Apparently we’re not the only ones who are obsessed with THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Turns out, when she’s not busy acting, singing and promoting her hit show GLEE, star Lea Michele is hooked. “Getting ready to pick Mr Groff up from the airport! Let the week of fun begin!!! But first Vampire Diaries. Why is this show SO good!” Now all that’s left is for @msleamichele to publicly proclaim her loyalty: Team Damon or Team Stefan?

Did actress Leven Rambin (TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES) just spill the beans on yet another GREY’S ANATOMY/PRIVATE PRACTICE crossover? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing’s for sure: According to this tweet, the actress, who is on the set of GREY’S ANATOMY as we tweet speak is poised to be hitting up both shows in the not-to-distant-future, “The Lord answered all your prayers! Thank you all so much! I’m going to be on Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice this season, y’all!” Hmmmm, perhaps @shondarhimes would care to shed a little light on this?

We have a feeling that life just got a little less UneXpected for the the CW’s new heroine-to-be Lux. Who, according to LIFE UNEXPECTED showrunner Liz Tigelaar will soon be joined by what we are going to go ahead and irresponsibly speculate is a love interest. Tweeted Tigelaar, “some of the cast to portland. one new member of the cast soon on his way to the couve. welcome, austin butler. our jones.”

This week’s awkward tweet of the week goes to VAMPIRE DIARIES star Nina Dobrev who tweeted her addiction to time-slot competitor FLASHFORWARD, “@kevwilliamson LOVE FLASHFORWARD. I’m addicted. We shouldn’t be though…lol conflict of interest, don’t you agree?”

And finally, while this doesn’t exactly come as a surprise considering his Canadian pedigree, BONES showrunner Hart Hanson has a sense of humour pertaining to what some (certainly not us!) might call eerily similarities between his show and that other procedural. Tweeted @HartHanson, “@geekiskhan I don’t have to watch “Castle”. I see “Bones” so I can watch the original. Oh, snap! That’s right.I said it! I do like Fillion.” Snap indeed.

ABC has picked up Nathan Fillion’s CASTLE for a full 22-episode season!

Question: For quite some time now you’ve been kind enough to provide your fellow TV Addicts with an incredibly useful calendar highlighting the month’s big TV events. Seriously, my cubicle at work is practically wallpapered with them and I really can’t thank you enough for your hard work. The only problem is that you totally dropped the ball when it came to August. Please explain yourself? — HookedonTVA
The TV Addict: Truthfully, the TV Addict was on strike. And by that I mean, if the networks aren’t going to bother to program quality television in August, I certainly am not going to take time away from my FREAKS AND GEEKS marathon busy schedule to help promote the return of MILLIONAIRE on ABC. Plus, between Comic Con, my much-deserved vacation and the Television Critics Association Press Tour, I simply ran out of time. That said — here in a nutshell is everything you need to know for August: MONK and PSYCH returned to USA on August 7, MAD MEN returns to AMC on August 16, PROJECT RUNWAY makes it’s Lifetime premiere on August 20, TOP CHEF returns to Bravo on August 19, while GREEK picks up exactly where it left off on ABC Family on August 31.

Question: GMMR has got me totally hooked on GREEK. Got any spoilers? — Cappietastic
The TV Addict: Are you sitting down? Because I’m about to drop an honest-to-goodness GREEK game-changer on you. A spoiler so big, it may-or-may-not rock Greek row forever. Ready for it? When the hit ABC Family series returns from hiatus on August 31 [Please take a moment to ensure that there are no spill-able liquids within your computer's proximity!] expect to see hear a proposal from a series regular.

Question: Loved your sneak peek at FRINGE’s second season premiere, but found myself wondering as to why it was completely William Bell free? — TheOtherSider
The TV Addict: Unfortunately, there is a very good reason that my little tease was completely William Bell free —because that’s exactly what the episode was. Leonard Nimoy was MIA. That said, FRINGE executive producer Jeff Pinkner did confirm at last week’s TCA panel for the show that Nimoy has already filmed one episode for season two and “is welcome back as much as he wants.”

