Kristen Bell doesn’t want to bid farewell to Veronica Mars

Detroit – Kristen Bell is finding it tough to let go of Veronica Mars, the wisecracking teenage TV sleuth she portrayed for three seasons.

Asked what she would miss most about the character, Bell didn’t hesitate: “Other than everything?”

“It feels sort of like graduating high school. You really only recognize how special it was once it’s gone away,” Bell told The Associated Press in a recent phone interview.

The show, which was ratings challenged but a cult hit, was canceled May 17. Bell, though, hasn’t given up all hope just yet.

The network, she said, has until June 15 to tell the show’s producers whether it might be brought back as a midseason replacement.

Even if “Veronica Mars” doesn’t make it back onto the small screen, Bell says she would be happy to reprise her role in a feature film.

Critics loved “Veronica Mars” from the get-go, praising Bell’s whipsmart heroine, the show’s take on high-school politics and the portrayal of Veronica’s relationship with her father (Enrico Colantoni).

Bell’s providing the voice of the narrator (something she also did on “Veronica”) for the CW’s new “Gossip Girl.”

Meanwhile, Bell is in Hawaii filming “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” a comedy produced by Judd Apatow (“The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up”). She plays the title character.

Tim Robbins jams with band

Edwardsville, Ill. – Patrons of a downtown bar in this city of 24,000 people were surprised when Tim Robbins strolled in and started jamming with a local band.

The 48-year-old actor, who was in Edwardsville for his upcoming movie, “The Return,” brought a guitar and played classic R&B at Laurie’s Place on Wednesday evening, The (Alton) Telegraph reported.

“I have never had a big celebrity come in and sit in with the band,” said bar owner Laurie Chavez.

Robbins had wrapped up a day of filming for the drama, also starring Rachel McAdams, before coming into the bar for the impromptu concert. He played songs including “Backstreets” by Bruce Springsteen.

The crowd, snapping pictures with cell phone cameras and filming with small camcorders, grew as the news of Robbins’ miniconcert spread.

“I gave him a T-shirt and had him autograph my wall,” Chavez said. “He then shook my hand. He fit right in here, without a doubt.”

Washington won’t be back to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Hollywood – After months of speculation about his fate, Isaiah Washington, the “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star who publicly used a homophobic slur earlier this year after the show had won a Golden Globe for best drama, will not be returning to the popular ABC series.

ABC News, the corporate sibling of ABC network and ABC Studios, the studio that produces “Grey’s,” announced the news in an exclusive on Friday morning. A spokeswoman from ABC Studios confirmed that the studio had not picked up his option.

Washington’s future with “Grey’s” was first called into question when reports leaked out in the fall of an on-set altercation with co-star Patrick Dempsey, during which he reportedly referred to fellow cast member T.R. Knight as homophobic slur.

A few months later, in front of reporters back stage at the Golden Globes, Washington denied the incident, but repeated the word in the process, causing another uproar.

Singer banned from driving, gets to community service

London – A British judge sentenced George Michael on Friday to 100 hours of community service and banned him from driving for two years for driving under the influence of drugs.

Michael, whose real name is George Panayiotou, pleaded guilty May 8 to a charge of driving while unfit through drugs.

Police said the 43-year-old pop star was found slumped at the wheel of his car in north London after witnesses observed the vehicle weaving onto the wrong side of the road at about 5 miles to 10 miles an hour in the early hours of Oct 2.

Michael, appearing in Brent Magistrates’ Court, said he was ashamed that “I had done something really wrong in putting other people at risk.”

As part of his sentence, Michael was ordered to pay costs of $4,622.

Smiling as he emerged from court, Michael told reporters: “Don’t bother to ask any questions, because believe me I am not going to answer them.”