As if the announcement that Tom Welling will be donning the Superman suit by the end of this season wasn’t enough to keep you interested, the creative minds behind the CW’s Smallville have just pulled another cameo rabbit out of the hat as they announced Teri Hatcher will make an appearance as the mom of this universe’s Lois Lane.

Hatcher, who’s known to many in the nerdverse as playing the titular Lois in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman for nearly 5 years alongside Dean Caine, will be stepping in to play the estranged mother of Erica Durance’s Lois. For those already planning on rebutting with some continuity issues, EW has some answers.

I know what you’re thinking: But Lois’ mom, Ella, is dead! Follow along now…

In episode 8, titled “Abandoned,” Lois discovers old videotapes of her mother. I think you can figure the rest out for yourself. Am I right?

Hard to believe Hatcher is coming along willingly, knowing her reputation as being slightly more than difficult to work with (just see Tomorrow Never Dies). This brings the Lois Lane lineage full circle on this show, including Margaret Kidder and now Hatcher.

What else could they possibly squeeze into the last 25 episodes of the series? We’ll be eager to find out.

While Marvel Studios may have dominated this year’s Comic-Con with it’s panels for Avengers, Thor, and Captain America, DC Entertainment managed to keep eyes of fanboys locked in as they announced Tom Welling will finally don the Superman suit in the upcoming final season of Smallville.

It’s been debated for quite some time whether or not it would ever happen, but it finally got confirmed that Welling will both fly and wear the suit made famous in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. What could this mean for a spinoff film? Does Welling have any interest in continuing as the Man of Steel after this season?

We got the chance to ask Tom all of these questions, and a few more, as he attended this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Check out our exclusive interview with the Smallville star after the jump, and keep it here for more interviews with the cast of the show.

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May might not be the month for premiers of amazing shows, but there is something that May always brings us: amazing, shocking, mind-blowing season (or in the case of many, series) finales. This month on Cortney’s TV Digest, we’ve got the end of some of our favorite shows, the continuation of some of tv’s biggest and brightest, and one new show you’re really going to need to watch.

Lost

As heartbreaking as it may be that one of our most beloved and mind-blowing television shows will be coming to an end this May, ABC has a full five hours of programming on the night of Lost‘s finale. There will be a two-hour retrospective on the series prior to the two-hour finale at 9 PM, and then a special “Jimmy Kimmel Live” right after in honor of the show.

We don’t know much yet about Lost‘s upcoming finale episode, only that is is titled “The End” and will be airing on a special night, Sunday the 23rd. Curiously, the number 23 is one of Lost‘s infamous numbers, and if you’ve been keeping up with the show this season, you’ll remember 23 corresponds with one of the candidates written on the ceiling of the cave. Whatever this means will be revealed later this month when Lost finally comes to an end.

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Supernatural is one of those shows that when it debuted, we were a bit skeptical about. Fortunately, over the past seasons it has proven itself to be highly entertaining and suspenseful and worth of attention. If you’ve never seen it, it is definitely worth a look.

To help current fans and those of you just coming to the party we’ve got a preview for tonight’s all-new episode to share with you today, courtesy of our friends at the CW. In these two clips we get quite a bit of info about tonight’s episode entitled “The Devil You Know.”

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) face off against The Horsemen when the demon Crowley (Mark Sheppard) tells  them he can help them find the remaining Horsemen rings so they can trap Lucifer. The brothers are doubtful until Crowley leads them to Brady (Eric Johnson), the demon Handler for Pestilence (Matt Frewer) and Death. However, Brady refuses to give up their locations and sets Pestilence after the Winchesters — which is not something you want to have happen.

Check out both previews for tonight’s episode after the jump. Supernatural airs tonight at 9/8C on The CW.

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Now that the hiatus is over, everybody’s favorite paranormal adventure series Supernatural is back and even better. Last week’s episode was quite a doozy, but this week things get a bit celestial. From the CW:

It’s no April Fools Day joke when fellow hunters track and kill Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) as retribution for starting the apocalypse.  The boys are surprised to find themselves in Heaven and with Castiel’s (Misha Collins) help navigating Paradise, they begin searching for information about God’s whereabouts.  In the meantime, Zachariah (guest star Kurt Fuller) continues his intense quest to find the brothers and force them to accept their destinies as Lucifer & Michael’s vessels.

Check out three brand new clips from this week’s episode after the jump, and be sure to catch Supernatural’s “Dark Side of the Moon” this Thursday at 9PM ET/PT on The CW.

