HBO's untitled Phil Spector movie just got even starrier: An Oscar winner has taken over from an Oscar nominee (and winner of multiple Grammy Awards) in a pivotal role.

Last week production on the biopic was suspended after Bette Midler had to pull out on doctors' orders. Now it's been reported that her replacement is none other than 'The Queen' star, Helen Mirren.

Mirren will play Linda Kenney Baden, a defense attorney who represented disgraced music producer Phil Spector during his first trial for murdering Lana Clarkson.

Although star Al Pacino has been spotted out and about in full Phil Spector garb (see right; thanks to 'Entertainment Weekly' for the heads up), HBO's Spector biopic has run into trouble after co-star Bette Midler quit.

Production was suspended Tuesday after she failed to turn up for filming, and Deadline reports that Midler had to pull out on doctors' orders after suffering a herniated disc.

David Mamet told the crew that HBO and the insurance company were looking at recasting the part, which has since been confirmed by the cable network.

Mamet wrote the film, which is being exec-produced by 'Rain Man' director Barry Levinson.

A familiar face might shuffle across your TV screen next year in a quest for brains: The site Socyberty.com reports that Charlie Sheen is confirmed to appear as a zombie on season 2 'The Walking Dead.'

Wait, what? Isn't he on TV's biggest sitcom? Well, yeah. Just as we suspected, the news is sadly untrue. Unfortunately, E! Online reports that an AMC rep called the story "crazy."

Blast! We were having so much fun thinking about which way Zombie Charlie would kick the proverbial bucket (again): axe to the head? Gunshot? Bludgeoning? Oh, the possibilities ...

In other TV news ...

• After a long and storied film (and workout video) career, Jane Fonda wants to venture into television. "I have a sort of a vision of what it could be and that's all that I'll say," Fonda said. "I think the best, edgiest writing is now on cable television. It's pretty exciting." [AP]

• Awesome alert: The 'Freaks and Geeks' cast will probably reunite for a Q&A at the 2011 PaleyFest in March. Co-executive producer Judd Apatow said arrangements are coming together for the sure-to-be-epic event. [Variety]

• 'True Blood's' season 4 recurring cast keeps on growing. 'Hawthrone' actress Christina Moore will play Suzanne McKittrick, a Texas housewife with special powers. In addition to Moore, 'Lost' actor Neil Hopkins will play Claude and Chris Butler will play Emory, a shapeshifter. [Deadline Hollywood]

"Hot Mess": Ahh! Olympic fever is catching hold. The famous Torch attempted to make its epic journey through various lands pain-free, only to have protesters and crazy people totally ruin everything. In Paris, France, things got so bad that the police decided to shut it all down and just throw the torch in a car and speed off. And then Jon gave us a quick little history factoid when he shared that the Torch tradition was started under Hitler's regime. His message to France: "Way to sh*t on Hitler's legacy".

George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine famously landed him in jail. He was charged for obscenity in 1972 after performing the bit at Milwaukee's Summerfest. When it was broadcast the following year on a New York City radio station, the FCC got in on the act. The radio station challenged the fine, and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Now, I intend on using every one of Carlin's "dirty words" after the jump so consider yourself warned. Be prepared to wash your computer's mouth out with soap. It may look like a saint, but it swears like sailor.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• It's country night tonight on American Idol! And as if you needed another reason to watch, check out the commercials directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet.
  
• Survivor is seriously considering a cold-weather location for an upcoming season.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this podcast via our feed.

The David Mamet article "Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business," which ran in Harper's a year or so ago, has been extended into book form and is due out from Pantheon on February 6th. Rush and Malloy over at the New York Daily News have an early glimpse at the book, which promises plenty of insider scoop and pithy analysis of Hollywood's behind-the-scenes wheelings and dealings from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and current producer of The Unit.

Sure to be among Mamet's most lasting quotes from the forthcoming book: "Hollywood is like cocaine. You cannot understand its attraction until you are doing it. And when you are doing it, you are insane." If the article on which the book is based is any indication, we won't be hearing anything terribly new about Hollywood from Mamet -- drugs, bad behavior, commerce triumphs over art always, etc. However, all of this will be said in the Mamet style - equal parts economy and filth. I'll be pre-ordering my copy today.

Now as most of you have gathered by now, I'm not a huge fan of this show. My plan was to give it three episodes, and if it didn't sway me, then I'd walk away. Last night's episode was the third installment, so that means I'm walkin'.

Now I went in to this planning on writing a less harsh review because, believe it or not, I do read all the comments people write and I realize that many folks love this show. However, I won't have to try too hard at doing so because this episode wasn't that bad. It's easily the best of the first three.

I really want to like this show, but Dennis Haysbert and Co. are making that as hard as possibly can be. I honestly can't decide which episode I liked less: last week's series premiere or this one.

I think I'm going to lean in last week's favor because I had trouble keeping my eyes open for last night's episode. I kept catching myself as I started to nod off. I'm fine with that because I'm certain that the four of five minutes that I missed due to my temporary narcolepsy had nothing of importance in them.

Actually, I'm re-evaluating that last sentence. I'm not fine with it. If I'm going to doze off for a few minutes during a show, I don't want to wake up and feel all right about it. I want to wake up and feel worried that I've just missed the best two minutes in television history. This show doesn't give me that sensation.

Well no sense in sugar-coating it. I'm gonna have a hard time recommending this show, but I'm still willing to give it a few more episodes before I completely give up on it. The Unit just wasn't that good. On paper it reminded me a lot of E-Ring: spectacular cast with some great minds behind it (in this case David Mamet and Shawn Ryan).

But it turns out that, thus far, The Unit is going to suffer the same fate as E-Ring because last night's pilot episode had an unbelievably boring storyline.

Things are really starting to heat up on the networks this week as seven new shows grace the schedule. Most notable, Dennis Haysbert returns to television in The Unit, which is produced by genius playwright David Mamet. ABC also launches its new part-scripted, part-improvised comedy, Brothers and Sisters, and the race-swapping reality show, Black.White, makes its debut on FX. Oh, and Lil' Kim gets her last 15 minutes of fame before going to the slammer.

• Pros Vs. Joes, Mondays @ 10pm on Spike (premieres March 6)
• Ordinary people face off against pro athletes like Karl Malone, Bo Jackson, Jerry Rice, Jennie Finch, etc. This is for sports fans with big mouths.

• The Unit, Tuesdays @ 9 on CBS (premieres March 7)
• Dennis Haysbert returns to action-packed television, this time as the leader of a special ops team that goes on risky missions across the globe. The show is about the missions, but also about how the families at home handle the stress of living in secret. Produced by David Mamet.