Well, more like day-old breaking news. Anyway . . . .

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As I suspected when I heard Adam Scott was joining the cast of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” Paul Schneider is leaving the show. His character, Mark Brendanawicz, was apparently always meant to leave mid-series (riiiight), and Schneider wants to pursue a movie career. But the door’s open for his return, either full-time or in a guest role now and then. The LA Times has a  pretty good interview with Schneider here where he details the whole thing.

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Fox is leaning toward canceling “24” — no surprise there — but Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello is reporting that NBC might pick it up. That would be a bit of a stunner — it’s really rare for networks to pick up sloppy seconds from other networks. (Fox, for example, is loathe to pick up “Better Off Ted” if ABC cancels it, even though it’d immediately be — by far — their funniest sitcom. It’s a pride and a perception thing about taking a show that’s proven to be not good enough for a rival network.) NBC’s interest is particularly surprising given the high cost of “24,” which is a big reason why Fox might cancel it. NBC is bleeding money, and picking up another expensive series seems to be the last thing they need. Plus there’s the fact that the show is pretty much creatively bankrupt. But they’re desperate and have a history of making bad decisions, so . . . .

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Looks like the next season of Bravo’s “Top Chef” will be set in Washington DC. It’s still rumor at this point, but multiple sources, including the Washington Post and DCist, are hearing rumblings. If true, it sounds like a pretty good choice. DC chefs have done well in recent seasons — Spike from Season 4, Carla from Season 5, and Mike I. and Bryan from Season 6. If taping begins in the spring, look for the new season probably around August.