Are you a big fan of flashback episodes?  We saw one pulled off brilliantly last month on Supernatural, when Castiel sent Dean back to 1973 to meet his “future” parents and grandparents.  Matt Cohen was so awesome as young John Winchester, it’s a shame we had to leave him in the disco decade.  That particular installment also answered loads of mythology questions for devoted viewers.  Coming in late January, the horror series again rewinds the clock, and we’ll spend some time with teenage Sam and Dean, played by Colin Ford (pictured, right) and Brock Kelly.  Are these two dead ringers for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, or what?

Mobilize the internet troops!  Supernatural has scored a much-deserved People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series, and category winners are determined by the general public’s online voting results.  The Winchester brothers face two slumping competitors, Heroes and Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, one reportedly nearing cancellation and the other dubbed by EW as “a series in crisis.”  Based on the 5-million+ tallies for Supernatural on our homepage poll, WBNX viewers can make some serious noise in this national race, and a victory would raise awareness for the fourth-year drama which only seems to get better with age.  While you’re voting for Supernatural, show some love for the other CW shows on the ballot.  Privileged and 90210 are vying for Favorite New TV Drama; and The Secret Life of Bees, featuring Tristan Wilds (90210) and Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill) is nominated in two film categories.  Fresh Prince star Will Smith also picked up three acting nods.  Vote daily at pcavote.com.  And don’t miss the next two episodes of Supernatural, beginning this week; they’ll play out like a big-screen epic, with Dean sharing the secret fans have long awaited.

Judging by the preview scoop the network has provided, we’ve got four weeks of extreme primetime fun coming up on The CW.  Here’s just a sample of the highlights:

Gossip Girl:  Little rebel Jenny plans a guerilla fashion show; Eleanor gets a new boyfriend—who Blair, naturally, despises; a prominent cast member dies; and guests include Willa Holland (The O.C.), John Patrick Amedori, Wallace Shawn and Cyndi Lauper. 

One Tree Hill:  Peyton assembles a USO concert; and the film-noir style episode written by Chad Michael Murray airs. 

90210:  Harry’s 22-year-old biological son shows up on his doorstep; and Jennie Garth returns.

Privileged:  Megan uncovers a shocking secret about Laurel’s past—and begins dating someone “new.”  Guests include celeb blogger Perez Hilton, Kathy Najimy (Sister Act) and Sarah Drew (Everwood). 

America’s Next Top Model:  The cycle 11 winner is announced on Nov. 19. 

Smallville:  Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort) and Lana Lang return; Davis tells Chloe she’s marrying the wrong man; Brainiac replaces Chloe’s memory with Kryptonian code—but can the Fortress of Solitude unscramble it before her wedding day?

Supernatural:  Castiel calls in a warrior angel, Uriel (Robert Wisdom); and Dean tells Sam what happened to him in hell. 

The Game:  Tasha goes toe-to-toe with Penny Marshall (Rick’s pushy mother); and first-year resident Melanie meets her own Dr. McHottie (supermodel Jason Olive).  Other guests include Tisha Campell-Martin and Duane Martin.

With so much competition on the airwaves, viewers are making one thing clear: they’re not going to miss their CW shows.  For the second straight week, CW dramas dominated the new ratings system which charts what folks record and watch within seven days.  All seven of the network’s first-run programs from Monday thru Thursday rank within the top 17 broadcast series, with 90210 (#1) gaining up to 42% additional viewers on top of those who see it live.  Privileged, Gossip Girl, America’s Next Top Model, One Tree Hill, Smallville and Supernatural followed, with audience gains ranging between 22.6% and 30% during this fall’s unofficial TV premiere week.  The findings are even more impressive among The CW’s core demographic, women 18-34, with 90210 drawing nearly 60% and Top Model nearly 50% more time-shifted viewers, according to numbers released Friday by MediaWeek.  And, as one reader pointed out, fans who record the programs often watch them more than once.

