A reliable source has just revealed a skeletal line up for MADtv's impending 300th episode guest cast. As the title suggests, some of you may be shocked at the purported line up, some may be delighted and many will be disappointed. Either way you look at it, it is not what many of us were expecting, to say the least. So far, a longstanding source of mine, affiliated with the FOX network, has provided four names to whet the appetites of eager fans waiting for any bit of information pertaining to the (hopefully) spectacular 300th episode.

As we've known for a few days now, Will Sasso was announced, and confirmed, as returning. In addition to Will, I have learnt that his partner in crime, Alex Borstein will also be putting in an appearance on the November 17th show.

Speaking of partners in crime, would any milestone celebration be complete without Michael McDonald's original counterpart, Mo Collins? It appears not, as she appears to be returning for episode 300 as well.

And as the title suggests, there is a shocking return, the news of which should delight a number of forum regulars. Though this person was not expected to return to the show in any capacity, she appears to have had a change of heart. That's right, the original and best Oprah impressionist will be gracing that MADtv stage once more. At this stage, Debra Wilson is the fourth guest star in the alumni line up.

So there you have it. Whether these four castmembers are the only alumni returning in any capacity remains to be seen. For now, the information available to us suggests that they are, and it brings into question why the likes of such big names in MADtv history are not on the roster. The most notable omissions in my mind, Nicole Sullivan and Stephnie Weir, may be appearing on the show at some point further in the season, or their attendance may be announced in the coming days. Either way you cut it, this is where we stand for now. Additions and retractions are possible, as we await more information from more sources.

Let the discussion begin!

If you are in the Malibu, CA area on Saturday, September 29th, then you may want to catch "The Best Medicine," a benefit concert for the City of Hope that will feature current "MADtv" cast members and alumni among its performers. Proceeds from the benefit will be used to fund breast cancer research, treatment, and education programs at the City of Hope. According to the information found here, the "MADtv" notables scheduled to appear include current cast members Michael McDonald, Nicole Parker, and Bobby Lee; "MADtv" alumni Mo Collins and Stephnie Weir; and writer Michael Hitchcock, best known to most "MADtv" fans as Simeon, the crazed announcer from the "Lillian Verner Game Show" sketches. "The Best Medicine" will be hosted by comedian Denis Leary, along with his band, the Crown Royals. Other comedians who will be present include Martin Short, "Bobcat" Goldthwait, Lenny Clarke, and Groundlings alum Tim Bagley. For your musical enjoyment (or not), the "My Sharona" boys themselves, the Knack, will also perform.

Another interesting connection with "MADtv" served as the initial inspiration for this benefit:

"Leary got involved in the project through his connection with Lauren Dombrowski, a breast cancer survivor and City of Hope patient. Leary and Dombrowski, co-executive producer for 'Mad TV,' both attended Emerson College in Boston and have remained friends.

While Dombrowski has long made people laugh, in 2003, her life took a serious turn. She arrived at City of Hope with stage 4 breast cancer after two years of failed treatments elsewhere. George Somlo, M.D., co-director of City of Hope's Breast Cancer Program, became her trusted physician.

'I knew right away that Dr. Somlo would give me the best care available,' Dombrowski said. 'But it was his quick wit and ability to make me laugh that really helped me the most.'

Today, Dombrowski does not fight cancer simply through the chemotherapy she continues to undergo regularly. She came up with the idea for 'The Best Medicine' as a way to battle the disease and support breast cancer research through humor, her area of expertise."

Lauren, we at Planet MADtv wish you and Denis continued success with your fund-raising efforts. Here's hoping that laughter can indeed be "the best medicine" as the search for a breast cancer cure continues.

"The Best Medicine" benefit will be held at the Malibu Performing Arts Center (in Malibu, CA) on Saturday, September 29th. The time listed for the event is 7:00pm, which one would logically assume is local time, or PST. (It translates to 10:00pm EST.) A silent auction for various celebrity items will also be held at the benefit. At any rate, if you have a chance to attend (and thus to catch the aforementioned "MADtv" notables in action), then please post a report for us!

Mo Collins has joined the cast of a new FOX sitcom, centering on the relationship between a Los Angeles-based comedy duo comprised of African-American comediennes Francis Callier and Angela Shelton. From Reuters:

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Mo Collins, Michael Boatman and Garrett Morris have been hired to co-star in Fox's female buddy comedy pilot "Frangela."

The show stars comedians Frances Callier and Angela Shelton.

Morris will play the superintendent of the apartment building the two women live in. Collins will play Callier's boss, while Boatman will play her husband.

It's good to see that Mo has found another solid sounding show, although FOX's track record with sitcoms as of late has been less than successful. Still, this show seems pretty original for a mainstream sitcom at present, so here's hoping it gets picked up and does well.

According to comingsoon.net, Mo Collins has signed on to co-star in Patricia Heaton's ABC comedy pilot. As of now, the pilot remains without a name, and a summary has not been released. Updates to come when they are available.

Let's hope it's a success! Thanks goes out to Scorpiogrrl4405 and Mo herself for the infomation. Way to go, Mo!

Mo Collins will be featured in a new rock and roll comedy. This from www.thegauntlet.com...

Guitar legend Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist) and comedian Jim Breuer (Saturday Night Live) have teamed up for CRAPSHOOT, a new rock and roll comedy now available exclusively on DVD. The free-flowing show combines Wylde’s larger than life persona with Breuer’s hilarious comedic skills. The combination of the two results in a hybrid show mixing reality, sketch comedy, improv, and mind-blowing music.

Crapshoot was originally created and produced as a television pilot by David Kister and Murray Oden. They paired Wylde’s intense energy and musical gifts with Breuer’s freewheeling comedy and hardcore love for rock, while gathering a stellar supporting cast o’ characters. Crapshoot features Mad TV’s Mo Collins (Mad TV, Arrested Development & The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and a variety of other comedic talent for a well rounded show.

It's amazing that we didn't hear of this sooner seeing how we have an inside lead to her. Way to go Mo! Crapshoot is available exclusively on-line at www.crapshoot.tv for $19.99 plus S+H.

Mo Collins has received a small role in an upcoming film called "Cook Off". We don't have a lot of information on the film as of now, but we do know it is an improv film, in which Mo plays a housewife in a 50's era infomercial.

Additional information will be provided as soon as we receive it. Thanks to Scorpiogrrl4405 and Mo Collins for the information.

Mo Collins will guest star on Curb Your Enthusiasm this Sunday, November 20th on HBO at 7:00pm EST. The episode is titled "The Ski Lift" and here's a very short summary from www.yahoo.com:

Larry tries to befriend the head of a liver transplant consortium.

If you miss the episode, there's multiple repeats through November 23rd and if you miss those, there's always HBO On Demand.

According to www.imdb.com, Mo Collins makes her third guest appearance on Family Guy starring as "Ms. Hobson" in episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father" on November 20th on FOX. Thanks go to Scorpiogrrl4405 for bringing this to our attention. Here's a summary of the episode from www.planet-familyguy.com:

When Stewie intensifies his efforts to kill Lois, she thinks he is acting out and orders Peter to spend more time with him. They begin to do some bonding until a theme park outing ends disastrously. Meanwhile, Chris does some bonding of his own when he develops a friendship with Herbert after breaking his window.

Alex borstein is a regular castmember on this show filling the voice of Lois Griffin and others. Other MADtv castmembers that have guest starred in the past include Phil LaMarr, Will Sasso, Mary Scheer, Nicole Sullivan and Debra Wilson.