Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Kevin Eubanks: I'll still work on "The Tonight Show," but in a reduced capacity
"I'll still be around on the show," he wrote on Twitter, "but less as of now. I'll tweet when a definite plan is set."

Brooke Burke: I'm trying out for "Dancing" co-host
The "Dancing" alum and former "Rockstar" host confirmed the news on her Twitter page: “btw, the news about me hosting DWTS is true. I am screen testing next week for the job, fingers crossed! It would be amazing 2 be back!”

Jay Harrington lands NBC role, and "Better Off Ted" is looking even more dead
Harrington will star in the NBC comedy pilot "Nathan vs. Nurture," playing a heart surgeon who suddenly discovers his biological parents.

"Leverage" talking to George Clooney's Italian girlfriend
Italian model Elisabetta Canalis may appear in a recurring role in Season 3.

Tracy Morgan frightened by giant shark costume
Another successful prank pulled by Ellen.

Kris Allen will return to "Idol" next week
He'll share a visit he made to Haiti for "Idol Gives Back."

"Two and a Half Men" nabs Courtney Thorne-Smith
She'll play Jon Cryer's neurotic, recently divorced girlfriend — who has a 16-year-old boy.

Gary Coleman flips out on "The Insider"
Watch him say the F-word before walking off set.

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Capt. Harris had "Deadliest Catch" cameras film him in hospital
But it'll be up to his family whether his final days make it to air.

Maggie Grace returning to "Lost"
"We’re really excited about having her back on the show," says Carlton Cuse, "and we have a good story for her."

Bearded Conan O'Brien: Another photo!
Check him out in a cap clutching a Starbucks coffee.

It's true: Nominated songs won't be performed at Academy Awards
Instead, the nominated songs will be featured in clips. PLUS: Check out a model of the Oscar set.

First Lady Michelle Obama making her Fox News debut
She'll talk obesity with Mike Huckabee on "Huckabee."

TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau ordered to 30 days in jail
The infomercial star upset a federal judge by asking his fans to flood the judge's e-mail account.

Meet the new batch of "Next Top Models"
Check out their Cycle 14 interviews.

Abby Elliott's Letterman-employed parents conceived her after 1986 Emmys
The "SNL" star tells Dave that her dad, Chris Elliott, met her mom while she was a "Late Night" talent booker. (Watch her entire interview)

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Obama would go on "The Daily Show" — but not "Colbert"
Asked by Time magazine if President Obama would go on "The Daily Show," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded, "I think the President would love to, just maybe not Colbert." He went on to explain: "I have yet to see a politician best Stephen Colbert in an interview on his show," Gibbs said, laughing. "I mean, he's really, really good."

TLC & Jon Gosselin settle their lawsuits
Gosselin's lawsuit and TLC's counter-suit have been settled, but details will be kept confidential. A source tells People that TLC "hopes they will soon be able to film the family again." PLUS: Will Jon return to TLC?

Lisa Kudrow: My new reality show will bring "quality" back to NBC
"I think this is a big deal," the former "Friends" star says of "Who Do You Think You Are?" She adds: "It's just a high quality show, I think, and I love that NBC is getting back to basics and putting on quality programming."

Eugene Levy joins "Hitched"
He'll play the father of the groom in Josh Schwartz's CBS comedy about a 20-something newlywed couple.

"The Blind Side" giant headed to "SVU"
Quinton Aaron, who played left tackle Michael Oher in the Oscar-nominated movie, will play the son of Jill Scott from "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."

Sarah Palin lashes out at "Family Guy" during visit to Bill O'Reilly
"This guy, MacFarlane, who did this, is a hater (who) makes a lot of money for Fox," O'Reilly told Palin. Added Palin: "This world is full of cruel, cold-hearted people, who would do such a thing." PLUS: Seth MacFarlane is a "winner" because Palin "rose to the bait."

Art imitates life: Kathryn Joosten gets a "Desperate" cancer storyline
After surviving cancer last year, the 70-year-old actress will play Karen McCluskey as the Wisteria Lane busybody undergoes treatment for lung cancer.

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"American Idol" beats Winter Olympics
Last night's "Idol" drew 23.6 million viewers to NBC's 20.3 million.

"Idol" is stuck in a Jason Mraz funk
The seven advancing singers all have a little Mraz in them, says Ann Powers. "Tuesday's revelation of seven strivers who've made it into the Top 24, however, prove that 'Idol's' natural order will always reassert itself," she says. "For all the drama offered by certain key performances and killer personalities, 'Idol' ultimately reflects the American listening public's ultimate middle ground: a place that belongs to the artists who cross boundaries of style, genre, race and even (post-Glambert) sexuality with the least fuss and the most finesse."

Paula Deen to "Idol"?
No, she isn't replacing Simon Cowell. But the Food Network star is in talks to appear on "Idol" in some capacity.

Rozlyn Papa: I confronted Chris Harrison during "Bachelor" reunion
"I came out by myself," she says of Sunday's taping of "Women Tell All," and was interviewed by Chris and they had the big producer guy take me off the stage." PLUS: ABC is considering Ali for "Bachelorette."

NBC has a new "Friends" — "Friends with Benefits"
ABC originally had the rights to the single-camera comedy from the director of "Wedding Crashers" and the "Arrested Development" team of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. But now the project described as a "comedy exploring modern day romance through the eyes of five friends each looking for 'the one' but in the meantime settling for 'friends with benefits'" is on the Peacock.

Steven Spielberg may join Fox dinosaur drama
The ambitious "Terra Nova" is described as "following a family from 100 years in the future who travel back in time 150 million years to the strange and inhospitable environs of prehistoric Earth."

History channel Americanizing "Top Gear"
"Top Gear USA" is expected to finally become a reality after NBC canceled its version starring Adam Carolla.

NBC's Vancouver Olympics are down 24% from Salt Lake City
Comparing Vancouver vs. Salt Lake City is more apt because the 2006 Torino Olympics were the lowest-rated since 1988. PLUS: Dear NBC: "Show the games live, already!"

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"The Substitute": A perfect "Lost" showcase for Terry O'Quinn
Just like the first season, the 3rd episode of Season 6 revolved around Locke. As Todd VanDerWerff notes, "This one doesn't have the powerful punch of the conclusion of (Season 1's) "Walkabout," but it does still have the tremendous performance of (Terry) O'Quinn. That's enough to fuel multiple television shows. Indeed, when you combine that with the way O'Quinn plays off his other cast members — here sharing nice screen time with Jorge Garcia, Michael Emerson and especially Josh Holloway — you've got an episode that reveals this final season is off to a confident start. There may not have been enough answers for the hyper-mythological crowd (though we got a good deal of interesting conjecture), but it was a great showcase for the finest character 'Lost' ever cooked up."
Ratings fall to 9.8M // Yunjin Kim: "This whole candidate thing is crazy!"
Where Jack really works // Too much Smokey vs. Jacob? // 3 questions answered
Why no Kate? // Community vs. individuality; fate vs. self-determination
Finally, some exposition // "The Substitute" puts the flash-sideways to good use
Who is the little boy? // Meet Hiroyuki Sanada // Best episode of the season
Watch every Ben Linus beatdown // Michael Emerson on Kimmel Part 1 and Part 2
Check out "Lost," animated // "Freaks & Geeks" star Sam Levine films "Lost" cameo

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Report: Oprah rejected John Mayer

Lea Michele does "The Simpsons" // Here's a look at "Glee's" April return

Is "Smallville" mocking Superman fans?

Jennifer Beals unveils her "The L Word Book"

"Judge Judy" is No. 1 court show for the 700th straight week (13 years!)

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