Monday morning, radio shock jock Howard Stern confirmed the rumor that Fox is considering him as a replacement for exiting American Idol judge Simon Cowell. But it’s going to take a lot of money to get him to sit still at the judges table in 2011.

Howard Stern to Replace Simon Cowell on Idol?

“There’s not a better job on the planet than judging that ****ing karaoke contest,” Stern said on his satellite radio show. “It might be possible, we’ll see,” he added. “They’d have to pay me a ton of dough because I already make a ton of dough.”

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Stern’s $500-million, 5-year contract with Sirius is up at the end of the year, and the outspoken personality says he’d have no problem critiquing pop-star hopefuls if Fox were able to match his current annual salary.

“A $100 million to judge a karaoke contest? Yeah, I would do that show for $100 million,” he said.

Kate Gosselin would like to chalk up her third New York Times bestseller.

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The reality TV star and mother of eight is set to release her third book, I Just Want You to Know: Letters to My Kids on Love, Faith and Family on April 13. Gosselin, who finalized her divorce with Jon Gosselin in December, says she felt compelled to write the book for her kids, according to MSNBC.

“Each day the thought crosses my mind that when they get older, my kids are going to look back and think about how they were raised,” Gosselin said. “I know they will have a lot of questions about things that may not make sense because they were raised so unconventionally. I don’t want them to grow up and wonder; I want them to know without a shadow of a doubt how much I love them and how much every sacrifice made was worth it for them.” Read the full story

The New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M-A-S-H” to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.

“It was one of those magical moments that you don’t often see in sports,” said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday’s Super Bowl. The “M-A-S-H” record was 105.97 million.
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Ty Burrell stars as Phil Dunphy, a dad who often tries too hard, in ABC's 'Modern Family.' (AP)

A young man arrived at Ty Burrell’s hotel room to stock the minibar and immediately recognized the co-star of the ABC comedy “Modern Family.”

He loved the show.

Thanks, Burrell replied. The man went on to quietly describe how his family gathered each week to watch “Modern Family” together, and because of those group viewings, he was getting to know his younger siblings better.

“I know we’re not curing cancer,” said Burrell, who portrays the earnest goofball dad Phil Dunphy, “but it feels nice to see people affected by the show.”
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On the hit series House, Lisa Edelstein has always been in the shadow of Hugh Laurie, who plays the medical drama’s dominating lead doctor. But now she’s getting a chance to put her own character, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, front and center in tonight’s all-new episode.

But that’s not to say that one key question won’t remain: Will Cuddy and House ever get beyond the sexual tension and have a relationship? Parade.com’s Jeanne Wolf found out that Edelstein is hedging her bets. Read the full story

A judge has modified a protective order allowing actor Charlie Sheen and his wife, Brooke, to see each other as Sheen faces domestic violence allegations.

Prosecutors filed charges of felony menacing, third-degree assault and criminal mischief against Sheen stemming from his arrest Dec. 25 at his Aspen home. He faces up to three years in prison on the menacing charge.

He did not enter a plea Monday. Further proceedings are scheduled March 15.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Super Bowl viewers were rubbing their eyes at the sight of a TV spot pairing CBS late-night host David Letterman with longtime NBC archrival Jay Leno, plus media magnate Oprah Winfrey.

Appearing early in the CBS-aired game Sunday, the ad depicted Letterman and Leno glumly sharing a couch watching the Super Bowl, with Winfrey seated between them trying to make peace. Read the full story

Career Builder: Casual Friday

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6 p.m.

So this isn’t a commercial, but the Jay-Z intro is pretty impressive, because drum beats = drama, and have that lovely orchestral backing that scream “Important sports documentary moment.” And it doesn’t involve Diddy, which everything seemed to about five years ago, so all the better.

You know what’s not a Super Bowl commercial but that I love anyway? Those surreally cheesy Bedding Barn ads with the weird dude in the cape and the women in the costumes playing drums and the big red barn they’ve been using since 1987. It’s the most consistent “What that higgity was that?” moment in advertising, and it’s so awful you gotta love it. Read the full story

When I first read that comedian and writer Carol Leifer had written a memoir, I remember thinking "Yes! A book about a celebrity whose life story and body of work actually justify text longer than ‘And then I did something dumb, and then I was in a tabloid, and then I did something else dumb, and then I wrote this book.’ "

Leifer, after all, has one heck of a résumé — stand-up, writer for Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live and The Larry Sanders Show, frequent late night talk show guest and, coming soon, a stint as a would-be acolyte of The Donald on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice.

And then there’s her personal life, which, as you know, is where most stand-ups get their best stuff — divorced and having dated men for most of her life, she met and fell for a woman and renewed her commitment to Judaism with a Bat Mitzvah in her 40s, adopted a son with her partner, Lori, in her 50s, and became a vegan.

The funny/sad/moving/beautifully resonate result is When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win, which Leifer will talk about over cocktails and Greek munchies at an event Monday at Ouzo Blue in PGA Commons, sponsored by the Jewish Community Centers of the Palm Beaches.

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