Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Amir Arison has been promoted to series regular for the second season of The Blacklist, which will be back this fall with new episodes. He plays tech wiz Aram. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Azita Ghanizada (Alphas) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Major Crimes, playing Angela Soames, an employee at a potentially shady cryogenic facility. Major Crimes will be back with a new season on TNT starting on June 9. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Actress Chloe Sevigny (Big Love) and Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me) have landed recurring roles in the as-yet titled Netflix psychological thriller from the men behind Damages. The 13-episode series is set in the Florida Keys, centering on a close-knit family of four adult siblings (Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz) whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother (Mendelsohn) returns home. Sevigny will play Chelsea, who has a romantic past with Mendelsohn’s character and whose brother Eric (Jamie McShane), out on parole, is living with her in their shack of a home. Pasquale will play a potential romantic interest for Cardellini’s character. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor James McDaniel (NYPD Blue) will star opposite Mena Suvari (American Beauty) in the Amazon Studios drama pilot called Hysteria that will center on Dr. Logan Harlow (Suvari), an exceptionally bright but socially awkward neurologist/psychiatrist at the University of Texas Medical School who travels to her hometown of Austin, TX to investigate a mysterious epidemic among high school girls that might be spreading through technology. McDaniel will play Dr. Carl Sapsi, a local Austin doctor who’s baffled by the outbreak of hysteria in his midst and initially eager to work with his friend, Dr. Harlow, to uncover the mysteries at its core. It’s only when Logan becomes a pariah in the community that Sapsi pulls away from her. (The Deadline Team)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The official title of the Man of Steel sequel is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. (Twitter)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

ME: I’m not a Woody Allen fan, but I can’t help but like this trailer. It doesn’t hurt that Colin Firth and Emma Stone are both in the film; otherwise, I wouldn’t give it the time of day. Just my personal opinion.

Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team at E! Online, Natalie Abrams at TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Counting down the days until Revenge returns after that amazing finale! Will season four kick off with another big flash forward to a major event, like Emily’s wedding in season three? – Nicole

TV Scoop Team: That’s to be determined, according to show runner Sunil Nayar. But it seems likely that there won’t be as the finale allowed the writers to “shake things up a little bit and do the unexpected and that said, I adore the flash-forwards,” he told us. “But there’s a chance to shake it up from the very first frame of season four, so fans think, ‘OK, this is a show that I love, but it’s going to be different and surprise me.’ There’s a chance we might not do it.”

Question: I am so happy to hear John Barrowman will be a series regular when Arrow comes back! What can we expect to see? – Cody

TV Scoop Team: A whole lot of father-daughter bonding (or fighting!) between Malcolm and Thea! “I can’t wait to have some training sequences between father and daughter,” John Barrowman tells us. “Let’s see what will happen when he’s teaching her to be a tough cookie. She’s already tough, but he’s going to hone all that in and make her a tough bitch. That’s what he’s got to make her.” Ugh, is it October yet?!

Question: Do you have any Witches of East End spoilers you can share?! – Layla

TV Scoop Team: There is a new badass chick emerging from the rubble. When Lifetime’s witchy drama returns for its second season, it’s bringing our new favorite character with it. Not only is Alex ridiculously beautiful, confident, and intelligent—she also has a dark side. By night Alex transforms into a kickass soldier who is proficient in any and all weapons. One piece of advice: Do not get on her bad side.

Question: Graceland comes back so soon! What can we expect from the new season? – Darren

TV Scoop Team: A dark turn for Mike! “I’m kind of maybe not the nicest guy this year. It’s a conversation I had with the writers,” Aaron Tveit previewed for us. “I said, ‘I want to be a good FBI agent and I want to be interesting. I don’t need to be likable.’ I was like, ‘Do whatever you need to do.’ It’s really fun.”

Question: Royal Pains is one of my all-time favorite shows! And you never give us scoop! – Tricia

TV Scoop Team: Well, today’s your lucky day as we just so happened to chat with Mark Feuerstein about the new season. After a darker turn last year, fans can expect to see “a return to our former glory,” he spilled. “Blue skies, life is good and Hank returning to his patients, hands on, one-on-one, doing what I set out to do in the first place. But there are still great arcs in this season, great conflicts, and great new characters.”

Question: Fitz told Simmons he loves her! Does that mean they’ll get together next season on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? — Priya

Natalie: Not so fast! Did you notice that when Simmons kissed Fitz, she smooched him everywhere but on his actual mouth? “Clearly, any time one person says something and a person doesn’t reciprocate, it changes things,” executive producer Jeffrey Bell tells me. “It’s safe to say there will be consequences.” Further complicating matters: Producers want to keep Agent Triplett around.

Question: Do you have any scoop on Sleepy Hollow? — Charlie

Natalie: Throughout the first season, we watched as Ichabod acclimated to life in present-day America. Now it’s Katrina’s turn. More importantly, her history with Headless will help explain what the Horseman actually wants. Speaking of the Four Horsemen, we’ll also get flashbacks to Jeremy’s life before he crossed paths with Dear Old Dad. “There’s a lot to be filled in from the five years between his wake-up until now, so you’ll see quite a bit,” executive producer Alex Kurtzman says.

