Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

The news is pretty short today, but still there are a few good items to share:

TELEVISION

TNT has renewed their police drama Southland for a 10-episode fifth season. (TVDoneWright.com)

Showtime has given a third season order to their Renaissance drama The Borgias. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Must Watch: Third Trailer for Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

Q&A SECTION (with Sandra Gonzalez from Entertainment Weekly)

Question: I’ve been feeling a major lack of Vampire Diaries dish, specifically on Caroline! Help a girl out! — Kirsten

Sandra: I have endless love for Vampire Barbie, so I’m happy to help. Too bad Alaric doesn’t share my adoration. As we saw last night, after his plan to have Elena stake Caroline failed, Alaric called a Council meeting to announce that Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Lockwood were the mothers of a vampire and a hybrid and to reveal his own supernatural status. And as we head into next week’s season finale, this leaves Caroline and Tyler in a severely compromising position. ”Caroline and Tyler learn that there’s a target on their back and that if they stay in Mystic Falls, they could very well end up dead. So they have to decide what they’re gonna do about that,” says executive producer Julie Plec. “There’s a lot of choices that each of the characters need to make about their future. Do they stay and fight to the death? Do they run and get the hell out of dodge?” (Side note, when last night’s episode ended, Stefan and Damon were on their way to dump Klaus’ desiccated body into the Atlantic Ocean. Why am I not convinced that plan won’t be an epic fail?)

Question: Can’t end Castle season 4 without asking you one last time for Scoop! What do you have for us? Will the finale be as jaw-dropping as last year’s? I know there is so much speculation about a Castle/Beckett hookup in the finale, but I am curious about the fate of my other favorite duo on the show, Ryan & Esposito. Does something shocking happen to them? Thanks! — Cheryl

Sandra: Last year’s finale — with the reveal that the chief was involved in Beckett’s mom’s murder — was several years in the making, as you’ll recall. And I can most definitely say the same thing about this year. So yes, definitely as jaw-dropping — and probably more. As far as Ryan and Esposito, you’ll find them at a point come season’s end that will give them a very interesting launching point next season — and I wouldn’t count out a little drama between those two.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a fantastic weekend!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) and Patrick Fischler (Lost) will guest star in the penultimate episode of Grey’s Anatomy. They will play a couple in the midst of their third honeymoon when they come to Seattle Grace complaining of mysterious symptoms. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor William Mapother (Lost) will make a guest appearance on Burn Notice as Garret Hartley, the leader of a team of mercenaries hired to kill money launderer Barry Burkowski (Paul Tei). He will appear in the sixth episode scheduled to air in mid-July. Burn Notice will be back on the USA Network on June 14. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

The CW has given early pick-up orders for The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and 90210 for next fall. (Press Release from The CW)

Starz has given the green light to Black Sails, a straight-to-series project from filmmaker Michael Bay. The eight-episode series is a pirate adventure that will center on the tales of Captain Flint (the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day) and his men. It will take place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Flint. (The Futon Critic)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

AMC has given pilot orders to two potential series called Low Winter Sun and an as-yet untitled series from Richard LaGravenese and actor Tony Goldwyn (currently starring in the ABC series Scandal). Low Winter Sun is based on the 2006 two-part British mini-series that will be a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption that starts with the murder of a cop by a fellow Detroit detective. Seemingly the perfect crime, in reality the murder activates forces that will forever alter that detective’s life and pull him into the heart of the Detroit underworld. The latter project is a legal thriller centered on a District Attorney who uncovers new evidence that prompts the reinvestigation of a sensational murder case. It explores personal morality and how people struggle with the shades of grey found in the absence of a simple, ordered moral universe. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jeff Fahey (Lost) and director David Cronenberg will guest star in the Syfy drama pilot called Rewind. The project features a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who use untested technology to travel back in time in order to change the future and avoid a devastating terrorist attack. The cast includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) and Jennifer Ferrin (The Cape) [among others]. Fahey will play a former NASA aerospace engineer with Zen-like wisdom who serves as the spiritual backbone of the time travel team. Whereas, Cronenberg will play a brilliant scientist and Nobel Prize winner who becomes unhinged after his wife’s death. He comes up with a dangerous plot to change the course of history. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) will star as the same character in the four-part British TV mini-series that follows Russian doctors after the first World War. Hamm will primarily narrate the story with Radcliffe portraying the younger version of the main character. (The Sun and Dark Horizons)

