March 2011

Aflac fires Gilbert Gottfried over insensitive Japanese tsunami tweets
Aflac, whose ads run in Japan, didn't find Gottfried's tweets roasting Japan to be funny. So he'll no longer voice the duck.

Wilmer Valderrama, BD Wong, Steve Harris join NBC's "REM"
They'll star in the "Inception"-style thriller from the creator of "Lone Star."

Julie Benz signs on for a CBS pilot
Yet another sign that "No Ordinary Family" may not see a 2nd season, though Benz's new gig is contingent on ABC canceling the superhero family series.

Mary Steenburgen joining hubby Ted Danson on "Bored to Death"
She'll play his vocal coach.

Jimmy Kimmel writes about his Bora Bora tsunami scare
"What would Oprah do in this situation, I wondered?" Kimmel says in a piece written for the Huffington Post, detailing how he and his "Jimmy Kimmel Live" co-head writer girlfriend reacted to the news of a tsunami.

Lisa Rinna: "Celeb Apprentice" starves you, deprives you of sleep
In addition, there is no water, Rinna told Ryan Seacrest this morning. "When you're in the war room," she added, "they turn the heat up and they don't open the doors." (MP3 link)

WWE Hall of Fame inducts Drew Carey
"The Price is Right" host does have a wrestling past.

Conan nude scene left on cutting room floor; Conan to cut beard, eventually
In a live chat with Facebook, Conan O'Brien admitted that he was filmed everywhere for his "Conan Can't Be Stopped" documentary, including the shower. But that scene didn't make the film, as Conan had final cut approval. Conan also said that the beard won't be permanent, but wouldn't say when he would shave it off. PLUS: Watch Conan at SXSW, taking Q&As from the audience, and Jay Leno is no longer talking about Conan.

TV's "action women" have become the norm
From Ziva David from "NCIS" to "Chuck's" Sarah, kick-ass women have become commonplace on primetime TV. "These are the women," says Mike Hale, "who absorb punishment and provide gee-whiz thrills so that other actors — usually but not always men — can be lighter, funnier and more 'relatable,' and can focus on family or romance or bromance."

Rashida Jones coming to FX
She's making a cameo on Elijah Woods' new show "Wilfred."

Police arrest 2 "Real World" Back to New Orleans cast members
Jemmye Carroll and Ryan Knight were taken into custody following an altercation with the bouncer of a Florida nightclub.

Fox announces its summer schedule, with no new shows
Reruns, "SYTYCD" and "Masterchef" will fill Fox's slate this summer.

Can Charlie Sheen save "The Chicago Code"?
"Two and a Half Men" reruns could benefit the struggling Fox series. Meanwhile, creator Shawn Ryan says: "It seems like we’re in that nether zone, where we're not some big hit and we’re not some huge disaster."

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Charlie Sheen creates a fake movie trailer // TLC Sheen doc to recycle NBC footage

Donald Trump offers to help Richard Hatch

Is "House" diminishing Lisa Edelstein with Cuddy's relationship with Dr. House?

Natalie Maines records "God Only Knows" for the "Big Love" series finale

Priscilla Presley wants to see a "Glee" Elvis episode

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

ABC renews "The Bachelor" and "Bachelorette"
They'll return for a respective 16th and 7th seasons.

"Freaks and Geek" and "Undeclared" casts reunite — to hate on James Franco
The two Judd Apatow casts didn't seem to be happy that Franco was unable to attend their PaleyFest reunion. PLUS: Check out PaleyFest photos and the "Freaks" reunion poster.

Richard Hatch going to prison today
The "Celebrity Apprentice" star tried to delay his return to prison, but a judge ordered him to surrender to authorities by noon today. UPDATE: Hatch is now in custody.

Report: NBC legal got involved in Lisa Rinna vs. Star Jones feud
Their "Celebrity Apprentice" clash got pretty ugly.

Introducing the cast of "Thundercats"
The Cartoon Network series will feature Emmanuelle Chriqui as Cheetara.

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Jon Stewart may hire Larry King
The former CNN star is in preliminary talks to contribute to "The Daily Show" in a Lewis Black-like capacity, appearing regularly but not frequently.

