Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Happy Friday!! I hope everyone has some fun activities planned for this weekend. And, if you decide to be home tomorrow, please make sure you tune in to the season premiere of Doctor Who on BBC America. It looks like it’s going to a great season opener (and it’ll feature favorite guest actor Mark Sheppard, which I’d say is a win-win for viewers).

In the meantime, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Amanda Tapping got onto Twitter yesterday to clear up some confusion regarding her Syfy show Sanctuary. Seems the show is moving to a new night, but tonight’s episode will air and then all further episodes will air on Monday nights at 10 PM. (Twitter)

BBC America has picked up the rights to air all 80 hours of the remake of Battlestar Galactica, including the two-part mini-series that started it all as part of the network’s “Supernatural Saturday”. It all kicks off on June 18 at 7 PM. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Mary McCormack (In Plain Sight) is expecting and it turns out her character on the show – Mary Shannon – will be also. It is being presumed that the father is FBI Agent Farber (Steven Weber) for who Mary was involved with the season 3 finale. The show returns to the USA Network on May 1 at 10 PM. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Masi Oka (Heroes and Hawaii Five-0) is teaming up with writer Alex Sabeti on an Inception-esque pilot script for Syfy that is called The Correctors. The pilot follows two agents of the Exceptions Bureau who are dispatched to a parallel universe where they inhabit the bodies of their identical selves in order to stop events from occurring. Sabeti and Oka developed the story and Sabeti will write the script with Masi attached to star and executive produce. (Marisa Guthrie at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

An offer has been made to actor Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) to take over the reins from Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in the upcoming movie The Bourne Legacy. Renner would play a new character in the spinoff film. The character would be an operative from a covert government program that is even more dangerous than the Treadstone brainwashing program that hatched Bourne. (Natalie Finn at E! Entertainment Online)

Actor Brian White (Men of a Certain Age and Moonlight) has landed the lead role in the upcoming Tyler Perry film Good Deeds. He will play Walter Deeds, the brother of wealthy entrepreneur Glen Deeds (Perry) who becomes smitten with a single mother who’s down on her luck (Thandie Newton) after his relationship with his fiancee (Gabrielle Union) begins to lose its luster. (Joshua L. Weinstein at The Wrap)

Actress Paula Malcomson (Caprica and Deadwood) will appear as the mother of Katniss and Prim Everdeen in the much anticipated box office adaptation of the best-selling novel Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The film is to be in theatres on March 23, 2012. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

In addition to Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom returning to the box office film The Hobbit – to be directed by Peter Jackson – it has been announced by the director himself – that actor Ian Holm will be seen in the film as the older version of Bilbo Baggins (who will be played by actor Martin Freeman throughout most of the film. (First Showing)

Actors Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes will be sharing the screen again (they appear in the latter Harry Potter films as the evil Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort respectively) in the adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic novel Great Expectations. Additionally, actor Jeremy Irvine (to be seen in the upcoming film War Horse) will appear in the movie as well, playing the part of Pip while Carter is in talks to play Miss Havisham. It is rumored Ralph Fiennes is in talks to play Magwitch. (First Showing)

Q&A SECTION (with The TV Addict and Sandra Gonzalez from Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Any word on what ROYAL PAINS has up their sleeve this summer? — Mike

The TV Addict: Not so much, except to say that if the upcoming summer season of ROYAL PAINS is half as funny as the episode titles we’re hearing come out of the writer’s room, fans are in for a real treat. At least as evidence by the third episode of the season which is titled, “The Shaw/Hank Redemption” Seriously PSYCH writers, watch your back.

Question: Please tell me Jeremy and Bonnie will survive the season on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES? — Lesley

The TV Addict: As much as we would love to tell you that both Jeremy and Bonnie will make it out of the season finale of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES in one piece, we can’t. Luckily what we can share is this just released synopsis of the episode that may-or-may-not offer up a clue or two as to who is a goner come May 12. “While Mystic Falls presents a screening of “Gone with The Wind” in the town square, Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) memories of Katherine (Nina Dobrev) in 1864 mix with the reality of Elena (Nina Dobrev) in the present day. Stefan (Paul Wesley) pays a terrible personal price for his attempt to prevent a tragedy, and Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) makes a deadly mistake while trying to keep everyone safe. More than one life hangs in the balance as the consequences of the sacrifice ritual play out to a horrifying conclusion.”

