Okay, so that title is a little misleading... although, one of the two men these impressions are of will be hailed as the new President of the United States in a few months.

With the season 14 premiere a mere few weeks away, what better time to give you the first piece of information we have been made aware of regarding what you can expect to see? While most of us have grown used to Keegan Michael Key's Barack Obama and Nicole Parker's Hilary Clinton impressions over the last two years, with Hilary now out of the running, its time for the show to introduce an impression of Republican candidate John McCain to feature in the shows political satire.

In true MADtv tradition, the show is taking a big risk by casting someone none of us expected would ever be cast for the role. Perhaps it is a response to the controversial casting of Fred Armisen as Obama on SNL, perhaps he was just the best suited person for the job, perhaps it was neither of these things... but I can now reveal to you that none other than Bobby Lee will be debuting his John McCain impression in episode #1401. Also making their first mark in the presidential stakes will be Arden Myrin's Nancy McCain and Erica Ash's Michelle Obama impression.

Here's what FOX's official release has to say about the premiere:

MADtv returns for a 14th season of off-the-wall humor and side-splitting laughs. Keegan-Michael Key and Erica Ash are "Barack and Michelle Obama" and they join Bobby Lee and Arden Myrin as "John and Cindy McCain" on a spoof of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: PRESIDENTIAL EDITION. The McCains try to impress the judges with their waltz as the Obamas try to win votes with their hip-hop number on the season premiere episode of MADtv airing Saturday, Sept. 13.

Just to remind you all, the new cast of regulars includes returning favorites Crista Flanagan, Keegan Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker and Johnny Sanchez. They will be joined by Matt Braunger and new featured players Erica Ash, Eric Price and Lauren Pritchard. The season premiere is on September 13th this year, and the show will, hopefully, be taking a step back towards the favored format by being shot, in part, in a brand new theatre. So those of you who were left disappointed by season 13, give this new season a chance before you pull the plug completely. You may be pleasantly surprised!

After months of blackmail both administered and received, we can at last reveal everything you could possibly want to know about Season 14 of "MADtv," at least before it debuts. All right, admittedly, we will not be reporting what Nicole Parker ate for breakfast this morning; nevertheless, with this update, rest assured that you will have all the Season 14 information with which any rational fan will be more than happy. Here, then, is your full scoop on the upcoming season, complete with brown chips which have not been conclusively identified as chocolate.

Let us begin by introducing you to our final addition to the Season 14 "MADtv" cast. According to this article, the fourth newbie for the upcoming season will be the lovely, versatile Erica Ash. Smile prettily for the camera, dear:



As is the case with Eric Price and Lauren Pritchard, Erica will be joining the "MADtv" cast as a featured player. According to her impressive resume, which can be found here, Erica's experience with televised sketch comedy does not actually begin with "MADtv." For two seasons, she has been a cast member on "The Big Gay Sketch Show," which, coincidentally, is directed by "MADtv" mainstay Amanda Bearse. Add to that stint her various appearances in theatrical productions and commercials, her numerous voiceovers for video games, and a list of special skills that makes most of us look downright boring by comparison; and Erica Ash may have just what it takes to survive on a show that has always prided itself on multifaceted cast members. Erica, here is hoping that you get to stick around for a while on FOX's late-night sketch comedy series.

In other news, what would a final Season 14 update be without one last surprise farewell? Fans of Jordan Peele's "MADtv" work will no doubt feel a sense of emptiness as the show's resident Morgan Freeman impersonator ends his five-year run as a cast member. Apparently, Jordan somehow managed to escape the rumored coercion by "MADtv" to squeeze a few more episodes out of its five-year players. Unfortunately, it is not known at this time whether he, Nicole Parker, and Keegan-Michael Key drew straws to determine who would get to leave after Season 13 or whether Quincy Jones simply went "eenie-meenie-miney-mo" to determine their fates. At any rate, Jordan, we at Planet MADtv hate to see you go; and we wish you the best of success in whatever showbiz endeavors you decide to pursue from this point on. Thanks for the many laughs!

Next, we can confirm that Season 14 of "MADtv" will be shot at the Sunset Bronson Studios, which are both the original location of the Warner Bros. Studios and the current home of CW affiliate KTLA, Channel 5, in Los Angeles, CA. Although we will obviously have to wait until the Season 14 debut, on September 13th, to see how these new facilities will work out for the cast, something tells me that most, if not all, of the series' diehard fans will no doubt wet themselves with glee over the sheer mention of the word studio. While Sunset Bronson Studios may not be the original "MADtv" home we all knew and loved for twelve years, I think it has to be considered a major step up from the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater. Unlike that almost roundly hated facility, Sunset Bronson will probably not inspire fans to wish all season long for a well-placed wrecking ball to find its way into the exterior walls. Enjoy your new and (we assume) vastly improved, home, you crazy Season 14 cast members, you!

