November 2011

Steve Buscemi to host "SNL"
The "Boardwalk Empire" star, who previously hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 1998, will be joined on Dec. 3 by the Black Keys.

Betty White's 90th birthday will become an NBC special
A special dinner celebration will be taped later this year to air close to Betty White's 90th birthday on Jan. 17.

"South Park" takes on the Penn State child abuse scandal
Watch last night's entire episode, which was filled with Penn State jokes.

[Permalink]

Joy Behar exiting HLN
The "Joy Behar Show" will end at the end of the year, despite it being the network's 2nd highest-rated show.

"Homeland's" CIA plots aren't all that realistic
Illegally monitoring a Marine? A cross-country interrogation? It wouldn't happen in real life, says a CIA expert. PLUS: Damian Lewis on the Iraq war, and David Marciano on "Homeland" vs. "The Shield."

NPR quiz show "Wait Wait .. Don't Tell Me" getting a BBC America tryout
A televised year-end version of the popular show will air on Dec. 23. "We’ll see how it goes and take it from there," says an NPR spokesperson.

Jimmy Kimmel's girlfriend describes life as his co-head writer
Molly McNearny will also help lead the writing for Kimmel's gig as host of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in April.

Did "New Girl" name Justin Long's character after a NY Times TV critic?
TV critic Neil Genzlinger was "freaked out" after hearing his name on last night's episode, especially since he's written unkind things about Zooey Deschanel in the past. PLUS: Justin Long on joining "New Girl," why "New Girl" is staying single, and meet "Jooey Deschanel."

Susan Lucci: Don't blame me for "All My Children" not moving forward online
Lucci insists she was still in talks to join "AMC" on The Online Network, but "I have not heard back from Prospect Park" since early September.

"Revenge" is making sure the punishment fits the crime
Producers don't want the ABC drama to turn into "Emily's Big Grudge."

Letterman kisses Regis Philbin on the lips
Dave offered the special treat during his visit to "Live" this morning.

Kristin Cavallari denies hooking up with Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend
According to Life & Style, Scott Disick was never seen on "Dancing" until after Cavallari's exit because of the alleged affair.

How Sarah Silverman paved the way for Whitney Cummings
Silverman's comedy laid the groundwork for coarse, sexually frank comediennes like Cummings and Amy Schumer, who broke out on this year's Charlie Sheen roast.

Hope Solo & Maksim skip post-"Dancing" press tour
The couple was supposed apparently declined to appear on "GMA" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

Jonathan Rhys Meyers won't go to prison for threatening to kill 3 French cops
A French court gave the former "Tudors" star was given a suspended sentence and a fine over the 2009 drunken incident.

[Permalink]

Can syndication boost "30 Rock's" ratings?

"Big Bang Theory" inspires CBS to sell "Soft Kitty" merchandise

Watch the TV-smashing debut video from "Idol's" James Durbin

Is Louis CK becoming more political?

"60 Minutes" to profile Taylor Swift on Sunday

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

Simon Cowell: Now on Twitter
"It's official, I know it's taken a while. It's really me!" says the "Verified" Cowell in his first tweet.

NBC orders remake of "The Munsters"
"Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller will re-imagine the sitcom classic.

Jerry Seinfeld tells Letterman: Regis Philbin has a "dark side"
"You and him, these are pope jobs," Seinfeld tells Dave.

Ricky Gervais: Billy Crystal better not use my holocaust or pedophile jokes
On Twitter, Gervais offered a preview of his 3rd time hosting the Golden Globes.

Claim: The Situation blew through $10 million
Snooki's claim that her "Jersey Shore" castmate is "already broke" is true, according to In Touch Weekly. PLUS: Snooki & Jionni have reportedly broken up.

Meryl Streep's daughter joins "Smash"
Actress Grace Gummer, who starred on TeenNick's "Gigantic," will play Angelica Huston's daughter in a potentially recurring role.

NBC orders 2 more "Grimm" scripts
The freshman drama has been one of NBC's highest-rated scripted shows.

Nora Dunn coming to "Apartment 23"
The former "SNL"-er will play a tough boss.

"Are You There, Chelsea?" adds "Seinfeld's" Estelle Harris
She and Natasha Leggero have landed multi-episode arcs on the NBC comedy.

[Permalink]

It's official: Ricky Gervais will host the Golden Globes for 3rd time
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has had a change of heart, allowing Gervais to host for the third time in a row after this year's controversial opening.

"Desperate" Roger Bart coming to "Revenge"
The "Desperate Housewives" alum will play a rich, pretentious journalist.

Becki Newton to romance Barney on "HIMYM"
The "Ugly Betty" star has been cast as a potential love interest for Barney.

Jane Curtin joins "Unforgettable"
The "SNL" vet will play a medical examiner who once ran the medical examiner's office before her demotion.

Ruben Studdard files for divorce
The Season 2 "Idol" winner has been married to his wife since 2008.

[Permalink]

Bravo gives Kim Zolciak her own wedding-themed reality show
The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star will spin off with "Don't Be Tardy For The Wedding," which will document her recent wedding. PLUS: Insider Zolciak's wedding.

"Mash-Off" mashed up Crazy "Glee" with Good "Glee"
This week saw a battle of the crazy vs. the good aspects of "Glee." As James Poniewozik notes, "Crazy Glee" is "a funhouse mirror world of bizarro stories that stretch reality, that seem to exist to keep Ryan Murphy awake and interested, or that are not really even problems." PLUS: The first 55 minutes deserve a D+/C-, the last five minutes deserves an A, and Lea Michele denies she has an eating disorder.

NBA star Baron Davis to guest on "Hot in Cleveland"
The Cleveland Cavaliers star will get advice from Betty White's character.

Watch Ben Flajnik as "The Bachelor" — with an old lady "bachelorette"
See the promo for next season.

Check out Comedy Central's new sketch comedy show "Key & Peele"
Premiering Jan. 31, "Key & Peele" stars "MADtv" alums Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

Rapper Trey Songz sues "Storage Wars" star over "YUUUP" catchphrase
Songz wants Dave "The Mogul" Hester to stop using his catchphrase on the reality show, as well as on T-shirts and merchandise.

"Smallville's" Erica Durance will channel Wonder Woman for "Harry's Law"
Durance will guest as a character who thinks she is Wonder Woman.

[Permalink]

"South Park" renewed through 2016 — its 20th season
Comedy Central and Matt & Trey have agreed to continue "South Park" so that it'll see Season 20.

TLC orders a Southwest Airlines reality show
The new show promises to take viewers "behind the scenes of the modern air travel experience, sharing the large-scale operations and personal customer stories at Southwest Airlines." Southwest was previously the star of an "Airline" reality show on A&E in 2004 and 2005.

Chicago gets its own VH1 "Mob Wives"
VH1 is spinning off "Mob Wives" with "Mob Wives: Chicago."

Watch Jason Segel's "SNL" promos
Featuring Vanessa Bayer.

Snooki sues over failed name branding
A deal to put her name on a bunch of brands wasn't as lucrative as expected.

Darrell Hammond does Rick Perry — for Funny or Die, not "SNL"
The former "SNL"-er is now doing political impressions for Will Ferrell's website.

Does Charlie Sheen look "porkier"?
Before filming his new sitcom, Sheen has apparently put on some weight.

"Glee" falls to its worst ratings of the season, as does "Parenthood"
About 7.1 million viewers watched last night's "Glee."

Jimmy Kimmel enlists "Charlie Brown" to promote "National UnFriend Day"
Unfriend your Facebook friends with the help of "It's National UnFriend Day, Charlie Brown."

"Alcatraz" loses its showrunner
The Fox series is already undergoing a shakeup before its debut.

Hope Solo & Maksim: "Dancing" sore losers
The "Dancing with the Stars" couple left the show last night with a bad attitude.