Actor Rob Lowe (Brothers & Sisters) will star in the Lifetime movie tentatively called Prosecuting Casey Anthony. He will portray Jeff Ashton, the Florida prosecutor in last year’s controversial Caylee Anthony murder trial and author of the best-selling book Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, for which the movie will be based. (TV By the Numbers)

Singer/actress Jewel will portray the late, legendary country singer June Carter Cash in the Lifetime movie tentatively entitled The June Carter Cash Story. The telefilm will follow June from early childhood growing up in the rural mountains of Virginia to her relationship with Johnny Cash. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games), Michael Cudlitz (Southland) and Mark Moses (The Killing) [among others] have joined the cast of the upcoming independent drama biopic Chavez. The film will follow Cesar E. Chavez (Michael Pena) who organized the largest non-violent protest in U.S. history to obtain basic human rights for over 50,000 farm workers in California. Bentley will play fearless attorney Jerry Cohen; Cudlitz will play a sheriff who lets his personal opinions cloud his judgment and Moses will play seasoned organizer Fred Ross who mentors Chavez. Other cast members include America Ferrera and Rosario Dawson. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Kellan Lutz (the Twilight Saga franchise) will star as Tarzan in the fully animated CGI with motion capture film. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items collected over the last few days (as I took some much needed time off over the last couple of days):

TELEVISION

Actor Dominic Monaghan (Lost) has been cast as the narrator of the original horror-thriller anthology series called The Unknown, which launches later this year on the Sony TV-owned multi-platform network Crackle. Monaghan will play a blogger who chronicles the unexplained phenomenon that occurs in each of the six half-hour episodes. (Deadline)

The Canadian police drama Flashpoint, which is a hit here in the US, will end after its upcoming fifth season. (Toronto Sun)

Actor Peter Jacobson (House) and actress Brooke Smith (Grey’s Anatomy) will guest star in the season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit with actor Dean Winters (30 Rock) reprising his season 1 role. It is said the finale features the death of a high-end call girl who works for an escort service owned by Bart Ganzel (Jacobson). Brian Cassidy (Winters), a former SVU detective, now runs Ganzel’s security team. Smith will play Ganzel’s rival. The season finale is set to air on NBC on May 23. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actress Madchen Amick (Twin Peaks and Damages) will guest on Drop Dead Diva when the popular Lifetime series. She will appear in the 7th and 8th episodes as Gina Blunt, a beautiful friend of Parker’s from law school who is considering assuming the firm’s debt as its creditor. The series is back starting on June 3. (Joyce Eng at TV Guide)

Soap star Bree Williamson (One Life to Live) has been added as a series regular to the Syfy series Haven where she will play the town’s resident shrink. Haven will be back with a 13-episode season later this year. (Blog Talk Radio via WormholeRiders.net and TV Line)

Actor Adrian Pasdar (Heroes and The Lying Game) has joined the cast of the USA Network six-episode mini-series Political Animals. He will play the president who ultimately defeats the character to be played by Sigourney Weaver in a presidential race and then appoints her to his cabinet. The mini-series will debut on Sunday, July 15 and air consecutively until August 19. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 movies at the box office from this past weekend, courtesy of Exhibitor Relations:

1. Think Like a Man, $18 million
2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits, $11.4 million
3. The Lucky One, $11.3 million
4. The Hunger Games, $11.3 million
5. The Five-Year Engagement, $11.2 million
6. Safe, $7.7 million
7. The Raven, $7.3 million
8. Chimpanzee, $6.5 million
9. The Three Stooges, $5.4 million
10. The Cabin in the Woods, $4.5 million

Actor Kyle Gallner (Veronica Mars) has joined the cast of the supernatural love story Beautiful Creatures, which is based on the first novel in the popular book series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The story is about teen lovers (Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert) who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town. Gallner will play Larkin, the younger brother of Emmy Rossum’s character whom she casts a spell on. (Dark Horizons and Variety)

