Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Jere Burns (Burn Notice) has been promoted to series regular on Justified where he has played drug dealer Winn Duffy for most of the series’ run. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BBC has canceled their period piece drama Copper after two seasons. The show will air its, now, series finale this Sunday, September 22. (Michael O’Connell at The Hollywood Reporter)

Like father like son. Actor Gabriel Macht, who is the star of the USA Network legal drama Suits will see his actor-father Stephen Macht guest-starring in a winter episode of the show’s current third season. The elder Macht will play Professor Gerard, a longtime Harvard Law professor who is notorious for his high standards and rigid ways. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actress Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) will guest star in the upcoming new ABC mid-season series Killer Women that stars Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Molly Parker, a Texas Ranger surrounded by law enforcement peers who want to see her fail. Riesgraf will appear in the second episode, as Jennifer Jennings, an interior decorator with a secret sideline. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like ABC isn’t just stopping at Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as their only Marvel universe drama. A “one-shot” from the upcoming blu-ray release of Iron Man 3 – featuring Peggy Carter – just might be in line for the network as a potential series. There are few details right now, but word has it that Agent Carter could be on a small screens if things pan out. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Will Kemp (Van Helsing and Step Up 2) and actress Kallee Stewart (the Hot Tub Time Machine franchise) have joined Alicia Silverstone in the Lifetime drama pilot called HR that centers on the uptight Director of Human Resources for a global company Ellen (Silverstone) who, after a head injury alters her outlook on life, throws standard corporate practices out the window and inspires the business to strive for new ambitions and profits. Kemp will play Piers Moore, a British salesman, co-worker and potential love interest for Ellen. Meanwhile, Stewart will play Judith, a coworker of Ellen’s in the HR department. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

VH1 has given a pilot order to a new hour-long drama called Hindsight that will center on Becca who, as she nears 40, is about to embark on her second wedding to Andy Kelly, but her joy is tempered by the absence of her old best friend Lolly who’s a no-show, having dropped out of their relationship years ago. As Becca mulls over her past with Lolly and the mishap of her marriage to her first husband, Sean, she wakes up on her wedding day and discovers that it’s 15 years in the past — she’s about to marry Sean, her own parents are still married, and Lolly is still in her life. Becca must now decide to either go ahead with her marriage to Sean and watch the years play out as they have before, or chuck it all and try for a re-do of the history of her life that’s still in the future. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives and executive producer of Lifetime’s Devious Maids) will produce the potential new ABC hour-long soap opera called Trust that is based on the popular Columbian telenovela Pura Sangre. Trust will center on David Montenegro, a humble attorney in Miami who is given the chance to become the Trustee of the Lagos estate. David takes the job to try and rekindle a romance with his first and only love, Rosella Lagos – who is now engaged to another man – but before long, he finds himself sucked into her dysfunctional family and discovers that, in a world of so much money, the only true currency is trust. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Spike TV is developing a new script program based on Tutankhamun, aka King Tut, the youngest Pharaoh to rule Ancient Egypt. The six-part series is based on historical facts from recently discovered DNA evidence, exploring the drama of power, political backstabbing, war and murder and chronicles King Tut’s rise to glory, his efforts to rule a chaotic empire and the enigma surrounding his death. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

NBC is developing a mini-series about the life of iconic late-night talk show host Johnny Carson based on the upcoming biography “Carson The Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait” by Bill Zehme. The project will cover Carson’s 30-year run (1962-92) as host of The Tonight Show, as well as his childhood growing up in Nebraska, his often secluded off-camera life and friendships he made throughout his career as one of the most beloved TV personalities of all time. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) has landed the lead role in the independent drama film called Like Sunday, Like Rain about a struggling musician who becomes the guardian of a 12-year-old music prodigy one summer. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team at E! Online)

Question: Covert Affairs season finale nearly killed my Annie-Auggie shipping heart! Please tell me they get back together! – Veronica

