Elizabeth Hurley will play Diana Payne, a "sexy, smart, self-made media mogul and all-around force to be reckoned with. Diana's entrance on the Upper East Side will change the lives of all our characters -- including, and especially, Gossip Girl herself," executive producers Stephanie Savage and Joshua Safran told TVLine.

Hurley will stick around for a multi-episode arc.

In other TV casting news ...

•ABC Family's 'The Lying Game' is holding out for a hero. Adrian Pasdar, formerly of NBC's 'Heroes,' is joining the series as the father of one of the main character's friends. [TV Guide]

• '90210''s Liam is getting a new love interest.Kristina Apgar, formerly of 'Privileged,' will recur as a 21-year-old widow from Alaska. [THR]

•Charisma Carpenter, she of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' fame, is dropping by 'Burn Notice.' She'll play a high-maintenance trophy wife married to a Russian bioweapons engineer. [TVLine]

• Amy Madigan and Lance Henriksen are about to family feud on 'Memphis Beat.'The actors will play the heads of rival crime families on the TNT show. [TV Guide]

• Two new detectives are joining 'Law & Order: UK.'Dominic Rowan will play a senior crown prosecutor and Peter Davison will play the new director of the crown prosecution service. [THR]