Zach Braff

If you love watching a grown man having his backside branded with a hot iron, or sitting naked on an ice sculpture, or being chased down a street by a herd of angry bulls, then the unrated version of "Jackass Number Two" (Paramount, $30) fits the bill and then some. Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Wee Man and the rest of the daredevil crazies from the popular MTV series return in this sketch comedy of bizarre and disgusting stunts.

The Television Critics Assn. Press Tour, the semiannual gathering of television journalists from around the country that began July 8, continues at the Beverly Hilton. We offer these dispatches. -- J.D. is finally growing up and moving on with his life on "Scrubs." And that's not because the single-camera comedy has a new home on ABC. Zach Braff, who has portrayed the quirky, sentimental doctor for seven years, said Wednesday that he would be leaving the show at the end of this season, which begins on ABC in January.

A completely forgettable comedy starring Zach Braff and Amanda Peet, "The Ex" takes a mix of tired scenarios and combines them in a way that makes the nearly 90 minutes feel much longer. Time stands still as the various subgenres get run through the ringer for the umpteenth time by screenwriters David Guion and Michael Handelman and director Jesse Peretz. Braff and Peet play Tom Reilly and Sofia Kowalski, a Manhattan couple about to have their first baby.

Barely a mile from where James Franco, the wizard in Disney's new "Oz: The Great and Powerful," was recently giving interviews sat a billboard touting a middle-school stage production. " 'The Wizard of Oz' is coming!" it proclaimed, an endearing promotion that the master shyster himself might appreciate. Down the street, some of Hollywood's top actors were talking up their $200 million plus production of "Oz," but inside these halls pre-adolescent cowardly lions and scarecrows were dutifully rehearsing their numbers.

Single-digit temperatures in Park City, Utah, have not deterred dealmakers from heating up Main Street with a spate of acquisitions highlighting the first half of the Sundance Film Festival. Miramax and Fox Searchlight struck a joint deal to distribute "Garden State," a romantic comedy written and directed by "Scrubs" star Zach Braff, who also stars. Separately, Fox Searchlight picked up Utah filmmaker Jared Hess' quirky comedy "Napoleon Dynamite."

WHO says the expensive Hollywood premiere is dead? Studios are still parting with big bucks to throw star-studded affairs designed to build Oscar buzz and boost egos. 1. For "Babel," Brad Pitt flew 20 hours to make a "special screening" in Westwood last Sunday. He signed autographs but was too pooped to party at the Hammer Museum, where guests such as Paramount's Brad Grey, Zach Braff and Salma Hayek sampled the multicultural food offerings. 2.

Before the writers strike, the biggest mystery surrounding NBC's "Scrubs" was whether J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) would pull a Ross-Rachel and finally be together in the hospital comedy's final season. But now the bigger question seems to be whether fans of the 7-year-old comedy will watch the finale on NBC, ABC or DVD. Although NBC had ordered 18 episodes for this season, meant to be its last, and 12 were completed before the strike, the network has not committed to allowing producers to complete the final six episodes.

The Early Show (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Brian Boitano; Jane Kaczmarek. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Ryan Seacrest. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Live With Regis and Kelly Repeat segments: Michael Douglas; Tyler Perry; Chace Crawford; David Gray performs. 9 a.m. KABC The View Seth Green ("Old Dogs"); author Geralyn Lucas; Marlo Thomas. 10 a.m. KABC The Doctors Former talk-show host Montel Williams joins the doctors to motivate viewers to take charge of their health.