Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The cable network Bravo has given pilot orders for its first scripted dramas. The first is The Joneses, which is a remake of the 2009 independent film that starred Demi Moore and David Duchovny. The family drama follows the all-American Joneses, a family of four that has just moved in to an upscale suburb to start a new life but have a secret they must keep from friends and neighbors: they aren’t a real family at all. Liz Tigelaar, who created Life Unexpected and has worked behind the scenes on Once Upon a Time and Revenge and now on Nashville wrote the pilot with producing partners Gary Fleder and Mary Beth Basile. The second pilot is called Rita and has been adapted from the Danish format. It is also a family drama, centering on an acerbic and outspoken private school teacher who struggles to raise her three teen children while dealing with bureaucracy and overprotective parents at her school. Krista Vernoff (writer for Grey’s Anatomy’s Krista Vernoff will write and executive produce the project with Mikkel Bondesen (The Killing) and Henrik Bastin (My Generation). (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) has replaced Brendan Fraser in the TNT drama pilot Legends that follows a deep-cover operative named Martin Odum (Bean), who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

The cable network E! has added a scripted project to its development slate – a high-concept romantic drama from feature writer/directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (Can’t Hardly Wait). The project centers on a young entertainment lawyer who dies but is determined to pursue a romance with a woman who’s still alive while he exists in limbo in New York City, working for the Department that judges the recently departed. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TNT has put into development the drama called Hit based on an idea by actor Jamie Foxx, which centers on two former high school football teammates and best friends, who years later are “drafted” by the Miami P.D. and assigned to HIT (High Impact Team). The same shorthand that made them unstoppable on the gridiron makes them great partners taking down the most dangerous criminals in the city. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Alex Winter (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) has sold his Midwestern militia pitch tentatively called Rights Of Bill to AMC. The project will center on a Sheriff who forms his own militia in Wisconsin, becoming both the law and an outlaw simultaneously. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Tammin Sursok (Pretty Little Liars) will play the lead in the indie film called C2C that concerns a young tourist who travels to Thailand in an effort to solve her sister’s murder. She befriends a group of young ex-pats led by a seductive young woman who knows more than she lets on. Filming is underway in Thailand. (The Deadline Team)

Actor Timothy Olyphant (Justified) will star alongside Kurt Russell, Peter Sarsgaard, Richard Jenkins and Jennifer Carpenter in the box office film called Bone Tomahawk that centers on four men who attempt to rescue a group of captives from a band of cannibalistic troglodytes that live beyond the edge of civilization. Olyphant will play John Brooder, an eloquent sharpshooter who moved to the frontier in order to satisfy the dark impulses that lie beneath his polished exterior. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: A Wild Ryan Reynolds Appears in New Trailer for ‘The Croods’

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

Question: Revenge me! – Marc

Team Watch with Kristin: We talked with Gabriel Mann recently about what’s happening when Revenge returns; he revealed that they are about to start filming the big episode with the sinking of The Amanda. “We’re almost up to the big reveal where we find out who gets the ax,” he tells us. “It could be any number of people. Nolan’s a little more serious this year, so hopefully with his lack of humor it doesn’t mean he’s gonna be [the one dying].”

Question: Loved the Once Upon a Time midseason finale. What’s coming up when the show returns? — Joan

NATALIE: The Charming family has been reunited, but look for more bad news on the horizon. When we asked Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison about the joyous reunion, they both offered up ominous answers that may or may not have to do with the arrival of Hook and Cora. “It’s, of course, short-lived because yet another obstacle is going to be thrust between all of these characters,” Goodwin says, with Morrison adding, “New terrible things need to happen for us to work out.” Any guesses as to what’s in store for the Storybrooke gang?

