I Am A TV Junkie

Benson & Stabler Break Up? Meloni Out at SVU, Here's Five Shows That Should Call Him

Screw the Schwarzeneggers, this is the real big breakup news. Law & Order: SVU has decided not to bring Chris Meloni back, and no, I have no idea why they've decided to do something so incredibly stupid, esp. considering Wolf Films has already lost two hours to the ax. The original L&O ended last May, LOLA failed, pretty miserably and even Criminal Intent is in its last year with a returning D'Onofrio and Erbe.

One would think Wolf Films would want one of their revenue streams to remain unhampered by the various outside forces. I thought that. I thought wrong.

So, I've been making a list of shows that could be helped by casting Chris. Wanna see it? It's after the jump.

Ashton Kutcher? Yes, and Here's Why it Makes Sense

A) He knows his way around a multi-camera sitcom.

B) Physically he is everything "Alan Harper" wishes he was, that could be funny.

C) Huge name recognition.

D) Demi as a guest star.

E) Bruce Willis as a guest star (a new Malibu neighbor now that Steven Tyler has another show to be on).

This is how I feel about it: This guy is doing a huge solid to a cast and crew that needs to get back to work. That's enormous and very much like Kutcher. And, it just might be better than anything before it.

Read the Hollywood Reporter story that broke the news at this link. I'm sure they are very happy to have beaten Nikki to the scoop.

UPDATED: Two and a Half Men Reboot -- Why the Hate? It's a Fascinating Exercise!

UPDATE: My update is actually just a simple question: Did CBS and Warner Bros. release the info about Grant to see how it would fly with pop culture addicts and fans of the show? Is that why we're hearing about this? Because I have a funny feeling we're being somewhat manipulated. More on this as it progresses. Stranger things have happened in this world. There was that one time when that hot British actor with the smokin' hot girlfriend got arrested for picking up a hooker on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood, for example.

I get that TV critics and discriminating viewers and in some cases just people you meet on the street are not fans of Two and a Half Men.

Hey, I don't particularly like the show, either. This is what I find fascinating, though. Here's a show that we can pretty much agree isn't something fans of TV comedy have ever held dear. But the producers are actively working to change the show and no one seems to be interested in what can be made of the show's remains now that Charlie Sheen isn't coming back.

I think it's a fascinating exercise in making television. Or more accurately, remaking television.

This of course is all prompted today by the story at TV Line (link) about negotiations between CBS/Warners and Hugh Grant that would have the British movie star with a bad boy problem of his own (the "Divine" Ms. Brown, who's actual name was Estella Thompson, from back in the day).

Interesting idea. Seems from what I've gathered those talks have broken down over an issue of "artistic differences" (I know, I laughed too) but there's still a chance it might happen.

More of this after the jumperoo.

Glee Video -- This Season, a Very Formidable Female Nemesis for Sue

Uh oh, there's a new woman at McKinley High and she takes no shit from anyone. Not even Sue Sylvester.

And ... she's the new football coach. Yeah, football coach. And she is not Goldie Hawn in that Wildcats movie. Not at all.

Meet her on video, it's after the jump. But first ...

They really chose well, huh? They could be brother and sister. Or even more related to each other than that.

Rubicon's Dallas Roberts Cast as Gay Brother in CBS' The Good Wife

I know what you're saying ... Dallas Roberts is that sad guy Miles Fielder from Rubicon that can't seem to go home to his wife and kids because of the unrest he says could have been avoided in Nigeria.

Well, I know. And he's being cast as Alicia's gay brother on this show, too. And though CBS said they were adding gay characters they didn't say how often they'd appear. Apparently at this point the plan is to have him guest star at least once, then work out a way for him to recur, and then I guess see how it works out.

Like I said, I don't like the idea of just plugging gay people into an existing story to satisfy a media watchdog, even the media watchdog watching out for me, unless it's organic to the story any more than I like the idea of leaving gay people out of stories on TV. I wrote about that at this link.

You know what else I don't like? Why does it seem you have to have a job acting on TV to get a job acting on TV? How about some new people and not the same old people getting plugged into shows time after time. Like, for example, Alex O'Loughlin ... three leads in three network series in three years that didn't hit ... why not give someone else a chance?

Or Christian Slater ... how long before someone figures out the shows weren't that bad, people just didn't care to see Slater in them?

More from TVGuide.com at this link.

Previously Roberts played gay and got to make out with Colin Farrell (lucky). More about that from Farrell's perspective at this Towleroad link.

LA Times Report: A Michael Scott-less The Office For 2011-12 Season

Seriously.

I'm not a regular viewer of the show (my "meh" of this show makes me a pariah, I know) but even I think it's hard to go forward without Carell as Michael Scott.

LA Times Showtracker (Maria Elena Fernandez):

Carell thinks "The Office"  can go on without him.

"It doesn't certainly mean the end of the show," he said. "I think it's just a dynamic change to the show, which could be a good thing, actually. Add some new life and some new energy ... I see it as a positive in general for the show."

That's a nice thought and I imagine that some people will agree but that just seems unlikely to me.

Unless, that is, they bring in someone with some comedy clout. Got any ideas?

Don't say Gervais, it won't happen. 

Of course, this could all be a contract ploy. No, I don't put it past Steve to posture in this way, it's the way the industry works. I could even see how he could have gotten this idea from network colleague Alec Baldwin, who's always saying he's gonna quit the biz only to get a salary boost out of it.

Why Are Movie Stars Are Falling From This Sky?

They're not really falling from the sky, folks, just from their lofty perches as movie stars. Yes, it's that time of year when TV casting people talk openly to the press about those film stars that they are trying to place in pilots for the Fall season.

Every year without fail since I started writing this blog the Hollywood Reporter has done a piece around this time of year on which actors TV would like to toss into its mouth and chew. And this year's list includes one of my absolute personal favorites, Julianne Moore.

(She won me over in 2002 with The Hours and Far From Heaven. There's a moment in The Hours where with one look from her I broke into tears and I was hers.)

Yes, the Oscar-nominated Julianne Moore, recent guest star on 30 Rock (with what some say was a terrible Boston accent, though I think it was over the top on purpose).

Of course taking a TV job doesn't necessarily mean that y0u can no longer do films, but depending on the project it does take a big bite out of one's schedule. On the other hand and once again depending on the project it does keep actors in one place for a while, providing stability to their families.

Of course, on another hand (yes, that's three hands now, so what?) doing a series might be the end of anyone out there in the audience ever believing you as something other than that character. Right, Jennifer Aniston?

And Julianne (whose on Regis & Kelly tomorrow, btw) has those two beautiful kids with director Bart Freundlich.

More after the jump.

David Tennant US Pilot News -- Ramamurthy Out, Jerry O'Connell In, DT Ready to Move to US

There's our David Tennant (well, my David Tennant) enjoying a little grub on the obviously cold Chicago location set of the NBC pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer (thank you Zoe). Two pieces of news today on the production ...

Sendhil Ramamurthy is out -- no, not out of the closet, not to worry ladies who love him ... he's out of the pilot (scheduling issues, per this UPI story). Replacing him is the always reliable Jerry O'Connell, who apparently will take a break from his law studies to take part. Might have something to do with his wife Rebecca's series Eastwick not getting a back end order (hehehe, I said back end order) from ABC.

(That's sad for me, btw, I was loving Eastwick and its cast and Paul Gross as Daryl Van Horn. I'll say it again, Paul Gross is an outstanding actor and TV is lucky to have him. The US networks should find him something wonderful to do. If you haven't seen the Canadian series Slings & Arrows you should, definitely. You can get it via Netflix as its run on Sundance Channel has ended. You will want more of him. More on trying to save Eastwick from the cancelation monster at this link.)

Despite his recent projects (the underappreciated Bruce McCulloch sitcom Carpoolers and the dreadful Fox thing with Niecy Nash -- so dreadful I can't remember its name, Jerry is a solid performer and very likeable, even when he's playing a douchebag.

Good call, casting folk.

More, and clips, clips, clips ... after the jump.

Jane Curtin Added to David Tennant NBC Pilot (oh, and Mohinder from Heroes)

LOVE HER!!!

From the Hollywood Reporter comes news that she is cast in Rex Is Not Your Lawyer as DT's mom and mentor, a prominent law professor.

I can't wait for the exchanges of snappy dialogue between the two. They should make outstanding scene partners. She also ends up falling in love with Rex's psych, played by Jeffrey Tambor, another great scene partner for Jane.

As for geek heartthrob Sendhil Ramamurthy, from the same source:

Ramamurthy will play an ambitious but good-natured lawyer who was in Rex's shadow until Rex's career switch and whose friendship with Rex becomes complicated when he falls in love with his pal's fiancee (Abigail Spencer).

You might know Spencer from her role in season three of Mad Men as Don's elementary school teacher mistress or the 2006 Lifetime drama Angela's Eyes also from NBC-Uni that lasted one season.

