Michael Ausiello calls the casting of Jim Belushi in the pilot for the new CBS drama pilot 'Defenders' an "unusual casting decision." It's not that unusual. It's not like Belushi has never done anything serious before. Comics can often do drama too. Belushi will play a Las Vegas lawyer who helps those down and out and those fighting the system. (Not sure if this is the same legal drama that we reported on last year but it sounds similar.)

Since this show is set in Vegas, I'm sure we'll see the inevitable crossover episode(s) between 'CSI' and 'Defenders,' especially if one of them needs a ratings boost or it's a sweeps month. Belushi's character will need help on a case and the only people who can find the evidence he needs is the 'CSI' team.

If 'Defenders' lasts half as long as 'According to Jim' it will last nine years.

(S01E13) Drop Dead Diva has lived up to the pilot/premiere, and in some ways, exceeded it. The Deb/Jane dichotomy has morphed into someone different than either pure Deb or pure Jane. Brooke Elliott is wonderful as "New Jane" with just a hint of Deb. As season one comes to a close, even if the writers hadn't left us with a cliffhanger ending, I'd be more than anxious to tune in next year.

There were two interesting cases on the docket for the finale, with Stacy offering lots of comic relief as second stool -- chair -- to Grayson in a lawsuit brought by a lingerie model who'd been fired because she went public with her surviving breast cancer. Jane's case was more complex, but not until after it had been won. More on both cases, and Jane's dilemma on the dating front, after the jump.

Actor and former republican U.S. Senator Fred Thompson is reportedly considering running for president in 2008. Thompson was a U.S. Senator for Tennessee from 1994-2003. He decided not to run for re-election when he was cast as District Attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order in 2002. He has also appeared in that same role on SVU and Criminal Intent, as well as short-lived shows, Conviction and Trial by Jury. Thompson definitely has that "I could kick your ass, punk"-thing about him.

Thompson has an unusual past that will make him an interesting candidate. Besides appearing in a big ol' pile of television shows and movies, he also has some serious experience in Washington, D.C. Before becoming an actor or a Senator, he was an attorney and was on the Watergate committee. If he does join the race for president, he'll be running against fellow republicans Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain for the nomination. And, in 2005, he returned to politics briefly when President Bush appointed him to be an advisor for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during his confirmation process.

Hell. If Arnold Schwarzenegger can do it...

Canterbury's Law, the new FOX pilot from Denis Leary and director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas, Timecode) has just welcomed actress Julianna Margulies to the project. Margulies will play the lead in this new series about a defense attorney who's like, all edgy and stuff. This is the first time Margulies has been on network TV since she left ER back in 2000. Margulies will also serve as a producer for the new series. The series will also star Ben Shenkman (Love Monkey).

I have to agree with Julia's assessment: the only thing that makes me think this won't just be another "lawyer" show is the involvement of Leary as producer and Figgis as director for the pilot episode. I don't think the problem is necessarily too many lawyer shows, but too many lawyer shows that follow the same basic formula.

Fox has given the green light to three pilots that could appear on the network's fall schedule. The pilots are hour-long dramas about lawyers, nurses, and law clerks.

Canterbury's Law is about a "headstrong female defense attorney" who practically bends the law to get justice for her innocent clients. Supreme Courtships (arrrgh, what a dumb name) is an ensemble dramedy about the personal lives of six U.S. Supreme Court clerks. The untitled nurse project is another ensemble dramedy about nurses in a big-city hospital.

I think this is indicative of one of the main problems in television these days. Everything is either crime or medical. How many freakin' lawyer shows do we need? They're not that interesting! And I am sick to death of anything set in a hospital. At least with Heroes and Lost we have original settings and situations.

Fans of the late CBS drama Smith will be happy to hear this. Jonny Lee Miller, who played Tom on Smith, has just signed on to star in a new drama for ABC titled Eli Stone. It's from Greg Berlanti, the guy who created Everwood, and Marc Guggenheim, a former attorney.

The plot is about a lawyer who finds out that he might also be a prophet. Ahem.

So many lawyer jokes going though my head right now...can't concentrate...

I just hope he's not a prophet who talks to the dead while solving crimes.

On the heels of news that both 7th Heaven and The Game were given full season orders comes news that CBS' Shark, with James Woods as a hotshot lawyer, has been given a full season as well. The most recent episode got the series best ratings yet.

This reminded me that CBS only put four new shows on their lineup this fall. Jericho and Shark have gotten full season orders, nothing has been said about The Class yet, and Smith was canceled only after a few episodes.

