Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The History Channel is making its first foray into scripted series with Vikings, a 10-episode drama that will chronicle the world of the mighty Norsemen who raided, traded and explored during medieval times. The drama will premiere in 2013. (Deadline)

Actress Khandi Alexander (CSI: Miami) will guest star in the upcoming new summer drama Common Law from the USA Network. The series is set to premiere on May 11, telling the story of Travis Marks (Michael Ealy) and Wes Mitchell (Warren Kole), two sharp LAPD detectives whose partnership becomes so strained that Captain Mike Sutton (Jack McGee) sends them to see couples therapist Dr. Ryan (Sonya Walger). Alexander will play Captain Sutton’s long-suffering wife Helen, who joins her husband and his detectives in group session. In fact, Sutton sends Wes and Travis to Dr. Ryan because she was able to work wonders for him and his wife. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Here are the dramas that have been given a renewal order by CBS (thus far): Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, CSI, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, The Mentalist, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and Person of Interest. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue) will guest star on Rizzoli & Isles as the biological mother of Maura (Sasha Alexander). The cable drama will be back this summer with new episodes on TNT. (Joyce Eng at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) and JD Pardo (American Dreams) have both been cast in the NBC drama pilot from JJ Abrams and Eric Kripke called Revolution that follows a group of people struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist. Roth will play Rachel, the mother of 2 of the leads who Pardo will play Nate, an expert archer. (Deadline)

Actress Erin Cummings (Spartacus: Blood and Sand) has joined the cast of the CBS drama pilot called Baby Big Shot, which is a legal drama centered on Martina (Janet Montgomery), a working-class woman who uses her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at a top New York law firm. Cummings will play Martina’s sexually heightened older sister. (Deadline)

Katherine LaNasa (Big Love) and Neil Jackson (Make It or Break It) have both been cast in the NBC drama pilot called Notorious that is being described as an opulent soap in which a female detective returns undercover to the wealthy and troubled Lawson family she grew up in — as the maid’s daughter — to solve the murder of the notorious heiress who was once her closest friend. LaNasa will play the beautiful, elegant sharp-tongued Sofia Lawson, the second wife of the patriarch Robert Lawson (Victor Garber), who is used to managing the family crises with ruthless expertise. Jackson will play the handsome, sexy and smart bad boy of the family who has returned home for the funeral. (Deadline)

Actor Matt Davis (The Vampire Diaries) will star opposite Jessica Lucas (Melrose Place and 90210) in the drama pilot for The CW called Cult. The pilot centers on Skye (Lucas), an inquisitive young production assistant on a wildly popular television show called Cult. After a rash of disappearances and a likely murder, she joins Jeff (Davis), a journalist blogger whose brother was among those gone missing, in investigating the rabid fans of the series who might be re-creating crimes seen on the program in real life. (Deadline)

Actress Suleka Mathew (Hawthorne) and Jaime Ray Newman (Eastwick and Drop Dead Diva) have both been added to the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Penoza, which is based on a Dutch format. The pilot centers on Martha (Radha Mitchell), the widow of an assassinated criminal who is forced to adopt her husband’s role in a crime syndicate in order to protect her family. Mathew will play Marta’s best friend Dina while Newman will play Marta’s younger sister Kat. (Deadline)

Actress Louise Lombard (CSI) has joined the as-yet untitled FOX drama pilot from Karyn Usher that centers on Jane Forsythe (Saxon Sharbino), the orphaned 14-year-old daughter of a CIA operative who encounters mysterious rogue agent Kevin Lear (Julian McMahon) who serves as her surrogate father and professional mentor in the spy world. Lombard will play Kevin’s former lover Wendy, a CIA operative who offers to help him raise a teen girl. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jeremy Irons is in final negotiations to join the supernatural love story Beautiful Creatures (based on the best-selling novel of the same name). He is expected to play Macon Ravenwood, the mysterious and reclusive uncle of the leading girl (Alice Englert). (The Press Association and Dark Horizons)

It looks like the box office adaptation of the long-running FOX drama 24 has been put on hold yet again. The film hasn’t been scrapped, but it is rumored to be on hold until sometime next year. It has already been reported that lead actor Kiefer Sutherland has expressed his displeasure over this latest development. (Twitter, Deadline and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER AND BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE

Watch: New Featurette & Preview for ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’

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

Question: Got any scoop on the “kid from Baltimore” storyline on NCIS? — Maddie, via Twitter

ADAM: Word on the “kid” is that he’s a boy Tony once saved from a fire many years ago. Unfortunately, not all of his family members made it out alive, which drove him to become an arson investigator. Look for him to be reunited with Tony when a string of fires leave the Baltimore cops stumped and in need of some federal input.

Question: I’m really rooting for Lanie and Esposito to get back together on Castle. What do you know about that? — Nicky

ADAM: You’ll probably enjoy Beckett and Lanie’s upcoming girls’ night! Tamala Jones tells us the episode will reveal what it was in Lanie’s past that turned her against marriage and spooked her into breaking things off with Esposito. Perhaps reliving the bad will lead to good things down the line. “We’re talking about Castle and we’re talking about Esposito, and I think that’s a good segue into rekindling or figuring out why Esposito and Lanie didn’t work,” Jones says.

Question: What’s coming up on Once Upon a Time? —Chris

NATALIE: Mary Margaret won’t be the only one behind bars. Lest we forget, Prince Charming ran away from the kingdom, and even though he helped Abigail reunite with her golden lover, King George won’t be so forgiving. “King George takes him, so he’s locked away in fairytale land,” Josh Dallas teases. “He’s going to have to do some fighting to get out.”

Question: I can’t wait for Royal Pains to return! Is Dr. Paul Van Dyke (Kyle Howard) really going to be the new Hank of Hank Med? —Mindy

NATALIE: Not quite. Although Evan was seen knocking on Paul’s door in the final moments of Season 3, he will hire another doctor who has some serious people problems. Paging Dr. Hank!

Question: Now that Homeland has announced a Season 2 premiere date, I think it’s time to start dishing!

ADAM: Morena Baccarin confirms that there will be a time-jump between seasons, and she’s hoping her character will be in a happier place, despite Brody’s new political career, when the drama returns. “I think it’s going to be a challenge,” she says. “I think she embraced it in order to be there for him, which is something she wants and believes is best for the family.” She may also get wise to Brody’s double life. “I think it makes sense that she catches on a little or at least suspects something is going on,” Baccarin says.

Question: I am tired of seeing David Clarke on Revenge. He annoys the hell out of me! Please tell me when he is gone from the show. —C.C

Ausiello: Conrad, is that you? I’m afraid I have some bad news. Not only will Emily’s dead pa continue to be a regular presence in flashbacks, but the upcoming episode set in 1991 will chronicle the early days of his relationship to Victoria. The big surprise? The Grayson matriarch wasn’t always such an ice queen. “Over time, she’s become a little bit more [hardened],” portrayer Madeleine Stowe tells TV Line. “Early on, you might see something that’s a little more playful, a little more fun.” The origin-heavy hour will also jump ahead to 2002 to show the “tough and rough” dynamic between fresh-out-of-juvie Emily and frenemy Nolan, previews Emily VanCamp, who adds, “We also have almost all of the take-down characters [return]. It’s really cool. It’s a great episode.”

Question: Please grace us with any scoop you have on Revenge. —Brandi

Ausiello: Fun fact: There’s a good reason Jack is holding on to that blood-soaked hoodie of his instead of lighting a match to it. “I might need it later,” hints Nick Wechsler in character. “If I need to get [Amanda] out of trouble, I might want it because I need to prove that I was there.” Meanwhile, don’t expect the bartender to swoop in and steal Emily while Daniel’s off doing time in the pokey. “He’s a good enough guy that he’s not wishing ill on [Daniel],” muses the actor. “He feels bad for him.” But, he adds, there “might be an [opportunity] now” in Daniel’s absence for “a slightly lingering hug” between the childhood sweethearts.

Question: I heard that the last two Hart of Dixie episodes of the season could be major for the Zoe/Wade/George triangle. Can you confirm and shed some more light on to which way this will go? —Ali

Ausiello: Here’s my carefully worded response to what is proving to be a very popular question here at Ask Ausiello headquarters: Zoe is going to have a lot to mull over this summer given what’s about to go down in her relationships with both guys.

Question: Can you please, please, please share some Smash scoop with us? —Bill

Ausiello: Someone (a very important someone) gets fired from Marilyn: The Musical in next week’s episode, but it remains unclear if the pink slip will stick.

Question: Please help us get through our Grimm hiatus with some scoop about what is coming up. —Stacie

Ausiello: I have it on good authority that the season finale will feature not one but two spectacular cliffhangers. In more timely news, next time we see poor Juliette she’ll be taking matters into her own hands — literally.

That’s it. Enjoy!