Casting news from ER: Stanley Tucci, star of the very short-lived CBS drama 3 Lbs last year, will join the show later this year for a multi-episode stint.

He's going to play "a brilliant ICU turned ER chief," in just one of many big changes that are coming to the show. TV Guide wonders if this means that Goran Visnjic will be replaced, since it has been reported that Visnjic might not return next season (though producers are trying to get him to agree to star in a few episodes here and there).

This is interesting casting, going for an older guy instead of a resident hunk (sorry, nothing against Tucci's hunkiness). This guy deserves a weekly show. I remember a TV movie from years ago, a pilot for a series produced by Tom Selleck, that had Tucci as a detective. The show never made it, so I hope this works out.

[via TV Tattle]

• At 8, ABC has the 2006 American Music Awards, with host Jimmy Kimmel.
• CBS has new episodes of NCIS, The Unit, and 3 Lbs.
• NBC has the special Tony Bennett: An American Classic at 8, followed by new eps of Law and Order: CI and Law and Order: SVU.
• There's a new Standoff on FOX at 8, followed by a new House.
• The CW has a new Gilmore Girls at 8, then a new Veronica Mars.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, followed by a new Frontline.
• Remember the show China Beach? It's on American Life at 9.
• Also at 9: Spike has Die Another Day, which seems pretty crappy after you've seen Casino Royale.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.
• At 10:30, Food Network has a new ep of The Hungry Detective.

Joe Pantoliano is not letting the canceled CBS drama Waterfront die an anonymous death.

Pantoliano and other members of the Waterfront crew, including the girl who plays his daughter on the show, showed up at the Tazza Cafe in Providence, RI the other night to show two episodes of the series for the crowd. The show was about the mayor of Providence and a lot of it was filmed on location. CBS pulled the series without even showing a single episode, saying it was too expensive and that there were creative differences.

But Pantoliano says its more than that, and uses as an example CBS' decision to put 3 Lbs in the slot vacated by the now-canceled Smith. 3 Lbs is a Paramount show. Paramount is owned by the same company that owns CBS, Viacom. Waterfront is a Warner Brothers show, and Pantoliano thinks that CBS wants to air one of their own shows instead of another show.

He wants to finish the episodes they were working on and show them to the public and see if they like it or not.

[via TV Tattle]