Of course, if Heroes survives, they have first dibs on Sendhil. I can't imagine that happening, though, the show costs too much and the exodus from the audience has been staggering. I broke up with the show four weeks ago and I was a straggler. I hear they killed Nathan last night -- man, he really got the Joey Tribbiani treatment from them. Remember when Joey was on Days Of Our Lives and found out he was fired when he read in the script that he was gonna fall down an elevator shaft? Adrian Pasdar found out he was fired the same way.

But, back to Jane ... I use the phrase "national treasure" very rarely. She is one. SNL, Kate & Allie (still very watchable after all these years), 3rd Rock From the Sun? You just can't argue with the fact that Jane Curtin has been part of our lives and making us laugh since 1975.

Tennant of course is approaching legend status in the UK and he's not even 40 yet. Latest proof of that? The Royal Mint in Britain (and that's not like the Franklin Mint, maker of collectable plates and other mid-priced ephemera here in the States) is issuing a series of medals commerorating Doctor Who, some with Tennant's image as the Tenth Doctor (see image, that's the gold coin which retails for £150.00 but they come in less precious metals, click here to see them all).

Yeah, there's  Dalek coin, too. Now, I love Doctor Who (really love it, as you know by all the posts about the show here) but Daleks have toilet plungers attached to them and I've always found that kinda ... juvenile. 

Two things about DW villianry I never could wrap my mind around are the Dalek toilet plungers and the Rube Goldberg device known as the Cyber-conversion unit. All those whirling blades and such, please.

So, back to Rex ... , we got now a lead actor who is an international TV star, two veteran funny people in Curtin and Tambor who bring it every time and a younger couple that are fresh and shiny and talented .. NBC and Berman-Braun (Lloyd Braun, not the fictional character but the actual TV exec) are loading this up with big talent. 

More after the jumperoo.

BBC John & Yoko Film Casts Christopher Eccleston & Naoko Mori

Now this is some major casting news. Doctor #9 (Chris) and Torchwood's Tosh starring in a movie about John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

I am so in!

(Mori, btw, will more than likely be the prettiest Yoko ever seen on film. Even in person (she crashed last year's Los Angeles Doctor Who Convention) she is just stunning.

BBC Press Office:

Lennon Naked charts his transition from "Beatle John" to enduring and enigmatic icon. It covers a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes from 1967-71; a time of worldwide adulation at one extreme, a combination of frustration and despair at the other.

Writer Robert Jones articulates the burden of genius, as well as issues of fatherhood and fame in this 90-minute film.

Jones, btw, has written for the BBC/HBO co-production of The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency and the BBC's Party Animals, a series featuring Doctor #11 Matt "Intern Who" Smith.

For those of us in "the States," you can be reasonably sure than this one-off 90 minute (without commercials, it's the BBC) film will make the trip across the Atlantic. After all, it's about John Lennon. I can't predict if it will be PBS or HBO or BBC America but I have a pretty good sense that we'l l get a chance to see this.

And, if not, hopefully BBC Video will release it here on DVD. They'd be foolish not to.

Producing is Blast! Films, who were responsible for the Bobby Sands/IRA drama Hunger that won a BAFTA  and IFTA (Ireland's films awards) last year and was a career-maker for Michael Fassbender in the lead role.

If you've never seen Eccleston in a role beside the Doctor and in Heroes season one, a great performance to check out is his performance in the four-hour miniseries for UK's Channel 4 called The Second Coming, written by Russell T. Davies. It's available at Amazon, click the icon below and pick it up, I did and it's provocative, entertaining, and co-stars another Davies favorite Lesley Sharpe, who you might know from the Doctor Who series four episode Midnight.

According to the Chris Eccleston Facebook fan page this is already in production and they have one blurry little pic of Chris as Lennon. At this link.

David Tennant Starring in US Pilot for NBC? OMG!!!

He smiling at me, not at you. I'm talkin' to you, Zoe Louise!

The big big news from BBC.com, because I figure they have more of the inside scoop:

The former Doctor Who will star as a top Chicago lawyer who suffers from panic attacks and coaches his clients to represent themselves in court.

The NBC hour-long show is titled Rex Is Not Your Lawyer.

Nice premise for him. I guess he'll be yet another Brit coming across the pond with a US accent in his mouth. That's the only shame of it, I love Tennant's native Scottish accent which you hardly ever hear short of interviews.

And, though it's not a film, and it's been bandied about since the announcement that he's be leaving Doctor Who that he left to pursue a film career, it works for me. TV comes right to my house, movies require driving and drinking expensive soft drinks.

More from Nellie Andreeva at the Hollywood Reporter:

NBC greenlighted the project in August, about two years after it was first developed, and had been trying to find a lead actor for several months until Tennant came along and nailed the part.

Tennant, a theater and TV actor, rose to fame playing the mysterious alien time-traveler at the center of "Doctor Who" for the past five years. His performance as the Doctor has been often rated as the top in the franchise's 46-year history.

Tennant's casting is reminiscent of the tapping of another established British TV actor with virtually no American TV experience, Hugh Laurie, as the lead on Fox's medical drama "House."

Tennant, who co-starred in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," recently signed with UTA. He's also repped by U.K.'s Independent Talent Group.

There's still the issue of the Doctor Who movie, and that requires some coordination with the Billie Piper schedule, and I'm still on it like paparazzi on an Olsen twin.

I worry about it being for NBC. Didn't Steve Moffat tell Tennant how NBC treats the talent? He knows, he should have shared. Maybe it was just too good to turn down.

It's from Berman/Braun. I, of course, can't think about "Lloyd Braun" without remembering how many computers he sold for George Costanza's father.

And thank you, Jennifer, for the heads up.

SNL Guest Lineup Announced (or, they've stolen my fantasy orgy invite list)

And it's all here in two paragraphs from Variety:

Actress Megan Fox and U2 will give "Saturday Night Live" an attention-getting season opener when it returns on Sept. 26.

(snip)

"Saturday Night Live" will open with four new shows in a row. Ryan Reynolds is the host on Oct. 3, with musical guest Lady Gaga. Drew Barrymore and Gerard Butler are hosts in the following two weeks. Regina Spektor and Shakira bring the music.

See what I mean? Now granted, I usually wouldn't have much time for Drew Barrymore and Regina Spektor at an orgy, but I love Regina's music plus I've never been with a Russian person (it's on "my list") and it's frickin' Drew Barrymore after all and I'm sure we could find a reasonably well-lit corner free of lubricants to sit and have coffee and talk.

Shakira? I'd really wanna see all those body contortions she does in her videos and if they have any, uh, additional uses.

Megan Fox? Yes, I would have sex with Megan Fox. Because for me there's something very male about her (and I'm not talking about those adam's apple shaving rumors). I like her aggressive nature. I like her sense of humor.

Of course, it could just devolve into an oily milleau where Ryan Reynolds, Gerry Butler and I lube up and set about trying to find out if Gaga really has a penis.

Probably would.

Definitely would.

Don't know what I would do with Lady Gaga's "Little Smokie" if I found it, but there's so much talk about it I'm fascinated at the prospect of being the person who breaks the story.

And I guess I should preemptively make amends to Gaga's lovely vagina, per this Australian news report (HipHopRx.com):

Lady Gaga who’s known for her nip-slip moments, bulging undergarments, and more, says her genitals are not taking it kindly to the he-she rumors.

In an interview with Australia’s Nova morning radio station with co-host Meshel, the singer was questioned about whether she had a tiny penis.

Lady Gaga, who’s not shy of sharing the thoughts of her body parts, stated that her beautiful vagina was very offended.

“… I’m not offended—my vagina is offended,” stated Lady Gaga.

Recently Lady Gaga was in the mix of a hermaphrodite rumor after a suspected bulge was seen protruding from her outfit which is nothing new.

I dunno, what does it look like to you? I'm not one for staring at women's crotches, maybe you are. Leave a comment below with your take.

Reality Show Fugitive Ryan Jenkins Found Dead in Hope, B.C. Motel

Vancouver Sun:

The manager of the Thunderbird Motel, Kevin Walker, said a woman checked in on Aug. 20, saying she needed a room for at least three days, maybe longer, and paid cash through Sunday. Outside, a man waited in a PT Cruiser with Alberta licence plates.

Walker couldn’t remember the woman’s name and said RCMP have seized the slip of information she filled out for the hotel room. He could see there was a man in the vehicle but thought nothing of the fact he didn’t come in, he said.

After entering the motel room, the mystery woman described as as being in her early to mid-20s stayed for about 20 minutes, then left.

On Sunday, when no one came to check out by the required time of 11 a.m., Walker went to the room and discovered the body.

And so this ends this story? I don't think so. I think we need to find this mystery woman. I think we need to look at the actions of Jenkins' family that possibly helped him escape the US and we definitely need to know who did the background check for 51 Minds Productions on Jenkins before he was cast on the Megan ... VH1 show and I Love Money 3.

Because that company as well as 51 Minds and VH1 need to be held accountable. Sure, nothing happened to their other contestants this time, but they put a guy with a record of violent crime in an environment where he could have hurt others.

