TV Squad

After 'The Walking Dead' premiered to monstrously good ratings last week, most observers expected a second-season order within a day or two of the show's Oct. 31 debut.

It took AMC until today, however, to officially give a green light to a second season of the show.

"The 'Dead' has spread!" Charlie Collier, president of AMC said in the network's press release. "No other cable series has ever attracted as many Adults 18-49 as 'The Walking Dead.' This reaffirms viewers' hunger for premium television on basic cable.

The good news? Season 2 of 'The Walking Dead' will double zombie lovers' pleasure.

Another week, another chef bites the dust. Actually, it was very nearly two chefs, as host Alton Brown declared that there would be a double elimination on 'The Next Iron Chef.' However, a twist occurred that kept four chefs still in the running ... and only one sent home.

As we near the end of the competition, the stakes are higher and not just because the show has been transported to Las Vegas. For the five contestants going at it last night, the first challenge was the bane of many chefs -- a pastry challenge.

Now that the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' has made the move to Sundays (10PM ET on Bravo), the work week is a little less crazy, boo.

So we decided to ease the Monday blues by combining two things we love on Twitter: tweets from NeNe, Sheree, Kim and Phaedra, and the hysterical vocal stylings of Kevyn Smith and Jeremy Johnson, the guys behind We Sing Your Tweets, a.k.a. "sweets."

Kevyn and Jeremy have made some epic celebrity tweets even sweet-er by singing them, turning random 140-character thoughts into true emotional performances ... and getting tons of attention on Twitter for it. So we asked them to do some AOL TV exclusive sweets of some of the 'RHOA''s most ridiculous tweets. Watch, enjoy and follow them on Twitter or visit their blog for more.

This week, a long-time soap favorite has decided to leave his show for good ... or until he comes back from the dead. An actress from 'The Bold and the Beautiful' takes a dip into primetime. And it would be remiss of us not to mention that 'Days of Our Lives' is celebrating its 45th year on the air -- that's a lot of sand through the hourglass!

Also, don't forget to check out the Soap Round-Up every Saturday to find out what's been happening on screen the soap world.

Kiss the Kaye Goodbye
Actor Thorsten Kaye is leaving 'All My Children' for good. (Or not so good, considering he's an excellent actor and Zach Slater is a really popular character on the show.) However, when 'AMC' moved the entire production to Los Angeles last January, Kaye was reluctant to follow. For the past 10 months, Thorsten has popped up occasionally on the show, but not nearly enough to justify giving the character a major storyline.

As a writer on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' Brian Kiley used to share an office with the Masturbating Bear. It was disconcerting, he told us, to try write monologue jokes while sitting across the desk from a guy in a bear suit wearing a diaper.

Times have changed for Kiley and the Masturbating Bear. First, O'Brien moved from 'Late Night' to 'The Tonight Show,' bringing Kiley, but not the Bear, with him. Then Conan was dumped from 'The Tonight Show' in a controversial move by NBC, and he and his staff found themselves homeless, just months after hauling their entire operation across the country from New York to California.

But now Conan is back on TBS with a new late night show simply titled 'Conan,' and Kiley is, too.

It's an axiom that's as old as television itself (maybe even older), but it's true: former presidents are much better interviews than sitting presidents. The reason isn't rocket science: an ex-president doesn't have to watch what he says, he doesn't have to worry about being re-elected or burning political bridges.

This is the big reason why I'm looking forward to Matt Lauer's interview with George W. Bush tonight, which airs at 8PM ET on NBC. It's Dubya's first interview in support of his memoir 'Decision Points,' which will be released tomorrow. From what I've read and seen in various sneak peeks, it's going to contain some interesting admissions from one of the most polarizing Chief Executives this country's ever had.

But, according to Brian Stelter in The New York Times, Lauer will not be grilling Bush on what went on during his eventful presidency. "The tone of the prime-time special is conversational, not prosecutorial," wrote Stelter, "and for that reason, "Lauer/Bush" is not likely to join "Frost/Nixon" in the public imagination."

That's absolutely OK, though; Lauer doesn't need to lower the hammer on Bush in order for this to be an effective and fascinating interview to watch, for a number of reasons:

We've been drooling over the addictive a cappella arrangement of "Teenage Dream" that burst onto the Web last week, but now it's time for some mash-ups!

In 'Never Been Kissed,' the ladies of New Directions perform "Livin' on a Prayer/Start Me Up" while the boys channel their inner divas and perform "Stop! In the Name of Love/Free Your Mind."

There's also a full studio version of Darren Criss' "Teenage Dream" and Puck's back with "One Love (People Get Ready)."

Check out the full songs below and tell us what you think!

For Caitlin Burke, the "L" she guessed on 'Wheel of Fortune' stands for "lucky."

On the Nov. 5 show, Burke spun the wheel and landed on $900. She guessed "L" and only filled in one letter of the phrase on the board. However, that didn't stop her from solving the puzzle.

Yes, with just one letter on the board, she solved the puzzle. The phrase? Appropriately, "I've got a good feeling about this."

