March 2010

"Glee," "Modern Family," Craig Ferguson win Peabody Awards
Also getting Peabodys were "In Treatment" and "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency."

Fox News cuts complaining LL Cool J from Sarah Palin special — then mocks him
The cable news channel says it wishes him best with his "fledgling acting career." But it turns out that Palin didn't interview any celebrites for her Fox News special, including LL Cook J. The rapper turned actor conducted an interview in 2008 with a Fox News project of the same name as Sarah Palin's new show — "Real American Stories."

How will healthcare reform impact TV's medical dramas?
Obama's plan may make life more difficult for TV writers, from "Grey's Anatomy" to "Nurse Jackie" to even "Breaking Bad." "That's because," as Joshua Alston points out, "medical shows of late have shied away from the E.R.-style surgeon-is-God concept and moved toward a great focus on the particulars of patient care."

"Jersey Shore" cast may live in a posh Miami hotel for Season 2
Shooting will reportedly be set in the Metropole Hotel, which has marble bathrooms and 300 thread count Belgian linens.

"The Sims" creator to tackle a TV show about making a TV show
"The Creation Project" will let viewers create and ultimately determine what will go on the show.

Shannen Doherty would've lost her partner if she had stayed on "Dancing"
After skipping out on an interview last night with Jimmy Kimmel, Shannen Doherty and her partner Mark Ballas went on "GMA" this morning to talk about their surprise ouster, with Ballas revealing he was injured earlier in the day. "I hurt my knee a little bit in the dress rehearsal," he said, adding that "there's no major problems." PLUS: Erin Andrews tells Ryan Seacrest: Maksim designs my costumes and always smells nice.

Simon Cowell disses "Dancing"
He made clear his feelings during his critique of Didi: "You have no longer made yourself contemporary, everything is too old-fashioned. If you listen to one of those dancing shows, they always have a singer murdering a song on it."

George Lopez vs. Lindsay Lohan Twitter war ends
Lohan will pay a visit to his late-night talk show after arguing on Twitter.

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Daniel Dae Kim is the latest "Lost" star to get a serious injury
A bruished Evangeline Lilly and a black eyed Michael Emerson has been followed by an injured Kim with a hand sliced open. "We were shooting a sequence that involves swimming," he says. "And I actually ripped open my hand on a stray drywall screw that was underwater. I had to run to the hospital to get my hand glued up."
Last night: What a frustrating episode // Not much forward progress
Watch 6 seasons of Sawyer saying "Son of a Bitch" // Does "Lost" have enough time?

What ABC did with its "V" countdown clock during "Lost" was "very wrong"
"For one thing," says Matthew Gilbert, "'Lost' fans are 'Lost' fans — that is, we are focused intensely on our complicated show, which we've been waiting a week to see, and which is in its final stretch, and we don't tend to want interruption or distraction. If I had been watching, say, 'CSI,' I might have been annoyed, but not quite offended. But don't mess with the 'Lost.' Indeed, I have to wonder if the relentless, ticking "V" clock last night actually stirred resistance and resentment toward 'V' in 'Lost' viewers."

"Criminal Intent" star's alleged stalker is an obsessed Batman fan
In fact, Charles Nagle named his daughters HarlyeQuinn and Bat Girl.

"Idol" stars split on new behind-the-scenes clips
"It's a little tricky," Siobhan said of having cameras follow them backstage "It depends on how well you did with said performance. Clearly some people are more in the mood to do an interview than others."
"Idols" make a comeback with R&B // "Idols" answer questions // More answers

"Glee" reveals details of the Lady Gaga episode
Lea Michele will tackle "Poker Face," while the entire glee club will sing "Bad Romance."
"I do know that we’re all different Lady Gagas, and at one point I am the Kermit the Frog Lady Gaga," says Michele. "I saw a picture of the Kermit the Frog Lady Gaga with a Post-It on it that said ‘Leah.’ I was like, oh, great. Everyone else has incredible Lady Gaga outfits and I have that one."
"Glee Gone Wild" on the cover of Rolling Stone
Check out pics from "Glee's" return // Another new "Glee" promo

