TVSquad

The big question, if Jay Leno does indeed go over to ABC when his contract is up with NBC, is what will happen to Jimmy Kimmel? His show has been increasing in ratings and the late night talk show with the most buzz right now, and even if they were to cancel Nightline (a definite possibility), then Kimmel would still be pushed to 12:35 from his 12:05 start. Maybe 30 minutes isn't a lot when you're talking about the age of the universe, but it's a big leap in late night TV.

Kimmel is aware of this, and besides asking questions at the Television Critics Association press conference (as a member of the media), Kimmel is also trying to convince Leno not to come over to his channel. Last Friday he told Leno that he shouldn't come on over to ABC because it's filled with bees, they pay him in Disney dollars (which you can only spend at the theme parks), and every single day his car is keyed.

Leno calls the rumors of him going to ABC "ridiculous." And by ridiculous he means "I'll do it if I'm bored and they want to pay me a ton of money."

One of the highlights of this year's primetime Emmys is going to be musical. That's right, I'm psychic. I've looked into the future and can tell you without equivocation that Josh Groban singing a medley of TV themes from 60 years of programs will stop the show.

On September 21, the night ABC broadcasts the big anniversary of the Primetime Emmys, producer Ken Ehrlich has tapped balladeer Groban for a four-minute medley of TV themes. The mind reels with the possibilities of how many memorable melodies he can fit into 240 seconds.

Some choices seem obvious: Cheers (where everybody knows your name), The Jeffersons (movin' on up to the big time), The Beverly Hillbillies (black gold, Texas T), The Flintstones (they're a modern stone-aged family).

Like I said, the possibilities are vast, and the promise of a something hilarious is sure fire.

So we all know that Conan O'Brien is taking over for Jay Leno next year, and that when he does Leno might go some place else, perhaps ABC, which might bump Kimmel to 12:35am. But what about the other late night player in all of this, Nightline?

The long-running news show will probably be dumped and its employees out of jobs if ABC pays Leno a bunch of money to come over to the network to host a show at 11:35pm and go up against David Letterman. Even though Nightline's ratings are good (they often beat Letterman) and it's makes money, they'll make more with Leno.

After Jimmy Kimmel left the room, ABC Entertainment Steve McPherson got on with the business of facing the press at his executive session. I kicked it off with a question about Scrubs, following up on what Bill Lawrence told me in May about a possible "next generation" ninth season.

"We do think there's an opportunity after (this eighth season)," said McPherson. "If any or all the cast is a part of that, I think there's a growth (opportunity) there. It's a show that, despite being moved around into like 17 time periods and really never being given the marketing support, has really performed unbelievably well on NBC." He went on to say that they hope "it won't be a one-season situation."

Other than that, most of the conversation revolved around the network's returning shows, which makes sense, since the network is only debuting a few new shows (none of which had pilots that the network thought were suitable for preview) this fall.

A funny thing happened at the beginning of the ABC executive session this morning. After ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson got on stage, said some opening remarks, and opened the floor to questions, someone got up and identified himself as Tom Weinerman of the Sarasota Star-Herald Tribune. That was a bit unusual, as the reporters here never identify themselves before asking questions.

But then, people started recognizing the voice, or turned in the direction of the questioner, and realized what was going on: It was Jimmy Kimmel, and he had some pointed -- and funny -- questions for McPherson about the possibility of Jay Leno coming to ABC.

Wow, maybe she really was f***king Matt Damon after all.

America's Sweethearts, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman, have broken up. It's true! A publicist for the couple (hmmm...I wonder who gets the publicist in the breakup?) sent a note to People saying that the couple have split and that "there will be no further comment." Of course, I'm sure they'll be no comment until someone mentions it on Kimmel's ABC show or someone asks Silverman about it in an interview.

Click on the link above and head on over to AOL to look at Jimmy and Sarah through the years. They have Sarah's "I'm F**king Matt Damon" video and Jimmy's "I'm F**king Ben Affleck" video. Or, if you're too lazy to click on the link above you can click the link below and check out the videos after the jump. Of course, you're still clicking so either way you have to actually click, so I'll leave the choice up to you.

Our Monday morning roundup of a half dozen things TV Squad readers - and TV fans in general - will be talking about this week.

1. Wipeout and I Survived A Japanese Game Show: Next season the Japanese will come over here and star in I Survived The Jerry Springer Show. (Tuesday at 8pm on ABC.)
2. The strike: One more week to go before the deadline.
3. The Baby Borrowers: Stars Jamie Lynn Spears and these girls. (Wednesday at 9pm on NBC.)
4. Jimmy Kimmel on The View: He's dumped on them for years and now he's going to be on the show. Should be interesting. (This morning on ABC.)
5. Hey, it's Buffy/Angel Week!: Our retro summer continues with posts about Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel (and everything related to them).
6. Rescue Me minisodes: We really have to think of a better name for these things. (Starts Tuesday at 10pm.)

