The Morning Fix: Filling Sawyer's heels. Disney's DVD fix. Did WGA fight dirty? Artie Lange back ... at least for now.
After the coffee. Before getting your audition tape to 'Good Morning America.'

Big heels to fill. ABC News is starting to narrow the search for Diane Sawyer's replacement on "Good Morning America." The newscast will again go coed, with the network eyeing several male candidates to share the set with Robin Roberts. The leading contender appears to be George Stephanopoulos. Analysis from the Los Angeles Times and Broadcasting & Cable. 

Disney's DVD solution. Walt Disney Co. is working on a one-size-fits-all technology to allow consumers to buy content across multiple platforms. Code-named "Keychest," the technology is, among other things, seen as a way to combat the eroding DVD market. How it works is very complicated, so you'll just have to read the article in today's Wall Street Journal, then explain it to me.

Fighting dirty? TV writer Jonathan Prince is taking on the Writers Guild over how it investigated member misconduct during the 2007-08 strike. Prince was accused of being a scab but ultimately was found to have done nothing in violation of guild rules. WGA, meanwhile, used a secret informant and broke into his e-mail account to try to dig up dirt on Prince, the writer and his lawyer say. Details from Richard Verrier in the Los Angeles Times.

Oprah to make nice with Palin. Daytime talk show queen Oprah Winfrey will have former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on to plug her new book next month. The Washington Post's TV columnist Lisa de Moraes notes that last year Winfrey's ratings took a tumble perhaps tied to her political activism and endorsement of Barack Obama. Maybe that is also why Winfrey has been less spiritual/aspirational and more, uh, well, we won't say sleazy, so let's go with down to earth in her subject matter on this year's shows.

Early report card. USA Today takes a look at the new TV season so far and notes that although there are few breakout hits, there are also not so many total disasters. That said, the paper warns viewers not to get too attached to ABC's "Eastwick" and "Hank," CBS' "Three Rivers" and NBC's "Trauma." So far that doesn't appear to have been a problem.

Was that in his flash forward? Marc Guggenheim is leaving as co-show runner and executive producer of ABC's new drama "FlashForward," which is about the aftermath of everyone in the world (well, almost everyone) suffering a two-minute blackout at the same time and getting a glimpse of his or her future. David Goyer will now become sole show runner, says the Hollywood Reporter.

Ferriter's war. Agent John Ferriter, who specializes in realty TV, apparently doesn't like the new reality of working at the combined William Morris Endeavor agency. Deadline reports on Ferriter's battles with his new bosses at WME.

Artie's back. Howard Stern fans breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when sidekick Artie Lange reappeared after his latest misadventure. Lange, who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, said he nearly relapsed. Details from the blog that chronicles all things Howard: MarksFriggin.com.

Inside today's Los Angeles Times: Universal Orlando and Steven Spielberg restructure the director's lucrative deal with the theme park. Patrick Goldstein on the challenges facing this year's Oscar producers. 

-- Joe Flint

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Geek frenzy: 'Battlestar's' Katee Sackhoff to guest on 'Big Bang Theory'
"The Big Bang Theory" has been so delightful this season that it doesn't need to do much more to win me over. It's already evolved into one of the most enjoyable comedies on the air.

But if the nerd-tastic CBS comedy is going to keep offering up "Battlestar Galactica"-related goodies, I'm sure not going to stop them.

I can exclusively reveal that Katee Sackhoff, formerly Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Battlestar," will have a small role in the Nov. 23 episode of "Big Bang Theory." Sackhoff, who is a series regular on the new season of "24," will play herself in a cameo in the episode. Scroll down to the end of this post for more details on her appearance. 

I'll give Starbuck fans out there a moment to absorb the good news.

What's that, you want even more Cylon-related fun? OK then. 

The Nov. 2 episode of "Big Bang Theory," "The Cornhusker Vortex," centers on Sheldon (!) teaching Leonard all about football. But there's also a scene in which Sheldon (Jim Parsons) fixes himself a snack with the help of his trusty Cylon toaster. (The Oct. 26 episode of "Big Bang Theory" is a repeat. This paragraph has been updated with the correct information.)

