Author: Jill Dobson

“Dr. Who,” the UK’s longest running sci-fi series, starts a new chapter this week.  The show has a new star in the title role, actor Matt Smith, and fans can soon watch it on this side of the pond on BBC America.

‪Smith and co-star Karen Gillan joined me on FoxNews.com’s Strategy Room this week.  Our viewers from Arizona to Illinois to Florida flooded my inbox with excited emails and questions for the stars.  One compared Smith to James Dean, while another said his son is the series’ biggest fan. 

For those who aren’t familiar with “Dr. Who,” Smith explained his character.

“Dr. Who is a 907-year-old who travels through space and time,” Smith said.  “What’s sort of brilliant about it is, from one week to the next, he can be in the past or the future.  And he does all this with a companion.”

His companion is the lovely Amy Pond, played by Scottish actress Gillan. When the pair first meet, Amy is just seven years old.  Gillan says this plotline led to a role for her young cousin.

‪“They needed an actress to play a younger version of me,” said Gillan.  “And because I have a weird sort of Highland accent and ginger hair, it’s not sort of easy to find.  So they asked me if I knew anyone, any relatives, and I put her forward and she nailed it.”

Once Amy grows up, she and Dr. Who meet again and soon find themselves saving the world.  The adventure begins at 9/8 Central Saturday on BBC America – good news for our Strategy Room viewers who love sci-fi.

‪Stay tuned to the Strategy Room for special guests, hot topics and lively discussion that includes YOU!  Catch the Strategy Room Entertainment Hour weekdays at 12et online at http://live.foxnews.com/strategy-room and send your emails during the LIVE show to [email protected] to join the conversation.

The American Idol judges aren’t the only ones doing the judging this season.  Ellen DeGeneres joined Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi at the judges table this week.  It seems everyone is weighing in on the new panelist.  Click here to see clips from her debut.

On the web, one headline reads “Ellen DeGeneres Hits High Notes.”  Another blasts her style, stating, “DeGeneres Is One Victim In A Long Line Of Denim-On-Denim.” Despite the fashion-bashing, most of the headlines are about her performance, and almost all seem to be positive.

There are also plenty of online polls about DeGeneres’ first week on Idol.  One poll, conducted by USA Today, garnered more than 5,000 votes.  Of those, 41% called DeGeneres “fantastic.”  Another 15% called her “a disappointment.”  The rest fell somewhere in between.

And then there are the ratings.  DeGeneres’ debut as an “American Idol” judge drew the series’ biggest audience since its season premiere.  With 27.7 million viewers – viewership was up 10% from the previous week.

In other DeGeneres news, its been reported that her daytime talk show has been renewed and will air for at least 3 more years on NBC stations.

Now it’s time for YOU to share your thoughts.  Are you watching American Idol this season?  What do you think of the current judging panel?  Is Ellen DeGeneres a strong addition to the show?  Click “comments” below to weigh in.

Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka stopped by FOX News this afternoon to share his latest music news.

Sedaka is known for songs including “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,”  “Calendar Girl,” and “Oh, Carol.”  He visited Strategy Room today, where he revealed that his life story will be shared in a London musical starting March 1^st, called “Laughter in the Rain.”

During his half-hour visit, Sedaka answered questions that our viewers emailed in about his long career.  And in a sit-down interview after his Strategy Room visit, he told FOX News about some of the artists who have recorded his hits.

“It’s very flattering when people cover my songs,” says Sedaka.  “From Elvis to Frank Sinatra.  I guess the best and the biggest cover was a song called ‘Love Will Keep Us Together.’  It was in 1975, recorded by Captain and Tennille.  I’m very happy that I had something to do with launching their career.  And it was my first Grammy.  So I’m very proud of the song.”

He’s also proud of his latest album, out Tuesday, called “The Music of My Life.”

Sedaka says, “I’ve written over a thousand songs in 57 years, and I think these are some of the best.”  He says his album includes a range of styles from salsa to doo-wop to classical. 

“I used to buy a lot of LPs,” says Sedaka. “I didn’t like it when every track sounded the same, so I make a conscious effort to have different kinds of tempos.”

Check out Strategy Room LIVE weekdays 9am-5pmET online here.  Every hour brings a different host and panel of guests – and the noon ET hour is all about entertainment.  Click on soon and join the fun!