Like Ru says: “You betta watch!” As you can tell, it certainly seems like the show hasn’t lost any of the copious amounts of verve and panache it served up so heavily in the inaugural season earlier this year. (And, here’s a dream within a dream: You can still watch all the episodes from last season online.) In fact, based on the video, I might just love this coming season even more than the last–mostly because of that glorious pink hair that Ru is wearing when she tells her finalists to “Lip sync for your life!” But also because of one particular contestant we see in the above video. That’d be Mystique, the rather curvy and full-figured queen you amazingly saw do the splits. I can tell you already that I’m already gunning for that gurl. Lastly, I’m loving that it looks like Ru slaps someone! That’s right, queens, Ru don’t take no lip! But, the video isn’t the only scoop we’ve got on the new season—after the jump, we serve up some more details from Ru herself… First off, let’s talk guest judges: So far, three of the guest judges we know about are Kathy Griffin (see our First Look with her in this week’s issue of the magazine, which is on stands now), Cloris Leachman, and Debbie Reynolds. Hello, jackpot! “All of the judges,” says RuPaul, “have this sense of show business and this sense of who they are that allows them to really judge what drag is about because they clearly see themselves as drag queens, too.” As for the structure of Drag Race itself, it’ll largely remain the same—except for one slight change. “It will have a fresh look to it,” Ru reveals with a good-natured laugh. “There won’t be as much Vaseline on the lens!” Most of all, though, Ru assures that the contestants are more fired up than ever: “The biggest change in this season is the contestants are actually a bit more—how can I put this?—they’re more tenacious. In the first season, they were a bit more diplomatic because they knew they were representing drag for the first time in a decade. This time around, though, the kids have seen the first show, they know what the prize is, and they know what’s at stake, so they have taken the gloves off.” Well, thank goodness for that!

After the jump, check out the second batch of promo photos of the season 2 Drag Race contestants as well as a list of their names and check out the new promo video that has just been released …

Jessica Wild, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jujubee, Boston, Mass.
Morgan McMichaels, Mira Loma, CA
Mystique Summers Madison, Bedford, TX
Nicole Paige Brooks, Atlanta, GA
Pandora Boxx, Rochester, NY
Tyra Sanchez, Orlando, FL
Raven, Riverside, CA
Sahara Davenport, New York, NY
Shangela Laquifa Wadley, Studio City, CA
Sonique, Atlanta, Ga.
Tatianna, Falls Church, VA

It looks like Ru’s got herself a damn fine batch of new queens to battle for drag supremacy. Check out the video:

It’s welcome news that Charles Ad­dams—“the van Gogh of the ghouls”— and his perfectly defective American family are coming to Broadway later this season. The immortal Addams family has been a macabre musical waiting to happen ever since the classic 1960s TV series. Besides, the show has at least two assets that make it a neat fit for Broadway: it’s about a dysfunctional family and it’s a cartoon. The Addams Family stars the undisputed king of Broadway musicals, Nathan Lane, as the gallant, dapper layabout Gomez. (The irrepressible Lane even looks like a living cartoon.) The smashing Bebe Neuwirth makes for inspired casting as the slinky matriarchal goth, Morticia. The haute creepiness of the fun-house world of the adorable Morticia and Gomez is, as the jingle goes, altogether ooky. Yet it seems that the utterly nonconformist Addamses are, in their blissfully weird way, timely apostles of acceptance.

I’ve been a fan of The Addams Family since I was a kid … something about the macabre feel of the show (which felt more palpable than, say, The Munsters which is another dark TV series that I loved to watch as a kid) really resonated with me. Fun story: My mom put out a vase of thorny roses and I got the scissors and cut off all the rose buds just like Morticia did on the show … needless to say my mom was pissed as hell and I couldn’t understand why. I was even a fan of the movie versions of these characters. I cannot even express how excited I am to learn they are making a musical production out of The Addams Family. Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia and Nathan Lane as Gomez are PERFECTLY cast. I’m also a fan of Jackie Hoffman (who I fell in love with once I saw her in Xanadu: The Musical) and I think she will make an excellent Grandmama. After the jump, check out a fun behind the scenes video from this photoshoot and get introduced to the entire cast of The Addams Family: A New Musical …

Where does a crazy Melrose Place character go after she dies? Apparently, the Windy City by way of the Great White Way. According to reports, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, 25, isn’t taking a break after getting axed from the prime-time soap. Instead, she’s set to play Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of Chicago, starting in December for six weeks, Gossip Cop reports. It’s not an unfamiliar role. Simpson-Wentz played the role in the London run of the musical. It would, however, be her Broadway debut.

HMMM … altho I remember hearing positive reports from folks who saw Ashlee’s Chicago stint in London back in ‘06-’07, I dunno how I feel about this rumored stint on Broadway. It makes sense that she would want to return to the stage now that she’s been fired from TV. At long last, folks on this side of the pond will be able to see if Ashlee’s got the acting chops to perform on the Broadway stage. Considering the dire economic straits that Broadway productions have been facing in recent months, it’s a risky move to pin one’s hopes on the acting/singing prowess of Ashlee Simpson. Are any of y’all excited to see Ashlee Simpson in Chicago?

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The Johns Hopkins University passed itself off as Harvard in a movie Monday without feeling the least bit flattered. “It feels degrading somehow,” said Diego Ardila, 19, as he watched workers remove the words “Latrobe Hall” from a stately brick building and replace them with “Kirkland House.” Hopkins’ Homewood campus is standing in for Harvard in “The Social Network,” a movie about the creation of Facebook by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg. The movie, like some Hopkins students, couldn’t get into Harvard, which has a longstanding policy against commercial filming on campus. So the production has opened some old college-admissions wounds. “The general consensus is, a lot of kids are not pleased,” said Lorre Atlan, 20, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. “It’s obvious they [the filmmakers] could get Hopkins and not get Harvard.” That’s left Hopkins, one of the nation’s most selective colleges, feeling like a safety school. “It’s kind of like a blow to our pride,” said Ray Tsai, a 19-year-old sophomore studying biomedical engineering, an academic subject in which, he and others noted, Hopkins is rated more highly than Harvard. The sea of Hopkins hoodies and T-shirts on the campus’ quads Monday only looked like genuine school spirit. It was attempted sabotage. An anti-Harvard Facebook page urged students to “poke” into the movie by walking by the set in Hopkins wear. “Hopefully one slips in,” said Jack Chan, 19, a sophomore who pulled on a black Hopkins sweat shirt as he watched filming begin outside Shaffer Hall Monday afternoon. Not everyone thinks playing Harvard, which was tied for first with Princeton in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent college rankings, is beneath Hopkins, which came in a none-too-shabby 14th. “I think the people who have a problem with it are the same people who have latent self-loathing from the college admissions process,” said Sam Biddle, 22, a senior philosophy major. Jan Lee, 21, a junior in biomedical engineering, conceded, “A lot of people came here because they didn’t get into Harvard, Yale or Stanford.” Hopkins spokesman Dennis O’Shea put it in terms that might appeal to the competitive student body: “I prefer to think that we play Harvard better than Harvard can play Harvard.”

Yeah, I dunno know I feel about this idea of a Facebook movie. I understand they are trying to do something with Twitter as well … and I can only dread what they would turn out if they did a project on My Space. While I’m sure it’s somewhat interesting to see how the whole Facebook phenomenon got started, I can’t say that I’m all that impressed with the notion of a movie. It seems like just a way to capitalize on these new online ventures in order to make a quick buck. The fact that it is being directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) does speak to its merit but … I dunno. Are any of y’all interested in watching a movie about Facebook? I’m not sure that I am … I can barely be bothered to poke my friends on the social networking site itself. By the way … are we Facebook friends yet?

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You guys, we’ve been waiting on pins and needles for this moment, and now we have it: the first images of James Franco in his much talked-about performance on General Hospital. Still no word on who James will be playing (beyond that it has something to do with Jason), but feel free to speculate away based on the image. And don’t forget: James’s first air date is Friday, November 20th! What do you think of this first shot? What’s this character all about? What’s with the all-black ensemble? Does that have something to do with Jason too? Start speculating!