Connie Britton adopts a baby from Ethopia
The "American Horror Story" star underwent a three-year adoption process to adopt the baby boy named Yoby.

"Lone Star's" James Wolk" joins "Happy Endings"
He'll play Max's old and new boyfriend.

Chelsea Handler gives her staff $138,000
To celebrate her new $25 million deal, Handler gave each of her 138 staffers $1,000 each.

Why Jonathan Jackson left "General Hospital"
"It's just one of those circumstantial things, I guess," he says. "There certainly wasn't anything negative or contentious about the way it happened."

Conan adds Google+ to his social media portfolio
He's now on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and even Friendster. PLUS: Watch Donald Glover as Childish Gambino perform on Conan.

[Permalink]

NBC shutting down production of "Prime Suspect"
The freshman NBC drama will finish filming after Episode 13. PLUS: Why "Prime Suspect" will be missed.

"Suburgatory" nabs The Situation
The "Jersey Shore" star will play himself in a 2012 episode. PLUS: The Situation sues Abercrombie & Fitch over "My Fitchuation" clothing line.

Dean Cain to play a "Criminal Minds" killer
He'll play a gambler who kills multiple people.

CBS News interviews Penn State sex scandal witness
Assistant coach Mike McQueary talked to Armen Keteyian about witnessing Jerry Sandusky have sex with a 10-year-old in the shower.PLUS: How Bob Costas landed the Sandusky interview. UPDATE: CBS' interview lasted 24 seconds.

Aaron Tveit to star in new USA series from "Gossip Girl" creator
The "Gossip Girl" alum will play one of two leads in untitled law enforcement series.

TLC orders "Extreme Couponing All-Stars"
Twelve of the best couponers will face-off against each other.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck & Bill Maher battle it out on "The View"
Hasselbeck confronted Maher on a joke he told about her last year. PLUS: Maher tells Letterman, "I was abused."

"Vampire Diaries" casts a new love interest for Bonnie
"Veronica Mars" alum Robert Ri'chard will guest in a potentially recurring role.

Heather Locklear & Jack Wagner call off their engagement
Is the "Melrose Place" alums' relationship over?

?uestlove tweets early warning about Occupy Wall Street eviction
Jimmy Fallon's bandleader tweeted at 11:38 last night: "Omg, drivin down south st near #ows. Somethin bout to go down yo, swear I counted 1000 riot gear cops bout to pull sneak attack #carefulyall"

[Permalink]

E! signs Chelsea Handler to a rich 2-year deal
As part of her new pact, Handler will continue doing "Chelsea Lately" (at least through 2014) while developing shows for the cable network.

CBS touts "very different" morning show — will it keep "The Early Show" name?
Gayle King and Charlie Rose are joining a show that may or may not be called "The Early Show." PLUS: Gayle King quits OWN for CBS, while Charlie Rose's PBS show will continue.

"Hell on Wheels" drops 14%, "Homeland" grows
In fact, "Homeland" ratings have gone up for each of the past five weeks.

"True Blood" adds an Italian actress
Will Valentina Cervi play the love child of Russell and Maryann?

Kate Gosselin's ultimate goal: To host a talk show
Says the coupon blogger: "I definitely have always said I think a talk show is possibly in my future… and so, we will wait and see."

Check out Lauren Graham as Craig Ferguson's robot
Last night she voiced Geoff the Skeleton Robot.

Watch the trailer for "Teen Mom 2" Season 2
The "drama"-filled new season debuts Dec. 6.

Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake named GQ's Showmen of the Year
Check them out in sailor outfits.

Landlord sues "Bethenny Ever After"
A landlord says the people he leased a house to illegally subleased it to NBC Universal.

Russell Armstrong's alleged abuse discussed on "Real Housewives"
Camille Grammer revealed that Russell was physically abusive to Taylor Armstrong.

"Survivor" Whitney's secret marriage is almost over
Whitney Duncan is on the verge of divorcing her secret husband, whom she married in August 2010.

