TV

NBC has announced that Chuck will return on Sunday, Jan. 10 with two back-to-back episodes before moving into its regular Monday 7 p.m. time-slot on Jan. 11. Chuck's anticipated third season has been upped to 19 episodes from 13.

ABC confirmed that Lost will kick off its sixth (and final) season with a two hour premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 2 from 8 -10 p.m. (As usual, there will be an hour long recap special that will start at 7 p.m.) The next week, Lost will move into its new time slot: Tuesday at 8 p.m.

(This is very exciting news for me, as a non-Idol watcher who has nothing to watch on Tuesdays except 90210.)

Anyone else pumped for these shows to return?

The Internet is going crazy right now as news spreads that daytime queen Oprah Winfrey is ending her long-running talk show in less than two years.

WABC-New York, The New York Times, the Huffington Post and more all broke the story that Oprah will announce on Friday's show that the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show will air on Sept. 9, 2011. Next year will be the show's 25th season.

Deadline Hollywood reported this earlier this month, saying Oprah would move on to work on her new Oprah Winfrey Network. That all makes sense, but then fans will no longer be able to watch Oprah on TV for free over the air.

If anything besides the coming new decade has signaled the end of an era, it's this. My generation literally grew up with Oprah (Donahue who?), and while it's been discussed a little before, I don't see anyone truly capable of taking her place in daytime.

Ellen DeGeneres is awesome, but she's kind of got a full plate now with American Idol and all. And her show isn't more than a talk show like Oprah's, but what do you guys think? Plus, watch a video of what's arguably the most memorable moment in the show's recent years.

File this under the "random" category. TV Guide Network has announced that they'll be "celebrating one of Hollywood's most cherished and timeless film romances of all time, Dirty Dancing, with a 12-hour marathon premiering Friday, Dec. 25 at 12 p.m. ET/PT and running through midnight."

I like Dirty Dancing, too... but on Christmas? I'd rather be watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated one, not the horrific live-action abomination) or A Charlie Brown Christmas. I guess they think it might be a brilliant counter-programming strategy, but I know I won't be watching.

DD gets played enough on cable - I feel like it's on some channel at least once a week. I don't need a marathon, especially when there's food to be eaten and naps to be taken. Plus, nobody puts the Grinch in a corner. (Sorry. Had to get one in there.)

It's odd when a finale can be shocking and yet completely without surprise. Throughout the 13th season of ANTM, we've watched "petite" models compete against each other each week. And every week, redhead Nicole Fox has seemed like the obvious frontrunner. So a tip of the hat to the editors this week, as they made it seem (if only for a minute or two) that Laura Kirkpatrick might actually steal the title.

But, alas, it was not to be so. After having it pounded into our heads that Nicole lacks a personality (She does! It's just a quiet, weird personality!), the girls did their Cover Girl photo shoot/commercial. Laura dealt with her dyslexia yet again, but Nicole also had issues enunciating. Later, the girls did their Seventeen magazine photo shoot and got a one-on-one chat with Tyra.

In the runway show, Laura seemed like she might prevail in the stomp-down as Nicole hunched and clomped her way down the catwalk. But the judges later decided that it might work as a "signature" walk for her. Huh.

In the end, Nicole's stunning photos won out and she was named America's Next Top (Petite) Model. I have to ask: why are we calling her a petite model? I know she's 5 ft. 7 in., which is shorter than the average model, but it was the maximum height limit for this season. Plus, cycle two winner Eva Pigford was only 5 ft. 6 in. and she didn't have to compete in any special "petite" cycle. I call shenanigans, Tyra!

NBC is moving the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards to Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010, in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with Sunday Night Football and competition on other networks.

This isn't the first time the Emmys have been earlier than September. NBC aired the 2006 Emmys on August 27 that year and the show was the highest-rated Emmy telecast in the past four years.

Jack Clay, who taught drama to him at Southern Methodist University during the 1980s, remembers Jeffrey Nordling as a "tall, handsome, manly actor not unlike Gary Cooper." He had a natural gift for "stage fighting," Clay said, and the look of someone who could have been a professional athlete. Nordling's pugilistic athleticism and dramatic versatility sure are coming in handy. He managed to land one of this season's most coveted roles on Desperate Housewives, on which he's playing villain Nick Bolen and the shadowy husband of Drea de Matteo, who first got our attention as Adriana on The Sopranos. Nordling and de Matteo are terrific as the villainous couple, who have added a double helping of spice and sizzle to Wisteria Lane, which, let's face it, was getting rather tired. We still don't know if Nick Bolen is the one who tried to strangle poor Julie, and now a mysterious assailant has strangled the saleswoman at the coffee shop, with everyone thinking it must be Bolen. This is not unfamiliar territory for Nordling, who managed to humanize Jake Manning, a debt-ridden womanizer in the short-lived gem of a series, Once and Again, on which he co-starred as Sela Ward's estranged husband. Nordling is among an elite corps of alumni turned out by SMU during the 1970s and '80s. His fellow alums include Dylan Baker, Powers Boothe, Patricia Richardson, Kathy Bates, Regina Taylor and playwrights Jack Heifner and Beth Henley, who won the Pulitzer Prize for having written the play, Crimes of the Heart.

Photo: SMU's own Jeffrey Nordling, now acting on Desperate Housewives

Is this what passes for event television now? If it is, then the revolution is over and video of cats playing piano on YouTube won.

Boring may be too strong a word, so let me just say that Oprah's hour with the former vice presidential candidate and new book author was uneventful. Let the pundits hash out and endlessly parse the politics -- to sum up, pretty much everything bad that happened during the presidential run was someone else's fault.

Oprah Winfrey and her best gal Gayle King toured the State Fair of Texas on Oct. 12. Watch the episode they filmed here, "Oprah and Gayle's New Adventure: The Biggest State Fair in America," today at 4 p.m. on ABC.

These videos on oprah.com show the two taste testing the Best of Show dishes, playing Midway games and more.

The story that just won't quit. The runaway balloon, the helpless turned hideaway boy, accident or hoax, stricken or scheming parents -- and now, puking as performance art?

Check out this clip from Good Morning, America. The boy throws up as Meredith Vieira and the father continue the interview. To quote Reverend Lovejoy's wife on the Simpsons: "Won't somebody please think about the children?"

And the story just keeps expanding, as pop culture marketers get into the act

The Dallas ventriloquism express continues its amazing roll. As we have written about before, the nationwide revival in ventriloquism is directly linked to three dudes from Dallas -- Jay Johnson, who won a 2007 Tony Award for his Broadway show The Two and Only; Terry Fator, the son of Dallas-area janitorial workers, who parlayed a $1 million victory in American's Got Talent into a five-year, $100 million dollar contract at The Mirage in Las Vegas, where he's still performing at the Terry Fator Theatre; and, of course, Jeff Dunham, who may be the most successful of all. Dunham is a Richardson High School grad (incredibly, so is Johnson, and Fator also attended school there). Dunham will now have his own show on Comedy Central, the network of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and it all begins Oct. 22 with The Jeff Dunham Show. His Spark of Insanity DVD, originally shown on Comedy Central, has become the No. 1-selling comedy DVD on amazon.com, and at last count, was amazon's No. 2-selling DVD of all the DVD's it sells.

Photo: Richardson High School graduate and comedy superstar Jeff Dunham

Last Thursday night when David Letterman opened his show with the revelation that he had been the victim of a blackmailing attempt over an unspecified number of sexual trysts with female staff members, he vowed that this would be the only time he would speak in public on the subject.

But after Monday night's show, the real question may be: Will he ever stop talking in public about it?

If you haven't seen David Letterman's -- I don't even know what to call it, it's not really a confession, he didn't apologize and delivered it kind of like a stand-up bit but, of course it was a true story, so let's call it a -- revelation on Thursday night's show, here it is.

From The Huffington Post:

NEW YORK -- Jon & Kate Plus 8 will soon be simply Kate Plus Eight.

That's the word from the TLC network, who announced Tuesday that its hit reality show is adapting to changes in the Gosselin household, which has been disrupted by the split up of Kate and Jon.

The renamed Kate Plus Eight, which begins Nov. 2, will continue to chronicle the lives of the Gosselin kids (5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins) but will also focus on Kate's role as a single mother.

Continue reading at Huffington Post

Want to watch the fourth season of Heroes with like-minded individuals? Head over to the Angelika Film Center and watch on the big screen.

Seating starts at 6:30 tonight for the two-hour season premiere. And best of all, it's free. This season introduces to Robert Knepper's (Prison Break) gang of super-powered beings. Hold on tight ...

The Angelika shows Mad Men on Sundays and will show Heroes on Mondays. Here's hoping a Friday night showing of Dollhouse or Smallville is on the horizon.

(Photo of Hayden Panettiere in Season 1 from NBC)

And now we have ... "The Joss Whedon Minute."

Two of Joss Whedon's stable of actors -- Neil Patrick Harris (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) and Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) -- do a bit in character. I don't know if enough of the audience is familiar enough with the material from which they're riffing.

I know I am (but I'm a geek in hip-hop clothing). I heart Joss and all that he does. But the scarcity of the laughs that they got performing their skit leads me to believe that it left the larger audience (and the one at Nokia) flat. And that somewhere in the audience, Julie Benz (Buffy, Angel, Dexter) was sighing ... All I can guess is that's what they get for holding out on Dollhouse until the very last hour.

Though they were graceful as always, it seemed such a Fame-esque thing to do when the Emmys have a dancing interlude. Which I guess is OK since the remake of the movie is opening Friday.

Wait. Maybe there's no excuse ... the clips of the fights all over reality TV served as enough time filler for me. You?

And then, of course, Survivor's Jeff Probst won. Of course. And probably, "as well he should," though I love me some Padme from Top Chef.

Duckie, er, I mean, Jon Cryer of "Two and a Half Men" wins for supporting actor. On E earlier, he said that they call his show "filthy" and that they get away with more than any cable show.

They're doing something ... the actors on that show keep winning Emmys. You tell me ...

The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium glowed and glittered like a giant spaceship in the pre-dawn dimness, already burning bright as NBC's Today Show set up shop inside the high-tech cavern for a Friday morning broadcast touting "what many are calling the eighth wonder of the world" and it national-television debut during the Cowboys' Sunday night home opener against the New York Giants on, coincidentally, NBC.

I did a double-take, too. The Adam Shankman? The director of The Wedding Planner? I guess I haven't been paying enough attention. From a press release from Fox that hit my inbox today:

Acclaimed producer, director and choreographer Adam Shankman has joined SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE as a third judge. Shankman, who has been a guest judge and choreographer on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE since 2007, will sit alongside Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe and draw upon his expertise to critique the dancers throughout the competition.

The all-new fall season of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airs Tuesdays at 8 and Wednesdays at 7 on FOX. Shankman, who serves as a guest judge on this season's audition episodes, will join the judges' panel beginning with the Top 20 performance show Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7.

(Photo at the premiere of Hairspray by Phil McCarten/The Associated Press)

The digital TV landscape has another new outpost with KERA-TV announcing the launch of KERA WORLD 13.2. The channel's programming will be a mix of documentaries and programs covering history, science and public affairs. Some content, such as NOVA, Nature and History Detectives, will be re-broadcasts of programs on KERA home channel, but the new channel will also offer programs not regularly scheduled on the channel now known as KERA 13.1.

Viewers who currently view their television via over-the-air signals can start receiving the new 13.2 channel by re-scanning their converter boxes. Cable and satellite customers will have to wait as KERA negotiates with operators such as Time Warner and Comcast to carry the new channel.

From The Huffington Post:

Diane Sawyer will replace Charlie Gibson as ABC "World News" anchor, the New York Post's Michael Starr first reported.

Sawyer will become the second woman to solo-anchor the evening news, joining Katie Couric, who helms the "CBS Evening News." The move will make Brian Williams the lone man anchoring the network evening newscasts.

Gibson told colleagues Wednesday that he would be leaving the program in January. He has anchored since 2006. The New York Times' Bill Carter reports that Gibson decided to step down "after long conversations with ABC News president David Westin."

"It has not been an easy decision to make," Gibson told colleagues in an e-mail. This has been my professional home for almost 35 years. And I love this news department, and all who work in it, to the depths of my soul.

"Diane Sawyer is the right person to succeed Charlie and build on what he has accomplished," Westin said. "We are fortunate to have a journalist of Diane's proven ability and passion to step into the important position of anchor for World News."

Vying for least surprising announcement of the year, AMC released the news today (Tuesday, 09/01) that it has ordered a fourth season of its hit series Mad Men. Apparently 16 Emmy nominations and a record-setting audience of 4.5 million viewers for the third season's Aug 16 debut, along with a seemingly endless assembly line of universally rapturous media attention, is all it takes to get renewed.

A little part of my childhood just died. After 26 years (which is longer than our youngest entertainment staffer has been alive), Reading Rainbow ends its run today.

From NPR:

Even if you can't remember a specific Reading Rainbow episode, chances are, the theme song is still lodged somewhere in your head:

Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high,
Take a look, it's in a book -- Reading Rainbow ...

Remember now?

Reading Rainbow comes to the end of its 26-year run on Friday; it has won more than two-dozen Emmys, and is the third longest-running children's show in PBS history -- outlasted only by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers.

The show, which started in 1983, was hosted by actor LeVar Burton. (If you don't know Burton from Reading Rainbow, he's also famous for his role as Kunta Kinte in Roots, or as the chrome-visored Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation.)

Each episode of Reading Rainbow had the same basic elements: There was a featured children's book that inspired an adventure with Burton. Then, at the end of every show, kids gave their own book reviews, always prefaced by Burton's trademark line: "But you don't have to take my word for it ..."

Continue reading on NPR.org

From The Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- VH1 will not air the reality shows with a contestant who was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide at a Canadian motel. Both shows featured Ryan Jenkins, the contestant sought in the killing of his model ex-wife.

A network spokesman said Monday that both "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and "I Love Money 3" have been canceled.

Jenkins had been one of 17 wealthy bachelors vying for the love of former "Rock of Love" contestant Megan Hauserman on "Megan Wants a Millionaire," which the network pulled off the air after three episodes.

