Scribes sang the praises of "Glee" Saturday at the Television Critics Assn. Awards.

The high school musical dramedy won three prizes on a night where no other show won more than a single award. The 20th Century Fox skein was tabbed program of the year, top new show and Jane Lynch, co-star of the Fox series, took home honors for individual achievement in comedy.

"Modern Family," "Breaking Bad" and "Glee" also won big. Check out STU LEVINE's coverage here.

TV Academy chairman John Shaffner, who's an Emmy-winning set designer in his regular day job, revealed his next high-profile gig on Friday: Designing Conan O'Brien's new TBS set.

Shaffner also designed O'Brien's classy, art deco-themed "Tonight Show" set. For this time out, Shaffner (who works with partner Joe Stewart) said he's leaving the art deco behind and focusing on more of a theatrical theme. The inspiration comes from O'Brien's recent nationwide "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television" tour, which gave O'Brien the theater bug.

"Being out there working on his tour, the theater game him a sense of atmosphere between him and his audience," Shaffner said.

Shaffner said he was sad to see his O'Brien "Tonight Show" set (photo, left) disappear from the air so quickly -- particularly the show's curtain.

"Oh, I miss that curtain," Shaffner said.

Shaffner's set design credits include "Two and a Half Men," "The Big Bang Theory," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Friends." 

Fox insiders have been insisting all day that an "American Idol" judge announcement was unlikely for Monday, when the network meets with reporters for its portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour.

Apparently everyone finally believes them, as we're all now reporting that Fox won't be announcing its "American Idol" after all. Probably. (The L.A. Times reports that J-Lo is taking her time before signing, hoping to sweeten the pot.)

That means Fox Networks Group entertainment chair Peter Rice and entertainment prexy Kevin Reilly will have to put on their tap shoes and cut some serious moves to dance around the topic.

Of course, Rice and Reilly at least have plenty of other topics to discuss about the state of Fox. Over at ABC, brand spanking new entertainment topper Paul Lee is going to have very little to say about a network that he hasn't even started working at.

Hope Lee likes to boogie -- because he's going to have to do an even tighter jig around those Steve McPherson rumors.

Get down, everybody!

The Masturbating Bear, you just might have a home at TBS.

NBC appears ready to let bygones be bygones -- and not put up a fight if Conan O'Brien wants to bring some his "Late Night" and "Tonight Show" bits to his new Turner talker.

That would be a big coup for O'Brien, whose famous late night segments -- everything from "The Year 2000" to Pimpbot to "Twitter Tracker" -- are technically the intellectual property of NBC.

Asked if NBC would block O'Brien from taking those features to Turner, NBC Universal TV Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin said those conversations haven't taken place yet.

But he also said that NBC is ready to move on from the past and "wishes Conan well." Gaspin also pointed out that Team Coco asked NBC for permission this summer to use Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in O'Brien's "Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour," and the Peacock said yes.

NBC is likely not interested in creating new headlines by barring O'Brien from using those bits -- and has no use for the Masturbating Bear anymore, anyway.

That's a marked change from how NBC handled David Letterman's departure in 1993. In that case, the Peacock put up a fuss and prevented Letterman from bringing some of his bits over. Letterman simply changed the name of some of his features:"Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag," while "Larry 'Bud' Melman" started using his real name, Calvert DeForest.

NBC, of course, can't get rid of O'Brien so easily. O'Brien's Conaco shingle is producing the network's Friday night drama "Outlaw," for starters. And O'Brien will be seen on NBC's Emmycast next month as a nominee -- or even winner -- for "The Tonight Show."

President Barack Obama's visit to ABC daytimer "The View" on Thursday drew an average of 6.6 million viewers, the series' biggest audience ever in nearly 3,000 airings.

The talker also had its highest numbers among women 18-34 and women 18-49 since March 2, 2009 (when discussion topics included the Rihanna-Chris Brown relationship and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal being accused of making up a story about Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts).

“We were honored to have President Obama on ‘The View,’ said "View" co-host Barbara Walters, who did her first "View" interviewing since undergoing heart surgery. "The ratings indicate that our show continues to break new ground."

Billed as the first time a sitting president had ever appeared on a daytime talkshow (although strangely, James K. Polk's appearance on lighthearted 1840s talker "54-40 or Fun" was ignored), Obama's appearance is part of a "Red, White and View" campaign ABC is conducting that emphasizes political content for "The View."

Meanwhile, the opening segment on Thursday's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" discussed Obama's "View" stop while reminding viewers of President George W. Bush's appearance on "Dr. Phil."

To absolutely no one’s surprise, the second-season premiere of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” was a big hit with the teen crowd and was the year’s top cable telecast in the 12-34 demo.

Snooki and Co.’s jaunt from the Garden State to Miami garnered a 5.1 rating in the demo, as well as 5.3 million overall viewers – both series records.

The 5.3 million viewers marked a 280% increase from the series premiere in December and the rating was the best for an MTV season premiere since season two of “The Osbournes” in 2002.

Show has been a huge hit for the cabler, which had previously looking to get back into the teen zeitgeist following the falling ratings of former hit “The Hills.”

   
 
Our long national "WHO'S GONNA REPLACE SIMON?" nightmare may soon be over.

Hot on the heels of Ellen DeGeneres' departure and word that Jennifer Lopez will replace her, the rest of the "American Idol" judge's panel seems to be falling into place as well.

As Variety wrote yesterday, Kara DioGuardi is also expected to depart the show after two seasons -- leaving a three-person panel. Joining incumbent Randy Jackson and newbie Lopez could very well be Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.

Insiders said deals are not in place, and it's still far from sure that an announcement will be made on Monday at Fox's portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour. But Fox still has a full weekend to get deals finalized -- so anything's possible. Stay tuned.

“Law & Order” is not coming back on any network, nor in any form.

So said creator Dick Wolf, who told TCA scribes that the procedural mothership that ran for 20 seasons before being canceled by NBC is dead and buried.

“I can confirm that is has moved into the history books,” he said, while later on adding: “We exhausted every effort.”

Wolf wouldn’t comment on whether he was unwilling to take a lower fee in order to keep the show on NBC, or if he and A&E and TNT, both of which was rumored to be interested in the show, were close to finalizing a deal.

But he said there was no deal he left on the table at the Peacock.

“There are so many factors that entered into the network’s decision. Everything in life is a negotiation. In 25 yeas on air at NBC, we never failed to make a deal when there was a deal to be made.”

Variety was the first to break the news, and now it's official: Paul Lee is heading to ABC. What's more, he'll even be on stage this Sunday to take questions from reporters as part of the Alphabet net's TV Critics Assn. press tour day. Lee is cutting his vacation in Britain short to fly back and take part in the TCA. (TCA leaders had strongly suggested to ABC that not having an exec session would be damaging -- and that even if Lee didn't have much to say, he'll at the very least provide the network some charm offensive.)

That may be the most awkward exec session we've seen in a while. Lee will not have even started his new job when he shows up. He won't know a lot of his own execs. And, for all we know, he may have not even seen the shows yet. 

And given how ex-ABC Entertainment topper Steve McPherson's sudden departure may have legal issues attached, it's doubtful anything will be addressed in that matter.

Guess we'll be talking a lot about "Pretty Little Liars."

Read Cynthia Littleton's story about Lee's official ABC Entertainment hire here. And here's the press release below:

Whether “Undercovers” ultimately becomes an NBC staple for years is still undetermined, but clearly the show will make headlines before the pilot even airs in September.

