Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Lifetime has renewed Drop Dead Diva for a 13-episode sixth season. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line and Entertainment Weekly)

Cinemax has ordered a 10-episode fourth (and final) season of its drama Strike Back. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Noah Bean (Nikita) will have a recurring role the upcoming FOX drama Gang Related, playing Jason Manning, a Stanford educated, rich hedge fund owner. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) will guest star in the mid-season FOX series Rake that stars Greg Kinnear in the title role. Imperioli will play a successful three-star restaurateur and father of five who is charged with bigomy. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Australian actress Peta Sergeant (who was the star of the failed – twice – CW pilot The Selection) will have a recurring role in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, playing a “force of nature in Wonderland”. Details on her character are being kept under wraps at this time. (Philiana Ng and Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Jamey Sheridan (Homeland) will guest star in Suits, playing Charles Van Dyke, a former name partner at the law firm, when it was still known as Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke, who has an ax to grind. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Lee Tergesen (Oz) will guest star in an upcoming episode of The Following, which is set to return on January 20 on FOX. Tergesen will play Kurt Bolen, a normal family man who Ryan Hardy (series lead Kevin Bacon) suspects may harbor a dark secret. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Janet Montgomery (Made in Jersey and Human Target) and actor Xander Berkeley (Nikita) have joined the cast of WGN America’s first scripted drama called Salem that will be set in the 17th century, exploring the town’s infamous witch trials. Montgomery will play lead sorceress Mary Sibley, the confident and powerful wife of the ancient, ailing but very wealthy George Sibley. Berkeley will recur as Magistrate Hale, a politician who believes in pomp and circumstance. The cast already includes Ashley Madekwe (Revenge) and Seth Gabel (Fringe). This new series is set to debut in Spring 2014. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Sophina Brown (Numb3rs and Ravenswood) will co-star in the Bravo pilot Girlfriend’s Guide To Divorce that follows Abby (Lisa Edelsein from House), the famous author of a best-selling self-help book series. who is hiding the fact that she’s separated from her husband as she starts to navigate her life as a single woman in her early 40s in Los Angeles. Brown will play Abby’s best friend Kate who has to decide whether to stand by her as she’s going through this divorce or risk their years long friendship. Star Wars alum Carrie Fisher will make a cameo appearance in the pilot as Abby’s book editor, Cat. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Riley Smith (90210 and the short-lived drama Drive) will appear in the backdoor pilot for Lifetime called Deliverance Creek that centers on Belle (Lauren Ambrose from Six Feet Under) who attempts to defend her family’s land by any means necessary and is pushed into becoming an outlaw by the corrupt bank that runs their town. Smith will play Toby, Belle’s old beau who jilted here and left her to marry a man she didn’t love. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC is developing an untitled hour-long drama project with former Lost alum (and current star of the summer series Mistresses) Yunjin Kim based on the Korean drama series called Nine: Nine Time Travels. This potential series will center on a man with the ability to travel 20 years back in time who, in trying to alter a murder which destroyed his family, sets off a chain of events that impact the woman he loves and threatens his own life. He embarks on an odyssey through time to make things right. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC is developing another legal drama called Law Man from executive producer Carol Mendelsohn that is inspired by the Shon Hopwood memoir that chronicles the journey of a small town basketball star from young bank robber, to federal prison inmate, where he became the greatest jailhouse lawyer in American history. He went on to join the D.C. District Attorneys Investigative Unit where his life experience gives him insight into identifying the guilty from the innocent, as he struggles to fit back into the world that left him behind. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ONLINE DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Amy Aquino (Being Human and ER) has joined the cast of the Amazon drama called Bosch that is based on the Michael Connelly novels about Harry Bosh, who will be played by Titus Welliver (Lost and The Good Wife), a veteran police homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. Aquino will play Lt. Grace Billets who is Harry’s immediate supervisor on the LAPD, in charge of the detectives who work out of Hollywood Station. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 movies at the box office for this past weekend courtesy of Deadline and Box Office Mojo:

1. Jackass: Bad Grandpa – 32 million
2. Gravity – 20.3 million
3. Captain Phillips – 11.8 million
4. The Counselor – 8 million
5. Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 – 6.1 million
6. Carrie – 5.9 million
7. Escape Plan – 4.3 million
8. 12 Years A Slave – 2.1 million
9. Enough Said – 1.5 million
10. Prisoners – 1 million

Actresses Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) and Louisa Krause (Martha Marcy May Marlene) will appear in the upcoming box office film called Jane Wants A Boyfriend that explores a week in the life of a young woman (Krause) with Asperger’s, who enlists her older sister (Dushku) to help her find her first boyfriend. (The Deadline Team)

Noomi Rapce (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) will star in the independent sci-fi drama called What Happened to Monday? that will have Rapace playing the multiple roles of septuplet sisters who struggle to stay hidden in an overpopulated world where a one-child policy outlaws siblings. The seven must overcome their own differences and avoid government execution in order to solve the disappearance of one of their own. (Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter)

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

Question: I’m a simple woman…I just want Scandal spoilers. – Wendy

TV Scoop Team: You know how every time you watch Scandal you think to yourself: ‘Damn, Olivia Pope is a real badass’? Well, in an upcoming episode, Olivia might come face to face with another woman who quite possibly is more intimidating, more badass and definitely more dangerous than her. Prepare for a tough women showdown! Let’s hope Olivia has come to win. What are we saying, she always does that!

