TVSquad

There's a lot of speculation in the biz about what will Oprah do next. The daytime talk show giant supposedly made up her mind recently and decided that her syndicated show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, would end its run in syndication and move to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). An official announcement is anticipated before the end of the year, but is that really was Oprah has decided? Nobody knows for certain.

There are pros and cons on either side. The companies that syndicated her talk show stand to lose a significant asset if she wraps up the current incarnation and abandons the market. Think of all those afternoon hours around that country that count on Oprah at three or four o'clock, or the morning slots where Oprah leads in to noon newscasts. Companies like CBS Distribution and the Tribune Company have feasted on the robust ratings Oprah has consistently delivered.

The cast of the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia gathered a stone's throw from Beverly Hills this week to celebrate the release of the show's new Christmas special.

A Very Sunny Christmas arrives on Blu-ray and DVD November 17 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Fox teamed with Maxim Magazine to hold a festive bash last Thursday night at Guys and Dolls Lounge in the shadow of Cedar Sinai Hospital on Beverly Blvd. (Event gallery below.)

A modest red carpet set-up gathered a cramped collection of reporters and photographers together to greet the arrivals of show stars Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day.

As if looking to mimic the bleak Philadelphia winter, rain sprinkled the LA streets in the hours leading up to the event -- and temperatures hovering in the low 50s made it a goose bumpy night for the several cocktail dress-clad ladies mingling in the crowd.

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert can probably be credited with really getting everyone interested in movie criticism. Before Sneak Previews, people would read movie reviews, sure, but they brought intelligent film criticism to television and became a huge part of pop culture.

This is a tribute from The Nostalgia Critic, and he covers the history of the show, from the start on PBS to the death of Siskel in 1999 to the hosts that eventually replaced them. He probably needs to get a better microphone, but it's well-done.(Slightly NSFW.)

Fantasy novelist Michael Moorcook will be writing a Doctor Who story. No, it won't be a script for the actual television show bur rather an original novel. He revealed this on his forum.

The mind boggles with regards to what a fantasy novelist like Moorcock could do with Doctor Who. He's used to antihero creations like Elric. Any spin he could put on the character would be interesting. As of yet, it's not even known which incarnation of The Doctor he'll be writing about.

The most appropriate Doctor for Moorcock to write about could be the first (played by William Hartnell), who had a subtle arrogance and sinister nature (arguably the least human of the bunch). I'd personally like to read a sixth Doctor story by Moorcock.

Moorcock has influenced legendary writers like Alan Moore. Whatever take he has on the Doctor Who universe will at least be interesting. What do you think?

If Kara DioGuardi has her way, she and Ellen DeGeneres will be hitting it off like franks and beans, peanut butter and jelly, frick and frack... two peas in a pod. At at an industry conference in New York, Kara was musing about the upcoming season of American Idol in which DioGuardi and DeGeneres will be sharing the judges' table together -- with Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, of course.

"I'm hoping the chemistry with Ellen will be great -- and a great start to the season," said Kara.

With that in mind, Kara's going to sleep on the couch at Ellen's house until they're bosom buddies. ...Kidding! But Kara will try to spend some time with Ellen during December when they both have some time off from their busy schedules.

Question: is it possible for Heroes to add enough actors and actresses from cool, hip shows so it also becomes cool and hip again?

Kate Vernon, who played Ellen Tigh (and a Cylon - hope that wasn't a spoiler!) on the Battlestar Galactica remake, is joining the cast of the NBC show. Greg Grunberg first unveiled the news on his Twitter account a couple of days ago. Seems like that's where a lot of breaking news happens nowadays, eh?

Okay, I couldn't resist the nod to Abbott and Costello's Who's On First. But the fact is that Sports Illustrated has spread the word that The Who will star in the Super Bowl big, overblown half-time pageant. This follows the safe pattern the NFL has been employing since the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake costume malfunction; that is, stick with classic rock stars who are guaranteed to do their hits and not disrobe. That's why we've had Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and now The Who. All superstar acts, no controversy.

• At 7:30, Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
• At 8, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by new episodes of Ugly Betty and 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, then new episodes of Medium and Numb3rs.
• NBC has new episodes of Law and Order, Dateline, and The Jay Leno Show.
• The CW has a new Smallville at 8.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bil Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• TBS has The Wizard of Oz at 8.
  
