Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Happy Over the Hump Day! We are one more day closer to the weekend, which, I’m sure, cannot get here fast enough for all of us, right? Meanwhile, there is a lot of cool news to share with you so let’s get into today’s update, shall we?

TELEVISION

Actress America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) will join the cast The Good Wife as Natalie, a graduate student who catches the eye of Eli Gold. She will be featured in a three-episode arc starting during February sweeps. The same episode will find comedian as a judge. (Zap2It and Entertainment Weekly)

As I posted earlier, The Big Bang Theory has been picked up for three more seasons by CBS. Congrats to the cast and crew on that BIG payday. (Twitter)

Actor Skeet Ulrich and actresses Regina Hall and Megan Boone are leaving the new NBC drama Law & Order: Lost Angeles, as part of a significant “creative overhaul,” but this behind-the-scenes drama is not expected to stop production, which is currently filming episode 12. The series received a full season pick-up in October. (Deadline and Tracy Phillips at Fancast)

TONIGHT’S TV SCHEDULE CHANGE: The NBC series Chase was to have its return tonight, but the network has bumped it one week later with the return now slated for January 19 at 9 PM. No reason was given for the change. (The Futon Critic)

Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) will appear in the new mid-season FOX comedy Breaking In as a crafty peddler who figures into a potential romantic triangle with the top-shelf computer hackers played by Odette (Yustman) Annable (Brothers & Sisters) and Bret Harrison (V and Reaper). Rumors still abound about Michael returning to Smallville before the series concludes its final season this May, but nothing has been confirmed. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Eddie Cibrian (Third Watch) will reprise his role of Ben Crowley on the NBC series Chase. He is expected to appear in the February 23 episode. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Paola Turbay (Cane and The Closer) has signed on to True Blood‘s fourth season. (Deadline and Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actress Ashley Johnson has joined the cast of the new AMC drama series The Killing as a recurring character. The series is a murder mystery that centers on Sarah (Mireille Enos), the lead homicide detective who investigates the murder of a young girl. Johnson will play the wife of suspect Bennet Ahmed (Branden Jay McLaren) who, sandbagged when Sarah (Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) show up at her apartment unannounced, tells a revealing story from Ahmed’s past. The series premieres on March 13. (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Ben Lawson (The Deep End and the Aussie series Neighbours) has landed one of the two lead roles in the new USA Network pilot Wild Card, which is a witty drama about people behaving badly in Las Vegas and the lawyers who solve their problems. The Australian actor plays Will Garrett, a successful Wall Street attorney who could be living the American Dream but instead feels trapped in life (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

ONLINE SERIES

Kiefer Sutherland will follow up his critically-beloved run on the FOX drama 24 with a web series that will appear on Hulu this March. The online series is called The Confession. It will include 10 five-to-seven-minute webisodes with Sutherland as a hitman who has a theological discussion with a priest (John Hurt) about why his victims deserved to die. Much of the story plays out in action-packed flashbacks. Hope is not all lost for that 24 movie, as Sutherland says a big-screen version is still in the works and, in fact, he hopes to begin production within a year. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

CONDOLENCES

The remaining member of the Nelson family – famous for the long-running classic TV series Ozzie and Harriet – David Nelson – passed away on Monday at the age of 74 from a battle with colon cancer. (E! Entertainment Online)

ME: Deepest condolences are extended to his family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Must Watch: Awesome Full Theatrical ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ Trailer

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The front runners for the female lead in the upcoming movie Incarceron (based on the novel of the same name), which is to star Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner include Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone and the upcoming X-Men First Class) and Emma Watson (the Harry Potter franchise). Lautner is also expected to appear in an as-yet untitled spy thriller described as “The Bourne Identity for the next generation.” Lautner will appear in the thriller called Abduction that is to be out in theatres on September 23. (Jeff Sneider at The Wrap)

ME: For those who have seen either or both Tron and Country Strong, here is an article about actor Garrett Hedlund, who was the lead in Tron alongside Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde and appeared alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw and Leighton Meester in Country Strong:

Garrett Hedlund Realizes his Hollywood Dreams

Q&A SECTION (with Adam and Natalie at TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: I could really use some Chuck scoop right about now. — Marcus

ADAM: Might Chuck soon be meeting his next big foe? I’m hearing that the show is casting a major recurring guest star, a sophisticated Oxford socialite whose father is a criminal mastermind.

Question: NCIS scoop, please! — Barry

ADAM: Who’s in the mood for a little romance? The show is looking to cast a sexy tomboy type who gambles online and plays laser tag. She’s smart, strong-willed and looking to get even with her scumbag ex-boyfriend. Perhaps she’ll find a new flame in one of the NCIS boys?

Question: Will Lisa turn against the Visitors this season on V? — Tara

NATALIE: Yes, and Diana (Jane Badler) will be instrumental in that process when she forms an alliance with her granddaughter. This will force Anna to expedite her plans for the human race. “She figures out it’s got to be now or never for her plans,” Morena Baccarin tells us. “The hybrid baby is an option, but there’s [another] option.” Person, place or thing? “Kind of all of the above,” Baccarin says with a laugh.

Question: So sad Life Unexpected I ending! Any scoop on next Tuesday’s two-hour finale? —James

Ausiello: The show isn’t going to let a little thing like cancellation prevent a certain plucky blond from receiving her high school diploma. I hear the swan song will jump forward two years to Lux’s high school graduation.

Question: I for one love the Torchwood storyline involving the entire human race becoming immortal. Tell me more! —Missy

Ausiello: All I’ll say is that Captain Jack’s own immortality will figure into the plot in a big way.

That’s it. Enjoy!