What did Tracy Morgan say about Sarah Palin?!?

Yep, that’s right… Tracy Morgan called Palin good masturbation material, in response to a question posed by “‘Inside the NBA” commentator Kenny Smith, who asked, “Tina Fey or Sarah Palin?”

Charles Barkley noted, “Sarah Palin, she’s a good-looking woman, isn’t she?”

And that’s when Tracy Morgan made the masturbation comment: “Now let me tell you something about Sarah Palin man, she’s good masturbation material. The glasses and all that? Great masturbation material.”

Ooops!

TNT issued an apology, saying, “It’s unfortunate Mr. Morgan showed a lack of judgment on our air with his inappropriate comments. We apologize for any embarrassment or offense it may have caused.”

Southland got a second life on TNT after NBC canceled the series to make room for that pesky 10 p.m. Jay Leno flop (don’t get me started).

While Southland hasn’t been a huge performer for TNT, it does have a solid fan base, and the network is giving it a chance, with head of programming saying, “‘Southland’ is a challenging, visceral show that engages viewers with its immersive style, provocative storylines and complex characters. These qualities have made ‘Southland’ a favorite among critics and appointment viewing for an extremely loyal audience.”

Raising the Bar saw 7.7 million viewers for the first season premiere versus just 3.8 million for the season 2 kickoff.

A TNT rep commented: “Everyone at TNT had a great experience working on Raising the Bar with Steven Bochco and the rest of the show’s terrific cast and crew. We’re proud of the series and appreciate the efforts of all of the creative people who were involved. Unfortunately, ratings for Raising the Bar’s second season did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series.”

E! Online reports that three unaired episodes of Raising the Bar will likely air on TNT in March 2010.

Delta Blues is executive produced by George Clooney.

Jason Lee is also working on a live-action project for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, will direct the indie film “Get Back” and will next be seen on screen in the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie as well as Kevin Smith’s latest, “A Couple of Dicks.”

TNT will begin airing Southland in January; the series was canceled after Jay Leno’s show took over the 10:00 hour five nights a week.

TNT will re-air Southland’s original seven episodes that aired on NBC, plus six new hours. TNT may order more episodes if ratings prove successful (so make sure to watch it!!).

Look for Southland to air on TNT on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m., beginning January 12 – opposite The Jay Leno Show!

TNT offered Fox TV Studios, Saving Grace’s producer, a full fourth season pickup, but the studio declined, citing financial reasons (most likely star Holly Hunter’s paycheck!).

TNT programming chief Michael Wright commented, “It’s been a fantastic beacon for the network, which has both challenged and entertained viewers in ways few other shows on television ever dare.”

Saving Grace’s third season finale will air on Tuesday.

Check out Amy Sedaris in this October 20 Today show video clip.

It’ll be nice to have Amy Sedaris back in a regular role on TV. She was ridiculously funny on Comedy Central’s Strangers with Candy and never manages to turn in a dull talk show guest gig – check out her latest appearance on Late Show with David Letterman.

Jada Pinkett Smith will play Nancy Hawthorne in “Time Heals,” a single mother and the director of nursing at a Charlotte, North Carolina hospital.

Jada Pinkett Smith will also serve as an executive producer for the project.

Naturally, with no details to share about The Closer spinoff, it’s unclear if an existing “Closer” character will carry the new show or if a new main character will be introduced.

These Labor Day marathons run Monday, September 1, 2008, unless otherwise noted:

• TV Land: seven-hour Scrubs marathon, beginning at 4 p.m.
• VH1 Classic: “80 Hours of the ’80s,” starts Friday at 4 p.m.
• TNT: 12 episodes of The Closer Monday, starting at 9 a.m. (new episode premieres at 9 p.m. Monday night)
• TBS: 20 episodes of House of Payne, starting at 10 a.m.
• Spike TV: CSI marathon, starting at 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.
• The Travel Channel: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations marathon, starting at 9 a.m.
• FX: That 70′s Show marathon, starting at 7 a.m.
• Discovery Channel: Dirty Jobs marathon from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
• ABC Family: My Wife and Kids marathon, beginning at noon
• AMC: five episodes of Mad Men on Sunday, starting at 5 p.m.
• Cartoon Network: 20 episodes of Pokemon Battle Dimension, starting at 9 a.m.