Chloe Sullivan is arguably the star of “Smallville”. Chloe has been involved in nearly every major plot line, and has ties to every single other major character. Not even Clark can say that. Now with the exit of Lex and Lana next season, “Smallville” can’t afford to loose Chloe. According to TVGuide’s Ausiello, Allison Mack and company know this too.

“Allison’s camp used Michael leaving as leverage in the negotiations with [Warner Bros.],” says one Smallville source, who adds that Kristin Kreuk’s decision to only return for a handful of episodes as Lana only strengthened Mack’s bargaining position. “They need Chloe now more than ever — and Allison’s people know it.” (Mack’s reps declined to comment for this story.)

“If Allison leaves, they’ve essentially got Lois and Clark left,” notes one insider. “And that show’s been done before.”

I’m a huge fan of Mack and Chloe alike. If it isn’t obvious, I consider her the anchor of the show, both the character and the actor. If they loose her, maybe Clark should think about moving out of “Smallville” and begin his quest to become Superman.

Just to throw it out there. Get Aquaman, Green Arrow and Flash back and start a real Justice League tv show. But, I don’t watch “Smallville” anymore, so what do you think? Can they stand the loss of Chloe? Should they scrap the cast (sans Clark) and start over?

Martha has been the most charismatic companion of the newest of Doctor Who’s companions. She also shined in her recent stint on “Torchwood”. News via Outpost Gallifrey gives:

BBC Drama Production today announced the key cast for Little Dorrit, Andrew Davies’ major adaptation of Dickens’ novel, which will be broadcast on BBC One this autumn (date to be announced). Freema Agyeman, best known to audiences as Martha Jones from Doctor Who and Torchwood, has been cast as Tattycoram, the foundling companion of the Meagles’ daughter Pet.

I’m not familiar with Dickens’ “Little Dorrit”, but am a fan of Agyeman. Also, Davies work on a long list of period pieces bodes well for this screenplay. I look forward to seeing this one.

(see the press release)

We loved the concept, but hated the execution. It appears so did Gary Scott Thompson, the new show runner. AintItCool has this quote:

“There was the original Knight Rider series which we all love, there was the 2-hour movie, and now there’s the new series. And they share in common a car named KITT, different car in some cases, and there’s going to be some people from the 2-hour movie who are carrying over to the new series. And we’re going to see some new faces too. That’s sort of what I told NBC when I came in. I said look, if you’re going to do the 2-hour again this isn’t for me and if you’re going to do that on a weekly basis I’m not your guy. I’m the guy who wrote The Fast and the Furious, I have a reputation, and that reputation’s going to be on this show so I need to make it cool.”

This is refreshing to hear. I’ve said before, the concept of revamping “Knight Rider” is a good one, they just failed to do that with the movie. What the movie ratings showed was that the concept worked…people tuned in to see a new K.I.T.T. Hopefully, Thompson can pull it off.

Just because I don’t watch Smallville anymore doesn’t mean I won’t still complain about it. Over at TVAddict.com there are spoilers for the coming season finale. What I wanted to point out is in the comments.

KaeDee writes:

So, it’s always like that and it is frustrating…. Why do they put the characters in situations where everyone knows in advance that it can’t happen and then create some lame explanation to clean up the mess later?

You have to read/see the spoilers to understand the comment, but it is so spot on. It is one of the things I was referring to when I mentioned the lazy writing on “Smallville” in the last few seasons in a previous post. The writers always take the easy way out.

Just my opinion, but there is plenty of evidence to back it up. Smallville free for 1 week and counting.!

Finally, after a long draught of “Big Love” news, we have a scoop from TVGuide’s Michael Ausiello on the upcoming season. (Warning, potential spoilers)

The show is casting two, er, Big roles. First up is Ray Henry, Nicki’s boss at the law firm and the (contradiction alert!) good-guy lawyer who’s prosecuting the Roman Grant rape case. Even juicier is the character of Bill’s half-brother, Franky, a 16-year-old hottie who was bounced from Juniper Creek for macking on an elder’s intended. Not enough for ya? This season, you’ll also meet Jerry Flute, a Native-American power player who pow-wows with Bill and Don (odds are he’s opposed to the idea of the casino they intend to build on Blackfoot turf), and Rob O’Hare, a neighbor who doesn’t subscribe to the “Sharing is caring!” approach to marriage that Bill’s wives do.

