TV is not one of my vices. At the moment, I'm not watching much at all. I'm a season behind with Lost. I'm patiently awaiting the return of 24. And lastly, I'm a big fan of a wonderful show that recently stared directly into the abyss of premature cancellation and lived to tell about it: Friday Night Lights. I don't watch enough to make a pronouncement like "it's the best drama on television," but it wouldn't surprise me: the show is consistently beautiful, subtle heartbreaking, and -- most important -- amazingly well-acted (this despite its practice of casting actors in their mid-20s to portray highschoolers, regrettable but necessary given the difficulty of finding good teenage actors who can credibly portray football players).

One of Friday Night Lights' MVPs is Zach Gilford, whose Matt Saracen -- a sophomore second-stringer shoved into the spotlight in the first season after the career-ending injury of the team's star quarterback -- is the heart and soul of the show. It remains to be seen whether the shy, awkward, good-hearted Saracen is an acting creation or if Gilford is mostly playing himself (in the only other place I've seen him -- Larry Fessenden's The Last Winter -- his performance was basically the same). Meanwhile, I'm glad to see that he's been able to capitalize on Friday Night Lights to secure a couple more roles. He will appear alongside Emmy Rossum in an indie drama called Dare, and is in final talks to star in an adaptation of David James Duncan's popular The River Why.

Well, Gilmore Girl and Traveling Pants star Alexis Bledel no longer has a Ticket to Ride. Instead, an early name change has her getting into The Post-Grad Survival Guide for Fox Atomic's upcoming comedy, and the supporting cast is falling into place. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Zach Gilford, one of the stars of the television series Friday Night Lights is in final negotiations to play Rory's love interest. Also joining the cast -- Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, and Rodrigo Santoro (300). Man, I hope this is decent, just to get a chance to see Keaton and Burnett -- hopefully together.

Bledel stars as a girl named Ryden Malby, who has just graduated from college and has "to move back home with her eccentric family while trying to find a job, meet the right guy, and figure out where her life is headed." Santoro is going to play an infomercial director and neighbor who becomes Ryden's friend and confidant, but there is no word on who Keaton and Burnett will play. Considering the eccentric family angle, I'm hoping for some sort of dad and grandma deal -- Carol would be perfect as Alexis' grandmother. As for the neighbor, will Ryden find a lucrative future in the infomercial biz, peddling special fryers, rotisseries, and weight loss products? The possibilities!

Filming will begin on the project this Monday in Los Angeles, under the directorial eye of Vicky Jenson -- director of Shrek and Shark Tale. It'll be interesting to see what she makes of this live action comedy, but really, I'm just psyched for Carol.