What To Watch This Week on TV: Denis O'Hare Creeps Out 'Rake,' Linda Cardellini Guests On 'New Girl' - VIDEO

Check out our weekly guide to make sure you're catching the big premieres, crucial episodes and the stuff you won't admit you watch when no one's looking.

— Whether he's murdering newscasters as the gay Vampire King on True Blood or collecting corpses in his freaky doll attic on American Horror Story, Denis O'Hare certainly has a thing for playing the unhinged. He'll bring his twisted charm to Fox's new show Rake (starring Greg Kinnear) Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern. Oh, and he'll be playing a cannibal, because of course he will.

More picks and clips, including a new season of a Netflix favorite and scandal at Downton Abbey, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Speaking of guest stars ... Only Linda Cardellini (Freaks & Geeks, ER) could handle being both Don Draper's mistress on Mad Men and Zooey Deschanel's sister. She leaves the '60s behind to play Jess's bad-girl sister on New Girl Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox.

 

 

Everybody might not know your name on Kirstie, but you probably know theirs. The TV Land series adds to its cast of sitcom veterans with a guest appearance by George Wendt. Catch him as the ex-husband of Thelma (played by his Cheers co-star Rhea Perlman) at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Wednesday.

 

 

What's in store for Kevin Spacey's Rep. Frank Underwood on this season of House of Cards? You won't have to wait long to find out. Get ready to mainline the second season when it's released in its entirety Friday on Netflix.

 

 

There's already been plenty of pearl-clutching moments this season on Downton Abbey, but this week cousin Rose (Lily James) has to face the family when they learn of her relationship with Jack Ross (Gary Carr). Worse yet, we're not feeling super positive about Bates (Brendan Coyle)'s self-restraint when it comes to not murdering that scoundrel who did the thing we're not going to talk about because of the spoilers. But you know what I'm talking about. And you know he's got it coming. See what happens Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern on PBS.

Bigoted Oklahoma Restaurant Owner's Online Pages Overrun With Trolls And 1-Star Reviews

A few days ago Gary's Chicaros restaurant became a common name as word spread like wildfire about the grossly bigoted owner Gary James and his policies against serving ethnic minorities, the disabled, the unemployed, and, of course, the gays.

Despite what occurs in some of the darker corners online, the Internet collectively doesn't appreciate a bigot and its denizens have descended upon both the restaurant's Facebook page and Yelp page with 1-star reviews, re-branding the establishment as a gay bar complete with photos of go-go boys and drag queens, and satirical reviews like:

Gary is such a sweet piece of man meat. Put him on a plate and I would just eat it up. This is really the best black gay bar in town. 
The food is terrible, but oh the service you can get from Gary if you know what I mean.  
The bathrooms, or what I like to call the playground is simply not to be missed. 
Gary, you are truly the wind beneath my wings, oh and you might catch me there on Tuesdays Drag show singing that song!

Welcome to the Internet, Mr. James. You will be very uncomfortable here.

Gays Have Ruined Sports For Fox News Contributor Todd Starnes

Todd Starnes is very, very sad. After seeing gay weddings in the Rose Bowl Parade, the various outpourings of support for gay Olympians and condemnations of Russia's abominable laws, having a meltdown over the Grammy weddings, and now with Michael Sam daring to come out as an openly gay football player, sports have been ruined for Starnes forever.

Said Starnes, in part, on Facebook:

I should’ve learned my lesson after the Rose Bowl Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

It’s all about advancing a cultural agenda — no matter the cost.

We are no longer allowed to have fun and enjoy sports or entertainment programs. How sad.

"Advancing a cultural agenda"...said without a trace of irony from the man who lied that Colorado high schoolers have been banned from celebrating America, falsely claimed that a VA hospital in Dallas forbade Christmas cards, and engaged in vile fear-mongering tactics by asserting that Obama is going to turn the U.S. military against Christians.

Hemant Mehta at Patheos sums up Starnes' complaint rather nicely:

I guess he wants an NFL where only straight players get to tackle each other and slap each other on the ass and an Olympics where only straight athletes get to participate in the two-man luge.

Pride Flags Raised All Across Canada for LGBTs in Russia

Cities all across Canada are flying the rainbow Pride flag from government buildings to show support for LGBT athletes for the Olympics and to protest the anti-gay laws and abuses enacted by the Russian government. Though there is widespread support, there are a few dissenters in the mix. As we pointed out the other day, crackhead Toronto Mayor Rob Ford ordered the flag taken down, a decision that was overturned after a meeting with city councillors.

Then there was a constituent in Ottawa, Twitter handle "Awe Some, @Awesomely11", who called Mayor Jim Watson's decision to fly the flag "a stupid waste of time" and that by doing so Watson lost his vote. Watson's response to the disgruntled constituent was right on:

Nevada Attorney General Reverses, Seeks to Withdraw State's Defense of Gay Marriage Ban

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Corte Masto, who in January compared gay marriage to bigamy and incest in a brief defending the state's ban and shortly thereafter said she would reconsider the brief in light of the 9th Circuit’s opinion in SmithKline Beechum Corp. v. Abbott Laboratories, has now decided that the state's arguments in defense of the ban are no longer tenable, the AP reports:

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto filed a motion Monday to withdraw the state's legal arguments in a case pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval says he agrees with the move, saying it's clear the state's arguments are no longer defensible in court.

The decision means Nevada will not argue to uphold the constitutional prohibition against same-sex marriage that was passed by voters in 2002.

In SmithKline Beechum Corp. v. Abbott Laboratories, the 9th Circuit ruled that attorneys could not exclude gay jurors from juries based on their sexual orientation.

In a piece written last month, Towleroad's legal editor Ari Ezra Waldman predicted that the SmithKline Beechum Corp. v. Abbott Laboratories ruling would be impacting marriage equality cases around the country.

Indiana Senate Rules Committee Advances Gay Marriage Ban in 8-4 Vote

The Indiana Senate Rules Committee this afternoon voted 8-4 to advance a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, the Indianapolis Star reports:

The 12-member Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee voted 8-4 along party lines to send the measure, known as House Joint Resolution 3, to the full Senate, probably later this week. All eight Republicans voted for the measure, and all four Democrats voted against.

The decision came with no discussion by committee members about whether to restore the amendment’s second sentence, which would also ban civil unions and similar arrangements. The House removed that provision before sending the amendment to the Senate.

Instead, the Senate will likely take up the question of whether to restore the second sentence when the measure comes up for second reading before the full 50-member Senate. That could happen as early as Thursday.