Misha Collins certainly knows how to make an entrance—and perhaps no guest-star in Supernatural history has created such a stir with one brief scene.  Fansites and message boards are ablaze with excitement over Misha’s portrayal of “Castiel,” the powerful but soft-spoken angel who pulled Dean from perdition to fulfill an unknown mission.  The intense final scene (below) surely ranks as one of the series’ best, and is a real game-changer for the heretofore faithless Winchester brother…who may soon learn he and Sam are on opposite sides of a dark battle. Collins, 34, is probably best remembered as villainous “Alexis Drazen” on the first season of 24, but his recurring role on the CW thriller is likely to gain the striking actor a new legion of admirers, as the premiere grew by over 64% among women 18-49, compared with last year’s debut, earning the boys their best ratings since joining the network.  Castiel’s upcoming appearances are, thus far, shrouded in mystery.  But the next two episode titles strongly suggest we’ll be seeing the angel soon, rumpled Columbo trenchcoat and all.   

Dustin Milligan has as much off-the-wall personality as any actor on The CW.  This fall he’ll play star jock “Ethan” on 90210, but last night he was again featured on the reality/farce Ghostfacers episode of Supernatural, where he guest-starred as intern “Corbett,” smitten with his boss—then smote by a creepy ghost.  The young Canadian was euphoric about his comical role.  “I had heard a lot of really, really good things about, not only Jared (Padalecki) and Jensen (Ackles), but the entire crew.  People said it was a lot of fun to work on,” he tells BuddyTV.  “When this (job) came up I freaked out, just because of the way we were shooting it.  There was no crew.  Like, they were outside our set on the stage, but we had 360-degree closed sets.”  He adds that “the improvisation we were allowed to do and the freedom we had while shooting was an experience that I’ll never forget.  Honestly, it was such a blast.  Such a blast.”  Click here to visit the network’s Ghostfacers webpage, and don’t be surprised if the fictional hunters are spun off into an online series—Dustin is anxious to reprise his now-phantom character.  For the time being, though, he’s content being a ‘playah’ at West Beverly High.  Check out his interview below: 

For a guy who’s only appeared in eleven episodes of a three-year-old series, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is getting a lot of literary mileage from his Supernatural character, John Winchester.  Sam and Dean’s father, John, you may recall, traded his own life to save his dying son in the powerful Season Two premiere.  His presence has hung over the boys’ lives since then, as they carry on his mysterious war with the underworld.  For those who’d like more insight into their enemies—vampires, witches, reapers, bloody clowns and more—or the family’s demon-hunting backstory, there’s plenty available in print.  Prolific sci-fi author Alex Irvine recently issued The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Demons, Spirits and Ghouls in paperback, and you can pre-order his next project, Supernatural: John Winchester’s Journal.  The graphic novel prequel, Supernatural: Origins, hit bookshelves in May, giving fans an exclusive look into events surrounding Sam and Dean’s childhood nightmare and John’s journey into dark battle.  Three fictional adventures have also been penned: Bone Key, Witch’s Canyon, and Nevermore.  So if you need some fresh spook tales before new episodes return in September, fire up your Chevy Impala for a trip to the bookstore, library…or amazon.com.

In a busy week of staffing various CW shows, Laurie Metcalf signing on to lead a family of loan sharks is just too good to be true. One of the most loved and respected actresses in Hollywood, Laurie is widely-known for her comedic role as Roseanne’s sister, Jackie, a gig that earned her three Emmy Awards. More recently, she went over the edge as “Carolyn Bigsby,” igniting a memorable supermarket hostage shootout on Desperate Housewives. She’ll play the no-nonsense matriarch in our new Sunday night fall drama, Easy Money, penned by two writers from The Sopranos. Elsewhere, Oscar nominee Anne Archer joins the cast of Priviledged, previously titled Surviving the Filthy Rich; and Madchen Amick sizzles as an older love interest for Chace Crawford (Nate) on Gossip Girl. Most fans know Amick from Twin Peaks or her stint as Christopher’s absentee wife, Sherry, on Gilmore Girls. Smallville’s Clark Kent will have his hands full with Doomsday (Sam Witwer)—the villain who kills Superman in comic book lore—and new vixen Tess (Cassidy Freeman). To Metropolis, Witwer’s a typical mid-20s player, but the dark, haunting mysteries of his true origins soon begin to emerge. Finally, Supernatural creator Erik Kripke was sad to report that Katie Cassidy’s character, Ruby, became a victim of the non-existent Canadian exchange-rate. Production up north is no longer a bargain. More casting news is expected shortly. Your thoughts on these additions…?