I worry that the show will get to far from the family dynamics that made it so good, and move toward more of the standard TV drama. Season 1 was the best in my opinion, and I didn’t care for some of the late season 2 developments. That being said, “Big Love” is still my favorite TV drama because the characters are the most complex and developed on television.

I know that you’re hungry for more “Big Love”, but maybe this delay will allow them to produce the best season ever. Maybe?

“House” has been one of the most consistent shows on television for the past few years. Although not as ‘real’ as medical shows like “ER”, it has been able to deliver the same quality week after week. Now, “House” producers are working to bring a “spin-off” to the small screen. TVGuide’s Ausiello has the scoop:

Fox, in collaboration with producer NBC Universal, is quietly developing a House spin-off for next season. As I understand it, producers are introducing a new male character for a multi-episode arc and, assuming the actor they find really pops in the role, he may be spun off into his own show. But there’s a twist, and it’s a big one: Per multiple sources, this newbie is not a doctor, but rather a private investigator!

Many times, spin-offs don’t work because they are too much like their parent. “Private Practice” is an example of this. Spin-offs work the best when it is a minor character that spins off.

A private investigator show with the same quality of writing and production as “House” interests me. Much of the “House” success can be attributed to the amazing Hugh Laurie, but the writing and production are also a key.

What do you think of this concept of for House 2.0?

Felicia Day, who plays Penny in Joss Whedon’s upcoming web series “Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, was recently part of an interview with author Patrick Rothfuss. In the interview, she discusses Dr. Horrible.

You recently got to work with Joss Whedon on “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.” What can you tell us about that?

I can tell you that it’s going to be make a lot of people want to sing after hearing the music. Joss and his brothers Zack and Jed and Jed’s fiance Maurissa wrote the show together to go on the internet in three parts. Joss had seen The Guild and had been percolating the idea of an internet musical for a while, and he said that watching the Guild was a part of the inspiration to get it done; that and the strike.

Hold on. You inspired Joss Whedon?

He said it was a PART of what spurred the work on Dr. Horrible. Don’t make it seem like I’m claiming too much credit for it!! I worked with him on Buffy a few years ago and was crazy lucky enough for him to hire me for the part of Penny. I can’t tell you what a fabulous experience it was working on it, the script and songs are fantastic! For someone in Joss’ position to do something this experimental is great because not only is it going to be a huge success, it’s going to make people look at internet content in a new way. I can’t wait for it to be released!

Do you have a date for that?

I believe he said it will be released on the internet before Comicon.

I’ve said before, I really like what I’ve seen and read from Felicia. This article only solidifies my opinion. I think I’m more excited about “Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” than I am “Dollhouse”. From her quote, we can probably expect Horrible to debut sometime in July. I can’t wait.

(Via Felecia Day’s official Flog)

Eva La Rue plays Natalia Boa Vista in CBS’s “CSI: Miami”. TheTVAddict has a lengthy interview with the star. Here is an excerpt:

Without giving too much away, what’s coming up for the last few episodes?

The season finale is awesome. It’s going to be an incredible cliffhanger. It’s going to start the next season. All I’ll say is that somebody gets killed, somebody else gets shot and you’re not sure if they’re going to make it. And then one of our other characters leaves, because Khandi leaves. We have a lot going on.

The interview is very enjoyable. Pay particular attention to the section regarding the “true” story of Eva’s sister that made it in an episode as a case. It was one of the better episodes of Miami, and Eva was great in it.

I began watching “CSI: Miami” because I got an HD television. The beautiful landscapes are magnified 10 fold in high-definition. I stayed because I enjoyed the stories (even though I’m a Caruso hater). La Rue’s performance is up and down, but overall I like her character. Once she was accepted into the lab and stopped dating Delko, her character improved.

Do you watch “CSI: Miami”? What do you think of Natalia? Any comments on the interview?

