The Friday TV Report: "Extra" Names Lauren Sanchez Weekend Co-Host

I give you the five coolest news items of the week: Lauren Sanchez returns to Extra, Gina Torres insults rich people, and Cote de Pablo’s NCIS wins again. Plus, Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa celebrate their 40th Anniversary (kind of) and Rosie Perez is Emmy-worthy!

1. Busy Weekends Ahead: If Extra host Mario Lopez was thinking of asking the beautiful journalist Lauren Sanchez out on a weekend date, he better come up with a backup plan. The Emmy award-winning journalist has just been named the show's weekend co-host. Sanchez—who will also continue to serve as a correspondent on the regular show—recently returned to Extra after working as a correspondent from 1997-2000. If you don’t watch the show, you may remember Lauren as the season 1 host of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance.

2. The Mother of All Insults: Back in August, I told you that Cubana Gina Torres (Alias, Firefly) would be joining the CW's Gossip Girl in the recurring role of Gabriela Abrams, Vanessa (Jessica Szohr’s) mom. Well, this week, the gorgeous and immensely talented actress finally made her debut on Monday night’s episode, “All About Eve,” and she was lovely, classy and very believable as a loving mother. But I have to say, Gina's best scene was the one in which she insulted Serena's (Blake Lively's) mom Lily Bass (Kelly Rutherford) by telling her that she hates it when rich kids who are celebrities are offered admission into top schools simply because of their celebrity. (Since her daughter Serena was admitted to Brown because of that very reason, Lily couldn't have been too pleased with Mrs. Abrams). Torres's character, a free spirit and a progressive, also insulted elite schools, saying, "Knowledge is not for sale.” She's a hoot, and I hope she makes another appearance and gets into a fistfight with Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick)!

3. #1 Chilean Star: Lets do a cheer! Who’s the best? The N.C.I.S! The CBS crime drama, which stars Chilean actress Cote de Pablo as weapons expert Ziva David, had yet another amazing week in the ratings this week, pulling in 20.6 million viewers, and giving CBS another ratings victory on Tuesday night! That number matched the show’s season 7 premiere last month. Who’s the female lead of the #1 top rated drama on television? Say it with me: Cote de Pablo!

4. Celebrating Anniversary for “Children:” Actor Mark Consuelos, 38, and his wife Kelly Ripa, 39, have not been married long enough to celebrate their 40th Anniversary yet, but the couple will be returning to the ABC soap-opera “All My Children,” (where they met) to celebrate the show’s 40th Anniversary. Ripa and Consuelo's episodes will air on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5, and it will be the first time either actor has appeared on the show since they left together in 2002.

5. Emmy-worthy Latina: This week, TVGuideMagazine.com called Rosie Perez’s guest-starring performance as the mother of a sexually abused child on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit a “powerhouse turn,” adding that Rosie has “matured into an actress who can do no wrong.” Rosie displayed as much emotion in the role as she did in the 1993 film, Fearless (which earned her an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress). But the best part of the review said that Rosie “could continue SVU’s best-guest-actress Emmy streak." That is something I can believe in!