Casting
TV Casting: Fran Drescher Gets Summer Talk Show
Fran Drescher, better known as 'The Nanny,' may have a new title this summer: talk show host. Drescher sent a tweet to her followers that said, "I'm doin a sumer tlk shw BTW." Drescher had reportedly been in talks to do a show with either Fox News or MSNBC. [The Wrap] Will Marg Helgenberger Leave 'CSI'?
Marg Helgenberger, the actress who plays forensic scientist Catherine Willows on 'CSI', told TV Squad today that her contract on the show is up after 10 years and that she hasn't yet been asked back for next season."My contract is up actually," Helgenberger said, when asked if she would be returning for 'CSI's' 11th season. "That's a good question. I haven't been asked back, so we'll see."
'Lost' News: Desmond's Ring, That Final Cast Photo, and a Special Guest Star
Just because last night's episode of 'Lost' was a rerun (and a surprise rerun at that), that doesn't mean there isn't any news about the show that we can discuss until next week's all-new episode 'The Candidate.'After the jump, three nuggets of information show fans might be interested in: Henry Ian Cusick explains that ring that Desmond was wearing in this season's first episode, talks about that final cast photo (that he's not in), and we find out what star of a long-running NBC drama is going to make an appearance in one of the last episodes.
Needless to say, MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW.
Rob Lowe and Adam Scott to Cut 'Parks and Recreation's' Budget
It's been widely reported that TV actors Rob Lowe and Adam Scott will soon be joining the cast of NBC's Thursday-night comedy 'Parks and Recreation.' But until today, nobody quite knew what their characters would be doing in Pawnee.Well, wonder no more: According to the LA Times, their characters, state auditors, are going to slash the budget of the Pawnee, Indiana, parks and rec offices.
'Brothers & Sisters' Shuffles Cast
They say that friends come and go, but family is forever. Not so on ABC's hit drama 'Brothers & Sisters,' which has become a veritable revolving door of cast members this season. Following the news that Rob Lowe is calling it quits after season four wraps, theAusiello Files is now reporting two more cast changes for next year. Fans of Sarah and her dishy French lover Luc will be pleased to learn that tall-dark-and-handsome Gilles Marini has been promoted to full-time series regular for season five.
Sean Young Joins 'The Young and the Restless'
File this under another daytime TV shocker: According to PEOPLE, actress Sean Young ('Blade Runner') will make her daytime debut on the longrunning CBS soap 'The Young and the Restless.' She'll play Meggie, a "sultry barmaid" who becomes involved with Victor Newman, played by her 'Man Who Came Back' co-star, Eric Braeden. Young's role is set to tape in May.Young is one of two A-listers taping next month: As we previously reported, 'Baywatch' alum David Hasselhoff will make a brief cameo return as Dr. William "Snapper" Foster, Jr., though his role will not overlap with Young's.
"Getting the chance to work with my dear friend Eric Braeden, one of the true gentlemen in entertainment, was certainly a deciding factor for me as well as wanting to get back to work after taking a few years off to raise my kids," Young said, according to PEOPLE.
Dylan Bruno to Guest on 'NCIS'
Get ready for a CBS crossover event -- well, sort of.According to TV Guide, Dylan Bruno will guest on the last two episodes of 'NCIS' this season. Bruno, who played Colby Granger on 'Numb3rs,' will be playing a military man connected with the Gibbs' nemesis Colonel Merton Bell (Robert Patrick).
For more details and SPOILERS, such as they are, follow the jump.
Tuc Watkins Returns to 'One Life to Live'
On April 4, we reported that 'One Life to Live' was making a change in the writing department by bringing in Jean Passanante as associate head writer to numero uno scribe Ron Carlivati. That was one step in trying to right the foundering ship that was 'One Life to Live,' and here's another: Actor Tuc Watkins is returning to 'One Life to Live' as David Vickers. Hooray! This is a great move, especially because unlike Watkins' previous reappearances in the last year or so, this will be a long-term visit. He is going on contract and will be there for at least a few months. That means they can write a good story for David, and that's what they need to do!
'Big Love's' Mireille Enos to Make a 'Killing'
Send out an APB, because Mireille Enos ('Big Love') is set to make 'The Killing.' AMC has just announced that it has cast the 'Big Love' actress as the lead in their new drama pilot.Based on the Danish series 'Forbrydelsen,' 'The Killing' tracks three different storylines after the murder of a young Seattle girl: the detectives on the case; the grieving parents; and the murder suspects. Enos will play Sarah, the lead homicide detective on the investigation. She will join the already-cast Billy Campbell ('Once and Again'), as city council president and mayoral hopeful Darren Richmond, and Michelle Forbes ('True Blood') and Brent Sexton ('In the Valley of Elah') as the victim's parents.
