All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Farrah Fawcett‘s death has seemingly taken a backseat to Michael Jackson coverage in the media, but TV Land will air the first two episodes of the late Charlie’s Angels star’s 2005 celebreality series Chasing Farrah on June 27 at 9PM ET. NBC will re-air Farrah’s Story, the recent two-hour documentary that followed her battle against cancer, tonight at 9PM, while the Bio Channel will air Bio Remembers: Farrah Fawcett June 29 at 10PM.

– The deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson apparently sparked some Internet pranksters to start rumors about the deaths of Law & Order: Criminal Intent star Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford. Weird, random totally untrue.

– The Sarah Palin hubbub helped David Letterman best The Tonight Show in the ratings for the first time in more than three years.

– It’s a go: Noah Wyle will star in Steven Spielberg‘s alien-invasion pilot for TNT.

– The Scientologists are taking to the airwaves again with a new series of TV commercials, including one that aired Wednesday night during 360 with Anderson Cooper on CNN.

– Privileged star Joanna Garcia will pop up on the new season of Gossip Girl as Bree Buckley, a nasty Southerner who’s rumored to have a little somethin’-somethin’ going with Chace Crawford‘s Nate.

– NBC has announced its fall schedule premiere dates, including the premiere of The Jay Leno Show on Sept. 14 and the Sept. 17 premiere of Community, the best new sitcom to hit the tube since 30 Rock (which, by the way, returns to the network’s line-up on Oct. 15).

– If American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert doesn’t drop a great debut album, it won’t be because of a lack of talented collaborators. Among those writing and performing with Lambert on his disc are One Republic‘s Ryan Tedder and Idol judge/songwriter Kara DioGuardi, but also musicians who’ve worked with Evanescence, David Archuleta, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Jason Mraz and Britney Spears.

– Jeri Ryan will play a new con woman on TNT’s Leverage.

– The U.S Postal Service is releasing a new series of stamps that will honor classic TV stars and shows. The Aug. 11 release will find stamps featuring Groucho Marx, Rod Serling, Howdy Doody, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy.

– And, a Fraggle Rock comic book?! Yep, it’s happening.

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• Filed in Celebreality, Reality, TV News
• Tags: Adam Lambert, American Idol, Chace Crawford, Charlie's Angels, David Letterman, Farrah Fawcett, Fraggle Rock, Gossip Girl, Groucho Marx, Howdy Doody, I Love Lucy, Jeff Goldblum, Jeri Ryan, Joanna Garcia, Kara DioGuardi, Lassie, Leverage, NBC Community, Noah Wyle, One Republic, Rod Serling, Ryan Tedder, Scientologists, Scientology, Steven Spielberg, The Honeymooners, The Jay Leno Show, The Lone Ranger, The Tonight Show

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Among the TV shows that will host panels at the San Diego Comic-Con in July: Chuck, Dexter, Dollhouse, Lost, MythBusters, Psych, True Blood, Supernatural and Smallville.

– There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there are free TV comedy episodes to watch while you’re noshing. Thanks to Sitcoms Online.com for the heads up about iTunes’ summer sale, which includes free episodes of Arrested Development, Reno 911! and The State, 99-cent eps of The Office, 30 Rock and The Larry Sanders Show, and, best of all, the entire five-episode first season of The State for $3.96.

– Fox has announced its fall 2009 premiere dates, kicking off its season on Sept. 16 with Glee and (another) new season of So You Think You Can Dance.

– Speaking of SYTYCD, why would Katie Holmes be performing on the show? Right? Yet, the rumor persists that she’ll be shaking her moneymaker on a July episode.

– American Idol season five vet, and one of the show’s most successful artists, Chris Daughtry, talks about his second album, which will be released on July 14.

– America’s Got Talent kicks off next week on NBC (June 23, (9PM ET), but will the show find its own Susan Boyle? Even though the Internet sensation was the runner-up on the latest season of Britain’s Got Talent, she’s reportedly earning more than $160,000 for a 12-minute performance at corporate events. In comparison, former President Bill Clinton gets between $140,000-150,000.