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Inundated by a flurry of commercials blasting the latest nerd boy fantasy, She’s Out of Your League, I’m reminded of another story about an awkward boy and a stunning, but much sharper girl. In this story a nerd manages to sweep the woman of his dreams off her feet, but not without a lot of effort and some spiffy tights.

This betty mischievously quips with her small-town colleague and brazenly flirts with the hottest jock in the universe. This woman is Lois Lane.

The dorky boy gets the girl films are just as abundant as the beautiful, yet clumsy girl who gets her knight in shiny armor tales. They’re just fairytales dressed up for adults with a bunch of sex-talk for the guys and thinly veiled attraction in the form of snippy repartee for the ladies. How do you make two lovers out of enemies? Watch The Bounty Hunter, 10 Things I Hate About You, You‘ve Got Mail, or pretty much any movie with Meg Ryan in it.

Lois and Clark’s relationship is fascinating because it’s a mix of both of these fairytales. Clark is a straight arrow boy scout if there ever was one and Lois doesn’t mind bending the rules at her leisure. They quip constantly on the sidelines, but run plays seamlessly during the big game. Over time these bff’s have flown over their stereotypical scenario to become a team to be reckoned with.

After doing some investigative work, I found Lois was a combination of several women. In turns out Jerry Siegel wishes he had the super powers needed to impress a girl he crushed on in high school, Joe Shuster fell for the model he based Lois‘ look on, and Siegel based Lois’ personality on Torchy Blane, a reporter from 30‘s flicks. Lois might have come out of a nerdy fantasy, but this doll wasn’t just another Top Model.

She’s a Hepburn who gleefully spars with Tracy, Clark, Perry, Jimmy, Lex, or whoever else might be in the bullpen. These creators were ahead of their time in crafting a woman who wasn’t a secretary (cough…Diana Prince…cough) and instead was Clark’s equal in and out of the office.

Lois doesn’t have the benefit of donning a mask when unearthing villainous plots, and yet she’s fearless. She’s not just a love interest, she’s a woman on a mission to bring truth and justice to the world by using the mighty pen.

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As I was watching the new Eclipse trailer, out of sheer boredom and a hint of curiosity, I found myself wondering why in the world two super-powered boys would fight it out over a girl clad in American Apparel who’s a hell of a downer.

How is there an entire film series devoted to one girl’s delusional obsessions of a fairy tale ending with a born-again killer? Sparkely vampires want to kill you, strapping werewolf shape-shifters want to keep you safe.

Do these Edward fans have a death wish and a yearning for abandonment? Is Bella Swan so heavily marketed as mesmerizing that it erases the history of the brazen blonde that came before her?

A long time ago, otherwise known as the 90’s, there was a series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer where a feisty girl from the southland slayed Urban Outfitted demons. This legendary show paved the way for multi-tasking girls who cheer by day, slay by night, and every once in a while hook-up with a tormented blood sucker.

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Smallville fans have a lot to be happy about these days. The CW has officially renewed the show for its tenth season after strong performances on Friday nights and a creative resurgence due in no small part to the airing of “Absolute Justice,”  the two part Justice Society episode by Geoff Johns. Here’s one more reason to jump on your couch and get excited. The JSA will return to Smallville before the season 9 finale.

MTV’s Splash Page reports from last weekend’s Emerald City Comic-Con at Comics Alliance, Johns said that “[The JSA] do appear again at the end of season on Smallville.” Additionally, Johns stated, “The hope is for every DC character to appear outside the comic books. Correctly.”

This isn’t the only hint that the JSA would bbe back soon. In November, Michael Shanks (Hawkman) hinted to fans he might be returning in future episodes to mentor Clark Kent.

“Clark and his friends are figuring out what their destinies will be, so there is a ripe opportunity for the Justice Society who had been there done that to offer some tough love teaching,” said Shanks.“The way things land at the end of it all, there’s an open door for Carter Hall to be revisited and possibly be part of further mentoring Clark down the road.”

Additionally, Johns has also hinted that Darkseid and the dark gods of Apokolips may appear in season ten of Smallville.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff on the radar this week. An Avatar alumni could face off against Conan, Modern Warfare developers bring a fight to Activision, and director Guy Ritchie may be breathing new life into the heroes of Camelot.

Fox finds its shadow for $1 million and David Slade may be the man

Fans of the comic book series The Shadow rejoice as it seems the reboot continues to move forward.  While it was thought Sony and director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Army of Darkness) would bring a new version of the character to the big screen things have changed somewhat.

