Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Singer-turned-actress Mandy Moore will have a recurring role in the new FOX dramedy Red Band Society that is set to debut on September 17. She will play Dr. Erin Grace, Chief of Staff at Ocean Park Hospital, where the series takes place. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist) has joined the cast of the AMC period piece drama Turn. He will be a series regular playing Benedict Arnold. The 10-episode second season of the series will air some time in 2015. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

TNT has given a 10-episode second season order to Murder In The First. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The Hallmark Hall of Fame movies used to be a 16-year tradition over at CBS then it spent three years at ABC. Now, it has shifted over to a new network – the Hallmark Channel. Seems apropos enough, right? The first Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on the Hallmark Channel will be “One Christmas Eve” starring Anne Heche. It will air on November 30. (Variety)

Actress Linda Hunt will take her NCIS: Los Angeles character Hetty Lang over to the new CBS drama Scorpion to help the Scorpion team to – of all things – infiltrate a Halloween party. Also, actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (Grimm and 24) will also guest star in the series, playing Dr. Cassandra Davis, a psychologist assigned to evaluate Walter O’Brien (series lead Elyes Gabel) and the team following a chaotic and costly conclusion to one of their cases. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

It looks like TNT is getting in the superhero game, as they are developing a one-hour live-action drama called Titans, which is based on younger characters in the WB-owned DC Comics universe. The show would center on Dick Grayson, the former Robin who emerges from Batman’s shadow to become Nightwing and the leader of a fearless band of heroes who include Starfire and Raven. (Whitney Friedlander at Variety)

ABC is developing a pilot based on one of author Dan Brown’s novels. Thriller Digital Fortress will be an international thriller set in the world of the NSA during a global threat. It’s being described as a sexy cat-and-mouse game between a Snowden-esque character who is threatening to release all of the government’s secrets to the highest bidder and a female cryptographer and her elite team who are tasked to stop him. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

As if Shonda Rhimes is busy enough with Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and the new How to Get Away with Murder all on the air she is developing a cop drama called Protect & Survive with ABC. The ensemble drama would center on the last LAPD precinct fighting to hang on in Los Angeles after a massive disaster changed life as we know it. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Theo James (Divergent and Golden Boy) will return to Underworld to reprise his role of David in the fifth film in the franchise. He will star opposite two new female characters who are yet to be cast. (Clique Clack)

Actor Michael Ealy (Common Law and Think Like A Man) will star as civil rights activist Dr. Gilbert Mason in the upcoming biopic called A Civil Right that tells the story of the Biloxi physician who led non-violent “wade-ins” against segregation on Gulf Coast beaches between 1959 and 1963, protests that sparked violence from whites and resulted in the first successful anti-discrimination suit against the state of Mississippi. Mason’s activism landed him at #3 on the FBI’s civil rights agitators most-watched list, and he went on to successfully fight for school desegregation in the state and help form the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Chris Evans Gets Back to Romantic Comedy in ‘Playing It Cool’ Trailer

Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: There’s been a severe lack of Melinda May scoop for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — Monique

Natalie: Let me fix that for you: Melinda May will find herself with new duties as S.H.I.E.L.D. is being rebuilt, but her past may come back to haunt her this year. “She’s gone through something crazy in Bahrain that we’ve hinted at and we will explore in this season,” executive producer Jed Whedon teases.

Question: I need some Blacklist scoop that doesn’t have to do with Mary-Louise Parker. — Charlie

Natalie: While it sounds like Liz may show a little sibling rivalry-like jealousy towards the new agent (Mozhan Marnò) joining Red’s team, she’ll find out just how much Red cares about her when he enlists someone to shadow her and offer protection. Of course, this makes it much more difficult for her to go behind Red’s back. Yeah, it’ll be a two-way street when it comes to keeping secrets this season.

Question: Any scoop on Emma from Once Upon a Time? I’d like to know if we’ll get any flashbacks on her past? — Alex

Natalie: We will! In fact, we’re going to get a lot more information about her childhood. “In the first half of the season, we’re going to see more of Emma’s past than I think we’ve seen in all the other previous seasons combined,” executive producer Adam Horowitz tells me. Here’s hoping that means we may get to see Neal again.

Question: Any Graceland scoop on Jakes? — Etienne

Natalie: Jakes will actually go head-to-head with Briggs next season. “We’ve been discussing the idea that towards the end of this season, he was so broken, he was with a prostitute and he let Paige down, so it would push him to a point where he’d decide to shave off his dreads and really resurrect himself,” executive producer Jeff Eastin says. “That’s something we’re really looking to do next season, give him a storyline where Jakes has to step up and ultimately become the hero. That will ultimately pit him against Briggs.”

That’s it. Enjoy!