Jenkins was also a participant on the not-yet-aired "I Love Money 3," a series featuring contestants from various VH1 reality shows competing for cash.

So, I wrote this column a week or so ago about the trend in plus-size TV (no, not a 54-inch flat screen; the other kind of plus-size). Next thing I know, CBS is calling and wanting to interview me for a show they're doing on the subject. I taped it last week at KTVT in Fort Worth, and it ran this morning. And, miracle of miracles and irony of ironies, I actually look thinner than I expected to!

Adding to the sense of contradictory messages: just a few minutes before, on the same stage, during the So You Think You Can Dance panel, judge/executive producer and former Idol exec, Nigel Lythgoe said that while he had already been talking to Paula Abdul about making guest judge appearance on Dance, he didn't think it was certain that Paula wouldn't be returning to American Idol.

"I'm not at all sure Paula won't be back on Idol. There's always time for talks about whatever possibilities until Idol goes on the air in January. So I take nothing for granted."

20 minutes later, there was Fox chairman Peter Rice sitting there, maybe even in the same chair, flatly saying that "Paula Abdul will not be returning to American Idol."

So there you are. Case closed, except for the possibility that it's still open.

Both Fox executives, but especially Chairman Peter Rice, emphasized that Fox wanted Paula to stay and that they regretted her departure.

"It's very sad for us," Rice said. "Paula was a very important part of the Idol family."

But he was also unequivocal that she was gone and it was over and they were moving on.
"We're excited. This is an opportunity to create a new dynamic for the show, a new kind of energy."

So, in conclusion, Fox is very sad and very excited.

Fox prez Kevin Reilly offered some historical perspective to the Paula situation. "It's like when Walter Cronkite left the CBS Evening News and everybody said 'they'll never be able to replace Walter Cronkite.' It's always a matter of finding the right person at the right time." When a journalist exclaimed over his equating of Walter Cronkite and Paula Abdul, Reilly said "Oh great, there's everybody's lead."

Reilly also went on to make another TV history reference. "It's like Sam and Diane, only times have changed and now it's Rebecca and Diane." He paused a moment and then said "We've got that in development, by the way."

Asked if there was any chance of just going with a three-judge panel, Fox chairman Rice said it was a possibility but not a probability. He also seemed to dismiss the idea of going with a rotation of guest judges.

"We're better off having someone permanent. We're now treating this as an opportunity to bring a different energy to the show, with the emphasis on fun and great chemistry.

"It's a very complex piece of producing that probably has multiple right answers and wrong answers. The most important thing is to have that great chemistry between the judges."

Chairman Peter Rice and Fox prez Kevin Reilly described the auditioning process that is already underway and will continue until American Idol's sixth season begins in January. They will use a rotation of "guest judges" for the auditions being held for the next seven weeks. Those guest judges will be made up of "female pop stars, performers and artists." Negotiations are underway with some already and Rice announced the first two: Victoria Beckham (confirming internet reports) and Katy Perry. "These are the first two names we can confirm," said Rice.

At the executive session Thursday morning in Pasadena, Fox Broadcasting Chairman Peter Rice flatly stated: "Paula Abdul will not be returning to American Idol." He unequivocally placed responsibility for her departure on Paula. "We very much wanted her to return; we made what we think was a very fair offer with a substantial raise and she decided not to come back.

Coinciding with the third season premiere on August 16, the Angelika Film Center and Café will kick-off a free Mad Men watch party at 9 p.m., continuing every Sunday evening during the season. To celebrate, the Angelika's in-theater bar is serving up Mad Men themed cocktails at every watch party, featuring Mad Men Martini, scotch and soda, gin and tonic, and scotch on the rocks. Seating starts at 8:30 p.m. The show begins at 9 p.m. Admission is free, and all cocktails are $7.50.

From the New York Times:

Les Lye, a Canadian actor and broadcaster best known in the United States as the only adult cast member of the children's comedy show "You Can't Do That on Television," died Tuesday in Ottawa. He was 84.

His death was announced by the Canadian network CTV.

"You Can't Do That on Television," a sort of junior version of "Laugh-In," had its premiere in 1979 on the Ottawa station CJOH-TV. Mr. Lye appeared in comedy sketches with the show's young performers, playing foils like Barth of the hamburger stand Barth's Burgery and the captain of a firing squad that was usually about to execute the children.

When it was shown on Nickelodeon in the early '80s, it quickly became one of that channel's most popular programs. It ran until 1990 in Canada, then continued in Nickelodeon reruns.

Born in Toronto on Nov. 18, 1924, Leslie Earnest Lye served briefly in the armed forces, then earned a degree from the University of Toronto and studied at Lorne Greene's Academy of Radio Arts.

Mr. Lye began his broadcast career in 1948 at the talk radio station CFRA, where he worked with the comedian and impersonator Rich Little. They made a comedy album, "My Fellow Canadians."

In 1961, he joined CJOH as a freelance writer and performer.

Mr. Lye and Bill Luxton created the popular comedy duo Uncle Willy and Floyd, who appeared on Canadian television for more than 20 years and drew many famous guest stars like Alanis Morissette and Margaret Trudeau.

Mr. Lye is survived by his wife, Johnni, and three children, Brett, Daralyn and Emily.

From the Associated Press:

CLEVELAND - Shaquille O'Neal would deluge Michael Phelps in a cannonball competition. What about a race across the pool?

We'll see.

The NBA superstar will star in "Shaq Vs.," a TV series where the All-Star center will challenge top athletes in their respective sports. During one episode, which debuts on Aug. 8 on ABC, Shaq will swim against Olympic superstar Phelps.

O'Neal, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also will try his football skills against Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, box retired world champion Oscar De La Hoya, trade tennis volleys with Wimbledon champ Serena Williams and play volleyball against Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor.

O'Neal will negotiate a handicap with his opponents and train for one week leading up to each challenge.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hilary Duff is joining the cast of "Gossip Girl" - but not on a regular basis.

The CW series' spokeswoman, Melissa Burton, says the 21-year-old singer and actress will guest-star next season as "a movie star looking for a typical college experience."

Duff's character, named Olivia Burke, enrolls at New York University and becomes roommates with "Gossip Girl" hipster Vanessa, portrayed by Jessica Szohr (ZOR).

Oh, what a tangled web: Burton says Olivia will spark a romance with aspiring novelist Dan, played by Penn Badgley. As fans know, Vanessa used to have eyes for Dan - then they dated other people.

Duff begins her "Gossip" arc on Oct. 5.

Season three premieres Sept. 14, as the prep kids head off to college.