• Also at 8: Nickelodeon has a new episode of The Troop.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Suite Life on Deck.
• Cartoon Network has a new Ben 10: Alien Force at 8:30, followed by a new Clone Wars.
• At 9, USA has a new Monk, then a new White Collar.
• Syfy has a new Stargate Universe at 9, followed by a new Sanctuary.
• Travel Channel has two new episodes of Ghost Adventures at 9.
• BBC America has a new Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at 9.
• At 10, E! has a new episode of The Soup.
• History Channel has a new Lock 'N Load with R. Lee Ermey at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Well, the big interview happens this Monday: Oprah interviews former Alaska Governor and VP candidate Sarah Palin. The interview actually took place several days ago so some clips are starting to be released. Here's a first look, where Oprah asks Palin about Levi Johnston.

Update: we love to see comments on our site, but if they go off topic or get into political arguments, they will be deleted. If you want to comment specifically about Palin's appearance on Oprah, that's fine. Other comments will be deleted. Thanks.

Dear Jay,

Let me start by stating that I think you are a very funny man. I have been following your career for years and you're great. You were wonderful in Jerry Maguire. Of course, you were speaking lines written by Cameron Crowe, so that was a plus, but you delivered the performance. Bravo, Jay Mohr.

That said, I have to talk to you now about Gary Unmarried. Jay, you can make this so much better. Really, you are capable of so much more. Yes, you don't have Cameron Crowe writing for you now. I'm fully aware of that. But you're there.

Gary Unmarried may have started as a formula, and it still has too much of that formula intact. The bitchy, controlling wife/ex-wife? Haven't we seen the Allison character on Two and a Half Men (Judith), Everybody Loves Raymond (Deborah), The King of Queens (Carrie)? Do you see the pattern here? I do.

Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean, has a new book out, and she was on Larry King Live last night to promote it. Larry asked her about the lawsuit she filed against the pageant, but she didn't want to talk about that and even told Larry he was being "inappropriate." She then talks to someone off-camera and it looks like she's about to walk off the set but then changes her mind (or her handlers changed it for her). She came back after the commercial and said she didn't want questions from viewers.

In her defense, the settlement was private, and that probably includes the reason why it was settled, not just the amount. But she just looks goofy taking off her mic and telling Larry that she can't hear him (even though she can clearly hear him because she answers him). The moral: either answer the questions or just leave the show.

[via Gawker]

• At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
• CBS has a new Survivor, then new episodes of CSI and The Mentalist.
• NBC has new episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, followed by a new Fringe.
• The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, then a new Supernatural.
• Current has a new Current Exposed at 8, followed by a new SuperNews.
• TCM has Dial M For Murder at 8, then Rear Window.
• At 9, Comedy Central has a new Jeff Dunham Show.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• Spike has a new TNA Wrestling at 9.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• TruTV has a new World's Dumbest at 9, followed by two new episodes of It Only Hurts When I Laugh.
• At 10, Lifetime has a new Project Runway.
• There's a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10, then a new episode of The League.
• Comedy Central has a new Tosh.0 at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

David Lloyd was one of those TV writers whose work spread across the history of television. He worked on shows ranging from The Tonight Show in the 60s to Frasier in the 90s and early 2000s.

Lloyd died last night after a long illness.

Lloyd had a part in many memorable TV shows over the years, as a writer and/or a producer, including Cheers, Wings, Taxi, Lou Grant, Rhoda, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Dear John, The Dick Cavett Show, The Associates, The Best of the West, and many other shows.

Ken Levine has a great tribute to Lloyd on his site, including a discussion of how Lloyd was as a writer. It includes an example of Lloyd's script for the classic Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites The Dust."

The James Franco experiment has begun on General Hospital. Actually, we have now learned that the movie actor, best known for Spider-Man and Milk and The Pineapple Express, has decided to do a two-month guest role on the ABC soap opera as part of a project he's doing with a filmmaker named Carter.

Franco and Carter are making a documentary called Erased James Franco. His guest turn on 30 Rock may also be part of the movie. Nobody knows for certain.

One thing I do know for certain is that ABC is taking Franco's appearance on GH very seriously. They're working around his schedule, giving him a strangely interesting character to play, and promoting it like mad.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to see Betty Draper play Beer Pong, you got to see it last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Then January Jones helped Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu demonstrate the best way to tackle someone.