Some said Dianna Agron and Amber Riley won't be returning and in a recent interview with Vulture, creator Ryan Murphy let a little bit of Season 4 information slip.

While Murphy is staying relatively tight-lipped on what's to come for the New Directions crew in Season 4 of "Glee," he did offer a few teases. "Many of the characters will be starting over as underdogs, which is a good thing for the show," he told Vulture. "I really made an effort, talking to all the regulars about it."

So what about who's staying and who's leaving? "We've become like a family," he told Vulture. "I said to them anybody who wants to stay on the show will stay on the show. I asked all of them, 'What do you want to do? What are you interested in doing?'"

"A lot of people have been writing Dianna [Agron]'s character off the show, Amber [Riley]'s off the show," he continued. "They're not off the show."

As for whether or not Mr. Schu (Matt Morrison) will finally tie the knot with Emma (Jayma Mays), Murphy said "no" to the nuptials.

"He doesn't get married ... We have really good things planned for Matt [Morrison]," he told Vulture. "Matt has to have a new challenge and a new thing. We did not want to repeat the formula we've done. The show will be very different, but I think very satisfying."

For more on "Glee" Season 4, click over to Vulture.

The season finale of "Glee" airs on Tuesday, May 22 at 9 p.m. on Fox.

"If Michael's estate had left control to a family member, it would have been a disaster. These matters need to be handled by trained professionals and lawyers, not someone that married your brother," a music manager tells me, referring to Whitney's sister-in-law and manager, Pat Houston.

This weekend at the Billboard Music Awards, it was Pat Houston who took the stage next to the late singer's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, to accept a Millennium Award on the star's behalf. Pat is also the driving force behind and star of Lifetime's forthcoming reality show "Houston Family Chronicles."

"After years of being in the shadows, this seems to be Pat's moment in the spotlight," one family insider tells me. "But she needs to be careful about what she wishes for. As Whitney knew too well, being famous and all that it brings isn't always good."

In addition to Pat and Bobbi Kristina, the Lifetime show will also follow Pat's daughter, Rayah; Whitney's brother, Gary; and Whitney's mother, Cissy.

Paul gets his old buddy Harry to come down and see him. Harry's skeptical but his reaction is great when introduced to Mother Lakshmi, he looks at Paul, "oh I get it." And it turns out he does get it. Paul's a fake follower who's not really at peace but just wants to be with Lakshmi and wants Harry to pass his Star Trek spec script called "The Negron Complex" on to execs at NBC. The script is terrible but Harry really wants to help his friend who's clearly gone off the deep end. Mother Lakshmi turns out to be a psycho and shows up at SCDP to seduce Harry and tell him to leave Paul and his sci-fi fantasies alone. He's her best recruiter and she needs him focused, randomly spitting out "you want to make him into a gross materialist when he's living in the spiritual world." But neither of them are really living in a spiritual world. Paul is still an insecure, struggling writer and Lakshmi is an ex prostitute named Janet who changed her name only to trade her body for silence instead of drugs. It's just a different kind of currency. Harry realizes he needs to get Paul away from this nutjob and tells a little white lie to send him packing. He tells him the execs in LA loved his script, it's just a no-go this time and offers him $500 to move to LA and start over. Harry channels Don when he tells him, "this failure, this life, it'll all seem like it happened to someone else." Paul agrees to go. They hug. It's touching. Turns out wise-cracking Harry has a heart, after all.

The other significant piece of information we get is Roger finally owns up (to us) to being Joan's baby daddy. It was unclear what level of acknowledgment was going on when she brought the baby into the office and he blew smoke in his face and called him a dud, but Hawaiian shirt-wearing, Pearl-Harbor-Day-slurring Roger tells us it's openly acknowledged. She said she hasn't asked for the money, but he tells her, "no, and you shouldn't have to, and you don't, and you keep sending it back." At least he's sort of trying. He says he'll cover Kevin through college. Joan tells him if he's not careful "Uncle Roger" won't even be a "family friend." Roger starts up with his "I had an experience" and "we made a baby together" but Joan shuts him down: "and now it's some other lucky girl's turn."

And then there's Lane. Lane, Lane, Lane, WTF is going on. He's in some sort of tax trouble with the UK and needs to come up with $8000 in two days. This desperate search for cash frames this episode that deals with consumerism, showing the true evils of money and its ability to turn a law-abiding, tightfisted accountant into a book-cooker. After Mohawk's suspension breaks down his not-bad bonus plan, Lane breaks down and breaks into Joan's office, steals the checks and (rather skillfully) forges Don's name. So much about this just felt wrong. Why wouldn't Lane ask any of the other guys, especially Don, for help? He knows Don covered for Pete last season. Or why not just hit up the office cash cow, Roger? Why wouldn't he try to take out a personal loan? This just seems very out of character. There's no chance Lane won't get caught. Will Joan cover for him when she figures it out?

A few other things:

It's December 7th- Pearl Harbor Day

In many ways, this felt like a more classic Mad Men episode. Flirting, sexual tension, illegal activity and the uncertainty of fate--those are all of our core concepts that have kind of fallen away with Don and his "happy" marriage.