Question: Since you missed the boat on an August TV Calendar, can you at least let us know when we can we expect to see one for September? With the new fall season just around the corner, it’s somewhat of a big deal, No?
The TV Addict: Does October work for you? But seriously folks, I assure you that I’m already strategizing ways in which I’ll be able to fit 423 season premieres on one page of 8.5 x 11″ paper. Stay tuned.

Question: As much as I’m loving the previews for V, I’m really hoping the new series won’t preclude Elizabeth Mitchell from returning to LOST. Heard anything as to when we can expect to see Juliet again? — JulietismyConstant
The TV Addict: Lucky for LOST fans, the producers of V are with you. And by ‘with you’ I mean huge fans of the the series as well. Which is why Mitchell was able to confirm at Saturday’s TCA panel for her new ABC series V that she will be heading back to Hawaii, possibly more than once. “I will be back on LOST,” teased the actress. “I can’t say whether I’m dead or not and as with all things on LOST, it will be fairly tricky.”

Question: Over the weekend, Nathan Fillion tweeted a first look at the Richard Castle manuscript for his upcoming thriller Heat Wave. I understand you were on the set. Got any scoop? — OhCaptainMyCaptainMal
The TV Addict: Taking a page from Richard Castle’s on-screen sleuthing abilities, your very own TV Addict did in fact use his spy camera iPhone to snag this exclusive photo (above) of Castle’s new book. Which, by the way will be hitting shelves on September 29th. Can’t wait that long? Click here to download the first chapter for free.

I couldn’t help but notice that you had the chance to catch FASTFORWARD over the weekend, is it all it’s cracked up to be? And more to the point, do we have ourselves a frontrunner for a LOST replacement come next season? — FFFanatic
The TV Addict: Indeed you do, and in more ways than one. Not only is the David S. Goyer  (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) produced FLASHFORWARD a top notch production across the board. Like LOST, it offers up a ridiculously good looking cast (including Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho among others) — who through glimpses into the future must piece together what happened to them after the world blacks our for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, characters you’ll very quickly become emotionally invested in, and most importantly, an ending that will have you wishing you could flash forward to next week’s episode. Not to mention, continued employment for LOST alum Dominic Monaghan, who will be joining the cast in what the actor promises to be a drastically different character than Charlie.

With FOX premiering THE CLEVELAND HOW, how long until the inevitable FAMILY GUY crossover? — FamilyGuyFan42
The TV Addict: Although the production team promises that they’re trying to keep the two shows somewhat separate, Seth MacFarlane did concede at last week’s TCA event highlighting THE CLEVELAND SHOW that, “the whole Brown family shows up on FAMILY GUY for an episode in the spring.” With co-creator Mike Henry adding that “Quagmire comes to town for a very relevant-to-the-story reason — and then he refers to something that happened in Quahog — so we see Peter. But I think that’s the only time.”

Question: I’m still reeling from the PRIVATE PRACTICE season finale. Please tell me Amy Brenneman’s Violet is going to be okay. — Patient31
The TV Addict: Not only was the former JUDGING AMY star alive and well on my recent set visit (interview coming soon), she tweets!

Well that about wraps it up folks for this edition of “Ask the Addict.” if you’ve got a question for the TV Addict, you can email me directly at ask@thetvaddict.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/thetvaddict.

HUGE UNBELIEVABLE BREAKING NEWS! Michael Ausiello (@EWAusielloFiles) just gave theTVaddict.com a huge shout-out on twitter by including us in his #followfriday alongside the unbelievably awesome @tvweek_joe @sepinwall @LATshowtracker and @tvguide.

What’s that? You were expecting actual television news, not ridiculous self-indulgent non-TV related announcements? Well, how’s this for must-read-TV: According to our new “Twitter-BFF” Ausiello, ABC has taken a page from FOX’s welcome new “Quality over Quantity” playbook (as demonstrated by their surprising DOLLHOUSE second season pick from earlier in the day) by renewing rating challenged fan favorites such as CASTLE, BETTER OFF TED and SCRUBS.

