February 2010

Olympics hands "Idol" its first defeat in its timeslot since May 2004
"American Idol's" six-year unbeaten streak ended last night due to what NBC calls "the greatest single day in Winter Olympics history."

Report: "Idol" booted Chris Golightly over boy band contract
Golightly was replaced at the last minute by Tim Urban after it was revealed he was still under contract, though Golightly had assumed his contract had expired. "This is not fair; I don't know what to do," Golightly said this morning when reached by USA Today. PLUS: Meet the 17 finalists announced last night and check out the Top 24's Facebook, Twitter, MySpace pages. UPDATE: Record label head offered to release Chris from his contract so he could stay on "Idol."

"Glee" hasn't decided when its cast will graduate high school
Ryan Murphy is keeping his options open, as he explains to Michael Ausiello: "The thing about the show that’s important is we try to be real, but it is also a fantasy high school. I don’t know. We’re still trying to get through (season) one. I think it’s important to have new voices and new kids come in (each year). That’s definitely something that we’re doing."

Spike TV greenlights a Tiger Woods-inspired golf series
"Back Nine" will star John Schneider as a washed-up golf champ who travels the country with his sex-addicted caddy, who happens to be named Tiger.

Tina Fey is expecting an "SNL" comeback as Sarah Palin
"It's inevitable that we'll try it, at least," she said this week. "We'll see if it makes it to air."

"CSI:NY" puts "Lost's" Harold Perrineau on death row
He'll drop a major bombshell on Hawkes while in prison.

CNBC anchor inspired "30 Rock's" Elizabeth Banks character
In fact, CNBC's Melissa Francis pitched the story idea to a "30 Rock" producer hoping to play the character herself.

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Simon Cowell is not engaged, despite what his fellow "X Factor" judge says

Next week, "The View" will grill Octomom

Stephen Colbert climbs in NBC's chimney // Watch Colbert sing "O Canada" as U.S. anthem

NBC gets sappier for Lindsay Vonn // Even Seattle has to endure the Olympic time delay

NY Times and Sports Illustrated linked to pirated live EuroSport broadcast of Lindsay Vonn

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NBC nixed a "Dallas"-like "it was all a dream" promo for Jay Leno
The Peacock mulled recreating the famous shower scene with Victoria Principal to promote Leno's return to 11:35. Instead, the Peacock is opting for a low-key approach beginning with an ad that debuted tonight (watch it here). In it, Leno is driving the same car he drove in promos last year, but with 11:35 embalazoned on it as the Beatles song "Get back to where you one beloned" plays in the background. PLUS: Police outside Leno's home prompt Jay to joke that there was a "murder."

"Idol" contestants will each be given official Twitter, Facebook, MySpace accounts
Fox is fully embracing social media this season, according to Ryan Seacrest. But he didn't make clear on his own Twitter account whether the pages will aplply to the Top 24 or the Top 12.

Tiger Woods' live press conference may interrupt network TV on Friday
The broadcast networks may air the 11 a.m. ET news conference as a "special report."

Donald Faison jumps from "Scrubs" to CBS, Autumn Reeser joins Michael Chiklis pilot
Faison will star in "Odds," a buddy-cop show set in Vegas, while Reeser will join Chiklis on ABC's "No Ordinary Family."

NBC may air Steven Spielberg Syfy miniseries
"Nine Lives" was supposed to air on Syfy three years ago, but it may find new life on the Peacock.

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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!)

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

Kevin Eubanks' exit date from "The Tonight Show" hasn't been set
Jay Leno's bandleader is definitely leaving the show, but it won't happen until after a transition period starting March 1st when the revamped "Tonight Show" returns. Eubanks is talking about an exit date with Leno and "The Tonight Show's" producer, but "He would never leave them in the lurch," says a colleague.

"Stuttering John" won't return as Leno's "Tonight" announcer
John Melendez will still work for Jay Leno as a writer, but the announcer gig will be filled by somebody else, possibly "The Jay Leno Show" announcer. PLUS: Check out the new "Tonight Show" logo.

Charlie Sheen's legal woes could damage "Two and a Half Men"
CBS' fall schedule will be heavily dependent on "Men," despite the uncertainty over Sheen's future.

Snooki applies to trademark her name
Could the "Jersey Shore" star also be working on her memoir?

Roger Corman teams with Syfy for "Dinoshark"
The king of B-movies is doing a follow-up to "Dinocroc" with a dinosaur version of a shark.

HBO GO will let HBO subscribers watch on their computer
A new Web site, HBOGO.com, has been dubbed, "It's HBO on your computer."

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Kennedy scholars raise hackles over "24" conservative's JFK miniseries
The History channel miniseries from conservative "24" co-creator Joel Surnow is being called a hatchet job on the Kennedy presidency. A Web site, stopkennedysmears.com, has already been launched to fight the film.

Jillian Michaels sued yet again
A class action suit filed today claims "The Biggest Loser" trainer's diet pills contain a "potentially lethal" blend of ingredients.

