Laura Prepon, famous for playing Donna Pinciotti on the long running sitcom That ’70s Show, has shown up on October Road, playing a mom. You will notice her (at least what I thought was) trademark read hair is gone.

Calling all Donna Pinciotti fans! OK, so it’s not exactly the same redhead from That ’70s Show, but Laura Prepon is back on the small screen with a lighter ‘do and a big role — playing Mom on the new ABC drama October Road, which airs a new episode tonight at 10 pm/ET. While she’s no Kitty Forman, her 28-year-old character, Hannah, does balance a job, a relationship and parent-teacher meetings. But her biggest struggle is her high-school sweetheart (played by Bryan Greenberg) rolling back into town after a decade’s absence and dragging the past along with him.

You can read Laura’s full interview about the show on TVGuide.com

October Road airs Thursdays at 10pm on ABC, and Laura makes her debut in tonight’s episode.

Seems like being on Party of Five was a good thing. First, we have Matthew Fox on Lost, Scott Wolfe who was just cast in Law Dogs, and now Lacey Chabert, best known for playing Claudia Salinger on Party of Five has signed up for an untitled pilot on FOX.

Eternally best known as Claudia Salinger, Chabert will take the last of three leads in FOX’s untitled Liz Meriwether pilot, joining Dorian Brown and Molly Stanton. The comedy focuses on a trio of recently graduated sorority girls who decided to change their lives.

Even though I know Lacey is still all grown up, I can’t be the only one who still thinks of her as the young Claudia on the tv show.

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Ghost Whisperer meet Dog Whisperer. According to a CBS press release, the Dog Whisperer himself will be making a guest appearance, playing himself of course, on an upcoming episode of Ghost Whisperer.

World-renowned Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan guests stars as himself on an upcoming episode of GHOST WHISPERER, to be broadcast Friday, March 30 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

When Homer the Ghost Dog returns to Grandview, he walks back into Melinda’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) life by spooking Delia’s (Camryn Manheim) normally calm golden retriever, Bob. Worried about Bob’s recent change in behavior, Delia visits a local Grandview book signing with Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan. Melinda joins Delia at the signing to see if Cesar can offer guidance on how to cross Homer into the light.

Cesar Millan, born in rural Mexico, first came to the United States intent on becoming the world’s best dog trainer. Since then, Millan has successfully spread his message by way of his hit television series, “Dog Whisperer” on the National Geographic Channel, # 1 New York Times best-selling book “Cesar’s Way,” and instructional DVDs.

With the somewhat negative publicity the Dog Whisperer has been receiving lately (although always glowing reports from his celeb clients) one has to wonder if he pulled some strings to get this acting spot.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will be pleased to hear that Michelle Trachtenberg has signed with ABC to star in a new pilot, which is billed as a comedy.

Trachtenberg will star opposite Eric Christian Olsen (”The Loop”) in the D.C. comedy. She’ll be playing the daughter of a lawmaker who falls in love with Olsen’s character, who just happens to work for her dad’s nemesis across the aisle.

Fans will remember Trachtenberg as playing Buffy’s sister Dawn for three seasons.

Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Kali Rocha also just signed onto a new pilot.

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The L Word fans can breathe that sigh of relief. Showtime has picked up the popular series for a fifth season.

On the heels of a year highlighted with industry recognition and critical acclaim for its award-winning original programming including WEEDS, DEXTER, and BROTHERHOOD, SHOWTIME has ordered a fifth season of its hit drama series THE L WORD, it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment, SHOWTIME Networks Inc. Twelve new episodes are set to begin production this summer and premiere on SHOWTIME sometime in early 2008. The series was recently nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

“THE L WORD is a signature franchise for us and one of our most popular series,” says Greenblatt. “This season’s guest star Cybill Shepherd and new series regular Marlee Matlin are indicative of the show’s great quality. With our launch of OurChart.com (a social networking site that grew directly out of THE L WORD), and the show’s growing popularity in Second Life, this series goes well beyond the boundaries of a mere television show. Since its launch in 2004, the zeitgeist has never been the same.”

I do have to wonder why only twelve episodes for such an awesome series though.

Leslie Bibb’s character Lu was recently killed on Crossing Jordan last month, but the actress will be turning up next month on an episode of CSI: Miami, where she will have a multiple role playing three women.

After a wealthy businessman is killed at a charity event the CSI’s first suspect his wife who was hosting the event. The blood evidence is thought to belong to the wife or her two secret twin sisters but leads the investigators in another direction after the victim is not who they thought he was.

She plays Ashley Whitford, Cayla Selby and Beth Selby in the episode.

I am happy to see Leslie back after she written out of Crossing Jordan. And I am happy it is CSI: Miami, another of my favorite shows.

This episode, titled Triple Threat, is currently scheduled to air on March 19, 2007 at 10pm on CBS.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Richie Velch on The Class, is doing double duty by guest starring on this week’s episode of Ugly Betty. He plays a dentist whom Betty asks out on a date.

Daniel keeps secret from Alexis the fact that he is the one who hired Grace to defend their father, something which Wilhelmina uses to bring the siblings apart. Meanwhile, when invited by Henry to Charlie’s birthday party, a desperate Betty asks Dr. Farkas, her orthodontist, to be her date. Finally, Amanda catches the eye of an unusual designer who claims that she is his muse.

Jesse’s episode, titled Icing on the Cake, is scheduled to air on Thursday, March 15th.

You know, I adore Minnie Driver… but I have such a hard time envisioning her in this role as a drug addicted ex-con who cons her way to middle class acceptance.

First, the synopsis of the series:

The Riches centers around a traveling family of con artists. After completing a 2-year stint in prison, a married couple (played by Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver) are now dealing with a drug addiction and begin to question their marginal lifestyle. Along with their three children, they assume the identities of a normal, higher-income bracket family. The Riches is produced by FOX…

Yes, very FOX, isn’t it?

And for the pilot episode:

Through a set of unusual circumstances, the Malloy family assumes the identities of a wealthy family, the Riches, only to find that a glamorous life entails more than they expected.

The series has received critical acclaim so far, so the first airing on F/X will show if it can achieve the same acclaim with the fans as well.

The show will air Monday at 10pm on F/X

If you have wondered what happened to October Road, which was picked up as a new series last fall, wonder no more. The series will finally have its series premiere this week.

The episode, simply titled Pilot, will premiere on Thursday, March 15th at 10pm.

10 years after leaving his hometown, Nick Garrett returns to Knights Ridge, to teach a one-day course at Dufresne College, which he believes is a great way to find out what changes since he was gone. After hurting the ones he loved by writing a book, a best-selling novel, and discovering their secrets, Nick will have to find a way to confront past demons and move on with his life.

The pilot will air in the juicy timeslot following Grey’s Anatomy.

The rumors have been running rampant that Goran Visnjic wouldn’t be returning next season on ER, in what would be the series 14th season. Ausiello says that it is 99% certain he won’t be back as a series regular, so there is hope he could be back in some kind of role for next season.

He also adds that Maura Tierney is contracted through next season, so she will definitely be there!

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Looks like former Las Vegas star Marsha Thomason has signed up to appear in a recurring role on Lost. Her first airdates will be sometime in late April or early May.

We’ll keep you posted!

Peter MacNicol has gotten a lot of positive feedback with his role on 24, sparking rumors that perhaps the talented actor wouldn’t be returning to Numbers. Well, we have Ausiello to set us straight.

First off, he finished filming his final 24 episode weeks ago… although he doesn’t tell us exactly how that final episode ended! And Peter MacNicol will be showing back up on Numbers on the April 27th episode.