Don's been moping around about Megan leaving SCDP. He tells Joan, "I feel like the office misses her." But Megan finally talks some sense into him, reminding him that he loved his work before he ever met her. She always seems to get through to him and we see his attitude shift as he comes back in the end with an inspirational speech to rally the troops: "Prepare to swim the English Channel and drown in champagne." He's ba-ack.

I've just started to laugh when Megan throws a temper tantrum. They're kind of really funny. She throws a plate against the wall and orders him to eat dinner. She's upset he was gone all day and didn't call. He should've called. I get why he thinks she's just trying to heat things up, her real mad is the same as her sexy mad, how's he supposed to know what she's doing?!

Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks play the progressing levels of drunk pitch perfectly at the bar, from reserved to giggling to googly-eyed.

Pete says, "meeting, Cooper's office" which means stand outside the bathroom--hahaha.

The Don-Joan scene was reminiscent of Don and Peggy last season in "The Suitcase," finally fleshing out a connection we knew was there.

"I want to fly but I think we're gonna drive"--Lane's banker said this about his trip to Florida but applies to the episode--Mohawk's suspended and we're going after Jaguar.

What else? Thoughts?

“Kate had no idea it would be this difficult to sell another show based around her and her family,” one TV executive tells me. “It's hard to be on the cover of magazines one week and just a few months later not have people return your calls.”

On Monday morning, Kate revealed on the "Today" show that her kids are doing great, but admitted they do miss filming.

“They've recently been saying, ‘When are we going to go here or there? We miss the crew,'" Kate said. "We're hoping our TLC contract is over -- so we're hoping to move forward and do more fun projects. Fans are begging, 'They've grown up, they've turned eight, what are you doing?' and so we're hoping to put that out there for them.”

Unfortunately for Kate, fans don't green-light TV shows, network executives do.

“Once you have a show canceled, it's almost impossible to sell the same idea to another network,” a TV insider tells me. “TLC is the non-Hollywood network and the perfect home for her. If they no longer want her, I'm not sure which other network will.”

A spokesperson for WE tells me Kate will not be calling that channel her new home, and Oxygen and Lifetime insiders says they have no interest in Kate either.

Fingers crossed for a "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" season, Kate.

An engineer for electronics company Zenith, Polley passed away on May 20 at the age of 96. His Flash-Matic invention dates all the way back to 1955.

Take a look at the revolutionary device:

As its ad shows (view below), this huge technological development was all thanks to a "beam of magic light," which enabled remote users to change channels and turn TV sets on or off without having to move from their sofas. Bloomberg explains further that the "magic" beam of light projected from the Flash-Matic connected to four photo cells located in the corners of the TV's screen, allowing users to change channels, adjust the volume and turn the picture on or off.

LOOK:

According to About.com, Zenith had released the Lazy Bone remote control five years prior to the Flash-Matic in 1950. While the earlier remote could turn sets on or off and change channels, it was inconveniently connected to the TV with a cable. "It turned out that consumers did not like the cable because it caused frequent tripping," writes About.com.

What do you appreciate most about the remote control? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Furthermore, the success of shows is defined by a number attributed to a range -- specifically, the 18-49 demographic. Shows live or die by this outcome, and it's astonishing that with all the technology available to us a more definitive method hasn't been established. The differences between those who are closer to 18 than 49 is large, and creating something with that mass appeal is borderline impossible now. The Nielsen company gather ratings primarily based on live viewings, but so many people are not watching live. They're watching via DVR, Netflix, Hulu and furthermore talking on Twitter and Facebook -- the visibility of shows are now endless. But that doesn't mean they're not watching. It doesn't mean they don't want to watch. Television shows live and die by overwhelmingly pointless numbers. If a show doesn't attain "good" numbers, they're cancelled in favor of other programs, with often little regard for creative conclusions. As excellently explained in thisNew York Times article, with just the onslaught of new programming -- with various options not just on the major networks but with cable and pay-per-view -- it's impossible to watch everything that we want to watch. For example, Sunday evenings alone are a treacherous decision-making conundrum for TV Viewers: Mad Men and The Killing on AMC; Girls, Veep and Game of Thrones on HBO; Once Upon A Time and Desperate Housewives on ABC, not to mention the reality hits Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo and any one of the endless Kardashian installments on the E! Network. Bottom line: something is going to get missed, but that doesn't mean it isn't valued.

The competition is ruthless, and Nielsen is a take-no-prisoners kind of killing machine. Television is suffering because of this outdated ratings system. Cougar Town, for example, was snubbed rudely by ABC's marketing team, but the show is no stranger to the Twitter world. After the show was put on an unexplainable hiatus and given a decreased episode order, Bill Lawrence fought a courageous campaign on the social networking site -- in addition to viewing parties hosted around the country which he funded out-of-pocket -- to bring awareness to the production that he helms. Additionally, Community faced a similar struggle when his show was placed on the backburner by NBC in the middle of the normal television series. Both shows are critical darlings with huge cult followings. Cougar Town suffered with it's time slot placement last year: it followed Last Man Standing on Tuesday evenings, which has a completely different demographic than Cougar Town. It's move to TBS will herald the audience it so desperately needs, and appeals to. There is no doubt Mr. Lawrence has redefined the way we view and support television, and it's going to be a model for things to come.

