They’re definitely not the ‘usual suspects.’  A few familiar faces, sure, but probably more that need proper introduction.  With roughly half of the casting complete on The CW’s fall series pilots, these stars were recently added to the six new dramas competing for a network timeslot.  Here’s a brief rundown (l-r):

Allison Miller (Betwixt):   The 24-year-old beauty was King Silas’ daughter on the short-lived Kings.  Will play one of three changelings—the children of mythological fairies who protect humans; her character can fly. 

David Gallagher (Betwixt):   Starred for 11 seasons on 7^th Heaven.  Here, he’s a fellow changeling who’s gone over to the dark side.

Jessy Schram (Betwixt):   Known from Life, Veronica Mars and the Jane Doe TV films, Jesse now transforms into a changeling with claws, fangs and yellow eyes.

Aly Michalka (Hellcats):   A former Disney star and one-half of the pop duo 78violet (formerly Aly & AJ), she’ll play a competitive college cheerleader from the wrong side of the tracks.

Gail O’Grady (Hellcats):   The 3-time Emmy nominee is recognized from NYPD Blue, American Dreams and decades of drama queen roles.  Her character’s serial irresponsibility causes her daughter to lose a college scholarship.

Megan Boone (HMS):   She’s a relative newcomer famed for a sexy role in My Bloody Valentine.  Megan will play one of many first-year students at Harvard Medical School.   

Tasso Feldman (HMS):   A stage actor with only one small TV credit, Tasso joins the unknown class of doctors-in-training.

Sarah Jones (HMS):    Had extended exposure on Big Love and Sons of Anarchy.  Another freshman.

Aaron Stanford (Nikita):   Widely known as Pyro in X-Men 2 and 3, as well as the lead in Traveler, Aaron plays a computer specialist in this Le Femme reboot.

Lyndsy Fonseca (Nikita):   You’ve seen her on Desperate Housewives (Dylan), How I Met Your Mother (the daughter) and daytime’s Y & R.  Her new assignment: assassin-in-training.

Melinda Clarke (Nikita):   The O.C. villainess will play a division operative, as a global hunt begins for the rogue title character (Maggie Q).      

Ryan Hawley (The Wyoming Project):   Meet Ryan, a London stage actor with only a handful of British screen appearances.  He’ll play the younger brother of Sean Faris in this ranching family dramedy, an Ivy Leaguer who has no desire to return to the Midwest.

Scarlett Johnson (The Wyoming Project):   She’s also from the U.K., having starred in 200 episodes of the popular EastEnders.  MTV fans may have caught her as a regular on Ashley Parker Angel’s (O-Town) reality series.  Looks like she’s an early love interest for Faris.

Alan Ruck (The Wyoming Project):  This Cleveland native is chief nemesis for Parma’s Faris.  The Spin City veteran plays a pompous, over-the-top cowboy whose boots have never seen dirt.  And, of course, he wants to swindle the neighboring ranch.   

For more details, here are links to two previous updates about potential CW fall series and stars: (A) (B)

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So many exemplary things have been said and written about The Vampire Diaries, which has distinguished itself as a true breakout hit in little more than half a season.  TWoP, in fact, concedes that the CW first-year drama is the true successor to acclaimed Buffy the Vampire Slayer, offering up 10 reasons why it might be the “most addictive show on TV” (paraphrased below).  Do you agree?

Damon Salvatore:   Ian Somerhalder has been a revelation, relishing his role as a complex bad boy.  His Damon is funny, charming and deliciously evil all at once, forming the glue that holds the show together.

Tremendous Pacing:   Major events occur almost every single episode.  Weaker shows drag out plot points for weeks on end, but The Vampire Diaries resolves many storylines before Act 2, then blows us away with something new!  The tomb opened…Katharine missing…Grams dying—all within minutes?!  Amazing.

More Than Just Romance:   Elena may be dating a vampire, but she’s not begging to be bitten (yet) so she can become his eternal girlfriend.  Her backbone elevates the series above the typical forbidden love story.

It’s Scary and Creepy:   A supernatural show shouldn’t be all talk—it should have terrifying moments.  Say, freaky scenes underground, in the dark woods, a basement cell…or Damon suddenly ripping out your innards.

Stefan Salvatore:   He could’ve been as wooden as Edward on Twilight or as stuck in the past as Bill on True Blood, but Paul Wesley has crafted a wonderfully conflicted character—madly in love, but also evil, overly protective, and not above stretching the truth.

