Squee! It’s…

Oh, squee and a half–it’s Mary McDonnell on The Closer tonight (and for at least a few episodes beyond)! You may recall Ms. McDonnell from her Emmy-winning–OR IT HAD BETTER BE–role as President Laura Roslin on Battlestar Galactica, in which she rocked the airlock hard. She also recently appeared as a surgeon with Asperger’s Disorder on Grey’s Anatomy. She had a multi-ep arc on both ER and E/R, as well as roles on Touched by an Angel and High Society. And that’s not even counting her Oscar-nominated turns in Dances with Wolves and Passion Fish. I’d have loved her forever even without Roslin, just for being Donnie Darko’s mom. Now she’ll take on Chief Johnson as a hard-nosed Internal Affairs investigator. Put ‘em out the airlock, Captain Raydor! Tonight on TNT at 9pm Eastern and Pacific.

Bacon Bits: THE EX LIST, EARL and More

• CBS has dropped The Ex List from its schedule, making it the ex-Ex List (har har). Other casualties of the season so far include Fox’s Do Not Disturb and Hole in the Wall, and ABC’s Opportunity Knocks.

• The Battlestar Galactica diaspora continues: Katee Sackhoff will guest on Law & Order Nov. 5 and Mary McDonnell will appear on Grey’s Anatomy starting Nov. 13.

• Is the wobbly economy saving low-rated shows from cancellation? And does this mean that underperforming Bacon favs Life, Chuck and Pushing Daisies have a chance after all?

• In case you were wondering how long it takes to grow Earl Hickey’s mustache, the answer is 5-6 weeks.

• Entertainment Weekly remembers the 25 cheesiest syndicated TV shows.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Crew Counts Off Twelve…Er, Ten for Letterman Tonight

With the fourth and final (wah!) season of Battlestar Galactica kicking off soon (April 4! April 4!), promos have promised we’ll soon find out who the 12th Cylon model is. I gues we’ll have to be content until then with a different kind of countdown, as humans and Cylons alike show up on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight for the Top 10 Countdown. Sci Fi Wire confirms that Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas and Lucy Lawless will be along. You get a chance to see Michael Hogan with two eyes again! Maybe Mary McDonnell will have Paul Schaffer thrown out of an airlock! A girl can dream…