Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf) will be joining the cast of the hot CW series Arrow in the recurring role of Roy Harper; who, in the DC Comic world, is Arrow’s sidekick Speedy; but in this version will be a love interest for Oliver Queen’s little sister Thea (Willa Holland). (Damian Holbrook at TV Guide)

Actress Margo Martindale (Justified) has been added to the cast of the upcoming FX drama The Americans, a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. Martindale will play Claudia, a KGB illegal living in the U.S. who delivers assignments to Philip and Elizabeth. The series is set to debut on January 30. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Just last week, ABC gave a 13-episode straight-to-series order for the new drama Weird Desk, which was going to debut next summer. But now, that seems to be on hold because it has proven hard to get production up and running fast enough for a summer launch while keeping the cost low. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC Family is working on two more new drama projects, both based on young-adult novels. The first is Recovery Road, which is based on the book by Blake Nelson, centers on a high school girl who finds love at rehab, where she’s seeking treatment for a drinking and temper problem, and what happens to the couple once they leave recovery. The second is called Juliet Immortal, based on the book by Stacey Jay, described as a paranormal love story revolving around Romeo and Juliet, who meet again — as enemies. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars) and Jackson Rathbone (Twilight) will play the leads in the independent flick called The Concerto. Parrish will play a young musician who moves across the country to LA and into a house that contains the perfect man (Rathbone), only he is a ghost who has been dead since 1969. (The Deadline Team)

Actress Samantha Morton and actor Michael Shannon will play the leads in the psychological thriller The Harvest that centers on Katherine (Morton), a successful heart surgeon and overprotective mother, and Richard (Shannon), her co-dependent husband who has retired from his career as a nurse to care for their sick son Andy. Andy lives in a controlled world until an innocent 13-year-old neighbor moves in and gives Andy hopes of a better life. As the teens grow closer, the tight-knit world Katherine has created begins to unravel. (The Deadline Team)

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

Question: Can’t wait for Pretty Little Liars to come back! What’s going on with Toby? – Sammy

Team Watch with Kristin: Dude is E-V-I-L. Like the kind of villain that tries to run people over in a black SUV while wearing all black! Aside from that, Toby is definitely trying to get a paranoid Spencer off the “A” trail and does so by taking off his shirt and getting into a hot tub! Somehow, it doesn’t work. (But man, does he look good shirtless!) Also showing off his abs in the midseason premiere? Jason, who seems to be getting pretty close with Mona.

Question: Begging for some Scandal scoop! – Danielle

Team Watch with Kristin: Prepare for one doozy of a face-off: Mellie vs. Sally Langston! While the fierce matchup won’t happen in Thursday’s midseason finale, you can definitely expect the two women to butt heads big-time when the ABC drama returns in January.

Question: In desperate need of Downton Abbey spoilers! – Sarah

Team Watch with Kristin: Y’all better buckle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy season for your favorite American, Cora! Not only will Cora kick off the season dealing with some major financial problems, but she will be rocked by something and we’re not sure she’ll ever recover.

That’s it. Enjoy!