MrRant 0 Report post Posted February 29, 2004 LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Syndicated TV talk show host Ricki Lake (news) is in negotiations to star as a young widow in an untitled comedy pilot set up at CBS. The project centers on a mother (Lake) who, following the death of her policeman husband, raises her two little boys with her mom while running a bar frequented by cops. The project was rolled over from last year when it couldn't be cast. Lake's casting stems from her talent/development deal with CBS. Her syndicated daily talk show is in its 11th season, and no decision has been made on its future. In other pilot casting news, Ellen Pompeo has been tapped to topline an untitled ABC drama, Christina Vidal (news) has been cast as one of the leads in the UPN drama "Beck and Call," Diedrich Bader (news) has joined CBS' comedy "Center of the Universe," and Constance Zimmer has been cast in CBS' drama "Cooking Lessons." The untitled ABC project centers on a group of female residents in a surgical training program. Pompeo's credits include the features "Catch Me If You Can," "Daredevil" and "Old School." "Beck and Call" revolves around the lives of three twentysomethings in their first jobs. Vidal will play one of the three, an aspiring child psychologist who takes a job as a nanny. She recently co-starred on last year's "Freaky Friday." "Center of the Universe" centers on a family man (John Goodman (news)) who tries to keep the peace with his extended Chicago family. Bader is best known for his role as Drew Carey (news)'s good-natured dimwitted friend Oswald Lee Harvey on ABC's "The Drew Carey Show." He is onscreen in "Eurotrip." "Cooking Lessons" centers on a woman who writes a food column. Zimmer ("Good Morning, Miami") will play her friend. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
