Laura Benanti cast in New Pilot for ABC

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 4:32pm

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Laura Benanti is set as one of the co-stars of a new pilot.

The Wedding Singer star--who was previously featured on the short-lived FX show "Starved"--will join Jonny Lee Miller, James Saito and Loretta Divine for the pilot of "Eli Stone," which, if picked up, will air on ABC. In the show, the title character learns that he might be a prophet.

The article states that "Benanti will play Beth, a single mother and Eli's (Miller) first love back in college, who is now pleading with him to help her sue her insurance company after it refused to cover an experimental treatment for her autistic child." The pilot will be produced by Touchstone Television and Berlanti Television.

This deserves its own thread.

I'm sooooooooo happy for this gorgeous and talented girl. I just found out that she got the role this weekend but I had no clue what the show was about. So so so happy for her.

Here's hoping the show gets picked up. Even if it means losing her to LA...it's a great career move for her and will show her versatility.

Love her.

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 5:14pm

YES!!! thanks for starting this thread! i meant to do it earlier and got caught up in other things.

but YAY for laura! i am SOO happy she got this! the only thing im upset about is shes not utilizing her voice! maybe theyll have her sing on the show! thats what im hoping. but thats ok, i am SO excited for her and i REALLY hope this show gets picked up! laura is amazing! end of story!

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 5:34pm

Well, judging from ABC's luck with shows lately, there's at least one each season that seems to get top-notch ratings. It's got a great premise and it's full of unknowns, so maybe this'll be next season's "Ugly Betty" and not "Six Degrees."

[Liverpool]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 5:37pm

as much as I love Laura and Loretta this show's premise sounds terrible.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 5:48pm

i wish she could have a show all to herself and be the main person. she deserves it! and of course it'll have to be a comedy...with Amy Spanger as a supporting role

but this works...

[shiksa_goddess]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 5:51pm

Thrilled for her, but the show just doesn't sound very good.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 5:57pm

Who knows how it will be. ABC has some very powerful shows on the air right now...so it just may not be the right time. Although, I thought STARVED was great. I was so mad when it got canceled.

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 6:17pm

We'll just have to wait and see.

I know she'll bring immense talent to whatever they give her.

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 6:23pm

she always does!

yea, starved was AMAZING! and laura did a remarkable job in that show. just WOW!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 7:47pm

im telling ya, she is going to need an understudy.........


*ducks quickly*

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 7:58pm

^ Yeah. You better duck.

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 7:58pm

broadwayguy2, do u know how to say anything positive? (please dont answer that, i already know the answer)

anyway, this is a wonderful gig for laura! :)

Updated On: 11/22/06 at 07:58 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 8:37pm

I am glad to hear Laura is exploring television again.

With her theater career becoming increasinlgy problematic these days, I think this is the perfect time for her to explore other avenues of the entertainment industry (although I'd love for her to get back on stage one day when she is healthy again.) She was the best thing about the FX series Starved last season, and I think she deserves another shot at TV.

Here's wishing Laura all the best in her newest endeavor!

Updated On: 11/22/06 at 08:37 PM

[snl89]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 9:01pm

OMG thats so exiting!! Laura on tv again... that would be beyond amazing <33

[Princeton78]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 9:09pm

Yay Laura!

[snl89]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 9:12pm

oh wow.

soooo I may or may not have been doing some... exploring on that thing we're not supposed to mention on here. *shifty eyes*

and I may or may not have come acrossed a clip from Starved.

VERY wierd-seeming show, but jeeeez Laura can act her butt off. I swear, people with that much insane talent make me so jealous. lol

so yeah, basically, it makes me so exited at the thought of seeing her on tv

Updated On: 11/22/06 at 09:12 PM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 10:33pm

It'll be sad to lose Laura to L.A., but this is an incredible opportunity. She got a lot of praise for STARVED and I'm sure she'll get quite a bit for this. I wasn't a huge fan of STARVED (simply because the material wasn't really for me) but she was wonderful in it. It'll be great to (hopefully) have something to tune in weekly to and see her face in it.

[MistressoftheHouse]

Posted: 11/22/06 at 10:39pm

Wow, that's really an awesome opportunity. I hope the show does well.

So, is this maybe the Wedding Singer lead getting a new job that FindYourGrail was talking about in the Casualties of Love! thread?

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 11:17am

haha, thats my guess mistress! and yea, snl, ive come across that, for someone that is sweet 24/7, she frickin acted her ass off in that role! i was so amazed when i watched that! but she did great that entire series!

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 11:30am

Yayyyy Laura. So sad she won't be doing another broadway show, but hopefully the show will be great!

[snl89]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 11:54am

haha, thats my guess mistress! and yea, snl, ive come across that, for someone that is sweet 24/7, she frickin acted her ass off in that role! i was so amazed when i watched that! but she did great that entire series!

I knoww!! I was like "damnnn that is CRAZY amazing acting!" because she seems like the total opposite of that in real life :P

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 11:56am

Starved was one of the most phenominally underrated shows on television.

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 12:31pm

Starved was one of the most phenominally underrated shows on television.

AGREED!!! and it had such a great point! i was so sad to see it cancelled!

[virgil blessing2]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 3:19am

i read the pilot's scenario. Oy! can i just quote the film MY FAVORITE YEAR in reply: "What's that smell? Pee-yew! Where's...where's it coming from??? It's...it's coming from the SCRIPT. What a stink bomb. What a stinker-oo."

Don't worry kids, Laura will be back by the Spring and doing live theater. She's a talented peach, but that jumbled, congealed pilot's gonna crash and burn before it even takes off the run-way. "SLAM go de IRON!!" LOLOL

This pilot's gonna go as far as cutie Stephen Pasquale's (from the musical A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE) pilot went....it was called PLATINUM, and the talented Sofia Copploa herself created it and wrote on it..to no avail. Pee-yew! Laura will shoot the pilot, come back, do a show and remain here, I sense.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 9:40am

Hmm. Doesn't sound too interesting, but I wish her luck.