Also making headlines was the Alphabet’s pick up of Courteney Cox’s much buzzed about Bill Lawrence comedy COUGAR TOWN, the drama HAPPY TOWN (from the brains behind OCTOBER ROAD and LIFE ON MARS), the re-imagination of the 80’s Sci-Fi classic V, EASTWICK (an adaptation of the The Witches of Eastwick ) and the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced FORGOTTEN.

Don’t forget to stick with theTVaddict.com (@theTVaddict on twitter) for the latest up-to-date renewals, pickups, cancellations and scheduling announcements from next week’s 2009 Up Fronts. It’s gonna be one helluva exciting week. Stay tuned…

GOSSIP GIRL (8PM CW)
Get ready for GOSSIP GIRL’s version of THAT 80’s show when Serena’s predicament causes Lily to flashback to her younger days.

GREEK (8PM ABC Family)
The campus is abuzz about a new visiting professor played by Helen Slater. Well, duh, she’s SuperGIrl!

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (8:30PM CBS, E! in Canada)
Barney thinks he can talk his way out of a speeding ticket, This we gotta see as you would not believe how often the boys in blue don’t consider rushing home to catch an episode of LOST as a valid excuse for going a wee bit over the speeding limit. Seriously, what is up with that!?

CASTLE (10PM ABC)
Castle discovers some extremely unsettling information about Beckett’s past. Turns out, she prefers Grisham!

NEW & NOTABLE:
MEDIUM (8PM CBS, CTV in Canada)
Allison is seeing stars of the special guest star variety when ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT’s Jeffrey Tambor and DAMAGES Anastasia Griffith drop by.

Rule #1 of successful television blogging: Never turn down an opportunity to interview Nathan Fillion, even when said interview inexplicably lands in your lap giving you quite literally less than two minutes to prepare. Rule #2: Be Canadian. Or at the very least, throw in the occasional “aboot” or “Eh!” into the conversation so that the Canadian born actor — who was doing one final promotional push on Friday to promote tonight’s season finale of CASTLE — will cut you a little slack upon learning that you aren’t nearly as prepared for the interview as you should be. Joked Fillion (we hope!), “I’m far more forgiving when it comes to Canadians.”

There have been a lot of rumors swirling about CASTLE’s chances for renewal, what have you heard?
Nathan Fillion: I find out for a fact on Friday whether the show is coming back or not.

I find it hard to believe that Nathan Fillion doesn’t have any insider information!
Everyone finds out a week from today. There is no insider information and it has been difficult because there was a big delay with the ratings. We’re all waiting.

With the show’s fate hanging in the balance, are you paying extra close attention to ratings?
I’ve got a dedicated team of people that scour the internet for information such as this. They’re known as my family; My brother, mother and father. They are my team, my google alert if you will.

I love that a typical Fillion family get-together now includes talk about shares and demos.
My brother was just trying to tell me what a share was last night. People start talking digits, I start to check out. My head can’t handle numbers, times or dates.

What can you tell me about tonight’s episode, is it true that Castle uncovers some extremely unsettling information about Beckett’s past?
Yes this is true. Castle starts poking around in Beckett’s past, and this is where we see just how smart Castle is when push comes to shove.  Is he smart enough to stop when she [Beckett] tells him to? Will he go too far?  What’s wonderful about Castle is that he’s so immature, so self-serving, so seemingly careless, yet we forgive him because he’s not malicious in anyway. Tonight is where we find out if he cares enough about Beckett to stop.

Does the finale wrap up nicely, or leave fans with a cliffhanger?
It is a season finale so there will be a cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to watch DR. HORRIBLE on the big screen at the recent Paley Festival but must admit, I was kind of hoping that Joss [Whedon] would reveal the title to the DR. HORRIBLE sequel. Do you know what it’s going to be called?
I do.

And I don’t suppose you can share what that title is with us?
I cannot. But it’s awesome, so much so that when you hear this new title, you’ll get that same rush and feeling of excitement you did when you heard about the first DR. HORRIBLE SING-ALONG BLOG. It will boil you blood a little bit.

