the industry

Ron Livingston Is a Schmuck

King Schmuck: Everyone’s favorite disgruntled office drone Ron Livingston has joined Dinner for Schmucks, the Jay Roach directed comedy that’s already got Steve Carell and Paul Rudd on board. The movie is an adaptation of a French flick called Le diner de cons. It revolves around a group of friends who have a weekly dinner where each invites the stupidest person he can find. It’s unclear if Livingston will play an idiot or a guy who makes fun of idiots, but he’s got so much range he could he could play either. Take that Peter O’Toole. [Variety]

Unknown Blonde Girls: January Jones and Diane Kruger will star alongside Liam Neeson in Unknown White Male, the story of a man who wakes up from a coma to find that someone else has assumed his identity. No one believes him, including his wife (Jones), so he teams up with a Berlin taxi driver (Kruger) to help convince her. And now we’re convinced, January Jones only likes older men. [Variety]

Still In Treatment: HBO has scored a victory for the emotionally damaged by picking up In Treatment for a third season. Next season will be written from scratch because the Israeli series that it’s based on only ran for two seasons. Guess Gabriel Byrne’s Dr. Paul Weston is not making much progress. Maybe because he’s Satan? [THR]

Harmonzing: TNT continues to make its name as the place where recognizable out-of-work actresses head for headlining series (see: Sedgwick, Kyra; Hunter, Holly; and Pinkett Smith, Jada) with the addition of Rizzoli, set to star Angie Harmon. The Law and Order and Women’s Murder Club alum’s show will focus on–surprise!--crime. [Variety]

Cosby 2.0: NBC is developing two new series: a drama called Nola Rising and a comedy, Ordinary People. In Nola Rising, a PI and an ex-con (who can be inhabited by ghosts) help the citizens–and ghosts–of New Orleans with their problems. Ordinary People focuses on a twenty-something career couple with four kids. It’s promising–an African-American-focused comedy described as Mad About You meets The Cosby Show. And as long as they find a way to cast Bobb’e J. Thompson, this thing’s going to be a hit. [THR]

Second Helping: Watching Robin survive the chopping block week after week on Top Chef strictly on the basis of a good fruit crisp, it’s no surprise that the franchise is expanding again to include Top Chef: Just Desserts, casting this week to air sometime in 2010. The thought of jiggly pastry chefs slinging meringue makes us giddy, but knowing that they’ll somehow incorporate pork belly ice cream does not. [Variety]

Ron Livingston Is a Schmuck