Pat Sajak and the other contestants appeared visibly stunned by Burke's gamble.

Keith Olbermann's "indefinite" suspension from MSNBC will end Tuesday, only four days after it began.

MSNBC president Phil Griffin, who suspended Olbermann Friday for making political contributions to three Democratic party candidates, without first disclosing the donations to MSNBC brass, had this to say about the reinstatement:

"After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night's program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night."

Media watchers on both sides of the political spectrum have criticized MSNBC's decision to take Olbermann off the air, arguing that since Olbermann is a political commentator who makes no effort to hide his liberal point of view, it shouldn't be an issue if he gives money to democratic candidates.

Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

The late-night world changes again tonight with the premiere of 'Conan' on TBS. Look for some huge ratings for the show in the first few weeks as folks try to determine if they should stick around.

* = Series/Season Premiere
** = Series/Season Finale
# = New Day/Time

8:00 to 9:00
ABC: 'Dancing With the Stars' -- (120 minutes)
CBS: 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Rules of Engagement' -- Joan Collins guest stars on 'Rules'
CW: '90210'
FOX: 'House'
NBC: 'Decision Points: A Conversation With George W. Bush'
Cartoon Network: 'Adventure Time,' 'Regular Show,' 'MAD,' and 'Robotomy'
Current: 'The Beat'
Discovery: 'Wreck Chasers' -- Two episodes
DisneyXD: 'Pair of Kings' and 'I'm in the Band'
DIY: 'House Crashers'
ESPN: 'Monday Night Football' -- The Steelers at the Bengals
TCM: 'Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood' -- Part 2 spans 1907 to 1920
TLC: 'Little People, Big World'

The rest of the schedule and the late night talk shows after the jump.

['Eastbound & Down' - 'Chapter 13']

If there's one thing that '90s R&B sensation 'Boys II Men' taught us, it's that "it's so hard to say good-bye" -- not only to "yesterday", but to the things we love.

Having 'Eastbound & Down' back in our lives for a couple months has been blissful, but what will we take with us to be the "sunshine after the rain" of season two's end? How will we remember Kenny and the gang during our time apart until the next season starts?

'Boys II Men' taught me something else, too, that "although we've come to the end of the road, Still I can't let go." I'll cling to the greasy tendrils of Kenny's ape drape until he's back.

Countdown to 'Conan': Get ready for Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show debut on Nov. 8

For TBS, a golden opportunity has arisen. With Conan's new show premiering tonight, the network is in prime shape to compete with cable powerhouses TNT, USA and SyFy for a stake in the weeknight original programming race. Specifically, the 10PM slot, which will determine the eventual lead-in ratings for 'Conan' after the initial hype wears down.

However, adding new programming isn't as simple as you think. Adding a standard sitcom or sketch show just won't do. What will be needed is programming just as quirky and absurdist as the gangly O'Brien in order to draw in and keep the audience for not only his program but for 'Lopez Tonight,' which will be taking the midnight spot.

It seems not everybody wants a 'Food Revolution' -- The Los Angeles Unified School District has rejected an offer to take part in Jamie Oliver's reality series.

According to TV Guide, Oliver faced resistance when he filmed the first season of 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution' in West Virginia, and Los Angeles -- the proposed location for season 2 -- is also proving to be difficult. The school district's director of partnerships in the superintendent's office, Melissa Infusino, sent a letter to the show's producers saying participating would take up too much time.

"We believe our direct work with nutrition experts, health advocates, the community, schools and students is the most effective strategy for our continued success and improvement," Infusino said.

ABC says the show is still in early creative stages and would not comment on a possible location change.

In other TV news ...

• Amy Sedaris, star of 'Strangers With Candy,' will guest on Fox's 'Raising Hope.' Details on Sedaris' character are scarce, but she will make out with Burt (Garret Dillahunt). [Hollywood Reporter]

• Fiona Shaw, known for her role as Aunt Petunia in the 'Harry Potter' films, will be a series regular on 'True Blood.' Shaw will join the season 4 cast as Marnie, a palm reader who gets taken over by the spirit of a witch. [Deadline Hollywood]

['The Cleveland Show' Season 2, Episode 4 - It's the Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown']
['Family Guy' Season 9, Episode 4 - 'Halloween on Spooner Street']
['American Dad' Season 6, Episode 3- 'Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls']

It must be frustrating for creators of Fox shows to have to deal with the baseball post-season often pushing their Halloween-themed episodes off of the actual holiday. This year, the Halloween festivities are a week later on Fox Sunday.

The night kicked off with the latest installment of the 'Treehouse of Horror,' but it was all Seth MacFarlane after that. And we learned a few things about what Seth thinks Halloween is all about.

Bill Maher was apparently not a fan of the Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear. On Real Time With Bill Maher (Friday, 8 PM ET on HBO), Maher criticized the event, which was put on by Comedy Central personalities Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, for its lack of purpose.

"If you are going to have a rally in which hundreds of thousands of people show up, you might as well make it about something," Maher said.