Film star Elizabeth Banks (“W,” “Zack and Miri Make A Porno”) has signed on for a potentially recurring role on ABC’s critically-praised new fall sitcom, Modern Family.

Elizabeth, who previously had a recurring role on Scrubs, will be playing Sal, a character described by executive producer Christopher Lloyd as “the fag hag” friend of gay couple Mitchell and Cameron. In real life, Elizabeth is a close friend of actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell), and expressed interest in a role after falling in love with the pilot.

“Sal is their old running buddy,” says executive producer Steven Levitan. “Mitchell and Cameron decide they need a night out on the town, so they call her up.” Lloyd adds, “She’s thrilled to be back with her old friends until they start talking about their new (adopted) baby and she doesn’t want to hear about the baby, so she starts saying things like, ‘I wouldn’t mind killing the baby.’” The episode will likely air in October.

From TV Guide

After a financial hitch, “The Details” — a dark comedy that stars Maguire and Elizabeth Banks, also known for her “Spider-Man” role — is back in Seattle.

Oh, the movie also includes ravenous raccoons gone berserk.

The raccoons come into Tobey’s life, tearing up the carefully tended turf he had put in his backyard, at the same time his marriage is on the skids.

Remember: “Dark comedy.”

Trained raccoons — apparently raccoons are trainable — are set to arrive from California in a week or so.

They’ll always be on a leash when filmed, and away from the human actors. The leashes will be digitally removed from the film.

You might recall the story in June about the financial problems of the low-budget film.

It’s a “Tier 1″ movie, which means the budget is less than $4.3 million, said Bob Riggs, business agent for the regional International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

So Maguire is giving up his star salary to work on “The Details” because he believes in the film and its director, Jacob Estes, who drew good reviews for 2004 indie coming-of-age film “Mean Creek.”

Explained the film’s producer, Hagai Shaham, “we had problems with financing; it got fixed.”

Meanwhile, a Seattle woman, Daphne Tomchak, who had agreed to rent out her home and have the producers do some free remodels, was put in a financial limbo.

She was looking at ripped-out walls, missing wiring and electrical fixtures and having her furniture moved to the basement when the money problems surfaced.

But everything is fine now, said Tomchak. She’s staying with a friend.

The remodeling work was completed, with changes such as putting French doors facing the backyard, where most of the action with the increasingly agitated raccoons takes place.

Tomchak said the producers also changed the color of the back of the house from dark green to yellow; they’ll paint it back to green.

“They said yellow is funnier,” she said.

Seattle was chosen to film “The Details,” said Shaham, “because it’s like America, it’s not New York, it’s not Los Angeles.”

He said the Montlake home was chosen because of its big backyard, “and there aren’t many big yards in Seattle.”

The filming also involves two other homes along the block, although just for their exteriors.

The neighbors have taken their temporary film invasion — filming began Tuesday and is scheduled to end Sept. 12 — in good humor.

On some nights, filming has been scheduled until 5 a.m.

Kit Bakke, who lives on 26th Avenue East, said the neighbors all got letters and fliers explaining the filming.

Her family is having remodeling work done on their home, she said, and sometimes a young woman from the film crew with a walkie-talkie stops by.

When there’s filming going, said Bakke, she tells the guys working, “Stop, stop,” so their noise doesn’t interfere.

Bakke also confessed that having a film crew around “is so seductive. I guess I’m kind of overwhelmed by the magnitude of the truck, and equipment, and everything.”

She has written a book, “Miss Alcott’s E-mail,” and she’s thought she’d show it to the director of “The Details.” It’d just be a short walk, and, well, you never know.

Bakke’s husband said it wasn’t that great an idea.

“I still might do it,” said Bakke.

As for sightings of Maguire, neighbors exchanged stories.

One told of watching Maguire doing a scene in the backyard of the “hero” house, looking very serious as he moved slowly across the yard, speaking loudly. When the director yelled “Cut!” Maguire started laughing.

Maguire and his wife and two children were seen on the sidewalk, the children playing with neighborhood kids and dogs.

Actress Elizabeth Banks, on the other hand, “was standoffish,” said the neighbor.

Uh-uh.

A standoffish star in Seattle.

Come on, give us a smile.

Elizabeth … we’re SO nice here.

From the California Chronicle

Elizabeth Banks prefers simple, classic pieces, but the pantsuits and pearl necklaces she wears in Oliver Stone’s upcoming film W.? They don’t get her vote. “The wardrobe was very First Lady—clothes I wouldn’t normally be seen in,” she laughs.

The actress, who also stars in Eddie Murphy’s new movie, Meet Dave, says her fave red carpet dress is the Christian Dior sheath, seen here, which she wore to the Spiderman 3 premiere. “It was pretty and fresh, which is exactly how I wanted to feel that day,” explains Elizabeth, who also wore Dior jade and diamond earrings.

The vibrant ensemble looked stunning against her fair skin. “I’m really lucky. I don’t have circles under my eyes. I don’t have tired-looking skin,” says the star, who preserves her natural beauty by drinking lots of water. A Banks beauty tip: “I like cold compresses,” she adds. “If I’m in a rush, I’ll grab a soda can and stick it under my eyes.”

From My Style

The movies have come to Montlake.

A film crew of locals and Los Angeles transplants took over the 1700 block of 26th Avenue East on Tuesday morning, moving props and equipment in and out of three adjacent homes in preparation to shoot “The Details,” a dark romantic comedy starring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney and Ray Liotta.

The movie is about a couple that gets into a dispute with a neighbor over a raccoon infestation. Today is the first day of shooting.

“If they wanted a neighborhood with a raccoon problem, they picked the right one,” said Marty Lentz, who learned about the film after she saw the line of vans and walked over with Jon Noll to investigate.

Lentz and Noll live too far away from to have gotten the notices sent to nearby residents with the shooting schedule and details about parking restrictions and noise. Cast and crew are scheduled to film late into the night all 13 days they’re in the neighborhood — some nights until 5 or 6 a.m.

Resident Simone Buterse said the Mayor’s Office of Film and Music had urged neighbors to do their best to welcome the crew, saying this is a good opportunity for Seattle.

“I’m more curious than excited,” Buterse said.

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Elizabeth makes a cameo in the new movie “Funny People”, which opens tomorrow (July 31st) in theaters nationwide! Metro Weekly reports:

Not surprisingly, Apatow does incorporate real Hollywood into the story in fun ways. Elizabeth Banks and Justin Long, while not in the film’s actual narrative, co-star with George in his various movies and a bevy of comedians make cameos – though some aren’t as recognizable as they may hope. And Sarah Silverman has a wonderful moment stealing the scene as only she can. But ultimately it’s clear that George is not the fictional version of Sandler and more is going to be required of him.