Alec Baldwin to Charlie Sheen: "You can't win. Really. You can't"
Baldwin used his own Hollywood past to give Sheen advice, via his Huffington Post column: "Sober up, Charlie. And get back on TV, if it's not too late. This is America. You want to really piss off Chuck and Warner Brothers and CBS? Beg for America's forgiveness. They will give it to you. And then go back. You are a great television star. And you've got the gig." PLUS: Sheen's tour sells out in 18 minutes, and Sheen launches CharlieSheen.com, and Ustream reacts to Sheen's Korner's success.

Casey Abrams didn't leave the hospital till Sunday
The "Idol" star was hospitalized ulcerative colitis for three days.

Petra Nemcova nearly quit "Dancing" to help Japanese tsunami victims
Nemcova, as you'll recall, survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, which killed her boyfriend.

Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of his new documentary
"I personally have trouble watching it because it’s a time in my life that I don’t like to go back to," Conan said at SXSW premiere of "Conan O'Brien Can't Stop," which got at least one good review. PLUS: Watch Conan explain "Mean Conan."

Steve Carell's last day at "The Office" was "very emotional"
So says director Paul Fieg, who adds "Everybody was kind of in a state of suspended animation," before getting emotional. PLUS: Will Amy Ryan appear, after all?

"Supernatural" poised for a 7th season
"We're looking pretty good," said creator Eric Kripke at PaleyFest. "We're bullish enough on it that we cliffhang the finale." PLUS: Expect "unexpected deaths" on season finale, and check out photos from PaleyFest.

Watch Zach Galifianakis shave his head during "SNL"
For the Mr. T sketch that didn't make the cut.

Reelzchannel is having trouble "Kennedys" sponsors
"Advertisers are afraid of it, yes, but it's ridiculous," says the cable network's CEO.

Jimmy Fallon will celebrate his 2-year "Late Night" anniversary all week
Guests include Tiger Woods playing mini-golf and Howard Stern.

Agents sue "Tori & Dean"
United Talent Agency claims it was cheated out of the Oxygen show's profits.

HBO to tackle 1980s Russian spying
"Reds" would focus on a U.S. documentary soundman who was really working for the KGB.

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Cheryl Hines moving to "Suburgatory"
The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star will play the lead in ABC comedy pilot about the hellish 'burbs.

Fox delays "Terra Nova" till fall
The Steven Spielberg drama was supposed to premiere over two nights in May, but not anymore.

CBS' "The Doctor" adds Kyle MacLachlan, Scott Foley, Michael Boatman
They'll star opposite Christine Lahti in the pilot from "Privileged" creator Rina Mimoun.

Paget Brewster joins NBC pilot
Brewster's future on "Criminal Minds" will now depend on whether NBC picks up "My Life as an Experiment" to series, where she'll be joined by comedian Jon Dore. PLUS: "Outsourced's" Noureen DeWulf joins CBS' "Hail Mary."

Snoop from "The Wire" stunned by drug charges
According to her attorney, "She's a little bit dismayed at being in position that she didn't place herself in."

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Richard Hatch gets 9-month prison sentence: What about "Celebrity Apprentice"?
Don't expect to see the former "Survivor" winner on the "Celebrity Apprentice" finale in May after a judge ordered him back to prison for violating his parole. NBC says 11 of the 12 "Celebrity Apprentice" episodes have been filmed, so only the finale will be affected by Hatch's prison stay, if he is a finalist.

"It was scary," says "unevacuated" Jimmy Kimmel
The ABC star is "officially" safe after being evacuated from a French Polynesian island. "I feel a little bit like Tom Sawyer watching his own funeral," he tweeted.

NBC and ABC will focus on Japan earthquake tonight in primetime
"Dateline" and "20/20" will be devoted to the quake the resulting tsunamis. PLUS: Discovery & Science channels team for a Japan earthquake special "Anatomy of a Disaster."

"Idol" castoff Ashthon: "Yes, I believe that I'm going to have a Grammy"
"I believe that something great is going to come out of this experience," she says.

