Desperate Housewives
Casting News

Attention, moving companies: Send multiple vans to Wisteria Lane.

With rumors circulating that Dana Delany might be on her way out of Desperate Housewives, it's now been confirmed that Drea de Matteo will exit the series in May.

While critics will say De Matteo's character never came close to clicking with viewers, creator Marc Cherry told Michael Ausiello that the actress' contract never extended beyond this spring.

“Part of the deal when we hired Drea was she was only interested in doing one season,” Cherry said. “She has a baby and is eager to get back to her life in New York.”

The creator would not spoiler Angie's exit, but did say the arrival John Barrowman - as the man she has been on the run from - will build toward “an explosive finale" At this point, “all the mysterious parts of her past will be revealed.”

Will you miss de Matteo on the show?

Many Desperate Housewives fans still miss Nicollette Sheridan's Edie Britt.

But they won't need to for very much longer, executive producer Bob Daily sort of says.

In an interview with Zap2It this week, Daily says the show is searching for a new Edie-type character to stir things up on Wisteria Lane.

"We agree that [Edie] was a great person to have on The Lane," Daily said. "The sort of vixen troublemaker. That's a great person to have on a television show."

The producer says this new vixen would debut this season and possibly recur next year, if all goes well. But she wouldn't be an Edie clone.

"I think Nicollette was so great as that sort of blonde bombshell," Daily said. "I think we'd probably not go in that direction again just because we've had that."

Drea de Matto debuted this season on the show and hasn't made a great impression on viewers. Let's hope the series learns from its mistakes with her.

While we still cannot confirm the news that Levi Johnston might guest star on Desperate Housewives (but we can laugh hysterically at the possibility), Wisteria Lane will definitely heat up in the near future due to the presence of two super models.

Reality TV veterans and drop-dead beauties Heidi Klum and Paulina Porizkova will come aboard the series, E! News reports.

According to insiders, the pair will portray themselves in an episode tentatively scheduled to air next month.

In the installment, former model Gaby and Angie will bump into the Project Runway host and fired America's Next Top Model judge in New York City. No word on where the storyline goes from there.

But male viewers likely won't care. Thanks to the mere presence of Klum and Porizkova, they'll be more anxious to watch Desperate Housewives than their significant others for a change.

We don't even know what to say about this rumor, so we'll simply report the facts:

Sources say Levi Johnston, the almost-son-in-law and grandchild-daddy of Sarah Palin, has landed a multiple-episode role on Desperate Housewives!

This casting note was first relayed by Janet Charlton, a celebrity gossip blogger. She says series creator March Cherry, a member of the Log Cabin Republicans, met Johnston at the 2008 Republican National Convention and has been intrigued by the possibility of a guest-starring role for him ever since.

Levi is currently in the news for two reasons:

1. Posing for Playgirl.
2. Getting sued by Bristol Palin for $1,750 per month in child support.

When asked about the rumored Desperate Housewives gig - which would depict Johnston as a boy toy for an older woman - a friend of the former Alaska governor replied:

"Well, maybe now he'll be able to get caught up with his child support payments."

Be honest: who wouldn't watch Levi Johnston on Desperate Housewives?

It's hard to top the latest Desperate Housewives spoiler - that Robin will soon make out with Katherine - but here's a couple interesting casting tidbits:

As the show gets ready to conclude the Angie Bolen murder mystery - and, most likely, give Drea de Mateo her walking papers - the series has sent out a notice for Angie's mother.

ABC is seeking a tough woman in her 50s or 60s for the role. Got any suggestions?

Moreover, Desperate Housewives is searching for a Russian actress to portray the character of Irena, a 25-year-old gold-digger who set her sights on one of the neighborhood boys.

Intriguing...

The John Barrowman rumors are now a reality:

The Torchwood star has signed on for a major, recurring role on Desperate Housewives. He'll appear as the villain on at least five episode this spring, portraying a character at the center of the Angie mystery.

Look for Barrowman, who also stars on the British hit Dr. Who, to debut in April.

Being a jerk of a husband on Mad Men is paying off for Sam Page.

The actor, best known for his role as Joan's awful husband on that AMC hit, is coming to Wisteria Lane. He'll appear on multiple episodes of Desperate Housewives as Jeremy, a chef who idolizes Bree and her old-fashioned values.

Page’s first episode will air in February, around the same time he starts a stint on ABC Family’s Greek as a campaign manager and potential player in the Cappie/Casey romance.

Julie Benz, meanwhile, debuts on Desperate Housewives next week, on the drama's January 31 episode.

Double spoiler alert:

Rita was killed off Dexter to end that show's fourth season; while Mona and Karl both died as a result of the recent plane crash on Desperate Housewives.

But there's good news for fans of these Showtime and ABC hits: Julie Benz is coming to Wisteria Lane!

Sources tell Entertainment Weekly that the actress has landed the role of Debbie, a stripper with a Master's degree that is taken under Susan's wing. She's offered a chance to transition into a more stable career.

Benz will debut on Desperate Housewives in February and appear in at least three episodes. Sounds like a perfect casting match to us.

While Desperate Housewives fans contemplate who won't be around when the show returns next year, the ABC hit has announced a major casting coup:

Former Frasier star Jane Leeves will come aboard the show as Tom’s psychotherapist, Entertainment Weekly reports. She'll appear in at least two episodes.

Leeves will debut in late January. Her casting isn't a coincidence: former Frasier showrunner Joe Keenan serves as a consulting producer on Desperate Housewives.

We don't know what happens when a tree falls in a forest with no one around - but we can now say for certain what takes place when a plane crashes on to Wisteria Lane in front of millions of viewers:

Fan chaos!

Readers are buzzing over our Desperate Housewives spoiler regarding the major character that won't be around in 2010. Learn his/her identity NOW!

Meanwhile, as other characters recover from injuries sustained in this accident, the show is casting for medical personnel. Among the roles ABC recently sent out notices for:

• Joyce, a a physical therapist who will help rehabilitate a patient;
• Dr. Graham, a female psychotherapist that will stick around for at least two episodes and treat Katherine... inside a mental asylum.