Actors Sebastian Roche (Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries and Vik Sahay (Chuck) have joined the cast of the werewolf film called Wer. The pseudo-doco follows a defense attorney (Kate Moore) looking to clear a client (Brian J. O’Connor) suspected in a grisly multiple slaying of a vacationing American family. Roché will play a French ex-military type turned detective while Sahay (Chuck) will play a member of the defense team who learns their suspected client (O’Connor) is also a werewolf. (The Playlist and Dark Horizons)

Actress Abigail Spencer (Mad Men) has joined the cast of the independent romantic drama called Kilimanjaro that will center on a man (Brian Geraghty) who is determined to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro after a recent breakup. Spencer will play a receptionist whom he develops a crush on. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Pierce Brosnan will star opposite Owen Wilson in the upcoming film called The Coup that follows an American family that relocates to the region (Southeast Asia) only to become embroiled in a violent coup as rebels mercilessly attack the city. He will play a mysterious and ultimately heroic government operative. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: Does Castle’s finale have a cliff-hanger like last year’s? I’m not sure I could handle that! — Jessica

ADAM: Creator Andrew W. Marlowe hints that Beckett will be experiencing a lot of changes in the finale, and the domino effect of said changes leads to this season’s climax. And while I’m pretty sure that no one’s life will be hanging in the balance, Castle-Beckett fans will likely still be in for a long summer. Why? Marlowe says this finale doesn’t lend itself to a large time jump between seasons. “The way we’re ending this season, people will want to know what happens in the immediate aftermath,” he teases.

Question: Got any scoop on Game of Thrones? — Harold

NATALIE: Theon Greyjoy will storm Winterfell. Unfortunately, he will prevail and a familiar face will fall victim to his quest for glory. Guesses as to whom we’re saying goodbye to now?

Question: Got any Psych spoilers? — Parker

ADAM: Juliet will go undercover to catch a serial killer who murders the women he meets on a singles website. Amongst the losers she’ll encounter during her investigation: a guy who proudly shows off photos of himself and his prized pet sea horses. Unfortunately for Shawn, all of Juliet’s suitors aren’t so dorky. We see major jealousy in his future!

Question: Are Divya and her parents going to get past their estrangement on Royal Pains? —Kathryn

ADAM: Yes, Divya and her mother will be getting really close after Divya accidentally inspires her mom to leave her father, and Mommy moves in! Naturally, they butt heads a bit, which will lead Divya to unload all her parental issues on an unsuspecting blind date. As luck would have it, though, he’s a family therapist!

Question: I’m so excited about the return of Nick on The Secret Circle! Got any scoop? —Jennifer

NATALIE: Nick isn’t the only familiar face who’ll be back. Kate Meade (Stepfanie Kramer), Diana’s grandmother, will also show up in the finale — and seeing how she reacted to Cassie’s dark magic, we should probably expect some trouble to be a-brewin’.

Question: Any chance Katherine will resurface before the finale of Vampire Diaries? —Allie

Ausiello: Not unless a certain someone is taken out first. “You will not see nor hear of Katherine until Klaus is gone for good,” says Plec. “His survival ties into her appearance, or lack thereof.” As for whether Original vamp Elijah will return this season, Plec coyly offers a “Maybe.”

Question: Any scoop on Scandal? —Lynda

Ausiello: In the wake of how last week’s episode ended, this Thursday’s is a doozy. For one, you may raise an eyebrow at how Cyrus reacts to the Amanda Tanner news — and then see him quake when someone steps forth with a blackmail attempt. You’ll also meet Grant’s vice president, played with Bible-thumping imperiousness by Kate Burton. (Yes, Meredith Grey’s mother and father even briefly share a scene.) It’s also a big episode for Guillermo Diaz, as we learn a bit more about what sort of line of work Olivia rescued Huck from.

Question: I need a Hart of Dixie scoop. —Theresa

Ausiello: Sounds like Zoe/Wade fans are going to be rather pleased with the May 14 finale. “For some viewers, that relationship has started to maybe feel like a tease,” acknowledges Wade’s portrayer, Wilson Bethel. “But I’ll say that the payoff by the end of the season is worth it.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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