Don't get me wrong -- I love digital television. I have a satellite dish on my roof and love using Tivo. But I also love the days when I could take my Sony Watchman to a Dallas Cowboys game and follow the (televised) action and the live action while parked in the stands, holding the TV in one hand and a hot dog in the other. As soon as the Friday deadline passed for the digital TV migration, I got out my Sony Watchman, turned it on and got what I expected -- nada. Oh, sure, Cowboys fans can now sit in the stands and follow the replays on a 60-yards-wide high-definition screen. But you won't be able to hear Joe Buck and Troy Aikman analyze the action. It was also cool taking the Sony Watchman on vacations and being able to watch television anywhere you wanted. I'm 57, so permit me even more nostalgia: Few people realize that, at one time, EVERY National Football League home game was blacked out, not just those that failed to sell out 72 hours before kickoff. So, when I was a kid, the Dallas papers ran an article showing you how to build your own beat-the-blackout antenna, and what do you know, the darn thing actually worked. You took a bed slat and five coat hangers with these lengths -- 28, 27, 26, 25 and 24 inches. You cut the 27-inch piece in half, shaved off any paint to enhance conductivity and attached to each piece one of the two strands of antenna wire. You pointed it in the direction of a TV station more than 75 miles away (back then, that was the blackout perimeter) and voila! Instant Cowboys game (albeit with a little snow). We lived in Southeast Dallas, so we pulled in the games from KLTV, Channel 7 in Tyler, which back then carried all the Cowboys home games. (Sherman and Waco were the other options.) Well, you can't do that anymore. Anyone want to buy a Sony Watchman that brings in NOTHING?

Photo: The now-outdated Sony Watchman

From the Ausiello files at EW.com:

Talk about lousy karma.

Despite reports that TBS was on the verge of rescuing My Name is Earl from NBC's scrap heap, a spokesperson for Twentieth Century Fox Television confirms that the Emmy-winning comedy is officially dead.

In a statement, the studio rep said, "While we had hoped to find a way to produce additional episodes for TBS, in the final analysis we simply could not make the economics work without seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series. As none of us, [series creator] Greg [Garcia] included, want the show to go out on anything but a high note, we regret that we must put to rest any speculation that Earl will continue. We are grateful to everyone at TBS for their enthusiasm for the series and wish to offer our heartfelt thanks to the cast and crew of My Name is Earl for their incredible work."

From the Associated Press:

BAGHDAD (AP) -- It's official. Stephen Colbert has declared victory in the war in Iraq. But the top U.S. commander in the country says not so fast.

Colbert, wearing a camouflage suit and tie, brought "The Colbert Report" - Comedy Central's political satire in which he plays a conservative TV pundit - to hundreds of U.S. troops at Camp Victory, the U.S. military headquarters on the western edge of Baghdad.

He drew rousing applause from the uniformed audience when he poked fun at the fact that many of them have been deployed to Iraq multiple times and could end up in Afghanistan as soon as the U.S. effort there accelerates.

"It must be nice here in Iraq because I understand some of you keep coming back again and again," he said during the taping of the first show on Sunday. "You've earned so many frequent flyer miles, you've earned a free ticket to Afghanistan."

Comedian Stephen Colbert gets a military style haircut from General Raymond Odierno, Commander of the Multinational Corps, Iraq.

Conan O'Brien is not smooth, or charming and far from being classically handsome, he's kind of weird-looking. That's why as a celebrity, and more to the point, as a talk-show host he lives and dies by being funny and smart. He was both during his Monday night debut as the new host of The Tonight Show, replacing Jay Leno who ended his 17-year run on Friday.

Just not enough of either

He didn't cry, but after 17 years hosting the Tonight Show, Jay Leno has never done anything to make viewers expect he would. The man who replaced late-night legend Johnny Carson under less than ideal circumstances -- Carson was clumsily forced out and his handpicked heir, David Letterman, was unceremoniously passed over -- has proven to be unflappable during his tenure, always steady and ready with a joke and a softball question for his next celebrity guest.

For fans of Lost, the recent season finale had a disquieting ending indeed. One of our favorite characters, Juliet -- played by one of our favorite actresses, Dallas' own Elizabeth Mitchell -- appeared to be a goner. Juliet tumbled, literally, down a deep dark hole, after which she appeared to set off a hydrogen bomb that may determine the fate of her fellow castaways on the infamous island. We're not the only ones who appreciate Mitchell's contribution to the series. Check out this piece. Mitchell grew up in the Park Cities and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She's the daughter of Dallas attorneys Joe and Josephine Mitchell, who still live in the Park Cities.

Photo: Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet on Lost

After the Mavericks' heartbreaking loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, American Airlines Center was one very sad place. But less than 24 hours earlier, it felt like the happiest place on Earth after Jeff Dunham's sold-out performance. A hometown guy who graduated from Richardson High School, Dunham got a standing ovation at the AAC even before he began giving large gifts to local charities. His parents, now in their 80s, were in the crowd. He brought his mom onstage and had the crowd sing happy birthday to her. He spoke of having his dad take him to the Dallas Public Library's Bookmobile when he was 8 years old. He mentioned having taken out a book, Fun With Ventriloquism, by Alexander Van Rensselaer, and how it shaped a career that began after reading the book. (Five years later, Dunham was so successful as a working ventriloquist that he was audited by the IRS.) One problem, though: He has felt guilty all these years because he never returned the book. He showed a graphic noting that he now owed $10,281 in overdue book fees. So, he paid them onstage, handing the check to Corinne Hill, assistant director of resource management for the Dallas Public Library. He didn't stop there. (Please click below to read on.)

Photo: Jeff Dunham with one of his creations, Achmed the Dead Terrorist

From the Associated Press:

CHICAGO (AP) -- HBO says there's no chance Drew Peterson will appear on "Cathouse," its reality television show set in a Nevada brothel.

In fact, HBO spokeswoman Tobe Becker says the network would cancel the show before allowing the former suburban Chicago police officer to appear.

Peterson is a suspect in the October 2007 disappearance of his young wife, Stacy.

Peterson publicist Glenn Selig (SEH'-lig) said Wednesday that his client was weighing an offer from the owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch outside Carson City.

Becker calls that a "stunt" that HBO does not condone.

Selig did not immediately comment Thursday. A spokeswoman for the Bunny Ranch says they're still talking to Peterson.

Well, now we know what we're doing for the rest of the day.

Disney has decided to join NBC Universal and News Corp. (the other superpowers) in Hulu.com, their online venture. You can watch almost everything on Hulu, which has some of the snarkiest commercials you'll ever see, and now Disney movies and ABC and Disney Channel TV shows are in that number.

The shows, of course, will only be available on Hulu after they air, so don't go looking to watch Hannah Montana until after the new one's been on your TV. And there's no ESPN. Disney already signed a deal with YouTube to provide content from the sports channel. Here's hoping some of ESPN's documentaries (such as Black Magic) get to shine on Hulu, too.

One warning: Hulu is immediately addictive for any TV-phile (like me).

(Photo is screen shot of Hulu.com)

From CNN.com:

Word gets out that a television show is "on the bubble" and may be canceled. The reasons vary, but more often than not, the ratings don't match the adoration of the fans.

Some go gentle into yonder good night, often to the place known as available-only-on-DVD-land.

Yet still others manage to serve as a rallying point for fans and critics alike who have a single, collective message for the networks: SAVE OUR SHOW!

This season, a swirl of programs have generated the "will they or won't they" buzz, including ABC's "Better Off Ted," "Castle" and "Samantha Who?"; CBS' "Without a Trace" and "Eleventh Hour"; and Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Dollhouse."

But perhaps the one getting the most attention is the NBC show "Chuck," which has spawned a "Save Chuck" campaign with fans trying to blog, tweet and even eat sustained life into the series.

Read the rest of the story here.