In searching for as large an audience as possible, it’s rare in television to go out of the mainstream, and with two black leads – German-born Boris Kodjoe and Brit native Gugu Mbatha-Raw – the Warner Bros. skein is taking a worthwhile gamble.

According to exec producer Josh Reims, the casting wasn’t originally intended to be groundbreaking, but it just might turn out that way.

“We weren’t going to hire two black people because they were black,” Reims said, who co-wrote the pilot with J.J. Abrams and was a member of the "Felicity" writing team. “We didn’t consider that we were revolutionizing TV, but we do realize it’s a big deal. We all wish it wasn’t such a big deal that two black characters were on a major TV show on a major TV network, but that’s the way it is now.”

Added Kodjoe: “It’s important recognize it’s not the norm, though it should be. The world is diverse and we come in all different sizes and shades. It’s important that we get a chance to be trailblazers, door-openers or whatever you want to call it. Let’s inspire people to regard it as normal. It’s not taking a chance, just being creative.”

Having a black lead isn’t anything new on the comedy side. Fox had lots of success with “The Bernie Mac Show” and, of course, “Cosby” is one of the biggest sitcoms of all time. And for dramas, there’s been dozens of cop and hospital shows that have had black and white main characters.

But two black leads as the faces of the show is definitely cutting edge for broadcast. On HBO’s critically applauded series “The Wire,” many of the drama’s main characters were black, adding to the rich cultural fabric of the show. Cable certainly has the opportunity to be more risk-taking than the broadcasters.

If “Undercovers” reaches a second season, the racial casting will become a forgotten story. That’s a good reason as any to hope it succeeds.

NBC and the TV Academy have decided to move the reality TV host award out of primetime – and TV’s top reality emcees aren’t too happy about it.

Emmy nominees Tom Bergeron, Phil Keoghan, Heidi Klum, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest were just informed of the change – which means their category will now be given out at the Creative Arts Emmys, a week before NBC’s Aug. 29 Emmycast.

This marks the third year the reality TV host Emmy has been handed out – but the kudo was included on the 2008 and 2009 Primetime Emmy telecast.

As a matter of fact, the 2008 nominated reality hosts (Seacrest, Probst, Bergeron, Klum and Howie Mandel) even hosted that year's Emmycast.

Of course, their hosting gig was widely deemed a disaster – but the star power of the reality hosts was still considered strong enough that the category was still handed out during the Primetime Emmys in 2009.

Probst has won the category during its first two years of existence.

Asked about the snub, an Academy spokesman said this: "The host category was added two years ago and was never required to be in the Primetime Show.  Additionally, last year CBS let the show run 5 minutes over and there were also two no-shows for awards which opened up more time in the show. Since the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award will be presented for the first time in six years, along with the second play of the show on the West Coast beginning at 8 p.m., NBC wants us to try to get off on time and there was just no room for more awards."  

The desire to pare down the number of awards handed out during the Primetime Emmys – which usually number around a whopping 28 -- is a perennial issue with the Emmycast.

But one insider close to a host noted that Seacrest, Probst and company front some of TV’s most popular series – and are better known and watched by more viewers than contenders in many of the other categories.

Sources also point out that NBC wouldn't have much reason to object to moving the award: The Peacock isn't represented among the nominees, now that Heidi Klum's "Project Runway" is no longer a Bravo property.

On top of that, it is also the program most that will bear the most scrutiny as the potential heir to departed series like “Lost,” “24” and the Peacock’s own “Heroes.” So today’s panel for the show greatly amounted to a vetting of the Jason Ritter starrer in that context.

Example: How tightly would “The Event” hold its secrets?

“We’re very cognizant of the audience’s patience, of rewarding the audience,” said showrunner (and “24” alum”) Evan Katz. “The show’s designed to answer questions to satisfy people, to keep them hooked, frankly, but to keep posing questions. … In the second episode, we are clearly answering the two largest opening questions in the pilot.”

Added “Event” creator and co-exec producer and self-proclaimed TV geek Nick Wauters: “I’ve been a big fan of ‘24’ and ‘Lost,’ ‘Battlestar (Galactica)’ and all those shows for years. That definitely influenced my writing, so I’m very conscious of that, which is why we’re going to try to reveal as many answers as we can as we go.”

And from series co-star Laura Innes: “I think all of us had long meetings with (the producers) before we signed on, because we all had the same fear. We don’t want to end up on a show that drives people crazy.”

But it’s a tightrope walk. The initial answers, as former Variety scribe Joe Adalian of New York Magazine’s Vulture pointed out, almost seemed to go too far in making the show sound like it would be hand-holding. After all, “Lost,” which suffered from criticisms that it held back too much information (whether justified or not), is one of the most creatively successful shows in TV history.

Exec producer Steve Stark responded that “The Event” has plenty of plot in reserve.

“I think when NBC bought the pilot, I think the bible was longer than the script,” Stark said. “The dance of intrigue and satisfaction is something we’ll be doing all the time, but we have (story) benchmarks we want to hit.”

The irony, of course, is that for “The Event” to succeed, it will do so not by aping any of its genre predecessors, but by being original enough to retain an audience that can be very jaded about this sort of thing.

“You just have to go on faith that we know what we’re doing,” Wauters aid. “The pilot is really an invitation to the series – it’s an appetizer.”

Other notes from the session:

1) Though the pilot episode does a great deal of time-shifting – in Stark’s words, “50% flashbacks” – future episodes will be more linear. “It’s definitely something we’re going to keep using in the future as long as it serves character and story,” Wauters said, “but you may not see as much of it.”

2) Katz said that while there will be some similarities to “24” in style and intensity, “The Event” won’t be as dark. He added that a key distinction is that the central character, Ritter’s, is more of an innocent than Jack Bauer.

3) The actors are being told information on a need-to-know basis, but they’re not completely in the dark. “Before we shot the pilot,” Ritter said, “we each got these character dossiers that explained to us who we were, so we weren’t just going blindly into it. We all know as much as our characters know ... and now as the episodes come out, we learn more. But we don’t know a heck of a lot.”

4) Wauters said they hope the show draws significant online interest. “I’m actually a major geek, so going into the show, that was something that was very important to me, so I see that as an extension of the show in a way. So I’ve been working very closely with NBC digital to try to create and expand (the experience) of the series.”

5) Innes, the former “ER” star who has spent much time in recent years directing, felt that “Event” scratches her itch to act again. “I think when I was done with ‘ER,’ I was ready to take a break from the process,” she said, “but sitting behind camera and watching people … I was missing it. So when I read this script, which I loved, and when I saw the pilot, I felt in a very economical way the characters were so compelling to me.”

6) Katz talked about the show’s timeslot challenges, which include airing opposite Monday Night Football, CBS’ sitcoms and promising Fox freshman “Lonestar.” His former series, “24,” typically stayed off the air until after football’s regular season was over and aired without hiatus. “NBC is scheduling it as straight through as possible,” Katz said. “I think if people are interested, people are interested, and I don’t think the intention would be to take a terribly long hiatus off air.”

Add Lee "The Six Million Dollar Man" Majors and Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo to the list of one-time TV stars ready to play exaggerated, parody versions of themselves.

It's the Larry David-ization of Hollywood, apparently. In looking for a few good yuks, Syfy's new development slate -- set to be announced Friday at the TV Critics Assn. press tour -- includes the Majors starrer "Me and Lee," and the Sorbo entry "Legendary."