After Raimi began shopping the property around Fox decided to purchase the rights. Sadly, it sounds like Raimi may no longer direct, possibly replaced by David Slade.  Slade directed the vampire film Thirty Days of Night which, unfortunately, felt just that long in the theater. Here’s hoping he can put a little more adrenaline into The Shadow.

How I Met your…Smurf?

Neil Patrick Harris will be venturing to the land of blue, three apples tall creatures in Smurfs: The Movie.  The How I Met Your Mother star won’t be playing a Smurf though.  As this film will be a mix of live action and animation, Harris will be playing the lead live action character.  Too bad, I would have liked to know just which Smurf he’d play.  ”Awesome” Smurf maybe?  Let us know your picks in the comments.

‘Wolverine 2′ starts shooting next January

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was pretty good, but it was missing one thing: ninjas!  Hopefully that will be rectified in the sequel which is set to begin shooting next January.  Delving into Wolvie’s Japanese mythos the script follows stories penned by two pretty big names:

“Based on a story cycle by Frank Miller and Chris Claremont, Wolverine’s adventures in martial arts will be a love story featuring a Japanese actress, I am told. ‘It’s a beautiful story,’ says a source, ‘and will be very different than the first film.’”

Okay, I’m not really sold on the “love story” angle but considering the number of women that went to see Wolverine (pretty much for mutant hunk, Hugh Jackman) at least this will be one you can take your girlfriends to.

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Some early renewals for some popular shows over on the CW have just come in. The network has given the green light for new seasons of Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90201 and America’s Next Top Model.

No word on any other renewals of yet for shows we’re interested in, like Smallville, but with these early ones announced, it’s only a matter of time before we hear about more. The Supernatural and Vampire Diaries renewals weren’t completely unexpected as they’ve been doing well in the ratings, but for some reason I thought Top Model was on its last legs. Oh well, another season of beautiful models doing photo shoots in skimpy outfits can’t be all bad, right?

Here’s all the info from the CW about these renewals from their official press release:

THE CW ANNOUNCES EARLY PICKUPS FOR FIVE SERIES

Freshman Hit “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl,” “90210,” “Supernatural” and “America’s Next Top Model” To Return Next Season

February 16, 2010 (Burbank, California) ─ The CW Network has given early pickups to five series for next season, including four signature dramas and the reality hit AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL. All five shows will return in Fall 2010.

The series receiving early renewals include this season’s breakout hit THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, The CW’s most-watched show (4.6 million viewers) and the network’s number one show among adults 18-34 (2.5/8). THE VAMPIRE DIARIES premiere generated the largest audience in network history for a series debut (5.7 million total viewers). THE VAMPIRE DIARIES has improved The CW’s performance Thursday at 8:00 p.m. by 114% among women 18-34 this season.

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This week marks a pretty big event for the gang over at Smallville as they encounter the Justice Society of America for the first time. Granted, this isn’t the first time other DC superheroes have made it onto the show, with characters like Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary, and others joining in the fray from time to time. With all those characters making appearances in the past, there’s still something even more special about this week’s two-hour episode.

While this season has brought up some interesting plots including Braniac, the Legion, Metallo, and others, this coming event, written by Geoff Johns, seems to take the cake. From Kryptonsite:

A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe (Allison Mack) and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe’s (Allison Mack) investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin).

Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier).

Check out two exclusive clips from Smallville: Absolute Justice and be sure to watch the entire two-hour event this Friday at 8/7 Central on the CW.

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Who doesn’t love a good “swapped bodies” storyline? Just about every show has done it at one point. From Buffy to Gilligan’s Island to The X-Files, there are over 50 TV episodes that focus on the plot, and now that Supernatural has hit its fifth season, its their turn.

It isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of shows have stooped lower by pulling off a “trapped in a freezer and forced to tell stories” clip show, or even a musical episode. The “body swap” storyline is only a right of passage after you hit so many episodes, and it looks like this one is just that. From The CW:

High school nerd Gary (guest star Colton James), conjures up a body-switching spell and changes bodies with Sam (Jared Padalecki).  Thrilled by his new handsome and built body, Gary (now Sam) investigates a case with Dean (Jensen Ackles) and takes advantage of Sam’s good looks and age by hitting on women and getting drunk. Meanwhile, the real Sam is stuck inside Gary’s teenage body, dealing with intrusive parents and high school.

The episode also guest stars Mad Men’s Sarah Drew. Check out two new clips from the upcoming “Swap Meat” episode, and be sure to catch it this Thursday night at 9:00 PM ET/PT on The CW.

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