Per TV Guide’s Adam Bryant, former “Veronica Mars” alumna Tina Majorino (“The Deep End”) will be guest starring on “Bones” before the season is over.

Majorino will play Special Agent Genny Shaw, who helps Booth in his search for ruthless sniper Jacob Broadsky (Arnold Vosloo). But her inexperience quickly brings Booth and her in trouble. If you want a few more details, hit the link above.

Some casting news, courtesy of TVLine:

- Comedian Sarah Silverman has booked a guest spot on an upcoming episode of “The Good Wife”. On the CBS drama’s penultimate season two episode, she will play Stephanie, the owner of an explicit website who hires Lockhart Gardner to defend her in a civil case. The plaintiff claims that Stephanie’s Match.com-for-adulterers website was the reason her faithful husband cheated on her and ultimately ended up murdered.

- Another comedian, Andrew Dice Clay, has joined the cast of the eighth and final season of HBO’s “Entourage” as a recurring. He will play one of the characters in Johnny Drama’s new animated series.

- Ignacio Serricchio (“Privileged”, “General Hospital”) has booked a guest spot in the second episode of the second season of USA’s “Covert Affairs”. He plays a member of the Italian AISE that Annie is ordered to exchange for a captured CIA operative. Benito Martinez (“The Shield”) also gust stars as the Deputy Director of Argentine Military Intelligence and old friend of Joan’s (Kari Matchett). When the exchange goes down the toilet, their friendship is in danger of going the same way.

Hello Folks

Pilot season is slowly winding down, at least from the casting news front. Here’s the latest batc, but let’s start with the question mark.

- Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”) is currently being courted for the male lead in FX’ upcoming pilot “Powers”. It’s about two detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim working in a Homicide department where they work cases involving people with superpowers. Michael Dinner will direct. Aside from Chandler, there’s talk about Brea Grant (“Heroes”) being one of the possible actresses for the female lead.

- Nancy Travis (“Becker”) has booked her second pilot this season. After joining The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” earlier for a guest starring part, Travis has now landed the female lead alongside Tim Allen in ABC’s untitled comedy pilot from writer Jack Burditt. It’s about Tim Fitzgerald (Allen), a man fighting for his manhood in a world where the “traditional male” has been declared dead, and is more and more dominated by women. Travis plays Tim’s wife Vanessa, a woman who doesn’t miss much.

- Gerald McRaney (“Jericho”, “Undercovers”) has come aboard as the male lead alongside Becki Newton in CBS’ untitled Figos family comedy pilot. It centers on Joe Reilly (McRaney), a blue collar guy who struggles to parent his unmarried, grown daughter Eileen (Newton) and her 12-year old boy while shares a house with them, his own wife and his mother who became a widow recently.

- Jere Burns (“Surviving Suburbia”, “Justified”) has been cast as one of the leads in NBC’s untitled Dan Goor multi-camera comedy pilot, formerly known as “Homegrown”. It revolves around Adam Foote (Andrew J. West) a doctor who joins his parents’ (Jean Smart, Burns) medical practice, and now has to tend not only to patients, but also his family.

- Dean Collins (“The War At Home”) is the younger lead in “Lost & Found”, ABC’s comedy pilot about Jo (Jordana Spiro), a self-centered New York City bartender in her 30s, who has her life changed profoundly once her 18-year old son (Collins), whom she gave up for adoption at 16, stands at her door.

- Kevin Corrigan (“Fringe”) has come aboard CBS’ untitled Peter Knight workplace ensemble comedy pilot. It’s about Danny (Ben Rappaport), whose job and love life takes a turn once his competitor, crush and fellow trainee Gracie (Michelle Trachtenberg) gets promoted from the mailroom up to a junior associate position in the firm where they both work. Corrigan plays Nugzy, a lovable but lethargic oddball who is no longer minding his windowless existence.

