the industry

Noah Wyle Is Our Only Hope

Wyle Coyote: Steven Spielberg always gets his man: Noah Wyle, whom Spielberg was reportedly pursuing for the TNT alien-invasion show he’s producing, has indeed signed on for the untitled series. Wyle leads a motley crew of survivors rebelling against an alien occupation, and Spielberg is psyched (“It is a privilege to be starting a series with Noah”), as is TNT head of programming Michael Wright (“[Wyle is] an incredibly talented actor and an extraordinary person”). We’re all talking about the same person, right? The tall, goofy guy from ER? [HR]

Getting Cheeky at CBS: CBS is launching a new marketing campaign for its 10 p.m. shows called Late prime Enhanced News Opportunity — a.k.a., Project LENO. (CBS ad guys: so cheeky!) With The Jay Leno Show starting at five days a week at 10 p.m., CBS is looking to dominate the slot and has created a “tool kit” for its affiliates on how to best push various CSIs, The Mentalist, Numbers, and The Good Wife. CBS has also begun early-stage development for heavier marketing of their 11:35 slot, a campaign known as Project OBRIEN — Organizing Before Returns Indicate Enjoyment Nev … uh, okay, we’re done. [Variety]

Going Phishing: Phish’s new album, the band’s first studio release in five years, will be titled Joy and will be out later this summer on the band’s JEMP Records. The ten-track LP will feature tunes already premiered on the recent tour, including “Kill Devil Hills,” “Ocelot,” and “Light.” In a dramatic shift for the band, Joy will be a synth-heavy Krautrock-inspired affair with prominent traces of early EPMD. Just kidding — it’ll sound like Phish. [Billboard]

V-Day: Ensemble comedy Valentine’s Day just keeps on scooping up actors you may have heard of. Joining Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, and others will be Topher Grace, as a mail-room worker in an L.A. agency dating Hathaway, and Emma Roberts (on set for the first time with auntie Julia), as a teen who wants to lose her virginity to her boyfriend. Bradley Cooper is in this, too, but we assume he signed on before The Hangover hit it big, back when Cooper thought he’d be living shitty-sounding ensemble rom-com paycheck to shitty-sounding ensemble rom-com paycheck all his life. [HR]

Havel-ing a Good Time: Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, will make his feature-film debut at age 72 with an adaptation of his play, Leaving. Starring his wife, Dagmar Havlova, the film is an absurdist look at the life of a politician. We’re sorry, this is just way too adorable to make fun of. [Variety]

Hit That: Hitman 2, the sequel to the 2007 flick starring Timothy Olyphant as ruthless assassin Agent 47, is a go. Kyle Ward, who’s scripted upcoming projects for Bruce Willis and Michael Bay, will write the screenplay. The first one grossed $100 million on a $30 million budget, so everyone at 20th Century Fox is really hoping that this one is another hit, man. (Yikes — sorry!) [Variety]

Noah Wyle Is Our Only Hope