I do give both guys credit for being willing to poke fun at their image -- and the shows they're best known for.

"Me and Lee" centers on a young man with a bad back who's lured into a high-tech lab by Lee Majors -- who makes the guy bionic.

Matthew Salzberg and Jenji Kohan are writing and exec producing "Me and Lee," which also comes from Steven Pearl and Lionsgate.

And on "Legendary," Sorbo will play Kevin Sorbo, a former syndicated TV star. The half-hour single-camera series, from David Eick and scribes Adam Karp and Royal McGraw, follows Sorbo as he's recruited by a fan to help defeat actual creatures that threaten to destroy Los Angeles.

That sounds kind of like a fun idea. Universal Cable Prods. is behind "Legendary."

Here's a snapshot of Syfy's other development:

-- "Human Relations," comedy about an office temp who discovers that his new co-workers and boss are really aliens looking to destroy Earth.

-- "Sherwood," from the team behind "Sanctuary," moving the Robin Hood story to the 23rd century.

-- "Ball and Chain" follows ex-lovers who are almost hit by a meteroite -- and then imbued with extraordinary powers that only work when they're next to each other. Now, to save the world, they must work together -- even though their relationship is over.

-- "Zeroes" follows the "Zombie Extermination and Removal Operations," which must figure out how to keep the peace after zombies overcome the barrier preventing them from entering the city.

Ellen DeGeneres won’t be returning to “American Idol” next season.

DeGeneres’ exit comes on the eve of a rumored massive “Idol” overhaul, as Fox and producers FremantleMedia and 19 Ent. are busy rebooting the popular brand.

DeGeneres said she told Fox and the “Idol” producers months ago that she wasn’t comfortable with returning for a second go-round on the show.

“I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next,” DeGeneres said. “ It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.”

The departure comes as DeGeneres opts to devote her attention to her popular daytime “Ellen DeGeneres Show” -- which is now on track to fill the syndicated talk show void left by the departure next year of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

What’s more, DeGeneres’ exit and the well-publicized departure of Simon Cowell now sets the stage for an “Idol” makeover.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY. 

The latest in the ABC/Steve McPherson drama, from McPherson's publicist, Stan Rosenfeld:

Steve McPherson is not going to sit back idly regarding the false & defamatory stories fueled by unknown and anonymous sources that are now appearing in the media since his resignation from ABC.

He has retained Martin Singer and Lavely & Singer to deal with these defamatory stories.

Series that switch showrunners midway through a run often face a difficult challenge of keeping positive momentum moving forward.

Such is the case with “Dexter,” as Clyde Phillips, who left the show following season four, has been replaced by Chip Johannessen.

After coming aboard following the pilot, Phillips (pictured at right) reluctantly said goodbye to move back east and spend more time with his family. As much as then Showtime entertainment topper Robert Greenblatt wanted him to stay, Phillips felt too guilty about missing his family in Connecticut and moved cross country.

But as the show is in the midst of shooting season five, exec producer Sara Colleton said the transition has been smooth.

“It’s gone about as seemless as these things go,” she said.

Added exec producer John Goldwyn: “We were lucky to get Chip because he’s a fan. He knew the intimate aspects of the character and came to it with a wealth of knowledge. We weren’t starting off with someone who didn’t have that intimate knowledge.”

Awww yeah. Can you feel the excitement in the seas? Discovery's Shark Week, this time hosted by Craig Ferguson, starts Sunday. Above, a teaser.

After viewing Showtime’s newest half-hour comedy “The Big C,” it’s difficult to say if will creatively blossom the same way the cabler’s “Nurse Jackie” has done, but it’s downright impossible not to be wooed by the charm and smarts of star and exec producer Laura Linney.

While she’s certainly made her mark on the bigscreen – actress has been Oscar-nominated three times – she’s also got lots of TV cred. Linney co-starred in HBO’s 2008 miniseries “John Adams” as well as a guest-episode arc in “Frasier.”

“TV has made me a better actress,” she said Thursday at the TCA confab. “That’s why I love working in different mediums. It’s challenging. It’s fast, furious and do things film and theater can’t do.”

The subject matter of “The Big C” is now to deal with a life-threatening disease. For Linney’s character, that means not telling anyone and just enjoying the last year or two – she’s on a bit of spending spree and certainly less bashful than before receiving the ghastly diagnosis.

For the actress, the gist of the show is about taking advantage of the finite amount of years we all have left.

“What hit me the most was the theme of time and what do you do with time -- the choices you make and how you spend time. You have a limited amount and the privilege to grow old. I think we forget that in this world where youth is overly celebrated.”

Exec producer Jenny Bicks, who has battled cancer, said the skein is intended to be both thoughtful and funny, with a delicate balance between the two.

“We want to be truthful about the disease, which is fourth-stage melanoma,” she said. “We don’t want to think about if and when we’re going to kill (Laura’s character), it’s about the exploration when she’s alive.”

Has TV just gotten even more bizarre? Serial killer Lee Boyd Malvo -- who terrorized the nation along with fellow "D.C. sniper" John Allen Muhammed in 2002 -- has given an exclusive talk to just one interviewer.

Dateline NBC? 20/20? 48 Hours? Larry King?

No. William Shatner.

The William Shatner. Capt. Kirk. T.J. Hooker. Denny Crane. "Shat My Dad Says" William Shatner.

Call it "Shots My Dad Says." (Credit to Jon Weisman for that gem.)

A&E will air “Confessions of the DC Sniper with William Shatner: An Aftermath Special” tonight, Thursday, July 29th at 10 p.m. Here's the info:

Two-time Emmy Award-winner William Shatner rips open the D.C. snipers’ case nearly 10 years later by gaining rare access to Malvo, who has granted Shatner an exclusive in-depth interview.

During a prison phone interview with Malvo, which Shatner conducted as research for a D.C. snipers episode of his new series “Aftermath with William Shatner” on BIO Channel, Malvo opened up, and shocking new details came to light that have never before been made public.

Malvo admits that he and Muhammed committed approximately 42 shootings around the country and that in the beginning, they worked with three co-conspirators.

“Getting the opportunity to speak with Lee Malvo is a moment I’ll never forget,” says Shatner, “He was only 17 when he committed these horrific acts, a monster forged by the only father figure in his life, and it was simply astonishing that he’s found the maturity and humility to admit so many new crimes in his effort to make amends.”

Is there anything the Shat can't do? He's letting you name your own price. He's saying $#*! in primetime. And now he's interviewing convicted serial killers!

Shatner's “Aftermath with William Shatner” bows on A&E sister Bio on Monday, Aug. 2. Show centers on stories like those of Jessica Lynch, Bernard Goetz and the D.C. snipers -- and puts the newsmakers behind those stories in the hot seat opposite Shatner.

"Confession of the D.C. Sniper with William Shatner: An Aftermath Special” comes from GRB Entertainment.

I'm not an engineer but I play one on TV!

"The Big Bang Theory's" Kunal Nayyar (far left) and Simon Helberg (center) have been tapped to host the Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards on Aug. 14 at the Renaissance hotel in Hollywood.

Those two should get the eggheads buzzing. Full release after the jump:

USA Network has given a two-season pickup for “In Plain Sight.”

From the net’s own Universal Cable Prods., New Mexico-set drama stars Mary McCormack as a U.S. marshal who works in the witness protection program.

