Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Thank God the elections are over, right?! We can now watch TV and not have to put up with nearly every commercial being a political ad. Every year those things get worse and worse, don’t they?

But, despite the elections being over, the news is still a little slow, but here is what I found:

TELEVISION

The CW announced late last night that they are not picking up the remaining 9 episodes of their show Life Unexpected. What does this mean? Simply, the show will only air 13 episodes, but it hasn’t “officially” been canceled. That final decision will “supposedly” be made in May.
(Twitter)

Actor Mark Dacascos (Iron Chef America and The Crow: Stairway to Heaven) has been cast as Wo Fat (the long-time nemesis of Steve McGarrett) in the new version of Hawaii Five-0. There is no word yet on when Dacascos will make his first appearance though. (Zap2It)

Cybill Shepherd will not only show up in an episode of No Ordinary Family, but she will also guest star on $#*! My Dad Says. On the comedy, she will play Charlotte Ann Robinson, a motivational life coach. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

MID SEASON TV

The new FOX drama The Chicago Code (formerly titled Ride-Along) will make its series debut on February 7 at 9 PM. The series follows the most powerful and respected cops in Chicago as they navigate the city’s underbelly to fight crime and expose corruption within Chicago’s notorious political machine. The cast includes Jason Clarke (Brotherhood) and Jennifer Beals (The L Word) as well as Delroy Lindo, Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights), Billy Lush (The Black Donnellys) and Devin Kelley (Tease). NOTE: Lie To Me is expected to return to the schedule at a later date. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It has been announced that James McAvoy (Atonement), Hugh Laurie (House), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge), Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Imelda Staunton (Taking Woodstock) and Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty) will all provide voices for the Christmas themed, 3D animated, family comedy film Arthur Christmas. The film sets out to answer the question of how Santa Claus delivers all his presents in one night. The movie will hit theaters on November 23, 2011. (First Showing)

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

Question: Will Damon ever be happy on The Vampire Diaries? — Sarah Jane

MICKEY: It’s unlikely, Sarah Jane. But look for a sun-kissed beauty to lighten his mood. She won’t flinch when Damon attempts to sabotage their flirtation with his acidic charm, but that’s because her interest in him is not personal. Said beauty has come to town to investigate Mason Lockwood’s disappearance, and this lady does not have a thing for bad guys.

Question: Any chance Michael and Nikita will ever play nice? —Amy

MICKEY: Would you believe they’ll be fighting on the same side soon? In an upcoming, Michael-centric episode, Nikita will actually help Michael complete a mission — because she’s one of the few people who knows how much it means to him personally.

Question: I could really use a couple of Castle nuggets. — Mark

ADAM: Then a couple you shall have. First, remember the role I teased about an alien abduction support group leader? The show has cheekily cast Millennium star Lance Henriksen to play the character. And second, Terri Miller, who penned the Season 2 Halloween episode that was rife with Firefly references, will also take on the upcoming episode that features Brothers & Sisters’ Gilles Marini as a magician.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Much like yesterday the entertainment news is slow-moving because of election fever I guess. The same can be said for tonight’s lack of TV viewing. It is going to be a rather boring night for those few of us uninterested in anything related to politics. Am I alone in that camp?

Anyway, here are the items I found for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Renée Felice Smith has become an official series regular on NCIS: Los Angeles, after playing the recurring role of Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones this season. (Daemon’s TV)

The Shonda Rhimes-produced medical drama Off the Map, which is about young doctors working at a remote clinic in South America, will premiere on ABC on January 12 at 10 PM. The show stars Martin Henderson, Caroline Dhavernas, Mamie Gummer, Rachelle Lefevre and Zach Gilford. (Twitter and Zap2It)

Actress Christine Adams (The Whole Truth and Pushing Daisies) has joined the cast of the FOX drama Terra Nova, playing a resident of the time-traveling colony. (Entertainment Weekly and Zap2It)

Canadian actress Camille Sullivan has joined the cast of the series Rookie Blue and Lauren Holly (NCIS) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the series. Sullivan will play detective Jo Rosati in the second season. (Etan Vlessing at The Hollywood Reporter)

