The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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Harry Connick Jr lands final American Idol judging spot.

We have a taker! Harry Connick Jr has taken the final spot on the American Idol judges' panel for Season 13.

He will join returning judges Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez. Randy Jackson will be back as a mentor, according to THR.

Fox and representatives for Connick did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.

Connick is no stranger to the show. Most recently, he guest mentored the final four women in May. At the time (and an early sign that the current panel was on their way out), Connick confirmed to reporters that the show had approached him about joining Season 13. Back then, he was wary about making the commitment.

Earlier this week, reports spread that he was once again in talks with the show as timing was getting critical.

Idol usually starts taping in September and its lack of a third judge threatened the production schedule. Things heated up last weekend when host Ryan Seacrest tweeted, "Got some @AmericanIdol news for you coming very soon..."

Connick, 45, has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. He has earned more No. 1 albums than any other jazz musician in US jazz chart history. And he has won three Grammy awards.

The path to Connick was certainly one with several twists and turns for the Fox competition show. Plagued with dwindling ratings, it looked at reinventing itself.

Yet, after Kelly Clarkson's refusal to join tanked an idea for an all-alumni panel, Idol shuffled through several candidates including Jennifer Hudson, producer Dr Luke, music manager Scooter Braun and hip hop artist Will.I.Am. Aside from the judges shakeup, Idol fired founding executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, replacing them with all new exec producers. Additionally, Fox's head of alternative programming Mike Darnell left his post after 18 years. — Reuters

Crossing Jordan (with Dexter)

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You know you've been watching too much TV when you start imagining unlikely crossovers. The Spudniks let their imagination go wild this week imagining possible (or rather, implausible) crossovers that could make TV more fun. You think?

IF Sherlock Holmes (take your pick between Bennedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock or Jonny Lee Miller from Elementary) lived in Miami, Florida, I bet the city would be free of its most elusive serial killer ever – Dexter Morgan.

And, if Sherlock were hired as a consultant with the Miami Metro Police Department, we'd surely get more nail-biting moments on Dexter than we have of late.

Picture this. Sherlock is in Miami to investigate the suspicious death of Detective James Doakes who was the only (can you believe it?) person in Miami Metro who thought something was amiss with Dexter. Sherlock arrives a few years late (he had important Moriarty-related business to attend to in London) and starts reading Doakes' notes on the Bay Harbour Butcher cases.

Sherlock, with his piercing blue eyes, immediately sees the many gaps in the case and figures out that all leads point to ... Dexter.

Wonder if Dr House will be as mean to The Walking Dead as he is to the living.

The two have a showdown and Dexter knows he's cornered. All that's left is for him to get the British detective – oh, sorry, consulting detective onto his kill table. Which is when Watson swings into action ...

Now imagine if Sheldon Cooper and his geek squad somehow stumbled upon the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Fringe Division.

Oh yes! A Big Bang Theory and Fringe mash-up would be awesome ... and insane.

Sheldon meets Walter Bishop who introduces him to Fringe Science and takes him, literally and intellectually, to a parallel universe. Now I wonder who would be driven up the wall first? And what would Faux-Sheldon be like?

Is it just me or have the Winchester brothers' adventures on Supernatural gotten a little boring and predictable? No? What if the two took a break from hunting demons to killing some awesome flesh-eating zombies on The Walking Dead. Think of it as a vacation for the Winchester boys – they've literally been to hell and back and could use a week or two to unwind. They'd drive around in their Impala and take the walkers out a bunch at a time. – SI

CAN we throw in Fox Mulder and Dana Scully into that Big Bang-Fringe mash up?

I can't imagine either Mulder or Scully being able to put up with Sheldon or Walter Bishop. And while we're at it, how about Dr Temperance Brennan aka Bones? I think she'd get along well with those two being as eccentric as she is. Maybe Seeley Booth can team up with Scully and Olivia, while Mulder and Peter Bishop can go off and to what they do best – woo the lady viewers.

I'm wondering if you could put two completely different sorts of TV programmes together like Suburgatory and True Blood. George and Tessa Altman – they look like they could be shapeshifters or fairies or one of those types right? Right? And it would be interesting to see Noah Werner (played by the kookily charming Alex Tudyk) find out he actually is a vampire.

How about we throw Castle into the Criminal Minds team? You think they would give him the time of day with his wild imaginations and fiction-based theories? I actually think Kate Beckett would make a nice angel (as in Charlie's Angels).

And since they can all sing and dance, maybe the kids from Glee can audition for Smash? Or would that be too easy?

I think Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother) could transport himself back in time and go out with everyone on Friends. Yeah, even ... wait for it ... the ugly naked guy across from Monica's apartment.

Imagine the ensemble cast of Friends hanging out at MacLaren's Pub or Barney, Lily, Robin, Marshall and Ted having coffee at Central Perk?

What if they find a vaccine that works and zombies can get treatment at Seattle Grace Hospital? Miranda Bailey in the ER yelling her head off at every zombie that enters. Bring 'em on.

If there's too many of them to deal with, I'm sure Dr House and gang wouldn't mind some extra patients, so send them over to the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (they may solve some other medical problems as well! Win-win!).

But we'd need one of those Discovery Channel, Animal Planet or Nat Geo wildlife hunters to somehow cart them over to the medical institutions. Jeremy Wade, you ready to cross over from River Monsters to The River, perchance? – AMC

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 2 September 2013