Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today and yesterday:

TELEVISION

Actress Rachael Taylor (Crisis, 666 Park Avenue and Charlie’s Angels) will appear in the Netflix original superhero series Marvel’s A.K.A. Jessica Jones that will star Krysten Ritter in the lead role. Taylor will play Jessica’s best friend Trish Walker, a syndicated radio talk show host, former model and child television star who is best known to her fans as “Patsy” Walker. She is based on the Marvel Comics character who appeared under the superhero identity of Hellcat. The online series will debut on Netflix this year. (Elizabeth Wagmeister at Variety)

Actor Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica) has joined the FX anthology series Fargo, appearing as Otto Gerhardt, a wheelchair-bound criminal kingpin. (The Wrap and Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Magic City, Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy) has joined the cast of the CBS summer drama Extant that stars Halle Berry as Molly Woods, an astronaut who unknowingly puts the human race on a path to destruction and discovers that she and a mysterious stranger may be the only hope for survival. Morgan will play JD Richter, a cop of the future and bounty hunter. Extant will back this summer. (Elizabeth Wagmeister at Variety)

Actress Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) will be the female lead opposite Gary Sinise in the proposed Criminal Minds spin-off on CBS that will air as an episode of the original series, following FBI agents helping American citizens who find themselves in trouble abroad. Sinise will play the boss, Jack Garrett while Gunn will play Ally Lambert, an international law expert and talented linguist. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MINI-SERIES NEWS

HBO has given a greenlight to the 6-hour mini-series Lewis And Clark that will star Casey Affleck as Meriwether Lewis and Matthias Schoenaerts as William Clark. The mini-series, of course, tells the story of America’s first contact with the land and native tribes of the country west of the Mississippi River. (Denise Petski at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Caitriona Balfe (Outlander) has joined the box office film Money Monster that will be directed by Jodie Foster and will star George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Unbroken star Jack O’Connell. Clooney is set to star as Lee Gates, a bombastic television stock huckster, whose program —Money Monster — and life are taken hostage by an outraged gunman (O’Connell). As much of the world watches live, Gates must keep himself alive and, with help from the woman who produces the show (Roberts), uncover the truth behind a tangle of big-money lies. Balfe will play the head of PR for the company whose stock bottomed, causing the life’s savings of O’Connell’s character to be wiped out. (Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter)

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

Question: Please spill some details on whether Nashville‘s Rayna and Deacon will be getting back together anytime soon? –LooLoo

Mitovich: Our resident Nashville native-by-association, Kim Roots, tells me that Wednesday’s midseason premiere “will simultaneously delight and frustrate Deyna fans. The big winners: People who don’t like Luke Wheeler. He has a really rough time after Rayna gives him the heave-ho, and he acts out his anger on a huge scale. Finally, Deacon consults a specialist about his illness, and it’s even worse than we thought.”

Question: Do you have any scoop on the upcoming Supergirl TV Show? –SuperSurfSurf

Mitovich: Kara Danvers née Zor-El will have her work cut out for her from the get-go, seeing as her adversary in the series pilot will be the DC Comics baddie Lumberjack. To that end, the CBS freshman is seeking a hulk akin to “Rory McCann, the 6-foot-6 actor from Game of Thrones” (pictured above) to play this “big, burly monster of a man, who has battled Kara’s cousin” — that’d be you-know-who — “in the past” and shows up to ascertain her level of power, on behalf of an unseen superior.

Question: Isn’t it time for the birth of Palmer’s baby on NCIS? –Ann

Mitovich: Showrunner Gary Glasberg says you “absolutely” should prepare to meet Baby Palmer this season. But first, we gotta have a baby shower, to be held in this Tuesday’s episode… in the big orange room. At the festivities, Glasberg says, “Jimmy Palmer is a classic nervous dad, very conscientious about keeping his mother-to-be Breena healthy, so he’s making everybody a little crazy!”

Question: Anything on ABC’s Forever? –Nicole

Mitovich: And how! The immortal Henry dies via his own hand in an upcoming episode, and “It’ll be a pity for you, if you’re a fan of the show, to know why it happens,” star Ioan Gruffudd says. To protect all of you Foreverists from spoilers, the actor offers only this light tease: “It happens in the past. It’s clever, lovely and sweet. And it sheds really good light on the person that’s with Henry when that happens.”

Question: Can you offer any news on Grey’s Anatomy or Suits? —Jonny

Mitovich: Option No. 2 it is! When asked if there will be any love for Harvey in upcoming episodes, exec producer Aaron Korsh reveals, “There are absolutely romantic allusions in the air… There is some delving into some questions of his romantic future in the last six [episodes]. I think it’s going to be satisfying to some, saddening to others, and not enough for even others.” Hmm, could he be talking about Donna/Harvey ‘shippers with that last description? “I’ll leave it there,” the EP hedges.

