News

Josh Duhamel has joined Season 2 of the Disney Plus series “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.”

Duhamel joins the show as a new character named Gavin Cole, a former NHL player turned coach. Described as inspirational, charming, and hardcore, he’s big on the hockey metaphor that applies to life. He runs the super-intense summer hockey institute where The Mighty Ducks land in Season 2.

Duhamel was recently seen in the Netflix series “Jupiter’s Legacy” and lent his voice to the anime series “Blade Runner: Black Lotus.” He will next be seen in the NBC limited series “The Thing About Pam,” which will debut on March 8. He will also appear in the upcoming Lionsgate film “Shotgun Wedding” in June 2022. His other TV roles include “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,” “11.22.63,” “Las Vegas,” and “All My Children.”

Duhamel is repped by ICM, John Carrabino Management, Hansen Jacobson, and Viewpoint.

Josh Duhamel is in talks to star opposite Jennifer Lopez in the Lionsgate romantic adventure “Shotgun Wedding,” replacing Armie Hammer in the lead role.

Hammer dropped out of the project last Wednesday, with a representative for the production explaining, “Given the imminent start date, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision.”

Duhamel would star as Tom, opposite Lopez’s Darcy, in the film about a couple who gathers their families together for a destination wedding. Things start to go south, however, after the pair gets cold feet. But it really takes a turn for the worst when the entire wedding party is taken hostage.

The Lionsgate project was first announced last fall. Jason Moore will direct from a screenplay by Mark Hammer and Liz Meriwether. The film will be produced by Mandeville’s Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman, who previously produced “Wonder” for the studio,...

Tobey Maguire seemed to have the world at his feet by the time he’d turned 30, at which point, he’d already amassed a series of acclaimed performances in critical and commercial hits dating back to just his second onscreen role alongside close friend Leonardo DiCaprio in 1993’s This Boy’s Life when he was only seventeen.

After starring in Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm, making a brief appearance in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, taking top billing in Pleasantville, Lee’s revisionist Western Ride with the Devil, Wonder Boys and awards season favorite The Cider House Rules, Maguire shot to mainstream recognition when he was cast as Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

However, since his tenure as the web-slinging superhero came to an end after three films and billions of dollars at the box office, the 45 year-old’s maintained a relatively low profile in Hollywood. In fact,...

Robert DeMora, a costume designer with film credits that include Risky Business, The Wanderers and The Birdcage but who made his biggest splash creating dazzling, near-surreal costumes for Bette Midler like her famous sequined mermaid gowns, died Sept. 21 at his home in Upstate New York’s Jeffersonville. He was 85.

The New York Times reports heart failure as the cause of death. His death was first reported two weeks ago by local news in his native Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he got his start in the 1950s designing his high school plays.

DeMora began his film career with 1976’s Marathon Man starring Dustin Hoffman, following up the next year with The Exorcist II: The Heretic, then American Hot Wax, A Different Story and Winter Kills starring Jeff Bridges. In 1979, he costumed the ’60s-era gangs of The Wanderers, and, a year later, William Friedkin’s controversial gay serial killer drama Cruising. He would...

NBC is developing God’s Country, a drama inspired by Blake Shelton’s hit song of the same name. The project hails from the long-time Voice coach Shelton, Las Vegas creator Gary Scott Thompson and Universal Television.

Written by Thompson, in God’s Country, when the patriarch of a hardworking Midwestern farm family dies mysteriously in a car accident, his grown children discover he was keeping a devastating secret they could never have imagined.

Shelton’s song “God’s Country”, written by Devin Dawson, Hardy and Jordan Schmidt, was released in March 2019. It has gone triple platinum and won Single of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards last week. The song’s official video has been viewed more than 114M times on YouTube alone. (you can watch it below the story.)

Thompson and Shelton executive produce the TV adaptation with Narvel Blackstock (Blake Shelton’s Not So Family Christmas) and Laurie Pozmantier.

Ever since it was announced that a revival of CSI was in the works at CBS, fans have been wondering which beloved cast members will be reprising their roles. 

According to a new report by TV Line, two fan-favorites are already in advanced talks to appear. 

William Petersen and Jorja Fox are in talks to, once again, return Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle respectively. 

The outlet notes, however, that CBS has yet to order the project, meaning that it is very much still in development. 

The CSI franchise was a viable one for CBS for several years, beginning with CSI, before adding in CSI Miami, CSI NY, and CSI Cyber. 

The series has also spawned videogames, among other things, so it is a big brand that is recognized across the globe. 

It's a franchise worth over $1 billion, so that counts for something. 

In today's climate, the TV networks are struggling...

Exclusive: Showtime is developing an hourlong drama from Brian Grazer, Terence Winter and Nicholas Pileggi. It will be produced by Showtime and Imagine Television Studios.

