And...she'll play a "guest director" for the high school musical at West Beverly Hills High. The CW announced this morning that she'd signed on for multiple episodes.

So far, everyone seems to be getting just fine.

But it's early.

I say, give it few weeks.

In any event, I jest. "Beverly Hills 90210" showrunners Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah - both "Freaks and Geeks," and "Life as We Know It" alums - seemed pretty happy about the new edition this morning before the ink-stained Assemblage here in BH, and know wonder. Shannen Doherty's addition - rumored for many days - is what you call "promotable."

Not that this spin-off needs much more attention.

Judah told us this morning that castmembers from the Original - at least those few who have agreed to sign up - will be "used organically" in the spin-off. I take this to mean that they won't have fully independent storylines, or that their storylines from all those years ago will probably not be resolved in this edition. (Both producers were a little circumspect on this point.)

Of Doherty, we now know this much: She will reprise her role as Brenda Walsh (who as you recall disappeared to London for an acting career, while leaving the love of her life behind...) The CW told us this morning that Brenda became a "successful theater actress, splitting her time between New York and London. The character soon transitioned into directing for theater and had equal success in that career." Her alma mater asked her to guest direct the high school's musical...

No one asked this morning about Jason Priestley or Luke Perry, but I think you can reasonably assume they will not be joining (Perry has already said no.) Jennie Garth returns as high school guidance counselor (Kelly Taylor), and Tori Spelling, too. (Donna Martin.) Also, Joe E. Tata is back too, as Nat, owner of the Peach Pit.

The Peach Pit? As Judah explained, it has metamorphosed into an Internet cafe "and a cool coffee house. It's NOT going to be like the old days, 'hey, Color Me Badd!!'"

A good chunk of the new cast was up on stage this morning - Ryan Eggold (Ryan Matthews), Rob Estes (Harry Wilson), Lori Loughlin (Debbbie Wilson), Shenae Grimes (Annie Wilson), Tristan Wilds (Michael Lee, from "The Wire," here as Dixon Wilson); Jessica Stroup (Silver), Dustin Milligan (Ethan Ward),AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi Clark), Michael Steger (Navid Shirazi), and Jessica Walter (Tabitha Wilson).

However, there wasn't soul up there from the original cast.

Interpretation: That the showrunners didn't and don't want to shift the spotlight from the classic characters to the newcomers, who will - after all - have to strike out on their own when the show launches Sept. 2, as a two-hour premiere.

Or maybe they just realized that Jennie and Shannen couldn't share the same stage together...

Judah said the spin-off will have "a strong point of view, that kids need boundaries, need rules..."

Basic plotline: Wilson moves his family from Kansas to the Zip, where he will be WBH prinicipal. A fish-out-of-water tale ensues...

And - because I like to bury my lede - the show also stars Paul Schulze. Remember him? How could you forget: Father Phil Intintola from "The Sopranos," the mooch who came dangerously close to breaking his vows and losing his life in the process. You might call this show the first post-"Sopranos" reunion. He plays a character named Eddie, and sorry, no further details...

Other Showtime notes:

* Clyde Phillips, "Dexter" boss, said that Jimmy Smits' character - Miguel Prado, a Miami DA - will "befriend" dear ol Dex, and actually become "the first adult friend he's ever had...as their friendship progresses he becomes a little more open with [Prado] about who he is...That's what we're gonna explore this year."

* David Duchovy, here to promote "Californication," got a Mulder question, of course, and he said, "I can't play him the same way [six years later.] I walk a little slower. I was trying to be Mulder in 2008, not 1993. That was interesting for me."

* Michael C. Hall got the biggest laugh of the day. Someone asked how his family reacted when they learned he was gonna play a sadistic beast of a blood-spattered serial-killer. Not missing a beat - and in an obvious reference to his "Six Feet Under" lover, Keith Charles - he said they responded: "'As long as you're not kissing a black man.'"

