Women's Murder Club

• This incredibly creepy dude, Derek Mears, will reportedly play Jason in the new Friday the 13th, ComingSoon writes.
• Meanwhile, Mos Def has signed on to portray Chuck Berry in the movie Cadillac Records, Billboard reports.
• Zap2it reports that ABC is shuffling its Spring schedule, moving Women's Murder Club to Tuesdays and taking Men in Trees off the air for a few weeks.
• Uh-oh: The LA Times has an update on a possible actors' strike.
• According to the AP, Heather Mills will judge the next Miss USA pageant.
• Kathie Lee Gifford will host the fourth hour of The Today Show, the New York Times reports.
• Zany soap opera Passions no longer has a home at NBC, Variety reports.
• If you want to see Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's band play live, She & Him are going on a very, very brief tour, and Pitchfork has the details.

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This year we've seen two network TV shows, Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle, that have tried to recreate the magic of HBO's Sex and the City, with mixed results. By contrast, HBO itself is moving on, leaving SATC for the big screen and once again developing interesting and unexpected female-driven projects.

Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose will star in Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella's adaptation of the popular book series the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The project, about an all-female private detective agency in Botswana, was originally developed as a movie. Variety reports that this story will now be told on the small screen as HBO has ordered 13 episodes of it. If this sounds confusingly similar to another recent female detective project, never fear, I've broken down the differences between the two. As for the other female-led show HBO has on deck, it's a little quirky, so read more

• Last night's Oscars look like they'll have record-low viewing numbers based on the preliminary ratings, Reuters reports. Stay tuned for the final numbers later today.
• Though its showrunners were recently fired, Women's Murder Club will still produce three more episodes this season, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
• Zap2It reports that the Tina Fey-hosted Saturday Night Live — the first post-strike episode — produced strong ratings over the weekend.
• According to ComingSoon, production on Steven Spielberg's next project The Trial of the Chicago 7 will be delayed "for the foreseeable future."
• Writer Stephen Marlowe, best known for his pulp crime novels, has died at age 79, the Associated Press reports.
• Billboard reports that Donna Summer will break her 17-year hiatus with the May 20th release of her studio album, Crayons.
• The typically comedic actress Teri Polo will star in indie thriller The Beacon, writes Hollywood Reporter
• Leighton Meester, aka Blair on Gossip Girl, has recorded her first album, CTV reports.

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ABC kicks off its new Friday night lineup tonight with the premiere of a new show, "Women's Murder Club," and the return of an old favorite, "Men in Trees."

It pains me to recommend a show that airs at the same time as my beloved "Friday Night Lights," but "Women's Murder Club" is a pretty solid show. It's based on a series of books by James Patterson, and it centers on a sassy crew of women in various law enforcement roles solving crimes in San Francisco. It's not something I'd watch on a weekly basis, but the cast is appealing, the mystery in the pilot episode was reasonably compelling, and it has a built-in stable of stories to draw from. I'd still pick "FNL," but if that's not your speed (and you haven't been sucked — har har — into vampire show "Moonlight"), this one might be worth a look.

"Men in Trees" got some very strange treatment from ABC last year: It started on Friday nights and struggled, moved to the plum post-"Grey's Anatomy" time slot, grew an audience, got early renewal for a second season — and then disappeared from the air completely in favor of "October Road." The show had actually completed several episodes beyond the ones that aired, so fans will be treated to an extra-long season this year. The season premiere won't be one of those extra episodes, though; it will be an all-new one designed to get viewers back into the flow of life in Elmo, Alaska.

Will you be watching any of this Friday night fare? To check out a preview for "Women's Murder Club" and the official "Men in Trees" music video, just read more

Yesterday kicked off the ABC TCAs and although we have to wait until the end of November to check out Cashmere Mafia, the network has plenty of other new shows that are bound to be big hits. Pushing Daisies might be my favorite new show this season (sorry Chuck). The fairy tale-like show is brought to us by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) and Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls). The show is so beautiful to watch I could not take my eyes off the screen. Lee Pace is the adorable main character that can bring people back to life by touching them, but he can kill them just as quickly with a second touch. He resurrects his childhood sweetheart and the two have this untouchable (literally) loving romance. It's so sweet and only was a small part of such an entertaining show. Click here to watch a clip and be mesmerized by the beauty.

The Women's Murder Club based on the popular James Patterson books is another show with a beautiful foursome but this time they're solving crimes in SF. I am not normally into formulaic cop-like shows but this one was very entertaining and everything about Angie Harmon is gorgeous, especially the way she talks about her family. She said:

"My husband is the most brilliant father on the planet... I actually have him more now at home than I did when he was playing....it's just all worked out really, really beautifully. The whole show coming into my life, and I know that my time with my girls is going to be fine and my husband is great, and he's happy with is job and where he is. So my family is in a really good place right now. I'm really thankful to be here."

She spoke really passionately about her new role and her home life so now I am a huge fan. Oh and did I mention Joe Simpson is an executive producer on the show? Well he is and he was asked if his daughters will guest star. Make sure to check out his response so read more

From "Bones" to "The Closer," female detectives are hot right now. So hot, in fact, that two suspiciously similar projects, "Women's Murder Club" (pictured above) and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, are currently in development (the latter just cast Anika Noni Rose). Lest you be confused should the topic arise at your next cocktail party, I've put together this handy guide to telling the projects apart.

Photo copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.