Ana Villafañe to Star in CBS’ Comedy Pilot “To Whom It May Concern”

Ana Villafañehas reason for concern

The 29-year-old Cuban and Salvadoran American actress has landed a series regular role opposite Michael Angarano and Briga Heelan in To Whom It May Concern, CBS’ comedy pilot from Gail Berman’s The Jackal Group and CBS Television Studios

Ana Villafañe

Mark Cendrowski willdirectthe pilot, which will also star Raymond Ablack, Michael Cassidy and Taylor Dearden.

Written by Mike MetzTo Whom It May Concern centers on Evan (Angarano), who with the help of his group of 20-something friends, sets out to accomplish a list of challenges he wrote for himself years ago in an effort to turn around his banal life.

Villafañe will play Lea Carter, an elementary school English teacher, who’s breezy and cool – like the Pittsburgh weather never is. Life decisions have always come easily, but when she reconnects with Evan and friends, she wonders for the first time if there’s more out there. The ever-smitten Evan has hoped that means him… since 9th grade.

Villafañe is best known for originating the role of Gloria Estefanin the Tony Awardnominated hit bio-musical about Estefan’s life, On Your Feet. She was most recently seen off-Broadwaystarring in the critically acclaimed production of Collective Rage.

Last year she booked the CBS pilot History of Them

Richie to Star on NBC’s Upcoming Comedy Series “Great News”

There’s a little Great News for Nicole Richie

The 34-year-old part-Mexican American television personality and fashionista will star in NBC‘s forthcoming comedy Great News in a recasting, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Nicole Richie

Inspired by the life of Tracey Wigfield, the comedy centers on a mother-daughter relationship that is challenged when an overly involved New Jersey mom (Andrea Martin) interns at her daughter’s (Briga Heelan) workplace, a cable news network.

The Simple Life alum has been tapped to play Portia, the role originally played by Kimrie Lewis-Davis in the pilot.

Producers are said to have wanted to go in a different direction with the role. Portia is the hip, young co-host of The Breakdown, the cable news show within Great News. Sometimes a shrewd social media genius, sometimes a clueless idiot, Portia has little interest in her older co-host’s (John Michael Higgins) hard-hitting traditional vision for the show.

Written by Wigfield, the 30 Rock alum exec produces the Universal Television single-camera comedy alongside Tina Fey and Robert Carlock.

Beth McCarthy Miller directed the pilot for the series, which is due to bow midseason.

It’s Richie’s first scripted series-regular television role following reality television work on The Simple Life and Candidly Nicole as well as guest-acting appearances on NBC’s Chuck, The New Normal and Fox‘s Empire.