Bummer news for those who still watch Fox’s “House,” the medical procedural unofficially and loosely based on Sherlock Holmes, as the show has been canceled, effective at the end of the season. Yes, the show is stale; yes, “House” has been repeating itself for years, and yes it’s almost painfully predictable. But it was once a good show, and it’s still one of Fox’s better dramas, and whether you like the show anymore or not, television is better with Hugh Laurie.

According to the NYTimes:

“After much deliberation, the producers of House MD have decided that this season of the show, the 8th, should be the last.

“By April this year they will have completed 177 episodes, which is about 175 more than anyone expected back in 2004,” the statement said.

“He should never be the last one to leave the party. How much better to disappear before the music stops, while there is still some promise and mystique in the air,” the statement said.

The decision was partly motivated by a desire to preserve the main character, Dr Gregory House, as an “enigmatic creature”.

I don’t expect there will be too much sadness. Even the 10 million viewers or so that continue to hang on are probably just listlessly waiting it out, half-focused on another formulaic plot. Most expected that this would be the last season, anyway.

Laurie has said that he will not do another TV show after “House,” but I suspect there are enough meaty roles in British television to lure him out at some point.

No finale date has been set.

Not pictured: Stage Manager Debbie Williams

After 16-year-old Symone Black finishes a perfectly pleasant performance of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” during last night’s “American Idol,” she begins talking with the judges. Randy asks her why she chose that song. She answers, “I wanted to reach out to an older crowd,” and Dawg E. Dawg begins teasing her, responding with, “You’re saying we’re older?” What a card. Symone then visibly begins to stumble and trip over her words, and, like so many other women who have been within 10 feet of Steven Tyler, she collapses and falls off the stage.

And the episode ends, with a voiceover instructing viewers to tune in tomorrow to see whether Symone Black LIVES or DIES. More or less. It’s a di*k move on “Idol”‘s part, taking advantage of a young woman possibly having a seizure for higher ratings. But if you’re surprised that a Fox show would exploit someone, you clearly haven’t seen “The Littlest Groom” or “Who’s Your Daddy?” or “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé.” I love Fox.

Also in last night’s episode: Jim Carrey’s daughter, Jane, performed Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” but didn’t sing it out her back door. I guess the skill doesn’t run in the family.

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The Middle/Suburgatory/Modern Family/Happy Endings (ABC) – Based on nothing but the preview photos on the “Happy Endings” website, it looks like Max steals a limo and Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) gets busted for prostitution. Sheesh, ABC. That’s dark. (NOTE: All but “Modern Family” are Valentine’s Day episodes. I assume this will result in all the single viewers sitting at home in pajamas and crying into a tub of cookie dough ice cream. I’ve seen a bunch of rom-coms.)

Person to Person (CBS) – The old Edward R. Murrow interview show is getting rebooted, with tonight’s episode featuring George Clooney and Jon Bon Jovi giving tours of their homes. How fantastic! [sells plasma to cover student loan payment]

Revenge (ABC) – How can you call your show “Revenge” and not give anyone a sword? All good revenges have swords. That’s, like, Revenge 101.

Whitney/Are You There Chelsea/American Idol (NBC, FOX) – NO.

Hillbilly Handfishin’ (Animal Planet) – From TV Guide: “A couple from Baltimore hopes a fishing adventure can save their marriage.” Read that sentence a few times to let it sink in. Really let the whole thing wash over you.

Top Chef: Texas (Bravo) – Every episode of this season should have been very fat men in overalls cooking barbecue. There you go, I fixed it. Where do I get my check? Wait, scrap that. Pay me in barbecue. Bring the truck out back.

Royal Pains (USA) – The brother on this show might be the most annoying character on television. “Oh, what, you’re trying to save someone’s life? WHAT ABOUT ME AND MY DUMB IDEAS?” I hope he gets eaten by a shark.

American Greed (CNBC) – Tonight’s episode focuses on Ponzi schemer and University of Miami booster Nevin Shapiro. The narrator of this show, Stacy Keach, makes everything sound so deliciously evil. He could make the Muppets seems like deviant sex murderers.

LATE NIGHT GUESTS: Josh Hutcherson and Nathan Fillion on Kimmel; Ryan Reynolds and Ellie Kemper on Letterman; Christina Applegate on Ferguson; Chris Pine and Lisa Lampanelli on Poopy McShowstealer; Vanessa Hudgens on Fallon; and Martin Short and Jon Bernthal on Conan.

