Today, Showtime announced that Mary-Kate Olsen will be joining the cast of Weeds as a love interest for Nancy Botwin's (Mary Louise Parker) son, Silas. Normally, I don't find cast additions to be that interesting but this one is definitely news-worthy.

For a generation of TV viewers, the names Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have become synonymous with safe, children's entertainment. I know that my daughters still enjoy an Olsen twins DVD every now and then and I will never forget being the only adult male in the theatre when I took them to see New York Minute. As I watched them grow up over the years, I often wondered if there would ever come a time when they would try and be taken seriously as actresses (the Olsen twins, not my daughters).

Well, it seems that time has come. By joining the cast of Weeds, Mary-Kate has declared that she is ready to be taken seriously and, more importantly, ready to work without her sister. All things being equal, I have always thought the Olsen sisters had what it took to be stars beyond their chldhood. I guess we will find out soon enough.

One of these things is not like the other. I read this story and that's the song that got stuck in my head. The Hallmark Channel just bought the rights to air 29 feature films on its network. Soon, films like Miss Congeniality, Troy, The In-Laws, and New York Minute will pick up where Little House on the Prairie and Moment of Truth movies left off. The one movie that really stands out from the others is March of the Penguins. It actually makes a little bit of sense that it's on the Hallmark Channel, because the movie ends up being very emotional and about life's struggles and the saving grace of family. I just expected it to be on Discovery.