" Tim Robbins will write, exec-produce and direct Possible Side Effects for Showtime, a drama pilot about a dysfunctional family tied to the big-bucks pharmaceutical industry, says Variety.

" Sources tell the New York Post's Page Six that Star Jones, who just recently booked an SVU gig (detailed below), has inked a deal to host her own Court TV show later this year. UPDATE: Court TV announced Wednesday that Star will front a show about criminal justice issues that intersect with the pop culture world.

" Filmmaker Curtis Hanson ( 8 Mile, L.A. Confidential) has inked a multiyear deal to create, develop and produce programming for CBS Paramount Network Television.

" Lifetime has ordered 13 episodes of Side Order of Life, starring Marisa Coughlan as a photographer who rethinks her life after a pal gets cancer, with Jason Priestley playing her fiancé. A July premiere is slated.

" Fox News is in talks to pick up 24 creator Joel Surnow's 1/2 Hour News Hour, which recently sampled to above-average ratings.