It's not often that you get genuine news at a press tour - it's not often you get any news at a press tour - but I'm reasonably certain we got some about half an hour ago: Katie Couric and Sean McManus, CBS News chief, disputed the reports that she's leaving after the inauguration. "There are no plans to part company any time soon," she said via satellite from New York.

Now...you can be cynical, and you can be skeptical, and you can be anything you like. You can also carefully parse the words "any time soon." But I do find it intriguing that both would use such a public forum to so pointedly deny the many reports of a post-inauguration split once again. McManus has sorta debunked the reports in other press interviews, but this seems to me KC's strongest denunciation to date. "I'm very committed to the program and the product." Echoed McManus, "this is not a discussion at CBS or CBS News."

As Your's Truly has reported before, there are reasons why she could/should stay. One, it would cost CBS a vast sum to buy out the balance off her contract, and there would certainly be no guarantee that her replacement would do any better. Two, she has no apparent motivation to move on either (meaning, no obvious gig, unless Larry King is pushed aside, which seems kinda hard to believe at this point.) And three, the program IS actually pretty good (even if it doesn't have a correspondent based in Baghdad any more.) Credit due to people like Paul Friedman and others who are working behind the scenes, but credit due to Katie too. The numbers are dreadful, but they were dreadful under Dan Rather too. (Are there degrees of "dreadful...?" Just asking...)

So, we now await the meaning of "any time soon."

CBS Entertainment boss Nina Tassler actually had a lot of interesting stuff to say about the departure of Billy Petersen a few minutes ago at the TCA executive sesh in BH, and let's just go straight to the bullets to lay out the highlights:

* First, She said that this classic (my word) has just reached "new deals" with the other three principals, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads and Paul Guilfoyle; that means that they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

* Petersen will leave after episode ten "but you'll not see the last of him." Why's he going? "Don't forget his roots [in theater] as an artist." And he is fact leaving to produce a play (she didn't say what or where; but I'm thinking likely in LA, but not necessarily...) She added, "he's been very outspoken in terms of his artistic dedication" to other stuff.

* The biggish news is that the show will fold in a new character - name and star to be determined - who will actually have the DNA of a serial killer. (Hmmm.) This guy - I'm assuming it's a guy - will be the only one to know this when he joins the CSI as an investigator, and "there will be a journey to find out his true character."

What do I like? So nice of you to ask. Keep your eyes, friends, on "Worst Week," Monday at 9:30 entry...(I think "Rules of E" used to air here...) Based on the Brit-hit, "Worst Week of My Life," it really does follow a worst week in some poor schmo's life, as he gets ready for impending nuptials and must endure a series of preposterous and soul-sucking trials and pratfalls.This remake stars a relative new-comer, Kyle Bornheimer, along with the always-beautiful-and-why-isn't-she-a-big-star-yet Erinn Hayes, plus two wonderful and seasoned pros, Nancy Lenehan and Kurtwood Smith, who need no intro. The screening pilot was produced and I think directed by Matt Tarses, one of the inspired people behind "Scrubs" and "Sports Night." Tarses just told the Assemblage that "ninety percent" of the gags were lifted from the Brit series...

My snap judgment: "WW" is one of the most skillfully packaged and produced comedy pilots I've seen in a long time, and lemme tell ya, I've seen a lot. This could be the one - another major comedy hit for a network that's had a few of those (I hear) over the years. It's very (very) good...Clip - I'm sorry to say - gives you only the barest hint, but I guess it's better than nothing...

Didn't you hear? They don't make news at Press Tour, just omelettes...

Next at 10, west coast time, Katie and the other toppers from CBS News will appear via satellite. This is actually a gutsy and mid-level surprising move, insofar as Katie et al know precisely what people will ask, and that probably won't be "how DO you plan to cover the conventions?"

This is actually an interesting appearance because the Omniscient We of the Mainstream Media - amazingly, always right, too - have declared that Katie will be gone after the inauguration. But, wouldn't it be exciting if....the giant head of CBS News boss Sean McManus appeared up there on the screen and said, "Katie's going nowhere - she's our anchor now and well into the future..."