Now, I don’t watch General Hospital at all … not since my college roommate used to make me watch it with her. I’m a total Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful fan (tho B&B is really trying my patience these days) so I have NO idea what is going on on GH. I still don’t know what James Franco is doing on a soap opera but it’s deffo a boon for the show. Folks who don’t watch the show but love Franco are more likely to tune in and get hooked. I won’t be one of those new viewers (I already watch way too much TV) but, again, it’s a big score for General Hospital. Do any of y’all watch the show … are you excited that James is joining the cast?

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Now, in order to keep the news as quiet as possible for those of you who wish to remain unspoiled, I’ll keep news of the reported death behind the cut. But I will say publicly that I was very surprised to learn that they are planning to axe one the main O.G.s from the first season. After the jump, find out who it is …

Boo!!! E!’s Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Nathan Petrelli played by Adrian Pasdar is gonna be dunzo:

As I have been teasing for weeks, Heroes is killing off a major character later this season. The death is a huge twist for the show, so I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for you, but now that another outlet has leaked the secret, it’s time for me to reveal the truth: Adrian Pasdar’s Nathan Petrelli is the major character death happening on Heroes this season, and no, he wasn’t told he was getting fired, he learned about it from a script. But what about reports from fellow Heroes castmembers that the Petrelli brothers were definitely safe? After Heroes star Greg Grunberg recently told a radio station that Nathan and Peter weren’t the Heroes death, I doubled back with my source and he confirmed, “I know Adrian is getting killed off and was pissed about it because they didn’t tell him…Greg could be talking about another death, but I think he’s probably covering and throwing fans off.” And of course, Greg certainly doesn’t want to meet the same fate!

This news is really sad because Nathan Petrelli really is a great character on the show. When it comes to these kinds of death things … the audience could be pulled in to find out who will die OR they could be repelled out of anger. It’s a gamble … one that Heroes is hoping will pay off in huge ratings. What do YOU think about this axing?

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It’s not an actual Friends reunion, but I’ll take it: Lisa Kudrow has signed on to guest star opposite ex-Friend Courteney Cox on Cougar Town, an ABC spokesperson confirms. “She’ll play a dermatologist that my character can’t stop going to even though [she's] mean to me,” Cox told tvguidemagazine.com. The Cox-Kudrow reunion episode will shoot next month and air in early 2010.

And this is how Cox described Kudow’s character to TV Guide:

“If it all works out, she’ll play a dermatologist that my character can’t stop going to even though the doctor is mean to me.” Is it a Botox thing? The show’s writers are not exactly sure yet, says Cox, who’s also producing the show, “but whatever it is, she’s the best in town at what she does and I become addicted.”

It turns out that both Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston have been considered as future guest stars … this is what Courteney had to say about the prospect of having other former Friends castmates appear on the show:

“I did ask Matthew [Perry] if he’d play my boyfriend on the show,” she says, “but he thought it was a little too much after Chandler and Monica.” Then there’s Jennifer Aniston, whom Cox has remained closest with among the Friends stars. “I’d love for her to be on the show, too,” Cox says. “Obviously we can’t cast her so close to Lisa’s appearance but if there’s a great part for her, I’d send it right away. She’s younger than me so she can’t play my contemporary even though she did on Friends, but I think we can find something great for her to play.”

This is all very exciting stuff to mebbe look forward to … but for now, I’m perfectly content with having Phoebe and Monica together again … er, Lisa and Courteney, that is ;) The Friends reunion may never actually take place but in the meantime, we have Cougar Town to enjoy!

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He’s back. Just a little more than two weeks ago, Eric Braeden announced that he would be exiting his role as Victor Newman on “The Young and the Restless,” following a salary dispute with Sony, the production company that owns the daytime drama.

ET: The other show owned by Sony let two of its top cast members go, and didn’t suffer in the ratings.
Eric Braeden: It is very difficult to ascertain to what degree one is important to the fabric of the whole thing. You don’t know until afterwards. That is the enormous gamble that you take. It is impossible to foretell.