This season has been filled with stunt casting on various sitcoms. Bringing in famous faces to booster ratings has been a theme. Some work well in the story, and occasionally fit in as well as a regular. Here are my thoughts on many of the latest ’stunt casts’.

Britney Spears, HIMYM: I was really worried about this, but in the end it worked fine. Having Spears on didn’t add or take away from my enjoyment of the show. My only disappointment is that it took away from the real casting of the wonderful Sarah Chalke. Sarah has been amazing on HIMYM and I hope she continues to be a part of the show. Hopefully Britney’s second episode will work as well.

Sarah Gilbert, Big Bang Theory:This is where stunt casting worked well. Gilbert’s style fit perfectly into this show, and made for terrific chemistry between her and former Rosanne castmate Galecki. I’m glad she didn’t become a regular, but am delighted that she shows up every so often. I should also mention Lori Metcalf as Sheldon’s mother. Another former Rosanne cast member who worked well.

Alyssa Milano, Earl: This is my favorite bit of stunt casting. Alyssa works so well on Earl that I hope she stays through until next season. For me, she has become a huge part of the show, and if rumors are correct, becomes even more integral. I’m not sure how I feel about the recent marriage, but I’ll give Greg Garcia the benefit of the doubt.

Paris Hilton, Earl: Paris on Earl actually worked, and added to the show. She had less than a minute of screen time, and spent that time making fun of herself. I am not a fan of Hilton’s acting, singing, modeling, or general attitude, but I will admit that this worked. This was her best performance ever (coincidentally her shortest).

Lindsey Lohan, Ugly Betty: This one hasn’t aired yet, but I decided to mention it anyway. I’m a casual viewer of Betty, but do admit it is a good show. On the other hand, Lohan wasn’t a good actress when she was sober, so I can’t imagine this will work well. I didn’t think “Ugly Betty” needed the ratings boost, but maybe I’m wrong. Who knows how this one will work out.

So what do you think? What is your opinion of stunt casting? How will Britney’s second stint on HIMYM work out? What about Lohan on “Ugly Betty”?

“The Office” star Angela Kinsey has a new baby girl. The People exclusive has:

There’s a new Office mate in town: Actress Angela Kinsey and her husband, TV writer Warren Lieberstein, have welcomed a baby daughter, the actress’s rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Weighing 6 lbs., 14 oz., Isabel Ruby Lieberstein was born at 12:50 p.m. Saturday. Among those at the hospital were Kinsey’s mother, Bertie Kinsey, and the actress’s friend and castmate Jenna Fischer, according to Kinsey’s rep, Tess Finkle.

Hiding Angela’s pregnancy on “The Office” since the return has been fun to watch. As much as she might try, she definitely looked pregnant. Also the sly ways they hid her pregnant belly behind Pam’s desk or Angela’s purse was funny.

I wonder if they would have written the pregnancy in to the show had the strike not prevented the pregnancy from progressing on screen. If they had, do you think that would have worked?

(via AngelaKinseyFans.com)

Last month the writers of “CSI” and “Two and a Half Men” announced they were swapping writers for a single episode. CBS has posted behind the scenes video of from the writers room.

• Part I Here
• Part II Here

I’ve been somewhat of an apologist for the non-Superman-like storyline of “Smallville”. Though it has been far from young-Superman for quite some time, it still remained a fun show, so I put up with the juvenile writing…until now. Comics2Film has an announcement from producers on the villains to replace Lex.

• Doomsday: In season eight, Clark will face his ultimate challenge with the appearance of the legendary, unstoppable destroyer Doomsday, who appears on “Smallville” for the first time. As comic book fans know, Doomsday is notorious for being the only character in the DC Comics universe to have killed Superman.
• Female villain: Doomsday won’t be Clark’s only nemesis in the upcoming season. The executive producers are tight-lipped about a new female villain they will be introducing, but they can say she will be familiar to many fans and will set her sights on Clark in ways Lex never could. Intelligent, brilliantly manipulative, and dangerously sinister, our gorgeous new villain has one more weapon in her arsenal: Her mutual attraction with Clark may prove to be as deadly as kryptonite for him.

