Pilot News: Several Projects Add Actors

Hello Folks!

The Oscars are handed out, and now I have time to update you on the latest developments at the pilot front.

To simplify things a bit, I won't post single links this time to all the news items. But they all come from the Hollywood Reporter, which you can asscess here.

- James Tupper ("Men In Trees") has joined the cast of NBC's medical drama pilot "Mercy", about three nurses at Mercy Hospital and the high and lows of their professional and personal lives. Tupper plays Dr. Chris Sands, a new doctor at the Mercy, who had an affair with one of the nurses while both were stationed in Iraq.

- Jenna Elfman has landed the lead role on CBS' comedy pilot "Accidentally On Purpose". She will play Billie a movie critic who got "accidentally" pregnant from a younger guy. Now she has to deal with the consequences, and with the guys quirky family.

- Amy Smart is cast as the lead in ABC's drama pilot "See Cate Run". The story centers on Cate, a young prosecuting attorney with the potential of becoming a serious contender for U. S. president. Liza Lapira and Marc Blucas have also joined the cast. Lapira will play a fellow lawyer who's also Cate's roommate, while Blucas is set as a campaign guru with a legendary reputation, who sees potential in Cate.

- Jimmy Wolk has been cast as the lead in the untitled Daniel Cerone project for ABC. It's about a low-level detective with a genius 11-year old brother, who helps him solve cases.

- Joel McHale has come aboard filling the lead in NBC's "Community", a comedy pilot about Jeff, a lawyer who has to go back to college after his college degree is deemed invalid. Anthony and Joe Russo will direct.

- Dean Winters ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") has joined ABC's drama pilot "Happy Town" about a small town who is shaken by the return of a serial kidnapper. Winters plays a man whose daughter was kidnapped years ago.

- Aimee Garcia is cast in NBC's medical drama pilot "Trauma", where she will play a new member of an EMT team.

- Matthew Yang King is the latest actor to join "Washington Field", the CBS drama pilot about an elite FBI team. He will play the team's bomb expert.

- Jaime Ray Newman has been tapped as one of the three leads in "Eastwick", ABC's drama pilot loosely based on the theatrical feature. It's about three witches who come into their powers ("Charmed", anyone?). Newman plays one of them, and Veronica Cartwright has been cast in a supporting part.