Question: Loving The Tomorrow People. What can we expect from Wednesday’s episode? – Ethan

TV Scoop Team: Oh, you’ll just learn why John hates Jedikiah so much, thanks to some illuminating flashback reveals. “There’s a lot of history, a lot of drama there. But throughout the first season, we keep flashing back to that relationship, and that’s very exciting,” Peyton List teases of the duo’s dynamic. “It’s not just, oh this is what it was, and this is where they stand. It’s like, no this happened over years, and years, and years, so there’s a lot to play with. There’s a lot there that the both of them get to sort of figure out. It’s good.”

Question: I still can’t breathe after that unbelievable CaptainSwan kiss on last night’s Once Upon a Time! What’s next for my favorite couple?! – Michelle

TV Scoop Team: Prepare yourself CaptainSwan lovers because this ship is about to face a rough storm. Now that Neal is on the island and Pan oh-so impolitely revealed this news to Hook, we’re about to witness a heated debate for Emma’s heart. But Colin O’Donoghue exclusively tells us that Hook’s relationship with Neal is “extremely complicated.” He explains, “Even though now technically they seem to be about the same age, Hook is old enough to kind of be his father figure, and I think an element of him still sees Neal as that little boy.” This is one strange love triangle. Especially when you recall that Hook used to hook up with Neal’s mom!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Kirk Acevedo (Fringe) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Blue Bloods, playing the criminal brother of Danny’s (series regular Donnie Wahlberg) partner Maria. (Zap2It and TV Line)

Actor Kristoffer Polaha (Ringer) will guest star in an upcoming episode of CSI, playing Darryl, a blue-collar mechanic who is likable and charming, who comes to the aid of Sara (Jorja Fox), Finlay (Elisabeth Shue) and Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) when their car breaks down, but he may have darker intentions. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The CW is working on a new project, a one-hour drama called Players that will be set against the Golden Age of Hollywood, centering on a young Midwestern woman who moves to Los Angeles to avenge her sister’s death at the hands of a predatory studio head and finds herself swept up in the Hollywood star-making machine, unwittingly becoming the ingénue in a closeted movie star’s “lavender marriage”, and a pawn in a studio fixer’s scheme against the mob. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The cable network Starz is developing a drama project called Most Wanted that will be set in the Great Plains during the 1970s, tracing the rise and demise of Nate Daniels, a talented and prolific bank robber who finds himself on a collision course with his family and crew as he becomes one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC is developing a drama called American Crime that will be written by feature film from writer John Ridley (12 Years A Slave) that will be set in California’s Central Valley, centering on a racially charged murder and the subsequent trial that will be examined through the personal lives of the victims, the accused and their families. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

It looks like CBS is developing a reboot to the WB series Charmed except this version will supposedly center around four sisters who discover their destiny – to battle against the forces of evil using their witchcraft. (Vulture and AJ Marechal at Variety)

ONLINE SERIES DEVELOPMENT

Amazon Studios is developing another drama called Grand Ave, a large-scale period drama set in 1910 Los Angeles, chronicling the explosive, overnight transformation of L.A. from small town to iconic American city. The show would revolve around a powerful, ruthless family and explores, in an upstairs/downstairs fashion, how the destiny of a select few coincided with a major metropolis on the verge of its grand arrival. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Luke Grimes (True Blood and Brothers & Sisters) has been cast as Christian Grey’s brother Elliot in the upcoming box office film Fifty Shades of Grey. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team at E! Online and Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Question: I need Scandal scoop stat! – Ryan

TV Scoop Team: There is a “distinct possibility” that we will see a face-off between former besties and Olivia’s paramours Fitz and Jake pretty soon, Scott Foley teases. Just don’t expect to see a flashback to their days in the Navy in upcoming episodes. “We have not seen that so far,” he says. “We’re on episode nine and we haven’t seen it yet.”

Question: Totally addicted to The Blacklist, so anything you can share would be appreciated. – Quinn

TV Scoop Team: Episode eight is a big one. Don’t miss it. Oh, you want more than that? Fine. Not only does someone on the team get severely injured in the episode, but Red comes face to face with one of his mortal enemies. Someone Red is scared of? This we can’t wait to see!

Question: Teen Wolf spoilers would be lovely, thanks! – Laura

TV Scoop Team: Fans will be meeting two new Beacon Hills High students in episode 20: Oliver and Meredith, who both seem have troubled pasts. While Oliver is soft-spoken and has a quiet intensity, he’ll prove to be a valuable source of info for one of our main characters, and Meredith is a lonely misfit who probably won’t be looking to connect with anyone around her anytime soon.

Question: What can you tell me about life after Ziva for NCIS‘ Tony? –Cheryl

Mitovich: As glimpsed in this week’s episode, Tony’s still working through his issues regarding her absence, so it’ll be some time before he opens his heart again. “I’m curious to see what’s next for him in his personal life, but we’re not going to rush into anything,” showrunner Gary Glasberg maintains. “Much like a real relationship, it takes time to recover and to figure out what’s next, and the one thing we’re really trying to do is approach this from the standpoint of as if it’s real. You have to give people” – the audience included – “time to ‘mourn’ and deal with their feelings, and then re-embrace why they watch NCIS.“

Question: I love Falling Skies and can’t wait until Season 4. We know that Robert Sean Leonard will appear in at least one episode, but what is the status on Gloria Reuben’s character? –Ganon

Mitovich: File this under “interesting”: At this time, there are no plans for the ER alum to return as Marina.

Question: Will Castle and Kate will get married mid-season or at the end Season 6? –Russell

Mitovich: Ha, nice try with the trick question. You know that show boss Andrew Marlowe refuses to confirm that vows will be exchanged this season. But if we are heading for a wedding, here’s how Nathan Fillion would like to see it play out. “I am, myself, not a huge fan of the big church wedding with everybody in stuffy suits,” he told me. “I’m a fan of the beach wedding, with everybody in linen. And if it meant an episode [filmed] in a tropical location, then that would be great, too.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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