Movies
+ The formulaic conceit behind Zac Efron's upcoming 17 — adult steps into teenager's shoes — is being elevated by some genius casting. Not only will
Leslie Mann (Knocked Up) be playing Efron's wife, but we've learned that Thomas Lennon — a.k.a. Reno 911!'s short-shorts-wearing Lieut. Jim Dangle — will portray the best friend to Efron's adult character. Lennon
seems like a perfect sidekick for his straitlaced costar, and this
one-two casting punch may be just what an Efron movie with no musical
numbers needs.
+ Santa Monica drama students, beware: You could be discovered at a bat
mitzvah by Steven Spielberg. That was the case for Alden Ehrenreich, the 17-year-old who — due to a fateful video appearance at a
celebration attended by the director — is now the lead in Francis Ford
Coppola's upcoming Tetro. The script is a secret, but Ehrenreich will
feature prominently in the Argentinean saga that should begin shooting
before the end of the year. Matt Dillon, who was set to reteam with his
Outsiders director, is now out of the movie. No word on who will take
his place, but sources say Eric Bana, Mark Ruffalo, Keanu Reeves, and
Joaquin Phoenix are being considered. Javier Bardem is expected to nab a
different role. (Coppola could not be reached for comment.) As for
Ehrenreich, Spielberg's fortuitous spotting led to a meeting with
DreamWorks casting execs and turns on CSI and Supernatural before landing Tetro. Mazel tov! — Nicole Sperling
Television
+ While sitcoms continue to go dark because of the ongoing writers'
strike, at least one comedy is trying to keep the lights on. A show
source confirms that ABC's According to Jim, which may return as early
as this winter for a seventh (yes, you read that right) season, resumed
production this week in L.A. even though its writers are picketing. Jim
Belushi, who also serves as an executive producer and director, will
help run the show, though it's unclear whether he'll write, too. Seven
episodes have already been shot.
+ Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place) will join the cast of One Tree Hill as a
mogul who runs Brooke's (Sophia Bush) company. That show is also
scheduled to return later this year. — Lynette Rice
Music
+ If it seems like the Spice Girls are everywhere these days — world tour! new album! Posh! — well, they are. But there's one place you probably
won't be seeing them anytime soon: the Billboard album charts. This
week, Capitol Music Group shipped 600,000 copies of their Greatest Hits solely to Victoria's Secret outlets nationwide, and the lingerie
retailer purchased them outright. But Hits' first-week Secret sales
won't be reflected on the charts because the store is not
SoundScan-enabled like Wal-Mart. Not that Capitol minds one bit: As far
as the label is concerned, the disc already went gold — and that's before
its digital sales are tallied and its wider release on Jan. 15, 2008. — Shirley Halperin
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