Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items today:

TELEVISION

Actor Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope) will reprise his role of Simon Escher (the man for whom his crimes were blamed on Michael, causing our favorite spy to be burned) on Burn Notice this summer. But it is unclear how his return will affect Michael and his team. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries and this fall’s spin-off The Originals) will join actors Walton Goggins (Justified) and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) in the film adaptation of the Craig Clevenger novel Dermaphoria. The story centers on a brilliant chemist (Morgan) who wakes up in jail after a drug-lab explosion and is suffering from amnesia. Trapped between cops who want to arrest him and heavies who will stop at nothing to get the formula buried deep inside his head, he must piece together memories fragmented by a powerful new drug and find his missing girlfriend. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Actress Emily VanCamp (Revenge) and actor Michael Nyqvist (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) will star in the independent flick The Girl in the Book that centers on the daughter of a powerful New York City literary agent (VanCamp) who is forced to confront painful events in her past when asked to work on the re-release of the best-selling novel of her father’s star client (Nyqvist). Forced to face difficult memories, she ultimately overcomes her demons and rediscovers her creative voice. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Actor Billy Campbell (The Killing) and Clea Duvall (Carnivale) have joined Christina Ricci in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie about Lizzie Borden. Campbell will play Borden’s attorney, Andrew Jennings, while Duvall will play Lizzie’s sister Emma. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line and Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Is it too soon to ask if you have any spoilers on NCIS: LA‘s 100th episode? –Emma

Mitovich: Not only is it not premature to ask about No. 100 (aka the fourth episode of Season 5), show boss Shane Brennan teases, “I already know what the last episode is for next year!” But let’s not get that ahead of ourselves. Brennan says that while the aforementioned milestone hour “may play with the show’s format a little,” it will for certain “kick off an arc that runs right through the end of the season,” which he also said will be a “watershed” one for both Deeks and Callen.

Question: Does Once Upon a Time plan on telling the current stories of the characters in Storybrooke, or will Season 3 focus on Neverland and the Enchanted Forest? –Ellie

Mitovich: In case my previous scoop on this subject did not reassure you that, as the headline said, “Storybrooke will not be forgotten,” I just confirmed that Emilie de Ravin is still a series regular for Season 3. Thus, it sounds like Belle will certainly have Maine events of her own to deal with back home.

Question: Will Once Upon a Time explain how Mulan and Aurora helped Phillip get his soul back from the wraith? –JJ

Mitovich: Series co-creator Adam Horowitz confirms that yes, that burning question will be addressed during Season 3 — and likely on the sooner side, I reckon, since Jamie Chung and Sarah Bolger have midseason pilots (NBC’s Believe, ABC’s Mixology) to get to!

Question: How is the Covert Affairs premiere?! Can you give us any scoop on it, pretty please? — Rachael

Mitovich: As Christopher Gorham previously shared, Auggie and Annie are very much a couple now — as the opening sequence makes “nakedly” clear. Likewise, when Kari Matchett told me there are “interesting things” on tap for Joan and Arthur, my lord, she was not kidding. All told, while I didn’t 100 percent follow the case at hand — Annie and Auggie “vacation” in Colombia to covertly dig into Arthur’s past while dodging the local CIA station chief (played by new series regular/CSI: NY alum Hill Harper) — the episode is chock-a-block with exposed secrets (one of which I did not see coming at all) and a final scene that promises to shake up the pecking order.

Question: Defiance‘s Stahma and Kenya…. I have no words. So, do you have scoop? — Julia

Mitovich: Right? And people thought H.G. Wells/Myka would be Syfy’s Sapphic supercouple. There’s a passing moment in the wedding episode (airing June 24) where Stahma comments to someone about the Need/Want proprietor’s “amazing touch.” Elsewhere in that hour, you’ll lay witness to a Castithan bachelor party (which frankly varies little from anything you see at Scores), get some movement on the Irisa/Tommy front, discover that [SPOILER] saved Datak’s life some years ago and learn that someone in town is concealing a massive, shocking secret. There’s also the death of two characters who’ve been with us from the start.

Question: I love ABC’s new show Motive. What is its future? When will it be back on after basketball and for how many episodes? –Judy

Mitovich: The 10 remaining episodes will begin to unspool June 27, running through early September.

Question: Does the abbreviated final-season order for Warehouse 13 mean we won’t see another Christmas special again? –Lisa

Mitovich: Sorry to hand you a lump of coal in June, but yes.

