The latest pilot castings from Variety and the Reporter:• Timm Sharp (Undeclared, and a recent guest star on 'Til Death) is Jason Biggs' annoying roommate in the CBS comedy I'm in Hell.• Nathan Gamble (Babel) has landed the lead in Fox's untitled comedy about a 10-year-old helped through life by his crazy grandfather (Tom Conti). Macey Cruthird (Hope & Faith's Hayley) is Gamble's older sister.• Ian Gomez (Felicity) is Steve Howey's veterinary-clinic partner in Fox's The Beast.• Dash Mihok (Hollywoodland) has joined ABC's Cavemen.
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TV Land has elected former president Bill Clinton to serve as a keynote speaker at the cabler's March 23 upfront. Oh, what Monica used to do up front.... Nick Jr. premieres a new episde of Dora the Explorer, "Star Mountain," on March 12.... Flushed Away unseated The Departed as the top DVD seller last week, while Babel was the No. 1 rental/OTC sleep aid.... DVD release dates have been set for Children of Men (March 27) and The Good Shepherd (April 3).
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• Despite his winning appearance as a presenter on Sunday's telecast, Jerry Seinfeld is unlikely to host next year's Academy Awards, as has been buzzed about for the past few days. Here's why: The animated Bee Movie, which is written by and stars Seinfeld, and opens in November, is likely to net an Oscar nod, reports the New York Daily News, effectively disqualifying the comedian from emceeing the show.• YouTube on Tuesday complied with a "request" from the Academy to take down all unauthorized clips from the broadcast, such as Ellen DeGeneres' opening spiel and musical numbers featuring Will Ferrell (which had racked up 250,000 views) and Beyoncé (which had, well, thousands viewing her rack). The official Oscars website offers a five-minute clip of highlights, as well as footage from the backstage "Thank-You Cam."• Babel director Alejandro González Iñárritu and other collaborators on the film, including cast members Gael García Bernal and Adr...
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The Sarah Silverman Program premiered to an audience of 1.8 million total viewers last Thursday, the best debut for a Comedy Central original since Drawn Together (2004).... DVD release dates have been set for Babel (Feb. 20, though I already have mine... coolness) and The Pursuit of Happyness (Mar. 27). Out on disc today, meanwhile, is The Grudge 2 starring Amber Tamblyn (who, again, bailed on a Q&A with moi. Bygones).... Wal-Mart and Hewlett-Packard are set to announce a deal that will have the retailer selling movie and TV-show downloads via its website, says Reuters. But will they offer "Always Lowe Prices" on St. Elmo's Fire and Brothers & Sisters?
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Nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning by Salma Hayek — presumably because of the abundance of Latino names that she so deliciously enunciated — and Dreamgirls bested the rest with eight total nods, yet was conspicuously left out of the best-picture race. Babel followed with seven noms. Here's a look at the major contests:Best PictureBabel, The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The QueenLead ActressPenélope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), Kate Winslet (Little Children)Lead ActorLeonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)Supporting ActressAdriana Barraza (Babel), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)Supporting ActorA...
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