· Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker is in final negotiations to star in a Criminal Minds spinoff. The new series, which centers on a group of profilers who work outside the FBI bureaucracy, will be introduced on an episode of Criminal Minds in the spring. Whitaker will star as Cooper, the dynamic and mysterious squad leader, and receive a producing credit on the project, which will be produced by ABC Studios, the Mark Gordon Co. and CBS Studios. [TMZ]
Paula Abdul considers dancing again, one Jersey Shore cast member tests her reporting skills, and more TV Bites after the jump.
· Paula Abdul is in negotiations with ABC for a $1 million development deal that would allow her to join The X Factor with Simon Cowell. The only sticking point is that the network wants her to compete on the next season of Dancing with the Stars, which begins shooting in March. [TMZ]
· How does "Snooki, red carpet correspondent" sound? If MTV irons out the final details in its negotiations with the shortest of the Jersey Shore cast members, Snooki could be interviewing stars at the Grammys on Sunday. [Radar]
· CBS has renewed How I Met Your Mother for a sixth season. [EW]
· Not quite HBO and Showtime numbers yet, but Starz celebrated its most-watched series debut on Friday when Spartacus: Blood and Sand pulled 553,000 viewers. [Reuters]