And finally, you recently tweeted “I need me more Eliza on tv. Somebody do something to show Dollhouse more love!” Have you had a chance to see your FIREFLY co-star Alan Tudyk’s fantastic performance on the show?
I actually saw the episode months ago. I took a bunch of classy black and white photos at the DOLLHOUSE wrap-party of Joss and friends and on the day I dropped by Tim Minear’s house to show him, he said, “You got to see this.” And I saw a rough cut of some really exciting stuff of Alan [Tudyk], Amy [Acker] and Eliza [Dushku]. I’m just a huge fan of the show.

Don’t miss the season finale of CASTLE tonight at 10PM on ABC

CHUCK (8PM ABC)
Scott Bakula returns as Chuck’s dad, who finds himself in need of rescue. As if that weren’t enough, Chevy Chase also puts in an appearance and Morgan becomes a Buy More outcast.

GOSSIP GIRL (8PM CW)
If Serena returns from Spain still moping about Dan, I will personally slap her. Hard. Meanwhile, Blair might just prove herself the self-sabotage queen when she makes a secret pact behind new beau Nate’s back. And expect mugging and eye-rolling galore when Dan winds up having to literally serve his rich peers.

NEW & NOTABLE:
THE BIG BANG THEORY (8PM CBS)
Yes, it’s a rerun, but it also offers valuable help in solving one of life’s biggest mysteries as Sheldon tries to figure out gift-giving etiquette.

DANCING WITH THE STARS (8PM ABC)
Celebs dance. Judges fawn. I nap.

ALL MY CHILDREN (8PM SOAPnet)
Kendall blew the whole “always, only you” thing out of the water by having grief sex with Ryan not so long ago. Tonight, Zach evens the score. Because nothing says “true love” like revenge sex.

24 (8PM FOX)
Jack proves he’s a capital-m Man by enduring the pain brought on by his exposure to the pathogen. But what we really want is answers about the Tony situation.

HEROES (9PM NBC, 10PM Global in Canada)
Sylar has an identity crisis, Matt deals with fatherhood and Nathan sets out to repair the damage he caused. Plus, it gives us an excuse to ask, “Did you see our photos from last night’s HEROES FOR AUTISM event?”

ONE TREE HILL (9PM CW)
Finally! Brooke’s mad mama, Victoria (played to bitchy perfection by MELROSE PLACE alum Daphne Zuniga) is back! That’ll make suffering through yet another crisis in Peyton’s pregnancy at least semi-endurable.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (9:30PM CBS)
Either CBS thinks this show is a lot better than it actually is or they’re just not putting a whole lot of effort into keeping it alive. How do we figure? Because a new episode — in which Jeff tries to prove he’s still got it (with it being his youth) — is being plopped down smack-dab in the middle of a bunch of repeats.

SURVIVING SUBURBIA (9:32PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
How do you breath new life into one of the easiest punch lines on earth? Take your standard-issue DMV line (yawn) and have someone try to circumvent it by riding a scooter to the head of it! Yes, please, ABC, give us more of this crap and take away my charming, adorable SAMANTHA WHO.

MEDIUM (10PM NBC)
In the first of a two-part episode, Alison’s stalker takes a que from Billy Ocean by gettin’ outta her dreams and into her car… or at least her life.

HARLEM HEIGHTS (10PM BET)
In back-to-back episodes — with the second being the season 1 finale — Brooke makes a decision about Christian, Landon tries getting his dad’s approval (yeah, good luck with that!) and it’s time for Briana’s big launch!

DAYS OF OUR LIVES (11PM SOAPnet)
We interrupt our regularly scheduled listings for a bulletin: Attention, all residents of all soap opera towns: Please avoid the docks at all costs. Nothing good ever happens on the docks, whether they be in Port Charles, Llanview or, as proven tonight, Salem. Only a week or two ago, Tony died as a result of a dock-side fight. Tonight, Melanie finds Brady badly beaten on the docks. (Okay, let’s be honest here: Who amongst us doesn’t wish it was Melanie who’d met the Grim Reaper on the docks as opposed to Tony?)

