the cw network

And Smallville refuses to give up the spotlight.

In less than a month, we've heard talk about a possible spinoff for the CW series, read heated speculation over a simple casting notice, and reported on two major casting announcements. Now we're reading rumors about a possible Smallville TV movie called Metropolis that could serve as a coda to the show's ninth, and probably final, season.

The rumor -- and I repeat: rumor -- comes from the boys at AICN who say a source got a glimpse of some Smallville promotional signage for the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. Reportedly, the source, who goes by the handle "Yoda's Bitch," eyed some signage somewhere, presumably on the planet Earth, featuring the words "Metropolis: Christmas 2010" in Smallville-style font. The sign is also supposedly advertising Smallville's upcoming Comic-Con panel. AICN says they have info that this possible Metropolis project could be a TV movie set to head into production after May 2010. Read more at SciFi Squad.

Way back in April we reported that Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, creators of The CW's Reaper, had signed a deal with 20th Century Fox and would most likely be leaving Reaper behind. Now that The CW has officially canceled Reaper to make room for its upcoming slate of bubblegum teen TV, Fazekas and Butters are joining the writing staff of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. The Reaper duo will begin their Dollhouse stint in season two, which kicks off Friday, Sept. 18 on Fox.

I have mixed feelings about this news. I'm glad that Dollhouse nabbed these two obviously talented and funny writers, but I'm still bummed about Reaper's cancellation. And while this might mean that Dollhouse will deliver more smart, nerdy comedy in season two, that Friday night death slot still has me worried.

Brian Austin Green won't be fighting Skynet or returning to prime time soaps next fall.

Last week, we reported that the former Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star was in talks to join the The CW teen drama One Tree Hill. Nerds like me, who came to love Green as TSCC's badass, cyborg-killing Derek Reese, were crushed. But it's time for those nerd hearts to heal. It turns out Green's reps didn't make a deal, and he won't be moving to One Tree Hill.

Instead, OTH has turned to Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley, who recently showed up on the network's much-praised but still canceled drama Privileged. Buckley will play the young, sexy sports agent role that was offered to Green.

Beverly Hills 90210 alum Brian Austin Green earned a number of new fans playing the tough, militaristic Derek Reese on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Now, with TSCC officially canceled, Green is heading back to the world of prime time soaps. The actor is currently in talks to join the cast of The CW's One Tree Hill.

According to Variety, Green will potentially play a sports agent who is "enjoying the spoils that come from being a wealthy, handsome single guy" on the veteran drama.

It looks like One Tree Hill might be looking to Green to fill a void left by the departures of stars Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton. Green certainly has Murray beat in the charisma department, and I'm sure the show's fans -- I assume they are mostly young women -- will welcome him with open arms. But I can't help but feel disappointed by this news.

Kryptonsite has posted The CW's new promo poster for Smalville's upcoming ninth season ... and damn, it's ugly.

My graphic designer friends could do a better job of picking this thing apart, but even a Photoshop noob like me can tell it was a rush job. First, lets get the obvious out of the way - that definitely ain't Erica Durance's body. (According to Kryptonsite, that torso belongs to Kristin Kreuk!)

Then we have Tom Welling's head, which was seemingly beamed in from an entirely different season than his body. Or is it just growing out of his jacket collar? Chloe and Green Lantern Arrow look fine, but those shots were definitely pasted in from a previous season's promo shoot.

There are a lot of shows with their heads on the chopping block, but one that truly deserves a stay of execution is furiously wiggling its head out of the neck brace.

Show producers are negotiating with local CW affiliates to bring Reaper back on Sunday nights next season in syndication. The deal could also bring the show to cable.

The Hollywood Reporter, however, notes that either scenario is a bigger long shot than Roseanne's chances of getting another crack at singing the National Anthem at a Padres' home game.

Reaper is not just one of my favorite TV shows. It's also one of my TV's favorite surprises. Every time I watch an episode, my TV suffers a moral dilemma.

"This show is funny, witty, very entertaining and unafraid to be absurd and just plain bat#*$& crazy," my TV said to me during last week's episode. "Why the #*$& am I letting you watch it?"

It looks as though my TV is about to get its way. It always does. It cuts all my favorite scenes from Top Gear before they are transferred from the British to the American version. It never lets my TiVo keep an All in the Family episode past a couple of days. It would broadcast nothing but Billy Mays commercials in my head if it developed telepathy, and trust me, it's working on it. I'd throw the thing out the window, but that's not covered in the warranty. The manufacturer may not call that an "act of God," but I sure as hell would.

It's strange how barely anyone has noticed that The CW has slowly started weeding out their half-hour comedies. The few that remain are stuck on Friday night. The rest, with the exception of the always interesting Reaper, are the same tired boy-meets-girl teen dramas that every high school guy who hopes to score on his prom night has to watch and fully document.

One sitcom, however, isn't going down without a fight. It is scratching and clawing its way through earth and sand as it dangles on the edge of a cliff and tries to maintain its identity...by completely changing it.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the half-hour sitcom The Game will completely re-pitch itself to The CW as an hour-long comedy- drama. Some call it a "dramedy," but I like to call it a "comma" just to #*$& with people's heads.

My name is Danny ... and I am a slave.

As far as I can figure, I've been sitting here on my couch for 60 minutes, and my TV is trying to drag my eyeballs to their death.

It wasn't always like this. I had a real job with a real salary and real health expenses that would pay for glasses when my eyes were weakened by the incandescent glow of a television that could ruin the vision of a night owl.

My TV Squad editor sent my TV and I to a small network in the UHF channels. A producer had come to a remote cabin in the woods to create his latest reality show project, 13: Fear is Real. Bound in flashy camera tricks and dipped in sappy horror movie cliches, this reality show contained bizarre challenges, petty altercations, and a demonic, unoriginal mastermind who tortures and watches over all. It was never meant for the watching.

The producer released something dark on the network, something ... awful.

File this one under "Surprising News of the Day."

As of September, both the WB and UPN networks will cease to exist! That's because the CBS is joining forces with the WB to create a new 5th network, CW. It will feature "the best programming from CBS corporation and Warner Brothers," as the press release says. Each company will have a 50% interest in the company, and have a ten year agreement with Tribune/CBS stations around the country.

But seriously, the CW Network? That sounds like the Country and Western Channel. They really have to come up with a different name.

(Thanks Patrick, Rick and Izzy!)