Kelly Macdonald attends the 'Skellig' VIP screening in London, England. (photo: Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage.com)

Natural, Animal Instinct

David Simon is known for his inspired casting, often using local non-actors in his series to add to the sense of place. With his new pilot for HBO, 'Treme,' (set in New Orleans) he's cast local author Phyllis Montana LeBlanc to play the love interest of a second-line trombonist, played by 'Wire' veteran Wendell Pierce (also a Big Easy native). LeBlanc, who wrote 'Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina,' appeared in Spike Lee's HBO documentary 'When the Levees Broke.' But she's no acting novice. "Phillis Wheatley Elementary School," she says. "I was a reindeer." (photo: Leon Bennett/WireImage.com)

[blog.nola.com]

Tristan Wilds on location for '90210' in West Hollywood, California. (photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com)

Lion Taming

The rat race got you down? Jill Scott (who plays Precious Ramotswe in 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency') suggests taking a time out in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. "You realize how small you really are in the scope of all this life happening around you," she explains. "The frogs are singing and the crickets are singing. Then the lion will roar and you hear it five miles away. You don't even know where he is. Magnificent. ... For anyone who feels they are overwhelmed by their job or maybe they take their job too seriously or are working too hard, I say go to a safari, particularly the Okavango Delta, and just be humbled." (photo: Leon Bennett/WireImage.com)

[USA Today]

Sarah Paulson visits 'Late Show with David Letterman' in New York City. (photo: Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage.com)

Surprise Ending

Kathy Marquart's sudden demise on 'Big Love' came as a surprise to many, not least of whom was the actress who plays her, Mireille Enos. "They sent me a script and I read it like any other episode. I had no idea what the last page contained. Of course I eventually get to this description of the accident. It was late at night and there was nobody from the show I could call," explains Enos. "The next day Mark and Will (Olsen and Scheffer, the show's creators), who are so wonderful, called and asked how I was doing. We talked about it. They said they didn't want me to know too early because they didn't want it to color the way I was approaching the character." Luckily for Enos, Kathy is survived by her twin sister Jodean. (photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage.com)

[Houston Chronicle]

Wedded Bliss

Those eligible Conchords are now both officially off the market. Bret McKenzie joined Jemaine Clement in married life last week when he wed his childhood sweetheart in a small ceremony in New Zealand. But don't worry, the boys are still spending quality time together — including on Bret's honeymoon. The duo immediately played tennis in a celebrity tournament. "I got married two days ago and this is part of my honeymoon," said McKenzie. "It is a dream come true. My wife is quite disappointed about the honeymoon scenario." (photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

[New Zealand Herald]

Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden attend the after party for the Broadway opening of 'God of Carnage' in New York City. (photo: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic.com)

Sleepless in Suburbia

"You think the spit-up and the poop are going to be the hardest things," says Cheryl Hines, "and it doesn't even scratch the surface." She's not talking about working with Larry David, but musing about motherhood. The actress debuts in a new series on ABC this week, 'In The Motherhood,' a show that chronicles the cold hard truth of being a mom: "I had no idea how lucky I was to sleep until 10:30. Those days are long gone." (photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com)

[Celebrity Baby Blog]

Denis Leary with Firefighters Lt. John Keenan, Lt. Ed Burwell, Lt. Eric Schroeder and Jim Cashin at the dedication and demonstration of the Leary Firefighters Foundation's high-rise training simulator at FDNY Training Academy, on Randall's Island in New York City. (photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic.com)

Life On The Big Easy Street

Steve Zahn has had come tough jobs: "Landscaping, corn detasseling, working at the machine shop... And Hardee's. That was gross. Working the grill at Hardee's. Fries and burgers." But those days are over. The actor's been keeping busy on the big screen, and now he's in New Orleans shooting David Simon's new pilot for HBO, 'Treme,' about the rebuilding of the city through the eyes of jazz musicians. "I really love it down here. There's no city like it. And I'm talking about beyond Bourbon Street," says Zahn. "Second line and the brass bands and the people-that becomes a culture. ...It's a great thing about acting-you get to see things that people live who have lived there their whole lives have never seen. You get invited into their world and you're like, 'Man, this exists? Wow.'" (photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com)

[BlackBookMag.com]