The venerable Need for Speed franchise is getting some new blood in its upcoming 18th installment. EW can exclusively report that through the magic of motion-capture technology, Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks will play a leading role in the upcoming Need for Speed: The Run. She plays Sam Harper, a presumably badass big wheel in the exciting world of outlaw street racing, who serves as the player’s eyes and ears on the course.

“She’s got a relationship with the main driver player,” explains Hendricks, referring to the game’s protagonist Jack Rourke (played by Sean Faris who, in a bit of ambient gamer lore, played Kyo Kusanagi in the film adaptation of The King of Fighters.) “They come from the same hood. She gets him involved in the cross-country race with a lot of money at stake. There’s an element of pushing him but also taking care of him.”

Hendricks admits that she’s not a gamer, though she explains, “My husband and my brother are huge game players. My husband’s constantly running to GameStop because something’s being released the next day.” This is her third car-themed role in the last year, after last month’s Drive and 2010′s Life As We Know It (where her character died in an off-screen car accident), but Hendricks sounds a bit embarrassed describing her own choice of wheels. “For years, I have been driving a PT Cruiser. I like that I can put tons of stuff in it.”

She laughs. “I don’t think you’re gonna see a PT Cruiser in Need for Speed. It’s really not an action car.” We’ll soon find out — Need for Speed: The Run will hit North America on November 15 for XBox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, and PC, so there’s still time for the developers to add “Christina Hendricks’ PT Cruiser” as limited-edition Downloadable Content.

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Helen Hunt, Aaron Paul (”Breaking Bad“) and Maggie Grace have joined the cast of indie drama-comedy “Decoding Annie Parker” alongside Samantha Morton in the title role and Christina Hendricks.

Lensing is set to begin later this month in Los Angeles.

“Decoding” is directed by Steven Bernstein from a script he co-wrote with Adam Bernstein. The story centers on the irrepressible Parker, a breast-cancer patient who stops at nothing to solve the mystery behind her illness despite the beliefs of the medical establishment.

Pic is produced by Clark Peterson, Stuart Ross, Keith Kjarval, Mary Vernieu and Ron Senkowski. Jonathan Brownlee and Sahil Chanana exec produce.

Based on a true story, project originated with Steven Bernstein and Clark Peterson.

The production was one of 27 named in June to receive the state of California’s tax credit incentive in the third year of that program — aimed at preventing production companies from moving their projects, jobs and spending out of the Golden State.

”Decoding” is the feature directing debut for Bernstein, who was the cinematographer on “Monster” and “Like Water for Chocolate.” Bernstein and Peterson collaborated on ”Monster” and several other projects.

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Finally it’s Emmys Day! Christina Hendricks is nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and thanks to PopSugar we’ll be able to see LIVE the event starting at 3:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ET.

ALTHOUGH attempts at a new Wonder Woman TV series were ill-judged and disastrous, the long-held dream of seeing the Amazon princess on the big screen is edging closer to reality.

In May last year, Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, Valhalla Rising) said it was his ambition to make a new film featuring the superheroine.

And now, speaking at London film festival Empire Presents… Big Screen, the director addressed the issue once again, explaining that he could get the chance if he does a good job with the new adaptation of Logan’s Run, starring Ryan Gosling.

He said: “I would love to make Wonder Woman. And I also think that Christina Hendricks would be the perfect Wonder Woman, but Warner Bros haven’t called yet. But I’m getting closer with Logan’s Run. I think someone said to me in a meeting that if I get Logan’s Run right, then I’ll get Wonder Woman.”

It’s not the first time Refn has campaigned for Hendricks, and the actress herself has said she is keen on the suggestion, previously admitting: “I love it, I’ve been wanting to wear that outfit my whole life. That would be so much fun.”

Hendricks appears in Refn’s upcoming crime thriller Drive, released in the UK on September 23, and is a regular on hit TV series Mad Men. The 36-year-old made her first foray into the DC Comics world when she voiced Lois Lane in this year’s animated DVD release All-Star Superman.

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Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenburg, Heidi Klum, Nicki Minaj and Christina Hendricks are among the designers and celebrities who will celebrate this year’s Fashion’s Night Out.