Both 51 Minds and VH1 still have questions to answer. Sadly, I don't think it really matters to the people who audition for shows like this, they just wanna be on TV for whatever reason. I don't know why people would choose to have their personal details splashed all over the tube but it seems there's never a lack of inventory of these types.

Maybe VH1 lays off the scummy unscripted shows for a while, huh? That would be something good that could come out of this tragedy.

Unfortunately, I know for a fact that Tool Academy 2 is casting as I write this post. It's produced by a different company, but I still wanna know who is doing their background checks.

British Columbia TV report from this morning at this link.

Video -- Abdul Circling Ugly Betty Arc, But She's Just Be a Temp

A temp in the show, a temp on the show.

And if you haven't seen Paula act before, you know why. She's, uh ... not an actress.

(That WAS a polite way of saying it!)

Ausiello at EW reports that she'll be a new temp at Mode who has finds a friend in Becky Newton's Amanda character.

Wanna watch her try to act? Check this clip from BBC's Hotel Babylon after the jump. Image from that episode.

Idol News -- Kara's Back. Paula? Uh, Paula?

That's Kara Dio Guardi on the left, the one without the brand new breast implants.

(Sorry, Bikini Girl, but when you go that big that fast everyone notices.)

Okay, okay, you signed new girl back. That's fine and all, but don't, please don't let her write a song for the finalists this year.

No Boundaries? No Taste was more like it. And, no mention of the song in the press release that announces her signing. Good move, Fox.

Now, what about Paula? Check her Twitter page for the latest. Click here.

Paula's meme: Her not getting the offer she wants is disrespectful.

Call her bluff. Please, please, call her bluff.

UPDATED: Fox Announces Nationwide Online Only Casting Call for Sons of Tuscon

UPDATE: It seems I have "fired" the wrong kid. I'm so sorry, Frank Dolce, middle child who is directly to the right of Tyler Labine. Of course, you still know you have a job. Still, I regret the error.

The role they're recasting besides the youngest boy is that of the oldest boy, who is now properly X'd out of the pic below.

Sons of Tucson is their new Fall series starring Tyler Labine (Reaper) as a guy who gets recruited by a fatherless family who needs a Dad for appearance's sake, and (probably) so that they won't get sent to foster care.

Apparently (though not confirmed), Davis Cleveland and Frank Dolce (the kids with the Xs on their faces in the image, I know, I suck) are being recast, and possibly by your kids.

From the Fox press release:

We are looking for two of the brothers: “Robby” and “ Brandon.”

Robby (8 years old) is the youngest Gunderson sibling. He’s an impish and impulsive grade-schooler who needs Ron to bail him out when he accidently starts a fire at the back-to-school fair.  It’s partially for this reason that the Gundersons hire Ron full-time to pose as their dad.

Brandon (13-15 years old) is the oldest of the Gunderson boys.  He views life and the family’s current situation through a somewhat warped lens.  Energetic and upbeat, his eccentricity is charming at times, but his efforts to help his brothers often land them in hot water.  He possesses terrific self confidence that is completely unearned.

So, ya wanna send your offspring down the road to ruin, maybe possibly have them end up with entertainment industry fueled drug and esteem problems (right, Lindsay)? Well then, first click over to this site and find out much more, and then do a Google search for rehab and book the room now while before they get booked up.

What, it won't happen to your kids because you're just the best mom? Really?

Okay then. And, I'm just kidding about your kids' potential drug habit. Not all kid actors go south. Still, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Dana Plato.

I just have a quick question. The family name is Gunderson and there are no blonds? That just doesn't make sense.

ABC & Bruckheimer's The Forgotten: Will Christian Slater Get a Second Shot at Prime Time Glory?

Right after ABC picked up The Forgotten they got rid of the lead actor, Brit Rupert Penry-Jones. Today's query ... will ABC plug in Slater, just off the ratings dog the abysmal My Own Worst Enemy on NBC?

(And another thing, somewhat related. Penry-Jones, pictured right, and countryman Richard Coyle were both cast in pilots this season and then cut once those shows were picked up. I know that the nets are trying to cut payroll on pilots save money. Would it surprise you to find out that one of the ways the US networks are doing that is by hiring English-speaking actors from other countries for pilots at a lower cost? It certainly wouldn't surprise me. BTW, Penry Jones would have been a great replacement for Douglas Henshaw on Primeval had it survived the ITV ax.)

Mitovich at TV Guide:

In The Forgotten, Slater would fill the lead role of a former cop who heads up a team of amateur detectives. Among the character's baggage is the fact that his 11-year-old daughter was kidnapped three years prior.

(snip)

British actor Rupert Penry-Jones (BBC's Spooks) played the role in the pilot. The Forgotten is also recasting one of the detectives, originally played by 24 alumna Reiko Aylesworth.

An ABC source says that Slater's casting is only a rumor at this point, and that no deal has been made.

About the series from an ABC press site:

From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a crime show in which a team of dedicated amateurs work on cases involving unidentified victims. After the police have given up, this group must first solve the puzzle of the victim's identity in order to then help catch the killer. They work to give the deceased back their names, lest they become -- The Forgotten.

For those of you who didn't get to see My Own Worst Enemy before it was pulled from the schedule, I've embedded an episode after the jump for your review.

I'm not gonna subject myself to it again, however. I remember clearly asking for that hour of my life back at the time.

I didn't like the premise for the show, I didn't like him in it, and in general when I think about Christian Slater I get a bad feeling. He hasn't done anything to help himself over the years, either. I keep going back to that incident when he grabbed some middle aged woman's ass outside a bodega in Manhattan a few years ago and the dust up after that.

He's just not someone I would tune in to see. Whadda you think? Leave a comment below.

One more thing ... you know who the show DOES have, it's Bob Stevenson (image left) ex of Jericho and currently of every commercial that you see on TV.

Yes, they're still running, all those ads that Bob shot during the writers strike are still airing. Guy must be cleaning up, and now a new series to boot. Good for you, Bob.

Video -- Gossip Girl Signs Up Hilary Duff

She'll be Jessica Szohr's (Vanessa's) roomie in college next season when the show returns.

Perfect casting.

Hey, didn't she turn down a role in this originally? It seems to me that her name was bandied about when the show was first casting the leads.

Another reason it's perfect casting? Hilary seems to be in the part of her life where she does things that make the gossip page as well, like the story we ran a while back about her being shitfaced in an NYC restaurant and spouting off the the "little people" about what a star she was.

Click here for that.

From Ausiello at EW:

The actress-designer-pop chanteuse will play Olivia Burke, a movie star who enrolls at NYU in search of a traditional college experience. She ends up rooming with Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) so it's safe to say she'll be majoring in Drama!

Duff will debut in this season's fourth episode, slated to air Oct. 5.

They're calling it a multi-episode arc. Didn't they use the same words when they signed Michelle Trachtenberg? Hasn't she shown up every time since that they needed a little zazz?

Since NBC passed on Barely Legal from David E. Kelley, the Duff pilot that had her playing a prodigy attorney, she's free as a bird to do what she wants. I guess that NBC holding deal money stops now, though.

Not to worry, Duff has been selling her "Stuff by Hilary Duff" forever, she's certainly not hurting for coin.

You may have recently seen Duff guest on Law & Order: SVU as a kind of Casey Anthony clone in one of their ripped from the headlines episodes. I'm not sure why, but Hulu doesn't have and of the L&O shows posted, probably something that has to do with Wolf's deal with the network or maybe they think it would harsh the syndie ratings.

So, no L&O clip. Sorry.

I watched it. She's still solid on camera. Let's see if she can handle the fishbowl that is working on Gossip Girl.

SVU News: Benson, Stabler Remain with Unit (Chris and Mariska Sign Deals!)

(BTW, there's a bonus clip after the jump. It's Meloni from the Conan show, it's funny and you gotta give it a look.)

Okay guys (and you straight gals, of course) we can all breathe now. Christopher Meloni will still be on your TV each week as Det. Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU.

Whew! And I thought he might lose his job and not have the money to maintain all that sexy that he's carrying around. Am I relieved or what?

THR:

After lengthy negotiations, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have inked new deals to continue on the crime procedural, which is coming back for an 11th season in the fall.

Additionally, Emmy winner Christine Lahti has signed on to play the ADA on the veteran series for the first four episodes. Stephanie March will then return, reprising her role as ADA Alexandra Cabot.

Sources said Hargitay and Meloni, who regularly negotiate their contracts together, have inked one-year deals with an option for a second year.

And, despite the congloms and particularly NBC Universal being in a cost-cutting mode, both Hargitay and Meloni are said to have received salary increases to their most recent paychecks of about $385,000 an episode.

HA! NBC had to give them both a raise anyway! Gonna have to dip into those I'm A Celebrity ... profits!

Yeah, as if.

Lahti is a great addition for this guest gig; you can expect an Emmy guest actor nod just for her showing up. There are very few people in television that can get me to turn on a show I wouldn't normally watch and Christine Lahti is one of them. She's why I watched Jack & Bobby for the short time it was on.

