Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

I had some real life drama yesterday, keeping me away from the news for most of the day so today’s update will be a little extra long to incorporate all of the news from yesterday and today. Here goes:

TELEVISION

ABC Family has given a full season order to their new series Jane By Design, receiving an order for another eight episodes. The show will air its spring finale on March 6. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Scott Bakula (Men of a Certain Age, Chuck and Quantum Leap) will appear in a multi-episode arc on upcoming episodes of Desperate Housewives, playing Bree’s (Marcia Cross) lawyer. (TV Line)

NBC has picked up the 12-episode Canadian series Saving Hope with plans to air the medical drama this summer. The series will follow charismatic Chief of Surgery Charlie Harris (Michael Shanks, Stargate: SG-1) at Toronto’s Hope-Zion Hospital who ends up in a coma, leaving the hospital in chaos – and his fiancée and fellow surgeon, Alex Reid (Erica Durance, Smallville), in a state of shock. Along with newly-arrived star surgeon, Joel Goran (Daniel Gillies, The Vampire Diaries), Alex races to save Harris’ life. As the action unfolds, comatose Dr. Harris explores the hospital halls in “spirit” form, not sure if he’s a ghost or a figment of his own imagination. Reid, along with her fellow doctors, press on to save his life and those of their other patients, as they deal with the complicated and courageous decisions that are made in their daily struggle to keep hope alive. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Adam Arkin will guest star in two upcoming episodes of Justified (after directing five episodes of the series). He will play Detroit mafia head Theo Tonin, the boss of Quarles (Neal McDonough) and father of Sammy Tonin (Max Perlich). (Entertainment Weekly and Hanh Nguyen at TV Guide)

Actor Charles Shaughnessy (The Nanny) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Castle, playing Nigel Winthrop, the Deputy General at the British Consulate, who Castle and Beckett suspect has more on his agenda than diplomacy and fancy dress-up balls. The episode is expected to run in early April. (Hanh Nguyen at TV Guide and Twitter)

Veteran actor Leonard Nimoy (of Star Trek fan) will finally make a cameo on The Big Bang Theory; but there is a twist in this story: he will be heard but not seen in the March 29 episode. Sheldon (Jim Parsons) is an obsessed fan of the legend and in the episode Nimoy will speak to Sheldon as Spock in a dream sequence. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Lisa Edelstein will not come back to House for the long-running medical show’s series finale, which is set for May 21. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actresses Ashley Greene (the Twilight franchise) and Tiffany Hines (Nikita) have joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Americana that will follow the life of Robert Soulter (Anthony LaPaglia), who is the creator of the most iconic fashion brand in the world which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Greene will play Alice Garano, an aspiring designer and the daughter of Robert’s estranged brother Martin Garano (Ken Olin) while Hines will play Alice’s roommate, Shane Kelly, a beautiful medical student. Emilie de Ravin and Natalie Mendoza are also part of the cast. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress-singer Majandra Delfino (State of Georgia and Roswell) has joined the cast of the ABC comedy pilot called The Family Trap that is about Annie (Mandy Moore) and Ben (yet to be cast), newlyweds who get the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant in Annie’s hometown bringing her closer to her needy and high maintenance family. Delfino will play Sarah, one of Annie’s sisters who is divorced and living at home. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and actor Robert Wisdom (Prison Break and Burn Notice) have joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Nashville that will center on the Nashville music scene and its stars, both rising and fading. Panettiere will play 19-year-old starlet Juliette Barnes while Wisdom will play Coleman Caldwell, who aims to be the next Mayor of Nashville. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Natalie Zea (Justified) has joined the cast of the as-yet-untitled Kevin Williamson pilot for FOX that is about Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), the FBI agent who finds himself in the middle of it. Zea will play Claire Matthews, Carroll’s ex-wife who is horrified to learn he’s escaped from prison. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Rachael Taylor (the failed reboot of Charlie’s Angels” has landed the lead role in the ABC drama pilot called 666 Park Avenue that will be about a young couple who accept an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City where they begin to experience supernatural occurrences. She will play Jane Van Veen, one half of the couple, joining Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters) as her boyfriend Henry Martin and Terry O’Quinn as the building’s owner Gavin Doran. (The Hollywood Reporter and The Futon Critic)

Actor Linus Roache (Law & Order) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Antichrist that will be about Carter Henderson (Max Thieriot), an astrophysics grad student who learns that he is the chosen one to destroy the forces of evil. Roache will play John Daniel Teras, a New York Senator who’s the target of an assassination attempt. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