Question: I’m dying for some Suits scoop — especially about Rachel and Mike! — Meghan

Sandra: SO much goes down between these two in the July 16 premiere, and as a result, I don’t even know where to start. So let’s play a game: One or more of these things will take place in the premiere. Can you guess which one(s)? (A) Rachel will out Mike. (B) They will sleep together again. (C) One of them learns a third party saw them getting it on.

Question: Wednesday night’s Royal Pains premiere was great! I can’t believe Divya’s pregnant! And I’m worried about Hank. Need any scoop on what’s going on in the Hamptons. — Leslie

Sandra: Divya’s pregnancy twist was cool, wasn’t it? Well, next week, the sexy PA reveals to Paige the surprising reason she never anticipated having a child, but also learns that all might not be well with the baby-to-be.

Question: Teen Wolf has been PHENOMENAL this season. I’d love anything you got on Isaac, the Alpha pack or Stiles! — Josh

Sandra: Sooner rather than later, we’re going to get a little more back-story on exactly how the Alpha pack got to be so powerful (and it’s quite disturbing!). Meanwhile, Isaac and Allison are going to share an über-intense scene in a closet in the fourth episode this season … and we’re not talking about a seven-minutes-in-heaven situation.

Question: Sorry to bother you with this, Sandra, but I have to ask…can we get a Copper recap this year?
PLEASE! This show is really good and dark and gory. I think you’d have fun doing it! — Katie

Sandra: I’ll ask. If nothing else, keep an eye here for plenty of Copper scoop. Meanwhile, since you mentioned gore, I have to warn you that your stomach MAY churn during the upcoming June 23 premiere. The scene of which I speak involved Madame Eva (Franka Potente) getting a knife in the back … literally. I wish that’s as bad as it got …

Question: My Summer TV must-watch is definitely Rizzoli & Isles. I’d love some info on these kick-ass ladies. — J.L.

Sandra: I can tell you that by the end of this pair’s big return June 25, which picks up at the tail end of Maura’s recovery from surgery, two couples will rekindle their flame with some hanky-panky. (Do people under 50 use that term any more?) Guesses on the couples?

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Erin Krakow (Army Wives) and actor Daniel Lissing (Last Resort) have joined the cast of the Hallmark Channel one-hour original scripted series When Calls The Heart, based on the Janette Oke series of best-selling books set in the Canadian West, that will debut in January 2014. The two-hour original movie that will kick things off for the series is set to debut on October 5 and will actually star Maggie Grace (Lost) and Stephen Amell (Arrow), chronicling the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a young teacher accustomed to high society life, who receives her first classroom post in a small coal-mining town in the Western frontier lead by two strong coal-miner widows, Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin) and Frances Tunnecliffe (Jean Smart). (Deadline)

Actor Greg Finley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) will have a guest appearance on Necessary Roughness, playing a high school baseball coach who Dani (series lead Callie Thorne) mistakenly enlists to help with another patient. Finley will next be seen in the mid-season CW drama Star-Crossed. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actress Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Perception, as Daisy Brannen, a fiercely loyal woman who is startled when Pierce and Moretti (series leads Eric McCormack and Rachael Leigh Cook) catch her at her boyfriend’s motel room. Daisy is terrified but protective of her mysterious beau. Perception will be back with its new season on TNT starting on June 25. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Lauren Lee Smith (CSI and Mutant X) has landed a regular ole on the high-profile drama pilot The Strain at FX that is being eyed for a 13-episode pick-up. The thriller tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll from House of Lies), the head of the Centers for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. Smith will play Ephraim’s ex-wife Kelly Goodweather, who after winning a bitter custody battle, she embarks on a new life with her boyfriend, but when she fails to heed her husband’s warning about the contagion spreading in Manhattan, she pays the ultimate price. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Stellan Skarsgard (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has joined the cast of the Cinemax drama pilot Quarry that is loosely based on a series of books by Max Allen Collins. The project centers on a Marine marksman (Logan Marshall-Green) who returns home from Vietnam in 1973 only to find himself shunned and demonized. The disillusioned vet is quickly recruited into a network of contract killers and immersed in corruption along the Mississippi River. Skarsgård will play The Broker, a shadowy figure who lures Green’s character into his criminal ranks. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the soon to be released The Bling Ring as well as the Harry Potter franchise) has landed the lead role in the upcoming box office movie (possible franchise) that is based on a trilogy of fantasy-based novels that won’t be released until 2014 called Queen of the Tearling written by Erika Johansen. The story is set three centuries after an environmental catastrophe when a malevolent Red Queen holds considerable power. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE TRAILER

