Casting Couch: SVU Switcheroo; Carter’s Post-Files Flick; Leo’s Gal-Pal’s New Gig
The Law & Order revolving door has just opened up a big opportunity for Michaela McManus.
As originally reported by Online’s Watch With Kristin TV blog, the actress is joining the cast of NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as the newest assistant district attorney.
McManus recently had a recurring role as book editor Lindsey Strauss on the CW’s One Tree Hill. On SVU’s upcoming 10th season, she’ll replace departing ADA Diane Neal, who began her stint on the elite squad in 2001 and shared screen time with Stephanie March, the show’s other tough-as-nails prosecutor, who left in 2005.
As WWK also noted, Rosie Perez is joining ABC’s Lipstick Jungle for a guest stint next season. She’ll play a publicist for Lindsay Price’s character, Victory Ford. Also coming aboard as a possible Victory prize, Puerto Rican singing sensation Carlos Ponce, who will play a beefcake contractor. The new season premieres Sept. 24.
Meanwhile, after revisiting The X-Files for this summer’s big-screen spookfest, franchise mastermind Chris Carter has been quietly shooting a new film, a passion project starring several newcomers, per the Hollywood Reporter.
Titled Fencewalker, the flick stars Natalie Dormer of Showtime’s The Tudors, Katie Cassidy (daughter of Partridge Family star David Cassidy), rapper-actor Xzibit of MTV’s Pimp My Ride who also appears in the new X-Files movie, Derek Magyar and Meckah Brooks.
Carter cowrote and bankrolled the film but has been tightlipped about the story, which is thought to be a low-budget coming-of-age drama partly based on his own life. It’s currently shooting in L.A., but no word when it will hit theaters.
In other casting news:
- Tricia Helfer, who played Six on Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica, is set to costar with Lloyd Owen in Fox’s drama pilot Inseparable. The modern-day Jekyll and Hyde spin focuses on a partially paralyzed forensic psychiatrist whose dark side as a charismatic criminal occassionally gets the better of him and makes him commit horrible crimes.
- GSN has signed Kim Coles and stand-up comic Judy Gold to host pilots for new versions of classic ’70s TV staples The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game respectively.
- Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger has sealed a deal with Bravo to air a one-off special called Tommy Hilfiger Presents Ironic Iconic America, based on the book cowritten by Hilfiger and George Lois. Leonardo DiCaprio’s gal-pal, Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli, will cohost the show, dubbed a roller-coaster ride through American pop culture, with Rives of Def Jam Poetry Jam.
Meow! Details on Gossip Girl’s New Cougar
Nair, we hardly knew ye.
Inside sources are spilling on the latest romantic entanglements on Gossip Girl’s Upper East Side, including news that the show’s original golden couple, Nate and Blair (”Nair”), aren’t reconciling any time soonthanks to a certain new cougar who’s ready to pounce.
This pretty (older) kitty is none other than Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks, ER, Viva Laughlin), who, according to CW insiders, will appear in the season premiere on Sept. 1 and is expected to hang around for four or five episodes.
Word is, Madchen is heavily involved in Nate’s storylines and also has “a surprising connection to another new character on the show.” Get all the details in the Watch With Kristin TV blog.
Weeds Creator Hopes for Hills-Like Spinoff
Inhale deeply, folks, because Mary-Louise Parker and Weeds are back tonight on Showtime for a new high-larious season. From what we’ve seen of the season, it’s good stuff, so we hit up Weeds boss Jenji Kohan to get a little scoop and get this: Jenji tells us she’s considering a spinoff of the show that’s “pretty like The Hills.”
Umm…Could there be anything better? Check out the Watch With Kristin TV blog for the goods on Weeds 2.0.
Rumor Patrol: Rashida Jones in Office Spinoff?
Consider this only a rumor for the time being. However, word has been rippling through the TV biz today that Rashida Jones (aka Karen Filippelli, presently of Utica, N.Y.) may star in the upcoming NBC spinoff of The Office.
Sounds pretty amazing for Office (and Rashida) fans like us, so we did a little digging. Here’s where this stands: While one inside source (who has always been reliable) says “it’s true” that Rashida will be a part of the new series, another source inside Rashida’s camp says, “As far as I know, she has not been approached.” Hmmm…
Get all the details in the Watch With Kristin TV column.