Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

GENERAL NEWS

Congrats are extended to the winners of the NAACP Image Awards, including (but not limited to) Scandal, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Taraji P. Henson, Joe Morton, Morris Chestnut, Being Mary Jane, Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba.

TELEVISION

It seems that NBC has decided to charge up their defunct series Heroes for a 13-epiosde mini-series event next year. It will be called Heroes: Reborn, but no other details have been released. A digital series will debut prior to the event series to introduce/reintroduce the series to viewers. (Cynthia Littleton at Variety)

British actor Samuel Anderson (Gavin & Stacey) will have a recurring role on Doctor Who alongside new incoming Doctor Peter Capaldi and current companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman). Anderson will play Danny Pink, a teacher at Coal Hill School where Clara also teaches. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

Legendary actress Ann-Margaret will have a recurring role on the Showtime drama Ray Donovan, playing the ever-beautiful June Wilson, a major star back in her day who has a past with Ray’s boss Ezra Goldman (Elliott Gould). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Janet McTeer (The White Queen) will star opposite Kal Penn (House) in the CBS drama series Battle Creek that is set for next season. The series centers on a detective and an FBI agent with very different world views who are teamed up to clean up the semi-mean streets of Battle Creek, MI. McTeer will play Commander Guziewicz, Commander of the Battle Creek Police Department. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actresses Meta Golding (The Tomorrow People) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Agatha, which is about Agatha McAuliffe, a former convict turned big city criminologist who is brought in to help local police, including her estranged chief detective father, to crack a case involving a perplexing disappearance. Golding will play Stacy Soto, a smart, sassy, tough-as-nails DA who is not only Agatha’s nemesis but is dating Agatha’s father. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Matt Ryan (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior) has landed the title role in the NBC drama pilot Constantine based on the DC Comics character. The pilot is about an enigmatic and irreverent con man-turned-reluctant supernatural detective who is thrust into the role of defending us against dark forces from beyond. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Sandrine Holt (Hostages and House of Cards) and actor Pedro Pascal (Graceland and soon-to-be-seen on Game of Thrones) have joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot Exposed, which is about Anna Loach (a role that is yet to be cast), an investigative journalist who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, including making questionable alliances. Holt will play Jill Hwang-Joffe, Anna’s managing editor who wants her to look into the whistle blower story while Pascal will play Anna’s boyfriend Oscar Castro Vargas. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Kevin G. Schmidt (The Young and the Restless and Unnatural History) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Sea of Fire, which chronicles the fallout from three teenage girls starring in a pornographic film (one of whom goes missing), an event that tears their families apart and leads to a disappearance and a murder in their small town of Serenity Falls. He will play Xander Harper, Jane’s (a role that has yet to be cast) all-American athlete boyfriend who becomes a suspect in her disappearance. Also, actress Amanda Detmer (Necessary Roughness) has joined the cast, playing Jane’s mother. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Justina Machado (Welcome to the Family and The Fosters) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot Warriors that is about the best and brightest active duty military doctors and nurses as they practice trailblazing medicine. She will play Anna Stonecifer, a surgical nurse. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Laz Alonzo (Breakout Kings) will star opposite Debra Messing in the NBC drama pilot The Mysteries Of Laura that follows the life and relationships of Laura Diamond (Messing), a female homicide detective who can handle murderous criminals, but not her hell-raising twin children. Alonso will play Billy, Laura’s partner in crime. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Hope Davis (The Newsroom) and Margarita Levieva (Revenge) have joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot Coercion that revolves around the O’Connor family and their extremely intelligent son, Alex, a decorated American war hero and newly minted CIA analyst who is a true patriot and loves his country and family. Unbeknownst to him, his father, his mother (Davis) and his sister (Levieva) are part of a dormant Russian sleeper cell that has just been reactivated. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Ioan Gruffudd (Ringer and the Fantastic Four franchise) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot Forever that centers on Dr. Henry Morgan (Gruffudd), New York City’s star medical examiner. But what no one knows is Henry studies the dead for a reason, he is immortal. His investigative work with Detective Jo Martinez and relationship with best friend Abe (Judd Hirsch) will peel back the layers of Henry’s colorful and long life. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office films from this past weekend courtesy of TV Guide:

1. The LEGO Movie – 31.5 million
2. 3 Days to Kill – 12.3 million
3. Pompeii – 10 million
4. RoboCop – 9.4 million
5. The Monuments Men – 8.1 million
6. About Last night – 7.4 million
8. Frozen – 4.4 million
9. Endless Love – 4.3 million
10. Winter’s Tale – 2.1 million

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

Question: I need some Pretty Little Liars scoop! What’s up with Spencer? She’s totally losing it! – Riley

TV Scoop Team: Brace yourself because Spencer’s erratic behavior is only going to get worse and worse. FYI, this is not the first time that little miss Hastings has gone off the deep end. Executive producer Oliver Goldstick explains that when it comes to the summer that Alison disappeared, Spencer’s mind was not in the healthiest state. “With Spencer, there are big gaping holes in her memory which will serve as incredibly difficult realizations about what she may have done. There are revelations and realizations that she maybe had confrontations or ugly encounters that she may have blotted out and can’t remember,” he revealed. “But there are people that are going to remind her, you better believe it! Somebody was taking notes that summer.”

Question: Do you guys have anything for Once Upon a Time? – Michelle

TV Scoop Team: Two words: Flying. Monkeys. The winter premiere of the magical ABC drama is packed with jaw-dropping moments and heart-warming scenes—especially for all you CaptainSwan shippers out there! We’re serious, after watching this hour, even the strongest Neal fan will begin to doubt their feelings and wonder if they’re rooting for the right couple.

Question: Twisted is so good this season! What’s coming up? – Laurel

TV Scoop Team: A lot of inner turmoil for Danny, that’s what. Not only is a blast from the past trying to wreck havoc on Danny’s world, he’s also going to trying to come to terms with the fact that he killed his father. “I think that’s going to be his main internal battle for some time,” Twisted star Avan Jogia spilled to us. “I think it’s something you don’t recover from ever, and but he learns how to deal with it. It’s another thing he can’t be truthful about.” But it was totally self-defense! “if you think it’s self-defense or not, there’s also other factors that come up in the season that make everyone question whether that’s the case or not.” Yikes.

That’s it. Enjoy!