Of course I love Mariska too, she's great in the role, from what I've read a great gal with a good heart ... but Christopher Meloni is, well he's Christopher Meloni!

Now, click over for the clip. You won't be sorry.

My Take on the "Doctor Who Has a Mum" News -- Let's Just Wait and See

I think there's something not sounding quite right about this. Also, this sounds like the news out of series three when it was reported that the Doctor had a wife and it was all a part of the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter's story arc.

Not that Claire Bloom is not a lovely actress and I'm sure she's in Cardiff shooting something for the show per her assistant's comments to the UK Daily Mail (which I hear also makes a fine fishwrap, btw).

But mother? Actual mother? I can't imagine how the tale of a lonely Time Lord could go on, and the lonely part is certainly key, if his mom is somewhere out there.

Doesn't make sense to me, but I'll be watching for additional news.

Doctor Who: UK Newspaper Blog Reporting Skins Cassie Closing In On Companion For Doctor #11

Okay, I want everyone, all of you (yeah, you too!) to line up to pat me on the back. She was my choice way way back. Do I have to provide the links again?

Just click here and scroll.

Your prescient host will be thrilled if Hannah Murray (image above with crazy-haired Matt Smith, same one that's all over the web today) becomes the new companion for the Doctor. More than that, I am willing to (at her expense, she has all that Skins money, after all) come to the UK and run with her every day until shooting begins on series five, because as we know running is a big part of being a Doctor or companion.

(BTW do NOT hotlink to the image above, which btw is from press for a play they did together in London called The Face also including November DW companion Linsday Duncan. Typepad will getcha! Or I will.)

Billie looked great running. Freema looked exceptional running. Even Catherine, and she and I ... neither of us are the running type but she got her share of running in as well.

Tennant? That great hair looked so good flapping in the breeze, like Guy Lafleur in the pre-helmet days for the Montreal Canadiens. Glorious!

Of course, there's different kinds of l0oking good running. If I was a Doctor Who guest star and of course I would never play a baddie on the show, watching me run would be a laugh riot. Comic relief is very imp0rtant for Doctor Who!

So, cast me already!

Dan Wootton at his News of the World Celeb XS blog is saying that it's gonna happen. Digital Spy has also reported on this possibility.

She's a very very fine young actress and it would be a great career move for her. Getting a world wide reputation for work on this flagship BBC show does wonders for your career. Ask all the companions in the RTD era who are all working on high-profile projects.

But seriously, BBC Cymru (hi Ty and Donna and Ryan, check it, I used some Welsh on my blog!!), why not just let me cast the show? I'm doing pretty well at it from across the pond.

Or at least I should get a lunch with Jane Tranter now that she's in Southern California. I'll even buy.

Huge Fringe Casting News -- Leonard Nimoy is William Bell in Season Finale May 12

For those of you who are not keyed in, Bell is Walter Bishop's long ago partner in mad science and the founder of Massive Dynamic, the scientific concern fronted by bionic armed Blair Brown.

From Fringepedia.net:

Since founding the company in 1992, William Bell has played a key role in every aspect of the business, from R&D to marketing. His personal vision continues to guide the firm's progress, and his ongoing research constantly yields new innovations and product lines. A seven-time honoree in Business Leaders Journal's list of "America's Most Inspiring Corporate Leaders," Dr. Bell is also a Fellow of the National Scientific Progress Council and the only two-time recipient of the Macro Genius Award.

Of course Nimoy has been working with J.J. Abrams in the Star Trek movie reboot (the only original cast member involved, much to Shatner's chagrin) which opens this summer, but has not acted much lately, though he is a very active and well-received photographer with representation on both coasts.

Recently, the LA County Museum purchase one of his self-portraits for their permanent collection.

Much more, including what I hope are going to be a number of interview and bhs clips coming from Fox as the season ender draws near.

Now, one more thing about Tuesday's episode. The casting of the kid was key and they hit a home run with Spencer List.

He's done some horror and some voiceover work (The Wonder Pets) and was cast in a Conan O'Brien produced pilot called Haskett's Choice in 2006. He's based in NYC.

Not only did he have the perfect face for this Fringe role but the subtlety employed in his work for someone his age was ... well, I was just blown away.

Fringe returns next week and there are problems for agent Charlie Francis as they attempt to track down yet another crazed hairy monster in Boston.

Finally, a little note of trivia, Nimoy was born in Northhampton, MA, just 50 miles outside the setting for the show.

Preview for next week's ep after the jump. When you set your DVR, make allowance for the possibility that Seacrest will forget what time it is and keep talking to his karaoke contenstants and Adam Lambert (who is not a karaoke level singer, like the rest of them).

Go Lambert!

Dollhouse's Tahmoh Penikett Attached to Sci Fi Channel Backend Pilot. What?

Oh no you don't. (Even he looks concerned, see?)

Hey, you people at the channel that is changing their name to SyFy (how ridonkulous!), keep your hands off Penikett, he belongs to Joss for the time being.

Hibberd at the Reporter:

Penikett is best known for playing Helo on "Battlestar." In "Riverworld," he will play war correspondent Matt Ellman, who is killed along with his fiancee (Vandervoort) but awakens in a mysterious world populated by everyone who has lived on Earth.

Alan Cumming will guest star as the Caretaker; Jeananne Goossen and Mark Deklin also have been cast.

Plus, they already tried this project in 2003 with Brad Johnson (name from the past, he was in that Spielberg movie with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfuss about pilots, remember?) and it didn't work that time.

In fact, the SciFi.com page for the project is still up at their site.

Plus, it's a RHI project (Robert Halmi, both senior and junior, I believe) and if you look at their slate of projects its really hard to distinguish the decent stuff from the utter crap.

Do they think Dollhouse isn't gonna make it? Even after yesterday I read from, of course, an anonymous source that Sarah Connor would go away but Dollhouse would be given another round?

And what does Joss think about his male lead going off and shooting a backend pilot?

I just don't understand why all the jobs have to go to the same small pool of performers. Sure, I get that some of them bring a following with them, but Tahmoh? Battlestar was never a ratings powerhouse and certainly the on the bubble Dollhouse can't be considered one, yet.

Though I have my hopes, especially based on Friday's episode which I thought was very intriguing.

So, that leaves me and some other geeks to follow him from show to show, but even that goodwill doesn't last forever.

And one more thing, if you keep throwing the same actors at us time after time, we're going to lose that ability to gin up that ability to suspend my sense of disbelief.

(Hey, you didn't really think, btw, that I was gonna miss the opportunity to post a pic of Tahmoh shirtless in bed, did you? Even without this news today, this image gets posted. I know my audience.)

Fox More to Love Casting Session Details Don't Add Up

No, I'm not gonna watch this show. But, I thought this was interesting.

The top ten fattest cities, per Men's Fitness Magazine:

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Arlington, TX
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Fort Worth, TX
5. El Paso, TX
6. Dallas, TX
7. Miami, FL
8. Oklahoma City, OK
9. Mesa, AZ
10. Houston, TX

Casting events for this overweight contestant dating show?

• Raleigh/Durham, NC
• Edison, NJ
• Houston, TX
• Philadelphia, PA
• New York, NY
• Dallas, TX
• Los Angeles, CA*
• Miami, FL*
• Chicago, IL*

* Indicates mens' casting

See, I would have cast in the top ten cities. More of a talent pool.

And, what about Texas? Man, I should get down there and start eating, it seems. Must be the BBQ, right Jeff?

And Miami? There must be some serious eating going on down there to counteract all those anorexic models.

If I wanted to see an overweight man go on dates, I would be going on dates. But if you wanna be branded as officially overweight by a TV network run by an Australian pirate, men can click here and women can click here.

Overall, I am reminded of this Mad TV sketch Lowered Expectations.

The women's casting events, btw, are held in Lane Bryant stores. Interestingly cross-promotion.

My Best Guess Says Economy Putting Kibosh on Heigl Leaving Grey's, She Asks to Stay

I only say that because she is uncharacteristically, uh, genuflective in this AP story featured over at Yahoo! News, which says:

"I was assuming that at one point and I got a lot of shrugged shoulders and shakes of the head, so I don't know if that's a yes or a no. No one will tell me and I don't know how this is going to go," Heigl said, noting series creator Shonda Rhimes' passion for plot secrecy.

"I don't know if I live or die. I don't know how Izzie fares," said the actress, who's played the character since the show debuted in 2005.

"I'm there" if Izzie remains part of "Grey's Anatomy," Heigl said. She called the set "one of my favorite places to be" and said her colleagues are also friends.

Whaddaya think? Think she saw the writing on the wall and the hard times ahead in her crystal ball and thought she better keeps getting an ABC paycheck?

Or, are you of the mind that the whole Katie Heigl is a monster story is hooey?

