HOWARD STERN 'PRETTY SURE' ABOUT SIRIUS XM EXIT
Howard Stern is "pretty sure" he'll leave satellite radio, but his unique voice will live on in new media. Stern's five-year, $500 million contract with Sirius XM ends at year's end, and management is under the gun to provide details to its shareholders of whether or not he'll re-up, given that the decision could move the stock.

AQUAMAN RETURNS TO SMALLVILLE
Alan Ritchson will be returning to "Smallville" in the role of Aquaman. Sources confirm that Alan Ritchson has signed on to reprise his role as Arthur "AC" Curry (a.k.a. Aquaman) during November sweeps. AC was last seen in season 8, when his secret identity was discovered by LuthorCorp. The Justice Leaguer will resurface in this season's ninth episode.


ELLEN DEGENERIS SUPRISES ON BROADWAY
Ellen DeGeneres has hit the great white way. The talk show host made a surprise appearance in Tony-award winning Broadway musical "Promises, Promises" Tuesday night in New York City. She played a nurse alongside show stars Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. She'll air the footage on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Sept. 21.

PIERS MORGAN TAKES OVER FOR LARRY KING ON CNN
After months of negotiations, CNN announced this morning that it has closed a deal with Piers Morgan to succeed Larry King as a primetime host next January. Brit Morgan, a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent, will host a yet-untitled interview show weekdays at 9 p.m. Morgan will be based in New York, but also will work from Los Angeles and London.

HBO GREENLINTS JUDD APATOW SHOW
HBO has given a pilot order to a half-hour comedy project from comedy heavyweight Judd Apatow ("Superbad," "Knocked Up," "Anchorman," "Talledega Nights") and young prodigy Lena Dunham. The 24-year-old Dunham wrote the untitled comedy, about the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20's. She will also direct the pilot, star in it, and co-executive produce. Apatow and writer-producer Jenni Konner, who got her first writing job on Apatow's Fox series "Undeclared," are executive producing.


AMY POEHLER TO HOST FIRST SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, ADDS 4 FEATURED PLAYERS
NBC just announced that "Saturday Night Live" alum Amy Poehler will host the 36th  season premiere of the latenight sketch show on September 25 with musical guest Katy Perry. The network also confirmed that Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Taran Killam, and Jay Pharoah will join the cast of SNL as featured players. Poehler, who spent 8 years on SNL before segueing to primetime as the star of NBC's "Parks and Recreation," follows in the footsteps of fellow recent SNL alum and current NBC series star, Poehler's former Weekend Update co-anchor Tina Fey, who also returned to SNL as host. Here is more background on SNL's new featured players: Vanessa Bayer joins the cast of SNL from iO Chicago, The Annoyance, and The Second City. Paul Brittain is a veteran of the iO Theater in Chicago where he performed as a member with numerous improv and sketch groups. Taran Killam hails from Los Angeles, where he established his comedy career as a main company member of The Groundlings, performing with numerous improv and sketch groups, and also appearing in The Groundlings’ Sunday company. Originally from Virginia, Jay Pharoah honed his performing skills in community theater and at local comedy clubs. No official word yet on who besides Will Forte would be leaving SNL, with last year's addition Jenny Slate .

LIAM NEESON SINKS YOUR BATTLESHIP
Liam Neeson has joined the cast of "Battleship," the Universal Pictures action adventure based on the boardgame, which just began filming this week under director Peter Berg. Neeson plays Admiral Shane, the Naval officer whose daughter (played by Brooklyn Decker) is engaged to a young naval officer played by Taylor Kitsch. The film also stars Rihanna. The pic shoots in Hawaii.

OPRAH, MERLE HAGGARD, SIR CHARLES MCCARTNEY
KENNEDY CENTER HONOREES
The Kennedy Center Honors this year will fete Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Bill T. Jones, Merle Haggard and Jerry Herman. The ceremony will be held December 5 and will air on PBS.

JOEL MCHALE JOINS THIRD SPY KIDS
Hunky funnyman Joel McHale ("Community," "The Soup") is in final negotiations to join "Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World" for Dimension Films says Variety. McHale will star as a spy-hunting reporter married to Jessica Alba's character, a retired spy turned housewife and stepmother to his kids who will become the new titular Spy Kids.

UNIVERSAL TO EXPAND NEW HARRY POTTER LAND AT FLORIDA'S ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
Websites are reporting that a Universal Studios tour guide let slip, during a recent tour through the Potter attraction and nearby Islands of Adventure, that the Lost  Continent aspect of the Islands of Adventure would be replaced in two or three years by an expanded Wizarding World. The plan is in line with rumored agreements between Uni and Warner Bros. to provide additions to the Potter park within the next few years.

DANCING AT THE MOVIES
Media Solutions has created a compilation video combining a collection of dance clips from almost 40 movies “from dance movies to comedies, from Fred Astaire to Micheal Jackson.” Can you name all 40? See anything missing you think should be there? If they're going to feature animated films, how can you have "Happy Feet" and not the famous chandelier dance from "Beauty and the Beast" or it's homage in "Enchanted"? Just, for Heavens sake, please don't put Baby in the corner.