Fans of the short-lived FX drama The Riches (myself included) woke up to news today of actress Minnie Driver returning to TV to headline the CBS pilot Hail Mary. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Driver signed on to play a suburban Atlanta housewife who partners with a hustler to solve crimes. Fingers crossed that Driver’s latest TV stint lands on the fall schedule.
Reps for the longstanding video rental giant Blockbuster once again confirmed how much the entertainment biz has changed by putting the once mighty, Dallas-based company up for sale. According to The Los Angeles Times, Blockbuster went on the sales block after its creditors failed to agree on a recapitalization plan.
Plans for Oscar weekend continued with the announcement of street closures in the area surrounding the Kodak Theatre. On the entertainment side of the event, Scarlett Johansson and Russell Brand joined the roster of Oscar presenters.
London’s Guardian reported that Poppy Montgomery, of the CBS drama Without a Trace, agreed to play JK Rowling in the TV film Strange Magic, about the famous author’s transition from a single mom on benefits in Edinburgh to the creation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Pop star Britney Spears made the tabloids with snaps of a recent fishing trip with her young sons but TMZ reported the bigger news of Spears earning $500,000 for product placements including the dating site Plentyoffish.com in her Hold It Against Me video. Reviews of the song have been positive but not half-a-million positive.