Written by Boardwalk Empire creator Winter, the untitled series is inspired by Pileggi’s in-depth chronology of organized crime in America — which is also the history of corruption in America — as seen through the eyes of the mafia’s First Family.

Winter executive produces with Pileggi and Imagine’s Grazer and Samie Kim Falvey.

Pileggi, who started his career as a journalist, is best known for writing Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family and Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, which were adapted into the Martin Scorsese movies Goodfellas and Casino, respectively. Pileggi co-wrote the scripts for the films with Scorsese. Pileggi also executive produced Scorsese’s most recent feature, The Irishman. He executive produced alongside Grazer the the Ridley Scott-directed American Gangster.

Imagine Documentaries and advertising juggernaut Procter & Gamble have brokered a significant co-financing deal for a slate of film and streaming projects, Variety can report exclusively.

The deal represents the latest foray into scripted for P&g, the 182-year-old consumer goods producer. The company is credited as the architect of the soap opera, which built narrative stories around its products in the age of radio.

There are multiple projects in various stages of development included in the deal, the first of which is “Mars 2080,” a future-set feature that will follow a family’s commute from Earth to the red planet and the adjustment to their new habitat. The film is being developed for theaters and is eyeing a late 2021 release date, though attached talent has not yet been announced.

While the arrangement does not directly envision product placement, both companies said the goal is “to create quality entertainment content that...

No, it’s not really a “movie” in the sense of an all-out, bells-and-whistles Hollywood extravaganza. The Hamilton that debuts on Disney+ starting July 3rd is a live-performance film of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ground-breaking, history-making Broadway musical that told the story of Alexander Hamilton (“the ten-dollar Founding Father”) in an electrifying, hip-hop style. It’s an indisputable classic. Even folks who never got to see the show when it first opened on Broadway have heard the score that went six-times platinum and became the best-selling cast album of all time.

Some Emmy races are so stacked you just need to cheat a little. So is the case for Emmy’s Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series of TV Movie category, which boasts such a deep bench of contenders that TVLine’s Dream Emmy judges — as they have been known to do from time to time — expanded their wish list from six to seven nominees.

Check out the attached gallery — or click here for direct access — to review all seven of our Dream Nominees (remember, these aren’t predictions; they’re wish lists) and then tell us if our picks warrant a “Hell,...

Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen are headed to the North Pole by way of HBO Max. The comedians are set to star in Santa Inc., an “adult animated series” commissioned by the soon-to-launch streaming service.

Santa Inc. tells the story of Candy Smalls (voiced by Silverman), the highest-ranking female elf in the North Pole. When the successor to Santa Claus (Rogen) is poached by Amazon (ha!) on Christmas Eve, Candy chases her ultimate dream: to become the first woman Santa Claus in the history of Christmas.

More from TVLineJean Smart to Play Las Vegas Diva in HBO Max Comedy, Michael Schur...

Heeellpppppp, the simulation is being weird again!

According to a report from Variety, and definitely not a fever-dream you just had last night, Nicolas Cage is set to play “Tiger King” Joe Exotic in a new scripted series.

The show is being developed by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios. It does not have a network or streaming entity lined up yet but this is sure to be one of those “competitive situations” you hear so much about. While real-life eccentric former private zoo owner Joe Exotic is best known in the public eye for Netflix’s Tiger King docuseries, this project will be based on the Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild,” by Leif Reigstad.

Dan Lagana (American Vandal) and Paul Young (Key & Peele) optioned the project back in June of 2019, well before Tiger King set the world aflame.

Exclusive: James Lesure has been cast as a series regular opposite Katey Sagal in Rebel, ABC’s drama pilot inspired by the life of activist Erin Brockovich. Executive produced by Brockovich, Rebel hails from Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff, Davis Entertainment, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios.

Written by Vernoff, Rebel centers on Annie “Rebel” Bello (Sagal), a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. A funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves.

Lesure plays, Benji, a corporate lawyer who was Rebel’s second husband, and he is Cassidy’s father and Lana’s brother. A polished man, Benji is still welcome in Rebel’s life — but he knows that he’ll always get lambasted for siding with the fat cats instead of suffering humanity.

In addition to Sagal, Lesure joins recently...

AT&T, Comcast and Walt Disney aren’t the only big companies eager to get into streaming-video. Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s most influential advertisers, is looking to do the same.

P&g. the maker of Pampers, Crest and Bounty, among other popular supermarket staples, has struck a partnership with Stone Village Television, the production company behind such projects as NBC’s “Las Vegas” and the HBO miniseries “Empire Falls,” to launch a long-form scripted series aimed at boosting themes of gender equality, diversity and inclusion. One series in development, based on “I Am Keats!,” a self-help book by Tom Asacker that presses readers to find their inner passion and shake off roles imposed on them by society, is being readied for streaming-video outlets.