TV Scoop Team: Sorry to burst your bubble, kill your dreams, kick you when you’re down, etc., but Auggie will be spending time with a new lady when the show returns. Beautiful and smart with a bit of an edge, Sarah Tam is a gifted officer Auggie needs for a top-secret mission. Though they start off a bit rocky, a tentative friendship forms between the two.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Emily Wickersham (The Sopranos and The Bridge) has landed a role on NCIS, playing Bishop, a bright, educated, athletic, attractive, fresh-faced, focused and somewhat socially awkward new agent. She has a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism. There is a potential for this character to take over for departing Ziva David, but that is speculation at best right now. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

British actor Treva Etienne (Terminator Salvation and Pirates of the Caribbean) has joined the cast of Falling Skies where he will play Dingaan Botha, who will be very involved with the 2nd Mass. The series will return to TNT next summer. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor James Frain (The White Queen and True Blood) will appear in multi episodes of the new FOX thriller Sleepy Hollow, playing Rutledge, a modern-day nobleman who will interrogate Ichabod, who is being passed off as a “visiting Oxford professor,” about his past. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC is developing an as-yet untitled thriller-family drama based on the Linwood Barclay novel “Never Look Away” that centers on an award-winning journalist whose wife goes missing. His life is turned upside down as he discovers the truth about his wife, the town they live in, and even himself. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC Family is developing a horror-laced series from writer Jeff Dixon called The Final Girls that would revolve around a group of girls who have, in essence, survived their own personal horror stories and are brought together by a mysterious older woman, to be played by Jamie Leigh Curtis, to channel the stress and scars of their experience for some greater good. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator of the CSI franchise, has sold a drama pilot called The Bounty to ABC that will look into what happens a woman’s family is murdered. She inspires America to create the largest bounty in history for the killer’s capture. (Tim Molloy at The Wrap)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Hot Trailer: Great Expectations

Extended Thor: The Dark World Trailer

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

Question: Thanks for the Revolution scoop, but what’s going on with Monroe this season? — April

NATALIE: The deposed leader of the former Monroe Republic is drowning his sorrows in, well, sex — as is Charlie, who, thankfully is not sharing Monroe’s bed. But the horndogs will cross paths early on. Unfortunately, their meeting will be even more devastating for Charlie than that time that he, you know, tried to kill everyone she loves.

Question: What can you tell me about Lisa Edelstein’s character on Castle. Does she actually come between Castle and Beckett? — Kyle

ADAM: I wouldn’t say that Rachel McCord is actively scheming to tear the lovebirds apart, but she doesn’t necessarily see their relationship as a good thing. “McCord views Castle as a threat to Beckett,” Edelstein tell us. “He is hampering her potential.” That said, Edelstein says that she eventually warms to our favorite mystery writer. “She’s not an enemy of Castle’s,” she says. “She gets who he is, but she also knows what her job is. … McCord has made mistakes of her own, and that’s why she feels qualified to help Beckett avoid doing the same thing.”

Question: Do you have any scoop on The Originals? — Janette

NATALIE: Klaus’ daddy issues will resurface when Sebastian Roche returns in a flashback as Original father Mikael Mikaelson. “We’ll certainly get a better idea of why Klaus has turned out the way he has,” Joseph Morgan tells us. “One scene in particular, filmed in the woods in the dead of night, will hopefully help people to empathize a little more with this bloodthirsty, murdering sociopath I play.”

Question: What the heck was that horned thingy at the end of Sleepy Hollow?! — Jerry

NATALIE: “That’s a great question!” executive producer Alex Kurtzman says. “It’s going to be one of the driving questions of the first season.” The producers call the horned monster “The Blurry Man,” and say that he is responsible for unleashing Headless. His unique appearance is actually inspired by a famous figure, but don’t go poring through your Bible to find him.

Question: What else can you share bout the NCIS: Los Angeles premiere? — Shelley

ADAM: If you thought that Sam and Deeks’ torture in the finale was hard to watch, sorry, the brutality ain’t over yet. More than one team member will be shot in the first episode, which also features a dismembering and a really gross (if clever) ploy involving a large chunk of skin. But it’ll all be worth it in the fight against Sidorov and Janvier. By the end of the hour, one will be dead and the other will be locked away.