Show ended its third season in June with strong ratings, as is typical for USA summer fare. Net recently launched “Covert Affairs” in mid-July, a month that saw a slew of basic cable dramas fare well, including TNT’s “Rizzoli and Isles” and “The Closer,” as well as freshman skein “The Glades” on A&E.

USA is also preparing to go the reality and comedy route now that “Monk” is off the air, ordering up sitcom “Driven” from Linda Bloodworth in May.

Michael Schneider, Jon Weisman and Stuart Levine continue their tweeting from the Television Critics' Association gathering in LA.

With rumors flowing around town that a specific work-related event (said to possibly be vitriolic emails) forced Steve McPherson's exit from ABC yesterday, McPherson's attorney, Tom Hoberman, just released this statement:

"Upon Steve McPherson returning to work from his vacation on Monday, he made a voluntary decision to resign and ABC accepted his resignation.

It is not uncommon for high level executives to be the subject of gossip and innuendo. That would includes rumors of internal situations which can easily be misinterpreted or misrepresented. Seems like it goes with the territory, and there is nothing further to discuss."

Malik Yoba and Laura Mennell have been cast in the new Syfy pilot “Alphas.”

Produced by Universal Cable Prods., written by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow and directed by “Lost” helmer Jack Bender, “Alphas” examines a team of citizens who have extraordinary mental and physical abilities. They investigate difficult-to-solve cases that the CIA and FBI have either passed over or were unable to solve.

Production on the 90-minute pilot, which already has David Strathairn attached, is set to begin next month in Toronto.

Yoba, who starred in police drama “New York Undercover,” and Canadian actress Mennell, who appeared in “Watchmen,” will play members of the Alpha team.

Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein are exec producers.

CBS’ upcoming drama “The Defenders,” starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell, had an unusual development history – originating not as a creative pitch or a script, but a documentary envisioned as a reality series from Harry and Joe Gantz.

At the show’s Television Critics Assn. panel today, the Gantzes said they weren’t disappointed that audiences won’t see their project the way it was originally intentioned.

“It wasn’t a concession – it was a great opportunity,” Harry Gantz said. “We’ve been working to get a documentary series off the ground from the standpoint of the defense for about eight years. When CBS brought Niels (Mueller) and Kevin (Kennedy) aboard, they did a pilot script that was just amazing. It had a lot of spirit of the documentary.”

The Gantzes remain part of the show’s production team. They will continue to produce documentaries, though they admitted the difference with network scripted entertainment was noteworthy.

“When we shoot a documentary we have a crew about six,” Harry said. “When we go to the set, they have a crew of about 110.”

Vegas-friendly musical guests will be a part of the show, which Belushi commented upon.

“We’re in negotiations right now with the Blues Brothers,” Belushi said. “The Blues Brothers are trying to get a regular slot on the show.”

Exec producers Alex Kurtzman and Peter Lenkov and series stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan fielded lots of questions at their Television Critics Assn’ panel today about how their new version of “Hawaii Five-0” on CBS relates to the original.

1) The original version of the hallowed theme song, after some experimentation with a heavy guitar version that went out with the original pilot, had to be kept.

“It had been suggested at one point that we get a really popular rock star to redo the theme with an electric guitar,” Kurtzman said, adding that they realized “you cannot change the original theme. … This is one of those things that we have to be utterly respectful to, to the point that we found the original musicians to do it.”

2) O’Loughlin’s Steve McGarrett will be different – in some ways.

“I love Jack Lord’s McGarrett. I loved Jack Lord’s hair. I loved Jack Lord’s version,” O’Loughlin said. “Our Steve McGarrett is a little different. He’s stoic in a lot of ways, he’s a military guy. There’s a lot of ways where he’s black and white. … (but) I found a lot of layers to this guy.

“You didn’t know much about the char Jack Lord played, whereas in the pilot you learn a lot about my character.”

3) The show is a “reboot,” not a “remake.”

“For me, the word ‘remake’ suggests we’re doing the exact same thing,” Kurtzman said. “You have to find the spirit of what that franchise is about – you have to be really true to it. And then you have to bring it to modern times. .. That’s why the word ‘reboot’ just feels more appropriate.”

Said O’Loughlin: “I remember the old show from when I was a kid. I remember when the old show was taken off TV 40 years ago. There’ve been a lot of changes in television, in the way we act, stylistically, what we can do with special effects. … It’s not a remake – we’re not picking up where they left off – it’s a reboot.”

4) Though not completely a buddy cop show, Danno has a more proactive role in the new version than in the old.

“When I sort of dove into this thing,” Lenkov said, “and talked to Alex (Kurtzman) about what made the original show so good and so memorable, was the cases week to week. We wanted to go into those characters, but I think we felt we needed McGarrett to play off somebody. Danno would be a good foil. … These two guys would be front and center in this show. McGarrett leading the unit and Dano being his right-hand man, but (working together).”

5) Bonus question: Why is this CBS O’Loughlin show different from all other CBS O’Loughlin shows?

“I don’t want to take anything away from the other shows I’ve done – I worked with some incredible people,” O’Loughlin said. “The thing is, there’s a reason things either work or don’t work in television. I don’t know what the answer is, I just keep blundering to the next thing and hoping.

“If this one doesn’t go, I’m completely bewildered – I have no idea how television works at all.”

It’ll be hard to tell the difference between “The Talk” and “The View,” but that’s certainly not a bad thing for the folks at CBS.

If TV is anything, it’s a copycat game, and Eye execs would love to get as much as half the attention the ABC daytime yakker receives – especially when politics enters the femme fray.

But, if the TCA panel is an indication, it’s tough to say how many topics that aren’t mom-centric will be part of the discussion. Much of the chatter centered around what’s good and bad for kids.

Sara Gilbert, who created the show and went to CBS with the idea, said, “I was a new mom when I thought of it. I went to a mom group and said people need support. What if there was a show where women talked through that perspective?”

Another new mom among the six co-hosts is Julie Chen -- wife of CBS topper Leslie Moonves – who called “The Talk,” “her calling.”

Comic relief from the troupe will most likely come from Sharon Osbourne, who cracked up the chilled scribes – temps in the BevHilton ballroom were downright polar during the morning sessions -- when she said Ozzy wasn’t even aware she was doing this show. Oh, and his bathroom habits are disgusting.

Chen is still trying determine how she’ll balance her busy schedule. She hosts reality stalwart “Big Brother” and has been a fixture on the “CBS Early Show” for years. And now with a baby and new talkshow, something’s got to give.

“We going to figure that out,” Chen said about finding the time to do everything. “I can’t be a daily morning host. That’s even too much for the Chenbot. I have to see how much it takes out of my day. Maybe I’ll do some taped pieces.”

If you think upcoming CBS sitcom “Mike and Molly” is about fat people, you’re on thin ice.

“This may sound ridiculous to some of you,” exec producer Chuck Lorre said at the series’ Television Critics Assn. panel today, “but this isn’t a show about weight. This is a show about people trying to make their lives better and find someone that they can have a committed relationship with. And it’s an ensemble show … (Weight) is not enough to make a series on.”

Instead, the show is Old School multicam sitcom at its simplest (and, hopefully, funniest). “Marty” and “The Honeymooners” were cited as influences.

“It’s about real people with real issues trying to have a relationship,” Lorre said. “Television would normally have cast Chris O’Donnell and Courteney Cox as the people who meet at Overeaters Anonymous. In this case, (we) had the courage and the wisdom to cast people as just people. It may be odd for television, but I hope it’s reflective of some kind of reality.”

Added creator and exec producer Mark Roberts: “It’s just a show about people with problems. The reason I wanted to do a show was to get real people back on TV. Most of the stuff on TV seems pretty unrealistic to me. … I don’t buy any of their problems.”

Series leads Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy echoed the point, and while humor is their principal goal, a little bit of helping people in the audience feel better about themselves wouldn’t be a bad byproduct. “I think anytime you see a broad spectrum of people on TV, whatever that is, I think that’s good,” McCarthy said. “To have something more realistic, so people aren’t always (saying): “I can’t be that perfect.” Guess what – no one is. I think any time a show bridges into the real world, I think it takes some pressure off some people.”

Gardell, whose background is mainly standup, tweaked the reporters who treated his girth as the elephant in the room.

“I don’t know, man,” he said. “My wife’s little – and I did better than I should have, and my cholesterol’s better than hers. Of course I’d like to lose some weight. Everyone would like to be better than they are. … I want to try to be a little better, but when you’re not great at coping with your own emotions, you try to push it down with a piece of cake. Some people do it with booze, some people do it with gambling. … But make no mistake – this is a love story.”

And so, the future of “Mike and Molly” – or more precisely, its appeal to viewers  – doesn’t depend at all on the size of its stars. They could gain or lose a hundred pounds, and it wouldn’t matter.

“They go to OA because they’re on a journey,” Lorre said, “because they want to make a change in their lives. That speaks to a lot of people who aren’t satisfied with the status quo in their lives. … These are people who are alive and in process – they’re not at the end of the journey, they’re in the journey – and that’s something we can write about forever.”

Chuck Lorre said on the opening day of press tour that he has complete faith in CBS' move of "The Big Bang Theory" from 9:30 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Thursday when the fall season begins the third week of September.

"It's not my job and nobody asks my opinion," Lorre said of the shift following a question as to whether the network asks his feelings on such timeslot matters before they've been given an official OK. "Given where we are after three seasons, it would be crazy to argue with the choices CBS has made along the way. Our job isn't to program the show, but produce the show."

"It's our fourth time slot in four years," Lorre continued. "It's working out fine but not what we anticipated. It's just nice just to be here."

Lorre hasn't had to do much worrying at the Eye, where he has shepherded "Two and a Half Men" to a seven-season run, has received good buzz for new sitcom "Mike & Molly" and finds enough time for "Big Bang" as well.

With that busy a schedule, he made it clear he lets entertainment prexy Nina Tassler worry about scheduling but remains constantly concerned about keeping the ratings for all his shows. "Big Bang" is the No. 1 sitcom in 18-49 and "Two and a Half Men" is often tops in total viewers.

Lorre clearly doesn't take his success, which dates back to "Roseanne," "Cybill" and "Grace Under Fire," for granted.

"Our relationship with the audience is so fragile. There are so many choices out there and with the timeslot change, it's almost like relaunching the show," he said of "Big Bang" landing in the former "Survivor" timeslot.

(Pictured above: "The Big Bang Theory" creators and exec producers Chuck Lorre, left, and Bill Prady at Wednesday's TCA panel)

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By Michael Schneider

Nina Tassler admits that there's an elephant in the room when it comes to CBS' new daytime talker.

Yes, Julie Chen is a panelist on "The Talk" -- as the show, exec produced by actress Sara Gilbert, has now been dubbed. And yes, Chen happens to be the wife of CBS CEO Leslie Moonves.

But put all that aside, Tassler told reporters Wednesday at CBS' portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour: She's the right host for the job.

"Why should she be penalized for being married to him?" Tassler asked the reporters.

Chen actually has more hosting experience than most of "The Talk's" panelists -- which, besides Chen and Gilbert, also includes Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

And Chen is a new parent -- which is part of "The Talk's" pitch as a more mommy-centric version of ABC's long-running "The View."

Tassler said Chen's involvement was actually first brought up by Gilbert, who initially pitched the show to CBS last August.

"We talked about people with profile, and Julie has a terrific reputation," Tassler said. "The bottom line is the executive producer of the show, Sara Gilbert, said, ‘What about Julie, would she be interested?'"

Tassler said CBS followed Gilbert's lead in approaching Chen -- who also hosts "Big Brother" and co-anchors "The Early Show" for the Eye. As part of the pickup, Chen will now serve as a contributor to "Early Show" but drop her day-to-day duties on the morning show.

"The truth is, I made the decision," Tassler said. "But I don't think Leslie is unhappy with the decision."

"The Talk" has gone through several iterations in its year-long development. Gilbert, whom Tassler repped as an agent 25 years ago, was inspired to pitch the show after holding a "Mommy and Me"-style gathering in her living room. The Eye offered to pay for a low-budget $25,000 Internet presentation, and then it picked up momentum from there.

Once CBS decided to cancel daytime sudser "As the World Turns," Eye opted to pilot "The Talk," along with a game/talk hybrid hosted by celeb chef Emeril Lagasse; a new take on gamer "Pyramid," fronted by Andy Richter; and a yakker hosted by Valerie Bertinelli and Australian host Rove McManus.

With such competition, one critic noted that Gilbert may have employed some savvy strategy in "hiring the CEO's wife" as a panelist.

But "The Talk" ultimately tested high both inside and outside CBS and "screened great," Tassler contended.

Asked how "The Talk" is differentiated from "The View," Tassler pointed to the hosts' points of view, as infused through their experiences as parents.

"The hosts will talk with you, not at you," said Tassler, referring to the loud cross-talk that often takes place on "The View."

Among other topics, both Tassler and the cast of "The Big Bang Theory" declined to discuss the thesps' ongoing salary renegotiations with Warner Bros. TV.

"We're feeling good that things will work out," Tassler said. "You saw how ‘Two and a Half Men' worked out."

As for "Men," Tassler said she's been promised by Warner Bros. that star Charlie Sheen's ongoing legal problems will not have any affect on production or delivery of the hit comedy.

Asked about GLAAD's recent report on gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender portrayals on TV -- which gave CBS low marks -- Tassler admitted that the Eye could do better.

"We're very disappointed in our track record so far," said Tassler, who said several LGBT characters will be added to CBS shows. "We know we can do better. We're not happy with ourselves."

Tassler was also asked to comment on Disney's decision Tuesday to ax ABC Entertainment Group prexy Steve McPherson.

"Dammit, he got out of doing press tour," Tassler quipped. Referring to McPherson's work as a winery owner, she added: "I'd like a case of chardonnay over the holidays."

And not to stir more tension with 20th Century Fox TV in the wake of their tough negotiations over "Chaos," but Tassler admitted that she preferred McPherson's wine over 20th chairman Gary Newman's bottles.

Separately, CBS announced its first round of "Undercover Boss" participants: NASCAR senior VP and CMO Steve Phelps; DirecTV chairman/CEO Mike White; Chiquita Brands chairman/CEO Fernando Aguirre; and Great Wolf Resorts CEO Kimberly Schaefer.

Also, CBS said the next edition of "Survivor" will divide tribes by ages -- pitting young vs. old contestants.

Tassler said CBS was coming off of another "terrific year" -- "but we're restless and motivated and, as I like to say, paranoid."

• On ABC Entertainment topper Steve McPherson’s departure from the network late Tuesday: “Damn it, he got out of doing press tour.”
  
  
• On criticism for a lack of gay and lesbian characters on the network: “We’re very disappointed in our track record so far. We know, and we want to do better.” She added that gay characters have and will be coming on such shows as “The Good Wife,” “Rules of Engagement” and “… My Dad Says.”
  
  
• On a perceived lack of strong female characters throughout the network: “You don’t look at a show and say, ‘I’m going to pick this up because it’s driven by a female cast member.’ You have to pick it up on the merits of the show itself. If we can going forward in a series add female characters, we will.”
  
  
• On “Mike and Molly”: “Chuck (Lorre) has consistently delivered big hits to us. Mark Roberts is a terrific writer, and he comes from ‘Two and a Half Men.’”
  
  
• On keeping “Undercover Boss” secret during production: “You hear hoofbeats, you don’t think zebras. People seeing cameras don’t automatically think, ‘I’m on an episode of “Undercover Boss.”’ (The producers have a procedure; they have a process in place.”
  
  
• On the cancelation of “The Bridge”: The show wasn’t delivering the numbers we needed. Generally, our summer strategy works. We’ll keep looking (for shows from Canada and elsewhere.)”
  
  
• On David Letterman’s contract expiring in 2012: “As long as Dave is happy and Dave wants to say around, we’re very happy to have him there.”
  
  
• On Kalinda’s mysterious sexuality on “The Good Wife”: “I don’t think you will (see it revealed) in the first part of season, but you will later on. People love speculating about her personal life and her sexuality, and so I don’t think we want to spill the beans on her yet.”
  
  
• On recasting after greenlighting pilots: “’Big Bang’ was recast. ‘Numbers’ was recast. The whole idea behind recasting is part of the development of any show.”
  
  
• On moving “Big Bang Theory” to Thursdays: “Certainly it was difficult (to decide to move ‘Big Bang’), but not in the sense that you don’t have complete faith and belief in the show. The time felt right – the show is certainly enjoying an extraordinary amount of support and love, and this was a great opportunity for us to move it into a strategic place. We don’t expect it to do the numbers that it’s done on Monday yet, but the show has distinguished itself.”
  
  
• On the new daytime talker making the arguably pragmatic choice of selecting CBS head Les Moonves’ wife, Julie Chen, as a co-host. “The executive producer of this show, Sara Gilbert, said, ‘What about Julie – do you think she would be interested?’ We followed her lead. I made the decision. I don’t think Leslie’s unhappy with the decision, but we’re thrilled to have her.”
  
  
• On Charlie Sheen’s legal status affecting “Two and a Half Men”: “There will be no interruption in delivery of episodes or production.”
  
  
• On scripted TV on Fridays: “The last three shows we’ve had on Friday night, all three of them went over 100 episodes.”

It's the circle of network life: Steve McPherson's Tuesday exit is a reminder that there's a life span to these jobs. Remember these past Alphabet shuffles?

:: Mark Pedowitz exits Disney-ABC TV Group: Feb. 3, 2010

:: Susan Lyne gets sacked: April 20, 2004

:: Lloyd Braun takes the bullet: April 5, 2004

:: Stu Bloomberg ankles Alphabet: January 7, 2002

:: Jamie Tarses out at ABC: Aug. 27, 1999

:: Ted Harbert hits the road: Jan. 8, 1997

 
 
 Well, that suddenly made the TV Critics Assn. press tour interesting.

A major exec shakeup is taking place at the Alphabet net, where ABC Entertainment Group prexy Stephen McPherson has been asked to resign and ABC Family topper Paul Lee has been named his replacement.

McPherson had overseen the Alphabet's entertainment programming and the ABC Studios operation.

On the programming side, a rising star at Disney has been ABC Family prexy Lee, and some had been eyeing him as a possible candidate for a programming role at ABC.

Read the full story here.

Here's ABC's statement on McPherson's exit:

Steve McPherson today submitted his resignation as President, ABC Entertainment Group, and the Company accepted. Mr. McPherson said, "I want to thank the wonderful team of individuals who have worked with me throughout my time here and wish them nothing but the best.” A replacement for Mr. McPherson will be announced shortly.

And here's McPherson's statement -- one of the more unusual we've seen in all the years we've covered execs getting sacked. The wine aficionado says:

"I will be announcing my future plans shortly which will include a new entrepreneurial venture in the spirits business. While I will continue with my ongoing wine business, I'll also reveal plans for my involvement in a new media company."

While the set visits at Warner Bros. and NBC Universal have started up today, the meat and potatoes aspect of TCA begins tomorrow when CBS offers the good word on all things “Big Bang” to the Shat.

With the tour lasting until Aug. 7, it’s best for journos — and even those hangers on in the back of the room pretending to be journos or friends of the panelists — to drink plenty of water, sleep well and don’t indulge in too many afternoon ice cream sundaes in the foyer.

That being said, here’s a list of the top 10 questions that will sure to be asked as the tour makes its summer stop at the Beverly Hilton:

1) At Fox panel: Who will replace Simon Cowell on “American Idol”?
Despite reports that it could be Justin Timberlake, Elton John or the guy on the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica singing for change, it won’t be any of those. And if Fox has someone it’s going after to fill Simon’s seat, neither Peter Rice nor Kevin Reilly is going to say.

2) At NBC panel: Looking back a year, did you make a mistake with “The Jay Leno Show”? And do you wish you had left Jay at the “Tonight Show” instead of having Conan replace him?
Well, duh. But they’ve owned up to both those moves, or as much as network usually does as far as a mea culpa is concerned. Jeff Gaspin was fairly forthcoming at the NBC winter tour about what went wrong with Leno and Conan, but scribes love to rub salt in the wounds and this will provide a new opportunity for latenight exposition.

3) At CBS panel: Why are we starting at 8:30 in the morning?
Nina Tassler is one of the most straight shooters in the business, but there won’t be much news coming from her session. Maybe CBS is hoping that TCA-ers will be too tired to ask tough questions?

4) At Showtime panel: Does Matt LeBlanc still keep in touch with his “Friends” co-stars?
This will have nothing to do with his new comedy “Episodes,” but it’s perfect tabloid fodder for the Us and People magazines that normally pick up tidbits of news at TCA. Those mags fill more of their pages with pictures from the after-parties, but they need some good copy to run with the art.

5) At ABC panel: Why go so heavy on documentary-style shows?
This is the copycat trend of the fall season. Yeah, obviously the reason “Modern Family” was a huge hit was because it was originally shot docu-style. The Alphabet went that route with cop drama “Detroit 1-8-7” (before deciding, smartly, to abandon the format), as well as with “My Generation.”

6) At Fox panel: Does “Lone Star” actress Adrianne Palicki know if the upcoming season of “Friday Night Lights” is its last?
Yes, the actress who played Tyra on the wonderful NBC/DirecTV series will be returning to Austin for a guest spot but she really has no idea if season five will be the end. Oh, and while we’re speaking about “Friday Night Lights,” does James Wolk realize that he’s a splitting image of a young Kyle Chandler? And is he tired of answering that question?

7) At PBS panel: Does PBS really need to be two days? Are taxpayers aware of this?
Nothing against the public broadcaster, as their lineup includes another baseball gem from Ken Burns (“The Tenth Inning”) and a chat with some influential TV pioneers, but one day probably would’ve done the trick.

8) At IFC panel: Does David Cross know if there will be an “Arrested Development” movie upcoming?
Both “Arrested Development” and “Deadwood” could be off the air for decades, but they are the two shows that forever live on at TCA. Even if the actors from both never want to talk about them anymore.

9) At TV Land panel: Mr. Danza, can you describe your life’s work in one word?
From boxer, to actor, to teacher, Tony Danza is the definition of eclectic. Oh, and combining those three professions, someone might want to ask, “When you were on ‘Taxi’ did you ever felt the need to punch Andy Kaufman in the face but decided to make it a learning moment instead”?

10) At HBO panel: What, no love for “The Life and Times of Tim”? Two seasons and out?
OK, maybe that’ll be me.

Wow, CNBC, tell us how you really feel about the cast of "Jersey Shore"!

I don't care that this is a promo for Comedy Central's upcoming roast of David Hasselhoff. I don't want it to ever end. It's truly Hofftastic. Watch. Repeat. Watch again. Don't make the Hoff cry.

"Fringe"? What's that? Turns out Joshua Jackson was in San Diego over the weekend to celebrate Pacey-Con, the annual gathering devoted to the "greatest character in television history... ever," Dawson Creek's Pacey Witter.

Showtime now has another bigscreen star attached to “The Big C.”

Sharing scenes with Laura Linney will be Liam Neeson, who will appear in an episode where he plays an eccentric character who Linney’s character, Cathy, consults for a possible treatment for her terminal cancer.

The two have a theatrical history together. They co-starred in "Love Actually" as well as the 2004 pic "Kinsey," in which she received the second of her three Oscar noms.

“The Big C,” which was written and created by Darlene Hunt, premieres 10:30 Aug. 16, immediately following the sixth season premiere of “Weeds.” Gabourey Sidibe and Oliver Platt co-star.

Lythgoe with original "Idol" judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

Insiders confirm reports that Nigel Lythgoe, who ankled his "American Idol" executive producer post two years ago, is expected to head back to the show.

According to one source familiar with the inner workings of the show, Lythgoe's hire was made by 19 Ent. owner CKX to serve as 19's and exec producer Simon Fuller's day-to-day eyes and ears on the show. 19 was said to be concerned that it didn't have a dedicated EP on the show -- hence the return of longtime Fuller collaborator Lythgoe.

The Lythgoe return comes as Fox, 19 and FremantleMedia North America continue to look at ways to reboot "Idol," which is coming off a lackluster season.

Job one, of course, continues to be the search for Simon Cowell's replacement as "Idol" judge. Fox said a replacement isn't likely to be announced in time for the TV Critics Assn. press tour; the network meets with reporters on Aug. 2. Several celeb and industry names continue to be bandied about for the job, but as for now, the network will only confirm that it's talking to several candidates.

Lythgoe has continued to have a presence at Fox, where he's both a judge and an exec producer on "So You Think You Can Dance." That's led some to wonder whether Lythgoe ought to actually serve as Cowell's replacement -- after all, Lythgoe has plenty of on-air experience beyond his producing chops. As a judge on the U.K. talent competish "Popstars," Lythgoe even earned the nickname "Nasty Nigel" in the British press.

FremantleMedia North America's Cecile Frot-Coutaz and Ken Warwick also continue as exec producers on "Idol."

As part of next year's changes on "Idol," the show's producers have dropped the contestant eligibility age down to 15. Auditions have already begun for next season, with stops already in Nashville, Milwaukee and New Orleans (today). Upcoming auditions include East Rutherford, N.J. (Aug. 3); Austin (Aug. 11) and San Francisco (Aug. 19).

I haven't been one of the millions obsessed with "Farmville" or any of the other time-suck Facebook games. But this may change all of that: Just in time for season two of "Jersey Shore," the MTV megahit has spawned a new Facebook game.

What's more, MTV is also releasing a Snooki-themed iPhone app. Seriously. This is America 2010, people.

According to MTV, the Facebook game "will allow users to throw pickles and tanning lotion at each other in one-on-one battles between animated versions of Snooki, The Situation, J-Wow and the other housemates. The game will also follow the story arc of the show itself, changing with each new episode, tying in different places or ridiculous new one-liners from the cast."

As for the iPhone app, dubbed “Spread Snooki” (uh, yuck!), the app "will allow users to superimpose Snooki’s face or first pumping into existing photos on their phones, or to include her in images as they are being taken with the user’s own iPhone camera."

GTL! GTL!

A few more images from the Facebook game:

As spotted in several online and print publications today, including Variety: This cheeky Emmy "for your consideration" ad for "Modern Family."

We're going to hold you to this, 20th Century Fox TV, even if it means Ed O'Neill streaking down Sunset!

"Law and Order" creator Dick Wolf is getting into the book biz, signing a deal with HarperCollins imprint William Morrow to publish two novels.

According to the publisher, the first book (described a s across between "The Day of the Jackal" and "Three Days of the Condor") centers on an NYPD detective and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which attempts to stop a major terrorist attack in New York over the July 4 weekend.

William Morrow executive editor David Highfill secured the world English rights -- including audio and E-book rights.

“As he has shown us in the authenticity and freshness of his TV work, Dick Wolf is a master of tightly woven, character-driven American stories that feel like they are happening right in front of you, right now, not last week or last year," Highfill said. "He will bring just that sense of heightened immediacy and drama to this new novel.”

CHUNG-CHUNG!

Wolf, of course, is behind the upcoming "Law & Order: Los Angeles," as well as incumbent series "Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

You need to decide what kind of company you want to be: Comfortable and dead, or risky, and possibly rich.

Don Draper, unbound.

What struck me most about "Mad Men's" season opener was the sense of liberation that now surrounds Draper. He's still figuring out how to handle his new-found freedom -- as evidenced by his very different interactions with reporters that bookend the episode -- but by Thanksgiving 1964 he is very definitely a changed man from where we left him last fall, in the winter of 1963.

He's no longer churning inside from the shame and self-loathing that came from hiding his identity from his family. He's no longer living in fear of being exposed in the Don Draper-Dick Whitman switch. He no longer has to sneak around with extramarital dalliances. His biggest challenges are in his professional life, but in this arena too he's taken the reins of his own destiny. He's working for himself, and the Madison Avenue establishment is paying attention -- to his delight, despite his protestations about the work speaking for itself. He even allows Don Draper's ultra-cool facade to crack a little bit by blowing up here and there -- kicking a chair, yelling at a client, etc. Jon Hamm -- hot damn, he's so good.

The title of this seg explains a lot: "Public Relations," written by Matthew Weiner (who else?) and helmed by Phil Abraham. There's great work in this episode from d.p. Christopher Manley. He and costume designer Janie Bryant work overtime to ensure that "Mad Men" remains the most stylish hour in primetime.

While Don is finding his footing in his new life, the same does not appear to be true for his ex. Betty seems to be in as much turmoil as ever -- just ask Sally Draper (as predicted, Kiernan Shipka has only gotten better in the role during the past year). Betty and her illicit love of last season, Henry, have married, but they're living in a strange kind of limbo by staying in the house that is haunted by the memory of Don and Betty's unhappy union, at Betty's insistence. Henry's mother is a battleax, for sure, as we discover in that painfully awkward Thanksgiving dinner scene, but she's right about one thing: Betty's children are terrified of their unstable mother, and that's a hell of a psycho-drama for Henry to enter.

By ERIN MAXWELL

WARNING: Thar be spoilers below!
 
Fans of Fox's "Glee" came out in droves to see members of the cast and crew talk about the upcoming season of last year's surprise phenom. After an extended highlight reel of last season's best moments, Ryan Murphy & Co. talked candidly about the skein tuner and what to expect in the second season.
 