“This is the first one we are doing, but we are planning to do many of these with them,” says Dylan Russell, a co-founder of Stone Village,...

The spinner police car in 1982’s “Blade Runner,” the light cycles of “Tron,” “futuristic Las Vegas” in “Blade Runner 2049” and the “USS Sulaco” in “Aliens” are indelible images of cinema, all from the imagination of the late Syd Mead, who died last month at the age of 86. You might not be aware of his name, but you’ve seen his work.

Mead was the mastermind concept artist and illustrator who played a pivotal role in designing the futuristic world of films and transportation in many blockbusters.

He graduated from the Art Center School of Los Angeles (now the Art Center College of Design), and began his career creating concept cars for Ford in its advanced styling center.

Not long after that, Mead would soon move into the world of film, where he could fully realize his futuristic vision.

Mead made his film debut in 1978 on “Star Trek: The Motion Picture...

On the heels of their genre-hopping collaboration with pop-r&b group Boyz II Men, Asheville, North Carolina bluegrass superstars Steep Canyon Rangers have teamed with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for the March 6th release of their latest LP, Be Still Moses. The forthcoming album reworks nearly a dozen of the Grammy-winning band’s hit tunes and rare cuts, melding the Rangers’ earthy, organic sound with the symphony’s lush string arrangements, and further shining a spotlight on Asheville’s close-knit artistic community.

The latest track to be unveiled from the...

One of the most anticipated movies right now is Army of the Dead, directed by Zack Snyder, who has worked on some of the most popular films of the decade including Justice League, Batman V Superman, Man of Steel and 300. He is a well established and a much sought after professional in the industry. Snyder has been on hiatus for a while because his latest and probably the most buzz-worthy film, Justice League got him into quite some trouble. The short version of the story is that midway through the film, Snyder had to leave the production and was replaced by the director that took the movie in a completely different direction. This has caused quite an outrage among the fans who are now demanding the release of the Snyder cut, and paying extra money to see this cut wherever it is available. Because of the hectic response, he...

There is no doubt that Hollywood is the movie capital of the Western world. The streets and avenues may not be paved with dreams but there are stars, studios and stories essential to our movie history around every corner.

Capturing the American City on camera, even going so far as to include the city as a character in the films however pretentious that may sound, has long been a feature of urban cinema. The diverse nature of the American city has given rise to many different types of stories, set against many different backdrops, but they are all part of the wide expanse of America’s cinematic heritage.

While L. A. movies have been covered often before, we are here to look at other American cities, the films that were based there, and how their character is captured on the screen.

Las Vegas

The glittering diamond in the rough of...

The Cotton Club Encore is showing December 13, 2019 – January 11, 2020 on Mubi in the United States as part of the series Francis Ford Coppola: Reignite Cinema.Albany, New York is far from a cinephile hub but there exists a stronger network to the arts than what one would suspect. The city is synonymous with politics by being the state’s capital city and, especially if you live outside of the state, mostly associated with the setting of William Kennedy’s “Albany Cycle” novels that include his Pulitzer Prize-winning Great Depression-era masterwork, Ironweed. Kennedy, a former local newspaper journalist turned novelist, still remains a titan in the Albany area where he founded and developed, through MacArthur Foundation grant money, The Writer’s Institute with the University at Albany, State University of New York (Suny Albany) to foster local artists and help expose the area to the best of literature, non-fiction writing, journalism, theater,...

Exclusive: Fox has put in development Every Other Weekend, a half-hour single-camera comedy from Adrienne Carter (Everybody Hates Chris), Will Packer Media and Fox Entertainment’s Sidecar Content Accelerator.

Written by Carter, Every Other Weekend follows four single moms who try to reclaim their fun, sexy selves two weekends a month after discovering that their custody weekends are in sync.

Carter executive produces with Will Packer and Sheila Ducksworth for Will Packer Media. SideCar Content Accelerator is the studio.

Every Other Weekend is inspired by Carter’s three-episode web series Every Other Weekend, executive produced by Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) and starring Carter, Ryan Michelle Bathé (This is Us) and Kimberly Hébert Gregory (Vice Principals).

Carter was a writer-producer on Everybody Hates Chris and also wrote on the TV shows Eve and NBC’s Las Vegas as well as the TV One comedy Born Again Virgin. She also wrote and directed Hysterical Pregnancy,...

Exclusive: Artist International Group CEO David Unger and Saram Entertainment CEO Soyoung Lee have launched a full-service, internationally-driven talent representation joint venture where they will rep a diverse set of clients across film and television from their Seoul and Los Angeles based offices. The goal is to produce and package film, television and local language content.

