Hey All,
Here are the news items for today:
TELEVISION
Actor Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse) will have a recurring role in the mid-season alien drama Star-Crossed that will debut mid-season on The CW. He will play the mysterious SEU (Sector Enforcement Unit) Officer Jack Beaumont, who is responsible for the supervision within the Atrian (aka alien) sector walls. (Kristin Dos Santos at E! Online)
Actor Cole Hauser (Olympus Has Fallen) has joined the cast of the DirecTV series Rogue, which will be back for a second season sometime in 2014. Season two of the series will continue to focus on Grace Travis (Thandie Newton) as she moves forward with her life after finally avenging her son’s death in season one. Opting for a stable position, Grace has been assigned, as a handler, to an FBI task force investigating a local prostitution ring. Hauser will play
Ethan, a former soldier who left law school to enlist in the military after 9/11. Ethan is the founder of a security consulting firm in San Francisco, which he runs with three former military buddies. This band of brothers is united by a terrible secret, a dark event that has quietly haunted them for years. (DirecTV and The Futon Critic)
Actor Eric Johnson (Rookie Blue and Smallville) has been cast in the upcoming 10-part Cinemax series called The Knick that will star Clive Owen. The series will be set in downtown New York in 1900, centering on the Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff who push the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. Johnson will play Everett Gallinger, the talented, young protégé of The Knick’s groundbreaking Chief Surgeon (Owen), who finds himself to not be quite talented enough, when challenged by a new doctor who arrives at the hospital. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Actress Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and her older sister Kidada [both daughters of legendary composer Quincy Jones and legendary actress Peggy Lipton] are developing an hour-long dramedy for The CW that would revolve around two twenty-something estranged friends in search of love in New York who are reunited after learning that they’ve been dating the same guy. When their plot to humiliate the two-timer goes viral, they realize the “payback” business is a lucrative one and set up a clandestine business to continue bringing down the hand of justice for those who have been wronged. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
Jerry Bruckheimer Television and writer Aron Eli Coleite are developing a drama with FOX called Home that is a family thriller/soap that delves into the secrets lingering behind the facade of a suburban family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Fame just might be coming back to TV in the form of an as-yet-untitled drama that will include former Fame alum and legendary dancer/actress Debbie Allen as one of the executive producers. This version would be set at a Los Angeles-area performing arts school. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS
Stage, film and TV actress and singer Donna Murphy has joined the cast of the upcoming Lifetime made-for-TV movie House of Versace that will bring to light the story of Donatella Versace (Gina Gershon), who, following the brazen murder of her brother, world-renowned designer Gianni Versace (Enrico Colantoni of Veronica Mars fame) at the height of his success, is suddenly thrust into the spotlight as head designer of his fashion empire. Murphy will play Maria, the loved and trusted head seamstress who has been with Versace from the start. Legendary actress Raquel Welch and actor Colm Feore (Revolution) are also part of the cast, playing Aunt Lucia and brother Santo respectively. (The Futon Critic)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actress Marion Cotillard will star opposite actor Michael Fassbender in yet another adaptation of Macbeth that is expected to hit the big screen in the not-too-distant future. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)
BOX OFFICE TRAILER
Watch: Geoffrey Rush & Emily Watson in First ‘The Book Thief’ Trailer
Q&A SECTION (with E! Online, Natalie Abrams and Adam Bryant from TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Question: Hardcore member of the Clone club over here, so any Orphan Black spoilers would be more appreciated than Alison appreciates headbands. – Ingrid
E! Online: If you ship Paul and Sarah, then you’d better avert your eyes for this next part. In season two, a new dude is joining the cast, and he’ll definitely be giving Paul a run for his money in terms of chemistry with Sarah. Remember all those hot love scenes between Paul and Sarah? Think along the lines of that.
Question: Counting down the days until the Castle premiere! Everyone’s talking about Beckett’s reaction to the proposal, but what’s Castle feeling? — Cindy
ADAM: Creator Andrew W. Marlowe says that those fans questioning the intent behind Castle’s proposal should probably rethink things. (In other words, he didn’t just pop the question to get her to stay in New York.) “He asked his question out of emotion and passion and the circumstances of the moment,” Marlowe says. “He was challenged to think about what he really wanted in life. His preferred version is that he has this woman in his life.” But does this mean the twice-married Castle is truly matured to a place of being able to make a marriage work? “I think he very much likes to think that is the case,” Marlowe says. “But he is who he is…” Why does there always have to be a “but”?
Question: So excited about JoAnna Garcia as Ariel on Once Upon a Time. Do you have any scoop? — Nina
NATALIE: As the producers previously teased, Ariel has ties to a character we already know. “She’s somebody who wants to see the world,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “That spirit will run in her DNA still, but we’ll meet her in a surprising way.” We hear that will take place in Neverland, where other mermaids may not be so nice. But the good news is that we’ll also likely meet Prince Eric!
Question: I need more NCIS: Los Angeles scoop. How will Kensi and Deeks’ kiss affect the two of them in the premiere? — Becky
ADAM: Kensi will certainly find it hard to focus on the task at hand. “He fired something up in her,” executive producer Shane Brennan says with a laugh. Of course, it doesn’t help that the task is rescuing Deeks from Sidorov. “It’s not just her partner she’s saving; it’s this guy she might have a future with!” Daniela Ruah says. But once Deeks is safe and sound, the couple will have lots to discuss — which might not be a good thing. “There are changes in these relationships because of these catastrophic events,” Eric Christian Olsen hints. “Kensi and Deeks have one of the most heartbreaking scenes we’ve ever seen them do. It’s one of the few times that Deeks is able to… says exactly what he means.”
Question: Is Rachel actually going to Stanford on Suits? — Neil
ADAM: Well, she has to get in first, right? But it sounds like she will. “That’s going to take a little bit, as law schools do. She is going to keep pursuing this and it will build through the fall [episodes],” executive producer Aaron Korsh tells us. “We have decided what she will do and we will answer that before the season is over. That won’t be [a cliff-hanger].”
Question: Will Jasika Nicole return to Scandal this season? —Tammy
NATALIE: Executive producer Shonda Rhimes agrees with our assessment that Huck deserves something nice and shiny at the end of the rainbow, like a reunion with his wife Kim. But not yet. “It remains to be seen whether he is healthy enough for that to be a thing,” she says.
Question: Do you have any scoop on the Suicide Squad on Arrow? —Sam
NATALIE: Executive producer Marc Guggenheim teases that the first five episodes of Season 2 make the case that there are both heroes and villains coming into Starling City as a direct result of what The Arrow did in Season 1. Among the villains are the previously announced Bronze Tiger, who will team up with Deadshot, the leader of the Suicide Squad in the world of Arrow — and there could be others down the line. But never fear, help is on the way: “We’ll be seeing more of A.R.G.U.S. this season,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg adds.
Question: Any spoilers on Once Upon a Time? —Patti
Ausiello: Matt Mitovich just got off the horn with series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, and they caught us up on some of the back-story gaps that will be filled in via flashbacks during Season 3. Episode 2 is Snow/Charming-centric, covering the time between the former’s awakening from the sleep curse and when they encountered Regina on the battlefield. “How did the queen react to that? And who first told her?” Horowitz wonders. Episode 3 will relate Tinkerbell’s origin, featuring The Blue Fairy (but not Amy Acker’s Nova) and addressing the question: “What makes a fairy?” Also on tap for fall is a new chunk of Rumple’s past, the tale of how Hook became a pirate and the self-explanatory Episode 6, titled “Ariel” (and yes, Eric is being cast/will not be an existing character).
Question: I’d like some Once Upon a Time in Wonderland scoop, please. —Mason
Ausiello: The Once spin-off will, in its third episode, sic no less than Beowulf‘s Grendel on Alice and The Knave. Envisioned (via an actor in prosthetics) as a “large, warted, ogre-like beast,” the cannibalistic Grendel will pose a mortal threat to the genie-seeking pair — though in typical Once fashion, there is more to this beast than meets the eye. But don’t go brushing up on your Old English just yet. “It’s a wink-and-a-nod, as opposed to a real deep-dive into Beowulf,” says series co-creator Adam Horowitz of the creature’s clash with Alice.
Question: Any details on how Ashley will be written off Revenge? —Geoffrey
Ausiello: Despite portrayer Ashley Madekwe’s very public plea that her character “die in a blaze of glory,” showrunner Sunil Nayar tells us that Ash — who will depart in the show’s Sept. 29 opener —will live to see another day. “We’re not killing her,” he reveals. “We’d never do that! She’s too great a character. As sad as we are to bid her farewell at the moment, you’ll see that the way we resolve her storyline now gives her an opportunity to come back with her own revenge agenda.”
Question: Can you tease any good Emily-Victoria moments in the Revenge premiere? —Joyce
Ausiello: I could, but I’m going to let Emily VanCamp do the honors. “We have a moment where we actually band together,” previews the actress. Of course, like most of the truces forged by the sworn enemies, this one is short-lived. “We put up this united front and then, after whatever it is is taken care of, it’s like, ‘OK, I’m outta here,’” VanCamp says with a laugh. “But it’s nice to be able to play something [civil] with Madeline [Stowe] because [Emily and Victoria] are always at odds each other. And I hate it because I love Madeline so much. We’re so evil to each other.”
Question: Do you have any news on Arrow? —Calum
Ausiello: Quite interestingly, the title for this season’s fifth episode, “The Demon’s Head,” is the translation of Ra’s al Ghul — as in Batman’s infamous mentor-turned-adversary. Thus, it kinda sorta makes sense that the hour will introduce the apprentice of a most menacing man — Awwal, a scimitar-wielding protege of Dark Archer Malcolm Merlyn.
Question: Do you have any scoop on one of my absolute favorite shows, Covert Affairs? —Carol
Ausiello: This Tuesday’s episode is tense with a capital T-E-N. It finds Annie working with a familiar face, FBI agent Vincent Rossabi (Rookie Blue‘s Noam Jenkins), on the murder of CIA agent Seth Newman (aka the one who fell off the bridge). But while the G-man wants to uncover the truth, Annie’s trying to suppress it by swapping out any incriminating evidence. Still, that’s not the story you’ll be talking about after the hour’s end. Let’s just say we haven’t heard the last of a certain secret that someone was keeping from the spy gal.
Question: Now that Laura Bell Bundy is on Anger Management, what will this mean for her role as Shelby on Hart of Dixie? —Vanessa
Ausiello: It means you’ll probably see her less. But rest assured you will see her. “We are definitely having Laura back for a few [episodes],” confirms EP Leila Gerstein, adding that Shelby won’t resurface “until a few episodes in.” In other Bluebell casting news, although Claudia Lee is a series regular on Fox’s Surviving Jack, Gerstein remains hopeful that Lemon’s little sis will make an appearance this season, too. And if not? “Well, she goes [away] to boarding school,” laughs the EP.
That’s it. Enjoy!
Rueben's Ramblings 
Leave a comment