Watch: First Trailer for the Charming Sundance Comedy ‘In a World…’

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Ed Burns (Alex Cross) will play notorious mobster Bugsy Siegel in a recurring role on the upcoming TNT series Lost Angels and actor Robert Knepper (Prison Break and Cult), originally set as recurring on the series, has been promoted to a series regular. Lost Angels is based on the John Buntin book “L.A. Noir”, which follows the turmoil surrounding the LAPD and ruthless criminal activities led by gangster Mickey Cohen (Jeremy Luke). After moving from the East Coast to California, Siegel quickly established himself as the Los Angeles mob leader in the late 1930s and early 1940s, with Cohen as his chief lieutenant. Siegel also was a Hollywood fixture, throwing lavish parties for Tinseltown’s biggest names. Knepper will play Sid Rothman, a rank-and-file mobster working for Cohen. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Roger Howarth (General Hospital and One Life to Live) will appear in a multi-episode arc on Californication, playing a yoga teacher in the class of Karen (Natascha McElhone), Hank’s (David Duchovny) longtime, on-again/off-again girlfriend and mother of his daughter. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jordan Wall (The Glades) and Josh Randall (Ed) will both guest star in an upcoming episode of Drop Dead Diva. Randall will play Stuart Kane, a world-renowned L.A.-based chemistry professor who has recently fallen in love with a beautiful model. But both his flourishing career and budding romance are threatened when he’s arrested at LAX for attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country. Wall is set to play Brad Pines, a grad student in chemistry and protégé of Kane. Brad is an ambitious young researcher who puts his work on hold to support his mentor following the shocking arrest. Drop Dead Diva will be back on Lifetime starting on June 23. (Kimberly Nordyke and Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Justin Bruening (All My Children) will be heading back to Switched at Birth for a guest appearance on the ABC Family series where he played Chef Jeff who had a fling with Daphne (series lead Katie Leclerc). Also, actor Larry Sullivan (CSI) will guest star in an episode of the series playing Leo, who may be the adopted father of Angelo’s (Gilles Marini) baby. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The cable network Starz is developing a post-Civil War drama called Monsters of God that will be set in 1867 Texas during the Comanche Wars, following two powerful ex-Cavalry men — a war-hungry colonel and his seemingly by the-book executive officer — as they struggle to maintain order over the men in their command as they’re faced with the challenges of an uncivilized territory and their own inner-demons. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

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

Question: Deeks and Kensi: What happens after the kiss on NCIS: Los Angeles? — Moni, via Twitter

ADAM: Well, you’re assuming that Deeks makes it out of Sidorov’s torture trap alive. (Just kidding, that’s a pretty safe bet.) But executive producer Shane Brennan cautions viewers not to make too much of the liplock. “It wasn’t a candlelit dinner,” he says. “It was almost a challenge that he threw down to her. I think it surprised both of them.” But Deeks may feel differently about the kiss after his brush with death.

Question: Any scoop on Haley and Klaus’ future on The Originals? I need my Klaroline! — Liz

NATALIE: Yes, Haley and Klaus are having a vamp/hybrid/were-baby together, but their connection pretty much ends there. “Hayley is, by no means, the Cinderella in the Klaus love story,” executive producer Julie Plec says. “Hayley is a girl who’s pretty tough, fiery, an independent spirit, a survivor in her own right who got drunk, had sex and got knocked up. She’s going to have her own journey. She’s not really meant to be a threat to Klaus’ love life. If anything, she’s the portal into his redemption.”

Question: Do you have any scoop on the “home office” on Once Upon a Time? — Jennie

NATALIE: The home office wanted to destroy magic in our world, but that doesn’t mean that Peter Pan isn’t part of it. Speaking of the mysterious organization, executive producer Adam Horowitz promises pay-off. “We’re going to explain pretty quickly what it is and how, as we showed in the finale, Greg and Tamara were unwittingly working for Peter Pan, and how that all connects.” It was curious that they were so against magic, right?

Question: I need some Rizzoli & Isles scoop! — Andrea

ADAM: As the murder trial of Maura’s mob boss dad Paddy Doyle (John Doman) draws near, Maura finds out that her birth mom Hope (Sharon Lawrence), contrary to her previous claims, might have been in contact with Paddy while he was doing his dirty dealings. How does she find out? With some unwitting help from her half-sis Cailin (Emilee Wallace).

