Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

It’s over the hump day and this week seems to be moving along slowly, or maybe it’s just me. Anyway, here are today’s news items:

TELEVISION

Jeff Goldblum will be leaving Law & Order: Criminal Intent after being on the show for two seasons. There are no hard feelings or problems he is just…leaving. (Kristin at E! Entertainment Online)

Courtney Ford (Dexter) has landed the potentially recurring role of Vanessa, a grad student at Duke who helps Damon, Alaric, and Elena go through Isobel’s old research on The Vampire Diaries. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Chuck has recruited Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) to guest star in the 2nd episode of the new season. He will play the bodyguard of an evil spy/model (ex-Victoria’s Secret Angel Karolina Kurkova). (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Disney has assembled the cast of what is being groomed to be its next original movie/musical franchise, Lemonade Mouth, mixing young Disney series stars and unknowns with TV veterans Tisha Campbell-Martin and Christopher McDonald. The story follows five disparate high school students who meet in detention and form a band. The cast includes Bridgit Mendler (Good Luck Charlie), Adam Hicks (Zeke and Luther), Hayley Kiyoko (Wizards of Waverly Place), Naomi Scott (Life Bites) and newcomer Blake Michael. Nick Roux and Chris Brochu will play rival band Mudslide Crush. Campbell-Martin will play music teacher Miss Reznick and McDonald will play Principal Brenigan. The movie is slated for a 2011 premiere. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Carol Burnett will appear as Sue Sylvester’s mother on the Glee. (TV Done Wright)

Glee creator Ryan Murphy announced to journalists at the Television Critics Association press tour recently that he is developing a half-hour musical comedy series for Kristin Chenoweth. The new show would not be a spin-off of Glee, but rather a brand new series that would showcase Chenoweth’s unique talent. (Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Diablo Cody is heading to FOX, as the network signed a put-pilot deal with her for the comedy The Breadwinner. Details on the plot are being kept tightly under wraps. (The Hollywood Reporter rand Televisionary)

Colm Meaney will star opposite Anson Mount, Dominique McElligott, and Common in the AMC period drama pilot Hell of Wheels, which is about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. He will play Thomas “Doc” Durant, a businessman determined to make his fortune building the transcontinental railroad, a man of vision and a self-serving opportunist who is capable of ‘creative financing. (Deadline Hollywood Daily and Televisionary)

Sherry Stringfield has landed the lead in the new as-yet untitled Josh Berman/Lifetime drama pilot, where she will play San Diego police detective Molly Collins, described as a married mother of two on the verge of divorce, who, along with her partner Brooke Kross, investigate the city’s most high-profile crimes while navigating their divergent personal lives. (Deadline Hollywood Daily and Televisionary)

Smallville may be chugging a whole Kryptonite shake at the end of this season, but the world of DC Comics characters may live on in the form of a spinoff. But don’t get too excited yet; the CW has merely expressed interest in checking out the rest of the DC catalog for potential series material. The early rumored favorite? The Blue Beetle, who apparently isn’t as lame as he sounds. (MTV and TV.com)

BOX OFFICE

The end is nigh: The final story in The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn – has gotten its release date for the last story in the franchise: November 16, 2012. Mark your calendars, Twi-hards. And, as a reminder, November 18, 2011 is the release date for part 1 of Breaking Dawn. (Dark Horizons)

Kurt Russell will play a high-school football coach in Touchback with Brian Presley playing an out of luck farmer/fireman whose promising football career came to an end years before due to an injury he sustained during a playoff game. One day he finds himself thrust back into reliving that game and must make the choice of which way he wants his life to go. Melanie Lynsky and Christine Lahti also star. (Dark Horizons)

Melissa Leo is circling while Dermot Mulroney, Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano and Steven Root are all in talks to join the Kevin Smith political horror movie Red State. (The Wrap and Dark Horizons)

TV INTERVIEW

When Dark Blue returns tonight for its second season at 9/8c, TNT’s gritty cop show will be less grim and a lot sexier. Packing the heat: new cast member Tricia Helfer, the Canadian actress best known as Six, Battlestar Galactica’s seductive Cylon. “I’m a good guy this time,” says Helfer, whose tough-as-nails FBI agent Alex Rice has been ordered to lead a joint task force with the covert LAPD team headed by Carter Shaw (Dylan McDermott). “There’s a power struggle with Carter, but there’s also an intense chemistry,” Helfer says. “They’re going to be dealing with that ‘We can’t do this, but we can’t control it’ all season.”

