Ellen Degeneres, Kara DioGuardi out at American Idol. New judges rumored.

In some surprising news, the American Idol search for a new judge just grew by 2 more. 

Ellen Degeneres has quit her position after only 1 season and Kara DioGuardi has been fired.

Ellen, who became a full-time judge on the show during its ninth season, said  “A couple months ago, I let FOX and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me.  I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.”

DeGeneres adds, “I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on Idol and I am very grateful for the year I had, I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.” 

In the same statement, Idol creator and executive producer Simon Fuller says, “I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills. She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”

DioGuardi was about to enter her 3rd season as a judge but she has been told by producers that she will not be returning.

According to reports, the show will be returning to a 3 judge format. Insiders say the panel has already been decided and will consist of Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Aerosmith front-man Steven Tyler.  

Linda Hamilton joins the cast of 'Chuck'

'Terminator' star Linda Hamilton is joining the cast of 'Chuck.'

For Season 4, Hamilton will play a recurring guest-star role as Mary Bartowski, who vanished mysteriously from the life of Chuck ( Zachary Levi) when he was a boy.

"Hamilton will appear throughout the season, leading Chuck to discover that her life was shrouded in secrets," according to a news release. "She was a spy, a CIA agent ... and that's just the beginning."

Hamilton, 53, is best known for originating the role of Sarah Connor in the "Terminator" films, but she also starred in the 1980s hit "Beauty and the Beast" on CBS.

DirecTV saves 'Damages'

Sony Pictures Television and satellite broadcaster DirecTV have reached an agreement that will save the legal drama 'Damages,' the low-rated but critically acclaimed legal drama starring Glenn Close as cutthroat lawyer Patty Hewes. The show, which had run on the FX cable channel for the last three years and garnered several Emmy Awards, will move to DirecTV's 101 Network.  The deal is for 2 seasons of 10 episodes each.

Unlike DirecTV's deal with 'Friday Night Lights','Damages' will air exclusively on DirecTV and FX will not rebroadcast the new episodes.

However, if you are a 'Damages' fan but do not have DirecTV, you don't have to subscribe just yet. New episodes won't start airing until late 2011 -- at the earliest. The 101 Network will also have reruns of the first three seasons of "Damages" starting next year.

“We’re excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television as we breathe new life into this outstanding drama,” Patty Ishimoto, general manager of The 101 Network and vice president of entertainment for DirecTV, said in a statement.  “It’s a win for our customers because only they will be able to see these new episodes and another great step forward for DirecTV as we continue to build our growing portfolio of exclusive, award-winning programming.”

In a statement, John Langraf, president and general manager of FX Networks, who also heads FX Productions, had this to say: “FX was very proud to have developed one of the best scripted series on television, but in order to have a future, the show needed DIRECTV and we are thrilled they stepped in.... Sony Pictures Television is a great production partner and we at FX Productions are excited for these next two seasons.”

Melina Kanakeredes quits CSI: NY

'CSI: NY' star Melina Kanakeredes has decided to leave the hit series that she has been with since it premiered in 2004.

"We hoped Melina would return to 'CSI: NY' for another season, but we respect her decision to move on," said CBS Television Network and CBS Television Studios in a joint statement. "Her amazing talent and invaluable contribution to the success of the series are greatly appreciated and will not be forgotten. She will forever remain a friend to the network and studio and we wish her the very best."

In her own statement, Kanakaredes said, “I made some amazing and lifelong friendships during my six seasons on CSI: NY, and I will treasure them forever.”

CBS declined further comment, but it has been reported the Kanakeredes contract had expired and she was offered a new contract.  It was also rumored that her pay was being cut.  Kanakeredes turned down the contract and opted to move on.  CBS has said that her final episode has already aired.

Actress Sela Ward is the front runner to replace Kanakaredes.

PrimeTime Emmy Nominations announced!

