Hey All,
So, I made it back from Comic Con on Sunday night to discover my home computer wouldn’t turn on. As you can imagine, that created quite a problem for me with getting all my notes done from the con (which still aren’t done), loading any of my pictures (which also aren’t done yet) or doing much of anything that I wanted to get done on my day off on Monday.
I did rally, though, breaking down to get a laptop so that I could continue to work and spent all day Monday going through the news from Wednesday through Monday. The following is what I found on the internet for that time period, including Tueday’s news. Needless to say, this update is very long so I’ve broken it down into three parts.
Part 1:
TV NEWS
Joe Manganiello, who plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux on the HBO series True Blood, has been promoted to be a series regular for Season 4. (Deadline Hollywood Daily and TV Guide)
The Syfy series Caprica will return with the second half of season one in January 2011. (The Futon Critic)
The comedic drama Chaos, which stars Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Close, James Murray, Tim Blake Nelson and Carmen Ejogo, has been ordered by CBS for mid-season. The series focuses on a group of rogue CIA spies in the Office of Disruptive Services (ODS), who combat threats to national security amidst bureaucratic gridlock, rampant incompetence and political infighting. (The Futon Critic)
CBS announced the premiere dates for their new and returning dramas (via The Futon Critic). They are as follows:
Hawaii Five-0 will debut on September 20 at 10 PM
NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles will return on September 21 at 8 and 9 PM respectively
Criminal Minds is back at 9 PM on September
The new show The Defenders debuts on 10 PM on September 22
CSI and The Menatlist will return at 9 and 10 PM (respectively) on September 23
Medium, CSI: NY and the new series will air at 8, 9 and 10 PM on September 24
The Good Wife will return at 10 PM on September 28
CSI: Miami will be back at 10 PM on October 3
Nicole Richie will be back on Chuck as a guest star, resurfacing in October when a prison transfer goes awry and her character, Heather Chandler, ends up being stowed away at Castle (a.k.a. the underground CIA base). (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Caterina Scorsone has been moved up to series regular on Private Practice, playing Amelia Shepherd (the sister of Derek Shepherd from Grey’s Anatomy), who was introduced late last season, when she clashed with the Oceanside Wellness doctors over whether she could save one of their patient’s lives whether she could save one of their patient’s lives. (TV Guide)
The guys of Glee – Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Cory Monteith and Mark Salling – will co-host the Teen Choice Awards alongside pop sensation and multi-platinum recording artist Katy Perry on August 9 starting at 8 PM on FOX. (The Futon Critic)
Russell T. Davies has teased information about the upcoming 4th season of Torchwood that will air in the US on Starz next year, telling a journalist from SFX that it will be very dark indeed, if not darker than Torchwood: Children of Earth. (Blastr)
Eric Christian Olsen—who recurred on NCIS: LA last season as LAPD liaison Marty Deeks—has been promoted to a series regular. The show’s 2nd season kicks off with a two-hour episode on September 21. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Enrique Murciano (Without A Trace) has left the new Shonda Rhimes ABC drama Off the Map before the show even goes to air because of what is being touted as creative reasons. His role will not be recast. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Broadway actor Cheyenne Jackson, who has also appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm and 30 Rock, is joining the cast of Glee in a major recurring role, succeeding Idina Menzel as the coach of Vocal Adrenaline (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Currie Graham and French Stewart will play brother patients in the season premiere of Private Practice. Graham (Raising the Bar) will play Russell, one of Charlotte and Sam’s patients who needs a kidney transplant. Stewart (3rd Rock From the Sun) will play his estranged brother, Kevin, who is willing to give up a kidney. However, once the docs meet Kevin, they realize he may not be fit to be a donor because of his mental state. Season 4 of Private Practice premieres September 23 at 10 PM on ABC. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)
Lauren Graham has been assigned a new boyfriend on Parenthood: Billy Baldwin is nearing a deal to join the cast as Adam’s (Peter Krause) boss and a love interest for Graham’s Sarah. NBC declined to comment, but an insider tells me that Baldwin—who recurred on Gossip Girl last season as Serena’s MIA dad—would appear in multiple episodes of the sophomore drama. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Have you ever discovered a TV show too late to save it from cancellation?
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/07/27/have-you-ever-discovered-a-tv-show-too-late-to-save-it-from-cancelation/
What shows have succeeded this summer and which ones have not? Here is the list according to TV Guide:
The winners include the Canada series Rookie Blue that is airing on ABC. The new series has averaged 7 million viewers and was given a 2nd season pick-up quickly. The new TNT cop drama Rizzoli & Isles has quickly become the most watched cable series, even beating out its lead-in series The Closer. The new USA Network series Covert Affairs is also performing quite well. Additionally, repeats of CBS procedurals like NCIS and The Mentalist continue to draw respectable audiences. On the other hand, the losers include the new ABC dramas Scoundrels and The Gates.
MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES
The Hallmark Hall of Fame movie November Christmas will star Sam Elliott, John Corbett, Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Sarah Paulson (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) and Emily Alyn Lind (All My Children). The movie is set in a small Rhode Island community where neighbors band together to create magical Halloween and Christmas moments – several weeks early – for a young girl named Vanessa, who is facing a serious illness. The film will air on November 28 at 9 PM. (The Futon Critic)
Luke Perry and Jason Priestley (both formerly of Beverly Hills, 90210) have reunited for Goodnight For Justice, a Hallmark Movie Channel movie to be executive produced by Perry and directed by Priestley. The Western is based on an idea by Perry set in the American Old West, centering on John Goodnight (Perry) a circuit judge on a quest to catch the outlaw who killed his family. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) will appear in the made-for-TV movie The Ex-Mas Carol on the ABC Family Channel, starring alongside Christina Milian and Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars). The movie is (more or less) about a comatose girl who visits her Christmas past, present, and future. (Zap2It)
CASTING SCOOP
English actress Indira Varma (Rome) is joining the cast of Human Target as a series regular, playing Ilsa, a sophisticated, driven and principled widow with a vast fortune that she uses to help better the world. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Paula Patton will appear in a multi-episode arc of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a charming and savvy ADA who works with the Special Victims Unit. (TV Guide)
Newcomer Chord Overstreet has joined Glee as Sam, a high school athlete who starts off as Finn’s protégé but becomes his competition and will more than likely be the football playing boyfriend to Kurt Hummel. (The TV Addict)
Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight) has joined the cast of the upcoming ABC drama Off the Map, playing Eva, who is a free-spirited missionary doctor who is well versed in international medicine and global health. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Liz Tigelaar, the Executive Producer of the CW series Life Unexpected announced that Emma Caulfield (Buffy) has joined the cast. (Twitter)
Liam Neeson will guest-star on the new Showtime series The Big C, playing a character named Bee Man, who Cathy (Laura Linney) sees about alternative cancer treatments. The series follows Cathy, a schoolteacher and suburban mother who tries to rebuild her life after her terminal cancer diagnosis. The series debuts on August 16 at 10:30 PM. (TV Guide)
A new football coach will be on staff for the second season of Glee. Actress Dot Jones, who has appeared in episodes of 10 Things I Hate About You and HawthoRNe will be that new coach. This mean that Patrick Gallagher, who played coach Ken Tanaka, will not be back. (TV Guide)
Katherine Moennig (The L Word) will guest star in the upcoming season of Dexter, playing a tattoo artist. The fifth season of the show premieres on September 26 at 9 PM. (TV Guide)
Olivia Munn and Isaiah Mustafa will both appear in Chuck this upcoming season as Greta, an impossibly cool and smart CIA agent who intimidates and schools Chuck and Morgan. This new character will, according to Josh Schwartz, will be played by a different actor or actress each week. The fourth season of Chuck starts on September 20 at 8 PM. (TV Guide)
Emily Bergl (Men In Trees) has been cast in Desperate Housewives, as Paul Young’s new wife, Beth, who will prove instrumental in Paul’s post-jail plans on Wisteria Lane. (TV Guide)
Evan Ross, the son of singer Diana Ross, has joined the cast of 90210, playing Charlie, an older newcomer who gets tangled up in a love triangle with two current cast members. (TV Guide)
Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) has replaced Wendy Moniz in the upcoming CBS drama Blue Bloods, playing the love interest for Tom Selleck’s character. (TV Guide)
Melora Hardin (The Office) is joining the new NBC drama Outlaw, playing a high-powered lawyer and love interest for star Jimmy Smits. Gina Gershon played the role in the pilot. (Deadline Hollywood Daily and Zap2It)
Felicia Day (Dollhouse) has signed on to appear in ten episodes of Eureka, while Polly Walker (Caprica) will appear on two episodes of Sanctuary, where she will play Ranna, a powerful foe who faces Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) after the team encounters her in the show’s mid-season cliffhanger. (The Hollywood Reporter and Televisionary)
Jonathan Sadowski (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will replace Ryan Devlin on the CBS comedy $#*! My Dad Says. (Variety and Televisionary)
Sarah Carter (Dirty Sexy Money) has joined the cast of the upcoming TNT alien invasion drama Falling Skies, starring opposite Noah Wylie and Moon Bloodgood. She will play a member of a motorcycle gang who helps the heroes escape the aliens. (Deadline Hollywood Daily and Televisionary)
Actress Katheryn Winnick (Criminal Minds) will play Ashley, a war correspondent with whom Booth bonded with during his year overseas. She ends up following Booth back to D.C. where things get complicated. She is scheduled to appear in roughly five episodes, beginning with the September 23 season premiere. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
Shoshannah Stern (Jericho) will recur in the upcoming third season of Lie To Me, starring as a grad student hired to help Dr. Lightman (Tim Roth) write his new book. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Alfred Molina has joined the new NBC upcoming Law & Order: Los Angeles, playing Deputy D.A. Morales. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
Gabriel Macht (The Spirit) will star in the new USA Network drama pilot A Legal Mind, playing Harvey, a smart, successful lawyer at a big Manhattan firm who takes a chance and hires Mike, a brilliant man lacking motivation and a college degree. Newcomer Patrick J. Adams will play Mike in the upcoming procedural. (Entertainment Weekly)
Susan Sarandon has joined the new HBO pilot The Miraculous Year, starring as Patty Atwood, the director and choreographer of the Broadway play-within-a-show. The series follows a self-destructive Broadway composer trying to balance his equally difficult new show and family. The project will be produced by Tony winner John Logan and Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow, who will also direct the pilot. (TV Guide)
British actor Ben Whishaw (Brideshead Revisited) has been cast as the lead in the new Alan Ball HBO drama pilot All Signs of Death, based on Charlie Huston’s novel called The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death. Whishaw will play Webster Filmore Goodhue, an inveterate twenty-something slacker who stumbles into a career as a crime scene cleaner, only to find himself entangled with a murder mystery, a femme fatale and the loose ends of his own past. (Deadline Hollywood Daily and Televisionary)
Q&A SECTION (with the TV Gurus at TV Guide)
Question: Got any good info on Season 3 of The Mentalist? — Connor
ADAM: Get ready to meet Patrick Jane’s con man brother-in-law. He’s charismatic and uses his charm and bravado to mask his anxieties. Even though he blames Jane for his sister’s death, he’ll have to rely on him when he’s suspected of murder.
