All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– It’s a very NPH Christmas: Neil Patrick Harris will provide voicework for CBS’ new animated holiday special Yes, Virginia, the story of Virginia O’Hanlon, of “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” lore. NPH will provide the voice of Virginia’s dad in the ‘toon, which premieres Dec. 11.

– Reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm, including the current (and best, I’d argue) seventh season, will begin airing on the TV Guide network in February 2010, and then on TV Land in 2013. Some creative editing, a la Sex and the City, will be necessary for some storylines, of course, like last night’s “neck injury” bit.

– There is clearly so much more to this story: Taylor Jacobson, whose uber-moodiness has been on full display on The Rachel Zoe Show, has reportedly been fired from Zoe’s company and show.

– Among the CBS shows that will become videogames: Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds and The Amazing Race.

– Don’t forget to set your DVRs to record tomorrow’s very special episode of Sesame Street, which kicks off the show’s 40th anniversary.

– John Mayer is the latest musician to perform a “Live on Letterman” Webcast concert. The performance will unfold live from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Nov. 19, at CBS.com, Last.fm, mp3.com, TV.com, etonline.com and theinsider.com, two days after Mayer’s latest CD, “Battle Studies,” is released.

– Wanda Sykes made an impressive ratings debut with her new Fox Saturday night talk show.

– March 22, 2010: The season two premiere date for Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.

– Also coming to Showtime: The TV premiere of the vamp-y teen flick Twilight, on Jan. 23.

– J.J. Abrams may direct the pilot for his latest series, a Mr. & Mrs. Smith-meets-The Bourne Identity-ish spy thriller Undercover.

– The Jackson family, sadly, isn’t going away; they’re starring in the A&E reality series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, premiering on Dec. 13.

– Sadly for Numb3rs fans, that show is likely going away, as the current sixth season of CBS’s Friday night drama is likely its last.

– And tonight in primetime: Lincoln Heights wraps its fourth season on ABC Family (8PM ET); the much-ballyhooed threesome happens on Gossip Girl (9PM, The CW); Laurence Fishburne guests on CSI: Miami (10PM, CBS), kicking off a week of crossover storylines that continue on CSI: NY on Wednesday and CSI on Thursday; George Lopez‘s new nightly talk show, Lopez Tonight, premieres on TBS and TNT (11PM).

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• Filed in TV News
• Tags: J.J. Abrams Undercover, Jacksons A&E reality show, Neil Patrick Harris, Numb3rs canceled, Sesame Street 40th anniversary

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Will you tune in for the return of Jon & Kate Plus 8 tonight on TLC (9PM ET). TLC execs claim the Gosselins’ new situation makes them more relatable, but I’d argue that it just makes them more douchebag-able.

– I’m sure I wasn’t the only Guiding Light fan hoping for a last-minute reprieve for the long-running daytime soap, but Light‘s cancelation is officially official now that a replacement show has been lined up. Wayne Brady will host a revival of Let’s Make a Deal that will air in GL‘s place. The soap, which debuted on CBS on June 30, 1952, will air its series finale on Sept. 18.

– There’s still no deal for Paula Abdul, but Kara DioGuardi is definitely returning to the American Idol judges table next season. Meh.

– Futurama will return with new episodes in 2010, and with the original voice talent cast intact.

– PBS has announced a new Sesame Street primetime special, Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times, which will help families with young kids explain and deal with current economic woes. Elmo hosts (with Al Roker, Deborah Roberts and his Muppet pals), and the show is paired with another PBS special, Your Life, Your Money, hosted by Scrubs’ Donald Faison, and aimed at young people. The specials debut on PBS on Sept. 9 (8-10PM).

– More news from Sesame Street: The show’s upcoming 40th season will include a Mad Men spoof. Minus the smoking, drinking, cursing, bed-hopping and, in the case of Freddy Rumsen, pants-wetting, presumably.

– The Emmys snubbed Battlestar Galactica and True Blood, but the Television Critics Association honored the shows last weekend, naming them Program of the Year and Best New Program, respectively.

– The Sunday New York Times featured a story on how badly some reality TV contestants are treated, which was surprising at first, and makes you wonder why they would subject themselves to being locked in hotel rooms and having all manner of communication with the outside world cut off. But then you remember: They’re willing to bare incredibly personal details about their lives on TV – and, according to many of them, they’re often plied with copious amounts of hooch – so maybe not being able to text and Twitter for a few weeks doesn’t seem like such a big deal?

– Another victim of the economy: Marie Osmond‘s comeback talk show.

– On the other hand, Tom Arnold‘s TV comeback is right on track, as the ex-Mr. Roseanne will write and possibly star in a new NBC sitcom, and has a recurring role on the new season of Sons of Anarchy.

