Source: Screen India

Talk Soup host Joel McHale, Scott Bakula and a host of comedic actors are set to join Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic thriller The Informant.

Bakula and McHale will play FBI agents working with agri-business insider Mark Whitacre (Damon) to stop a price-fixing scam. The film is based on Kurt Eichenwald’s 2000 best-seller The Informant: A True Story.

Other new cast members known for their comedic turns are Mike O’Malley (CBS’ Yes, Dear), Andrew Daly (Semi-Pro), Adam Paul (Starz’ Hollywood Residential) and Melanie Lynskey (CBS’ Two and a Half Men). Comedian-actors Tom Wilson, Rick Overton and Tom Papa will round out the cast.

Although the subject matter is serious, one behind-the-scenes informant said Soderbergh is looking to create a thriller with dark comedy elements. He chose comedic actors who haven’t been overexposed on film, planning to have them play their roles seriously and have a humorous tone emerge naturally.

The prestige film is a breakthrough for McHale, who has gained a cult following on the same E! series that gave Greg Kinnear his start. It also marks one of the biggest big-screen roles for Bakula (Quantum Leap, Enterprise). Principal photography on the Warner Independent Pictures will begin soon.

New screencaptures of Melanie in Two and a Half Men have been added to the gallery.

• 195 x A Little Clammy and None Too Fresh
• 52 x Winky-Dink Time
• 96 x Look At Me, Mommy, I’m Pretty

Melanie will be appearing in the upcoming Two and a Half Men episode Look At Me, Mommy, I’m Pretty as Rose.

Alan makes wedding plans for Evelyn and Teddy, while Charlie figures out how to get more acquainted with his future step-sister.

So tune in for Melanie on April 28th. Captures of the episode will be added to the gallery when available.

I have added screencaptures of Comanche Moon and Psych to the gallery.

Also Melanie will be starring in two The L Word episodes: Lunar Cycle (March 16th) and Loyal and True (March 23rd). So remember to tune in.

The Park has finally entered the theater release phase. You can find the city nearest to you from the official website.

I have added few photos from the movie to the gallery, more will be added as I stumble upon them.

• Promotional
• Trailer captures

Source: Stuff.co.nz

New Plymouth-born actor Melanie Lynskey is coming home to star in the romantic comedy Show Of Hands.

The news was announced in New Plymouth last night by the film’s writer and director, ex-Taranaki resident Anthony McCarten.

Shooting for the film begins next month and will go for about six weeks.

McCarten said negotiations with Lynskey were concluded on Monday.

“She was chosen because she is perfect for the role,” he said.

“She had heard of me before and she read the script and decided solely based on that.

“She is courted by Hollywood directors, but has decided to come back here for this role.”

Lynskey has featured in several films including Flags Of Our Fathers (2006), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Ever After (1998) and Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures (1994).

Lynskey married actor Jimmi Simpson in April and the couple now live in Los Angeles. She currently appears on New Zealand television in the US sitcom Two And A Half Men.

McCarten said the other two leads would be played by Craig Hall, who played the part of Mike in the 2005 film King Kong, and Stephen Lovatt, a New Zealand actor probably best known for his role as Max Hoyland on Neighbours.

Show Of Hands is about a competition where people try to keep their hands on a car for longer than everyone else to win the car.

“They used to run these competitions in the 1980s where people would go for six days with no sleep to win a car,” McCarten said.

There will be a core cast of 20 with 50 extras. McCarten, best known for his play Ladies’ Night, once worked for the Taranaki Herald, but is now based in England.

Venture Taranaki chief executive Stuart Trundle said the film was a wonderful opportunity for one of Hollywood’s rising stars to give something back to her home region.

McCarten said the film was planned for release late next year.

I just finished watching the 100th episode and it was a blast. The screencaptures have been added to the gallery.

Next episode of Two and a Half Men, City of Great Racks will air Monday October 15, 2007. The great news is that Rose will be back!

Charlie and Linda get closer to consummating their relationship, but Charlie has trouble focusing when he begins to see Rose’s face everywhere he turns.

More news about the upcoming 100th Two and a Half Men episode that will bring Melanie’s character back has surfaced.

When her character left the show last year, she left for London. But Charlie comes to realize there’s a great vacuum in his life she used to fill, so he goes to London to seek her out.

The episode will be shot next week. [Source]