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Katy Perry Heads To ‘Raising Hope’ & More Casting News
Pop superstar Katy Perry is coming to Fox's "Raising Hope" for a guest starring role slated to air on Tues., Mar. 6 at 9:30 EST on Fox.
In the episode, entitled "Single White Female Role Model," Perry will play Rikki, a prison attendant who claims to be a friend from Sabrina's (Shannon Woodward) past.
âShannon Woodward is my best friend,â said Perry in an official statement from Fox. âA couple weeks ago, I was home, just toasting up a frozen chicken fillet when she called me up and asked if I wanted to do something 'fun' for a change ... I thought, 'Sure, I have nothing else to do, and I like chillin' with my best friend.' ... I hope [creator Greg Garcia] is not secretly sabotaging my potential future career by type-casting me in the role of just a looker, so that I would never be able to play anything more challenging."
Meanwhile, former Disney starlet Ashley Tisdale is distancing herself from the the House of Mouse that made her famous -- and landed her a few famous BFFs. Tisdale is heading to Louis CK's untitled CBS multi-camera comedy, which centers on young creatives trying to make it in dire financial times. The pilot, written by Louis CK and Spike Feresten, is actually an update of a script that they cowrote 13 years ago. Tisdale will play Petra, a "beautiful and sarcastic assistant to a vintage clothing designer," according to TV Line, who confirmed the news.
In other casting news ...
Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis have scored lead roles in CBS' cowboy drama based on Ralph Lamb, a rodeo cowboy turned Las Vegas sheriff. Quaid is set to play Lamb, while Chiklis will star as a Chicago mob boss. [The Hollywood Reporter]
"Heroes" alum Milo Ventimiglia has signed on to star in Frank Darabont's new TNT drama pilot "L.A. Noir." Ventimiglia will play Ned Stax, a young former marine who served with Joe Teague during World War II. In the pilot, Stax is a lawyer being groomed to be a fixer for the mob. [TV Guide]
"Modern Family's" ditzy teen queen Haley Dunphy (Sarah Hyland) is getting a new boyfriend. Hyland's real-life boyfriend, Matt Prokop, has just been cast as Haley's latest love interest. [Zap2it]
"United States of Tara" star Brie Larson has landed the female lead in Nick Stoller's CBS pilot. In the comedy, a twentysomething guy (Michael Angarano) gets his heart broken by his girlfriend (Larson), only to wind up working one cubicle away from her at an ad agency. [TV Guide]
Former "Big Love" star Jeanne Tripplehorn has booked a two-episode arc on the Fox comedy "New Girl," which stars the adorkable Zooey Deschanel. Tripplehorn will play Russell's (Dermot Mulroney) ex-wife Ouli (Tripplehorn), who has a chilly reception to the new girl in his life -- Jess (Deschanel). [The Hollywood Reporter]
"Brothers & Sisters" star Ken Olin has been tapped to co-star in ABC's drama pilot "Americana." Olin will play Martin, the owner of a garment manufacturing company whose daughter designs clothes for the company. [The Hollywood Reporter]
WATCH: Star Jones’ Epic Return To ‘The View’
Star Jones returned to "The View" on Wednesday and set the record straight about her nasty departure from the show almost six years after falling out with Barbara Walters.
Jones exited "The View" in a firestorm of controversy in 2006. ABC had decided not to renew her contract, and she retaliated by announcing that she would be leaving the show. Walters would not allow her back the next day. The feud escalated when Walters revealed that Jones had asked her fellow co-hosts to lie about her weight loss from gastric bypass surgery.
Jones' epic return to the show on Wednesday, however, was much more amicable. The former co-host made a guest appearance to raise awareness of heart disease, and Barbara Walters said that she was genuinely "so happy to welcome" her back. When asked how it felt, Jones pointed out all the changes on the set, and joked that she and co-host Sherri Shepherd were in fact two different black women.
Walters asked Jones to recount the details of her exit, which she did not seem eager to discuss. "Are we really going to go here, Barbara?" Jones asked, before proceeding to give her account.
"It was ugly," she remembered. "Nasty things were being said in the media, it just wasn't a good emotional time." She said she took "real responsibility" for her behavior, adding, "I came to congratulate all of you on what you have accomplished."
The roundtable also touched on the sticky subject of Jones' weight loss. "Just to clear it up, we tried to protect you," Walters said, clarifying that Jones had asked the co-hosts not to discuss her surgery.
Jones said that she did not want them to discuss the "private way I decided to lose weight." Walters pointed out that they had lied to viewers. Joy Behar said that she and the other co-hosts had been told to attribute the weight loss to pilates instead of gastric bypass.
Jones declared that she was both physically and emotionally healthy today. She and Walters discussed undergoing heart surgeries, which they received within two months of each other.
"You look great," Walters said. "You look healthy. And we really are happy that you're back."
WATCH: Rapper Erick Sermon Says Being Gay In Hip-Hop Is ‘Like A Curse’
Rap and hip-hop music are often characterized as being heavily chauvinistic -- and according to at least one star, that's not looking likely to change anytime soon.
In a new interview with VladTV, EPMD member Erick Sermon sounded off on the topic of homophobia in hip-hop. Though the true sexuality of many rap and hip-hop artists has long been questioned, Sermon says he feels an openly gay mainstream rapper may never exist.
"When you talk about sports players, too, like we don't know if that's ever gonna happen, 'cause that's like a curse to be in the sports and be gay and be in hip-hop and be gay," Sermon stated. "You can't be on a basketball team, football team and be homo, and be rapping...and be homo. N----s will kill you."
The star, who has been the subject of gay rumors himself, went on to note he doesn't think he's ever worked with a gay artist, and noted that he "can't even let my kid" watch TV shows on channels like MTV due to the exposure to "girl-on-girl" or "boy-on-boy" experiences.
Meanwhile, hotshot rapper Azealia Banks recently admitted to being bisexual, and while not entirely mainstream, openly gay rapper Cazwell is known for his collaborations with transgender performer Amanda Lepore and has also appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race."
Take a look at some of our favorite gender-bending musicians below:
