‘Musical’ star jumps for new film

Corbin Bleu, who practiced his jump shot in “High School Musical,” will be jumping rope for his new Disney Channel original film.

“Jump In!,” which premieres Friday, Jan. 12, stars Bleu as Izzy, a promising teen boxer who discovers that instead of his hands, he’d rather work with his feet as a double Dutch competitor. The sport, which uses two jump ropes, combines agility, acrobatics and a healthy dose of attitude.

Actor on ‘Monk’s’ all-star guest list

After Dan Hedaya’s memorable appearance as Monk’s dad on the recent holiday episode, the award-winning series will return with even more guest stars for its fifth season, which kicks off in January.

Among the illustrious actors joining Tony Shalhoub is “Lord of the Rings” hobbit Sean Astin. On the show, Astin will play the son of a wealthy couple (Holland Taylor, Michael Cavanaugh), neighbors of Natalie’s parents.

Lifetime musters ‘Army Wives’

Lifetime has recruited a new series for its lineup, greenlighting 13 episodes of an ensemble drama called “Army Wives.”

As the title implies, the series will focus on the travails of a group of military spouses living on a U.S. Army base and the emotions they experience when their loved ones are sent into combat.

Kim Delaney (“NYPD Blue”) and Catherine Bell (“JAG”) headline the ensemble cast.

Katherine Fugate (“The Prince & Me”) created the series and will executive produce with Mark Gordon (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds”) and Deborah Spera. Ben Younger (“Prime”) directed the pilot.

“We’re pleased to bring an entertaining and relevant drama series in “Army Wives’ to our viewers,” says Lifetime Entertainment president Susanne Daniels. “This show will resonate strongly with our audience, as Mark, Deb and Katherine have created authentic, relatable and powerful characters set in a highly charged and complex environment.”

“Army Wives,” which debuts in March 2007, will focus primarily on a group of five spouses – including one male “wife” (Sterling K. Brown, “Starved”) – who form a bond on the base, and who all have secrets that could harm their families.

The cast also includes Brigid Brannagh (FX’s “Over There”), Brian McNamara, Sally Pressman, Wendy Davis and Drew Fuller (“Charmed”). It’s based on the book “Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives” by Tanya Blank, who will be a consultant on the show.

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“SEINFELD’ ACTOR PLANS TO FACE HECKLERS

Michael Richards will soon make his most challenging apology to date.

The former “Seinfeld” actor will face off with his Laugh Factory hecklers, represented by lawyer Gloria Allred, to personally say he’s sorry.

“Michael Richards would like to apologize in person to the gentleman with whom he had the exchange in the club,” reads a joint statement issued by the actor and attorney. “After discussions with Gloria Allred, an attorney who represents the man and three others who were with him that night, Michael has agreed that they will all meet in the presence of a retired judge who will facilitate the meeting and help the parties resolve this matter. All concerned are hopeful that a face-to-face meeting will be constructive and begin the necessary process of healing and closure.”

On Nov. 17 at the West Hollywood comedy club The Laugh Factory, the actor and stand-up comic became upset and began a racist rant against his black hecklers, using the N-word several times. The incident was caught on a patron’s camera phone and released on the Internet. Richards has already been on David Letterman’s “Late Show” as well as Rev. Jesse Jackson’s radio show to apologize.

Allred, known for her liberal stance and legal battles against discrimination, reportedly wants Richards to meet with a judge so that the judge can determine some sort of compensation to be paid to the injured parties.

Allred, 65, counseled Amber Frey when she was a witness in the criminal case against Scott Peterson. Her daughter is Lisa Bloom, an attorney and anchor on Court TV.

Richards, 57, is best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld’s kooky neighbor Kramer on the sitcom “Seinfeld.”

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CBS TUESDAY CURSE CLAIMS “3 LBS.’

Once is bad. Twice is a coincidence. Thrice is a trend.

CBS has pulled the medical drama “3 Lbs.” from its schedule, effective immediately. While “3 Lbs.,” starring Stanley Tucci as an eccentric brain surgeon, has not been officially canceled, it could become the third consecutive scripted drama to wither on the Tuesday 10 p.m. EST vine after exactly three episodes.