- Kate Reinders (“Sherri”) and Rochelle Aytes (“Detroit 1-8-7”, “The Forgotten”) are the latest additions to ABC’s multi-camera comedy pilot “Work It”. It centers on two car salesmen who are out of work. Lee (Ben Koldyke) and Angel (Amaury Nolasco) decide that if they want to succeed in the increasingly female-dominated world, they have to dress as women to get hired as pharmaceutical reps. Reinders will play a co-worker of Lee’s, an effusive pharmaceutical rep, with Aytes playing Lee and Angel’s new boss.

- Rhea Seehorn (“I’m With Her”) has been cast in NBC’s untitled Whitney Cummings comedy pilot. It stars Cummings (who also wrote the pilot) as Whitney who, with her partner Alex (Chris D’Elia) work through all the ups and downs of a committed relationship in today’s complicated world, torn between their friends Lily (Zoë Lister) and Neal (Pancholy) who think everyone should get married, and Mark and Roxanne (Seehorn), who favor the opposite.

- Jason Jones (“The Daily Show”) has been tapped to co-star alongside Heather Locklear in “The Assistants”, CBS’ comedy pilot about four assistants working for neurotic celebrity, Ali (Locklear) and her younger, hot husband Gale (Jones). David Henrie also stars.

- Natalie Zea (“Justified”) has booked a guest spot on CBS’ drama pilot “Person Of Interest”, to be executive produced by J.J. Abrams. It’s about ex-CIA agent Reese (Caviezel), presumed dead. He joins forces with Finch (Michael Emerson), a reclusive billionaire, to solve crimes in New York City. Zea plays a District Attorney who is in danger after she gets too close to a case.

Sources: Deadline, TVLine, The Futon Critic

TVLine’s Nellie Andreeva reports today that “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” is once more looking to make an episodes based on a real-life news story (or make that stories).

For one of its upcoming episodes contained in its 10th and final season, the show will tackle the various scandals surrounding Charlie Sheen. And Jay Mohr has been tapped to play the show’s version of the successful celebrity bad boy.

Mohr plays Nyle Brite, a “rockstar” fashion designer who turns every creation he touches to gold. In typical Sheen manner, the man is a drug addict, party lovery and enjoys the frequent company of call girls. But that makes him only more famous, labeling him as a “lovable rogue”. The murder part of the story involves a dead body at one of Brite’s parties.

Noelle Beck (“As The World Turns”) has also been cast in the episode called “Rispetto”. She plays Nyle’s long-suffering wife Debra. But she stayed with him for 20 years because she harbors some secrets of her own.

The final season of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” is set to premiere May 1. Another upcoming episode with a real-life news inspiration is a plot modeled after the murder of top Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen.

Hello Folks

Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports today that AMC has released a statement announcing the start of production for the fifth season of its successful drama “Mad Men”, despite the fact that the deal with creator Matt Weiner is not done yet, which is the bit referred to in the statement as “non-cast negotiations”.

AMC has officially authorized production of season 5 of Mad Men, triggering our option with Lionsgate. While we are getting a later start than in years past due to ongoing, key non-cast negotiations, Mad Men will be back for a fifth season in early 2012.”

Per TVLine’s Matt Webb Mitovich, it is now pretty much confirmed what was beginning to transpire at the end of last week.

At its upfront presentation tomorrow, FX will officially announce that it has renewed both “Justified” and “Archer” for a third season each.

The news comes on the heels of FX canceling its freshman drama “Lights Out” after less-than-satisfying ratings.

Update:

Both renewals are now official. And “Archer” will get 16 episodes next season.

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TV Guide’s William Keck reports that veteran actors Cristine Rose (“Heroes”), John Rothman (“Guiding Light”) and Tess Harper (“Crash”) will all come aboard ABC’s “Private Practice” before the season is over. And they all have a connnection…

Spoiler Alert!

