Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Neve Campbell (Party of Five and Scream franchise) will guest star in at least two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, appearing as yet another sister of Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Ian McShane (Deadwood and Kings) will guest star in two episodes of American Horror Story Asylum. The character he will play is being kept under wraps, though. (Dark Horizons)

Mockingbird Lane, the NBC reboot of the classic sitcom The Munsters will not air as a series after all, but rather a Halloween special on October 26 at 8 PM; however, if (and that’s a big if) the special airing does well enough in the ratings, the network could possibly green light it to a series. (Sadie Genis at TV Guide)

Actress Keegan Connor Tracy (Once Upon A Time) has landed a recurring role in the upcoming A&E drama called Bates Motel, the prequel (of sorts) to the classic film Psycho that will examine the twisted relationship between serial-killer-to-be Norman (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Varmiga). Tracey will play Miss Watson, Norman’s teacher and adviser. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actresses Kim Raver (Grey’s Anatomy) and Valerie Cruz (Off the Map and True Blood) as well as actors Callum Blue (Dead Like Me) and newcomer Derek Smith have all been cast in the Lifetime hour-long pilot called The Secret Lives of Wives, which is based on the book by Iris Krasnow. The project explores the unvarnished truth behind the marriages of four different women – Michelle (Raver), Reed (Salli Richardson), Keaton (Amber Clayton) and Jessie (Lauren Bittner). Raver’s character Michelle is being described as a naturally elegant, generous and grounded woman who is the rock of her small circle of best friends. Meanwhile, Cruz will play Alyse, a pretty yet frail girl, a cancer survivor, who claims to have had an affair with Michelle’s husband, Wil. Blue will play Dan, Jessie’s husband, a Lutheran Minister who looks more like a sexy rock star than a pastor while Smith will Keaton’s husband, an accountant. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline and Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Jon Tenney (The Closer) has landed the male lead in the TNT pilot called King And Maxwell, which is being adapted from characters created by best-selling author David Baldacci. The project follows Sean King (Tenney) and Michelle Maxwell, who aren’t the typical pair of private investigators; both are former secret service agents and their unique skill set (not to mention their razor-sharp chemistry) often gives them a leg up on suspects and conventional law enforcement. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Soap veteran Mary Page Keller (Ryan’s Hope and Another World) has joined the cast of the ABC Family drama pilot Terminales, which is the dramatic adaptation of the Mexican drama that revolves around April (Italia Ricci from Unnatural History), a 23-year-old girl who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Keller will play Sara, the widowed mother to April and her14-year-old sister, Brenna. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Titus Welliver (Lost and The Good Wife) has been cast in the TNT pilot The Last Ship, which is based on the novel by William Brinkley. The project centers on the crew of a naval destroyer who, after a global catastrophe decimates the Earth’s population, are forced to confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they are among the only survivors. Welliver will play Mike Slattery, second in command to Captain Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) onboard the USS Nathan James, a fair man who cares deeply for his family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

FOX has put into development a contemporary drama project inspired by the story of Depression-era bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. This drama would focus on two sexy, young lovers from struggling families in East Texas, who use their respective skill sets to pair up and fight back, one crime at a time. As they capture the hearts of a nation facing similar hardships, they become worldwide celebrities, inciting one of the biggest domestic manhunts in U.S. history and inspiring copycats at every turn. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor James Tupper (Revenge) has joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot The Secret Lives of Husband and Wives (not to be confused with the Lifetime pilot mentioned above) that is based on the Josie Brown book of the same name. The project will be a thriller about the lingering aftermath of a murder that will star Martin Henderson (Off the Map) as Kyle Dunn, a former flight surgeon and astronaut who returns from a long absence to find something is different about the life he left behind. Tupper will play Richard Deaver, a likable and fun guy who moves to town with his wife and daughter to open a real estate business, but underneath his nice exterior is a troubled and dangerous personality. Jesse L. Martin will co-star. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) has joined the cast of the upcoming romantic comedy called Are We Officially Dating? that will star Zac Efron. The film follows three male friends in New York City who make a pledge to stay single just as each of them starts to fall in love. Woll will play the ex-wife of one of the trio at the center of the film. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Theatrical Trailer for Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Declassified

NOTE: It’s a blink and you’ll miss him moment (almost), but Taylor Kinney (Chicago Fire) is in this film too!

Q&A SECTION (with Team Watch with Kristin at E! Online)

Question: Oh my God, (I’m) obsessed with Arrow already!!! The pilot was fantastic. I love Katie Cassidy and want her with him. Will I get my wish? – Brenda H.

Team Watch with Kristin: Not for a while! Katie herself tells us that the past (of Oliver/Arrow cheating on her with her sister) is not something her character will easily get over. “I have two sisters and if that happened to me I would be like, ‘No, no. I don’t want to see you ever because I might kill you!!’ Yeah, but I do think they will play around with that. I think…You can’t help who you love and I think he is the love of her life. I think she tries to forgive and she tries to see the best in everyone, even him. I do feel like there will be this sort of Dawson-Joey kind of aspect to it.” PS. Katie also admits she was a big Dawson’s fan and loves the fact that (former Dawson’s boss) Greg Berlanti is heading up her new show.

Question: Homeland question! Jessica surprisingly isn’t bothering me this season. Glad she is finally calling Brody out! Will this continue? – Cynthia:

Team Watch with Kristin: Awww, cut the woman some slack! But definitely agree that this is Jessica’s season to shine and Morena Baccarin is fantastic in this Sunday’s episode. Jessica delivers such a powerful speech at the charity event she throws, which Brody misses (he has his hands full with that Gettysburg bombmaker), it gave us chills. And Jess doesn’t let Brody off the hook for being an absentee husband, either. You will be thoroughly impressed with Mrs. Nicholas Brody, trust. Anyone else ready for Uncle Mike to swoop in?

That’s it. Enjoy!