Understanding that viewing no longer takes place on just a television is unequivocally the first step in making this change a reality. We are in a golden age of television, but this rating system would have you believe otherwise. While a rating system is indeed important, the methods by which we reach these numbers are outdated and inaccurate. "When television is good, nothing -- not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers -- nothing is better" Newton Minnow, head of the FCC said in 1961. The truth in this statement is astounding, so it is unacceptable of us to slack in ways to make it the best medium there is.

OK, so Shaki didn't actually perform with the Cuban heartthrob on last night's “Dancing With the Stars” finals, but William and his partner Cheryl Burke did perform one of her songs, “Objection," for their sexy cha-cha-cha.

The sexy performance, which featured William how we like him best (with his shirt wide open), is hands down Levy's sexiest performance of the entire season. There was plenty of bumping and grinding, hip shaking, and pelvis thrusting action, and the body contact between Levy and Burke was insane.

But despite how hot the performance was, judge Len Goodman didn't care for it, and called it “predictable."

“I liked it. I liked the lifts, I liked the changes of rhythm from tango into salsa, but for me, it was too predictable," he said. "All you do is shake your butt and get the women screaming. I didn't want a salsa with lifts," he added.

Ouch!

After last night's show, the usually reserved Levy fired back at Len for his criticism, telling People.com he wouldn't change a thing a{about the performance} if he had to do the dance all over again.

"It [was] the freestyle," Levy said. "It's free. We can do whatever we want. It wasn't supposed to be something that Len was looking for. You don't have to do whatever he says. We picked samba, who cares?"

Levy also told Access Hollywoodhe stands by the performance.

“I feel this was an amazing dance, and [an] amazing routine,” he said. “I think it was a really good freestyle routine. It's freestyle and we had a lot going on… lifting here, lifting there, dancing over here, moving over there. That's what it's all about, you know?”

As for whether he wins or loses tonight, Levy says he gave it his all last night. “We gave it our all… I mean, whatever happens, it's gonna be good because I know we gave it [our] all,” he told Access Hollywood. “We got 59 out of 60, and right now, it's up to the fans. I'm pretty amazed [by] what we did. We did a good freestyle, we did a good cha cha and I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I feel like a winner right now," he said.

CHECK OUT THIS SLIDESHOW OF WILLIAM LEVY THROUGH THE YEARS

The "Glee" star showed up to the "Late Show With David Letterman" on Monday with just some of her ankle ink (and lots of non-tatted skin) showing. That's because most of them are hidden away.

"I have 14," Michele told Letterman, "But they're all so little that you don't see it. That's why I'm done, though, because all my secret hidden spots are done. Like, my real estate is over."

"You have 14 secret spots?" Letterman laughed. "That's exciting."

Oh, David. Watch the video above to hear about Lea's tattoo addiction and her tattoo-loving family ("Listen, some people go hunting for eggs [on Easter] and we go get tattoos").

See more celebrity tattoos below:

The Emmy winner guest-stars on the season 3 premiere of "Rookie Blue" as Henry McLeod, and as ABC's press release describes him, he's "a belligerent drunk driver with a haunting secret." Punching Dov (Gregory Smith) in the face, while reeking of whisky? Definitely. But there's so much more to his character. More on that in a bit.

I've loved "Rookie Blue" since it debuted two years ago. I have a real fondness for the stars, who I've spoken to on numerous occasions (whether it's on location or in a fancy hotel suite), but there's something about the series that makes me proud. Sure, it's a Canadian/U.S. co-production but the series' references to all things Toronto -- from the shots of TTC streetcars or landmarks, or its mentions of familiar streets -- gives us Canadians something to look forward to. Ultimately, what I like best is that the police drama has a real knack for being funny and bumbling, which provides a nice break from its more serious storylines.

The season three return kicks off with Andy (Missy Peregrym) returning to 15 Division after a three-month suspension -- for "conduct unbecoming an officer" -- and preparing to face a tribunal that will determine if she will be reinstated to active duty. That doesn't happen till the end of the episode, where -- SPOILER ALERT, and well, DUH ---all goes swimmingly on that front; it's the in-between that's meaty. When we last left Andy and Sam (Ben Bass), he asked her, "You want to try being normal together?" After both of them got suspended, her messy breakup with Luke, and the fact that Sam is her former training officer, Andy justifiably replied, "How are we going do that?"

Fast-forward three months (which Andy spent alone, presumably, in North Bay), Swarek picks her up from the airport, and he attempts to take her home and away from any drama when, BAM! They're involved in a multi-car collision. The cause? Henry McLeod. The injured? Himself, a random lady in another car, and the driver of a van (Pat Mastroianni, aka "Degrassi"s Joey Jeremiah). But it's what (or should I say, who) is in the back of said van that takes the multi-car accident into creepy territory: a girl, with whom Andy connects, of course. It's the kind of case "Rookie Blue" does so well -- suspenseful, but not too grim; a nice balance of gripping and entertaining without going gory. The show allows viewers to use their imaginations and it's up to us if we want to think the worst.