Fittingly, we will conclude this "full scoop" update by reminding you of all the cast members who will be enjoying these new quarters during Season 14 of "MADtv," as well as providing you with a recap of those who will not. Established series regulars who will help provide the Season 14 fun are Crista Flanagan, Keegan-Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, and Johnny Sanchez. Joining them will be new series regular Matt Braunger and three new featured players, Erica Ash, Eric Price, and Lauren Pritchard. Sadly, we have been forced at gunpoint to accept the departures of Season 13 featured players Daheli Hall, Anjelah Johnson, and Dan Oster; five-year veteran Jordan Peele; and the show's longest-running cast member ever, ten-year stalwart Michael McDonald. All in all, it will be very interesting to see how everything unfolds come September 13th. Can you handle the anticipation? I know I can. Season 14 of "MADtv," the world awaits.

As the anticipation for Season 14 of "MADtv" builds to a whimpering crescendo, let the discussion of its sordid details commence in earnest. If, like me, you have already moistened several pairs of Hanes with pleasure juice over what will be yet another abbreviated season, then you are already in the perfect frame of mind to receive the following newsworthy tidbits regarding the upcoming season, few though they may be at this time. For now, we have confirmation on at least one fan favorite's definite return, as well as a truckload of speculation about a few other cast members' Season 14 fates. Now that I have you on the edge of your bean-bag chair, the one littered with Cheetos and dandruff, let us begin dissecting who will be doing what next season.

Perhaps the only truly humane way to begin this discussion of the cast members' futures is to let all of you Crista Flanagan fans ("Flanboys"?) off the hook. Allow me to assuage your many fears by reassuring you that your favorite Krumpin' Klown; nervous standup comic; and curly, wet dream will indeed be back for Season 14. Granted, this news comes as hardly a shock to any fan who has been paying close attention. After all, this will be Crista's fifth season on "MADtv," her fourth as a full-time repertory player; and her popularity seems to grow exponentially with each passing season. At any rate, if you love you some Crista, then get ready to love her some more in the not-so-distant future.

Other than the assurance of Crista's return, however, we have nothing concrete to report at this time. Still, permit me to remind you of some other casting possibilities, especially since we have nothing better to do right now. Although Bobby Lee originally indicated that Season 13 would be his last (see this thread if you need a refresher course), we have a fair amount of reason to believe that he could in fact change his mind. Therefore, suffice it to say that if Bobby dashes your Season 14 hopes by daring to stick around for a little while longer, then you have had ample warning in this regard. Also, since Nicole Parker, a five-season cast member, is sticking around for eight Season 14 episodes per a rumored power play by the higher-ups (read up here), we should not be at all surprised if the show's other remaining five-seasoners, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, are around next season for a similar number of episodes. In other words, aside from the certain returns of Nicole and Crista, the only thing we can be certain of at this time is our uncertainty. Par for the course, dead grass and all.

The good news, though, is that we will not have to wait much longer for the final spiked shoe to drop; for the Season 14 cast will be finalized in mid-June. The accompanying bad news, naturally, is that those who are anticipating further news on the aforementioned cast members, as well as word on the fates of other cast members not mentioned here, will have a little more waiting to do. Simply put, if you want the hot scoops on these comings and goings before they cool off, then stay tuned to Planet MADtv for further updates.

With MADtv's thirteenth season now behind us (along with, we can only hope, most of the unfavorable changes that came with it), the show's cast has turned its attention to a variety of summer side-projects. As we await this year's customary batch of information leaks about the upcoming season, let's take a moment to examine what's in the cards for the lovely Crista Flanagan, shall we?

From Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the creative visionaries who brought you such non-invasive lobotomy substitutes as Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, Date Movie, Epic Movie, and Meet the Spartans, comes what's sure to be their latest low-cost, high-grossing box-office smash, Disaster Movie -- a title film critics will surely have a field day with, and one that reads like a Simon Cowell zinger just waiting to happen. Details on the upcoming train-wreck are sparse at this time, but we're able to confirm that poor, poor Crista (who, we can only assume, lost a bet with these two somewhere along the line) has been cast as, appropriately enough, a very pregnant Juno -- the titular character from last year's indie film of the same name. What kind of jimmity-jams will Juno find herself in this time around? Well, word on the street, homeslice, is that this disaster-in-the-making centers on a group of young friends -- Juno, hopefully, among them -- who, when every known natural disaster hits town on the same night, are tasked with making their way to safety and solving a series of mysteries to end the destruction. Joining Crista in her adventures -- adventures, of course, that will surely amount to little more than the glue between hackneyed parody after hackneyed parody -- are Nicole Parker and Ike Barinholtz, both of whom were brought in to play indeterminate roles. It seems safe to assume that their trademark Britney Spears and Dane Cook impressions will make an appearance at some point -- after all, what film about disasters would be complete without those two? -- but again, we have nothing concrete to go on at this time. Beyond that, if past Friedberg/Seltzer joints are any indication, it's entirely possible that one or more of the three could end up playing additional parts as well, which begs the question: Who else just voided their bowels in excitement?