What do you think, readers? Have you ever participated in one of these campaigns? (I'm looking at you, browncoats!) Do you think they work? Or are they a waste of time and effort?

From The Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- John McCain will be the host of AMC cable network's Memorial Day weekend marathon of movies celebrating war heroes.

The former prisoner of war and Republican presidential candidate will introduce movies like "Midway," "Patton," "The Longest Day," "Hamburger Hill," "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Battle of the Bulge."

McCain says the most interesting thing he's found about heroes is that "they're the last people to believe that they're really heroes."

The Arizona senator was held captive in Hanoi for more than five years after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Gospel Music Channel will shine the spotlight on "American Idol."

Filmmaker David Lewis' "From Idol to Inspiration" will premiere Thursday before the Gospel Music Association's 40th annual Dove Awards telecast. The one-hour documentary explores the effect of the Fox network singing competition on Christian music.

The documentary features interviews with several former "Idol" finalists and with Maria Santiago, sister-in-law of current finalist Danny Gokey, who has worked for eight years at Faith Builders International in Milwaukee and at its sister congregation in Beloit, Wis.

Mandisa Hundley, Chris Sligh, Phil Stacey and Melinda Doolittle are the ex-"Idol" finalists featured in the documentary.

If you've been living under a rock (or just don't have a Facebook), it's possible that you haven't seen this clip of Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle belting out "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. If you haven't, sit back and enjoy. Seriously - it's worth the 8 minutes of your time.

Sadly, all of the versions I can find have embedding disabled, so click on through to YouTube to watch.

But this isn't the first time a BGT contestant has turned out to be more than the audience expected. Check out Paul Potts from last year's competition.

From CNN.com:

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's career as a politician appears to be over, but a new career in the world of reality television could just be beginning.

The disgraced former governor has inked a deal to appear on an NBC celebrity-themed reality show, assuming a federal judge allows him to travel as his criminal charges remain pending, the network said in a statement.

Read more.

I guess this solves the "which-is-better-ninjas-or-pirates" debate: Navy pirate hunters for the win!

From The Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Barely a day after the daring rescue of an American sea captain, cable TV's Spike announced a deal Monday to produce a show about U.S. Navy pirate hunters.

Two crews for 44 Blue Productions hope to be on board Navy vessels patrolling in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Africa within two weeks. The company is aiming to have a series ready to put on the air by September, said Rasha Drachkovitch, 44 Blue's president and founder.

He'd been talking to the Navy about the idea for three months, but it was finished late last week while the standoff with pirates who had taken Capt. Richard Phillips hostage was going on.

NEW YORK - The Fox network is making a reality show out of the troubled economy.

An upcoming series titled, "Someone's Gotta Go," lets employees of a small business decide which one of their colleagues will be laid off.

Fox says it has no air date yet for the series, which is being developed by the company behind "Big Brother" and "Deal or No Deal." Each week, a different company lays off an employee.

Fox also wouldn't reveal the show's host, which it says is a business consultant who will offer advice to participating companies.

Producers from More to Love, a new reality dating show from the folks who brought us The Bachelor, will be in Dallas tonight searching for a "large, lovable single guy who is looking for love." No six-packs allowed, they say -- they want a guy who's a softy, both inside and out, with that "Teddy bear" appeal. The open call for men will be from 6 to 9 tonight at Primo's, 3309 McKinney Ave.

They're also looking for women, and an open casting call will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at the new Lane Bryant store at Park Lane Center (across Central from NorthPark).

For more info on either casting session, go here, and click on "now casting."

Boston's NBC affiliate would rather take its chances with a local news show at 10 p.m. rather than Jay Leno's new talk show scheduled for the same time.

Of course, NBC isn't taking this lying down; the network is threatening to strip the station of its status as an affiliate.

NBC affiliate in Boston nixes new Jay Leno show

BOSTON -- Boston's NBC affiliate says it will air a local newscast instead of Jay Leno's new 10 p.m. talk show.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Associated Press)

Anyone miss Wanda at Large besides me and mine? (We still catch reruns on TV One, don't you know?) Well, you'll get another chance to watch comedian Wanda Sykes on Fox when she starts her nightly talk-show host gig this fall.

And why not? If Jimmies Kimmel and Fallon can hold down slots, then surely Wanda can. She was a star on Chris Rock's HBO show (and in Pootie Tang). One warning to guests: Don't be bringing her no mess.

(Photo by GUS RUELAS/Associated Press)

Fifteen years ago, the economy was stable, Bill Clinton was president, I was in high school, and Dr. John Carter began his internship at County General in Chicago.

After 15 seasons and numerous cast changes, ER airs its final episode tonight on NBC. A clip show retrospective kicks off the night at 7 p.m. The two-hour finale begins at 8. You can read about the history of the show from the people who lived it here.

Thanks to morning reruns on TNT, I don't think I've missed a single episode of the show, and I'm sorry to see it go. (Even if I haven't forgiven the show for killing of Dr. Pratt earlier this season). I still cry when Dr. Carter reads the letter from Elizabeth Corday, telling the ER staff that Mark Greene has died. I still wince when "Rocket" Romano walks in to the helicopter blade, severing his arm. And I can barely watch the Valentine's episode that ends with the stabbing of intern Lucy Knight and John Carter.

Tell me, fellow ER fans: What are your favorite memories of the show?

"After 72 years, TV's 'Guiding Light' switching off." The headline is nigh unbelievable, as this institution has been around longer than TV. But there it is. I can imagine how fans of the show feel. When Another World went off years ago, I didn't think I'd ever be able to watch daytime TV again. And then came Passions. Then it went away, too. Are any other daytime serials right behind?

The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- The soap opera "Guiding Light" is switching off after a 72-year run that predates television.

CBS says the show will have its final episode in September. Like most daytime dramas, "Guiding Light" has suffered from declining ratings and CBS is looking for a lower-cost alternative to the hour of programming.

The Guinness Book of World Records has cited it as the longest-running television drama.
It began as a 15-minute serial on NBC Radio in January 1937 and debuted on CBS television in 1952, focusing on the Bauer family of Springfield.

(Photo of Kim Raver, considered by some the contemporary face of Guiding Light, by ROBERT VOETS/CBS)

Project Runway walked right over to Lifetime, ending the battle that's been going on for the rights to air the show. The Weinstein Com., NBC Universal and Lifetime had been tussling for what felt like forever for fans of the show, which crowned another winner while waiting to be shown. Now you know, the season will be shown this summer.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. reality TV show "Project Runway" will air on cable network Lifetime Television after the show's producer The Weinstein Co. agreed to pay NBC Universal to move the series from its Bravo cable network.

The show -- in which fledgling fashion designers compete for money to launch their own line -- has been one of Bravo's top-rated shows, averaging 4 million viewers.

NBC Universal sued The Weinstein Company, run by Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein, in April last year, claiming the network and Bravo had the right of first refusal for future cycles of the show and any spinoffs.

Lifetime Networks, which targets women and is owned by Hearst Corp and The Walt Disney Co., then counter-sued in November. The Weinstein Co has said the Lifetime deal is worth $200 million over five years.