British actor Barry Sloane has landed the lead role in the ABC drama pilot called Gotham that is about Annie Travers (yet to be cast), a cop who, after pursuing a seemingly unsolvable case, discovers a magical world that exists within New York City. Sloane will play Boyo, her guide through said world. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actors Bruce Davison and Max Adler (Glee) [among others] have joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Last Resort that is about the crew of a nuclear submarine, who, after disobeying a suspicious order become fugitives and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation. Davison is believed to be playing Admiral Arthur Shepard, a friend and mentor to Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and the father of Lieutenant Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts). Adler’s role is unspecified. They join Autumn Reeser, Dichen Lachman, Robert Patrick, and Scott Speedman in the pilot. (Shawn Ryan TV and The Futon Critic)

Actor Victor Garber (Alias and Eli Stone) is the first to be cast in the NBC drama pilot called Notorious that is to be about a female detective who returns undercover to the wealthy family she grew up in – as the maid’s daughter – to solve the murder of the notorious heiress who was once her closest friend. Garber will play Robert Lawson, the spectacularly wealthy patriarch of the family and CEO of Lawson Pharmaceuticals. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) has joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot called Do No Harm, that will be an updated take on the Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde drama that revolves around Jeffrey Kohl (Steven Pasquale, Rescue Me), a brilliant neurosurgeon who wrestles with his dangerous alter-ego that threatens to wreak havoc on his personal and professional life. Rashad will play Dr. Vanessa Young, the chief of surgery and Jeffrey’s boss. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

CONDOLENCES

Actor-singer Davy Jones, who was one of the four members of the 1960’s band and star of the TV series of the same name passed away at the age of 66 yesterday morning. (TMZ)

NOTE: My deepest sympathies go out to Davy’s wife Jessica, his four daughters and his grandchildren as well as the rest of his family, friends and fans. I have been a huge fan of Davy and The Monkees since the early 1970’s when I used to watch the reruns of the TV series. He will be greatly missed.

Here are two links for his obituary via the LA Times and a very nice article written about Davy’s life also from the LA Times.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actresses Mary Birdsong (Reno 911), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) and Missi Pyle (The Artist) have joined the cast of the upcoming sequel Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monsters where they will play The Fates, the sisterly trio of mythological goddesses who determine the destiny of all. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actors Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster are in talks to play three of the four lead Navy SEALs in the upcoming box office film called Lone Survivor that will be based on the book by Marcus Luttrell. The harrowing story deals with how Luttrell’s SEAL team fought to stay alive after being ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005 by Taliban forces during a covert mission in the Hindu Kush. Wahlberg will play Luttrell, but the other roles are as-yet unspecified. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Gerard Butler is set to replace Eric Bana in the diamond-heist thriller called Brilliant that will follow a small-time criminal who partners with a female thief to pull off a daring diamond heist. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Russell Crowe is in official negotiations to play the title character in the Biblical epic Noah. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) is in talks to star opposite Josh Brolin in the remake of the action thriller Oldboy where she could play the role of the caseworker who helps investigate the past of Brolin’s character, a man kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years and inexplicably released. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Roles for the supernatural period thriller called A Winter’s Tale are up for grabs with the likes of actors Benjamin Walker (the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and Tom Hiddleston (Thor) up for the male lead while actresses like Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror), Bella Heathcote (In Time) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) up for the female part. The story is to be a sweeping drama about reincarnation set in the early 20th century. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFCIE TRAILER

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

Question: Any idea as to who Zoe will end up with at the end of HART OF DIXIE’s first season? — Brenda

The TV Addict: Ideas, we’ve got plenty! But since we’re hesitant to spoil what promises to be a very turbulent HART OF DIXIE season finale, we’ll simply leave it at this: Assuming of course Zoe goes through with making her romantic intentions known to either George and/or Wade, she will do so in an electric manner that harkens back very nicely to the show’s series premiere.

Question: As much as I love me some ONCE UPON A TIME, I’m still reeling from the death of Sheriff Graham. Are there any plans at all to bring him back? — Lisa

The TV Addict: There are, but like anything in life, there are no guarantees. Said co-creator and executive producer Adam Horowitz during a recent press event promoting the season’s final string of episodes, “To be quite honest with you, I hope so. We would like to have him back. Sometimes it is a scheduling thing that is beyond our control, but right now we are trying to move heaven-and-earth to hopefully make it happen. But I can’t promise you.” Added co-executive producer/creator Eddy Kitsis, “The character was designed for this arc. We knew coming into it. We knew that when we were picked up the air schedule was that we’d do seven episodes and then go off for a Christmas break. So we were like, “Let’s kill someone.” Because when Henry said in the beginning, “the final battle begins,” we as writers felt like if there weren’t stakes to this battle — if there weren’t casualties — people would start to think, “well, maybe it’s not that strong of a curse.” So Jamie knew when he took the role that it was only going to be for seven episodes. But when people — the reaction that they had was great for us because the other worry is that no one cares. It’s like the old, “Oh, who cares? They killed someone we don’t like.” It’s like when it’s “a shocking death this week!” and it’s waiter number four, and everyone cries, “Foul!” and goes, “that’s bullshit, that’s not a real death.” So we wanted to give a real death. No one is more upset than us, we love Jamie. Writing the Huntsman was awesome.”