When will Jon Cryer stop joking around about Charlie Sheen?
Cryer has yet to make a serious statement about his former "Two and a Half Men" co-star, choosing instead the comedy route on Conan and Ellen. Is he trying to have it both ways? PLUS: Sheen's trailer moved off Warner's lot, TLC orders a Sheen special, and Sheen says "my Tweet master" is my "safety valve."

New Conan O'Brien documentary puts "Mean Conan" on display
"Conan O’Brien Can't Stop," premiering Sunday at SXSW (watch a clip), follows Conan in the aftermath of his NBC exit and going on a cross-country tour. And it's not always pretty, showing another side — a mean side. "Might as well let people know he exists," says Conan. To his writers, says Conan, "Mean Conan" is "the funniest Conan, which is weird." He adds: "I'm really hard on myself. I tease people constantly. I physically fight my writers, and they fight me." PLUS: Filmmaker worked with Conan at the Harvard Lampoon.

"The Kennedys'" conservative producer blames Democrats for History's cancelation
Joel Surnow, who as "24" boss was known for his right-leaning views, says: "I truly believe that this project would have seen the light of day on History Channel if the exact same film had been produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg."

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"The Wire's" Snoop denied bail in drug case

"American Idol" alum Anthony Federov was in a Tokyo theater during the quake

Tina Fey offers to loan Julianne Moore her Sarah Palin wig

Quentin Tarantino sues "True Blood's" Alan Ball over bird noise

'90s Nick stars: Where are they now?

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

"Nightline" regrets airing Kathy Griffin over the Japan earthquake, on the West Coast
Today's earthquake struck nearly two hours before "Nightline's" West Coast broadcast, yet ABC News opted to go with its original East Coast (before earthquake) broadcast instead of going live.

"Hawaii Five-0" is back at work today after tsunami scare
Daniel Dae Kim tweeted that everything is back to normal following the tsunami warnings: "Back at work, bleary eyed & heartsick, but very grateful. As far as I know, everyone is safe." PLUS: "Off the Map" had already wrapped production in Hawaii.

Charlie Sheen takes time from tweeting about himself to acknowledge Japan
"Dogspeed my cadres of the Far East!" he wrote on his Twitter account. PLUS: It's "Unfollow Charlie Sheen on Twitter Day."

Zach Galifianakis plans to shave everything this week on "SNL"
So he says in his latest "Saturday Night Live" promo, with Jessie J and Jason Sudeikis. When Galifianakis hosted last year, he shaved his beard during a break in the show.

Sarah Palin reacts to Julianne Moore playing her: "I'll just grit my teeth"
"Well, I am all about job creation," she says, "and I guess I could provide some of these gals who pretend like they're me some job security."

Eddie Cibrian becomes "Playboy" lead, Tom Sizemore and Eric Winter land pilots
Cibrian replaces Jeff Hephner, who was cast as the lead in the NBC series just last week. Meanwhile, Sizemore will join Ethan Hawke on Fox's "Exit Strategy" and Winter will star in Fox's "Weekends at Bellvue."

Watch the trailer for "The Smurfs"
"No one understands what they are…"

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Jimmy Kimmel evacuated from a small South Pacific island, with no high ground
Vacationing in French Polynesia, Kimmel admitted on Twitter that he was scared. On a scale of of 1-10, he tweeted, he was "a good solid 7. on a small island, with no high ground." PLUS: "Hawaii Five-0's" Daniel Dae Kim evacuated his family to higher ground in Hawaii.

Casey Abrams' medical condition revealed
The "Idol" singer is suffering from ulcerative colitis, which causes abdominal pain and cramping and required a blood transfusion yesterday. PLUS: Black Eyed Peas and Lee DeWyze to perform on next week's "Idol."

"Eastbound & Down" might end after 3 seasons
Danny McBride suggested last night that three seasons were enough for his HBO series.

Martha Stewart is a grandma for the first time
Martha's only child, Alexis, welcomed a baby girl, Jude, via surrogate on Tuesday.

John Stamos: "I don't want to replace anyone, especially Charlie Sheen"
Stamos talked to Seacrest this morning about not wanting to join "Two and a Half Men." "It's just now where my head's at," he said. PLUS: Police found an antique gun in Sheen's home, and "21 Jump Street's" Richard Grieco is lobbying to replace Sheen.