I won't divulge much more about "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life," but it's an up-and-down, roller-coaster ride, what "Rookie Blue" is noted for. For the next several episodes, it's clear Traci (Enuka Okuma) and Gail (Charlotte Sullivan) will both be vying for a detective role, though based on the photos and ads I've seen from Season 3, I don't think the show is keeping it a secret. Dov's insecurities surrounding his relationship with Sue (guest star Mayko Nguyen) continue to plague him, and Noelle (Melanie Nicholls-King) and Frank (Lyriq Bent) are on their way to parenthood. There's also a new rookie in 15 Division: Nick Collins (Peter Mooney, "Camelot") is an ex-soldier who spent four years in Afghanistan, but has ties to one of our favourite (or not-so-favourite) rookies. And, by the end of the episode, we find out if Andy and Sam can get back to where they once were.

But even with all that, it's Shatner who steals the show. Henry has a serious grudge against police, and the big reveal on why is not to be missed. Shatner proves why he's got a mantle filled with awards, but it's his "RB" character that will have people talking. I'm calling it now -- don't be surprised if Shat gets recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series). Then "Rookie Blue" can add "Emmy nominee/winner" to its resumé.

Ryan gets the first date card, and Emily ushers him into her SUV. Ryan wonders if he's going to be jumping off a bridge or flying around in a helicopter (because he's obviously seen past seasons of the show), but no! He's taking part in a normal day in the life of Emily -- acting as "Snack Mom" to daughter Ricki's soccer team. So, Ryan slaps on an apron and bakes some cookies.

Ryan calls Emily's skinny jeans and perfectly curled hair "momwear," which makes every female over the age of 13 cringe, each for different reasons.

Their first date was cute, but I think a romantic date was needed before diving into a daily routine. Thankfully, dinner was more date-like, and the two engaged in some witty banter. One more surprise! Emily's favorite band puts on a private concert for her, Ryan, and 200 screaming fans lined up behind velvet rope.

Group date time!

The bachelors are informed they'll be performing with The Muppets to raise money for Emily's ex-fiance's charity fund. I totally understand the whole connection Emily has to her ex-fiance, but it seems to be brought up a whole lot -- so much so that it might be inhibiting her from showing the men she's ready for a new relationship.

The guys sing, dance, and "act" on stage with Emily, who says she's a bad singer but doesn't actually sound so terrible. She calls up Ricki to sing "Rainbow Connection," which is a personal favorite of mine, but the whole date felt a little too Sesame Street for adults looking to form lifelong bonds. I did love Chris Harrison's chuckle with Statler, though.

Emily continues the date that evening and shares some more time with the guys. She gushes to Chris that she thinks he's very attractive, and she tells Jef with one 'f' that she's been looking for him and basically feels like he's ignoring her, which, surprisingly, seems to catch him off guard. Stevie and Emily dance to music only they can hear, while some of the guys snicker childishly in the stairwell. Kalon cuts into Stevie's one-on-one time, but throws a temper tantrum when Aaron tries to steal her away. Emily actually calls his concession mature, and I cringe. She must be confused.

The guys bicker a bit, and it seems like the drama between Stevie and Kalon might be our only hope for some excitement here. Kalon also had some words with Doug, who told the guys to seriously think about dating a woman with a child.

Joe gets the second one-on-one date, and the two fly to Greenbriar, a beautiful old country club of sorts in West Virginia, for a quick indoor swim. Fast-forward to the dinner portion of the date, and Emily struts down the spiral staircase looking like "an elegant Southern girl that [I] couldn't take my eyes off." He must mean off of, but probably hung out with Jef with one 'f' right before he left.

The conversation doesn't wow Emily, who tearfully sends Joe home, as she doesn't see him fitting into her life. The (unnecessary) fireworks shot off into the sky upon his departure do, however, wow her, as she watches Joe's limo pull away.

Cocktail party time!

Emily chats with some of the guys, and the same scene unfolds season after season: the guy who was already given a rose steals one-on-one time away from the other men, who haven't seen the bachelorette in days, and hissy fits ensue.

In this case, I'm referring to Ryan, who plays up his writing skills yet again and presents Emily with a seven-page novel letter that should have scared the bejesus out of her. But she loves it, even as Tony awkwardly stands in the corner and listens to the entire letter read aloud.

Arie had a brief but impressionable conversation with Emily, and Kalon revealed that he was 26, not 27, like his screen credits show.

Emily doles out the roses, and two men are sent home -- Aaron and Kyle, and I think they are twins. No? Could have fooled me.

Toasts all around, and I'm ready for next week's episode -- Travis's egg is thrown from the stairs! Emily and a bachelor kiss! Ricki might actually speak!

"Saturday Night Live" wrapped up its 37th season this past weekend. Along the way, we were paying attention not just to the quality of the individual sketches in our weekly "SNL" Scorecard, but also to the progress of the cast members in regards to airtime and prominence, which we ranked each week in the Relevancy Poll.

