Dish Of Salt: Tuesday TV Dish (Maura Tierney Returns To TV)

It’s a busy day today as I run off to tape a special on celebrity moms and get ready for my first ever-backstage interviews at “American Idol” with the contestants after the live performance show. So, just a few quick items for you in today’s Dish.

Tierney’s TV Return

Seven months after announcing she was dropping out of the cast of NBC’s family drama “Parenthood” to undergo cancer treatment to remove a tumor from her breast, Maura Tierney’s rep confirms she is returning to TV for the first time. Maura will reprise her role on F/X’s “Rescue Me” playing Kelly McPhee, a love interest for star Dennis Leary’s character Tommy Gavin. Maura first appeared on the series in season five. She has begun filming her episodes but they won’t air until season seven (which isn’t scheduled to begin airing until 2011). This is not Maura’s first gig since her health crisis though. In February, she returned to work in a play called “North Atlantic,” which opened in Los Angeles and is currently playing in New York City.

Disney’s New Princess

Move over Miley, Selena and Demi. The Disney Channel may have found it’s next big star. The debut of the original series “Good Luck Charlie” launched on Sunday and was the network’s number one Sunday series premiere ever! This was the best premiere for a non-sequel/non-spinoff Disney series since “Hannah Montana” exactly four years ago. “Hannah Montana” is currently filming its fourth and final season, so there is plenty of room for a newcomer to take the reins. Time to meet 17-year-old Bridgit Mendler, who stars in the family friendly sitcom about a teenage girl and her brothers who are helping to raise the new baby in the family. Like most Disney stars, Bridgit was first introduced via another of their hit shows, “Wizards of Waverly Place,” where she played a vampire. (those Disney Channel folks smartly cashing in on that Vampire craze). Just like all of those other Disney teen princess, she too is a singer. Expect to hear and see lot’s more of Bridgit, especially if you have kids aged 4 – 12!

Even more Jersey Programming

Looking to get in on the Jersey hype created by MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”? Oxygen will now be offering “Jersey Couture.” Premiering Tuesday, June 1 at 1 PM ET/PT, this show about an over-the-top dress shop featuring all the things Jersey girls love – leopard prints and bedazzled ball gowns. The docu-soap follows the lives of the Scali family who run the store. Of course, if you can’t wait for that (or Snooki’s poof to return) and you need a bridge-and-tunnel fix sooner, than you can always check out the Style Network’s new show “Jerseyliscious,” about a group of Jersey girls who work at a hair salon. You can imagine the poofs on these chicks! The show is currently airing and apparently it really is Jerseyliscious.

Not to make anyone too jealous but I just received the first three new episodes of “Glee,” I’ll be watching those soon! Check back here tomorrow for my thoughts on them and what happened backstage at “Idol.”

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