Timothy Olyphant joins Damages
It was announced today that former Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant has joined the season two cast of FX’s Damages in a season-long arc. This marks Olyphant’s first credited TV cast role since the HBO drama went off the air over two years ago.
Olyphant, who will star with returning cast Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, and Tate Donovan, marks the second addition to the FX drama in just over a week. William Hurt joined the show last Monday.
Olyphant’s character will become involved in the life of Ellen Parsons (Byrne) as she deals with her fiancé David’s murder and the FBI case being mounted against her boss, Patty Hewes (Close). Hurt will play a new client of Hewes.
Season two of Damages went in to production in New York City yesterday and the show returns to FX in early 2009, likely after The Shield’s seventh and final season has concluded.
Drea de Matteo Has a Baby Girl
Former Sopranos star Drea de Matteo has given birth to a baby girl, Alabama Gypsyrose.
The actress, 35, and musician boyfriend Shooter Jennings, 28, welcomed their daughter on Wednesday night, a rep for the actress tells E! Online’s Marc Malkin.
“Family and baby are happy and healthy,” the actress’s rep, Amanda Slverman, said in a statement.
Alabama is the first child for the couple, who have been dating for six years.
De Matteo, who played Adriana La Cerva on the HBO drama and also starred in the NBC sitcom Joey, announced the pregnancy in May.
In June, even before she knew the gender, De Matteo had a feeling she was having a girl. “I use ’she,’ because I’m getting so fat, I think it’s a girl!” she said at the time.
Jennings is the son of the late country legend Waylon Jennings.
Deadwood’s Anna Gunn Has a Girl
Deadwood actress Anna Gunn and her realtor husband Alastair Duncan have welcomed their second child, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.
Eila Rose was born Tuesday in Los Angeles. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 1 oz., and measured 19 1/2 inches long.
“Everybody’s doing great,” a rep for Gunn tells PEOPLE.
Gunn and Duncan also have a 5-year-old daughter, Emma.
Gunn plays Martha Bullock, the sweet-tempered wife of Deadwood sheriff Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) on the HBO drama.
The Wire wraps up filming
If any fans of the critically-acclaimed HBO drama The Wire would like to visit the set sometime in the future, you better bring a shopping list. It’s being turned into a Wegman’s Food Market.
Yup, The Wire is ending after this upcoming season. I have to admire the show for ending after five seasons even though it’s a big hit with critics and loyal fans. I’ve often said that many shows should be like novels and have a definite end time (Lost, Alias, other shows) so they don’t go out of control or overstay their welcome or come up with lame plots in later seasons, so it’s good to actually hear that creator and executive producer David Simon feels the same way.
This final season will focus on the slimy tactics some people in the media use (that doesn’t include bloggers, of course). The show returns in January.