Bradley Cooper has dropped out of the title role in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s remake of The Crow due to scheduling conflicts with Paradise Lost — but fret not: both Channing Tatum and Mark Wahlberg have apparently surfaced as possible replacements. And if the competition for the role is decided via a shirtless dance contest in which the two channel their former selves (as a stripper and Marky Mark, respectively), we all win. Grade: B-[HR]

Melissa McCarthy will steal Jason Bateman’s identity in the comedy ID Theft. Apparently McCarthy’s role was originally written for a dude, but Bateman, who is also producing, pushed for McCarthy after seeing Bridesmaids. Good thinking, Jason. Grade: A [Deadline]

MTV has picked up Awkward, a dramedy about a high-school girl with a blog and problems fitting in, for a second season. The network’s flitted around with scripted programming, recently canceling both Skins and The Hard Times R.J. Berger but renewing Teen Wolf and giving a bunch of other scripted projects the greenlight. Hey, we also have a blog! Grade: C [HR]

When CBS’s View-killer The Talk comes back in September, it will most likely do so without two of its hosts, Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete. (Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne and Julie Chen will be returning). Not sure what Peete’s immediate options look like, but Remini can always go back to Malibu Sands, right? Grade: C [Deadline]

Kate Plus 8 got cancelled. Grade: A [Variety]

Brad Pitt is in talks for The Gray Man, an adaptation of Mark Greany’s thriller about a top-class assassin who has to go on the lam when his last job is compromised. This sounds promising: Adam Cozad’s screenplay was on the Black List last year, and we already know from Mr. and Mrs. Smith that Brad Pitt can play a guy who kills other guys. The only possible concern? James Gray will direct, and may have to fight the urge to slyly turn The Gray Man into a biopic on himself. Grade: A [Variety]

Ryan Phillipe will star in Crazy A’s, an indeed-crazy-sounding indie in which he’ll play an on-and-off druggie “haunted” (literally or not is unclear) by his dead mother’s ghost, who wants him to return home to Shreveport, Louisiana where Anna Paquin, playing his brother’s wife, still has the hots for him from back in the day. The best part is that this means Paquin, star of True Blood, may get to hear a real Louisiana accent for the first time ever. Grade: C+ [Variety]

Bunim/Murray Prods. and Henson Alternative are teaming up on a show called History Of, which will feature puppets recreating “iconic pop culture moments.” Hopefully that includes Deena’s second fall on last week’s episode of Jersey Shore. Grade: B+ [Variety]