Fox News Channel referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama" in a graphic on Wednesday, the latest in a trio of references to the Democratic presidential campaign that have given fuel to network critics.

The graphic "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama" was flashed during an interview with conservative columnist Michelle Malkin about whether Barack Obama's wife has been the target of unfair criticism.

In the past two weeks, Fox anchor E.D. Hill -- formerly Edye Tarbox when she worked at WPXI -- has apologized for referring to an affectionate onstage fist bump shared by the couple as a "terrorist fist jab," and Fox contributor Liz Trotta said she was sorry for joking about an Obama assassination.

The incidents are further indications of how closely the endless cable campaign chatter is being watched this year. Hillary Clinton's campaign was angered by what it described as the pro-Obama tilt of some MSNBC commentators. Amid protests, MSNBC's Chris Matthews said he was wrong this winter to say Clinton was a candidate because "her husband messed around." And MSNBC reporter David Shuster was suspended for two weeks for saying Clinton's campaign had "pimped out" daughter Chelsea by having her make political phone calls.

"Obama's baby mama" was never said on the air. Malkin said during her interview that she had seen no gratuitous or cheap shots taken against Michelle Obama by Republican or conservative critics.

Joan Walsh, a columnist from Salon.com, criticized the graphic on Thursday as a slur.

"Do you try to explain that 'baby mama' is slang for the unmarried mother of a man's child, and not his wife, or even a girlfriend?" Walsh wrote. "Are they racist, or just clueless? Isn't there racism even in their cluelessness, if somebody didn't know what 'baby mama' means, but used it anyway? Even at Fox, won't somebody have to apologize?"

Bill Shine, senior vice president of programming at Fox, said in a statement that a producer "exercised poor judgment" during the segment. The producer was not fired; no other disciplinary action was announced. Hill's "terrorist fist jab" comment came in a tease to a segment on the candidates' body language, and it wasn't repeated during the subsequent interview. She told Fox it was taken from something she had read online.

No matter: "terrorist fist jab" quickly became an online sensation. Hill apologized on-air four days after she said it. Hill said some people "thought I had personally characterized it inappropriately. I regret that. It was not my intention and I certainly did not mean to associate the word 'terrorist' in any way with Sen. Obama and his wife."

Fox subsequently canceled Hill's weekday afternoon program as part of a larger reorganization. She remains on staff.

Trotta's assassination joke came May 25 as she commented about how some considered it distasteful for Clinton to refer to Robert F. Kennedy's assassination when explaining why she was staying in the presidential race.

"Now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama," she said, quickly correcting herself. "Obama. Well, both if we could."

Obama's name has often been confused with terrorist leader Osama bin Laden's, by people ranging from Mitt Romney to CNN's Alina Cho. And MSNBC once flashed a picture of bin Laden as Chris Matthews talked about Obama.

Trotta apologized on-air the next day, and hasn't appeared on Fox since. (David Bauder, Associated Press)

Huckabee joins FNC

Mike Huckabee, a former Republican presidential hopeful, has been hired by Fox News Channel as a political commentator.

"Gov. Huckabee's campaign experience and knowledge of politics makes him a great addition to our ongoing election coverage," Bill Shine, senior vice president of programming, said in a statement Thursday.

Huckabee, who served as governor of Arkansas for 10 1/2 years, dropped out of the race in March, after John McCain won enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination. Despite a financially strapped campaign, Huckabee won the leadoff caucuses in Iowa and seven other states. Financial terms of the agreement weren't released.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist preacher, has been mentioned as a potential running mate for McCain. (Andrew DeMillo, AP)

The Screen Actors Guild said Thursday that talks with Hollywood studios could extend past the end of the current contract on June 30, but was willing to keep actors working without a deal.

SAG executive director Doug Allen said in an e-mail to The Associated Press the union was hoping for an agreement soon but was prepared to keep negotiating into July.

"We've worked beyond the end of a contract before," Allen said a day after guild leadership briefed members on the status of talks.

"We would much rather get an agreement done now," he said. "But if management is stubborn and intransigent, that may lead us to the point where we're negotiating beyond the end of the agreement."

The studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, said in a statement that its bargaining team was "frustrated and discouraged" at the guild's attitude.

