Casting Revealed For Lifetime's "Dirty Little Secret - The Jodi Arias Story"

The Jodi Arias murder trial was cut short on Wednesday, speculation is that Ms. Arias was suffering from another migraine headache. Arias has reportedly been suffering from these headaches which have caused at least three abbreviated court sessions. The trial began on January 2, yet yesterday marked only the 49th day of testimony! The defense held center stage for 38 of those days, and as I mentioned yesterday I hope the prosecution takes enough time to show to full force of their rebuttal case. Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott continued to press prosecution expert Dr. Janeen DeMarte yesterday about her credentials, her hourly rate and her expertise in PTSD and battered women's syndrome. The questions regarding her rates were not effective, as DeMarte's rates mirror those of defense expert Alyce LaViolette who spent significantly more hours interviewing the defendant. Many people were critical of LaViolette who seemed to form a relationship with Arias.

Willmott's tone was markedly different with DeMarte as she aggressively argued that DeMarte did not have many years under her belt since receiving her license in 2010. DeMarte held her own for the most part, and I think as long as she doesn't let Willmott rattle her, her testimony will stand up to scrutiny. A witness can lose a lot if they become overly defensive or combative under cross examination. This hasn't happened thus far.

Jesse Lee Soffer

In other Arias-related news, Lifetime has announced their casting choices for their upcoming docudrama called "Picture Perfect - The Jodi Arias Story". Although the movie is still being written, sources report the roles of Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander have been cast. The opening scene will reportedly be the jury reading the trial verdict. The casting call notes included "Jodi is a single-minded, head strong, quick tempered young woman hell bent on emotionally suffocating and controlling Travis Alexander, a handsome young Mormon and motivational speaker who soon falls prey". Another casting note "Jodi is jealous in the extreme and driven to violence upon realizing Travis will never fully commit to her".

According to Yahoo TV.com, the role of Jodi Arias will be played by Tania Raymonde and the role of Travis Alexander will be played by Jesse Lee Soffer:

Tania Raymonde

Jesse Lee Sofer played the role of Bobby Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel in the mid 1990's. His first movie role was in 1993 in a movie titled Matinee. He has had roles in two daytime soap operas, in 2004 he took on the role of Will Munson in As the World Turns, and he had a recurring role on Guiding Light.

Tania Raymonde's most recent movie credits include Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), Blue Like Jazz, Trophy Kids, Crazy Eyes (2011) and Still Waiting, Wild Cherry (2009). She has a role in a movie called Manson Girls which is filming in 2013. She has many television credits including appearances on Hawaii Five-O, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Bones, CSI NY & Medium. Her recurring roles include 17 episodes on Lost where she played the role of Alex Rosseau (2006-2010), 8 episodes on Cold Case (2008-2010), 3 episodes of 90210 (2012) and 4 episodes of Malcolm in the Middle back in 2000. 

What do you think of the casting choices? I'm not sure how old these photos are, but I tried to choose appropriate poses for each of these actors for the roles they are going to be playing. I've got to wonder what Jodi Arias thinks about all of this attention. Even though it's not necessarily positive attention, do you think she's enjoying it? If she is, that's just another sign that we aren't dealing with a person with remorse. Perhaps she should enjoy whatever she can while she can? With closing arguments around the corner, you could almost see her face turning white yesterday just before they called it a day in the court room. I'd be nervous if I were her. Her defense team is running out of time to convince the jury that she was justified in repeatedly stabbing and shooting Travis Alexander.

The clock is ticking. What will happen in court today? Will Arias insist they cast a Kardashian to play her in Picture Perfect? Will Arias's singing skills spawn a new show "American Idol - Inmate Edition"? Will the court reporter be able to keep up with fast-talkers Jennifer Willmott and Dr. DeMarte? Anything is possible.