Andrew Lafrance

Thanks, Mom!

Television’s most supportive and lovable mothers were recently highlighted by Yahoo’s TV Blog.

One of the moms receiving the kudos was Lorelai Gilmore, who parented young Rory Gilmore throughout seven years of the now-ended WB hit Gilmore Girls. The blog reports, “Lorelai Gilmore showed us that it’s possible for single motherhood to have no relationship to wearing mom jeans and driving carpool.”

The article also states that Lorelai is loved for her “massive tolerance for caffeine” and “an enviably close relationship with her teenage daughter.”

Also making the cut is Miranda Hobbes from HBO’s Sex and the City. While perhaps not a person many viewers pictured making a good mom, the blog argues differently. Miranda “was the picture of ambivalence about many aspects of motherhood, and it was always interesting to watch how she fit it into her life and resisted becoming a different person.”

A third and more recently seen honoree is Jules Cobb, the practical but prowling cougar in ABC’s current hit Cougar Town. The blog chose her because she “turns the very notion of ‘cougar’ on its head.” Usually, a cougar is a woman over 40 who pursues younger men in relationships. However, this show “works because her insecurities ring true, even when played for laughs.”

Sensible and Scary

A sequel to the surprise bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is in the works. The book’s author, Seth Grahame-Smith, recently signed a two-book deal with Grand Central Press. The author will fulfill the first half of his obligation with a re-imagined biography of Abraham Lincoln, chronicling his adventures as a vampire hunter. The book does not yet have a release date.

Graham-Smith, who has also written the bestseller Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, is rumored to be looking into film offers from Hollywood to turn his first novel into a movie. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has been on the New York Times’ Bestseller List for 34 weeks.

The Weekend Update

Saturday Night Live, the stand-up comedy and skit special that airs every weekend on NBC, has announced its December lineup of hosts and musical guests.

Blake Lively will get goofy on Dec. 5 when she hosts the show. The “Gossip Girl” star has never hosted the show. Rihanna, who debuted her CD Rated R in November, will perform a song from her new album.

Coming strong off his role as Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Taylor Lautner will once again put his acting skills to the test, as he takes on some comedic roles. Lautner will introduce special musical guest Bon Jovi, who will perform on the show for the fifth time.

Dec. 19 brings James Franco as host. Franco is currently appearing on General Hospital, a daytime soap opera. The musical guest for the night is the British band Muse, whose music, coincidentally, was featured on New Moon.

Farewell, Perhaps

American Idol returns on Fox on Jan. 12, 2010, and that means the network is moving other shows around to make room for the ratings giant. Glee, which also airs on Fox, is being taken off the air after its Dec. 9 “winter finale.” The show will return in April after a four-month break, which leads Tim Surette of tv.com to wonder, “Will the masses follow?”

Fringe, the struggling Fox sci-fi drama, will be gone from viewer’s screens from February to April. Two months, according to Surette, is dangerous for a show that does not get many viewers anyhow.

“Start the death watch ? now,” Surette wrote.

Dollhouse, which stars Eliza Dushku, will not need a break from the screen at all. While fans of the show were adamant about its quality, the ratings just were not there to support the hype. Sadly, Dollhouse will bid farewell to Fox on Jan. 22, 2010.