TVSquad

I like Bradley Whitford. Chances are you like Bradley Whitford, too. Who doesn't like Bradley Whitford? So, the news today that the Emmy winning star, an NBC favorite from The West Wing -- and to a lesser-extent Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (although I think he was the best thing on that program) -- is back at work for the network is a good thing. Whitford will produce and star in Off Duty, a buddy comedy series opposite Romany Malco.

It'll be a single-camera style comedy, telling the story of a veteran, once legendary police detective who has fallen on hard times. He's then paired up with a younger up-and-comer, a straight shooter, played by Malco.

This sounds like a somewhat familiar formula, so what will make or break this project is the chemistry and comic fireworks between the principals.

When I heard about the pregnancy, I was shocked. It was so unexpected, such a surprise, a complete unplanned occurrence that had me scratching my head and wondering what was going on. No, I'm not talking about the revelation that John McCain's choice for vice president, Governor Sarah Palin's unmarried teenaged daughter is pregnant.

I'm talking about Guiding Light's Reva Shayne's stunning discovery that she's having a baby well into her 40's and after a near-fatal bout with breast cancer.

Seriously, I was floored by that turn in the storyline. The writers had me and every other viewer fearful that Reva's breast cancer had returned. On the brink of her marrying Jeffrey, Reva learned that the drugs she'd been taking had actually acted like fertility pills and, bada-bing, bada-boom, Reva's having a baby.

He's no Johnny Carson or Bob Hope or Billy Crystal, but pop star and former boy band fave Justin Timberlake could be the next star to host the Academy Awards. The Oscars are still months away, but the Academy is already contemplating a way to make the show more Nielsen worthy.

Last February's show, hosted by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart (he also hosted in 2006), celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Oscars but was a ratings dud. It was the worst Oscars ever, in terms of Nielsen ratings, even though it had a 21.9 rating and 33 share.

Many people blame those dismal numbers on a disinterest among viewers in the films that were in contention last year, including heavy dramas No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton, which seemed to have little appeal to mass audiences.

I'm not here to argue for or against the comedic talents of current box-office champs Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. No, what I'm here to ask is: why do people dislike them so much? I'm not talking about people who just say that the two of them aren't funny; I'm talking about people who think that the two of them were the worst thing to happen to SNL, the comedy genre, and the entertainment world in general.

Case in point: this somewhat obtuse essay praising Poehler on Slate.com. In the process of reviewing Poehler's cartoon, The Mighty B!, writer Troy Patterson goes through some verbal gymnastics, like calling the ASSSCAT show she puts on at the UCB Theater "a Dadaist party trick," among other head-scratching terms. But what's interesting is the virulent reaction his review gets in the comments section.

File this one under "perfect freakin' timing."

Following a stellar weekend at the box office for the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama (it won the weekend), comes word that Poehler is actually pregnant. According to People, Poehler and husband Will Arnett are due this fall. They've been hitched since 2003. In Hollywood, that's like being married for an eternity. Good for them.

Seriously, though, could this announcement have come at a better time? People are already buzzing about Baby Mama and now this. Her PR reps and agents must be salivating at the news. Maybe I'm jaded or overly negative, but I find it hard to believe that this wasn't a wee bit planned - the news, not the kid. I mean, c'mon. She's pregnant and she's in a movie where she's pregnant. If it tanks, announce the good news whenever you feel like it. But if it does well, which it did, then you've got one hell of a push for the film's marketing campaign.

[via AOL]

While Amy Poehler has had steady work both on and off the stage of Saturday Night Live over the last few years it looks like she may be moving up to "big time" status along with former SNL cast mate Tina Fey. And, it might all begin this weekend. Not only is she starring with Fey in the movie Baby Mama, which is being released today (and is expected to be the box office champ, despite mixed reviews), Poehler also has a new cartoon premiering on Nickelodeon.

The Mighty B, which premieres Saturday at 10:30 AM, features Amy as the voice of Bessie Higgenbottom. Bessie is world's most ambitious Honeybee scout in the known universe. She wears her uniform all of the time, leads her troop with a military-like zeal, and has the most badges than any other Honeybee in history. But, she wants to earn all of the Honeybee badges, and she's determined to earn them. Sometimes she imagines herself as the superheroine The Mighty B, to help her through the tasks that will earn her another badge.

I've always been amazed at how analysts can project who's won the box office for the weekend before that weekend even ends. But I've never seen a box office champ predicted before the movie is even released. Apparently, though, that seems to be the case with the new movie from two of the funniest women on TV.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie Baby Mama, which stars SNL's Amy Poehler and 30 Rock's Tina Fey, will likely win the box office race this weekend. The film, which is being released today, has been garnering a lot of pre-release interest among 12-to-16 year-old girls, according to tracking surveys taken over the last few weeks. Huh? Didn't know stories about surrogacy were big with teenage girls. Is there something someone isn't telling me?

If you haven't heard, 30 Rock and Scrubs are switching time slots starting this Thursday. 30 Rock will now be seen at 9:30 for the rest of the season while Scrubs moves to the 8:30 slot.

A lot of people (including myself) assumed that this was because of the rent "MILF Island" episode of the show. NBC received a lot of complaints about the episode, saying it was too raunchy for the "family hour," the 8pm to 9pm time that has always (sort of) been for family viewing (NBC even touted a "family hour" when they announced their new lineup a few weeks ago). Now comes word from the network that the switch isn't happening because of the controversy. But the real reason is just as interesting.

They're moving the show to 9:30 so it has a better lead-in (The Office) and can give the show more exposure as Tina Fey's new movie Baby Mama opens. The network does say, however, that when the fall rolls around the show will be back in its regular 8:30 time slot after My Name Is Earl.