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Laurence Fishburne Has His Eye on CSI

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:30:56 PDT

One of the big questions back at the TCA press tour was what CSI would look like without its leading man, William Petersen, who's leaving this season. Here's our first big clue: Laurence Fishburne is in talks to step in as the new male lead.

He'd be getting a pretty meaty role, too. As CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler described it, the new guy comes from outside the CSI unit and has a genetic profile comparable to that of a serial killer. He knows about the tendency, though he hasn't actually acted on any killer impulses to date.

Searching for the right actor for the role has apparently been a huge undertaking, with John Malkovich and Kurt Russell also named as top choices - but Malkovich turned down the job.

Landing an Oscar nominee and big name like Fishburne would seem like a serious score for CSI - but, if you're not already a viewer, would it draw you in? And, if you are a CSI fan, do you think Fishburne would mesh well with the current cast?

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CBS Boss Talks Vampires, Swingers, and CSI Sans Petersen

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:30:58 PDT

Nina Tassler was the third network executive of the week to take the stage at the TCA press tour today, and she shed some light on the departure of Moonlight, the future of Swingtown, and what CSI will look like sans William Petersen. Some highlights:

To help fill the hole on CSI left by Petersen's departure later this season, Tassler said the producers plan to introduce a new character with "an interesting genetic profile" that is comparable to that found in many serial killers. His character is on something of a journey of self-discovery, she said. But he's not going to be a direct replacement for Petersen's character: "He is an outsider coming into the CSI unit," Tassler said, and he is not (at least immediately) the boss. They're still searching for an actor to play the role.
As for Moonlight, Tassler reminded reporters that she's not anti-vampire. "Everybody knows I love vampires," she said. "Vampires, witches, werewolves, warlocks - I love them all." But she said that while there was a lot of outcry over the show's cancellation, most of it was passion for star Alex O'Loughlin rather than the show as a whole. She said she'd love to find a place for O'Loughlin on another show in the future.
Tassler said CBS supports and believes in Swingtown, but she's "a little disappointed in the ratings." As of now, there's no decision made about whether to renew the show or not - though CBS is at least confident enough to have the cast attend tonight's all-star party.

To see what Tassler had to say about Britney Spears and Sarah Chalke on How I Met Your Mother, just

Buzz News Roundup, 7/16

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:33:58 PDT

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio may star together in Quentin Tarantino's movie Inglorious Bastards, according to Variety.
ComingSoon reports that Diablo Cody will develop a comedic movie script based on an idea that Steven Spielberg came up with, though no further plot details are available to us at the moment.
Tween alert! The Desperate Housewives kids have officially been recast, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
Autumn Reeser is one of three additions to the cast of Valentine, Inc., a show about Greek gods living among us that will air on the CW this Fall, writes Zap2it.
According to Variety, Danny DeVito will direct The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, with Morgan Freeman, Pierce Brosnan and Saoirse Ronan starring.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on The World's Greatest Dad, an indie comedy in which Robin Williams will star as that great dad.
The Letters from a Nut books, in which a guy writes angry letters to various corporations, are being developed into a TV series for Fox, Reuters reports.
Actor Justin Theroux may be writing the script for Iron Man 2, writes Zap2It.
William Petersen is leaving CSI, The Associated Press reports.

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Who are Television's Highest-Paid Stars?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:26:04 PDT

It probably won't surprise anyone to learn that Oprah is television's highest-paid star. But would you have thought Zach Braff would crack the top tier?

This week's issue of TV Guide revealed the highest-paid stars on TV. Nobody even came close to Oprah, who rakes in a whopping $260 million a year from her own show as well as appearances on "Rachael Ray," "Dr. Phil" and other programs. That towering sum makes Simon Cowell's $45 million look paltry - and Judge Judy must feel downright poor with just $30 million a year.

TV Guide says Braff will bring in $6.3 million this year for 18 episodes of "Scrubs" - which, by my math, means he makes $350,000 per episode. That's not the highest among primetime stars, but it's up there. Who makes the most? William Petersen, aka Grissom on "CSI," who commands $500,000 a week. The full list is in this week's TV Guide, but to see a handful of the salaries for network and cable stars,

read more Network Prime Time (per episode) William Petersen ("CSI"): $500,000 Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men"): $350,000 Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU"): $350,000 Chris Meloni ("Law & Order: SVU"): $350,000 Hugh Laurie ("House"): $300,000 Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("New Adventures of Old Christine"): $225,000 Ellen Pompeo ("Grey’s Anatomy"): $200,000 Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives"): $200,000 Jeff Foxworthy ("Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader"): $150,000 T.R. Knight ("Grey’s Anatomy"): $125,000 Chandra Wilson ("Grey’s Anatomy"): $125,000 Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters"): $100,000 Cable (per episode) Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer"): $250,000 Julian McMahon ("Nip/Tuck"): $125,000 Dylan Walsh ("Nip/Tuck"): $125,000 Joely Richardson ("Nip/Tuck"): $90,000 James Roday ("Psych"): $60,000 Source