CHUCK (8PM NBC, CityTV in Canada)
If CHUCK does get the ax, it certainly won’t be due to a lack of promotable guest stars. Tonight, Chuck looks to his double-crossing ex-girlfriend Jill (Jordana Brewster) to help rescue his father (Scott Bakula) who has been abducted by Fulcrum forces (Chevy Chase). Meanwhile, at the Buy More, the nerd herd tries to derail a corporate evaluation supervised by Emmett (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT’s Tony Hale)

GREEK (8PM ABC Family)
Casey wants Max and Cappie to get along, so she seeks advice from special guest star Janeane Garofalo. Who, you know, has a great track record at getting along with people (see: Bill O’Reilly)

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (8:30PM CBS, E! in Canada)
Have you met Ted’s new intern? Well, you will tonight when he sets up his very own architectural firm in his apartment.

CASTLE (10PM ABC)
It’s the case of yet another killer with little-to-no imagination who quite literally takes a page from one of Castle’s best-selling books. This time, it’s a ritualistic killing that draws Beckett and Castle into the world of Vodun, a mysterious religion Castle researched for a previous book.

NEW & NOTABLE:
HOUSE (8PM FOX, Global in Canada)
Silver lining to that whole shocking Kutner death… Cameron finally gets some screen time, with House assigning her the case of an environmental activist who collapsed at a protest demonstration.

24 (9PM FOX, Global in Canada)
Good News: Kim’s back. Better News: 100% cougar trap free!

HEROES (9PM NBC, 10PM Global in Canada)
In what we can only hope is a really cool flashback episode, tonight’s installment entitled ‘1961′ has Angela Petrelli delving into her past and revealing long-held secrets, while Mohinder finds out that his dad was involved in an old government operation… that if we had to guess judging from the episode’s not at all subtle title probably took place in 1961!

TONIGHT’S TWITTER PICK CONSENSUS:
@MystikalRose: Chuck! The show hasn’t disappointed me yet, unlike some other shows *coughs*Heroes…

@aliliz: Watching Chuck bc the story is getting better each week & hopefully it’s to set up season 3!! not finish the story this one

@Susanrae: Chuck. Never miss it…. and I hope NBC doesn’t make me miss it next season.

@randomlove36: watching Chuck b/c I will be devastated if it is canceled. Also himym, big bang, heroes, cupid, medium and greek.

@seh79: CHUCK!! b/c it is a great show that deserves to be renewed.

@MatejJ: Chuck, because we don’t want it to be canceled. Watch new House episode on DVR today!

@lillie4: I’ll be watching “Chuck”.

@AmandaKrups: Chuck, Medium, The Hills, Greek & How I Met Your Mother because they are AWESOME!!! (sung like Barney)

@rural_juror: CHUCK of course. The title alone makes it a must watch “Chuck Vs. the First Kill.” Plus it has Jordana Brewster as Jill again.

@elliebartowski: Chuck: In an effort to try and save the show, see the pivotal moment of Chuck killing someone, and well, I’m in love with them.

GREEK (8PM ABC Family)
When Casey and Ashleigh begin to doubt Rebecca’s work as a mole and suspect that she may be a double agent for Frannie, we begin to wonder if the GREEK writers may have spent a little too much time watching 24 on their hiatus.

SURVIVING SUBURBIA (9:30PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
If Bob Saget wanted to distance himself from his roots on FULL HOUSE, he sure succeeded: he’s gone from in-over-his-head doting father to a cad of a ne’er do well husband. That wouldn’t be so bad if SURVIVING SUBURBIA wasn’t like every mid-’90s sitcom that already ended (or was canceled). Perhaps Saget should stick to stand-up and his narrator gig on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, both of which are far funnier than this. — Aleks Chan

CASTLE (10PM ABC)
A woman found frozen at a construction side leads Beckett and Castle to reopen a cold case. COLD CASE, really? You’d think a best-selling author like Richard Castle would know a thing or two about plagiarism, we’re just sayin’

NEW & NOTABLE:
HOUSE (8PM FOX, Global in Canada)
Dave Matthews, Mos Def, and now Meat Loaf? When did being a famous musician become a prerequisite for a guest spot on the hit FOX drama? Seriously, we’re talking HOUSE here, not SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

24 (8PM FOX, Global in Canada)
Further evidence that change is in the air has Jack and the FBI work on a strategy to ward off further terror attacks. Instead of you know… shooting first and asking questions later.

UNWRAPPED (9PM Food)
The Food Network gets the munchies with tonight’s installment spotlighting snack-size treats from White Castle and Ben & Jerry’s.

TABLE FOR 12 (9PM TLC)
In what we can only hope is one epically frozen piece of ice, Eric and Betty take all 12 kids ice-skating for the first time.

THE HILLS (10PM MTV)
In what Lauren Conrad promises to be the final season of THE HILLS (not to be confused with the last two seasons which Lauren, like totally swore were the final seasons), Lauren is thrown a surprise birthday and is none-too-pleased when Stephanie brings Heidi along.

Just when we thought we couldn’t love Nathan Fillion anymore, our phone rings. As it turns out, watching TV twenty-four-seven does have its privileges. As evidence by the voice on the other line being none other than CASTLE star Fillion himself, who was kind enough to take the time to answer five questions on failure, flaws, fatherhood, future and of course, Felicia Day.

FILLION ON FIREFLY
For reasons that remain a mystery to us, Nathan Fillion has yet to star in a breakout hit. Which is why we started off our interview by asking if he was a little apprehensive about jumping back into series television after the disappointments that were FIREFLY and DRIVE. “Not at all, I mean geez, I’m an actor who wants to be acting. I want to be doing fun material, good material with talented people and I don’t care if it’s TV, or if you’ve had a sour experience,” explains the always upbeat Fillion in his traditional classy style. “If you’ve had a girlfriend that broke your heart are you going to stop dating girls forever? No you’re going to move on and keep doing your thing.”

FILLION ON FLAWED CHARACTERS
Simply put, he loves them. Which it turns out is what attracted Fillion to the role of mystery novelist turned detective Richard Castle in the first place. “People have flaws. I have them. I’m a little too perfect and a little too modest and you know what, I have to live with that!” jokes the actor in his trademark sarcastic tone. “I think one of Castle’s flaws is that he enjoys himself perhaps a little too much, and as an actor, that spoke to me. Just like [FIREFLY's] Malcolm Reynolds spoke to me. I’m not a dark haunted brooding man, but there was something about him [Mal] that I could connect with, a sense of justice perhaps. Whereas Castle plays to more of my boyish, playful side. Castle is living an adventure everyday and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

FILLION ON FATHERHOOD
“Castle just lucked out.” explained Fillion when asked about what has become the highlight to many fans of the show, his character’s relationship with his fictional TV daughter. “Alexis turned out fantastic and incredible and I don’t think it was due to Castle’s parenting skills in anyway. She’s so very much the parent because Castle wasn’t much of one. But Castle does love her, cares for her and protects her and he is adamant about that.” Pauses Fillion, who then takes a moment to acknowledge actress Molly C. Quinn who plays his fictional TV daughter, “What a wonderful actress Molly is. She brings such a real life person to what you could say is written on the page as maybe being a little too perfect.”

FILLION ON THE FUTURE [of DR. HORRIBLE]
“I do know Joss [Whedon] has gotten as far as to come up with a title for a sequel so you know he has got ideas running around in his head,” said Fillion when asked the obligatory DR. HORRIBLE sequel question. “Of course, nothing is in stone, we haven’t filmed anything yet as everybody is a bit busy, right now. But there are whispers.” Whispers that come as no surprise to Fillion, who earned critical acclaim playing Captain Hammer in the beloved online video experiment.

“We were talking about doing a sequel the very first day we started filming DR. HORRIBLE and I think in this day there ought to be a broadway musical,” adds Fillion. “You combine DR. HORRIBLE with the musical commentary of DR. HORRIBLE and I think you have a complete musical right there heading for broadway, let’s go!”

FILLION ON FELICIA DAY
But don’t expect to see Nathan Fillion’s name in lights anytime soon. “Felicia Day is a much better singer than we allowed her to be,” admitted Fillion when asked if fans might one day see him heading to Broadway. “If I came to New York City to see a Broadway Show I’d want my money back after hearing me sing.”

Don’t miss a brand new episode of CASTLE airing tonight at 10PM on ABC