Gossip Girl producers have inked Hilary Duff to a contract to join the hit series after NBC passed on her recent dramedy pilot.

Hilary Duff will appear in several episodes of Gossip Girl this fall. Beginning with the fourth installment of the new season (airing on October 5th) Duff will take on the role of Olivia Burke, an actress who attends NYU and just happens to be Vanessa's (Jessica Szohr's) new roommate. Oh...and it looks like Olivia will be hooking up with Serena's on again, off again go-to guy Dan Humphrey ( Penn Badgley). Let the fur fly! Gossip Girl moves to Mondays at 9pm this fall.

....in other casting news...

After a two-year absence, Daneel Harris returns to One Tree Hill as Rachel Gatina in at least 7 episodes of the hit series beginning with the second episode of the new season on September 21st.

Jana Kramer ( 90210) joins One Tree Hill as Alexis, a model who works for Brooke. One Tree Hill moves up an hour this fall to Mondays at 8pm.

I'm a day late and a Canadian dollar short (roughly 87 cents for those of you playing at home), but I'd like to wish all of our CW stars hailing from the Great White North a belated Happy Canada Day. Hey, I'm from Brooklyn...what do I know about these things? Anyway, there sure are a bunch of 'em. Bet you didn't know...

The CW has confirmed that Rumer Willis (offspring of Demi and Bruce and stepdaughter of Ashton) has been tapped to appear this fall in an undisclosed number of episodes of 90210. Rumer will play punky and opinionated Gia, a reporter for The Blaze (West Beverly's school paper turned news show). Oh yeah...and Gia is a lesbian. Did I mention that? Gia will interact with Silver, Navid and Adrianna who also work at The Blaze.

The romance between Lois and Clark will take front and center in a major storyline to take place when Smallville returns for season 9 this fall.

Serena van der Woodsen's father will finally make an appearance this season on
Gossip Girl. No casting yet, but we'll have it here as soon as an announcement is made.

According to 90210's AnnaLynne McCord, Annie will not be reconciling with Naomi anytime soon. "Never. Not going to happen. I'm sorry. I wish," says McCord.

On Supernatural, Castiel will be featured prominently in a storyline that dovetails with the major storyline for the new season.

I don't know what it is, but more CW stars celebrate their birthday in July than during any other month. In fact, almost every CW show is represented by at least one July birthday boy or girl.

Wanna know what's gonna happen on your favorite CW shows this fall? Cast your eyes in a southerly direction and read on...

From time to time I'll be checking in on some of your favorite ex-CW programs to catch you up on what the stars of those programs have been up to since departing the friendly confines of the CW family.

First up: Gilmore Girls

Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) made her Broadway debut in March as Miss Adelaide in the Tony nominated revival of Guys & Dolls. Guys & Dolls played 28 previews and 113 performances before closing on June 14, 2009. Additionally, Graham taped a sitcom pilot for ABC called The Bridget Show where she starred as a Dr. Phil-type talk show host who doesn't follow her own advice. The busted pilot was not picked up for the fall.

Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore) appeared as Dr. Julia Wise in the series finale of ER on NBC. Last summer, Bledel appeared on the big screen in the sequel to Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants with Gossip Girl's Blake Lively. On August 21st, Bledel's fans can see her in her new film, Post Grad, a coming-of-age comedy where she plays Ryden Malby, a recent college graduate forced to move back home to live with her eccentric family while she juggles work and relationships in a post-grad world. Check out the trailer for Post Grad below.

Scott Patterson (Luke Danes) did not leave The CW for long after Gilmore Girls was canceled. The following fall, he played Gary Tolchuk in The CW's critically acclaimed, but criminally unwatched sitcom Aliens In America. In AIM, Patterson played the patriarch of a small-town midwest family who took in a Pakistani Muslim exchange student played by Adhir Kalyan (now seen as David Spade's put-upon assistant Timmy on CBS' Rules Of Engagement). Patterson also appeared in Saw V and is in pre-production on two movies, Liberty and The Rogue.

...and then there were four. Daphne Zuniga is the latest original Melrose Place castmember to join the cast of The CW's re-boot of the 90's favorite guilty pleasure. Zuniga will reprise her character Jo Reynolds, a professional photographer in at least two episodes of the series this fall. Zuniga joins Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett and Laura Leighton as original castmembers making the leap to the new series. One Tree Hill fans know that Zuniga is no stranger to The CW. Daphne Zuniga appeared in 16 episodes of the drama as Victoria Davis during the 2008-2009 season.

In other CW-related News...

Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick are splitting up. Huh, you say? No...the two were not an item. Until recently the two Gossip guys shared a Chelsea apartment, but Crawford had enough of Westwick's Oscar Madison-like ways and moved into his own pad, a rented penthouse in the luxury Dwell 95 building on Wall Street. For a peek at his new place, click here. Cool!!

What I know about fashion could fit in a thimble, but for those of you who care...

...a Target spokesman has debunked a Daily News story claiming the retail giant was distancing itself from Gossip Girl by pulling Anna Sui's planned fall collection inspired by characters from the hit show. The line is still on and clothes from the collection will hit stores in mid-September. Viewers will get their first glimpse at the collection on September 14th, when Target's Anna Sui Gossip Girl collection is featured in an ad during the program's season premiere. "Whew."

Star of the new CW prime time drama The Beautiful Life: TBL, Mischa Barton has been placed under involuntary psychiatric hold at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to several media sources. Police were summoned to her Los Angeles home to take her to the hospital yesterday afternoon. According to Section 5150 of the California Welfare & Institutions Code, Ms. Barton can be held involuntarily for up to 72 hours if she poses a threat to herself or others.

The LAPD has confirmed the story. "We assisted her with a medical issue and removed her from her home." Paramedics were not called and no arrests were made.

Confidentiality laws prevent disclosure of Ms. Barton's condition and the exact cause of her hospitalization, but the actress has a history of partying hard, has been arrested for DUI and was charged with marijuana possession last year. Speculation will only grow based on her hard-partying ways. Unflattering pictures of Barton out-and-about in London surfaced on the web a couple of weeks ago.

Mischa Barton can be seen opposite 90210's Jessica Stroup in Homecoming, a new thriller hitting theaters today. Barton had been scheduled to fly to New York to attend the movie's premiere last night.

CW Network executives are mum on how her hospitalization will impact production of The Beautiful Life: TBL which starts shooting Wednesday, July 22nd in New York.

Whatever brought her to this point, we hope Ms. Barton will get the medical help she needs and wish her a speedy recovery!

The CW has pushed back production of The Beautiful Life: TBL, starring Mischa Barton by a week.

The program had been set to begin shooting scenes for the new series on Wednesday. Production will now commence on July 31st. The delay is not expected to affect the premiere date of Ashton Kutcher's new prime time soap, which is still set to debut on September 16th following America's Next Top Model.

Officials say that the postponement is related to a delay in the completion of new sets and not star Mischa Barton's recent psychiatric hospitalization.
Barton continues to be holed up at Cedars-Sinai Medical center in Los Angeles under Section 5150 of the California Welfare & Institutions Code, while doctors continue to keep her under involuntary psychiatric evaluation.

According to The New York Post, Barton was hospitalized after friends called the police because they thought she might kill herself following a 3-day coke binge. She's running out of money and can't find love, so now she is looking for a good time to escape her misery," a source told the Post. "She is on a downward spiral." "She is a mess. She is a suicidal, uninsurable mess."

In The Beautiful Life: TBL, the former "O.C." actress stars as a high fashion model trying to stay at the top of her game, while newer, younger talent emerge on the catwalks of New York City.

Gossip Girl is filming in NoLita and SoHo. Traffic signs have been posted on Mulberry Street between Houston St and Prince St, on Houston between The Bowery and Elizabeth Street, and on Lafayette by Prince and Houston Streets.

...Actress Brooke Burns is the latest actress to join the cast of Melrose Place. Burns will appear in several episodes as Vanessa, Dr. Michael Mancini's wife and the mother of his youngest son.

Brooke Burns appeared on the WB series Pepper Dennis with Rebecca Romijn. Burns has also appeared on such prime time programs as North Shore and Miss Guided. She hosted NBC's game show Dog Eat Dog, but is perhaps best known for appearing in 46 episodes of Baywatch as Jessie Owens.

No one official is commenting on the record, but Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reported today that The CW may be on the verge of moving on from Mischa Barton. While the actress is being involuntarily held for psychiatric observation, producers of The Beautiful Life: TBL are in the process of creating and casting a new female character that would essentially replace Mischa Barton's supermodel Sonja Stone seen in the pilot presentation of the new series. Yesterday, it was announced that production was pushed back a week - reportedly because sets for the series were not yet ready for prime time. Lensing for The Beautiful Life: TBL now gets underway on July 31st in advance of a September 16th launch on The CW.

In other news...

Jennie Garth has reached an agreement with the producers of 90210 to appear in several more episodes of the series this fall beginning with episode #3 in which Harry turns to her for advice about Annie.