Question: My friend Leticia needs some cheering up, and a really good NCIS Abby-related brand-new spoiler/scoop seems to be the only thing that will work. — Ruby H

Ausiello: If “really good” will cheer her up, this (should) leave her ecstatic! Pauley Perrette told TVLine that she was not only shooting “a very, very Abby episode” but one that “people have been asking for… for 10 years.” In it, she explained, “we actually go back and find out about Abby’s past and childhood.”

Question: I’m excited to see the inside of Tony’s apartment in (the) December 18 episode of NCIS. Any hints of what we’ll find? —Mary

Ausiello: You’ll find “a lot of Michael Weatherly in it,” teases Perrette, who says Tony’s portrayer was a very hands-on interior decorator. “He picked out a lot of stuff — he has amazing taste. His [real-life] house is decorated so immaculately and with a lot of class. So there are couple Michael Weatherly things in there — and one really big surprise.”

Question: Is the Mulan/Aurora arc over on Once Upon a Time? Are they done for the season/forever? –Mary

Ausiello: Mitovich — who just spent a long weekend in Vancouver, where Once shoots — hears that one of the princesses will be seen soon after the show returns from its holiday break (on Jan. 6).

Question: Any fresh (information) on who Ethan Embry is playing on Once Upon a Time? —Jenny

Ausiello: Jennifer Morrison knows about as much as the rest of us — which isn’t much. “[All we] know is he’s an outsider, he is a stranger and he is not a fairytale character,” she says, before quickly adding, “at least he’s not someone anyone recognizes from fairytale land.”

Question: Any good Owen-Nikita moments we can look forward to on Nikita? —Tara

Ausiello: Moments? Try whole episodes. “When Owen comes back in January, there are two back-to-back episodes of Owen and Nikita doing crazy stuff,” Devon Sawa tells us. “Just [lots of] action and solving stuff.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Denis O’Hare (True Blood and American Horror Story) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing Father Shea, a priest who is pulled from his car and brutally beaten. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actor Justin Bruening (Switched at Birth and Ringer) will have a recurring role on Grey’s Anatomy, playing a paramedic who crosses paths with several of Seattle Grace docs. His first episode is slated to air in early 2013. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Shawn Ryan, the man behind the TV shows The Shield and the short-lived Last Resort, is returning to cable with the HBO project called Badlands that will explore the challenges and joys of love and family, as well as the struggles of living in the blue-collar mining town of Tar River, Wyoming, that’s fighting for its life during this economic hardship. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

SPOILER ROOM (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Any hints about the last two episodes of Arrow? — Tom

Sandra: Helena’s presence in Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) life is going to continue to ruffle Diggle’s (David Ramsey) feathers and things get pretty “contentious,” according to Ramsey. “Diggle has some very strong feelings about who Helena is and so does Oliver, and they won’t see eye to eye. It’s going to cause some difficulties,” he says. “I think [Dig] considers things that Oliver might not always consider, and Oliver is sometimes willing to hear that. Other times — as you will see with Helena — he’s not so willing.”

Question: I need to know if Bay and Emmett are ok now?? — @awkwardhobos

Sandra: “They’re okay — but they’re not back together…yet,” reveals Switched at Birth star Vanessa Marano. “I don’t think Bay is ready to get back into a relationship with him because he betrayed her, basically, but Emmett wants a relationship. So they’re good right now, but you can’t have the “I want it but I don’t want it” and stay on good terms.”

Q&A SECTION (with Team Watch with Kristin from E! Online)

Question: Got any Arrow scoop for us? – Liam

Team Watch with Kristin: How about that there’s a copycat Arrow running around shooting bad guys?! Yes, Oliver will be on the hunt for his impersonator in episode 9, and by episode’s end we’ll learn that it’s actually someone we know.

Question: Jeanie: OMG Scandal is amazing! Please tell me Fitz lives! – Jeanie

Team Watch with Kristin: We chatted with first lady Bellamy Young who tells us next week’s episode is all about, “Hashtag who shot Fitz! The hunt will be on for who shot the president!” And don’t worry too much about the fate of Fitz, as Young tells us there’s plenty of drama still to come for the couple. “There’s the aftermath of my sweet husband being shot and my baby coming out in response to some of that,” she teases. “And there will always be me trying to pull Fitz’s heart back into our life instead of his life with Olivia. I hope. Mellie still has hope!”