Interesting Mythology:   The entire town of Mystic Falls has a weird Sunnydale vibe:  evil just flocks there.  The more we learn about the quaint haven, the more twisted it becomes.  And surely there are closets full of skeletons still waiting to be pried open.   

Likable Humans:   The series boasts plenty of ordinary humans who are anything but boring afterthoughts, from Elena’s brother Jeremy to the adorable teen Matt and sassy gal pal Caroline.  There has also been considerable character development for the supporting cast already.

Plenty of Fanged Foes:   We started with two vamps:  one good, one evil.  But as the weeks passed, we met an entire vampire community and mysterious folks who want to kill them all—from 1864 through the present day. 

Branching Out From the Books:   Some feared the pilot covered so much ground from the novels, there’d be little left to expand upon.  Wrong!  Exec producer Kevin Williamson has said the book series provides a great backdrop and guideline, but that the writers will be developing their own storylines, as well.

Nina Dobrev:   This Degrassi alum is quite capable as sullen teen Elena and really shines when playing the vicious bloodsucker Katherine.  Civil War era flashbacks with Nina in period garb, wickedly teasing the Salvatores, are brilliant. 

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In a candid interview with The Live Feed, CW President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff shares hints about the types of new series the network is interested in, plus feedback about current hits and shows still on the bubble.  

Ostroff:   We’ve been trying to find more franchise shows…where the personal relationships continue on in each episode, [such as] CSI or Grey’s Anatomy, and the (stories) have a beginning, middle and end.  The intention was to get a broader scope of programming on the network so that not all of the shows we did were soap operas, per se.

Ostroff:   HMS is a more traditional show for us, with its own twist that makes it right for The CW.  It’s set at Harvard Medical School, and the pilot’s entry point is through first-year students.  What makes it unique is that these people are learning about the profession at the most prestigious med school—you’re steeped in history, but with cutting-edge medicine.  It’s going to be as much of a show-and-tell about medical science as the emotional cases of different patients and the relationships between the characters themselves. 

Ostroff:   Smallville has had a great year (both) creatively and moving to Friday nights.  What Vampire Diaries has done so well is, it’s not just a genre show.  It has romance and humor and friends that feel like family, so many elements that work on different levels for all of our audience.  Great writing, great casting, a topic that’s in the zeitgeist and a known franchise is always what we look for.  We picked up a pilot called Betwixt, which is a ‘genre’ show, but has many of the same elements. 

Ostroff:   90210 creatively is light-years away from where it was last year.  Sometimes that show is watched more on DVR than live; you have a lot of people time-shifting our shows and watching in different ways.  (On the likelihood of renewing One Tree Hill), we’re encouraged.  We think Mark Schwahn has done a great job with the show.  The fans are the most loyal and dedicated I think I’ve ever seen.  They have some 1.6 million fans on Facebook.  Too early to tell, but creatively we feel the show is in a really good place.  (And on Life Unexpected), that’s really too early to tell.      

Ostroff:   I believe The CW is more boy-friendly than most people think.  There are some really dynamic women at the core of (new) shows—Betwixt, Nikita, Nomads—that hopefully will be interesting to men.  I know more men who watch Gossip Girl than you can imagine.   We’re working on a lot of different reality projects, a couple things for fall and for summer, and we’re looking at our reality shows as having comedy.  One pilot show, Wyoming, which Amy Sherman-Palladino wrote, also has a lot of humor.  So it’s different ways of doing comedy.