But like I said, news rarely breaks out here. I suspect we'll hear this: "I just don't think this is the appropriate forum to discuss my future," says Katie. End of questions...

I'll get back to you shortly with the real quotes.

Apparently not...Anyway, Rhimes - sitting in the poll position among a group of superstar producers who included Darlton and Greg Berlanti, et al - said there's no problemo with her Kate, and that "everything's fine...I have a wonderful working relationship with Katherine Heigl, and as you know, I love her character..." Shonda did admit she "found it surprising" when she first heard of Izzy/Heigl's comments, but "I didn't feel insulted" because "in the back half of the season, she asked me to write her light" - that is,with a diminished role on the show - "for the movie ['The Ugly Truth.']" Meaning? If she didn't have much to do, she didn't have an Emmy-worthy role last year.

My own personal guarantee: This is the LAST TIME I'll blog/write about this non-story/story.

Promise.

By now you may have heard the big news out here in BH - that Jay Leno told USA Today that he is done with NBC next year. Done, as in: No primetime specials, no special ambassadorship, no syndicated series for some division of NBCUniversal, no guest-hosting job on "Access Hollywood"...

He's outta there.

The news broke innocuously, but like all tectonic shifts in this business, such news often does. I remember when Johnny took the stage at Carnegie Hall in '88 or '89, and told advertisers at the NBC upfront that he would hang it up at 30 seasons. There was no press release. No formal "this is it" statement. Just a brief and modest aside to a thousand stunned advertisers.

And I don't believe he ever said another word about it in public.

Then, this news this morning. The piece - by an enterprising reporter by the name of Marco R. della Cava - was ostensibly just about Jay's vast collection of cars, and his gearhead love of all things mechanical (though I was a little surprised that there wasn't much talk about motorcycles...)

Della Cava asked the right question, or maybe just snuck in it during a fascinating conversation about the 1936 Lagonda Rapide LG45 Team Car.

"Ummm, Jay, before we I ask you about the Lagonda Rapide LG46, which I believe came out in 1938 and I do believe I see one over there in the corner, I was just kinda wondering: Are you gonna stay with NBC next year...? "

Maybe that's how it came up. But Jay had a message to deliver too. Here it is: "I am definitely done next year with NBC." Another network? "I'm not a beach guy, and the last time I was in my pool was to fix my light. Don't worry, I'll find another job somewhere..."

Don't worry. He will. So let us quickly review the options, then I'll tell you what I know:

ABC: As "Nightline" replacement, and lead-in to "Jimmy Kimmel." Tricky because you don't wanna alienate JK, who certainly believes he has a right to 11:35...Letterman felt the same way, and look what happened there. Even with all the joking at press tour yesterday, Steve McPherson knows this is a delicate operation. I suspect, though, ABC will perform it adroitly. Odds are good Jay'll come here.

Sony: A syndicated deal, as reported some months ago by the NYTimes, is apparently on the table, or could be on the table. It would be for a vast sum of money. Problem is, Jay's not motivated by money. If I've heard this once, I've heard it a thousand times. I believe it. Odds here are slim.

CBS: Only if Dave walks in '10. Only, and a big only. We in the press - Okay, I in the press - have predicted in the past that Dave'll walk, only to be proven wrong. He'll walk one day. Who knows when. And Dave might just sign a new contract to keep Jay away from CBS; I imagine - nay, believe - the slightest residue of bitterness remains that Leno got the job that he believed rightfully his all those years ago. CBS odds not so high, in my opinion.

