INDUSTRY NEWS

Thursday, September 02 2010 05:13

HARVEY KEITEL ON 'THE OFFICE'? The Office's executive producer Paul Lieberstein wants Harvey Keitel to replace Steve Carell on the show. He told E!, "He's probably the only guy who can do it, and he's doing TV now," referring to his stint on Life on Mars. He noted, "I haven't started any talks with his people, but Harvey would do a great job -- a very different energy. And we don't want to bring in another Michael, having someone play a very similar character because we have such a high regard for Steve."

'KISS-ASS' GETTING A SEQUEL: Kick-Ass is reportedly getting the sequel treatment. Mark Millar, one of the comic book writers whose work inspired the film, told a UK radio station that there will indeed be a sequel to the film. Although the movie wasn't a run-away hit at the box office, he said DVD sales have made the studio agree to a second go-round.

MARISKA HARGITAY CROSSES OVER TO 'LAW & ORDER: L.A.': Mariska Hargitay is lending her presence to the upcoming Law & Order spin-off based in L.A. The SVU star told EOnline.com at the Emmys, "I got to work with them yesterday. They have an incredible cast. I think it's going to be strong right out of the gate." Although her co-star Christopher Meloni says he hasn't shot with the new cast yet -- the original show crossed over to help them out at the beginning too. He explained, "The mother ship did the same thing with us when we were starting out to give us a little lift. That's all we really needed, a little push."

CELEBS ANNOUNCED FOR 'STEP UP TO CANCER' TELETHON: George Clooney, Will Smith and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the stars who will be taking part in the September 10th "Step Up to Cancer" telethon. Other celebrities participating include Denzel Washington, Renee Zellweger, Kathy Bates and Richard Branson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lance Armstrong and Elizabeth Edwards. Performers will include Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Neil Diamond, The Edge, Herbie Hancock, Lady Antebellum, Leona Lewis, Queen Latifah, Martina McBride and Stevie Wonder. The telethon will be simulcast commercial-free from 8 to 9 p.m. by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC as well as a variety of cable channels.

'AMERICAN IDOL' REJECT FILES NEW SUIT AGAINST THE SHOW: Ian Benardo, the American Idol reject who stormed the stage during May's finale, has withdrawn his $300 million lawsuit against the show's producers -- but replaced it with a new, $100 million suit in which he claims workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. In July, he filed papers with the New York State Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that he was told to interrupt Dane Cook by Idol bosses who invited him back for the finale and asked him to be "outrageous" and "gay."