Video -- Chevy Chase Added to Joel McHale Community Pilot

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Chevy has just been added, and if picked up would be his first prime time series project as a regular:

"Community" is described as "Stripes" at a community college. It centers on Jeff (Joel McHale), a lawyer who is back in school after his college degree is deemed invalid.

Chase will play a student at the community college who has been married five times.

Chevy's also recurring again on Chuck later this season. More about Chuck and this stupid idea that it shouldn't be renewed later today.

Classic SNL Chevy after the jump, with Richard Pryor.

Pete Wentz's Wife Cast in Melrose Reboot for CW

"All the pieces, pieces ... pieces of ... "

You fill that in however you want. She joins David Cassidy's daughter Katie and Michael Rady from last Summer's Swingtown in the cast.

And, you can see Ashlee and Pete in an upcoming CSI: New York (fronted by celebrity Republican and former Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump, Gary Sinise) where they play Bonnie and Clyde wannabees.

I would give you a clip of Ashlee acting on 7th Heaven from 2004 right about now, but I can't seem to find one.

The character is described in the Hollywood Reporter article as "a bright-eyed but shrewd small-town girl and recent L.A. transplant who has come to town with a secret."

That secret? That she lipsyncs all her lines on the show. Never actually speaks a word.

Kidding. It's that she has a new nose.

 

It kinda pisses me off when people get jobs for reasons other than the fact that they would do said job better than anyone else. There wasn't a real actress in all of the US who could bring the juice and be promotable?

The Hollywood Reporter article ends with this line:

Simpson-Wentz is repped by CAA and her father and manager, Joe Simpson.

Still? Really? Even Brooke Shields got rid of mom Terri eventually. Warner Bros. should be on alert.

High alert.

Irrelevant Purportedly Omnisexual Gossipper to Guest on Increasingly Irrelevant Slumping "Not A Comedy" Betty

And, get this, she reviews her own performance, too.

And no, I'm not referring to Mr. Lavandeira.

Liz Smith, who could have come out ages ago because who would have cared if Liz Smith is a lesbian, is gonna be on the increasingly cancelation-prone Ugly Betty.

Cancelation prone? You betcha. The ratings are slipping, people are nervous, and outlets all over the web are speculating that the show's return for another season will hinge on not only its own ratings for the rest of the 2008-9 run (which will end in March, replaces then by Samantha Who? and the new In The Motherhood) but the ratings of other ABC hourlong shows, per this piece at CinemaBlend.

And this is what Smith says about her work tonight on Betty (Variety):

Tonight's the night to tune in to "Ugly Betty" on ABC at 8 p.m. if you want to see your Liz doing her stuff, "acting" and delivering her lines, painfully. I won't be there long, commenting to the truly adorable America herself about the reasons why I admire the devious character Claire Meade (Judith Light.) I loved going to Long Island City and meeting all the talented folks assigned to "Ugly Betty." But working in a TV sitcom is like watching paint dry and I just can't be envious of actors. They have a hard row to hoe.

Yeah, sitting in one's trailer is so tiring. Almost as tiring as standing in line at the food bank to get staples for your family now that Dad has been canned from his job at the plant and Mom's Mary Kay sales aren't as robust as in the past.

I'm kidding, of course. You gotta remember when you read Liz Smith say that stuff that she has no idea what the average American is going through. You don't really get a taste for real America when you lunch at 21 and dinner at Elaine's more often than not. Or at least more often than I.

And, once again, Ugly Betty is not a comedy. It's just a show that revels in stereotypically gay stuff. It's like a walk down Santa Monica Blvd. or Castro St., neither of which makes a decent hour of television.

Though, like with the other ABC hourlong shows going through degayification, that's changing, too.

Will They Still Call It Dancing With The Stars? New Season Roster Released, America Yawns!

And that's fine with me. I don't get why this is a hit. I don't get it at all.

So, new cast?

The male side includes Steve O, David Allan Grier, actor Gilles Marini, Ty Murray, NY Giants' Lawrence Taylor, singer Chuck Wicks and Steve Wozniack, co-founder of Apple and Kathy Griffin's either current or former boyfriend, press reports are sketchy.

The women are Jewel (Murray's wife), Belinda Carlisle (who's 58 years old, can you believe that?), Olympian Shawn Johnson, Nancy O'Dell, celebrity Li'l Kim and Denise Richards.

And that's thirteen. Which is why I'm confused. What's up with the odd number? Or does Marini (pictured below right) dance with himself because he's "really" not a star? Showing your junk in the Sex And The City movie to Kim Catrall doesn't make you a star, it makes you ... a guy with junk.

Widget with clips and stuff after the jump.

It starts March 9, because there is no February sweeps this year, they moved it to March so that they could do the DTV conversion in February and then former FCC head Kevin Martin so screwed up the budget for the transition that it needed to be delayed.

Because he's a putz. A putz who loves his NASCAR.

If you know the story behind the odd number of dancers, don't bother leaving a comment, I don't really care and it's the last time I will probably mention the show before the finale.

Because watching amateur ballroom dancing, even when done by Denise Richards, is not a good night of TV. Not for me.

Fired In Six Days -- Kelly Brook Gone From Cowell's Britain's Got Talent

But, and it's a big but ... (as opposed to other big things that might have been the key to Brook's hiring in the first place -- though Simon doesn't usually go for the chesty types, at least from squinting at Terri Seymour) does this mean that Kelly Brook is available to be the new Doctor Who companion?

Well, I certainly hope not. She's not really an actress, she presents TV (you know, like Mario Lopez here in the States only with different naughty bits).

Plus, a little boy like Matt Smith wouldn't know what to do with this (see image right).

In fact, all though this article at Reuters, there are indications that she doesn't even do that well:

A regular feature in the gossip pages, especially since she started going out with England rugby star Danny Cipriani, Brook has had to suffer tabloid taunts about her presentational skills before.

The 29-year-old Brook, who said last week she was a "huge fan" of the show, began her TV career as a presenter on "The Big Breakfast" but left after less than six months amid criticism of her performances.

What Simon said in letting her go was that the format just doesn't support four judges. And that may be true (of his show and of Idol here in the States, though we will have to wait and see).

But from the tone of the article, overall, is that Kelly Brook is a very pretty woman with a mondo rack and less than adequate TV skills.

Not a heavyweight. 

And not a Doctor's companion. Especially THIS upcoming doctor.

I found her in a scene from Smallville that I placed after the jump. She works with college roommate Dave's nephew, Michael Rosenbaum. I'm not impressed.

UPDATED: New Doctor Who Interview Video -- Matt Smith is the 11th Doctor? Matt Smith? And he is ...

UPDATE: I watched the clip after the jump. It's not like it's important for the actor to plays the Doctor to have been a fan, but Matt Smith makes great pains to talk about his father's and grandfather's connection to the show and mentions Tom Baker and all but him? Nothin'. Of course, that's partly due to his age, I guess. Because as I've said all over the web, he's so so young. In fact, I'm old enough to be his Dad and I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.

... I know! Never heard of him before now either. We'll both meet him in the clip after the jump from YouTube and the BBC.

I keep thinking of that SNL sketch from years ago where David Spade works for Dick Clark Productions, and he turns to the office visitor and says, "And we know you from ..."

I'm disappointed it's not Paterson. I was really looking forward to that.

Above is a photo of Matt Smith who played a character called Danny Foster in a series called Party Animals for the BBC.

Also pictured left, photo by Rebecca Reid.

In the first season of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, he played the guy that Hannah brought home from the department store after the bad trick that she got sent that led her to fire her procurer.

He also did Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North with Billie for BBC and PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

He's 26 years old. His birthday is two days after mine which makes him a Scorpio, not that I know anything about astrology, but I know so little about him I feel like I have to say as much as I know.

He's another Doctor with a back injury, which I think is not such a great idea. From his IMDB bio:

As a teenager he was a talented footballer and considered turning professional, but had to give it up, following a back injury, and turned to acting instead.

He's a Norwich University grad. Only five years out of University and he's the Doctor?

He's just a bit young for my taste. At least by the time he starts shooting these episodes he'll be older. Maybe he could find a time machine, get in it, age a little and then come back.

There's more about him here from the BBC Website:

He left Northampton aged 18 to study drama and creative writing at University of East Anglia in Norwich.

His work with the National Youth Theatre got him both an agent and his first professional job before graduation.

Smith appeared in Fresh Kills at the Royal Court in 2004, and then joined the cast of On the Shore of the Wide World which transferred to the National Theatre. It was here that he took over the role of Lockwood in Alan Bennett's The History Boys.

His West End debut was in Swimming With Sharks opposite Christian Slater in 2007. In 2008 he played opposite Lindsay Duncan in That Face to critical acclaim at London's Duke of York's Theatre.

He is now following in the footsteps of one of the most popular actors ever to play the Doctor.

