THIS 'N' THAT

ABC will air its eagerly awaited The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz on May 20. R&B thrush Ashanti plays the lead, Queen Latifah is Auntie Em and Miss Piggy plays all four witches. The rest of the Muppet gang are all fuzzy friends of Dorothy... Daily Variety reports that Robert Redford is coproducing a bio of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball. The Natural himself will step up to the plate as Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey... CBS has hired JoBeth Williams for its Stroller Wars pilot and Gregory Harrison — yes, Gonzo Gates — for its untitled Susie Essman show.

TV GuideNews March 31, 2005 at 12:00 a.m. PT