When SNL alums return to their alma mater, the results are a mixed bag. In the last few months, we saw the welcome return of Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin to hysterically witless effect. On the other hand, we were also forced to suffer through Steve Martin's one billionth hosting gig, which stretched out one gag (that he's a self-satisfied blow hard) for exactly one hour and twenty minutes too long. But news that Tracy Morgan will revisit his old stomping grounds on March 14 instantaneously made me jump up and down, clapping and making high-pitched screeching noises that can only be heard by dogs. In other words, hells to the yes! No one can meld childlike and gangsta quite like Tracy M. In anticipation of his guest spot, I've dug up some choice Hulu clips (sorry in advance to our European friends) of Tracy at his finest and I'm crossing my fingers that at least one of them will make a cameo when he shows up at SNL in a few weeks. Strangely, there were no clips of my favorite Tracy incarnation, Astronaut Jones, the smooth-talking, street-savvy space adventurer, so you'll have to peruse non-Hulu sources for those, but peep the rest and get jazzed for his upcoming appearance after the jump.

Welcome to the news, post-Oscars. We know, we know -- your worldview has shifted. It's hard to see Hugh Jackman the same way anymore. Give it time. It will pass. We recommend you watch all three X-Men films in quick succession. Do not watch Swordfish. But before you do that, here is the news. And before you ask, no, the musical is not back. But The Witches of Eastwick is, and Battlestar Galactica might be, in a bad way.

I know a lot of you out there have given up on Heroes, and frankly I can't blame you. Last season was a horrible shadow of its former self, and this fall's "Villains" arc -- well, the less said about that the better. But this fourth volume, aka "Fugitives," is a marked improvement. Now I'm not going to say it is perfect, as I still have some complaints from my list of things that were wrong with the show, but it is moving in the right direction and shockingly, I'm actually looking forward to episodes again. So while I haven't seen tonight's ep yet, I feel somewhat confident in advising you Heroes deserters to come back for a second look. Because if it actually gets back to its first season glory by the end of this year (which it seems like it is at least attempting to do) you are going to be kicking yourself for not hopping back in sooner.

In what's shaping up to be the biggest talk-show shake-up since David Letterman left NBC, Saturday Night Live alum Jimmy Fallon is taking over Late Night from Conan O'Brien, as Conan goes to The Tonight Show and Leno goes to prime time. The movie star's first night is Monday, March 2, with guests Robert De Niro and Van Morrison, and he's filled out the week with old friends like Drew Barrymore and Tina Fey. TWoP sat in on a conference call with Fallon as he opened up about the show's interactivity, his acclaimed house band The Roots and why Shirtless Joe Jackson and Awkward Silence Bear are going to be the next big characters of Late Night.

This week of nostalgia-filled Late Night with Conan episodes finally concluded last night, and while it may not have been as full of surprises and craziness as I expected, it was a nice and sincere farewell to the show that made us all fall irreversibly in love with Conan O'Brien.

Thanks to this new and convoluted Idol format we've found out who the first three people in the Top 12 will be, though in all likelihood we'll forget their names by the time they come back a month from now. The lucky threesome consists of Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver, all of whom were put through the rigors of a press conference call on Thursday. But not, we suspect, before some intense media training that wisely must have instructed them not to bad mouth Tatiana, or any of their other group members, lest they end up returning in the wild card round. Plus, it's not good if you are trying to get America to love you. Which Alexis Grace is certainly trying to do with her up with the people answer to the inquiry about who deserved a second chance: "That is a tough question because everybody was good in our group. I mean I would have said that could be top 12 right there." They also weren't entirely sure what was happening between now and the time that we'll see them again, and were all equally vague, but as Michael Sarver put it, "There are opinions floating around about how things should go, but they have not made it clear exactly what's next for us. So, we just kind of take it one step at a time and say, 'Yes, sir. No, sir. Yes, ma'am. No, ma'am' and go there."

Good afternoon and welcome to your Friday TWOP News: pre-Oscars edition. I'm sure you've all started your second-by-second Oscar countdowns, painstakingly viewed all the Best Documentary Short and Sound Mixing nominees in order place your bets most effectively, and made a shopping excursion to purchase the themed snacks you will begin eating when red carpet coverage starts at approximately 3 AM (Milk Duds, anyone?)...oh wait, that's just me? Hmmm... hmmm. While I wrap my mind around that, go ahead and wrap your minds around these delicious Friday news bites.

The verdict is still out on whether Dollhouse can stand the test of time. We think it oughta, if only because of our sick obsession with all things Joss Whedon. Our very own Zach Oat takes on the task of breaking down each major Dollhouse character and charting his/her traits to come up with other Whedon-made counterparts from Buffy and Firefly. Because, you see, everything is connected in the Whedon-verse. Is Echo 2009's answer to Buffy Summers? You be the judge after consulting with our Dollhouse: Do These Characters Seem Familiar To You? gallery. And by all means, pitch in with your own comparisons. This is a democracy, after all.

While we were naively optimistic about the Golden Globes, that's not the case with Sunday night's Oscar telecast. We're pretty much dreading it. The fact that the whole thing has been shrouded in secrecy with only drips and drabs trickling out has not done much to up our anticipation. Instead, it's filling us with feelings of horror and panic. Especially since what we have heard is pretty much a nightmare. So without further ado... the reasons we're not looking forward to the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

There's a slow and steady buzz building for the forthcoming ensemble comedy Party Down, about a group of deluded, down-on-their-luck actors and writers cooling their heels in the catering biz while waiting for their big break. Much as I'm loathe to let the opinions of other pop culture commentators like myself influence my own predilections, I have to say that this little gem looks straight up amazing. We've still got a ways to go before the show premieres March 20 on Starz! (yes, Starz!), so to help fuel the fire, I'm here to tell you why you should be effing stoked about this show.