All three will be playing the in-laws of Cooper (Paul Adelstein) and Charlotte (KaDee Strickland). Rose and Rothman are Cooper’s parents, and Harper is playing Charlotte’s mother, Augusta (her dad is deceased). The reason for them coming together for the first time is “very awkward”, Strickland teases.

To read more about what Adelstein and Strickland had to say about the casting of their respective parents, hit the link above.

Per Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva, Alan Alda and Hugh Dancy have both booked guest starring roles on the second season of Showtime’s hit drama “The Big C” starring Laura Linney.

Alda is set to play oncologist Dr. Atticus Sherman, the doctor Cathy meets after her previous treatment failed. Alda is booked for one episode.

Dancy, meanwhile, will play an unspecified recurring character.

It’s still a bit over a month until May, but next in line to announce the season finale dates is CBS. And a closer look reveals that “The Mentalist” is the only scripted drama that will see a two-hour finale this season.

Here’s the list:

SUNDAY, MAY 1

10:00-11:00 PM “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”

Hello Folks

To start off the new week, here is the latest batch of pilot castings.

- Adrian Pasdar (“Heroes”) has grabbed the male lead on NBC’s untitled Kari Lizer comedy pilot. It’s a workplace comedy about Mary Leahy (Sarah Paulson), a relationship-challengend woman who guides through various downsizings and career transistions, all with the help of her co-workers Pasdar plays super-confident Brad, a guy who has drunk sex with Mary in a bar bathroom. Bewitched by his charm, Mary and her partner later ask Brad to join their company.

- Maya Rudolph (“Saturday Night Live”) is cast in Emily Spivey’s untitled NBC comedy pilot. The project is described as an irreverent look at parenthood through the eyes of an acerbic working mother (Christina Applegate) – a woman who never thought she’d ever have children – her stay-at-home husband and her opinionated parents. Rudolph is playing the co-lead part of her best friend and co-worker.

- Katee Sackhoff (“Battlestar Galactica”) hs landed the female lead, and Lou Diamond Phillips (“Numb3rs”), Bailey Chase (“Saving Grace”) and Cassidy Freeman (“Smallville”) have all joined the cast of A&E’s hourlong pilot “Longmire”. It centers on Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), the charismatic and dedicated sherrif of Absaroka County, Wyo. A widower for a year, he hides his pain behind an unassuming grin and dry wit, but is in desperate need of some psychic repair. Sackhoff plays one of his deputies, a woman who, after working homicide in Philadelphia for five years, joined Walt in his office six months ago. The two have a playful give-and-take relationship, but sexual tension is simmering underneath. Phillips plays Walt’s best friend, Chase plays another deputy. And Freeman plays Walt’s daughter.

- Gale Harold (“Hellcats”, “Desperate Housewives”) is cast in The CW’s drama pilot “Secret Cirlce”, which revolves around Cassie (Britt Robertson) a teen girl who moves to a new town and finds out that she’s a witch, and part of a secret coven. And she’s the key to an age-old battle between good and evil. Harold plays Thomas Meade plays the father of Diane, the head of the witch cirlce and best friend of Cassie’s.

- Danneel Ackles (formerly Harris, wife of Jensen;”One Tree Hill”) and Jamie Lee Kirchner (“Mercy”) have grabbed the last two leads on NBC’s single-camera comedy pilot “I Hate That I Love You”. It centers on straight couple Brad (Nick Thune) and Missy (Kirchner), who introduce their lesbian roommates to each other – Brad’s Allie (Ackles) and Missy’s Sarah (Anna Camp).

- Justin Bruening (“Knight Rider”) has joined the cast of NBC’s reboot pilot of “Wonder Woman”. In the new take on the legendary superhero from David E. Kelley, starring Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, Bruening will play Steve Trevor, a leading man that Diana can’t get past. He’s an army wet now working for the Justice Department.