Question: Please anything on Hart of Dixie! – Tiff

Team Watch with Kristin: Forget about Zoe and Wade or Zoe and George or George and….you get the idea. The real love on the show is happening between Wade and George! If you are a fan of their continually blossoming bromance, than episode 15 will surely be a favorite for you. Why? Well, you know the saying, friends who rock together…stay together!

Question: There’s still over a month to go before Pretty Little Liars returns, and I can’t take it anymore—give me some freakin’ scoop! – Victoria in Phoenix

Team Watch with Kristin: OK, but only because we’ve already seen the Jan. 8 midseason premiere (not to rub it in or anything)! After seven months of treatment at Radley Sanitarium, Mona’s officially released and insisting “She’s Better Now,” which just so happens to be the title of the episode. The Liars don’t exactly welcome the A-Team-er back to Rosewood High with open arms (can you blame ‘em?), and at one point, Mona actually roams the halls clutching—wait for it–a butcher knife! Not that she’s the only scary thing happening at school: Look for one antagonistic character from the past to return as a sub for a teacher on maternity leave, while another turns up as a majorly creepy janitor—but only one of them gets trapped in a deliberately set fire.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today

TELEVISION

Actress Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs) will appear in a three-episode arc on the NBC comedy Go On, playing Simone – a former member of the group who returns to therapy and who develops a relationship with Ryan (Matthew Perry). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Torrey DeVitto (The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars), singer-actress Ashanti and newcomer Elle McLemore have landed series regular roles on Army Wives. DeVitto will play Maggie Hall, a sexy and smart Ex-Army Airborne, now a truck driver married to a Staff Sergeant with a teen daughter, who decided to get out of the Army to devote herself to being a wife and mother; Ashanti will play Latasha Durant, an optimistic mother of three and McLemone will play Holly Gordon, a sweet, wide-eyed, bespectacled farm girl newly married to a soldier who is lonely and homesick. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Serinda Swan (Breakout Kings and Smallville) will have a series regular role in the upcoming new USA Network drama Graceland that will star Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me), Aaron Tveit (Les Miserables), Vanessa Ferlito (CSI: NY), Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing and Falling Skies), and Manny Montana (Chicago Code). The series delves into the lives of an elusive group of undercover agents from the FBI, DEA and US Customs, whose worlds collide at a repossessed Southern California beachfront mansion called “Graceland.” Swan will star as Paige Arkin, an intuitive and merciless DEA undercover agent living at the mansion. (The Futon Critic)

Actor Gil McKinney (who played Julie’s TA/love interest on Friday Night Lights) will have a pivotal guest role in an upcoming episode of Supernatural. He will play the Winchesters’ paternal grandfather Henry in yet another time travel-themed episode. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actress S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) has landed a recurring role on the upcoming NBC drama Deception that is an opulent soap in which detective Joanna Padget (Meagan Good) returns undercover to the wealthy and troubled Bower family she grew up in — as the maid’s daughter — to solve the murder of the notorious heiress Vivian Bower who was once her closest friend. Merkerson will play Joanna’s mom Beverly Padget, who worked for the Bowers family when Joanna was a young girl. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jere Burns (Breaking Bad, Burn Notice and Justified) will have a recurring role on the upcoming A&E series Bates Motel, which is a prequel to the legendary film Psycho, which examines the twisted relationship between serial-killer-to-be Norman (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Varmiga). Burns will play a mysterious character who has a pivotal role on the show. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

BBC One and BBC Drama are teaming to adapt the J.K. Rowling adult novel The Casual Vacancy for the small screen. The story is set in a seemingly perfect English village whose pretty façade hides a town at war. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

BBC One has commissioned a new series for 2013. It will be an ambitious six-part series based on the Susanna Clarke acclaimed best-selling 2004 period fantasy drama Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell, which is set in an alternate England during the Napoleonic Wars. The story follows a magician and his apprentice who use their powers to help the government but who are ultimately pitted against one another. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office films for this past weekend courtesy of Exhibitors Relations:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, $17.4 million
2. Skyfall, $17 million
3. Rise of the Guardians, $13.5 million (tie)
3. Lincoln, $13.5 million (tie)
5. Life of Pi, $12 million
6. Killing Them Softly, $7 million (tie)
6. Wreck-It Ralph, $7 million (tie)
8. Red Dawn, $6.6 million
9. Flight, $4.5 million
10. The Collection, $3.4 million

Actor Dane DeHaan (Chronicle and Lincoln) will play Harry Osborn in the upcoming sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man alongside Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. (Patrick Hipes at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items, few though they may be, for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Manu Bennett (Spartacus) has landed a major role on the new CW series Arrow. He will play Slade Wilson, who in the comics, becomes a major villain in the franchise: Deathstroke. As seen in flashbacks, Slade Wilson and Oliver Queen (series lead Stephen Amell) will form an uneasy alliance on the island of Lian Yu. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC Family is working with legendary producer Joel Silver to develop a potential new drama series called I Hunt Killers based on the Barry Lyga young adult novel that centers on the teenage son of an imprisoned notorious serial killer, a likable boy who becomes a suspect after a string of copy-cat murders. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES NEWS

American Idol winner and country music star Carrie Underwood has landed her first major acting role. She will play Maria von Trapp in the upcoming NBC made-for-TV remake of the perennial classic The Sound of Music that will be executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producers of the NBC musical drama Smash. The three-hour event will air near the holidays in 2013. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Claire Forlani has joined the cast of the upcoming paranormal thriller film called Panda Eyes. She will play the mother a young girl (Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones), who is haunted by her past. (The Deadline Team)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The CW has cancelled the new medical drama Emily Owens, M.D., but the remaining episodes of the 13-episode order will continue to air. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

CBS has given a 13-episode straight-to-series order to the drama Under the Dome based on the Steven King novel of the same name. The series will tell the story of a small New England town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers to what this barrier is, where it came from and if and when it will go away. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Diane Farr (Numb3rs and Rescue Me) will have a multi-episode arc in the final season of Private Practice, starring as a woman named Miranda, but no other details about her role have been revealed as yet. The series finale is slated to air in late January on ABC. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actress Lisa Edelstein (House) will guest star on two episodes of the Showtime comedy House of Lies, playing Brynn, a smart and sexy political consultant whom Marty (Don Cheadle) meets on one of his assignments. The series will be back for a new season starting on January 13. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Angela Bassett and actor Mark Indelicato (Ugly Betty) will join actresses Shailene Woodley, Gabourey Sidibe and Eva Green as well as actors Shiloh Fernandez, and Christopher Meloni in the box office film White Bird in a Blizzard. The story follows a troubled young woman whose life is upended following the disappearance of her mother. Indelicato will portray an outcast in a middle class school while Bassett will play a doctor. (Variety, Facebook and Dark Horizons)