Question: Now that LOST GIRL has been officially renewed for a third season I was hoping you might be able to share a little something on what fans can expect? — Joanna

The TV Addict: Relationship melodrama galore! Which is to say, when LOST GIRL does return for its highly anticipated third season, fans can expect Bo’s romantic life to get even more complicated. Or at least that was our takeaway after our sources that let it slip that Producers have begun the search for a new series regular named Tamsin who is described as an up for anything, kick ass cop with a dark past. Also of note, actors hoping to nab what will surely be a highly coveted role on this increasingly buzzy series will have to be comfortable with simulated sex scenes with both men and woman!

Question: Is there any reason to hope Castle and Beckett will hook up this season on Castle? — Elizabeth

ADAM: Hope springs eternal, Elizabeth, especially after an upcoming episode that involves a bombing at an anti-Wall Street rally. While Castle and Beckett try to piece together what happened, they will examine their relationship. “It does make Castle and Beckett start questioning what they’re doing in life,” executive producer Andrew W. Marlowe teases. “[The victims] had plans… and then suddenly their lives were over. So it makes you think: ‘Should I wait or should I act now?’ Those thoughts are definitely on their minds.” I think I speak for many of us when I say: Enjoy yourself (It’s later than you think)!

Question: Anything fun coming up on NCIS: Los Angeles? — Drew

ADAM: Our team will soon be working closely with a couple of FBI agents, but neither of them sound like a walk in the park. Despite being smart and authoritative, a middle-aged female agent has become cynical and is just going through the motions. Perhaps that’s because her younger partner only has his job because of his daddy.

Question: Once Upon a Time scoop, please! — Billy

NATALIE: Now that Regina has discovered that Mr. Gold knows the truth about the curse, “their relationship is definitely going to change,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says, noting that both their motives will become clear in the coming episodes. Lest we forget, Rumplestiltskin did create the curse that the Evil Queen unleashed. “The question that I would ask is: Why would somebody create a curse that they didn’t themselves employ and for what reason? That is a question we’re going to answer this year,” he says.

Question: I just watched the Awake pilot online, and I can’t wait for more. Any teases? — Eric

ADAM: Although the second episode continues to pursue the show’s basic question — whether Detective Britten’s wife or son survived a terrible car accident — it also offers a twist that could change the entire scope of the show. I’ll just say this: The crash was almost certainly no accident.

Question: You said last year that Royal Pains was introducing a new love interest for Hank who would stick around. Well so far, that has not happened. Emily is gone, Constance Zimmer lasted one episode. So where did you hear this from? Because it never happened! Get your facts straight before scaring people like that! — Nancy

Ausiello: The fact that you didn’t bother including a link to my alleged foiler proves you’re bluffing. I rarely, if ever, screw up. For instance, I know with 100-percent certainty that the fourth season will introduce — in a two-, count ’em, two-episode arc — Jill’s oldest brother, Hank McGillicuddy, who develops a problem that even Tums can’t cure while training for a Lobster Roll Eat-Off. The show is also adding a new recurring character — Jeremiah Ellis, a doctor at Hank Med — who is so socially awkward that he might actually be described as anti-social. (Asocial, maybe?)

Question: Any upcoming news on Rizzoli & Isles? Love from the UK. — Clare

Ausiello: The 15-episode third season kicking off this summer promises to be a doozy. Not only is there a tenacious IAD officer trying to find a suspicious link between Jane and Paddy Doyle (aka Maura’s crooked father), but (perhaps not coincidentally) we’re gonna get to meet Maura’s bio-mom. Not only that, but Mom — Hope is her name — might recur.

Question: Any Justified scoop? —Noel

Ausiello: Next week, Raylan and Boyd find themselves framed for two separate murders (well, attempted murder in one instance). Raylan also pays a visit to Quarles’ little torture/sex chamber, where a familiar fella makes him a perverse offer he can (and easily does) refuse.

That’s it. Enjoy!