Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Laura Innes (ER) will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of Warehouse 13 in September, playing the estranged mom of Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore). (The Futon Critic)

Actor Tim Griffin (Prime Suspect) has landed a recurring role on Covert Affairs, playing Seth Newman, a former field operative-turned-lawyer who will work for the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General and who has a history with Joan Campbell (Kari Matchett). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Derek Webster (Harry’s Law) has joined the cast of this fall’s new NBC drama Revolution on a recurring basis. He will play Nicholas, a strong rebel leader who faces off against Miles (Billy Burke). The series will debut on NBC on September 17 at 10 PM. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

CONDOLENCES

Best-selling Irish author Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland’s most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, has passed away after a brief illness. She was 72 years old. (Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Lifetime has ordered the scripted pilot HR (the current working title) for 2013. The pilot will follow what happens after a head injury alters the outlook on life of the uptight Director of Human Resources for a global company, who throws standard corporate practices out the window and inspires the business to strive for new ambitions and profits. Her newly liberated managerial style and untraditional female point-of-view in a predominately male company is a welcome relief to some, while others see it as a threat to their power and position within the corporate structure — testing the workplace relationships inside and out of this seemingly traditional office. This pilot joins the recently announced pilot orders for Cinnamon Girl, The Secret Lives of Wives (also the working title) and Witches of East End. (The Futon Critic)

Noah Hawley (who created the short-lived dramas The Unusuals and My Generation) is back at ABC for a new hour-long project that will be produced by Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci. The only details on the project are that it will be a high-script drama revolving around a mysterious game. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Oscar nominee Demian Bichir (A Better Life”) has joined the buddy cop comedy called The Heat that will star Sandra Bullock as an uptight FBI agent who joins with Melissa McCarthy, who plays a tough Boston cop to take down a drug lord, but first have to overcome their mutual distrust and learn to work together. Bichir will play an FBI agent. (Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

The New “Skyfall” Trailer(s) Arrives

Official Trailer for The Big Wedding

Q&A SECTION (with Watch with Kristin at E! Online and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Desperate for Homeland scoop! – Rory

Watch with Kristin: We share your feelings of desperation, so bless Morena Baccarin, who was kind enough to give us some season-two info to tide us over until Homeland returns. “It starts off in a very different place,” she says. “Jessica has been excited by Brody’s political career and she’s finding a little bit of her own ambition in that and finding a purpose. Also, the life of the family is torn apart a little bit by his inability to be upfront with her about what’s really going on with him.”

Question: Do you have any more news on Castle? —Kaitlyn

Ausiello: In the category of “fun” episodes on tap for Season 5, series boss Andrew Marlowe is hoping to have the team investigate a murder at a sci-fi convention — “That should be fun, given Nathan [Fillion]’s background and how much of a rock star he is at Comic-Con” — and maybe do a riff on The Office. “We’re thinking about an episode that’s shot documentary-style, where we get one-on-one confessionals with the camera and get to know what people really think about certain things.”

Question: Any Supernatural scoop about the Dean-Castiel dynamic? —Joyce

Ausiello: “That is something that we explore heavily throughout the season through some pretty extensive flashbacks into purgatory,” reveals new show runner Jeremy Carver. “People are always referring to purgatory as hell, and purgatory is not hell. Purgatory is a really brutal, free-wheeling place, but it has different effects on different people. It will have a different effect on Cas and Dean as you already started to see [in the Season 7 finale]. But I will say what you think you saw might not be exactly what you saw.”

Question: What’s this I’m hearing about a big Vampire Diaries death? Any hints about the victim?—Clay

Ausiello: Stop asking yourself who dies and start asking yourself who does the killing. That’s what people will be talking about the following morning.

Question: I’ll take any Vampire Diaries spoiler you’ve got. I’m not picky. —Daniel

Ausiello: A flashback in this season’s fourth episode unearths a “big secret that will change the course of the season for everybody,” teases EP Julie Plec.

Question: NCIS spoilers, please! —Missy

Ausiello: I’ve got some info on three guest-star roles that’ll show up the CBS procedural during the upcoming season. The eccentric Dr. Blackwell is a big-deal space geologist who weighs in on some mysterious material the feds bring him, and Ellie is an upper-middle-class lady who blames herself for her father’s death a decade ago and is shocked when new information tells a different story. But wait, I saved the best for last: The show’s looking for a 50-ish male to play an aging one-hit wonder from the late 1970s who blew his earnings in the ’80s and has been skirting creditors ever since – and if it works out, an actual rock star from that era will get the part.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The Big C will end on Showtime next season with four one-hour episodes. (The Wrap and Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Mark Valley (Human Target) is set to join Body of Proof as Det. Tommy Sullivan, a former NYPD detective who has transferred to Philadelphia to try to rekindle his relationship with Megan Hunt (Dana Delany). They broke up twenty years ago because he cheated on her. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor John Pyper-Ferguson (Alphas and Caprica) will guest star on Grimm, playing Hayden Walker, a man who is mourning his deceased sister and wants to exact justice from Jarold (actor Mark Pellegrino) for disgracing his family name. Grimm will be back on Monday, August 13 at 10 PM before returning to its regular timeslot on Friday, September 21 at 9 PM. (Hanh Nguyen at TV Guide)