Actress Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) will star opposite Kevin Costner in an as-yet untitled action film about a Secret Service agent who discovers he’s dying; but before he goes, he attempts to complete a final mission, reconnecting with his estranged daughter. He’s also taking an experimental drug that could prolong his life and that adds complexity to the ticking clock because of the drug’s hallucinatory side effects. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The FOX drama Touch has been bumped later on the schedule again. Now it will air as a two-hour premiere on February 8 at 8 PM. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Laura Vandervoort (Smallville and V) will guest star as a bad girl on an upcoming episode of CSI: NY, playing Macy, a young woman who is just getting out of prison after serving two years for possession of stolen property. The problem now is that she is hungry to take vengeance on the boyfriend who left her holding the bag, regardless of the consequences. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Travis Van Winkle (Happy Endings) has landed a recurring role on Hart of Dixie, playing Jonah Breeland, Lemon’s (Jamie King) studly cousin who once called the fictional town home. Beloved by the everyone in town, Jonah ends up posing a threat to Zoe and her hard-earned good standing in Bluebell. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actor Peter Cambor will reprise his role on NCIS: Los Angeles in an episode set to air in February. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor D. B. Sweeney (24 and Jericho) will have a recurring role on Touch when the FOX drama returns to the schedule next year. Sweeney will play Tanner, a threatening, authoritative, forceful and fierce ex-military guy who’s an enforcer for Aster Corps. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Twin actors Charlie and Max Carver (who played the Scavo twins on Desperate Housewives) and actresses Adelaide Kane (the Australian soap Neighbours) and Felisha Terrel (Days of Our Lives) have landed recurring roles on the MTV thriller series Teen Wolf for the show’s upcoming third season. The Carver twins will play identical twin alpha werewolves Ethan and Aidan, who are described as dangerous charmers with brilliant minds. Kane will play Cora, a mysterious and beautiful young woman toughened by a life on her own who has secret ties to Beacon Hills while Terrell will play Kali, a ruthless and sexy alpha werewolf who invades Beacon Hills. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide and Team Watch with Kristin at E! Online)

Question: Give me some Revolution scoop! It’s going to be a long four months! — Sarah

ADAM: Want to know more about Miles and Nora’s past? You got it! “It’s a little twist on their history. It’s not exactly what you think it would be,” Daniella Alonso tells us. Allow co-executive producer David Rambo to elaborate: “She and Miles blew stuff up. They would work for anybody: bounty hunters, militia, drug lords. …They were mercenaries — and they loved it.” The show will also peel back some layers on another duo. “We are going to learn a lot more about Randall and Grace,” Rambo teases. “Especially Randall, and the project that lead to the lights going out and Randall’s association with the Mathesons.”

Question: How will Elena cope with her breakup from Stefan on The Vampire Diaries? — Jodi

NATALIE: The very last way you’d expect — though it may make some fans happy. The big question now becomes: Why? Are Elena’s intentions pure?

Question: Is there anything you can tell us about McGee on NCIS? — Tara, via Twitter

ADAM: McGee’s upcoming undercover mission with Fornell and Gibbs’ ex-wife Diane (returning guest star Melinda McGraw) will be very uncomfortable for him. “She ends up having to spend the night with McGee, and you can only imagine what sort of comes out of that,” executive producer Gary Glasberg says with a laugh. “This is a woman who is very sharp and very shrewd,” he says. “This a situation that she can’t help but have some fun with, and she takes full advantage of that. McGee is absolutely terrified.”

Question: I’m so excited about the Huntress on Arrow! — Maya

NATALIE: Me too! But talk about an awkward double date: Oliver and Helena will join Tommy and Laurel for a dinner that will make Birds of Prey fanboys squeal. Helena will also be a different kind of love interest for Oliver than Laurel could ever be. “In talking to her and getting to know her, Oliver realizes that, in some ways, she’s the only person in the world who truly understands him because Helena has a very tragic backstory as well,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says.

Question: Anything cool coming up on Leverage? — Philip

ADAM: Ever wonder what Nate & Co. might have done if they were in Inception? Wonder no more. Next Tuesday’s episode finds the team manipulating a man’s dreams in order to find answers about why he wants to sell off his company. It’s a challenge unlike any the team has faced before, mostly because they’re trying to help their mark rather than take him down. As such, the risky con puts everyone on edge, including Hardison and Spencer, who have a rather bromantic spat, and Parker, who must relive some personal trauma to save the mission.

