Remember back in the Fall when we got all excited because Lauren Graham had signed a big-time development deal with NBC? Well, bad news: That deal was another victim of the writers' strike.
Graham recently told As Seen on TV that she pulled out of the deal because she hadn't been able to actually develop anything by the time the strike began. "I love the comedies on NBC and I felt like that was the right home for me," she said, "but I hadn’t found anything so I put it on hold."
Graham's worked on several movies since the end of Gilmore Girls, but she told As Seen on TV that television is still "the steadiest job and the best writing for women." Between that and the comment about NBC comedies, it sounds like she sure wants to move back to the small screen. It doesn't sound likely that she'll actually be heading the Office spinoff, as some have suggested — but what could you see Graham doing? Comedies or dramas? What network? Do you agree that NBC's comedy style is the right fit for her? If you were her agent, what would you be urging her to do next?
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Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

For this week's recast I wanted to tap into that Nickelodeon era of programming aimed at teens in the late '80s and early '90s which included shows like Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All and my personal favorite: Hey Dude! This teen comedy about a dude ranch in Arizona opened with the lyrics, "It's a little wild and a little strange/ when you make your home out on the range." Hey Dude had that Saved by the Bell mix of cheeseball plot scenarios and recognizable teenage stereotypes. It was kinda dorky but I loved every minute of it. "Singin'. . . Yippee ki yi yay! Yippee ki yi what?"
Who do you think could play city slicker-turned-rancher Mr. Ernst and his adolescent son Buddy today? Who would you recast as the teenagers on Mr. Ernst's staff for the summer: Ted McGriff (originally played by the handsome David Lascher), rich girl Brad Taylor (I used to be so jealous of her hair!), and the girl-next-door ranch lifeguard, Melody Hanson (played by a young Chrstine Taylor, now-wife of Ben Stiller)? Finally, remember Danny Lightfoot (Joe Torres)?
Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, April 29, complete with a "new" cast photo.
To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more
- Showtime's The Tudors has been renewed for a third season, USA Today reports.
- Variety has news that Ang Lee's next directorial project will be Taking Woodstock, the autobiography of Elliot Tiber, a Catskills motel worker who played a pivotal role in making the Woodstock concert happen.
- Naomi Campbell will guest-star on the season finale of Ugly Betty, the Associated Press reports.
- Virginia Madsen has joined the cast of the Amelia Earhart biopic, which already included Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, writes ComingSoon.
- Mariah Carey had her best album debut ever this week, easily landing at the top of the charts, Billboard reports.
- TV Land will be airing a modeling competition focusing solely on women 35 and older; details are at The Futon Critic.
- Tom Cruise's 13-year-old son Connor will have a minor, nonspeaking part as the younger version of Will Smith's character in the drama Seven Pounds, the AP reports.
- Contestants from the VH1 game shows with "love" in the name (Flavor of Love, etc.) will compete in a new show called For Love or Money to win cash prizes, TV Guide reports.
- Variety has the just-announced lineup for this year's Cannes Film Festival, which will include Clint Eastwood's 1920s thriller The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona . . . and Kung Fu Panda.
Photo courtesy of Showtime

This one looks like a heartwarming tale of family and redemption and . . . aw, who am I kidding? Nathan Fillion's in it, of course I'm going to see this movie. In Trucker, Michelle Monaghan plays Diane Ford, "a hard-nosed truck driver who leads a carefree life of all-night bar benders and one-night stands until her estranged 11-year-old son shows up at her door one evening." Their relationship is rocky and contentious, but as long as Diane's ex-husband (Benjamin Bratt) is hospitalized, mother and son are stuck with each other. However, with the help of "a handsome and doting neighbor" (Nathan Fillion), Diane starts to learn that being a responsible mother might not be the worst thing ever.
This is one of the first movies I'll catch at Tribeca and I'd say a little Fillion will start things off right, wouldn't you?
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It's not like anyone's actually coming right out and saying that Cashmere Mafia is canceled, but let's face it: When the star bails for another show, it's probably not a good sign.
Lucy Liu, most recently seen as Mafia leader Mia, is now in negotiations to star on Dirty Sexy Money. She'd join the cast as a regular character, playing an attorney who may or may not have anything to do with Peter Krause's attorney character, Nick George. Technically, the show would be second priority to Cashmere Mafia — but chances are, Liu's not going to have to worry about that.
I like the idea of Liu on Dirty Sexy Money — lawyer characters seem to be her style (see also: Ugly Betty), and she'll still get to wear fabulous clothes. Plus, maybe she'll be written just a bit sharper than Mia, who always seemed a little too wishy-washy for her own good.
Can you see Liu hobnobbing with the Darlings? And where should the other Cashmere Mafia regulars land if they do have to jump ship? I suppose it's a little late to swap Bonnie Somerville for Lipstick Jungle's Lindsay Price, right? But I could see Frances O'Connor fitting right in on Wisteria Lane . . .
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