting: Watch "Brace for Impact" on TLC

Sorry for the late notice on this, but if you like riveting true life documentaries with a happy ending, then "Brace for Impact" airing tonight on TLC is definitely worth watching. It tells the harrowing story of the US Air flight that lost both engines over NYC last January after hitting a flock of geese. By now most people on the planet Earth know the story of hero pilot (Captain Sullenberger "Sully") who with expert aviation skills and focus, glided the crippled jet to a perfect landing on the Hudson River.

Very little new information in this mostly feel good docu-drama, but the interviews with Sully and some of the passengers on the flight are still compelling. I wish they would have made it a bit longer to focus more on the additional heroism of the first responder ferry boat people, and NYC emergency personnel who raced to pull the passengers out of the freezing cold river before the aircraft sank.

I also think the story of how Sully and his family have fared in this past year is very interesting. Their lives have been catapulted from ordinary family into the highest realms of fame. But just like his landing in the river, Captain Sullenberger has handled his sudden celebrity with grace and calm focus. While so many actors, athletes and politicians turn out to have feet of clay, this man is the real deal.

Art Clokey, Creator of "Gumby" has died

The Flaming Nose mourns the passing of animator genius Art Clokey who passed away yesterday on January 8th. Creator of Gumby, the claymation series about a little green boy with a slanted head, and Pokey, his trusty orange horse and best friend.

It is a wonder that Mr. Clokey was able to create such a sweet and surreal television series, considering his horrific, almost Dickensian childhood. He lost his father at a young age and was subsequently abandoned by his mother to an orphanage. At the age of 12 he was adopted by Joseph Clokey, a music composer who taught at Pomona College and who encouraged Art's artistic inclinations.

I grew up watching and loving Gumby and even once appeared in a KTTV-TV Christmas promo with a giant Gumby (wearing a matching green dress). I still have that Gumby and was going to post a picture of it here, but unfortunately my dumb iPhone has not yet delivered it to my email box.

Take a look at the video above for some classic, vintage Gumby from 1956. Rest in peace, Art Clokey. You enchanted many generations of fans.

Veteran TV Producer David Gerber has Died

The Flaming Nose is sorry to hear of the death of talented and prolific television producer and executive David Gerber. Read the obituary from The Hollywood Reporter here:

TV producer, exec David Gerber dies

In addition to his studio duties, he was the brains behind such popular series as Police Woman (below) starring the alluring Angie Dickinson as the kick-butt lady cop Pepper Anderson, and the still fondly remembered (by Babyboomers at least) sitcoms The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Nanny and the Professor (check out great site TV Intros for more of these wonderful show opens!). He was also the exec producer of important TV movies and miniseries such as 1984's George Washington (above left), starring Barry Bostwick as the first President and Patty Duke as his wife Martha and more recently 2006's Flight 93. Also some fun ones, like Elvis and the Beauty Queen (below) from 1981, starring Don Johnson as The King and Stephanie Zimbalist as Linda Thompson, and 1980's Civil War-set romance Beulah Land miniseries (right) with Lesley Ann Warren and Michael Sarrazin, and so many others.

David Gerber was one of the stalwarts of the television world we all grew up loving, and his contributions will continue to be appreciated by all of us.

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Episode is Coming!

Heads up everybody, the Fox network is turning yellow next week in honor of the longest running TV comedy of all time. Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie will be celebrating a 20th birthday on Sunday, January 10th at 8pm, with a special anniversary episode on Fox television. The 450th episode of the world's most lovable and dysfunctional family is called "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" and it promises to unleash your inner Simpson, no matter which character is your cup of tea. Personally, I'm quite fond of Groundskeeper Willie the Scotsman and I loved the U2 guest cameo from about a million seasons ago.

My son quite literally grew up with this venerable series. He claims that it "jumped the shark" about 8 years ago, but that still leaves a dozen year's worth of wonder to celebrate this coming Sunday. This special is for anyone who's ever coveted Homer's pink donut, or pondered the relationship between Mr. Burns and his assistant, or wondered why Lisa plays the saxophone or....well the list goes on and on and on. Don't have a cow or anything, but Reagan was the President when The Simpsons debuted as a segment on fledgling Fox network's "Tracy Ullman Show" in 1987. The 80's and The Gipper are long gone, but Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and crew still keep churning out original episodes week after week.

For that reason alone, it will be worth checking out the 450th episode on Sunday, as well as an incredible anniversary special on 1-14-2010 called THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL-IN 3-D-ON ICE! Don't miss it for a reminder of why this series has won a grand total of 24 Emmy awards over the years.