Question: Any Once Upon a Time scoop you can share? – Daisy

Team Watch with Kristin: Yet another regal beauty will be joining the ABC hit series! Viewers will meet the elegant and poised Katerina in episode 15. Katerina captures the affection of all those that meet her, thanks to her pure spirit and kind heart. As if she doesn’t already sound perfect enough, it’s worth noting that she treats everyone with dignity and respect, no matter their place in society and she’s super close with her adoring family.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for the last few days:

TELEVISION

Actress sienna Guillory (Eragon) will appear in the third season of the BBC America series Luther. She will play a new love interest, Mary, who works in a vintage clothes shop who has a chance encounter with the troubled cop played brilliantly by Idris Elba. (The Futon Critic)

It looks like Necessary Roughness will be back for third season on the USA Network. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Kimberly Williams- Paisley has been promoted to regular status on the ABC drama Nashville. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The Syfy series Merlin will come to an end after its upcoming fifth season. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

Actress Audra McDonald will be back for the series finale of Private Practice when it airs on ABC at the end of January. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor David Anders (Once Upon a Time and Alias) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the new CW series Arrow, playing a nasty criminal name Cyrus Vanch, who will arrive in Starling City after a prison sentence. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Julian Fellowes, the award-winning writer/series creator, behind the international sensation Downton Abbey will create and produce a new potential series for NBC entitled The Gilded Ages, which will be set in late 19th-century New York and will focus on the princes of the American Renaissance and the vast fortunes they made – and spent – in New York. (Tim Kenneally at The Wrap)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Actress Taryn Manning (Hawaii Five-0) will have a major multi-episode arc in the hour-long online series Orange Is The New Black, which will debut on Netflix. The series from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan centers on Piper (Taylor Schilling), an engaged Brooklynite whose decade-old relationship with a drug-runner (Laura Prepon) in college results in her arrest and multi-year detention in a federal penitentiary. Manning will play inmate Tiffany Doggett, a wild child from Waynesboro, Virginia. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Saga) has landed a role in a potential new franchise – the indie genre film Tatua, which is based on an original concept by comic book creators Paul Jenkins and Rob Prior. The project is about a man with a rare blood type that allows him to be tattooed with a powerful ink. He is able to pull those weapons straight off his skin, giving him an enviable leg up as a covert assassin. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

The following are the top 10 box office films for this past weekend based on Exhibitor Relations:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 – $43.1 million
2. Skyfall – $36 million
3. Lincoln – $25 million
4. Rise of the Guardians – $24 million
5. Life of Pi – $22 million
6. Wreck-It Ralph – $16.8 million
7. Red Dawn – $14.6 million
8. Flight – $8.6 million
9. Silver Linings Playbook – $4.6 million
10. Argo – $3.9 million

Singer-actor Lenny Kravitz (The Hunger Games) will play the late and legendary singer Marvin Gaye. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for the last few days:

TELEVISION

Actress Camille Guaty (Prison Break and Las Vegas) and Charlie Bewley (The Twilight Saga) will guest star in at least two episodes of The Vampire Diaries with Guaty starring as a woman from Professor Shane’s (David Alpay) past while Bewley’s role is being kept under wraps. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Chevy Chase has left the NBC comedy Community effective immediately. (E! Online)

Actress Mia Kirshner (who will star in the upcoming Syfy series Defiance) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the new USA Network series Graceland that is set to air next summer. Graceland is a one-hour drama that follows a group of Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and U.S. Customs agents who are forced to live together in a repossessed beach mansion in Southern California. Kirshner will star as Ashika Pearl, a California medical marijuana farmer who, despite her penchant for new-age trendiness, isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when her criminal enterprise is threatened. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Downton Abbey will be back for a fourth season. (Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary actor Larry Hagman has passed away from complications of a recent battle with cancer this weekend at the age of 81. (E! Online)

Actress Deborah Raffin passed away last week due to complications from leukemia. She was 59. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Giants Ahoy! Second Trailer for Bryan Singer’s ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’

