On this week's episode of FlashForward, viewers bid farewell to Al and said hello Blue Hand associate Jeff Slingerland (Callum Keith Rennie).

The latter won't be the final new character introduced on the series, not by a long shot, says creator David S. Goyer. He told MTV:

"We're introducing quite a few new characters down the line. We have already written [the Somalian boy from episode three] as an adult. We're hoping to have a certain actor play him. We haven't nailed it down yet, but we're crossing our fingers."

Goyer also hinted that Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire) would take on that adult role, which would be incredible.

Then there's Miles Fogel a new addition to be played by Michael Ealy.

"He effectively becomes a series regular with [episode ten]," Goyer said of Fogel.

Goyer also confirmed that Slingerland would turn up a couple more times this season; and that episode nine will take Bryce to Japan (as hinted at last night).

"That's the subject of episode nine, which is almost entirely his episode," said Goyer. "We introduce another of our cast members in that one — her name is Keiko. She's from Japan, and I can't say too much more about who she is, but she's involved in Bryce's story."

Sexy, alliterative casting news for Smallville fans:

The CW hit will welcome back the character of Zatanna later this season, as Serinda Swan is booked for an early 2010 episode.

The actress first portrayed Zatanna last season, as she granted Chloe's birthday wish by dropping her into Lois' body. From there, Zatanna sought out her late father's diary, fighting with Green Arrow along the way.

“There was always the hint that she might return one day, so I was keeping my fingers crossed," Swan said. "I love the cast and I really like the character."

No word yet on why Zatanna returns, "but knowing the character and what she's capable of, it's going to be something pretty interesting," the actress said.

More exciting news for Smallville fans: the Wonder Twins appear on next week's new episode!

Last night on 30 Rock, Liz and Pete set out to stack the deck in favor of their top choice to join the cast of TGS. Tracy and Jenna set out to stop them at any cost.

Jack Donaghy? He got a case of the bed bugs and found himself ostracized from the elite layer of society he lives in. He begged for compassion on the subway!

In the end, the story lines intertwined as Jack found what he was looking for - acceptance from a stranger - and TGS got a new cast member. A robot mime guy.

Probably the best things about this episode were that Jenna had some great lines, unexpectedly, and Dot Com's late bid for a spot on the cast. Classic 30 Rock.

It was also funny to see Jack so out of his element, even if the show basically ran with the same joke throughout. "Audition Day" was old school in that sense.

Follow the link for a recap of "Audition Day." As always, we've done our best to compile classic 30 Rock quotes from last night's episode. Some of the best lines:

Liz Lemon's top choice for TGS, Jayden Michael Tyler, didn't exactly pan out.

Tracy: [to Liz] Was describing your sandwich in detail necessary to our understanding of what happened? | permalink

Liz: My mom used to send me articles about how older virgins are considered good luck in Mexico. | permalink

Pete: The more people you add, the less effective it is. Like a neighborhood dad garage band. | permalink

Kenneth: [on bed bugs] Looks like you got a bad case of the chew-daddies. Ozark kisses? The woodsman's companion? | permalink

Jenna: It's going to be a disaster! Like Katrina! Do you remember Katrina, that crazy girl from hair and make-up? | permalink

Jenna: Liz, I need to speak with you. Beat it, Grizz or Dot com. | permalink

Liz: In my defense, I didn't know that Cathy Geiss was going to finish her song by taking off her underpants. | permalink

Jack: That's what I'm talking about, empathy. It's about as useless as the Winter Olympics ... This February on NBC. | permalink

Jenna: Black people, I know I've said a lot of terrible things about you in print, but I come here today on a mission of peace. | permalink

Jack: I'm already not liking some of these people. It reminds me of being on the bus. | permalink

Janitor: For my first character, I'd like to do a janitor who has finally had enough and stabs everyone. | permalink

All canceled shows should be this lucky:

Southland got the axe from NBC this fall, only to be snatched up by TNT just a few weeks later. The police drama will debut on that network on January 12.

In an interview with TV Guide Magazine, producers Chris Chulack and Ann Biderman speak on the switch and the fate of their show. A few excerpts:

Chulack, on new cast members: We have two new detectives: Clifton Collins (The Shield) and Laz Alonzo (Fast & Furious). Tom Everett Scott is not a series regular, but he’s back for several episodes.

Biderman, on the six new episodes filmed so far: There are secrets revealed, alliances and heartbreak in our characters’ personal lives.

Biderman, on NBC pulling the plug: I don’t want to NBC-bash because at the end of the day, they did the right thing. They could have put it on the air with a really bad time slot.

The Mentalist came out on top of the ratings game last night, edging out CSI. A look at various shows and figures...

