Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Man, where has the week gone already, huh? It’s nearly Friday – YEAH! Hope your week is going well. Now, let’s get into the news for today:

TELEVISION

Six-time Grammy winner John Legend is lined up to appear in the season finale of Royal Pains, starring as himself. He will be the musical guest for an MS fundraiser. Royal Pains will be back on the USA Network starting on January 20. (Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Actress Amanda Detmer (What About Brian) has been added to the cast of the new USA Network pilot Necessary Roughness, starring Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) as a tough love-dispensing therapist who lands a choice gig with a pro football team. In the wake of her success there, she quickly becomes the go-to talk-to for other big-league athletes, musicians and high-profile figures. Detmer will play the best friend of Thorne’s character. Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Concetta Tomei (Providence) co-stars. (Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

CSI show runner Carol Mendelsohn has sold a new crime drama to CBS. The project is currently untitled, but brings to the small screen a series of suspense novels from author Thomas Perry. The thrillers star protagonist Jane Whitefield, a half-white, half-Indian young woman who works as a one-person witness protection program, helping hide people who are in danger. (The Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter)

The CW is developing two supernatural-tinged projects involving a trio of female veterans of Joss Whedon’s “camp”: Marti Noxon, Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain and one other project. One of the shows is based on a book series from L.J. Smith, the author of The Vampire Diaries. Craft and Fain (both alums of Angel and Dollhouse) are adapting Smith’s three-book Secret Circle series for a one-hour drama about a California teen who moves to her mom’s hometown of New Salem and discovers that she is a witch. Meanwhile, Noxon, a well-known Buffy and Angel writer, is shepherding the CW drama project Chloe with her production partner Dawn Parouse (Prison Break). The potential series revolves around a young female con artist who dies and returns to earth as a Divine Covert Operator. Both Secret Circle and Chloe are just pilot scripts at this point, but there’s a good chance the CW will film at least one of them this spring. Andrew Miller, who has no apparent Whedon connection but did write for the web series Imaginary Bitches, is penning a pilot script and will also exec produce. In addition to its two current CW series, Alloy is also developing the music-themed pilot Confessions of a Backup Dancer for the network. (Vulture)

The CW has also handed out a script order to an untitled drama project starring Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), which marks the actress’ producing debut. The project – from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage – is based on an idea by Trachtenberg and would star the actress as a young criminology student with a gift for profiling and a dark past. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Meg Ryan, Curtis Jackson, John Lithgow, Kevin Zegers, Anthony Anderson, Esai Morales, Joe Anderson and Kat Dennings have all joined the drama box office movie Lives of the Saints, an ensemble tale following several intertwining stories of a group of Los Angeles residents seeking redemption for past mistakes. They soon learn to find forgiveness from unlikely places. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Dakota Fanning is in negotiations to join the supernatural thriller If I Star” based on the Gayle Forman’s young adult novel. The story revolves around a gifted musician (Fanning), and her boyfriend, a rising indie rock star. Mulling the choice between her art and her relationship, things get tougher when a fatal car accident leaves her stuck considering the choice between life and death. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Universal has picked up rights to the young adult fantasy series Sweep by Cate Tiernan, which spans 15 books and follows a 16-year-old girl who discovers she’s a blood witch, descended from an ancient and powerful line. Ultimately, she must decide whether to use her powers for good or evil. (First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!