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Good Day Readers:

In researching "cougars" there's a lot more than first meets the eye. Jian Ghomeshi host of CBC Radio's daily On Q Today had a panel discussion yesterday.

It seems some older ladies feel it's an affront to be labelled a cougar. Even learned in the lexicon of the subject a "pre-cougar" is a "puma." Were left wondering, what's the term for older gentlemen who like younger women?

Then we have the New York Daily News' recent 25 page pictoral spread, Hollywood: The Real Cougar town

Speaking of dating a teenager... Hulk Hogan's ex-wife Linda Bollea tops the Daily News' charts as the cougar queen! Linda, 50, and her 20-year-old boyfriend, Charley Hill, started dating when Charley was only 19. But the duo's matching platinum 'dos aren't the freakiest thing about this relationship - the Hogan kids, Brooke and Nick, are only 21 and 19, respectively. Can we have a collective 'ewwwww'? Wonder if Mr. Hulk will be watching the inaugural episode of Cougar Town?

Sincerely,

Clare L. Pieuk

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Sunday, September 20, 2009
Cougar Town
(Series -- ABC, Wednesday, September 23, 9:30 P.M.)
By BRIAN LOWRY

Filmed in Los Angeles by Doozer and Coquette Productions in association with ABC Studios. Executive producers, Bill Lawrence, Courteney Cox, David Arquette; co-executive producer, Kevin Biegel; producers, Thea Mann, Randall Keenan-Winston; director, Lawrence; writers, Lawrence, Biegel;

Jules - Courteney Cox
Ellie - Christa Miller
Laurie - Busy Philipps
Travis - Dan Byrd
Grayson - Josh Hopkins
Andy - Ian Gomez
Bobby - Brian Van Holt

There's an inherent cynicism and naughtiness that makes "Cougar Town" a particularly unpleasant place to visit -- a reaction that likely will be amplified for many by seeing "Friends" alum Courteney Cox in such a leaden vehicle. Thematically similar to CBS' somewhat better "Accidentally on Purpose," the older woman/twentysomething guy thing was clearly in the zeitgeist this year, but whatever the femme appeal of that particular fantasy, its comedic treatment here amounts to less of a defiant roar than a feeble meow.

Cox plays a divorced woman with a wiseass teenage son (Dan Byrd, and really, is there any other kind?) and a slacker ex-husband (Brian Van Holt). She also has bad-influence friends (Christa Miller, Busy Philipps) who all but challenge her by saying, "You couldn't bag a young stud if you tried."

OK, so maybe Cox's character, Jules, hasn't gotten laid in awhile, but the notion that she'd be off-putting to men hardly matches her trainer-toned body and proves more laughable, unfortunately, than anything in "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel's script. So a trip to the local bar quickly yields a tryst with an obliging young dude -- as well as a truly icky moment when her kid walks in on them.

The idea of women reversing the polarity of May-December (or really here, more like June-September) romances is hardly a new one -- hell, we've even had a couple of reality shows devoted to it -- but it does feed into the dual sense of insecurity and self-empowerment that women harbor about getting older. Women, after all, remain network TVs most loyal audience, so why not let them proudly proclaim that bimbos (or in this case, "himbos") are no longer men's exclusive province?

For all that, though, the execution here is consistently about as subtle as a kick to the groin -- and represents the least appealing component of ABC's quartet of new Wednesday-night comedies. On the plus side, there are some talented folks in the cast (including Josh Hopkins as Jules' womanizing neighbor), and in the glass-half-full department, this kitty's aspirations have nowhere to go but up.

Serving as producer and star, Cox's cache might help get the program sampled (though that didn't pan out especially well for her misguided FX comeback "Dirt"), but if the pilot is indicative of the show's direction, it's unlikely many will yearn to linger for long in "Cougar Town's" untidy litter box.