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LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
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DAVID'S SITUATION (HBO, New!) - Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are returning to HBO as the pair have landed a pilot order for a new comedy featuring Cross (playing himself) as he leaves Hollywood to move into a suburban, gated community where he has two roommates, a right-wing conservative and a liberal hippie. The pair, who actually broke the news about the project on their web site last week, further detail it as follows: "HBO has officially picked up the pilot Bob and I pitched them and wrote. We should be shooting in LA in the beginning of MAY. We'll keep you posted on exactly when and where (we'll have room for 150 audiencers). We are both very, very excited about it and feel it's really strong and important to the health of America. We know that America is hurting right now and old people like to say that "Laughter's the best medicine" So, keep hope old people, an injection of 10cc's of funny is about to be shot all up in your funny bones!" Odenkirk will also direct the pilot as well as executive producing alongside Stu Smiley with Dionne Kirschner producing.
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - "Dancing With the Stars" alum Jennie Garth and Eric Ladin ("Generation Kill") are the latest additions to the comedy pilot, about two best friends and co-owners of a bike shop whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Tim Peper) begins dating the ex-wife (Garth) of the other (Josh Cooke). Garth will play said girl while Ladin is set as a guy described as "the world's worst salesman." Mike Sikowitz is behind the half-hour, which is based at Sony Pictures Television.
NIGHT LIFE (A.K.A. SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE) (FOX) - Bruno Campos ("Nip/Tuck") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a man (David Denman) going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift. Campos will play Dr. Steve Larouche, a role which is billed as possibly recurring. It's described in the casting notice as follows: "40s. Please resubmit all ethnic choices - Open Ethnicity. Dr. Steve Larouche loves himself, a medical attending who works in the trauma room at St. Anthony's hospital, Steve generally works in a furious hurry, and forgets his last patient as soon as he moves on to the next one. A tough-minded, highly skilled and competent doctor, Steve is used to losing a patient every so often, and gets busted by Wayne for his allegedly callous behavior in laughing outside a room full of grieving family members." Ashley Williams, Glynn Turman, Karolina Muller, Kerry Bishe, Nate Mooney and Tommy Ford also star in the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which Zach Braff is helming from a script by Adam Braff. The Braffs are also executive producing alongside Emile Levisetti.
UNTITLED AL D'AMATO PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Former U.S. senator Al D'Amato (R-New York) is reportedly set to topline a new court show targeted for the 2009-10 season. Multiple syndicators are said to have expressed interest in the project, which would feature "Senator Pothole" as he was dubbed for his willingness to meet with constituents and help them with their individual cases. Following his stint in the Senate, D'Amato penned the book "Power, Pasta & Politics: The World According to Senator Al D'Amato" in 1995 and founded the consulting firm Park Strategies four years later.
UNTITLED BRENDA HAMPTON PROJECT (ABC Family) - Shailene Woodley ("Felicity: An American Girl Adventure") has scored the lead role on Brenda Hampton's upcoming drama, about a pregnant teen (Woodley). Her character, Amy Nicholson, is further detailed in the casting notice as: "Legal 18 or emancipated to play 15 years old, any ethnicity, pretty, freshfaced, wholesome-looking, Amy is a Good Girl: she's polite to her parents, dresses like a young lady, and plays the French Horn; she's intelligent, thoughtful and has a pretty good sense of self esteem. Unfortunately, Amy fell for the slick charms of teen seducer Ricky Richardson, lost her virginity during band camp over the summer, and is now pregnant. Aware that her life could be ruined by any or all of the choices facing her, Amy is wholly unsure of her next move, and for the moment is trying to navigate her regular high school routine with a terrible secret." Ron Underwood is directing the show's pilot from a script by Hampton.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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