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I was kind of hoping that Dr. Sydney Heron would be sticking around Seattle Grace into next season, but the actress who portrays her, Kali Rocha, has signed onto a new ABC pilot titled The Call. And ironically, this comedy series is about a team of Los Angeles paramedica, so not too far off her Grey’s Anatomy character.

Also signed onto the new pilot is Kal Penn, star of Harold & Kumar.

I guess there is nothing like a whole lot of negative publicity to get a town to change its mind… that and the fact they never legally had the power to deny The Sopranos from filming their final scene in the city after all.

Township attorney Brian Aloia has decided, however, that the town clerk is required to issue a filming permit and the council doesn’t have a say unless the permit requires a waiver. A waiver wasn’t needed for “The Sopranos” shoot because producers would be filming in a commercial area instead of a residential one after 8 p.m., he said.

HBO was to shoot the scene at an ice cream shop in Bloomfield. The town borders Newark, where fictional mob boss Tony Soprano grew up.

Aloia said the clerk must issue a permit after determining that a shoot fulfills certain legal requirements, such as having adequate insurance.

“She must look at the application in an objective manner,” he said. “She cannot consider, for instance, what’s being filmed or in this case if she likes the show or doesn’t like the show.”

Will be nice for the owners of Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionary, who were more than a little upset about the city’s actions, to get their place in the Soprano’s history. I bet the council had no idea all the negative publicity their little stunt would generate!

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OK, I am seriously starting to wonder just how mant more actors will become associated with this new Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, because as far as I can see, it is only men who have signed on to the new show. And Paul Adelstein, who plays Keller on Prison Break, is the latest male to be cast.

In any case, Adelstein says he “can’t believe his good fortune” in nabbing a role on the new ABC show, which is being written by “Grey’s” creator and University Park native Shonda Rhimes.

Adelstein wouldn’t say a word about what his role is or what happens in the two-hour pilot – Rhimes is well known for strictly enforcing a cone of silence around her projects – but he would say that the pilot for the new series is “character driven.”

“I think with even some of the strongest writers out there, you could swap out the dialogue between characters on the show,” but that isn’t the case with Rhimes, said Adelstein, who noted that he and his wife, Liza Weil, who plays Paris on “Gilmore Girls,” are big fans of “Grey’s.” “Shonda not only writes great dialogue, she writes great characters. It’s all very specific. She’s got a very strong voice, it’s funny and truthful and three-dimensional, which is great fun for an actor and rare.”

I didn’t realize Paul’s wife was Liza, although things aren’t looking as rosy for the nenewal of Gilmore Girls.

And as for Prison Break, since Keller is still alive and well on that show? Reportedly, if the new spinoff is picked up, Paul Adelstein would leave Prison Break at the end of the season in a cliffhanger scenario.

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Nancy Grace will take her first acting gig when she appears in the season finale of Law & Order: SVU. However, the character she plays won’t be too much of a stretch for her… she will play a legal commentator on the hit series.

Nancy Grace is taking on her first prime-time acting role, though it shouldn’t be a stretch for the CNN Headline News talk-show host. She will appear offering faux legal commentary during the season finale of NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC said on Tuesday. She’ll talk about a case involving a man charged with killing a woman and her baby.

There’s precedence for vaulting into fiction at sister network CNN, where Larry King has appeared in several movies playing himself.

One of Grace’s co-stars in the episode will be Star Jones Reynolds, who will also be seen giving legal commentary. That was how she actually started on TV, before acquiring her diva reputation on “The View.”

Rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges will return to the show to play Darius Parker, the man on trial. “Law & Order: SVU” raps up its season this year on May 22.

I must admit, I am not too happy to see Star Jones in the episode… for reasons too numerous to mention. However, Ludacris is always a fan favorite and draws the Ludacris fans as well.

I will be curious to see how Nancy Grace’s appearance goes… and what “station” she will appear on or if they will be using CNN as the show for this episode.

