All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- He’s back: Jay Leno hosts his first Tonight Show since the Conan O’Brien debacle tonight, with guests Jamie Foxx, Brad Paisley and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn.

- Sorry, Joe Flanigan fans; the star of The Rockford Files remake has been cast, and it’s big-screen vet Dermot Mulroney. Not a name I ever would have thought of for the show, but an interesting choice, no?

- Rumors say Anderson Cooper may be headed to CBS, but his “people” say it’s not true that he’ll replace Katie Couric as the CBS evening news anchor.

- During tonight’s season finale of The Bachelor (8PM ET), ABC will announce the cast of the next Dancing With the Stars season, which premieres on March 22. I may actually have to watch if it’s true that Beverly Hills 90210 diva Shannen Doherty is among the new D-list hoofers.

- Snoop Dogg on One Life to Live, James Franco on General Hospital and now, Julianne Moore may make an appearance on As the World Turns, the show that helped launch her career, before the CBS soap ends next fall.

- The cast of Glee is indeed embarking on that rumored concert tour, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix.

- The Office funny guy Craig Robinson will be the new host of Last Comic Standing when it returns to NBC this summer.

- Marcia, Marcia, Marcia … because she and Jan, a.k.a. Brady Bunch stars Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb, are still fighting, a planned Bunch reunion that was scheduled to happen this week is a no-go.

- American Idol season five alum Elliott Yamin – my all-time fave AI contestant – has been updating via Twitter about his experience being trapped in Chile after last Saturday’s earthquake.

- A Lost-themed amusement park attraction? It might actually happen.

- More Lost news: John Locke and creepy Ben as hit men? It’s a brilliant idea that Lost Emmy winner Terry O’Quinn is shopping, a drama about a pair of hit men who live in the suburbs. The show would star O’Quinn and fellow Lostie (and fellow Emmy winner) Michael Emerson, a duo that’s been responsible for a big chunk of Lost’s most memorable moments in the last few seasons.

- Zooey Deschanel is joining her Bones sister Emily Deschanel as a primetime star. Zooey will star in HBO’s series adaptation of Pamela Des Barres‘ famous band groupie memoir I’m With the Band.

- The new Doctor Who – with Matt Smith as the new Doctor – will debut on BBC America on April 17.

- Will Johnny Depp make a cameo in the upcoming 21 Jump Street movie? He tells Entertainment Weekly he hopes to, which just adds some points to his already full cup o’ coolness.

- Saturday Night Live hosts and musical guests for March: Zach Galifianakis and Vampire Weekend on March 6, and Jude Law and Pearl Jam on March 13.

- George Lopez is starring in a big-screen, live-action/CGI SpeedyGonzalez movie , and he says it won’t feature the stereotype-projecting Speedy of the original 1950s cartoons.

- And, though viewers seem to love the guilty pleasure aspects of kiddie beauty pageant shows like Little Miss Perfect and Toddlers & Tiaras, not so much for grown-up beauty contests: the Miss America pageant has yet again found itself homeless, as TLC has dropped the annual event from its primetime plans.

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen, Lost, Saturday Night Live, TV News
• Tags: Glee concert tour, Johnny Depp 21 Jump Street movie, Leno returning to Tonight Show, Pearl Jam Saturday Night Live, Rockford Files Dermot Mulroney, Zach Galifianakis Saturday Night Live

Great idea: A big-screen Laverne & Shirley movie. Not a great idea: Casting Jennifer Garner and Jessica Biel in it.

Seriously, producer Garry Marshall, that may be one of the most fun TV-to-big screen remake ideas ever, followed by one of the worst casting ideas ever. Mostly because neither Garner nor Biel has really shown they can be that funny. Garner was charming enough in 13 Going on 30 and Biel … well … eh, it’s just a bad casting idea.

Besides, the perfect Laverne & Shirley duo, of course, would be Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Totally likable, probably the two funniest women in Hollywood, it would give them a chance to re-team and erase memories of the so-not-worthy-of-their-skills Baby Mama … perfect, right?

Do you agree Fey & Poehler would make the perfect team to schlemiel and schlimazel their way through a big-screen Laverne & Shirley? If not, who would you cast?

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen
• Tags: Laverne & Shirley Jennifer Garner Jessica Biel, Laverne & Shirley movie, Laverne & Shirley Tina Fey Amy Pohler, TV show movie, TV show remake

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- Howard Stern as Simon Cowell’s replacement on American Idol? It’s such an out-of-left field idea, but potentially interesting enough that I’d definitely watch. You?

- More Idol buzz: Fox released a snippet of footage of Ellen DeGeneres in action as the newest judge. Her official AI debut is Feb. 9 (8PM ET).

- It’s about time: The always awesome Gary Cole is getting his own series again. He’ll play a Philly homicide detective who partners with his rookie nephew in the TBS comedy Uncle Nigel.

- Who will fill James Arness‘ boots in the big-screen movie version of Gunsmoke? Brad Pitt and Ryan Reynolds are reportedly the top contenders.

- HBO is developing a comedy about a female Hollywood blogger.

- Start planning your send-off party now: The Lost series finale will air on May 23.

- Wish as we might, the Simpson family (not Homer and company) isn’t going away anytime soon: Papa Joe Simpson is developing an autobiographical comedy for Nickelodeon, while Jessica Simpson’s VH1 reality series The Price of Beauty debuts on March 15.

