EXCLUSIVE: 'Gossip Girl' season 2 premieres Sept. 1

We still don't know what exactly Gossip Girl's Serena (Blake Lively) and Georgina (Michelle Trachtenburg) did that drove them to leave New York, but EW.com can exclusively reveal that The CW's hit will return for season 2 on Monday, Sept. 1. Look for that first episode to feature cast members OMG-ing and LOL-ing in the Hamptons. The CW will offiically announce their schedule in New York during next week's Upfront presentations.

Scott Baio to exec produce VH1 reality series featuring former male teen idols

Cue the high-pitched squeals: VH1 is greenlighting a reality series in which eight male teen idols from the 1980s and '90s shack up together and reflect on the highs and lows of heartthrobbery. After receiving mentoring from a life coach and industry experts, each one decides whether to attempt a career comeback or to swear off Hollywood for good. Executive producers on the still-untitled show — which is slated to debut early next year — include Scott Baio and Jason Hervey, who know a thing or two about teen fame (Baio with Happy Days, Hervey with The Wonder Years) and VH1 (Scott Baio is 45…and Single, Scott Baio is 46…and Pregnant).

The Ratings Report: TV's post-strike blues

Now that the writers' strike is over, networks are airing new episodes of their top shows once again. But early ratings returns indicate that viewers might have left some programs for good.

Serialized dramas are suffering the most, presumably because of their complex story lines: Desperate Housewives just logged its four lowest-rated episodes of the season, while Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty hit season lows on May 1 (15.3 million and 7.9 million, respectively). Even Gossip Girl couldn't parlay considerable anticipation into a ratings surge: Its first two episodes after the three-month-long writers' walkout each garnered roughly 2.5 million viewers, under the series' average from last fall.

On the other hand, comedies, at least initially, seemed immune to the slump: The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Scrubs all posted season highs their first two weeks back, and Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory were strong, too. "There was obviously a lot of pent-up demand for comedy," says Mitch Metcalf, NBC's head of scheduling. "Closed-ended shows generally have been doing better as they've come back." That, or the laffers benefited from faster production schedules that allowed them to get on the air sooner, without much competition. But they, too, eventually succumbed to diminished ratings. Facing new installments of Grey's and CSI, The Office dropped from its season high by 21 percent on May 1, while 30 Rock posted its lowest-rated episode this season. The lesson here? Depriving viewers of their shows is no joke. —Tanner Stransky

Actors' talks update: SAG negotiations end with no deal, focus now on AFTRA

After three weeks of "insufficient progress" negotiating with the Screen Actors Guild, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced that it will turn its attention to the other actors union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, starting today. The goal will be to hammer out a new primetime contract for AFTRA-covered shows like Rules of Engagement, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 'Til Death, among others — and, ultimately, to avoid another debilitating Hollywood strike like the writers' walkout that ended in February. The contracts for both SAG and AFTRA expire June 30.

David E. Kelley: Will he be on the air this fall?

Will fans of David E. Kelley be in for a big disappointment come fall? ABC has yet to pick up the producer's Emmy-winning drama Boston Legal for another season, and EW.com just learned that he may walk away from Life on Mars, a drama pilot he executive produced for ABC, because of financial reasons. The series, which stars Jason O'Mara, is based on the BBC's sci-fi crime drama of the same name. It focuses on a 21st century detective who, after a serious injury, is transported back to the 1970s as a cop. One insider says that the chances for a series pickup are strong even without Kelley's involvement, though it appears the drama may end up as a coproduction between ABC Studios and 20th Century Fox TV (the latter studio, along with Kelley, first sold the project to ABC). According to the insider, the studios are in talks with the exec producers of October Road to take over showrunning duties on Life on Mars if Kelley leaves. A spokesman for 20th Century Fox TV declined comment.

Meanwhile, Kelley's beloved but beleaguered Boston Legal is still awaiting word of a fifth-season pickup by ABC. The dramedy, which has earned Emmy wins for stars James Spader and William Shatner, has averaged 9.8 million viewers this season, but it hit a low of 7.4 million when the show switched time slots on April 30. 

'Project Runway' producers defend their decision to walk away from the show

Less than a month after Lifetime announced that it nabbed future seasons of Project Runway away from Bravo, NBC/Universal announced today that it has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves, the production team responsible for the Heidi Klum-hosted fashion show. According to NBC, Cutforth and Lipsitz will walk away from Project Runway after season 5 (which will air on Bravo) and begin developing exclusively for all NBC-owned platforms. Lifetime will begin airing originals of Project Runway in season 6, under a deal it forged with Miramax Television. Magical Elves has been responsible for the award-winning Project Runway since its inception on Bravo, as well as Last Comic Standing, Treasure Hunters, Top Chef, and Step It Up and Dance.

“We didn’t have an issue with Project Runway going to Lifetime per se, and we’d both be surprised if it didn’t work for that network,” Cutforth tells EW.com. “When we started doing Project Runway five years ago, we weren’t really a production company. We were two producers taking work on a for-hire basis. But Project Runway became a huge part of our company and we are very much known for it.  We’ve been trying to grow our business and it doesn’t make much sense to keep on with it — as much as we love Project Runway.”

'90210' spinoff casts Tristan Wilds of 'The Wire'

The CW's spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210 welcomes another resident: Tristan Wilds, a.k.a. Michael Lee on HBO's The Wire. Wilds will play the role of Dixon Mills, the adopted brother of Annie Mills (Degrassi: The Next Generation's Shenae Grimes), who moves with his family from Kansas to the famously tony zip code. The pilot also stars Lori Loughlin (Summerland), Jessica Walter (Arrested Development), AnnaLynne McCord (Nip/Tuck), and Dustin Milligan (The Messengers).

Simon Cowell defends Paula Abdul, mocks 'American Idol' songwriting competition

Simon Cowell did not mince words today when asked whether Paula Abdul should have apologized to Jason Castro this week for critiquing his second song before he'd even sung it. "I don't think [an apology] is necessary, to be honest with you," the American Idol judge told reporters while promoting America's Got Talent at NBC's summer season press day in Pasadena. "I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. It was a live show. She made a mistake. He's a grown-up. Look, it's a high class problem. He's singing in front of 25 million people. They're all lucky to be on the show. You've got to put it in perspective. The year it becomes normal is the year I'll probably leave. I genuinely like it when it's a bit loopy."

Cowell did not hide his feelings about the Idol songwriting competition, which last year yielded the oft-mocked "This Is My Now" for winner Jordin Sparks. "I have nothing to do with it — I'd like to bring in the best songwriters in the world," said Cowell, who joked, "You can guarantee either the word 'proud' or 'moment' will be in the song. How about 'I'm Proud to Be in this Moment Now'?" When asked if the final two will get to change up the arrangement to better suit their vocal styles, Cowell hinted at a glimmer of hope: "I won't give it away, but there's a slight change to last year which is going to be an improvement."

'American Gladiators' hosts reveal new games for new season

American Gladiators hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali revealed three new games for the show's second season, which premieres Monday, May 12, at 8 p.m. on NBC. "My favorite [game] is a new one called Rocket Ball," Hogan said while speaking with reporters at NBC's "All American Summer" Press Day in Pasadena on Friday. "It's kind of like a mix between slam-dunk basketball and football. You've got these round hoops, way up in the air. You've got two contenders and two Gladiators, and you hit this launch button, and you get launched 25 to 30 feet in the air and try to put the ball in one of the hoops. At the same time, the Gladiator is trying to knock the ball out of the way, or hit you physically. That game is really intense."

Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali and a former Dancing With the Stars contestant, introduced a game called Tilt, "which is like a tug-of-war that takes place over the water," she explained. There's also one called Vertigo, adopted from the U.K. version of Gladiators, which involves a race between a contender and a Gladiator across a field of hanging poles. "To start," she said, "you have to climb up a pole, and then you have to make the poles sway using your body weight to get to the next pole. Way up in the air. I wouldn't want to do that. But I like it!"

John Rich: ''American Idol' infuriates me'

Country music star John Rich, of Big & Rich, attacked American Idol at a press conference this morning. "American Idol infuriates me as an artist," Rich said at NBC's "All American Summer" Press Day in Pasadena, where Rich was stumping for his talent competition show, Nashville Star (which is moving to NBC after five seasons on USA). "You can tell when somebody's comment was scripted. You can tell when a [competing] artist was told to wear this and sing that. That's not going to happen in [Nashville Star]." Rich, who will function as a judge and mentor on Nashville Star, as well as produce the album of the NS winner, said he was especially upset when Paula Abdul commented Tuesday night on Jason Castro's second song before the dreadlocked contestant had actually sung it. "Why don't you just walk up on stage and slap them right across the face while you're at it?" Rich said. "It's not a problem of [a judge] being tough on somebody. You've got to be tough on people and be honest with them. But you've got to respect these people. This is their entire life hanging by a thread....I'm sure [Paula] is a fine lady, but I thought that was a very, very disrespectful thing."

'Smallville' to lose Lex Luthor, gain two new villains

Michael Rosenbaum, who has played Lex Luthor for seven seasons on Smallville, is leaving the series, according to a statement released by the CW and Warner Bros. TV today. Luthor's departure will make way for two new, yet-to-be-cast villains for next season: Doomsday, the character best known in the D.C. Comics world for killing Superman, and an antagonist female whose sole purpose seems to be challenging Clark (Tom Welling). "While Michael won't be a series regular, and we won't have the pleasure of working with him on a weekly basis this fall, we like to think that we haven't seen the last of Lex Luthor," the show's executive producers said in a statement. "Stay tuned."

Rosenbaum thanked fans for their loyalty and for making Smallville a success. "It is time for me to start the next chapter of my life and career," the actor said in the statement. "I hope that I gave you some enjoyment over the years, and that you found my portrayal of Lex Luthor to be satisfying. I sincerely hope that you will continue to follow my career through my hair growth period."

This isn't the first major departure from Smallville this season. Just last month, creators/executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar announced they were leaving the young-Superman show. Smallville is the CW's longest-running drama. —Lynette Rice

Nicollette Sheridan to return for more 'Desperate Housewives'

Nicollette Sheridan, whose saucy Edie Britt has been largely MIA from Desperate Housewives lately, will continue to wreak her special brand of havoc on Wisteria Lane next season, despite rumors to the contrary (and despite the fact that she's not scheduled to appear in the last two hours of this season). A source close to the production tells EW.com that the actress will make at least "several appearances" when the ABC drama returns in the fall.

When the storyline will be set is another question: As previously reported, exec producer Marc Cherry is considering going all One Tree Hill and transporting the ladies either five years forward or five years back in their lives to freshen things up. And Queer as Folk's Gale Harold will be guest starring at the end of this season to help smooth the transition, which all seems to add up to...yeah, we still have no idea how this all plays into the "shocking" twist that will "change the whole series," as Cherry teased to EW in March.

Idol Jason Castro: "ready to go home"?

He made it through Paulagate 2008, but is American Idol's Jason Castro ready to call it quits? EW's Jessica Shaw was on the scene as the Idols rehearsed for Neil Diamond week (read her "Why Song Selection Matters" feature here) and spoke with Castro on Monday afternoon: "I'll get around to practicing," he promised her, after noting that his brother and a friend had visited over the weekend and that his Saturday meeting with Diamond had gone "really bad" because he didn't yet know his songs. "What happens happens. I'll sing and if people like it, they like it. And if they don't, they don't. I'm kind of ready to go home."

You're kind of ready to walk off America's biggest stage???

"It's been overwhelming," Castro continued. "I got 150 balloons yesterday delivered to the studio because people heard I was sick last week. That's cool, but that's just weird."

EW Exclusive: 'Project Runway' splitting time in L.A. for season 6

According to a source close to Project Runway, the Emmy-nominated reality show will split its sixth season (expected to premiere on Lifetime in November) between Los Angeles and New York to accommodate host Heidi Klum’s (pictured) schedule and home life. For season 7, the show will be back in New York, where it has been since its inception, and the upcoming fifth season, which debuts on Bravo in July, will also be set in the Big Apple. -- Additional reporting by Lynette Rice

Kathy Griffin 'fired' from 'Hannah Montana'?

Comedian Kathy Griffin tells EW.com that her infamous declaration at last year's Creative Arts Emmys — "Suck it, Jesus! This award is my god now!" killed her appearance on the hit Miley Cyrus Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana. "I was fired from Hannah Montana for my 'suck it Jesus' remark," Griffin says.  "Which I can tell you now that Miley Cyrus has been flashing her green bra and posing topless." Although it had never been reported that Griffin planned to appear on the squeaky-clean show, Griffin says it was in the works until her faux-outrageous acceptance speech. "I was basically told, 'Disney doesn't want you anywhere near the building,'" she says. (Disney says Griffin's Emmy speech had no bearing on its decision. "With all casting decisions, a 'pass' or 'accept' is ultimately a creative decision," a Disney channel spokeswoman said via email. "The 'pass' on Kathy Griffin in a particular guest role had nothing to do with comedy routines or public comments.")

Hugh Laurie 'stars' in Writers Give Back event

Turns out, Hollywood's writers' strike had at least one upside: It inspired a few writers to be a little more selfless. The organization Writers Give Back, founded during the strike by producer Brian Pines, is now seeking to help people in need and writers in need, often at the same time. Based in Los Angeles, WGB is staging table readings of unproduced screenplays — asking stars to donate their time to play the roles — and then finding creative ways to turn the events into fund-raisers. First out of the gate: House star Hugh Laurie, Ugly Betty star Chris Gorham, and others will perform a table read of Pines' own screenplay, the romantic comedy Now in Paperback, at the Actors Gang Theater in Culver City on Monday, May 5. The event is by invitation to industry insiders only, and guests are asked to bring at least one book as the price of admission. All books will be donated to the children's literacy organization, First Book. And here's the best part: If the screenplay is sold, the writer will donate a percentage of the sale to First Book, too. "We already give 10 percent to our agent, 15 percent to our manager and 5 percent to our lawyers," Pines says. "Why shouldn't we give a percentage to the world at large?"

'90210' spinoff: We have a matriarch!

Arrested Development fans may want to keep an eye on the Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff in the works at CW. Jessica Walter, who played the nutty, booze-soaked Lucille Bluth on the Emmy-winning Fox comedy, will play Tabitha, the grandmother, in the highly-anticipated drama from executive producer Rob Thomas. The spinoff is expected to revolve around the Mills family of Beverly Hills whose matriarch, Tabitha, is a 60-something has-been actress and alcoholic. Tabitha's adult son, Harry, moves back to Beverly Hills to care for his mother. Joining him are his wife Celia (Lori Laughlin, Summerland), an Olympic athlete-turned-personal trainer, and their two 16-year-old children, Annie (Degrassi: The Next Generation's Shenae Grimes) and Dixon (who has yet to be cast).

Lori Loughlin, Shenae Grimes join '90210' spinoff

Lori Loughlin (Summerland, pictured) has been cast in the Rob Thomas-produced Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff currently in development at the CW. She'll play Celia Mills, mother to teenage Annie, who will be played by Shenae Grimes (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Dixon, Annie's yet-to-be-cast twin (a la the original series' Brenda and Brandon Walsh). The actresses join a cast that also includes Dustin Milligan (The Messengers), who plays Ethan the popular guy, and Annalynne McCord (Nip/Tuck), who plays Naomi the rich, popular girl.

CBS/Paramount, which is producing the much-anticipated drama for the CW, is expected to shore up casting on the pilot soon. One insider says Hilary Duff was given a script to read, but any discussion about her joining the cast is premature.

Summer Glau on 'Sarah Connor': More action, please!

Now that Fox has picked up 13 more episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, star Summer Glau has high hopes for the new season. "I hope they make sure to keep the action level high," Glau told EW.com at the Young Hollywood Awards in Los Angeles on April 27. "I really enjoy it and I feel very comfortable jumping around and kicking butt. I don’t want to see it become -- and I think the fans would agree -- some sappy, depressing drama. I think we are safe, but I figured I’d put that out there."

"I feel like our storylines were just starting to really come together when the strike happened, and it is going to be hard to get fans back [on board] and to attract new fans," Glau continued. "We were really building toward something, and then Bam, we had to stop. At least we had an episode filmed that was meant to be a middle episode, but it worked as a finale. So we didn’t leave people hanging in a bad spot, but you lose momentum and a level of comfort and it will be like starting all over again.”

Glau's co-star, Thomas Dekker (John Connor), who attended the ceremony to accept a Young Hollywood award, promises the show will come back in the fall "like a proper series" and will take six months to prepare. "We are going back to shoot in June," he said. "It is a very complicated show with lots of effects and stunts, so it takes a while to do each episode. And, of course, we are hoping that once we do those 13 they will keep us on to finish out a whole season."

As for his character, Dekker says that "John undergoes a lot of changes in the coming episodes and season. It was intentional. Anyone who was afraid that my John was a little too weak will be pleasantly surprised in the second season. It was always the plan that I would go through a transformation and become a bad ass. I have to prove I am not a wimp and it’s going to be fun. We wanted it to start small and then make audiences go, ‘Oh s---.'” -- With reporting by Carrie Bell

CBS' 'Moonlight': Good news for fans?

Though CBS hasn't officially ordered a second season of Moonlight, the sexy vampire drama starring Alex O'Laughlin, co-star Jason Dohring (Josef Konstantin) told EW.com that Joel Silver, the show's executive producer, hinted that a second-season pickup seems likely. “We just aired our first episode after the strike break and the ratings were really good, so things are looking up," Dohring told EW.com at the April 26 premiere of Speed Racer, which Silver produced. "Joel just pulled me aside on the carpet and said things were looking up and not to book any jobs for after the hiatus. That’s gotta be good, when the producer tells you things are looking up on whether or not you’ll still have a job next season.”

In terms of upcoming episodes, Dohring says there'll be a lot more vampire action. "There is going to be a problem, and to solve it all the vampire circles and families are going to have to come together," he said. "We have a big meeting to address the problem. There are vampires from all different social stratas."

And if Moonlight does, in fact, return for a second season, Dohring hopes the writers will make use of his character's extremely advanced age. “Because he is a 400-year-old, they could draw from any of those time periods for stories," Dohring suggested. "I would like to see some flashbacks to establish more about this guy. Mostly, I just want to wear some cool period costumes but I think it’d be cool to see some huge historical events from the last 400 years that may have been instigated or impacted by vampires, this vampire in particular.” -- With reporting by Carrie Bell

Return of 'Gossip Girl' scores big for the CW

Gossip Girl's April 21 return helped the CW earned its best-ever Monday ratings among adults 18-34 and young women. The original episode ranked No. 1 for its timeslot among female teens and was second among women 18-34. In the episode, Blair (Leighton Meester) returned to school with her tail between her legs after having been dethroned as the so-called Queen Bee.

The Ratings Report: 'Idol' rules (again)

(This new EW.com column will report on primetime ratings every Tuesday.)

More than 23 million tuned in to see Kristy Lee Cook's ouster on last week's American Idol results show, which helped Fox win the week ending April 20 with an average 8.8 million viewers. Meanwhile, Desperate Housewives ranked as the most-watched drama in primetime and Two And A Half Men continued its reign as the most watched sitcom on TV (sorry, The Office, No. 21, and 30 Rock, No. 44).

The 10 most-watched new shows from last week: Idol Tuesday (23.6 million), Idol Wednesday (23.3), Dancing with the Stars (17.1), Housewives (15.7), Dancing results (15.4), NCIS (15.1), Men (13.9), CSI: NY (13.4), Law & Order: SVU (13.2), and Criminal Minds (12.9). Biggest Loser 5, which ended its run last week, averaged 11.3 million viewers, while the controversial Democratic Presidential Debate (swell questions, Charlie!) attracted 10.6 million.

Who’s winning the 2007-08 season so far? Fox (no surprise) is averaging a respectable 11.3 million, followed by CBS (10.5), ABC (9.1), NBC (8.3) and CW (2.6). Fox is also leading in the all-important 18-49 demographic (4.3 rating/11 share), followed by ABC (3.0/8), CBS (3.0/8) NBC (2.9/8) and CW(1.0/3). Each rating point represents 1.31 million viewers.

And finally, of the Big Four networks, Fox is currently attracting the youngest viewers (average age of 43.9), followed by NBC (48.1), ABC (49.1) and CBS (51.9).

George Eads to cameo on 'Two and a Half Men'

More details have emerged regarding the much-anticipated writer-swap episodes of CBS' Two and A Half Men and CSI. CSI co-star George Eads will make a cameo appearance on the Monday, May 5 episode of Men, which was written by CSI scribes Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar, while Katey Sagal will play a diva sitcom star in the May 8 CSI episode, penned by Men exec producer Chuck Lorre. The latter episode focuses on Sagal's character's surprise death while filming her show in Las Vegas.

Jenny McCarthy will also make a return engagement to Men on May 5 to reprise her role as Courtney, the crazy daughter of Teddy (Robert Wagner), Evelyn's new husband.

Reality hosts get their own category at Emmys

Jeff Probst, time to prepare that acceptance speech. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has created a new category for "Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program" that will be presented for the first time on Sept. 21 at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmys. According to Academy rules, the new category is only for the "proactive master of ceremony" and does not include reactive participants or judges (tough luck, Paula and Bruno). "Reality TV has become such an integral part of TV and our culture, so it only made sense for us to create this new, highly-competitive category," said Academy chair John Shaffner.

Start campaigning now, Chenbot!

Three 6 Mafia to appear on 'Numb3rs'

Could it be? A couple of Oscar winners on Numb3rs? Juicy J and DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia — the rap group who snagged an Academy Award in 2006 for the Hustle & Flow song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" — will guest-star on the May 9 episode of the equation-obsessed CBS drama. (Sounds like a match made in alphanumeric heaven.) Juicy J (pictured, left) plays a hip-hop artist named Hunter who gets killed in a drive-by shooting after a gig at a record mogul's birthday party; Don (Rob Morrow) and his FBI team are called in to crack the case. In case you're wondering, Hunter and his partner-in-rhyme, Roland (DJ Paul), will be performing "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)," the first single from Three 6 Mafia's new album, Last 2 Walk, which drops in June.

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' update: Where's Larry?

Paging Grouchy McGrumpenstein: The cast of Curb Your Enthusiasm needs you! Costar Cheryl Hines (pictured) told EW.com that production on another season of the HBO comedy, which appears likely, is on hold for now while star Larry David works on an untitled movie by Woody Allen. "Normally, we would be shooting by now, but Larry is busy playing with Woody. We have to wait until the two crazies are done fooling around," Hines told us while attending the premiere of Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay in Los Angeles. "Hopefully enough stuff is pissing him off or irritating him, so hopefully he is working on writing some new episodes."

In the meantime, Hines is staying preoccupied: She just directed her first film, Serious Moonlight, which stars Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton. It's about a woman who holds her husband hostage until he decides not to divorce her. Hines is also about to costar in The Ugly Truth, a romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl, and she has small role in an upcoming Sam Mendes movie. Hmm, maybe life without David is not so bad after all. "I don't need Larry to come back, but I want Larry to come back because we have a great time on Curb," she admits. (With reporting by Carrie Bell)

'Back to You' undergoes casting changes

The producers of the promising new comedy Back To You may be looking to reboot the sitcom now that it's back in originals on Fox. A source close to the production says that actress Ayda Field (pictured), who plays weather girl Montana Diaz Herrera, may leave the freshman laugher to make way for a new cast member. Herrera is expected to appear in at least one more episode before departing the comedy that stars Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer as two anchors who work for a Pittsburgh TV station. Meanwhile, a Fox spokesman said the producers decided to "go in a different direction" by casting Lily Jackson (My Name is Earl) as 10-year-old Gracie Carr, the daughter of Kelly (Heaton) and Chuck (Grammer). Gracie was previously played by Laura Marano. Jackson made her first appearance in the April 16 episode. Back To You will wrap its first season on May 14.

'Gossip Girl': Season's final five episodes will be available on TV only

How old school of The CW! The network announced today that fans will have to turn on their TVs if they want to watch the season's final five episodes of Gossip Girl. The freshman drama, which returns to the schedule on April 21, will not be available for streaming via the network website (though the episodes will be up for sale via iTunes).

"Gossip Girl is an extremely important show for The CW and we feel it can be a signature breakout for its return," says Paul McGuire, a CW spokesman. "This is an experiment for us."

In addition to its regular Mondays at 8 p.m. time slot, Gossip Girl repeats will continue to air on Sundays at 6 p.m. The net says it will also bolster its online Gossip Girl content over the next month by streaming interviews with Gossip executive producer Josh Schwartz and scenes from future story arcs. The first 12 episodes of drama are still available for streaming on CWTV.com. 

'Boston Legal' promotes its time slot move... during an episode

Didn’t get the memo that Boston Legal is moving from Tuesdays at 10 p.m. to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. starting on April 30? No worries. David E. Kelley’s ABC drama is including a jokey nod to the schedule change in the final moment of the April 22 episode, and will follow it up with a 30-second scene that kicks off the April 30 episode, in which Denny Crane (William Shatner) and partners are startled to learn that the weekly firm meeting is shifting from… Tuesdays at 10 to Wednesdays at 10. (Check out a video of the scene after the jump.) “The network will let people know we’re moving, but we couldn’t help but also deal with it the way Boston Legal deals with things — by turning it into a little scene,” says Legal exec producer Bill D’Elia. “It’s irreverent, fun, and inside baseball... We stay in character and treat it like, ‘If you get it, you get it, and if you don’t, you don’t.’”

Of course the series has dabbled in meta-gags before, whether it’s a character humming the Boston Legal theme song or musing, “These past few years I've felt this inexplicable compulsion to be someone redeeming, as if I were some regular on a TV show." (“We’ve broken the fourth wall so many times that we have to go find the fourth wall in storage to even use it any more,” quips D’Elia.) Creative do-it-yourself promotion can’t hurt, considering that the move means the series loses its mammoth Dancing With The Stars lead-in. “If we had our druthers, I think we’d rather stay where we were on Tuesday night,” he says, “but the network game is the network game.”

Right now, the Legal team is more focused on earning a renewal for the fall: The drama, which averages 9.9 million viewers per episode, remains on the bubble. “We expect a decision by the first week in May,” D'Elia notes, “and we feel pretty good about what we’ve done to prove our case.” Pun intended, we presume.

More details on Kate Walsh's return to 'Grey's Anatomy'

Those signature three-inch heels are back! Private Practice won’t be returning to ABC until the fall, but fans of Kate Walsh (a.k.a Dr. Addison Montgomery) can get a quick fix May 1 when the siren returns to Grey’s Anatomy “to explore the thought that you can never go home again,” teases executive producer Shonda Rhimes. In the episode, Addison flies to Seattle Grace at the behest of the Chief (James Pickens Jr.) and she’s ready to set a few people straight. Explains Rhimes, “There are some things only Addison can do surgically, but there are also things that she can say to people that nobody else in that world will.” (In other words, prepare yourselves for a tongue-lashing, Meredith and Derek!)

Just don’t get too comfortable with her homecoming, since she’s only staying for one episode, after all. Says Walsh, “I’m here to do my business in Seattle and then I go back to the L.A.!”

Well, not immediately: Production on Practice’s second season doesn’t start until sometime in May, which gives Walsh enough time to costar as a “crazy lady” in the supernatural thriller Legion opposite Paul Bettany. (It’ll also give Rhimes a chance to find a new exec producer to help her run Practice, though she'll still serve as head writer for both of her series.) Practice was this season’s most popular new drama before the writers strike sent it on hiatus, but the break may have been a blessing in disguise, says Walsh. “How do you promote it when American Idol is on?!” she asks of the series that Practice would have faced had it remained on the air. “I’m cool with coming back in the fall.”

EliteXC announces fight card for May 31 CBS event

If you don't follow extreme fighting, the following information will read like Russian to you. But the five primetime matchups on CBS' EliteXC Saturday Night Fights might still be worth mentioning because the May 31 event could turn out to be a major turning point in the network race to lure those elusive male viewers. EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw describes the lineup as "the biggest and single most important... fight card ever. It will forever change the landscape of the sport and how it's is perceived." Well, alrighty then! Here they are: Kimbo Slice vs. James "Colossus" Thompson (heavyweights); "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler vs. Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith (for the EliteXC Middleweight title); Gina "Conviction" Carano vs. Kaitlin Young (140 lb weight class); Phil Baroni vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua (middleweights); and Brett "The Grim" Rogers vs Jon Murphy (heavyweights).

The brutes will kick it live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Tommy Lee says 'Rock of Love' is 'the stupidest s--- I've ever seen'

Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is no stranger to reality TV (remember Tommy Lee Goes to College?), but that doesn't mean he's a fan of celebreality. Following a press conference and performance to announce Motley's new album, Saints of Los Angeles, and this summer's Crüefest tour, the always-outspoken stick-man revealed he could have had Bret Michaels' VH1 gig but turned it down. "They asked me to be on the second Rock of Love and I was, like, 'Are you out of your f----- minds? F--- no!," he told EW.com. "I think it's the stupidest s--- I've ever seen." Crüe singer Vince Neil, ironically, was more forgiving of their Poison peer. "I think it's pretty funny," he said. "Trying to deal with 20 chicks in the same house? You gotta hand it to the guy."

Lee hasn't given up on television entirely, however. He and rapper Ludacris have signed on for Battleground Earth (a show premiering on Discovery's new Planet Green network) in which the two will criss-cross the country in various competitions designed to raise awareness of environmental issues. And just to show he's serious, this weekend Lee heads to San Francisco to join the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart and Phish drummer Jon Fishman on stage at the Green Apple Music Festival, one of eight free Earth Day concerts being held around the country. He's also planning to make the ultimate sacrifice sometime in the coming weeks: "I'm gonna quit smoking," he declared. "Or I'm gonna try."      

Babe Alert! '90210' spinoff lands AnnaLynne McCord

AnnaLynne McCord (Nip/Tuck) has joined the cast of CW's planned spinoff of Beverly Hills 90210, from executive producer Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars). McCord will play Naomi, a hot, rich, and popular Beverly Hills high schooler (is there any other kind?). There are still many roles to be cast for the drama, which is in contention for fall, but Thomas has already cast Dustin Milligan (The Messengers) as Ethan, a likable star athlete.

Published reports have said the spinoff will revolve around the Mills family, whose matriarch, Tabitha, is a 60-something has-been actress and alcoholic. Tabitha's adult son, Harry, moves back home to care for his mother. Joining him are his wife Celia, an Olympic athlete-turned-personal trainer, and their two 16-year-old kids who will may make up the new 90210 crew.

Original cast member Gary Dourdan to leave 'CSI'

Gary Dourdan, the smoldering actor who plays investigator Warrick Brown on CSI, has decided to leave the eight-year-old drama. According to an insider, the decision was a mutual one made by the actor and CBS/Paramount, the studio that produces the procedural drama for CBS. CBS/Paramount would not confirm the date of Dourdan's last episode, though it will likely occur in the next month since the actor's contract expires this season. The insider says there's a chance that Dourdan, one of a handful of African-American men in leading, primetime roles, will reprise his role with occasional guest appearances in coming seasons.

Dourdan's decision to leave the show comes on the heels of Jorja Fox's much ballyhooed departure from the series late last year. The actress told EW then that she would like to return to the series someday, though not in a full-time capacity. Meanwhile, star Billy Petersen just re-upped his CSI deal for one more season, but for a limited amount of episodes so he can do other projects.

Update: Neil Patrick Harris clarifies his Britney Spears remarks, AP then clarifies its story

In an exclusive statement, Neil Patrick Harris responds to the Associated Press article that suggested he would like Britney Spears banned from the set of his CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. "It seems that yesterday a writer took some quotes of mine and speculated an opinion about their intent. I write to you to set the record straight," the actor says. "Britney did a great job on the show. She really did. In fact, we are all hoping that she returns rather soon to reprise her role as Abby."

Spears guest starred as a lovestruck receptionist on the March 24 episode, which earned the series' highest ratings in the 18-49 demographic in its three seasons on the air. The appearance also garnered remarkably strong reviews for the troubled pop star. In the AP story, however, Harris was quoted as saying, "I'm in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed.... I worry that if they start Will & Grace-ing us too much, that the show will suffer." Now he tells EW.com that he would welcome Spears back — because he has "great faith" in the show's producers and writers. He also says, "My job description is to act, and I should really do just that."

At first, the AP stood by its story. "I respect his right to change his stance," said AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington, "but... Neil Patrick Harris told us unequivocally that he did not believe that Britney should be on the show." But by late Friday, April 11, the AP seemed to have changed its tune.  "We're issuing a clarification to our story," Washington said in a statement. "Harris did not say that he opposed a return engagement for Spears, and our lede said that he did."

Harris' full statement appears after the jump.

Kristen Bell hopes to return to 'Heroes'

Good news for fans of Kristen Bell's deranged Elle Bishop on NBC's Heroes: The actress told EW.com that her reps are working to get her back on the NBC mythology drama next season. "I have made it more than clear that I want to come back and they have made it more than clear that they want me back," she told EW.com while walking the red carpet at the Forgetting Sarah Marshall premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday. "With the writers strike, it threw everyone for a loop and now they have to work around everyone's schedules. I love that the next season is supposed to be subtitled "Villains." I am thrilled by the idea that my good friend Zach Quinto (Sylar) and I could possibly have scenes together."

And if the producers aren't able to work out a deal to secure Bell, there is always the Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff in the works at The CW from Rob Thomas, the mastermind behind Bell's old UPN drama Veronica Mars. "We have talked about it," admits Bell. "We definitely want to team up in the future and I have no doubt that it will happen someday. At this point, I am about to start another movie and then I have Heroes and narration for Gossip Girl so I don't know if I will have time this year. But I am super excited at the idea of a 90210 remake or update. We have powwowed about it and I let him borrow my DVDs of the original season." (With reporting by Carrie Bell)

'Office' gossip: Is Angela's Angela also pregnant, and what's next for Pam and Jim?

Those pregnant with anticipation for the return of The Office tonight may be wondering: Hey, speaking of pregnant, will Angela Kinsey’s real-life pregnancy be written into the show? After all, her character, Angela Martin (far left), is about to pair up with Andy (Ed Helms). “The actress is pregnant — not the character,” says exec producer Greg Daniels. “Any pregnancy that the character has will be on the schedule that the character needs to have it be on. And apparently it’s not that hard to remove the pregnancy digitally. You would not believe the technology — the CGI stuff has come down in price. We could make Dwight pregnant if we needed to with CGI. Or a pillow.”

And while we're answering questions, here's another one: Where is the Jim-Pam romance headed? While the Dunder Mifflin HQ has been rather mum on the subject, John Krasinski (Jim) seems to indicate that the Jam bond will deepen. “All I can hint at is that the most logical next steps — in any relationship — would be bigger decisions, whether it’s moving in or something like that,” shares Krasinski, who's been enjoying the "gutsy" decision to bring these co-workers together. “What happens to a relationship when the ‘What would happen?’ fantasy is starting to become a reality? You forget how difficult decisions like that are. When you’re watching on TV, it’s like, ‘For god sakes, move in together!’ It’s fun because you start dealing with the stress that comes with things like that.”

Last thing standing: cockroaches or 'King of the Hill'?

You’d think the King of the Hill writers would’ve been surprised to hear that Fox just renewed their animated comedy for a 13th season. After all, for the past five years, the network has bumped their show around Sunday nights, preempted it for sports, and even canceled it briefly during season 10. But they react to their show’s fate much as their characters stand around in the alley sipping beer: with an unfazed Ayup and Mm-hmm. “It used to be very frustrating,” says exec producer John Altschuler. “Until we realized we do a show with great writers and great actors about really interesting subject matter, so let’s just keep doing it and hope for the best.” At this point, they can envision a world where KOTH lasts forever. “It’s like inductive reasoning tells you that because the sun always comes up, it’s gonna keep coming up,” says exec producer Jim Dauterive. “That’s the way I feel about this show.”

'Secret Talents of the Stars' yanked for good

Okay, that was fast. After one airing, CBS pulled its new reality show Secret Talents of the Stars. The John O'Hurley-hosted premiere, featuring George Takei singing “On the Road Again” and Clint Black doing stand-up comedy, attracted just 4.6 million viewers on April 8. 48 Hours Mystery will replace the talent show on April 15 and 22 before the James Woods starrer Shark returns to Tuesdays starting April 29.

Talent agent scores top job at HBO

Another powerful talent agent in Hollywood has grabbed a coveted executive job in television. Sue Naegle, a partner at United Talent Agency, has been named president of HBO Entertainment, succeeding longtime exec Carolyn Strauss, who stepped down last month. Naegle was co-head of UTA's TV department, where she represented Emmy-winning writers like Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and packaged TV series such as Men in Trees, The Bernie Mac Show, Aliens in America, and the upcoming HBO series True Blood. She began her career at UTA 16 years ago in the mailroom and became an agent in 1994.

The last former agent to score a top spot in TV was NBC's Ben Silverman, who began his career at the William Morris Agency (and later, as a independent TV producer) before taking the entertainment job at NBC last year. And Chris Albrecht, HBO's previous president before Strauss, hailed from International Creative Management agency.

'Lost' writer to run new J.J. Abrams drama 'Fringe'

Uber-producer J.J. Abrams has recruited longtime Lost scribe Jeff Pinkner to serve as the showrunner on Fringe, Abrams' much-anticipated sci-fi drama in the works for fall at Fox. Pinkner, who also worked with Abrams on Alias, will oversee the drama, which stars Dawson Creek's Joshua Jackson (pictured) as a member of a unit investigating other-worldly mysteries. The group also includes an insane scientist (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's John Noble) and an FBI agent (Australian actress Anna Torv). The series, which Abrams has described as similar in spirit to The X-Files, Altered States, and The Twilight Zone, is currently shooting a two-hour pilot with a reported $10 million-plus budget.

'Project Runway' jumps from Bravo to Lifetime

Lifetime announced today that it has picked up the hit Bravo series Project Runway and will begin airing the series' sixth cycle, which debuts in November. In a statement, The Weinstein Co., which produces the show with executive producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves, announced that it entered a five-year deal for the show with Lifetime — a development that prompted legal action by NBC/Universal. In the same statement, the Weinstein Co. acknowledged that NBC filed a lawsuit today in New York Supreme Court in an attempt to block the series from moving to Lifetime. "We believe that this lawsuit is without merit. While good for the market for lawyers, it is always unfortunate when parties try to win in court what they have lost in the marketplace," said David Boies, counsel to The Weinstein Co.

The NBC/Universal lawsuit asserts that the company had been negotiating with The Weinstein Co. for a year to obtain additional installments of Runway but the production company "never intended to negotiate in good faith." It goes on to say, "Instead, The Weinstein Co. threatened to take future cycles of the program to a competing TV network unless [NBC] agreed to pay many millions of additional dollars to Weinstein to acquire a 'package' that included TV rights to second-tier Weinstein films unrelated to Runway." The Weinstein Co. was contractually obligated to give the NBC-owned Bravo the right of first refusal when it got the offer from Lifetime, says the suit.

Jimmy Kimmel's 1,000th episode: Don Rickles, Sarah Silverman, Kid Rock join in the post-show festivities

After five years on the air, does Jimmy Kimmel Live have a chance at ever nabbing the 11:35 p.m. time slot? Thursday night was a test, of sorts: In honor of its 1,000th episode, the show expanded from an hour to 90 minutes, starting at 11:35. And the overnight results are looking good. According to ABC, overall viewership was up 20 percent from the show's season average; among men 18-34, Kimmel actually tied Late Show With David Letterman.

But long before the numbers came in, Jimmy and pals were celebrating the TV milestone with a private post-show party (and lots of free Jameson Irish Whiskey) at the famed Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. Among those in attendance: Don Rickles, Adam Carolla, David Spade, Kid Rock (the evening's musical guest), Johnny Knoxville, Rebecca Romijn, Paul Reubens, Carson Daly, Andy Milonakis, Dax Shepard, and comedian Doug Benson. Sarah Silverman, who took out a full-page ad in Variety on Thursday congratulating her boyfriend while posing with Matt Damon in tennis outfits, was also on hand to help blow out the candles. She's been knee-deep in writing for the next season of the Sarah Silverman Program, she told us, which is scheduled to start shooting in two weeks. (Damon, sadly, could not make the party. He's shooting a movie in Europe.) As for Kimmel, he's riding high from residual love pouring in from all over Hollywood following the infamous Ben Affleck affair. Coming soon to his couch: ESPY host Justin Timberlake and Stone Temple Pilots, who'll take over Kimmel's outdoor stage for their first reunited TV appearance on May 1.   

The pregnant man: Will the Oprah sensation soon deliver a TV movie, too?

Faster than you can say "Moment of Truth movie," word has surfaced that a telefilm could be in the works about "the pregnant man," Thomas Beatie. EW.com has learned that some networks, including Lifetime and one of the broadcast networks, have been shopped a project about about the 34-year-old Oregon man who was born a girl and decided to become a man a decade ago by taking testosterone and undergoing surgery to remove his breasts, according to published reports. Now married, Beatie was artifically inseminated and is now carrying a "healthy" baby. Beatie and his wife, Nancy, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 3 and are featured in the current issue of People. So far, it's not known whether any network has yet to purchase the rights. In fact, one network executive wasn't quite sure how to react when she first got the pitch via her cell phone. Her reaction, according to a source: "What? Who's pregnant?"

Don't look for Kristin Cavallari on 'The Hills'

Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari is done working the small screen, folks. EW.com caught up with the celebrity at the premiere of Keanu Reeves' next movie, Street Kings, where she had plenty to say about her big-screen plans and nothing to report about the possibility of appearing on The Hills, despite rumors to the contrary. “I have been asked to come back by MTV a million times to be on The Hills or Laguna Beach or to do a different reality show, but I am not interested," she says. "I am doing what I want to do so I don’t feel pressure to go back. I keep getting jobs. I feel like been there, done that. I did Laguna Beach for two years and had the best time. I feel like I need stuff that challenges me and another reality show won’t do that.”

So what's Cavallari been up to? She recently starred in a new video for Gavin DeGraw, best known for crooning the One Tree Hill theme song. She also shot a short film that Entourage's Kevin Connolly directed that... well, we'll let her describe: "[It's made up of] nine different short films, and the whole thing is called Uncomfortable Moments. My short is called Dry Humping. It is about two high school kids, my boyfriend and I, who are dry humping when his dad comes home and catches us in the act. They are all really funny short, goofy films."

Cavallari also is set to appear in a beach volleyball movie opposite David Charvet called Green Flash this summer. "That was definitely not a hard job to go to every day. And I am about to go to Canada to shoot a movie. I can’t talk about that yet, though. I’m having a good time!" -- Reporting by Carrie Bell

'Smallville' creators call it quits

Smallville creators/executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are leaving the young-Superman drama after seven seasons, though the CW will keep its longest-running and highest-rated drama on its viewership-challenged schedule next year. "We look back at 152 episodes," Gough and Millar wrote in an open letter sent to media outlets this morning. "We look back knowing that the show will continue into season 8 without us. After much heartache and debate we have decided it is time for us to move on." Here's to hoping it goes better than the net's Amy Sherman-Palladino-less final season of Gilmore Girls.

'Sin Tetas' headed to Telemundo?

When Ben Silverman took the reins as co-chairman of NBC, one of the first projects he picked up was the Colombian telenovela Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso (Without Breasts There is No Paradise). Since then, no word. So what gives? "We're continuing to develop it," Silverman told EW.com during the network's lineup announcement in New York on Wednesday. "It's very likely, actually, to go on Telemundo. Our script wasn't quite ready. The stuff we like, we continue to grind until it's ready for primetime. With Ugly Betty and with [NBC's new Aussie import] Kath and Kim, we did multiple scripts - years and years of development - prior to them reaching the air. [Sin Tetas]... it's such a cocktail to make that thing right."

NBC's new lineup: 'The Office' gets a spinoff; 'Friday Night Lights' and 'ER' return

NBC announced its fall lineup this afternoon in New York City. Highlights:

1. The long-rumored spinoff to The Office, will premiere after the 2009 Super Bowl.

2. Friday Night Lights will return for a third season as part of what NBC called a "unique" partnership with DirecTV. (Translation: NBC needs cash.) The satellite TV service has exclusive rights to FNL's 13 new episodes, which will begin airing October 1. Here's the bad news: If you don’t have DirecTV, those eps won’t air on NBC until the spring.

3. ER will be back for its 15th, and final, season, and so will Noah Wyle.

The announcements were part of NBC’s new strategy to be “in front” of its competitors by presenting a “52-week super-season” of “quality programming” to advertisers and journalists in lieu of the usual May upfront extravaganza. Network co-chair Ben Silverman described the network's slate as “inspirational, heroic, entertaining, escapist, engaging, real heroes and super heroes.” Time will tell. Here's how the next year or so will shake out:

AFTRA will enter talks with conglomerates on April 28

Less than 24 hours after the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced it would begin negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) on April 15, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) said it will enter talks of its own with the conglomerates on April 28. The decision to schedule separate talks comes after a particularly ugly weekend of finger-pointing between the two unions, which led to AFTRA's decision to effectively divorce SAG.

"The SAG leadership has now reversed its previous approach of postponing contract talks until the last minute, and last night publicly announced that they intend to start talks with the AMPTP on April 15," AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon said on Wednesday. "AFTRA has decided to let SAG go first because we feel it is in all of our interests for SAG to maintain its momentum and because we want to give the guild a reasonable opportunity to meet with the AMPTP.  In our view, our proposed schedule should allow SAG sufficient time to work out a good deal with the studios. At the same time, we cannot abdicate our responsibility to our own members to engage with the employers in a strong, deliberate, and timely manner so we can negotiate the best possible agreement for primetime performers."

SAG represents most actors; AFTRA reps daytime drama actors and a few primetime shows. Both unions had worked together for nearly three decades to carve out their TV and film contracts together. They will go at it separately now, raising concerns that a divided town of actors could make contract negotiations even sticker than a united one.

David Cook gives Doxology its 'Idol' due -- we got the band's response

You didn't have to pay extra-close attention to David Cook's introduction on Tuesday night to hear him credit Doxology (pictured with Cook inset), the little-known Seattle band whose arrangement of "Eleanor Rigby" partly inspired his own performance — he made sure to say it loud and clear. But with this Idol shout-out, does Doxology feel vindicated? EW.com got singer Luke McPherson on the phone after the show, interrupting the band's rehearsal for an upcoming Guitar Center opening (sorry, guys), to find out.

EW.COM: When you first reached out to Idol about this whole situation, were they responsive?
LUKE MCPHERSON: Very. Basically, we got in touch with the 19 Entertainment people and began a discussion on how we could resolve it and what measures could be taken to make sure that proper acknowledgment was given for the arrangement. We've been working through that for the past couple weeks and tonight was the resolution. But they were very supportive the whole time.

In your initial statement, you seemed kind of pissed. Was it because you heard that David did mention the band in his pre-taped interview but it ended up on the cutting room floor?
We were never able to confirm that, and if we came across as angry, that wasn't our intention. None of us were ever really upset. We were concerned because, after the press release, they did start crediting Chris Cornell, Whitesnake, and other artists on a week-by-week basis and we felt like we were left in the dark. But eventually, they came around and ultimately took care of it.

'Beverly Hills 90210' spinoff casting begins: Dustin Milligan tapped for pilot

Dustin Milligan (The Messengers) is the first actor to join the cast of the CW's planned spinoff of Beverly Hills 90210 from executive producer Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars). According to the show's producers, Milligan, who also appeared in the short-lived CW show Runaway, will play a "likable, genuine...star athlete" named Ethan who befriends the 90210 group of teens.

Published reports have said the spinoff will revolve around the Mills family of Beverly Hills whose matriarch, Tabitha, is a 60-something has-been actress and alcoholic. Tabitha's adult son, Harry, moves back to Beverly Hills to care for his mother. Joining him are his wife Celia, an Olympic athlete-turned-personal trainer, and their two 16-year-old children who may make up the new 90210 crew.

'Hannah Montana' movie plot is fuzzy, but Miley Cyrus insists it will be 'bigger and better' than the TV show

Apparently, the legions of Hannah Montana fans aren't the only ones dying to know what will happen in the movie version of the TV show, which is due out later this year. So would star Miley Cyrus. "There have been a lot of revisions to the script," confesses the Disney Channel star, who EW.com caught up with at Saturday's Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles. Her costar Mitchel Musso (Oliver) was a lot more blunt: "I don't know anything about the plot. They change the script, like, twice a day." But Cyrus was quick to reassure fans that it'll be worth the wait. "It will be like the TV show, but bigger and better. I just found out that we are for sure shooting in Nashville for two months. I am stoked to go home. I am leaving April 12 for that." Cyrus has no plans to shoot another concert movie but is certainly game if Disney comes knocking for a sequel to their $65 million-grossing hit. "It was fun," Cyrus added. "I don't think it would happen before the Hannah Montana movie, though. We don't want to overdo it." (Reporting by Carrie Bell)

Jordin Sparks says David Cook could win 'American Idol'

Now that we're down to nine finalists on American Idol, the mad frenzy to project the winner has begun. Joining in on the fun was Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks, who EW.com caught up with at Saturday's Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles. "I hate to choose because they are all good and I don't want to discourage any of them, but based on what happened last week I think David Cook has a good chance of being the last one standing," said Sparks, while on a break from walking the orange carpet of Nickelodeon's annual awards fete. "He sang the heck out of 'Billie Jean.' I didn't even know it was 'Billie Jean' when he started the song. I think that is a good example of taking a risk and it paying off. It is really hard because they want you to take risks, and the judges ream you if you don't, but they also often come after you when you take one they didn't like." Still, Sparks continued, "A lot can change from week to week. Voters have short-term memories, so if David blows it next week he could go home and I'd have to pick a new favorite. It is so unpredictable."

Sparks will appear on Idol Gives Back on April 9, and she's scheduled to go on tour with Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo this spring. "Sometimes I can't believe this is my life," she said. "I still get butterflies when I hear my song on the radio." (Reporting by Carrie Bell)

Joss Whedon fills his 'Dollhouse' with four more cast members

Eliza Dushku is no longer the only tenant in the Dollhouse: Joss Whedon has added four cast members to his upcoming Fox drama about a bunch of young adults who are programmed with "personality packages" before being dispatched on assignments. (The Dollhouse refers to the memory-erasing lab where the dolls, like Dushku's Echo, stay after each mission.) Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) will play Paul Smith, an FBI agent who's got his sights on the Dollhouse operation — and on Echo. Fran Kranz (Welcome to the Captain) assumes the role of Topher Brink, a gifted, not-to-be-trusted programmer in charge of imprinting the dolls. Australian actress Dichen Lachman has been cast as Sierra, a doll who seeks a friendship with Echo, while Enver Gjokaj (a guest star on The Unit) is Victor,  another doll and Echo ally. The show has a seven-episode order from Fox.

Sinbad comments on America's issues with race

To some people, Hollywood may be a "different world" -- nudge, nudge -- than it was when Sinbad's 1987 TV show about a group of students trying to make it at a historically Black college hit the air. But the actor-comedian, who played Coach Walter Oakes on the sitcom, has publicly taken issue with Fred Armisen dressing up as Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live recently and also feels that the controversey surrounding Obama's pastor has raised some important issues as well.

"If you have not lived as a minority you don't have to pay attention to a lot of things in America. And then when it's brought up...they get mad, they don't want you to bring it up, they get angry," Sinbad told EW.com. "I mean sometimes, even as minorities, you don't want to say it. But you know what, you gotta say it, you can't let it go and people get all bent out of shape. That's why I'm glad the whole thing came up with Barack; I'm glad everything came up the pastor. Everybody's freaked out like... this man was anti-American. How can he be anti-American? He's a marine. He's saying what he felt about America at a given time."

As for the blackface SNL skit, Sinbad sees the whole thing pretty simply. "It's just Hollywood," he said. "Hollywood could care less. Hollywood is about bank, it's not about finding a black entertainer. As long as it's bringing money to the box office. It's cut and dry. It is what it is."

Simon Cowell speaks out about the current season of 'American Idol'

EW.com had occasion today to speak with American Idol judge Simon Cowell, and we took the opportunity to ask him about the show's current, unpredictable season. As always, Simon had strong opinions and was not afraid to share his thoughts on David Cook, "God Bless the U.S.A.," and those "annoying" waving hands.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How do you feel the show is going this season?
SIMON COWELL: It's interesting. I think the audience are much more savvy than I've seen them in previous years, and much less forgiving, which I'm happy about. I've got a feeling this year something strange could happen, particularly after what happened with David Cook last night. Because, I've got to tell you, watching it back