9:20pm PT by Philiana Ng, Lesley Goldberg
'Shameless' Actress Books NBC Comedy 'Brenda Forever'

NBC's Brenda Forever is rounding out its cast.
Shameless actress Daija Owens has been added to the half-hour single-camera comedy pilot starring Ellie Kemper, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
In Brenda Forever, stories from Brenda Miller's past and present are interwoven to give a unique portrait of how the chubby, awkward, but incredibly confident 13-year-old grew up to be a 31-year-old woman (Kemper) who still marches to the beat of her own drum.
Owens, who starred in NBC's short-lived comedy Best Friends Forever, will play a young Pearl Gardner, Brenda's best friend. Never seen without Skittles or Pez, Pearl is self-effacing and doesn't put up a fuss when things don't go her way. Da'vine Joy Randolph plays the adult version. MadTV's Stephnie Weir co-stars.
David Lampson and Andrew Leeds are set to write and executive produce the pilot, which is based on a spec script that the network nabbed following a bidding war with Fox. Rescue Me’s Peter Tolan and Michael Wimer (2012) will join them as EPs on the Sony TV/Tolan and Wimer’s Fedora Entertainment production.
Owens is repped by Abrams Artists Agency.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube