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Yet more Batman TV series pictures

Review: Sarah Michelle Gellar in Ringer

It would be overly optimistic to hope that Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to television would match "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in enjoyment and significance. "Buffy" was a once-in-a-lifetime series and role. Still, I bet I wasn't the only "Buffy" fan with ridiculously high hopes going into the first episode of "Ringer."

Even with SMG playing two roles, this is no match for "Buffy." In fact, I'm not even sure it's a good show. On the basis of the first episode, it's not. But that's not to say it couldn't end up becoming somewhat enjoyable.

"Ringer" features that old soap opera staple, the evil twin. And it plays out very soapily, indeed.

When we first see SMG, she's Bridget, a newly sobered up former stripper who's been a witness to a brutal murder. The baddies are out to get her before she can testify, which she doesn't want to do. To save her skin and start anew, Bridget goes on the lam and seeks the help of her wealthy twin sister, Siobahn.

But no sooner do the two get together -- on a boat in a very phoney-looking blue screen scene -- when Siobahn vanishes, apparently dead. Bridget does what any soap opera twin in this situation would do, assumes her dead sister's identity.

This seems like a bad decision, but it turns out that Bridget isn't the bad sister. Siobahn is the bad one. Turns out she's been cheating on her husband, Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd) and all sorts of other bad nastiness. In fact, at the end of the show, we see, not surprisingly, that Siobahn is still alive. She has who knows what tricks up her sleeve, whereas Bridget is just hoping to make a clean start.

And, re-reading all that, it actually sounds kind of fun. Some neat, if done before, twists and a great actress in two roles. But the trouble is tone. There's not a single on-purpose laugh in the whole thing, whereas it could've, and probably should'v, been played as high camp. Instead, everything seems deadly serious, which is a misstep when the plot is so predictable. SMG is a talented comic actress. Some of the best moments in "Buffy" were played for laughs.

There's still a chance that "Ringer" could readjust. This first episode focused mainly on Bridget, who's nice but a little dull. Siobahn, on the other hand, has some potential. SMG played a fun villainess in "Cruel Intentions" and, if they camp it up a bit, she could be very fun to watch as the baddie in this series.

I may hang in there a little longer. Overly optimistic, I know...

BBC radio this week

Click the links to hear on-demand programs from the BBC.

Click the links to hear the following program on demand from the BBC:

Radio 4 Extra

Absolute Power Satirical comedy starring Stephen Fry and John Bird
Agatha Christie's In a Glass Darkly (drama)
Agatha Christie's Magnolia Blossom (drama)
Agatha Christie's Philomel Cottage (drama)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Charles Chilton: Journey into Space (drama)
Death on the Nile (drama)
Fear on Four (drama)
The Goon Show (comedy)
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (comedy)
Haroun and the Sea of Stories (drama)
Sir Alec Guiness: My Name Escapes Me The acclaimed actor reads from his memoirs
Sir Harry Secombe: Goon Abroad The memoirs of Goon Show star
Terry Pratchett's Nation (drama)

A few more Yvonne Craig/Batgirl pictures

New comics releases Sept. 14, 2011

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

Things I'll buy:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1

All New Batman Brave and the Bold #11

Super Dinosaur #4

Amazing Spider-Man #669

Sergio Aragones Funnies #3

Barks' Bear Book

Things I may buy:

John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1 (Marvel mini-series)

Other items of interest:

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

BATWOMAN #1

GREEN LANTERN #1

DEATHSTROKE #1

DEMON KNIGHTS #1

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #1

GRIFTER #1

LEGION LOST #1

MISTER TERRIFIC #1

RED LANTERNS #1

RESURRECTION MAN #1

SUICIDE SQUAD #1

SUPERBOY #1

Sugar and Spike Archives Vol. 1

DC Direct Brightest Day: Series 3: Aqualad Action Figure

DC Direct Brightest Day: Series 3: Hawk Action Figure

Archie Archives Volume 2

Art of Marvel Studios (Art of Marvel Movies)

Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man - Volume 7

More rare Batman TV show pictures

New Kate Bush album out in November

Kate Bush's first album of all-new material since 2005's Ariel will be released in the UK on Nov. 21.

Bush's Director's Cut, a collection of re-made and updated older tunes, came out earlier this year.

The new album is called 50 Words for Snow. Tracks include: