Though Paul Bettany was originally slated to lead the 1960′s set series Masters of Sex, the actor has since fallen away from the project. But now Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) has stepped up to the plate to play the human sexuality pioneer William Masters. In addition, he will be joined by Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) playing his better half Virginia Johnson, a more dramatic role for the actress. Michelle Ashford (The Pacific) has written the series based on Thomas Maier’s book Masters of Sex: The Life And Times Of William Masters And Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love which chronicles the lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson, whose research touched off the sexual revolution. Shakespeare in Love director John Madden will be at the helm of at least the pilot which begins production next month. Bettany is a great actor, but I’m interested in seeing Sheen taking a big lead series role like this too. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

A trailer is now available for High Road, the fully-improvised comedy by director Matt Walsh (The Hangover). Cast with a ridiculous number of improv comedians at all different levels of fame, High Road stars relative unknowns in the principal roles. James F. Pumphrey (Players) is Fitz, a well-meaning drug-dealer who hits the road to escape his problems and encounters some strange characters along the way. The strong supporting cast features Ed Helms, Rob Riggle, Horatio Sans, Kyle Gass, Abby Elliott, Lizzy Caplan and Zach Woods. While it plays like a mash-up of Harold and Kumar and Pineapple Express, I can’t quite figure out if it’s destined to be a cult classic or a simple misfire. Hit the jump to check out the trailer for High Road.

Not all girls are sugar and spice everything nice.  Some are bitter and mean and sometimes that behavior can be downright hilarious.  For its first two-thirds, Bachelorette is unapologetic in how ugly, filthy, dark, and angry it’s willing to be for the sake of a laugh.  The three main characters are sad and despicable, and writer-director Leslye Headland has no reservations about trying to justify her characters behavior until the last act.  Then the movie falls into a sappy place where the humor drains away and we’re asked to root characters who were hilarious but completely beyond redemption.

This past Monday, the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour went on location to the set of Fox’s hit freshman comedy New Girl, where the cast and creative team behind the series talked about what goes into making the show as adorable, funny and loved by fans as it is. When talking to the show’s star, Zooey Deschanel, and its creator, Liz Meriwether, it’s easy to see how their strong working relationship translates on screen.

During the interview, they talked about how the idea for the show came about, that the actors influence their characters, the amount of input they get to have, upcoming guest stars (including Lizzy Caplan, Dermot Mulroney and True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten), their reaction to the Golden Globe nominations, and working in such a relaxed and creative environment. Check out what they had to say after the jump.

With our continuing coverage of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Spotlight line-up, we’re bringing you some early looks at next year’s films. Hit the jump for synopses and images from writer-director Julie Delpy‘s 2 Days in New York, starring Delpy and Chris Rock; writer-director Nicholas Jarecki‘s Arbitrage, starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth; writer-director Leslye Headland‘s Bachelorette, starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan; and writer-director Josh Radnor‘s Liberal Arts, starring Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from Thursday, January 19^th to Sunday, the 29^th.  Click here for all our coverage.

From Jon Hamm to Jason Sudeikis, television producer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) has had her fair share of male suitors on 30 Rock. Now one more gentlemen might be added to the mix. EW has word that James Marsden has been set to guest star on at least one episode of the hilarious NBC comedy, and while the network isn’t detailing his character just yet, there’s speculation that he might be a love interest for Lemon as a casting call when out last month for a man aged between 36 and 40. Since that character in question was described as “California-bred with liberal values and a youthful innocence. Easy-going but confident with a strong sense of self,” that sounds like a perfect role for Marsden.

Details on a new guest star for Fox’s freshman series New Girl after the jump.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  if there’s a reason to live in Texas, it’s Tim League’s Alamo Drafthouse chain, a collection of theaters that make every other big-ass theater chain currently operating in America feel like the shantytowns they are. Whereas most theater chains only screen new movies (and, perhaps, Rocky Horror on Saturday nights), the Drafthouse also offers up elaborate film- and TV-geek friendly events…in addition to a full bar.

Their latest event?  A Party Down marathon that unfolded last weekend across two different parties and one Drafthouse theater.  While the entire series screened for the assembled crowd, the cast and crew (including series creator Rob Thomas) was on-hand to talk about their pre-Party Down careers, the potential for a Party Down movie, and the best way to watch Party Down now that it’s been cancelled.  Read on for our report from the front lines, after the jump.

American Pie stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, and Shannon Elizabeth all promptly signed on to return for American Reunion, the third Pie sequel.  Makes sense: those kids came off the surprise hit with serious heat in 1999, but none has achieved the true stardom that seemed within reach.  Writer/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) added a few new faces to the mix, including Dania Ramirez and Katrina Bowden.  According to Variety, Chuck Hittinger (Pretty Little Liars) will represent the new male blood at the East Great Falls High School class reunion.  Hittinger plays Marco, “a jock and a bully who takes his girlfriend for granted.”  Production is currently underway in Atlanta for an April 6, 2012 release.

