90210
Prince Jackson, the eldest son of Michael Jackson, is set to make his acting debut. He’s been tapped to guest star as a trauma victim on 90210’s Season 5 finale. According to E! News, Jackson’s character will connect with Silver (Jessica Stroup). He’s also been offered a job at Entertainment Tonight as a special correspondent — not too shabby for someone who’s just 16 years old. Although he doesn’t have any acting or reporting experience, Jackson has been in front of cameras numerous times. Since his father’s death in 2009, the teen has been featured in a slew of talk shows, including Oprah’s Next Chapter and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Lindsay Lohan is teaming up with Charlie Sheen to play his potential love interest — no joke. The troubled actress has been tapped to play herself on the FX series Anger Management, where she’ll have a romantic relationship with Sheen’s Dr. Charlie Goodson. This won’t be the first time the duo teams up: they filmed scenes together for the upcoming Scary Movie 5, which hits theatres this April. And let’s not forget that Sheen allegedly gave the actress a cool $100,000 to help with her financial troubles. Lohan’s Anger Management gig marks her first role on a TV show since her guest stint on Ugly Betty wrapped in 2008. She recently starred as Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime movie Liz & Dick.
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
If you’re an Arrested Development fan, you better be sitting down right now because this is some pretty epic news: it’s been confirmed that Ben Stiller has joined the show’s Netflix reboot in what’s bound to be a hilarious guest stint. Entertainment Weekly reports the comedian will play Tony Wonder, the archrival of Will Arnett’s Gob. It’s been eight years since Stiller, 47, first played the role on the Emmy-winning comedy. He joins a mind-bogglingly large roster of guest stars that includes the likes of Conan O’Brien, Liza Minnelli, Kristen Wiig, Seth Rogen, Isla Fisher, Terry Crews and too many others to name.
DANCING WITH THE STARS
The cast for the latest season of Dancing with the Stars was announced earlier this week on Good Morning America and it looks like ABC has, as always, has gone for an eclectic mix. Here’s the complete list of “celebrities” competing this year: Zendaya Coleman (with Val Chmerkovskiy) Ingo Rademacher (with Kym Johnson), Jacoby Jones (with Karina Smirnoff), Victor Ortiz (with Lindsay Arnold), Kellie Pickler (with Derek Hough), Wynonna Judd (with Tony Dovolani), Aly Raisman (with Mark Ballas), Lisa Vanderpump (with newcomer Gleb Savchenko), Comedian D.L. Hughley (with Cheryl Burke), Andy Dick (with Sharna Burgess) and Dorothy Hamill (with Tristan MacManus). Notably absent from the dancers list this season are Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Chelsie Hightower.
FRIENDS WITH BETTER LIVES
It’s safe to say James Van Der Beek has wasted no time. His ABC series, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, was canceled just last month and the Dawson’s Creek alum has already landed a new job. Beek is set to star in a CBS comedy pilot called Friends with Better Lives. As the title suggests, the project focuses on a group of friends who think their lives aren’t as good as the ones their pals are living. The 35-year-old actor was recently featured in a Canada-themed episode of How I Met Your Mother that aired earlier this month. His other recent credits include Franklin & Bash, Law & Order: SVU and the feature film Backwards.
HOLLYWOOD GAME SHOW
Jane Lynch (a.k.a. Glee’s Sue Sylvester) has booked a new gig — and it’s not an acting job. The veteran TV star has been tapped to host a series for NBC called Hollywood Game Show. Created by actor/producer Sean Hayes (Will & Grace, Hot in Cleveland) and Todd Milliner (The Soul Man), the new series essentially allows celebrities and average Joes to join forces and hang out together in a cocktail party atmosphere. Who are these celebrities? According to NBC, they’ll include stars from the worlds of television, film, politics and sports. This won’t be Lynch’s first time hosting a show; she’s headlined the Emmy Awards, Saturday Night Live, along with other awards ceremonies and TV shows.
HR
Alicia Silverstone is following up her recurring stint on ABC’s Suburgatory with a starring role in a Lifetime pilot called HR. The Clueless star will play what Deadline describes as an “uptight Director of Human Resources for a global company” who drastically changes the way she runs her company after she suffers a head injury. It’s been exactly 10 years since Silverstone starred on a TV series (her last leading role was in 2003’s Miss Match). The 36-year-old actress is also known for voicing the lead character in Braceface for the Canadian show’s first two seasons. Her other TV credits include Childrens Hospital, Rebel Highway and The Wonder Years.
I AM VICTOR
John Stamos has landed the lead role in a new CBS drama pilot. As Michelle Tanner would say, “You got it dude!” The Full House alum will star as a prominent divorce attorney who offers a unique take on relationships. If the pilot is ordered to series, it will mark the 49-year-old actor’s first starring role on TV in more than five years. Aside from his role as Uncle Jesse on Full House, Stamos is known for his stints on ER, Glee, You Again and Jake in Progress. He’s currently recurring on NBC’s The New Normal, where he plays a realtor who gets involved with Jane (Ellen Barkin).
MIXOLOGY
Glee’s Vanessa Lengies (a.k.a. the quirky Sugar Motta) has been offered a lead role in ABC’s new comedy pilot Mixology. According to Deadline, the project “chronicles the exploits of singles, five guys and five girls, in search of love — all over the course of one night.” Lengies, a Montreal native, will be joined by Adam Campbell (Harper’s Island), Craig Frank (Victorious) and other yet-to-be-announced cast members. There’s no word on how this will affect Lengies’ recurring role on Glee if the project — written by the scribes behind The Hangover — gets picked up. Lengies is also known for her roles on American Dreams, For Better or for Worse and the Canadian show Are You Afraid of the Dark?.
THE TOMORROW PEOPLE
The CW is keeping it in the family. The network has cast Robbie Amell (the younger brother of Canadian Arrow star Stephen Amell) as one of the leads in a new pilot called The Tomorrow People. Coincidentally, the 24-year-old Toronto native will play a character named Stephen on the show, which is adapted from a 1970’s superhero-themed series. Amell’s character is described by TVLine as “a tormented young man who longs to be normal” and learns later on that there are others like him. The Canadian actor currently has a recurring role on NBC’s freshman comedy 1600 Penn. He’s also been featured on Revenge, Pretty Little Liars, Hot in Cleveland and True Jackson, VP.
THE ORDAINED
Following his guest stint on Californication, Jorge Garcia has booked his next gig — a role in a CBS drama pilot called The Ordained. The show revolves around a man who abandons his job as a priest and becomes a lawyer in order to prevent his sister, a politician, from getting killed. Garcia is set to play Carlos, a staff investigator at a law firm. The 39-year-old actor’s recent credits include Once Upon a Time, Mr. Sunshine and a leading role in the short-lived Alcatraz.
UNTITLED CBS PILOT
Will Arnett has been cast in a new CBS pilot, furthering speculation that Up All Night has officially been scrapped. TVLine reports the Canadian funnyman will star in the untitled project as Jack, a recently-divorced dude who on top of dealing with his marriage woes has to cope with the splitting up of his folks too. The multi-camera project is being produced by Greg Garcia, the TV veteran behind shows like Raising Hope and My Name is Earl. Arnett, who co-starred alongside Christina Applegate on Up All Night for the past two seasons, has a slew of projects coming up — including the highly-anticipated Arrested Development reboot.
Thoughts? Comment on TV Guide Canada’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