– NPH – Neil Patrick Harris, of course – is going to be a villain called The Music Meister in a fall episode of Cartoon Network’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Wouldn’t he be great in the next big-screen Batman, too …

– Gossip Girl is the big TV nominee at this year’s Teen Choice Awards.

– Heidi Pratt says Al Roker made her cry. So does dry shampoo … in other words, what doesn’t? Did being chastised by Whoopi Goldberg also make her shed tears?

– Dave Letterman apologizes, again, for the Palin jokes on tonight’s Late Show.

– Heroes star Sendhil Ramamurthy will guest star in the upcoming “Bollywood Homicide” episode of Psych, which premieres (not soon enough) its fourth season on Aug. 7.

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• Filed in TV News
• Tags: 30 Rock, Al Roker, America's Got Talent, American Idol, Arrested Development, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Chris Daughtry, Chuck, David Letterman, Dexter, Dollhouse, Fox fall premiere dates, Fox premiere dates, Glee, Gossip Girl, Heidi Pratt, Katie Holmes, Lost, MythBusters, Neil Patrick Harris, NPH, Psych, Reno 911!, San Diego Comic Con, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Smallville, So You Think You Can Dance, Supernatural, Susan Boyle, Teen Choice Awards, The Larry Sanders Show, The Office, The State, True Blood, Whoopi Goldberg

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Mad Men, season three, August 16 at 10PM ET on AMC. Be there, or be somewhere else, somewhere where people don’t knock back three vodka gimlets before lunch, aren’t nearly as dapperly-attired as Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and don’t have offices that are bigger than my entire New York City apartment. Yeah, not sounding nearly as much fun as Mad Men, right?

– Is designer Vera Wang going to be competing on the next season of Dancing With the Stars? And if so, does that mean we can count on less cheesy costumes?

– Plus-size model Emme has been hired to host Fox’s More to Love, the reality dating show that will feature “average-looking” people

– Discovery Channel’s 22nd annual Shark Week kicks off on August 2.

– Matt Mitovich at TVGuide.com says Rick Springfield will play, fittingly enough, Rick Springfield, when he guest stars on the new season of Californication, but he’ll be a naughty Rick Springfield, one whose sex play makes David Duchovny‘s Hank “look like a Jonas brother.” Not that I’m buying that whole purity ring business about the Jonas Bros. …

– In celebration of its 15th anniversary, TCM has created its own social network site, TCM Classic Film Union, for movie buffs.

– Gordon Ramsay has apologized for, well, basically, for being a tool. You can watch the apology here.

– I reeeally want to like Dr. Drew and trust his motives, but a real doctor prolly should offer to help Lindsay Lohan, or a less-famous addict, whether or not she accepts a reported six-figure offer to appear on his reality show, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, right? Of course, the story seems to be originating with Lohan’s dad, so, grain – no, make that rock, huge, ginormous rock – of salt on the whole thing.

– The Shield creator Shawn Ryan is going back to FX with a comedy about private detectives, called Terriers.

– Futurama‘s back! With 26 new episodes in 2010!

– Good news for David Letterman: He, with guest Julia Roberts, beat Conan O’Brien‘s Tonight Show on Tuesday. Worse news for Conan: His ratings keep dropping. Don’t count him out tho; remember his first years as Late Night host?

– More ratings wars news: Judge Judy beat Oprah. Whoa.

– ABC’s getting a jump on the competition by announcing its fall premiere dates.

– The ratings for the Nurse Jackie series premiere were so good, Showtime’s already greenlighting a second season, so go ahead and get hooked.

– Heidi Pratt‘s launching her own line of dry shampoo, after her shampoo shenanigans on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. I’m sure Oscar Blandi is shaking in his celebrity hair-cutting boots.