Question: Now that Jack knows Emily’s real identity on Revenge, will they finally get together? — Robert

NATALIE: Not so fast. We asked (OK, begged) Nick Wechsler about the possibility. “I don’t think they will have them get together romantically, and if it happens, it’ll be further into the season,” he says. Instead, expect Jack to focus on his own plan for revenge. “This poor [guy] lost his dad, his dog, his wife, now his brother … it’s going to be the fire under his vengeful a–.”

Question: What’s up with Ali’s mom returning in the Pretty Little Liars premiere? — Jennie

ADAM: She’s a woman of secrets, that’s for sure. Executive producer Marlene King says that her return to Rosewood will spark even more debate amongst the girls about whether they really did see Alison during the fire last season. “She [was] redoing Alison’s room,” King notes. “Is she crazy or [is she] getting ready for Ali to come back?”

Question: Do you have any scoop on Longmire? — Joe

NATALIE: The race between Walt and Branch is heating up. Look for Cady to stump them both during a debate in which Branch definitely has the upper hand. But there will also be a more tangible test of their mettle: When gunshots ring out during the event, which candidate will come to the rescue?

Question: What’s going on with Mike and Rachel on Suits? — Linda

ADAM: Rachel still needs time to process his lie. In the meantime, look for Mike to have nightmares in which she exposes him. While those fears remain unfounded (for now), Rachel does give Mike an equally scary ultimatum: quit or suffer the consequences.

Question: Thrilled about Tatiana Maslany’s Critics Choice win! Any chance you coaxed some Orphan Black scoop out of her (and don’t tell me you didn’t speak to her — I’m armed with evidence that says you did.) —Missy

Ausiello: TVLine’s Vlada Gelman grilled the native Canadian on the red carpet (of the Critics’ Choice Awards) about one of Orphan Black‘s most enduring mysteries: Why the heck did Sarah abandon Kira in the first place? “I think she left because she didn’t know how to be a mother,” explains Maslany. “She just can’t handle that responsibility. For her, she’s always hustled and manipulated. That’s what she knows. And to have a little baby who’s reliant on her is the scariest thing that could ever happen to Sarah. I think she was in a relationship that led her down a road she wanted to get away from.” Speaking of which, who’s the daddy? Teases the actress: “[That] is a mystery still to be solved.”

Question: Please tell me Bunheads will be back for a second season. The pins and needles are starting to hurt. —Amanda

Ausiello: Breaking news directly from consulting producer Dan Palladino: The show’s still on the bubble. “There’s no official word,” AS-P’s other half tells me. “But if Bunheads is not renewed, Amy and I are going to force Sutton Foster to work with us again, at gunpoint if necessary.”

Question: Is there anything concrete yet about Hilarie Burton returning to White Collar? Not that I don’t love the idea of Bridget Regan wooing Neal, too! —Lanie

Ausiello: A White Collar source tells me “there’s discussion about bringing Sara back” but nothing is 100 percent official just yet. My gut says there will be something official in the next couple weeks.

Question: Klaroline shipper here. Please assure me that we’re not going to be forced to endure a full-fledged Klaus-Hayley romance on The Originals. —Kim

Ausiello: Why don’t I let exec producer Julie Plec assure you instead: “Hayley is, by no means, the Cinderella in the Klaus love story. Hayley is a girl who’s pretty tough, fiery, independent … a survivor in her own right who got drunk, had sex and got knocked up. She’s going to have her own journey. She’s not really meant to be a threat to Klaus’ love life.”

Question: Switched at Birth! Scoop! Go! —Val

Ausiello: Sounds like Daphne’s new love interest, Barista Jace, is going to be a bit of a slow burn. “They start off a little hesitant,” Katie Leclerc tells us. “We haven’t fully developed our relationship yet. There’s just been sort of a, ‘Oh, you’re cute.’ ‘Oh, you’re cute.’ Sparks fly.” As for Noah, he hasn’t popped up in the summer vacation episodes yet, but as Vanessa Marano points out, “He still goes to [Carlton High],” so a return is possible once class is back in session.

Question: I’d love anything you have on Pretty Little Liars. —Estee

Ausiello: Expect to see a lot more of the ‘rents this season. As exec producer Marlene King previews, “‘A’ decides that he or she has not been able to divide and conquer the Liars as desired. So, in addition to targeting them, ‘A’ is really going to put targets on the backs of their parents. They’re all under A’s thumb because of it. A big part of the mystery revolves around the Marin family.” Bonus PLL Scoop: The show is casting the recurring role of Travis, a high school-aged gas station employee who possesses a “reserved and rugged” quality and a “solid and moral” center. Which gal do you think will ding his bell?

That’s it. Enjoy!

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