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The Hollywood Reporter ®

Rich Appel signs new 20th TV deal Veteran comedy writer-producer Rich Appel has inked a new three-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV, extending his 15-year relationship with the studio.

ABC, NBC pilots expand casts In the latest round of pilot castings, Jennifer Finnigan is set to star opposite Joanna Garcia in ABC's untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan comedy, Patrick Flueger has landed a co-starring role on ABC's summer series "Scoundrels," and Rose Rollins has been cast in NBC's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot "Chase."

'Bones' creator joins Fox's 'Guilty' pilot "Bones" creator Hart Hanson has joined the Fox drama pilot "Pleading Guilty" as executive producer.

Oscar's short-film races could surprise There are several Oscar races brewing that could result in genuine surprises -- even if those surprises will be fully appreciated only by those aficionados who track the three short-film categories.

Peter Bogdanovich boards 'Century' film Peter Bogdanovich will write and direct an adaptation of Kurt Andersen's 1999 novel "Turn of the Century" for Das Films.

The CW sets premieres for 'Fly,' 'High' The CW announced premiere dates for its two midseason reality series, "Fly Girls" and "High Society."

TiVo: Super Bowl plays trumped ads The number of U.S. media and entertainment mergers and acquisitions fell dramatically in 2009 along with the overall dollar value of deals, but 2010 could see a bounce as the economy and overall M&A market recover, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Michael Jackson's doctor pleads not guilty Michael Jackson's doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the pop singer's death.

Michael Chiklis starring in 'Family' pilot Michael Chiklis is set to star in Greg Berlanti's ABC drama "No Ordinary Family." "The Shield" star was in demand this pilot season, fielding multiple offers.

Etan Cohen to pen Musunahi film Etan Cohen has been hired by DreamWorks Studios to write the screenplay for a feature based on the Museum of SuperNatural History Web site.

Lucy Punch cast in 'Bad Teacher'   Lucy Punch has been cast opposite Cameron Diaz in the black comedy "Bad Teacher," which Jake Kasdan is directing for Columbia.

A&E narrowing scripted series contenders A&E has passed on drama pilot "The Quickening," leaving drama "Sugarloaf" as the only pilot in consideration for a series pickup.

Big TV producers staying in familiar genres Many big TV producers, like J.J. Abrams, are back with new projects this pilot season, and most of them are sticking to the genre that made them successful.

Several pilots beef up casts Jason Ritter has landed the lead in NBC drama pilot "The Event," Zach Gilford has been tapped to topline ABC's "Matadors," Todd Williams has joined Fox's drama pilot "Ridealong," and Aisha Hinds has been cast in the ABC drama pilot "187 Detroit."

'Lost' actor joins 'Hawaii Five-O' "Lost's" Daniel Dae Kim is staying in Hawaii -- where the ABC series shoots -- with a lead role on CBS' "Hawaii Five-O" remake.

PR vet Sharan Magnuson exiting WBTV Sharan Magnuson, one of the TV industry's top public-relations executives, is leaving the business because of health reasons.

Ellen DeGeneres set for 'Idol' premiere Ellen DeGeneres makes her debut as an "American Idol" alongside Simon Cowell on Tuesday, and the biggest question is: Can she get viewers to stay?

Letterman, Winfrey, Leno together in ad VIDEO: David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno surprised Super Bowl viewers Sunday by appearing together in a promo for Letterman's "Late Show."

Industry exploring 3D game shows The producers of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" are looking to keep their show fresh by incorporating 3D technology.

Sam Worthington joins 'Fields' film "Avatar's" Sam Worthington has signed to star in "The Fields," playing a homicide detective who investigates unsolved murders in the Texas bayous.

'Avatar' still overseas champ James Cameron's blockbuster's record-setting foreign gross now stands at $1.585 billion.

'Up' wins best feature at Annie Awards Pixar Animation Studio's "Up" was named best animated feature at the 37th annual Annie Awards.

Scripter Award to 'Air' writers Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner and Walter Kirn have won the 22nd Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for "Up in the Air."

'Dear John' tops 'Avatar' at Friday b.o. "Dear John" proved to be more popular than expected, taking in an estimated $13.8 million on Friday in 2,969 theaters.

NBC considers lifting Emmys tape delay After airing the Golden Globes live coast-to-coast for the first time last month, NBC is considering doing the same for the Emmys.

Cartoon Net has 'Hero: 108' franchise plans Cartoon Network will begin rolling out 52 episodes of "Hero: 108" next month, the first part of a strategy designed to turn the property into a franchise that includes an Internet game and a line of toys.

Henry Winkler joins 'Royal Pains' Henry Winkler is joining the breakout USA Network hit in a major recurring role next season.

David Goyer out as 'FlashForward' showrunner "FlashForward" is getting another new showrunner. Co-creator David Goyer is stepping down from his role running the series, sources confirmed.

Lifetime president and CEO Andrea Wong exits Andrea Wong is exiting as president and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services.

Weinstein Co. snaps up 'The Tillman Story' Harvey Weinstein is the new champion of late Iraq War hero Pat Tillman.

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