I hate it when shows I really like get the ax. NBC has not officially canceled "Journeyman" but they have chosen not to produce the back nine episodes of the show. The final two shows will air next week on Monday and Wednesday at 10 PM on NBC. The show's creator has said that Wednesday's episode will at least give a little bit of closure as to why Dan Vasser actually travels back in time.

So, at least if it never comes back we won't be left hanging like fans were for Fox's "Reunion." Remember that show? I still would love to know who the killer was.

Fans of "Journeyman" are not going down without a fight. They have taken a page from "Jericho's" loyal fans. "Jericho" was abruptly canceled by CBS, leaving tons of questions but no answers. A group banned together to save the show and sent 20 tons of nuts to CBS, which was inspired by a line Skeet Ulrich uttered in the finale. Long story on that, you'll have to watch. Go buy it on DVD. It's worth the money.

An "Idol" Top 12 with 12 great singers? Say it isn't so! That's what executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is suggesting will happen this season when "American Idol" season seven kicks off January 16th on Fox.

Though the top 24 won't be revealed until some time in February, Nigel told reporters this morning on a conference call that this year he believes there will be stand out contestants right from the get go.

"It's not just a question of seeing somebody grow like Jordin last year. This year I think you are gonna go, 'Wow, he is great, she is good... Wow and that kid's great too,' and they are gonna be standouts very very quickly."

The best city for talent this year, he says, was San Diego.

Writer's Strike be damned. It's that time again... self congratulatory time that is... here in Hollywood. Sure thousands of people are out of work and the industry is in shambles but let's still hand out awards to people for pretending to be someone else.

Do I sound bitter? OK, admittedly I am. I always find award show season to be so stressful and frankly annoying. There are way too many shows now handing out statues to actors.

How about a nationally televised award show for Best Camp Counselor or Best Scientist or Best Teacher? I'd like to see my favorite High School teacher, Mrs. D, walk down the red carpet draped in Armani.

Where am I going with this? I don't know. I just wanted to vent for a second, but since it's my job to cover TV, instead I'll move on and vent about some of the snubs and surprises among the nominees.

First of all, how could the "Desperate Housewives" not have been given a nod for Best TV Comedy? After an uneven season last year (for which they were nominated), the show has been at the top of its game with the addition of Dana Delany to Wisteria Lane and culminating with the Tornado episode. Dana would have been tops on my list for a supporting actress nomination yet neither she or any of the 'Desperate' divas made the list.

I've just learned that the producers of "American Idol" have decided that last season's charitable event, "Idol Gives Back," is worthy of coming back.

Season seven, which kicks off January 16th on Fox, will yet again feature an "Idol Gives Back" special. The two-hour concert and fundraiser will air Wednesday, April 9.

Though the show received mixed reviews for its content, it was seen by 28 million viewers and raised a whopping 75 million dollars for various US and international charities.

The show was co-hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and included performances by Gwen Stefani, Rascall Flatts, Annie Lenox and Kelly Clarkson among others. High points included Carrie Underwood's compelling music video for her version of "I'll Stand By You" and a performance by the African Children's Choir with Josh Groban -- both of which moved audiences to tears.

The show's major low point, you might recall, was that it was supposed to be a "results" show and at the end of two endless hours it was revealed no one was going home.

No word yet on which stars will participate or perform this year, but I bet somewhere on that show, Sanjaya's hair will make an appearance.

Read my coverage of last season's "Idol Gives Back" here. http://blogs.accesshollywood.com/2007/04/inside_idol_gives_back.php

I'm not sure why, but this story will just not die. Every season since Mario and Karina actually did hook up while partnering up as dancers, there has been speculation about other couples. Some turn out to be played up simply for drama and not real at all (Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Willa Ford) while other romances actually have blossomed for real (Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas).

Last season, there were rumors that "DWTS" champs Julianne Hough and Apolo Anton Ohno were getting cozy together. This season, the poor girl is being accused of breaking up Helio Castroneves' engagement to his longtime girlfriend.

Did they have chemistry on the dance floor? - Yes.

Did they deserve to win? - Maybe.

Are they dating. - Absolutely 100 percent NO!

by Courtney Andrews

When one of my fellow producers here at Access, Steve, told me he could get a Return of the Spice Girls concert ticket for me at the last minute on eBbay for $150, I wasn't so sure it would be worth it -- but after going to the opening show in LA on Wednesday, I am quite thankful for the Spice-erience!!

