Allison Janney Joins The Cast of "Hairspray"

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Emmy winner Allison Janney is making the move from White House drama to Baltimore song-and-dance, joining the ensemble of New Line's "Hairspray."

According to Variety, Janney will play Prudy Pingleton, ultra-conservative mother of Amanda Bynes' Penny in the Adam Shankman-directed adaptation of the Broadway play based on the John Waters movie.

Production on "Hairspray," New Line's big hopeful for the summer of 2007, will begin in September in Toronto. The bulging cast also features John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Marsden and Zac Efron.

Newcomer Nikki Blonsky stars as Tracy Turnblad, a zaftig young woman who becomes a television star on a Baltimore dance show.

Janney lost her final "West Wing" Emmy opportunity to Mariska Hargitay on Sunday (Aug. 27) night, but don't cry too much for her, since she'd previously snagged four Emmys for her work on the NBC drama.

Feature credits for Janney range from comedies like "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "10 Things I Hate About You" to Oscar favorites "American Beauty" and "The Hours."