Dwayne Johnson is After Bad Guys So His Son Doesn’t Have to ‘Snitch’

Q&A SECTION (with Team Watch with Kristin from E! Online, Natalie Abrams and Adam Bryant at TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: I’d be eternally grateful for some Once Upon a Time scoop! – Thomas

Team Watch with Kristin: A paternal presence this way comes! The ABC hit series is currently casting the mysterious role of Arlo, a man in his late 30s-early 40s who is very large in height and weight. (Hmmm…could he be another giant?!) He’s wise, firm and imposing and has an air of authority to him.

Question: I love the friendship between Stefan and Caroline on The Vampire Diaries. Will we see more of that? — Joan

NATALIE: Definitely, and in fact, together they’ll make an important discovery in the next episode. Candice Accola also tells us that she’s happy that Stefan and Caroline are finally sharing more screen time. “They’re both struggling with trying to support the ones they love in difficult circumstances that they don’t necessarily agree with,” she says. “So they come together over that and find a friendship that’s long overdue.”

Question: I would be extra-thankful for a little pre-holiday Castle scoop. — Jenny

ADAM: Did you enjoy Castle’s foray into the world of rock ‘n’ roll during the documentary episode? Well, get ready for more music when Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a DJ. Among the suspects: Taylor Cole (The Event, CSI: Miami) plays an aging pop star whose album launch party was the victim’s final gig. The suspicious diva must have had some really killer tracks!

Question: We haven’t heard much about NCIS’ Christmas episode on Dec. 18, other than Robert Wagner comes back as Tony’s dad. Got anything else? —Lonnie

Ausiello: Well, if the elder DiNozzo is coming to visit his son for the holiday that can only mean one thing. For the very first time, “We see Tony’s apartment,” Cote de Pablo tells us. And what if anything is surprising about the bachelor’s pad and/or its decor…? “The bed he sleeps in,” de Pablo answers with a rather hearty laugh.

Question: Thanks for all the Army Wives scoop last week. Do you happen to know if Kellie Martin and Ryan Michelle Bathe are returning in Season 6? —Anna

Ausiello: They are. Exec producer Jeff Melvoin confirms that Wives‘ resident lesbian couple will continue to recur when the show returns next year. Also, I carved out this little scooplet from my Q&A: Wives 2.0 will really come into focus in the new season’s third episode, when an “emotional event” unites the new and existing wives. “It’s a catalytic [incident] in a sense that it throws them all together,” previews Melvoin, “And when they get thru that together, that’s where they really emerge as a unified group of friends.”

Question: Since there was no new Revenge on Sunday, please give us some scoop? Please? Maybe something regarding my two favorites, Victoria and Conrad? —Cher

Ausiello: If you’re wondering if that touchy-feely moment they shared in the last episode will lead to a real reconciliation, wonder no more: It won’t. Two forces will further complicate their unholy union — one of them is the arrival of Dylan Walsh, and the other one involves the release of a fresh skeleton from Conrad’s closet. According to Madeline Stowe, a “surprising” secret will come to light “very soon” about her onscreen leading man. “There’s always something,” she adds with a laugh. “All marriages tilt on the axis of their own logic, and this is a weird one.” Bonus Scoop: Is Emily’s Revengenda Tour winding its way to the West Coast? The show is currently casting the role of a concierge who works the front desk at an upscale Los Angeles hotel.

That’s it. Enjoy!

PS: Due to the long Thanksgiving weekend, I combined news since Wednesday through today (Saturday) for this update and another update should be posted on Tuesday, covering the next three days.

