TVSquad

Jim Carrey, Lisa Lampanelli, and Kario Salem are set to produce a half-hour HBO pilot. Lampanelli will star as a woman who inherits a famous comedy club in Los Angeles, presumably one like Shore's Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip where Carrey himself got his start. According to Variety, "the central character is a Mitzi Shore type, a woman who unexpectedly becomes the owner of a comedy club and is forced to play a maternal role in the dysfunctional lives of the club's clutch of resident comics." This sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to Lampanelli in a lead role. I know she's can be nasty but she's very quick-witted and has great delivery.

Carrey is currently shooting I Love You Phillip Morris with co-star Ewan McGregor. He recently finished Yes Man, a Warner Bros. comedy, and A Christmas Carol, a Robert Zemekis film for Disney. Lampanelli, who has been a regular guest on Howard Stern and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, recently signed a deal with Harper Collins for a book entitled The World According to Lisa: The Queen of Mean's Guide to the Universe.

HBO is developing a very topical mini-series about the Third Crusade, the 12th century battle where European Christians attempted to reconquer the Holy Land occupied by Muslims. It's an exciting story that includes death, love and betrayal-- all important elements in great storytelling (a synopsis of the Third Crusade is at Wikipedia). HBO and co-producer Channel 4 will tell the story through the eyes of the leaders on both sides, Saladin and Richard the Lionheart.

Writing the series is Kario Salem, who wrote Don King: Only in America and The Rat Pack for HBO. The series is Salem's idea-- he pitched HBO with a 100-page, thoroughly-researched outline. HBO agreed to the project, but asked him to cut it down from his projected ten hours to eight. Salem will write the first four hours and Don McPherson will write the final four.

No air date has been announced.