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Written by Zap2it.com, MCT
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Thursday, 22 February 2007 |
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PILOTS: RIGHETTI IS 'MARLOWE'S' GIRL
Former "Reunion" star Amanda Righetti, "The Loop's" Bret Harrison and Mary Steenburgen are among the latest group of actors signing up for pilot duty.
The newly piloted group of stars also includes Lindsay Price in NBC's "Lipstick Jungle" and "Kidnapped" co-star Carmen Ejogo in another Peacock pilot, "M.O.N.Y.," and Ayda Field ("Studio 60") in ABC's Sachs-Judah comedy.
Righetti will co-star in ABC's drama "Marlowe," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The pilot stars Jason O'Mara ("In Justice") as a present-day version of Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled private eye; Righetti will play a dancer who also works for him part-time.
In addition to "Reunion," Righetti also had a recurring part on "The O.C." and was a regular on Fox's "North Shore." She'll also be seen in a sequel to "House on Haunted Hill" later this year.
Also at ABC, Oscar winner Steenburgen ("Melvin and Howard") will star in a drama pilot from writer Rina Mimoun ("Everwood," "Gilmore Girls") about a lawyer and new mother who moves back to her hometown of Savannah, Ga. Steenburgen, who starred on CBS' "Joan of Arcadia," will play the lead character's mother.
Field joins Ashley Williams in an ABC comedy from writers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah about co-workers at a law firm. She's had a recurring part on "Studio 60" this season as one of the show-within-the-show's cast members.
Harrison, meanwhile, will star in The CW's pilot "Reaper," a Kevin Smith-directed pilot about a guy who becomes a bounty hunter for the devil. That probably doesn't bode well for "The Loop," which also stars Harrison. Fox picked up the comedy for a second season but has yet to put it on the schedule this season.
At NBC, Price ("Pepper Dennis," "Beverly Hills, 90210") rounds out the lead roles in "Lipstick Jungle," a dramedy about three powerful women in New York (Brooke Shields and Kim Raver are playing the other two). She'll play a fashion designer. In "M.O.N.Y.," which stars Bobby Cannavale as the newly installed mayor of New York, Ejogo will play his deputy mayor.
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CBS ORDERS THREE MORE COMEDY PILOTS
Perhaps stoked by the success of the new sitcom "Rules of Engagement," CBS has ordered up three additional comedy pilots.
The trio of fresh pilots come from a variety of recognizable figures, including Paul Reiser and "Will & Grace" creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.
Reiser has written (but doesn't seem to be starring in) "Atlanta," a half-hour, single-camera comedy that both trade papers describe as being about a man and a woman who meet at a funeral and then can't avoid each other.
This is Reiser's second straight year with a comedy pilot at CBS, after a show starring Bobby Cannavale didn't make the cut last spring. The writer-producer-actor was nominated for 10 Emmys for "Mad About You" without a win.
Mutchnick and Kohan, writing partners, one of whom is straight, the other gay, have gotten a pilot order for an untitled show about writing partners, one of whom is straight, the other gay. There's also a woman involved in some way. Recent credits for the scribes include "Four Kings" and "Good Morning, Miami."
Also in the mix at CBS is "The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud," from "Friends" veteran Jeff Greenstein. The multicamera comedy, about a former literary star who experiences a major change of attitude, has been given a cast contingent pilot order.
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FOX GIVES EMMYS TO `IDOL' TEAM
Faced with telecasting an Emmys show that has experienced dwindling ratings, Fox has turned the festivities over to the producers of "American Idol."
Fox announced on Wednesday that Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, masterminds of the "American Idol" juggernaut, will executive produce the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on the network Sept. 16.
"Nigel and Ken have consistently raised the creative bar with their innovative work on `American Idol' and we believe they will continue to do so during their first Emmy telecast," says Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori.
In addition to "American Idol," still setting ratings records in its sixth season, Lythgoe created Fox's summer offering "So You Think You Can Dance," as well as a variety of successful U.K. programming.
"The Emmy Awards not only celebrate excellence in television, the Emmy Awards are excellent television. Star power, production values, drama, suspense, tears and euphoria, just like an `American Idol' finale," Lythgoe says. "While appreciating the traditional and maintaining the high standards of past Emmy Award ceremonies, we will also be recognizing the ever-changing landscape of today's successful television. It is a great honor and a wonderful challenge."
Dick Askin, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, adds, "Nigel and Ken are terrific producers, and their expertise in live event programming will be a major asset to this year's Primetime Emmy telecast."
