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!

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Hey All,

I’ve been MIA from the daily updates for the past few weekdays because of other obligations, but I’m back now at least for a few more days. Fair warning: I’ll be away for the weekend, heading to Anaheim (California) for the annual WonderCon this weekend so be prepared for delayed news during that time too.

Right now, though, here are the news items from the past three weekdays:

TELEVISION

Actor Mekhi Phifer (Torchwood) will guest star on an upcoming episode of White Collar when the USA Network drama returns this summer for more new episodes. He will play FBI agent Kyle Collins, the Bureau’s top international fugitive-hunting specialist, who is tasked with catching Neal (Matt Bomer) — at any cost. Meanwhile, actress Mia Maestro (Alias) has landed the role of Maya, a local café owner with whom Neal will be romantically involved. And, actor Raymond Cruz (The Closer) will play Sheriff Enrico Morales, a corrupt local official on a small island town who crosses paths with Neal and Mozzie (Willie Garson). (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide, Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly and Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Tammy Blanchard (Moneyball) has booked a three-episode arc on the Showtime dark comedy series The Big C. She will play Giselle, a sexy, married, and uninhibited Pilates instructor who enters into an unconventional relationship with Cathy’s (Laura Linney) brother Sean (John Benjamin Hickey). Her growing affection for Sean and her adventurous sense of romance fulfills and complicates his life in ways he never expected. (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Scottie Thompson (NCIS) has joined the cast of Graceland, a drama pilot from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin for the USA Network that will follow six agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and U.S. Customs whose worlds collide while living together in an undercover house in Southern California. Thompson will play Lauren Kincaid, a loyal and determined DEA agent dealing with the repercussion of her wounded partner. Additionally, actor Courtney B. Vance (FlashForward) has landed a role in the drama pilot where he will play Sam Campbell, a veteran FBI special agent who is the section chief at Quantico and the mentor for Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit), a freshly minted agent just out of the academy. (Variety, The Futon Critic and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks and Desperate Housewives) is set to co-star in the CBS drama pilot called Baby Big Shot that 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 top New York law firm Stark & Cohen. MacLachlan will play the head man at Stark & Cohen, a rhino who booms confidence and big-picture philosophy. He sees something in Martina and gives her a promotion. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Steven Bauer (Breaking Bad) has joined the cast of the Showtime drama pilot called Ray Donovan that stars Liev Schreiber in the title role. The pilot centers on Ray, a professional “fixer” for LA’s rich and famous who can make anyone’s problems disappear, except the ones created by his own family. Bauer will play Avi, Ray’s number one man at his detective agency. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Claire Forlani (CSI: NY) has landed the lead in the ABC drama pilot Scruples based on the best-selling novel by Judith Krantz of the same name that will feature Natalie Portman as one of the executive producers. Forlani will star as Billy Winthrop, a powerful clothing designer. Meanwhile, actor Boris Kodjoe (Undercovers) has been cast as Josh Hillman, the attorney of Billy’s late husband. Also, actors Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) and Gary Cole (Chuck) have booked principal roles on the drama pilot. Murray will play Spider Elliot, a photographer who’s partners/friends with Billy and designer, Valentine O’Neill (Karine Vanasse from Pan Am). Cole will play Royce Franklin, a lawyer who wants Billy’s company for himself. (Deadline, The Futon Critic and TV Line)

Actor Matt Letscher (Eli Stone) will play dad to actress AnnaSophia Robb, who will play young Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries, the ’80s-themed CW drama pilot based on Candace Bushnell’s novel. (Deadline)

Actress Jacinda Barrett (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) will play ER vet Anthony Edwards’ wife in the ABC drama pilot Zero Hour. (Deadline)

Actress Sharon Leal (Hellcats) will play the wife of Cuba Gooding Jr. character in the FOX drama pilot called Guilty. (Deadline)

Actor Tim Guinee (The Good Wife) has joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot called Revolution, which comes from J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke. The pilot follows a group of people struggling to survive in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist. (Deadline)

Actor Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried and Ghost Whisperer) has joined the cast of the CBS drama pilot called Applebaum that will star Rachelle Lefevre (the Twilight Saga franchise) as a former public defender who becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom. Mohr will play her P.I. partner, Al Hockey whose garage doubles as the agency’s office. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Michael Imperioli (Detroit 1-8-7 and The Sopranos) has been cast in the NBC drama pilot called County that will follow a group of young doctors in a frenetic, underfunded and morally compromising Los Angeles county hospital. He will play Dr. Mercer, Jack’s (Jason Ritter from Parenthood and The Event) senior resident. (TV Line and The Futon Critic)

Actor Craig Horner (Legend of the Seeker) has landed a lead role in the drama pilot called Dakota for The CW. The pilot is about Maya Beaumont (Amber Stevens), a documentarian who travels back in time to 1990 where she meets and falls in love with the rock star subject of her film only to return to present day where she must find her way back and prevent his untimely death. He will play said subject, Joey Dakota, who’s fated to commit suicide at age 25. (The Futon Critic and Deadline)

Actor Grant Show (Melrose Place) and Mariana Klaveno (True Blood) have landed roles in the ABC drama pilot called Devious Maids that will be about four maids (Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez and Judy Reyes) with ambitions and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. Show and Klaveno will play Spencer and Peri Davis, bickering actors who employ one of the maids (Ramirez). Additionally, actress Susan Lucci (All My Children) and actors Drew Van Acker (Pretty Little Liars) and Brett Cullen (Lost) have also landed roles in the pilot. Lucci will play Genevieve Delacourt, Zoila’s (Reyes) employer, an aging beauty who’s driving herself crazy over the loss of her looks. Acker will appear as her handsome, well-meaning son Remi, whom Zoila’s daughter Valentina pines after while Cullen will play Michael Slate, who hires Marisol (Ortiz) after his old maid left with his ex-wife Olivia (yet to be cast). (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Rade Serbedzija (24) and actress Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black) have been cast in the ABC drama pilot about Marta Walraven (Mitchell), the widow of an assassinated criminal who is suddenly forced to adopt her late husband’s role in order to protect her family. Serbedzija will play Andrei Lazarev, a respected old-school Russian mobster. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Angela Bassett and actor Julian McMahon (Charmed and Nip/Tuck) are in talks to join the cast of the as-yet untitled Karyn Usher Project at FOX that will be about Jane Forsythe (Saxon Sharbino), the orphaned 14-year-old daughter of a CIA agent who is recruited to become an operative herself. They’ll play her contrasting mentors: Alice Vargas, the Director of the CIA; and Kevin Lear, her late father’s best friend. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Vanessa Williams (Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called 666 Park Avenue that will be about a young couple (Rachael Taylor, Dave Annable) who accept an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City where they begin to experience supernatural occurrences. Williams will play Olivia Doran, the wife of the building’s owner, Gavin (Terry O’Quinn). (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Alan Dale (Lost) has landed a role in the ABC drama pilot Beauty and the Beast set in a mythical city where its princess, Grace (Ruth Bradley), is tasked with quelling a rebellion. Dale will play her father, Emperor Dorian, who has been poisoned – presumably by the rebels – leaving Grace in charge. (Variety and The Futon Critic)

Actor Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) has been cast in the as-yet untitled Josh Berman/Rob Wright drama pilot for FOX that will be about Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro from My Boys), one of Chicago’s top young cardiothoracic surgeons who, to save her gambling-indebted brother is forced to moonlight as a mob doctor. Gilford will play Brett Robinson, a doctor who works with Grace at the Chicago Medical Center. (The Hollywood Reporter and The Futon Critic)

Actress Carla Gugino (Watchmen) will star opposite actress Sigourney Weaver (Avatar) in the six-hour USA Network original series called Political Animals. Gugino will play Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper reporter Susan Berg, a hungry DC journalist bent on destroying the career of former First Lady and newly appointed Secretary of State Elaine Barrish (Weaver). (The Futon Critic)

Actresses Julie Benz (Buffy and Angel) and Jaime Murray (Warehouse 13) and actor Tony Curran (Covert Affairs) have landed roles in the Syfy drama called Defiance that will be sent the near future, focusing on a world where humans and aliens must learn to live together on an exotic new Earth that has been transformed by alien terra-forming machines. Benz will play Amanda Rosewater, the idealistic newly appointed mayor of the mining boomtown who is determined to maintain peace in the community; Curran will play Datak Tarr, a member of another elite alien race known as the Castithans who schemed his way out of his home planet before it was destroyed and Murray as Datak’s beautiful and proper wife. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Lennie James (Hung and Jericho) has landed a role in the ABC drama pilot called Gotham that is about Annie Travers (Megan Ketch), a cop who, after pursuing a seemingly unsolvable case, discovers a magical world that exists within New York City. He will play Gabriel Riga, a wealthy CEO running for mayor who has ties to said world. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Neal McDonough (Justified) has scored a role in the TNT drama pilot called L.A. Noir that tells the epic battle between Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker and mobster Mickey Cohen in the 1950s. He will play Parker, a man with a long memory and a ruthless streak when provoked, who is committed to rooting out corruption in the police department, and equally dedicated to bringing down Mickey Cohen and the mob. Also cast in the pilot is actress Alexa Davalos (The Chronicles of Riddick), who will play Jasmine, a beauty with a complicated past. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

FOX is developing an English-language adaptation of Telemundo’s blockbuster 2011 telenovela La Reina del Sur (The Queen of the South), which centers on Teresa Mendoza, an innocent young girl from a small Mexican village, whose desire to avenge a personal tragedy leads her down a path to become the most powerful woman in the dangerous world of narcotics trafficking in Europe. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor William Moseley (The Chronicles Of Narnia) has landed a role in the drama pilot for The CW called The Selection, which is based on the upcoming series of books by Kiera Cass. The story is an epic romance set 300 years in the future, centering on America Singer (Aimee Teegarden from Friday Night Lights), a poor young woman who is chosen by lottery to participate in a competition to marry Prince Maxon (Ethan Peck from the TV version of 10 Things I Hate About You) and become the next queen of a war-torn nation at a crossroads. Moseley will play Aspen Leger, a handsome and brave young man with a regal bearing under his ragged clothes who belongs to the servant class and has to support his entire family. He is having a secret, illegal relationship with America since it’s not allowed to date anyone out of one’s caste. Despite his love for her, when he learns she has a shot at bettering her and her family’s lives by competing in The Selection, he takes himself out of the picture by enlisting in the royal army. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 movies for this past weekend courtesy of Exhibitor Relations:

1. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, $39.1 million
2. John Carter, $30.6 million
3. Project X, $11.6 million
4. Silent House, $7.01 million
5. Act of Valor, $7 million
6. A Thousand Words, $6.4 million
7. Safe House, $5 million
8. The Vow, $4 million
9. This Means War, $3.8 million
10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, $3.7 million

The feature film Maleficent, a twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale which tells the story from the perspective of the evil witch, to be played by Angelina Jolie, who can turn into a dragon will star young actress Elle Fanning (Super 8 and Somewhere) has landed the role of Princess Aurora, the young sent to sleep for longer than a short slumber in the old story. (Twitch and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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