It looks like we have a potential candidate for the B.A. Baracus role in the movie adaptation of the 80's television show The A-Team. UFC fighter Quinton Rampage Jackson mentioned on The Jimmy Kimmel Show that he was in the running for the role made famous by Mr. T.

Looking at the photo, it's easy to see why he's in the running. He's already got the pecks and the chain. If you check out the video after the link, he's even got the attitude. Just give him a mohawk and he'll be set.

The planned release for the feature film is June 12, 2009. It will be produced by 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios and is to be directed by John Singleton (Boyz In The Hood, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious).

The question is: can the UFC fighter act? And if he can't act, then can he at least act like Mr. T.?

[Thanks, Ryan!]

The late night comedian will be appearing during your primetime schedule. Starting tomorrow, Jimmy Kimmel LIve will run special half-hour shows each night that ABC airs the basketball finals. Special guests include: David Beckham, Edward Norton, Charles Barkley, Liv Tyler, Adam Sandler, Eminem, Shaquille O'Neil, Magic Johnson and New Orleans Hornets guard and 2008 MVP contender Chris Paul, among others.

Out of the celebrities mentioned, I'm most interested to see Eminem. I haven't seen the Real Slim Shady on TV in awhile. He's always a good interview though -- all that contrived hostility and testosterone in overdrive. Who are you looking forward to seeing? Or is Kimmel's fabulousness enough to get you to tune in?

The schedule is after the jump.

One of the many problems facing broadcasters as we move into the future is the proliferation of DVRs and their fantastic ability to allow people to blow right through all of those bill paying commercials. In the continuing effort to thwart quick fingered viewers, networks are turning to live commercials.

The idea being that the live commercial offers something different enough that it will be worth your time, while your 300th viewing of Cisco welcoming you to the human network no longer even registers. The New York Times has a good article on how this latest incarnation of what is a very old idea is being implemented. They talk about spots that Kimmel and Leno have done and also give a peak at Spike's plans for a live three-minute game show that would run during commercial breaks.

Sarah Silverman, the star of The Sarah Silverman Program, is fu*king Jimmy Kimmel, the host of ABC's late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live. At least we assume so, considering they've been dating for years and kidding about their love story in public -- remember her video, "I'm fu*king Matt Damon," which he countered with "I'm fu*king Ben Affleck"? These two are a fun couple and seem to really have it together. However, don't look for Ms. Silverman to ever become Mrs. Kimmel.

Simply stated, Sarah Silverman told People.com that she's vowed to never marry Jimmy Kimmel. Nothing personal, Jimmy, she just likes things exactly as they are and doesn't want to muck it up with rice, flowers, lace, cake, invitations and all the other wedding malarkey.

Clearly, little Sarah never fantasized about her parents walking her down the aisle, standing under the chuppa with her groom, and seeing the man of her dreams shatter a wine glass beneath his foot, all elements of a typical nice Jewish wedding for a nice Jewish girl like Sarah.

So, Disney CEO Robert Iger was having one of those yummy breakfast confabs talking about the future of the network and new media, alternate platforms and all those other fun buzz words about how we're going to be watching shows in the next few years. Then, kind of as an aside, he was asked about Jay Leno. With the end of Leno's era as the host of The Tonight Show looming -- and Conan O'Brien chomping at the bit to take over -- Mr. Iger said that he wouldn't rule out ABC going after Jay.

Ken Auletta of the New Yorker pressed Iger about Leno, to which the ABC head man squirmed and said, "It's not something we typically comment on."

Last night I went to a taping of the second installment of Idol Gives Back at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. This year the charities that benefited were Malaria No More, Children's Defense Fund, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Children's Health Fund, and Save the Children.

Keep in mind, there will be spoilers. It's not like I found out the secret to Lost, but I figured I would still give fair warning. The show will air on Wednesday April 9th at 7:30 pm ET / PT. For what happened at the taping and in the press room, read on after the jump. And check back for Jason's review Wednesday night.

There are many ways to get through a Lost hiatus: watch the DVDs, check out Lost fan blogs, or perfect your complicated time loop theories. Jimmy Kimmel decided to pass the time by poking fun at the show's underwhelming enhanced episodes. Kimmel rewrote one of the enhanced scenes from "The Beginning of the End," in which Hurley and Jack play Horse. His on-screen facts were only slightly more dumbed down than the original text, but were much funnier.

• At 8, FOX has a new Cops.
• Food Network has a Dinner: Impossible marathon at 8 (looks like a send-off for the recently fired Robert Irvine).
• Nickelodeon has a new iCarly at 8.
• At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
• CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show at 9.
• Lifetime has a new movie at 9, The Love of Her Life.
• BBC America has a new Torchwood at 9.
• Also at 9: Cartoon Network has two new episodes of Naruto, then a new One Piece.
• At 10, ABC has Jimmy Kimmel Live's All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• HBO has a new George Carlin special at 10, It's Bad For Ya.
• At 11:30, NBC has a new Saturday Night Live, with guests Ellen Page and Wilco.

Check your local TV listings for more.