Screen Daily:

Matt Smith was already attracting attention for his subtle and intelligent performances in two BBC dramas, the period thriller Ruby In The Smoke and contemporary twentysomething ensemble piece Party Animals, when his compelling turn in That Face at London's Royal Court, alongside Felicity Jones and Lindsay Duncan, proved Smith to be a versatile and watchable young actor.He is winning illustrious fans - David Hare and Jane Campion are just two names to have singled him out. Smith has recently had his first experience of film work, playing the young version of Ralph Fiennes' character in Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, and is now filming the second series of the acclaimed Bafta-winning BBC series The Street.

I'll have details from around the web later in the day and after I watch Confidential.

Clip after the jump. Warning, I don't like his hair. AT ALL!

90210 Turns Their Hot Female Cheerleader Bisexual -- Yawn!

So, that's what you've got for us, Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah? Really? A teenage boy fantasy that you'll say makes the show gay-friendly?

Man, these people need some education. Where's the diversity trainer at The CW? Oh, that's right, that person got promoted to try and figure out what to do with Sunday nights.

I could tell them in this space everything that's wrong with what they're doing, but they are television professionals with long resumes and they know what they're doing.

I just don't happen to approve.

The young woman is Lauren London, and apparently she's prepped for her role on the show by posing for the cover of King Magazine and other photos like this one (check out the heels, girl!) and doing some time on Entourage and a couple films I didn't see.

But note this, Parents Television Council, which has been angling to get the show canceled since that first seen with Dustin getting a hummer in his Hummer (or whatever SUV it was), I'm not calling for the show to be canceled.

Mickey O'Connor at TV Guide:

In the Nov. 18 episode, Christina (Lauren London) was macking on Dixon pretty obviously during the Spirit Dinner and then again at the lacrosse game. "Who's that?" Silver asked, as Christina sashayed away in her miniskirt. But we'll discover in the Jan. 6 episode that Christina has a girlfriend. (Before you ask, the girlfriend is not played by Friday Night Lights' Aimee Teegarden; that's a different character and storyline altogether.) Christina is described as being bisexual by sources close to the show, which I'm guessing means that she'll also continue to carry a torch for Dixon. Confusing!

A bisexual cheerleader. Sounds more like a series that Joe Francis would produce.

Video -- Grey's Patrick Dempsey on Ellen Today Re "Callerica," With Prepared Statement from ABC

Well, that doesn't sound like business as usual, does it. And was Dempsey already scheduled or did ABC rush him onto Ellen's show to try to soothe wounds?

That clip is after the jump, but first ...

People Magazine:

“ABC actually sends me over what I should [say] …,” he tells Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show Wednesday.

So what’s the official spin?

“ABC’s response … is that [I] should say: ‘We’ve had a great time working with her and that the conclusion of her [character] has been orgasmic’ — I’m sorry, I’m dyslexic! — ‘organic’ ending to the story line.’ “

Some have argued that Smith was axed because of her character’s developing relationship with Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez).

Grey’s Anatomy’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, previously released a statement insisting that “Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian.”

You know what, Shonda? no one said Brooke Smith was fired for playing a lesbian. This is a lovely dodge on your part, but it's just that, a dodge.

(Still can't believe that Shonda Rhimes would be out front on this. Is this the price of keeping your show on a network these days? That you have to be disingenuous in your statements and hedge and dodge and speak half-truths?)

Obviously, Brooke Smith was fired because the suits at ABC were having a problem with the direction of the storyline.

I could say something here about how the network might not be so distressed if they were hot Katy-Perry-I-Kissed-A-Girl girls in a same sex relationship, but I'm sure you've all considered that already.

My previous post on this issue at this link.

Clip after the jump.

Grey's -- Callie/Erica Relationship Ended, Brooke Smith Relieved of Duty

Anne Kingston at Macleans.ca Skirts blog:

The ABC series Grey’s Anatomy has become a flash point for Hollywood’s in-out-in ambivalence toward gay tolerance. First, T.R. Knight, who plays Dr. George O’Malley, announced he was gay after cast mate Isaiah Washington directed a now-infamous slur at him and was fired for it. Now, Brooke Smith, who played lesbian character Dr. Erica Hahn, has been booted from the show, ostensibly because her budding relationship with Dr. Callie Torres, played by Sara Ramirez, didn’t have right “magic and chemistry,” according to executive producer Shonda Rhimes. Many don’t buy it, including Smith (who’s last appearance is this Thursday’s show) in this interview with EW.com. Count on Smith’s dismissal being analyzed with more zeal than the U.S. presidential results.

My first question of course is, Was the storyline working? I don't watch the show. As far as I can tell from clicking around the web, though, it was.

You can click here or here or here or just do your own blog search on Brooke Smith's name to see what fans are saying. All these links in this graph will open in a new window for you. I'm such a mensch.

So, what's the deal, ABC? You got James Dobson or Tim Winter or maybe some I-sleep-with-male-hookers type clergy or political type breathing down your back? Someone threatening to stop going to Disneyland/Disneyworld? Or watch the Disney Channel? Or boycott Bolt?

Or maybe the board these days is stocked with scaredycats. Or worse.

'Cuz just about no one is buying the "it just didn't work out" excuse that your floating.

I'm a bit surprised at Shonda going out in front of the suits and being the brave lead soldier on this one. Very surprised.

 Not suprised that Ausiello at EW got the big get with Smith already. I include this, but click this for all of it:

Did you get the feeling that the story was making people nervous?
No. At work I had no sense of it. And more fans seemed to like it than not. I don't think I'm ever going to know [why this really happened].

When did you find out?
I found out in mid-September soon after shooting the monologue that aired last week where Erica has the revelation that she's gay. They even came down and told me it was a great scene -- one of the best they ever shot on the show. So I was really, really shocked. I was floored when they told me [I was being let go]. It was the last thing I expected. In fact, when they told me I asked, "When is this happening?" And they said, "The [next episode] is your last," which is the one that airs this Thursday. So it was very sudden.

Wait a second – your last episode is this Thursday?
Yes.

If I'm interested at all, it's because I love a little indie called Series 7: The Contenders, which stars Smith as a pregnant weapon-toting killing machine on a reality show set in the not-too-distant future (with DSM's Glenn Fitzgerald). As you see, Michael Slezak at EW agrees.

Whaddaya think about her dismissal from Grey's? Vent below.

The first 3:45 of Series 7: The Contenders in a clip after the jump.

Around the Horn -- Bye, Bye Doctor Edition

First we have to talk about the image. It's by Michael Allen Harvey from his blog Pfunn.com, and I loved it the second I saw it. It's here with his permission (don't steal it).

(Michael and his son also market a game online that they've created called Ghoulash -- perfect for Halloween -- and you can find out more about that at this link.)

So, we're going around the horn with those of you dressing in black to mourn the loss of Doctor #10. And we'll start with Michael's post at Pfunn:

David Tennant was previously known to American audiences primarily for his role in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” After the gravitas of Eccleston, would the boyish Tennant be able to make much of an impression?

Silly question. Tennant’s version of The Doctor was, not to put much of a fine point on it, quintessential. He was at once confident, charming, witty, disarming, brilliant, fun, commanding and, at times, world-weary (and time-weary and space-weary). In addition, he was something that few Doctors before him had been allowed to be: A romantic leading man. His prolonged love story with Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) was heart-wrenching and (we must admit) tear-inducing.

I know, Mike. What is it about the Doctor and Rose that turned a bunch of adult men into weepers? Every time we go to that damn bay in, what, Iceland (?!?) I end up crying.

Next, from VirtuallyFatFree.com in a post called "Who's It Gonna Be?":

I would truly love to see Julian Rhind-Tutt as the next Doctor. I think he would be perfect. And he’s ginger. We all know the Doctor has always wanted to be ginger. I also think (although this will NEVER happen) that Eddie Izzard would be a pretty good Doctor; just imagine what his outfit will be.

Which brings me neatly onto the subject of a female Doctor. This won’t happen. The Doctor is a man and I think that it’s just the way his (fictional) biology works. And I can’t really think of any actress that could pull off the role of the Doctor. If anyone can suggest one then I will give them due consideration.

More on Julian Rhind-Tutt at this link. I had no idea, either, until I did some research. Amreican audiences will see him in the BBC-NBC co-production Merlin, which is on the network  early next year.

I don't think Izzard would be up for it, actually, despite his FX series, The Riches having been canceled last month. It's a big commitment, being the Doctor, especially in the UK. Izzard might not like living under that thumb as a comic. I mean, comedy in Britain can be dangerous, look what just happened to Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand on the Beeb.

Finally, at our pal Rob's blog The Medium is Not Enough, he takes a look at the contenders:

Current favourite for the job is Paterson Joseph, best known from Peep Show, at 3-1 odds, but David Morrissey is close behind at 5-1 (and there might be a revelation or two in the Christmas special to look forward to there), James Nesbitt is at 6-1 and John Simm (weirdly enough) is at 8-1.

Question for the day though: who would you like to be the next Doctor. It might be an outlandish suggestion that would never ever happen in real life, but this is Fantasy Doctor League so name your personal fave right now.

I'm currently being persuaded that Idris Elba (of The Wire and Ultraviolet) would be a great choice, although maybe one that wouldn't actually come about in real life. What do you think?

