ABC has announced the full cast for the eleventh season of Dancing With the People Who Desperately Want to be Stars, and it’s full of the usual tabloid staples and stars of yesteryear. The complete roster is as follows:
Michael Bolton
Brandy
Margaret Cho
Jennifer Grey
Rick Fox
David Hasselhoff
Florence Henderson
Kyle Massey
Bristol Palin
Audrina Patridge
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
Kurt Warner
Camera-shy Palin and camera-hungry Sorrentino are the big news here. The rest are standard Dancing fare: you’ve got the athletes (Fox and Warner), the young (Massey and Patridge) and the not-so-young (Henderson), the comedian (Cho), and the oddball (Hasselhoff). Personally, I’m thinking that Brandy and Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey have an unfair advantage, with prior dancing experience. But hey, that’s never stopped the casting directors before.
As seen at Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, here is the full-length trailer for Season 3 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Lucasfilm has been teasing that the death toll might get higher this year as the battles get grittier and more desperate, on both sides. Watch for the return of several familiar faces, too.
You may or may not recall that Star Wars: The Clone Wars was originally proposed as a five-season, 100-episode series that chronicles the events of the Clone Wars between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Jedi. If that’s still the plan, then it’s hard to believe that we’re almost halfway through.
The CGI animated show really hit its stride in Season 2, with numerous multi-episode arcs and some of the most imaginative storytelling from the franchise since the original trilogy. Cartoon Network has just announced that Season 3 will premiere with a one-hour episode on Friday, September 17th at 9:pm EST/PST. Season 3’s 22 episodes will unfold on subsequent Friday nights.
Lucasfilm Animation’s hyperbole-filled press release hints at major developments, describing the new season this way:
As war continues to rage throughout the galaxy, the dark side grows even stronger and the Jedi Knights are pushed to the breaking point. The lines between good and evil become blurred as secrets are revealed, truths are questioned and alliances are betrayed. Loyalties are tested as new enemies emerge and heroes rise — and fall. In this transformative new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, surprises wait at every turn, the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance and the destiny of the “Chosen One” will at long last be uncovered.
Don’t we already know who the Chosen One is? That’s kinda what the whole prequel trilogy was about. Anywho, here’s the teaser trailer for Season 3:
HBO has announced that Entourage, the pay-cable network’s longest-running show, will be ending after its eighth and final season. The show is currently filming season seven, and HBO has negotiated with Entourage creator Doug Ellin for a shortened eighth season, which will likely comprise about six episodes.
There’s also talk of a film to follow the series, a la Sex In the City, but nothing is official yet. Meanwhile, HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo tells The Hollywood Reporter that he expects his network to sign Ellin for a brand new show of his own creation in the next few years.
This has got to be one of the greatest casting coups of all time. Carol Burnett is guest starring in Season 2 of Glee as — get this — Sue Sylvester’s mother! Sue (played by the hilarious Jane Lynch) mentioned in an episode in Season 1 that her parents were rarely around when she was growing up, because they were “famous Nazi hunters.”
EW’s Ausiello Files first nabbed the incredible scoop, and also confirmed that Burnett will be appearing solo — Sue’s father will not be appearing. (I’m thinking that only one person could successfully costar next to Burnett in such a role, and that’s Harvey Korman, who unfortunately passed away two years ago.)
Can’t you just see this comedy legend as a cigar-chompin’, big-gun-totin’, tough-as-nails Nazi hunter? Seriously, if there’s one person on the planet who could actually take on Sue Sylvester, it’s Carol Burnett. This is beyond perfect casting; it’s flawlessness incarnate. No word yet on when Burnett’s episode will air, but my DVR is already set to record.
Ellen DeGeneres got more than she bargained for by signing on with American Idol. The talk show queen has decided that “judging people and sometimes hurting their feelings” is just too hard for her. She also cites a heavier work schedule than she anticipated among the reasons she has decided to exitAmerican Idol effective immediately. She will not appear on the show’s upcoming 10th season.
Ellen’s timing could be serendipitous. Scuttlebutt around the TV industry is that Fox is hoping to replace the entire judging panel this year, to make a big splash following founder Simon Cowell’s highly-publicized exit. (Cowell left to work on the American version of his British talent search show The X Factor.) The sole remaining original judge, Randy Jackson, has reportedly been expressing his desire to move on from the show as well.
At least one new high-profile panel member has just been verified: Jennifer Lopez. Fox isn’t confirming it, but it’s a done deal nonetheless. Fox is likely hoping to make a big announcement of the entire judges panel, which rumors indicate could include big names like Justin Timberlake and Elton John.
Here’s a really good grab of the trailer for Smallville’s 10th and final season, as shown on Sunday at Comic-Con 2010. Looks like a lot of familiar faces are returning for the last hurrah, and you’ll also catch a glimpse of some things you thought you’d never see on Smallville: the red & blue suit, and a character referring to Clark as “Superman.” This is truly the end…
As if the cast of Glee weren’t already the outcasts of McKinley High, now in season two they will be tackling an even more weird and alienating subject matter, the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Co-creator Ryan Murphy announced plans for the Rocky Horror spot at Comic-Con (SDCC) over this past weekend.
The second season of Glee will debut on Sept. 21 @ 8 PM ET on Fox.
Linda Hamilton best known for her role as Sarah Connor in Terminator has signed on for a recurring role on the upcoming season 4 of Chuck. Hamilton will play the long-lost mother of Chuck and Ellie.
The announcement of her role was made at Comic-Con by show producer Josh Schwartz. According to Schwartz, the decision came from huge fan support for her role in the upcoming season.
FX’s Damages is a hot show — but not hot enough to save it from the chopping block. The Glenn Close vehicle has been on the verge of cancellation for a while now due to poor ratings, even though most of the cast is contracted through two more seasons.
But swooping in to the rescue at the 11th hour is DirecTV, which has taken the show off of FX’s hands. Seasons 4 and 5 of Damages will air exclusively on DirecTV (probably on its proprietary Channel 101), and the first three seasons will repeat there as well.
FX’s 