- Charlie Sheen’s legal woes continue, as TMZ reports that he’ll be charged with felony menacing re: that Christmas Day incident with his wife.

- The cast of Jersey Shore will guest on The View on Feb. 23.

- R.I.P. Days of Our Lives star Frances Reid, a.k.a. Grandma Alice Horton, who died on Wednesday at age 95. Reid’s last appearance on DOOL was in 2007, but her character will always be remembered for keeping her family together (she was always a key supporter of supercouple Bo and Hope) and for her homemade doughnuts.

- Rumor has it that Tiger Woods may return to golf later this month, in an Arizona tournament that will be broadcast by NBC. Who would have imagined the PGA tour turning into an US Weekly hotspot?

- It’s a bummer that Bryan Batt won’t be back on Mad Men as Sal next season, but the actor/interior designer is keeping busy: He just designed “The Hef,” a loveseat to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Playboy Clubs.

- Though its fourth season has some iffy storylines unfolding – really, you didn’t think anyone would find out about that whole polygamy thing until after the election, polygamist/state Senate candidate Bill?!? – Big Love has gotten a thumbs up for a fifth season at HBO.

- The next cast of Dancing With the Stars will be revealed during the March 1 season finale of The Bachelor, but rumor has it that Pam Anderson will be one of the D-list top tappers when the new season of DWTS premieres on March 22.

- And Jonas brother Joe is going to be a flashback guest on Brothers & Sisters, playing the younger version of Balthazar Getty’s Tommy Walker.

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• Filed in American Idol, Boob Tube to Big Screen, Daytime TV, Lost, TV News

Sex and the Desert? Hmmm … everything about the Sex and the City movie sequel looks fun enough until you see Carrie and pals walking through the desert and find out that part of the movie takes place in Dubai. Seriously?! Am I the only one who’s dubious about the Dubai aspect? It’s just so … random.

The movie, by the way, hits theaters on May 28, 2010, and though, obviously, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie is the focus of the movie, you really have to give it up for Kim Cattrall and how amazing she/her character Samantha looks in the trailer … how amazing she looks at 53-years-old. I know, I know, 50 is the new 40 (is the new 30, etc. etc.), but for reals, most 53-year-old women would not be so quick to go frolicking about in a swimsuit on the big screen.

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen
• Tags: Kim Cattrall, SATC 2, Sex and the City 2, Sex and the City 2 trailer, Sex and the City movie

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz confirms that the big-screen AD will happen, he will direct it and much of its plot revolves around a jail. Can’t wait.

- The New York Post has a peek at some of the songs we’ll supposedly hear on 2010 episodes of Glee. Among them: “Proud Mary, “Endless Love,” “Imagine” and Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You.”

- It looks like NBC’s discarded cop drama Southland will land at TNT, possibly as soon as November.

- NBC is developing two new series: One’s an African-American comedy described as “Mad About You-meets-The Cosby Show,” while the other’s a drama about two guys who can be inhabited by ghosts and who use this ability to solve problems for living and dead New Orleans residents. That may be the most high-concept plot of the year …

- If you’re up at 6AM, check out Al Roker’s new Weather Channel series Wake Up with Al, where, this week, guests include Tim McGraw (Tuesday), Anthony Edwards (Wednesday), Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan (Thursday) and Dan Ackroyd on Friday.

- Hosting her own talk show could have potentially been Jennifer Aniston’s most interesting career move ever, but, sadly, it’s apparently not happening, despite rumors to the contrary.

- One of the main questions table-tossing Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa always sparked for me was, how the heck were she and her husband affording that pimp mansion that they were building on the show? Turns out, they weren’t. Affording it, that is.

- The Beek is back! Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek will pop up as a baddie on ABC’s The Forgotten. The complete series DVD collection of the Creek, by the way, hits stores on Nov. 10.

- Top Chef’s getting another spin-off series: Just Desserts, which, like the title suggests, will be all about yummy sweet things. And the pastries they make. Bah dum dum! Thank you ladies and germs, I’m here all week, and there is a two-drink minimum.

- TV Land is developing a couple of original, scripted comedy series, one of which I think will be offensive to the fine folk of Cleveland, Ohio.

- Want a first gander at the assembled cast of the upcoming big-screen A-Team remake movie? The NY Post has it.

- That creepy, serial adulterer ESPN dude? He’s been fired by the sports network. And, of course, he’s using sex addiction as the excuse for his d-bag behavior.

- Who’s watching NBC’s Mercy? Who knows, but the beleaguered network ordered the back nine episodes of the medical drama anyway, along with nine more eps of Thursday night sitcoms Community and Parks and Recreation.

- And a second season of TLC’s fabulous Cake Boss, about New Joisey baker Buddy Valastro, debuts tonight at 10PM ET. Among the highlights of the season: Buddy and his team fashion a NASCAR car cake, life-sized.

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen, TV News
• Tags: A-Team movie photo, Arrested Development movie, Cake Boss season 2, Dawson's Creek complete series DVD, Glee 2010, Glee new songs, James Van Der Beek The Forgotten, Jennifer Aniston talk show, Real Housewives of New Jersey Teresa, Southland TNT, Top Chef Just Desserts