Fox: The dark horse. Jay comes here for the 11 p.m. job, and there will be - I am convinced - an offer for an 11-midnight show. The pitch to Jay could be very appealing: You'll get a younger audience here, an "American Idol" lead-in (or at least a lead-in from late local news that's been boosted by "AI"), and the chance to build a big audience that could blunt or damage or even scuttle the Conan-hosted "Tonight" show. I don't think Jay's a guy motivated by revenge, but on some level, he's a brutal competitor, and the chance to demolish the network that abused him and tossed him aside like a moldy head of cabbage has to be enormously appealing. Odds of Fox are, I think, very good. Not quite as good as ABC, which has the slight edge, because of 11:35, but still very good.

Here's what I do know: No decision has been made. I am positive - or close to positive on this, despite Jay's on-air kidding the other night (he held up that "headline of the future," which showed him at ABC, remember?) I am told reliably and told by a sterling source that Leno's camp can still not hold negotiations or discussions with any interested party. I don't know when the window opens, but when it does, it will be front page news, believe me.

But today, we know just one fact: Jay will not be at NBC after his contract ends next year.

Sorry for this very long blog entry, but this is the biggest news in TV this year.

(Photo: NBC)

Why, why....WHY? You may know where this lament is coming from - I can pull up the same rant I pull up every year, add an extra "why," maybe, shake my head with just a little more passion, sigh a little more loudly, and - out of earshot because this is after all a family blog - curse the Emmy voters with all the invective that is so richly their due.

Why no Best Drama nod for "The Wire," you scurrilous slopbowl of vaporous vamps ?

Makes no difference. Just baying at the moon. But a hounddog has still gotta do what a hounddog has gotta do. The bright side of this now-annual lament: At least there'll be a good reason when "The Wire" is left off the best drama list again next year.

In a funny way, the Emmys seem to have righted themselves in recent years, after a stretch of boner years that called into question the very viability of these awards. There were so many miscues, so many oversights, that you started to wonder - do they allow drinking, and sleeping, during those mysterious final closed-door sessions that mystically and magically yield the "best" list?

And, in fact, the rest of this list looks reasonable (see below). "Mad Men" scored (16 noms). No surprise. "30 Rock," too (17) - only a surprise for the sheer number of nods when the equally good "Office" could muster a little better than half that number.

But "The Wire?" Just one nod. One (for best writing, to Simon and Burns.) Others with just one nomination - a list, BTW, that stretches the length of my arm - included "Pirate Master," "Swear Jam," "Kid Nation," and "According to Jim."

It would have been better, really, if "The Wire" got nothing at all. Instead, it is now and forever confined to the crowd of ones, a seething mass of the desperate, disparate and ne'er-do-wells.

Sad.

But this is Emmy. What would be a nice day in mid-July if there wasn't some TV travesty and oversight of the first order. It's a tradition by now.

The list, if you haven't seen by now:

DRAMA SERIES:
"Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC

(My read: Other than no "Wire," a reasonable list that shouldn't contain "Boston Legal," which'll probably end up winning.)

COMEDY SERIES:
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC
"Two and a Half Men," CBS

(My read: Safe and predictable, and while "30 Rock" may be a lock for a twofer, I wouldn't count out "Two and a Half" just yet...)

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"

(My read: Bryan Cranston a jaw-dropper of a surprise, but everyone may as well hang it up now cus' Spader the Emmy Invader is here once again...)

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

(My read: Christina Applegate?)

ACTOR, COMEDY:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Steve Carell, "Office"
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men"

(My read: By sheer virtue of habit, Emmy voters have already pushed Tony to the head of the pack...)

ACTRESS,DRAMA:

Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters"
Glenn Close, "Damages,"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace,"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

(My read: Strong field - pun intended - and no obvious favorite, though Hargitay seems a longshot.)

As you may already know, Katie Holmes will be doing a cameo on this pretty good ABC show. That was formally announced by Big Mac during the morning session at the BH, while Greg Berlanti, showrunner / co-creator offered a few other details a few minutes ago. They are: She'll be on the Oct. 21 episode ... she'll play an attorney who doesn't actually practice law ... and she'll be in a "significant portion" of the show ... oh, and she'll sing and dance, too. No details on her numbers ... As tubeheads know, she and Berlanti go waaay back to "Dawson's Creek."

