All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– In the wake of Walter Cronkite‘s death, who’s now America’s most trusted newsman? A Time.com poll says it’s Jon Stewart.

– Speaking of Cronkite, the Discovery Channel is airing the news legend’s eight-part documentary on the 20th century, Cronkite Remembers, this Sunday.

– Nip/Tuck star Joely Richardson will play Henry VIII‘s last wife, Catherine Parr, on the upcoming final season of Showtime’s The Tudors.

– Comedy Central is planning a straight-to-DVD movie version of its politically incorrect (to put it mildly) ‘toon Drawn Together.

– What’s wrong with kiddie beauty pageants? Check out a clip from last night’s Toddlers & Tiaras season premiere, in which a four-year-old describes her mom’s talking hands as her best friends. Really, just watch it.

– The Jay Leno Show will have a different director than Leno’s Tonight Show, and the new helmer is an old Conan O’Brien director. BTW, “Stuttering” John Melendez will be a part of Leno’s new primetime show, but as a writer instead of an announcer. The official Website for the comedian’s new show is up on NBC.com, where fans can watch The Jay Leno Show set being constructed.

– The Bio Channel is premiering new TV-related Biography episodes in August, including installments on Family Ties, Roseanne and Three’s Company.

– TV Guide.com’s complete guide to Comic Con just makes me regret not planning a trip to the San Diego event this year … so many great TV happenings there.

– There’s a great line-up for HBO’s special on the 25th anniversary celebration for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Simon and Garfunkel and Aretha Franklin. Just one quibble: Since the Rock Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, couldn’t organizers have planned the event for that city, which could certainly use the potential influx of tourist cash the concert would bring, instead of Madison Square Garden?

– And tonight in primetime:

– Sadly, it’s officially the end of the road for Samantha Who? (8PM ET, ABC), as back-to-back episodes make up the series finale
– Prepare for next week’s Real Housewives of Atlanta season premiere with a look at The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Lost Footage special on Bravo (8:30PM)
– The rumors were true, and Katie Holmes performs on the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance (9PM, Fox)
– On She’s Got the Look (9PM, TV Land), the contestants have to test their TV hostess skills
– It’s night four of the Torchwood: Children of Earth miniseries (9PM, BBC America)
– Michael helps save a boy from his abusive stepfather on Burn Notice (9PM, USA)
– Dr. Drew Pinsky hosts 16 & Pregnant: Life After Labor (10PM, MTV), which reunites all the teen mamas from the first season
– Hank has a patient whose serious injuries aren’t evident at first on Royal Pains (10PM, USA)
– Kat heads to NYC to promote her cosmetics line on LA Ink (10PM, TLC)
– There’s a new episode of Most Popular on WE (10PM)
– A winner is chosen on The Fashion Show season finale (10PM, Bravo)
– And Emily celebrates her move to Vegas in the season finale of Southern Belles: Louisville (10PM, SoapNet)

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• Tags: Comic Con, Drawn Together movie, Jon Stewart, Most trusted newsman in America, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame anniversary concert, The Jay Leno Show, The Tudors Joely Richardson, Toddlers & Tiaras, Walter Cronkite

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Did Izzie and George really die in the Grey’s Anatomy season finale? Meh. I find it more interesting that series creator Shonda Rhimes is living in denial about how ridiculous much of the show has become, including this season’s “ghost sex.”

– Time magazine TV critic James Poniewozik makes an excellent point about how the best comedy on TV is not necessarily always the funniest comedy on TV, using last night’s Alan Alda gem on 30 Rock as a jumping off point. Alda’s quip that referred to the classic M*A*S*H series finale is, hands down, the best, most clever quote of the whole TV season.

– Saturday Night Live airs its 34th season finale – with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Green Day – this weekend, while Fox sketch comedy counterpart MadTV airs its series finale.

– More from SNL: Sunday night’s SNL: Just Shorts special (9PM ET, NBC), a round-up of the show’s most memorable short films, including, of course, “Dick in a Box,” and one of my early favorites, the classic synchronized swimming clip with Martin Short and Harry Shearer.

– And another series finale: tonight’s Prison Break send-off (8PM ET, Fox).

