Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Andrew McCarthy (Pretty in Pink) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Unforgettable, playing Ari Sonnenland, a wealthy real estate developer whose 11-year-old daughter has been kidnapped. The wealthy businessman has the money to pay the ransom but is reluctant to accept help from the NPPD, turning to Carrie (series lead Poppy Montgomery) and Al (series lead Dylan Walsh) to help solve the case. Unforgettable returns to CBS on July 28. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Lauren Iungerich, who created and executive produced the MTV comedy Awkward is leaving the series, putting a big question mark on what will happen with the fourth season. Awkward is slated to return for the second half of its third season on MTV in October. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The USA Network has given Psych an additional order of two more episodes for its upcoming 8th season, including one that will be determined by the fans. You can vote on which of three potential episode you’d like to see by going here (http://www.usanetwork.com/content/psych-episode-vote) to vote. But keep in mind voting will close on July 12. The winning story line will be announced at Comic-Con. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) has been cast in the recurring role of Sherlock Holmes’ older brother, Mycroft Holmes in the CBS drama Elementary. (TV By the Numbers)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Amy Brenneman (Private Practice) has joined the cast of the HBO drama pilot called The Leftovers that is based on the Tom Perrotta book about what takes place after the Rapture happens. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Netflix has made an exclusive distribution pack for a spin-off series of the Australian teen drama H20: Just Add Water. The spin-off will be called Mermaids and will center on teenage Zac, who is camping on Mako Island and is secretly watched by three young mermaids tasked with guarding the isle. After an encounter with magical water, he becomes a fish-tailed merman, causing problems for the mermaids. All 26 half-hour episodes will premiere in the US and the streaming service’s other territories on July 26. (The Deadline Team)

NOTE: Actresses Phoebe Tonkin and Claire Holt of The Vampire Diaries and the upcoming The Originals were both stars of the original series H20: Just Add Water.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Sophie McShera, who plays Daisy on Downton Abbey, has joined the cast of the upcoming box office film adaptation of Cinderella that will star fellow Downton Abbey alum Lily James in the lead role. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

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

Question: Is it fall yet? I need to know what happens between Rayna and Deacon on Nashville! — Michelle

ADAM: They’ll make it out of their finale car accident with only bumps and bruises, but the emotional injuries will be far more serious. “They are never going to have [a] smooth-sailing relationship,” creator Callie Khouri tells us, pointing to Deacon’s discovery that he’s Maddie’s father. “[Season 2] is not going to look like Father Knows Best. I don’t think Deacon ever thought of himself as father material. We’ll see him grapple with… whether or not he’s right.” Worse, given Deacon’s dangerous bender, Rayna will feel even more justified in her decision to lie. “She was kind of right not to tell him,” Khouri says. “He couldn’t handle it.”

Question: I still don’t get why Callen & Co. trusted The Chameleon in the NCIS: LA finale. Didn’t they know he might betray them? — Justin

ADAM: Executive producer Shane Brennan acknowledges that sending The Chameleon to negotiate with Sidorov about the nuclear weapons was a calculated risk. “Give him an inch, and he will take everything that you possess — they were aware of that,” he says. “But there was only one person who could pull this off. It was something they had to do.” Either way, Callen won’t take the betrayal lightly. “Callen knows that there will be a final confrontation, and only one of them will walk away,” Brennan teases. Gee, I wonder who?

Question: Will Tom and Pope make it back to Charleston alive on Falling Skies? — Daryl

NATALIE: It won’t be an easy trek following the plane crash. On Sunday’s episode, they’ll take turns saving each other before they take turns trying to kill each other! Ultimately, Pope will make a surprising decision that could put them both in danger.

Question: I really like USA’s Graceland so far. Got any scoop? — Jill

ADAM: If you think going under cover has come a bit too easy for Mike, wait until you see Thursday’s episode, when he has to deal with the Nigerian drug dealer who he and Briggs have been trying to bust. Mike will have to mix it up with Bello and his thugs… all by himself. That becomes particularly tricky when Bello’s right-hand man Eddie fingers Mike as a Fed.

Question: Obsessed with Devious Maids. Will Marisol get closer to freeing her son? — Alyssa

NATALIE: Marisol will come thisclose to scoring a job with the Powells on her day off, but Taylor refuses to give her up. Of course, Adrian will use his powers of persuasion — aka blackmail — to secure Marisol. But will she be able to find Flora’s last letter at the house?

Question: Are we ever going to learn more about Nolan’s backstory on Defiance? —Jamarcus

ADAM: You bet! On Monday’s penultimate episode, Nolan’s penchant to shoot first and ask questions later will come back to bite him. After one such shootout, Datak will call attention to Nolan’s actions against the Votans during the war. “We learn that he may have been a part of some pretty nasty guerrilla warfare,” Grant Bowler says. “The whole town is basically afraid of him after.” Well, everyone except Amanda, who stands by him — an action that Datak will use in his quest to take her mayoral seat.

Question: What can you say about the Switched at Birth “What if?” episode? —Lana

NATALIE: Well, almost everything would be different had the switch been discovered when Regina first found out — and not for the better. There would’ve been cheating, lying, and even death. The one thing to remain the same? One of the girls would’ve ended up with the same guy in her life.

Question: Loving Under the Dome! Got any scoop on Natalie Zea’s character? — Jones

NATALIE: Fans of the Stephen King novel will be just as in the dark as viewers since it’s a brand-new character, but I can reveal that she’ll have a connection to Big Jim and the mystery behind the propane. But in a surprising twist, she’ll also know another main character who’s trapped under the dome — and likely in the Biblical sense. Suffice it to say, she’s downright dastardly.

Question: Any Downton Abbey scoop? —Billy

Ausiello: The Season 4 finale/Christmas special will be “very different” from the tragic Season 3 climax that felled poor Matthew, per exec producer Gareth Neame. “The [Season 1 finale] was really different from the second, and the second one was very different [from the third],” he adds. “What we have planned for this year is a very different scenario.”

Question: Do you have any Drop Dead Diva scoop on my favorite lawyer non-couple Jane/Deb and Grayson? —Tiffany

Ausiello: Series creator Josh Berman says the truth about Jane/Deb is fast becoming a moot point for the still-in-the-dark Grayson. “I don’t know if he even cares anymore that Jane is Deb in the sense that I think he’s falling for Jane as Jane, not Jane as Deb,” notes DDD‘s boss. “That being said, there may be some twists and turns coming up that will shock him.” Also, if you liked last Sunday’s premiere then you’re going to love this week’s second episode, which brings the Old Jane-New Jane rivalry to a head. “It’s my favorite episode I’ve ever written and maybe one of the best ones we’ve ever executed,” declares Berman. “They actually have to work together to save someone’s life. It’s so fun watching the body swapping at its best with these two people. Two souls that really have nothing in common except that they have each been in the same body. Watching them interact is so much fun.”

That’s it. Enjoy!