Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Arrow. He will play The Dodger, an elusive international jewel thief who imposes his plans on the innocent, forcing them to carry out his crimes under duress. Arrow is back with new episodes on The CW starting on January 16. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actress Grace Phipps (The Nine Lives of Chloe King and The Vampire Diaries) will appear in at least two episodes of the ABC Family comedy Baby Daddy, playing Megan, a daycare manager who catches Ben’s (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), eye when he drops off his baby daughter Emma. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

There are two casting announcements for the new CW series Beauty And the Beast. The first is actor Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes and Covert Affairs) who will play Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Lowen, a new love interest for Catherine (Kristin Kreuk). And the second is actor Brendan Hines (Lie to Me) who will play the a new police department psychologist. Beauty And the Beast will be back with new episodes starting on January 24. (Zap2It and Team TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

HBO is adapting the Broadway drama Stick Fly, which is about the secrets of prejudice, hypocrisy and adultery that are exposed during an African-American family’s weekend at Martha’s Vineyard, into a potential series. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

X-Men director Bryan Singer has closed a deal to develop, executive producer and possibly direct a reboot of the classic sci-fi series The Twilight Zone for CBS. No other specific details have been announced yet. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) has joined the cast of the upcoming box office film There’s Always Woodstock. Sagal will Lee Ann, the suffer-no-fools owner of the SHOP coffeehouse in the upstate New York town, who is the close friend of Catherine Brown (Allison Miller from Go On), the lead character in this romantic comedy. The film follows would-be songwriter Brown as she returns to her dead parents’ home in Woodstock, New York for the summer. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

Actress Samantha Banks (Les Misérables) may be joining the cast of the upcoming film called Walking on Sunshine, which will be a musical comedy set to 1980s pop songs. The film will star singer-actress Kylie Minogue, telling the story of a mother and daughter who fall in love with the same man in Spain. (Liza Foreman at The Wrap)

Broadway star Jonathan Groff (also seen in Glee and Boss) will lend his voice as a mountain man in the upcoming animated film called Frozen, which is a loose adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen story “The Snow Queen”. The story centers on a girl who travels across an icy land to reverse a curse that has been cast on her by an evil queen. Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell are also voicing characters in this film. (Brent Lang at The Wrap)

Actor Zac Efron and actress Marcia Gay Harden have joined actors Paul Giamatti and Billy Bob Thornton and actress Jacki Weaver in Parkland, which is based on the Vincent Bugliosi book “Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy”. The film focuses on what happened at Parkland Hospital in Dallas on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: I hear Beckett’s therapist will be back on Castle. What can you tell us about that? — Angela

ADAM: Michael Dorn will indeed reprise his role as Dr. Burke during February sweeps. But what brings Beckett back to his couch? Well, it’s not because of any problems with Castle. Instead, it will be another run-in with Sen. Bracken (guest star Jack Coleman) that sends Beckett back to therapy. “A murder seems to lead to his doorstep and Kate thinks this her opportunity to finally get the man who was responsible for her mother’s murder behind bars,” creator Andrew W. Marlowe, adding that Beckett may once again find herself out of control. “Nothing is as it seems,” he says. “The case leads us into really interesting moral territory for our character.”

Question: Are Jeremy and Bonnie getting back together on The Vampire Diaries? —Micah

NATALIE: You weren’t the only one who noticed those stolen glances during the midseason finale! “What this episode did, in the form of nostalgia, is a reminder that there are some unresolved feelings there,” executive producer Julie Plec says. “There was love there and maybe just a glimpse of hope for something more.”

Question: I can’t wait for Smash to come back — especially sans Ellis! How will the show write around the departing characters? — Samantha

ADAM: Ellis is basically the He Who Shall Not Be Named — his exit isn’t even addressed. Dev will only appear via an apology note he sends to Karen that winds up in the garbage. On the other hand, Julia’s husband, Frank, will appear in the premiere, but a surprising revelation by Tom sends him on his way. However, it’s the exit of star Rebecca Duvall that will cause the biggest repercussions for the show — and, notably, Derek.

Question: I loved the Royal Pains wedding, but how come Dr. Sacani wasn’t there? Does that mean he won’t be coming back next season? — Carol

ADAM: Don’t worry — fan favorite Ben Shenkman will definitely be back for Season 5. “We are already talking about some very fun things to do. He felt like he fit seamlessly into the Royal Pains family and brought a lot of fun to the show,” executive producer Michael Rauch tells us. “He is definitely a member of HankMed that we plan on keeping around.”

Question: Does Evan now know about Vincent on Beauty and the Beast?! — Jamie

NATALIE: That’s the big question! Evan has already been suspicious of the creature who saved him, so when the show returns, he’ll continue to search for the truth. “In his quest, he and JT’s paths are actually going to cross,” executive producer Sherri Cooper tells us. “They’re going to start working together — in an effort for JT to control Evan — and of course Evan’s curiosity is going to get him in danger.”

Question: The Nikita fandom is imploding over what appears to be Alex kissing Michael in the promo for the next episode. Care to shed some light before anyone else sheds blood? —Kat

Ausiello: I can confirm that there’s a kiss. I can also confirm that there’s a twist. As exec producer Craig Silverstein explains, the lip-lock takes place during a mission — in other words, it’s more business than pleasure. That said, “It’s a very cute scene,” he shares, “because they both don’t want to do it.”

Question: I was wondering if you have any scoop on The Lying Game. — Kristi

Ausiello: In fact, I do — straight from showrunner Chuck Pratt. “Laurel’s music will propel her into the beginning of the season,” he says, “but then Laurel’s going to take on a whole new dynamic in the show. She’ll become more of a force and an equal with Mads. She and Emma really start to bond, too, which will cause Emma problems because she’s lying to her.” If it sounds like the boss is a Laurel fan, it should. “One of our goals was to bring her to more of the forefront and really feature her this season,” he admits, “because we just think the world of [her portrayer] Allie Gonino.”

Question: I need some Hart of Dixie news involving Zade (Zoe and Wade). Hit me with your best shot. —Kris

Ausiello: You may end up trading Zade for Jade, if Travis Van Winkle catches on as Lemon and Brick’s cousin — and Wade’s potential competition for Zoe — Jonah. “He is a really fun character — a conceited, arrogant Southern boy,” teases exec producer Leila Gerstein. “You can think of him as a young Brick Breeland. He gets in Zoe’s face, and there’s conflict ahead.” And even further ahead, potentially romance. But, Gerstein swears, “There won’t be anything like that, certainly, for awhile.”

Question: Where’s the love for The Vampire Diaries? —Sydney

Ausiello: Have you looked in your local roller disco? Because that may be where the show is headed. Though exec producer Julie Plec hastens to note that nothing is set in stone, she does admit, “We’re just now writing a script which, in a perfect world, will take us back to the ’70s in New York City. Everything could change, but it’s an era we haven’t explored yet. It could be a lot of fun.” Especially since she adds that “it’ll definitely involve our brothers in some form or another.”

That’s it. Enjoy!