Question: I absolutely love Ruzek and Burgess on Chicago PD. How is their relationship looking in future episodes? –Staci

Mitovich: Remember, this is TV, so it could all change in a few weeks. But for now, the couple is “good,” executive producer Matt Olmstead says. “We always do these kind of relay races with romances in terms of we’re addressing one [story thread] and then it’s time to pick the other one back up again.” Where Ruzek and Burgess go from here is up in the air, with five more episodes to break before the end of the season. “We’re certainly in the room trying to figure out the best [approach], playing them as a real couple.”

Question: Those new Jane the Virgin photos have me on edge. Is there medical drama ahead for Jane’s baby? –Dee

Mitovich: Gina Rodriguez confirms, “There is going to be an episode where Jane has some complications with the pregnancy.” That twist will also reveal the baby’s gender, but the star says, “We focus more on the complication than ‘boy versus girl.’” On a lighter note, Jaime Camil says that in Episode 13, “Something very funky happens to Rafael” – though we’re not sure Rogelio’s portrayer isn’t biased. “I’m Team Michael, definitely,” he admits. “I cannot tell you why.”

Question: Any spoilers about Castle‘s Ryan-centric episode? Will we see the toddler and Jenny? –Fred

Mitovich: This much I know: In Episode 18, you will meet Ryan’s sister Gwen, as well as her husband Frank, who happens to be a burly security specialist.

Question: Any new love interests on the horizon for Castle‘s Esposito now that he and Lanie have called it quits? –Teri

Mitovich: “Quits” is a funny word, because to hear Tamala Jones tell it, “Oh, it’s still going on. I grabbed his butt at the end of the [break-up] scene, and you don’t do that if it’s over over. We are still messing around, but we are not getting married.”

Question: Can you give us anything on Supernatural‘s Sam? —Maria

Mitovich: “We probably will not see flashbacks” from the Winchesters’ time apart, executive producer Jeremy Carver admits. But there’s still a big Sammy story brewing. “What starts as a desire to help Dean [sends] Sam on very much his own journey by season’s end. But the starting off point is most definitely, ‘How am I going to help my brother?’”

Question: Will Supernatural‘s Word of God tablet storyline be revisited this season? –Tom

Mitovich: When we delivered your Q to showrunner Jeremy Carver, he had an intriguingly cryptic reply: “There are a couple tablets out there… I can’t say right now. Good question.”

Question: I need some info on The Flash. Somehow I haven’t clicked yet with Iris and Barry. Can we hope for a Caitlin/Barry romance?! –French

Mitovich: You may be in luck. Not only does the next episode feature Grant Gustin showing off his musical chops, but “Barry and Caitlin go on an inadvertent date, which is one of my favorite scenes of the whole year,” showrunner Andrew Kreisberg raves. “They’re hilarious together.” As for Iris, Barry’s heartfelt confession of love is “definitely weighing on her,” the EP affirms, “and it’s going to weigh on Eddie and Caitlin and Linda a little bit.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

PS: Have a terrific weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for yesterday and today:

TELEVISION

Actress Katie Holmes will have a major guest role on the third season of Showtime’s Ray Donovan, playing a shrewd and chic businesswoman named Paige who enlists Ray’s (series lead Liev Schreiber) services, who is also the daughter of billionaire producer Andrew (Ian McShane). (Elizabeth Wagmeister at Variety)

Actress Brianna Brown will return to the Lifetime dramedy Devious Maids as a series regular for the show’s upcoming third season, reprising her role as beautiful trophy wife Taylor Stappord. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Veteran actress Rita Moreno will appear on Jane the Virgin as the mother of Rogelio De La Vega (series regular Jaime Camil). (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Tyler James Williams (The Walking Dead and Everybody Hates Chris) has joined the cast of spinoff pilot of Criminal Minds. He will play Monty, a tech analyst who stays at home to liaison with the victims’ families while the rest of the BAU team trots the globe. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Nico Evers-Swindell (the Lifetime movie Will and Kate) will appear in at least two episodes of Grimm as Prince Kenneth, from one of the royal families, who is sent to Portland by the King with the express intent of recovering Adalind’s (series regular Claire Coffee) daughter. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line)

Actor Nick Gehlfuss (Shameless) will have a recurring role on Chicago P.D., playing Jay Halstead’s brother Ryan, who is a bit of a playboy and a successful doctor. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Veteran actress Blythe Danner will have a guest starring role on the upcoming NBC drama The Slap, which is based on the acclaimed Australian mini-series and 2008 novel that is a complex family drama about what happens after a man (Zachary Quinto) slap another couple’s misbehaving child. Danner will play Virginia, the grandmother of Anouk (Uma Thurman), a TV writer dating her show’s young leading man (Penn Badgley). The Slap debuts on February 12 at 8 PM. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Mehcad Brooks (Necessary Roughness and True Blood) has been cast in the CBS Supergirl pilot that will star Glee alum Melissa Benoist as the title role. He will play James “Jimmy” Olsen, her love interest. (Elizabeth Wagmeister at Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The female version of Ghostbusters announced who will play the lead characters: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and SNL alums Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. (Natalie Finn at E! Online)

Looks like Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy and Parks & Recreation) and Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games franchise) both are up for some big roles in the near future: Indiana Jones for Pratt and Independence Day for Hemsworth. Nothing is confirmed yet, but there you have it. (First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: After the episode where Gibbs’ and Fornell’s ex-wife was shot, will NCIS address what happens to her child with Fornell? —Joy

Ausiello: As a matter of fact, the Feb. 17 episode, titled “Cabin Fever,” will deal with many of the reverberations of Diane’s tragic death — as felt by the men in her life as well as daughter Emily. “There are some really brilliant moments between Mark Harmon and Joe Spano, as they spend some time in Gibbs’ cabin and hash out some of the issues they’re both facing because of that loss,” showrunner Gary Glasberg previews. “And Emily makes an appearance too — it’s all part of what Fornell is carrying right now. He’s having trouble, and Gibbs is there as a friend.”

Question: I’d love something on Thursday’s Scandal return.

Ausiello: You won’t have to wait long for an answer to the question, “Where in the world is Olivia Pope?” And I think you’ll find her whereabouts alternately shocking and hilarious.

Question: We’re not going to have to wait until the Sleepy Hollow season finale to find out why Henry killed Moloch, are we? —Gabriella

Ausiello: Not according to Tom Mison. “There’s going to be a little bit of ambiguity to begin with, but it becomes very clear” soon after Henry makes his presence known, the actor says. He also cagily adds, “I’ll remind you that he didn’t only kill Moloch, he saved Ichabod and Katrina,” so make of that what you will.

Question: I know we’re only two episodes into 12 Monkeys, but I really want to see Cole and Cassie get together. Chances of that happening? —Molly

Ausiello: “I’m not completely ruling that out, with other variables, and they do have chemistry,” star Amanda Schull tells TV Line. Still, even if a romantic connection does happen, it won’t be for a while. “Cole and Cassie don’t just fall madly in love by Episode 2 or 3 and decide to screw the end of the world and run off to the Bahamas or something,” she adds. “They have a mission.”

Question: I’m dying for some Forever intel. (See what I did there?) —Marc

Ausiello: The ABC series’ next new episode, airing Feb. 3, is a huge one for Abe, series creator Matt Miller says. And Abe’s revelation begins in the least likely of places: with Henry’s adversary, Adam. “What we learn is that Adam… had some terrible things happen to him in his past. And he and Abe share a connection regarding World War II, and he helps Abe resolve some mysteries about his own past.”

BONUS SPOILER: Miller adds that the show is in the early stages of bringing in a romantic interest for Jo. “And maybe Henry starts to get a little bit jealous, and we start to watch that play out,” he teases.

Question: Anything on Ray and Felicity’s crossover to The Flash? —Cassie

Ausiello: The pair drop by (in Episode 18) when Ray needs a little help with his A.T.O.M. suit. Not surprisingly, the tech billionaire “finds a best friend in Cisco,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg shares. After all, he may look like Brandon Routh, but Ray likes his toys. “There’s even a line in the script where Felicity says, ‘Ray is like Barry in Oliver’s body. Oh God, did I say that aloud?’” Meanwhile, Felicity’s arrival comes “at a particularly bad moment for Barry. He’s having a crisis of conscience that in some ways only somebody like she can help him through.”

Question: I feel I know almost nothing about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for when it comes back in March. Got any scoop (that’s not cryptic)? –Andy B.

Ausiello: Dude. It’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Cryptic is what they do. That said, Brett Dalton perhaps only rated 7 on a scale of 10 when teasing for us Ward’s next move, having taken his licks (and a few bullets) in service of HYDRA and Whitehall. “He’s hitched his cart to a horse before — HYDRA— and it hasn’t really turned out so well,” the actor notes. “So, now he’s like, unhitching the cart and hopping on his own horse and going his own way.” And maybe just maybe, some day, that could lead him kinda sorta back into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s good-ish graces…? “I mean, he has a sense of right and wrong, he has a sense of duty and obligation, and I think he’s also a sympathetic character,” Dalton contends. “Though he can be heartless, it’s always in the service of something, an intention that is good. So I do feel good about his future. The writers could have given Ward a quick redemption arc, and that would have been the end of it, but they’ve left him raw, unpredictable… a complete wild card.”

Question: I’m in denial that Parenthood is ending this week, but that’s not going to stop me from asking for one last spoiler about the Bravermans. —Joyce

Ausiello: The episode-ending montage contains a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really fun surprise. Like, really fun. Really.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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