"Iron Man" taking shape

The buzz about Jon Favreau's "Iron Man" flick just keeps getting better and better.

After the news that Robert Downey Jr. would don the "Iron Man" suit as Tony Stark, now comes news that Terrence Howard, aka the new hardest working man in show business, will play Stark's best friend, military pilot Jim Rhodes.

I suppose there's still a way Favreau could still screw this up, but the odds are certainly piling up now in his favor.

As for Howard, his next two flicks will be the upcoming "The Brave One," a Neil Jordan movie with Jodie Foster, and "Spring Break in Bosnia" with Richard Gere. The latter, about journalists hunting for a major war crimal in Bosnia, should be fantastic. And of course he's reteaming with "Hustle and Flow" director Craig Brewer for a biopic about Charley Pride.

Whew! Now that's what I call a workin' man.

A new Bionic Woman?

Is there a master list somewhere of crazy '70s and '80s TV shows that are crying out to be brought back to life? First Joss Whedon sets his sights on "Wonder Woman," then they hatch a "Knight Rider" movie, and now "The Bionic Woman"? Sheesh.

It seems "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer David Eick is teaming with feature screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis to reinvent "The Bionic Woman" for NBC.

According to Variety, "instead of focusing on terrorism and militarism, the new "Bionic" will explore the role of professional women in contemporary society and how they juggle their various roles."

Ha. Who needs an Equal Rights Amendment when you've got the Bionic Woman fighting for respect for women? Sounds fairly ludicrous, but "Battlestar," which recently returned to Sci Fi on Friday nights, is still perfect, so maybe something good will come out of this after all.

Second City back to TV

The Chicago improv troupe that brought Saturday Night Live many of its funniest performers is headed back to TV, this time with NBC.

A two-year pact will give the studio access to all Second City shows and talent as well as the company's library for the development of comedy content for television and different digital platforms.

I'm not sure anything can save the suffering American sitcom, but a return of actual comedians to the format could only be a good thing.

DVD pick of the week

It's hard to believe Warren Beatty's "Reds" hasn't gotten the full DVD treatment it deserves before this. Out today is a "25th Anniversary Edition" that will remind all of us how ambitious directors once were when allowed to take real chances.

In the 1981 flick, Beatty played John Reed, reporter and author of "10 Days That Shook the World." You also get Diane Keaton as Louise Bryant, the housewife who follows Reed to the front lines of the Russian Revolution, and Jack Nicholson as Eugene O'Neill. It's well worth a second look, and easily my DVD pick of the week.

Also out today is the first season of "Everybody Hates Chris," the only good sitcom on the CW. It's funny and often insightful, and can now be seen in its second season Mondays at 8 on the new network.