Originally slated to primarily be a parody of Superbad, this Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, and Vanessa Minnillo-fronted effort -- because, after all, who better to play the leads in a comedy than a Playboy model, a vapid socialite, and one of the many post-Carson Daly hosts of "TRL"? -- has, apparently, drifted far, far away from its roots. Of course, then again, maybe it hasn't -- perhaps Superbad is, in fact, still a key theme. Who knows? With an official plot synopsis of "a group of young friends embark on a wacky, life-changing adventure", one gets the feeling that not even Friedberg and Seltzer know what they're doing this time around and are simply making things up as they go along. In any case, Disaster Movie hits theaters on August 29th, and will surely hit your local Blockbuster's bargain bin shortly thereafter. If you're a fan of Crista, Nicole, or Ike, be sure to check this one out at some point -- preferably when a "fast forward" button is in reach. Oh, and if you're a fan of the film's directors, be sure to grab the nearest gun and put a bullet in your head. We at Planet MADtv thank you for your cooperation.

On the complete opposite end of the artistic integrity spectrum comes word that AMC's "Mad Men" has been renewed for a second season spanning thirteen episodes, and guess who's returning to reprise her role as Lois Sadler? If you said "Nicole Parker", I'd recommend taking another glance at the title of the article you're currently reading and, perhaps, developing some small semblance of short-term memory. Since its debut last summer, "Mad Men" has been a darling of both critics and the general public alike, and has already won numerous awards, including an Art Directors Guild award for the episode "Shoot" -- one of two episodes Crista appeared in last season. Despite being quite the work of art herself, it's hard to imagine she in any way factored into the award committee's decision; still, there's always this year to make an impression. Season 2 of "Mad Men" premieres on July 27th, so if you're a fan of Crista or just plain ol' good television in general, be sure to mark this one on your calendar! Will Lois make any further progress in her quest to get into the pants of closeted homosexual, Salvatore Romano? Will the show's hair & makeup department bestow upon her a hairdo that accentuates rather than downplays her immense beauty? Will she receive more than five minutes of screen-time throughout the entire season this time around? The answers to all these questions and more will be revealed this summer/fall on AMC! It's once again unknown at this point in which episodes our bright-eyed belle will appear, but this post will, of course, be updated as further details come in.

To those who were hoping to learn of Crista's status for Season 14 of MADtv here, I'm afraid we have nothing to report at this time. Word can't be too far off now, though, so be sure to stay tuned to Planet MADtv for further updates! Unless the powers that be choose to announce this year's cast lineup the moment it's finalized (hint: they won't), we will, as always, be the first site to carry the news!

Ike Barinholtz may be gone from "MADtv"; but he and current "MADtv" cast member Crista Flanagan will soon be appearing together in a new comedy film, Hunting and Fishing, slated for a 2008 release. Granted, Hunting and Fishing itself may be new; nevertheless, it comes to us via the same, old assembly line as the sequel-happy Scary Movie series of films. Still, one supposes that in "MADtv" circles, these things actually count as progress. Observant Crista fans will note that the film's directors, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, directed her earlier this year in Epic Movie. Hunting and Fishing will mark Ike's first gig with the dynamic directing duo, and what better post-"MADtv" launch into A-list fame could Ike ask for than the anonymously titled character "Prophet #1"? As for Crista's character, it is being billed as "Ugly Betty/Spartan Girl." When one considers that other characters in Hunting and Fishing are named "Ryan Seacrest," "Sanjaya," and "K-Fed," one wonders if Crista's "Ugly Betty" has anything in common with the eponymous character of the ABC television series. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we have no way to gauge since additional details are not known at this time. Cue the broken record: stay tuned for further updates!

Special thanks go to blackwind for this story's submission.

Well, boys and girls, the confirmation train just pulled into the station.

