Imperioli Explores 'Life on Mars'
By NELLIE ANDREEVA, Reuters
Posted: 2008-07-03 16:02:53
LOS ANGELES (July 3) - "The Sopranos" veteran
Michael Imperioli is returning to series television as co-star
of ABC's new drama "Life on Mars."
Based on the BBC series, "Life" centers on Sam Tyler (Jason
O'Mara), a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash,
finds himself mysteriously transported back to the 1970s and
still working as a detective.
Shenae Grimes
Cast In: 'Beverly Hills, 90210' Spinoff (The CW)
About the Role: Despite rumors that the lead role in the '90210' spinoff would go to Hilary Duff, Grimes, the Canadian born star of 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' has nabbed the part of teenager Annie Mills.
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Lori Loughlin
Cast In: 'Beverly Hills, 90210' Spinoff (The CW)
About the Role: The erstwhile 'Full House' star will play Celia Mills, a former Olympic medalist in cycling, who moves to Beverly Hills with her husband and teenaged daughter Annie (Shenae Grimes).
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Angela Bassett
Cast In: 'ER' (NBC)
About the Role: The Oscar-nominated star of 'What's Love Got to Do With It' will scrub in for the final season of 'ER,' playing a troubled physician who returns to Chicago after a few years in Indonesia doing tsunami relief. The role marks her first full-time TV gig.
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Alyssa Milano
Cast In: Unititled ABC Comedy Pilot
About the Role: The former 'Charmed' beauty and current 'My Name Is Earl' guest star is in negotiations to topline a comedy pilot from 'How I Met Your Mother' producer Kristin Newman. Milano would play a woman in her 30s who tries to break free of her dysfunctional family, friends and boss.
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Naomi Campbell
Cast In: 'Ugly Betty' (ABC)
About the Role: Although it was announced the volatile supermodel would guest on 'Betty' last season, she has yet to make an appearance. That will all change in the second season finale, when she turns up as herself. Betty better bring her brass knuckles to work.
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Lucy Liu
Cast In: 'Dirty Sexy Money' (ABC)
About the Role: It looks like the Darlings will have another good-looking lawyer to contend with: Liu will join the cast as an attorney if -- and the odds of this are fairly certain -- ABC's 'Cashmere Mafia' does not get picked up for a second season.
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Sarah Chalke
Cast In: 'How I Met Your Mother' (CBS)
About the Role: The sexy 'Scrubs' doc will reprise her role as Ted's scene-stealing -- and heart-stealing -- dermatologist Stella in at least one more episode this season, further fueling rumors that she's the eponymous 'Mother.'
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Alicia Silverstone
Cast In: 'Bad Mother's Handbook' (ABC)
About the Role: Though she turned down a chance to play the eponymous mom on 'How I Met Your Mother,' the 'Miss Match' star seems to have the maternal instinct: She'll play a 32-year-old single mom who must take care of both her daughter and her mother in this buzzed-about ABC pilot.
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Jason Bateman
Cast In: 'Sit Down, Shut Up' (Fox)
About the Role: Bateman will reteam with fellow 'Arrested Development' alums Henry Winkler and Will Arnett for 'Arrested' creator Mitch Hurwitz's animated Fox comedy about a group of self-absorbed teachers who put their students' needs second to their own.
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Ray Romano
Cast In: 'Men of a Certain Age' (TNT)
About the Role: The former 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star will give drama a try in this TNT pilot about trio of college buddies, now in their 40s, grappling with middle age. Romano, who co-wrote the script, will play a divorced father who dreamt of becoming a pro golfer but now owns a party store.
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Imperioli will play a colleague of Sam's in 1972. He is a
rough, tough sexist who has never heard the phrase "politically
correct."
The casting of Imperioli is part of the revamping of the
project after the departure of David E. Kelley, who penned the
original pilot for ABC.
The series, which will be filmed in New York, is slated to
air in the post-"Grey's Anatomy" slot at 10 p.m. Thursdays in
the fall.
In December, Imperioli starred in the network's TV movie
"Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's for One More Day." He
won an Emmy for his role as troubled mobster/aspiring filmmaker
Christopher Moltisanti on HBO's "Sopranos."
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2008-07-03 16:01:42
