With everyone on High Hoax Alert in the wake of the James Frey/JT Leroy scandals, the credibility of Rupert Murray's documentary Unknown White Male, about a friend of the director who suddenly developed amnesia, is being questioned. [Variety]
12-time Saturday Night Live host Alec Baldwin is in "final negotiations" to star with Tina Fey in her untitled behind-the-scenes-at-an-SNL-like-show pilot for NBC, which is obviously planning an all-behind-the-scenes-at-an-SNL-like-show programming block, having already ordered 13 episodes of Aaron Sorkin's behind-the-scenes-at-an-SNL-like-show series, Studio 60. [THR]
Gone Baby Gone writer/director Ben Affleck hooks up brother Casey with a role, ensuring that the family will continue to have at least one actor working in Hollywood. [Variety]
2.1 million watch Dick Cheney's post attorney-hunting interview on Fox News, prompting the right-wing news organization to plan a series of sweeps specials in which powerful Republicans shoot people in the face. [THR]
· It's official: the new Bond girl is Eva Green (tip to horny guys: go rent The Dreamers right now, she may never spend 30 percent of a movie naked again), sparing Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen from having to go through with the sex change operation necessary to play both roles convincingly. [Variety]

· Skeletal Viacom executive presence Sumner Redstone's son Brent commits legal patricide, suing his old man to dissolve National Amusements, the family's holding company. After Redstone has the traitorous offspring quietly disposed of for his treachery, he then confronts a touchy choice between adopting Viacom CEO Tom Freston or CBS Corp's Les Moonves to replace him in the family. [Variety]
Bambi II (note: the straight-to-video Disney sequel, not the adult-oriented exploration of how many cable repairmen can pleasure a horny housewife at one time) moves 2.5 million DVDs and videos in its 1st week. [Variety]
Writer David Benioff will Americanize the Danish film Brothers for Columbia, a deal that NY Magazine's Intelligencer says will earn Benioff $2 million. Not a bad payday for doing a find-and-replace to convert all the Janniks to Jacks. [Variety]
Jeff Goldblum is in final negotiations to star in the NBC pilot Seeing Red as a suitably "eccentric, brilliant" cop who can talk to dead victors—think Ghost Whisperer, but, you know, with Goldblum instead of Jennifer Love Hewitt's psychic rack. [THR]
Variety speculates that a press conference for the new 007 flick could contain an announcement about who's playing the next Bond girl, whether it's rumored frontrunners Eva Green or Olivia Wylde, or a surprise choice like Die Another Day director Lee Tamahori. [Variety]

While we're picking stars to play the Valleywag hotties, check out this photo of Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and hunky CEO Jim Buckmaster:

When Hollywood makes its Oracle movie ("All Your Database Are Belong to Us"), I hope the casting director has connections. Because Larry Ellison should be played by no lesser man than Chuck Norris.

· Universal might once again be reviving American Gangster (a project the studio previously killed in late 2004), this time with Ridley Scott directing and Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington as stars. [Variety]
· The Specialty Division Formerly Known As Paramount Classics picks up the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's charismatic romp through the side-splitting world of global warming. [THR]
· Fox ignores the interstellar disaster of Pluto Nash and will risk sending Eddie Murphy into outer space in Starship Dave, the story of "a crew of miniature human-looking aliens who are seeking a way to save their doomed world." There is no mention of a fat suit, talking animals, or precocious day-care residents, so we're a little nervous about this one. [Variety]
· NBC's coverage of Olympic figure skating trounces Fox's coverage of semi-celebrities flailing about on ice skates. [THR]
· Hilarity is sure to ensue when Fox imports the British Archie Bunker (aka "The Pub Landlord") and strands him in the unfamiliar environs of Santa Monica. Also, David Ogden Stiers, Balthazar Getty, and Chazz Palmintieri all find gainful, if temporary, employment in pilots. [Variety]

