Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Nathan Lane is the latest addition to the guest star ranks for The Good Wife when the series returns to CBS this fall. He will play a bean-counter assigned by the bank to trim the fat at Lockhart & Gardner and get the firm back to fiscal health. As such, he will find himself at odds with Will, Diane and others at the firm. Lane joins the recently Maura Tierney, Kristin Chenoweth and Marc Warren as guest stars. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Diane Neal (Law & Order: SVU) is in talks to return to her role of Special Agent Abigail Borin on NCIS next season. (Matt Mitovich and Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure and Numb3rs) will guest star in the first two episodes of CSI: NY when it returns this fall. He will play a previously convicted arsonist who has recently been released from prison; but when a new rash of fires erupt across New York City, the NYPD and the CSIs turn to Morrow’s expert firebug for help. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

CONDOLENCES

The sad news hit Twitter last night that well-known Director-Writer Nora Ephron passed away after a battle with leukemia. She is the writer of the classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally and the director of films like Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail and Julie & Julia. She was 71. (Twitter and E! Online)

ME: Rest in Peace, Ms. Ephron! Deepest condolences to her family, friends and fans!

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Josh Henderson (Dallas) and Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) have joined the cast of the independent psychological action film called Swelter, which centers on four violent escaped prisoners arriving in a small dusty and sweltering California town in search of the fifth man who fled with over $10 million in cash. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Kevin Durand (Lost) has joined the cast of the upcoming film called Devil’s Knot, playing the father of one of the murdered children in the West Memphis Three case. The real-life father loved talking to the press and was initially a person of interest in the murders since his story changed from his initial police statement. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Catherine Keener (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) has joined the cast of the upcoming film called Can a Song Save Your Life?, which stars Keira Knightley as a woman who moves to New York to pursue her dreams of a singing career and befriends a down-on-his-luck record producer (Mark Ruffalo). Keener will portray a successful music writer and Ruffalo’s estranged wife. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor James Marsden (Enchanted) will play a naval commander in the upcoming film called Two Guns, which will star Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington as a Navy SEAL and a DEA agent, respectively, who work together despite not knowing that the each is doing so undercover. When they steal millions from the CIA, they discover double-crossing associates who will do anything to retrieve the money. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

It looks like actor Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern) could be taking over the helm of the long-in-gestation Highlander reboot. Yes, you read that right – Highlander. He will supposedly play Connor MacLeod in the reboot. The synopsis of the proposed film is this: An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize”. (The Tracking Board and Blastr)

Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams and Adam Bryant from TV Guide)

Question: Will there be a time jump on Once Upon a Time? — Jimmy

NATALIE: Negative, Jimmy. You’ll get to see how magic comes to Storybrooke in a big way. “Don’t worry, we won’t be skipping over any big moments,” consulting producer Jane Espenson tells us. “We love these characters and we want to see how they navigate their way through their new situation. And not just the Charming Family… expect big moments for everyone in town!”

Question: How does Maura track down her birth mom on Rizzoli & Isles? — Jessica

ADAM: With a case, of course! Maura reaches out to her mom, Dr. Hope Martin (guest star Sharon Lawrence), who just so happens to work in the same field. But don’t think she tells Hope up front that she’s her long-believed-to-be-dead daughter. “It’s drawn-out,” Lawrence, who will appear in three episodes, tells us. “Hope has a daughter from her marriage. There’s a lot to play. Maura’s too smart to throw in a bit of information that could blow up in everybody’s face, so it’ll take a bit.”

Question: I liked The Newsroom’s first episode. But is Will always going to be so grumpy? — Daniel

ADAM: Yeah, probably. That’s partly because Will’s new vision for “News Night” doesn’t exactly sit well with ACN’s corporate overlords, who very quickly threaten to fire him if he doesn’t go back to the safety of the middle of the road. But that doesn’t mean Will won’t soften up a bit before the season’s out. He might even make amends! “Will travels a thousand miles from the season opener to the season finale,” creator Aaron Sorkin tells us. “He even runs into the sorority girl he berates in the opening minutes of the series and gives her a very different answer to the question she first asked.”

Question: Give us some Awkward scoop. — Liam

NATALIE: Just as the writer of the “carefrontation” letter gets revealed, a new mystery will kick off when Jenna finds a mysterious commenter on her not-so-secret-anymore blog. “It’s a running [thread] and ultimately motivates something really big,” series creator Lauren Iungerich tells us. Just like the carefrontation letter, Iungerich promises that the commenter will be revealed by season end.

That’s it. Enjoy!