Upon arriving at the Staples Center on opening night, not surprisingly, the audience was overwhelmingly female but Steve (with his girlfriend) and our saucy colleague Bryant were getting me pumped for a night of Girl Power! The place was packed with devoted fans proudly decked out in tight outfits, and hairstyles reminiscent of the group in their nineties popularity. Even little girls who weren't born then represented a new spice generation...but it was a wide age range including lots of girls closer to my age -- in their late 20's and 30's.

We took our seats in the premiere seating of the Staples Center, a few levels up from the floor -- not very close to the stage but definitely decent seats. At about 8:30 the Spice Girls still hadn't taken the stage. We were wondering who was going to open for the Quintet - no one we're told. But Spice fans seated in a VIP suite (on our level, (A)!) caused a sensation before the show!

Between all that I do here for Access Hollywood and AccessHollywood.com, I sure don't have time to sit around and ponder the topic of who are the Top 25 hottest chicks from reality TV. The folks over at the Fox Reality Channel DO have the time though, and they put together a whole special this weekend called appropriately, "The Top 25 Hottest Female Reality Stars."

The way the airwaves are permeated with reality TV these days, it must have been hard to narrow this list down from what I'm guessing is up to thousands of reality show stars. Here's just a smattering of the gals who will be featured.

Two time "Dancing With the Stars" champ, Julianne Hough, makes the cut at number 24 on the list -- which personally, I think is way too far down the list. The girl is hot! She should at least be in the top ten.

Also making the cut are "American Idol" season five runner up, Katherine McPhee. Probably not making the cut is season four train wreck (and possible future jail bird), Jessica Sierra.

Just five weeks and counting until "American Idol" returns in January on Fox. Last night, I felt like I was right back in the thick of things. Well, sort of. You see, I spent the evening at a taping of Fox's latest reality music competition show, "The Next Great American Band."

"Band" shares the same studio space (Stage 36) with "Idol," as it's produced by the exact same team of people from 19 Entertainment. The stage is, of course, different -- but many things feel the same. Same audience chairs, same stage manager, same warm up guy and I believe even the same judges chairs are used. The "Band" judges even use the same dressing rooms. Female judge, Sheila E, uses Simon Cowell's dressing room. Though last night I found out that Simon also has a trailer on the lot that doubles as his dressing room too…. just so he can smoke! Somebody get the man the patch please!!

Unfortunately, ratings for the show have been pretty slow, hovering just around 3 million viewers. My guess is that this is mostly due to the fact that the show has a less than prime slot on Friday nights when most people are out for the evening. Any other night I think the show might have had a fighting chance. It's a good show -- a show worth checking out. It's got something for every age group The bands range in age from young kids to 40-something adults, all covering different musical genres.

By Eugene Monzon, Jr.
Film Researcher

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stranger.” – The Joker (Heath Ledger)

What was the hottest ticket in Hollywood last night? If you said a ticket to the Spice Girls Reunion tour you would be gravely mistaken. Truly the hottest ticket was Warner Bros.’ special "The Dark Knight" event. I was one of the few lucky individuals who was invited to attend this special event, and as any true geek, I attended with my trusty Batman logo belt buckle and The Joker beanie. And yes, this will be a spoiler free article.

Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan presented the first 6 minutes of the upcoming 2008 summer release. Nolan, who was in attendance, made a short introduction to the self-contained short film. Nolan began by saying how, for the past 15 years, he has been wanting to work with the IMAX format, and true to his words, he ended up filming 4-5 sequences for the sequel using IMAX cameras. This is the first time that the cameras were ever used for shooting a feature film and let me tell you it is a sight to be seen.

Nolan, as a proud parent of his work, went on to say that the reason why he wanted to preview this footage was for the audience to get a feel for the wonders of the IMAX look. He went on to say that what we were about to see was not only the opening moments of the film but, as we all saw, easily stood up as a short film (hence my reference earlier). And it truly was a short film in every sense -- with a solid opening, conflict to overcome in the middle, and a satisfied denouement.

For the past three days I’ve been sidelined with bronchitis, which is no fun at all… but it has given me a great opportunity to clear out my DVR. I’ve finally caught up on all my favorite TV Shows ‘Friday Night Lights,” “Heroes”, “Desperate Housewives” among others. This left me wondering with the Writer’s Strike still going on how soon will my shows run out of fresh episodes. Then like someone was reading my mind, I got an email from our research department this morning that TV Guide has put together a comprehensive list of where each show stands. I found it interesting and thought I would pass it along to you all:

UPDATED 12/7
30 Rock: Ten episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Aliens in America: Seventeen episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Back to You: Nine episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are two left.

The Big Bang Theory: Eight episodes were produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Bionic Woman: Eight episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there is zero left.

Bones: Twelve episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Boston Legal: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Brothers & Sisters: Twelve episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.