1. Benedict Cumberbatch won't be in Star Wars: Episode VII after all
Over the long weekend, it was widely reported that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch had been cast in Star Wars: Episode VII, which seemed fairly plausible, given his relationship with director J.J. Abrams and the fact that Cumberbatch has recently been cast in about 20 other things. But reports of the actor's involvement have been greatly exaggerated, says a rep for Cumberbatch, claiming there is "no truth to the rumor." Of course, based on what happened with Star Trek Into Darkness, it's possible that the rep is just lying about Cumberbatch's involvement. So prepare yourself for two years of feverish denials, followed by Cumberbatch showing up in the first 15 minutes of the movie with a red lightsaber or whatever. [Daily News]
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2. Harry Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez are the new American Idol judges
After a search that spanned months and included pretty much every singer in the business, Fox has finally announced the judges for American Idol's upcoming 13th season — and the choices are exactly as underwhelming as you'd expect. The reality series will see returning judge Keith Urban joined by Harry Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez, who also served as a judge during seasons 10 and 11. The trio represents a "Dream Team," said Fox, whose definition of "Dream Team" apparently means "a group of reasonably famous people we could finally talk into doing it." [The Hollywood Reporter]
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3. Miley Cyrus doesn't get why you're still talking about her VMAs performance
If you don't understand why everyone is still talking about Miley Cyrus' twerk routine at the VMAs, you have something in common with Miley Cyrus, who complained about all the attention in a recent interview with MTV News. "They're over-thinking it. You're thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it," said Cyrus. "Like, I didn't even think about it, 'cause that's just me" — cleverly preempting all your "she's just bein' Miley" jokes, so don't even try it. [TV Line]
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4. Kim Kardashian might do another Playboy shoot
It's safe to say that anyone interested in seeing Kim Kardshian naked has ample opportunities to do so; in addition to the sex tape that launched her career, Kardashian posed for Playboy in 2007. But in an upcoming episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which was shot while she was still pregnant, Kardashian announced that she might give fans yet another chance to see her in the buff. "As soon as I pop this thing out, I want to do Playboy or some nude shoot," said Kardashian, describing her then-impending baby with roughly the same level of affection you'd apply to the chestburster from Alien. [Radar Online]
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5. True Blood will end in 2014
After six long seasons, HBO has announced that it finally plans to put a stake in True Blood following next year's seventh and final season, presumably because the writers have finally run out of new kinds of supernatural creatures to introduce (sorry, centaurs, maybe next time). In a statement, president of programming Michael Lombardo said True Blood "has been nothing short of a defining show for HBO" — as in, "defining HBO as a place where you can watch a ridiculous soap opera about vampires and fairies." [TV Line]
