Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann Have the Strongest Marriage in Hollywood
Two movies together means it's true love. Also today: Mad Men news, HBO picks up a hip young series, and the BBC will always make better television than us.
Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are going to be in the next Judd Apatow movie. This is not surprising. What is somewhat surprising is that they will be playing the same characters they played in Knocked Up. Awful, dumb Russell Brand did this a few years ago with his awful, dumb Aldous Snow character (Forgetting Sarah Marshall into Get Him to the Greek), so there's precedent. It's unclear if they'll be the stars of the picture or not, but they'll definitely be in it. Oh and no word yet on whether Kitty Heigl will be showing up to be surprisingly charming and then call it all sexist later on. [EW]
ABC has gone ahead and ordered two new sitcom pilots and they sound GREAT. One is called Smothered and it is about a young couple who are toootallly hassled by their wacky parents!! Because that concept always goes great. (See also: this unholy disaster.) The other one sounds even better. It is about "three best friends and the women in their lives" and it is called Man Up. Duuuuuude. Hilarious. I really think we don't have enough comedies, or any shows really, about guys and the things guys like. Also comedies about relationships. Man, I love comedies about how men are and how women are and how like they'll never really get each other. (Honestly, are we not adults enough in 2011 that we can't just be human beings together? Is there some unknown-to-me American clan of complete social dysfunctionals who just can't get over the fact that she's a chick or he's a guy? Enough. Basta. Can it.) [Deadline]
The delightful Rachel Weisz has agreed to appear with an all-star cast in the bigtime new BBC spy series Page 8. Her costars? Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis, Michael Gambon, and Bill Nighy. And David Hare is writing the damn thing. Jeezy chreezy. You think you have some good TV here, on HBO and stuff, and the Brits are like "Oh yeah? Well, here's this. BOOM." [THR]
HBO has ordered to series the Lena Dunham show that Judd Apatow is producing. It's about post-college twentysomethings making their way in New York, etc. Dunham is the writer/director/star of Tiny Furniture, the indie she shot in the Tribeca loft where she grew up. I love a good rags to riches tale. [Deadline]
Here's some good news everyone. Remember how I was saying "Oh boo hoo, the Brits make better TV"? Well, at least in America the third season premiere of Jersey Shore was the most-watched debut in MTV history with a bonkers-boggling 8.4 million pairs of eyeballs glazing over during last night's broadcast. God bless the USA. [EW]
Well, OK, we're not doing so bad. AMC has officially renewed their flagship series Mad Men for a fifth season. Ohh and I have Mad Men scoop!!! I have a friend who works in the writers room on the show, and supposedly the next season is going to set in a flash-sideways in which Don and Roger never left Sterling Cooper and Betty didn't file for divorce. And Peggy accidentally kills someone or something and Joan helps her cover it up and that's how they become friends. Oh and they're going to have a ton of huge guest stars. My friend said the two she's heard are definite so far are Courteney Cox and Rob Lowe! Oh and there's talk about doing a musical episode..... EEEEeee. Best season yet? [Deadline]