Salman Rushdie is branching out to TV with Showtime drama series
The author of "The Satanic Verses" will tackle different aspects of contemporary life in his new series, which he is writing.

"30 Rock" celebrates 100 episodes with a giant 30 Rockefeller Plaza cake
The milestone one-hour episode airs April 21.

Sarah Silverman: I had a secret meeting with President Obama
Silverman told Howard Stern of their hotel hallway encounter: "He shakes my hand, he goes, 'Oooooo, I'm a big fan! You're very talented! Although I turn the volume down when my girls come into the room.'"

"HIMYM" won't set a "Lost"-style end date
The two-year renewal won't determine when the mother is revealed, says co-creator Carter Bays.

Comedy Central taps Paul F. Tompkins to play an "Evil Genius"
The scripted comedy will star Tompkins as Professor Tiberius Lynch, an evil genius who has successfully taken over the world and, as a result, doesn't know what to do next.

Kathy Griffin responds directly to Sarah Palin's bully comment
"If you think a comedian is a bully," she told "Nightline," "then what that tells me is you've never been bullied."

Billy Ray Cyrus will appear on "The View" one month after Miley forced him to pull out
Next Friday, Cyrus will finally get a chance to talk about how "Hannah Montana" had "destroyed" his family.

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Jimmy Kimmel is in the South Pacific, awaiting a tsunami
"This is crazy," tweeted Kimmel, who is currently on vacation in French Polynesia, watching CNN reports on the Japanese earthquake and the resulting tsunami warnings. "Suddenly, relaxing on an island in the South Pacific isn't so relaxing anymore. Good thing I brought my aqua stilts."

LAPD searches Charlie Sheen's home in search of weapons
Police tonight investigated whether Sheen violated the restraining order placed on him by looking for weapons in his house. Afterward, Sheen tweed: "the LAPD were AWESOME. Absolute pros! they can protect and serve this Warlock anytime!!!" PLUS: Watch video Sheen face to face with the cops.

Casey Abrams is "feeling better"
"I got some nice fresh blood in me and feeling better," the "Idol" star tweeted late Thursday night after his hospitalization.

The new "Bachelorette" will be revealed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live"
Kimmel will reveal the new "Bachelorette" and interview her on Monday's show, after "The Bachelor's" final rose ceremony.

Zach Gilford, Tim Meadows, Titus Williver, Debbie Allen land pilots
Gilford is the 3rd "Off the Map" star to join a pilot with Fox's "Iceland." Meadows returns to NBC in an  untitled comedy, Welliver joins CW's zombie thriller "Awakening" and Allen has joined ABC's "Grace."

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Jon Cryer uses "Conan" to respond to Charlie Sheen
"The fact is," he says on tonight's show, "I am a troll." PLUS: Warner Bros. puts its side of the Sheen's lawsuit into arbitration, and Sheen's stage show is coming to Detroit and Chicago.

Casey Abrams hospitalized before "Idol" broadcast
For the 2nd time, he's experiencing severe stomach pains.

Chuck Lorre fires back at Charlie Sheen's $100M lawsuit
Lorre's attorney just released a statement saying: "The allegations in the complaint against Mr. Lorre are as recklessly false and unwarranted as Mr. Sheen's rantings in the media … These accusations are simply imaginary. This lawsuit is about a fantasy 'lottery' pay-day for Charlie Sheen. Chuck Lorre's concern has been and continues to be about Mr. Sheen's health.""

Tony Danza files for divorce from his wife of 24 years
Tony cited irreconcilable differences in his split from wife Tracy, who he has been separated from since 2006. They have two daughters, one 24 and another who's 17.

Letterman beating Leno among young viewers
In the coveted 18-34 demo, "The Late Show" recently had a 0.6 rating to "The Tonight Show's" 0.5.