Question: Can’t wait for the return of WHITE COLLAR, any scoop? — Kristin

The TV Addict: This summer look for a Mozzie flashback revealing how he embarked on a life of crime and cons. You’ll meet his mentor and the one man he owes everything to. But the past never stays buried, and when the mob puts a hit out on his former mentor, Mozzie, Peter and Neal race against the clock to save him. It is a rare glimpse into how Mozzie became the philosophy-quoting, caper-loving con artist we all know and love.

Question: Does Ryan Murphy have any surprises up his sleeve as the GLEE club heads towards Nationals? — Rebecca

The TV Addict: Complete with guest stars galore (Kristin Chenoweth returns on May 3 to convince Mr. Schuester to hit the road with him, with Jessie St. James returning May 10th) the road to Nationals will be full of surprises. Not the least of which will be an unexpected loss that rocks the world of one of McKinley’s own on May 17th.

Question: Castle!!!!! — Sharon

Sandra: Think you’ve heard all there is to hear about the finale? Think again. Whilst grilling executive producer Andrew Marlowe about the episode via email, the king of teases had this to say: “Part of the drama of how we’re ending the season hopefully will be all the speculation of how it will affect all our characters next season, especially Beckett and Castle now that, after the finale, so many more of their emotional cards will be on the table.” Considering the show’s track record for making the stone in my chest ache, this might be completely amazing.

Question: I’d love some Nikita scoop! I’m loving that they hooked up Michael and Nikita and didn’t string fans along. But now I wonder if they’re going to stay that way! – Kate

Sandra: By the sounds of it, things very well might stick for Mikita. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all roses from here on out, says Shane West (Michael). “They’re still different people in the way they handle things and handle their day-to-day lives differently,” he says. “That’s one of the serious issues — and trust issues — [they face]. But their hearts are definitely unified.”

Question: The Chicago Code is great. Any word on a second season and/or finale scoop? – Max

Sandra: Agree on the show’s greatness. After the fall of EP Shawn Ryan’s Terriers, I thought the “gritty TV” slot in my schedule would have a major void (especially since Southland is now on break), but Chicago Code has certainly delivered. Too bad it’s listed in the “Danger Zone” on EW’s Renewal Scorecard. We’ll just have to wait and see. Until then, nibble on these scoops: 1) the finale is a cliffhanger. 2) R.I.P. [SPOILER]. “As you may have noticed, Shawn likes to kill characters. It gets hairy,” Matt Lauria (Caleb) teases.

Question: Thank you for the love you gave to In Plain Sight in the last column. Too little love for that show. Anything to add this week? — Veronica

Sandra: You’ll want to definitely tune in when Brad Whitford guests this season as an uber-paranoid father who finds himself in Witness Protection after his shady dealings result in a family tragedy. It’s really powerful stuff. But what the team is left wondering at one point is who’s a greater threat to the man: his nemesis or himself?

Question: What the chuck, Sandra?! Where’s the Chuck scoop!? (…she asked lovingly. J) – Mayra

Sandra: Well, if you’re anything like Chuck fans Mandi and Dawn who sent me a link to these great spoilerific photos from the location of the finale, you know there’s a wedding! (Thanks, ladies!) I cannot, however, guarantee that all goes well when it comes to the marriage.

Question: Royal Pains is coming back. Scoop for fans? Like my mom and me and…well, I’m sure there are others.

Sandra: In one episode next season, you’ll get to meet an old friend of Eddie’s (Henry Winkler) – who he knows from prison. The boys are shocked to learn the history behind their bond, which involved mutual heroic acts.

That’s it. Enjoy!