Somehow this show continually finds ways to make headlines — even during a rerun week. People.com is reporting this morning that, according to sources, Katherine Heigl has dropped out of contract talks with ABC/Touchstone in a salary dispute.

“Katie is disappointed and hurt that (producer) Touchstone doesn’t value her as much as her other costars, especially Sandra Oh and Isaiah Washington,” the source says.

Maybe Izzie will be forced to follow Denny into the light. What do you think? Will you miss her if she goes?

Even though I’ve watched “Heroes” religiously since it debuted in the fall, I’ve always had this nagging feeling that something was missing. Yes, the show is visually captivating. And, sure, the characters are cool and the storytelling is packed with a lot of oohs and ahs. But for me, “Heroes” has never carried the emotional oomph that, say, “Lost” had in its spectacular first season.

That changed with last night’s extraordinary episode — my favorite so far.

Not only did we get some shocking revelations (Hiro’s father is WHAT?!), some remarkable twists (HRG ain’t so bad, after all?), a little background on the Invisble Man, and a powerful final scene, we were provided with some genuine personal emotion as we spent almost the whole hour focusing on the Bennett family and the complex bond between father and daughter. Some great stuff there, spiced with solid acting performances.

And didn’t you love those stylish black-and-white flashbacks with the sinister Eric Roberts and the adorable little Hiro?

Last night’s show continued a remarkable run of episodes for “Heroes.” In fact, I’d probably have to say that no series has had a better February sweeps. I can hardly wait for next week.

Photo courtesy of ABC

I really wanted to like Ellen DeGeneres. Really. She’s such a genial, good-natured sort that it’s hard not to root for her. And I thought her style of humor, in many ways, would fit right in at the Oscars, where Hollywood’s overbloated egos don’t mind a little tweaking — as long as it’s done gently and with a measure of respect.

But having just watched ABC’s Academy Awards telecast — one of the most boring in recent memory — I have to say Ellen pretty much tanked. (Here’s my review in today’s TimeOut.)

It wasn’t entirely her fault, of course. That opening talking-head segment was a major kill-joy and all that silliness with the choirs and interpretive dancing played a huge part in sucking the life out of the show.

But Ellen had a chance to at least get things rolling with a dynamite monologue. Sadly, she didn’t deliver. Instead, she provided a flat and rambling opener that had no spark or coherence. I thought she got better as the show wore on as she delved into the audience and provided some offbeat antics. But the show was never able to recover from that wobbly start.

In fact, had it not been for some emotion-packed speeches by Jennifer Hudson, Martin Scorsese and Forest Whitaker, the night would have been a total snoozefest.

So let’s start the rally cry right now: Bring back Chris Rock … or Jon Stewart!

Never let it be said that the TV Freak doesn’t respond to the will of the people. Logan Dobson, one of this blog’s most loyal readers, has been urging, pleading and prodding me to write a post on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” And so I comply. …

“Studio 60,” in case you haven’t heard, was pulled from the NBC schedule earlier than planned. Its time slot this coming Monday will be assumed by the new Irish mob drama, “The Black Donnellys.” (We’ll have a review on Monday). NBC has said “Studio 60″ will return later in the season, but I wouldn’t bet big money on that happening. And there is almost no chance Aaron Sorkin’s backstage drama will be back next season. Ratings for the show have been in a flaming death spiral ever since it debuted.

So what happened? I’ve already written about the woes of “Studio 60″ and I don’t have all that much to add, but being a former sports writer I tend to fall back on my sports analogies: “Studio 60″ was like a team full of highly paid all-stars that fails to win a lot of games because the coach can’t get the individual components to mesh. It’s that simple.

You had Aaron Sorkin, perhaps the best writer in television, working with an incredible cast (Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, etc.) and things never came together for a variety of reasons. The show, especially in the beginning, was too inside-television to be palatable for a mass audience. And Sorkin was too consumed with soap-box preachiness on issues that didn’t resonate with viewers. And I don’t know about you, but I never found myself truly caring about the characters the way I do with top-notch dramas.

I’ve talked a lot about “Studio 60″ with my editor and fellow TV devotee Ardua Harris and we agreed that we’d watch every week and be fascinated with some aspects of the show (we both loved Sarah Paulson’s performance) but also completely exasperated by others.

Like I said, the components just didn’t mesh. And that’s a real shame considering all the promise and potential “Studio 60″ had.

And so Meredith lived. Of course. But not before dragging us through a series of corny after-life fantasy sequences that had my eyes rolling like cherries on a slot machine and my mind wondering: “Is it jump-the-shark time? Already?”

But no matter. Our little Mer lives. And today, her adoring fans are down on their knees, praising Christina for insisting that the doctors try just one more time to revive her. Of course, those viewers who can’t stand Meredith (and there are more than a few) are wishing Christina had just kept her butt in the bar and guzzled a few more brewskies.

Oh, but our night wasn’t completely death-free. Meredith’s mom checked out for good. Guess that was the “devastating” conclusion those breathless ABC promos were promising. May she rest in peace.

Just a few observances before we move on:

– We’re going to miss the outstanding work of actress Kate Burton, who played Meredith’s mom with stern-faced aplomb. I wish the writers could have explored that complex relationship more than they did.

– I could have done without that bleeding blonde in the fantasy sequences. A little too over-the-top for my tastes. So was her acting.

– And so there was this HUGE tragedy down on the pier. A tragedy that had injured people streaming into Seattle Grace. Did anyone else wonder how the hospital’s top surgeons had all that time to spend on Meredith while this HUGE tragedy was playing out?

– Again, the little moments: Derek sleeping next to a recovered Meredith. … Mom and daughter saying their “good-byes.” … Izzie passing Denny in the hall. … Love that stuff.