Actress Abbie Cobb (Suburgatory) will have a potentially recurring role on NCIS: Los Angeles, playing Astrid, who will form some kind of relationship with Kensi (Daniela Ruah); but details on the relationship has not been revealed. The series will return to CBS on September 2. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

The CW announced that they will air an edited version of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on October 9 at 9 PM. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TELEVISION TRAILER

Merlin Season Five Trailer

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Joe Taslim has joined the cast of Fast and Furious 6. The story behind this film involves the crew heading to Europe for a heist job, but this time there is a rival crew already staking the payload. Taslim will play the villain Jah, a cold-blooded killer who uses his martial arts and parkour skills against the characters played by Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez are also returning with MMA fighter Gina Carano (Haywire) and Welsh hunk Luke Evans (The Hobbit) joining the cast. The film is slated to be released on May 24, 2013. (The Daily Mail, Variety and Dark Horizons)

Here is a list of the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of E! Online:

1. The Dark Knight Rises, $64 million
2. Ice Age: Continental Drift, $13.3 million
3. The Watch, $13 million
4. Step Up Revolution, $11.8 million
5. Ted, $7.4 million
6. The Amazing Spider-Man, $6.8 million
7. Brave, $4.2 million
8. Magic Mike, $2.6 million
9. Savages, $1.8 million
10. Moonrise Kingdom, $1.4 million

Actor Nelsan Ellis (True Blood) will play Martin Luther King, Jr. in the upcoming film called The Butler. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress Rachel Nichols (Continuum) will appear alongside Justin Long in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Ten O’Clock People that follows a man who tries to give up smoking and suddenly has the ability to see that some people are actually inhuman monsters. Nichols will play a member of the titular group who take their name from the smoke breaks they used to take at 10:00am every morning. Thanks to a strange chemical imbalance in their bodies due to quitting, Nichols, Long, and the other members of the group are the only ones who can see the truth: that many high ranking officials in the government are monsters. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

A third Hobbit movie will be made per an announcement by Peter Jackson with the first film – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – slated to be on the big screen on December 14 of this year, the second film – The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13 of next year and the final film – that is as yet untitled to be out in the summer of 2014. (First Showing)

Actor Aidan Turner (Being Human and the upcoming The Hobbit) and actress CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13) have been cast in the upcoming adaptation of the Cassandra Clare book series The Mortal Instruments that tells the story of a seemingly ordinary teenage girl, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), who learns the truth about her past and bloodline as a demon hunter. Turner will play Luke, Clary’s surrogate father figure and Pounder will play Madame Dorothea, Clary’s neighbor, who happens to be a witch. (Cassandra Clare, Author of Mortal Instruments book series)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has placed an order for a new drama series pilot called The Bridge that is based on an Scandinavian hit series called Bron. This version will center on two detectives from the United States and Mexico who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the border after a dead body is found on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez. (The Futon Critic)

AMC is developing a potential drama series called Area 51 that is based on the best-selling bock by Annie Jacobson. The non-fiction book is billed as an oral history of the infamous military installation. (NY Post and The Futon Critic)
It looks like Marvel and ABC might be working together on a TV adaptation of The Avengers movie; but details have not been worked out yet. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Showtime has put a new period drama – that is a passion project of Ron Howard – into development. The project is called Conquest and will tell the story of famed Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes, who led the Spanish conquest in Mexico, and his clash with Moctezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztec Empire which fell at the hands of Cortes and his men. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Hart Hanson, the series creator of Bones) will be working on a new hour-long project for CBS based on the work of real-life crime expert, Leif G.W. Persson, the Swedish criminologist and novelist. His book series known as Backstrom centers on Evert Backstrom, an overweight, offensive, irascible detective as he tries and fails to change his self-destructive behavior. Hanson will write the script and executive producer the project. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jay Karnes (Sons of Anarchy and Burn Notice) will have a recurring role in the fall ABC drama Last Resort that is about the crew of a nuclear submarine who defy a dubious command to start World War III. Details on his role have not been revealed yet. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

MADE-FOR-TV NEWS

Three new four-hour mini-series have begun principal photography. They include the following per The Futon Critic:

Ring of Fire focuses on what happens when an oil rig causes a volcanic eruption in a small town, triggering the Ring of Fire that stretches across the globe. If these cataclysmic series of eruptions cannot be stopped, the earth will be swallowed whole, leading to an extinction level event. The cast includes Michael Vartan (Alias), Lauren Lee Smith (CSI), Terry O’Quinn (Lost) and Agam Darshi (Sanctuary).

