Dish Of Salt: Monday TV Round Up (‘Entourage’ Heading To Big Screen?)

Big Screen “Entourage”
Vinnie Chase and his boys are not going away anytime soon. Over the weekend during an interview to promote, “The Lovely Bones,” the show’s executive producer, Mark Wahlberg, confirmed to me that there will be at least two more seasons of hipster HBO comedy “Entourage,” which just wrapped its sixth season. “We’d probably like to do more but I think we may go and do the film,” he told me. While it’s not yet a signed, sealed and delivered deal, Wahlberg says it’s something they definitely want to do. “Well people have always complained that the show was too short and the seasons were too short. So, this is a way to appease them.” All he would say about the film is that he wants, “Craziness. I just want to see pure craziness like ‘The Hangover’ times ten.”

One of this season’s funniest cameos came from Matt Damon in the season finale, when he played an oversensitive version of himself trying to get Vinnie to commit some cash to charity. You would think that Wahlberg would have been the one to pick up the phone and ask his “The Departed” co-star for a favor, but it turns out it was the other way around! Mark explained to me, “A lot of people do come up to me and ask if they can be a part of the show. And then every once in a while you get the odd person who’ll say or beg you to do the show, and you’ll write them in the show, and then they’re like, ‘Well we can’t do it then. Can we do it in 3 months?’ That’s actually how me and Tom Brady ended up on the show. We had written it for two other guys.”

Those two other guys? The Manning brothers, Eli and Peyton. A scheduling conflict kept them from playing the Chase brothers in a round of golf. Somehow I bet we will see those two in the show next season though. 

“Melrose” Mystery Solved
Who killed Sydney? That’s been the question all season long on “Melrose Place” 2.0 and tomorrow night the mystery will be answered. We will finally find out how Sydney ended up face down in the pool. My money is on Violet — her creepy daughter she didn’t know she had — played by Ashlee Simpson-Wentz (who was recently axed from the show). Meanwhile, it looks like Laura Leighton, who played Sydney in both the old and new series, has a new gig. Today it was announced she has been cast in a drama pilot for ABC Family called “Pretty Little Liars” about four estranged best friends who reunite after their best friend goes missing. They each discover notes from someone who claims to know all their dirty little secrets. Leighton would play the mom to one of the girls.

Electra-fying New Years
Sexy Carmen Electra has signed on to be one the of hosts of FOX’s “Billboard New Year’s Eve Live” show live from the Las Vegas strip, it was announced today. “American Idol” season eight winner Kris Allen and second runner up Allison Iraheta will perform songs from their debut albums. Sean Kingston is also set to perform. Performers were also announced this morning as well for “Dick Clark New Years Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2010.” Could that title be any longer? Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Keri Hilson, Cobbie Caillat, Robin Thicke and The Black Eyed Peas will all take the stage during the show. Is it just me, or do the Black Eyed Peas seem to never say no to any TV gig? I love them, but man are they always everywhere, all the time? Also performing will be newcomer Orianthi. She is the Australian blonde hottie who worked as the lead guitarist for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” Tour. She was quite a revelation on the “This Is It” documentary. Glad too see Hollywood is taking notice of her.

Cuthbert Moonlighting?
I’m starting to wonder whether or not “24” star Elisa Cuthbert, who plays Jack Bauer’s daughter Kim, will live to see all 24 hours of Day 8 when the hit FOX drama returns in January. Cuthbert is set to reprise her role but then comes news today that she has been cast in a recurring role on ABC’s “The Forgotten.” Beginning in February she will play Maxine Denver described as a strong and successful Chicago professional who is forced to put her skepticism of amateur detectives aside when The Forgotten Network begins investigating a case close to home.

“Glee” Cast Back To Work
The fact that the show is not coming back until April is painful to think about, but I can happily report that the cast is at least getting back to work. Last night our AccessHollywood.com managing editor, Jeremy Blacklow, caught up with some of the cast at The Trevor Project’s Cracked Xmas 12 Gala where he learned from star Jenna Ushkowitz that rehearsals for the new episode start tomorrow. “We just read the new script… it’s like Christmas! Its gonna be a great one so we are very excited. I think it’s gonna be edgier and riskier and we are just really excited to get back to work,” she said. The cast has been travelling all over the country to promote their CD “Glee The Music Volume One” (Volume Two is out tomorrow!) and Cory Monteith told us he’s ready to settle back into working life in LA. “Its been a lot of press and a lot of promotion but not acting! I’m good to go back to my job.” Madonna has agreed to let the show use her songbook and Cory, who was there with his co-stars presenting last night, told Jeremy his Madonna wish list, “It’s gotta be something ironic so I would have to say ‘Material Girl’ Or ‘Like A Virgin.’ Well, actually that applies, so that’s not ironic at all!”