JAMES CROMWELL JOINS “24′

We have learned from five seasons of “24” that Jack Bauer was married (until a terrorist killed his wife) and has a daughter (who pretty much doesn’t want any part of him now).

In the coming season, we’ll also find out, Jack has a father. Oscar and three-time Emmy nominee James Cromwell (“Six Feet Under,” “Babe”) has joined the cast of the Fox series in a recurring part as Phillip Bauer, Jack’s (Kiefer Sutherland) estranged dad. British comic Eddie Izzard, who will star in FX’s upcoming series “The Riches,” will also appear on the show as a “villainous accomplice” – although to whom, Fox isn’t saying.

Cromwell and Izzard join an ever-growing list of new additions to the “24” cast for season six. Other newcomers to the show include Peter MacNicol (“Numb3rs,” “Ally McBeal”), Regina King (“Ray”), Kal Penn (“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”), Marisol Nichols (“In Justice”), Alexander Siddig (“Syriana”) and Harry Lennix (“Commander in Chief”).

Fox has also dropped a few details about the plot. The action will pick up 20 months after the events of last season’s finale, with Bauer being abused by Chinese agents aboard a freighter bound for parts unknown.

Wayne Palmer (DB Woodside), the brother of former President David Palmer, is the new president of the United States.

After a series of “horrific terrorist attacks,” Palmer calls the CTU team – sans Bauer, at least at first – back into action. CTU will, however, once again have the services of Milo Pressman (Eric Balfour, reprising his role from way back in season one) and Morris O’Brian (Carlo Rota), Chloe’s (Mary Lynn Rajskub) ex-husband.

The series will begin its sixth season in January.

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ALANIS MORISSETTE GUESTS ON “NIP/TUCK’

To the long list of high-profile guest stars on FX’s “Nip/Tuck,” you can now add Alanis Morissette.

The singer, who has a handful of acting credits to her name, will appear on three episodes of the provocative drama later this fall. She’ll be playing a character named Poppy, a love interest for Liz Cruz (Roma Maffia), the anesthesiologist for plastic surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon).

Her first appearance is scheduled for Oct. 31.

Morissette has won seven Grammys in her career, including album of the year in 1995 for the mega-selling “Jagged Little Pill.” She’s also been nominated for two Golden Globes for best song in a motion picture: “Uninvited” from “City of Angels” and “Wunderkind” from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

Her acting credits include the Kevin Smith movies “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” – in which she played God – and guest appearances on “Sex and the City,” “American Dreams” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”

In addition to Morissette, “Nip/Tuck” will feature the likes of Brooke Shields, Peter Dinklage, Jacqueline Bisset, Sanaa Lathan, Larry Hagman and Rosie O’Donnell as guest stars this season.

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LEGUIZAMO GOES FOR “KILL’ ON SPIKE

Spike TV has given the go-ahead for its second original series, a bank-heist drama that will star Emmy winner John Leguizamo.

“The Kill Pit” will run as an eight-hour limited series next summer, with Leguizamo starring as the leader of a group of Iraq war veterans who plan a bank robbery. The job goes wrong, however, leading the thieves to take more than a dozen hostages and forcing a tense standoff with police.

“It’s a great cat-and-mouse game with lots of action and suspense and will surely resonate with our guy audience,” says Pancho Mansfield, head of original programming at Spike TV. “John Leguizamo is the ideal actor to bring edginess and intensity to the lead role.”

James DeMonaco, the writer of “The Negotiator” and the 2005 version of “Assault on Precinct 13” (which starred Leguizamo), is penning “The Kill Pit.” He’ll also be an executive producer, along with David Hoberman (“Monk,” “The Shaggy Dog”) and Todd Lieberman (“Eight Below”).

Leguizamo is coming off a 12-episode stint on “ER” and has several film projects in various stages of production, including an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel “Love in the Time of Cholera.” He also starred in a CBS pilot called “Edison” earlier this year.

His Emmy win came in 1999 for his performance in the HBO telecast of his one-man show “Freak.”

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LOPEZ FAVORED TO WIN “DANCING’

Former “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez will be the one toting the super-cheesy “Dancing with the Stars” trophy when all is said and done, the Internet odds say.

Lopez, whose credits include a stint as “Dancer/Drummer” on “Kids, Incorporated” in the mid-1980s, is a 3-to-1 favorite to win the third season of the show, according to online bookie PinnacleSports.com. He’s paired with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff, who’s making her debut on the series.

“Dancing” was to premiere Tuesday on ABC, with the first results show following on Wednesday. The field has expanded to 11 celebrities this time around, up from 10 last season, and includes the likes of Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, MSNBC pundit Tucker Carlson, talk-show host Jerry Springer and actress Vivica A. Fox.

Fox, whose odds of winning are pegged at 4/1, is the No. 2 favorite on Pinnacle’s board. “High School Musical” star Monique Coleman is next at 9/2, followed by Joe “Whoa” Lawrence at 6-to-1. Harry Hamlin, the husband of last season’s fourth-place finisher, Lisa Rinna, is at 13-to-2.

Springer, at 49/1, is the longest shot to win by far. Carlson and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler have the next-longest odds at 23/1. Smith is a 14-to-1 shot; singers Willa Ford (9/1) and Sara Evans (10/1) round out the fields

Pinnacle’s record at forecasting last season’s champ was not great. It anointed Stacy Keibler the favorite before the show started, and she made it to the finale before finishing third. However, runner-up Jerry Rice was given 19-to-1 odds to start, and eventual winner Drew Lachey came off at 9-to-1. Tia Carrere, the second favorite at 7-to-1, was voted off midway through the show.

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AP-NY-09-12-06 1738EDT