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The CW is under no delusions about its new docu-soap debuting tonight.  High Society is “enjoyably ridiculous,” writes People.  “Demented,” chides New York Magazine.  And the network’s own tongue-in-cheek promos are titled “Cuckoo’s Nest.”  In short, a campy hit in the making.  While west coast tabloid families have set the bar oh-so-low, viewers will be tickled—if not mortified—at the inane antics of real-life socialites on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.  Reigning Park Avenue princess Tinsley Mortimer, aka The Tinz, is ringleader in this circus, which features her family, flaky friends and a divalicious foe, Social Life editor Devorah Rose.  Seems the Gotham elite are peeved with Tinz and her posse’s public trainwreck.  “If she’s appearing in US Weekly, she’s a (mere) celebrity,” sniffed one blue blood to the NY Post.  “She’s simply not a socialite anymore.”  Oh, please.  A fixture on the gossip circuit, Tinsley’s in the midst of a high-profile divorce from her prep school sweetheart, Topper, heir to an oil dynasty.  The cameras capture that drama, as well as scandal with Tinz’s rebound beaus: a German prince who Ms. Rose labels “a pauper, despite his royal name” and eerie Idol alum Constantine Maroulis.  Side-cliques Paul and Jules, meanwhile, have their own issues.  Caught breaking sconces at a friend’s loft, he told Page Six:  “It’s not like rock stars don’t vandalize hotel rooms and such all the time.  I seriously don’t understand the huge deal.”  Jules is famous for tossing the bubbly and hobnobbing with Prince Harry.  “I hate her,” Devorah clucks.  “She’s a mess, and not a hot one.”  Highbrow hijinks.  It may not be pretty…but it sure is fun to watch.

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Worried that you may have ‘seen it all’ on America’s Next Top Model?  Well, put those fears to rest.  Tyra Banks has reinvented the series for Cycle 14, delivering a lot more spunk, says Nigel Barker—tears, jeers and old-school counsel.  “We’re not up there as judges to get along,” the noted photographer adds.  “We’re there as experts in our own right, and there are a few head-to-head battles where the judges get at it.  And there were tears this season.”  Outspoken new panelist Andre Leon Talley is likely at the center of those squabbles.  “I can be nice and harsh,” he tells E!  Talley has no tolerance for models that deflect critique.  “When we give them observations, whether personal or professional, I just don’t think they should make excuses.  They should take notes and say ‘thank you.’  We are the teachers,” the Vogue editor-at-large explains to WSJ.  Expect a greater emphasis on ‘life coaching,’ as opposed to all portfolio and catwalk skills.  The 13 finalists are quite a handful, as you can see in their intro videos, and they’ll face the dreaded Ty-overs in this week’s extended premiere.  Incidentally, casting has already begun for Cycle 15 which will air this fall.  If you’re 5’7” or taller, between the ages of 18-27, and think you have fierce modeling potential, click here for application details and submit your tape by April 6.  New this year, contestants can also easily apply online; however, the photo deadline is March 30.

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You’re on the right track when the national media takes note of your diverse new projects, “all boasting a lot of star power,” both in front of and behind the cameras.  THR reports two more familiar names have landed prominent roles in CW fall pilots, Shane West and Scott Porter.  Best known for extended work on ER and Once and Again, Shane will costar opposite Maggie Q as a recruitment agent sent to bring in the rogue Nikita.  Acting is only half of the career equation for Shane, who replaced lead singer Darby Crash in The Germs after playing him in the punk group’s 2007 film bio, What We Do Is Secret.  Conversely, Scott gained a fanbase on Friday Night Lights and his all-American boy looks often place him in discussions to portray a big-screen superhero.  He’s the first of three leads cast in Ridley Scott’s adrenaline-fueled Nomads—backpackers working undercover for the CIA.  In a plot wrinkle, Scott’s character is also determined to find his missing brother.  Together with top-shelf teams of producers—and Sean Faris inked for The Wyoming Project—AOL suggests “the crop of talent that The CW is amassing this pilot season is arguably the strongest it has had since the network’s inception.”

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The funniest things happen when old friends get together.  And that was undoubtedly true when Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) asked former Friends pal Courteney Cox (Monica) to guest in several episodes of her gut-busting Web Therapy.  The online series stars Kudrow as a self-absorbed shrink (with dubious credentials) who’s more interested in exploiting her webcam patients for profit rather than offering guidance.  Two seasons have been produced, a total of 30 short therapy sessions featuring top comedic talent.  Improv is encouraged and—as seen in the two gag reels—often leaves Lisa doubled-over in laughter.  Courteney’s arc involves an alleged missing ‘gift’ and an off-camera fiasco on The Tyra Banks Show.  Both actresses are nominated for the 2^nd annual Streamy Awards, which honor the best in webisodes:  Lisa for Best Actress in a Comedy Web Series, and Courteney for Best Guest Star.  Click here to watch both seasons and outtake reels.  Joining the Friends nominees is Tatyana Ali (Ashley on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), who’ll contend for Best Actress in a Drama for her ten episodes of Buppies.   

