Warning: The already atrocious parking at The Grove will be much, much worse on May 7.

That’s when the American Girl Place will hold an open casting call for every would-be Felicity, Samantha and Molly.

Casting agents for Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery, starring Abigail Breslin will audition girls for the HBO Films production — the first theatrical film based on an American Girl doll.

Our position on American Girl dolls is well-documented. Our position on feature films based on the cult-like obsessions of schoolgirls is less well-known, and less well-formed.

Could a script by Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) about “the clever and resourceful Kit Kittredge, a nine-year-old girl growing up in 1934 during America’s Great Depression” be any good?

We don’t have high hopes. But at least we have advance warning about the parking.

Abigail Breslin and former child actor, Jodie Foster, are thisclose to signing a deal to star in Nim’s Island, a fantasy. Breslin will also star in the first American Girl movie, based on the dolls. First of seemingly hundreds.

Sydney Pollack will direct Recount for HBO. The film will show the “human drama” behind the Florida recount from Election Day through the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of George W. Bush five weeks later. Who’s going to play Katherine Harris–Lady Bunny?

NBC has created a new position for Vince Manze, who’s best known for coming up with catchy ad phrases: Must-See TV and Save the Cheerleader, Save the World as head of the NBC Agency. He’ll now be the president of program planning, scheduling and strategy for the net.

Susan Sarandon and John Goodman –Speed Racer’s parents? Sarandon just finished playing heiress Doris Duke, which makes her the Bette Davis of her generation.

Comedy Central is enrolling would-be comics in the online Crash Course in Comedy designed and instructed by comedian Ted Alexandro. How is this different from AOL Coaches?