John Schneider (Pa Kent on Smallville) will appear in several episodes of 90210 this season as Liam's stepfather.

Kelly Carlson who plays porn-star/prostitute/nutjob Kimber Henry on FX's Nip/Tuck will take on a similar role when she appears this fall on Melrose Place as a madam who mentors one of the MP residents in the world's oldest profession.

Kristen Bell (the voice of everyone's favorite blogger on Gossip Girl) says that someday she would love to make an appearance on Gossip Girl. While Kristen Bell and executive producer Josh Schwartz go way back (from their days together on Veronica Mars), an appearance on Gossip Girl is probably not in the cards, at least for now.

This weekend, three CW programs will be featured at Comic-Con, the annual San Diego fanfest showcasing the best in sci-fi, fantasy and horror on TV and in film.

The Vampire Diaries will hold its panel on Saturday. Following a screening of the series pilot, stars Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder ( Lost), as well as executive producer/writer Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek) and others will be on hand to offer scoop on one of the most buzzed about new programs of the fall during a Q&A session.

Smallville's Sunday session will include stars Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan), Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer), Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow) and Callum Blue (General Zod). After clips from the new season are screened, the stars of Smallville will provide some answers to the questions you have been waiting all summer for!

Supernatural will also hold its panel on Sunday. On hand will be stars Misha Collins (Castiel) and Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer), as well as creator/executive producer Eric Kripke and others. Lucky fans in attendance will get the first peek at footage from the September premiere episode, but we'll get the scoop and anything else for you so you won't feel left out!

Over the weekend, the Smallville panel convened at Comic-Con in San Diego. Here's some scoop about the new season:

Lois (Erica Durance) will be seen in 18 of Smallville's 22 episodes. There will be a love triangle between Clark, Lois and the Red-Blue Blur.

After developments in the season finale, Chloe and Clark's friendship will be tested. They have a little bit of a rocky start," says executive producer Kelly Souders.

To deal with her role in Jimmy's death, Chloe will channel her energies toward Watchtower and saving the world. "We'll see [Chloe] experimenting with some different paths. We're definitely going to see her trying new things this year. Always with the intent to save the world, but maybe not necessarily the way that Clark Kent has done," says Allison Mack.

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow will hit appear in several episodes and will be mired in a downward spiral that will eventually take him to rock-bottom. Oliver will be jealous of Clark's powers and his burgeoning relationship with Lois.

When we meet Zod, he is not yet a General. He is still a Major and unaware of the destruction of Krypton and Clark's existence.

Producers have an idea for a series finale, but will scrap it if Smallville goes to a tenth season.

Lex Luthor is NOT dead. Will Michael Rosenbaum reprise the character this season? Stay tuned.

Supernatural held its panel at Comic-Con over the weekend. Here are some tidbits about the new season to keep you bedeviled until the first episode is unveiled on September 10th:

Castiel has an agenda that will be revealed by the end of the second episode of the new season.

Dean will travel to the future and see the Apocalypse.

God will be a character in the upcoming season.

There will be a lot of fallout between Sam & Dean following the events of last season.

Kevin Williamson, writer and executive producer of The Vampire Diaries was on hand at Comic-Con over the weekend to talk about the new CW series and explain how he got involved with the project, why he initially turned it down and what changed his mind to get him to hop on board.

Initially, Williamson had reservations about jumping into the project and actually turned it down several times before finally agreeing to helm the series.

When Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey) celebrated her 16th birthday by rocking out with her band The Pretty Reckless at the Hiro Ballroom on Tuesday night, she was joined by several of her Gossip Girl castmates including Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass), Jessica Szohr (Vanessa Abrams), TV dad Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey) and Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald).

Hey...I told you to go! Check out some pics and a clip from one of her songs by clicking the link below.

With a little more than a month before its premiere, The CW is pulling out all the stops in a provocative new ad campaign designed to draw old and new fans to L.A.'s hottest address, Melrose Place. The four new steamy print ads featuring cast members of the Melrose re-boot are subtitled with such eye-catching lines as Tuesday's The New Humpday, Tuesdays Are A Bitch and Menage A Tues. The ads feature such actors as Thomas Calabro (Michael Mancini), Laura Leighton (Sydney Andrews), Ashlee Simpson-Wentz (Violet Foster) and Katie Cassidy (Ella Simms) in alluring poses in and around the iconic Melrose Place apartment complex. Take a look at one of the ads below, as well as a cool new promo featuring a couple of familar Melrose residents and one new one I'm sure you'll grow to love!