Milano Goes To Bat For Lifetime, TBS

Actress To Star In Original Mob-Themed Telepic, Serve As Reporter For Turner’s MLB Broadband Site

By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 9/14/2007 9:14:00 AM

Cable loves Alyssa Milano.

Perhaps best known for roles on Charmed and Who’s the Boss?, Milano has signed on to star in Wisegal, an original movie for Lifetime Television, and has been named an online personality for the new baseball broadband channel, TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com.

Milano will star in Wisegal, a drama inspired by the true story of Patty Montanari, a woman who became a trusted confidant to the Mafia, only to realize that her romantic entanglement jeopardized her children. Set to air sometime early next year, the telefilm will be executive-produced by Joe Pistone, the FBI agent who infiltrated the mob and upon whom the 1997 theatrical Donnie Brasco was based.

“I’m extremely excited to have Alyssa Milano at Lifetime, having worked with her in the past at The WB on Charmed,’ said Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment for Lifetime Networks, in a statement. “We have been looking for the right project for her great talent, and she’s ideal as the star of this riveting story.”   

For TBS, which for the first time is home to MLB’s division and National League championship series, Milano will be featured regularly on the broadband site, which launched on Sept. 10. Beginning Sept. 17, she will contribute regular reports and features from MLB stadia as teams duke it out for playoff spots. Milano, a Los Angeles Dodgers season-ticket holder and the author of Touch ‘Em All blog on MLB.com., will interview players, coaches and fans, and provide such features on calorie counting at the ballpark and the best in baseball attire. She certainly knows from the latter: she launched Touch, a women’s MLB apparel line this year.

"Alyssa Milano has been a popular figure in the world of entertainment for a number of years and we’re excited to pair her star power with her passion for baseball to give fans an insiders look at the MLB postseason,” said Turner Sports senior director of production Jeff Ogan in a statement. “In her role on TBS Hot Corner she’ll take fans behind-the-scenes from the clubhouse to the concession stands, offering entertaining reports on all things baseball like only she can.”   

In addition to her work for TBS and Lifetime, Milano will play a recurrent character on NBC’s My Name is Earl this season and her latest film, Pathology, is scheduled to be released by MGM in late November.