Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Shiri Appleby (Roswell and Life Unexpected) is finalizing a deal for a recurring role on the new NBC firefighter drama Chicago Fire, playing Clarice, the ex-girlfriend of Shay (Lauren German) who is pregnant and married to a rich husband. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Legendary actor Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian himself – that’s his character from the Star Wars franchise, by the way) will be showing up on NCIS as the man for who Leroy Jethro Gibbs gets his name. Williams will play LJ, a World War II veteran and close friend of the Gibbs family in an October episode. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Actress Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (Prison Break) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Castle, playing Kristina Coterra, a sexy and voluptuous reporter who takes a liking to Castle (Nathan Fillion). Castle will be back for its fourth season on September 24 at 10 PM on ABC. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

Actress Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos) will guest star on an upcoming episode of The Good Wife. She will play a tough, smart gangland lawyer who’s a doppelganger of Alicia (Julianna Margulies). The Good Wife is back for its fourth season on CBS on September 30 at 9 PM. (Liz Raftery at TV Guide)

Actor Mike Dopud (Smallville, Continuum and Stargate Universe) will have a recurring role on the upcoming ABC mid-season soap opera Mistresses (that is set to debut next May). He will play Olivier, a good-looking European who buys Josslyn’s (Jes Macallan) real estate firm. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor (and executive producer over on Grimm) Sean Hayes will have a multi-episode arc on Smash this mid-season, playing Terrence Falls, a comedic TV and film star who is making his Broadway debut in a musical called Liaisons, but due to a series of comedic circumstances, he becomes a thorn in the side of Ivy (Megan Hilty) and other characters. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress and Tony nominee Marin Ireland (Mildred Pierce and Homeland) will play the female lead in an as-yet untitled AMC pilot that is an ensemble legal drama centered on Adam Powell, a District Attorney who uncovers new evidence that prompts the reinvestigation of a sensational murder case. Ireland will play Christina Rosa, an attractive, aggressive and impulsive woman of Italian-German descent who works with the Innocence Project. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has landed Cleopatra, a period drama about the famous Egyptian queen. This project is being described as an epic romance set in a world of sorcery, gods and monsters, centering on Cleopatra, Mark Antony and Julius Caesar. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CBS is developing a drama pilot called Island Practice from Mystic Pizza and Beethoven writer Amy Holden Jones, which tells the true story of colorful, contrarian doctor Dr. Timothy Lepore, who has worked in the upscale island retreat since the 1980s. The TV project will center on an eccentric maverick who practices medicine on an island off the coast of Seattle using tactics that are frequently as controversial as they are heroic. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The creators of the short-lived CW drama Ringer, Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder, are behind a new Southern Gothic thriller at NBC with producer Peter Traugott. This project will be set in New Orleans and will be rich with tradition, superstition and murder. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress-Director Jodie Foster is set for her first foray into TV with the Showtime dram project called Angie’s Body, which centers around a shrewd, sexy and, when necessary, lethal woman who runs a family-based crime syndicate. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC is developing the high-concept drama from actor turned director Peter Berg called Hench, which centers on a regular guy who, in order to support his family, gets jobs temping for super villains. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office movies from this past weekend courtesy of the studios and Box Office Mojo:

1. The Bourne Legacy, $40.3 million
2. The Campaign, $27.4 million
3. The Dark Knight Rises, $19.5 million
4. Hope Springs, $15.6 million
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, $8.2 million
6. Total Recall, $8.1 million
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift, $6.8 million
8. Ted, $3.3 million
9. Step Up Revolution, $2.9 million
10. (Tie) The Watch & The Amazing Spider-Man $2.2 million

Actress Keira Knightley is in negotiations to star opposite Chris Pine in the upcoming reboot to the Jack Ryan franchise. The story centers on ex-Marine and Moscow-based financial analyst Jack Ryan (Pine), who uncovers a plot by his employer to finance a terrorist attack designed to collapse the U.S. economy. Ryan must race against time to save America and his wife (Knightley). (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush at TV Guide)

Question: I was wondering if you have found time to tune in or catch up on MTV’s teen supernatural drama Teen Wolf or the comedy Awkward. I have been back watching both again recently and am officially hooked. With Teen Wolf being picked up for a 24-episode season next year [and Awkward for 20] and the laundry list of new scripted dramas on the horizon, what do you think of MTV scripted shows and are they in it for the long haul? — Sharday

Matt Roush: I had fallen behind on both shows during the recent critics’ press tour, and one of the more pleasurable tasks of the last week was catching up on them. Awkward in particular, which is one of the best romantic comedies anywhere on TV. I like these characters so much (and the snappy writing) that I’m almost dreading this Thursday’s episode, where it looks like we’ll see the fallout from awful Sadie spilling the beans to nice-guy Jake about his sweetheart Jenna and BFF Matty having been a secret item before they got together. Awkward indeed! (And in writing that little summary: Yes, I feel like a high-school gossip.) Teen Wolf has also exceeded most of my expectations for the genre, and like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though nowhere near as deeply) has gone far beyond the original source material to deliver a gripping, unpredictable, amusing, sexy and at times very scary thriller. With Jackson as the killer Kanima, Lydia bringing Peter the former Alpha back from the dead, and a grieving Allison going all Super Hunter, this season’s twists have been fun to watch — although last week’s fateful lacrosse game was beyond incomprehensible — and I’m looking forward to tonight’s season finale (10/9c).

Question: I couldn’t agree more with your assessment of Falling Skies as the most improved show this summer. Heck, I can’t think of any show since Buffy that has made such a leap between its first and second seasons. Really impressive. I truly “believe” Noah Wyle’s character. And yes, the kid who plays Ben is definitely going places. Love him! Super talented. — Debi

Matt Roush: Not really a question here, but gives me an opportunity to recommend this Sunday’s finale, titled “A More Perfect Union,” which seems to refer less to the new government in Charleston than to the collaboration of the 2nd Mass and the rebel Skitters as they prepare for a pivotal battle. A strong end to a surprisingly rocking season.

That’s it. Enjoy!