· Adam Sandler and Kevin James will bravely mine the previously unexplored comic territory of domestic partner insurance benefits in
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, about two heterosexual firefighters who pretend to be a gay couple Although with a script by Alexander Payne and James Taylor, there's hope it will be more than a processsion of "look at how uncomfortable it is when two straight dudes have to pretend to kiss!" jokes. Bonus callback section: Sandler will take on the project after he wraps 9/11 Reign O'er Me with noted director Mike Binger. [Variety]
· Ethan Hawke Presents An Ethan Hawke Film Starring Ethan Hawke: Taking the concept of vanity project to an exciting new level, Ethan Hawke will direct Mark Webber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Michelle Williams, Laura Linney, and himself in The Hottest State, the film adaptation of his own novel. We don't even want to think about the casting couch self-abuse he had to endure to land himself a role in the picture. [THR]
· Fox's decline in film division revenue can't stop COO Peter Chernin, who's clearly never tried to sit through Fantastic Four, from "feeling really good about the movie biz." [Variety]
· Rob Corddry lands the lead role in the Fox comedy pilot Becoming Glen; coupled with brother Nathan's recent casting in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, we may all have to confront the sad reality of a Corddry-less The Daily Show this Fall. [THR]
· The red-hot Terrence Howard seems to be content with taking over Samuel L. Jackson's career, as he's in final negotiations to star in Coach Carter-y feeling Lionsgate drama P.D.R., based on true story of an inner city swim coach. [Variety]

· Tom Freston unveils the new Viacom for investors, which will adhere to a "two-pronged approach" of domestic niches and international expansion. Other prongs left unmentioned: fucking CBS Corp. employees out of everything they can, and laying off enough of their own Paramount workforce to start a studio of their own. [Variety]
· The always resourceful Universal finds a way to turn Curious George into a simian whore, placing products throughout the incorrigible monkey's animated movie. [THR]
· Six Oscar nominations (and a clever in-store display that hisses racial epithets at nearby shoppers) trick unwitting consumers into a Crash DVD purchase, causing video sales of the movie to jump 150%. The Constant Gardener and Cinderella Man DVDs also received boosts from Academy Awards nods. [Variety]
· Director Catherine Hardwicke is in negotiations to direct a movie about the life of the Virgin Mary before the birth of Christ for New Line. Please, God, let them skip the interactive sex games for this one. [THR]
· Affleck's career gets temporary stay of execution: Ben Affleck is finally successful in begging movie-star buddy Matt Damon to do another movie with him, as Touchstone makes a deal for a film starring the pair as real-life lawyers who exonerated a death row inmate. [Variety]

· Hollywood seems disappointed with the Anthony Pellicano Wiretapping Trial of the Century, which so far lacks enough sizzle and star power to get even a TBS movie greenlit. [Variety]
· The Super Bowl is the most-watched in 10 years, and the most-watched TV program since 1996, with 90.7 million viewers. Grey's Anatomy, rapidly becoming the most hit-protected show in the history of the medium, hangs on to 38.1 million of those viewers after the big game. Is all the special ratings protection just because ABC's Steve McPherson can't wait to see if the doctor who looks like Renee Zellweger will ever get back together with the pizza delivery guy from Loverboy, or are incriminating telephone recordings of the ABC topper involved? Eh, maybe we have Pellicano on the brain and McPherson just loves his stories. [THR]
· Disney sells their radio stations to Citadel Broadcasting in order to ease the $7.4 billion sticker shock from buying Pixar. [Variety]
· Here's as big of a casting about-face as you'll ever see: Steve Buscemi is in "final negotiations" to take Will Arnett's place in New Line's the-wacky-things-drug-dealers-will-do-for-money comedy We're the Millers. [THR]
· ABC and Endemol are importing the Spanish reality hit Operacion Triunfo, a "mash up" (we hear the kids love their mash-ups!) of American Idol and Big Brother, or, to simplify the concept for you, Making the Band with some judging bolted on. [Variety]

