HBO announced today that Michael Douglas and Matt Damon will star in Behind the Candelabra, a behind-the-scenes look at the relationship between Liberace and his younger live-in lover, Scott Thorson. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) from a script by Richard LaGravenese (Water for Elephants), the film will feature Douglas as Liberace and Damon as Thorson.

Jerry Weintraub (Oceans 11 franchise) will executive produce. “I’ve wanted to make a film about Liberace for a very long time, and after the amazing experience I had with HBO on His Way, I knew that they were absolutely the right place for this movie,” Weintraub said in a statement. ”I am thrilled that we have the incomparable Michael Douglas to inhabit the role of Liberace, as well as the exceptional Matt Damon to play the pivotal part of Scott Thorson. Putting these two fine actors in the creative hands of Steven Soderbergh – it doesn’t get any better than that!”

The movie will start production in the summer of 2012, with locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

Read more:
Matt Damon on Liberace movie…and how to destroy George Clooney

Image Credit: Michael Schwartz/WireImage

Rob Schneider will finally join the CBS lineup this midseason.

After sending his project back to the drawing board, the network has ordered the untitled multi-camera comedy about a confirmed bachelor (Schneider) who marries into a tight-knit Mexican-American family. The series stars Cheech Marin and Lupe Ontiveros and is exec produced by Schneider, Lew Morton, and Eric and Kim Tannenbaum.

Jamie Widdoes directs. The comedy was developed last spring for fall consideration.

Image Credit: Angela Weiss/Getty ImagesPortia de Rossi, it will be nice to have you back on the small screen: NBC bought a put pilot from Ellen DeGeneres that would feature the Ally McBeal actress as one of two dueling sisters.

The put pilot (if picked up to series for fall of 2012) would mark De Rossi’s return to TV since the (premature!) cancellation of Better Off Ted last year. Her wife DeGeneres would executive produce the pilot through her company A Very Good Production, which is based at WBTV, home to her eponymous talk show via Telepictures.

A put pilot is a project that comes with severe (see: costly) penalties if it doesn’t air — which means this laugher has a great chance of making the cut for next fall.

According to Deadline, all four of the broadcast nets were looking to snag the project before NBC prevailed. The multi-camera comedy will be written by Don Todd (Samantha Who).

Guess Dancing with the Stars will have to wait its turn for De Rossi!