Question: Who will Quinn hook up with on Glee this season? — Oleg
MICKEY: Dianna Agron will have quite a full dance card this season. There’s sure to be the inevitable push-pull between Finn and Puck, but more surprising will be her role in Kurt’s new romance. Cheerleaders love football players, right?
Question: I need some Grey’s Anatomy scoop. Got anything on McSteamy? — Janelle
ADAM: Sloan will team with Callie to perform a major operation in the Season 7 premiere. The patient is a 19-year-old young man who suffers twitches and facial drooping because of an advanced tumor. It’s so advanced, in fact, that his family has already held a living memorial for him before the surgery.
Question: So … what is the event of The Event? — James
MICKEY: Great promos, right? As you’ve seen, there are several strange events that occur within the first hour of NBC’s new mystery thriller series. But trust me when I tell you that none of them compares to the one that closes the episode. It will definitely have you wondering what takes place in Episode 2.
Question: It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Castle. What do you know? — Kelly
ADAM: I hear the show is looking to add a (possibly recurring) character to the cast. A middle-aged former cop-turned-bounty-hunter, the character is described as a larger-than-life figure with a good sense of humor. I smell a one-liner showdown with Castle.
Question: I would love some intel on the new season of Smallville. — Will
ADAM: And I’d love to give you some: Carter Hall (aka Hawkman) will return in Season 10’s second episode, presumably to help Clark & Co. fight this season’s big bad. And there will also be a new face, as Clark gets assigned a new partner at the Daily Planet when Lois takes a temporary leave. The character, who seems to be hiding something, is very vocal in her disdain for masked superheroes.
Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush from TV Guide)
Question: I’m wondering what you think about Rizzoli & Isles and Covert Affairs? I gave both premieres a look, but only continued watching the latter. I find Angie Harmon a one-note actress. Her characters in every show all seem to have the same personality. She has no chemistry with Sasha Alexander, who at least has an interesting character. With so many crime shows on the air, I was hoping for one that had another take on crime solving. Just having two women in the leads is not new. Covert Affairs, on the other hand, tells an interesting story. It’s a great addition to the USA brand of shows. Even though the character of Auggie seems a bit of a stretch, Christopher Gorham brings so much to him. The actor makes the character “real” and adorable. I was one of the few who didn’t like his character, Henry, on Ugly Betty, but I really like him here. And I like the bickering married couple, though I’m not sure why. Maybe because you don’t normally see married couples in workplace shows who aren’t madly in love. What’s your take? — Myra
Matt Roush: When I blurb-reviewed the latest wave of new summer crime dramas in the magazine, I gave Rizzoli a slightly higher ranking than Covert Affairs based on their pilots, but after watching second episodes of both, I’d reverse that decision. Doesn’t really matter about the critical response, though, when it comes to this bottomless glut of crime dramas. Both shows are instant hits and will be with us for quite some time. You’re absolutely right there’s nothing new about Rizzoli, which is probably the point. It’s called pandering to the masses, and it’s paying off. And yet there’s no question to me that both Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander are bona fide TV stars, and their appeal carries the show a great way. But OMG the writing! Especially in the Boston Strangler redux episode. They’re pushing the quirks so hard (Isles diagnosing her date over dinner) you can see them sweat. Whereas Covert Affairs muted some of the pilot’s preciousness in the second week, and as you noted, there’s plenty of charm to go around: from Piper Perabo (who I like more than some of my colleagues) and Christopher Gorham for sure, although Anne Dudek so far has been largely wasted. I’m not as keen on the squabbling married bosses, finding that subplot painfully contrived, but Peter Gallagher and Kari Matchett are well cast and the show goes down easy. Are either of these shows must-see for me? Not yet.
VOTING RESULTS
Tater Top Awards 2010 Winners: The Vampire Diaries, House and Glee Score Big!
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b191416_tater_top_awards_2010_winners_vampire.html
Please continue on to Part 2.
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