NOTE: It should be noted that actress Daniela Ruah (who plays Kensi) in NCIS: Los Angeles recently revealed she expecting a baby with her fiancé who just happens to be the brother of her co-star Eric Christian Olsen aka Deeks aka her maybe new boyfriend in the show IF the powers that be go in that direction – who knows if they will, though. It will be interesting to see how or if Daniela’ real life pregnancy will be written into the show and how that will be handled between their on-screen characters.

Question: Dude. Justified. Hit me. —Don

Ausiello: For Season 5, the FX drama is going back to the Cuckoo Crime Family From Hell conceit popularized by the Bennetts of Season 2 (RIP, Mags). This time around, we’ll be introduced to the white trash Florida-based Crowe clan, led by the sexy, charismatic and ruthless fortysomething patriarch Dale. Officially, the Crowes run a gator farm. Unofficially, they deal drugs and murder people and stuff. Dale’s inner circle includes sister Wendy (the public face of the family) and younger brother Danny (described as a romantic sociopath).

Question: Let’s assume Kate takes the job in DC on Castle. How long might the stint last before she returns to the 12th precinct? —Megan

Ausiello: If she takes the job in the nation’s capital — and that’s still a big if — I’ll hazard a guess that she’ll stay put for somewhere between two and five episodes.

Question: Do you have any info on NCIS, Castle or The Mentalist? –Jang

Ausiello: I choose Door No. 2! Lisa Edelstein told our Matt Mitovich that, regardless of how her character — a federal agent who factors into Beckett’s career conundrum — gets on with Kate, she and Stana Katic became the fastest of friends during her three-episode guest-starring turn. “I really didn’t want to do an arc on a show without really investing as much as I could in it, so I walked onto that show with a lot of ideas and wanting to create a real character — and Stana was psyched about that,” the House alumna happily reports. “Those things can go many different directions,” she adds with a laugh, “so I was really happy that she was so gracious.”

Question: Nikita scoop, please? Am I right to assume these last six episodes are going to blow us away? —Steph

Ausiello: Yes, you are absolutely, 100 percent right to assume that. You would also be absolutely, 100 percent right to assume that our titular heroine, who went MIA in the finale, will rejoin the team sooner versus later. “The first episode starts with her on the run,” previews co-star Lyndsy Fonseca. “And by the end of it, she’s back with the team.” Bonus Scoop: We hear Nik is keeping company with a pretty rough crowd during her time on the lam.

Question: Loved Sleepy Hollow and thrilled it did so well in the ratings. Got anything on Episode 2? —Henry

Ausiello: Though he very much died in the premiere, we have by no means seen the last of John Cho’s Andy.

Question: Please tell me that you have something about Zoe and Wade’s future in Season 3 of Hart of Dixie? Will they be back together at some point? – Lindsey

Ausiello: I’m sure they’ll get back together at some point. But for now, my hunch is Zoe will have her hands full with Josh Cooke’s new Joel character, whom Dixie creator Leila Gerstein says will be around “for a major arc.” Gerstein doesn’t outright confirm that Joel is coming in as a love interest for ex-Manhattanite Zoe, but her description of him as a “New Yorker moving to Bluebell” paints a pretty conclusive picture, no?

Question: I love Chris Carmack on Nashville. What can you tell me about Will’s love life this season? —Andy

Ausiello: You already know that Will is going to spend some time trying to figure out what his heart really wants, but showrunner Dee Johnson says that despite their awkward encounter on the couch last season, none of Will’s angst will involve Gunnar. “They worked through it, shockingly and admirably,” she tells TVLine. “I don’t think we’re in a situation going forward where he’s going to be pining for Gunnar. They’re friends. Genuine friends.”

Question: I’d love some scoop on the Miles/Rachel dynamic on Revolution this season. Any
movement with these two? —Claire

Ausiello: “It’s going to go back and forth a bit, as those things do,” Billy Burke shares with a wink. As Season 2 opens — dropping a big piece hint along the way that things were hot-n-heavy ‘tween the two in the past — “It’s a little chilly, and then it warms up a bit,” Burke says. “And then things ensue that cause another rift.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

HBO has given a 10-episode order to The Leftovers a new drama series from Damon Lindelof (Lost) based on the best-selling novel by Tom Perrotta. The series will take place as the Rapture happens — but not quite like it’s supposed to, telling the story of the people who didn’t make the cut and a world that will never be the same. Among the cast are Justin Theroux (fiancé to Jennifer Aniston and actor-director in his own right), who will play the police chief trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in a world that is beginning to reject that notion and Liv Tyler as a young woman about to be married who needs an escape. Other cast members are Amy Brenneman (Private Practice), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Chris Zylka (The Secret Circle and Twisted) Michael Gaston (Jericho) and Max and Charlie Carver (the twins from Desperate Housewives and Teen Wolf) [among others]. (Lesley Goldberg and Lacey Rose at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Paul Johannson (One Tree Hill) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Beauty And the Beast, appearing as Kurt, father to Tori (new addition to the show, Amber Skye Noyes), an arrogant and powerful Manhattan business mogul whose career has had a meteoric rise within the last few years. He’s become increasingly paranoid as a result of his career ascent, surrounding himself with armed bodyguards and keeping a close eye on his daughter. Beauty And the Beast will be back starting on October 7 on The CW. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress-comedienne Rosie O’Donnell will have a recurring role in the ABC Family drama series The Fosters, playing Rita Hendricks, a tough yet compassionate woman who works in the foster care system and becomes a mentor to a member of the Foster family. The series will be back with the rest of its debut season starting in January. (TV By the Numbers)

Actor Robert Knepper (Prison Break and Cult) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the new NBC drama The Blacklist, playing a target of the FBI. The Blacklist debuts on NBC on September 23. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Jon Tenney (King & Maxwell) will guest star in and direct an episode of Major Crimes when the show returns in 2014. He will reprise his role of FBI Agent Fritz Howard in one episode and then direct the following episode. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Syfy has picked up the upcoming Canadian series Bitten – based on the best-selling novels by Kelley Armstrong – for 2014. The 13-episode thriller will star Laura Vandervoort (Smallville and V) as Elena Michaels, the lone female werewolf in existence, who attempts to escape a world she never wanted to be part of (as well as the man who turned her into a werewolf), abandoning her pack and taking refuge in a new city, where she works as a photographer and hides her werewolf existence from her boyfriend. When bodies begin turning up in her pack’s backyard, she finds herself back at Stonehaven, the werewolves’ ancestral domain, where she will stop at nothing to defend her pack. The series also stars Greg Bryk (XIII The Series) and Greyston Holt (Alcatraz and Durham County). (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Lifetime has ordered a pilot called The Lottery, a futuristic conspiracy thriller that is set in a world destined for extinction as women have stopped having children. When remarkably 100 embryos are successfully fertilized, a national lottery is held to decide the surrogates. As conflict, control and mystery over this important scientific breakthrough unfolds, government interests and power begin to dominate one of the most personal and basic elements of humanity — the right to have a family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Lucas Black will reprise his role of Sean Boswell in the upcoming Fast & Furious7. He appeared in the third movie in the franchise and is set to be part of at least the next 3 films in the franchise (yes, it would seem there will be plenty more). (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

Actress Carey Mulligan (Shame and The Great Gatsby) will appear in the film adaptation of the classic novel Far from the Madding Crowd that tells the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts from Rust & Bone), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge from Pirate Radio), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen from the upcoming Masters of Sex), a prosperous and mature bachelor. Also among the cast is Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises). (First Showing)

Actress Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia and House) has joined the cast of the upcoming independent comedy-drama called Girlfriend’s Day. She will star opposite Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) in a story about a greeting card writer (Odenkirk), who becomes entangled in a web of murder and deceit as writers scramble to create the perfect card for a new holiday dubbed Girlfriend’s Day. Tamblyn will play a Cardie, a fan of greeting card writers, who becomes involved with Ray and helps him recapture his former glory. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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