Five Possible Jeannies for the Big Screen 'I Dream of Jeannie'

Another week, another story from Hollywood about a beloved TV show being turned into a feature film. Last week it was 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' and this week it's ... 'I Dream of Jeannie.' Yes, yes, they've talked about this one before. But that was then and this is now and the Los Angeles Times reports that 'I Dream of Jeannie' is back on with Sheila Callaghan, one of the scribes on 'United States of Tara,' has been handed the assignment. That means whatever the writers from 'National Treasure' and 'Mulan' and 'Bend It Like Beckham' who've taken a swing at it in the past few years weren't able to make it work.
There is an essential problem with 'Jeannie,' as anyone who knows the shows realizes. How do you make the story of a love-crazed, subservient slave-like genie who lives in a bottle and calls her astronaut boyfriend master relevant. That's a tough nut to crack, but maybe casting the role of Jeannie would be a start.
Billy Connolly as Doctor Who?
An odd bit of 'Doctor Who' trivia surfaced this weekend, that comic legend Billy Connolly was nearly tapped to play the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 one-off TV movie. Paul McGann wound up with the role instead. Scottish paper the Daily Record reported that a 'Doctor Who' historian named Alex Westthorp learned that the BBC had him on a "short list" after seeing him opposite Dame Judi Dench in 'Mrs. Brown.' Apparently, no one at the BBC told Connolly. When TV Squad spoke with The Big Yin Tuesday, he said he had only heard that morning about the possibility he'd be tapped for the role. "That never reached as far as me," he said. "As a matter of fact, my manager told me that this morning. He read it in the newspaper and was amazed. It didn't get as far as him. These were just discussions at BBC I think."
David Hasselhoff Returning to 'The Young and the Restless'
It looks like soap opera fans are about to get another blast from the past.On the heels of Juliane Moore's cameo as Frannie Hughes on 'As the World Turns' and news that Charles Shaughnessy will be reprising his character, Shane Donovan, on 'Days of Our Lives,' EW.com is reporting that 'Knight Rider' himself, David Hasselhoff, is returning to 'The Young and the Restless' to play Dr. Snapper Foster.
From 1975-1982, David Hasselhoff was the epitome of a soap leading man on 'The Young and the Restless.' Gorgeous, hunky and hot, he wooed the ladies and was brave and committed to saving lives as a Genoa City medical man. More importantly, the character of Snapper was an integral part of the Foster family. The Fosters were the folks from the wrong side of the tracks, hard-working and self-reliant.
Matt Smith to Appear on 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'
Matt Smith has only just taken the reigns of the title role in 'Doctor Who' and he is already slated to make a guest-appearance on the spin-off series 'The Sarah Jane Adventures,' according to the BBC Press Office. For those unaware, the spin-off follows the adventures of former 'Doctor Who' companion Sarah Jane Smith as played by Elisabeth Sladen.
Also joining them in the same episode is former 'Doctor Who' companion Jo Grant. She'll be played by Katy Manning, who is stepping into the role for the first time since 1973.
And to round out the news trifecta, the episode will be written by the creator of 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' and the man responsible for bringing 'Doctor Who' back to television, Russell T. Davies. This would mark Davies' first time writing for the character of the Doctor since he left the series (and it could be argued that it's his first time writing for Smith's Doctor).
Mind you, Davies writing was never particularly impressive on the series in terms of science fiction. Davies' strength tends to be writing about relationships, and having the Doctor in a room with two of his ex-companions (which for the Doctor would be the equivalent of ex-girlfriends) is enough reason to tune in.
Kate Collins Returns to 'All My Children'
There's some big news coming to us from the world of soap. One of the best actresses in the business, Kate Collins, is returning to 'All My Children' as Janet Dillon. You remember Janet, right? Or perhaps you recall her more popular name, Janet from Another Planet. That the nickname the character earned for her bizarre behavior and outrageous antics. She did once throw her sister Natalie down a well, leave her there to die and then threaten to shoot Hayley in the face. Recently, the character has been played by Robin Mattson -- who is also a wonderful actress -- but Collins return is special because she's the originator of the role. She was last on 'All My Children' in 2007. Collins will be back on the show effective April 30, but the character has already been making her presence known.
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