Eve of Destruction stars Steven Weber (Wings), Christina Cox (Blood Ties) and Treat Williams (Everwood) in a story about two scientists, who attempt to discover unlimited energy. But their experiment is hijacked and sabotaged by eco-terrorists. The result is a dark energy black hole that could destroy the planet.

Delete imagines a disaster in our all-too-fragile digital world where the web becomes dangerously self-aware with one systematic purpose – to destroy mankind. Faced with possible extinction, there is only one way out – create a second artificial intelligence, just as alive, just as intelligent and just as dangerous. The cast includes Keir Gilchrist (United States of Tara), Matt Frewer (Eureka), Janet Kidder (The Killing), Erin Karpluk (Being Erica), Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) and Ryan Robbins (Sanctuary).

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Carrie Preston (True Blood) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Royal Pains, playing Jackie Van Ark, a successful romance novelist who brings her college-bound daughter to HankMed to treat her for mysterious symptoms. The twist? While easygoing Jackie couldn’t seem more different from her high-strung spawn, it turns out they have more in common than they thought. This episode is expected to air on September 5. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Ivan Sergei (Crossing Jordan and Charmed) will have a recurring role on The Mentalist, playing FBI Agent Gabe Mancini, a tough, handsome agent who comes off as hotheaded at times, but overall is a good guy. The Mentalist returns for its new season starting on September 30. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Laurence Fishburne will indeed be joining the cast of the NBC mid-season series Hannibal, based on the legendary character Hannibal Lechter created by author Thomas Harris. Fishburne will play recurring character FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit leader Jack Crawford. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Gregg Henry (Hung) and Jillian Armenante (Judging Amy) have booked recurring roles on the ABC drama Scandal. Henry will play Jackson, an older, big money Southern guy who is smart and warm unless you cross him while Armenante will play the role of Lucas which was originally written male. Lucas is described as smart, well spoken and brash. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

English actor Ian Hart (the short-lived TV series Luck) will co-star opposite actress Thandie Newton in the Direct TV drama series called Rogue that centers on an undercover cop (Newton) who goes after a crime lord (Marton Csokas) after her young son is killed in a drive-by shooting. Hart will play an Oakland Police Department detective who works with Newton. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Wes Brown (Private Practice and Hart of Dixie) will replace actor Neil Jackson (Make It or Break It) in the new mid-season drama Infamous, playing womanizing bad boy Julian. Infamous is an opulent soap in which a female detective (actress Meaghan Good) returns undercover to the wealthy family she grew up in – as the maid’s daughter – to solve the murder of the notorious heiress who was once her closest friend. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

AMC has decided not to renew their drama The Killing for a third season. (Deadline)

Actor Chad Lindberg (Supernatural) has landed a guest starring role in an upcoming episode of Castle. He will play Marco Massetti, a career criminal who runs afoul of Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) after they discover their murder victim may have been involved with one of Massetti’s jobs. Castle will be back starting on September 24. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Actress Franka Potente (Run Lola Run and the Bourne franchise) will appear in a two-episode arc on American Horror Story, playing a mysterious patient of the facility for which the second season will be based. The FX series will be back in October. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Mark Strong will star in the AMC drama pilot called Low Winter Sun, which is a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

USA Network has put a new drama by Psych creator Steve Franks into the works. He will supervise writers Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett (Terra Nova) who will write and co-executive produce the drama about a brother and sister who take over the family’s successful investment firm after the untimely death of their parents, only to discover that the business isn’t quite what it seems. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW is in preliminary talks to possibly remake the cult 2000 Japanese hit called Battle Royale based on the novel by Koushun Takami. The film was set in a totalitarian state where a class of 42 ninth-grade students are forced to kill each other until only one is left in a battle for survival. The CW was already developing another young adult dystopian series with a similar premise called The Selection, a project that went to a pilot but was not picked up. Said project has been put back in development and will likely be scrapped if this possible remake moves forward. (The LA Times and Dark Horizons)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary Latino actress Lupe Ontiveros, who appeared in the film Selena and was Carlos’s mom on Desperate Housewives passed away from liver cancer. She was 69. (CNN and E! Online)

ME: Rest in Peace, Ms. Ontiveros. Condolences are extended to her family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Kevin Zegers has joined the cast of the film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones based on the book series by Cassandra Clare. Lily Collins will play Clary Fray, a young woman living in New York City, who discovers she comes from a long line of demon hunters. Jamie Campbell Bower plays her love interest Jace while Zegers will portray Alec Lightwood, the gay brother of Isabelle, who has unreciprocated love for Jace. Among other cast members are Kevin Durand, Lena Headey and Jared Harris also star. (Just Jared and Dark Horizons)

Actor Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) and Kevin Durand (Lost) will play police officers in the independent film called Fruitvale, which is based on a true-life police shooting. Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Lights) will play a young Bay Area resident who was detained and killed by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) cops in Oakland on New Year’s Eve in 2008. The event was captured on camera, and the ensuing trial and its verdict spurred protests and riots. Other cast members include Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer and Tristan Wilds also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!

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