Call it The Curse of “Judging Amy.”

CBS canceled the long-running drama two seasons back amidst concerns that the Emmy-winning series was skewing too old. The initially filled the spot with “Close to Home,” but that show struggled before moving to Friday nights and becoming a minor hit.

The sci-fi drama “Threshold” was slated to move to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, but it only lasted one episode there. CBS had high hopes for “Love Monkey,” but it aired only three times early this year. “Amazing Race” occupied the space for several weeks, but after earning its lowest ratings in years, CBS moved it to Wednesday nights.

The summer saw CBS strike out in the time period with “Tuesday Night Book Club,” but the jinx looked to be over when the network programmed “Smith,” one of its most hyped and star-studded pilots for Tuesdays. Instead, “Smith” was the season’s first cancellation, lasting only three episodes, playing out the string online.

The network was forced to push “3 Lbs.” onto the air a couple months earlier than expected. According to Variety, CBS only ordered eight episodes and the five remaining episodes may be made available in some other form or – far less likely – in another time slot.

In its three showings, “3 Lbs.” averaged only a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49, a 16 percent decline from the performance of “Smith.”

CBS had already planned to air the Victoria’s Secret fashion show in the “3 Lbs.” slot next week, but a special 9 p.m. airing of “3 Lbs.” has been pulled in favor of an episode of “The Unit.”

Meanwhile, somebody needs to call Tyne Daly in to do an exorcism.

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“IDOL’ VET DAUGHTRY ROCKS THE CHARTS

“Daughtry,” the self-titled debut album from Daughtry, the self-named rock ensemble from “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry, delivered big numbers in its first week on the pop charts.

According to media reports, “Daughtry” sold more than 300,000 copies to finish second on the Billboard 200 for the week. The album was behind only “Kingdom Come,” the new disc by sporadically retired hip-hop icon Jay-Z. Fueled by post-Thanksgiving retail activity, “Kingdom Come” sold 680,000 copies in its first weekend to easily outpace the competition.

While Daughtry couldn’t out-sell Jay-Z, his first week sales were the best for any “American Idol” contestant not to reach the Top Two. “Daughtry” moved nearly 100,000 more copies than the first week of Clay Aiken’s “A Thousand Different Ways” earlier this fall. It also nearly equaled the combined total sales of recent releases by former “Idol” winner Ruben Studdard and Daughtry’s fellow Season Five contender Kellie Pickler through multiple weeks in release.

Daughtry finished fourth on the past season of “Idol” and two of the singers who bested him will be releasing albums in upcoming weeks. The bar has now been raised for runner-up Katharine McPhee and winner Taylor Hicks.

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MEG RYAN FEELING “AWFUL’ AT HBO

Meg Ryan’s last appearance on a TV series was in something called “Wildside,” a Western that aired for about a month on ABC in the spring of 1985. That drought is about to end.

Ryan, the star of “When Harry Met Sally …,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and, most recently, “Against the Ropes,” is set to star in an HBO adaptation of Carrie Fisher’s novel “The Best Awful.” The book, a sequel to “Postcards From the Edge,” is being turned into a miniseries on the cable network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The Best Awful” picks up after “Postcards” in telling the story of Suzanne Vale, a bipolar actress-turned-TV host who’s dealing with the fallout from divorcing her gay husband. After going off her meds and taking an excursion to Tijuana in search of Oxycontin, she lands in a mental facility and tries to piece herself back together.

As she did with the 1990 movie of “Postcards From the Edge” (in which Meryl Streep played Suzanne), Fisher will adapt “The Best Awful” for HBO. She and Ryan will also serve as producers of the project, along with Richard LaGravenese (“The Ref,” “Beloved”) and Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen (“American Beauty,” ABC’s upcoming “Traveler”).

Ryan is a three-time Golden Globe nominee, most recently in 1999 for “You’ve Got Mail.” She has two features, “In the Land of Women” and “Homeland Security,” on tap for next year.

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AP-NY-12-01-06 1657EST