KevinWilliamson

Here's one for the CW's Christmas stocking: Mia Kirshner has just signed up for a recurring role on 'The Vampire Diaries.'

The Ausiello Files confirms that the 'L Word' siren will play Isobel, wife of Matt Davis' history teacher, Alaric. Her character will be charming -- but with some serious bite, of course.

Kirshner is known primarily for her portrayal of Jenny Schecter on the Showtime drama 'The L Word,' a job she held from 2005-2009. She's also put in three solid appearances on '24', and has had significant roles in 'Not Another Teen Movie' and 'The Black Dahlia.'

The CW's TCA panels today were full of beautiful people. It seemed like all the shows were about young pretty things in scandalous situations. Even the highly-anticipated Vampire Diaries didn't look much different, except some of the over-sexed high schoolers were vampires. But one show shined through the pretty clutter in the CW's new slate. Too bad we won't see it until early 2010.

That show is Life Unexpected, which CW programming head Dawn Ostroff described as "Juno meets Gilmore Girls." After seeing the pilot, I can agree with that description. It's sweet, warm, even a little bit hokey. In fact, it feels like a show that would have been on the old WB network. What the heck is it doing on the CW?