Question: With Tom out of the picture, is there any chance that Liz will get a new love interest on The Blacklist? Maybe Ressler? —Taru

Natalie: It’s possible! But it’s not at the top of her to-do list. “I see her as somebody who has just gone through this horrible relationship and betrayal and I would expect her to respond to that in her own life,” creator Jon Brokenkamp tells me. “Whether that’s a rebound or finding somebody else or going off on her own, she’s got some soul searching to do. Who is she? She’s at a place now where Liz has to confront that.”

Question: I loved the Person of Interest finale, but where does the show go from here? — Mel

Natalie: Now that our heroes have assumed fake identities and gone into hiding, they’ll have to get real jobs! “Now you’ve got to be Clark Kent — you’ve got to be the regular guy,” executive producer Jonathan Nolan says. “Shaw’s going to have a day job and co-workers, and so are Reese and Finch. That can be great fun and [is] also a grounded aspect of the show versus this titanic battle taking place around them.” Fortunately, Root won’t let Finch & Co. stay on the sidelines forever. “Our Machine’s in a lot of trouble,” Nolan says. “Samaritan’s the bigger, tougher kid on the block. Root is going to be key to keeping our team alive and [focusing] on the question of how they put the genie back in the bottle.”

Question: Do you have more scoop on Under the Dome? — Maria

Natalie: One of the show’s new characters (newcomer Grace Victoria Cox) will make quite a splash when Julia is forced to rescue her from the lake. Even stranger, she seems to appear out of thin air. Could her mysterious introduction be connected to why the dome has suddenly become magnetized? “Why she came out of the water and what she was doing there will be revealed,” executive producer Neal Baer teases.

Question: Thanks for the Graceland scoop last week. Got more? — Andy

Natalie: When the show returns, plenty of things will have changed in the house. In particular, a new housemate is staying in Mike’s old room. However, there’s also an entirely different kind of bed-sharing going on, if you know what I’m saying. Also, by the second episode, one of the original roommates may be moving out.

Question: Does Oliver really have feelings for Felicity on Arrow? — Kat

Natalie: Stephen Amell seems to think so! Even though Oliver’s admission of love for his gal pal was just a ruse in the moment, Amell says those words “came from an honest place.” Unfortunately, Oliver will have more pressing matters to deal with next season. “One of the themes of Season 3 is rebuilding,” executive producer Marc Guggnehim tells me. “Getting Queen Consolidated back is a piece of it.”

Question: I gave Once Upon a Time in Wonderland a shot because I love Once Upon a Time, but I stuck with it partly because of Michael Socha as the Knave/Will Scarlet. Do you have any intel on his role in OUAT Season 4? –Julie

Ausiello: Interestingly, the series creators are thus far staying mum on how Socha will fit into next season. “It’s too early for us to tease,” Adam Horowitz says, “but we think Michael is a fabulous actor and we have a way for him to fit into our group that’s fun. He’ll bring a new vibe and color to the show.”

Question: I’ll take anything you’ve got on which suitor Rayna will pick when Nashville comes back. –Christina

Ausiello: You sure you want “anything”? Because what I’ve got will raise the ire of exactly half of the show’s fans (AKA those loyal to Deacon): Newly upped series regular Will Chase tells TVLine, “My gut says that Luke and Rayna will be [together], but you never know. They have to write some more stories.”

Question: What is the most exciting place Covert Affairs is traveling to this season? –Sarai

Ausiello: The show’s passport this season will get stamped in Paris, France… Venezuela… and possibly also South Africa, we’re hearing.

Question: Any news on what White Collar’s final season will bring? —Michael

Ausiello: Here’s an interesting tidbit: The storyline for the six-episode swan song was partly conceived by leading man Matt Bomer himself. “I had this wild idea about how the story should end, and I talked to Tim [DeKay] about it and I talked to Willie [Garson] about it and we talked to [series creator] Jeff Eastin,” he tells us. “Everybody put their two cents in and were vibing on it. I think we came up with something that’s really fun and fitting. When I thought about it, it was really the only way we could end the show. I hope everyone’s happy with it.”

Question: Any spoilers you can share for Graceland Season 2? –Tracy

Ausiello: Daniel Sunjata says to expect “a shift in the power dynamic in the house” when Mike returns with a brand-new op to quarterback — necessitating the help of Briggs and his other ex-roommates — as well as further exploration of the complicated Briggs/Charlie relationship. Sunjata also has high praise for recurring player Carmine Giovinazzo (CSI: NY), who plays the leader of the LAPD’s Gang Task Force. “Briggs goes undercover to try to get close to him for reasons to be revealed,” he teases. “But I’ve enjoyed working with Carmine tremendously. He’s a real actor’s actor.”

Question: Please, please, please tell me if there’s any chance of the relationship between The 100‘s Bellamy and Clarke evolving into something romantic? If not this season, then next? –Danielle

Ausiello: Based on our chat with Bob Morley, who plays Bellamy, it’s sounding more like Season 2, if at all. “A lot of people will search for that [romantic element between the frenemies]. And it’s there, but it’s not the ultimate goal for Bellamy,” the actor said. “Survival is more important than romance.” And from the sound of it, there’ll be more and more for Clarke & Co. to endure. As Season 1 barrels to a close, Morley promises, “The action really starts to ramp up!”

That’s it. Enjoy!