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Written by Zap2it.com, McClatchy-Tribune
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
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NBC SLICES AND DICES 'THE OFFICE'
From the network that brought you "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you" comes the latest in TV-rerun technology: the "newpeat."
NBC will offer up a pair of "Office" reruns on Thursday that will incorporate previously unaired material. The episodes "Traveling Salesmen" and "The Return," which first aired in January, will be re-edited to include deleted scenes that have not been seen either on TV or in the deleted scenes NBC posts on the show's official site, a network rep says.
"It's about giving something extra to our wonderful fans," executive producer Greg Daniels says. "Their loyalty must be rewarded somehow, and we don't have the budget for 10 million muffin baskets."
The network is no doubt hoping that the promise of new material in the "Office" repeats, which will air from 8 to 9 p.m. ET, will draw curious fans of the show who might otherwise skip a rerun. A deleted scene from "The Return" that was available online, for instance, explains the absence of Dunder Mifflin employee Andy (Ed Helms) from subsequent episodes.
NBC is also planning an "Office" marathon for March 29. Five episodes of the show will air that night, enveloping a new episode of "Andy Barker, P.I." at 9:30, with put-upon Dunder Mifflin worker Toby (Paul Lieberstein) hosting. The episodes, which stretch back to season one's "Diversity Day," will showcase the HR nightmares foisted on Toby by branch manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell).
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PILOTS: 'PARTY' GAL RETURNING TO FOX
Lacey Chabert, all grown up since her days on "Party of Five," is hoping to return to Fox for her first regular series gig since 2000.
Eternally best known as Claudia Salinger, Chabert will take the last of three leads in Fox's untitled Liz Meriwether pilot, joining Dorian Brown and Molly Stanton. The comedy focuses on a trio of recently graduated sorority girls who decided to change their lives.
Chabert's post-"Party" feature credits include "Not Another Teen Movie," "Dirty Deeds" and the recent remake of "Black Christmas."
Also at Fox, James D'Arcy will take a lead role in the extraterrestrial sleeper cell drama "Them," playing a character The Hollywood Reporter describes as "the lead agent responsible for enforcing policy." Nope. We don't know what that means either.
D'Arcy's credits include "An American Haunting," "Master and Commander" and "Exorcist: The Beginning."
In addition, Steve Howey ("Reba") will play the lead role as a womanizing veterinarian in Fox's "The Beast," while Drew Sidora ("Step Up") will appear in the pilot for the romantic dramedy "Nurses."
There's casting news from CBS as well.
P.J. Byrne and Eric Winter have signed on for "Viva Laughlin," and Thad Luckinbill will do the cop pilot "Protest and Serve."
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ABC PRESCRIBES 'GREY'S' RAISES
Several of the doctors at Seattle Grace are about to be better-compensated for their work.
"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo and at least four of her castmates are in line to receive healthy raises for their work on the hit ABC series. Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Justin Chambers and T.R. Knight either have signed or are on the verge of signing new contracts.
Pompeo's new deal will bump her pay to about $200,000 per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The other actors will also make six figures per episode.
Some of the show's other regulars are still involved in negotiations; the HR says that while supporting cast members initially presented a united front with ABC and "Grey's" producer ABC TV Studio, but that's no longer the case, and the actors are cutting individual deals.
Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey and Katherine Heigl are still working on their contracts. Word that Heigl had dropped out of the renegotiation process leaked to several media outlets a couple of weeks ago, prompting statements from both the studio and the actress about the process, which both stress that Heigl's not going anywhere but unsurprisingly differ on the particulars of contract talks.
The status of Isaiah Washington's contract is uncertain. He's also likely to stay with the series, but in the wake of the controversy over his use of a homophobic slur, details of his talks are being kept quiet, according to the Reporter.
Kate Walsh, meanwhile, has worked out a separate deal that covers her role in a possible "Grey's" spinoff. A back-door pilot for the spinoff will air as a two-hour "Grey's" episode during May sweeps.
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'AMERICAN IDOL' FIGHTS POVERTY
As "American Idol" viewers already know, Ryan Seacrest announced on Thursday that the wildly popular Fox talent show will raise funds and awareness for poverty this April.
"Idol Gives Back" will be a two-night special airing April 24 and 25.
"'American Idol' has given so much to this network and we don't take that for granted," says Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori. "To quote a famous superhero, `with the gift of power comes great responsibility,' which is why we feel so fortunate to partner in this special television event, giving back."
