Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

It’s finally Friday!!! How excited are you guys for the weekend? I hope as excited as me. The weekends never come fast enough and always go by too fast, right? But, at least we’re at the start of it so…. Now, let’s get into the news for today:

TELEVISION

Repeats of Fringe will start airing on Saturday nights at 11 PM again, effective immediately. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) is joining Torchwood when it returns on its new network – Starz. She will appear in seven of the 10 episodes of the drama’s upcoming season, playing Jilly Kitzinger, a sweet-talking PR genius with a heart of stone. Torchwood will debut on Starz in July. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor John Goodman has joined the cast of Damages as the new villain for season 4, which will debut on its new home: DirecTV sometime this summer. He will play the CEO of a mysterious military contractor who is put on trial in a wrongful death suit. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Jason Ritter (currently a regular on the NBC series The Event) will reprise his role as love interest to Lauren Graham’s character on Parenthood for one episode later this season.  (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Lauren Cohan (Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries is joining Chuck in a major recurring role. She will play Vivian, a beautiful, charming and sophisticated socialite who is currently enrolled at Oxford studying history. She is the daughter of a criminal mastermind. Meanwhile Robin Givens has landed a multi-episode arc where she will portray a powerful and controlling agency bigwig who makes an intriguing offer to Casey (Adam Baldwin). Both characters are slated to debut in March.  (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Guest stars galore have been announced for upcoming episodes of The Good Wife, including Jane Alexander who will appear in the February 1 episode; Rapper/actor Method Man who will appear in the February 8 episode; Rita Wilson and F. Murray Abraham appearing in the same episode on February 15 and previously announced America Ferrera and Jerry Stiller as well as Gary Cole all appearing in the February 22 episode.  (Zap2It)

UPCOMING SCHEDULING CHANGES

Leave it to American Idol to wreck havoc on the upcoming scheduling for FOX. The January 26 airing of the reality series has been expanded to two hours, bumping the previously scheduled Human Target from that night to January 31 at 8 PM, which will, in turn, pre-empt House. Human Target has already been the victim of rescheduling as the two episodes that were to air this past Wednesday will actually air tonight (January 14) from 8 to 10 PM. Here is the breakdown of what to expect (Thanks to the Futon Critic for the details):

Friday, January 14: 8 PM – Human Target (Back-to-Back Episodes – Special Night)
Wednesday, January 19 & 26: 8 PM – American Idol (Two-Hours)
Monday, January 31: 8 PM – Human Target (Special Night)
Monday, January 31: 9:00 PM – Lie to Me (Season Finale)
Wednesday, February 2 & 9: 8 PM – American Idol
Wednesday, February 2 – 9 PM – Human Target
Wednesday, February 9 – 9 PM – Human Target (Season Finale)

TV SCORECARD ARTICLE

TV Survival Scorecard: Which shows will return next season (and which won’t)

CONDOLENCES

Actor John Dye, who played angel Andrew on Touched By An Angel for nine seasons, passed away on Monday from heart failure. He was only 47. (TV Squad)

ME: Rest in Peace, Mr. Dye. Condolences to his family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

SPOILER ROOM (by Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Thanks to Twitter, White Collar show runner Jeff Eastin is very familiar with the polarizing reaction fans have had to the addition of Neal’s new potential romantic interest Sarah (Hilarie Burton from One Tree Hill fame) to the cast, especially following the still-upsetting death of Neal’s beloved Kate at the end of last season. And while Neal is indeed still healing from the loss, Eastin says, “I agree with fans, it’s a little too soon for that. He needs a little time to get over this. At the same time, many people have pointed out that Neal’s a guy who just got out of prison — and he’s not a eunuch.” “The one thing I can say is that Neal and Sarah definitely have a spark. And if you’ve seen the previews, you know they have a little more than that,” he says of the promos featuring a heavy make out session between the characters. “One thing that is not happening is that neither one is rushing into a relationship.” However, look for sparks to fly toward the end of the season after some major revelations are made about Sara’s past. “We definitely learn more about Sara and why she might be a little closer to Neal — why she might be one of the people who understands a little bit about what he’s been going through with Kate more than anyone else,” he says. Okay, I know that did little — if anything — to soothe your concerns about the maybe-couple. But this might: “We’ll see Neal bounce around a little bit. Even at the end of this season, there’ll be nothing subtle when it comes to him and relationships,” he says. And speaking of the end of the season, Eastin confirmed that the mystery around Kate’s death and the music box will be wrapped up and give way to new storylines for the show’s third season, which he and the other writers are already hard at work on. So what, exactly, can he say about the finale? “It’s not a traditional cliffhanger. I can say that it’s just [Matt] Bomer standing in a room,” he dishes (CRUELLY!) “It’s a pretty phenomenal shot, and it sets up the entire next season.”

SIDE DISHES:

Question: I’m afraid for my favorite show V because it’s tanking in the ratings. If it is canceled, will this season be left on a giant cliffhanger that we’ll hate to end on? Or is there potential for closure? — Alex

Answer: If you believe the tease from star Elizabeth Mitchell, it’s most likely a giant cliffhanger. “I wouldn’t say that episode 10 is a series-ender by any stretch of the imagination. It definitely lends itself towards the next season,” she tells us. “It leaves you really ramping up for a big fight. It’s not a wrap-up, for sure. I’ve always been a big fan of the 24 mentality, where at the end of every episode something great happens, and then they’re onto something else.” Short answer: Get this renewed or hate yourself forever for not trying harder. On that note, no one is allowed to mention the word Terriers.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!