"Idol's" Paul McDonald & wife Nikki Reed are recording a song together
Their first joint single will be called "Now That I Found You."

[Permalink]

ABC's Gabby Giffords interview beats NBC's Jerry Sandusky interview
"20/20" drew 13.3 million but "Rock Center" got its best ratings yet with about 4.4 million.

What "Community" did wrong: It's smug, hard to get into, praised too much
"Good grief did it become awfully impenetrable awfully fast," Richard Lawson says of "Community." "It didn't take long for all of the quirk and cutesiness and sly winking to pile up into a wall that was likely too high to climb for many a new viewer. And it certainly doesn't help that that wall is slathered in a coat of daunting smugness. Again, the show is fun and witty once you figure your way into it, but it takes a while, and many a fickle TV viewer just isn't willing to put in that time." PLUS: "Community" fans create an "Occupy NBC" movement.

Amy Poehler: "Parks and Rec" has discussed doing an "Occupy Pawnee"
"Maybe Pawnee will be up in arms," she says.

Kim Kardashian gushes about her perfect marriage in the new marie claire
"I feel like where we're at right now is the best time in my life," she says in an interview conducted weeks before filing for divorce.

Marc Cherry "reunited" the "Golden Girls" for Halloween
Check out the Halloween display made by the "Desperate Housewives" creator and former "Golden Girls" writer.

Howard Stern consulting his wife on whether to join "America's Got Talent"
So far, Beth Stern isn't liking the idea.

Jerry Seinfeld grills Regis Philbin
Read their interview from the latest issue of Newsweek.

See Leighton Meester in her "Gossip Girl" wedding dress
Her Royal Wedding Dress.

"Dexter's" Jennifer Carpenter puts her hair up for "The Good Wife"
Check her out as a religious Republican professor.

Porn star Sasha Grey used her "Entourage" connection to read to school kids
An elementary school is under fire for allowing Grey to read to kids, but the only reason she was invited was because she appeared on "Entourage."

[Permalink]

NBC "ambushes" ABC's Gabby Giffords interview with a Jerry Sandusky exclusive
Bob Costas got a last-minute exclusive with accused Penn State child molester Sandusky for "Rock Center," in which he said, "I shouldn’t have showered with those kids."

CBS orders 3 more "A Gifted Man" episodes
That brings the freshman season to 16 episodes total.

Al Michaels advises Howard Stern to reject "America's Got Talent"
Michaels said it would be a better idea if Stern joined the "Sunday Night Football" booth.

Charlie Sheen sells a house to "Big Bang's" Simon Helberg
Did the Chuck Lorre connection help faciliate the sale?

Lifetime orders a TV movie based on Casey Anthony's prosecutor's memoir
The film will be based on Jeff Ashton's book "Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony."

Alex Trebek's burglary suspect won't face 25 years to life
Despite four prior burglary convictions, Lucinda Moyers, 56, won't be tried under California's three strike's law.

"Bachelor" Jake Pavelka dating a "Sweet Home Alabama" star
His new girlfriend, modelAshley Ann Vickers, was a contestant on the CMT version of "The Bachelor."

Is this the end for "Community"?
It's a miracle such an idoiosyncratic series lasted this long, says Alan Sepinwall, yet NBC is in such woeful shape that the network could pull a "Chuck" and bring it back. PLUS: "Community" stars react, and why NBC would be smart to save "Community."

"SNL's" Kenan Thompson weds
The 33-year-old Thompson married model Christine Evangeline the day before doing a live episode of "SNL."

[Permalink]

NBC's midseason schedule: New slots for "Whitney," "Up All Night," "Rock Center"
"Whitney" and "Rock Center" are moving to Wednesdays, while "Up All Night" and "The Firm" will air on Thursdays. "Smash" will air on Mondays after "The Voice," starting Feb. 6.