- Mark Deklin (“Justice”, “Lone Star”) has been added to the cast of ABC’s comedy pilot “Good Christian Bitches”. It centers on Amanda (Leslie Bibb), a mother of two who returns to her childhood home in Dallas, where she was once a popular “mean girl”. Now, after a messy divorce, she tries to make things right with her old classmates. Deklin plays a metrosexual cowboy hwo is married to one of the classmates.

- David Ramsey (“Outlaw”) is the latest actor to join the CW drama pilot “Cooper & Stone”, which is about Jenna Cooper (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Stone (Vanessa Ferlito) two female detectives and best friends who balance working homicides with smart talk about fashion, pop culture and music. Ramsey plays Mazzara, a cop with no patience for rookies but is good friends with Stone.

- David Alpay (“The Tudors”), rapper-turned-actor Xzibit and Aaron Yoo (“The Bedford Diaries”) have all come aboard FOX’ medical drama pilot “Weekend At Bellevue”, which centers on the weekend shift at the Psych ward of Bellevue Hospital, and the woman in charge, Ellie Harlow (Lauren Ambrose). Alpay plays a fellow doctor, Ben Jacobs, with whom Ellie trained at Columbia. Xzibit plays Chuck Franklin, an ER nurse who has worked at Bellevue for 18 years and whom nothing really phases anymore. Yoo plays a highly competitive psychiatry intern.

- Johnny Pemberton (“Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia”) has been cast in ABC’s comedy pilot “Bad Mom”, which revolves around Julia (Jenna Elfman), who must raise her two children on her own all of a sudden once her mother, Marian (Frances Conroy), who did it up until now, decides to get her own life back. Pemberton plays Indiana, the teenage drop out son of Julia’s friend Linda (Sharon Horgan), a boy who either smokes pot or makes a move on Julia.Tom Everett Scott also stars, and Chris Koch will direct.

- Billy Brown (“Lights Out”) has been tapped to co-star in “Reconstruction”, NBC’s drama pilot set in a complicated Missouri Town during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, and centering on Jason (Martin Henderson) a civil war soldier who settles into the town and is welcomed as its savior. There, he begins a torrid affair with a local widow (Rachelle Lefevre). Brown plays Sam, a former slave with a warm, life-affirming laugh, who tells Jason all there is to know about the small town he just set foot in.

- Sarah Wright (“Mad Love”) is the latest addition to CBS’s comedy pilot “The Assistants”, about four assistants working for a celebrity, Ali (Heather Locklear) and her husband. At the core is Mike (David Henrie) who hopes this job helps him open doors in Hollywood. Wright plays spunky cute assistant Tina, who babysitts Ali’s son and catches Mike’s eye.

- Anjelah M. Johnson (“MadTv”) has come aboard “My Life As An Experiment”, which is about A.J. Wilder (Jon Dore), a magazine immersion journalist who tries out all kinds of experiences, and his wife Stacie (Paget Brewster). Johnson plays Luciana, their Brazilian babysitter in tight leggins and high heels, and who is very outspoken on top of it.

Sources: Deadline, The Futon Critic

Per EW’s James Hibberd, USA’s “White Collar” has acquired a quartet of guest stars for the new season, which launches on June 7. And the kicker: They all appear in the same episode. The second, to be exact.

SPOILER ALERT!

Titled “Where There’s A Will”, the episode revolves around a forged will that turns out to be a treasure map.

William Sadler (“The Pacific”, “Roswell”) is playing a security guard who orchestrates a kidnapping.

Danny Masterson (“That 70′s Show”) and his real-life brother Christopher Masterson will play two brothers who contest their dad’s will.

And former “My Girl” and “Lights Out” alumna Anna Chlumsky is a new FBI agent recruit who is helping out the team.

Hello Folks

Well, this show certainly isn’t shy of attracting the biggest names possible for their coveted guest spots.

The latest: Tom Hanks.

TVLine’s Matt Webb Mitovich reports that the veteran actor and two-time Oscar winner is set to appear sometime this spring, but details on his role (or whether he’ll be playing himself) are currently not available.