(Photo of host Heidi Klum and show stalwart Tim Gunn by RICHARD DREW/Associated Press)

Songs for the Love, Lorne instantly became my favorite album title of all time. Andy Hallett, who played the demon Lorne on Angel, died on Sunday at the age of 33. And I was filled with shock and a surprisingly strong sense of loss today.

I loved his character's lust for life, the actor's own love of it shining through. Though acting from beneath pounds of green (!) makeup, it made my night when there was an Angel episode with Lorne in it. Remember his first song on the show? I know, right? Remember his, "Oh, honey," to Angel or Cordelia or Gun? And his nicknames for Angel (David Boreanaz): Angelface, Angelcake, and on and on?

I know I sound like a rabid fan getting an actor's character mixed up with the actual person. That's because I am. Andy was a fixture at sci-fi and fantasy conventions, always willing to share his time with his fans. And we loved him for it. Farewell, Lorne. Good night, Andy.

(Photo by Nigel Parry/Twentieth Century Fox)

Will she stay or will she go? Most of us wish Katherine Heigl would make up her mind already. First, she declines an Emmy nom because she didn't think the Grey's Anatomy writers had given her anything worth working with. And then she fans the flames of perhaps an early exit for her character, Izzie.

And the showrunners aren't helping much, being all inconsistent with denials and what-not. Anyway, the latest news is that Heigl would very much like to stay. Yeah, whatever.

(Photo by Chris Weeks/Associated Press)

"The Office" (9 p.m. on NBC): Michael quit last week because he's fighting with the new vice president. Apparently he doesn't know the new boss is played by Idris Elba, who was on HBO's "The Wire" as the deadly Stringer Bell. Yo, Michael, this is not a guy to mess with.

OK, now that my hyperventilating is under control after reading that note in Rick Kushman's TV column for the Sacremento Bee, I thought I'd share it.

Elba isn't starving for work, but this could well be the moment that (those eyes, that jaw) his name sinks into the public consciousness. It seems no matter how many critics lauded his previous series, The Wire, the greater public just wasn't into the darkness of that series, even though its realism was something to behold.

He's also acted in some films since that series went into the brilliant-but-over category, but except for Tyler Perry's Daddy's LIttle Girls, he wasn't the lead. And he's been very busy since then with 28 Days Later, American Gangster and Prom Night among his eclectic choices.

Check for him later in HBO's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which begins airing on Sunday.

Well, this is one award that Desperate Housewives or Damages will be getting. The television academy honored eight shows that have a conscience. I'm thinking that's entirely subjective: I mean, I think Nip/Tuck has one. But that's beside the point ...

TV Academy honors 8 programs with a 'conscience'
By LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES -- The TV Academy will honor eight programs that are examples of "television with a conscience," including a "Brothers & Sisters" episode about same-sex marriage.

The programs focused on issues including tolerance, adoption, gun control, the environment and questions of faith, John Shaffner, chairman and CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, said Wednesday.

The Television Honors, to be given at an April 30 ceremony, were instituted last year to recognize valuable work produced by the industry, Shaffner said.

(Photo of, left to right, Luke Macfarlane and Matthew Rhys by Randy Holmes/ABC)

From The Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - The White House says President Barack Obama will appear this week on Jay Leno's talk show, perhaps adding a lighter touch to his bid to resuscitate the moribund economy.

Obama will visit "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" during his trip to Los Angeles on Thursday. NBC will tape the program and air it that night, after the president has returned to Washington.

Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe winner Prince will perform for three consecutive nights on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, starting on March 25.

Prince will also play Leno on the host's next-to-last show on May 28. Last time Prince was on Leno, he played a two-song encore, including his hit "1999." He released this message to fans in early March: "From the 24th on, there will b a slew of NPG-related events happening around electric Lalaland," said Prince. "We don't want 2 give away all the details yet, but b prepared 2 get yo groove on, numerous ways 4 numerous days. We know $ is tite but the adventures will b worth ur while! Stay 2ned 2 this outtaspacestation."

His Royal Badness has partnered with Target to release his next CD: a three-disc bundle that will include his two new studio albums, and LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND, along with an album from his newest protege, Bria Valente. The CD will cost only $11.98 and will be available March 29.

U2 played as the house band on The Late Show With David Letterman for the week before they released their newest CD.

Three constitutes a trend. Who's next?

(Photo by KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/The Associated Press)

It seems Mariska Hargitay will only miss one episode of Law & Order: SVU while recuperating from a partially collapsed lung. That's good news for SVU fans who thought they might miss the Stabler-Benson pairing.

For my money, I'd love for Ice-T (Odafin Tutuola) and Richard Belzer (John Munch) to take a turn as the leads. But that's just me ... Fin's ire and Munch's conspiracies (and ire) always make for an interesting hour for a show that's a bit long in the tooth.

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/The Associated Press)

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will reportedly join the cast of the updated Melrose Place. The Hollywood Reporter says she'll play Violet on The CW reboot, a new resident also new to L.A. And, of course, she'll have a secret.

All right. Before you make any disparaging comments, remember that she got her start (with good reviews, even) on 7th Heaven, long before she was the other singing Simpson. And she's a working mom; I'd take a TV show over touring in concert any day. Simpson-Wentz will also guest on CSI: NY on March 18, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/The Associated Press)

I know the first thing I would do after getting dumped on national TV is call the girls and go out for drinks and dancing. Dallas' Melissa Rycroft is reportedly doing just that by joining Dancing With the Stars in the wake of the show's injury problems.

Rycroft, now doing the talk-show circuit after being dumped by Jason Mesnick just last week, will be taking over the spot of Nancy O'Dell, who's on the injured list with a torn meniscus (that's knee cartilage for you lucky so-and-so's who've never become BFFs with the X-Ray tech or with your physical therapy nurse). At least that's what E Online is saying.

I guess it's the least ABC could do after airing the cringe-inducing embarrassment that The Bachelor turned out to be. It's easier - and more sanitary - than a pound of flesh.

We'll know for sure tonight when the replacements are announced during the two-hour season premiere of DWTS.

(Photo of Melissa and Jason by MATT KLITSCHER/ABC)

Oprah Winfrey is sharing the cover of O magazine with a real, live person for the first time in almost a decade. No, it's not her beau or her best friend Gayle, though the odds did favor them. It's First Lady Michelle Obama.

Of course, there's no way the First Lady could have graced the cover of April's issue all by herself. The cult of Oprah might have revolted ... though Oprah has shared the cover before, with puppies and with her smaller self. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures ...

O.K., it's back to T.V. for the next installment of the Disney Channel phenom that leapt to the big screen in its last outing. -- High School Musical 4 is a go for a 2010 , probably with some secondary characters from the last movie taking center stage. But here's the intriguing part. It's going for a story about cross town school rivalry. Could it have been inspired by the real-life onetime cross town school rivalry of the Fort Worth high schools that bonded over doing shows like High School Musical together -- the very same schools that Disney filmed for a documentary on high schools doing High School Musical?

My one-word summation of Jimmy Fallon's debut as the latest late-night talk show host is: oof.

NEW YORK - Jerry Seinfeld is headed back to NBC as the producer of a comic reality series about marriage.