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Vincent DOnofrio ruffled plenty of feathers when he reportedly told an Australian journalist at the end of last month that he plans on leaving Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

These are the reasons, he says in shock news, that he’s walking away from Criminal Intent.

“I’m at the age where I’m having a pretty good time in life and I want to do some directing now, stay away from acting just a little while,” D’Onofrio explains.

“I haven’t sorted the actual departure date out yet, but I won’t be there (Criminal Intent) much longer.

You know, to me, that sounds pretty definite. But since then, there apparently has been some fancy backtracking going on by his handlers. Now, according to Ausiello:

“I am not leaving Law & Order: Criminal Intent and have every intention of fulfilling my contractual obligations on the show,” he said in a statement issued by his rep. “I still find playing the role of Robert Goren interesting and enjoy working with the writers, cast and crew of Criminal Intent.”

Once more with feeling, buddy?

This all may be a moot point anyway, since the chances of CI seeing another season are iffy at best. Which brings me to my next question: Would anyone miss it?

Doesn’t sound so much like Ausiello believes him. Now I wonder if the show will get renewed for next season or not.

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American Idol voters finally had enough of the sex show that was Antonella Barba, and booted her along with three others from the final voting before the top twelve competition begins.

“American Idol” slimmed down the competition Thursday night, leaving 12 finalists to compete for the ultimate prize — a record contract. Antonella Barba, Sabrina Sloan, Jared Cotter and Jason “Sundance” Head were cast off by the viewer voting, which drew about 37 million calls and text messages.

The performers who made the cut were Blake Lewis, LaKisha Jones, Chris Sligh, Jordin Sparks, Phil Stacey, Melinda Doolittle, Brandon Rogers, Gina Glocksen, Chris Richardson, Stephanie Edwards, Haley Scarnato and Sanjaya Malakar.

Wonder if she’ll be taking that Girls Gone Wild job offer now? $250,000 is a lot for a college girl.

I admit, I am happy she is gone… saves all the drama from the real top twelve and all the speculation about whether she was there because of her singing or there because of her {cough} other talents.

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The March 11th episode of Without a Trace has a very special writer… Anthony LaPaglia, who played Jack Malone on the series, cowrote the episode Deep Water with fellow writer Byron Balasco. The episode airs Sunday, March 11th at 10pm on CBS.

In the episode, Jack (LaPaglia) and his team search for a missing U.S. Senator, during which they are forced to contend with her powerful and meddlesome father (guest star John Doman, “The Wire”) and the media that is tracking the case.

In a departure from the series’ usual approach, viewers will learn why the senator is missing at the beginning of the episode. LaPaglia says, “I am a true believer in occasionally breaking the conceit of the show. It shakes the audience out of expecting the usual fare and helps stretch everyone working here to think outside the box. I did not want to reinvent the wheel, just put new tires on it. I had nothing but total support from the writers, producers and the crew who worked their tails off to help me, especially Byron Balasco, who took this and ran with it.”

Interesting how all these in-front-of-the-camera stars like to switch roles to ones behind the camera. Although kudos to Anthony for taking a much harder role than the usual director one sought by actors. Being a writer is a difficult job, but I can definitely see the appeal in writing for a character you portray!

CBS Press release.

Medium is turning into a family affair when star Patricia Arquette’s brother shows up on set to direct an upcoming episode this season. David Arquette, who is married to Dirt’s Courtney Cox, will direct an episode which has yet to be taped.

On the matter of having to take orders from little brother David, Medium star Patricia Arquette was more than amiable, saying “I was always a bossy little girl and being David’s older sister I’ve bossed him around quite a bit. Now that he’ll be directing me it will be payback time, I think it will be really interesting being directed by David because he knows me so well and I feel so safe with him. I think I’ll be able to go to some of my darkest places.”

I don’t think I realized that David also worked behind the scenes as well. He just finished directing a feature film, The Tripped, which is currently scheduled for a fall release.

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