– And tonight in primetime:

– The families head for the Grand Canyon on Great American Road Trip (8PM ET, NBC)
– George ‘fesses up to Anne about something on The Secret Life of an American Teenager (8PM, ABC Family)
– ABC has a Sugarland concert at 8PM
– Jon & Kate Plus 8 returns, post-separation, on TLC (9PM)
– Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon‘s daughter Sosie guest stars as Brenda’s niece on The Closer (9PM, TNT)
– A TV crew sparks rivalry among the girls on Make It or Break It (9PM, ABC Family)
– Old-school nookie is the focus of the series premiere of Sex in the Ancient World (9PM, History Channel)
– Real and Chance try to find skank love again on the Real Chance of Love 2 premiere (VH1, 9PM)
– Shark Week continues with Deadly Waters (9PM, Discovery), a look at the five most dangerous, shark-infested bodies of water
– It’s the season premiere of Guy Fieri‘s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network (10PM)
– Kathy works to make her upcoming autobio super spicy on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (10PM, Bravo)
– Celia and Dean come up with marketing plans for their new biz on Weeds (10PM, Showtime)
– More Dating in the Dark at 10PM on ABC
– Drama ensues when the musicians move into their new home on Making His Band (10PM, MTV)
– Tony recalls the best street food he’s eaten from around the world on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (10PM, Travel Channel)
– TLC premieres its new cake-baking competition series, Ultimate Cake Off (10PM)
– Terrell meets with his estranged dad on The T.O. Show (10PM, VH1)
– And Jackie’s drug use begins to catch up with her physically and with her decision-making at work on Nurse Jackie (10:30PM, Showtime)

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• Filed in Reality, TV News
• Tags: American Idol, Donald Faison, Futurama, Guiding Light finale Sept. 18, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Kara DioGuardi, Marie Osmond talk show, Paula Abdul, Reality TV contestants, Sesame Street 40th anniversary, Sesame Street Mad Men spoof, Sons of Anarchy, TCA Awards, Tom Arnold, Wayne Brady Let's Make a Deal

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– FX is launching a new animated comedy that will spoof James Bond and other pop culture spies. Archer will premiere this fall, possibly with the new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

– Kevin Bacon will direct an upcoming episode of wife Kyra Sedgwick‘s The Closer, which will also feature a guest appearance by the couple’s teen daughter, Sosie, who will play the niece of Sedgwick’s Brenda.

– Wings star Steven Weber may be headed back to the tube, in the Twins Peaks-ish midseason drama Happy Town.

– 1960s TV western Big Valley, which helped launch the careers of Lee Majors and Linda Evans, is the latest series headed to the big screen.

– Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock talks about how he became involved with The Simpsons to help celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary.

– Speaking of anniversaries, Sesame Street has been on the air for 40 years, and that’s a lot of Muppets. How many can you name? Can you name 101?

– Is the current line-up of reality series featuring plus-size Americans really dispelling myths, or are those shows perpetuating them?  

– Showtime has great series like Nurse Jackie and Weeds, but their latest, the upcoming Shannon Elizabeth-hosted comedy/”Neo-burlesque” series Live Nude Comedy could not sound more boring.

– A former Baretta producer is suing ABC, claiming he actually created the series that became Lost, way back in 1977.

– And tonight in primetime:

– It’s the 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, live from St. Louis (8PM ET, Fox)
– Bianca tries to ingratiate herself to Chastity with a carnation sale on 10 Things I Hate About You (8PM, ABC Family)
– The first Power of Veto competition unfolds on Big Brother 11 (9PM, CBS)
– ABC has another delightful new episode of Better Off Ted (9PM)
– PC acts like a creep. Again. On NYC Prep (9PM, Bravo)
– A tired crew leads to mistakes on Deadliest Catch (9PM, Discovery)
– New Hawthorne on TNT (9PM)
– Bravo has collected the most unlikable people in all of Miami and put them together in a new reality series called Miami Social (10PM)
– Mayim “Blossom” Bialik guest stars on Saving Grace (10PM, TNT)
– William helps a whole family of addicts on The Cleaner (10PM, A&E)
– Sean gets out of the hospital with a new lease on life on Rescue Me (10PM, FX)
– Oxygen’s 25iest counts down the 25, uh, coolest (?) “Celeb-U-Tots” (11PM)

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• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen, TV News
• Tags: Big Valley, Happy Town, Kevin Bacon, Live Nude Comedy Showtime, Lost lawsuit, Morgan Spurlock, plus size reality shows, Sesame Street 40th anniversary, Shannon Elizabeth, Steven Weber, The Closer, The Simpsons documentary