Hollywood has confirmed what Edmonton has been whispering about for more than a month - Carmen Electra will be part of the cast of Christmas in Wonderland, currently filming on location at the West Edmonton Mall.

The actress and former Playboy model is best known for her role as Baywatch babe Lani McKenzie. Other film credits include Scary Movie (2000) and the remake of Starsky & Hutch (2004). She is already in Edmonton.

Electra, 35, joins a cast that includes Patrick Swayze, Leslie Nielsen and Chris Kattan. She plays the role of Ginger, the “brains” in a bad-guy counterfeit operation that includes Kattan and Preston Lacey.

The filmmakers have been flip-flopping about cast members since Christmas in Wonderland was officially announced in April. At first, they said Ray Liotta was a confirmed cast member. But they recently retracted that statement, claiming Liotta was never official and Swayze had been signed instead.

Last month, Edmonton film commissioner Patti Tucker dismissed buzz about Electra coming to Edmonton, saying it was merely rumour, and Electra’s representatives claimed they knew nothing of her travelling to Canada to make a movie. But production officials confirmed today that she will be in Edmonton to make the movie.

From: The Edmonton Journal