Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The Starz drama Spartacus will come to an end after its upcoming third season. This version will be called Spartacus: War of the Damned and is slated to air in January of 2013. (The Futon Critic and E! Online)

Actress Diane Neal (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) will make a guest appearance on Suits, playing Allison Holt, a legal eagle who digs up a secret that could jeopardize Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Donna’s (Sarah Rafferty) working relationship. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Dougray Scott (Ever After) is expected to make an appearance in the 7th season of Doctor Who; but no other details are available at this time. (Screen Crush)

Actor Victor Webster (Mutant X and Continuum) will appear in an episode of White Collar, playing Eric Dunham, an aggressive top Wall Street trader. White Collar is back on July 10 on USA Network. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Brian White (Men of a Certain Age) will appear in an upcoming episode of Burn Notice, playing Agent Woods, a hard-edged and by-the-book FBI agent who has devoted much of his career to bringing down a ruthless Boston Mob syndicate. (Jeff Labrecque at Entertainment Weekly)

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) has landed the lead role of Hannibal Lecter in the upcoming NBC drama series Hannibal. The new drama received a 13-episode order for next season. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES

Actress Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) and music pioneer/actor John Doe (Roswell) have joined the cast of the Lifetime movie called Ring of Fire (formerly known as The June Carter Cash Story) that will star singer Jewel in the lead role of June Carter. Conroy will play June’s mother Maybelle Carter and Doe will play June’s uncle, A.P. Carter. The film will follow June’s early childhood growing up in the rural mountains of Virginia to her relationship with Johnny Cash (Matt Ross). (TV By the Numbers)

Actor Ralph Macchio (best known for The Karate Kid) will star in the Lifetime holiday film called Holiday Spin that will star Disney’s Garrett Clayton (Teen Beach Musical) as rebellious teen Blake, who is forced to go live with his father after his mother is killed in a car accident. Macchio will play Ruben, Blake’s father, who runs a famed dance studio that has fallen on hard times and is preparing his star student — and future step-daughter, Pia, for the annual Christmas Eve ballroom dance competition, the Holiday Spin, when Blake arrives. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

CONDOLENCES

Actor and Family Feud host Richard Dawson (Hogan’s Heroes) passed away over the weekend. He was 79. (E! Online)

Actress Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives and The West Wing) passed away over the weekend. She was 72. (E! Online)

ME: RIP Mr. Dawson and Ms. Joosten. Deepest condolences to their family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here is the top 10 box office films for this past weekend courtesy of TV Guide and Box Office Mojo:

1. Snow White and the Huntsman – 56.2 million
2. Men in Black 3 – 29.3 million
3. The Avengers – 20.2 million
4. Battleship – 4.8 million
5. The Dictator – 4.7 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – 4.6 million
7. What To Expect When You’re Expecting – 4.4 million
8. Dark Shadows – 3.8 million
9. Chernobyl Diaries – 3 million
10. For Greater Glory – 1.8 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Logan Lerman & Emma Watson in ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!