"With 18 days left in the month, SAG's Hollywood leadership is already saying that it's unlikely a deal will be made by June 30," the alliance said. "We hope that this statement does not signal the intention of SAG's Hollywood leaders to bring our industry to a halt."

The alliance said the lack of a deal had already put Hollywood into a "de facto strike," because feature films were not being approved and pilot production was being disrupted over fears of labor strife.

The alliance said it was still far apart from SAG on fundamental issues, including compensation for traditional media and for Internet content.

The contract talks over prime-time TV shows and all major studio movies entered their 28th day Thursday after starting April 15.

Both sides took a three-week break last month to allow the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to begin talks. AFTRA reached a tentative agreement on May 28 involving on a handful of TV shows.

The leadership of SAG, with 120,000 members, is opposing the AFTRA deal ahead of a ratification vote by AFTRA's 70,000 members. Results of the vote are expected on July 7.

The unions share 44,000 dual members. (Ryan Nakashima, AP)

Katherine Heigl won't be chewing her manicure at this year's Emmy ceremony: She says she didn't seek a nomination because "Grey's Anatomy" failed to deliver the goods for an award-worthy performance.

Heigl, who was honored as best supporting actress in a drama last year for the ABC series, declined to put her name in consideration for a bid, a spokeswoman for the actress said Wednesday.

"I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization" decided against competing, Heigl said in a written statement provided by her publicist, Melissa Kates.

"In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials," added Heigl. She plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy," which slipped in the ratings this past season but remained a top 10 show.

An after-hours message left with a publicist for "Grey's Anatomy" creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes was not immediately returned Wednesday night.

Heigl, who shot to box-office success last summer with the comedy "Knocked Up," has established herself as one of Hollywood's rare voices of candor.

In a Vanity Fair magazine interview published in January, she called the hit film "a little sexist" and said that it painted women as "shrews, as humorless and uptight," while the male characters were lovable and goofy.

Heigl also was outspoken when "Grey's" castmates Isaiah Washington and T.R. Knight clashed last year over Washington's alleged use of a homophobic slur.

"I'm going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period," Heigl said at one point of Washington, who ended up being booted from the medical drama.

Nominations for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced July 17. The ceremony is Sept. 21. (Lynn Elber, AP)

Swapping one comic for another, CBS' "Ghost Whisperer" has added Jamie Kennedy in a regular role.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kennedy will play a graduate psychology student at the local university. His character will form some sort of bond with Jennifer Love Hewitt's Melinda when the drama returns for its fourth season this fall.

Kennedy's character will be an almost one-for-one replacement for Jay Mohr's Professor Rick Payne. Mohr's character will reportedly appear in several episodes at the start of the season before being smoothly written off.

Mohr, meanwhile, will be starring in his own CBS sitcom, the Wednesday comedy "Project Gary."

Kennedy appeared on a very different kind of CBS drama last fall, taking a dark turn on "Criminal Minds." (Zap2it.com)

The popular Canadian comedy "Little Mosque on the Prairie" will get an American overhaul courtesy of 20th Century Fox TV.

A number of American cable networks and studios had interest in the popular project.

"Fox got the creative vision of the show, that it has to be funny while it treads sensitively on certain Muslim issues," original series executive producer Mary Darling said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Created by Zarqa Nawaz, "Little Mosque on the Prairie" focuses on the small Muslim community in a fictional Saskatchewan town. The show premiered on CBC in early 2007 to extensive international attention and strong ratings. A second season premiered last fall and a third season has already been ordered.

Twentieth Century Fox TV hasn't attached writers to the project.

The original "Little Mosque" has yet to air on American TV and a separate deal to sell the series for broadcast could still be coming. The show was referenced in a number of early reviews for The CW's "Aliens in America," a well-regarded comedy that failed to generate a substantial enough audience to earn a renewal. (Zap2it.com)

Arsenio Hall will be joining the MyNetworkTV family.

The actor and former talk show personality will take his hosting expertise to "Funniest Moments," the working title for the network's new reality series airing Wednesday nights this fall.

The show will take advantage of the YouTube and user-submitted online video craze and highlight hilarious moments recorded for the world to see. "Funniest Moments," produced by Associated Television International, will be an hour long program.

Hall, 53, hosted the late night talk show "The Arsenio Hall Show" and two seasons of CBS' revamp of "Star Search" as well as starring in "Martial Law." (Zap2it.com)