Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Did everyone have a nice weekend? I sure hope so. They never last long enough, though, do they? The work week always rolls back around much too soon, right? Anyway, here are the news items for today:

NEWS

An apparel line inspired by the FOX’s musicomedy Glee was launched at Macy’s over the weekend. Now fans can proudly advertise their ‘Gleek’ status (for under $35). While you shop for your Glee hoodie or fashion top, Macy’s will immerse you in the Glee experience with in-store vignettes and window displays. So far, the clothes are only available at the retail locations, although a junior’s line should be available on Macys.com on Sept. 14. (Hanh Nguyen at Zap2It)

TELEVISION

NBC is cutting their summer series Persons Unknown short by one episode. This skipped episode (called Seven Sacrifices) will turn up online, though. The 10th episode (Called Identity) will air on Saturday, August 21 at 8 PM; episode 11 (Seven Sacrifices) will debut online before the shows signs off with it 2-hour final on Saturday, August 28 at 8 PM. (The Futon Critic)

Actress-singer Mandy Moore will be back for the 6th episode of Grey’s Anatomy, reprising the role she played in the show’s stunning season finale. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Sam Page (Desperate Housewives) is joining Gossip Girl for a multi-episode arc as Serena’s (Blake Lively) new love interest. His first appearance is expected to be in October. The show returns on September 13 on the CW. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Victor Webster (Charmed and Mutant X) will play the new boyfriend of Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) on Castle this fall with his first appearance being in the 4th episode of the new season. His character will be “more of a motorcycle guy … a person that is going to intrigue Castle, because he’s going to see a different side of Beckett.” Castle returns to ABC on September 20 at 10 PM. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Antonio Sabato, Jr. has just been cast on Bones as a guido bouncer at a Jersey Shore club that Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) visit to question someone involved with a murder. Expect the club to be filled with plenty of gold chains and big hair, making Brennan and Booth stand out like sore thumbs. (William Keck at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC Family has ordered a script for the drama pilot What Would Jane Do, about a dateless high school outsider living a double life as a twentysomething career girl in the corporate world. (The Hollywood Reporter and Televisionary)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here is a list of the top 10 movies at the box office from this past weekend courtesy of E! Entertainment Online:

1. The Expendables, $35 million
2. Eat Pray Love, $23.7 million
3. The Other Guys, $18 million
4. Inception, $11.4 million
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, $10.5 million
6. Despicable Me, $6.8 million
7. Step Up 3D, $6.6 million
8. Salt, $6.4 million
9. Dinner for Schmucks, $6.3 million
10. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, $4.1 million

Rose Byrne (Damages) is in talks to play Moira MacTaggert in the upcoming box office movie X-Men First Class. In the comics, MacTaggert is a scientist and an authority on genetic mutation who also serves as the love interest of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy). Meanwhile Jason Flemyng (Clash of the Titans and Kick Ass) has been cast as the teleporting mutant Azazel. The character was the lead of an ancient race of mutants who looked like demons and could teleport into other dimensions. He was also the father of Nightcrawler. (The Hollywood Reporter, Coming Soon and Dark Horizons)

Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars and Heroes) will join the ballet-themed indie black comedy Dance of the Mirlitons. The story is about an ambitious, slightly overweight ballerina with an overbearing mother (Bell) who will stop at nothing to become a star. The girl enters a “Mean Girls”-type environment where she has to prove her worth in class. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Karl Urban (Star Trek and Lord of the Rings) is to appear in the re-telling of the Judge Dredd story (made “famous” by Sylvester Stallone). This version is expected to be R-rated though. (Empire and First Showing)

Actress Rooney Mara, who appeared in the newest re-invention of The Nightmare on Elm Street movie and will be seen in this fall’s The Social Network movie has been cast in the much-sought after role of Lisbeth Salander in the English-language version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. She will star opposite Daniel Craig in the three films adapted from the books by the late Stieg Larsson. (Amy Kaufman at The Los Angeles Times)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Paul Haggis’ ‘The Next Three Days’ New Official Trailer

INTERVIEW

Jewel Staite talks about Firefly fights, her dream role and more

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush from TV Guide):

Question: Throughout my history of reading your column over the past several seasons, I’ve gone from show to show based on your recommendations to fill certain parts of my TV habit. I wasn’t fond of the Brothers & Sisters pilot, but found it much improved by midseason and started watching based on your recommendation, then found Everwood on DVD during the B&S summer hiatus because I found I liked Greg Berlanti’s work. Then I picked up Friday Night Lights. In that they share the same kind of life-focused, small-town family drama feel, FNL kind of dulled the ache while waiting for Everwood’s further seasons to arrive on DVD. Knowing that FNL is finished at the conclusion of the upcoming season, I’m sad to see it go but grateful that it has lasted this long. So now I wonder: Where is the next great family drama that will dull the ache of its cancellation and carry on the tradition?

I’ve seen a few episodes of Parenthood and while it is certainly very watchable and there’s a lot of talent there, it seemed to me that it was often trying too hard to get certain emotional responses from me, which FNL has never had to because it plays more naturally. I also found Life Unexpected a delightful surprise and am looking forward to its return. However, many of the later episodes in its freshman season seemed to be hitting the same points over and over again: Lux bouncing between living residences depending on which parent she was more upset with at the moment, then reconciling and starting the cycle again, so if it is going to continue to be interesting, it needs to raise its game and try new things this year. But nothing else other than the shows I mentioned above on the networks’ fall schedules seems to fit this genre, and that’s a shame. What do you think? — Jake

Matt Roush: Family drama is one of TV’s trickiest formats. People often say they wish there were more of it on TV, but they rarely support it in the numbers you see for garden-variety crime dramas, cheesy reality, etc. It’s too bad that the only way Friday Night Lights could survive in the long term was because of the joint deal with DirectTV (but thank heavens for it). I don’t see anything on the immediate horizon with the ambitions and quality of FNL. I agree with you regarding Parenthood’s limitations: a good cast squandered in predictable, heavy-handed schmaltz, and Life Unexpected at first had me convinced we’d seen a rebirth of classic WB family drama, but it devolved quickly into a tiresome cycle of self-righteous pouting and bickering. (Hoping they’ve worked out the kinks and things improve in season 2.) I’d like to be able to recommend some of the dramas on ABC Family, but with the exception of this summer’s evocative Huge, I find them way too plastic and lacking in nuance. My favorite new fall drama has a family dynamic, but Fox’s Lone Star operates on a much more heightened level of intrigue and soap operatics, so it may not fill this particular void. But I’d still recommend it.

That’s it. Enjoy!