I left home at 4:30 a.m. Friday. I got to Los Angeles at 11 a.m. By noon I was on the set of a new show called “Three Rivers.” By 7, I was at a shopping mall in Century City.

Who’d I spot there? Gene Simmons (from KISS) and his son Nick. The two were eating in the food court. Gene walked through the tables like royalty, greeting his subjects. (Yup, he signed lots of autographs.) Son Nick surveyed the food and paid attention to a pretty blonde who was in tow. Nick is huge — almost 7 feet, it seemed — and less approachable. He wore sunglasses, too. But dad drank it all in. That’s our first Random Sighting of the day.

And the set visits? In addition to “Three Rivers” (which has more medical equipment than a real hospital — it’s about organ transplants), I hit “NCIS: Los Angeles” (it’s a spin-off, set in a vaguely Mexican building and it stars Chris O’Donnell), “Bones” and “Dollhouse.”

At “Dollhouse,” I caught up with Harry Lennix — remember him from “The Matrix” and his guest appearance at Western Iowa Tech? He said he just got married (she’s not in the business) and he has plans to come back to WITCC in the near future. He’d like to direct a play there. That’d be a real coup. He also said he had several irons in the fire just in case “Dollhouse” wasn’t renewed. “I’m always thinking ahead,” he said. Then the drama got the reprieve and now he’s back on the soundstage.

The “Bones” set was pretty impressive. It cost $4 million and it includes more fake bones than a science museum. We watched a scene being filmed, talked with the cast and got a chance to snoop at yet another medical lab.

Tomorrow: “Sesame Street”! The actors (and characters) are going to be here for interviews. Me wantum Cookie Monster.

While you’ve been basking in the sun, I’ve been tanning by the light of my television set. For the last few weeks, I’ve been watching pilots for the fall television shows and there’s lots to talk about.
We’re going to see several cougars next season (trend alert!), the requisite number of law/medical/cops shows, a comedy that relies on “The Office” formula and stars you thought you wouldn’t see again. (Chevy Chase on TV? In a supporting role?)
A new drama called “Three Rivers” features physicians in the tightest T-shirts possible. They call them scrubs, but I don’t think you could scrub ‘em. They don’t look like they come off.
A reality show tries to make bosses look human and the best show of the year — “Glee” — features more stars than reunion week on “American Idol.”
Friday, I’m headed to Hollywood to visit sets, interview stars and preview the fall season.
Watch the blog for exclusives and plan to hunker in when we start unfolding the stories in the A&E section.
The fun is about to begin.

Bruce Miller previews “Funny People” and “Aliens in the Attic” in this week’s Movies in a Minute.

Before Michael Bolton comes to Sioux City this weekend, he took time to answer a few of our questions. He talked about his latest project, changes in the entertainment business and, yes, his hair.

He also talked about Frank Sinatra and his tribute album.

Sinatra, he says, was the king. He had “that voice, that smooth delivery. He also had universal appeal…it is important to strive for all that.

“I have always wanted to record Sinatra…it was on my wish list of things to do. I started by narrowing down the songs and I considered which would work for my voice and my style. As a musician the opportunity to work with an amazing big band, a swing band, was irresistible, especially the band featured on my record.

They were the best of the best…recording in the studio that he did was extraordinary. I was very fortunate to get the blessings of Barbara and Nancy Sinatra who loved the CD. And that speaks volumes.”

More? Look for it in Friday’s A&E. And see what he has to say about Lady Gaga.

Katie Holmes turned up on “So You Think You Can Dance” Thursday night, performing a dance of sorts to Judy Garland’s “Get Happy.”

She lip-synched the song and, basically, was carried around the stage by the dancers. It wasn’t exactly a tribute to Garland (even though her son was in the audience) and it wasn’t done live.

The point? Methinks Mrs. Tom Cruise wants to become the next Catherine Zeta-Jones. (Either that or there’s a gig open on Broadway in “Chicago” which just happens to be steps away from the Scientology center.)

The performance was pretty pitiful, considering just one night earlier two contestants did a dance about a woman’s journey with breast cancer that was incredible — Emmy incredible.

Somehow, I think the producers knew the Holmes thing was going to be bad, too. They opened the show (their 100th) with “One” from “A Chorus Line.” That song basically talks about how dancers have to shore up a non-dancing star. Hmmm.

Also, the SYTYCD bunch is coming to Omaha in November for a show. If you just can’t get enough, get tickets now.

