Paula and Nicole leave X Factor, Whitney leaves Earth, House leaves the air and other news.

Here’s the latest in entertainment news. In the links at the bottom of this post read about…

A list of tributes, TV specials, marathons etc. dedicated to Whitney Houston who died yesterday at age 48

An interview with executive producers of Chuck about the end of the series and their decisions on the final episode

In case you missed it here are the Screen Actors Guild award winners.

A group of spoilers from Michael Ausiello

A must-read article for TV fans explaining terminology about TV pilots/spinoffs/contingencies etc. as well as links to pilots currently in production. I get lots of good articles about “a pilot was ordered” that I typically don’t report here. For example I got very excited last year about a pilot for a new “Wonder Woman” series. Unfortunately the pilot never aired in the series was never picked up. So I typically don’t report pilot activity anymore until it actually gets a series order.

American Idol boss Nigel Lythgoe discusses changes (or rather lack of changes) in the upcoming season. Also affirms that many of the people in the top 24 were not shown in their original auditions.

Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki discusses losing cast members and upcoming season 8

Another group of spoilers from Michael Ausiello

Interview with Walking Dead producer about tonight’s second half season premier

Not linked below but also of interest…

Jennifer Hudson will headline a tribute to Whitney Houston at tonight’s Grammys

E! Abruptly canceled episode of Fashion Police which bashed Whitney Houston

Fox announced that producers of House have decided that this current season will be the final

Smallville which ended its run on CW network will carry on as a digital online comic starting April 13 with new chapters released weekly. Chapters will also be aggregated in print comics with the first set for release on May 16.

David Arquette will guest star with his estranged wife Courteney Cox on her show Cougar Town in the season finale

An upcoming episode of Castle titled “Once upon a Crime” will have a girl in a red hood get attacked by wolf

USA Networks has green lit a six-hour miniseries called “Political Animals” about a former first lady who is divorced and is the current Secretary of State

Downton Abbey has cast Shirley Maclaine as the mother of Elizabeth governance American-born Lady Grantham

February 16 Gray’s Anatomy and Private Practice will have crossover episodes

Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger will not return to American X factor next year. Neither will emcee Steve Jones. LA Reid will definitely be back.

HBO has already renewed “Luck” starring Dustin Hoffman for a second season despite lackluster ratings in its premier

Stephen Amell has been cast to play Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in the upcoming pilot for CW network. This is described as a complete reboot and not a spinoff from the character in Smallville

Barbara Hershey has been cast as the mother of the evil Queen in upcoming episodes of Once upon a Time

Showtime has renewed Shameless, House of Lies, and Californication for additional seasons

CBS will premiere NYC 22 on Sunday, April 15. It’s a cop drama produced by Robert DeNiro

February 15 ABC drama Revenge finally shows us what happened at the engagement party we saw in the opening episode

NBC’s upcoming reboot of “The Munsters” is so much a “reimagined” version that they changed the name. It will not be called “Mockingbird Lane” Also characters will not have traditional Munsters makeup so they can fit into regular society more easily in this reboot. We are not amused.

Terry O’Quinn (Lost, Hawaii 50) will guest star for two episodes of next seasons Falling Skies on TNT

Bravo network has renewed Top Chef for season 10. Fox has renewed Kitchen Nightmares for season 5

TV land has renewed The Exes for a second season

Plus size actress Gabourney Sideribe has been promoted to series regular on Showtime’s “The Big C” next season

NBC has moved “The Firm” to the Doldrums of Saturday Night. Grimm reruns will replace it on Thursday until March 1 premiere of “Awake”

On the final season of Chuck comes to DVD the final episode will be expanded to 52 minutes versus the 45 minute broadcast edit.

Comedian Patton Oswalt will guest star on 2 1/2 Men as Ashton Kutcher’s ex-business partner

Jamie Bamber (secretly British Lee Adama) will play a vascular surgeon on a TNT medical drama Chelsea General. Alfred Molina and Ving Rhames will also star

Bobby Cannavale will be Nucky Thompson’s new rival on Boardwalk Empire

Sons of Anarchy which recently concluded its best season ever had already been picked up for season 5 and now has been guaranteed season 6 as well!

The Super Bowl was the most-watched television program ever 111.3 million viewers.