"Community" benched as "30 Rock" takes over its timeslot
"30 Rock" gets takes over the Thursday at 8 timeslot beginning Jan. 12. It's uncertain when "Community" will return.

NBC gives "Harry's Law" a full season — but what about "Prime Suspect"?
"Grimm" is looking good for a full season, but "Prime Suspect" is ominously missing from NBC's midseason plans. The Peacock says it is "considering our options."

"Doctor Who" is headed to the big screen
A movie version of the British franchise is set to be directed by "Harry Potter" director David Yates.

Rob Schneider gets post-"Big Bang" slot, "Undercover Boss" returns Jan. 15
"¡Rob!" starring the former "SNL"-er debuts Jan. 12.

"Baywatch's" only professional lifeguard reveals he has Parkinson's Disease
Michael Newman, who played Newmie on "Baywatch," says he's been battling Parkinson's for five years.

"Last Man Standing" loses its creator
After just a few episodes, the ABC comedy is getting a new showrunner.

Parents TV Council is outraged at the prospect of Howard Stern on "Got Talent"
"Such a move smacks of desperation by the once-proud peacock network," says PTC president Tim Winter. "Any short-term buzz from Stern's shock value will result in a longer-term decline as families abandon the show for more suitable programming."

"Up All Night" nabs Megan Mullally
Her guest appearance will be her 4th TV gig this season. She'll play Maya Rudolph's rival.

"NCIS: LA" will feature an original LL Cool J song
It'll play during LL Cool J's character's emotional crisis.

Jimmy Fallon sings a tribute to Regis Philbin
"Reege only just begun."

Kathy Griffin & Jesse Tyler Ferguson recreate Janet Jackson's topless photo
Check her out with his hands cupped over her breasts.

NBC: "Nepotism Broadcasting Network"?
The Peacock just hired Bill Clinton's daughter after hiring John McCain's daughter, George W. Bush's daughter, Tim Russert's son and Kathie Lee Gifford's son.

"American Horror Story" gives a shout-out to the Boston Red Sox
The victims of a shooting massacre were all named after the 1986 Red Sox team.

Check out Kim Zolciak's wedding photo
The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star just married an Atlanta Falcon.

NBC orders robotic drama "Beautiful People"
The show focuses on families of mechanical people who serve humans.

Canadian TV taps Pam Anderson as the Virgin Mary
She'll star in "A Russell Peters Christmas Special" on CTV.

JWoww: TSA singled me out
The "Jersey Shore" star says she was "treated like a criminal" because she's famous.

"SYTYCD" announces its audition cities
They include Dallas, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.

[Permalink]

Neil Patrick Harris to guest-host "Live! with Kelly"
He'll be the 2nd replacement for Regis, after Jerry Seinfeld, for the week of Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

Matthew Weiner: I hope to end "Mad Men" in 2011 with an 84-year-old Don Draper
"I want to leave the show in a place where you have an idea of what it meant and how it's related to you," he says.

More advertisers pull out of Penn State games in wake of child abuse scandal
About a half-dozen sponsors have decided to yank their ads from Penn State's remaining three football games.

"Rules of Engagement's" season cut to 13 episodes
CBS originally ordered 18 episodes for this season.

Jay Leno makes an intern joke about Letterman and Herman Cain
"Herman Cain is going to appear on 'The Late Show.' Cain and Letterman? Has there ever been a worse time to be an intern?"

Jimmy Fallon presented a 4-month-old Beyoncé performance as brand-new
When the pregnant Beyoncé showed up with a flat stomach on "Late Night" Friday, it fueled rumors that she was faking her pregnancy. It turns out, though, that the performance was pre-taped in July. But Fallon opted not to say that.

"Chuck's" series finale title revealed
The NBC series will definitely say "Goodbye" with its 13th episodes this season.

TLC orders a reality show about "Irish Dancing Tweens"
The series will follow dance schools in the world of competitive Irish dancing.

Rihanna returning to "The X Factor"
She'll make another cameo singing on Thursday's results show. PLUS: "X Factor" has a bed bug problem.

