‘Jon & Kate’ return will help Kate’s image

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

“Jon & Kate Plus 8” returns on Monday, and expect the episode to do nothing but good for Kate Gosselin’s image.

“There’s a lot (of footage) from the beach trip she took with the kids in North Carolina, right after the split was announced,” said someone familiar with the episode.

If there was intrafamily drama between the kids and Kate, it wasn’t evident during much of the filming on tony Bald Head Island, N.C.

“Everyone was well-behaved during the filming you could easily observe in public,” said one Bald Head local. “And Kate went to the gym a few times with her bodyguard, but that was it as far as being without the kids.”

A stark contrast from dad Jon Gosselin’s post-split itinerary. Since the break-up, he’s been spotted in various states of shopping, lounging and socializing in Manhattan, Saint-Tropez, the Hamptons and Shelter Island, NY.

Katherine Heigl’s no good, very long day
Given the number of people who were OK with the idea of Katherine Heigl's Izzie Stevens character being killed off “Grey’s Anatomy,” you’d think the actress might consider being as sweet as possible during any pre-season publicity.

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But when appearing on the “Late Show with David Letterman” to promote her new film, “The Ugly Truth,” Heigl spoke negatively of her days back on the “Grey’s” set. 

“Our first day back was Wednesday and it was — I'm going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them — a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean," she said.

Whoa, Katherine Heigl. Some of your co-workers think that it’s a little early to start griping about the hours.

“It’s an hour-long show,” said one person close to the cast. “When you want a big part, you can expect to work big hours. It’s news to no one that sometimes that means a 17-hour day. Besides, if the talent is there 17 hours, the crew is often there longer. It is what it is.”

More of Emmys to be pre-taped
There’s no disputing the need to switch up the way awards shows are broadcast. As it stands, they’re long, mostly predictable and about as exciting as a box of hair.

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But they’re trying, and among the changes planned for this fall's Emmys: eight of the 28 awards will be pre-taped, and worked into the live broadcast. Among those eight awards, several that go to writing.

A lover, not a hater, I’m willing to keep an open mind, but on the surface, this doesn’t sound like a big improvement. If the award is B-listy enough to be pre-taped, need it be in the broadcast?

Then there’s this: some of the pre-tape awards, though seemingly boring on the surface, are for shows with a big fan base, such as “Mad Men.” If the broadcast is about keeping the audiences happy, it stands to reason including awards centering around shows that attract audiences is a sound means of approach. We’ll see.

Weekend box office

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If a talking animal wins at the box office again this weekend, I give up. So with that said, I cut to the chase and predict this week’s winner involve … talking aliens. What an improvement. “Aliens in the Attic” is opening in 3,100 theaters, which is only slightly more than the Adam Sandler/Judd Apatow comedy (of sorts) “Funny People.”

What will tip the scales for “Aliens” is its PG rating. I’m not sure word of mouth will do much for “Funny People.” Unless there’s real genius, the unfunny premise of a dying comedian coupled with the film’s R rating won’t do it any favors between Friday and Saturday.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter: @ courtneyatmsnbc.

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