Stephen Lang (Terra Nova) has been cast as long lost father of Mary Shannon in the final season of USA’s In Plain Sight

SyFy Channel has renewed “Being Human” for season 3. And make up reality competition show Face-Off will also get third season. If you haven’t seen Face-Off with really interesting look at how Hollywood makeup special-effects artist apply their craft.

After taking time off for a pregnancy break Bones is expected to return April 5. Seven episodes remain for this season but another four episodes are in the mix that could air this summer or be moved to the beginning of the fall season

Look for a Michael J Fox, Jill Flint, and Elizabeth Reaser to reprise characters on upcoming episodes of The Good Wife this spring

Modern Family and The Closer share a dad. Barry Corbin will guest star as Cam’s father. He also plays Kira Sedgwick’s father on The Closer.

Fox confirmed House final episode will be Monday, May 21. Gordon Ramsay’s new series Hotel Hell will debut Friday, April 6

Jay Leno is being sued because he showed a photo of a glittering gold building claiming it was Mitt Romney’s summer home. The real owners of the building were not amused and sued him.

Not to be outdone by Leno, Jimmy Fallon and NBC have been sued for “gender bias in the workplace”

Morena Baccarin (a.k.a. Homeland’s Jessica Brody, V baddie) will guest star on an upcoming episode of The Good Wife

Bebe Neuwirth (a.k.a. Dr. Lilith from Cheers) will also guest star on The Good Wife

NBC is rumored to be developing an Office spinoff for Rainn Wilson

Once upon a Time will have an Alice in Wonderland episode in which The Who’s Roger Daltrey will do the voice of a Caterpillar

Fox studio has set July 16, 2013 as the release date for its film “The Wolverine” is equal to X-Men Origins: Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman

Paramount has moved the premier of Titanic 3-D to April 4 up from April 6

Universal Pictures announced that “Bridesmaids” was the most ordered video-on-demand film of all time with 4.8 million rentals in four months

Warner Bros. has announced they’re making a prequel to “300” title “300: The Battle of Artemisia”

Universal Pictures is making a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie called “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman

Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman is being sued by a former business partner over allegedly owed royalties on Walking Dead and other properties.

Hasbro has licensed the rights to make Star Trek related toys beginning in 2013 ramping up for the next Star Trek film from JJ Abrams.

SyFy Channel is developing a weekly series version of the 2010 supernatural film “Legion”

Adam Sandler will star in an upcoming film based on the children’s board game “Candy Land”. Perhaps the Mayan calendar is correct.

Bill Hinzman, one of the very first zombies from the original “Night of the Living Dead” has died at age 75. At least we think he’s dead.

Robert Hegyes who played Epstein on the 70s sitcom welcome back Kotter died of a heart attack at age 60

Peter Breck who played in the 60s drama Big Valley has died at the age of 82

Toho studios of Japan is releasing a digitally remastered version of the original Godzilla on DVD and Blu-ray

Nicol Williamson who played the wizard Merlin in the 1981 film Excalibur has died at age 75. Is my all-time favorite Merlin

Sarah Jessica Parker will replace the ailing Demi Moore playing feminist Gloria Steinem and the upcoming movie Lovelace about porn star Lynda Lovelace.

Paramount will release 1927 Academy award best picture “Wings” on DVD

Bankrupt Kodak is trying to get out of his contract for the naming rights to the Kodak theater

Ben Gazzara died February 3 at age 81

A digitally remastered and restored version of To Kill a Mockingbird is being released to DVD with three hours of extras

Naomi Watts has been cast as Princess Diana in an upcoming biopic

Remembering Whitney Houston: A Guide to TV Specials, Marathons and More

Chuck Vs. The Post Mortem: Show Bosses Spill Series Finale Secrets, Say There’s More to Come

2012 SAG Awards Winners List: Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family Score Top Honors

Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, Grey’s, Cougar Town, Psych and More!

Pilot Season Lingo Guide (Including the ‘Scary’ Second Position), Plus a List of Picked-Up Pilots

Idol Boss Nigel Lythgoe: Expanded Judges’ Power Unlikely, Critiques Won’t Be ‘Too Harsh’

Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki on the Loss of Cas & Bobby, Sam’s Crumbling State, Season 8 Plans