OK, so the 2009-2010 PrimeTime Emmy Nominations were announced this morning.  Some surprises, and in my opinion, some notable snubs too.  Here is the list of nominees for the major categories:

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 

Jane Lynch - 'Glee'
Kristen Wiig - 'Saturday Night Live'
Jane Krakowski - '30 Rock'
Julie Bowen - 'Modern Family'
Sofia Vergara - 'Modern Family'
Holland Taylor - 'Two and a Half Men'

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Chris Colfer - 'Glee'
Neil Patrick Harris - 'How I Met Your Mother'
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - 'Modern Family'
Jon Cryer - 'Two and a Half Men'
Eric Stonestreet - 'Modern Family'
Ty Burrell - 'Modern Family'

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Gless - 'Burn Notice'
Christine Baranski - 'The Good Wife'
Christina Hendricks - 'Mad Men'
Rose Byrne - 'Damages'
Archie Panjabi - 'The Good Wife'
Elisabeth Moss - 'Mad Men'

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

John Slattery - 'Mad Men'
Aaron Paul - 'Breaking Bad'
Martin Short - 'Damages'
Terry O’ Quinn - 'Lost'
Michael Emerson - 'Lost'
Andre Braugher - 'Men of a Certain Age'

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Lea Michele - 'Glee'
Tina Fey - '30 Rock'
Toni Collette - 'The United States of Tara'
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - 'The New Adventures of Old Christine'
Edie Falco - 'Nurse Jackie'
Amy Poehler - 'Parks and Recreation'

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Larry David - 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
Alec Baldwin - '30 Rock'
Matthew Morrison - 'Glee'
Steve Carell - 'The Office'
Jim Parsons - 'The Big Bang Theory'
Tony Shalhoub - 'Monk' 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Julianna Margulies - 'The Good Wife'
Mariska Hargitay - 'Law & Order: SVU'
Glenn Close - 'Damages'
Kyra Sedgwick - 'The Closer'
January Jones - 'Mad Men'
Connie Britton - 'Friday Night Lights'

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jon Hamm - 'Mad Men'
Kyle Chandler - 'Friday Night Lights'
Bryan Cranston - 'Breaking Bad'
Hugh Laurie - 'House'
Michael C. Hall - 'Dexter'
Matthew Fox - 'Lost'

Outstanding Reality Show Competition
  
Project Runway
Top Chef
Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars

Outstanding Reality Show Host

Ryan Seacrest - 'American Idol'
Phil Keoghan - 'Amazing Race'
Tom Bergeron - 'Dancing With The Stars'
Heidi Klum - 'Project Runway'
Jeff Probst - 'Survivor' 

Outstanding Comedy Series 

Glee
Modern Family
Curb Your Enthusiasm
30 Rock
Nurse Jackie
The Office

Outstanding Drama Series 

Lost
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Mad Men
True Blood
The Good Wife

Now there were some big surprises and some big snubs.  The Academy really missed the boat on some of these.  First and foremost, the omission of Katey Sagal in the Supporting Actress category for 'Sons of Anarchy is a travesty.  Ed O'Neill not being nominated  for 'Modern Family' was a big snub too, especially when the show got 5 acting nominations and he was left out.   Maybe the Academy doesn't like 'Married with Children?'  Also, excluding 'Survivor' from Best Reality Show is an absolute joke.  'American Idol' had its worst season yet and it still beats out 'Survivor' for a nomination, when 'Survivor' had arguably it's 2 best editions???  I'm also really surprised that 'The Big Bang Theory' didn't get more nominations.  And I was also disappointed to see shows like 'Southland,' 'Chuck,' and 'Parenthood' not get recognized in the major categories, while some of the same people continue to get nominations.  People like Tony Shalhoub and Alec Baldwin.  Both are very good in their respective roles, but I would like to see some new people in there.  '30 Rock' had a down year, so I was really surprised to see it get as many noms as it did. 

I'll be pulling for 'Lost' to win big this year.  Matthew Fox finally gets a long deserved nomination, his first.  Elizabeth Mitchell, once a regular on the show, received a nomination in the Guest Actress in a Drama Series category for her role as Juliet.  It was a great show that had a great final season, and it deserves all the accolades it can get.  The show received 12 nominations, the most since it's first groundbreaking season.