Like last season, we certainly weren't going to let that data go to waste, so, we tallied the results to present to you the complete 2011-12 "SNL" Relevancy Poll.

As you will see, the lower the score, the better. And, again, the rankings represent how often an individual cast member appeared on the show, not an opinion of an individual sketch or character. (In other words: These are not my "favorites," this is a barometer of each cast member's airtime and influence that we kept track of all season here.) Each final score is the average weekly poll ranking of each cast member over the course of the final season -- with two exceptions. Paul Brittain left "SNL" after 12 shows and Kate McKinnon joined "SNL" only to appear in the last five shows of the season. Both of their scores are weighted against the shows they did not appear. (Their actual scores appear in parenthesis.)

And since this is HuffPost TV's official sign-off from "SNL" coverage this season, it seemed like an appropriate time to remember each cast member's most memorable sketch from Season 37.

With that, let's discuss the ups, downs, hits, misses and winners of the 37th season of "Saturday Night Live." We'll work from the lowest-ranked to highest-ranked:

15. Kate McKinnon - Average Ranking: 12.86 (Actual: 9.00)

McKinnon was only added as a featured player for the last five shows of the season. In those five shows, she did a pretty decent job (all things considered) of getting herself into sketches - even earning a No. 1 ranking around these parts in a Relevancy Poll. She plays eccentric characters and she takes risks -- which is reminiscent of another certain cast member who just departed the show. Put it this way: I honestly don't know what else she could have done during this five-show "tryout," if you will, to warrant a return for a full season.

If you just take the average of the shows that the two appeared on, it's interesting that McKinnon and the departed Brittain have the same score. Brittain leaving "SNL" is still clouded with mystery (I have heard a few things, but nothing concrete); but whatever the reasons may be, it's a shame. I realize how hard it is to get on to that show and I realize how difficult it is to then succeed on that show. I really thought Brittain had something going with his two recurring characters -- Lord Wyndemere and "Sex" Ed Vincent -- but, it was not meant to be. I hope whatever Brittain winds up doing, "Lord Wyndemere and "Sex" Ed live on ... somewhere.

I can't imagine that Nasim Pedrad will look at her first year as a full-fledged repertory player as a highlight year in her "SNL" career. Which is a shame because she deserved better. Out of all the female cast members, it seemed like Pedrad was most hurt by Kristen Wiig's return to dominance. (Wiig was not as much of a presence last season, which probably had a little bit to do with her "Bridesmaids" duties.) But she also had one of the best sketches of the season: See what happens behind closed door when one listens to Adele's "Someone Like You":

What an enigma. To be honest, I've enjoyed Elliott on the show ... when she's actually on the show, which is rare and has always been rare. Adding to her status as an enigma: Elliott tried to leave after this season. At one point, she had a pilot on Fox. Later, she was cut from the pilot. So obviously, Elliott is not eying "SNL" as any sort of long term career plan. Also, that would mean that Lorne Michaels was willing to let her go if that pilot had been picked up with her attached. In other words, I'm confused. But, regardless, her take on Zooey Deschanel was pretty fantastic.

For whatever reason, I thought that Jay Pharoah had hit a sort of epiphany when "The Jay Pharoah Show" aired. I mean, not many cast members get to be in self-titled sketches. And as sad as I was to see Paul Brittain leave, I tried to look on the bright side of, Well, at least there's more room for Jay Pharoah. At this point, I just don't know. He's so streaky. If there's an impression needed -- which was really the whole premise of his self-titled show --Pharoah has a big week. No impressions needed? You could find Pharoah during the "good nights." (I'm barely exaggerating.) After the Josh Brolin show I wrote, "Pharoah was everywhere this week. Every so often, Pharoah will take over the show ... but then he'll disappear during the following three shows." And that's exactly what happened. We can only hope that next season we see the return of "The Jay Pharoah Show."

It's remarkable that should Kenan return for the 38th season of "SNL" (and I've heard no rumors to the contrary) he will be tied at fifth (with Tim Meadows) for longest tenure. My guess is that it doesn't quite seem that long because two of the people ahead of him on that list -- Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen -- are still on the show, too. So, we have a case in which cast members are staying longer and we have a case in which the cast is somewhat large. So it's not too terribly surprising that show veterans might find themselves with not a lot to do. This season, more often than not, this seemed to be Kenan. I mean, this is a season that only saw "What's Up With That?" happen one time.

By this time next year, Vanessa Bayer will be one of the biggest stars of "Saturday Night Live." Last season, the multiple airings of "The Miley Cyrus Show" boosted her presence a bit, but I do think that not entirety relying on that particular sketch helped her grow on the show. With Wiig gone, she should become the show's dominant female voice. And there's no better example of this than "Tell Him," which is brilliant. (And, of course, it isn't online. So, here's "You Can Do Anything," a talk show featuring YouTube celebrities.)

