TVSquad

The Disney Channel has ordered six additional episodes for the third season of their ridiculously successful series Hannah Montana. The series stars teen icon Miley Cyrus in an effort to maximize her exposure before she is sacrificed for the harvest.

This brings the number of total episodes of the season to 30. When does any show get thirty episodes per season? The number I've always understood to be the maximum is 24 (and that's only for a series that is actually called 24). My guess is they're trying to wring as much they can from Miley before she goes to her inevitable solo career. Perhaps Disney should just create a new character for the franchise: Miley Mouse.

As a side note, Disney has also ordered more episodes of The Suite Life on Deck, a series I've never heard of but I'm sure parents of very young children will be sick of before too long.

The buzz about ABC's Oscar broadcast is starting in earnest, and yesterday it was announced that Kristin Chenoweth, the adorable Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies, has been tapped to sing one of the Academy Award nominated songs, "That's How You Know" from the film Enchanted, according to the Baltimore Sun. Kristin will be joined by Marlon Saunders, who played the Central Park Calypso singer in the movie. By the by, Enchanted's star, Amy Adams, will also be singing on the show. She's doing, "Happy Working Song," another nominated song from the Disney hit. FYI, that's the sing-along tune she did in the film with cockroaches, rats and other happy vermin. You can just imagine Walt Disney spinning in his grave, can't you?

Eli Stone, the new ABC legal drama, is already in trouble. This is interesting news since the first show hasn't even premiered yet. The trouble is stemming from the American Academy of Pediatrics, who want the first episode of the series canceled because it feeds into the myth that vaccines can cause autism.

In the series premiere, which airs after Lost this Thursday, lawyer-turned-reluctant-prophet Eli Stone argues in court that a flu vaccine made a child autistic. Dr. Renee R. Jenkins, president of the AAP, said that both ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney, are being irresponsible by airing the show because it will be perpetuating the vaccine=autism belief. Dr. Jenkins added that the network would share in the responsibility for the suffering and deaths if parents who watched the program chose to deny their children immunizations. Dr. Jenkins also mentioned that many viewers trust the health information presented on fictional television shows.

It was announced today that the former chief of Walt Disney Co., Michael Eisner, is to have his own CNBC talk show. Aptly called Conversations with Michael Eisner, the show will feature interviews with "business, entertainment or political leaders, with a focus on creativity and innovation". CNBC president Mark Hoffman approached Eisner about having his own show after he saw Eisner fill in for Charlie Rose on PBS in October. Hm. I guess he did a pretty good job... I'm not quite sure how he'll do as a talk show host because I've never seen him on TV except during The Wonderful World of Disney and during various news reports. Did anyone see his fill-in spot for Charlie Rose?

I nominate Mickey Mouse for the first interview candidate. Let's start things out nice and awkward.