Hit the jump for details on Save the Date, an indie romantic comedy that just signed Alison Brie, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr, and Geoffrey Arend.

A quartet of actors are set to star in a new indie comedy being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Kirsten Dunst, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan and Casey Wilson are all attached to star in a comedy written and directed by Leslye Headland (TV’s Terriers) that has the working title of Bachelorette (which is most likely going to change). The story centers on three best friends who are asked to be the bridesmaids of a woman they called “Pigface” in high school. THR reports that Dunst and Caplan will play two of the best friends, with Wilson taking on the role of the bride-to-be. The character breakdown describes Dunst’s character as “your best friend and your worst enemy,” whereas Caplan’s role is characterized as “having a Playboy bunny body with a Larry David brain.”

This marks a reunion of sorts for Caplan and Scott, who both starred in Starz’s fantastic comedy Party Down. Scott is set to play Caplan’s high school crush, who “shows up to the wedding with a beautiful and much younger date.” The project was previously an off-Broadway play that caught the attention of McKay, who decided to set it up as a film at his and Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez production company. The budget is set at around $3 million with filming hoping to get underway this summer in New York. Scott is currently killing each week on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, and Casey Wilson is starring on ABC’s Happy Endings.

After teaming with HBO for a presentation of the one-man-show You’re Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush and the sketch comedy series Funny or Die Presents, the dynamic duo of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are back again with a new comedy series for the cable network. Deadline reports the two masters of comedy are working with actress Lizzy Caplan (True Blood, Party Down) to develop a series based on Julie Klausner’s memoir I Don’t Care About Your Band, a gritty but comedic look at what it’s like to navigate the dating world in your twenties. The book chronicles her dating of indie rockers, trust funders, pornographers, felons, faux-sensitive hipsters and other guys she’s dated from her preadolescent sexual awakenings through the unsavory details of sleeping with this bunch of losers. From that line-up, I can only assume she lived in Los Angeles. More after the jump:

Saturday night brought a lot of different kinds of films to the Los Angeles Film Festival.  There was everything from documentaries about elephants, circus’, zeppelins, to dark comedies from the U.K and dramas from China and Romania.   After the jump you can read my thoughts on the comedy short Successful Alcoholics starring Lizzy Caplan and TJ Miller, the dark drama Judge from China, a documentary about a trip around a world in a Zeppelin and the affair that took place on it, and a documentary which tells the story of the wildly inventive and influential band Fishbone.  My write-up after the jump:

Last weekend, I headed to Lake Tahoe to do the press junket for Hot Tub Time Machine.  Before I continue, let me say that film is damn funny and that’s good because I would have felt conflicted about having an awesome time at the 80s party MGM threw the following night if I hadn’t enjoyed the film.  The reason it was an 80s party is that the film centers on four guys (played by Rob Corddry, John Cusack, Clark Duke, and Craig Robinson) who travel back to 1986 and Corddry, Cusack, and Robinson’s characters get a redo when they discover that their rose-colored nostalgia glasses aren’t worth shit.

After the jump, you’ll find all the photos I took at the party as well as some of the beautiful scenery and the casino in the hotel where money goes away.  I’ve only noted myself and the stars in the photos, but if you attended the party and want to be credited (or if you want your photo taken down), let me know and I’ll update the caption (or take down the photo).

Hot Tub Time Machine hits theaters on March 26th.

We just got sent two featurettes and four clips for the upcoming time-travel/80s-parody Hot Tub Time Machine.  One featurette focuses on Chevy Chase who plays an irritatingly (to the characters) cryptic hot tub repairman and the other focuses on Crispin Glover whose character is part of the one of the greatest running gags of all-time.

We also have four clips and they’re good but it looks like MGM is holding the painfully hilarious stuff for those that go to see the movie.  And it’s a movie folks should go see it.  I saw the flick last weekend and it’s damn funny, especially Rob Corddry who has finally found his breakout role.

Hit the jump to check out the featurettes, clips, and official synopsis.  Hot Tub Time Machine hits theaters on March 26th. [Update: We have temporarily removed the featurettes at the request of the studio]

At the Hot Tub Time Machine junket this past weekend, I spoke with Lizzy Caplan who plays John Cusack’s love interest in the film.  Caplan revealed that not only was she cast to play Aron Ralston’s sister in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, but that her character appears as a hallucination.  Before I get ahead of myself and for those who don’t know, 127 Hours is based on the true story of climber Aron Ralston (who will be played by James Franco), who got trapped under a boulder while climbing and had to amputate his own arm in order to survive.

What’s interesting about Caplan’s revelation about being a hallucination is that other characters, like two hikers he meets before his ordeal (played by Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara), could later reappear in the film as hallucinations brought on by having to slowly amputate your own arm.

Hit the jump for the full transcript of what Caplan had to say regarding her role in 127 Hours, which is scheduled to begin filming next month.  Also, be on the lookout for the full interview with Caplan next week along with all the others I did for Hot Tub Time Machine.