Doomsday? Really? Now I know why Gough and Millar left. It is actually hard to put into words how uncreative and disrespectful of the Superman character I believe this is. There is no way they could bring Doomsday to “Smallville” that would work and stay true to the character.

Yes, bringing Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and even Lex Luthor to Smallville in Clarks childhood was very against cannon, but it was possible. They found a way to make it work, but Doomsday will never work. The closest thing we could hope for would be the equivalent of the neutering they did to Bane in “Batman and Robin“.

Sitting on my DVR right now is last night’s episode…I’ll be deleting that. “Smallville” is dead to me.

Another Whedonverse alum has joined the cast of “Dollhouse”. This straight from Joss himself, at Whedonesque:

Hi campers. We’re having the read-through of the script today. Why would I be nervous? YOU’RE nervous! Anyhoo, I just couldn’t resist letting you know that the recurring roles have actually been cast for some time now. I’m shocked that any part of our casting process hasn’t been leaked somehow. And though I’m a fan of secrets, I’ll give you the last two pieces of this particular puzzle:

November (who will be recurring but does not appear in the pilot) will be played by the luminous Miracle Laurie.

Dr. Claire Saunders will be played by… yet another name I’m gonna have trouble remembering how to spell… Amy Acker.

All in all, pound for pound, soup to nuts, man vs beast, it’s a pretty amazing ensemble. I’m not sure how I landed this troupe, but rest assured I’m gonna write bestest good word for talkacting to them yes! They’re in good hands.

Acker was amazing on “Angel”, but I didn’t care for her performance in the final season of “Alias”. That being said, if anyone knows how to cast a show, it’s Joss Whedon. So, I’m excited.

What do you think of the casting of Amy Acker? I’m liking it.

HBO’s “Lucky Louie” was a simple yet funny show. Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon worked great together and made the show very entertaining. They will be reuniting to write and star in a CBS sitcom, with a familiar premise. Hollywood Reporter has:

“Lucky Louie” stars Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon are reuniting for a new half-hour series project. The pair have inked a deal to co-create and co-write a multicamera comedy for CBS and CBS Paramount Network TV. C.K. and Adlon also intend to star in the comedy about a married couple who have been together too long and have too many children.

I haven’t been a fan of Louis C.K.’s standup, but I enjoy he comedic acting. Pamela Aldon is extremely funny. I really enjoyed her on “Californication“, and would love to see her more. Hopefully she’ll still be back for the 2nd season because he character was a big part of the reason I watched the show.

Does a Louis C.K./Pamela Aldon sitcom interest you?

Firefly’s Wash (Alan Tudyk) has just been cast in a new sitcom for WB Television. Hollywood Reporter has:

The untitled Kohan/Mutchick comedy, from Warner Bros. TV, centers on two men — one straight, one gay (Tudyk) — who are lifelong best friends and business partners.

Tudyk, who recently starred in NBC’s untitled Luke Reiter pilot and the features “3:10 to Yuma” and “Knocked Up,” is repped by Endeavor and manager Geordie Frey.

I’m glad Tudyk is trying a sitcom. He’s been great in the comedies I’ve seen him in, especially Steve the pirate in Dodgeball.

It does appear that the networks are throwing a lot of comedy pilots together for next season. Hopefully Tudyk’s is one of them that makes it to air.

The new Fox show, “Dollhouse” promises to be big. With Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku, I believe we’re in for a treat. IO9.com has compiled all the information they believe is available about the series, which includes info from the pilot script. Here’s a less-spoiler excerpt taken from an interview with E! Online’s Kristin:

“Echo is a young woman who is literally everybody’s fantasy. She is one of a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages, including memories, skills, language—even muscle memory—for different assignments. The assignments can be romantic, adventurous, outlandish, uplifting, sexual and/or very illegal. When not imprinted with a personality package, Echo and the others are basically mind-wiped, living like children in a futuristic dorm/lab dubbed the Dollhouse, with no memory of their assignments—or of much else. The show revolves around the childlike Echo’s burgeoning self-awareness, and her desire to know who she was before, a desire that begins to seep into her various imprinted personalities and puts her in danger both in the field and in the closely monitored confines of the Dollhouse. [Dollhouse is] The Bourne Identity meets Stepford Wives meets boarding school meets Los Angeles neo-noir meets the Whedonverse.”