· Not everyone in Hollywood is getting shitcanned this week: Fox renews studio co-chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman's contracts for another five years, names them both CEO, and, just because they were on a roll, gave them each a pony. Yay! [Variety]
· Amanda Peet will join Matthew Perry in the cast of Aaron "Any similiarties to SNL are completely incidental" Sorkin's NBC show, currently titled Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. More good news: Rob Corddry's hilarious little brother has also been cast. [THR]
· Studios announce their entries in the 2006 Christmas-season box office cockfight: On December 22, Universal will bring Evan Almighty and The Good Shepherd, Fox goes with Night at the Museum, and Paramount throws in Charlotte's Web. [Variety]
· Yes, Brandi, there is a God: CMT will run an eight-episode reality series about the Dallas Cowboy cheerleader tryouts. As if that weren't generous enough, they're also doing a series trying to crown the best Coyote Ugly dancer. Fuck you, Bravo, CMT now owns our hearts. [THR]
· Perhaps smelling Jamie Foxx/Joaquin Phoenix awards buzz potential, New Line acquires the Duke Ellington pitch The Jazz Ambassadors for Morgan Freeman. [Variety]

In an industry run by pudgy middle-aged men, it's hard to find celebrity lookalikes — unless you cast Paul Giamatti in every role. So why isn't Hollywood jumping on Digg founder Kevin Rose? When the hell will we get to see Jason Schwartzman play him in "Digg: the movie"? You know, the trailers could be like "A clumsy but good-hearted guy comes to an understanding of existence through his social bookmark site. Costarring Mark Wahlberg."

· The trades break down last night's SAGgies, where Reese Witherspoon celebrated the warm-up to her seemingly inevitable Oscar win. [Variety, THR]
· Even without the protection of the Desperate Housewives bully, ABC's Sunday night Nielsen toady Grey's Anatomy dishes out some ratings intimidation. [THR]
· Quinceanara and God Grew Tired of Us pull the first-ever double-double victories at Sundance, winning both audience and jury prices in the dramatic and doc competitions, respectively. Sadly, Destricted's brave depiction of the forbidden love between man and bulldozer goes unrewarded. [Variety]
· McG plans to reclaim his long-abandoned place in the fauxteur pantheon, finally ending a three year behind-the-camera hiatus to direct Matthew McConaughey in a college football tragedy-and-redemption pic. [THR]
· And please, we beg of you, don't go to Variety's homepage and gaze upon the truly horrifying picture of Martin Lawrence, in full Big Momma drag, bounding towards you in a yellow one-piece. You've been warned. [Variety]

· Yesterday, there was chatter that Revolution was going down. The details on Rev's "limbo," according to Var: They will release 13 already finished or in-production films via Sony over the next two years, they've ceased development while the studio "tries to figure out its future" (read: bye bye), and Joe Roth is "hammering out" his "future production arrangement" at Sony. And you can stop holding your breath: Rocky Balboa is among the saved projects. [Variety]
· Get ready for some hilarious, improvised bits about bushy mustaches and lisping riffs on the Rough Riders: Robin Williams will play Teddy Roosevelt alongside Ben Stiller in the Fox comedy A Night at the Museum. [THR]
·MGM president Dan Taylor, who oversaw the transition of the studio to Sony, "ankles" the Lion. Really, we never get tired of the ankling. [Variety]
· There is no reason to read any story with the title "'Big Momma' said knock you out." [THR]
· NBC gives a 13 episode commitment to the Aaron Sorkin/Thomas Schlamme behind-the-scenes-at-an-SNLesque-show series, which has lost the name Studio 7, but gained Matthew Perry, Steven Weber, and DL Hughley as stars. [Variety]

Queerty, the blog with just a little too much spring in its step, if you catch our drift, recently found this unusual casting ad on Craigslist:

The media shitstorm accompanying the revelation that A Million Little Pieces author James Frey embellished moments from his life to appear more bad-ass than it actually was (maybe that gunfight with three hundred Ohio cops was just a speeding ticket, but such is the subjective nature of drug-addled memory) has certainly thrown some heat on the big-screen adaptation of the book, currently in development at Warner Bros. Frey's allegedly mused about landing Tobey Maguire, Orlando Bloom, or Jake Gyllenhaal to play him, but if the producers want to eschew pretty starpower for a deeper commitment to physiognomy, we see a clear choice for the role: boybander-turned-actor Joey Fatone.

