TVSquad

Last night, Jonathan wrote about a report that claimed the six main actors from Friends were going to reunite for a series of one-hour specials.  It also mentioned that the three male leads -- Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer -- were going to star in a spin-off. Readers responded by either getting their hopes up or cursing NBC for digging up the corpse of a series that died a year and a half ago.

Well, we've got more news for you: It ain't gonna happen, at least according to NBC.

Here's the update from Jonathan:

"Consider this rumor dead as most of us wisely assumed from the get go. Access Hollywood had this to say earlier today, with a direct quote from Jeff Zucker (CEO of NBC Universal's TV Group) squashing the rumors.

Also, many thanks to TV Squad's own Ryan j Budke, who spent numerous hours on the phone this morning with NBC's Media Relations Department, who had this to say: 'There are currently no plans to have any follow-up to Friends other than Joey, which is still a major part of our comedy line-up and we whole-heartedly support. The rumors started this weekend are just that; rumors. We wish the rest of the cast of Friends continued success in their careers, and would welcome them back at any time, but there are currently no plans for them to appear in their Friends roles.' "

In case you've missed it -- perhaps you were busy highlighting the made-up parts of A Million Little Pieces --  here are some highlights from the last week at TV Squad:



James Frey Dupes Oprah?

• The Smoking Gun's exposé of A Million Little Pieces hits the fan.
• Oprah defends Frey on Larry King Live.
• Publisher denies rumor that they're offiering refunds on Frey's book.
• Made-up memoirs are old news.
• Frey threatens The Smoking Gun with a lawsuit.

Breaking News

• John Doe is picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel.
• Dane Cook gets his own HBO special.
• Shelley Winters dies at 85.
• Dave Marash, formerly of Nightline, joins Al-Jazeera International.
• David Chase says that this is definitely the final season of The Sopranos. Uh-huh.
• Another station bans The Book of Daniel.
• Fox to air remaining Arrested Development episodes against Olympic opener.
• Cynthia Watros of Lost apologizes for DUI.
• Ted Koppel to write New York Times op-ed column.
• Bob swears he heard Dave Letterman say he was retiring in 2-3 years.
• CBS denies that Letterman's retiring in 2-3 years..
• Linday Lohan denies parts of Vanity Fair article.
• Hillary Swank and Chad Lowe separate.
• Lillo Brancato arraigned on murder charges.

Discussions

• Jonathan hates crossovers. So do most of the readers.
• Readers tell Annie why they do or don't still watch ER.
• Readers argue whether Jen Aniston should have been told about the Pitt/Jolie fetus.
• Bob asks the readers if Law & Order changed their font.
• Karina and the readers discuss the TomKat appearance on Ellen.
• Anna lists the pilots in development, wonders if any of them will ever get made.
• Bob asks readers to tell him what happened on Supernatural.

The Five

• Reasons why guys love beauty pagents.
• Best Sesame Street songs.
• Characters that Bob would love to be.

Opinions

• My picks for Best and Worst of 2005.
• Anna thinks there should be a Golden Globes drinking game.
• I become the third Squadder to fawn over Amy Sedaris.
• The stars of Ed are all over TV, and Bob couldn't be happier.
• Bob thinks that Bill O'Reilly should just stifle it.
• Bob also hates it when local anchors address national anchors like they know each other.

Episode Reviews

• Saturday Night Live: Scarlett Johansson / Death Cab for Cutie
• The Book of Daniel: "Acceptance"
• Battlestar Galactica: "Resurrection Ship (Part 2)"
• The Office: "The Injury"
• Lost: "The 23rd Psalm"
• Gilmore Girls: "The Perfect Dress"
• Emily's Reasons Why Not: "Pilot"
• Surface: Episode 12
• The Simpsons: "Homer's Paternity Coot"
• The West Wing: "Running Mates"