Another "Real Housewives" star sued
Dana Wilkey from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" has been hit with a lawsuit over a business deal gone wrong.

Watch a young Stephen Colbert
In an ad for FirsTier Bank of Nebraska.

Niecy Nash gets a TLC reality show
Her wedding bash has spawned an eight-episode follow-up series.

"Basketball Wives" dumps Tanya Williams
The estranged wife of Jayson Williams wasn't invited to return.

"SVU" detective gets a "Playboy Club" wife
"The Playboy Club's" Laura Benanti has been cast as Det. Nick Amaro' estranged wife.

[Permalink]

Anna Kournikova out at "The Biggest Loser"
The tennis star reportedly behaved like a diva on set, clashing with staffers and contestants. One staffer called her "a nightmare."

Peter Dinklage is set to play "Fantasy Island's" Tattoo
The "Game of Thrones" star is ready to film a biopic on Hervé Villechaize.

Video: Howard Stern won't confirm or deny "America's Got Talent" talks
"I am not the next judge," the shock jock said this morning.

Kat Von D: Jesse James cheated on me with 19 women
"Today I encountered the 19th girl to add to the list of people Jesse cheated on me with during this last year," she wrote in a Facebook post, titled "Thank You, Jesse James."

"30 Rock" brings back Kelsey Grammer
"This time the scam is much bigger," he says of reuniting the "Best Friends Gang."

"Mad Men's" Sally Draper will play herself on "Don't Trust the B—"
Actress Kiernan Shipka will play herself in a storyline in which she signs on to play James Van Der Beek's daughter in a movie.

MTV's fake boy band 2gether reunites
The fake boy band members hope to get a TV show documenting their reunion.

"Pan Am's" ratings rise
The struggling ABC series picked up 6% more viewers over last week.

[Permalink]

NYPD is upset with "Blue Bloods"
New York cops aren't happy that a recent episode reworked the details of the fatal killing of a police officer in 1972.

NBC News hires Chelsea Clinton
Bill Clinton's daughter will serve as a full-time special correspondent, starting Monday. She'll be joined at NBC News by George W. Bush's daughter.

Academy members consider Billy Crystal a "hero" for stepping in to host the Oscars
"He's a mensch," said one of the Academy's 43 governors.

Did "Family Guy" go too far with 9/11 satire?
Sunday's episode featured Stewie and Brian traveling back in time to stop 9/11, only to learn that that leads to even more dire consequences. So they go back again to ensure 9/11 happens.

Reality Weekly: Reality TV gets a magazine
From the publisher of the National Enquirer, Star and Radar Online comes a magazine with a motto of "Less money/More fun." It'll cost $1.79 an issue.

Kim Kardashian sues ex-publicist who called her wedding a sham
A PR rep whom Kardashian doesn't remember working with has been claiming — while promoting his book — that the entire wedding was a sham. PLUS: Kendall Jenner gets a $90K SUV for her 16th birthday.

"SNL" uses the devil to tackle the Joe Paterno scandal
Even the devil is outraged.

Craig Ferguson enlists Lauren Graham and Jason Schwartzman to voice his robot
While the original voice of Geoff the Robot takes a vacation, celebrities are filling in, including Angela Kinsey and Paula Poundstone.

Oprah gets her honorary Oscar
"I never imagined receiving an Oscar, especially for doing what is part of my calling, part of my being," she said Saturday.

"Storage Wars" stars discover a pirates' chest filled with $500K in gold
The gold has been dated back to anywhere between the 16th and 19th century.

[Permalink]

How Billy Crystal became Oscar host
Brian Grazer says if he ever produced the Oscars, he told Billy Crystal one year ago he'd be his first choice to host. "He might have been a little bit bruised by it," Grazer says of picking Eddie Murphy. "But my relationship with him was very clean. I just said, 'Look, I'd be thrilled if you would do this. You'll be great at it.' He said, 'Let me think about it for a day.' So he did, and he called and said, 'I’m doing it, and I’m going to tweet it out to the world.' I said, 'Go ahead!'"