The third annual event, a shopping paradise designed to boost the economy, will be held in cities across the USA on Sept. 8. Shoppers will be treated to extended retail hours, limited-edition merchandise, fashion shows, live performances, celebrity appearances and other fun extras. (Beverly Hills shoppers can take a ride on a Ferris wheel mounted in the center of famed Rodeo Drive.)

New for 2011: More than 200 e-tailers will participate virtually in the event.

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“Mad Men” hottie Christina Hendricks is joining Dermot Mulroney (the upcoming  “J. Edgar“), Chris Colfer (“Glee“)  and Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family“) in the indie coming-of-age comedy “Struck By Lightning,” which has just started principal photography.

Alison Janney (“Juno“) will also appear in the film, written by Colfer, and directed by Brian Dannelly (“Saved“) .

The film opens with Colfer’s character being struck, and killed, by lightning, and then tells the rest of his story in flashback, as he blackmails his schoolmates into contributing to his own literary magazine.

“We’re so thrilled to begin filming this story that really captures the trials and tribulations of coming into your own,” said Dannelly in a release. “We’ve got a phenomenal cast on board and Chris’ script is so smart, fresh, and funny but also has such heart.  I’m excited to help tell this coming-of-age story that I think will resonate with young audiences, and all of us who’ve survived adolescence.”

Hendricks will soon be seen in ”I Don’t Know How She Does It,” with Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan, and the neo-noir “Drive,” opposite Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan.

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The 63rd Prime-Time Emmy Awards nominations were just announced. For the second year in a row, Christina Hendricks got her nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series! Congratulations!

The other nominations for Mad Men are:

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series (Jon Hamm)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series (Elisabeth Moss)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series (John Slattery)

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series (Robert Morse)

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series (Cara Buono and Randee Heller)

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series

Outstanding Costumes For A Series (4.09 – The Beautiful Girls)

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series (4.07 – The Suitcase / 4.12 – Blowing Smoke)

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single-Camera Series (4.10 – Hands and Knees / 4.02 – Christmas Comes But Once A Year)

Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) (4.04 – The Rejected)

Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series (4.01 – Public Relations)

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Single-Camera Series (4.07 – The Suitcase)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (4.07 – The Suitcase/ 4.12 – Blowing Smoke)

Again, congratulations to Christina, the cast and the crew!

CAA has signed Emmy-nominated Mad Men star Christina Hendricks. Hendricks, who plays Joan Holloway on AMC’s drama series, co-stars with Ryan Gosling in the Nicolas Winding Refn-directed Drive and the Weinstein Company’s I Don’t Know How She Does It. She had been with the Kohner Agency.

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NBC’s attempt to remount Wonder Woman as a television series came to naught, but maybe it’s for the best: Nicolas Winding Refn has a plan in mind for a big-screen Wonder Woman that is sure to intrigue fanboys and please Mad Men devotees.

At the U.S. premiere of Refn’s Ryan Gosling neo-noir Drive at the Los Angeles Film Festival last night, Refn referenced the Wonder Woman project he’s long wanted to make, then pointed at his Drive co-star Christina Hendricks and said, “If I ever get to do it, she’s going to be it.”

Hendricks would almost certainly be game — she told Rachael Ray last year that “I’ve been wanting to wear that outfit my whole life … I had Underoos — I had Wonder Woman Underoos.” Warner Bros., sign these people up now!

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Allergan, the maker of LATISSE^® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, announced today the launch of the 2011 LATISSE^® Wishes Challenge. Inspired by the tradition of blowing on an eyelash to make wishes come true, the campaign is gaining momentum for the second year by rallying women in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation^®, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. LATISSE^® user and Emmy-nominated actress Christina Hendricks is encouraging women to join her to help raise $500,000 so a wish can be granted in every Make-A-Wish^® chapter across the country. LATISSE^® is the first and only prescription treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grow lashes longer, fuller and darker for those with inadequate or not enough lashes (eyelash hypotrichosis).

Consumers can participate in the LATISSE^® Wishes Challenge by donating a minimum of $20 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation through the campaign’s website, www.LatisseWishesChallenge.com. LATISSE^® will double all donations up to $250,000 until November 30, 2011.

Read more at the source.