Where Are They Now? Some Green Room Chatter for August 23, 2008

You gotta face it — sooner or later all TV shows are going to end. If we’re lucky, our favorite performers return in new shows and movies. Here’s where some of those beloved actors from cancelled series have landed…

You’ll be seeing a lot more of Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) on television this Fall. He won’t be on a new series but has been signed as Microsoft’s new pitchman. It’s part of the software giant’s $300 million campaign to combat Apple’s ongoing hip commercials. Will the public buy easy-going Seinfeld as a PC guy? Didn’t his sitcom alter-ego have a Mac clearly displayed in his apartment?

When CBS’ Rules of Engagement returns midseason, look for Adhir Kalyan (Aliens in America) in a recurring role. He’ll be playing David Spade’s new assistant, Timmy. Kalyan is also signed to appear as a recurring character on the upcoming sixth season of FX’s Nip/Tuck. He’ll play a young prodigy doctor who steps in to help Christian (Julian McMahon) while Sean (Dylan Walsh) recovers from being stabbed in season five.

Frank Grillo (The Kill Point) has signed on to join Mel Gibson and Robert De Niro in the upcoming thriller Edge of Darkness. Grillo will portray an FBI agent who tries to protect national security information that Gibson’s character is trying to expose. Shawn Roberts (Falcon Beach) also has a part in the project. Grillo will appear next in Gavin O’Connor’s Pride and Glory movie with Colin Farrell and Edward Norton.

The cast of Arrested Development continues to busy. Jeffrey Tambor will be doing a guest shot as a birthday party entertainer who trains reptiles on The New Adventures of Old Christine. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars on the CBS sitcom and guest-starred on Development for four episodes. Alia Shawkat, Development’s Maeby Funke, has joined the cast of Whip It!. The movie, directed by Drew Barrymore, tells the tale of a beauty pageant contestant who leaves it all behind to join a roller derby team. The film stars Ellen Page.

Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills, 90210) is set to star in The Legend of Awesomest Maximus, a National Lampoon sword-and-sandals parody. The former Steve Sanders will play Testiclees, a hero who can only be wounded in his private parts.

And speaking of 90210, Chandra West (John from Cincinnati) has booked a recurring role on the CW’s remake series.

Valerie Bertinelli is hoping to return to series television, taking a cue from her old One Day at a Time days. She’s signed to shoot an as-yet-untitled sitcom pilot for TBS. On Time, she played one of two daughters of a single Mom. In this new project, Bertinelli will play a Mom struggling to take care of her two kids.

When Friday Night Lights returns for season three, look for Jeremy Sumpter (Clubhouse) to be join the cast in a recurring role. The former movie Peter Pan will play J.D. McCoy, a talented quarterback who moves to Dillon. As explained by executive producer Jason Katims, J.D.’s a straight-and-narrow kid who’s been driven by his overbearing father to excel at the game. Janine Turner (Northern Exposure) and D.W. Moffett (Life is Wild) will play J.D.’s parents. New episodes of Lights kick off on October 1st on DirecTV. The series returns to NBC in early 2009. Stay tuned!