Of course, I would be disappointed to turn on any future series of That Mitchell and Webb Look and see anyone else across from Olivia Colman on the Numberwang set.

You should click over to all these sites and add your comments. And here, too.

Here first, okay?

Daily Show Exodus to CBS; Bee & Jones, Riggle Set Up CBS-Paramount

I guess we'll be seeing more of Aasif, Wyatt and John, huh? Wait, before I say that I'll check IMDB.

Let's run them all down while I'm there ...

Kristen Schaal -- Lotsa stuff at IMDB, nothing earth-shattering as far as I can tell.

Larry Wilmore -- Just my opinion, but I think Larry makes time for TDS. Because he could be working on any number of shows, he does have a writing Emmy for Bernie Mac.

Aasif Mandvi -- Five films in the can, four for this year, one for next which is the return of Sandra Bullock to the world of comedy. (Where she belongs. Sorry, Sandy, it's true.)

John Oliver -- His appearance in The Love Guru might have soured his film career forever. Nothing else listed.

Wyatt Cenac -- Wyatt is somehow involved in the Kanye West HBO Project that stalls more than it starts, but otherwise has nothing going on per IMDB.

In case you aren't aware, I'll give you the rundown on the three in the headline.

First, Sam Bee and husband Jason Jones (Variety):

Jones and Bee have signed on to co-create and co-write a script for themselves at CBS. The couple would also star in the as-yet-untitled comedy, which will revolve around the behind-the-scenes world of a celebrity chef (played by Jones) and the two women who run his cooking empire (one of whom will be played by Bee).

Then, Riggle (also Variety):

Riggle has signed a talent holding deal, which includes a development component, with CBS and sister CBS Paramount Network TV to create and star in a half-hour laffer.

Riggle said he's kicking around several ideas at the moment, one of which may touch upon his background as a major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

"I've got a notebook full of ideas that I've been keeping for many years," Riggle said.

I'm guessing that CBS knows what I know, that in a financial downturn, people want to laugh. All you gotta do it give them the stuff. You know, the good stuff.

Doctor Who News -- Patrick Stewart Reportedly Cast as Meddling Monk

Last of the Time Lords my ass!

John Simm and now Patrick Stewart have something to say about that.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner in West Yorkshire, England (my first excerpt from that site, certainly):

Mirfield-born Stewart is being lined up for a major role in the Time Lord’s next series after teaming up with The Doctor star David Tennant on stage.

The pair starred in a production of Hamlet in the summer and now Stewart — who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek — is reported to have been offered a role in a two-parter involving the Daleks, set to be screened next year.

Now, two parter to be screened next year would indicate that this is one of the Davies-produced specials for the off year. And, I imagine since Steve Moffat has already indicated that the Daleks will be out of the picture some the 2010 season, this will be a two-parter that definitely ends the reign of those creatures in the show (at least I hope so, I don't feel Daleks and Cybermen have a place in the new Who -- and I know I've just pissed off a whole lot of people but I don't care).

About the Meddling Monk (Wikipedia, all links theirs):

The Monk was the possessor of a stolen Mark IV TARDIS – superior to the Doctor's and with a fully functioning chameleon circuit – and said he left the Doctor's then-unnamed home planet some fifty years after the Doctor did -- which could indicate that he was a Time Lord, although it was never stated at the time since the concept of the Doctor's race had not yet been devised.

He liked to meddle in history and to change it for his own amusement and for what he considered to be the better — lending mechanical assistance to the builders of Stonehenge; giving Leonardo da Vinci tips on aircraft design; making money by using time travel to exploit compound interest; and, when the Doctor first encountered him, attempting to prevent the Norman Conquest as part of a plan to guide England into an early age of technological prosperity. On that occasion he wore the guise of a monk in order to gain the trust of the 11th-century locals of Northumbria, hence the name by which he is most often known. (His actual name was never revealed in the series.)

Albert Finney as Winston Churchill in Doctor Who Special for 2009

Albert Frickin' Finney. That's a big deal.

Blogtor Who, which is obviously a Doctor Who blog, is reporting that Albert Finney plays Winston Churchill in one of the 2009 specials.

Wow.

But I'm getting kinda pissy about the recent revelation that Kate Winslet turned down two different guest spots on the show, first as Mr. Smith's wife in the Moffat written Human Nature/The Family of Blood and Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead.

What, she's too good for Doctor Who? It's the signature show of her native country. Sheesh Kate, you didn't have a week or two to give to your countrymen? Countrywomen? Just a week or two to hang with the charming David Tennant?

Well, Albert Finney has five Oscar nominations just like you do, Kate. And, he has an Emmy and you don't, so nah nah nah nah nah nah!

Thomas Jane Will Fully Front Large Member Story, HBO's Hung

UPDATE: Welcome Towleroad readers. Elsewhere recently on this blog ...

It's a Rachel Maddow Nation.
Stewie Griffin Gets a Tardis?
Showtime brings a call girl around for eight more sessions.
I tell a blonde Rethuglican idiot to shut up.
Dan Quayle knows nothing about mending his legacy.

Yes, Tom Jane is hot. Read something while you're here, too. And please, bookmark this page and come back.

Most of this post, and definitely the second clip, are not suitable for work or you kids on Summer vacay. Especially you kids, just move away from the blog.

Now, back to adult activities.

Mmmmmm. Thomas Jane.

Bringing his big bat from HBO's Mickey Mantle biopic, Thomas Jane has been cast in the lead for the HBO pilot, Hung. It's his first series for TV.

THR:

The dark comedy pilot, directed by Oscar winner Alexander Payne, centers on Ray (Jane), a well-endowed struggling middle-age high school basketball coach who figures out a way to use his best asset.

"Hung" has been a big priority for HBO's new entertainment president Sue Naegle, who made the spec script by "The Riches" creator Dmitry Lipkin and Colette Burson her first major purchase and later her first pilot pickup.

Although Tom Jane has never starred in an entertainment property about having a big penis (I think only Mark Wahlberg can say he has) he did co-star in a movie where there was a penis song. That clip from that movie (The Sweetest Thing) after the jump.

Inquiries to Jane's wife, the actress Patricia Arquette, about whether prosthesis would be necessary, were not made. I mean, how do you ask a woman if her husband has a big one? Well, okay, but how about someone you don't know? How do you bring it up in conversation? "So, Tom's got a new job, did he get that job based on the physical needs of the role?"

You can see how that would be untoward.

What I like to call one of the many Tom Jane sizzle reels in a clip after the jump. And then, that song.

Don't Read This Unless You're Dan Quayle

Dear Dan Quayle,

Don't you dare. Just don't.

Haven't you done enough to denigrate the position of Vice President of the United States?

Just Say No is what I'm sure Nancy Reagan would say.

This is not a way to upgrade your legacy.

I don't care how you spell the various names of root vegetables, you must know that this is not something a former Vice President of the United States does.

So, just back away from that offer from ABC and we'll all be much better off.

Have some respect for the office. Certainly the current occupant has none. Or the constitution. Or us.

But that's another story.

One behalf of the US Citizenry,

Joe, your TV Junkie

From ExtraTV.com:

While no official cast names have been announced, celebs rumored to be under consideration include socialite Kim Kardashian and former boy bander, Lance Bass. An official announcement will soon be made on "Good Morning America."

Quayle served as Veep under the first George Bush, and is best remembered for incorrectly correcting a spelling bee contestant's spelling of "potato" to "potatoe." 

So now a former Vice President, even an unpopular one, is nothing more than a marginal celebrity who we will watch jump through hoops for our pleasure weekly on the tube?

This is an embarassment. 

You know what's next, dontcha, John and Cindy McCain head to Turks and Caicos with Heidi and Spencer and it's all on the season premiere of The Hills.

Michelle Ryan Returns to TV in BBC/NBC Merlin

You know, I think all of the Bionic Woman cast and crew are suffering from some sort of Stockholm Syndrome.

If I was any of them; David Eick (still with NBC-Uni), Ryan (co-starring in this co-production), Miguel Ferrer (who recently guested on Medium) ... after the experience they all had on Bionic Woman, which went from 60 mph to zero in seconds, thank you meddling network ... well, if it were me I wouldn't grace the Universal City parking structure with my presence, let alone a soundstage rented by them.

Variety:

British actress Ryan, last seen in NBC's remake of "Bionic Woman," will play the sorceress Nimueh.

Created and produced by Elisabeth Murdoch's growing U.K. shingle Shine Television, "Merlin" will premiere in the U.K. in September on BBC1, before airing on NBC this winter in a Sunday evening slot. 

NBC picked up the British drama from distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises this year in an unprecedented deal for a U.S. broadcast network. Fremantle has also pre-sold the series to CTV in Canada.

Elisabeth Murdoch, btw, is the daughter of that scumbo Rupert. Yeah, I said scumbo, what of it?