Russell Hantz defends "Survivor" crying, says he should sue former tribe
What was up with that break down? "You know when you watch the Super Bowl and you see these big ol’ boys on the sideline that just lost crying?" says Russell. "Why do you think they cry? They cry like that because they gave their heart and soul all season to win and they thought that they could, and then they don't — that's one aspect of it. The second aspect of it is, they didn't show the part of me talking about my little girl."
Jeff Probst lands an "exclusive interview" with Russell
Russell picks Rob to win, insists again that he didn't leak any spoilers
Russell would consider a 4th "Survivor" — under certain conditions
Russell was a sympathetic figure, for a moment // His ouster was a good thing

David Simon "sad" over the arrest of Snoop from "The Wire"
"First of all," he writes, "Felicia's entitled to the presumption of innocence. And I would note that a previous, but recent drug arrest that targeted her was later found to be unwarranted and the charges were dropped. Nonetheless, I'm certainly sad at the news today. This young lady has, from her earliest moments, had one of the hardest lives imaginable. And whatever good fortune came from her role in The Wire seems, in retrospect, limited to that project."

Jason Priestley heading to Syfy
He'll guest on "Haven" in a four-episode arc, playing a marine biologist.

James Gandolfini rounds up big names for his HBO movie "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
The biopic's stars include Tony Shalhoub, David Strathairn, Molly Parker, Parker Posey, Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Peter Coyote.

Another "Real Housewives of Atlanta" tragedy
Kandi Burruss, who experienced the death of her ex-fiance A.J. Jewell a year and a half ago, is now dealing with the shooting of his 15-year-old daughter, who is fighting for her life after getting shot during a road rage incident. PLUS: Miss Lawrence joining "The Steve Harvey Project."

"Terminator's" Thomas Dekker nabs CW role
He'll play the male lead in Kevin Williamson's "Secret Circle."

Nickelodeon adds "Friends" and "Yes, Dear" reruns, mashes up "iCarly" and "Victorious"
"Friends" and "Yes, Dear" will become part of the Nick at Nite lineup, while "iCarly" and "Victorious" will meet in the TV movie "iParty with Victorious."

"Life Unexpected's" Kristoffer Polaha joining Sarah Michelle Gellar on CBS
They'll co-star in "The Ringer."

In Season 3, "Parks and Recreation" has become a "great show"
So says Mary McNamara, who adds that this season might have made "Parks and Rec" a "game-changing show" because "from the beginning, it challenged the conventional wisdom of modern comedies." She adds: "where most other shows — 'The Office,' '30 Rock,' 'Outsourced,' even 'Community' — shade themselves dark, relying on the snappy if familiar humor of cynicism and self-involvement, creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur took "Parks and Recreation" into the light, laid out a beach towel and stayed there. Unlike any show on television since perhaps 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' it creates comedy, which is not to be confused with satire, out of workplace optimism." PLUS: A "Parks and Rec" couples' forecast from the cast, and Amy Poehler has a  Judd Apatow sitcom past.

Top 13 "Idols" were mostly disappointing, even with the benefit of producers
The producers' "collective decades of experience largely failed to convince the Top 13 to go out on stage and do anything besides sing plainly and try to hit the notes as if they were Season 1 novices," says Jon Caramanica. PLUS: Either Casey, Scotty, Pia or Thia will win, "Idol" embarrasses the greats and last night's show drew 24 million viewers.

Ellen Barkin joins "A Mann's World"
She'll co-star with Don Johnson in NBC's hairdressing pilot.

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Check out HBO's official "Game of Thrones" poster

Rachel Zoe earns $10,000 for each styling job

EW cover story catches up on "Life after Lost"

"America's Got Talent" contestant sues hotel over the death of his wife

Jimmy Kimmel is working on a "Hottie Body Hump Club" sequel

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

Charlie Sheen files $100 million lawsuit against Waner Bros. and Chuck Lorre
The lawsuit, which is also on behalf of "Two and a Half Men's" crew, alleges that Warner Bros. violated state and federal law by firing Sheen because he was sick. The suit also claims that the decision to cancel this season's episode was made before Sheen criticized Lorre, and that Sheen is being used as "the scapegoat for Lorre's own conduct." PLUS: Sheen tweets: "Torpedo away… You corporate Trolls were warned. And now you've been served!"

April 28 is Michael Scott's last day at "The Office"
Steve Carell will exit on the first night of May sweeps.

TNT announces summer premiere dates
Mark-Paul Gosselaar in "Franklin & Bash" and Steven Spielberg's "Falling Skies" premiere in June. Also returning in June: "Memphis Beat," "Hawthorne," "Leverage" and "Men of a  Certain Age," while "The Closer and "Rizzoli & Isles" return in July.