Here was the tally:

'Glee' - 19 Nominations
'Mad Men'- 17 nominations
'30 Rock' - 15 nominations (This is a bit of a head-scratcher.  It wasn't a good season for 30 Rock at all.)
'Modern Family' - 14 nominations
'Lost' - 12 nominations
'SNL'- 12 nominations (SNL breaks the record for the most nominations in TV history with 126, ER held the record with 124 until today)
'The Good Wife' - 9 nominations

This year's most nominated program? HBO's World War II epic 'The Pacific,' produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, with a whopping 24 noms. That, however, does not set a record. The aged miniseries 'Roots' still holds that one, with 37 noms.

So what do you think?  Who got snubbed?  Who shouldn't have been nominated?

My Emmy Wish List Part 6: Best Drama Series

In the final part of my 6 part series on who I would like to see nominated for this years Prime Time Emmy's we're going to talk about Best Drama Series. 

Before we go into that, many people have said "How could you leave out _________?" , when discussing the other categories.  The whole idea behind this series was to give my ideal list of who I would like to see nominated.  I realize that some actors/shows will be nominated.  If I named everyone I wanted, the list would be 2 pages long.  These are more the people who may have a longer shot this year to be nominated and who haven't been recognized as much in recent years. 

With that being said, here is my wish list for Best Drama Series.

Lost - 'Lost' hasn't been ignored over the years. It has won twice in the Best Supporting Actor category, and a Best Drama win in 2005.  However it does feel that it just hasn't got the Emmy recognition that it deserves.  I've said it many times before, 'Lost' consistently proved that it had the best acting and writing on TV, week after week.  This is the final go-round for this amazing series and I hope the academy gives it the proper recognition.

Parenthood - For my money, this was the best new drama series on this season.  An amazing ensemble cast, led by Peter Krause and Lauren Graham, and a very good writing team bring this series to life.  You can say that there are better shows out there, but none with more heart than 'Parenthood.'

Southland - When NBC decided to cancel this fine drama series in order to move Jay Leno to 10 pm, many eyebrows were raised.  The show had garnered much praise from critics and fans alike.  TNT quickly came in and decided to pick it up.  What they got was a gritty, well produced, police drama reminiscent of great shows like 'NYPD Blue' and 'Homicide.'  I'd like to see it get some recognition.

So the nominations will be out tomorrow, July 8th.  I hope many of the people and shows I have discussed in this series have something to be happy about.  There are others that I haven't mentioned that I would be perfectly fine with getting some accolades, such as 'The Big Bang Theory' for best comedy series, Regina King for Best Actress in a Drama series for 'Southland', or 'Justified' for best drama series.  And I'd also like to add here that in the Best Reality Competition Series category that 'Survivor' should win hands down.  After 20 seasons, it produced it's best and most exciting season yet with Heroes vs. Villains.  The granddaddy of all reality shows proved why it is still king.   'Amazing Race' better not win again this year.

Whoever is nominated tomorrow, there will definitely be alot to talk about.  I'll let you know who and what were recognized when the nominations are announced.

My Emmy Wish List Part 5: Best Comedy Series

So now we're up to my wish list for Best Comedy Series.  I know 30 Rock will be nominated, thats a lock.  Quite frankly it shouldn't be.  30 Rock did not have a great year.  Here is a few that I would like to see nominated.

Modern Family - To put it simply, 'Modern Family' is the best comedy on TV right now, hands down.  I'd be very surprised if it was overlooked.  It deserves to be nominated and I think it will be.  No other show packed in more laughs per episode than this show did.


Glee - For 'Glee' to do what it did was not easy.  To make a musical TV show a smash hit should have been a very hard thing to do.  But that's just what they did.  I think 'Glee' will get a ton of nominations, and it should.  It takes risks that pay off and the risks should be rewarded.


Chuck - 'Chuck' is not your typical comedy.  Like 'Glee' it is of the hour-long variety.  It is not a sitcom.  It mixes dramatic elements with great action sequences and give some really good laughs too.  It is the most consistently entertaining show on TV right now.  Hopefully it gets its due.


