- Hilary Duff is joining the cast of “Gossip Girl”…. albeit temporarily. According to my pal Michael Ausiello, the pop moppet will guest as “Olivia Burke, a movie star who enrolls at NYU in search of a traditional college experience”. I’m guessing she doesn’t get it!?

- Hugo Weaving tells Australia’s Herald-Sun that not only is a sequel to “Happy Feet” gearing up, but a third “Babe” may be too. He’s expected to lend his lungs to both projects.

- Publicity-shy Bill Nighy (“The Boat That Rocked”) has snagged a role in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, according to The Independent.

- Liza Minnelli and Delta Burke are set to play dueling sisters on a new Lifetime legal dramedy (snore) called “Divas”. (Michael Ausiello)

- “Blade Trinity” babe Jessica Biel may be returning to the world of comic book movies. According to NuketheFridge, the leggy stunner could be in talks to play the female lead in director Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor”. Just one question… isn’t Natalie Portman being courted for that part?

- Goonies Never Say Die! Indeed. Chris Columbus, writer of the 1985 hit, tells Sci-Fi wire that he’s heard whispers – via one of the film’s original cast members – that the sequel may be gearing up. Don’t start lining up just yet…

- That God-awful “Transformers” sequel is on the verge of becoming the highest-grossing pic of the year at the worldwide box office –all in less than two weeks in release. Through Tuesday, the pic’s global haul was $448.4 million. (Variety)

- Veteran actor Karl Malden, best known for his role on TVs “The Streets of San Francisco”, has died from natural causes at the age of 97. Our condolences to his family and friends.

- Kristen Bell tells Michael Ausiello that the “Veronica Mars” movie is as lifeless as Kermit’s crotch. “I don’t think it will ever happen, and here’s why: [Series creator] Rob Thomas and I had a powwow, and we were both 100 percent on board. We took our proposal to Warner Bros. and Joel Silver told us that there is no enthusiasm [there] to make a Veronica Mars movie, and that is unfortunately a roadblock we cannot compete with” says the foxy blonde starlet.

- “Prison Break” fave Wentworth Miller will guest star in an episode of “Law and Order : SVU”. Went will play a cop who comes to the rescue of a rape victim. (TV Guide Magazine)

- Steven Soderbergh is officially off “Moneyball”, which Sony pulled the plug on a week ago or so. (The L.A Times).

- Sony has decided to move Adam Sandler buddy comedy “Grown Ups” out of March and into the heart of summer. The all-star comedy will open June 25, the date originally staked out for the studio’s Seth Rogen action-comedy “The Green Hornet,” which now bows July 9. Apparently Sony have moved “Grown Ups” to June based on the success of this year’s similarly-themed June release “The Hangover”. (Variety)

- “Coyote Ugly” honey Piper Perabo will star in the USA Network’s spy thriller “Covert Affairs.” The series centers on Annie Walker (Perabo), a CIA trainee who speaks six languages and excels at any endeavor she undertakes. Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity”) is one of the executive producers. (The Hollywood Reporter)

- Christian Slater may be returning to TV. The actor, whose “My Own Worst Enemy”, lasted merely a handful of episodes, is circling Jerry Bruckheimer’s “The Forgotten”. The series revolves around a group of amateur detectives led by a former cop (Slater) whose 11-year-old daughter was kidnapped three years before. (The Hollywood Reporter)

- The fourth “Resident Evil” movie (just what we need) is due in theatres September 17, 2010, according to Shock Til You Drop.

- Coming Soon has premiered the one-sheet for the upcoming Bruce Willis thriller “The Surrogates”.

- Filming is set to begin on “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse” at Vancouver Film Studios between August 17 and October 31, says MTV. In other words, the third film will be in the can before the second has even hit theatres.

- Samuel L.Jackson’s Nick Fury will have about as much to do in “Iron Man 2″, as he had to do in the first film. (Cinema Blend)

- “E.T” co-stars Dee Wallace and Peter Coyote look set to reunite for director Tonya S.Holly’s “The Story of Bonnie & Clyde”.

- “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” fave Robert Romanus (‘Mike Damone’) has filmed a cameo in “American Pie Presents Book of Love”.

- Jackie Earle Haley has signed on to play Freddy Krueger in three “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies. We visited the set in Chicago a week ago or so and will have our report up closer to release. (Bloody Disgusting)

Film Reccomendation of the Day :

Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Ah, sweet little Jennifer Jason Leigh getting bonked in the bleechers (to the music of Jackson Browne, no less), Judge Reinhold spanking the money to Phoebe Cates moist breasts, Sean Penn’s Spicoli ordering Pizza to class (and not getting a slice for himself!), Nicolas Coppola making his big-screen debut as a fast-food cook, and Mr Hand – - who can forget Mr Hand! God I love this movie. I’ve seen it so many times since it hit the theatres in 1982.  I feel so darn old!