Poppy Montgomery & Marc Blucas joins ABC's "True Blue"
The respective "Without a Trace" and "Buffy" alums will play San Francisco homicide detectives who investigate the death of one of their colleagues.

"Supernatural" creator stepping down as showrunner
But Eric Kripke, fresh off renewal, is expected to be heavily involved with the CW series.

Simon Cowell publicly declars his love for his girlfriend
"I'm smitten with Mezhgan – I think she's the one," says the "Idol" judge. "She's very special."

Taryn Manning joins "Hawaii Five-O"
She'll play Alex O'Loughlin's younger sister, Mary Ann.

David Canary quits "All My Children"
After 27 years playing the trouble-making Adam Chandler, Canary has opted to retire at the age of 71.

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Kevin Eurbanks quits Leno — will "Hootie" replace him?
After 15 years, Eubanks is leaving his job as Jay Leno's longtime sidekick and bandleader. According to "Extra," Eubanks may appear on the revamped "Tonight Show" on March 1st, but he won't be on the show for long. Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame is rumored to be his replacement. The 52-year-old Eubanks, who assumed "Tonight Show" bandleader duties from Branford Marsalis in 1995, "wanted a change" and opted to leave the show after "The Jay Leno Show" finished, according to "Extra." UPDATE: Rucker's rep says it's not true.

Shocker: "Jersey Shore's" Snooki and JWoww aren't Italian
Snooki is actually Chilean, according to JWoww, who herself is Spanish and Irish.

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Fox News' Sarah Palin blasts "Fox Hollywood" over "Family Guy" joke
"Fox Hollywood — What a Disappointment," Palin wrote on Facebook yesterday in response to an episode mocking her son Trig's Down syndrome. She also left some space for daughter Bristol, who wrote: "All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks." PLUS: Palin is right to be upset.

CW renews "Supernatural," "Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl" and "90210"
Also, "America's Next Top Model" will be back next season. PLUS: What about the other CW shows?

"Ugly Betty's" Mark Indelicato to intern at Teen Vogue — for a reality show?
After "Betty's" over, Indelicato will live a real-life "Betty" dream at Teen Vogue. "I want to have a reality show about it," he says. "My boss said he’s determined to make me cry. He said it makes good TV."

Matthew Settle getting divorced months after his daughter's birth
The "Gossip Girl" dad is allegedly seeing another woman.

"Ebert is dying in increments, and he is aware of it"
Roger Ebert tweets that "It's true I'm dying–but no faster than anyone else." Yet an Esquire profile of Ebert paints a bleaker picture: "There has been no death-row conversion. He has not found God. He has been beaten in some ways. But his other senses have picked up since he lost his sense of taste. He has tuned better into life. Some things aren't as important as they once were; some things are more important than ever. He has built for himself a new kind of universe. Roger Ebert is no mystic, but he knows things we don't know."

Is Ellen DeGeneres the "new" Simon on "American Idol"?
If Ellen is going to become the bad cop, does that mean that "Idol" has to look for a new Paula to replace Simon Cowell?

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NBC is redeeming itself with fantastic Winter Olympic coverage
At least Tom Shales seems to think so, anyway. He writes: "The poor old network with all the bruises and bandages from months and months of battering is enjoying a fine, high-flying triumph with its HD telecasts of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver. It's the greatest show on snow. And the television version has been so satisfying — visually, emotionally, aesthetically — that, for the moment, the national pall imposed by the recession, and by the generally shabby state of public affairs, seems to have lifted." PLUS: Night 4 of Olympics gets big ratings.

NBC's Olympic coverage has been horrible
"Hate's not too strong a word," says Spencer Hall. "I hate watching sports on NBC anyway, but watching Dick Ebersol broadcast the games from 1988 has been doubly infuriating because a.) this only comes around every four years, and b.) because NBC, a purveyor of crapheap products anyway, has doubled up on ineptitude and put on a clinic in how NOT to cover sports in the 21st century by making the Games inaccessible, tape-delayed, and produced on a budget of at least three dollars a broadcast minute."

How is 58-year-old Bob Costas continue to look so young?
"Is it a facelift, laser treatment, Botox, filler? All of the above?"

AMC puts Cheri Oteri on the Web
Check out her new Web comedy "Life Coach," which also stars Mark Linn-Baker from "Perfect Strangers."

Christina Hendricks: Questions about my body leave a bad taste in my mouth
"It kind of hurt my feelings at first," says the "Mad Men" star, who poses in a corset on the cover of this week's NY Mag. "Anytime someone talks about your figure constantly, you get nervous, you get really self-conscious. I was working my butt off on the show, and then all anyone was talking about was my body!"

Academy Awards: "SYTYCD" in, best original song artists out?
Oscar producer Adam Shankman is mulling bringing some of his "So You Think You Can Dance" dancers on stage to perform during this year's ceremony.

