Anna Torv of 'Fringe'

Credit: Liane Hentscher/FOX

I believe in self-determination. I feel like I have to get that out of the way before delving into tonight’s episode of “Fringe,” since it dealt so very much in the roles of fate and free will in determining the course of one’s life. (Or, in the case of this show, the course of an entire universe.) There are those that think things are supposed to happen in exactly one way, with us moving inexorably towards that singular destination without any hope of avoiding it. Under this configuration (expressed by Bellivia* tonight), trying to avoid what you know is to come only accelerates your progress towards that inevitability.

* I’m going with Bellivia as the moniker for the Anna Torv-as-Leonard Nimoy hybrid thanks to popular vote on Twitter. I had no real horse in this naming race, and let the power of the people decide. Moving on… 

Naima Adedapo of 'American Idol'

Credit: FOX

Welcome, dear friends, to Thursday's (March 17) "American Idol" results show, or, as I prefer to call it, "That thing I'm kinda live-blogging while what I'm actually doing is swapping between NCAA Tournament basketball games."

Click through for a little March Madness...

Brittani of 'America's Next Top Model'

Credit: The CW

Alexandria! How does it feel to have the best photo and the blackest soul at the same time? The other girls think Alexandria should have been bumped down a few notches because of the raincloud she brought to the set of the last shoot; apparently those girls have never, ever read anything about Naomi Campbell.

Alexandria is from Orange County, which explains everything.

Padma Lakshmi in a bikini. Plus some other random guy.

Credit: Bravo

It’s down to the final four and, as expected, the chefs are becoming just as cranky and neurotic as you’d expect with the Top Chef title in such close proximity. Still, there’s a little time to mourn those recently ordered to pack their knives and go. Everyone liked Carla, although I’m pretty sure everyone is just glad she’s out of the game, as she was pretty stiff competition. Tiffany is sad Carla’s gone, and I’m sad that Carla’s gone instead of Tiffany. No offense, but I just don’t understand how Tiffany managed to outlast Carla, who was such a strong chef and seemed to be improving her game (at least until she got the ax). But Tiffany still has a shot at sticking around, since Antonia is second guessing herself. So, in short, the girls are falling apart and it looks like Mike and Richard are a lock for the final two. So much for girl power.

Paul McDonald of 'American Idol'

Credit: FOX

Songs From The Year You Were Born. No, not songs from the year I was born. Songs from the year the "American Idol" singers were born. It's almost never a good theme, unless your definition of "good" is "makes everybody watching feel old."

How did this year's singers do on Wednesday (March 16) night? Click through...

'Glee'

Credit: FOX

A lot of people love the competition episodes of “Glee.” I’ve never been a particularly big fan of them for two reasons. One, the performances themselves rarely measure up to the best performances in other episodes. It’s hard to wow the audience at home with spectacle when they get it on a weekly basis anyways. Secondly, the show rarely builds up to these competitions with little more than lip service. Ostensibly, every week of rehearsal should be building towards these specific events, but all too often everything that’s come before the week of the show gets chucked out in favor of musical Hail Marys.

But what “Original Song” did right, and did differently than all other previous competition episodes, was properly frame the competition itself as secondary to the various emotional entanglements going on amongst its participants. That’s a good thing, especially since the deliberation process to decide the Regionals winner was so painful and so tonally off from everything that preceded it that it nearly ruined all the good feelings this episode produced in my cold, black heart. I don’t think “Glee” views these competitions as anything more than a convenient way to frame a season of television anyways, so I’m glad that the show used this particular opportunity as a point at which much more important moments in life could come to the forefront.

[Full recap of Tuesday's (March 15) "Glee" after the break...]

 Scott Patterson and Sarah Roemer of 'The Event'

Credit: NBC

For anyone who has been following my reviews of “The Event” so far this season, it’s clear that I am far from the show’s biggest fan. On the other hand, in the wake of last week’s paltry return-episode ratings, it’s also clear that I’m one of the few people still watching. As such it felt strangely morbid watching tonight’s episode, “Turnabout,” spin its wheels, knowing that NBC could pull the plug on this show at any minute, well before its few remaining viewers find out where any of this is heading.

[Full recap of Monday's (March 14) "Event" after the break...]

Kent and Vyxsin of 'The Amazing Race'

Credit: CBS

 Well that was pretty stupid.

Jessie J and Zach Galifianakis guested on this week's 'Saturday Night Live'

Credit: NBC

Zach Galifianakis returns to the “Saturday Night Live” stage tonight for the second time. Whereas the potential greatness for a Miley Cyrus-centric show was only “pretty cool,” the sky’s the limit for Galifianakis’s return performance. Last time around, the show seemed unable to truly hone his unique sensibilities, save in the monologue (essentially his stand-up routine) and in pre-taped bits. Will Zach 2.0 yield better results? Will he once again shave mid-show? Will the name “Zach Galifianakis” break my auto-spellcheck function? And will I actually know who Jessie J is by the end of the night?

Only one way to find out. As always, I’ll be grading segments in real time. And I’ll be doing so while sitting between two ferns. Like I always do. Onto the show!