Lauren Graham

• ABC has ordered Lauren Graham's comedy pilot, while CBS wants pilots from three dramas. — The Hollywood Reporter
• Over a month after Disney passed on The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 20th Century Fox has picked it up. — E! Online
• Leonardo DiCaprio's production company will produce a biopic about James Bond creator Ian Fleming. — The Hollywood Reporter
• There's a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror-thriller The Thing in the works. — Variety
• Emily Blunt and Jason Segel are joining Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels. — ComingSoon
• Ellen Barkin will star in a half-hour comedy pilot for HBO. — Variety
• Oscar-nominee Viola Davis will join Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in the psychological thriller Law Abiding Citizen. — ComingSoon
• Channing Tatum has been tapped to star in an adaptation of the David Morrell novel The Brotherhood of the Rose. — Variety
• Madonna will crank up her Sticky & Sweet tour again this Summer with about 25 more shows, which will add to the total of what's already the top-grossing tour ever by a female or solo artist. — Billboard

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It's been a year and a half since we said goodbye to Stars Hollow, but we'll soon get to say hello to Lauren Graham on our TV screens once again. The Gilmore Girls star has signed on for her first primetime gig since the end of Gilmore, playing the lead in an untitled ABC comedy.

According to Variety, Graham's character is "a self-help guru who teaches women how to live a stress-free life — but struggles to follow her own advice when her boyfriend dumps her." The show's creator, Alex Herschlag, worked on Will and Grace, Andy Barker, PI, and Fox's upcoming Sit Down, Shut Up.

Graham signed a huge development deal with NBC last year, but because of the writers' strike, nothing ever came of it. It sounded like she wanted to move back into doing comedy, though, so I'm glad ABC came along with a project that sounded good to her.

Until then, lucky New Yorkers (or those willing to travel) can check out Graham playing Adelaide in an upcoming revival of Guys and Dolls starting in February. Looks like 2009 should be a good year for her!

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• Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Iron Man for the movie The Avengers. — Variety
• Lauren Graham will play Adelaide in a Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. — Playbill
• Natalie Portman is set to star in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. — ComingSoon
• The Jonas Bros. will make their feature-film debut by starring in Walter the Farting Dog. — E! Online
• NYPD Blue alum Sharon Lawrence will play Megan's mom on Privileged. — Entertainment Weekly
• Fox Searchlight has picked up The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, a project based on Tom Wolfe's 1968 book, with Gus Van Sant directing. — The Hollywood Reporter
• Vince Vaughn will star in a drama titled Sunny and 68. — Variety
• And finally, German police are baffled by a speeding car with a Muppet as its passenger. Seriously, you gotta see this picture. — Nine MSN

Source and Iron Man photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Katie Holmes hit the stage to perform in All My Sons on Broadway last night, but this time it was different. It was the show's official opening night and Katie's smile was bigger than ever as she took her bow and posed outside after the play. Of course, Tom Cruise was there to support his wife and I'm sure found time to gush even more about her performance at the after party. The only damper on the evening was the protesters against Scientology out to make a scene. After last night's big show, the first reviews are out and while they're a mixed bag for Katie and the production in general, it's a pretty big accomplishment for the actress. Congrats to Katie who deserves every standing ovation she gets.

To see more from Katie's big night including Blythe Danner, Barbara Walters, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Patrick Wilson and others just read more

Honestly, if one were trying to get folks excited about a movie, a good way to fail would be to say it's about the guy who invented the intermittent windshield wiper systems used on cars.

But what if we're told the movie stars Greg Kinnear as the inventor and the lovely Lauren Graham plays his wife? Add to that a real-life David vs. Goliath tale in which Goliath is the auto industry stealing the windshield wiper idea from David, and we're getting toward a movie worth talking about.

With the help of Dave Matthews, the trailer for Flash of Genius is already tugging at my heartstrings, and it looks beautifully shot with that nice soft lighting. While this is definitely a plot we've seen before in different incarnations over the years, I'm still curious about it, especially because the cast is so darn appealing (the movie also features Dermot Mulroney and Alan Alda).

The movie opens Oct. 25. To see the trailer, read more

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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With my time at Sundance nearing its end, I figured I would check back in with the photobooth to see which new stars had stopped by for their festival portraits. Not surprisingly, what I found was a whole new bucket full of cute.

Luke Wilson, Adrianna Barraza, and Radha Mitchell from Henry Poole is Here, which I was lucky enough to see, finally took their turn at the photobooth, as did Mischa Barton, who's here for Assassination of a High School President. Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, and Elle Fanning melted my heart with their shots for Phoebe in Wonderland — I mean, they got Elle a box to stand on! And then there are Matthew Perry and Lauren Graham, hamming it up as they promote Birds of America.

Want to check out the gorgeous, quirky, vibrant shots for yourself? Just read more

• Welcome back, gentlemen! The main boys are officially signed on for the "Sex and the City" movie. Check out the first set pictures on Pop! And what do you think of Carrie's green getup: Love it or hate it?
• The 2007 Emmys are retreating from memory already. Any final thoughts?
• Fall TV is officially underway! Here are my picks for the top 5 new shows to watch this season. And you tell me: Which of the new dramas do you think will become popular? What about the new comedies?
• Check out my coverage of the Treasure Island Music Festival: Part 1 and Part 2.
• So much "Gossip Girl," so little time! For one thing, they finally found their Vanessa. Also, I had the chance to interview show creator Josh Schwartz and actress Blake Lively. What about you? What did you think of this week's series premiere?
• Speaking of interviews, I got the chance to chat a bit with actor Emile Hirsch regarding his upcoming film Into the Wild.
• I'm loving this cover of Bob Dylan's "O Sister," as performed by Andrew Bird and Norah Connor.
• If you could recast the lovable TV series "Gilligan's Island" with new actors, who would you pick?
• As for real casting news this week... Jim Broadbent will play Slughorn in the sixth Harry Potter movie and Isla Fisher will play Becky Bloomwood in the Shopaholic movie! Meanwhile, Lauren Graham smartly signed a 7-figure NBC deal to star in an as-yet-unknown series. Go Lorelei!

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Score one for the Gilmores!
Lauren Graham of the late, lamented "Gilmore Girls" has just signed a seven-figure development deal with NBC.

What does that mean?
It means that NBC will be creating a new series with Graham as the lead, and the network is currently on the hunt for writers to work with her. Variety called the deal "one of the year's richest TV talent pacts."

Why so much money?
According to Variety, Graham had been in demand in Hollywood ever since the cancellation of "Gilmore Girls," largely because she could headline either a comedy or a drama. From a fan's perspective, I have to agree with that; she moves so easily between laugh-out-loud humor and quiet, tender moments.

Did I mention she's funny?
Here's one of her quotes following the deal: "Also, after having spent so many years representing the frog on the WB, I am especially comforted to be part of the only other network with an animal mascot."

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