David Mills dies: "Wire"/"Treme" writer, longtime David Simon collaborator
Mills, 48, collapsed on the New Orleans set of "Treme" on Tuesday, and was later pronounced dead of a brain aneurysm. Mills, who was just touting "Treme" Monday in a posting on his Undercover Black Man blog, had known David Simon since they were college students working on the University of Maryland student newspaper. He went on to win an Emmy with Simon on HBO's "The Corner," and he became a key part of the writing staffs of "The Wire" and "Treme." A former Washington Post reporter, Mills also worked on "ER" and "NYPD Blue," in addition to creating NBC's "Kingpin. PLUS: An appreciation and Simon remembers Mills.

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Lindsey Vonn's "Law & Order" dream will come true next week

Aussies furious after Robin Williams tells Letterman they're just "English rednecks"

"V's" return disappoints with just 7.3 million viewers

"Warehouse 13," "Eureka," "Haven" on Syfy's summer schedule

"Baywatch" movie will be more "Charlie's Angels" than "Starsky and Hutch"

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

ABC pisses off "Lost" fans with annoying "V" countdown clock
The countdown clock was so annoying — obscuring at least one crucial moment — that even "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof was ticked off. "Yes, people, I saw it too," he tweeted during the West Coast broadcast. ":34 minutes until I cry myself to sleep." As Alan Sepinwall notes, "between the large red 'V' logo, and the ticking clock, it was impossible to not notice it, virtually ever moment it was on screen (which was everywhere except right before or after a commercial break), and in at least one case the stupid clock obscured the note Sun was writing to Jack. Well-done, ABC. Really freaking well-done."

Sarah Palin lands LL Cook J as one of her 1st guests — but he says it's all fake!
Fox News will debut Palin's "Real American Stories" on Thursday with LL Cool J, but the rapper turned "NCIS L.A." star says the segment was lifted from a 2008 interview he gave with someone else.

It's official: Matt Damon coming to "30 Rock"
Tina Fey's dream guest-star has accepted an offer to make a cameo, months after Fey publicly stated that she wants Damon on the show.

Report: Kate Gosselin planning a "Jon & Kate"-themed dance for next week
With Tony Dovolani as Jon Gossellin.

TNT could halt "Law & Order's" plans for a record-breaking Season 21
The cable network isn't obligated to buy any seasons beyond the current Season 20.

Marlee Matlin launches a YouTube reality show: "My Deaf Family"
What Matlin describes as a deaf version of "Little People, Big World" was rejected by the networks, so she's put it on YouTube. You can watch it here.

"True Blood" is all about "VILF"
A new marketing poster takes advantage of the word "MILF."

Orlando Jones and Ryan Hansen snag pilots
Jones has joined Fox's "Tax Man" while "Veronica Mars" alum Hansen will star in NBC's "Friends with Benefits."

Erin Andrews: I'm not dating Maksim
"No, everybody is obsessed with this," she confirms. "We are just dancing. We spend 24 hours with these people and it is just like, 'Oh, they are dating.' I mean, whatever!" PLUS: "Yo Sportsgirl": Erin visits "Idol."

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ABC renews "Castle"
The sophomore series has received a big boost from "Dancing with the Stars."

A "Dancing" shocker?
Tom Bergeron says of tonight's results show: "WTF???"

MySpace hosting "Glee's" online casting call
Submissions for wannabe "Gleeks" can be made starting today.

Justin Bieber will perform on "Idol" Wednesday, but…
Fox won't air the teen sensation's performance until later this season.

Rage Against the Machine hoping to duet with Susan Boyle
The band is reaching out to Simon Cowell in hopes of making amends after beating Simon's "X Factor" winner on the charts last Christmas.

Dish Network says sorry to Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres was omitted from Dish's "Idol" listings. So, to make amends, Dish has made hers the only judges name to appear.

Alex Lambert lands on "Idol" honcho's Web series
The "American Idol" cast-off has joined Simon Fuller's "If I Can Dream."

