Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Happy Over the Hump Day! We are getting ever closer to the weekend and to the start of Comic Con next week in San Diego.

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

TELEVISION

Actor Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe) is joining the cast of Gossip Girl as a chef named Max in Los Angeles, which is where Serena (Blake Lively) was spending the summer. (Michael Auseillo at TV Line)

Actress Lauren German (Happy Town) has joined the cast of Hawaii Five-0 in what could potentially be a new love interest for Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin). She will play a former Homeland Security officer who has been hand-picked by the new Governor to be a part of the team. (Spoiler TV)

Actor David Gallagher (7th Heaven) will appear as a werewolf named Ray Sutton on the first two episodes of The Vampire Diaries this fall. (TV Guide)

Actor Ted Danson has joined CSI as the Las Vegas crime lab’s new graveyard-shift supervisor. He will, of course, continue to co-star with Jason Schwartzmann and Zach Galifianakis on the HBO comedy Bored to Death, which returns for a third season later this year. (E! Online)

Actor Mark Valley (Human Target) has landed a series regular role on the NBC legal drama Harry’s Law where he will play one of two new attorneys at the law firm run by Harriett “Harry” Korn (Kathy Bates). Meanwhile, actress Jean Smart has signed on for an early-season arc in the series as well. (Deadline)

ABC has renewed summer cop drama Rookie Blue for a third season. (The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Edward Norton is “in negotiations” to play the villain in the upcoming box office movie The Bourne Legacy opposite Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz. There are no details, right now, on the character or the story. (Variety and First Showing)

Actress Ruth Wilson (Luther and Jane Eyre) is in negotiations to play the female lead in the upcoming box office film The Lone Ranger. The film will star actor Armie Hammer as the Masked Man and Johnny Depp as Tonto. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) are set to produce the box office film The Luxe, which is based on the Anna Godbersen book series that tracks four teens set in 19th century New York and features conflicts between old money and new money, the upper class and lower class, and star-crossed lovers. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

NOTE: This book series comes from Alloy Entertainment, which I recently wrote an article about.

Actor Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) will star opposite Anna Kendrick (the Twilight Saga movies) in the pregnancy-based ensemble romantic comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting. He will play Marco, the ex-boyfriend of Kendrick who reunites with her after their food trucks get into a turf war. Their lives are changed quite drastically after a romantic encounter leads to a surprise pregnancy. (Lionsgate and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Must Watch: First Trailer for ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’!

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

Question: I haven’t heard anything about the second season of Body of Proof. Can you correct that? —Abby

ADAM: I hear the show is on the lookout a smokin’-hot, street-smart woman in her late 20s to drive the medical examiner’s van. She’s not just a chauffeur though. Her real interest lies in forensics, and she desperately wants to join the team. To do so, she might have to grow a better filter between her brain and her mouth.

Question: What’s the scoop on The Vampire Diaries? — Grace

NATALIE: We’ll flash-back to the speakeasies of Prohibition-era Chicago early on in Season 3, where we’ll meet a vampire from Stefan’s past who will head to present-day Mystic Falls in hopes of rekindling an old flame. If a Facebook relationship status existed that said “Currently Stalking Someone,” that’s what hers would say… but about Caroline!

Question: What’s this I’m hearing about Eliza Dushku coming in as a love interest for Matt Bomer’s Neal on White Collar? What about Sara? —Katie

Ausiello: “They’re on a break” by the time Dushku’s minx shows up, reveals Eastin. “Eliza’s character happens to be there and Neal’s in a little bit of a rebound mode anyway. We get some sparks between them.” BTW, soon enough you’ll see why Neal might be “on the market” again.

ME: It should also be noted that – if no one else has mentioned it – this isn’t the first time Matt and Eliza have worked together or been a “couple” on screen. Does anyone remember Matt’s first big break on primetime TV? He was on Eliza’s short-lived FOX series Tru Calling and their characters dated. Just saying…

Question: Anything on my summertime guilty pleasure, Royal Pains? —Megan

Ausiello: Californication‘s Madeline Zima has booked a guest stint as a nanny to the asthmatic son of a movie-star couple in this season’s ninth episode.

That’s it. Enjoy!