I stayed away from the spoilers, but even with that the article was informative. “Dollhouse” is top on my list, is it on yours?

A quality show that isn’t getting much support is in danger of not being renewed. “Eli Stone” needs a second season. Kristin@EOnline talks to executive producer Greg Berlanti.

“We just hope anyone who wants the show to come back will let that be known to ABC. And thanks so much to you and to all the fans who have reached out. It’s a great show, and it’s been immensely rewarding to have put something so unique and, hopefully, inspiring on the air.”

You know what that means, right? You gotta have faith. (Cue George Michael!) It also wouldn’t hurt if you told your friends (especially those with Nielsen boxes) to tune in to Eli Stone tomorrow night and give the show some much deserved season-finale ratings love.

I watched the “Eli Stone” pilot out of curiosity (easy with a DVR). The pilot was good enough to keep me coming back. Over this short season, “Eli Stone” has developed into a wonderful, well written, talently acted drama that competes with “Pushing Daisies” for my affection.

The journey that all the characters have taken this season begs to be continued. Not many series can both entertain you while still challenging your intellect. I can’t imagine next season without “Eli Stone”, and I hope I don’t have to.

Marvel has been really pushing their brand lately. With new found control over their productions, they’ve been moving forward on all fronts. Now the MarvelKids website is running full-length shows. Comics2Film describes the new service:

Marvel’s recently-launched, all-ages website MarvelKids.com is now showing complete episodes of the ‘Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes’ animated show. According to the site, full episodes of ‘X-Men: Evolution’ are coming soon as well.

My kids have no problem watching television on a computer, so I’m sure this’ll get allot of traffic.

I like the idea of the creators providing shows on their own sites (i.e. SouthPark) instead of being tied to the network (i.e. ABC, etc.). This could be the start of an interesting trend for Marvel.

Do you watch TV on the internet? Have you seen the new Fantastic Four cartoon?

The fictional has released her b-side song, “ Sand Castles in the Sand“. This CBS promotion is in preparation for next weeks episode, “Sand Castles in the Sand”. CBS describes the show as:

Sandcastles in the Sand
Barney, in his own inimitable style, helps Robin realize that she is awesome.

Sandcastles definitely brings back memories of Tiffany. As I’ve said before, I really enjoy the blurring that CBS has done between HIMYM-universe and the real world. It only heightens the enjoyment.

Robin has been a background character lately. Since her breakup with Ted, she’s been almost a supporting player. It’s good that she’s getting an episode.

Click here to watch the video.

Not all of the networks have made their decisions on which shows were returning next season. Ausiello of TVGuide gives a rundown of what the chances of return these shows have:

Aliens in America: Odds of Survival: 3
Back to You: Odds of Survival: 7
Big Shots: Odds of Survival: 0
Boston Legal: Odds of Survival: 6
Cane: Odds of Survival: 2
Cashmere Mafia: Odds of Survival: 0
Cavemen: Odds of Survival: 0
Eli Stone: Odds of Survival: 7
How I Met Your Mother: Odds of Survival: 8
Las Vegas: Odds of Survival: 0
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Odds of Survival: 5
Life Is Wild: Odds of Survival: 0
Men in Trees: Odds of Survival: 5
Moonlight: Odds of Survival: 8
New Amsterdam: Odds of survival: 4
The New Adventures of Old Christine: Odds of Survival: 6, Odds of moving to ABC if CBS should cancel it: 10
Reaper: Odds of Survival: 4
Shark: Odds of Survival: 5
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Odds of Survival: 9
The Unit: Odds of Survival: 5
Women’s Murder Club: Odds of Survival: 4

Shows that I really want to return: “Eli Stone”, “How I Met Your Mother”, “Old Christine” & “Terminator”. Show that I’d like to see, but wouldn’t be upset if they were gone: “Back to You” & “Reaper”.

I believe Terminator is just getting started, and will only get better. “Old Christine” is one of the best ensemble casts in sitcoms ever. HIMYM is always consistently funny, and “Eli Stone” is one of the best dramas on television.

What do you think of this list?