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Charlie Sheen debuts "cooking show"
Is his Funny or Die video "Winning Recipes" hilarious or scary and sad? PLUS: Check out the "Two and a Half Men" set nowadays.

Snoop from "The Wire" arrested in Baltimore drug raids
Felicia Pearson was taken into custody by the DEA this morning as part of simultaneous drug raids across the city. This isn't her first contact with the law. As a teenager, she was arrested and convicted for 2nd degree murder.

TeenNick to begin airing '90s Nickelodeon programming
Shows like "Kenan & Kel" and "The Amanda Bynes Show" will begin airing as part of a midnight-to-2 a.m. block.

"Parks and Rec" optimistic about renewal
The cast and crew also talked about what's coming up last night at PaleyFest.

Kelsey Grammer's "Greek" daughter Spencer is pregnant
The 27-year-old Spencer Grammer reportedly found out about her pregnancy last month before her wedding.

Happy 40th birthday, "Don Draper"!
"Mad Men's" Jon Hamm celebrates the Big 4-0 today. PLUS: The Onion mocks Hamm.

MTV making an anti-bullying movie
The film will tell the story of Abraham Biggs, a 19-year-old bipolar disorder sufferer who webcast his suicide.

Keira Knightley lending her voice to Syfy's "Neverland"
She'll voice the role of Tinker Bell.

"My Boys'" Jordana Spiro lands on ABC, as a mom to an 18-year-old
She'll star in "Lost and Found," playing a party girl turned sudden parent.

Gary Coleman's ashes stuck in a lawyer's office
A third-party lawyer in Utah overseeing Coleman's estate has custody of Coleman's ashes until it's determined who can take his remains.

The Situation bombs at the Donald Trump roast
The "Jersey Shore" star was nearly booed off the stage with his attempts at roast jokes. PLUS: Trump raised $2 million for charity, and check out roast clips.

Nick Cannon's brother arrested
The LAPD took Gabriel Cannon into custody yesterday for allegedly attempting to steal video camera equipment.

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Michael Chiklis joins a CBS pilot — what about "No Ordinary Family"?
Chiklis will star in "Vince Uncensored," a comedy from Conan O'Brien about a man who suddenly takes a more honest approach to life. Chiklis will shoot the pilot, but he'll only be able to stick with it if ABC does cancel "No Ordinary Family." As part of the "Vince" pact, CBS, which has been hotly pursuing Chiklis, also signed him to a development deal.

"Parks and Rec" deal will keep Rob Lowe away from "Two and a Half Men"
As a full-fledged "Parks and Recreation" cast member, Lowe is bound to the NBC comedy for the next few years, which most likely rules out a sudden move to CBS.

Why Jon Cryer is more valuable to "Two and a Half Men" than Charlie Sheen
As Robert Bianco points out, Cryer won an Emmy and Sheen did not: "A few years ago," he says, "you might also have said that Sheen was more central to his show than those other actors were, but that's no longer true. Over the past season, his role as the show's comic driving force has diminished, with far more of that weight being carried by Cryer, who was always the better actor." PLUS: Sheen half-apologized to Cryer, and Sheen filmed a Funny or Die video, which will be out Thursday.

Jennifer Morrison, Donal Logue, Mario Cantone land pilots
"House" alum Morrison will star in ABC's "Once Upon a Time," Donal Logue is joining Marc Cherry's "Hallelujah" and Mario Cantone will be part of "A Mann's World." Other pilot castings: "The Pacific's Joe Mazzello and Don Draper's son Bobby.

A new "Idol" plague: Meddling record producers
Thanks to a new "gang of meddling producers," as Roger Catlin notes, "the studio recordings are more than ever, contrived remixes of standards, calculated to sound all edgy and new but mostly serving to wreck songs, confuse performers and undermine the tradition of the show, which is pretty much karaoke cover songs. Now judges always say they want hopefuls to bring something new to the songs, but they never said anything about wanting producers to bring the new."

Pee-wee Herman tells the story of Ash Wednesday on Conan
With Conan O'Brien starring as Jesus Christ.

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