Ashton Kutcher Joins "Two And A Half Men"

Well, the rumours are finally laid to rest, and the interest begins in what may be the most public firing and hiring of a starring cast member of any television show in recent memory.  Ashton Kutcher has been hired to fill the empty shoes of Charlie Sheen on "Two And A Half Men."  This after speculation went wild over various actors being tapped to join the show and replace the man who has taken his 'winning' streak elsewhere.

After many names were bandied about, it looked for a short time as though Hugh Grant was likely to replace Sheen, but due to creative differences he backed out earlier this week.  Kutcher, of course, has had many years of sitcom work under his belt with "That 70's Show," but on this series he will be doing a lot more work as it is not an ensemble as the other show was.

The salary Kutcher is expected to pull down is $1 million an episode.  Yup, tough work if you can get it.

Keep the recliner free for me.

May Cancellations

Recently, the studios began their cancellation rounds, upsetting quite a lot of people by hauling away shows that many enjoyed quite a bit.  Many of the shows listed below were ones I personally was following avidly, so this sucks quite a bit in my eyes.  Studios such as Fox and ABC in particular have axed shows that the writing and acting were wonderful, with storylines that could have carried three or four seasons if the writing stayed strong.  How shows like this can be axed when a show like "Lost" can stay for so long is unexplainable.

Here, then, are the major shows to be axed and renewed as of this writing.  Lists are by studio.  List provided by TVLine.

ABC
The Bachelor:  Officially renewed.
The Bachelorette: Officially renewed.
Better With You:  Officially cancelled.
Body of Proof:  Officially renewed.
Brothers & Sisters:  Officially cancelled.
Castle: Officially renewed.
Cougar Town: Officially renewed.
Dancing With the Stars:  Officially renewed.
Desperate Housewives:  Officially renewed.
Detroit 1-8-7:  Officially cancelled.
Grey’s Anatomy: Officially renewed.
Happy Endings:  Officially renewed.
The Middle: Officially renewed
Modern Family: Officially renewed
Mr. Sunshine:  Officially cancelled.
No Ordinary Family: Officially cancelled.
Off the Map:  Officially cancelled.
Private Practice: Officially renewed.
V:  Officially cancelled.

CBS
The Amazing Race:  Officially renewed.
The Big Bang Theory: Officially renewed.
Blue Bloods: A safe bet.
Criminal Minds: A sure thing.
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior: Could go either way.
CSI: A sure thing.
CSI: Miami: A sure thing.
CSI: NY:  Could go either way.
The Defenders: A long-shot.
The Good Wife: A sure thing.
Hawaii Five-0:  A sure thing.
How I Met Your Mother:  Officially renewed.
Mad Love:  Could go either way.
Medium: Already cancelled; final episode aired 1/21/11.
The Mentalist: A sure thing.
Mike & Molly: A sure thing.
NCIS: Officially renewed.
NCIS: Los Angeles: A sure thing.
Rules of Engagement:  Officially renewed.
$#*! My Dad Says:  Could go either way.
Survivor:  Officially renewed through next season.
Two and a Half Men: Officially renewed with Ashton Kutcher.
Undercover Boss:  Officially renewed.
FOX
American Dad: Officially renewed.
American Idol: A sure thing.
Bob’s Burgers:  Officially renewed.
Bones:
.
Officially renewed.
Breaking In:
.
Officially cancelled.
The Chicago Code: Officially cancelled.
The Cleveland Show: Officially renewed.
Family Guy: Officially renewed.
Fringe:  Officially renewed.
Glee: Officially renewed.
The Good Guys: Officially cancelled.
House:  Officially renewed.
Human Target:  Officially cancelled.
Lie to Me:  Officially cancelled.
Raising Hope: Officially renewed.
Running Wilde: Officially cancelled.
The Simpsons: Officially renewed.
Traffic Light:  Officially cancelled.

NBC
30 Rock: Officially renewed.
The Biggest Loser:  Officially renewed.
The Cape:  Officially cancelled.
Celebrity Apprentice: A safe bet.
Chase:
.
Essentially cancelled.
Chuck:  Officially Renewed for 13 episode final season.
Community:  Officially renewed.
The Event:  Officially cancelled.
Friday Night Lights: The fifth and final season premiered on NBC on April 15.
Harry’s Law:  Officially renewed.
Law & Order: Los Angeles:  Officially cancelled.
Law & Order: SVU:  A sure thing.
The Office:  Officially renewed.
Outsourced:  Officially cancelled.
Parenthood:  Officially renewed.
Parks and Recreation:  Officially renewed.
Perfect Couples:  Essentially cancelled.
The Voice: A sure thing.

THE CW
90210:  Officially renewed.
America’s Next Top Model:  Officially renewed.
Gossip Girl:  Officially renewed.
Hellcats: A long-shot.
Life Unexpected: Series finale aired 1/18/11.
Nikita: Could go either way.
One Tree Hill:  A safe bet.
Smallville: The 10th and final season is currently underway.
Supernatural:  Officially renewed.
The Vampire Diaries:  Officially renewed.

So, there you have it.  The list of what the studios have done to their programming to make way for another round of shows that will likely be canned after one season next year.  Might not even need you to keep that recliner free for me anymore...