– It makes me love Jonah Hill even more that he riffed on gruesome twosome Heidi and Spencer in a new Harper’s Bazaar interview and photo spread.

– “I want to go to there” is not the only 30 Rock catchphrase that originated with Tina Fey‘s daughter Alice, apparently.

– Thanks, Neal McDonough, for spoiling the Desperate Housewives season finale. Oh, okay, the fate of his Dave character wasn’t really a surprise, though he did also confirm in his appearance on The View Thursday that the rumor of a DH spin-off with Mrs. McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten) is true.

– Farrah Fawcett‘s documentary on her battle with cancer, Farrah’s Story, is set to air tonight on NBC (9PM ET), but as the Charlie’s Angels star is reportedly on her deathbed, a producer and her on-again, off-again love Ryan O’Neal are fighting over the video.

– USA Today has a good rundown of where the networks stand as they head into Upfront Week next week. Among the shows likely to be on the air next season: The Melrose Place remake, an NCIS spin-off and the return of Scrubs, while the fates of My Name Is Earl, Chuck, Medium, The Unit, Cold Case and Without a Trace are still up in the air.

– And somehow, I doubt Jon Stewart is really worried about Jim Cramer, through Cramer seems to suggest in a new Time magazine interview that he should be.

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• Filed in 30 Rock, Celebreality, Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: 30 Rock, Alan Alda, Chuck, Cold Case, Desperate Housewives, Farrah Fawcett, Green Day, Grey's Anatomy, Harry Shearer, Heidi, James Poniewozik, Jim Cramer, Jon Stewart, Jonah Hill, Kathryn Joosten, M*A*S*H, MadTV, Martin Short, Medium, Melrose Place, My Name Is Earl, NCIS, Neal McDonough, Prison Break, Ryan O'Neal, Saturday Night Live, season finale, series finale, Shonda Rhimes, SNL, Spencer, spin-off, The Unit, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Without a Trace

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Did Joan Rivers really deserve to be named Celebrity Apprentice instead of Annie Duke, who raised three times as much cash for her charity? Cast your vote at AOL TV. I think Annie should have won, though Rivers’ dedication to and affection for her charity, God’s Love We Deliver, was touching.

– Chef Jamie Oliver and Ryan Seacrest are teaming for an ABC reality series in which they’ll give the citizens of America’s unhealthiest towns nutrition and exercise makeovers. Hmmm … Maybe Seacrest isn’t aspiring to be the next Dick Clark; he’s trying to be the Dude Oprah.

– The ratings for Dollhouse‘s season finale suggests the Joss Whedon series probably won’t return to Fox next season.

– Tonight’s episode of Gossip Girl sets up what could be a spin-off series, following the life of young Lily, Serena’s wild child mama.

– More spin-off news: G4 is doing its own take on E!’s The Soup, called Web Soup, a weekly round-up of the best of/worst of viral videos.

– Loooooove 30 Rock and Tina Fey, but have to call BS on the story that last Thursday’s Mamma Mia mentions didn’t amount to a plug. It was a very, very clever tie-in, but both the show and the movie are NBC Universal properties … coincidence? I think not.

– Jon Stewart‘s producing a special on the U.S. naturalization process for the History Channel.

– Alex and Hugh are back for the third season of Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel (May 31), and they’ll be joined by the first female driver to be a full-time driver on the show.

– What a great idea: Editing Lost into a “dummies” version that would have events unfold chronologically.

– Al Bundy’s back to be a TV papa again. Ed O’Neill (a fellow alum of Ohio University – go Bobcats!) will play a dad in ABC’s fall 2009 mockumentary-ish sitcom Modern Family.

– And Chuck star Yvonne Strahovksi is certainly keeping busy while she awaits news on whether or not the show will get a third season go from NBC.

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• Filed in 30 Rock, Celebreality, Chuck, Comedy, Drama, Lost, Reality, TV News
• Tags: 30 Rock, Annie Duke, Celebrity Apprentice, Chuck, Dollhouse, Ed O'Neill, Gossip Girl, Ice Road Truckers, Jamie Oliver, Joan Rivers, Jon Stewart, Joss Whedon, Lost, Mamma Mia, Oprah, Ryan Seacrest, The Soup, Tina Fey, Yvonne Strahovski