ABC has announced its summer lineup, including the premiere dates for two scripted series, both from Canada. Cop drama “Rookie Blue” starring Missy Peregrym returns for its second season on June 16, and new Canadian Import “The Hot Zone” (formerly known as “Combat Hospital”) will launch on June 21.

The rest? Reality fare. Take a look (all times ET, new shows in italics):

Monday, May 23
9:00-11:00: The Bachelorette (season premiere)

Monday, August 8
8:00-10:00 p.m. “Bachelor Pad” (second season premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. “America’s Karaoke Challenge” (series premiere)

And below are the descriptions of new and returning shows.

THE BACHELORETTE – PREMIERES MONDAY, MAY 23 (9:00-11:00 p.m.), AND MOVES TO ITS REGULAR TIME SLOT (8:00-10:01 p.m.) ON MONDAY, MAY 30 – Ashley Hebert, 26, couldn’t admit she was in love with Brad Womack – and it might have cost her the final rose – but that’s all in the past. The energetic and vivacious Hebert, who is ready to start a new life with a soul mate she might soon meet, will get a second chance at love when she stars in the seventh edition of “The Bachelorette.” Hosted by Chris Harrison, “The Bachelorette” is produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are the executive producers.

EXTREME MAKEOVER: WEIGHT LOSS EDITION – PREMIERES MONDAY, MAY 30 (10:01-11:00 p.m.) – In a unique, non-competitive show about weight loss – unlike anything seen before on television – “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” will document the amazing makeover of eight courageous, “super obese” people. Shot over an unprecedented 365 days, the participants set out to safely lose half of their body weight, ultimately revealing an amazing metamorphosis. The term “super obese” defines those who exceed their estimated ideal weight by approximately 225 percent and who 
are roughly 200 pounds or more overweight. Trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell 
(“The 640-Pound Virgin”) will guide each of eight participants through their transformation process by moving into their homes with their families or loved ones. By assuring that they have the proper nourishment and exercise movement, Chris will provide a fresh perspective to individuals whose lives have become unmanageable because of their weight. In each of the eight one-hour episodes, the participants undergo a transformation not only of their bodies, but of who they are as individuals. Each stand-alone episode of the series will chronicle one participant’s journey to reclaim his or her life. From the producers of “The Biggest Loser,” “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” is executive-produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson and Matt Assmus. The series is produced by 3 Ball Productions/Eyeworks USA. 

WIPEOUT – SPECIAL ONE-HOUR SNEAK PEEK EPISODE THURSDAY, JUNE 16 (8:00-9:00 p.m.), BEFORE THE SUMMER SERIES PREMIERE TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) (various encores and originals to air Thursday’s, 8:00-9:00 p.m.) — Summer brings an all-new course, stunts and specially-themed episodes. Contestants will face brand new obstacles like the “Human Hamster Wheel,” 
the “Time Crunch” and “Chutes and Splatter,” and will go through a unique version of “Driver’s Ed.” There’s also a whole new summer Wipeout Zone featuring “The Flush!,” and of course all obstacles will come with plenty of new surprises. “Wipeout” executive producers are Matt Kunitz (“Fear Factor”) and Scott Larsen. Shye Sutherland, Kevin Wehrenberg, Trice Barto and J. Rupert Thompson are co-executive producers. The series is produced by Endemol USA. David Goldberg is the chairman of Endemol North America.

101 WAYS TO LEAVE A GAME SHOW – PREMIERES THURSDAY, JUNE 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) –
“101 Ways to Leave a Game Show” will feature contestants competing in one of the most insane game shows in history for a chance to win $50,000. In “101 Ways,” contestants will match wits in a series of multiple choice questions, with one contestant being eliminated every round. But unlike any other game show in the world, the eliminated contestant will then be ejected from the show in spectacular fashion — i.e., being flown away strapped to the wing of a biplane, pushed off the top of a moving semi truck, dragged underwater by a one-ton anchor or yanked off a dock by a speed boat. The show will be hosted by Jeff Sutphen (“BrainSurge”). Produced by Endemol USA, Matt Kunitz (“Wipeout”, “Fear Factor”) will serve as the executive producer.

ROOKIE BLUE – PREMIERES THURSDAY, JUNE 16 (10:00-11:00 p.m.) –Take a candid look inside the professional and personal lives of five rookie cops as they navigate their first years on the job in this one-hour drama. During last summer’s premiere season, these rookies hit the streets for the first time with their training officers and learned how to walk the thin blue line. Now the training wheels are off – more experienced, they’re ready to kick some serious butt. But these rookies are just beginning to realize there are no shortcuts to becoming good at this job. And when you’re a rookie officer, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. “Rookie Blue” stars Missy Peregrym as Andy McNally, Gregory Smith as Dov Epstein, Charlotte Sullivan as Gail Peck, Enuka Okuma as Traci Nash, Travis Milne as Chris Diaz, Ben Bass as Sam Swarek and Eric Johnson as Detective Luke Callaghan. Tassie Cameron, Ilana Frank, David Wellington, Noreen Halpern and John Morayniss are the executive producers. “Rookie Blue” is produced by Thump Inc. and Entertainment One.

EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE – PREMIERES TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) – Adventurer, zoologist, big cat trainer and all-around risk taker Dave Salmoni hosts ABC’s epic summer series, “Expedition Impossible,” which features ordinary people doing the extraordinary in the biggest adventure of their lives. The show will feature 13 teams of 3, racing on an expedition across vast deserts, over snow capped mountains and through raging rivers. Each week a new stage of the expedition will be revealed to the teams. Will they crumble under the pressure of having to think clearly in the wilds of the great outdoors, or will they find a way to work together to complete their 
adventures? After 10 stunning legs of competition, one team will cross the finish line first to claim victory. Mark Burnett and Lisa Hennessy serve as executive producers. Both the television show and format will be distributed internationally by Mark Burnett International Distribution.

THE HOT ZONE — PREMIERES TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m.) – This new drama is set in 2006 at the only military hospital providing advanced surgical care in all of Southern Afghanistan, and charts the frantic lives of the hospital’s resident doctors and nurses from Canada, America, the U.K. and other allied countries. This highly-charged series follows the characters as they navigate through the relentless life-and-death battles on the operating table and the never-ending conflicts that arise from working in a war zone military hospital. “The Hot Zone” stars Elias Koteas (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) as Colonel Marks, Michelle Borth (“Hawaii Five-0”) as Canadian surgeon 
Dr. Rebecca Gordon, Luke Mably (“The Gates”) as neurosurgeon Dr. Simon Hill, Deborah Kara Unger (“The Hurricane”) as Australian army psychiatrist Major Ada Pedersen, Terry Chen (“Sanctuary”) as trauma team leader Captain Bobby Trang and Arnold Pinnock (“The Listener”) as Commander Will Royal, Chief of Nursing. “The Hot Zone” is a production from Canada’s Sienna Films and the U.K.’s Artists Studio. Academy Award®-nominated Daniel Petrie Jr. is executive producer and showrunner. Executive producers are Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny for Sienna Films, Gub Neal, Justin Thomson-Glover and Patrick Irwin for U.K.-based Artists Studio, as well as Simon Vaughan of Lookout Point. “The Hot Zone” was created by Jinder Oujla-Chalmers and Douglas Steinberg.

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN — PREMIERES THURSDAY, JULY 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) — From the producers of “The Amazing Race” and the “CSI” franchise comes an entirely new heart-stopping competition show. Combining all the elements of an edge-of-your-seat spy thriller with the excitement of rooting for real people in various locales outwitting high-level investigators, “Take the Money and Run” is an exhilarating competition series that will take reality television to a whole new level. The cat and mouse format will pit investigative professionals against everyday people trying to win a $100,000 prize. “Take the Money and Run” is produced by Profiles Television LLC and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and distributed in the U.S. by Horizon Alternative Television. Executive producers are Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman, Elise Doganieri and Philip Morrow. KristieAnne Reed and Mark Dziak are co-executive producers.