– For you numbers crunchers, “Grey’s Anatomy” posted a primo rating with 27.7 million viewers in the 9 p.m. hour. That’s a season-high for any scripted series and it was good enough to beat the “American Idol” results show (24.2 million) at 8 p.m.

– And finally, my friend and co-worker, Michiele Roderick, has demanded that I publicly acknowledge her perceptive ways. Days before last week’s episode, she predicted right here on this very blog that Meredith’s mom would be the one dying. We bet on it. I lost. And now I’ll never hear the end of it.

Didn’t catch the “American Idol” results show last night. I was in S.F. taking in a preview showing of the bizarre “Reno 911!” movie (more on that later).

Unfortunately, the Bay Area’s lone representative, Saratoga’s Paul Kim (the barefoot guy), didn’t survive. He was cut, along with Rudy Cardenas, Amy Krebs and Nicole Tranquillo. Apparently, his little gimmick wasn’t enough to sway voters (too much foot fungus on stage?).

Anyway, if it’s an extensive recap you seek, I’ve got one from Craig Berman of MSNBC.com.

Remember how you once looked forward to Seth’s sly quips and Ryan’s brooding? Remember how the opening strains of “California” immediately put you in the mood for some good soapy fun?

Wow, that didn’t last too long, did it? Tonight, the Fox series that started off so red hot, but quickly became strained and grating leaves the air after 92 episodes. Fellow MediaNews critic Charlie McCollum chronicles what went wrong with “The O.C” and you can read his story by clicking here.

Also, if you’re someone who wants to relive the whole “O.C.” experience, please note that SOAPnet has announced it will re-air the show from the very start beginning April 9.

Photo courtesy of FOX

OK, I know this doesn’t jibe with the spirit of the show, but can we just cut to the chase and drop all of the male singers from “American Idol” right now?

After two nights of Top 24 performances, it wasn’t even close. The girls — led by a handful of standouts — so thoroughly waxed the guys that it was almost embarrassing. And what was so remarkable about this throw-down was that it was the girls who had the most, um, shall we say … guts.

Yes, on Tuesday, the male singers were boring, soft, bland, safe and pretty much wussy-like. But on Wednesday, the top female performers — LaKisha Jones, Stephanie Hall, Sabrina Sloan, Jordin Sparks, and Melinda Doolittle — were bold, powerful and absolutely fearless as they rocked the house.

Actually, I missed the Tuesday night “Idol” as we were returning from a Disneyland visit (I apologize for the lack of a morning recap). But via a quick TiVo cram session, I caught up Wednesday evening and seeing the two performance nights back-to-back like that made the differences even more startling.

Wednesday’s show rekindled memories of a couple seasons ago when we had the three divas — Fantasia, La Toya London and Jennifer Hudson — earning raves. Only now, we’ve got five, maybe even six, women who could be real factors.

And it was Jones, who threw down the gauntlet. She had the amazing audacity to end the show with “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” the song that could help win Hudson an Oscar this weekend. And she nailed it, commanding the stage like a seasoned pro. Randy Jackson blurted, “Jennifer Hudson, watch out!” Even Simon Cowell heaped on the praise. “I’m very tempted to say to 23 people, book your plane ticket home,” he said. “That was in a whole different league.”

Stephanie Edwards started the night almost as as strongly as Jones finished it, wowing the judges with a rendition of “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” that reeked of charisma and vitality. “You were a million times better than any performance we saw last night,” Simon gushed. A few performances later, Sabrina Sloan was even better, knocking it out of the park with a sultry version of “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You).”

But they weren’t the only ones making a strong first impression. Jordin Sparks lit a fire with “Give Me One Reason” and Melinda Doolitle did a lot with “Since You’ve Been Gone.” Keep an eye on those two. Gina Glockson didn’t earn quite as much praise for “All By Myself,” but her powerful voice indicates that she might be someone who improves as the competition unfolds.

Of course, not all the women performed brilliantly. Amy Krebs, Antonella Barba and Alaina Alexander, in particular, failed to impress the judges, turning in bland and uninspiring numbers. Two of the three might be gone by tonight.

Meanwhile, the boys better man up — and quickly — or they’re going to get blown off the stage.

They’ve finally announced the “celebrity” lineup for the fourth season of “Dancing With the Stars” and we’ve got some interesting names on the list, including three world-class athletes. Here you go:

LAILA ALI — The undefeated world champion female boxer and youngest daughter of sports legend, Muhammad Ali.

BILLY RAY CYRUS — Singer/songwriter/actor and star of Disney Channel’s hit series, “Hannah Montana”.

CLYDE DREXLER — Former NBA star and member of the 1995 world champion Houston Rockets.

JOEY FATONE — Former member of *NSYNC, now an actor.

SHANDI FINNESSEY — Miss USA, 2004 and host on the Game Show Network.

LEEZA GIBBONS — Former host of “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra” and her self-titled daytime talk-show, “Leeza.”

HEATHER MILLS — United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, activist for Adopt-A-Minefield and Paul McCartney’s estranged wife. She will be the first contestant to compete with an artificial limb.

APOLO ANTON OHNO — Two-time Olympic gold medal-winning short-track speed skater.

VINCENT PASTORE — The actor best known as Big Pussy on “The Sopranos.”

PAULINA PORIZKOVA — Former supermodel and Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue cover girl.

IAN ZIERING — Actor best known as a castmember of “Beverly Hills 90210.”

The fourth season of “Dancing With the Stars” debuts on March 19.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that ABC and “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes are currently hatching a pilot episode for a spin-off of the wildly popular medical soap.

The spin-off would center around Addison, the sexy neonatal surgeon played by San Jose’s Kate Walsh. If things proceed according to plan, the two-hour pilot would air in May and the new series would launch next fall.

Let’s just hope we don’t have another “Joey” on our hands.