“Together we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the explosive growth from international opportunities and partnerships,” Unger said. “Today, more than ever, content across film and television must speak to diverse audiences with global appeal.”

Artist International Group clients include Hanee Lee (Extreme Job), Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha), Tom Welling (Smallville), Mallika Sherawat (Time Raiders), Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long), Siwon Choi (Dragon Blade) and Saïd Taghmaoui (Wonder Woman) as well as writer and director clients Amanda Sthers (Madame), Tony Kaye...

Suzanne Whang, the 56-year-old former host of House Hunters who died Tuesday of breast cancer, was remembered today by Hgtv for her warm personality and welcoming voice.

“Suzanne was warm, funny and kind with a distinctive voice that made everyone feel at home,” the channel said in a statement. “Our Hgtv family mourns her loss and wishes to express deepest condolences to her friends, fans and family who knew and loved her.”

Whang hosted Hgtv’s House Hunters from 1999 to 2007, and was also known for her recurring role as Polly the spa manager on NBC’s drama Las Vegas. Other TV credits include For The People, The Mick, Now We’re Talking and Kingdom.

Her friend, the actress Jane Lynch, remembered Whang as “a champ. We crossed paths for many years and spoke deeply and laughed heartily every time. A bright light has gone out.”

Suzanne was a champ. We...

Suzanne Whang, best known as the voice of Hgtv’s “House Hunters,” died this week following a long-running battle with breast cancer. She was 56.

“Suzanne was warm, funny and kind with a distinctive voice that made everyone feel at home,” Hgtv told TheWrap in a statement. “Our Hgtv family mourns her loss and wishes to express deepest condolences to her friends, fans and family who knew and loved her.”

Whang hosted “House Hunters” from 1999 to 2008 and spinoff “House Hunters International” from 2009 to 2012.

Also Read: 'Flip or Flop' Star Tarek El Moussa on Why He and Ex-Wife Christina Agreed to Do Another Season

In addition to masterfully voicing the classic home-buying series, Whang also had numerous recurring acting roles, including on NBC’s “Las Vegas” and on Fox’s “The Mick.” Other credits on her resume include “Kingdom,” “General Hospital” and an episode of “Arrested Development.”

“Suzanne was one of a kind,...

Matt Miller and Alex Taub are staying in business with Fox.

The pair, who previously worked together on Fox’s series adaptation of “Lethal Weapon,” have scored a put pilot commitment at the broadcaster for a new drama project, Variety has learned exclusively.

The drama is titled “Dead Eddie.” In the series, after a near-death experience, misanthropic ex-cop-turned-private investigator Eddie Bana is burdened with the ability to talk to the dead. Eddie’s nice enough to help them sort out their unfinished business, but always for a price.

Miller and Taub will write and executive produce, with Miller executive producing under his Good Sessions Productions Banner. Warner Bros. Television, where Miller is under an overall deal, will produce along with Fox Entertainment.

Miller developed “Lethal Weapon” for television and served as executive producer and showrunner during its three-season run at the network. He also co-created and served as co-showrunner on...

Gail Mancuso always thought her feature-film directorial debut would be a comedy, given her background of having directed some of the biggest sitcoms in the history of TV. Instead, she found herself drawn to “A Dog’s Journey” due to the emotional connection she has to animals as well as the messages the film sends to viewers.

“Everything was leaning towards the comedy genre,” Mancuso told TheWrap. “I thought naturally I would do a comedy and I was working on one with Amblin, but then all of a sudden Amblin told me, ‘We have this other one that’s ready to go.’ [‘A Dog’s Purpose’ and ‘A Dog’s Journey’ producer] Gavin Polone knew me from ‘Gilmore Girls’ and we powwowed, and he knew I was an animal lover and had all these dogs, so I read it and, being a woman and loving the Cj story, I knew we could make it into something very special. A girl...

TollywoodTo be telecast on Zee5, the show will mark Lakshmi Manchu's foray into the digital platform.Digital NativeLakshmi Manchu, Tollywood actor and television host, will be soon making her debut in the digital platform. Titled as Mrs Subbalakshmi, the show will be telecast on Zee5 on March 8 to commemorate the International Women’s Day. Lakshmi Manchu herself confirmed the news via Twitter last week. Sharing the details, Lakshmi Manchu wrote in her tweet, “#MrsSubbalakshmi arrives on your favorite digital platform this #WomensDay, #8thMarch! Gear up for a full on fun and fantastic comedy entertaining series on @ZEE5India..Super excited for this one! Zee5 channel also confirmed the same via a tweet. “Ladies, you are sure to strike a chord. And dear gentlemen, watch it till the end. #MrsSubbalakshmi Premieres on March 8 #ZEE5. @LakshmiManchu @AvasaralaSrini @MaheshVitta #comedianvenutillu #ZEE5Originals,” they wrote. Reports are that Mrs Subbalakshmi will be based...

Amblin Television has acquired the rights to Akira Kurosawa’s acclaimed film “Rashomon” with plans to develop it as an anthology series.

Each season of the 10-episode series would focus on a singular event told from multiple points of view where each of the main characters provides a unique and different perspective of the event based on their specific and subjective point of view. Only by watching each of the episodes, and seeing the differing character’s perspectives, will the audience come away with the truth behind the mystery.

Amblin TV’s Co-Presidents, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, will executive produce along with Atmosphere’s Mark Canton and David Hopwood, with Leigh Ann Burton from Opus 7 also executive producing

“We couldn’t be more excited to adapt this extraordinary film as the foundation for a new dramatic mystery thriller series,” said Frank and Falvey. “It will explore the boundaries of...

More marvelous news for Amy Sherman-Palladino: The “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” creator is the odds-on favorite to win the Director Guilds Award Saturday for comedy directing, according to our predictions. If she does triumph, she’ll be the fifth woman — all in the last six years — to win that honor.

Sherman-Palladino, who’s up for helming the pilot, has 5/6 combined User, Expert and Editors odds. She’s just ahead of Melina Matsoukas (21/10 odds), who’s contending for “Thanksgiving” from “Master of None.” Beth McCarthy-Miller (“Chicklet” from “Veep”) is third with 11/1 odds, followed by Aziz Ansari (“The Thief” from “Master of None) with 20/1 odds and Mike Judge (“Server Error” from “Silicon Valley”) with 80/1 odds.

See 2018 DGA nominations: ‘Game of Thrones’ leads with 3, ‘Master of None’ has 2

McCarthy-Miller is one of the previous female winners in this category; she prevailed for her work on the “30 Rock” series finale “Hogcock!”/”Last Lunch” four years ago.

ABC has promoted "Private Practice" writer-producers Steve Blackman and Craig Turk to co-head writers on the series.

Serving under executive producer and creator Shonda Rhimes, the duo will act as de-facto co-showrunners on the program, which has become a solid part of ABC's Thursday night lineup.

Turk was legal counsel for John McCain's 2000 presidential bid before he became a TV writer and has been on the show since it debuted. Blackman worked on "Bones" and "Las Vegas" before joining "Practice" during season two.

The duo replace Robert Rovner and Jon Cowan, who left the series in March. The writers are repped by Paradigm.

Socialite-turned-reality-tv star Paris Hilton has made plans develop yet another small screen project with U.S. radio and TV host Ryan Seacrest.

According to People.com, 27-year-old Hilton has teamed up with Seacrest's production company to produce a new scripted series.

Hilton's reality TV credits include her forthcoming U.S. and U.K.-based TV shows Paris Hilton's My New BFF and 2003 show The Simple Life co-starring her gal pal Nicole Richie.

She has also guest-starred in episodes of U.S. TV series The O.C., The George Lopez Show, Las Vegas, American Dreams and Veronica Mars.

As WENN went to press, additional details on the new series were not made available.

Molly Sims credits James Caan with making her a better actress, after they initially clashed on the set of U.S. TV drama Las Vegas.

The former model played Caan's daughter for four seasons of the show, which was cancelled in February.

And she has confessed they didn't see eye to eye at first, until a bust-up brought them together.

Sims reveals, "The first two seasons were extremely intimidating. Then we had a battle and then things were Ok.

"I think he did it to encourage me to have more confidence and stand up for myself.

"It was a face to face (fight) and I held my own. He came back and said, 'We're good, right?'"

And she insists the confrontation has helped her: "He is fantastic. I would not be where I am without him. He's amazing, he's such a talent."...

Molly Sims has joined the cast of Velveteen Films' indie drama Hickory Nation.

Written and directed by Velveteen's Rebecca Cook, the film revolves around a small Maine coastal community dealing with the aftermath of a mysterious hit-and-run accident. The event brings together a teacher and her two students, each struggling with secrets and lies.

Sims (Las Vegas) plays a teacher in the town who lost her daughter. Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) plays a local beauty queen who is one of her students.

The project, set to begin next summer, marks Velveteen's fourth feature for the indie production company, which hangs its shingle in both Boston and New York City. Since its formation in 1999, the company produced three films, The Gypsy Years in 2000; A Touch of Fate in 2003; and 2005's Shooting Livien.

Sims is repped by WMA and Untitled.

Teegarden is repped by Innovative Artists.