· What did Paramount get in the DreamWorks deal? Half of anything Steven Spielberg does (even if he fools around with other studios), distribution rights for DreamWorks Animation films, and in a less-reported concession, Brad Grey gets to pat Jeffrey Katzenberg on the head and call him Lil' Buddy any time he visits the lot. Get it? Because he's short and adorable! [Variety]
· Jude Law joins Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black in Something's Gotta Give writer Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy Holiday, a project whose reportedly torturously prolonged casting process finally yielded exactly the right lovable, nanny-zapping rogue for the role. [THR]
· The forthcoming book Striking Back will simultaneously try to capitalize on the interest in the events depicted in Munich while disputing the version of events reported in Vengeance, the movie's source material. [Variety]
· Lake Bell is in negotiations to play Colin Farrell's wife in New Line cop drama Pride and Glory, assuming the actor doesn't chew through his restraints in rehab and escape before the conclusion of his treatment. [THR]
· Sandy Grushow, who greenlit 24 while at Fox and worked on marketing Die Hard, will produce the real-time drama pilot Crisis for Fox through his Phase Two company. We'll give you three guesses about which two highly successful projects Crisis is compared to. [Variety]

· Paramount prepares a bid for DreamWorks SKG, obviously fulfilling a secret deal with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen to drive up their studio's price for inevitable purchaser Universal. For his cooperation, Brad Grey will receive a truckload of stuffed E.T. dolls and unlimited weekend stays at Geffen's Malibu compound—including optional day-long shiatsu massage by the strongest-handed masseuse the Gay Mafia has to offer. [THR/Reuters]
· It's like First & 10 meets Unscripted, but the actors are taller: George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh's Section Eight sets up an unscripted comedy series about the NBA at HBO. [Variety]
· Spelling Television lets go of almost all of its staff, prejudicially shitcanning about 25 employees. (No word on whether Aaron Spelling's personal office chef escaped the bloodletting.) The company keeps its bigwigs and becomes a mere pod at Paramount TV. [THR]
· Scarlett Johansson continues to Hoover up all available mid-20s female roles, signing on for Christopher Nolan's dueling-magician pic The Prestige. [Variety]
· Jeff Probst will host Survivor for at least 2 more years, including the franchise's most ambitious installment to date, Survivor: Locked in a Janitorial Closet with a Well-Criscoed Richard Hatch. [Variety]

Attention, female little people of Latin extraction: You may already be out of luck, but there are still two days left to potentially book an easy gig for MTV:

In what has to be the biggest no-brainer in the annals of casting history, Warner Bros. (the studio who brought you big-screen remakes of Starsky & Hutch and, less successfully, The Dukes of Hazzard) has placed Erik Estrada's blue helmet on Wilmer "Fez" Valderrama's head, anointing him to star as Ponch in an "action-comedy" (read: neither exciting nor funny) remake of ChiPs. It appears that the role of whitebread partner Jon Baker hasn't yet been cast, but if you rush to your preferred place of worship and make the appropriate offerings to your deity, there may still be time to prevent Ashton Kutcher from getting the job, a move which would almost certainly trigger a cataclysmic tidal wave that would wipe out everything from Santa Monica to Las Vegas. And quite frankly, we all deserve to suffer His righteous wrath if we allow the studio to complete such an unholy coupling.

Pity the Memoirs of a Geisha team. They expected to be celebrated for their decision to go with an all-Asian cast, a potentially risky move for a major Hollywood production, but instead find themselves the victims of the tricky cultural tensions between the Japanese and Chinese:

· Controversy-courting ABC TV movie exec Quinn Taylor defends their Mel Gibson-produced Holocaust project: "A lot of people don't know much about the Holocaust... Maybe Mel Gibson and (Con Artists') involvement will attract people who wouldn't otherwise watch." You know, like Gibson's Holocaust-denying dad! [Variety]
· Director James Cameron seeks acrobatic jailbait (think Dark Angel's Jessica Alba, but not safe to perv on) for Battle Angel, his huge post-Titanic project. [THR]
· Wily NBC quietly bides its time until the the lucrative sweeps period is over, senses an opening, then sprints past its complacent network competitors to a Tuesday night ratings win. [Variety]
· The government uncovers Hollywood's latest and most nefarious plan to destroy our Nation, this time by using adorable stars to turn America's children into junk-food craving, morbidly obese zombies. [THR]
· Having developed a taste for tiny men with gigantic egos from starring in Woody Allen's Match Point, Scarlett Johansson signs on to star in Napoleon-in-exile love story Napoleon and Betsy. [Variety]