Seth Meyers has been on "SNL" a very long time. I'm not saying that's the reason he didn't seem 100 percent engaged during at least half of the 'Weekend Updates" this year -- but, at times, there's certainly been an aura of a loss of interest on Meyers part. And the only reason it's that noticeable is because when Meyers is on, he's electric. For whatever reason, Meyers doesn't want a co-host, but he's really doing himself a disservice. He's so good at ping-ponging lines off of a partner in crime, it's like watching a talent go to waste every week. Meyers, whether he likes it or not, is best when he's the master of ceremonies, not just sitting there at his desk ... alone. Case ... in ... point:

I think Bobby Moynihan knows that he'll never be the "star" of "Saturday Night Live," so to speak. But I do feel that's he finally found his groove. In other words: Moynihan absolutely owns the reaction shot and every sketch he's in is better because he's a part of it. (And if Chris Christie gets himself in the news more often, Moynihan's star will explode.) That's not to say that Moyninah can't carry a sketch. He can. Very well, actually ... when they let him. Like here, with Katy Perry in "One Magical Night."

It's odd: When you consider that Armisen is the one who portrays the current President of the United States, he should rank a tad higher. The thing is, there were very few Obama sketches this season. And when he was doing an Obama sketch, sometimes Obama sounded a bit like Bill Cosby. I almost get the impression that Obama bores Armisen, but, instead of handing the reins over to Pharoah, he continues to do it out of either (A) Some sort of obligation or (B) Because it's an honor. (Of course, if I were Armisen, I'd keep doing it, too ... Just to prevent the "Oh, he lost his job as Obama" rumors.) Regardless, Armisen is at his best when he's doing weird things, like Nicholas Fehn. Or (a sketch that only I apparently enjoy) "One Man Show."

Samberg had a resurgence of sorts near the end of this season. So it's a nice time for him to leave the show. After his Lonely Island cohorts left, Samberg seemed ... lost. Before, he could star in a Digital Short, appear on "Update," then be a supporting character in a few other things -- which is a pretty solid show. Well, without the Digital Shorts being quite as regular of an occurrence, he had to star in sketches -- which never seemed to work out quite as well. (Though, I do have a strange affinity for "One Take Tony.") By the end of the season (with the help of those former Lonely Islander Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer) the Digital Short era was brought to a proper close.

What a difference a year makes. I noticed it back in January and went ahead and made a bold proclamation about Killam's very bright "SNL" future (which hopefully didn't freak out Mr. Killam too much). But, you know what? I feel even more strongly about it now. Let's not forget, Taran Killam is still technically a featured player (something that will change this summer) and is already one of the central figures on the show. And no one has improved more since last season than Killam. As Bill Hader told me back in January, "He kind of recalibrated his Brad Pitt impression for that 'Moneyball' short we did with Ben Stiller. He's behaving like Brad Pitt; he's not going for a joke. It was really impressive."

And, of course, he's still got that "Call Your Girlfriend" viral video.

Hader was last year's season champion, but now, he's slipped to No. 3. Again, Wiig dominated this year in a way that she didn't last season. And it didn't help that Hader's political character, Rick Perry, became an afterthought so quickly. Regardless, it doesn't mean that Hader wasn't busy. And he's the highest-ranking cast member who is not either leaving the show, or rumored to be leaving the show. Of course, there's Stefon Zolesky, which is, without a doubt, the most popular character on "SNL" these days. (Note: I'm legitimately devastated that Hader's Rick "Watch It Or I'll Suck Your C---!" Tipenski was cut -- along with the rest of the "Kings of Catchphrase Comedy" -- during the finale.) But, I will try to make the argument that Hader's finest work this season came in the form of Clint Eastwood.

If this truly was Sudeikis' final season, the finale aside, it was stellar. It's strange -- Sudeikis does such a great job of being the everyman -- or, as Adam Sandler used to call Phil Hartman, "the glue" -[ it's easy to forget just how much Sudeikis does. And I'll go ahead and say it: If that was Sudeikis' last episode and if he truly was angry, well, he has the right to be, because he deserved a better sendoff than the one he received. Not to mention the fact that since Sudeikis plays a major political figure from both parties, yeah, he's in all of those sketches, too. Sudeikis' finest moment this season was as the Devil, commenting on the Penn State scandal. There's no easy way to find humor concerning that story -- but Sudeikis did.

Well, this is why Kristen Wiig got the special sendoff. The thing is, she's known on "SNL" for her eccentric characters, but I thought her best moment this past week (not counting her sendoff sketch, which is one of the best "SNL" moments that I've ever seen) was in "Karaoke" -- which is anything but an eccentric character. Wiig did not get enough credit for ability to play anyone, really. Her departure will change the show drastically. She was the alpha dog. And, as the alpha dog, she set the tone for the show. Gone was the sharp political commentary that defined the Fey/Poehler years, replaced by more of an absurd, awkward comedy angle. Put it this way: I've never laughed once during Judy Grimes, but, boy, I've always been left in awe.

Mike Ryan is senior writer at Huffington Post Entertainment. Mike Ryan is happy to have his weekends back for a few months. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

If you arrive at the TV section of the Huffington Post any given Monday, you'll note anywhere from four to ten stories on the phenomenon that is Mad Men; perspective covering everything from plot analysis and the psychology of Don Draper, to Pete's latest blunder and the cut of Joan's jib. But regardless of these many enduring traits, Mad Men is mostly assuredly a study in style: the clothes, the sets, the props, the vernacular; the feng shui of it all.

