Thursday, March 11, 2010

March 11, 2010

Jon Voight signs on for his first regular TV gig, on Fox
He'll play a legendary Texan in "Midland," with David Keith playing his son.


Katherine Heigl's "Grey's" exit almost a done deal — has her last scene aired?

Heigl never returned to the "Grey's Anatomy" set on March 1st, as planned. So, according to Michael Ausiello, ABC and Heigl decided last week to part ways now, instead of at the end of the season, which means she won't return to the show. Ausiello reports that "Shonda Rhimes has agreed to release the fast-rising movie star from her contract. It’s now up to ABC Studios and Heigl’s reps to hash out a final exit agreement."


"The View" goes off on "Idol" judges; Elton John: Big Mike has "voice of an angel"

"Big Mike has the most God-given voice," says Elton, who compares him to Luther Vandross.


"HIMYM" gets Arianna Huffington to play herself

Turns out that Huffington is producing a pilot with a "How I Met Your Mother" writer starring Sarah Chalke.


Bill Lawrence: "Scrubs" has a 1 in 10 chance of survival

"In my heart and head I felt like 'Scrubs' ended last year," Lawrence says. "This year was a bit of a spinoff, but I really liked it, I liked what they did. They worked really hard."


"Hollywood heartthrobs" — including Alan Thicke — will co-host "Today's" 4th hour

Hoda Kotb will be joined by five hunky guest co-hosts, including Jason Priestley, Kirk Cameron, Ralph Macchio, Andrew Shue and, oddly enough, Alan Thicke.

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March 11, 2010

Conan is doing comedy tour for free
Coco just wants to get his "Tonight Show" staff back to work. So roughly 40 people have been hired for the tour, according to TMZ.


Jerry Seinfeld & Kelly Ripa

Watch Seinfeld fill in for Regis Philbin.


Joel McHale: Kat McPhee "kicked ass" on "Community"

"Of course," says McPhee, "my job with Joel was so easy. Come on, you've got to kiss that guy all week long? You don't have to pull my leg to do that. My husband knows that's the reality."


Claim: Kate Gosselin's kids are depressed over her "Dancing" absence

According to Us Weekly, her eight children are being handled by five nannies in her Hollywood absence.


Alan Tudyk joins "Rockford Files"

The "Firefly" alum will co-star with Dermot Mulroney in NBC's remake of the '70s classic.

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March 11, 2010

Dr. Drew criticizes Corey Haim for not doing "Celebrity Rehab"
Drew Pinsky says he had given his number to Haim's concerned friends many times, but he never called.


Next week is Rolling Stones week on "American Idol"

The Top 12 will be tasked with singing classics from the iconic rock band.


Conan O'Brien is licensing the "I'm With Coco" image

Conan is not only embracing "Team Coco" with his new TeamCoco.com Web site, but he's also using the iconic "I'm with Coco" image designed by artist Mike Mitchell for his 30-city tour. "Apparently Conan wanted to get me on board for it – obviously I was honored," says Mitchell, who is getting compensated for the image's use. PLUS: Watch Conan's Twitter followee on "GMA."


Chad Ochocinco gets a VH1 reality show: 85 women will compete for his heart

"The Tournament" will have the NFL diva and "Dancing" star whittle down 85 women (Ochocinco's number), NCAA tourney-style, over 10 episodes.


Adam Lambert plans to release a make-up line for men

The line will not only feature guyliner, but concealer, lip gloss, nail polish and mascara. PLUS: Watch Lambert "Unplugged."

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March 11, 2010

Why "The Marriage Ref" is genius, one of TV's funniest shows
Forget the haters, says Glenn O'Brien, "this is a great show. For my money Seinfeld has done it again. Genius. This is one of the only examples of an intelligent, wit-based game show since the likes of 'What's My Line?' (1950-1967) and 'I've Got a Secret' (1952-1967). It is also a show, like 'Seinfeld,' that is rooted in good old-fashioned common sense, and in dealing with the institution of marriage it goes to the very heart of our culture."


Why does Simon keep bringing up that "Idol" judges give conflicting advice?

The advice has been all over the place because of the four judges, but is Simon annoyed that "Idol" is trying to take the mentoring gimmick from "The X Factor"? PLUS: Big Mike shines, Andrew Garcia is proving to be a one-trick pony.


Nickelodeon announces 6 new shows, 16 renewals

Among the new series are "Kung Fu Panda," "T.U.F.F. Puppy," "Bubble Guppies" Victoria Justice's "Victorious."


Richard Belzer accused of trying to choke an Apple store employee

The "SVU" star was questioned by cops, but wasn't charged, over yesterday's incident. For his part, Belzer says he just put his hands on the employee's shoulders, and she freaked out.


NFL-er turned "Little House" star Merlin Olsen dies

Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, 69, played Michael Landon's sidekick Jonathan Garvey from 1977 to 1981, before going on to star in "Father Murphy" and serving as an FTD flowers pitchman. He also worked as an NBC color commentator for NFL games. (Watch NFL Films' tribute to Olsen)

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ODDS & ENDS

March 11, 2010

Confirmed: "Bachelor" star Rozlyn Papa does not have a sex tape

Ex-"Lost" advisor criticizes dynamite face-off // 101 "Lost" T-shirts

TCM to celebrate Clint Eastwood's 80th birthday in May with 24-hour marathon

Kate Gosselin's hair undergoes bob tranformation for "Dancing"

"Human Target" gets Amy Acker for season finale

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

March 11, 2010

Conan announces 30-city tour
From April 12 to June 14, Conan O'Brien will take his act on the road, traveling from Atlanta to Vancouver for what he describes as a "half-assed comedy & musical tour." The American Express-sponsored "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" will feature Andy Richter and "The Tonight Show Band" and promises to provide Conan fans with "a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence." Tickets will be available through the new TeamCoCo.com Web site. Conan's longtime exec producer Jeff Ross says the tour is aimed at getting Conan in front of as many people as possible in between talk shows. PLUS: Conan will return to Universal City and perform in an NBC-owned theater on April 24.

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