As an avid fan of the show (which my mother got me hooked on in the mid-80’s) I’ve been paying particular attention to all this, ahem, drama and since Y&R has been the #1 daytime drama for over a decade now, I know there are many fans of the show out there as well. It sounds to me like Braeden decided to bite the bullet, take the pay cut and keep his job. Methinks this sends a clear message to the rest of the Y&R cast that if the most central character on the show can be threatened with exile off the show than any character can as well. For now … all’s right in Genoa City, WI (where Y&R takes place) … let the rein of Victor Newman carry on!

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There’s peace in Genoa City: Eric Braeden, the longtime star of CBS’ top-rated “The Young and the Restless,” has agreed to return to the show. Braeden opted to leave a few weeks ago after producer Sony Pictures Television asked all cast and crew to take major pay cuts. In the actor’s case, that mean a reduction from around $1.5 million per year to around $1 million. But now a person familiar with the matter says Braeden has accepted Sony’s pay cut and will return to the series. The timing of his return is still being worked out. Braeden’s last episode was to have been Nov. 2. News of his return comes days after TheWrap reported that Sony had been considering hiring a well-known actor to fill the gap left by Braeden’s departure.

UPDATE 7:40 PM CDT: A spokesman for Braeden confirmed to TheWrap that the actor has agreed to return to the show.

Hmmm … I’m actually surprised that Eric Braeden decided to take the pay cut in order to stay on the show. While I believe it’s the smart thing to do (especially in this economy), Braeden strikes me as a stubborn and proud man (much like his character on Y&R) and my gut told me he wouldn’t budge. Work is work and a pay check is a pay check … in the end the studio is happy they got their way, Braeden should be happy that he still has a job and fans of the show will deffo be happy that Victor Newman will remain on the show. It sounds like a win-win-win situation all the way around.

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One day you’re happy as a clam, working as a castmember on a prime-time network drama, and the next day someone’s feeding you a line about changes in your show’s “tone” and shuffling you off to Buffalo. That’s what just happened to departing Melrose Place star Colin Egglesfield, who sums up his rollercoaster Thursday this way: “I’ve had better days, to be quite honest.” We just spoke to Colin exclusively to find out why he’s being pushed out of the show, not to mention where Auggie fits into the show’s big murder mystery, and despite what you may have theorized, Auggie’s not getting killed off, and despite what you may have been told, this exit was not planned from the beginning: “[They said it] was a network decision and obviously the ratings aren’t what they need or want them to be, so they’re going to try things to shake things up.” So what really happened today, and what’s going to happen next on Melrose Place? Here’s what we learned from Colin:

Do you have anything you want to say as a farewell to the fans and the people you’ve worked with?
Todd and Darren are great, I love those guys and they’ve always been straightforward and straight shooters and just great people to work with. I respect the decision that they had to make creatively to do what they need to do, I’m just frustrated that I’m not going to be a part of the show, because it was such a great job and a fun place to go to work every day. I’m disappointed to be leaving because I became really good friends with not only the cast of Melrose Place but many of the crew as well, so that’s sad, to not be able to go see them at work. But hey, I’m still friends with them, and I’d just like to say to everyone out there who’s been watching and supporting, thanks from the bottom of my heart, because this is something that I love to do.

OUCH!! Poor guy … it really sounds like this news came out of nowhere. I absolutely did not believe the bull the producers gave us that the plan all along had been to write these characters out of show from the beginning. As we hear from Colin himself, he just found out yesterday morning … AND, he still has another ep to film on Monday — poor, poor guy. As for Ashlee Simpson, she’s talking about her axing from the show as well. After the jump, check out what she has to say …

From People magazine:

In a statement released after the announcement, Simpson-Wentz said, “Having the chance to play Violet on Melrose Place has been a thrill. Although I always knew her story would come to a final, insanely unpredictable end, playing a creepy, unstable character was something I always wanted to do, so I jumped at the chance. Thanks to the CW and the entire cast and crew of Melrose Place for allowing me this opportunity.”

See … Ashlee knows how to play the Hollywood game better … a statement like this doesn’t anger anyone on the show (primarily because she is toting the party line) and leaves the door open for her return. Honesty, like we got from Colin Egglesfield, lets fans know what’s going on but might make him persona non grata to producers of the show. In any event … at least now we know a bit more of the story … and, again, I’m gonna miss both characters on the show :(

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