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Ohio man builds a cable-ready igloo with HDTV

Lauren Graham won't watch the original Maura Tierney "Parenthood" pilot

Turkish TV fined for "Mad Men" smoking

Howard Stern's wife says he's as tough as Simon while watching "Idol"

Rachael Ray gives "Jersey" gals a makeunder // Did MTV censor Ronnie's anti-gay slurs?

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"24" halts production so Kiefer Sutherland can undergo surgery
The actor last week suffered a ruptured cyst near his kidney.

"Family Guy" mocks Sarah Palin's son's Down syndrome
Last night's episode featured a mentally challenged character who said her mom is the former governor of Alaska.

Barbara Walters: I'm done with Oscar specials
This year's "Barbara Walters Special" will be the last, after 30 years. "I feel like I've 'been there, done that,'" Walters said this morning on "The View."

Conan O'Brien grows an unemployment beard
The former late-night host sported facial hair during a Hawaii vacation over the weekend.

"Idol" to reveal some of the Top 24 on Tuesday
For the first time ever, "American Idol" is going to mix up the announcement of the Top 24. PLUS: "Idol" boots contestant for criminal past.

Don't write an obituary for the mocumentary sitcom just yet
Sure, "The Office" is played out. But "Parks and Recreation" and "Modern Family" have breathed new life into the mockumentary, according to Matthew Gilbert. "Pretending to be a documentary, simulating the air of fact with hand-held camerawork and direct-to-camera interviews, the mockumentary is more welcome than ever," he says. "It may be just the perfect foil for reality TV fakery and a still-needed alternative for the sitcom genre as a whole."

Rico Rodriguez in awe of his "Modern Family" character
"He’s so mature. He’s like Antonio Banderas in a kid’s body."

Ron Howard: TV superior to movies
Howard gives the TV medium credit for allowing more risk-taking. "I love the variety that you find on TV," he says. "I think that from an acting standpoint and a writing standpoint, pound for pound, the best work in the world is going on in that medium."

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How sappy has NBC's Olympic coverage been so far?

Big Olympic ratings for NBC // Is Al Michaels fat?

Coming soon: A "Will & Grace" reality show

Check out the "Family Guy" Fart-Tacular

Oops!: Oprah mistakes Drew Brees' birthmark for lipstick

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Dick Ebersol: More than 80% of West Coasters want tape-delayed Olympics
"They want to get home and watch them, and that's why there's a delay on the West Coast," says the NBC exec.

Jimmy Fallon's "Lost" parody
Watch the nine-minute debut of "Late."

Octomom plays Jimmy Kimmel's "Valentine's Dating Game"
Which bachelor will Nadya Suleman surprise/select? (Watch Part 2) PLUS: Remember Kimmel's dead-on Octomom impression?

Kaley Cuoco covers Maxim
The "Big Bang Theory" star is "the hottest woman on TV," the magazine proclaims.

Madonna joins Jerry Seinfeld's "The Marriage Ref"
Other celebrity judges include Sarah Silverman, Larry David and Martin Short.

Oprah reveals unseen photos from the Leno-Letterman ad shoot
"Both of them cracking me up," she says of the behind the scenes pics.

Luger's death was streamed live on Canada's CTV Web site
Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili's accident can be seen here.

"Criminal Minds" spinoff casts female lead
Actess Beau Garrett will star opposite Forest Whitaker.

Paula Abdul confirms she's "doing a TV show"
But she wouldn't say if she's doing "The X Factor" with Simon Cowell. "I’m going back to doing some teaching on television in that kind of capacity," she says. "And what else can I tell you? I might be doing something with the Laker Girls."

National Geo goes "Inside Polygamy" for Valentine's Day
The cable network will delve into the lives of a fundamentalist Mormon polygamist community in British Columbia this Sunday.

"Vampire Diaries" adds a bad-ass vamp named Fredereick
The character will be a recurring one, played by Stephen Martines from "The Closer."

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NBC's Stephen Colbert is totally committed to the Winter Olympics
Colbert is not only sponsoring the speedskating team, but he'll serve as a reporter for the Peacock's coverage. PLUS: Check out the official Colbert Olympic poster.

WWE plans to launch its own network next year
Vince McMahon says of his planned WWE cable network: "I would hope a year-and-a-half from now we would be up and running. We think there is a tremendous opportunity for us out there and quite frankly if things happen as we hope they will happen it will be a really big game changer for the WWE."

Can NBC get big Olympic ratings without a popular figure skater?
There's nobody this year to match the popularity of Michelle Kwan or Nancy Kerrigan. PLUS: Advice for NBC.

"Sesame Street's" Susan OK after getting hit by a car
Loretta Long narrowly escaped serious injury while walking near her New Jersey home this week. She ended up suffering a fractured leg and head injuries.

TLC celebrating Valentine's Day with "Sextistics"
A tour through the science and statistics of romantic attraction.

Craig Ferguson: Our budget is probably smaller than Carson Daly's
"We have no promotion," says the "Late Late" host, "we've got no money — it's the cheapest budget of any of the late-night shows — probably Carson Daly's too. We get nothing. But we do have a huge advantage in that they let us do what we want. And I would take that trade."

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