BACHELOR PAD — PREMIERES MONDAY, AUGUST 8 (8:00-10:00 p.m.) — Fan-favorites, arch-rivals, villains and the sexiest participants from the hugely successful “Bachelor” franchise reunite under one roof in a competitive reality series for a “second chance” at love as ABC’s “Bachelor Pad” returns for a second season. Who among Bachelors and Bachelorettes past will rekindle old flames and ignite new ones? “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor Pad” are all produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon. Chris Harrison (“The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”) hosts.

AMERICA’S KARAOKE CHALLENGE – PREMIERES MONDAY, AUGUST 8 (10:00-11:00 p.m.) – This summer ABC brings viewers the amazing story of a competition that draws thousands of the most talented singers together in the ultimate sing-off – the Karaoke World Championships USA. It’s a battle of performances from America’s biggest karaoke competition that will crown a new king and queen of karaoke. Produced by Lincoln Square Productions for ABC.

TVLine’s Michael Ausiello reports today that when “Covert Affairs” returns to USA network this summer, you can expect to see two new faces that will be seen occasionally.

Australian actor Ben Lawson (“The Deep End”) joins the show in the recurring part of Dr. Scott Weiss, a charming, handsome Doctors Without Borders-type physician whom Annie (Piper Perabo) meets while taking her niece, Chloe, to the ER. The man is very passionate about his work and understands Annie’s devotion to her job, of which he has no clear idea about.

Rena Sofer (“24″), meanwhile, will join the show for multiple episodes as Gina, Arthur’s (Peter Gallagher) ex-wife who comes back into his life as he is busy with the aftermath of Lisa’s (Emmanuelle Vaugier) media onslaught.

“Covert Affairs” returns for its second season on June 7.

Hello Folks

Well, sometimes I really hate not living in the U.S…. Especially in moments when big things happen right when I’m asleep.

FOX has renewed its sci-fi drama “Fringe” for a fourth season, various sources report after a tweet from “Fringe” executive producer J.H. Wyman. FOX has since confirmed the news.

And it’s not a small, abbreviated half-season, it’s a full, whopping full season of 22 new episodes.

So start celebrating already, because for me, this is the kind of news I like to wake up to!

And the latest from the casting front. There are some slight spoilers below.

- Per TV Guides’ Carita Rizzo, Natasha Henstridge is set to guest star in the upcoming ninth season finale of “CSI: Miami”. She plays Renée Locklear, an undercover agent who will cause a stir in various ways. Henstrige is also set to guest star in the season 10 premiere (provided the show gets renewed) and has the potential to become recurring.

- Scott Grimes is headed to NCIS, according to EW’s Lynette Rice. He will part of the Tony DiNozzo origin episode airing May 3, as Det. Danny Price, DiNozzo’s former partner, with whom he worked 10 years ago as cops in Baltimore.

- The Hollywood Reporter reports today that Rita Wilson (aka Mrs. Tom Hanks) has been tapped to guest star on “Law & Order: SVU”. In the “Delinquent” episode to air in May, Wilson plays Bree Mazelon, the protective mother of a teen under investigation.

- According to TVLine’s Michael Ausiello, Michael Trucco (“Battlestar Galactica”) will be guest starring in the April 18 episode of “How I Met Your Mother”. He will play Robin’s (Cobie Smulders) longtime crush. For more speculation about what that might hold in store for our core characters, hit the link above.

Per EW’s James Hibberd, FX has officially canceled its boxing drama “Lights Out”.

The gritty show, which debuted rather modestly back in January with 1.5 Million viewers, will not go forward with a second season.