Alia Shawkat

Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking about Whip It!, the film adaptation of Shauna Cross's novel Derby Girl, which just added Alia Shawkat (a.k.a. Maeby Fünke) to the cast. I knew that Drew Barrymore had signed on as the director of the film (and she'll be playing a role), and that the main character will be played by Ellen Page, but with every new addition to the cast I am even more intrigued to see this movie.

In addition to Page, Barrymore, and Shawkat, we've got Marcia Gay Harden (who I love), Juliette Lewis, Eve, former Xena stuntwoman Zoe Bell, and funny lady Kristen Wiig. The cast used to include Justin Long, but he quit after his relationship with Drew Barrymore ended.

The IMDB page for Whip It has this plot description:

In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.

Have you read Shauna Cross's novel? Do you, too, think this might end up being totally adorable? Are there any additional fun actresses you'd add to this cast?

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Alicia Silverstone raised some suspicion that she was the mother after being courted by How I Met Your Mother earlier this year — but then there was that whole Britney Spears dustup, and Sarah Chalke stepped in instead. Now, it turns out Silverstone will be playing a mom — just not, you know, that one — in a new ABC comedy pilot.

Silverstone has been cast in the lead in Bad Mother's Handbook. But that's not all: Alia Shawkat, best known to me as Maeby from Arrested Development, will be playing her daughter. Silverstone's character is Karen, a 32-year-old woman overwhelmed by the demands of caring for her 16-year-old daughter and her 48-year-old mother. (Um, here's hoping Shawkat's character doesn't get pregnant at 16, too?)

Could you see Silverstone and Shawkat as mother and daughter? I'm a little worried that nothing will ever match the dysfunction of the Maeby/Lindsay Bluth dynamic, but I'm just so happy to see Shawkat back on TV that I'd be happy to watch them try! Silverstone hasn't had a great run in the sitcom world lately (her last project, The Singles Table, never aired — and remember Miss Match?), but maybe this one will be better. Your thoughts?

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Every 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!

There are tons of young actors to choose from for this week's recast challenge of Reality Bites, and it was interesting to see the combinations you all came up with. I love the idea of Thora Birch for Lelaina, as bart simpson suggested, and many of you put down America Ferrera as Vickie — another great choice.

alynn's idea of Devon Gummersall playing Michael made me nostalgic for Brian Krakow — and I also think he'd make a great Michael. Deidre's idea of Joseph Cross (Running with Scissors) as Sammy Gray is totally perfect, and finally, klugea's suggestion of Justin Bobby from The Hills playing Troy made me laugh out loud.

Overall, however, my favorite recast list this week comes from anniemation! To see who anniemation picked, along with a new cast photo, read more