The Big C

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• What does the industry want from President Obama's second term? "The first priority is getting the economy up and running and strong," says designer Nanette Lepore. A group of nearly 40 designers, retailers, and other fashion professionals — including Elie Tahari, Tommy Hilfiger, and Norma Kamali — generally agree. [WWD]
  

• Uniqlo and Theory collaborated on a line of down outerwear for men, women, and children called T Down. The vests (seen below) and jackets will range from $99 to $149 and will arrive in Uniqlo and Theory stores on Nov. 15. [Style.com]
  

• Alessandra Ambrosio's 4-year-old daughter, Anja, has already made her modeling debut. Both mother and daughter star in London Fog's Fall 2012 campaign. [Vogue UK]
  

• Isaac Mizrahi has landed a recurring role playing himself on Showtime's The Big C. [The Hollywood Reporter]
  

• Add Calvin Klein to the list of New Yorkers whose home is uninhabitable thanks to Hurricane Sandy. [Page Six]
  

• We weren't the only ones who found the Native American-inspired costume Karlie Kloss wore during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show controversial. [Jezebel]

Top: First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama celebrate his reelection in Chicago. Bottom: A vest from the T Down collaboration, courtesy of Uniqlo.

• Megan Fox joins The Dictator; here's who else signed on — Hollywood Reporter
• Find out how much money Jon Hamm's making on Mad Men — AOL TV
• See some early works of Pixar you may not have known about — Rotten Tomatoes
• Why Glee won't have any big guest stars in season three — Zap2It
• Check out the list of recognizable actors playing dwarfs in Snow White and the Huntsman — Moviefone
• Watch the trailer for The Big C, season two — Women and Hollywood
• AMC theaters are running Harry Potter marathons — /Film
• Futurama has set a return date! — GeekSugar

• Claire Danes to star in Showtime pilot Homeland — Deadline Hollywood
• Find out which show TNT has just canceled — TV Squad
• In defense of Draco Malfoy — Moviefone
• Here are some pointers for the next season of The Big C — TV.com
• Joel McHale to host the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards — The Wrap
• Watch Anne Hathaway's SNL promos with Bill Hader — PopWatch
• Emily Blunt may star opposite Jason Segel in Five-Year Engagement — Vulture
• Teen Mom is getting an all-new cast in January — The Ausiello Files
• Matthew Morrison goes shirtless on Details, talks about Glee — PopSugar

How's this for a hot Summer night of TV? Tonight on Showtime, the Botwin family gets a name change and a new residence when the sixth season of Weeds returns. As the Newmans, Nancy and the gang go on the run — and incognito — to escape trouble after Shane's little accident in the season five finale.

Then, after Weeds is the series premiere of The Big C — the highly anticipated new comedy starring Laura Linney as a woman who changes her life after she's diagnosed with cancer. Joining Linney are costars Oliver Platt and Gabourey Sidibe as her husband and student. The buzz is big on this one — after the sneak peek we saw a couple months ago and the panel at the TCA, I can't wait to see the ultra-talented Linney in her own series and with such an important role. Will you be tuning in tonight?

Photos courtesy of Showtime

Day 2 at the Summer TCA is all about Showtime and The CW, kicking things off with Showtime's new series The Big C. The show, which will premiere on Aug. 16 after Weeds, is a comedy about Cathy (Laura Linney), a teacher who changes her outlook on life when she learns that she has cancer. Rounding out the cast are Oliver Platt as her husband and Gabourey Sidibe as one of her sassier high school students. At today's panel, Linney described the general themes of the show, while Sidibe discussed her own life's lessons.

• Linney, who's also the executive producer, explained that the show is not about cancer, but making the most of the time in your life. She said, "When this script came to me, what hit me the most was the theme of time. And what do you do with time? What are the choices that we make, how we spend our time. The fact that we all have a limited amount and that it's a privilege to grow old. And I think that's something that many people have forgotten in this fast-paced world."
• Linney also gave some insight into who Cathy is: "She's a woman who doesn't really know who she is and she has the opportunity to find out. And she's going to take it. She's been functioning very, very well but she hasn't really been living."
• Sidibe feels like she can relate to Cathy's life getting a jump start after her own crazy year following her star-making role in Precious. She said, "It's been a strange year. I thought I'd be a receptionist. I've always been middle of the lane, normal. I've always had a normal life and this is what I got! Being an actress wasn't planned at all. It just shows that whatever you've planned for your life, you're wrong."

For more on what to expect from Showtime's newest comedy, just

• Cheyenne Jackson is headed to Glee as the new Vocal Adrenaline coach! — Ausiello Files
• Twilight's Edi Gathegi joins X-Men: First Class — Cinematical
• Jersey Shore gets a new cast member to replace Angelina — Vulture
• The president of ABC resigns — TV Squad
• A Lil Wayne/(500) Days of Summer mix. Really. — (500) Days of Weezy
• The trailer for the mock movie Titanic II is out, and it's glorious — Dread Central
• Liam Neeson to cameo on The Big C — Zap2it
• Justin Timberlake offered the male lead in I'm.mortal opposite Amanda Seyfried — MTV
• Tom Hardy to replace Sam Worthington in This Means War — Screen Rant
• Check out the trailer for Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's The Virginity Hit — The Playlist
• 10 things to look forward to from Project Runway's season eight — FabSugar