This Friday's Entertainment Weekly cover is so much funnier and more interesting than this week's People cover. "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart and the "Report's" Stephen Colbert join forces to recreate the notorious New Yorker illustrated cover portraying Obama as a Muslim and his wife, Michelle, as a gun-toter. Once again, the pair brings the sharp wit of their Emmy-winning TV shows to bear on this year's depressing election process. They mock the vote!

As reported here yesterday, Chicago rapper Kanye West is producing a new TV show he claims is "The Muppets meet hip-hop." If you're having trouble getting your brain around that concept, the above video clip allegedly from the show -- to be titled "Alligator Boots" -- unites Kanye (the real one) with Rhymefest (in puppet form) for a lil' ditty called "Baby in the Club," about loose women who get pregnant very young and still frequent the bars. Warning: If the idea of a breastfeeding puppet bothers you, just keep movin', nothing to see here ...

Gay characters on broadcast TV include Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) on "House" and Andrew Van De Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom) on "Desperate Housewives." (AP file)

Broadcast television will have 16 gay and bisexual regular characters in prime-time series this fall, more than double the seven of a year ago, a new study has found.

Despite pleas from producers and fellow former castmates, George Clooney says he will not reprise his role as Dr. Ross for an appearance during this final season of the hit drama "ER."

Uma Thurman and ''Law & Order'' alum Jesse L. Martin have joined the cast of NBC's holiday special ''Letters to Santa -- A Muppets Christmas.''

NBC has confirmed that Oprah indeed filmed her much-rumored guest appearance on the acclaimed sitcom "30 Rock" last Saturday. She plays herself opposite Emmy nominee Tina Fey in the episode to air Nov. 6.

Vampires rejoice: HBO has renewed the new drama series "True Blood" for a second season.

The series debuted Sept. 7, and that debut episode has enjoyed 4 million viewers thus far. So the series is already greenlighted to continue, with production of new episodes starting early next year in Los Angeles and a second season premiere set for summer 2009.

Former "ER" star Anthony Edwards will appear in one episode during the long-running show's final season this year. And, in his words, he thinks fellow former series luminary George Clooney "would be a fool not to" join him.

What would Dr. Greene and Dr. Ross have to say to each other after all these years? Especially since Edwards' Greene left the show by, uh, dying.

Watch Edwards discuss the possibility after the jump...

Time to start the countdown clock on MTV's countdown era: ''Total Request Live'' will soon leave the air after 10 years.

Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of ''TRL,'' said today that the music video countdown show will conclude in a two-hour special on a Saturday afternoon in November. He stressed that the show wasn't ending for good, but felt now was the right time to give it a break after an unprecedented run on the cable music channel.

David Letterman wants to stick with CBS' "Late Show" through his contract -- and maybe longer -- as rival Jay Leno prepares to surrender the "Tonight" reins next year.

"The way I feel now, I would like to go beyond 2010, not much beyond, but you know, enough to go beyond. You always like to be able to excuse yourself on your own terms," Letterman said in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine.

"If the network is happy with that, great. If they wanna make a change in 2010, you know, I'm fine with that, too," Letterman said.