The Deal Report: April 21, 2006

MOVIES
+ What do Rose McGowan, Josh Brolin, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie have in common? EW has learned they’ve been cast in Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez’s half of the Weinstein Co.’s goretastic double feature Grind House. A collaboration between Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, the project consists of separately shot genre films, pieced together with faux trailers. Although plot specifics are unknown, Rodriguez’s zombie-themed half completed initial photography on April 10, and Tarantino will shoot his contribution, the slasher picture Death Proof, this June.

+ Katherine Heigl is moving to the maternity ward for Knocked Up. The Grey’s Anatomy star landed the role in Judd Apatow’s comedy after Anne Hathaway dropped out.

TELEVISION
+ The week after losing Katie Couric and adding Meredith Vieira, NBC signed Matt Lauer to cohost Today through 2011, for a whopping $13 million a year.