I'll add a clip from that episode to this post soon -- a clip that proves that our Sheldon sure does love his Cylon toast (and for the non-"BSG" fans out there, the mechanized Cylons were nicknamed "toasters" on the Syfy show).

As "Battlestar" and "Big Bang" fans know, this isn't the first connection between the two shows (aside from the general adoration that the show's characters have for all things sci-fi). Michael Trucco ("Battlestar's" Sam Anders) played a love interest for Penny (Kaley Cuoco) last season.

And just to prove that somebody at CBS digs the Cylons, Tricia Helfer, who played Number 6 on the Syfy drama, will soon guest star on "Two and a Half Men" as a friend of Charlie's fiance. (Just as an aside, there's another place to spot various "Battlestar" alums soon. "The Plan," a "BSG" standalone film, comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray Tuesday.)

But back to "Big Bang Theory," which is what prompted this post in the first place. I can't point to any particular thing the show is doing differently this season, but it's just executing on every level in a very pleasing way (and the ratings reflect that: "Big Bang Theory" has gotten its highest-ever ratings in its third season). The characters have become humanized and multi-dimensional, their relationships are believable and well-sketched and the one-liners and jokes are consistently funny.

I especially enjoy the fact that there are different flavors to the comedy. Some of the humor is quite whimsical or even silly, and plots don't always go where you think they're going to end up. I quite liked the fact that Wolowitz's recent blind date with one of Penny's friends went from epic fail to total win once he and his date bonded about having overprotective mothers.

Something else to like: The show hasn't made a huge deal of the fact that Leonard and Penny are now dating. That aspect of "Big Bang Theory" hasn't taken over the show, but it has become a dependable source of relationship comedy that, thankfully, isn't overly contrived or generically "sitcommy."

Stuntcasting is often detrimental to finely calibrated sitcoms, but Wil Wheaton, the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actor, turned in an effective guest performance in the Oct. 19 episode of the show (which taught is that Wil Wheaton is evil! Evil, I tell you! OK, he's not, really. And the affable actor/author/Internet lord writes about shooting that episode here).

But "Big Bang Theory" needs to go further. I would like to use this opportunity to promote, once again, my ongoing campaign to have Leonard Nimoy guest star on the show. A Sheldon-Spock mind-meld? Who doesn't want to see that?)

Even without high-profile guest stars, the cast is so strong that even subplots about Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) work well. Though Parsons' terrific work as Sheldon has been justifiably singled out for praise, all the actors, including perennial (and skilled) straight man Johnny Galecki as Leonard, turn in dependably good performances. This cast functions like a well-oiled machine.

Not unlike a Cylon!

More details on Sackhoff's role on "Big Bang Theory" are below. Spoilers ahoy.

Sackhoff will play Wolowitz's fantasy woman. And nerds, sit down. I hear from a CBS source that "there may be nudity." Now, the show still airs on CBS, not on Showtime, so don't get too riled up.

But still. Katee Sackhoff. Wolowitz. Implied nudity.

I can hear the geek brains melting now.

Review: Steely Dan's sound was studio-tight and lush in re-creation of 'Aja' at San Jose Civic
Steely Dan is on the road with its 'Rent Party' tour, performing entire albums, as well as nights of fan requests. On Friday, they arrive at the Masonic Center in San Francisco for three nights.

How Do Reality TV Families Get Cast?

The silver balloon that drifted 50 miles across Colorado last week may have been part of an elaborate hoax cooked up to land the Heene family a reality show, authorities say. Reality show guru Bill Hayes, founder and president of Figure 8 Films, discusses how reality TV stars are selected.

PORTUGAL: Bible Is "A Catalogue of Cruelties," Says Saramago
LISBON, Oct 21 (IPS)After a nearly two-decade truce, Portuguese Nobel literature laureate José Saramago has returned to the charge against the Catholic Church. This time his target is the Bible itself, which he describes as "a manual of bad morals," and a "catalogue of cruelties and of the worst of human nature."