• Mayim Bialik, the "Big Bang Theory" alumna who was hired to host "Jeopardy's" prime-time specials, will step into the spotlight after Mike Richards quit last week. Bialik, 45, will host the next three weeks of episodes, 15 in all, Sony announced Monday. After her, more guest hosts will be announced as "Jeopardy" once again tries to replace Alex Trebek. It's unclear if Bialik will be in the running as full-time host, especially considering her commitment to a second season of "Call Me Kat." Richards stepped down from the hosting gig Friday, just days after being named Trebek's successor amid widespread backlash for sexist and antisemitic comments he made on a podcast and multiple discrimination lawsuits from his time at "The Price Is Right." Richards is staying on as executive producer, Sony told the New York Daily News. During the original search, Sony tested out more than dozen guest hosts, including Anderson Cooper, Aaron Rodgers, LeVar Burton, Dr. Oz and Ken Jennings.
• A British judge ruled Monday that songs by punk trailblazers the Sex Pistols can be used in a forthcoming TV series despite the opposition of former frontman John Lydon. Ex-Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook sued the singer, once known as Johnny Rotten, after he tried to block the music's use in "Pistol," a Disney-backed series based on a memoir by Jones. Lydon said during hearings at the High Court last month that he "heart and soul" opposed the music's use in a show he considered to be "nonsense." He has previously expressed concerns the series will show him in a negative light. While Lydon said the songs could not be licensed without his consent, Cook and Jones claimed that an agreement dating from 1998 allowed a majority decision. Judge Anthony Mann agreed the pair were entitled to invoke "majority voting rules" as outlined in the band agreement. He said Lydon's claim that he was not aware of the details or implications of the agreement that he had signed was "a convenient contrivance." Cook and Jones said the court battle "has not been a pleasant experience, but we believe it was necessary to allow us to move forward and hopefully work together in the future with better relations." "Pistol" is being made for Disney subsidiary FX and is directed by Danny Boyle, the Academy Award-winning director of "Trainspotting" and "Slumdog Millionaire." Formed in London in 1975, the Sex Pistols energized and scandalized the British music scene with songs such as "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the U.K." The band split up in 1978 after releasing one album, and bassist Sid Vicious, whose real name was Simon John Ritchie, died the following year. The surviving members have reunited for several concerts, most recently in 2008.