News

Production begins Monday on the sixth and final season of FX's "Nip/Tuck." As the show's actors get back to work, behind the scenes their representatives are deep in salary renegotiations.

Talks for stars Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh and regulars Joely Richardson, Kelly Carlson and Roma Maffia have been ongoing for weeks.

Heading into production on Season 5 in summer 2007, McMahon and Walsh saw their compensation upped to about $125,000 an episode, with Richardson close behind at about $100,000.

This year, McMahon and Walsh reportedly are seeking to double their salaries, and the other cast members also are seeking substantial raises.

Because all of the show's actors are under contract with "Nip/Tuck" producer Warner Bros. TV, talks have been held primarily with FX, which funded last year's cast paycheck bumps in the form of cash bonuses. A similar arrangement is expected this year, but the sides remain apart on money terms...

Former "Sports Night" co-stars Teri Polo and Josh Charles will play a newly married couple in an upcoming episode of NBC's "Law & Order: Svu."

In a slew of other casting news, Michael Cudlitz has come aboard and Benjamin McKenzie has officially joined the cast of NBC's drama pilot "Lapd," Lorna Scott has joined the CW's "Surviving Suburbia," Josh Stamberg has been cast in Lifetime's drama pilot "Drop Dead Diva," Charlie Saxton has come aboard HBO's hourlong pilot "Hung," Whitney Cummings has joined MyNetworkTV's new sketch-comedy series "The Tony Rock Project," and Bella Thorne has been added to NBC's drama series "My Own Worst Enemy."

In addition, Mei Melancon has landed a multiepisode arc on Showtime's "The L Word," and Krysten Ritter has joined AMC's "Breaking Bad" as a recurring.

On "Svu," Polo will play a newly remarried mother whose teenage son (Marshall Allman, "Prison Break") develops pedophilic feelings for his 5-year-old stepbrother.

An elderly man found stabbed to death in the Nevada desert has been identified as a former child actor from the Our Gang film series. Jay R Smith, 87, was found dead on October 5 near the Interstate 15 motorway, 25 miles away from Las Vegas. Smith starred in 37 of Robert A. McGowan's comedy shorts between 1925 and 1929, including Love My Dog, Rainy Days and Crazy House. After his screen stints, he owned a paint store and also served in the U.S. army in World War II. Nevada police say a homeless man, Graydon Brooker, who had been doing odd jobs for Smith, is being questioned in connection with the former actor's death.