entertainment - "season"

'South Park' started its 12th season with a bang, accusing Steven Spielberg and George Lucas of exploiting the 'Indiana Jones' franchise with last summer's 'The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.'

Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues its 2008-2009 season, an exploration of the imagination, with The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, directed by ensemble member Randall Arney. The production, featuring ensemble members Francis Guinan, Tom Irwin, John Mahoney and Alan Wilder with Randall Newsome, runs December 4, 2008 - February 8, 2009 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. The press performance is Saturday, December 13 at 3 p.m.

The Brick Theater and Third Lows Productions continue their innovative theater series Penny Dreadful on Saturday, October 18 at 11:00 PM and Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 PM, with the premiere of Penny Dreadful Episode 7 - The Peril of Penny, a Damsel Lost in Time! The newest chapter in the serialized story marks the beginning of season Two that will consist of six new plays through March 2009.

Profiles Theatre continues its 20th Anniversary season with the OBIE Award-winning dark comedy The Thugs by Adam Bock, directed by Profiles Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. The production runs October 29-December 14, 2008, at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. The play will run in repertory with Profiles' production of Men of Tortuga, playing through December 7, 2008. The press opening for The Thugs is Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at 8:00 p.m.

Front Page: 'Doubt,' 'Frost/Nixon' take bigscreen test -- 'Frost/Nixon' and 'Doubt' are destined to be serious awards season contenders when they open in December, but even as film adaptations of highly popular plays, they are on a road fraught with mixed results and more than a few risks.

It takes Christina Applegate approximately 45 seconds in the second-season premiere of ABC's 'Samantha Who?' to dispel any lingering discomfort the audience might have with the star's summertime diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent double mastectomy.

PBS filmed the San Francisco Symphony's opening night gala on September 24, 2008. The concert took place at Carnegie Hall as part of their celebration of their 118th season in a tribte to Leonard Bernstein. The performance featured Christine Ebersole as vocalist. The evening was musically directed and performed by Michael Tilson Thomas.

TV Ratings: Procedural's premiere helps lift CBS to win -- CBS prevailed on the first true Thursday of the season behind 'Survivor' and a strong premiere for 'CSI,' though the net's new 'Eleventh Hour' didn't do much closing out the night. ABC, meanwhile, saw a solid bow for 'Life on Mars,' and NBC made some noise with its 'Saturday Night Live' special and the premiere of 'Kath & Kim.'       

Both The CW and VH1 are spinning off shows using cast members from previous seasons of those shows, which is definitely the new trend in reality TV.The fourth version of Rock of Love will be called Daisy of Love (a title that doesn't make sense at all), and will star second-season runner-up Daisy De La Hoya VH1 is now casting online for men who want to date Daisy. The new show will air next spring and is produced by 51 Minds' Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego.Meanwhile, The CW will give America's Next Top Model supporting cast members Jay Manuel and J. Alexander their own show. Operation Fabulous will follow them as they 'travel the country giving women makeovers ' that are ''Top Model'-style overhauls -- how to dress, wear their hair and makeup and bring out their confidence with the support of family, friends and their community,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. No debut date has been announced.Daisy Of Love: It's On! [VH1 press release]CW sets 'Top Model' spinoff [Hollywood Repo

Launching its fifth season as one of South Florida's major theatrical producing companies, producer/director Stephanie Ansin's much applauded production of Lewis Carroll's classic 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' will preview Thursday and Friday, November 6 and 7, followed by the official season opening Saturday, November 8, at 3 PM at The PlayGround Theatre 9806 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores.