Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Jamie Murray (Defiance) will appear on Sleepy Hollow, playing a vetala, or ghostly being from Hindu lore; also actor Sharif Atkins (White Collar and ER) will also appear in the show, playing Calvin Riggs, the upright photojournalist. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line)

Actor Marc Singer (the original Beastmaster and the original V) will have a recurring role on Arrow, playing General Shrieve. (Comic Book Resources and Legion of Leia)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

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

Question: Is Oliver really dead on Arrow?! — Janet

Natalie: You know I can’t answer that. But I can tell you that it sounds like Roy will be stepping up in the wake of Oliver’s absence. “One of the things I was very straight with Colton [Haynes] about is I don’t think we serviced his character quite as much as we would have liked in the first half of the season,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “I’ll say the stuff that he’s got in episodes 10, 11, and 12, it’s pretty dang gangbusters. There’s one scene in episode 11 between him and John Barrowman that I think is some of his finest work on the show.”

Question: I can’t believe that Skye is Daisy Johnson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! How will the rest of the team feel about that? — Derek

Natalie: Well, Cal did say that everyone would eventually be afraid of her. “He has his reasons for saying that,” executive producer Jed Whedon says. “Maybe it’s based on experience. We’ll learn that he’s obviously a crazy person, but a lot of what he says isn’t that crazy.”

Question: Will Charlotte come back for Daniel’s funeral on Revenge? — Sina

Natalie: Unfortunately, it sounds like that’s a no. “She’s someone we keep talking about,” showrunner Sunil Nayar tells me. “But Charlotte won’t be returning just yet. We want to make sure if we bring her back, it’s in the right way to tell the right story.” So, rehab trumps funeral.

Question: Do you know if Tom and Liz will cross paths again on The Blacklist? — Faresh

Natalie:  Seriously, Tom being on the loose is the least of her worries. Remember that now-dead harbor master who stumbled upon Liz holding Tom captive? Well, when his wife files a missing persons report, Liz’s name will pop up during the investigation. Let’s see if she can lie her way out of this one.

Question: How the heck does Maleficent keep coming back to life on Once Upon a Time? — Dina

Natalie: We’ll get the answer to that very soon. “We did say she had a spell on her that made her be preserved in whatever form she was in, be that ash, be that dragon,” executive producer Edward Kitsis reminds viewers. “So, we know that she was exploded into ash. How she gets brought back will be an entire episode.”

Question: Are the State of Affairs promos trying to say that Charlie killed her fiancé? — Kyle

Natalie: The promos may be a little misleading when it comes to who had Nick’s gun during the firefight, but you’ll get more information on that during Monday’s episode. It’s not surprising, then, that Charlie’s job could be severely compromised if certain information comes to light.

Question: Do you have any spoilers about Castle after the winter hiatus? — Fred

Natalie: How about some scoop on Annie Wersching’s return as Dr. Kelly Nieman? She’ll play a big role in February’s two-parter. “There’s a murder that our cops are investigating at the beginning of the episode that seems to connect to her,” showrunner David Amann says. “That puts us on what we think is going to be a fun, dramatic journey for the audience as we try to solve that murder and figure out what her involvement is in it, if any.”

Question: What will happen when Adam returns on Forever? — Jesse

Natalie: Would you believe me if I said he’ll try to be Henry’s friend? No? Okay, I’ll let showrunner Matt Miller convince you. “What we’ll start to see in future episodes is Adam coming back into Henry’s life, and trying to extend an olive branch to him, and trying to make peace with him,” he says. “Also, through flashbacks, we’ll see some of the things that have happened to Adam over the years. Amazingly, we’ll start to empathize with the character that we thought of as purely evil. We’ll start to understand how he became that way.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Blair Underwood (from the short-lived Ironside) will be showing up on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., playing Dr. Andrew Garner, the estranged ex-husband of Melinda May (series regular Ming-Na Wen). This will be a recurring role. (The Hollywood Reporter and Legion of Leia)

Actor AJ Buckley (CSI: NY and Supernatural) has landed a series regular role on the TNT drama Murder In The First that stars Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson. Buckley will play Marty “Junior” Mulligan, Hildy’s (Robertson) brother, a police officer who is recently promoted into her unit. (The Deadline Team)

Actor Jason Butler Harner (The Blacklist and Homeland) has landed a recurring role on Scandal, but – of course – details on what character he will be playing is being kept under wraps. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Question: Do you know who is going to die during Once Upon a Time‘s mid-season finale? –Marko

Matt: Let us focus on the living, Marko! That’s my way of dodging the question to instead tell you about the role being cast for Episode 15. The ABC series is seeking an African-American actress to guest-star as “Miranda,” a 19- to 22-year-old princess. Described as “warmhearted and passionate,” this lass wants nothing more than to bring peace and beauty into the world. Yet beneath her gentle exterior, she is headstrong and full of grit – so if you cross her, you may find her more terrifying than even the most powerful kings. Did I mention she has a lovely singing voice, as well?

Question: How does Nashville plan on handling Hayden Panettiere’s real-life maternity leave? Did they find a way to incorporate her into every episode ahead of time, or will there be episodes where Juliette Barnes will not be seen? –Sharon

Matt: “We did bank some material for a few episodes,” showrunner Dee Johnson confirms for TVLine. “She may be out of one or two. It all depends on how quickly [Hayden] wants to come charging back to work.”

Question: Is NCIS‘ Tony going to be in a stable relationship this season? –sshenoy

Matt: You mean with, perhaps, ATF Agent Zoe Keates? I can confirm that Marisol Nichols has been booked for an early 2015 encore, while Emily Wickersham recently acknowledged to me that Tony and Zoe had “really great chemistry.” She added, “Tony’s love life definitely unfolds. I can say that.”

Question: Supernatural fans need some scoop on Dean, please! —Luann

Matt: Witchy Rowena didn’t come into contact with the hunter in the fall finale, but that could soon change given her son Crowley’s connection to Dean. “I think most mothers like to interfere in their children’s business,” her portrayer Ruth Connell says. “So Rowena gets to do that in the episodes to come.”

Question: Would you have some Scorpion scoops to share with us? This show really rocks with such an awesome cast. –Marla

Matt: EP Nick Wootton surveyed for us the growing Walter/Paige “connection,” saying: “Walter has his questionable emotional quotient, and Paige has been burned before and doesn’t want to proceed without her son’s best interests at heart.” As such, the show will take “a real touch-and-go approach” to that twosome and end Season 1 “with a big cliffhanger.”

Question: Anything on Hart of Dixie? –Hannah

Matt: You may already know that in the Dec. 15 season opener, Zoe goes after Wade, Lemon returns early from her cruise and there’s a surprise visitor for Brick. But beyond that, Mircea Monroe’s Tansy is coming back, in Episode 6! But with that comes some bad news for certain ‘shippers. “I don’t feel like there’s still a hope for Tansy and George,” creator Leila Gerstein reveals. “She’s back in a completely platonic capacity, but for a really important storyline. She’ll also get her own version of happiness this year.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for Monday, Tuesday and today:

TELEVISION

Actor Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise) will guest star in the CW series The Flash, reprising his role from the 1990s version of the show of James Jesse aka The Trickster, who is serving a life sentence at Iron Heights as a next-gen Trickster pranks Central City and The Flash. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Continuum has been given a six episode fourth and final season by Showcase, its home network in Canada. Syfy will also air those episode here in the States at an as yet undetermined date. (Press Release)

TNT has renewed Rizzoli & Isles for a sixth season that will air next summer. The show’s current fifth season will return on February 17. (Cynthia Littleton at Variety)

Actor Austin Butler (The Carrie Diaries and Arrow) has landed the male lead role in the MTV adaptation of the Terry Brooks best-selling novels Shannara that explores a world set thousands of years after the destruction of civilization as we know it. The series will focus on the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures reshape the future of the world. Butler will star as Wil Ohmsford, who is half human and half elf. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man) and actor Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad) have joined the cast of the FX drama Fargo for its second season. Dunst will play Peggy Blomquist, a small-town beautician with big city dreams, who is trying to figure out who she really is while Plemons will play her husband, Ed, a butcher’s assistant, who wants to be supportive of his wife’s self-discovery, even if he doesn’t quite understand it. (Shelli Weinstein at Variety)

Actor Kerr Smith (Dawson’s Creek and The Fosters) and actress Phoebe Tonkin (The Originals) will both guest star in upcoming episodes of the new CBS drama Stalker. Smith will play John Bardo, a well-respected news anchor who rebuilt his life and career after a stalking incident years ago; but now he is being terrorized again. Tonkin will play Nicole Clark, a lifeguard whose world is thrown into turmoil when she becomes the obsession of a mysterious stalker. (Sydney Bucksbaum at E! Online)

Actor Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives), Brian F. O’Byrne (Flashforward) and Nick Court (300: Rise of the Empire) will join the second season of the TNT drama The Last Ship. Moses will play a high-ranking U.S. government official trying to protect citizens from the plague while O’Byrne and Court will play Sean and Ned Ramsey, a pair of British brothers whose plans impact the mission of the USS Nathan James. (The Deadline Team)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office movies from this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – 21.6 million
2. Penguins of Madagascar – 11.1 million
3. Horrible Bosses 2 – 8.6 million
4. Big Hero 6 – 8.1 million
5. Interstellar – 8 million
6. Dumb and Dumber To – 4.2 million
7. The Theory of Everything – 2.7 million
8. Gone Girl – 1.5 million
9. The Pyramid – 1.4 million
10. Birdman – 1.2 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Q&A SECTION (with Kristin Dos Santos at E! Online)

Question: Any scoop on Revenge’s Jack and Emily? – Northbnd Train

Kristin: Um, you may not want to read what I have to share about Emily’s love life if you’re shippin’ her and Jack. “I think you’re going to start to see the real connection between [Ben] and Emily,” showrunner Sunil Nayar reveals. “There’s a kindness he feels towards Emily and kinship we’re going to step on more,” And the cop isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Says Nayar: “We love him, we’re keeping him.”

Question: STILL not over the big death on Revenge! Give me a spoiler to hold me over until January please! – Meghan

Kristin: Not hopping on the Jitney for Daniel’s funeral? “Charlotte may not be back for Daniel’s funeral, but she’s someone we keep talking about and if we can figure out the right way to bring her in, we’ll certainly talk about having her back,” Nayar spills.

Question: Brandon Routh recently tweeted a photo of his face all bloody and bruised. Are we going to see him in any action scenes on Arrow? – Kate

Kristin: Now that we’ve seen a glimpse of Ray Palmer’s plans for the Atom suit, expect to see the CEO get physical pretty soon! “There are going to be some things happening in Starling City in the second half of the year that pretty much affect all of our characters,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “I don’t think anyone really comes away from the events unscathed, both physically and emotionally.”

Question: I cannot stop thinking about Reign’s last episode and wondering what is in store for us in the midseason finale! – Daniella

Kristin: Prepare for some major fallout for one of Mary’s ladies after the shocking sexual assault and the assassination attempt in last week’s episode, according to showrunner Laurie McCarthy. “I think we are tilting in the direction of that inadvertently her husband donated money to a cause that wound up really damaging one of her closest friends and her queen, so there are going to be ramifications to that and they are going to be life-altering for Greer and Castleroy.”

Question: Any Reign tidbits you can do away with? – Annie

Kristin: Looks like France could be going to war! The series is currently casting the role of General Renaude, the gorgeous and masculine head of the military who will be sticking around for a quite a good chunk of time and will form a close personal connection with one of our Royals.

Question: Is Michael out of the picture now that Jane is dating Rafael? – Sasha

Kristin: Not at all! In fact, Michael’s investigation into Sin Rostro is about to take center stage on the quirky-yet-charming CW telenovela. “You will find out soon who Sin Rostro is,” Brett Dier spills. “We just found out, and I was super surprised. Everyone will look suspicious in the next run of episodes and the investigation gets really intense and cool and very dark.” In fact, the squeaky clean detective might even get his hands dirty! “Michael is very dedicated to his work and you’re going to see that he’s so passionate and he’ll do whatever he can to crack the case, including breaking the law,” Dier adds. “It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission, and that’s Michael’s motto. He’s going to be a sneaky bastard.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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