A most salient example would be the mid-century cool of Roger Sterling's office. With its black and white palette, space-agey Jetsons table and stool set, stylish accouterment, and Pop Art sensibilities, the entire room states loudly the taste of John Slattery's character, which is exactly what set decorator Claudia Didul had in mind. When she needed paintings with the specific panache to match Roger's sly and savvy personality, she turned to the collection of photographer and painter Lisa Gizara, whose stunning work has graced the sets of shows such as Modern Family, Castle and Californication; the walls of Bloomingdale's and St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif.; the pages of Variety, People, Entertainment Weekly and hundreds of international publications, and the exhibition spaces of designer Erinn V. Maison's in Beverly Hills and the iconic Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.

Perusing Gizara's eclectic and colorful catalogue at Art Pic, a gallery of contemporary art often used by television and film set designers, Didul found the swooping, curvaceous lines of "Madonna 1," a painting of mixed media (paint, graphite and oil stick), ideal for the wall behind Roger's desk.

"This painting was a miracle, as it came effortlessly and magically through me one afternoon," Gizara explained. "It was as if I stepped aside and a divine power stepped in to form this perfectly balanced composition out of a bunch of crazy gestural lines."

The paired pieces on either side of Roger's door are the "King of Hearts" and "Queen of Hearts," black, white and amber paint on wood panels. Gizara described her process in the creation of this set:

"These were painted almost entirely with my hands and fingers. When I work I get totally immersed in the emotions that inspire me to express myself... the smell and texture of the paint, the feeling of the wood grain, and the dance-like movement of the medium under my fingers are all an essential part of my process. It's the incredible high of creating something from nothing that forever propels me to the form."

Gizara defined these two pieces as representative of the feminine and masculine, the lovers, the yin and yang; complete opposites that come together as "seemingly balanced, or perfectly imperfect." Roger Sterling, anyone?

Often the art pieces used on TV and film sets are replications of the original work, or, if original artwork is used, it's typically rented from the artist rather than purchased; necessary, in both cases, to stay within the limited production budgets. The outright purchase of Gizara's "King" and "Queen" seems to speak to Mad Men's mandate for quality and authenticity while adhering to their highly-placed style bar, a component of the show as critical as character and plot. ("Madonna I" is a print of the original painting.)

From the cultural angle, given Mad Men's era-appropriate themes of sexism in both the homes and workplaces of its main characters, it's interesting to note that behind-the-scenes women such as Didul and Gizara exert such influence over the artistic interpretation of the places and people entrenched in those cultural norms. Gizara, in particular, takes certain satisfaction, as a female artist in the highly competitive and male dominated world of fine art, in cracking a certain ceiling in getting her work more widely acknowledged in both the creative and commercial marketplace.

"I actually still find rampant sexism in the art world -- not as much as in the Mad Men '60's, but I've found that if the average person looks at a piece of art and knows it was painted by a woman, most equate it as being of far less the value than a man's work."

Which, ironically, seems to echo the complaints of several of the show's female characters, most notably the petulant, but always productive, Peggy, who most clearly chafes against the "boys' club" atmosphere at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

"We still live in a patriarchal society, the art world is still run by men," Gizara concedes, "and the museums and galleries are still inundated with artwork produced mostly by men, certainly less by women."

She makes the wry point that it's for that reason she almost always attributes her work with her last name only. Given her list of sterling (pun intended!) credentials accrued over a career of 25+ years, her perspective makes a stinging point about persistent gender politics in the world of art and commerce. When an artist of her caliber still finds resistance similar to that found by female characters in a '60's fiction, it's a cultural note worth taking.

Gizara, however, insists there's no bitterness in play as she confidently surges forward in the evolution of her own career, while supporting fellow female artists whenever she can.

"Staying clear in my vision and continually producing good work is my predominant focus. I believe my art stands on its own and I always strive to be better at what I do. I may have to try a little harder and be more patient until the work gains the respect of the art world but, ironically, it's on a show that explores the sexist times of Mad Men where my work not only speaks most loudly for itself, but has found a significant place in that very 'man's' world."

Peggy and Joan would be cheering!

All photographs the property of and reprinted with permission of Lisa Gizara. For more information on Gizara's work, go to www.GizaraArts.com.

www.lorrainedevonwilke.com

The untitled project, which Kenner will produce, will explore how events leading up to that day can affect the reality she lives in. Kaufman is executive producing, writing and directing.

Kaufman and Keener have worked together in the past on films including "Synecdoche, New York," "Being John Malkovich" and the upcoming "Frank Or Francis."

Over the course of her career, Keener has only made a handful of TV appearances. She appeared in the short-lived TV series "Ohara," did an episode of "Seinfeld" and a few TV movies including "If These Walls Could Talk."

If the Keener/Kaufman project makes it to series, it would join HBO's growing line-up of female-fronted comedies. The network currently has "Veep" starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Girls" from Lena Dunham and "Enlightened" starring Laura Dern.