TV TRAILER

Want to see an impressive trailer for the upcoming new drama The Chicago Code (formerly known as Ride Along)? The series stars Jennifer Beals, Delroy Lindo, Jason Clarke (Brotherhood) and Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights) and is set to debut on FOX in February. Here’s the link to the promo trailer as provided by The TV Addict.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Joel Edgerton (King Arthur) will play the male lead role opposite Jennifer Garner in the fantasy fable film The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which centers on a childless couple who bury all their wishes for a baby in a box in their backyard. One day, they wake up to find that a child is born – a child that is not all that it appears. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Rebecca Hall (The Town and The Prestige) is rumored to be the top contender to play Daisy in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby. Luhrmann will audition a number of Hollywood’s major actresses before making a decision with the likes of Keira Knightley, Amanda Seyfried, Blake Lively, Abbie Cornish, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, and Scarlett Johansson all making his current wish list. Hall has an edge however, she participated in Luhrmann’s workshop reading in the role last week alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carroway. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Abigail Breslin (My Sister’s Keeper) has joined the ensemble cast of the pseudo-sequel to the romantic comedy Valentine’s Day called New Year’s Eve. There are no details known on her character at this point, but the film is supposed to be set in New York and will follow intertwining stories of characters trying to navigate their way through romance on New Year’s Eve. Glee star Lea Michele is the only other announced cast member so far. (Variety and First Showing)

Q&A SECTION (with Kristin at E! Entertainment Online and Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Question: So sad that Medium is probably winding down. I love that show. Any scoop on the final few episodes? – Kelly

Kristin: Amazing news! Superawesome Ryan Hurst (who plays superawesome Opie on Sons of Anarchy) is back on Medium as Allison’s brother Michael “Lucky” Benoit for episode 11—we’re so glad to hear they were able to get him back for one before visit before the show signs off! In the episode, which is called “Only Half Lucky,” Michael, who can never quite catch a break, is semi-possessed by a dead guy with a killer sales pitch…

Question: It’s been a while since we got some ‘Nikita’ scoop. Are we ever going to dive into Michael’s back story? – Colby

Mitovich: The episode airing Nov. 11 will shed much light on how Michael came to Division. “Michael was always in the military in some sense,” Shane West previews, “and something that is truly devastating happened to him in his personal life that made him completely emotionless. That’s when Percy (played by Xander Berkley) finds him and brings him into Division.” The reveal of that backstory “changes the dynamic, at least for a while, of what’s go to happen in the present,” West says of his favorite episode to date.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Today’s news is rather short. I’m guessing that with the drama of registration for Comic Con failing miserably, final votes for the TV Guide cover and upcoming election day fervor got the better of the news outlets.

Anyway, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Alan Dale (Lost) will have a recurring role on the NBC series Undercovers, playing James Kelvin, the boss of Shaw (Gerald McRaney) and the man responsible for bringing Steven and Samantha Bloom back to the CIA. Although the couple were told they were recruited to rescue Leo Nash, the real reason involves elements from the Blooms’ past in which Kelvin is interested. He will make his first appearance in Episode 11, but viewers will begin hearing his voice in episode 8. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Two former 24 alumni will show up in a January episode of No Ordinary Family. Rick Schroder will appear as a man whose life is saved by big Jim (Michael Chiklis). Annie Wersching will appear in the same episode, playing Schroder’s wife. (William Keck at TV Guide and Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Warner Bros. is developing a reboot of its 1998 film Practical Magic, which starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, for ABC Family. The studio and network are in the very early stages of bringing back the fantasy, which is based on a novel by Alice Hoffman. Practical Magic is about the Owens family, including two sisters and their orphaned nieces, who are the latest in an ancestral line of witches. If any of the Owens women find true love with a man, he dies tragically. (Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Exhibitor Relations:

1. Saw 3D, $24.2 million
2. Paranormal Activity 2, $16.5 million
3. Red, $10.8 million
4. Jackass 3D, $8.4 million
5. Hereafter, $6.3 million
6. Secretariat, $5.1 million
7. The Social Network, $4.7 million
8. Life As We Know It, $4.1 million
9. The Town, $2 million
10. Conviction, $1.8 million

Alex Pettyfer (from the upcoming movie I Am Number Four) and Matthew Bomer (from White Collar) have joined the upcoming sci-fi film Now (formerly titled I’m.Mortal) that stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde. The film is set in the future where people can live forever, but time itself becomes a currency to prevent overpopulation. (Darrin Franich at Entertainment Weekly)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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