The series, called "The Marriage Ref," will feature a real-life couple involved in a marital spat. A team of celebrities will provide commentary and a "referee," whose identity hasn't been determined, will give the final verdict on who is right and wrong.

Seinfeld, in a statement, stressed that it's a comedy show, not a therapy show.

His production partner, former "Oprah Winfrey" producer Ellen Rakieten, says it's not clear yet whether Seinfeld will appear on the air. It's also not clear when the series will start, but producers are shooting for next season.

Dallasites have been invited to a casting call for a new reality show from the people who brought us Deal or No Deal, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Wipeout. The show will be here next week, perhaps staying for two weeks, looking for their stars.

If you're a woman aged 21-50 and "outgoing," you're eligible. You also have to be facing some big change in your life. (You could also join the legion of North Texans on reality TV shows ...)

Here's the pitch the I got in my inbox:

The producers of Deal or No Deal, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Wipeout are casting for a new series where one of Hollywood's top life coaches will offer advice to women living in the city of Dallas.

Producers are looking for outgoing women ranging in age from 21 to 50 that are in the midst of life changing drama with their personal lives, careers, children, etc.

If you think your life is interesting enough to be featured in a television show, and you could use the guidance of a full service life coach, then WE WANT YOU!

If you are interested please email Stephen Graham at sgraham517@aol.com or call at 404-285-5096 ASAP!

In the category of news that fills me with glee: Andy Richter will join in on the madness that will be The Tonight Show. Conan O'Brien's former sidekick on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, will join O'Brien when he takes over Tonight in June. It's like Nightwing joining back up with Batman. Speedy hanging out again with Green Arrow. In a word, it's perfect.

NBC says he'll be part of comedy bits (he'd better be). The best part? He'll be the announcer. LOL ... I can't wait.

(Photo by Reed Saxon/The Associated Press)

Grapevine's Julia Anderson won 'True Beauty,' the reality show from Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher that judges a group of gorgeous folks on inner and outer beauty.

Ms. Anderson's show bio says she's "a former pageant winner who earned the titles of Miss Teen Texas in 2002 and Miss Grapevine in 2008. Julia is a very good manipulator and should not to be underestimated. She is convinced that America will love her."

Ms. Anderson won $100,000 in cash, a spot in People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People issue, and the title of "America's Most Beautiful Person."

In the best self-promotion I've seen from a band in a long time, U2 will be the house band on the Late Show With David Letterman for the week of March 2-6.

It's the first time a band has been booked for a full week of performances on the show. Bands are learning new and different ways to get their records on as sales of physical CDS continue their slide (at least, that's one story). One wouldn't think U2 would need such extra exposure, but that's probably why they're considered one of the best bands in the world. They never stop innovating. And David Letterman won't make out too badly in this deal, either.

(Photo by Amy Sancetta/Associated Press)

Joaquin Phoenix has been in the news lately for his decision to leave the world of acting to become a hip-hop rapper. His new film, Two Lovers, is also set to hit theaters next weekend (and in local theaters on Feb. 27.)

Phoenix was on the Late Show With David Letterman Wednesday night. Check out the ... strange .. interview and tell us what you think:

And for reference: The video of Joaquin rapping

The Jonas Brothers, in preparation of the release of their concert movie (in 3D!) on Feb. 27, will host programming tonight on The CW. Nick, Joe and Kevin (pictured from left to right) will also offer a glimpse of the film, but you have to stay tuned. No word on when exactly that will be shown.

Perhaps they're going for a little older demographic, as tonight's offerings on the channel are the reboot of 90210 and Privileged. Each of the shows stars teenagers, but, oh, the problems that these teens have!

(Photo by Phil McCarten/Reuters)

Us Weekly reports:

Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight will soon take off their scrubs for good, their Grey's Anatomy costar confirms. When Us Weekly asked James Pickens Jr. (a.k.a. Grey's Dr. Richard Webber) on February 7 if Heigl is leaving the medical drama, he said, "Yes, she is." And he continued, "Wherever Katherine goes, I wish her nothing but the best."

Following Heigl, 30, out the door? Her outspoken BFF, Knight, 35. "He's going too," Pickens told Us at the NAACP Awards luncheon in Beverly Hills. "He just wanted to pursue other career paths."

"He complains to Katherine all the time," a set source has said of Knight (with Heigl). "The energy on set will be much better when he's gone."

Sources close to the actors concur. "Katherine is ready to move on to the next chapter," says a set source. And Knight is "not shy about telling people" he wants out of his contract, another insider told Us in December.

But now it seems they're finally getting their wishes. A source tells Us Knight has had numerous talks with executive producer Shonda Rhimes, and that the "writers are scrambling to find a believable exit for George, one that would leave the door open for him to come back someday." Both Heigl's and Knight's reps had no comment, and ABC and ABC Studios could not confirm the departures.

NEW YORK (AP) -- America's got Nick Cannon as the new host of "America's Got Talent."

The musician, comedian, actor and producer will preside over the NBC talent competition series when it returns for a fourth season this summer, the network announced Monday.

This variety show is the first of "multiple projects we are looking to do with Nick at NBC," said network chief Ben Silverman.

Jerry Springer will leave his gig as host of America's Got Talent. The popular NBC talent show, which has made a star out of a ventriloquist and a rapping granny, also lost judge Brandy before last season started.

The three judges still on the show are David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne and Celebrity Apprentice winner Piers Morgan. No replacement for Springer was announced, though he did cite his other commitments, including a role in a play, as the deciding factor for his resignation.

No word on executive producer and American Idol judge Simon Cowell's reaction.

(Associated Press photo by Mark J. Terrill)

From Meg Fullwood at KERA comes word about a documentary that will air soon about a historic Dallas institution.
Bishop College: A Bridge Between the Worlds traces the history of the school, which was founded in Marshall, Texas, in 1881 and relocated to Dallas in 1961. Bishop College was particularly known for its training of future teachers and religious leaders, and among its points of pride: One of its students, David Abner, was the first African-American to graduate from a Texas institution of higher learning. The year was 1884.
Bishop College ultimately filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1988, but it remains an important part of the history of Texas' education, religion and African-American culture.
KERA's Rick Thompson directed and edited the documentary, which will air at 8 p.m. Feb. 16 on KERA-TV (Channel 13).
(Photo of David Abner standing in front of Bishop College's original Bell Tower. Image courtesy of Bishop College Alumni Association.)
.

Check out the sneak peek of Jon Hamm as Dr. Drew Baird, the new neighbor of Liz Lemon (played by Tina Fey).

(Also, read why Ms. Fey says she may 'accidentally roofie' the divine Don Draper ...)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Kim Manners, a prolific director and producer on Fox series "The X-Files," died January 25 of complications from lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 58.

Manners served as a producer on nearly 160 episodes of the series and directed more than 50, receiving four shared Emmy nominations for his work. At the time of his death, he was a director and executive producer on the CW series "Supernatural."

Read more.

From Yahoo.com's omg!

Donny Osmond won't be on the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars after all.

He reportedly let it slip at a taping of The Bonnie Hunt Show this week, but now he says, "I'm definitely not doing this upcoming season."

Read more.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Comedy Central TV channel says Paul McCartney is going to drop in on Stephen Colbert.

