Last Additions to Law & Order: Los Angeles - Wanda de Jesus, Regina Hall

The cast is now complete:

NBC's new series Los & Order: Los Angeles has locked in its cast, with one day to spare. CSI: Miami alumna Wanda De Jesus has landed the last regular role on the crime procedural, which starts production on Monday. She will play Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales, the cool and authoritative captain of the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division. De Jesus, managed by Bob McGowan, joins previously cast Skeet Ulrich, Alfred Molina, Terrence Howard, Corey Stoll and Regina Hall, who was locked in Friday. Hall will play DDA Eva Price, a gorgeous and brainy bombshell with a strong sense of moral rectitude. One of Hall’s first acting gigs was a guest spot on New York Undercover co-created by Dick Wolf. She had a co-starring role on Ally McBeal and went on to work mostly in features (Scary Movie, Death At A Funeral). She is repped by ICM and Principato Young.

Molina and Howard will alternate as Deputy D.A.s, while Ulrich and Stoll play Detective Rex Winters and TJ Jaruszalski, respectively.

Terrence Howard to LOLA

This is great news; Howard is a true star. Unfortunately, that also could be complicated once he runs into Dick Wolf's "my way or the highway" take on running the "L&O"s:

Terrence Howard is boarding NBC's upcoming Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: Los Angeles, joining Alfred Molina, Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stoll.

Howard will play a new Deputy D.A. who will work alongside Deputy D.A. Morales (Molina). I hear Howard and Molina will be splitting the workload, each appearing roughly in the half of the episodes thus allowing the show to feature big feature names and the actors to stay active in movies.

More here.

Cusick to SVU, Ulrich to LOLA

Law & Order news! Alas, not the mothership ... but here's a bit of info on "SVU" and "LOLA":

'Law & Order: SVU' is already the most popular and critically acclaimed of the vast NBC 'L&O' empire. Did it really need to add the brilliant Henry Ian Cusick to the cast? Maybe its going for "most beautiful" as well.

The former 'Lost' star has signed for at least two episodes for this fall, according to TV Guide. Executive producer Neal Baer says they were looking for someone who is "a sharp, smart leader and very charismatic." Already a fan of 'Lost,' he thought of Cusick.

(more at the link)


Skeet Ulrich ('Scream') will reportedly star in NBC's upcoming legal spinoff 'Law & Order: Los Angeles.' Ulrich will play Rex Winters in the series, an ex-Marine who gained experience during the Rodney King riots. Five additional roles, including Ulrich's co-lead detective, have yet to be cast. (from here)

Everybody (except Goldblum) out of the Criminal Intent Water

Big moves going on at Criminal Intent, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is planning dramatic cast changes for next season, with four regulars, including star Vincent D'Onofrio, departing.

D'Onofrio is expected to exit sometime during the series' upcoming ninth season, handing over his badge to Jeff Goldblum as the top detective on the major case squad.

Kathryn Erbe, who, like D'Onofrio, has been with the show since its beginning and plays his long-suffering partner Alex Eames, also will be phased out, as will Eric Bogosian, who plays the force's captain, Danny Ross.

As previously reported, Julianne Nicholson, who played Goldblum's partner but has just had a baby, her second, also is leaving. She's being replaced by British actress Saffron Burrows.

Details about D'Onofrio, Erbe and Bogosian's exit are still unclear as the actors' deals are being worked out. The network only recently renewed the Wolf Films/Universal Cable Prods. series for a ninth season, slated to premiere in late spring with a two-parter.

Creator and executive producer Dick Wolf has long said that it is the stories, and not the actors, that form the core attraction of his "Law & Order" franchise.

Yet, like Sam Waterston on the original "L&O," D'Onofrio has long been identified with "Criminal Intent" and has helped set its tone as Det. Robert Goren. His trademark gesture, the in-your-face tilt of his head when he interrogates criminals, is a highlight of each episode, as is his encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane that often helps in fingering the suspect.

But, after originating on NBC, "L&O:CI" migrated to sibling USA, which has put together a cluster of dramas that are lighter in tone and subject matter and have more quirkily upbeat characters, as in "Monk," "Psych" and "Burn Notice."

Goldblum, who brings an easy eccentricity to most of his work, is more in the tradition of Tony Shalhoub's "Monk" than D'Onofrio's brooding and tortured Goren.

Additionally, cost savings always factor in production equations these days, with long-standing actors on a show, like D'Onofrio and Erbe, pulling in substantially more than more recent additions.

The sweeping cast changes on "CI" resemble the 2003 shakeup on ABC's "The Practice" when several key actors, including lead Dylan McDermott, Lara Flynn Boyle and Kelli Williams, were let go as a way to slash production costs.

The "CI" changes also represent the biggest shift so far for a show that has seen a number of faces come and go since it began in 2001. For several years, Chris Noth, who played detective Mike Logan, has alternated with D'Onofrio in the top role. He exited the Wolf fold at the end of the 2008 season and is now recurring on the CBS freshman series "The Good Wife."

While D'Onofrio is departing as a regular, it is possible for him to reprise his character in guest stints.

Official: Meloni/Hargitay back for 2 years at SVU

And now it's official:

"Law & Order: SVU" will be returning in the fall with its two stars.

After lengthy negotiations, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have inked new deals to continue on the crime procedural, which is coming back for an 11th season in the fall.

Additionally, Emmy winner Christine Lahti has signed on to play the ADA on the veteran series for the first four episodes. Stephanie March will then return, reprising her role as ADA Alexandra Cabot.

Sources said Hargitay and Meloni, who regularly negotiate their contracts together, have inked one-year deals with an option for a second year.

And, despite the congloms and particularly NBC Universal being in a cost-cutting mode, both Hargitay and Meloni are said to have received salary increases to their most recent paychecks of about $385,000 an episode.

Hargitay and Meloni's deals come a month after NBC closed a deal with Wolf Films for the renewal of "Law & Order: SVU."

At the time, NBC brass said that the show will return with or without its stars as the networks and reps for the actors had been embroiled in intense negotiations.

But, while crime procedurals are more resilient than character dramas in replacing leads, losing both Hargitay and Meloni, considered the heart of the show, would've been a big hit to "SVU."

Hargitay is repped by Paradigm. Meloni is repped by Gersh.

Stephanie March Returns -- Again -- to SVU

Stephanie March (ADA Alex Cabot) fans rejoice: She's back for Season 11!

According to EW.com:

NBC declined comment, but an SVU insider says March's pact calls for her to appear in a minimum of 10 episodes next season. The show is expected to introduce one or possibly two new characters to fill the ADA void when Cabot isn't around.

Michaela McManus out at SVU, Plus Lots of Speculation

Over at E! Online, they got some great scoopage from SVU's Neal Baer, who reports that Michaela McManus is out, the season finale won't be until June 2 -- and that somebody's getting killed. Key excerpts:

Someone's going to die on the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit finale..... When we asked Neal if we'd be losing a series regular, he would only say this: "It's a castmember." .... For some reason, Detective Munch's (Richard Belzer) name always comes up whenever the talk turns to SVU departures. Could it finally be time? Being the slick exec that he is, when asked if Munch were leaving, Neal played coy, saying, "I hope not. Well, we'll see." .... When we asked Neal about Stephanie March's future on SVU, he told us: "Stephanie is in the next-to-the-last episode; she's not in the last episode." .... Neal did confirm that Michaela McManus won't be back on SVU, but also that the door is not entirely closed on that other A.D.A. we all love, Diane Neal's Casey Novak. "Well, she was disbarred for a year but as I said, life is unpredictable." ..... One last thing, Neal mentioned another very special guest star coming up. We can't name names just yet, but he reveals that "an Oscar-winning performer is coming on in the next-to-the-last episode."

Stephanie March Returns to SVU

Well, for about six episodes. Here's what Yahoo is reporting today:

LOS ANGELES – Stephanie March is back on the job as New York prosecutor Alexandra Cabot on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

March will guest star on NBC's top-rated drama for six episodes, beginning Feb. 17, series executive producer Neal Baer said Thursday. The show airs at 10 p.m. EST Tuesday.

The actress compared the program to "an old flame."

"Every time I run into it I think, `Hmmm, what if?' I look forward to spending some time working with a production that has always been so rewarding for me," March said in a statement.

She starred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" for four seasons, leaving the show in 2003 as her character was forced into witness protection because of efforts to break a drug cartel.

In a 2005 episode, Cabot came out of the protection program to testify against the head of the cartel, who ultimately was killed in prison. March also briefly reprised the role of Cabot on NBC's drama "Conviction," which aired in 2006.

As Baer tells it, Cabot wasn't ready until now to put her difficult experience behind her and return to work with her former special victims unit colleagues. He welcomed having Cabot's "commanding presence" back in the courtroom, Baer said.

During Cabot's return, prosecutor Kim Greylek (Michaela McManus) will be temporarily on assignment in Washington, D.C., working with the Justice Department.

March, who is married to celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appears in the upcoming movie "This Side of Truth" with Ricky Gervais and has guest-starred in series including "30 Rock," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Rescue Me."

It's unclear what this means for Michaela McManus' character in the long run; why bring on a new actress just to shunt her to the side after half a season? But we'll see....

L&O CI: Noth Out ... Goldblum in!

For those of us collective Logan-heads, a big cry of "nooooo!" rings out across the country again today. This, from today's Hollywood Reporter:

Jeff Goldblum has joined "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," replacing Chris Noth, who is leaving the crime drama after three seasons.

Goldblum, whose salary is said to be in the neighborhood of $250,000 an episode, will split starring duties with co-lead Vincent D'Onofrio the way D'Onofrio did with Noth.

"Jeff's presence will add a new dimension to an already successful show," "Law & Order" chief Dick Wolf said.

This was Noth's second tour of duty on the "Law & Order" franchise as Detective Mike Logan. He originated the role in the first five seasons of the mothership series.

"Chris has been a member of the 'Law & Order' family since the beginning, and Mike Logan is one of the most popular detectives in the history of television," Wolf said. "We all wish him the best."

New L&O ADA to replace Diane Neal

And now we know who our new ADA will be. Ladies and gentlepeoples, meet Michaela McManus. From today's Hollywood Reporter:

"I'm delighted that Michaela is joining the cast of SVU as its newest series regular," "Law & Order" chief Dick Wolf said. "We look forward to her working with Neal (Baer), Ted (Kotcheff) and me to create another interesting and memorable character in the Law & Order universe."

McManus, who recurred as Linsey Strauss on "One Tree Hill," is repped by UTA and Principal Entertainment.

No idea how old she is, but between the OTH connection and her appearance, I'll wager she wasn't more than a babe when the original L&O series debuted. Just sayin'.

Oh, one other detail: E! Online says she used to be the receptionist at the gym where E!'s headquarters are.