Here is your final Season 13 cast:

Returning: Crista Flanagan, Keegan-Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Michael McDonald, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, Jordan Peele
Joining: Anjelah Johnson, Dan Oster, Johnny Sanchez
Departing: Ike Barinholtz, Frank Caeti, Lisa Donovan, Nicole Randall Johnson

Because we had the vast majority of this nailed down as early as June, there's only one real surprise here: Boom Chicago's Dan Oster is our final new cast member. Here's what we know about him at this stage:

• He's a Los Angeles native.
• He wears glasses.
• He has performed with Ultimate Improv and Boom Chicago.
• He doesn't have an IMDb profile.
• He *does* have a YouTube profile.
• He was signed as either a featured player or a series regular.
• His first name is Dan.
• His last name is Oster.
• He, apparently, is a human male between the ages of 18 and 40.

Stretching a little, I know. Dan: If you're reading this, please drop us a line! We need more information!

With casting now wrapped up like a mummy in Jeffrey Dahmer's freezer, let's move on to the show itself. Over the course of the past five updates, we've painted a near-complete picture of what to expect from MADtv's upcoming season. To summarize (and to add a few new tidbits):

• Season 13 premieres on September 15th. The first episode will be #1301.
• If history is any indication, expect three new episodes to air (September 15th, 22nd, and 29th) before baseball season commences. Because shooting doesn't begin until October, these episodes will be comprised of S12 holdover sketches.
• Barring a shooting schedule change, don't expect to see Anjelah, Johnny, or Dan before November.
• While 18 episodes will be shot this season, it's believed that 22 will air when all is said and done. Unfortunately, this cannot be definitively confirmed one way or the other until the season finale date is announced.
• Shooting has been moved to the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Hollywood, which, supposedly, "will enhance [MADtv's] live-event feeling". Sadly, pre-taping your episodes will then nullify said enhancement. Better luck next time, boys!
• Because the show's budget has once again been slashed, remotes will be utilized in greater numbers this season. For those who aren't aware, a "remote" is a segment shot on location (out-on-the-town sketches, red carpets, etc.). As I'm sure you can imagine, no costumes and few to no props = muchos savings!
• The landmark 300th episode will air on November 17th. No further details are known at this point.
• Former executive producer Dick Blasucci has been sent packing, and replacing him are head writer John Crane and director Bruce Leddy. These two will join forces with long-time executive producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones to form the ultimate cast-hushing, information-withholding, uber-authoritarian dream team!
• On the topic of the new season, David Salzman has stated: "Our plan is to preserve the fast-paced, cutting-edge pop culture parodies and audience-favorite characters while adding more topicality, fresh new elements and a real theater setting." Fresh new elements, eh? Oh, David -- you're so mysterious!

So, there you have it -- the full scoop on S13 almost two whole months before the premiere! To our many sources both inside and out, we thank you for making all of this possible. Beyond that, a big wet one goes out to those who provided exclusive information. We couldn't have done this without you, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude! For those who are keeping score, I'd like to note that we were once again right on every single account. First and second rules of Planet MADtv: do NOT question Planet MADtv!

In other Crista news, it seems our favorite big-eyed beauty has landed herself a recurring role on the new AMC show "Mad Men". Never heard of it? Join the club. Here's the jazz from the official site:

The Setting: In 1960, advertising agencies were an all-powerful influence on the masses. Personal and professional manipulation and sexual exploits defined the workplace and closed the deals. The high profile Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency created advertising campaigns -- from cigarettes to political candidates -- better than anyone. It was a time of great ferment. Women had barely begun to come into their own. Librium and birth control were on the move. Ethics in the workplace, smoke-free environments, sexual harassment and ethnic diversity were workshops of the future.

The Premise: The series depicts the sexual exploits and social mores of this most innovative yet ruthless profession, while taking an unflinching look at the ad-men who shaped the hopes and dreams of Americans on a daily basis.

The Players: The series revolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper (Hamm), the biggest ad man (and ladies man) in the business, and his colleagues at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. As Don makes the plays in the boardroom and the bedroom, he struggles to stay a step ahead of the rapidly changing times and the young executives nipping at his heels. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960 traditional family values.

"Mad Men" premieres July 19th, 10:00pm EST on AMC. While Crista's character isn't slated to appear for another few weeks yet, be sure to tune in tomorrow if you want to get a feel for the show. When available, this post will, of course, be updated with further information about her appearances.

UPDATE (08/28): Crista's first episode, "The Hobo Code", is scheduled to air on September 6th. Presumably, she will continue to appear on the show each week until her character is phased out.

UPDATE (09/01): AMC's site has just been updated with a preview of "The Hobo Code". Stop by for a sneak peek at Crista's character, Lois Sadler.

Crista Flanagan is returning to MADtv for Season 13. That is all.