It seems possible that Lythgoe and Warwick's first change to the Emmy format will be declaring CBS' "The Amazing Race" ineligible in the reality category. The CBS show has beaten "Idol" for the Emmy four consecutive years.
Last year's Emmy telecast, which aired on NBC, averaged 16.2 million viewers, which was down roughly 2.5 million viewers from the previous year, but an improvement over 2004's audience, which was the lowest in 15 years.
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ROACHE SCURRIES TO FOX'S `LAW'
Linus Roache, Beau Bridges and Keith Robinson have landed Fox pilot leads, according to the industry trades.
Roache, most recently seen (for a couple weeks at least) on NBC's "Kidnapped," will play the husband to Julianna Margulies' rebellious defense attorney in the Denis Leary-produced legal drama "Canterbury's Law."
Other credits for Roache include the features "Batman Begins," "Wings of the Dove" and "The Chronicles of Riddick."
Bridges, a three-time Emmy winner, will take the lead in the comedy "Two Families," playing a man whose secret - he has two families and neither knows the other exists - comes to light after an accident.
In addition to his recurring role on NBC's "My Name Is Earl," Bridges was recently seen on Sci Fi's "Stargate SG-1."
Robinson, currently on the big screen in the Oscar nominated "Dreamgirls," will be part of the ensemble of the drama "The Apostles," about the off-the-job lives of a group of LAPD officers. Robinson also starred in FX's "Over There" and in CBS' upcoming "Comanche Moon."
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'ANATOMY' MAY SPIN OFF ADDISON
Kate Walsh has had a bit of a roller-coaster ride in her time on "Grey's Anatomy," acting her way through a couple of love triangles, numerous medical crises and, currently, a bout of unresolved romantic tension with one of her interns.
All the ups and downs could, however, have a pretty big payoff for the actress: her own show.
ABC and "Grey's Anatomy" creator are considering a spinoff of the show that would focus on Walsh's character, neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery. The network isn't commenting, but The Wall Street Journal reports that Rhimes is working on an idea to spin off Addison.
The details of that idea are scant at the moment; the Journal says Rhimes has yet to settle on plot details such as whether Addison would leave Seattle. She is, however, planning a May sweeps episode that would focus on Addison and serve as a back-door pilot for the new show.
Character-based spinoffs are hardly a lock to succeed - for every "Frasier" there's at least one "Joey" - but a show born of "Grey's Anatomy" would probably have a better chance than most. The draws 20 million viewers per week, and only "American Idol" has better ratings in the adults 18-49 demographic that advertisers covet.
Walsh joined "Grey's Anatomy" in the show's first-season finale, becoming the third side of a love triangle also involving her TV husband, Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Seattle Grace intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). She became a regular midway through last season.
Her credits also include "Under the Tuscan Sun," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Kicking & Screaming."
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MEET THE NEW 'DANCING' STARS
The fourth season of "Dancing with the Stars" could have a decidedly athletic feel.
The ABC series, which returns to the air March 19, will have three jocks competing this time around, more than have ever taken part before. Among those is also the show's first female athlete, boxer Laila Ali. Olympic short-track medalist Apolo Anton Ohno and basketball Hall of Famer Clyde "The Glide" Drexler are the others.
The 11 stars in this year's cast also include Heather Mills, the former wife of Beatle Paul McCartney and the first contestant to compete with an artificial limb. Her left leg was amputated below the knee in 1993 after she was badly injured in a traffic accident. She'll be partnered with Jonathan Roberts, who's back for his third turn on the show.
Among the other notable names are former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Ian Ziering (partnered with two-time champ Cheryl Burke), supermodel Paulina Porizkova (with season one winner Alec Mazo), Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey (dancing with newcomer Brian Fortuna) and ex-"Sopranos" star Vincent Pastore (dancing with Edyta Sliwinska).
Drexler, who at 6-foot-7 is likely the tallest "Dancing" contestant to date, will pair up with Elena Grinenko, who's hoping for a longer run than her one-and-done stint with Tucker Carlson last season. Ali will team up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who danced with Willa Ford last season, and Ohno will work with Julianne Hough, who's making her first appearance on the series.
Rounding out the cast are "Achy Breaky Heart" singer/"Hannah Montana" star Billy Ray Cyrus (with Karina Smirnoff); former `N Sync member and sometime Broadway actor Joey Fatone (with Kym Johnson); and talk-show host Leeza Gibbons (with Tony Dovolani).
Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris will take up hosting duties once again, and judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will also be back. | Only registered users can write comments.
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