On the Tuesday, Top Six finalists will sing songs within the theme "Life Anthems," songs about compassion and hope. Viewers will vote as usual that night, but as an added twist, the "Idol" sponsors — Coca-Cola, AT&T among others — will donate a certain amount of money to organizations that provide relief programs to help children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa.
The Wednesday results show will be expanded to two-hours and will feature artists including Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Buble, Annie Lennox and Il Divo. Sacha Baron Cohen will also make a plea in his Borat character. Fox will turn that episode into a telethon, urging viewers to make donations via toll-free lines and the Internet.
Nigel Lythgoe, Ken Warwick and Cecile Frot-Coutaz, "Idol" executive producers, observe, "This is going to be a television event unlike any other. We are planning two nights of amazing, star-studded entertainment, and we're using the power of `American Idol' to raise needed awareness and funds. Our fans can give directly if they want, but they can also impact the lives of people in this country and in Africa just by voting as they do every week. It's that easy and it's that important."
The Charity Projects Entertainment Fund will distribute the funds to Save the Children and a variety of other anti-poverty organizations in the United states and to international organizations including U.S. Fund for UNICEF, The Global Fund, Save the Children, Nothing but Nets and Malaria No More.
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HIGH FIVE: SHOWTIME RENEWS 'THE L WORD'
Promising "Five times the Love! Lust! Laughs! Longing!," Showtime has picked up a fifth season of "The L Word."
The premium cable network announced on Thursday that production will begin this summer on a 12-episode fifth season, which will premiere in early 2008.
"'The L Word' is a signature franchise for us and one of our most popular series," says Showtime Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt. "This season's guest star Cybill Shepherd and new series regular Marlee Matlin are indicative of the show's great quality. With our launch of OurChart.com (a social networking site that grew directly out of `The L Word'), and the show's growing popularity in Second Life, this series goes well beyond the boundaries of a mere television show. Since its launch in 2004, the zeitgeist has never been the same."
Created by Ilene Chaiken, "The L Word" first premiered in January 2004 and focuses on the lives of a group of friends and lovers living in Los Angeles. The show's fourth season premiered this January and will reach its finale on Sunday, March 25. The 2006 GLAAD Media Award winner for outstanding drama series, "The L Word" also earned an Emmy nomination in 2005 for Ossie Davis' guest starring turn.
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O 'CAPTAIN': TAMBOR TOPS CBS COMEDY PILOT
The latest round of pilot casting finds "Arrested Development" star Jeffrey Tambor taking another stab at sitcom success.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tambor will play a retired TV writer living in Hollywood's El Capitan apartment complex in "The Captain." Fran Kranz, JoAnna Garcia and Valerie Azlynn were previously cast in the project.
Tambor ("The Larry Sanders Show") spent a couple weeks earlier this season as one of the stars of NBC's ironically titled "20 Good Years."
In other CBS comedy casting, Nick D'Agosto ("Rocket Science") and Erick Avari ("Charlie Wilson's War") will join Marisa Tomei in "The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud."
Over at Fox, "Chappelle's Show" veteran Bill Burr will take the other lead role in "Playing Chicken," joining Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz. The comedy focuses on a loudmouth conservative (Butz) forced to move in with his intellectual liberal brother (Burr).
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PILOT GIGS FOR `ALIAS,' `O.C.' LADIES
Mia Maestro's ready to find a new "Alias" and Shannon Lucio wants to prove there's life after "Spring Break Shark Attacks."
The two leading ladies are part of a busy day of pilot casting buzz.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Maestro will join LL Cool J and Melinda Clarke in CBS' "The Man," playing a doctor with close ties to the show's central undercover cop.
Maestro played Nadia on ABC's "Alias" and has also appeared in the features "Poseidon" and "Secuestro Express."
Lucio, best known as Lindsay from "The O.C.," has taken one of the leads in CBS' very "Angel"-esque drama about a vampire (Alex O'Laughlin) who works as a private investigator. Lucio will play a TV reporter in the pilot.
Also at CBS, Hector Elizondo will play the family patriarch in the untitled drama from Cynthia Cidre. Formerly titled "Los Duques," the show focuses on a multi-generational Latin American family in the rum business and also stars Jimmy Smits, Nestor Carbonell and Rita Moreno.
Elizondo has an upcoming role on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and has a long list of feature credits including "The Flamingo Kid," "Pretty Woman" and the upcoming "Georgia Rule."
In other casting news, Stephen Moyer is set for the lead in Fox's drama "NSA Innocent." The series focuses on an ordinary guy enlisted to spy on a defense contractor. Moyer's credits include the upcoming feature "88 Minutes" and the USA miniseries "Starter Wife." | Only registered users can write comments.
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