Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Today’s news isn’t too voluminous, but there are a few interesting items to share. Here goes:

TELEVISION

The death knell just may be ringing for the CBS (sans NBC) series Medium, which had its episode order reduced from 22 to 13 episodes for this TV season. The decrease is likely tied to the show’s decline in viewership (which was at 8.24 million viewers last year, but at 6.16 million this year). A renewal of the show is not looking likely. (The Futon Critic)

Over at ABC, though, they seem very smitten with their upcoming midseason drama Off the Map, as they have ordered six more episodes, bringing the total to 13 episodes. The series follows Tommy (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights), Lily (Caroline Dhavernas, Wonderfalls) and Mina (Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter) at a medical clinic in South America. The cast also includes Jason George, Martin Henderson, Rachelle Lefevre and Valerie Cruz. Off the Map is slated to debut in early 2011. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

More cast members have been added to the cast of the upcoming time-traveling FOX drama Terra Nova. Landon Liboiron (DeGrassi: The Next Generation) will play Josh, the 17-year-old of Jim (Jason O’Mara) and Elisabeth (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Shelley Conn) Shannon who also finds a father figure in Frank Taylor (Stephen Lang from Avatar). Newcomer Naomi Scott will play his sister Maddy, a bright 15-year-old, while newcomer Alana Mansour has signed on as Zoe, the youngest member of the Shannon clan who is smuggled into the time-traveling portal that takes everyone to the Terra Nova settlement. Other cast members include Mido Hamada (24) and Allison Miller (Kings). (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

CELEBRITY BLOG POST

Kristoffer Polaha to Life Unexpected’s Die-Hard Fans: Our Little TV Family Thanks You!

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck and Judd Hirsch have joined the ever-growing cast of the box office movie Tower Heist, which follows a group of employees in a luxury apartment building who attempt to rob the owner of the penthouse, a fraudulent banker (Alan Alda) under house arrest for swindling his employees. The cast already includes Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Tea Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Pena star. Broderick will play a successful Wall Street-type who loses his job due to the banker’s actions and ends up joining the gang’s planned heist. Affleck will play a straight arrow who despite being a friend of Stiller’s character, disagrees with the heist and wants to turn him in. There are no details on the part for which Hirsch will play. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Q&A SECTION (with Adam and Mickey from TV Guide)

Question: Have you heard anything about Ziva’s storyline on NCIS’ November sweeps episodes? — Carly

ADAM: A special security team will be tasked with protecting Ziva’s father (Michael Nouri) when he attends an NCIS conference. Also at the conference: former NCIS agent Riley McCallister, whose troubled past has given him a bit of a hero complex. It’s probably no accident that McCallister is played by Michael O’Neill, who learned a lot about gunplay as a Secret Service agent on The West Wing and as the gunman who shot the hell out of Seattle Grace in last year’s Grey’s Anatomy finale.

Question: Who does Amber Tamblyn play on House? — Peter

MICKEY: House describes her as the “the love child of Einstein and Mary Poppins.” The brainiac’s bleeding-heart principles of course irk the cranky doc. So he fires her — several times. Imagine if he knew about her past with one of his team members.

Question: I’m so excited to see Timothy Dalton on Chuck. Would you call the role Bond-like? — Miles

ADAM: Dalton’s role is a little more Hot Fuzz than License to Kill. He plays an inept MI6 agent and former handler of Mama Bartowski. He and Chuck search for evidence that will clear his mom’s name, which quickly lands them on the wrong side of Volkov’s men and their hilarious torture devices.

That’s it. Enjoy!