NEWS: March 2012 MAD MEN, Lea Michele, James Scott, Eric Marsolf

AMC Officially Greenlights Season 5 Of 'Mad Men' For March 2012 Premiere
The upcoming fifth season of MAD MEN is now slated to debut in March 2012. That is 17 months from the series' fourth season finale. While the protracted negotiations between Mad Men creator/ exec producer Matt Weiner and AMC/Lionsgate TV led to the series' pushed production start and, in turn, caused the show to miss its original July premiere date, the new March return date is not directly tied to the contract talks. According to sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Weiner had been actually pushing for a shorter gap between Seasons 4 and 5 and had stated that he could get Season 5 produced and delivered on budget for a 2011 premiere.

GENERAL HOSPITAL Tragedy: Has This Soap Finally Gone Too Far?
Ed Martin writes: "The current Death of Jake Webber disappointment is another matter entirely, and it comes at a time when soaps overall are in dire peril -- and in desperate need of stories that respect their shows' histories while reinventing them for the future. In that regard, this latest GH tale has done everything wrong: It has made viewers feel bad about the time they have invested in the Jake storyline during the last few years and killed off a character that was uniquely positioned to be at the center of dozens of compelling stories in the years to come. That's no way to improve a show or support a dying daypart."

PRIVATE PRACTICE Casts Charlotte's and Cooper's Parents
Cast as the Freedmans are John Rothman and Cristine Rose.

Adweek's 100 Most Influential Television Shows
1. THE MILTON BERLE SHOW
2. THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW
3. CANDID CAMERA
4. KUKLA, FRAN & OLLIE
5. CAPTAIN VIDEO AND HIS VIDEO RANGERS (starring Don Hastings)
54.DALLAS
73.BEVERLY HILLS, 90210
94.DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
97.GLEE

First Look: Eric Martsolf on SMALLVILLE
On April 22, SMALLVILLE introduces Booster Gold, "a glory-seeking showboat from the future," says DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Eric Martsolf, who plays the DC Comics cult favorite. "The episode takes place in Booster's very early stages where he's at his conceited best, where he believes he can do whatever he wants. He's gonna stay for the photo op and bask in the glory of his heroic efforts."

GLEE's Lea Michele Involved in Car Accident
Around 2.a.m. Friday morning, Lea Michele was in a car accident on Melrose Ave on her way home from work, a rep for the Glee star, 24, tells UsMagazine.com.

"Lea was hit and notified the police," says the rep. "She was not injured and is fine."

Shonda Rhimes on the GREY'S ANATOMY Finale: No Gunmen, More Growth
"I'm not looking to make some giant, huge, electric finale," Rhimes says. "You can't have a gunman in the hospital every season. It would just lose all its power. I wanted to do something that felt a little more quiet."

ARMY WIVES attracts biggest audience ever
Sunday night's episode of ARMY WIVES that addressed the death of a fallen comrade was one for (the Lifetime) history books: It attracted 4.8 million total viewers, the most-watched episode ever in the series’ history. The episode titled “On Behalf of a Grateful Nation” also lured 3.4 million women and 4.5 million adults over the ages of 18.

DAYS star James Scott raising money for a friend
John H., a personal and close friend of James Scott, needs help raising money for medical treatment. His DAYS friends (Crystal Chappell and Shawn Christian) will participate in a June 5 fundraiser.