Saturday Night Live, which features not a single black woman on cast, immediately addressed the issue last night in its opening sketch: By poking fun at itself and not really addressing anything (a point driven home by the Rev. Al Sharpton).

The perpetually up-and-coming actress gets another shot at the big leagues. Also today: Showtime wisely renews their best show, Jennifer Coolidge gets grunt work, and MTV says goodbye to some friends.

Watch out world, there's a new diva in town. Or should I say divo. His name is Alex Pettyfer and he wants what he wants when he wants it. Also today: lots of news about TV pilots, including the casting of a lead on a Shonda Rhimes show, plus Charlie Sheen agrees to cough up some cash.

[Kerry Washington, one of the stars of Tyler Perry's poorly reviewed movie adaptation of the play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf", in New York. Photo via Splash]

Yup, it just got blown away. Sorry folks, but the ratings don't lie. Also today: Tonnnns of casting news, from monster movies to sex movies to wife movies. Plus some gay Glee scuttlebutt.

Elisabeth Moss files for divorce. Jailbound Lindsay Lohan gets a facial. Michael Jackson's kids will take the stand to discuss his drug use. Tuesday gossip puts its best face and worst faith forward.

The New York Post's resident theater crone Michael Riedel writes today about "the Denzel effect," suggesting that since Mr. Washington won a Tony back in June, many Hollywood actors, especially black ones, have become interested in working on stage.

No, she is not leaving Vogue, no she is not moving to D.C., no she has not been installed as the monarch of some European country. She's just on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Oh dear, whispers Page Six this morning. Kerry Washington—an up-and-coming actress who sure is taking a while to get up-and-over-here—is moving to New York to star in a play. And she can only pay $3,000 a month!

Publicist (and new mom) Lizzie Grubman turns 38 today. Dick Cheney turns 68. Christian Bale is 35. Gene Hackman is 79. Wilmer Valderrama turns 29. Vanessa Redgrave is 72. Phil Collins is turning 58. Theater impresarios Harold Prince and Bernard Gersten are 81 and 86, respectively. NHL star Chris Simon is 37. Singer/songwriter Josh Kelley is 29. Weekend birthdays—including that of Andre Balazs—after the jump.

Are you famous, but famously uninformed? Been nursing your platitudes lest your pet cause found its way to the B-list in this election year? Help is on the way: In a press release distributed this morning, Creative Coalition executive director Robin Bronk offers her special brand of Earnest Celebrity Issue Counseling for all your 2008 campaign preening: