All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Some media types hate them, but I kind of love the annual upfront week, when the networks unveil their schedules for the fall TV season. Here’s my take on yesterday’s NBC presentation, and brief previews of some of the network’s new shows. My fave of all the previews we saw of NBC’s new series: The Event, a 24-ish thriller starring Blair Underwood as the President of the United States and Jason Ritter as a regular dude who gets caught up in a major conspiracy plot. The worst: The Cape, a midseason cop/superhero/circus-themed drama. Yes, that’s right … circus. Check out clips of The Cape here and The Event here.

– As for the fall plans of Fox, which also presented its upfront show on Monday, the American Idol results show will shrink to 30 minutes (yay!), finding Simon Cowell‘s replacement is one of the network’s biggest priorities of the summer and Keri Russell, Will Arnett and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan are returning to the tube at Fox next season. (Check out clips of new Fox shows here).

– Happy 40th birthday today to Tina Fey, one of the funniest writers and performers ever. This week’s 30 Rock season finale (Thursday, 9:30PM ET) finds Fey’s Liz Lemon getting flirty with guest star Matt Damon, but Fey promises that Liz and boss/pal Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) will never hook up on the show, even in the series finale.

– Radar Online has a sneak peek of Bret Michaels‘ first post-brain hemorrhage interview, which airs on Oprah‘s show on Wednesday. VH1 will also air a sneak peek at Michael’s new reality series, Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, on May 31. The new show drops the Rock of Love schtick and shows the Poison rocker at home with his daughters. And Michaels will also be competing for the Celebrity Apprentice title in Sunday’s season finale on NBC (9PM ET).

– The other big TV happening this weekend, of course, is the Lost series finale. But the penultimate episode airs tonight (9PM, ABC), and buzz is that there is going to be another pretty big death. After Sun and Jin, I’m pretty much okay with anyone being killed off, except Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway). Hurley and Sawyer, the show’s greatest characters, must survive the island adventure. Anyhoo, take a look at one critic/Lost fan’s prediction for tonight’s installment.

– Awesome news for Curb Your Enthusiasm fans: Much of the upcoming eighth season will film in New York City. We know the genius Larry David helped create with the New York-set Seinfeld, so imagine what predicaments Larry will get himself into in the Big Apple.

– New Weeds faces for season six: Linda Hamilton, who plays a weed grower who meets up with Nancy in Seattle, and Peter Stormare, who plays Andy’s (the Emmy-worthy Justin Kirk) new boss. The new season finds Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) and her fam on the lam to Seattle after Shane (Alexander Gould) took out Pilar in the season five finale. Season six, by the way, debuts on Aug. 16 on Showtime.

– Reeg! TV legend Regis Philbin will host the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on CBS on June 27. The big guy’s own Live With Regis and Kelly is nominated for Outstanding Talk Show. PS – Send good vibes Reeg’s way today, as he undergoes surgery to have a clot removed in his leg, something he has wrung for a lot of comedy in the last week.

– Glee: Champion of high school misfits or exploiter of stereotypes? Two Daily Beast writers duke it out, and while they both make compelling arguments, I’m gonna go with champion of misfits, though, I think to a large audience, the show’s just a fun, feel-good hour of TV every week.

– Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) in that exoskeleton suit, finally showing Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) to be the wuss we know him to be, in last night’s penultimate 24? Classic. And with the countdown on to the — sniff, sniff — series finale on May 24 (8PM ET), I’m doing a series of 24-themed features at TV Squad this week, beginning with the Top 5 24 heroes of all time. Do you agree with the list?

– Charlie Sheen has re-upped for Two and a Half Men. Yay? As if, with his life in yet another state of disaster, he had so many other options.

– And speaking of 2.5 Men, that show’s kid star, Angus T. Jones, is the highest-paid kid in primetime, earning $250,000 and episode. Crazy. And even crazier that he makes that much more dough than Modern Family‘s Rico Rodriguez (Manny) and the kids on The Middle – Charlie McDermott (Axl), Eden Sher (Sue) and Atticus Shaffer (Brick) – who are easily the most talented, and least annoying, under-18 stars on TV.

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All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– It’ll be a Precious episode of Saturday Night Live, as Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe is set to host an upcoming show (no date has been set yet).

– I thought this was an April Fool’s story, but it’s not: WE is debuting a reality series called Sunset Daze, a sort of geriatric version of Jersey Shore, featuring one mature lady who likes to talk about “Bob,” which is her name for her um, personal pleasure accoutrement. OK, sex toy. Read if you dare.

– Two more shows on the WE horizon for later this year: Mother Knows Best? (the question mark is part of the title, not any sort of commentary), a reality series in which Joan Rivers moves to Los Angeles and into the home of her daughter Melissa; Wayne’s World, a reality show that will revolve around Vegas legend Wayne Newton and his life on and off the stage; and Staten Island Cakes, about a 19-year-old named Vinny, who runs an Italian bakery with his family (and yes, this is obviously WE’s answer to Cake Boss).

– Next week’s Masters might be the highest-rated golf event ever, not just because of the 3D broadcast, but also, of course, because it marks TigerWoods‘ first event since The Scandal.

– Band of Brothers and Desperate Housewives star Neal McDonough has reportedly lost his role in an ABC series because he refuses to do sex scenes, in deference to his family man status and religious beliefs. If it’s true, you have to admire the commitment, especially with the Tiger, Jesse James, etc. scandals …

– Glee, Modern Family and the perpetually underrated Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson are among this year’s winners of the prestigious Peabody Awards.

– Speaking of Glee, if you’re between the ages of 16 and 26 and have dreams of being on the show, they’re looking for fresh talent.

– Oh, and the Glee gang is on the cover of the new Rolling Stone.

– Oscar nominee Julianne Moore makes her special As the World Turns guest appearance on Monday, April 5. Moore will reprise her early-career role of Frannie Hughes, as she helps celebrate Bob and Kim’s big anniversary and vows renewal. Especially with the classic soap in its last months before the series finale in September, big points to Moore for remembering her soap roots and agreeing to the guest spot.

– RIP journalist, TV writer and, apparently, George Clinton expert, David Mills, who died on the set of his upcoming HBO series Treme earlier this week. EW.com writer Ken Tucker (one the best TV writers/critics ever, IMHO) wrote a sweet tribute to Mills, putting a personal and more informative touch on the rote obit.

– Last year’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia live performance of “The Nightman Cometh,” the upcoming Conan O’Brien comedy tour, the upcoming Glee concerts … I love this trend of our favorite shows hitting the road. The latest: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live!

– Matt Damon on 30 Rock …. it’s happening.

– 24 producer Howard Gordon says fans should be patient with the Dana Walsh character, who most fans have been hating on this season. I’d argue, though, that it’s not just that the character is annoying. So is Katee Sackhoff‘s wooden acting in portraying her.

– Law & Order is in danger of not making it to a record-setting 21st season. Will fans start a “save our show” campaign?

– And no, you were not the only one ticked off about that annoying V countdown clock ABC ran during this week’s Lost episode.

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• Tags: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live, Gabourey Sidibe Saturday Night Live, Glee auditions, Glee Rolling Stone, Julianne Moore As the World Turns, Matt Damon 30 Rock, Neal McDonough sex scenes, Sunset Daze