Agent Rice arrives on the scene posing as a tattoo parlor owner. The “thrill-seeking” Fed is out to trap the same vicious thug whose gang Dean (Logan Marshall-Green) has infiltrated. A squabble over tactics leads to a Carter ally’s death — and some nookie. “I’ve always wanted to play a strong character on the right side of the law,” says the actress, whose usual stunt work was curtailed by her recent “massive” back surgery. But, she says, “I do get to kill people with a knife and a gun.”

Still, the second season is not all about sex and violence. “When I signed on, a lot of talk was about adding some humor, a little more lightness,” she says. “At the end of the episodes, you’re going to see that the team [members] actually do have lives, and don’t just brood alone in their apartments. Carter is growing tomatoes and he’s hitting on a girl!” (Ileane Rudolph at TV Guide)

LA TIMES ARTICLE

Neil Patrick Harris’ new ‘Rent’ role: Director

Q&A SECTION (with the TV gurus at TV Guide):

Question: Given the events of the finale, is Gibbs’ job in danger on NCIS? — Jonathan

ADAM: The murder of Pedro Hernandez will add a new layer to the already contentious relationship between Gibbs and Director Vance. You’ll see Vance’s somewhat shocking reaction in the premiere, but executive producer Shane Brennan coyly tells us that it may also give hints to Vance’s own mysterious past. “Sometimes when you think something’s done, things pop up years later,” Brennan says. “You’ve got that famous moment where the new director moves into his office for the first time and shreds a piece of paper. That’s one of those moments.”

Question: How bad do Mike and Susan’s finances get on Desperate Housewives? — Rob

MICKEY: With Mike’s business on the skids, Susan’s finger-painting with the kiddies isn’t going to pay the rent. To help out, she’ll get a house-cleaning job. And wait until you see her uniform, gentlemen.

Question: Are we really supposed to believe that Brennan is happy about Booth’s new girlfriend on Bones? — Taylor

ADAM: Supportive is a better word. She’s certainly not thrilled, but Brennan might get some action of her own. “We’re going to look at some different possibilities for Brennan now; she will definitely look into some different love interests,” Emily Deschanel tells us. “She wants to be happy for Booth, but I think there’s some jealousy there.”

Question: How will the vamps and weres interact on The Vampire Diaries? — Tamara

MICKEY: “In our world, our vampires know very little about the werewolf mythology, other than what anybody who’s watched Wolfman or read books has learned,” says executive producer Julie Plec. “They’re going to be surprised at what they can do.” Well, not everyone will be surprised. Katherine, it turns out, has a long history with the werewolves of Mystic Falls.

Question: What will the vibe be like between Castle and Beckett in the new season of Castle? — David

ADAM: Beckett’s not happy that Castle has returned from his summer in the Hamptons without so much as calling her, especially after her crushing disappointment in the Season 2 finale. But Stana Katic says the duo’s chemistry is still intact. “I don’t think they’re back to square one,” she says. “They have so much history. There’s nothing that can untie that kind of a bond between those two characters. They should still have the same kind of swordplay.”

Question: Any updates on the new team member replacing Liz Vassey on CSI? — Brittney

ADAM: Two things: First, the new team member won’t exactly replace Vassey. “We did not hire a new cast member,” executive producer Carol Mendelsohn says. “It’s potentially recurring, but at the moment, it’s for one episode.” Second, the new CSI, to be played by British actress Sienna Guillory (Criminal Minds), will be a total BABE. (What? It stands for bombs and ballistics expert!)

Question: Give me scoop on Peter’s re-entry this season on Fringe. — India

MICKEY: Joshua Jackson says we should focus on that mysterious machine that we saw in the season finale. “The most crucial thing in his life is what that machine is and what he is to that machine,” he says.

That’s it. Enjoy!