[via TV Tattle]

(S01E02) This opens with a game of Texas Hold'em -- James Woods' character Sebastian Stark seems to enjoy playing poker as much as the actor himself does. Then it occurs to me, maybe a show about a poker-playing actor would have been a better idea (it's only been done a couple times) rather than what this is -- another legal drama.

The case this time involves a murdered cop -- and a chance for new prosecutor Stark to enhance his reputation with the police department following his years as a high-profile defense attorney, which is a good idea for a story, so I've got high hopes starting out. However ...

NBC was kind enough to make the new Dick Wolf procedural drama, Conviction, available for free on iTunes before it airs on Friday night. So, I took advantage. I'm just going to give you my general thoughts on the program. There will be NO SPOILERS HERE.

If you like Law and Order, you will probably like Conviction. There are a lot of characters on the show who will make for some great storylines that will no doubt be driven by the criminals and crime victims. It looks as though we'll be getting two storylines an episode, instead of just one, like the usual Dick Wolf procedural dramas.

I may have just died and gone to heaven. I'm only speculating here, because The Hollywood Reporter didn't exactly say for sure, but it's a pretty good bet that Alan Tudyk and Joshua Jackson have been cast in the same drama that's being created for CBS. Earlier this month, I reported on Jackson landing the lead in a Carol Mendelsohn law drama about a young lawyer whose career takes a turn when he takes a death row case. The Hollywood Reporter is now saying that Alan Tudyk (aka 'Wash' in Firefly) has been cast "in CBS' untitled Carol Mendelsohn drama". It describes the show as being about brilliant legal minds and that Tudyk will play "a competitive and arrogant Ivy League graduate." That sounds like the same show to me. Now, if only David Duchovny would join the cast.

Since we reported on the alleged break-up, it's only fitting that we report on the latest in the TomKat saga. It appears that Tom may sue Life & Style magazine for its story earlier this month, declaring that the two lovebirds had parted ways. Cruise's lawyer said Tom was furious over the story, which claimed that he and fiance Katie Holmes split up but were making public appearances to look like they were still together. The magazine also reported that Tom bought Katie a house so he could be close to his child, which she is carrying.

I'd never heard of Life and Style magazine until it came out with that story. Maybe it was just a ploy on the part of the magazine to get its name in headlines. A risky ploy, since Tom Cruise has a history of lawsuits against tabloids.

Lawyers. They're the real "Debbie Downers" of this world. The fellas over at YouTube have been told by NBC that they can no longer play the now-infamous Lazy Sunday rap from SNL. That rap was huge for SNL, which has been at rock bottom for several years now. After it aired on Dec. 17, Lazy Sunday spread rapidly on the web, including at YouTube, which reportedly had 1.2 million downloads of the video within ten days. The popularity of the rap led to an article in the New York Times about the song and the "viral" power the internet has when people think something is cool. NBC finally got a clue and put the video on its website (for Windows users only) and in iTunes, where it now costs $1.99 to download.

Boing Boing has a really good argument about why NBC should be "sending flowers and chocolates to YouTube, not love notes from lawyers."

Joshua Jackson just landed the lead role in a CBS legal drama that, so far, does not have a title. Jackson, also known as Pacey Witter (heart!) from Dawson's Creek, is fresh off the stage in England where he acted with Patrick Stewart in a David Mamet play. He also shot a couple of indie movies last year.

In the new series, Jackson will play a first-year lawyer, badgered by a firm partner, whose career takes an important turn when he is assigned the case of a death row inmate. The series is produced by Carol Mendelsohn, one of the producers of the CSI franchise.

Maybe 2006 is the year of the Dawson's Creek kids? Katie Holmes will allegedly give birth to Tom Cruise's baby later this year and Michelle Williams may or may not win an Oscar for her role in Brokeback Mountain. Now, where on earth is James van der Beek?

After Oprah tore James Frey apart on her show last week, I was left to wonder what would be next for the author.

I should've known.

A Manhattan social worker was the first to file a lawsuit against Random House, the publisher of Frey's fictitious memoir about overcoming drug and alcohol addiction. The plaintiff, Jennifer Cohn, said she recommended Frey's book to a number of clients who were struggling with the same addiction. Another New York reader filed a class action lawsuit, asking for her $14.95 back. There are also lawsuits in state and federal courts in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

So...what's worse? Ripping apart the author on nationwide television or suing an author because his memoir is packed with lies?