TV

The guy many of us thought would be around until, perhaps, THE END was cruelly dismissed Thursday night. On Friday morning, he spoke to us nosy reporters via conference call. As you might have expected, the Aussie was as endearing as ever.
Since his wife is from Fort Worth, I asked how much we should expect to see him in these parts.
"Apart from last Christmas, I've spent the last four Christmases there," he said. "I get to Dallas usually at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm going to be there; my in-laws are there, my whole family. You'll be seeing a bunch of me."
(What news could be better, people?!)
He'd also noted earlier in the call that he'd heard from Dolly Parton after he got the boot. Any other well-wishers? "I got a reach-out from Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, saying I was their favorite and they watched every week. It's just amazing how far this show reaches -- everyone from a Dolly Parton to Keith Urban. It's insane."
Answers to other questions (including what he thought of the cruel Ryan Seacrest) after the jump.

Sad news for Monk fans, on the death of Stanley Kamel, who played his shrink. He also was a familiar face for viewers of Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Murder One. Here's the Los Angeles Times obituary:

It's still 13 days till Lost resumes (Thursday, April 24, in its new 9 p.m. timeslot), so bored fans have been killing time with stuff like this YouTube video.

Sigh. I have got to get a life...

OK, but on the more substantive side, here's some actual, tantalizing news on the Lost front from TVGuide.com's Michael Ausiello. Who asks the burning question: Will an extra, 14th episode be added to the five already planned to air this spring?

Plus: More Lost news from EW.com's Doc Jensen! He promises:

The first episode back, ominously titled ''The Shape of Things to Come,'' will launch the endgame with downright apocalyptic thunder. The ensuing four installments will answer some of the season's biggest questions: How did the much-vaunted Oceanic 6 leave the Island? What happened to those left behind? Why is Sayid (Naveen Andrews) killing people for Ben in the future? And who's rotting inside that darn coffin?