For more on Keener's potential TV series, click over to Deadline.com.

Staff members from all facets of the show -- everyone from editors to members of The Roots -- decided to take a little air time and follow suit. And, ever the accommodating friend, Fallon let them get it all out.

You can watch part 2 here (international readers can watch here).

The resurgence of situation comedies is the clearest trend to emerge from TV's helter-skelter week of fall schedule announcements that just concluded. ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC will have 30 half-hour comedies on the air at the beginning of next season – 32 by November – compared to 17 at the opening of a new season five years ago.

Tuesday alone is a comic festival. The top networks will air eight sitcoms that night alone, with ABC promising two more in January.

"The audience is really open to comedy right now," said Robert Greenblatt, NBC entertainment chief. The network made comedy its development priority, and is opening Tuesday and Friday to sitcoms next fall. NBC is also keeping four comedies on Thursday night, despite abysmal ratings.

The explanation is as much financial as cultural, and there's a clear starting point.

Much as "The Cosby Show" was responsible for resurrecting sitcoms in the 1980s, ABC's "Modern Family" played the same role this time. It was an instant critical hit when it premiered in 2009 and has grown to become ABC's most popular scripted program. ABC Entertainment Group President Paul Lee called it "the defining comedy of our time."

"I don't think the networks gave up on (comedy)," said Brad Adgate, television analyst for Horizon Media. "There's too much of a financial incentive to go with comedies. They were always trying. But they weren't that good."

The lesson for Fox coming out of this season was clear. The charming "New Girl" with Zooey Deschanel did well and was invited back for a new season; the special-effects laden drama "Terra Nova" was an expensive bust. Fox is building a four-sitcom night on Tuesdays led by "New Girl."

It also can't be lost on struggling NBC that it can invest in a complex drama like "Awake," get good reviews and virtually no viewers. NBC's fall schedule shows its drought in developing solid dramas: There's no show that premiered between 1999 ("Law & Order: SVU") and 2010 ("Parenthood").

Many fans express on social media that they're reluctant to commit to new dramas on broadcast networks for fear they will be quickly cancelled, said Sean Reckwerdt, TV analyst and cultural anthropologist for Networked Insights. CBS is the exception, he said.

Comedies, meanwhile, generally require less investment both personally and financially and the upside in success can be huge.

The slump in new comedy development during the mid-2000s meant there were fewer sitcoms available on the syndication market at precisely the time there was more interest in buying them. "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family" commanded prices at or near $1.5 million an episode for their makers when they were sold in syndication less than two years ago.

Reruns of "The Big Bang Theory" have been such a big success for TBS since they started last fall that the network's viewership is up more than 11 percent over last year, the Nielsen company said.

Demand is such that "2 Broke Girls" and "Mike & Molly" will soon hit the syndication market, even though CBS has made nowhere near the 100 episodes of the shows that is generally considered a benchmark for running repeats, said Bill Carroll, an expert on the syndication market for Katz Media. A classic sitcom can generate money for a long time; somewhere "I Love Lucy" and "M-A-S-H" episodes are still being shown.

"Not every show is like that, but certainly the blue chip players last forever," Carroll said. "They'll be running when we watch TV on our watches or watch on our glasses."

USA won the rights to begin airing "Modern Family" reruns next year and the network, which has made its fortune in large part through successful original dramas, made the upcoming comedy repeats a centerpiece of its presentation to advertisers this past week.

Syndication success also creates an interesting boomerang effect for networks. Ratings for original episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" and "How I Met Your Mother" on CBS went up this year – unusual for series that have been on the air so long – because more viewers became familiar with the characters through reruns.

It was instantly evident when ABC previewed "Modern Family" for advertisers three years ago that the comedy was something special. None of this year's crop jumps out in the same way. Fox is getting some buzz for a sitcom created by and starring Mindy Kaling of "The Office," and the network's "Ben and Kate" seems sweet. NBC has high hopes for Matthew Perry's "Go On" because of the way he channels Chandler from "Friends."

Among the most promising dramas is ABC's "Nashville," with Connie Britton of "Friday Night Lights" in a career and love triangle. There are a handful of creepy dramas, often with supernatural elements, with the best looking like Fox's "The Following," with Kevin Bacon trying to track down a serial killer. That doesn't start until midseason, however.

As it has for a few years now, CBS appears in a different league than its rivals. Its margin of victory as the first-place network was the widest it has been in 23 years, and the network has no intention of messing with a successful formula. Its three new fall dramas are each criminal or legal procedurals.

CBS may eventually pay for taking "thinner and thinner slices of the same stuff," Reckwerdt noted. Judging by the warm response by advertisers to its new shows, that day of reckoning doesn't appear imminent.

Jimmy Kimmel, who has appeared for 10 straight years at ABC's presentation to lob some verbal grenades at network executives, neatly summed up the leap of faith that TV executives are asking of advertisers.

"We're going to show you some shows that either we're excited about or pretending to be excited about," he said.

"It's up to you to figure out which is which."

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EDITOR'S NOTE – David Bauder can be reached at dbauder"at"ap.org or on Twitter (at)dbauder.