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Lachey’s big deal

Nick Lachey isn’t just the other half of pop music princess Jessica Simpson. The singer-actor, who recently enjoyed a multi-episode turn on the WB Network’s “Charmed,” is a leading man in his own right.

The former 98 Degrees heartthrob has now inked a development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co., 20th Century Fox Television to topline a half-hour or one-hour series project created for him, Reuters News Agency reports.

Mr. Lachey’s new deal with Fox is in second position to his existing ABC pact for the comedy project “Hot Mom.” The pilot, in which Mr. Lachey co-starred as part of his development/talent deal with ABC and Touchstone TV, was not picked up in May, but the network still has an option on the actor until year’s end.

Mr. Lachey, who became a pop culture fixture as a member of the minor musical group 98 Degrees and with the MTV reality hit “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica,” in which he stars with Miss Simpson, has been in high demand recently. Last month, he landed his first feature role, joining the indie film “The Hard Easy.”

That deal came on the heels of solid ratings for his ABC special “The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour.” The couple will soon begin work on a Christmas special for the network.

Pfeiffer stands back

It seems only natural that actress Michelle Pfeiffer would appear in one of her husband’s projects.

After all, David E. Kelley has a new show on the air nearly every fall season, and some of them have become huge hits, such as “Ally McBeal” and “The Practice.”

Mr. Kelley agrees, to a point.

“She would be great,” Mr. Kelley told Associated Press. “The trick would be convincing her to ever work with me. Even though I might be able to persuade her that other people are running the show, she might not quite believe that I would completely stay out of the process.

“We made one rule that we would try not to work together, if possible. For example, I wrote a feature a year ago that I thought she would happen to be right for. She read it, she liked it, and the next day I was fired off the project.”

“Boston Legal” stars James Spader and William Shatner as two eccentric lawyers. It airs at 10 p.m. Sundays on ABC

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