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.
Lipstick Jungle casting news es muy caliente
When Lipstick Jungle comes back for the new season on Wednesday, September 24, we already know that Wendy’s life will be impacted by the appearance of her challenging, iconic mother Joyce, played by television great Mary Tyler Moore.
Now comes news via E! Online that things will be getting more complicated for the Lipstick Jungle with the addition of two more name stars; Latino talents Carlos Ponce and Rosie Perez are both booked for guest roles.
Carlos, best known to American TV fans from 7th Heaven, is a singer-hotty heartthrob. He’ll be getting into Victory’s storyline, playing Rodrigo, a contractor who turns her head. They’re saying that Rodrigo is the complete opposite of Victory’s Mr. Big-style lover, Joe Bennett, so you can see why Victory may be attracted to him.
After all, Victory has bucked under the all-encompassing love Joe’s offered her, feeling a need to assert her independence. Perhaps Rodrigo is just the kind of rebellion to make Joe realize not to take her for granted? By the way, NBC may be hoping to pull in the telenovela crowd with this casting: Ponce was a major player in Dame Chocolate on Telemundo (also an NBCUni product).
Still no word from CBS on whether Rosie will be called back to duty for the Geena Davis cop drama pilot in which Perez co-starred.
Exclusive: Rosie Perez and Carlos Ponce Swing Into Lipstick Jungle
Hey, Andrew McCarthy, don’t look now, but a totally hot Latin guy is headed for your girl.
Inside sources reveal that Rosie Perez and Puerto Rican singing sensation Carlos Ponce are coming to NBC’s Lipstick Jungle for multiepisode arcs in the new season, which premieres Sept. 24.
I just got off the bat phone with Lipstick show runner Oliver Goldstick who confirmed the news and revealed inside details on their roles…
Carlos will play Rodrigo, a contractor and potential love interest for Lindsay Price’s character, Victory Ford (side note: an insider connected to Mario Lopez tells me he was up for the same role), while Rosie is playing Dalia, Lindsay’s passionate new publicist. She’s “fiery and fiesty and the hottest publicist on the planet right now,” explains Oliver.
Oliver reveals that Rosie’s role was inspired by Salma Hayek, whom he worked with on Ugly Betty. “To Salma, nothing’s unreachable and no one’s untouchable,” Oliver explains.” That’s what I love about her, that can-do approach to everything, and I thought that was a great character to introduce to the show.”
Oliver also first met Rosie on Ugly Betty when she auditioned to play Hilda’s boss (a role which never came to fruition).
So does Victory’s hot new lover mean McCarthy is on his way out? Definitely not, says Oliver. “He is still very much apart of Victory’s life via the business. Andrew is still a regular on the show, and Rodrigo is basically the opposite of Joe Bennett in every way.”
What’s that I smell? Oh yes, a very spicy love triangle! Yum.
What do you think of this casting? Post in the comments below.
It’s a Girl for Entourage Star Debi Mazar
Entourage star Debi Mazar gave birth to a girl on Friday, PEOPLE has confirmed.
Giulia Isabel Mazar-Corcos weighed in a 8 lbs. 1 oz., and was 19 inches long.
“Everybody is at home now and doing great,” Mazar’s publicist, Rene Riddinger, tells PEOPLE.
The 41-year-old actress and her husband, Italian jazz musician and producer Gabriele Corcos, already have a 3-year-old daughter, Evelina.
“Gabriele, Evelina and I are ecstatic to have finally welcomed Giulia to our family. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to start traveling – I want to show my daughters the world,” Mazar tells PEOPLE.
Last month, Mazar’s pals Marisa Tomei and Rosie Perez threw a baby shower for the expectant mom at the Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium in Los Angeles. “It was very sweet,” Mazar told PEOPLE at the time.
Mazar, who plays Shauna on HBO’s Entourage, wed Corcos in 2002.