ENTERTAINMENT

Latest news & movie, music, event and restaurant listings for Staten Island

The new season is under way, and there are a ton of shows either returning or debuting. Here, we offer our best bets in primetime this week (all times are Eastern).

NBCZachary Levi is Chuck Batowski on "Chuck," tonight at 8 on NBC.

MONDAY, 10/6
Chuck, 8 p.m. on NBC -- NEW! -- Chuck goes undercover to pluck an important device from toxic spy the Black Widow (Melinda Clarke). But to penetrate her web, he must first learn the fine art of seduction from suave superspy Roan Montgomery (John Larroquette), whose best days are likely behind him. Elsewhere, Morgan provides unlikely romantic advice to Captain Awesome; and Lester adapts to his new position at Buy More.

Dancing with the Stars, 8 p.m. on ABC -- NEW! -- In the third week of performances, celebrities either dance the jive or Viennese waltz.

Want to know if a show is worth your time? Find out here.

The CWJeff Hephner and Laurie Metcalf in "Easy Money."

EASY MONEY -- The economy is in a slump; people are scrambling to make ends meet; banks are closing because they just can't keep up with the loans: What's someone in need of cash supposed to do?

If you live in the fictional southwestern town of South Nile, you'll hit up Prestige Payday Loans. And at only 25 percent interest a week, maybe the feds should follow their lead when bailing out Wall Street.

Unfortunately, there is nobody at The CW who can bail out this show, which centers on the Buffkin family and their daily operation of a successful short-term loan company. There are two brothers: Cooper, who became a computer whiz at the company because of all his pornography downloads, and Morgan, a braniac whose gut instinct is that he really doesn't fit in with the rest of his family and who doesn't want to continue being the muscle behind collecting on the outstanding loans.

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The ambitious press person for her husband went a little too far last night on week No. 2 of "Brothers and Sisters." She apparently wrote a tell-all book, titled "A Family in Politics," and Nora got hold of it because Kitty accidentally left it behind at her house.

Nora starts reading it as she prepares a gourmet meal to bring to Kitty and Robert's house to impress the social worker handling their adoption case. Needless to say, she's so enthralled with her profile that she burns the stuffed tomatoes; overboils the water and puts way too much paprika in her chicken.

Don't have time to watch TV, but want to stay up on all the big "it" moments that everybody's talking about? Catch them all right here.

"Saturday Night Live" needs to rehire Tina Fey. For the third week in a row, she was back as Sarah Palin.

Fey's not the only one back. Spaghetti Cat has resurfaced on the Web.

DRAG CITYSinger-songwriter David Grubbs performs with his trio Oct. 7 at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St. in Manhattan.

"An Optimist Notes the Dusk," David Grubbs (Drag City)

For more than 25 years, David Grubbs has been a pied piper of sorts, leading an impressive musical journey and serving as an influential backbone of indie rock.

I'm getting pretty psyched for The Flaming Lips' 7-year movie project, "Christmas on Mars," which is coming out this fall. Partly because the band has always represented a spirit of freedom and experimentation in their music that I think is admirable, and also because Wayne Coyne and the others have great imagination when it comes to costumes, puppetry, etc..

Here's the new trailer:

Trunkface Records

It doesn't seem like it looking at the guy's muscles, but Scott James barely survived his birth. "Born Dead," the local rapper's new album hitting the streets this week, is a reference to it.

"I was actually a stillborn -- born with no heart beat -- and I needed a blood transfusion," says James, 25, of Annadale. "That's where all that comes from."

By "all that" James means not only the name of the album, but perhaps also the 13 tracks of underground material put out by his independent label Trunkface Records (it's a DIY reference: From the trunk of the car, straight to your face). On Oct. 4, James will release "Born Dead" at Martini Red to kick off a tour of the Northeast that will take him to New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

Daniel and Betty toast to being restored to their posts as editor and assistant at MODE magazine in the latest episode of "Ugly Betty." (ABC Television)

Betty, Betty, Betty. Don't you know any better? Haven't you learned? Things are never, ever brighter on the dark side.

But they certainly are more interesting! Wilhelmina may be a bitch, but we love watching her. Vanessa Williams is just that good at being bad. ("She's not smiling, she's showing her teeth.")

Creamy polenta with short ribs. Pears poached in port wine sauce. With the weather suddenly turning chilly, the weekend looks ripe for eating up an autumnal storm.

Jan Somma-Hammel/SI AdvanceFall leaves, the edible kind from Mother Mousse in Travis and Grant City.