May 24, 2005 |
WHAT A PILL
It looks like Bree's psycho stalker will be menacing Wisteria Lane full-time next season. According to Variety, Desperate Housewives lunatic Roger Bart — the psycho pharmacist who killed Marcia Cross' TV hubby Rex in the season finale — is joining the show as a series regular. Speaking of Housewives, more than 30 million viewers watched Sunday's subpar climax. It was the soap's largest audience to date. |
LEGAL BRIEF
Annabella Sciorra is joining the cast of Law & Order: Criminal Intent next fall as Chris Noth's new partner, NBC confirms. Noth and Sciorra will alternate with CI's current stars, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, and each team will front 11 episodes apiece. |
AND THE RICH GET RICHER
Ken Jennings continues to cash in on his record-breaking Jeopardy! stint, signing with Comedy Central to headline a new as-yet-untitled game show for fall. The concept is being kept under wraps, but Comedy Central exec Lauren Corrao tells the Associated Press that it'll be "really straightforward and simple... [but] I guarantee it will feel very, very different." In the meantime, Jennings returned to Jeopardy this week to compete for $2 million and the title of "Ultimate Jeopardy! Champion." No one likes a braggart. |
MONDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
Two members of Bobby Brown's entourage remain in stable condition after getting stabbed during a fight at Justin's Restaurant and Bar in Atlanta on Monday. Brown, who was not involved in the melee, was performing at Justin's during a weekly open-mic event. There's no word if the incident will derail the singer's upcoming tour of Atlanta-area Red Lobsters. |
MOURNED
Actor Howard Morris, best known for his role as hillbilly poet Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, died of natural causes at his Hollywood home on Saturday. He was 85. Morris was also an accomplished TV director and provided the voices of such animated characters as Beetle Bailey and Atom Ant. |
SMELLS GOOD
Gwyneth Paltrow has been tapped as the new face of Estee Lauder. The multiyear deal calls for the Oscar winner to rep the company's Pleasures fragrance in a series of print and TV ads beginning this fall. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Hurley, who has served as Estee's primary rep for the past decade, will become the new face of their Re-Nutriv skin-care line. Hey, it beats becoming the new face of unemployment. |
SLY MOVE
After flopping on the small screen with The Contender, Sylvester Stallone is going back to making movies. According to Variety, the auteur will write and direct a film about legendary spooky poet Edgar Allan Poe. Robert Downey Jr. is said to be Sly's first choice to play the title role. His second choice: the crypt keeper from Tales from the Crypt. Speaking of horror shows, did you catch Tom Cruise promoting My Romance with Katie Holmes on Monday's Oprah? |
GIRLS ON FILM
Rob Lowe and Julia Ormond have signed on to star in Lifetime's six-hour miniseries Beach Girls, per Variety. The project, based on Luanne Rice's best-selling novel, will air over five consecutive Sundays, beginning July 31. |
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