"Beavis and Butt-Head" spawns "Worst Friends Forever"
MTV has ordered another animated cartoon from Mike Judge, focusing on three unpopular high school girls.

Recent "SVU" episode is similar to the Penn State child abuse scandal
The Sept. 28 "Law & Order: SVU" episode "Personal Fouls" focused on a highly regarded basketball coach caught up in a sexual misconduct scandal. PLUS: Did "SVU" inspire a mom's kidnapped baby story?

Fred Savage launches a TV production company, signs deal with CBS
The "Wonder Years" star turned TV director is expanding into TV producing.

"Wall Street Wives" cast includes ex-stripper whose husband is in prison
The reality show without a network home has landed the wife of convicted money manager Kenneth Starr.

Kim Zolciak weds
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star today tied the knot with Atlanta Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann.

"House of Lies" touts that it's "sticking it to the 1%"
A new promo for the Showtime series emphasizes its timeliness.

"Bachelor" winner Shayne Lamas welcomes a girl
Press Dahl Lamas-Richie was born today, 11/11/11.

Aaron Paul auctioning off a signed "Breaking Bad" pilot script
Bidding ends tonight at midnight PT, and the winner also gets a "bag of blue."

AMC to tackle UFOs
The cable network has bought a "Thunderstruck" project with "Battlestar Galactica's" David Eick aboard.

[Permalink]

By picking Billy Crystal, has the Oscars given up on youth?
Since Crystal last hosted in 2004, the Academy has tried Chris Rock, Jon Stewart (twice), Ann Hathaway and James Franco. Now, it seems, the Academy is content with the "comfort food" of Billy Crystal, whose last hit film was in the '90s. PLUS: Oscar's marketing team has to start over.

Why Howard Stern is perfect for "America's Got Talent"
The shock jock has music cred, reality TV cred and even family values cred. PLUS: Why hiring Stern is a bad idea, and Stern's brother-in-law played tight end for Joe Paterno.

"Simpsons" producer "had a small heart attack" over "South Park's" foodies
Fourteen months in the making, "The Simpsons" will air "The Food Wife," an homage to foodies, on Sunday. But while this episode was being made, "South Park" came out with its own foodie episode. "I freaked out," says producer Matt Selman. "I was so nervous, ’cause I'm like, I'm proud of this episode, if I may flatter myself and flatter the team. I feel like the twist at the end of this episode is, I hope, 'South Park'–worthy."

"Pan Am" books Ashley Greene
The "Twilight" star will appear in a three-episode arc.

Spike TV launches "Hire a Veteran" PSA campaign
The cable network is celebrating Veteran's Day by showing an "Honor Roll" of PSAs featuring veterans.

Joe Manganiello: "True Blood" will return with a werewolf show within the show
Next season will be packed with werewolves.

Netflix ordering its 2nd original TV show, from the creator of "Weeds"
Jenji Kohan's next project, "Orange is the New Black," revolves around women in prison.

Regina King sued over car accident
The "Southland" star is facing a $25,000 lawsuit after she rear-ended a car last year.

"Grey's Anatomy" ends 2011 on a high note
This week's episode was up 14% over last week's.

Paul Bettany tapped for Showtime's "Masters of Sex"
He'll play human sexuality pioneer William Masters in the Showtime series.

"Parks and Rec" made sure its Model UN didn't clash with "Community's" Model UN
"Parks" producers got ahold of "Community's" Model UN to make sure they didn't tell the same jokes. PLUS: "Ron Swanson" strips to Alpaca shorts.

Jason Segel joins Twitter
That really is the "How I Met Your Mother" star tweeting @jasonsegel.

"Survivor" Whitney Duncan has a husband, despite claiming to be single
The 27-year-old, who was proclaimed "Hottest Bachelorette" by the publication Country Weekly, has been married since August 2010.

[Permalink]