By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After securing a hefty raise, "Two and a Half Men" star Jon Cryer is in final negotiations to star in the indie comedy "Hit By Lightning," which marks the feature directorial debut of former "Family Guy" writer-producer Ricky Blitt. Blitt wrote the script, which is described as a cross between "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Body Heat." Cryer is nearing a deal to play a single fast food manager who finally finds love with the perfect woman, but there's a catch - she's married and wants him to kill her husband. ...

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams is about to boldly do what he's never done before: receive the International Emmy Founders Award. Abrams is being honored with the Founders Award at this year's International Emmy Awards, which take place November 25 in New York. International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences president & CEO Bruce L. Paisner made the announcement on Wednesday, calling Abrams "a master of all forms of entertainment." Abrams, he said, "has made an indelible mark on our global culture," Paisner said. ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Award-winning comedy "The Office" is hoping to get an extra-long episode for the series finale later this month, but Steve Carell's bumbling office manager Michael Scott won't be joining the farewell party, the producer of the TV comedy said on Wednesday. Greg Daniels, executive producer of the U.S. mockumentary workplace comedy, said the May 16 finale will be patterned after the original British version, in which the characters reunited after becoming famous as reality TV stars. ...

By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - For the ousted creator of NBC's "Smash," the responsibility for the show's demise doesn't lie at her feet. In a spirited email exchange with BuzzFeed's chief Los Angeles correspondent, Theresa Rebeck feels that the show's rapidly dwindling ratings and exile to live out the rest of its days on Saturday nights proves that she wasn't the one who ruined the show. ...

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Veep" has been elected for a third season. HBO has renewed the series, which stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, the vice president of the United States. The cast also includes Tony Hale as Meyer's right-hand man Gary; Anna Chlumsky as chief of staff Amy, and Reid Scott as political aide Dan, among others. The third season, which will consist of 10 episodes, will premiere next year. "Veep" premiered its second season April 14. Its most recent episode, on Sunday at 10 p.m., drew 1.3 million total viewers, a high so far this season. ...

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After working together on "Frances Ha," Adam Driver is in talks to reteam with writer-director Noah Baumbach on his upcoming "While We're Young," several individuals familiar with the long-gestating project have told TheWrap. Driver's representative at the Gersh Agency did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Baumbach's "Greenberg" actor Ben Stiller has long been attached to star in the film, which follows a fortysomething couple that strikes up an unlikely friendship with a free-spirited younger couple. ...

(Reuters) - Television journalist Maria Shriver is returning to NBC as a special anchor covering women's issues nine years after leaving the network when her then husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was elected governor of California. Shriver, 57, will appear on various NBC networks, including CNBC, MSNBC and NBC Sports. Shriver left NBC in 2004 when she became the first lady of California, NBC said in a statement on Tuesday. Shriver, the niece of slain U.S. President John F. ...