Now, to Sir Derek. During the Q&A someone wondered -- I guess "joked" is the better word -- about whether "Eli" star Jonny Lee Miller might prevail on his ex, Angelina Jolie, to appear on the show, which (Berlanti said) will look to bring aboard more guest stars to build sampling and viewership next season. Said Miller of Jolie, "YOU'LL have to ask her," and then noted that in fact a co-star on a film he's currently shooting did ask whether he could do a cameo on "Eli Stone." He declined to say who that star was, other than the fact that he's a pretty "big name..." He said that he hadn't even mentioned the offer to Berlanti or co-creator Marc Guggenheim.

And of course, this intriguing comment sends me straight over to IMDB, which reveals that Miller is currently shooting Pete Travis' "Endgame," about the end of apartheid. It stars...William Hurt (but no chance he'll be doing a cameo, unless John Landgraf at FX is much more generous than I think he is), and Clarke Peters and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Both are wonderful actors, but hardly the "big name" that the other co-star Jacobi is.

So there you have it, friends. One of the greats -- maybe THE greatest living actor -- could be joining "Eli," if only for a day. (And now you can see the trouble we get into at TCA when there's not enough to do...)

(Photo: A smiling Sir Derek from whatsontv.co.uk.)

Tieless but not exactly wordless, ABC Entertainment chief Steve McPherson offered a few choice ones for the sassy and increasingly annoying Katherine Heigl, who pulled herself outta the Emmys a month ago because her '07 "GA" storyline just wasn't good enough, dammit.

Asked about the public slap against the Show That Made Her Famous -- which of course led to speculation that she was on the way out -- McPherson came about as close as he could in a packed and very public forum to rebuking her without sounding like he was rebuking her. "It's unfortunate when anyone says something," he said sharply during this morning's "executive sesh" at TCA in BH. He went on to praise the show as "beautifully produced" and said that everyone on the show, from grips to producers, had created a splendid season.

Translation: She's full of beans.

Rebuke delivered, he then quickly added that "she's absolutely central to the show," and that she "will stay" on "Grey's Anatomy." (He didn't say how long...) One more thing: "She has an unbelievable story line this season."

Jay Leno was the other headline from Big Mac:

In one off the truly inspired moments of the 2008 TCAs, ABC planted Jimmy Kimmel in the army of critics and reporters, and Mac called on him first. Jimmy stood up, introduced himself as so-and-so from the Sarasota, Fla., such-and-such newspaper (I think Sarasota), and then proceeded to ask about the Jay Leno rumors. "I want to ask about Jay Leno ... is your name McPherson or McFOURson ... "I don't feel comfortable talking" about the Leno situation, Mac deadpanned. Asked Kimmel/reporter: "Aren't you afraid if you do replace Jimmy Kimmel he'll do something crazy to your car?"

Then it got kinda serious, sorta. Of Leno, Mac said, "I can't believe they're gonna let this guy go out at the top of his game [but] if they do, Jimmy will be part of the discussions."

Jay to A? JK will have something to say about that...(ABC, NBC Photos)

Thanks, I suppose, to "The Sopranos," we in the press ranks have all larded our expectations about how classic series -- particularly violent ones with morally conflicted characters -- should end. OK, at least I have. It's this sense that the end will fully and completely capture the preceding, or maybe justify it, or resolve a character or explain his/her motivation, or SOMETHING. That's why CCH Pounder's comment during "The Sheild" sesh today was so intriguing. (CCH? You know - Claudette Wyms...)

"The finale," she said, "is what Vic Mackey deserves."

The words fall flat on the screen. There was some venom mixed with glee in her voice. ("...what he deSERVES.") Frobisher (see below) got what he deserved, but what exactly does Mackey deserve? The same? Maybe, or maybe not. All of the show's 13 final episodes were wrapped months ago, in the middle of the strike, because Shawn Ryan and writing team had finished the scripts well before the strike began early November. So everyone up there on stage knew exactly the fate of one of the most famous / infamous cops in modern TV history (and who earned Michael Chiklis a best drama actor Emmy, a first in all TV history for a cable show.)

Someone asked about a possible "Shield" movie -- a clever but alas obvious gambit to determine whether Mackey survives. No go: Chiklis, whom co-star Cathy Cahlin Ryan referred to as Chicky at one point, didn't take the bait. If I told you, he said, you'd know whether I live or die...

Does Mackey get what he deserves? Said Chicky, "that's in the eye of the beholder. Shawn Ryan [creator, husband of Cathy, who played wife of Vic -- what a world!] did a tremendous job in writing this finale ... feel like [the series] is the longest movie ever made ... but [in the finale] writers came up with twists and turns and when you watch them, they are so stunning, but when you look back on them they make perfect sense ... with the finale, you won't see this coming but you'll also look and say, 'yeah that makes perfect sense.'"

No fade to black? No onion rings?

Said Shawn: "Show [finales] that stay true to themselves ... those are the ones that are most successful. This one will feel completely appropriate."

The final season begins Sept. 2, which means we'll have to wait to late fall or early winter to find out what just fate awaits Vic.

(Above: Fabulous and kinda scary pix of Chicky, courtesy FX)

Whaaa? Reason is of course obvious: Like "Lost," "Damages" plays with time like a slide rule, pushing viewers ahead of the action on occasion so that they are more omniscient than the characters, and pushing 'em back too. So...Frobisher may only exist next season in flashbacks...Says Kessler, "we have a lot more material...and [Frobisher] is a great union of character and actor that has inspired us to delve further..."

Even if he's dead.

Danson was asked, too, about his survival. Quick answer: Hell if he knew. And asked about "Curb," which he'll also probably be back on (very much alive.) Has Larry called yet? "It's Larry's world and he just assumes when he picks up the phone [and calls] you'll come. It's as simple as that. The phone rings and I'm available - it's as sad as that" too.

(Above, well, is the bastard dead or alive? Photo courtesy FX.)

I’m not sure what it is, but the thought of the Greatest Show in TV History (GSITVH) ending one of these days is more than I can get my little head around. I mean, what happens when “The Simpsons” ends? We will go on…we will go on…

In any event, Fox yesterday confirmed the 21st season was already underway and then the superstars of Fox animation (pretty much all primetime animation, with the exception of those two bomb-tossers at “South Park”) took the stage late yesterday here in BH (eat your heart out, Comic-Con.) They included…"GSITVH" creator Mattt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Judge, Matt Weitzman, and Seth MacFarlane. (Mac, “Is this where Karl Rove sat ‘cause I don’t want to get AIDS.”)

Questions came up about “Simpsons” longevity, of course, and here’s what Groening had to say (and thanks to the network’s incredibly proficient transcribers for supplying these quotes): “We, as long as Fox will have us, want to keep doing it…The task that we face at 'The Simpsons' is trying not to repeat ourselves, trying to come up with new ideas that we haven't done ourselves already.” And...still no plans for another movie at this point.

He had this to say about the voicers’ new salary pact, which pretty much means the show’s now saddled with TV’s equivalent of the Yankees payroll: “You know, one of the reasons why TV shows that are on the air for a long time go off the air eventually is because it becomes more and more expensive to do. So I hope we avoid that. Yeah, I want everybody in this room to get rich off 'The Simpsons.' Everybody works really hard. So yes, and people need to be compensated, and I'm happy for 'The Simpsons' cast. I've been working with Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, since 1987 on 'The Tracey Ullman Show' and I think of Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer and some others as the new people because they didn't come on until 1989, when the show started. And I love this cast. Al will say this, we're knocked out by them when they give me good lines, as good a line as you can, and they take it to another level.

“They're fantastic, and I want them to be as rich and unhappy as anyone in Hollywood."