All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– One of the things I like least about American Idol is the younger contestants, who, while they may be vocally talented, almost always lack stage presence and real performance skills. So the fact that AI producers’ first change for the first AI season that will be sans Simon Cowell is to lower the minimum age requirement to 15 … eh. They should really be putting all their efforts into finding a fantastic Simon replacement, especially since lowering the age requirement isn’t going to help distinguish them from America’s Got Talent or Simon’s new show, X Factor, and for AI to continue to be successful, producers need to give us a reason to watch it, as opposed to all the other talent-search series, no?

– Another one bites the dust, and I have to admit, it happened faster than I thought it would: Most recent Bachelor Jake and his fiancée Vienna have already broken up, and the split is getting uglier by the hour.

– Mary Steenburgen is starring in the upcoming FX drama Outlaw Country, which kinda sounds like The Sopranos, set in the world of country music.

– Starz is developing a new drama that people are also comparing to The Sopranos. Hey, if you’re gonna be a copycat, copy a great show.

– That Mad Men season four poster off to the side is pretty cool, right? Click here and take a look at a few photos from the new season (which kicks off on July 25), including one of a slightly aged Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), lending some evidence that those rumors about season four jumping ahead in time might be on the money.

– I love Burn Notice, but this collage that spoofs some of the show’s, um, recurring themes, is pretty clever.

– No stinkin’ power outage is going to keep Jimmy Kimmel or his talk show down. He shot tonight’s episode with his MacBook.

– ABC’s new medical reality drama Boston Med is going to feature a face transplant.

– NASCAR … in 3D … awesome.

– Here’s a refreshing story from a former child star: Family Matters‘ Urkel, Jaleel White, says playing his uber-geeky teen was a great experience.

– Syfy is giving viewers a chance to contribute to one of its original Saturday night cheesefest movies.

– You think you love True Blood? Not as much as Snoop Dogg.

– Wondering what happened to that Bret Michaels autobio that was supposed to come out last summer? With all the drama in his life since then, the book has been pushed to February 2011, so he has time to add chapters on recent events.

– Oz star and 30 Rock recurring guest star Dean Winters has just revealed his own health drama-plagued year.

– And, speaking of 30 Rock, Tina Fey is among the celebs who will get stars on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood this year, along with the fabulous Neil Patrick Harris, Danny DeVito (can you believe he doesn’t already have one?!), Oprah (ditto) and Married … with Children/Modern Family star (and Ohio University alum – go Bobcats!) Ed O’Neill.

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• Filed in American Idol, Reality, TV News
• Tags: American Idol age 15, Mad Men season 4

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Crystal Bowersox on last night’s American Idol? Wow.

– Not only is Betty White hosting Saturday Night Live on May 8, but her musical guest will be Jay-Z. Be prepared to fall in love with Betty White, hip hop fans.

– The Daily Beast interviews Al Pacino about his HBO movie You Don’t Know Jack, which premieres Saturday night (8PM ET). Pacino plays “suicide doc” Jack Kevorkian, and it truly is his best performance in years and another great made-for-TV flick from HBO.

– If you’re planning on throwing a Lost finale party on May 23, make sure you have plenty of snacks and libations on hand: ABC is planning five hours of Lost-themed programming that night, including a two-hour recap special, the two-hour finale and Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost, an hour-long special that will feature Lost showrunners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lidelof, as well as several cast members.

– Kelsey Grammer is among the backers of a new right-wing TV network, which will feature shows like a conservative comedy series and Running, a reality show that will follow six people running for political office for the first time.

– Glee fans, cancel all plans for May 18. That’s when the Joss Whedon-directed episode of the show airs. The episode also includes Neil Patrick Harris guest starring as Will Shuester’s high school rival, as well as guest turns by Molly Shannon and Idina Menzel.

– Don’t hassle The Hoff: David Hasselhoff‘s doing a good thing by making a return appearance on The Young and the Restless, the CBS daytime soap that gave him his big break.

– Tori Spelling, the next big talk show host? Could be.

– Meanwhile, CBS is reportedly planning a talk show to rival The View, with Big Brother host (and wife of CBS honcho Les Moonves) Julie Chen, Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory star Sara Gilbert, Lisa Rinna and Real Housewives of New York City‘s Bethenny Frankel as panelists/hosts.

– Add I Dream of Jeannie to the list of TV shows being developed as big-screen movies.

– More series renewals: Burn Notice has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season, even though the USA show’s fourth season doesn’t premiere until this summer; NBC has ordered a second season of Parenthood; and Fox has given the thumbs up to a 23rd season of Cops, the network’s second longest-running series.

– TV show premiere dates: Rescue Me‘s sixth and final season debuts on FX on June 29, while Mad Men‘s fourth season will debut on AMC on July 25.

– VH1 has a whopping 44 original series on tap for the rest of this year, including a new installment of Divas, more reality programming with Dr. Drew (how does this guy have time to live his own life when he’s so all up in the Kool-Aid of others’?), documentaries on 50 Cent and Rush, more installments of Behind the Music, and a reality show about Eva Longoria-Parker‘s L.A. restaurant Beso.

– According to a Lady Gaga Tweet, she’ll be performing on American Idol on May 5.

– And NBC reportedly wanted the Website AshleyMadison.com – the Website that encourages infidelity – to advertise during Jerry Seinfeld‘s The Marriage Ref. It might sound outrageous initially, but this is a show where the likes of Madonna is giving marital advice, so … maybe kinda fitting.

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• Filed in American Idol, Betty White, Boob Tube to Big Screen, Daytime TV, Glee, Lost, Real Housewives, Saturday Night Live, TV News
• Tags: Betty White Jay-Z Saturday Night Live, Crystal Bowersox, Lost series finale, Mad Men season 4, Tori Spelling talk show