TV Squad

Now that 'Desperate Housewives' has rejuvenated her television career, Emmy-winning actress Dana Delany will be starring in the new ABC procedural drama 'Body of Proof', which promises to be one of the top contenders of the fall season.

In the series, she plays neurosurgeon-turned-medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt, a charming yet snarky individual who she likens herself to be the female version of House. The dramatic pilot balances her professional cases with her private travails, including reconnecting with her estranged daughter.

But does this dynamic role mean the end of her run on 'Desperate Housewives'? At the end of last season, Katherine Mayfair (Delany) and reformed stripper Robin Gallagher (Julie Benz) were off to Paris for a romantic vacation. Since Delany and Benz both have new ABC series in the fall, their characters' fates are up in the air.

With burning questions in hand, TV Squad caught up with Delany at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival to get the lowdown on her new show and her possible 'Housewives' future.

Airtime: Mon., 8PM ET on ABC
FCC Rating: TV-14
Jane's Rating: OK for kids 14+

Let's call 'The Bachelorette' what it is -- a sleazy and salacious show where people line up for their 15 minutes of fame. Any aliens passing by Earth while the show is airing will no doubt realize they're the superior race, and continue on their journey seeking out new worlds with whom to partner.

As I wrote in my PopEater piece last week, the people who go on 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' aren't looking for true love, and the statistics prove that. In 14 seasons of 'The Bachelor' and five seasons of 'The Bachelorette,' only one union with the final person at the rose ceremony has resulted in marriage: Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter. They were married in December 2003 and now have two children.

It's been barely 24 hours since Larry King announced the end of his 25 year old CNN show on Twitter (Larry King tweets?!), then on his show. 'Larry King Live' will end in September, and perhaps not a moment too soon.

So let the guessing begin: who will assume Larry's suspenders? Piers Morgan? Ryan Seacrest? We humbly ask CNN not to rush into anything and consider our choices for their coveted prime time slot.

John Edwards. With CNN's recent hire of Eliot Spitzer, disgrace is hot! Spitzer was actually quite good backing up Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC, and Edwards is even smoother (perhaps too smooth). Years of campaigning -- not to mention his background as a trial lawyer – would seem to make asking the tough questions and offering analysis just about second nature to the former Vice Presidential candidate. And hey, where is Edwards anyway?

Snooki, The Situation, JWoww and the gang are back! I know, you must be thinking, "Wait, they went away?"

This summer, those crazy kids from 'Jersey Shore' are taking to Miami before heading back to New Jersey for some GTL (gym, tan and laundry, obviously) on July 29 at 10PM on MTV. But, if you can't wait that long to see these fine young Americans fall down drunk just watch the trailer in this post.

Watch as the housemates party, do their hair, party, sleep with each other, make out with strangers, fight each other and party some more!

MTV's groundbreaking show 'The Real World' will enter its 24th season, 'Back to New Orleans,' on June 30. The Big Easy is technically the second city the show has returned to -- New York was the first and Los Angeles didn't count because they titled it 'Real World: Hollywood.'

Why back to New Orleans? Have the producers run out of cities? Or do they want to detail the differences since Hurricane Katrina? If the trailer is any indication (see below), the answer is they need a city to compete with 'Jersey Shore.'

However, no 'Real-World'-ers will out-party or be more embarrassingly-honest than Snooki and The Situation. What MTV needs to do is remind viewers why this show was groundbreaking at the beginning.

The most dangerous job in show business? Our vote is being a cast member on ABC's ensemble drama 'Brothers and Sisters.'

After a couple of noted departures in the last few months, including the killing off of Rob Lowe's character, now comes the news of yet another exit. In an exclusive interview with the Ausiello Files, Emily VanCamp has confirmed that she she is leaving, and her character, Rebecca, will be written out of the series after a few episodes next season.

VanCamp is a victim of budget cuts, she intimated in the interview.

A lot of the discussion about TV Land's new comedy 'Hot in Cleveland' revolves around two of its stars: 2010's "It Girl,' Betty White, and Jenny Craig advocate Valerie Bertinelli. But the show's other two stars, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, aren't exactly slouches. In fact, it's not often that four such accomplished actors of any gender have been assembled for a new sitcom.

Malick has been gracing America's television screens for close to 30 years, twenty of which have been spent on hit shows. From 'Dream On' to 'Just Shoot Me' to even the last year of 'Frasier,' Malick has brought her unique ability to play wicked but endearingly funny to a number of memorable roles.

Her role in 'Cleveland' is similar: she plays Victoria Chase, a former soap star who is now dealing with her fading fame. Earlier this month, Malick and I talked about the show, how TV Land was able to assemble such a stellar cast, and if middle-aged women really are "invisible" in Los Angeles.

The party is officially over for 'Party Down.'

According to the Ausiello Files, Starz has pulled the plug on the critically acclaimed but low-rated sophomore comedy series, about a bunch of Hollywood wannabes who work as waiters.

The show, from creators John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd, featured a wide range of talented actors, including Adam Scott, Megan Mullally and Jane Lynch, who left the show after season 1 due to her commitment to 'Glee.'

Meanwhile, Starz has also canceled 'Gravity,' a dramedy about a group of suicide survivors.

"We're grateful to everyone involved in the shows, and are proud to have had them on the channel. Starz remains committed to aggressively expanding our original programming lineup," Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president of programming for Starz Entertainment, said in a statement.

Both 'Party Down' and 'Gravity' struggled in the ratings this season -- 'Gravity' in particular, which drew an audience of just 123,000 for its debut episode in April.

Blogging about television is a lot like going to marriage counseling: you have the best of intentions, but for the most part, you just wind up doing a lot of bitching.

I'd like to say that I've never engaged in the easy sport of blog-bitching, but in order to make that claim, I'd have to delete everything I've ever written here on TV Squad, then make a midnight ninja-run at the Googleplex in order to remove all those blogs from the cache. I don't have the time for that -- I mean, the ninja training alone would take me two decades (or three minutes depending on whether I can find a ninja training academy that allows montages).

No, it's far easier for me just to own up to it. TV, I've bitched a lot about you over the three and a half years I've been writing for this site. And I owe you an apology.

The 'Entourage' season 7 finale will have a decidedly musical twist this year, with Eminem and Christina Aguilera making appearances. According to TVGuide.com, Mr. Slim Shady will play himself in the episode, during which he gets into a row with Vince (Adrian Grenier). Aguilera, meanwhile, will play one of Ari Gold's (Jeremy Piven) clients.

According to the report, the scene between Vince and Eminem will happen at a platinum record party for the rapper's new album. Eminem released his new album, 'Recovery,' on June 18. His single, 'Not Afraid,' is currently number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Summer's here, and that means a new season of food challenges and mind games on 'Big Brother.' On 'The Early Show' (weekdays, 7AM ET on CBS), Julie Chen spoke to 'Big Brother' Executive Producer Allison Grodner and met the next cast of the reality show.

Forget about the World Cup, the oil spill, the economy and the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, because today CBS's 'The Early Show' revealed the biggest news story of the summer: the cast of 'Big Brother.'

Yes, that's right: season 12 of 'Big Brother' is finally (almost) here, and Julie Chen herself was on hand in the wee hours to unveil the line-up to a breathless television world. Over the past 10 years, 'Big Brother' has slowly morphed from 'Survivor's' ugly step-sister into a major player in its own right, with last year's 'Big Brother 11' experiencing a bit of a rating renaissance thanks in part to the show's unique around the clock live cable feed.

So what will viewers and voyeurs get to see on that eye in the sky this season? From the looks of it: plenty. This year's cast features an impressive mix of self-confident (and self-centered) folks, many of whom are all too happy to brag about their ability to lie, cheat and backstab their way to "success." Add in a couple of hunky athletes, an orthodox Jew and a professor who appears to be a gay Doctor Who, and you have a mix for surefire television combustion.

Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

* = Series/Season Premiere
** = Series/Season Finale

Most of the action takes place on the cable channels this evening.

8:00 to 9:00
FOX: 'So You Think You Can Dance' -- Two hours
CNBC: 'America's Crude Reality' -- Profile on America's addiction to oil
DisneyXD: 'Aaron Stone' and 'Naruto: Shippuden'
DIY: 'Money Hunters' -- 8:30 start
HGTV: 'Property Virgins'
NatGeo: 'Lethal Action'
NatGeo WILD: 'Rebel Monkeys' -- Two episodes

The rest of the schedule, and the late night talk shows, after the jump.

(S06E01) If these last two seasons are to be Tommy's redemption, then he's got a long road ahead of him. He didn't reach this level of despair and misery overnight, and he's not going to get out of it right away either. There's no guarantee that he will, but the tone of 'Rescue Me' has always reminded me of a modern-day Shakespearean comedy, which means everything will mostly work out alright in the end.

It's just going to be a hell of a ride getting there. Especially if Mickey is behind the wheel, but now I'm getting ahead of myself.