How was shooting the Madonna episode?
Ryan Murphy: Most shoots are eight or nine days, but this was twelve, and it went over budget in the first few days. It was hard, but I told the kids "Do it for Madonna."
The "Vogue" video was the funniest day because we were so exact. We even used props from the video found in the warehouse. The whole episode was done with a lot of love and care.
 
Can you give us a preview of the next season?
RM: I think people think we are going to get bigger, but we are going to go in a different direction. The characters pop so much, so the second season will be more intimate, based on the feedback of fans. We'll have more tribute episodes but do five musical numbers per episode rather than eight.

 


By ERIN MAXWELL

The battle to keep "Futurama" on the air has been rife with plot twists and intrigue. So fans rejoiced today when the entire original cast, along with series creators David X. Cohen and Matt Groening, gathered at Comic-Con to answer questions and show clips of the new season.
It appears that, finally, the on-again, off-again sci-fi toon really does have a future.
The show debuted on Fox in 1999 and was canceled in 2003. The show then ran in reruns for the next four years on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim until the syndication contract expired. This was followed by four DVD pics and a new syndie deal between Fox and Comedy Central in 2009. That year, the laffer net picked up the show for 26 new episodes to air on Comedy Central.
It seemed that "Futurama" had a new lease on life. But fresh issues arose when the cast claimed Fox would not meet their salary demands. At last year's Comic-Con, the future of "Futurama" seemed dim when none of the cast appeared for the panel. The dispute was resolved, however, and the original cast was back in place to voice the new episodes.
"It alternates from good to bad at these 'Futurama' panels year to year," observed Cohen. "It's so good to be here on a good year."
The panel featured a table read by the cast of an upcoming episode titled "Benderama," set to air next summer. After the read, panelists took questions from an appreciative audience that appeared happy to see the gang back together again.
The writers could probably get away with a lot more at the comedy net than at their former home on Fox. But the writers say that they have yet to explore their new-found freedom.
"We have the opportunity to go further," Cohen said. "We are trying to restrain ourselves. The second episode of this season featured Chris Elliot as a giant robot that censors everything. In one line, we bleeped a word out, and the execs said, 'Well, what was it? Maybe you can say it.'"

By ERIN MAXWELL

An assassination attempt on Santa Claus, pornography, Bill Maher and show tunes galore were all revealed as upcoming plot points for next season's "Family Guy."
Creator Seth MacFarlane offered a sneak peak into the tenth season for folks at "Family's" Comic-Con panel. He also gave attendees a small preview of the next "Star Wars" parody, "It's a Trap," due out Dec. 21 on DVD and Blu-ray.
Sadly, MacFarlane also confirmed that "Trap" will probably be the last of the "Star Wars" parodies.
"This last installment almost killed us," McFarlane told the crowd. "The problem is that we try to be faithful to the look of the movies, and to make Episodes I, II and III would be too expensive."
"Also, they sucked," chimed in Alex Borstein, the voice of "Family's" long-suffering wife, Lois Griffin.

MacFarlane offered a few reveals of the upcoming season: Stewie will go to the North Pole to confront Kris Kringle; it is discovered that Lois once performed in a porno; Brian writes a self-help book and appears on the Bill Maher show (a live-action segment); and Peter and Mayor West become brothers-in-law.
"I'm a method actress, so that porn episode was very painful for me," joked Borstein.
There will also be a few Meg-centric episodes in which the much-abused daughter vents her wrath upon the family while Brian trips on 'shrooms.
The season kicks off with an hour-long season preem in which the Griffin gang spoof Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None."
And of course, there will be showtunes.
In an upcoming episode titled "Friends of Peter G.," where Peter checks into AA, the toon will offer an homage to Frank Sinatra's "Robin and the 7 Hoods" with a song titled "Take on Mr. Booze."
As a treat to the audience, MacFarlane performed the song "Down Syndrome Girl," from the controversial episode in which he poked fun at Sarah Palin.
"Last season, I wrote to insult Sarah Palin," said writer Mark Hentemann. "This season, I plan to write to insult smart people."

By Erin Maxwell

If there is a sense of loss due to the lack of "Twilight" at this years Comic-Con, folks seem to be dealing with their disappointment by channelig their energy into "True Blood." Folks lining up a mere two hours before the event were turned away as hardcore fans began filling the room in the early morning. Most waited thru seven hours of programs just to catch a glimpse of the cast HBO's hit vamp skein.

Moderated by Tim Stack, Alan Ball introduced a montage of clips that offered a look into future episodes and then the cast took questions about season three, their characters and the future of "True Blood."

Sookie seems to be kicking way more ass this season. Why do you think that is?

Anna Paquin: I think she has always kicked ass in her own way, but life has beat her down, so now she is ready to fight back.

What are your favorite gross out moments?

AP: After Marianne took over the house, there was a small, naked man in the sink that was doing something intimate with his intestines. That was interesting.

What does Tara always find the wrong guy?

Rutina Wesley: I think the minute she is attracted to someone, she runs away. It's a security defense she learned in her childhood. I'm hoping the security will come down in the future.

Sam's family is right out of Jerry Springer. Why does he put up with it?

Sam Trammell: Sam wants to help his brother, but it's not the best thing really.

How did the Snoop Dogg video come about?

Alan Ball: I knew he was a fan and wanted to be in the show since the first season, but I was so busy. They shot it one day and brought it in on Monday for me to see.

What celebs watch the show?

Kristen Bauer van Stauten: I heard Elizabeth Taylor is a fan

Charlaine Harris: Anne Rice is a huge fan of the show

What will happen between Jessica and Hoyt?

Deborah Ann Wall: I think you can't love someone until you love yourself. But with the confustion of being a vampire, Jessica doesn't know how to love herself yet.

If Eric had to choose between Pam and Sookie, who would he pick?

KBS: I am his progeny. Sookie is his infatuation. So...choice C.

What is your favorite episode?

CH: "I Will Rise Up." But I find something to love in each episode.

As actors, do you prefer to film the sex or the violence?

AP: Well, you have to fake the violence.

Stephen Moyer: All of us that have to be naked, we starve ourselves. Doing the physical stuff is more fun because you get to eat.

How is it working with animals?

KBS: Skaarsgaard isn't that bad.

What are your favorite lines?

KBS: I have been answering to "hooker" a lot lately.

Nelsan Ellis: I like every time I say bitch.

KBS: Every script is filled with gems.

What is your inspiration for Lafayette?

NE: My mama. I also have four sisters...and they are crazy. I take their crazy and stuff it into Lafayette.

Do you think Sookie and Bill are soul mates?

AB: I believe they are. I think the Bill/Sookie relationship in the books is different than the show because of how in evolved. On the show, their love is genuine and true.

CH: Things are evolving differently in my world. It's two seperate entertainment experiences.

I have been known the ending in my world for about eight or nine years. Please don't capture me later to find it out.

If you can be any type of supernatural, what would it be?

DAW: A witch. To have power and not be 17 forever. Or a virgin.

Any teasers for season four?

AB: Everyone goes to therapy. Everyone goes on medication. Everyone is happy.

Actually, there is a character that doesn't know who he or she is....and maybe someone who once hated him or her now doesn't.

(Pictured above: "True Blood" stars Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin hold a cutout of Alexander Skarsgard at Friday's Comic-Con panel)

Cynthia here: I've seen the season opener of "Mad Men" but I'm still excited to watch it live on Sunday night -- just because.

Watch this space late Sunday night for the return of "Mad Men" bloggage. Can't wait to parse the adventures of Draper & Co.