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Networks find late-night Web clips don't hurt viewership
That's the conclusion of the networks that put up clips of shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno online the next morning. In fact, many who watch online first watched on TV.

"Lost" and the bible
The author of "The Gospel According to Lost" offers a bible study of "Lost" and its characters. PLUS: Each "Lost" episode brings a host of mixed feelings.

Travel company creates its own "Amazing Race" competition
For $2,675 per person, 17 teams of two will be sent through Europe to compete in challenges over nine days. Competitors will film themselves with a video camera, and the winner will receive a $9,000 prize.

Why all the fuss over Chelsea Handler?
The E! star has three books on the New York Times bookseller list, which puzzles Mary Elizabeth Williams, who just doesn't get her. "Like the wild friend who brags so much she makes a threesome sound tedious, Handler's bad-girl-in-a-bikini persona can feel calculated to the point of mechanical," Williams writes.

"24" is now like an ageing punk rocker conforming to society
Case in point: Last night's episode.

Idris Elba was never much of a "Wire" fan
"I didn’t watch it much," says the actor, who played Stringer Bell. "To fans of The Wire, that’s sacrilegious, I know."

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Levi Johnston's reality show touted as "'Jersey Shore' on ice"
"If I could wave my magic wand, I would want it to premiere at the exact same hour, minute and second as Sarah Palin's does," the executive producer of "Levi Johnston's Final Frontier" says of the reality show that would follow Levi and his pals as they spend more time getting wild in the wilderness than staying on the Internet.
Watch Levi describe his show // Jimmy Kimmel spoofs Palin's new show

When is "SNL" going to call Bryan Cranston?
Despite all the critical acclaim and big numbers, "Breaking Bad" hasn't caught the cultural zeitgeist like fellow AMC series "Mad Men." Which is why, despite winning two Emmys, Cranston has never been offered a shot at hosting "Saturday Night Live." "Would I like to host 'Saturday Night Live'? Hell, yes, I'd love to," says Cranston. "But it's not going to have a big impact on my life if it doesn't happen." Creator Vince Gilligan thinks Cranston hasn't gotten more recognition because "he is much more a chameleon than most actors, and he truly disappears into his role." PLUS: Gilligan considered meth career.

Kate Gosselin gets in spat with her "Dancing" partner, who quits
Tony Dovolani quit, then took it back, then regretted it, after dealing with the emotional roller coaster that is Kate Gosselin.

"Dancing" scores don't make any sense
For instance, Kate Gosselin and Chad Ochocinco didn't deserve the same kind of scores, says Miriam Di Nunzio. "I think that if the judges are going to continue to score people and then have that score rank each couple's standings on the leaderboard, then they — Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli— need to keep in mind how their scores at the moment relate to the scores they've already doled out," she says. "This isn't rocket science. An '8' should be an '8' and reflect an '8' performance; a '5' should reflect a '5' performance, and so forth."

Chad Ochocinco: I wanted to cry when "Dancing" judges "sh*tted on me"
The NFL wide receiver couldn't sleep last night and took to UStream early this morning to express his depression over the harsh critiques — all while pretending to cry. "God that sh*t hurt, man," said Ochocinco. "F*ck man. Well, they got me. That was worse than having a girl dump me. They jumped on me, man. They sh*tted on me so heavy i feel so bad."

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Is this the worst "Idol" season ever? It hasn't surpassed Season 6 yet…
"American Idol" historian Donna Reynolds, who is putting out a book documenting every performance show from the past eight seasons, says Season 6 is, in fact, the worst season, despite everybody being down on this current season. But, she adds, "Unless the season turns itself around soon, I think it might end up surpassing Season 6 as the worst season ever. I hope I’m wrong."
What can be done to save the season? // This is a bad time for "Idol" to suck
"Idol" may be sold, put in the hands of private equity
Kara fills in for Kelly Ripa // Season 6's Stephanie Edwards arrested after girl fight
Why Andrew Garcia can't get his mojo back: His "moment" was just that

