We really should have gone to see Law Abiding Citizen! We really should have. Also today: Somehow a young filmmaker gets his shot, casting news for two Showtime shows, and renewal news for two TNT series.

It's so nice to hear a Hollywood success story. A young fellow named Sam Levinson has overcome the hardship of his dad being famous movie director Barry Levinson and will, against all odds, direct his own movie at the spriggy age of 25. Levinson (who is one of the two younger men in this photo) has written and will direct a picture called The Reasonable Bunch, about, get this, a "chaotic family wedding". Sweet new idea, Sam! He's somehow assembled quite a cast too. Ezra Miller, Thomas Haden Church, Kate Bosworth, the Ellens Burstyn and Barkin, and Dame Demi Moore. I just can't wait to see what someone does with that cast and that where-did-he-come-up-with-that-one idea about a crazy family wedding. Wow. Quite a story, huh? It's amazing what some people can do in this country with a little elbow grease, huh? [Variety]

Talk about packin' heat! Talk about things that keep getting longer! Talk about things looking up! You know, just talk about things. While you're talking about things, I'm going to type that Hung, HBO's way-better-than-its-title show about a male prostitute, has been renewed for a third season. So yay for Jane Adams and Anne Heche and Rebecca Creskoff, who are all terrific on the show. And, I guess, yay for Thomas Jane, who I still just can't quite figure out. [THR]

J.J. Abrams and longtime Lost writer Elizabeth Sarnoff are teaming up to create a show called Alcatraz, which is about the famous prison that floats ominously in the Pacific Ocean, changing locations every century or so. Currently it's in the shark-infested San Francisco Bay, but who knows where it could end up next. Maybe out by Pukapuka Island. Anyway, any other details of the show are being kept under wraps for the time being. Maybe it will be pitched to CBS as a sitcom about two wacky mismatched pals — Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery — who end up falling in love with the island of Alcatraz after traveling there to kill Ed Harris and have to put up with each other as reluctant, but deep down friendly, islandmates. Or maybe they'll pitch it to ABC Family and it could be The 'Traz, about a futuristic island prison for teens who fight against a group of bad adults called The Analogs, who want to ban use of the Cyberverse forever. Or maybe they'll pitch it to ABC and it will be about people reopening Alcatraz to house really dangerous criminals and maybe one woman prison guard who has to hold the whole thing together. I dunno. I'm hoping for some mix of the Sean Connery one and The 'Traz. [Deadline]

Eddie Izzard and Frances Conroy have both been cast on United States of Tara, Izzard for eight episodes and Conroy for just one lonely one. Interestingly, the one-off character sounds more interesting: Conroy will play Jon Corbett's crazy hoarder mother. Izzard's playing a psychology professor who becomes obsessed with the curious case of Tara Gregson. Oh whatever. Tara is like the least interesting person on that show by a Kentucky mile. Let's have more Marshall and Patton Oswalt and the sister and Joey Lauren Adams. Tara with her dumb personalities and stuff. Nuts to them. Nuts to them everywhere. I guess I'm interested in the central mystery or whatever, but mostly I want to watch Marshall fall in love with boys and maybe watch the sister fall down the stairs. That would be pretty satisfying, the daughter falling down the stairs. If not to this show, maybe they can add a stairs-falling-down element to Sean Connery Presents: The 'Traz. You getting all this, Sarnoff? This is gold. [EW]

Here's a sentence no one ever wants to hear: "They've given Jamie Foxx a television show." Yyyarghhh, noooo! Want to hear an even worse sentence? "They've given Jamie Foxx a sketch comedy television show on Fox." BLISTERCATS, THAT'S AWFUL. It's not immediately clear if Jamie Foxx will actually be on The Jamie Foxx Project, or if he's just producing and will occasionally show up to do LaWanda. Also: "Project". Ugh. Can we stop naming things "The ____ Project" just because we can't think of a better title? It means absolutely nothing. For example. What is this project that Rachel Zoe is working on? Is she getting ready for the science fair? "Brad!! We have to get more bananas for this experiment!!! Brad!!" And then she finds Brad curled up dead in a potted plant and she sighs and puts him out on the curb. Sad. Anyway. Jamie Foxx, ladies and gentlemen. [Deadline]

Some tidbits! Memphis Beat, TNT's show about police officers, has been renewed for a second season. This comes shortly after the news that Rizzoli & Isles, TNT's show about police officers, has also been renewed for second go-around. Though Jason Lee is (was?) a Scientologist and named his kid Pilot Inspektor, Angie Harmon likes Carrie Prejean and Sarah Palin, so Ima root for Lee on this one. [THR] Joan Cusack, sister of known Satanist John (and occasional actress Ann), has been cast to replace Allison Janney in the new Showtime show Shameless. That is shocking. I am shocked. Well, actually, that's not that shocking. I am not that shocked. Cusack is a pretty good swap-in for Janney. [The Wrap]