Eight popular WBNX series have DVD releases scheduled for this summer.  Here’s a quick rundown of the shows and extras you can expect.  Many of these sets can be pre-ordered now on amazon.com.

Degrassi: The Next Generation, Season 6, with 19 episodes: (now available)
Extras include deleted moments and bloopers, cast auditions, the Degrassi Yearbook and more.

Girlfriends, Season 4, with 24 episodes: (July 29)
No extras announced.

Gossip Girl, Season 1, with 18 episodes: (Aug. 19)
Features include unaired scenes; 3 new featurettes; music videos; gag reel; and a free audio download of the original best-selling book, read by Christina Ricci.

One Tree Hill, Season 5, with 18 episodes: (Aug. 26)
Bonus material includes unaired scenes; 100th episode celebration; OTH musical stars behind-the-scenes; “Fast Forward” discussion with cast and crew about moving the storyline ahead four years; commentary on two episodes by series creator Mark Schwahn and key cast and crew; gag reel; and a bonus offer for a digital copy of the entire season.

Everybody Hates Chris, Season 3, with 22 episodes: (Aug. 26)
Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and commentaries on selected episodes.

Supernatural, Season 3, with 16 episodes: (Sept. 2)
Features include an in-depth look at the series’ special effects; inside the classic 1967 Chevy Impala; segments with creative team members discussing favorite aspects of episodes; Ghostfacers! Confessionals gallery; gag reel; and a digital copy of the entire season.

Smallville, Season 7, with 20 episodes: (Sept. 9)
Extras include featurettes on Supergirl and Jimmy Olson; Smallville Legends mobisodes; commentaries with producers Al Gough and Miles Millar, plus cast members John Glover and Justin Hartley; a comic book; and unaired scenes.

According to Jim, Season 1, with 22 episodes: (Sept. 9)
After seven years and 162 episodes, this family comedy finally gets a DVD release!  No details yet about extras.

Summer vacation?  Many of your CW idols are asking “What’s that?” as they race to the sets of new film projects in nearly every corner of the U.S.  On the West Coast, James Lafferty (Nathan on One Tree Hill) just landed a lead role in the sequel to 2001 hit Donnie Darko, and he’ll be joined in the cast by Ed Westwick (Chuck on Gossip Girl).  Lafferty’s TV co-star, Sophia Bush (Brooke), teams with Jesse Bradford to disrupt Brandon Routh’s tranquil life in Table for Three.  And Tree Hill’s Mouth (Lee Norris) remained in North Carolina for the true story, Blood Done Sign My Name.  Lee plays one of the murderers of a black Vietnam vet whose eventual acquittal leads to small town outrage.  Connecticut welcomes Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively (Serena) to shoot The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, based on a novel to be released Aug. 5.  She portrays teenage Pippa in the drama of a woman heading quietly toward a nervous breakdown.  And Blake’s buddy, Matthew Settle (Rufus), is on-location in Austin, TX, filming Ex-Terminators, a dramedy about scorned wives and revenge.  Reaper’s Bret Harrison (Sam) and Danneel Harris (Rachel on OTH) are among college kids going wild in the New Orleans based comedy, Mardi Gras.  And, as previously noted, the Supernatural hunks have stayed in the horror genre, with Jensen Ackles filming My Bloody Valentine in Pittsburgh, and Jared Padalecki carving up Friday the 13th in Texas.  Seeing each of these stars on the big-screen should only enhance their CW series’ popularity.  They’re young and in-demand…vacations can wait.