"V" returns and resets itself
The new batch of episodes are better-paced than the four we see last fall, says Maureen Ryan, who adds: "Will 'Welcome to the War' cure your psoriasis, end world hunger and change the very foundation of Western civilization? No, none of the above. But it had a good amount of tension, it introduced a couple of potential-rich new story lines and it made me want to tune in to the next episode. That's all I can really ask of any hour of TV."
How new showrunner shook up "V" // 60 seconds with Morena Baccarin // More Morena
Why "V" deserves to live // Elizabeth Mitchell: "V" a little rougher, sexier

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Tim Allen to host the TV Land Awards

Divorce! Plastic surgery! Drugs! Watch "The Hills" final season trailer

"Idol" just barely beat "Dancing" in last week's ratings

"Two and a Half Men" audience gave Charlie Sheen a standing ovation

Brian Williams returns to slow jam the news with Jimmy Fallon

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

A Martha Stewart Channel?
Martha and Hallmark Channel are thinking about creating their own lifestyle cable channel.

"Lost's" Yunjin Kim weds
She and her longtime boyfriend, who managed her, Jeong Hyeok Park, got hitched Sunday in Hawaii.

Jon Heder suddenly drops out of Will Ferrell's Comedy Central comedy
Heder's departure over creative differences with his character has thrown in wrench in the show's production because shooting was to begin on Wednesday.

"Sons of Tucson's" Tyler Labine signs up for CBS sitcom
He'll star with Jason Biggs in "True Love" — but only if Fox cancels the ratings-challenged "Sons."

Fox orders parent-pranking reality show with celeb fiancees
"My Parents Are Gonna Love You" is like "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancee," but with ordinary folks introducing celebrities to their parents as their soon-to-be spouses.

Jim Belushi gets in argument with flight attendant on Vegas trip
Cops had to be called, but no arrest was made, when the flight attendant woke up an annoyed Belushi at the end of the 40-minute flight.

NBC delays return of "Friday Night Lights" by one week
The premiere will be on May 7, rather than April 30.

Ellen DeGeneres: The Comic Book
It only costs $3.99.

ABC's "Scoundrels" replaces Neal McDonough with David James Elliott
Elliott will star opposite Virginia Madsen in the remake of New Zealand's "Outrageous Fortune."

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"SYTYCD" will pair 10 contestants with past "all-stars"
Mia Michaels will return as judge and choreographer as "So You Think You Can Dance" undergoes several changes, including the reduction of finalists to 10 dancers who will be paired with all-stars. PLUS: Read more changes on Nigel Lythgoe's Twitter.

Demi Lovato does "Grey's Anatomy"
The tween star began filming her role as a patient today.

AMC greenlights "The Walking Dead"
Robert Kirkman's comic book series will become a TV drama, with the help of Frank Darabont.

HBO officially cancels "Joe Buck Live" after 3 episodes
The sports talk show that opened to Artie Lange controversy has been discontinued, HBO confirms.

Lifetime wrapping a NASCAR car with "Army Wives"
As part of a partnership with Lifetime, JR Motorsports' No. 7 car will be completely wrapped with Army Wives branding during the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Nashville 300 race on April 3.

Nicole Eggert's "Baywatch" body makes a comeback
The "Celebrity Fit Club" star has really shed some weight.

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Jamie Foxx returns to Fox with an urban sketch-comedy show
Can the "In Living Color" revive sketch comedy on Fox?

Report: Conan turned down CBS' offer to host the Tonys
Apparently Conan O'Brien can't do any hosting until September, as part of his NBC deal.

Reviews keep pouring in for "The Office's" Schrute Farms on TripAdvisor.com
The fictional review has been a boon for the Web site, which keeps on seeing visitors thanks to reruns and DVD viewings.

Claim: Will Smith is causing trouble on his wife's "HawthoRNe" set
Smith, a co-producer on the TNT series, has allegedly been clashing with the other producers, resulting in the show taking an eight-day unplanned hiatus.

"24" defends its newest mole; movie may shoot in Prague
Regarding last week's ridiculous revelation, exec producer Howard Gordon urges "24" fans to "hold on before you throw your shoes at the TV set" and see how that story line concludes. PLUS: "24's" silliest moments.