Maybe seeing a movie this weekend? Bruce Miller previews “G-Force,” “Orphan” and “The Ugly Truth.”

I have always maintained people don’t change much after high school. Oh, sure, they may make a few surprising career or relationship moves. But, basically, if they were jerks back then, they’re probably going to be jerks the rest of their lives.

Now, “Big Brother” proves the point. The low-rent summer reality show has contestants divided into “cliques” and they’re still just as obnoxious as they always were.

The show, though, is so cheesy, you know certain “types” wouldn’t even bother with it. The set looks like it was done by the “D” students in shop class. The kitchen is such a mess the home ec teacher would have a fit before she’d let anyone in it. (Worse yet? They all chug out of big discount bottles of soft drinks.)

Watch an episode and you’ll realize why high school is such a crucible for so many.

It’s so bad you just know there’s going to be a P.E. episode that will send chills up your spine.

I tried printing out the list of primetime Emmy nominations today. The printer ran out of paper.
Does that tell you how many people were nominated? It’s practically sinful. And, really, all that’s behind it is a desire to give undeserving shows a shot at winning. Five nominees in each category (and there are dozens of categories) is quite enough, thank you.
In the miniseries category, only two shows made the cut. What does that say?
Among the big winners: Tina Fey (who’s nominated for producing and starring in “30 Rock” and playing Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live”); Justin Timberlake, who wrote nominated songs for “SNL” and the ESPY Awards” and who nabbed one for guesting on the late-night show.
Other observations:
•Kiefer Sutherland got a nomination for starring in the two-hour “movie” version of “24,” but didn’t get one for his work in the series. Huh? How does that happen?
•”The Shield” was shut out of the big categories. So was “Friday Night Lights” but “The Mentalist’s” Simon Baker is in the Best Actor hunt.
• “Family Guy” got a Best Comedy nomination (but “The Simpsons” didn’t).
• Couples club: Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick were nominated. (Does that make up for the money they lost in Bernie Madoff’s investments?)
• What year is this? Betty White, Carol Burnett, Alan Alda, Bob Newhart and Ernest Borgnine were nominated. They were hot in the ’70s.
• Hope for the Emmys: “Flight of the Conchords” cracked the Best Comedy ranks. “Big Love” got big love in the Best Drama field. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is in the mix.
• Fitting farewell: Farrah Fawcett’s video diary was nominated. She just might get that Emmy after all.

Today we got the news that Cal Olson, former editor of The Journal, had died.
While you may not have known Cal you can rest assured he had your best interests in mind during his tenure.
He was a bulldog in the newsroom, sniffing out stories better than anyone. He demanded excellence from his staff, too, and never rested until he got the scoop. He was Lou Grant, Ben Bradley and Ernie Adams, all rolled into one.
I got to know Cal at an early age — he was one of my first newswriting instructors at (then) Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minn. He was managing editor of The Forum in Fargo, N.D., at the time and he carried considerable weight among his peers. In the classroom, he was as intimidating as the professor in “The Paper Chase.” He looked over the top of his glasses and often asked, “Is this the best you can do?” If you misspelled a name, he put a big “F” on the paper and handed it back without explanation. He was the school paper’s adviser, too, and at weekly staff meetings he detailed what we had done right and wrong. If you got a “good on you” from Cal, your entire week was made. He demanded excellence and got it.
After I had finished graduate school, he called and asked if I wanted a job in Sioux City. I told him I didn’t even know where Sioux City was. “I think you’d like it here,” he said. He was right.
Even though we weren’t in a classroom, he was still teaching me things. He always asked, “How does it smell out there?” when you’d come back with a story. And when you said there wasn’t anything to report, he’d say, “There’s your story.”
He was an avid lover of movies, too. Even in his later years (when he needed dialysis three times a week), he’d quiz me about the latest movies and what was coming out next. Talk movies? Cal was a pro.
When community theater actors complained once about a review I had written, he decided to see for himself who was right. He went to the show and came back with his assessment: “They’re so bad they don’t deserve to be reviewed.”
More than anything, that’s what I appreciated about Cal — you always knew he was in your corner. He’d be the first to tell you you were wrong but he’d go to the mat for you (his words) if you were right.
For me, he was a role model, a mentor and a friend.
The last time I saw him, he left me with a typical Cal-ism: “Fight the good fight.”
And that’s just what those who knew him have to do.
He wouldn’t expect anything less.

Bruce Miller reviews “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” in this week’s Movies in a Minute.