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• Filed in Celebreality, Late Night, Reality, TV News
• Tags: Californication, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Conan O'Brien, Dancing With the Stars, David Duchovny, David Letterman, Discovery Channel, Don Draper, Dr. Drew, Drew Pinsky, Emme, Futurama, Get Me Out of Here, Gordon Ramsay, Heidi Pratt, I'm a Celebrity, Jon Hamm, Jonas, Judge Judy, Julia Roberts, Lindsay Lohan, Mad Men, More to Love, Nurse Jackie, Oprah, Rick Springfield, Shark Week, Shawn Ryan, TCM Classic Film Union, The Shield, Tonight Show, Vera Wang

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– New York magazine’s Vulture blog says Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins may be canceled. VH1 says: it ain’t so.

– The Adam Lambert Rolling Stone cover hits newsstands this week, and yes, he confirms it.

– Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Faceman? Bring on The A-Team movie!

– David Letterman is probably sticking around CBS beyond the 2009-2010 season.

– Rachael Ray will be yakking about EVOO for a few more seasons.

– And My Name Is Earl might not be done just yet, either. TBS may greenlight 13 new episodes.

– Jimmy Fallon‘s Webby acceptance speech: “Thank God Conan got promoted.” Clever.

– And you’ve got to hand it to Fallon and crew for getting Mark-Paul Gosselaar to don his Zack Morris duds. With that crazy ’90s cell phone, even!

– Who’s the adorkable kid in this photo? Ryan Seacrest. No, really.

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen, TV News
• Tags: A-Team movie, Adam Lambert, American Idol, Best Week Ever, Bradley Cooper, David Letterman, EVOO, Jimmy Fallon, Liam Neeson, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, My Name Is Earl, Paul F. Tompkins, Rachael Ray, Rolling Stone, Ryan Seacrest, Saved by the Bell, The A-Team, VH1, Zack Morris

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– At least Ryan Seacrest warned viewers last night to put extra time at the end of their TiVos for tonight’s American Idol season finale, but isn’t it still ridiculous that an episode that really boils down to one 30-second announcement of who the winner is, is instead so bloated that it can’t even be contained into a two-hour block?

– By the way, DiaIdol.com predicts last night’s Adam vs. Kris showdown is too close to call. People, did you not hear Adam sing “A Change Is Gonna Come”? It really should not be this close.

– The New York Times jokes, I think, that Jimmy Kimmel might not have a job today after the naughty, but hilarious, riffs on NBC, Fox and his own network at yesterday’s ABC Upfront presentation.

– And Kimmel’s remarks about the new Jay Leno primetime series apparently weren’t that far off from what some at NBC might have thought. Leno, it turns out, was NBC’s third choice to host a nightly primetime show, after Oprah and David Letterman.

– Can’t wait for the remake of Footloose with Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford as Ren McCormack.

– In case you missed the premiere of Glee last night, you can catch the episode at Hulu today.

– Lifetime.com, pegged to the June 7 season three premiere of Army Wives, has produced more than a dozen videos, collected as Homecoming: Real Army Wives, that pay homage to real-life Army wives, whose husbands have been deployed for 15 months or more in Iraq.

– Check out clips from ABC’s new comedies, including Modern Family, the mockumentary-ish family comedy starring Ed “Al Bundy” O’Neill.

– Even the most devoted Trekkies may find the new “video-based encyclopedia” of behind-the-scenes Star Trek info a bit daunting.

– Next up: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

– My Name Is Earl star Ethan Suplee is taking it to Twitter to try to rally fans for a save-the-show campaign. To get onboard, follow the “EarlTwitition.”

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• Filed in American Idol, Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: A Change Is Gonna Come, Adam Lambert, American Idol, Army Wives, Chace Crawford, David Letterman, Ed O'Neill, Ethan Suplee, finale, Footloose, Glee, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Kris Allen, Lifetime, My Name Is Earl, Oprah, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Star Trek, Upfront