Next we'll cover the Best Drama Series.

My Emmy Wish List Part 4: Best Actress

In the 4th part of My Emmy Wish List, I'm going to cover my choices of who I'd like to see recognized in the Best Actress categories.

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Kaley Cuoco - 'Big Bang Theory' - Now that this series is starting to get recognized not only in the ratings, but also with awards, the ensemble will start to get recognized as well.  Cuoco's Penny is the perfect companion to our 2 nerdy heroes.  The best episodes seem to be the one's where she plays a big part.  This should be a no-brainer.

Lea Michele - 'Glee' - I think 'Glee' will be huge at the Emmy's this year.  Double digit nominations.  It just seems like the type of show that the Academy will fawn over.  If they do, it will be tough to leave out Michele.  Her character of Rachel is the backbone of the glee club and the backbone of the series.  


Best Actress in a Drama Series

Katey Sagal - 'Sons of Anarchy' - No actress on TV this year gave a better performance than Katey Sagal on 'Sons of Anarchy'.  SOA could be a dark horse to get a whole bunch of nominations, and Sagal's role proved what a great actress she is.  The brutal rape scene couldn't have been easy to film.  She has also shown Emmy voters a broad range with her work on 'Lost' as well.  I'm really pulling for Sagal to get noticed this year.

Julianna Marguiles - 'The Good Wife' - Past Winner Marguiles is probably a shoo-in to get another nomination this year.  'Wife' is a critical smash and Marguiles is the glue holding the show together.    She has already earned a Golden Globe for her role as Alicia Florrick.  

Glenn Close - 'Damages' - I know that Glenn Close has already won for her role as ruthless attorney Patty Hewes, but she just can't be overlooked.  Her performance is that good.  With this likely being the last season for 'Damages' this will be the last shot for her to win for this role.  

My Emmy Wish List Part 3: Best Actor

OK, so now we're up to Best Actor.  Always a tough category, so let's get to it.




Best Actor in a Comedy Series 

Jim Parsons - 'Big Bang Theory' - Jim Parsons performance week after week as Sheldon Cooper is probably the best male comedic performance on TV.  Parson got his first nomination last year, and this year he deserves a win.  'Bang' has become a ratings powerhouse this year and that should help Parson in this race.

Zachary Levi - 'Chuck' - Levi is probably the most underrated comedic actor on TV, to go along with the most underrated show on TV.  'Chuck' week in and week out delivers consistently entertaining and quality TV and Levi's performance and Chuck Bartowski is the primary reason. He showed all kinds of range this year. He played dramatic when he went dark and thought he killed a man to protect the woman he loved. He also played comedic when he and Yvonne Strahovski did their best 'Hart to Hart' impersonations.  It's about time 'Chuck' was recognized for the excellent show that it is.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Hugh Laurie - 'House' - This is a slam dunk.  Laurie had his best season as Dr. House.  His performance in the 2 hour premiere alone should win him the Emmy.    Laurie has been nominated 4 out of 5 years and has yet to win.  Quite frankly, that's a travesty for one of the finest actors on TV today portraying one of TV's greatest characters.

Kiefer Sutherland - '24' - Sutherland is a past winner.  He won in 2006 for his role as the tortured soul and American Hero Jack Bauer.  This would make it his 8th nomination for that role, 6 for the series and one for the TV movie, '24: Redemption.'
Since this is the last season for '24', this will be the last chance for Emmy voters to show Jack Bauer some love.

Matthew Fox - 'Lost' - This is a tough one for me.  I really think Hugh Laurie should win this category this year.  But Matthew Fox, in my opinion, has deserved Emmy recognition for several years now.  This season, the final season for 'Lost', he delivered his best, most emotional performance yet as the reluctant hero Dr. Jack Shepherd.  Since this will be the last go-round for this character, I would love to see him nominated and win.  I think the odds are against him, but this is my wish list right? As with '24' Emmy voters have this last chance to give kudos to one of the greatest shows ever on TV and it's leading man.

Best Actress will be next!