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NBC official series descriptions

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More pilot season coverage

Gary Scott Thompson is getting behind the wheel of the new KITT.

The "Las Vegas" creator has been tapped to serve as executive producer/showrunner on "Knight Rider", which has been picked up to series by NBC.

Thompson will work on the show under a new two-year deal he has inked with "Rider" producer Universal Media Studios.

Thompson is joined by "Las Vegas" exec producer Matt Pyken on "Rider", a sequel to the 1980s series. The two will serve as exec producers alongside Dave Bartis and Doug Liman, who exec produced the series' two-hour backdoor pilot that aired in February. The pilot's writer, Dave Andron, will serve as a consulting producer.

"We definitely wanted to stay in business with Gary, who has proven himself on 'Las Vegas, ' " UMS president Katherine Pope said.

She said Thompson, who penned the blockbuster "The Fast and the Furious" before creating "Vegas", was a natural choice to run "Rider".

"If you think what the series would be, it's 'The Fast and the Furious' meets 'Las Vegas, ' " she said of "Rider".

Cars were front and center in "Fast and the Furious", as KITT is in "Rider". And the central character in "Rider", Mike (Justin Bruening), is wasting away in Las Vegas until Sarah (Deanna Russo) offers to pay off his gambling debt.

NEW YORK -- Las Vegas star Molly Sims has landed roles in two big-screen comedies: Peyton Reed's Yes Man, opposite Jim Carrey, and Harald Zwart's Pink Panther 2, starring Steve Martin.

In Yes, Carrey plays a man who decides to say "yes" to every request and opportunity that comes his way. Sims plays the ex-wife he can't get out of his head. Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper co-star in the Warner Bros./Village Roadshow film.

In Panther, Sims plays a news anchor who chronicles the misadventures of Martin's bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia and Alfred Molina also appear in the Columbia/MGM production.

Aside from NBC's Vegas, the former model has appeared in Starsky & Hutch and The Benchwarmers.

She is repped by WMA and Untitled Entertainment.

Looking for clues to the fate of the Heroes?

Three original paintings by artist Tim Sale featured in NBC's hit series that foretell the characters' future are part of an online auction launching Monday by NBC Universal Video, Music & Product Development and Delivery Agent in conjunction with the NBC Universal Online Store.

The auction, which can be found at www.NBC.com/auctions, will feature props, wardrobe items and other collectibles from NBC and Universal Media Studios series including Heroes, The Office, 30 Rock, Las Vegas and Friday Night Lights.

The first group of items, which will be available to bid on through Dec. 3, also will include Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) Timex watch and Hawaiian "Convention" shirt from The Office; a poker set used by the main cast of 30 Rock; Tim Riggins' (Taylor Kitsch) jersey, a signed football by three cast members and a megaphone signed by Minka Kelly from Friday Night Lights; and Danny's (Josh Duhamel) signed Letterman jacket from Las Vegas.

A portion of the auction's proceeds will benefit the United Way and its various partner organizations.

Meet the new Knight Rider.

All My Children hunk Justin Bruening is set as the lead in NBC's two-hour backdoor pilot Knight Rider, a Transformers-inspired sequel to the 1980s series, which is slated to air as a movie later in the season.

Bruening will play the son of Michael Knight, the character played by David Hasselhoff in the original series. And like father, like son, the choice of Bruening closely resembles Hasselhoff's casting a quarter-century ago.

Like Bruening, Hasselhoff was a soap star (The Young & the Restless) with few other credits when he landed Knight Rider. He was almost the same age as Bruening, who is 28.

Bruening also follows in the footsteps of fellow Children alum Josh Duhamel, who made the transition from soap actor to primetime leading man as the star of NBC's Las Vegas.

Steve Shill is set to direct and co-exec produce Rider, which was penned by Dave Andron. Doug Liman and Dave Bartis are executive producing for Universal Media Studios and Dutch Oven Prods.

NEW YORK -- As part of NBC Universal's upfront announcements Monday, NBC Digital Entertainment said it was ramping up its online presence, expanding Heroes 360 and launching a similar project for The Office among other initiatives.

In addition to making extra content available on digital platforms, The Office 360 will allow online users of NBC's Web site to create their own branches of the comedy's fictional Dunder-Mifflin paper company with different challenges to complete. The branches could be integrated into a network episode of the show.

The expanded Heroes 360 Web offering will present more chapters of this season's graphic novel feature and character backstories as the show evolves this season.

NBC also will offer a Web-exclusive series on the site called Coastal Dreams, a soap opera geared toward a younger audience.

The network will add new features to the digital homes of all returning programs as well. Deal or No Deal will showcase the stories of past contestants, 30 Rock will present a blog from Judah Friedlander's character, Las Vegas will offer behind-the-scenes features, ER will present deleted scenes, and Medium will enlist fans to pick story lines and to help with writing episodes.

