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Casting scoop: George Clooney, William Fichtner and more
Let's get the bad/obvious news out of the way first: Despite what ER showrunner David Zabel told TV Guide in a recent interview, George Clooney will not -- repeat NOT -- be returning to the show for it's 15th and final season.According to Clooney's publicist, "He is on record as saying he is not coming back. It is something he has already done. He is busy making movies." If you're an optimist, though, you can always hope for a surprise Clooney return a la the 2000 ER season finale, in which Georgie showed up at the very end of Julianna Margulies' farewell ep.
On a more positive note, there are plenty of actors who ARE joining popular existing series or are attached to promising upcoming projects. A rundown of these casting coups ensues.
TV Casting News
Dr. Mark Greene is returning to 'ER,' via flashback. Anthony Edwards was killed off the long-running hospital drama back in 2002 (it was a tumor), but will make an appearance in the show's final season in a scene with new regular Angela Bassett.
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Oprah Winfrey cast in '30 Rock'
She is in discussions with Tina Fey and the other producers of '30 Rock' to make a guest appearance as herself on the sitcom.
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Seth Green cast in 'My Name Is Earl' & 'Heroes' (NBC)
On 'Earl,' he'll play Buddy Zaks, a former Make-a-Wish child whose dream of starring in an action movie was ruined by Earl. And he and buddy Breckin Meyer are in for a multi-episode stint as a pair of comic book geeks on 'Heroes.'
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Lauren Conrad cast in 'Greek' (ABC Family)
The leading lady of MTV's 'The Hills' will give the accepted definition of "acting" a go -- though she won't have to stretch much -- when she plays herself in a dream sequence for 'Greek's' second season finale on Oct. 28.
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Joss Stone cast in 'The Tudors' (Showtime)
The British soul singer takes on her biggest acting gig to date, playing Henry VIII's plain-looking fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, on the upcoming season of Showtime's racy royal drama.
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Michael J. Fox cast in 'Rescue Me' (F/X)
Fox has joined the firefighter drama's upcoming fifth season for a multi-episode arc as a love interest for Denis Leary's on-screen ex Janet (Andrea Roth).
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Christina Ricci cast in 'Saving Grace' (TNT)
Ricci will play a young detective who partners with Holly Hunter's loose-cannon cop Grace for three episodes when Hunter's current partner (Kenneth Johnson) takes a leave of absence this season.
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Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long cast in 'The Cleveland Show' (Fox)
Lathan and Long have signed on to provide two key voices in this 'Family Guy' spinoff. Lathan will play a single mom and the love interest of Griffin neighbor Cleveland Brown, while Long will voice her rebellious teen daughter.
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Jordana Brewster cast in 'Chuck' (NBC)
The 'Fast and the Furious' starlet has signed on for a three-episode arc as Chuck's (Zachary Levi) college girlfriend who slept with his best friend, broke his heart and sent his life into a downward spiral that landed him with a job at the Nerd Herd.
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Courteney Cox cast in 'Scrubs' (ABC)
The zany docs of Sacred Heart are getting a new -- more 'Friend'-ly -- chief of medicine when Courtney Cox joins the 'Scrubs' crew for a three-episode stint this fall.
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Battlestar Galactica star Mary McDonnell is in final talks to join Grey's Anatomy for a three- to five-episode arc this season, The Chicago Tribune confirms. No word on her character just yet.
Party of Five alum Scott Wolf and ex-American Idol Chris Daughtry will join Rumer Willis, Julia Ormond and Nelly as guest stars on the landmark 100th episode of CSI: NY, according to PEOPLE. Wolf, Willis and Daughtry will play characters with the name "Mac Taylor" -- yep the same name as series star Gary Sinise -- in the November ep about a serial killer who just so happens to be targeting people with that moniker.
Stella (Sarah Chalke), aka How I Met Your Mother's possible future Mrs. Ted Moseby: Architect -- is getting a sister. And according to EW.com, she'll be played by One Tree Hill vixen Danneel Harris and make her appearance during November sweeps, right around the time The Daily Show's Jason Jones shows up as Stella's ex. Hmmm ... wonder if they're all around for a wedding or something.
William Fichtner, currently of Fox's Prison Break, has been tapped to play an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in 24 creator Joel Surnow's TNT pilot Night and Day, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Don't jump to any conclusions about Mahone's fate on Prison Break, though. The trade assures us that there are currently no plans to kill off Fichtner's character on the show, and he would only take on Night should he not be sentenced to/sign on for another year of Prison.
And finally, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the NBC drama pilot LAPD just scored two more hot cops: Tom Everett Scott (Saved) and Arija Bareikis (The American Embassy). Scott will play Russell, a cop and father of three who is married to a blogger. Bareikis will play a patrol officer with a soft spot surfing. They join previously cast stars Regina King, Ben McKenzie and Shawn Hatosy.
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