Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Starz has given a series order to Outlander, the drama project based on the Diana Gabaldon best-selling series of books from series developer Ron Moore (the man behind Battlestar Galactica). The project will follow Claire, a married WWII combat nurse, who mistakenly steps back in time to the year 1743 where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world of adventure that sends her on the run and threatens her life. When Claire is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, it ignites a passionate affair that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Announced this weekend actor Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who after four years playing the legendary character. He will appear in the much-anticipated 50th anniversary episode set for November and will leave in the annual Christmas episode which will feature the regeneration of the doctor into whoever will play the 12th doctor. No casting announcement has been made on who will take over the iconic role. (Jethro Nededog at The Wrap)

Actress Marisa Ramirez has been promoted to series regular on Blue Bloods. (Liz Raftery at TV Guide and The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Dominic West (The Wire and The Hour) will play the lead role in the Showtime drama pilot The Affair that is an intense and intimate exploration of two marriages and an affair that disrupts them — with all of the complex consequences that result. West will play Noah, a good husband, devoted father of four, and New York City high school teacher whose settled, comfortable world is about to implode when he meets a woman he thinks is his soul mate. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office films from this past weekend according to Box Office Mojo:

1. Fast & Furious 6 – $34.5 million
2. Now You See Me – $28.1 million
3. After Earth – $27 million
4. Star Trek Into Darkness – $16.4 million
5. Epic – $16.4 million
6. The Hangover Part III – $15.9 million
7. Iron Man 3 – $8 million
8. The Great Gatsby – $6.3 million
9. Mud – $1.2 million
10. The Croods – $615,000

Actress Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) and actor Benicio Del Toro have both joined the cast of the upcoming box office film Guardians of Galaxy. Gillan is believed to be playing the female villain while the role that Del Toro will play is being kept under wraps. The cast of the film includes (among others) Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, and Glenn Close. (The Hollywood Reporter, Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: After finishing Saturday’s season finale of Orphan Black, many thoughts come to mind, but the most obvious is that if Tatiana Maslany doesn’t walk away with the Emmy for best actress — or is it five nominations in the best supporting actress category? — then the people who vote just aren’t watching TV. Every character she plays has such varied distinction from hair, voice, even walks, and other minor mannerisms and played them all with a determination like it was her only character. It might have been easy to phone one or two in and at times you could forget it all one person. Matt, I know you enjoy the show, but I was curious: Did you ever at any time find yourself picking a favorite? I think mine came to be Alison, because while they all have a dark side, the one who seemed to be the most sunshine and light was probably the darkest of all with a heavy dose of comedy thrown in. Can the show sustain excellence in Season 2? — Jeffrey

Matt Roush: It really was a tour de force performance(s) in service of a terrific and twisty story, and I see no reason to think the fun won’t continue next spring in Season 2. As for a favorite among the clones: You make a good case for the ever-surprising Alison, and for me the most purely enjoyable episode was the one where she was center stage, torturing her husband who she believed to be her Monitor — turns out she was right! — while haplessly trying to host a party for her suburban neighborhood. But I’m most struck by Maslany’s range when she’s being Sarah pretending to be Beth, then shifting gears into tigress mom protector or action heroine or whatever else the script demands. Maslany is a true find, but will she make it onto the Emmy radar? Let’s hope so. Maybe her nomination for the Critics Choice Television Awards — chosen by people who actually do watch a lot of TV, unlike (ironically) much of the TV Academy membership — will wake the voters up. I’m not counting on it, but wouldn’t it be a lovely surprise? (Also hoping first-timers Vera Farmiga of Bates Motel and Keri Russell of The Americans can somehow make the cut. What a tremendous category that would be.)

That’s it. Enjoy!