With Ellen Degeneres now confirming rumors that she’s leaving the “American Idol”’s judges table, there’s a lot of talk about potential replacements for both her and Simon Cowell.

Yesterday the buzz was focused on Jessica Simpson, while today, reports indicate that the show’s producers have signed a deal with Jennifer Lopez - who, as far as I can tell, really is just Jenny from the block these days.

TELEVISION

* “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc will be featured in a new Showtime series called “Episodes.” He’ll play an actor named Matt LaBlanc - I know! A stretch! - who’s starring in the American version of a British show. And don’t be too surprised by LeBlanc’s silver fox appearance; turns out he had to dye his hair throughout “Friends”’ run to keep out the grey. (Yes, some people go grey early - but we’re all feeling just a little older now, aren’t we?)

* For those who want to bask in “Project Runway”’s season 8 premiere, which aired last night, there’s a re-cap from Entertainment Weekly's site, and another from Buddy TV. Thank you, Mood!

* “The Price is Right” host Drew Carey, 52, has reportedly lost 70 pounds. Tell him what he’s won, Johnny!

BOOKS

* Anne Rice announced, via her Facebook page, that although she remains “committed to Christ,” she’s leaving Christianity because of strong ideological differences - and one Huffington Post editorial claims that as a result, Rice has “never been more of a Christian.”

MOVIES

* Underwear model turned Oscar-nominated actor (how many can claim that path?) Mark Wahlberg recently got a star on the Walk of Fame.

* Gwyneth Paltrow’s upcoming film “Country Strong,” scheduled for a December release, casts Paltrow as a country singer who’s struggling to make a comeback, and you can now hear Paltrow sing the title track (and see a photo where she looks eerily like an older Taylor Swift).

MUSIC

* Kanye West may be new to Twitter, but he’s already receiving acclaim for his context-free one-liners. An example: "I specifically ordered persian rugs with cherub imagery!!! What do I have to do to get a simple persian rug with cherub imagery uuuuugh." Tongue-in-cheek or serious? Who knows? But hilarious all the same.

* Though he was raised in New Jersey and lives on Long Island, music journalist Tony Rettman couldn’t get the Michigan hardcore punk music of the 80s out of his system, so he’s published an oral history called, “Why Be Something That You’re Not: Detroit Hardcore 1979-1985.”

* Manchester native and folk music singer/songwriter Natalie Mae Palms is coming home for the Riverfolk Music and Arts Festival.

THEATER

* “Scrubs” star Zach Braff’s next move involves a stage in New York, where he’ll star in a play called “Trust” (not to be confused with the David Schwimmer project of the same name filmed largely in the Ann Arbor area). In the play, Braff plays a 30-something man who’s sold his internet company for $100 million, but is stuck in an unhappy marriage.

ONLINE

* Ann Arbor native Mike Farah, FunnyOrDie.com’s president of production, appears in a new Time Magazine story about the hugely popular comedy website - which gives me an excuse to sign off with the Will Ferrell classic video that put FunnyOrDie on the map: “The Landlord.” (Please note that this isn’t appropriate for kids.)

Renee Tellez contributed to today's links. Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.