Model/actress Molly Sims braved the red carpet at the Costume Institute gala in New York on Monday while nursing an injured foot. Sims fell while performing a stunt on hit TV drama Las Vegas and needed eight stitches to close a wound on her foot. But the model refused to miss New York fashion's most glitzy night, where she joined stars like Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bundchen, and Lindsay Lohan in their favorite designer gowns. Sims wasn't the only star sporting a bandage at the event; former Will & Grace star Debra Messing had her right hand in a plaster cast. She said, "I was in a skiing accident and I had surgery, but I'm fine." The stars' injuries weren't the only things grabbing the attention at the gala; pregnant Salma Hayek made her first public appearance with fiance and fashion tycoon Francois-Henri Pinault since her engagement announcement, Renee Zellweger sported a new cropped look and Sandra Bullock spoke about her recent scare at the hands of an obsessed fan. The actress filed a request for a restraining order against Marcia Valentine after the fan attempted to run over her husband Jesse James on the couple's Orange County, California estate - but she told reporters she feels a little sorry for the woman. She said, "She's getting help. She deserves to get help... Nobody wants to be like that."...

Tom Selleck is in negotiations to return to TV as James Caan's replacement in hit drama Las Vegas. The former Magnum, P.I. star is in talks to play a casino owner on the show. His character is designed to fill the void left by the departure of Caan, who recently announced he wouldn't be returning for a new season of the show earlier this year. Josh Duhamel and model/actress Molly Sims are expected to return for the fifth season of the show.

Emmy winner Tom Selleck is in discussions to join NBC's Las Vegas as the fast-paced drama's new leading man.

He would play the smart, powerful, fun-loving new owner of Montecito Resort & Casino, a new character designed to fill the void left by the recent departure of the show's star James Caan.

Caan, who played the head of the casino's surveillance team for four years, recently left the series to return to features (HR 2/28).

Vegas, from NBC Universal TV Studio and DreamWorks TV, was picked up for a fifth season in February and is slated to begin production on its order soon. The show also is looking to add a beautiful female concierge in the wake of the departure of co-star Nikki Cox.

Josh Duhamel also stars on Vegas, with Molly Sims, James Lesure and Vanessa Marcil rounding out the cast.

Selleck's starring role on Vegas would mark his first regular gig on a drama series since his Emmy-winning turn on Magnum, P.I.

He followed that up with memorable recurring roles on NBC's hit comedy Friends and, most recently, on ABC's dramedy Boston Legal.

Selleck also has had success with the Stone Cold series of original movies for CBS, with the latest installment, Jesse Stone: Sea Change, slated to premiere in May.

NBC's Medium is moving closer to a pickup for next season.

The network has ordered six additional scripts from the psychic crime drama starring Patricia Arquette.

Picking up additional scripts is considered a strong indication of a network's intention to follow up with an episodic order.

Medium, from CBS Paramount Network TV, Grammnet Prods. and Picturemaker Prods., is in its third season.

After a hot start as a midseason entry in 2005, Medium has lost some of its luster after being transplanted from its original 10 p.m. Monday period. The show airs in the 10 p.m. Wednesday slot, where it ranks third but regularly builds onto its lead-in from another NBC crime drama with an uncertain future, veteran Crossing Jordan.

It wasn't clear if a strike contingency played any role in the script order for Medium.

NBC recently handed out an early fifth-season pickup to another drama on the bubble, Las Vegas, in part to keep the series -- which had an early wrap date -- in production to bank episodes in case of a writers strike in the fall.

NBC's Friday drama Las Vegas is set to return for a fifth season without two of its stars, James Caan and Nikki Cox.

It is understood that Oscar-nominated actor Caan, who made his first foray into TV series with Las Vegas, has been contemplating a return to features full time after having to turn down several movie offers because they interfered with his commitment to the show.

"I've had a wonderful four years, worked with great people and made friends for life working on 'Las Vegas, ' but I'm eager to return to where my heart is, which is film, and due to the show's schedule, I missed some great opportunities to do that," Caan said. "I wish the show and everyone involved with it continued success."

Cox's departure is said to stem from efforts to reduce the budget of the drama series, which boasts a large ensemble cast and has moved from Mondays to Fridays, where viewership levels are lower.

I'm very sad and shocked, Cox said through a spokesperson.

