Damon Wayans Jr.

CHICAGO – Is there anybody in show business that knows their character and personality profile better than Zooey Deschanel? Her accessible, quirky persona – evident in “(500) Days of Summer” – scores big time again with the new sitcom “New Girl,” premiering September 20th on FOX.

CHICAGO – ABC’s new sitcom “Happy Endings” is undeniably yet another “Friends” rip-off, an attempt to make a pal-com about relationships, misunderstandings, and good buddies. I’ve seen enough of these things that I automatically get a bit defensive when they appear on my desk. If you sat through junk like “Traffic Light” and “Perfect Couples,” you would too.

CHICAGO – What does a smart man like Will Ferrell do after a total disaster like “Land of the Lost”? Return to the man who has proven that he knows how to use him best, regular collaborator Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers”), delivering the laughs that his fans have come to expect and even a few that they won’t see coming. Recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, “The Other Guys” is a funny movie with a few too many jokes that hit the floor to be considered great but an entertaining diversion nonetheless.

CHICAGO – While a cop film take-off is filed under the fish-in-a-barrel category, writer/director Adam McKay manages to spin some absurd gold threads into the thin blue cloth. In other words, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are damn funny in this all-in cop farce, with enough familiar co-star support to prop up the whole enchilada.