Nick's Kids' Choice Awards accused of treating Disney Channel stars shabbily
Only a small number of nominated Disney stars were allowed to walk the red carpet, compared to their Nickelodeon counterparts.

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ABC asking $900,000 per "Lost" finale commercial
That's 400% more than the cost of a usual "Lost" ad.

"Law & Order: CI's" Kathryn Erbe a stalking victim
Charles Nagel, 36, was arrested after flooding Erbe with passionate e-mails with hopes of a permanent relationship.

Family TV makes a comeback
From "Modern Family" to "The Middle," there have been an abundance of shows the whole familiy can watch.

Pilots go to Teri Polo, Vinnie Jones, "FlashForward's" Christine Woods
Woods will co-star in NBC's comedy "Perfect Couples."

Jake Pavelka: From "Bachelor" to actor?
The "Dancing" star has hired a PR firm, reportedly so he could begin making inroads into the world of acting.

Showtime buys naming rights to NASCAR race
The Darlington Raceway’s Southern 500 will now be known as the Showtime Southern 500.

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"Saving Grace" was canceled for being too American for foreign audiences
At least, that's Holly Hunter's excuse: "It took all of us by surprise because the ratings have been great, but this is stuff I haven't really kept track of — DVD sales, the foreign numbers. It's such a truly, truly American show, but my concerns are always more personal and private. I have no desire to think about making it more palatable to anyone other than myself. What's the best way to serve this material, not what's the best way to serve a global market?"
Too bad this is the last season // "Grace" had become hard to watch

Larry David wants Ricky Gervais for "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
The pair recently sat together with Madonna for "The Marriage Ref."

Levi Johnston is using an RV to shop his reality show
Sarah Palin's grandbaby daddy is pitching an Alaska-based reality show, too, titled: "Levi Johnston’s Last Frontier," in which he rides pimped-out snow machines.

Jimmy Kimmel & Sarah Silverman bring their new significant others to same event
Kimmel and his girlfriend/head writer Molly McNearney and Silverman and her beau, "Family Guy" writer Alec Sulkin, all appeared at Saturday's tribute to Matt Damon.

Teri Hatcher creates a "chick" Web site for Disney, GetHatched.com
Nicknamed "a chick's guide to life," the Web site is produced by DisneyFamily.com.

Showtime posts the edited "Tudors" season premiere on YouTube
Watch Season 4, Episode 1 right now.

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New app lets you vote for "Idol" on Facebook // Simon picks Crystal Bowersox

Jessica Alba coming to "Project Runway"

Maksim: Erin Andrews and I are "maybe" dating // Will Erin leave ESPN?

Lady Gaga's "Telephone" gets the "Sesame Street" treatment

Another "SYTYCD" change: Competitors will no longer choose their dance genre

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Shackling format doomed "24"
"Repetition," says Mike Hale, "set in early, there was a limited stock of villains and it was impossible to up the ante on destructive threats, or absurdly byzantine conspiracies, year after year."

"Smallville" execs sue CW and Warner Bros
Miles Miller, Alfred Gough and series co-producer Tollin/Robbins Prods. are accusing Warner Bros of "self-dealing" their shows to the WB and, later, the CW. The result, they say, was below market rates for their series.

"Big Bang" snags Mayim Bialik, who's a UCLA neuroscience Ph.D
The "Blossom" star will play a female version of Sheldon and his possible love interest. A few years ago, Bialik earned her Ph.D in neuroscience from UCLA, so she's familiar with the scientific academia.

Video: "Real World's" Puck admits to drinking Jack Daniels before accident
Watch him choke up as  he recovers from a broken neck and other injuries.

Martin Short signs on for Fox's "Tax Man" sitcom
The "Damages" star will play the jerky boss of an IRS office, starring opposite David Krumholtz.

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Med student's study finds major problems with "House" and "Grey's"
Fourth-year Johns Hopkins medical student Matthew Czarny's study, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, found 179 instances of bioethical issues on both "Grey's Anatomy" and "House." He also found 58 incidents of sexual misconduct on "Grey's" and 11 on "House."

