· Ben Affleck is in "talks" to write and produce the TV drama Resistance for Touchstone, apparently hedging his bets in case this acting stuff doesn't pan out. [Variety]
· Shockingly, Fox's probe into American Idol judge Paula Abdul's alleged conflict-causing coaching/boinking of former contestant Corey Clark turns up no wrongdoing, but the network plans to crack down on future judge-pitchy singer fraternization by affixing alarms to the genitals of all AI staff. [THR]
· The Island attempts to become something of a smaller disaster through the foreign box office, beating out Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this weekend. [Variety]
· As the clock approaches midnight on December 31st and Ryan Seacrest hugs New Year's Rockin' Eve co-host Dick Clark a little too tightly, microphones will probably not pick up Seacrest's whispered New Year's wishes to his mentor, "I thought I got rid of you for good last year, but this time I've burned that picture in your attic, old man. You'll be dead before the ball's finished dropping." [THR]
· V does execu shuffle, longtime staffer becomes ed, Bart remains chief. Eh, can we really bring ourselves to care? [Variety]
· Despite being fired off the Brooke Shields MOW, Johnny Drama's quote proves too costly for producers, who opt for Karl Urban to play the lead in Viking remake Pathfinder. [THR]

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