Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Tim Guinee (most recently seen on The Good Wife) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Castle where he will play an activist who is critical of an anti-Wall Street movement and witnesses a bombing of a protest rally in a New York City Plaza. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Legendary actor Robert Englund (the original Freddy Krueger) and actress Julie Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer will both guest star on an upcoming episode of Criminal Minds. Englund will play Det. Gassner, who helps the team at the BAU with a case involving a string of ritualistic murders in Oregon while Landau will play the ghost (yep, you read that right) of a former actress named Catherine Heathridge, who had a psychotic break as a young woman. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Peter Jacobson (House) has joined the cast of the Showtime drama pilot called Ray Donovan that stars Live Schreiber in the title role of Hollywood’s best professional “fixer” – the one called in to solve the complicated, confidential and controversial problems of the city’s elite. Jacobson will recur as Lee Drexler, a hard-driving, foul-mouthed wheeler-dealer who relies on Ray as Mr. Fixit whenever his high-profile clients get into hot water. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Monica Raymund (The Good Wife) has been cast as one of the leads in the NBC pilot Chicago Fire, the action drama about the complex and heroic men and women of the Chicago Fire Department. Raymund will play Gabriella, a fast-thinking and fearless paramedic committed to her job. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Titus Welliver (Lost and Sons Of Anarchy) is the first actor to be case in the NBC drama pilot called Midnight Sun, which is based on an Israeli format that follows the mysterious disappearance of Midnight Sun, a group living on a cult-like commune in Alaska, and a female FBI cult specialist leading the investigation that uncovers a larger conspiracy. Welliver will play Bennett Maxwell, the charismatic and manipulative leader of Midnight Sun. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Lucy Lawless (Spartacus and Xena) has joined the cast of the seven-part mini-series Top of the Lake that chronicles one detective’s (Elizabeth Moss) tireless search for a missing 12-year-old pregnant girl who just so happens to be the daughter of a local drug lord. Holly Hunter also stars. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises) and Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond and Gladiator) will star in the film adaptation of the Caryl Férey’s novel Zulu that follows two Cape Town police officers (Bloom and Hounsou) who investigate the murder of a 18 year-old girl who just happens to be the daughter of one of the players from the championship winning Sprikboks rugby team, bringing an insane amount of media attention to the case. (Screen Daily/The Playlist and First Showing)

TV and film scripter Marc Guggenheim, is in negotiations to write a script that would bring fictional defense lawyer Perry Mason to the big screen starring Robert Downey Jr. The Perry Mason stories generally follow a certain formula: Mason takes on a client with an unusual case, and there’s a massive courtroom showdown in which the police believe the client is guilty, but Mason provides alternate evidence to convince them of the opposite. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush at TV Guide)

Question: Just wanted to thank you for turning me on to the fabulous Downton Abbey. I love everything about it, and could Maggie Smith be any more delightful as “Granny” Violet? I’ve always loved Maggie Smith, but she has outdone herself with this role. I can’t wait to hear what comes out of her mouth next. I’m with all the others who think the season is too short. Will this show continue for several seasons or is it meant to be more short-lived? I know the Brits do things differently than we do. — Camille

Matt Roush: There is at least one more season guaranteed for Downton Abbey, which will begin production soon and, if the pattern holds, will captivate British audiences in the fall and regale us next winter, leaving us ravenous for more in much the same way as we’re now feeling after Sunday’s richly satisfying finale. It is expected to be set in the Roaring ’20s, and Shirley MacLaine has been cast as Martha Levinson, the mother of American-born Lady Cora Grantham. We can’t wait to see her go grande dame-to-grande dame against Maggie Smith. The British do tend to take things one season at a time, and the show’s creator Julian Fellowes has said he can’t imagine the Downton story continuing indefinitely — each season eats up a lot of story, covering a fair amount of time. But it’s also hard to imagine something this successful and enjoyable being cut too short, so I’m hoping we get at least four if not five seasons out of this. In this case, the more the merrier.

Question: Wouldn’t it be a great idea on Smash to have Karen play Norma Jean and Ivy play Marilyn? That would help to visually show her change/evolution. Anyone else think that’s a great idea? — Don

Matt Roush: I’ve certainly heard worse. It would be fun to see them try to share the spotlight — although as you’ll see in next week’s episode, even having them share the same rehearsal room becomes a problem. But given the way theater gossip works, I can’t help but bring up the unfortunate precedent of the recent short-lived On a Clear Day You Can See Forever revival (starring Harry Connick Jr.), which I had the misfortune to see. The gimmick involved splitting the lead female character (formerly played by Barbara Harris, Barbra Streisand, and in concert — which I was lucky enough to witness — Kristin Chenoweth) into two: one being a gay man, the other being a woman from a previous incarnation trapped within. It didn’t work. But kudos for the provocative idea. I don’t see Smash (or the musical within) heading that way, but you’ve nailed it that Katharine McPhee would make a much more natural Norma Jean, while Megan Hilty is better suited for the Hollywood Marilyn.

That’s it. Enjoy!