Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The 12th Doctor will be announced during a live special broadcast this Sunday, August 4 at 7 PM in the UK, 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time on BBC One and BBC America. Canadian fans should be able to see the live special on the Space Channel. (BBC One and Twitter)

Actor Antonio Sabato, Jr. (The Bold and the Beautiful) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Castle, playing Ramon Russo, an actor best known for his role on the fictional ’90s sitcom 2 Cool For School (a nod to the popular Saved By the Bell sitcom). As the cast of the fictional show prepares to reunite for a movie, the Screech-like character is murdered. Enter Castle, Ryan and Esposito, who take on the case until a familiar face returns to lead the investigation. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Actor-singer Jeremy Jordan (Smash) will show up in an upcoming episode of Elementary, playing Joey Castro, the son of a former surgical patient of Joan’s (series lead Lucy Liu). Joan feels an affinity for Joey given their shared history, but her affections for the young man are tested when he comes to her with an unexpected request. (TV Guide and TV Line)

Actor Dylan Bruce (Orphan Black) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Arrow, playing as Laurel’s (series regular Katie Cassidy) new co-worker Adam Donner, a corn-fed, All-American lawyer. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Billy Bob Thornton will star in Fargo (based on the box office movie), the first limited series from FX. The series has only 10 episodes and will following a new case and new characters, all entrenched in the trademark humor, murder and Minnesota nice that were the film’s trademark. Thornton will play Lorne Malvo, a rootless, manipulative man who meets a small town insurance salesman and sets him on a path of destruction. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

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

Question: What can NCIS: Los Angeles fans expect in the season premiere? –Anna

Mitovich: In short, “a great episode of television,” raves Eric Christian Olsen. As he elaborated for me, “This is the darkest and the most honest and the most vulnerable and the most heartbreaking episode for Deeks, but also for the other characters. The best scene that has ever been written for [Deeks and Sam] happens in the premiere; we’ve already filmed it, and [LL Cool J] is so good. And the most honest scene that Deeks and Kensi have ever had together happens in the premiere.”

Question: On NCIS, do you think Tiva will be together in the end? Or do you think it’ll be a kiss and then she leaves? I don’t think I could handle a depressed Tony if they weren’t together. –Samantha

Mitovich: Michael Weatherly hears your concern, and shares his own hope that Cote de Pablo’s double-episode send-off “is as cathartic and therapeutic for the fans as it was for me shooting it.” As for the oft-promised “appropriate closure,” this is all DiNozzo’s portrayer would tease: “When you want something for so long, and you want and you want and you want, and it almost gets warped because you’ve wanted it for maybe longer than anybody should ever want anything, and it’s sitting five feet from you in an office…. When that is dealt with, a dam breaks and it creates a fresh new and most importantly dynamic element to the show. That eight-year ‘holding pattern’ will be dealt with, but more important than that is what happens next. Where does Tony go after that? And [the answer to that] is the most exciting thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

Question: All of us Scandal junkies need a fix! Anything? –Maggie

Mitovich: Here is anything, courtesy of Dan Bucatinsky aka Cy’s guy James. “[The season premiere] will feel seamless in terms of giving people exactly what they love about Scandal,” the Emmy-nominated actor/producer shares. “We come back and relationships are just as rich, and just as surprising, and just as tense. That’s what I noticed about the first script.” As for things between James and the hubs specifically, “It’s much as we left it. We are in a good place.”

Question: Any new scoop about Castle? –Rachael

Mitovich: Hot off the presses, I’ve got a casting call for the multi-episode role of Frank “Sully” Sullivan, a new NYPD detective in his late 20s/early 30s who’s described as “a guy’s guy.” My question: Is the name Sully a nod to Nathan Fillion’s Monsters University gig?

Question: How many episodes of Covert Affairs will there be this season before the break? –Deb

Mitovich: The original plan to run all 16 episodes straight has changed, I am told, but you have at least seven more to enjoy before any potential midseason hiatus.

Question: I am beyond geeking out over the Arrow/The Flash crossover/spin-off news. Anything more to report? –Charlotte

Mitovich: I’ve got fresh information on exactly what brings Central City PD CSI Barry Allen to Oliver’s orbit. The would-be speedster travels (not by foot, I assume) to Starling City while investigating a series of brutal slayings that he believes may have a connection to his mother’s years-ago murder — a crime for which his father has been unjustly imprisoned.

Question: I love Copper! Could I please get some Corky spoilers? –Jessica

Mitovich: Yes, but mind you, I am just the messenger: I am hearing that Corky is due to soon experience a devastating tragedy that will alter the trajectory of his life.

Question: After Hallie’s death on Chicago Fire, Casey seemed to be holding it together at work, but it turns out he was falling apart in his personal life. Will he reach out for help or continue on his downward spiral? –Stephanie

Mitovich: The answer may not be as dramatic as you envision. Rather, I’m hearing that Casey deals with Hallie’s death privately, and then moves on.

Question: I heard someone dies this week on Under the Dome. Any hints or other scoop? — Dina

Gonzalez: We bid farewell to not one but TWO of the Dome’d in Monday’s episode. One of those deaths comes after a power struggle turns ugly. The other is more mysterious and shrouded in questions, specifically about some of the Dome’s capabilities. Also, it’s sad. REALLY sad.

Question: Any Under the Dome scoop? Thanks, Sandra! — Lillian

Gonzalez: Angie’s out! But Neal Baer tells me all may not be as it seems between Angie and Junior and teases of twists to come. “You know how Junior always says, ‘Angie, you’re sick’? And everybody’s like ‘Junior, I hate him. He’s psychotic. He’s f—ed up.’ It’s like, really? Well, we’ll see…” he says cryptically. Also, he says, all viewers with questions about Joe and Norrie’s seizures will soon find some answers. “By episode 8, [the characters] will discover something that will change everything for the rest of the season,” he says.

Question: Can a girl get some Graceland scoop? — Chrissy

Gonzalez: The Is Briggs Bad tango will continue, with Mike, who like us is trying to solve the mystery of Briggs, making a very ballsy move during an agency-monitored robbery attempt in the penultimate episode. The end of said hour will leave you more confused than ever.

Question: SO excited about Flash coming to Arrow!!! PLEASE tell me more. — Reilly

Gonzalez: EP Andrew Kreisberg is probably as pumped as we are, Reilly — not only because he’s getting a chance to bring to life a great character, but also because of what Barry Allen’s arrival means for all the residents of Starling City. “He’s a great character who’s going to affect all of our characters’ lives,” he teases. Most notably, look for Barry and Oliver to have a certain amount of “friction” in their relationship.

Question: Anything on Twisted? It’s become one of my new favorite summer shows! – Anna

Gonzalez: With just four episodes to go until the end of the first part of the season, Avan Jogia teased that we’ll be seeing Danny reaching “his lowest point” in the last new episode of 2013. And while he confirmed that we will not know if Danny murdered Regina anytime soon, he says he doesn’t know the actual answer to the big mystery. “They have not told me,” he says. “We have an opportunity to make a very interesting, challenging show and that’s all I care about. I want to hold my opinion on whether I want him to be a murderer or not. There are other ways that you can be a bad guy that have nothing to do with murder and that’s what I would like to explore … of course, he may still end up being a psychopath.”

Question: Would love some Nikita scoop! — Amy

Gonzalez: Bad news for Alex. The show is currently casting a character named Ellen Crawford, a CIA case officer who’s as blunt as she is well-versed in interrogation techniques. Let’s just say Ellen and Alex are going to share some scenes in which Alex’s past comes back to haunt her. But they will also serve as a reminder (as if you needed one) of how badass Alex is.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!