After hearing Frank Caliendo's comments about the show recieving a revamp this season, I decided to try and find out what this meant for myself. Here's what I got from an undoubtedly reliable source:

1. There will be no new castmembers. This season, MADtv is sticking with a smaller group of 10 so that everyone gets fair air time, and nobody gets "forgotten" like Frank and Daniele did last year. This doesn't mean there won't be any new featured players joining the show later in the season, but for now, there are none.
2. Speaking of Frank and Daniele, they are the only castmembers leaving (apart from Stephnie). Frank Caeti and Nicole Randall Johnson have been promoted, and Arden is retaining her position as a regular. That gives us a cast consisting of Ike Barinholtz, Frank Caeti, Crista Flanagan, Keegan-Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Michael McDonald, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, Jordan Peele and Nicole Randall Johnson.
3. As with last year, there is going to be more of a push for shorter sketches, and therefore more sketches per show. In addition, there will be more location shooting, which was noticeable last season and provided some variety. I just hope it doesn't mean an "adventure" sketch every episode.
4. Shooting starts tomorrow, August 21st.

I should be able to get the #1201 episode description from FOX in a week or two. Until then, this is all I got.

Thanks to my super-secret source for the information.

Season 12 is just around the corner, and as always, cast changes will be announced.

Frank Caliendo announced his eventual departure several times, so naturally, after 5 years on the show, he will not be returning for season 12.

Also, in a not-so-surprising turn of events, it appears season 11 was the last we will see of Daniele Gaither, as she has been let go by the show's producers.

So far, these are the only departing castmembers we are aware of. Other departures are said to be possible, but not likely, according to our source.

More updates, including new castmembers, will be announced when the information becomes available. Best of luck to Frank and Daniele in their future endevours!

Crista Flanagan and Daniele Gaither are two of the "celebrity" competitors in the upcoming "Celebrity Ladies First Golf Tournament" to air nationwide in June and July. Like most celebrity oriented sports events, the prize money goes to the charity of the winning teams choosing. Apparently Daniele has never picked up a golf club before, so Crista's lucky to not be on her team.

If you're interested in seeing how they do, you might want to check out the schedule to see what station it wil be aired on in your area.

Thanks to Sammie the Seal for the information.

We've been waiting a long time for this, and it's finally surfaced thanks to a bit of sleuthing. The cast changes for the 11th season of MADtv are as follows:

Departing: Spencer Kayden, Ron Pederson, Aries Spears, Paul Vogt

Returning: Ike Barinholtz, Frank Caliendo, Daniele Gaither, Keegan-Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Michael McDonald, Nicole Parker, Jordan Peele, Stephnie Weir

New Castmembers: Arden Myrin, Crista Flanagan

New Featured Players: Frank Caeti, Nicole Randall Johnson

So there you have it. Now, in addition to two Franks in the cast, we also have two Nicoles! Nicole Randall Johnson studied at the Groundlings and has made appearances in tv shows such as CSI, Reno 911!, Felicity and Monk. She also made a brief appearance in the current #1 movie in America, The 40 Year Old Virgin.

And this tiny spoiler comes from FOX.com, outlining what we can expect in the first episode:

For the momentous 11th season premiere, the late-night comedy lampoons Hugh Laurie (Michael McDonald) and the FOX hit HOUSE. The hilarity continues with parodies of Vince Vaughn (Ike Barinholtz) in “Wedding Crashers” and Morgan Freeman (Jordan Peele) in “March of the Penguins” on MADtv airing Saturday, Sept. 17 on FOX.

Don't forget to watch!

As most of you guys know by now, a number of season 10's biggest cast members will not be present for season 11. For some of them, it was a personal decision not to renew their contracts, while others were cut by the producers. Whatever the reason, this is a first glance at what the cast will look like as of right now:

Departing Cast: Ron Pederson, Aries Spears, Paul Vogt and Stephnie Weir.

Returning Cast: Ike Barinholtz, Frank Caliendo, Crista Flanagan, Daniele Gaither, Keegan-Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Michael McDonald, Nicole Parker and Jordan Peele.

In addition to the cast mentioned above, for the first time ever on MADtv there will be two African American female cast members. When I recently spoke to Debra Wilson, she informed me that a new black female has been added to the cast for season 11. She's got an improv background like Daniele and performed with Groundlings. I'm not sure of her name yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. I have not heard yet if Spencer has been added to the regular cast, but we'll find out very soon I'm sure.

Thanks to forum member mrekim as well as Debra Wilson and Mo Collins for updating us with this information.

The MADtv cast will be "special guest stars" at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards. The show airs live Wednesday December 8th at 8/7c on FOX. Bands scheduled to perform are Evanescence, Green Day, Gwen Stefani, Keith Urban with Sheryl Crow, Nelly, Usher, Mary J. Blige and more. Be there or be square!

The cast of Fox sketch comedy series "MADtv" will be seen in spoof segments dubbed "Billboard Request Live" throughout the show. Viewers can expect comical impersonations of such celebrities as Ja Rule, Ludacris, Anna Nicole Smith and Clay Aiken, among others.

EDIT: Media can be found here.

According to businesswire.com, Daniele Gaither and Paul Vogt will be judging a Halloween costume contest.

The heart of West Hollywood--Santa Monica Boulevard--will once again be pulsing with excitement on Halloween night as hundreds of thousands of Halloween revelers are expected to flock to the famous Boulevard for the 2004 West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval on Sunday, October 31, 2004 from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight. This year, self-proclaimed "D-List" diva Kathy Griffin will be crowned Queen of the Carnaval. The Costume Carnaval will be held along Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. Admission is free.

The Costume Stage will feature the Costume Contest Grand Finals, a culmination of a week of costume contests held in the City of West Hollywood and throughout Southern California. Prizes will be awarded for Best Individual Costume, Best Group Costume and Most Creative Costume. The Costume Stage will be located on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Larrabee. For the eighth year in a row, comedian Ann Farthing, the "Ultimate Mistress of Ceremonies," will provide color commentary for the costume contest. Guest Judges for the contest include cast members from MADTV, Daniele Gaither and Paul Vogt.

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is the Los Angeles area's second largest event, second only to the Rose Parade. The West Hollywood Halloween Celebraton is one of the nation's largest gay and lesbian Halloween parties, attracting visitors from all over the country. Entertainment will include Klimaxx, Jody Watley, Nina Sky and the M-80's.

Thanks to Raphaela for bringing this to my attention, and for also allowing me to see the segment.

On Thursday's (9/2/04) edition of E! News Live, reporter Jason Feinberg took a look behind the scenes at MADtv studios as the Season 10 cast prepared for an upcoming photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly. The 2 page spread, acknowledging MADtv's 10 year history, will hit news stand on Friday (9/3/04). Some of the featured impressions in the segment were Clay Aiken (Ron), Michael Moore (Paul), Eve (Daniele), Judy Garland (Nicole) and Rod Roddy (Frank) as well as Characters including Dot (Stephnie) and Coach Hines (Keegan).

Be sure to pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly on Friday, and anyone who is able to scan the spread for the rest of the forum members, who perhaps can't get their hands on it, will win a special prize.