Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

While there is no official confirmation from the network, it’s looking like the new ABC period drama Pan Am is on the cancellation block. (Twitter)

Actress Nora Zehetner (Everwood and Heroes) will have a recurring role in the upcoming buddy-cop dramedy Common Law from the USA Network that is set to debut on January 26 at 10 PM. The series is about butting detectives Travis (Michael Ealy) and Wes (Warren Kole) who are ordered to attend couples therapy. Zehetner will play a pretty and offbeat female detective fresh out of training at Quantico and the new head of the digital technology unit. She’s immune to Travis’ flirty charms but is impressed by Wes. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing) has joined the cast of the untitled drama pilot for USA from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin. The project follows agents from various federal and local agencies (DEA, FBI, LAPD) who all live at an undercover house in Southern California. He will play Dale Jakes, a quick-tempered U.S. Customs agent living at the house. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Liev Schreiber will star in the Showtime drama pilot Ray Donovan that takes a novelistic look at contemporary Los Angeles. He will play the title character, a professional “fixer” for the rich and famous in Los Angeles. (The Hollywood Reporter)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

TNT has greenlit an original movie adaptation of the best-selling novel from Patricia Cornwell called Hornet’s Nest. Actresses Sherry Stringfield (ER) and Virginia Madsen (Sideways) have been cast to star in the film, which will premiere next spring as part of the TNT Mystery Movie Night. The story is about reporter Andy Brazil, Police Chief Judy Hammer (Madsen) and her top deputy, Virginia West (Stringfield). (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Michael Chiklis (The Shield) and Forest Whitaker are set to star in the indie crime thriller called Pawn that follows an ex-con who becomes entangled in a manipulative chess game between the Feds, local police and the mob during a hostage situation that has gone terribly wrong. Common and Ray Liotta also star. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) has landed a role alongside Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg in the political thriller film Broken City that will follows a New York City detective (Wahlberg) who is hired by a powerful politician (Crowe) to identify his wife’s lover, who is subsequently found and killed. Barry Pepper also stars in the film as a mayoral candidate and Chandler is working at the core of his political team, but it is unclear how the two tie into the logline of the story. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright and Griffin Dunne also star. (First Showing and Variety)

Q&A SECTION (with Kristin at E! Online)

Question: You guys have been slacking on the Supernatural scoop lately! Any idea what’s coming up on my favorite show?

Kristin: Bobby’s (Jim Beaver) flirting with death after that whole being shot in the head thing that happened last episode. So where does he find himself? Purgatory! Yes, our beloved Bobby will be reliving his life and will come across a dear old friend in the process: Rufus (Steven Williams).

Question: Anything on Once Upon a Time please! When will we found out more about Mr. Gold?

Kristin: We’ll learn more about Mr. Gold (the ah-mah-zing Robert Carlyle), and his fairy-tale counterpart Rumpelstiltskin, in episode eight, penned by Jane Espenson! “Some crucial facts about where Rumpel comes from,” are revealed in the episode, Espenson tells us. As for whether or not he’s truly evil, that remains to be seen. “He’s a wild card,” she says. “His ulterior motives are still always very complicated.”

Question: Once Upon a Time, please! I am obsessed with this show!

Kristin: Remember that deal Emma (Jennifer Morrison) made with Mr. Gold? “He’s going to hold onto that for a while,” Espenson teases. “He’s going to make sure that’s paid off when he can get the maximum bang.”

Question: some Revenge please?

Kristin: Grandpa Grayson is comin’ to town! Yes, Revenge is currently looking for someone to play Donald Grayson (who will first appear in episode 14), an imposing, self-made man who is a little rough around the edges. Donald made his children (including Conrad) work very hard for their share of his fortune as he’s a believer in hard work. Seems like just the person to light a fire under Daniel

That’s it. Enjoy!