Good news for Smallville fans (of which I am a big one, and have been since the show's inception waaaaay back in 2001). According to EW.com and Kryptonsite, the best source of information about this cult hit on the web:

DEAL CLOSE FOR TOM WELLING & SMALLVILLE SEASON 9?

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has posted some good news for those of us who are hoping for a ninth season of Smallville starring Tom Welling.

From this week's Ask Ausiello column:

Question: Any news as to whether Tom Welling has signed on for another season of Smallville? -- Scarlett
Ausiello: Yes, there's news, and it's good. Some would even call it, ahem, super. According to a well-placed Smallville insider, Welling is nearing a deal to return for a ninth season. I'm told they're just ironing out some minor deal points, such as should the Brinks Truck pull into the actor's driveway, or just unload on the street.

Although from the beginning, many had doubts about this show's premise -- about a young, pre-Superman, Clark Kent -- this show has done the nigh impossible: breathed new life into a timeworn tale, reinvented an icon for the 21st century (better, many would argue, than Bryan Singer did with 2006's Superman Returns) and milked the DC Comics canon for fresh stories. While the show has surely had its up and downs, its fanbase is as rabid as ever.

We're coming to the end of the Season 8 hiatus, and the show is as strong as it ever was. After last year's departure of not only series' creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, but Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), many wondered if the show was on its last leg. (Other series regulars, John Schnieder, Annette O'Toole and John Glover had left in previous seasons.) However, Gough and Millar must have taught their writing and production teams a thing or two over the previous seven years, because they have carried on with business as usual. Even losing Lex and Lana didn't hurt -- it has forced the focus of the show onto Lois and Clark at the Daily Planet and ... by Jor-El, the show hasn't felt this fresh in awhile.

If they do go ahead with Season 9 (or even a Season 10, which has a nice round feel to it), my only concern is that ... this show, given its unique premise and "no tights, no flights" rule, can only end one way. And that is seeing Clark finally don his Superman duds and fly off into the distance. However, nothing is going to whet fans appetites for MORE than seeing this very thing. I used to say they could start a new show called, Metropolis, but ... shoot, the show has already moved away from Smallville and takes place mainly in the big city. Yet the title still makes sense, given Lois' titular nickname for Clark.

There is much disagreement at Warner Bros. and DC as to what direction to take for the next Superman movie. Will they let Singer take another shot at it with Brandon Routh or will they completely reboot it again? I don't know. Could Welling play a part in this? Anything's possible.

I will say that, despite my passion for Richard Donner's take on Superman, Smallville has done the best origin story of Supes that I've ever seen.

Bring on Season 9.