MTV to take advantage of the iPad with "Co-Viewing"
The co-viewing app will make it easy to watch videos on an iPad while simultaneously using social media.

Check out Allison Janney on "Mr. Sunshine"
As tweeted by co-star Matthew Perry. PLUS: Allison Janney is on Twitter.

Trump predicts failure for Rosie O'Donnell
"She's a loser," The Donald says of his nemesis. "Her other shows didn't do well, this one won't do well. Everything she touches is a failure, she's a failure."

Go behind the scenes of "Treme"
Here's a 14-minute video on the making of the hotly anticipated HBO series.

Heidi Montag's psychic/ex-manager: I couldn't predict my firing
Turns out Aiden Chase's psychic powers aren't all that powerful. "Everything was perfectly fine until I received a call from 'Access Hollywood' telling me I was fired," he says.

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Fox cancels "24"
Mary Lynn Rajskub just confirmed on Twitter that "24" will end after eight seasons. "Just found out we got the word officially. This is 24's last season," she wrote. In addition, "24's" former Emmy winning director/exec producer John Cassar says: "News from the 24 set,the crew has been told that 24 has come to an end. There will b no season 9. Its been a great run, thanx all 4 watching." PLUS: "ER" alum Eriq La Salle will guest on the final two episodes.

Kiefer Sutherland: "It's very sad"; "24" proudcers not up for Season 9
"If they said tomorrow that you have a ninth season, it's not something we'd be up for because we realize Jack's story in the real-time format has been told," exec producer Howard Gordon said of the cancelation. "We've done eight years we're very proud of, and we're very excited about going into the film world with this," added Kiefer Sutherland. "It's very sad, the only thing tempering this from being all-out heartbreak is the fact that we have this sense of accomplishment. That's the only thing holding people up. Because, for me, and all these people who've been with us since the beginning, it's a very special thing and it's very sad to see it end."
Kiefer: Moving "24" to NBC was "never a real possibility for me"
How will it all end? Will there be a movie? // "Jack will probably survive"

Chloe Sevigny regrets "awful" comments about "Big Love," says she was provoked
The "Big Love" star says she apologized "profusely" to its creatores, adding that she was exhausted when she made the comments, when the reporter provoked her.

Dolly Parton to return for final "Hannah Montana" episodes
She'll resume her role as Aunt Dolly.

CBS hasn't decided what to call "Sh*t My Dad Says"
Some in the media have called the Twitter-inspired show "Stuff My Dad Says," but CBS has yet to find a title suitable for broadcast television.

Charlie Sheen didn't cause the cutting of 2 "Two and a Half" episodes
Taht's according to his rep, who says  Sheen was only contracted to appear in 22 episodes, not 24.

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CW's online shows will soon be shown with 20 ads
Rather than show one or two ads, CW will begin adding numerous ads to the Web streaming versions of its shows.

Conan's manager: He's "not even close" to a deal, but he did turn down movie roles
"We've met with a few places and been in talks but nothing is even near being finalized," says Gavin Polone.

"Idol" ratings rise as singing gets worse
This week's performance show had 6% more viewers than last week's. PLUS: Diddy and Justin Bieber will appear on next week's results show.

Syfy gets a comedy out of "Smallville" alum Michael Rosenbaum
The former Lex Luthor has created "Saved by Zeroes," starring Rosenbaum and Jonathan Silverman and revolving around two actor buddies who are at rock bottom after achieving cult status.

Forrest Whitaker makes his "Criminal Minds" debut on April 7
Check out him and Thomas Gibson in their backdoor pilot for a possible "Minds" spinoff.

"SYTYCD" will not have a Top 20 next season
So says Nigel Lythgoe, as he continues to tweet daily revelations on the new season.

"Parks and Rec's" Chris Pratt: I studied Web videos to learn how to shine shoes
"I realized it isn't that hard," says Pratt, whose shoe-shining role has kept his Andy character around on the show. "You just knock the crap off them and polish them up."

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