TV Bites: Wishing You a Yellow New Year

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· This season has been one long 20th anniversary party for The Simpsons with updated cast posters, 3-D specials on ice, A-list guest stars and a new character contest. And for Fox's final marketing push, it will cast a yellow glow over the network the week of Jan. 3. That means all graphical elements, Fox Web sites, special on-air promos, news anchors' neckties will be a Simpsons hue of yellow. Fortunately for Simon Cowell (yellow is not his color), the celebration will end before American Idol's Jan. 12 premiere. [THR]

Anna Nicole is overthrown, Apple plans to revolutionize television, and more TV Bites after the jump.

· Worrisome signs for Scrubs and Better Off Ted: ABC is doubling up both shows in January, showing two episodes of each on Tuesday nights. Fox did the same with Dollhouse shortly after announcing that the series would not be renewed. [THR]

· It took seven years but E! has finally beaten its most-watched telecast -- The Anna Nicole Show premiere -- with the second episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. [THR]

· Actual Jersey Shore residents want you to know that MTV's Jersey Shore is not representative of the Jersey Shore. Got it? [Associated Press]

· Apple wants to eliminate the middle man from the television business -- in this case, television itself -- by offering an online subscription program in which iTunes users can pay for an entire season of a series, much like a magazine. CBS and Walt Disney are considering participating in the project. [Reuters]

· Like Dancing With the Stars, last night's micro-season finale of The Sing-Off included a rag tag group of celebrity audience members including Jack Black, Masi Oka and Peter Gallagher. [EW]

· Diane Sawyer kick-started a new chapter of her career last night with her ABC World News debut. The anchor adjusted to life without barbecue demos just fine, interviewing Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. [EW]



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