TVSquad

FOX News TV writer Roger Friedman is reporting today that Rosie O'Donnell will probably leave The View when her one-year contract is up. The reason? Backstage tension, of course.

Friedman cites the it-just-won't-die flap with Donald Trump as one of the last straws in what has become a conflict with the show's matriarch, Barbara Walters. It seems like Walters is playing the two combatants against each other, according to Friedman, and Rosie is surprised that Barbara isn't being more supportive. Hence, once the "school year" is over in June, she'll take her ball and go home.

Our favorite TV Guide scribe, Mike Ausiello, must have his moles working overtime this week (he should at least provide those moles with a free pizza or something; I'm sure they're all quite hungry); this week's "Ask Ausiello" has the usual set of scoops and spoilers (even one or two with those annoying asterisks he uses), but he also has this one tidbit about the best show no one's watching, Kidnapped:

According to Ausiello (look near the bottom of the page), the producers of the NBC serialized drama have been told to stop production after finishing the 13th episode. Considering they were shooting episode seven when I visited the set six weeks ago, that would mean that they are going to wrap up right... about... now. Anyway, there is an "early cancellation" contingency in place that will show the conclusion to the kidnapping mystery, so the writers won't leave whatever viewers they have left hanging like Reunion did last year. It's too bad; from everything I've seen, the show was one of the best of the fall season. But lack of promotion and a crappy time slot -- people didn't want to get started with this show when The Nine was coming two weeks later -- doomed Kidnapped from the start. Maybe NBC should just hold the show now and air all 13 episodes over the summer; I bet they'd get pretty good ratings then.

(UPDATE 10/5/06: Looks like the show is indeed done. Thanks for the link, dinges!)

The countdown is under way; after almost two years, The Sopranos new season will be upon us in a scant 18 days (Yes, I'm counting, I'm having a party with a huge italian feast). Like most fans of the series, I devour every bit of  "The Sopranos knowledge" that HBO wants to drop on us. The past couple of seasons, the release of that season's poster has been the catalyst for massive amounts of speculation. Who's gonna die this year? Who's going to turn on the family? Look at the way the salt has spilled in front of Paulie! So, I'm sure it will be no different with the new poster that we've been sent by HBO. You may have seen it around so far, but check out our high quality version and let the speculation begin. A couple of things that I notice right off the bat, are obviously: A) Dr. Melfi, very ghostly in the reflection of the door. B) Silvio glaring and Christopher out of the corner of his eye, seem to be the only two looking at Tony and C) Bobby is the only person sitting  besides Tony. Does any of that mean anything? Probably not. It sure is fun to wonder though. Let's hear what you have to say.