8 p.m.
Survivor: Samoa: 12.7 million viewers
FlashForward: 8.47 million
Bones: 8.46 million
Community: 5.6 million/Parks and Recreation: 4.9 million
The Vampire Diaries: 4.2 million

9 p.m.
CSI: 15.1 million
Grey's Anatomy: 13.6 million
The Office: 7.9 million/30 Rock: 5.9 million
Fringe: 5 million
Supernatural: 2.7 million

10 p.m.
The Mentalist: 15.4 million
Private Practice: 9.2 million

While One Tree Hill underwent a cast shake-up prior to the premiere of season seven, one face has remained a constant on this CW hit since its premiere:

Lee Norris as Marvin "Mouth" McFadden.

TV Fanatic spoke with the talented, affable young actor today. We asked him about Mouth's future, his dream job - and whether or not he's jealous of co-star Robert Buckley's shirtless scenes...

TV Fanatic: Does it bother you that Clay (Buckley) has probably had more shirtless scenes already this season than Mouth has had in over six years?
Norris: [Laughs] It does not. In fact, I encourage the writers to keep that ratio up. If I had Rob's six-pack, I might feel differently, but I'm definitely okay with it for now.

TV Fanatic: What was it like to go through the cast shake up at the end of last season and beginning of this season?
Norris: It's been good. We miss [Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton] and it was tough to say goodbye to them after six year. But at its core, One Tree Hill is an ensemble show. There are lot of key characters still around and there are a lot of interesting stories to tell about them.

TV Fanatic: Talk about your new castmates.
Norris: Rob is a likable, good-looking guy. The show has done a great job revealing his character's background over the last few weeks. It's hard not to root for a guy like Clay.  And Shantel VanSanten and Jana Kramer are just so beautiful, funny and talented. It's been easy balancing the old and the new.

TV Fanatic: What's it been like to have starred for so long alongside other show veterans like Sophia Bush and James Lafferty?
Norris: We were just talking about how it's been seven years now. That's longer than high school or college. It's crazy when you think about it, but how many people get to work with their best friends every day and do something they love? It's a cliche, but we really are like a family.

Continue Reading...

As 90210 fans know by now, Adrianna is going gay.

Opinions on this storyline seem mixed in our forum and across our site. Do you think it's a good idea?

To those that have doubts, showrunner Rebecca Sinclair says the series is aware of other failed PR stunts that have gone this route. In a new interview, she tells Michael Ausiello that things will be different between Gia and Adrianna...

On driving force behind this storyline: There’s been a real void in the 90210 universe in terms of gay and bisexual characters, so it was always my intention to find the right way to tell a modern story about being a non-straight — or non-entirely straight — teenager. It’s crazy that we don’t have any stories about that.

On showing respect for the relationship: This isn’t a fling. We’re coming at this [relationship] from a genuine place and not going, ‘Let’s do a titillating story that will grab some promotion.’ This is a real aspect of teenager life that’s interesting.

On Adrianna: Adrianna is, by nature, a dramatic person whose identity is not completely solid. She’s still very much in the process of figuring out show she is.

On the reaction of Adrianna's friends: Naomi, predictably, has some outrageous opinions. She thinks the best thing about fooling around with another girl is how much guys would love it. And Silver, being more sophisticated, is like, “What’s the big deal? If you like somebody and you feel attracted to them, what is holding you back?”

Might other characters explore their homosexual side? There has been some internal debate about this. I feel like as we dig into the show and hopefully make it more specific and unique and interesting, we would get into the real stuff that goes on from both the guys’ and girls’ perspective.

Alec Baldwin has already romanced Edie Falco and Salma Hayek on 30 Rock.

What beautiful, big-name actress is next on Jack Donaghy's list?

Unless our eyes deceive us, it's a four-time Oscar nominee. Julianne Moore was spotted on the 30 Rock set this week:

No word yet on exactly what role Moore would play, but if she's involved in scenes with Donaghy, no doubt she'll be hilarious.

Another episode of The Vampire Diaries, another suspenseful turn of events and another set of great songs.

Earlier today, we reviewed "162 Candles" in full and would love to hear reader feedback on our take.

For now, though, let's focus on the most recent round of Vampire Diaries music. As loyal readers should know, we've posted all singles from this show on our site.

Samples from last night's installment include...

• The Birthday Massacre - "Happy Birthday"
• Pete Yorn - "Thinking Of You"
• Tiesto - "Feel It In My Bones"

What shocking storylines are set to go down next week on The Young and the Restless? These spoilers shed light on the answer...

• Lily has a shock for Neil.
• Phyllis makes her feelings known to Patty.
• Michael discovers the facts about Ryder's alibi.
• Ashley (Eileen Davidson, pictured) puts her scheme into action.