I don't get it, the TV world as a whole is moving to more sophisticated, intricate storytelling, and NBC, with it's Robinson Crusoe inspired show, Knight Rider and this are moving in the opposite direction.

Where is NBC's Whedon or Abrams? Is Tim Kring the best they can do?

(And man, is there ever pressure on Heroes to perform this season. All that money, all that cast, all that promotion, if it doesn't hit it'll just be embarrassing.)

Where's the innovation? Isn't that a hallmark of the parent company, General Electric?

Well, at least they're planning on giving us both an Amy Poehler series AND an Office spinoff, that's something, at least.

New At The Movies Hosts Ben Lyons, Ben Mankiewicz Have Both Visited This Blog

So, we approve of their being hired, obviously.

Mankiewicz had visited a while back after I had something to say about him working on the TMZ TV show. And, honestly, he wasn't a good fit for the show, he's smart and interested in more than what Lindsay and Samantha are doing.

And as TMZ is stupid and only interested in what Lindsay and Samantha are doing, this is a much much better gig for him.

And Ben Lyons? Well, he's a legacy, and actually will be competing with his dad, Jeffrey, and Alison Bailes in the market, as they host ReelTalk, another syndie movie show.

You know Ben of course from E!, hopefully he'll have time to do both, and he has an upcoming cameo role (as a limbo dancer, no less) in the Anna Farris Playboy bunny themed movie, The House Bunny.

Ben has said about this blog:

Congrats on creating one of the most passionate and in-depth sites on the net! Very cool.

This gives the Disney-ABC syndie show two young, interesting guys that can hang with the show for a good long time, if they so choose.

Good deal. Congrats, guys. I'll definitely watch.

Dexter's Jaime Murray Wins Lead in CW/MRC Series Valentine

Okay, so Jaime Murray got snubbed by the Emmy voters. Her Lila from last season's Dexter was creepy and sultry and manic and maniacal and ... remember that moment from the end of season two when she was in that shack with Erik King's Sgt. Doakes and the fire, smoke and sexual tension was so fervent your TV actually heated up and sparked a little in the back? I have a Lila fan montage clip after the jump, don't miss it. 

Well, it seems that and the rest of her work got her plenty noticed by Hollywood and now she'll be a regular in Valentine on Sunday nights on The CW's outsourced night of programming.

Media Rights Capital describes Valentine like this:

Every day is Valentine’s Day for people lucky enough to cross paths with Irwin M. Valentine, the world’s most successful private investigator specializing in matters of the heart.

The only love life Valentine can’t fix is his own. And when Irwin’s mother hires a mysterious, seductive woman as office manager for the family-owned business, his philosophy of love and life is challenged in ways sure to make love fun.

I.M. Valentine is a fun, innovative spin on the criminal procedural format. But instead of solving crimes, Irwin mends broken hearts and reconnects soul mates. From lost loves to true loves to new loves, Valentine magically brings people together each week. If there is a soul mate out there for you, Valentine will find them. If there’s a breakup you can’t quite get over, Irwin has the tonic.

Murray will play that office manager, and turns out to be a whole lot more. In fact, she's the former Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

Murray was also seen in the AMC series Hustle, which of course originated at the BBC.

"Killabelle" Lives!!! Megalyn Echikunwoke Joins CSI: Miami

Ah, the days of The 4400 are long gone, sadly. Especially sad considering what a bust its doppelganger, Heroes, was last year.

But the cream rises, and part of that cream is the extra creamy goodness that is Megalyn Echikunwoke, who played the destined for weird and bizarre things Isabelle Tyler, who was an infant and then grew into womanhood (and she did it very very beautifully) during a commercial break.

Okay, they didn't really break to commercial, it was an episode-ending cliffhanger, if my memory serves.

Hollywood Reporter:

Echikunwoke is expected to at least partially fill the void left by the departure of Khandi Alexander, who played Miami-Dade medical examiner Dr. Alexx Woods since the launch of the show in 2002.

Alexander still may return for guest appearances.

Did you know that Megalyn grew up on a native American reservation in Arizona?  Just some random trivia for a Friday.

Is Denny Duquette Alive? Or Is Izzy Gonna Die (and have Denny meet her at the pearly gates)?

This is compelling info for you Grey's fans from THR.com:

Good news for "Grey's Anatomy" viewers: Fan favorite Denny Duquette, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is returning to ABC's medical drama.

A rep for the show confirmed Morgan's guest appearance but declined to divulge further details.

So, I figure it's just like that scene at the end of Julianna Margulies' run on ER where she meets Clooney's Dr. Ross at the plane (it was a plane wasn't it?) and they embrace.

Only in heaven.

Because Izzy dies some horrible death that has to do with her opening her mouth one too many times. That would be somewhat fitting.

Grey's Source Sez: "They Want Izzie Dead!"

Tom O'Neil at his LA Times blog Gold Derby:

Uh-oh! Could we have blood on our cyber-hands soon, Derbyites? Marc Malkin of E! Online reports: "Latest buzz hissing from the set of the ABC hit is that creator Shonda Rhimes may be entertaining the idea of killing off Katherine Heigl's Dr. Isobel 'Izzie' Stevens because of the now infamous remarks Heigl made about the upcoming Emmys.

That's why you don't air your dirty laundry in public. Something this young woman hasn't learned in her many years in show biz (from the time she was a teen).

You know, she did the same thing a few years ago on another show. She was on Roswell and pulled the same crap. The denotes a pattern, and not a good one.

More from Tom's post:

Furious, "a key show insider" told EW.com: "The show bent over backwards to accommodate her film schedule, and then she criticizes the show for lack of material? It's an ungrateful slap in the face to the very writers responsible for her Emmy win in the first place."

Can't really blame that key show insider.

She needs to check herself before she wrecks herself. Isn't her mom still her manager? Can't she muzzle her? Or is this their plan for her to win friends and influence people?

Dale Carnegie wouldn't be impressed.

Scrubs Adds Courteney Cox For Three-Ep Arc

She'll play Janitor's new secret girlfriend, an heiress with a farting problem and facial hair.

Nah, I'm just kidding. Though, that would be fun.

Michael Ausiello at his new home, Entertainment Weekly:

J.D., Elliot and Co. have a new friend! Sources confirm to me exclusively that Courteney Cox is joining the cast of Scrubs for a three-episode arc as Sacred Heart's new Chief of Medicine.

Remember back in May, when exec producer Bill Lawrence revealed to me that he was looking to stunt cast the role of Dr. Kelso's successor? Yeah, I know — I'd say he kept his word, too.

Cox's boss lady character will "ruffle feathers," teases a Scrubs insider.

Note to Michael, Dirt wasn't unfortunate, the ratings were. It was a fine show in the first season and it got even better in season two, it just didn't get the promo it should have after the strike.

And Ian Hart as Don Konkey was one of the great performances in scripted cable series history.

Updated w/Video -- Big Brother 10's "Catholic Dan" Thinks Confession is "Magic!" & More New Houseguests

UPDATED with BB10 intro video of this guy above (Jessie) because I know my audience, and also Michelle, once again, after the jump.

I love this.

First of all, he's a Catholic school teacher, and ... he'll be in the house with, among others, Remy, the woman in the clip after the jump, a gay rodeo rider (link to an article on that guy, Steve Daigle, from the gay press), and Jessie Godderz (pictured above), a pro bodybuilder (yowza!) that's also been on the MTV dating show Next (and I have a clip after the jump of him on that show, too.

Sure, I could have given you a pic of Catholic Dan, but wouldn't you really rather see Jessie? More of his picks all over the web. Seriously, they're everywhere.

Maybe They'll Just Call Him "McKidd?" Journeyman Star Commutes to Seattle Grace

Well, he stays in the same general part of the fictitious country that is the United States of Television.

Entertainment Weekly (and my sister's former work buddy Lynette Rice):

Kevin McKidd, the Scottish actor who headlined last season's time-traveling drama Journeyman, is in serious talks to join the cast. He'd play an M.D. who comes to the hospital after a stint in Iraq. It's expected to be a long story arc for McKidd, who also played the soldier Lucius Vorenus in HBO's regrettably short-lived Rome.

Hey, at least it's not Mario Lopez wearing child sized scrubs so that you can see his definition. I mean, I'm all for man candy, but Lopez is getting ridonkulous. If there were cameras and a red carpet there, he'd probably go shirtless to church.

I liked McKidd in Journeyman, I just didn't think the show made much sense.

Is the BBC Offering Big Big Bucks to Keep Their Current Doctor?

Den of Geek:

Last week, we reported that William Hill had lined up a list of candidates for the next Doctor Who, and had begun taking bets. Some of the names were obvious, some were just odd.

But according to a report in The Scotsman, the BBC may have other ideas. For they are believed to be preparing a seven-figure offer to carry on as the Time Lord for some time yet, with a salary of £1.3m mooted. According to the report, talks are set to kick off with Tennant in the near future, to try and put a deal together.

I will be keeping you informed. I would link to The Scotsman report, but I can't find it at their site. If you do, please send me a link.