In other award news, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne garnered four NAACP Image Awards this past weekend:  Best Comedy Series, Best Actress (Cassi Davis), Supporting Actor (Lance Gross) and Supporting Actress (Keshia Knight Pulliam).  In addition, Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris) won the Best Documentary nod for Good Hair; and The Office claimed honors for Best Writing in a Comedy Series.      

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Zuzanna Szadkowski delivered a recent keynote address that would make the Waldorf clan proud.  Similar to surviving a break-up, losing a job can feel like there will never be another, she told her Barnard College sisters.  But when the right one comes along, all other prospects fade away.  Zuzanna speaks from experience, having transformed “Dorota” from a background servant into one of the most popular characters on Gossip Girl.  “I didn’t know that bringing a tray of yogurt parfaits to ‘Mees Blair’ and the mean girls in the second episode of a new CW show would be my ‘in’ to building a career,” she marvels.  But fans loved the subtle comic relief and were soon treated to her stunning backstory in six Chasing Dorota webisodes (click to watch)—where it’s revealed she is actually a Polish countess with a secret husband.  Dorota eventually divorced him and is now involved with Vanya, the van der Woodsens’ Russian doorman, played by former Disney child star Aaron Schwartz.  Blair’s confidante, in fact, is now pregnant, which should further enhance her storyline when the series returns with 10 new episodes beginning next week.  Executive producer Stephanie Savage tweets that Monday also “kicks off a big emotional Chuck story that brings him and Blair closer than ever.  Ed (Westwick) and Leighton (Meester) are at the top of their game in this arc.”  No doubt, it involves the mystery woman Chuck saw at his father’s grave.  There’s a maid with dark sunglasses and a trench coat who might be up for some more undercover work.                  

 Source: Columbia Spectator

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Just beyond the midway point of season two, Legend of the Seeker star Bridget Regan (Kahlan) ‘confesses’ that adding Tabrett Bethell (Cara) to the cast has been a quantum leap.  “Tab was the missing piece of the puzzle,” she tells E!  “That’s what made this season take off.  She just came in and challenged all of us and our characters challenged her.”  There’s no hint of rivalry between the two beauties.  “It was such a boy’s club last year,” she muses.  “Just having a woman on the set; we’re in it together, a bit of a team, which is great.”  Bridget is also keen on Kahlan and Richard’s (Craig Horner) burgeoning affection:  “I fight for that so much, and not just because Craig’s dreamy.”  This weekend’s new episode combines elements of drama and humor the series is noted for, with Cara nervously masquerading as a polished princess to spare the Mother Confessor from execution—and Zedd (Bruce Spence) in drag as an ugly lady-in-waiting.  Laughs aplenty!  Watch for a rare TV guest appearance by former Hardy Boys teen idol Parker Stevenson. Legend of the Seeker recently teamed with pop-rockers Newmatic for a wondrous music video (below) which highlights the breathtaking scenery of New Zealand and the unforgettable moments from this season. 

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When The CW recently gave early 2010-11 renewals to five series, two dramas were conspicuously missing from the list—Monday favorites One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected.   Last night reaffirmed why fans are lobbying hard for both to return this fall.  Zap2it calls the Tree Hill winter finale “one of the best episodes the show has produced in years,” particularly the scenes involving Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley) and Bess Armstrong (her dying mother).  “They really have marvelous acting chemistry, and this story has given Galeotti a chance to shine.”  After seven years, this cast—perhaps more than any other on the network—does feel like a part of the family, and it’s easy to relate to their emotional struggles.  Later, Life Unexpected ramped up the friction with another strong outing.  Whether it was Lux and Bug, or Cate and Ryan/Baze, simmering feuds boiled over to really shift the relationship dynamics…and the upcoming preview looks downright explosive.  Even pitted against the Olympics juggernaut, the two series combined to draw nearly 20% more viewers than the prior week, The CW notes.  Wednesday encores of Life Unexpected have also performed well; and with Gossip Girl returning in two weeks, Lux and Co. may find even more viewers in their new 8pm timeslot.  One Tree Hill, meanwhile, will finish the season with four new episodes beginning April 26.  The timeslot-sharing experiment has not only kept fresh episodes on the air, but also enabled a critically-acclaimed new show to find a place in the lineup.  And with an overload of interesting fall pilots (a great problem to have), it wouldn’t be surprising if the CW Monday success story expands to other nights, as well.      

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