Jerry Maguire star Jay Mohr and his actress girlfriend Nikki Cox rang in 2007 as husband and wife after exchanging vows in Los Angeles on Friday. The couple staged a low-key ceremony at the Hotel Bel-Air. Cox, 28, met comedian Mohr, 36, in 2004 when he guest-starred on her hit TV show Las Vegas. The pair became engaged in February. This is the first marriage for Cox, who was formerly engaged to Police Academy star Bob Goldthwait. Mohr was previously married to model-turned-actress Nicole Chamberlain from 1998 to 2004 and they have one son together, Jackson.

Lara Flynn Boyle has confirmed she is now a married woman, after tying the knot with Donald Ray Thomas on Monday. The former star of The Practice met Thomas two years ago and they became friends before starting to date six months ago. A representative for the star tells American publication People, "She's ecstatic. She's very, very happy." The Men In Black II star wed Thomas in the garden of his home in San Antonio, Texas. Boyle, 36, appeared on Showtime's series Huff, as the bipolar character Melody Coatar, and on the TV show Las Vegas, as the owner of a new hotel. She was previously romantically linked to her Twin Peaks co-star Kyle MacLachlan, David Spade and Jack Nicholson, who was 33 years her senior. The couple went public with their relationship at the 1999 Emmy Awards and dated until the end of 2000.

NBC has picked up 10 additional episodes of its promising new game show 1 vs. 100. The network also has ordered six more scripts from its critically praised but low-rated new drama Friday Night Lights. Meanwhile, CBS has pulled the plug on the midseason drama series Waterfront. The 10-episode pickup for "100" brings the order for the Endemol USA quiz show to 15 episodes. In its premiere last week, the show, hosted by Bob Saget, dominated the competition with 12.6 million viewers and a 4.1 rating/13 share among adults 18-49, NBC's best demo delivery with non-Olympics programming in the Friday 9 p.m. hour in nearly four years. "100" originally was scheduled to move to its regular Friday 8 p.m. slot this week, leading in to the season premiere of Las Vegas. NBC has decided to keep the game show in the 9 p.m. period behind Deal or No Deal for another week, pushing the season debut of Las Vegas to Oct. 27.

After moving Runaway from Monday to Sunday, the CW has put the struggling freshman drama out of its misery effective immediately. Season to-date, Runaway ranks dead-last among all primetime series with 1.9 million viewers and a 0.7 rating/ 1 share, according to Nielsen Media Research data. NBC, meanwhile, will delay the fourth-season premiere of drama Las Vegas until Friday, Oct. 27, giving temporary 9 p.m. occupant 1 vs. 100 a chance to benefit from lead-in Deal or No Deal.

Las Vegas creator/executive producer Gary Scott Thompson has lined up two drama projects in development for next season -- one at CBS and one at NBC. Both shows are being produced by NBC Universal TV Studio, where Thompson has an overall deal. Protect and Serve at CBS is an ensemble drama about street cops in Los Angeles that follows them on the beat as well as off duty. "It has a procedural edge to it," Thompson said. "It's not serialized and yet it's character-driven." Thompson is writing the script with feature writers Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin. The three are executive producing the project, which has received a script commitment from the network.

Black Eyed Peas singer Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson has slammed rumors she's planning a Newlyweds-style reality show with actor boyfriend Josh Duhamel. The singer, who recently appeared in Hollywood blockbuster Poseidon, met the movie star on the set of American TV show Las Vegas. It has been rumored they are due to follow in the footsteps of pop princess Jessica Simpson and her ex Nick Lachey by appearing on a show about their relationship. But Fergie says, "We don't have any plans to work together again and we would never do a reality show, like a Newlyweds thing - absolutely not. I love to watch them, I just don't want to be on one."...

Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner has laughed off reports he suffered a mini-stroke over the weekend, insisting he's as healthy as ever. A newspaper gossip column claimed yesterday the 80-year-old was recovering from a stroke. However, his spokesman Rob Hilburger says, "That's completely untrue." Hefner says, "We had a lingerie party Saturday night and I went up a little early because (girlfriend) Holly Madison had a cold. I am in very good health. I've never felt better." In addition to his appearance on Playboy bunnies reality show The Girls Next Door, which features Madison, Hefner was on US TV show Las Vegas in 2003, portraying a justice of the peace, and appeared as himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2005.

Veteran WBTV casting director Anthony Sepulveda has been promoted to senior vp at the studio's casting department, headed by senior vp casting Mary Buck. Additionally, John Power has rejoined WBTV as director of casting. Sepulveda, an 18-year WBTV veteran, was upped from vp. He has been nominated for an Emmy for his casting work on The West Wing and Fail Safe. His credits also include Friends, The Drew Carey Show, Family Matters and Knots Landing. Power, who was manager of casting at WBTV's New York office from 2002-05, most recently was a casting executive at NBC, working on the pilots Heroes and Kidnapped, the series The Office and Las Vegas and the final season of Will & Grace.