The Hollywood Reporter has a behind-the-scenes clip from the upcoming “Game of Thrones” season one DVD set (available March 6), and it involves the show’s famed horse heart-eating scene. My sun-and-stars Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), who ate said heart, and other members of the “GoT” crew discuss the intricacies of filming such a bloody, chewy spectacle. In great detail, like:

For the scene, in which Clarke wound up eating several pounds of a horse heart made of gummy bears that the actress notes in DVD commentary tasted of bleach, director Dan Minahan told the actress that it was a “make or break moment” for Daenerys, where she’d either be accepted or not by the Dothraki.

Propmaster Gordon Fitzgerald worked with the EPs to find the right mix of material, look, and consistency. “It really needed to provide some visible resistance when she bites into it,” Weiss says. “We settled on the same mature of gelatin gummy bears are made of and it worked wonderfully — right up until the moment Emilia almost threw up.” (Hollywood Reporter)

1) “Game of Thrones” propmaster has to be the greatest job ever (“I need a throne made out of jagged iron and a sword that looks like it could decapitate someone, and I need them now!”); and 2) Any conversation that mentions “horse hearts” and “gummy bears” is automatically awesome. Know what else is awesome? Someone made a drinking game for the show, as seen below. (Note: might be slightly spoiler’y.) “Sansa Stark: do nothing.” Haha, she does nothing a lot.

Can it be April 1 yet?

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Do you remember last week when I yelled and screamed about the girl from “Toddlers & Tiaras” who was being pumped full of a Mountain Dew and Red Bull mixture and released into the wild like a strumpet Tasmanian Devil? Well, “Good Morning America” sat down with the girl and her mom today, and you will be happy to learn that we were all overreacting.

MOM: When you do get on stage, you have to be alive, and you do have to be… your personality has to, like, shine. So, you know, long day, I mean… that’s just what I choose to, like, do to my child. (Ed. note: TO my child. Not FOR my child. TO.) You have to have something to energize their body.

REPORTER: Why? Why do you have to, though? For a six-year-old, giving her caffeine and Red Bull? I mean, that’s just a lot of caffeine and sugar for a little girl.

MOM: Um, I mean, it’s like I said. There’s worse things, far worse things for her.

PROSECUTOR: Your honor, we have the defendant on camera robbing a bank while wearing a shirt with his name on the back. Also, he confessed both during the interrogation, and just a few moments ago on the witness stand. We ask that he be given the maximum possible sentence.

DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yeah, but it’s not like he systematically committed genocide for a period of ten or more years.

JUDGE: CASE DISMISSED!

PROSECUTOR: But… your honor…

JUDGE: [bangs gavel] I said CASE DISMISSED!

During the interview, we also learn the following things about the Mountain Dew/Red Bull concoction: 1) She created it because, I am not making this up, “two bags of Pixy Styx” weren’t having the desired effect, and; 2) She calls it “Go-Go Juice,” which is funny because “go-go” is also a type of risque dancer who struts around a stage in her underwear for the enjoyment of creeps just like she is making her daughter do and now I want to die.

This whole thing makes me want to move the woods and become a supervillain.

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That’s a question I’ve wrestled with since “The New Girl” debuted on Fox last fall. Until “The New Girl” came along, there was no question: She’s great in (500) Days of Summer, I loved her in Elf, she had a nice turn in “Weeds,” and she was great in the little seen All the Real Girls. But I like quirk and whimsy in the right doses, and I love manic-pixie dream girls (SUE ME).

But there’s a huge difference between two hours of quirk and whimsy and an entire series built around it. I don’t think Jess is a character; I think Jess is Zooey Deschanel, and the relentless optimism, the overbearing quirk, and the ALWAYS ON whimsy is starting to wear on my gag reflex. At first, it was kind of cute. Now it’s kind of … dumb. Not in the, “Oh, that’s so stupid” kind of way, but in the “I think Zooey Deschanel” may actually be dumb” kind of way.

Deschanel is hosting “SNL” this weekend (promo below), and I’m seriously curious about whether we’ll see another side of Deschanel, if in fact there’s another side to see. Could she in fact be functionally whimsical? Is there anything going on inside of that head of hers besides blue birds?

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