At this point we’re far more informed than we’d like to be when it comes to all the freaky diet methods celebrities use to shed pounds and pull off that whole homeless glam look Colin Farrell’s currently sporting. But while A-listers tend to either keep mum on the subject (like Katie Holmes and Renee Zellweger) or blab endlessly about being “obsessed with potato chips!” and eating “fried food every day!” (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angelina Jolie), the press-hungry lesser-knowns have yet to learn the rules. In the upcoming issue of TV Guide, ten small-screen stars commit major overshares about how their body obsession is weighing on their mindgrapes. Find out who dropped major pounds just because TMZ published pictures of her “very, very soft” stomach, who only vacuums in heels to tone her calves, and which former “fat baby” admits to working out for over an hour every day, after the jump.

Critically acclaimed but chronically low-rated jock opera Friday Night Lights managed to sneak in a third season thanks to a unique deal between NBC Universal and DirecTV. But the network has built an interesting window into the release — the episodes will premiere on DirecTV's "The 101" channel in October, but not air in prime time until February. The episodes also won't be available on Hulu until NBC airs them next year, which makes no sense at all.

NBC announced its "year-round" lineup today, and introduced new categorized programming blocks. Specifically, the 8-9pm "family hour," the 9pm "blockbuster hour," and the 10pm "adult themes" hour. Ooh adult themes! What scintillating, mature shows can we except to enjoy once those Biggest Loser-loving kids have tottered off to bed? Exciting, edgy shows like Law & Order and... uh, ER... and... oof... Lipstick Jungle. HBO this is not. Newer "adult" shows like The Philanthropist, with its Barry Levinson/Tom Fontana pedigree, could be interesting, but most of the programming looks mighty safe. Most notable about the announcment, perhaps, is the return of Friday Night Lights, which you self-righteous quality television-huggers ought to be happy about (as well as you self-satisfied TV critics). Also, did you know that Deal or No Deal and Medium are "blockbusters"? [THR] Full programming schedule after the jump.

The perenially ratings challenged yet highly adored Friday Night Lights has been on life support ever since the WGA Strike shut production down on the show's second season. First, Peacock Emperor Ben Silverman gave the show the Diss Of Death ("Unfortunately, no one watches it. That's the thing with shows. People have to watch them.") in an interview with Radar. Then, the good people over at Bestweekever.tv launched a spirited internet campaign in an attempt to save the show, only to be shut down days later by the shortsighted suits at Viacom. But just when it appeared that the guillotine was ready to fall, Nikki Finke is reporting that the show is set to be picked up for a third season, thanks to a unique partnership formed between NBC and DirectTV.

Friday Night Lights, that Texas high-school football drama with a surprisingly faggy fan base, has been saved. Usually well-informed blogger, Nikki Finke, says the NBC series will be distributed on Direct TV; that's enough to offset lackluster ratings and bring the critically-acclaimed show back for a third season. Watch this time! The characters, particularly the football coach and his harried wife, have a quality rare on TV, credibility. And even foreign snobs, who know nothing about sports, get into Friday Night Lights. It must be good. After the jump, disabled former football star, Jason, begs a girl he barely knows to have his baby.

The plight of Friday Night Lights is a familiar one. Everybody likes it, but its ratings have been as handicapped as Jason Street. So, what's a network to do? First NBC tried moving it to Friday, then they tried injecting an off-putting murder subplot, but still no Nielsen love. Then the nice folks at bestweekever.tv got in on the act with their "Save Friday Night Lights Campaign" involving light bulbs and a petition, but even that was kiboshed by the Vh1 brass. Just when things were looking like the show would go the way of the dodo and Arrested Development, a new hope has arisen.

Friday Night Lights, that show that no one watches but everyone loves, may be getting a stay of execution. The "football as metaphor for small town America" program (and especially its lead pair, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton) has a rabid cult following and support from critics and Neel Shahs all over the place, which has kept it afloat far longer than a low rated show should expect. With the strike, though, it looked like FNL had snapped the ball one last shaky-camera-ed, beautifully scored time. Sad, emotive bloggers (and some of my friends) would not stop moaning about it. But, lo! What light over yonder bleachers breaks?

NBC's Friday Night Lights spent most of its first season enjoying official Critical Darling status while enduring ratings just north of zilch. However, during its second season, some early-season creative missteps began to erode the large base of critical support it once enjoyed. Making matters even worse, its ratings remained abysmal, which led the Peacock Emperor to make this now infamous pronouncement about the show: "Unfortunately, no one watches it. That's the thing with shows. People have to watch them." (Ed Note: SNAP!) These two factors have led to widespread speculation that tonight's episode of FNL will end up as being both the season and series finale. But wait, all is not lost. Those rabble rousers over at Best Week Ever have a plan to save the show! A plan that involves ... light bulbs?

Virginia Heffernan (and supposedly other people) lives in constant dread that her beloved Friday Night Lights will be canceled. It's her favorite show but draws only half the viewers of many other, dumber shows. Heffernan, the our favorite breathless TV critic, mournfully parses the situation in the Times Magazine, and it's sort of like when your articulate but totally misguided friend explains why nobody's into her fiance. She chalks up the show's flop to the unwavering artistic integrity of its creators and a lack of sophistication that leads laypeople to reject high art, just like when Shakespeare wrote the totally under-appreciated first season and a half of Hamlet. Hey, remember the time Heffernan compared lonelygirl15 to Jane Austen? We sure do. [New York Times]

When the producers of critically acclaimed but struggling™ NBC drama Friday Night Lights needed to find a suitable replacement for Mexico for an upcoming episode set in our friendly, NAFTA-compliant neighbors to the south, they chose that of Brownsville, TX—a 91% Latino community bordering the Rio Grande. As reported by the Brownsville Herald, however, a casting call seeking Mexican-American extras turned up scant few hopefuls. It's a disappointment producers are blaming on the rain:

Having already signed on to reprise her role as horny, nouveau-riche plastic surgery addict Dawn Budge in Nip/Tuck's upcoming season, Rosie O'Donnell's primetime prospects continue to grow: First, with an invitation to appear on the Ben Silverman-masterminded celebrity edition of The Apprentice, and now, with an offer from struggling-yet-beloved NBC drama Friday Night Lights. TVGuide.com has the exclusive: