Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The cable network Starz has cancelled Magic City after two seasons. The series finale will air this coming Friday. (AJ Marechal at Variety)

Fan favorite actor Mark Sheppard will have a “substantial arc” on White Collar when the popular USA Network returns this fall for its fifth season. Sheppard will appear in seven episodes, reprising a role he played in the show’s pilot. He played Curtis Hagen, a shady art forger nicknamed “The Dutchman,” who was apprehended by Peter Burke and sent to prison. Neal will strike a deal with Hagen in order to help Peter, who took the fall for the shooting of a senator at the end of Season 4. But the kinds of demands that Hagen makes of Neal could lead Neal back to his old life as a criminal and con man. (Maureen Ryan at The Huffington Post)

Actress Leslie Hope (24 and Revolution) will guest star in an upcoming episode of NCIS this fall, playing Sarah Porter, a high-level Navy official. NCIS will back for season 11 starting on September 24. (Matt Mitovich at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Last Resort creator and executive producer Karl Gajdusek and executive producer Shawn Ryan are teaming up for another drama series project called Freedom at ABC. The project is based on an original idea by Gajdusek who will write the script. The story will follow a group of brilliant, eclectic, freethinking Ivy League students who help create “Freedom,” the next resistance movement to government and corporate powers modeled after hacker collectives like Anonymous or Wikileaks that are now dominating the public’s attention. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Netflix has acquired the rights to Marco Polo, the upcoming 13th century-set series about the legendary adventurer that had been previously set up a Starz. The series would follow the true story of the world’s greatest storyteller, an epic and cinematic adventure of high politics, masterful manipulation and deadly warfare. The nine-episode series will chronicle the famed explorer’s journey during his early years in the court of Kublai Khan. It is believed the series will hit Netflix sometime in 2014. (Michael Schneider at TV Guide)

Bravo has ordered an hour-long dramedy pilot called Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce from Marti Noxon (of Buffy and Angel fame). The pilot is based on the book series by executive producer Vicki Iovine, following a best-selling author of a self-help book series who is secretly hiding her separation from her husband as she starts to navigate her life as a single woman in her 40s in Los Angeles. She starts to side with and take advice more from her divorced friends rather than her married ones, and it leads her to some unexpected and life-changing experiences. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

NOTE: This sounds eerily like a web series “Dating in LA and Other Urban Myths” that my friend and fellow entertainment news blogger Danielle Turchiano just directed with blogger Patricia Steffey. Ironic? I think not!

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Naomi Watts in ‘Diana’ Romantic Biopic International Trailer

Hot Teaser Trailer: ‘Muppets Most Wanted’

Must Watch: Second Trailer for Gavin Hood’s ‘Ender’s Game’ Movie

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The 12th Time Lord was announced yesterday. Scottish actor Peter Capaldi will take over the reigns as the Doctor on Doctor Who. (BBC America and Twitter)

Actress Shannon Kane (All My Children) will have a recurring role on the new CW spin-off series The Originals, playing Sabine, a wild, bold, sexy and street-smart tour guide in New Orleans who also happens to secretly be a leading member of the French Quarter’s witch community. (Kristin Dos Santos at E!)

Actress Janina Gavankar (True Blood) will guest star on The Vampire Diaries as a beautiful, exotic and self-assured woman who comes to Mystic Falls to rekindle an old flame. (TV Line)

All American Reject’s frontman Tyson Ritter will have a major recurring role in this fall’s Parenthood, playing Oliver Rome, the immature, egomaniacal, tantrum-prone lead singer of a hot new rock band that is recording at the Luncheonette. But underneath the attitude, Oliver is actually a decent guy. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

MTV has renewed Awkward. for a fourth season with new showrunners Chris Alberghini and Mike Chessler at the helm. (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Lionsgate has optioned the rights to the best-selling Crossfire series of romantic novels by author Sylvia Day, planning to turn them into a TV series. The book series centers on Eva Tramell, a young up-and comer in the advertising world, and billionaire businessman, Gideon Cross who are both trying to overcome their devastating and abusive pasts. As they are intensely drawn to one another, both physically and emotionally, the two must find a way to heal each other in order to move on and establish a healthy romantic relationship. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Maura Tierney (The Good Wife) has joined the cast of the Showtime drama pilot called The Affair that will focus on Noah (Dominic West), 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 (Ruth Wilson) he thinks is his soul mate. Tierney will play Helen, Noah’s college sweetheart, best friend, mother of his children, lover and wife of 17 years. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

1. 2 Guns – 27.4 million
2. The Wolverine – 21.7 million
3. The Smurfs 2 – 18.2 million
4. The Conjuring – 13.6 million
5. Despicable Me 2 – 10.3 million
6. Grown Ups 2 – 8.2 million
7. Turbo – 6.5 million
8. Red 2 – 5.8 million
9. The Heat – 4.9 million
10. Pacific Rim – 4.5 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »