andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

The cast of Gossip Girl spent the summer on extravagant vacations (in both TV-land and reality), but it seems the rest of the world isn’t too interested in their homecoming.

Thursday’s premiere finished with a 36 per cent decrease in viewers, compared to the 2008 premiere. It’s a shocking drop for a show whose cast spent their time off in the spotlight, generating a real-time version of gossip.

Leighton Meester made the music press recording a single with Cobra Starship and launching her personal MySpace with plans for a debut solo album.

Chace Crawford was voted this summer’s hottest bachelor by People Magazine, beating out the smouldering Robert Pattinson and, unexpectedly, Dwayne Johnson (better known as The Rock).

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“Lizzie McGuire” star Hillary Duff is set to join the cast of “Gossip Girl” for a multi-episode arc, according to EW.com.

According to reports, Duff will play Olivia Burk, a movie star enrolled in New York University to get the college experience. She ends up rooming with Vanessa (played by Jessica Szohr) at NYU, the same University attended by characters Blair (Leighton Meester) and Dan (Penn Badgley).

In December, Duff said to E! News she’d become a fan of the show, adding that her favourite character was Chuck Bass. “I don’t know why, because he’s so bad and terrible,” she said. “He is so sad that I feel bad for him,” she admitted.

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There have been countless rumours regarding who would replace Zac Efron in the upcoming “Footloose” remake but according to PEOPLE, Paramount Pictures has announced that Crawford will be reprising the role of Ren McCormack, previously played by Kevin Bacon.

“High School Musical” star Zac Efron dropped out of the film to pursue different roles, but Paramount released a statement saying the studio was still committed to the remake.

A statement from Paramount at the time said, ” ‘Footloose’ is a project we’ve longed to see re-booted for a new generation. While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of Kenny Ortega, [producers] Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who will reinvigorate the franchise.”

Crawford is currently in New York filming “Twelve,” co-starring “24’s” Kiefer Sutherland, Emma Roberts, Ellen Barkin and rapper 50 Cent.

After months of rumours over who will play such and such character in the second film of the “Twilight” saga “New Moon”, Summit Entertainment has finally released an official cast announcement.

“New cast members include the legendary Volturi, a venerable coven of vampires who weigh and impose the laws of the vampire world, as well as two new members of the Quileute Indian Nation,” read the press release posted on April 15 on Summit Entertainment’s website. ”The Volturi include Charlie Bewley as Demetri, Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, Daniel Cudmore as Felix, Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus, all Volturi enforcers. Dakota Fanning plays Jane, a high-ranking and powerful Volturi member, and Cameron Bright is Alec, her brother. Noot Seear plays Volturi member Heidi. Michael Sheen plays Aro, the Volturi leader. Graham Greene appears as Harry Clearwater, Quileute tribal leader and old friend of Bella’s father Charlie. Tinsel Korey is Emily, the fiancée of Sam Uley.”

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Matthew McConaughey, who had a breakout role as a lawyer in 1996’s “A Time to Kill,” is returning to the courtroom for his latest project.

Variety reports that the actor is attached to star in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” a legal thriller based on the 2005 Michael Connelly best-seller.

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Woody Allen has added Nicole Kidman to the all-star cast of his latest film, which will begin shooting in London this summer.

According to Variety, the actress joins a cast that includes Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame.

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Seth Green and Breckin Meyer may be joining the cast of “Heroes.”

The real life best friends and production partners would play “Atlanta-based comic book nerds aficionados who cross paths with (and perhaps serve as advisors to) one of the Heroes,” reports Entertainment Weekly.

With most of the cast returning and more and more stars being signed to the show, this season’s talent will be almost as exciting as the show’s plotlines.

Green and Meyer currently work together on “Robot Chicken.”

The World Entertainment News Network reports that Mike Tyson is planning to produce a biopic about his life, and has already hand-picked Jamie Foxx for the part.

The two-time boxing heavyweight champion has certainly experienced enough drama in the last two decades to make the film interesting. He was convicted of raping a beauty pageant contestant in 1992, bit off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997, declared bankruptcy in 2003, and was jailed last year for a DUI and possession of cocaine.

Of his struggles with substance abuse, Tyson said that he is now clean. “Even when I was training for a fight, there were no drugs, but I would drink. I had never been clean and sober my whole life. This is the first time. I’m tired of losing. I lost the trust of my family, my five kids. I didn’t like that way of life and decided to change. I saw the devil and didn’t want that.”

The eclectic new cast of “Dancing With The Stars” was announced yesterday, featuring everyone from young R&B artists to infamous figure skaters.

The men in the running are comedian Adam Carolla, Chilean actor Cristian de la Fuente, “Police Academy” star Steve Guttenberg, 21-year-old Grammy nominee Mario, illusionist Penn Jillette and NFL star player Jason Taylor. Lovely ladies Priscilla Presley, “American Pie” actress Shannon Elizabeth, Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, the original “Tracy Turnblad” Marissa Jaret Winokur, tennis champ Monica Seles and Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin will also tear it up on the dance floor.

Stars will be paired up with their professional dancer partners this morning, and fans will get to see them in action on March 17. They’ll have to prove themselves right away, as the March 25 episode will be a double elimination – the first in “Dancing with the Stars” history.