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Friday, July 03, 2009

In tribute to Michael Jackson, "The Simpsons" will re-air its 1991 episode "Stark Raving Dad," in which Jackson voiced a 300-pound mental patient who believed that he was the famous singer, EW.com reports.

"Stark Raving Dad," the season 3 opener, can be seen Sunday at 8 p.m. on Fox. Last Sunday, the animated series aired the music video for "Do the Bartman," the pop-rap hit that Jackson co-wrote for the 1990 album "The Simpsons Sing the Blues," and showed a title card in memory of Jackson. Syndication rights issues hadn't been resolved by that date to re-broadcast "Dad."




The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is close to booking the fan-loved and critic-proof Neil Patrick Harris as emcee of this year's Emmys, Eonline.com.

Following in the grand tradition of pulling from its own network ranks, CBS and ATAS are currently in negotiations with the "How I Met Your Mother" star to take over the hosting reins for the Sept. 20 ceremony.

Should the deal go through, NPH will have more than just his affable charm to fall back on during television's biggest night.

In addition to his song-and-dance-fueled hosting of last month's Tonys, Harris, who incidentally has scored Best Supporting Actor nominations the past two years running, also honed his master of ceremonies skills at both the TV Land and Writers Guild Awards earlier this year. Last fall, he served as co-host of the Creative Arts Emmys.

Nominations for the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced July 16.




Hilary Duff is joining the cast of "Gossip Girl" -- but not on a regular basis.

The CW series' spokeswoman, Melissa Burton, says the 21-year-old singer and actress will guest-star next season as "a movie star looking for a typical college experience," the Associated Press reports.

Duff's character, named Olivia Burke, enrolls at New York University and becomes roommates with "Gossip Girl" hipster Vanessa, portrayed by Jessica Szohr.

Oh, what a tangled web: Burton says Olivia will spark a romance with aspiring novelist Dan, played by Penn Badgley. As fans know, Vanessa used to have eyes for Dan -- then they dated other people.

Duff begins her "Gossip" arc on Oct. 5.

Season three premieres Sept. 14, as the prep kids head off to college.




Television host Jay Leno has won control of a Web address using the name of his new show.

The U.N.'s World Intellectual Property Organization says current owner Guadalupe Zambrano of Katy, Texas, will have to transfer the domain name -- thejaylenoshow.com -- to the comedian, the Associated Press reports.

The agency says Zambrano failed to demonstrate he had a legitimate reason for registering the address five years ago while Leno was still hosting "The Tonight Show."

Zambrano used the site to redirect Web surfers to his real estate business.

"The Jay Leno Show" premieres Sept. 14 on NBC. It will be a one-hour show airing at 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.




Police say the wife of actor Gary Coleman was booked into jail after an argument at the couple's Utah County home.

Shannon Price was arrested Wednesday and held for about two hours before posting $1,205 bail. Utah County Jail records show the 23-year-old Price was booked for investigation of domestic violence, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. It's unclear whether Price has an attorney.

An arrest affidavit says police were called to the home after Price allegedly locked Coleman out during an argument and was yelling obscenities out the window, had thrown items around the home and upended furniture.

There is no indication that the 41-year-old Coleman, best known for his stint on "Diff'rent Strokes," was injured.

First published on July 3, 2009 at 12:00 am