Jimmy Smits

The Conga Room opened in LA last night and some celebrities joined in on the party. Fresh off of a day at the park with Honor, Jessica Alba chatted up Baron Davis. Eva Longoria spiced up her jeans with a ruffled shirt and got to celebrate the fact that she has a job for a few more years. The Black Eyed Peas performed without their girl Fergie, who is over in London, and everyone looked like they were having a good time supporting the new addition to Hollywood nightlife.

To see more photos including Dylan McDermott, Stephanie Pratt, and Jennifer Morrison, just read more

The TV upfronts may be nothing more than a fond memory, but there's still a trickle of casting news coming in about Fall shows — both on networks and on cable. One of these stories involves a recently displaced actor whose show's cancellation bummed some of you out, while another puts a veteran film actor in the lead of a series based on an Oscar-winning movie. Read on:

Smits Joins Dexter
Jimmy Smits, seen most recently in the CBS show Cane, will be staying in Miami for his next role: Smits will play an attorney on Showtime's Dexter. His character is described as ""an ambitious, charismatic assistant district attorney who comes from one of Miami's most politically powerful and beloved families" and forms an unlikely partnership with Dexter. No return date has been set for the show, but it's expected to premiere sometime in the Fall.

Hopper to Crash
Dennis Hopper, best known for his film roles, will lead the cast of the TV adaptation of Crash, the Oscar-winning film that is being made into a series for Starz. It looks like the show is less of a direct adaptation and more of an "inspired by" sort of situation, as none of the characters match directly to the film counterparts; Hopper will play Ben, a veteran music producer searching for one more great hit. The series is expected to premiere in October. It will be Hopper's first TV project since his stint on the short-lived E-Ring several years back.

One more bit of news about an Office Space favorite, so read more

The networks have announced their fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? Throughout the summer, as I watch the pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air, so these aren't comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: "Cane," a new drama from CBS.

What's it about? A Cuban-American family in Miami deals with internal struggles and external pressures that threaten their large, lucrative rum and sugar business.

Who's in it? Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo, Rita Moreno, Nestor Carbonell

The good: It's a CBS drama that's not another "CSI"! Jimmy Smits clearly knows how to carry a series, and when your supporting cast involves the likes of Rita Moreno, you're doing OK on the acting front. The pilot has an intriguing mix of soapy family drama, politics and mystery.

The bad: No, it's not a "CSI," but it still looks and feels like every CBS drama you've ever seen. And that's not all — as my boyfriend said, "I liked this show better when it was called The Godfather."

Will I watch? I have the same general feeling about it as I did about "Back to You": It's not likely to end up on my must-watch list, but at the same time, I wouldn't recommend against it.

To watch a preview clip and see a gallery of photos, read more

Sure, the whole scratch-and-sniff ad thing was revolutionary ... yesterday. We're way beyond that now. Today's hot new thing is ads you can eat.

The issue of Rolling Stone hitting newsstands on Thursday will include an ad for the new Jimmy Smits series, "Cane," that features a dissolving strip that tastes like a lime mojito. The idea is to promote the show and Duque Rum, the fictional brand that made Smits' character's family so wealthy. According to a CBS press release:

The insert includes a thin, tamper evident pouch with a non alcoholic lime mojito-flavored dissolving taste strip which will enable them to enjoy the full-flavor taste experience of a rum mojito, without any of the sugar, calories or alcohol.

OK, so I open up my magazine, find this ad, put a piece of paper on my tongue, and let it dissolve so I can taste the flavor of a drink without any of the things that make said drink taste good. This is supposed to make me want to watch TV? At least the "Reaper" drink promotion is actually, you know, a drink.

Mostly, this reminds me of those old spy movie scenes where the agents would eat the pieces of paper with their secret instructions written down ... or those dissolving breath strips, which have always made me feel a little squicky. What's next? A pair of special contacts that give you bionic vision? A geeky guy who just shows up at my door to tell me all about "The Big Bang Theory"?

Photo courtesy of CBS