McCartney will be a guest on Wednesday's "The Colbert Report," talking up his latest album, "Electric Arguments." The work represents a collaboration between the former Beatle and producer-musician Youth, and was released under the band name the Fireman.

"The Colbert Report" airs at 11:30 p.m. EST weeknights.

Life on Mars returns for its second season premiere tonight at 9 on ABC. Watch for the mustaches, the clothes and the time trip to 1973. Stay for the drama. And Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli's impressive facial hair.

I found this to get you caught up.

By Verne Gay
Newsday

REASON TO WATCH: A fond and funkadelic look at New York City as it appeared 35 years ago. (Oh, yeah, and Michael Imperioli, in Fu Manchu and 'burns.)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Modern-day NYPD cop Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara), in a coma, awakens in 1973 NYC, where he's a member of the 1-2-5 Precinct, and suddenly discovers his Inner Polyester Suit. Based on the BBC series.

(Photo of Jason O'Mara by Vivian Zink/ABC)

Donny Osmond has let slip that he is about to step into his sister Marie's shoes - her dancing shoes.

While next season's stars have yet to be announced for the ABC hit Dancing with the Stars, Donny appeared with Marie for a Monday taping of the syndicated The Bonnie Hunt Show for an episode scheduled to air Tuesday.

Read more.

So, while Wolverine has always been one of my favorite characters in the ever-expanding universe of the X-Men (remember when there were blue and gold teams?), I always appreciated him in tandem with other characters. The Beast, with their cannonball special. Nightcrawler, so pious and dramatic, and Wolverine cutting, literally, to the chase. Taking special care of Jubilee, who for all intents and purposes, was his substitute for a child. Pining for Jean Grey, so obviously playing with his affections.

Heck, I even liked his berserker rage whenever Sabretooth made the scene. What a couple they made! Now, here comes the Nicktoons Network with a new X-Men animated cartoon and they've named it Wolverine and the X-Men. Poor team leaders; poor fans of the original Marvel stories. Storm, though her new suit looks mighty fine, never gets any love (well, not from anyone not named Black Panther, anyway, but that's another story). And cartoons on Friday night? At 7 p.m.? None of this means I won't be watching. I'll just DVR it and watch it Saturday morning, the same thing I do with Justice League Unlimited, Spider-Man and The Batman. Forget sexy, I'm bringing Saturday morning back!

I just read a Q&A with Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ronald Moore. I mean, I'm still scratching my head over the returning episode. ("Really," "huh," "nuh-uh" and "no she didn't" were the phrases most heard in my house while we were watching.)

Anyway, he does make a good point when he tells the suits at Sci Fi that anyone who had followed his vision this far would probably see it through no matter how dark he went. However, I think his show makes an even greater case for having a plan. Did you notice in the opening that the Cylons no longer have a plan? Well, you see where that got them ... Caution: Spoilers ahead.

(Photo of Kandyse McClure as Dualla by Paul Michaud)

An OMG moment if I've ever had one, Chevy Chase is set to join NBC dramedy Chuck for three episodes. He'll play a "technology mogul" who is accused by Chuck's father of stealing his ideas. Here's hoping he's good for a laugh.

So, now word comes that a Gossip Girl spinoff is really in the works. And it won't be the spinoff from the series of GG books (I love those books by Cecily von Ziegesar!), The It Girl, which focused on Lil J being shipped off to boarding school and reinventing herself along the way.

No, following right in the footsteps of this season's TV trend, we'll hop in Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine and find out the apple (Serena) doesn't fall far from the tree (her mother, Lily). It's back to the 80s, when Lily was a wild child. Hee! Can't wait ...

(Kelly Rutherford as Lily by Giovanni Rufino / The CW)

Jimmy Fallon is expected to take over "Late Night" in March while Conan O'Brien will join the "Tonight Show" as host in June.

Can Jimmy fill Conan's shoes? Can Conan fill Jay's? What do you think?

Read what Craig Ferguson thinks.

UNIVERSITY CITY, Calif. (AP) -- CBS is close to a deal with pop star John Mayer for a music and variety TV show.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler told a meeting of the Television Critics Association that the project is under development and an agreement is near. She didn't provide details.

Mayer and CBS have worked together before. In 2006, he made a cameo appearance on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," performing songs for a scene set in a Las Vegas network.

Mayer, whose current hit is "Say," might also appear on next month's Grammy Awards on CBS: He's up for five prizes. He took the best pop vocal album Grammy in 2007 for "Continuum."

Prison Break is going to call it a series after four seasons. I stopped religiously watching the series that started behind bars, with a seemingly selfless brother becoming a perp to join his wrongly jailed brother in prison, near the end of the second season when it all just got too fanciful. (This, from a devoted denizen of the Buffy-verse and a wishful member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society.)

I could only suspend my disbelief so much. But I remember a couple of us would say that they should just call it The T-Bag Variety Hour and be done with it. T-Bag (played with a wink and wince by Robert Knepper (right), last seen on the big screen in Transporter 3, was by far the most entertaining character left.

Prison Break, we hardly knew ye. Fare thee well.

(Photo by Jeremy Cowart/Fox)

WFAA_TV (Channel 8) has become the first local television station to receive the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Gold Baton for investigative journalism in the 20-year history of the award. The station was honored for "its continuing commitment to outstanding investigative reporting," according to a release from the Columbia University journalism school. The station has previously won eight Silver Batons. Read all about it here.

I've been hearing about how Dexter is the best Showtime show around for awhile, so last week I finally got around to watching it on my On Demand channel. I'm really digging it, very twisted and enjoyable. But I had no idea Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter had been dating. So it's quite shocking to hear that they eloped recently.

Talk about a new creepiness factor added to the show.

ADA Alexandra Cabot (actress Stephanie March, right), last seen in the witness protection program, will return to Law & Order: SVU, according to the Associated Press. She's always been one of my favorites in the revolving door that exists in the district attorney's office.

Let's hope her character hasn't been in the least softened by her exile. And I hope her return won't get in the way of her hanging out with her husband, Food Network star Bobby Flay, on his new radio talk show.

(Photo by Darron Cummings/Associated Press)

The NAACP Image Awards, hosted by Tyler Perry and Halle Berry (!) Feb. 12 on Fox, announced their nominations today. No huge surprises, but it's striking how many double-threat nominees there were.

Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson (right) were each nominated in music and acting categories. Of course, they're all competing against each other for best video, supporting film actress and outstanding female music artist.

No Image Awards would be complete without nods for actresses from Perry's films. Angela Bassett (Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns) and Alfre Woodard (The Family That Preys) took two of the best-actress nominations.

(Photo by Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)

The cool kids (read: fanboys) at Wired have put together an educational compendium of the 11 actors to play The Doctor (click to see):

So the Beeb announced this weekend that relative unknown (even to those of us who spend entirely too much time tuned in to BBC America) Matt Smith will take over as the 11th Doctor. Mr. Smith (*insert laugh at inside joke here*) will be the youngest actor (26 years old) to take on the role in the show's 8 million year history.

I started watching Who with the start of the Russell T Davies era and Christopher Eccleston. When he departed after the first series, I was convinced I'd never accept this "new" Doctor. Boy, wa