BY STAFF

James Van Der Beek, most known for his role in “Dawson’s Creek” back in his 20’s, is set to return to television tonight as Dr. Joe Briggs on NBC’s “Mercy. James told ET, “With this, they were offering me the opportunity to play a brilliant, arrogant, cocky doctor on a show that is already on the air and already working.”

After being launched into a 6 year stint on “Dawson’s Creek” when he was only in his 20’s, he says that he needed some time to recover from it. Well now he is back and ready to take the screen again as well as stick around this time.

Read more from ET.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Broderick has booked the lead role in a new pilot entitled “Beach Lane.” The new show, which is a multi-camera pilot for NBC, is from creators Paul Simms and Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. The story follows Broderick as a celebrity author who is recruited to bring a local newspaper back to life in the Hamptons.

To read more go to The Hollywood Reporter.

AP reports that Conan O’Brien and NBC have finally reached a deal for him to have a $45 million exit deal. Jay Leno will resume hosting on “The Tonight Show” while O’Brien is in the process of leaving the network. NBC and O’Brien released the statement, “Under terms of an agreement that was signed earlier today, NBC and O’Brien will settle their contractual obligations and the network will release O’Brien from his contract, freeing him to pursue other opportunities after September 1, 2010.” As part of the deal, O’Brien will walk away with $33 million with the remaining going to his staff.

O’Brien’s last appearance on “The Tonight Show” will be January 22. Jay Leno will be leaving his famous “The Jay Leno Show” on Feb. 11 and then start on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on March 1.

To read more go to AP.

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), NBC and dick clark productions (dcp) have developed “Golden Globes Week”; an online experience featuring exclusive preview content in support of the upcoming “67th Annual Golden Globe Awards” airing live in all time zones on NBC, January 17, 2010 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. The “Golden Globes Week” series will stream on NBC.com, Facebook.com/Celebs, Ustream and other partner sites through the official widget. The full week of previews will kickoff “Golden Globes Week” beginning Monday, January 11th. The widget can be downloaded at http://www.nbc.com/goldenglobesallaccess and http://dickclark.com/globes.

The streams will feature exclusive content packed with action during “Golden Globes Week” including: “Golden Globes Week: Daily Update,” “One-on-One with Ricky Gervais,” “Golden Globes Live! The Day Before,” “Golden Globes Red Carpet Live!” and “Golden Globes Live! All Access Pass.” Additional information below.

Philip Berk, president of the HFPA stated, “This is the first year the HFPA has taken on such an active relationship online. We are bringing consumers a new platform with a full week of exclusive content. We are engaging both existing and new viewers worldwide.”

“Golden Globes Week: Daily Update” (Monday Jan. 11th through Thursday Jan. 14th)

The Daily Update will include a daily countdown of Golden Globes related events, updates from the executive producer, updates from Digg.com and Mashable.com and a retrospective countdown.

“One-on-One with Ricky Gervais” (Friday Jan. 15th)

Host, Ricky Gervais sits down with fans around the world to discuss the Globes. Users can submit questions for Ricky to answer through their Facebook status updates and through Ustream’s social stream.

“Golden Globes Live! The Day Before” (Saturday Jan. 16th)

The Day Before will feature host, expert and consumer commentary on what to expect the next day, award predictions, Beverly Hilton’s preparations and interviews with celebrities and producers.

“Golden Globes: Red Carpet Live!” (Sunday Jan. 17th)

Tune-in for multi-host/multi-camera red carpet coverage including celebrity interviews and expert commentary (fashion, film, hair, fitness, and lifestyle).

“Golden Globes Live! All Access Pass.” (Sunday Jan. 17th)
All Access Pass takes you inside the Beverly Hilton for backstage access including commentary on the Globes, social media updates from Facebook, press room coverage, celebrity interviews, after party access and more.

The widget was designed by Los Angeles based Opera New Media and built using Sprout builder technology. For the first time ever, there will also be a free iPhone application developed by Mobile Roadie for consumers to track the Golden Globes action from their mobile phones.”

Source: dick clark productions, inc.

The awards will air live on NBC at 6 p.m. PST from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.