6 december 2000

LOS ANGELES - For those confused about what will happen with The WB's Wednesday night 9 p.m. timeslot once Felicity leaves the air temporarily in mid-December, the net has finally cleared the air - Jack & Jill will take the timeslot after all - just not immediately. Felicity will air its "Winter Finale" cliffhanger on Dec. 13, before disappearing until April. Afterwards, the freshman drama Gilmore Girls will occupy the timeslot for one week on Dec. 20 to air the first part of a special two-part Christmas episode (the second part will air in the show's regular timeslot, Thursdays at 9 p.m.). For the following two weeks, the Frog will air back-to-back episodes of the new fall comedy Gross Pointe on Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. But, unlike previous reports that stated the show was permanently moving to the Wednesday timeslot, Gross Pointe will continue to air on Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m. Jack & Jill will take over the Wednesday timeslot starting Jan. 10, airing 13 new episodes in a row. While exact date of the return of Felicity is not yet set - the net may again use the timeslot to promote other shows - a WB spokesman said it will be back on the air sometime in April since it will play a part during May sweeps. In other WB news, the net also announced that it will be airing the anticipated one-hour debut of the reality-based show Popstars, an all-girl version of ABC's Making the Band, on Jan. 12 from 9-10 p.m. The show's regular timeslot will be Fridays from 8:30-9 p.m. sandwiched between Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Popular. For the Popstars premiere, Popular will be pulled to make room for the show, while a second Sabrina was added to fill Popstars' regular timeslot. Popstars kicks off with a talent search for five women who can sing, dance and handle the pressures of instant celebrity. The show was inspired by a talent search in Australia that launched the No. 1 album and show in the country. The show is produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment, the company behind the shows Loveline, The Man Show and the upcoming game show Shop 'til You Drop.