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Anna Chlumsky (Veep) will guest star in the mid-season NBC thriller Hannibal (based on the legendary Dr. Hannibal Lechter). Chlumsky will play Miriam Lass, a young FBI trainee under the tutelage of Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne). The series is anticipated to debut sometime next year. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line)

Boss has not been renewed for a third season by Starz, but there is a chance that a two-hour movie might be done to wrap up the story. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TV TRAILERS

First trailer: David E. Kelley’s new TNT drama ‘Monday Mornings’ — EXCLUSIVE

Hot TV Clip: ‘Smash’ Season 2

NOTE: Let’s hope that with the new showrunner that season 2 of Smash will improve on all of season one except for the pilot. Fingers crossed!

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Gorgeous Full Length Trailer for Blue Sky Animation’s ‘Epic’

THE SPOILER ROOM (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

GRIMM: FOUR TEASES!

I have some fun dish on the rest of the season for all you Grimmsters!

1. We will see a confrontation between Nick and Renard very soon. My reaction to the final kiss? “WHOA!” And while one segment of the fans probably cheered in delight, I know a few Nick fans who can’t wait to see this blow up. Thankfully, the first episode back will deliver, says David Giuntoli. “You don’t have to wait that long,” he says.

2. More fun with Monroe, Nick, Hank and Rosalee.

Monroe’s got a new roomie, and according to Giuntoli, it will open the door to more of the dynamic that fans love so much. “Monroe and I are pretty tight as is,” he says. “I think the Rosalee-Hank-Monroe-Nick dynamic is kind of fun. We all have dinner together now, and I think there’s some fun growth in that entire group kind of dynamic.”

3. When will Mama Burkhardt return?

If you’re thinking the writers are saving the return of Nick’s mom for something big, you’re probably right. “I’ve only read up to 15, and we’ve alluded to certain things,” reports Giuntoli. “But I don’t know when. I think she will [return].”

4. What will change Grimm ‘forever’?

“I will say major events happen between the captain and Nick Burkhardt that will change Grimm forever,” teases Giuntoli. “I’ll just say this — whatever Nick knows, Hank will know pretty soon afterward.” Guesses? Hit the comments.

ONCE UPON A TIME: ‘MAJOR CLIFFHANGER’ IN STORE

Emma and Mary Margaret are coming back! But as Jennifer Morrison teases, everyone stuck in “post-apocalyptic fairytale land” is in for “quite a journey” as David and Henry attempt to bring back the mother-daughter duo. The big issue? How to accomplish selective return! “They’re trying to keep [Cora and Capt. Hook] out,” says Morrison. “It’s like, ‘How do we bring back Emma and Margaret and keep out the other ones?’”

Possibly related? Morrison reports “there will be a pretty major cliffhanger” at the end of episode nine. But before you connect the two, it seems the core four aren’t the only ones with major issues to contend with as season 2 continues. “What I can tell you is that there are some pretty big, explosive things coming for Archie, for sure,” Raphael Sbarge says. “It’s pretty dramatic — that’s what I’ll say. As far as where it goes from there, I believe the Once Upon a Time scripts and the nuclear launch codes are essentially kept in the same location.”

But one thing we won’t be seeing any time soon is the psychologist giving his take on Henry’s strange, fire-filled dreams. (Seems like a natural fit, don’t you think?) “I don’t have that on my radar yet,” he says “I agree with you that there’s an opportunity there, but we haven’t gotten there yet. With the curse sort of going sideways, I think there’s ample job security for Archie. Everyone’s falling apart!”

Q&A SECTION (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly and Team Watch with Kristin at E! Online)

Question: Any Hart of Dixie scoop? — Suzie

Sandra: Look for Lemon to start a new career path with some unexpected help from George. Meanwhile, Wade is going to make a sweet (but incredibly messy) gesture to show Zoe how much he cares.

Question: Any Revenge scoop? – Jaclyn

Team Watch with Kristin: Revenge will be injecting some West Coast flavor later this season with the introduction of a California businesswoman Donna Carlisle, who recently inherited her father’s business. While’s she entertaining offers from potential investors, Donna is a stickler when it comes to her terms.

Question: I know if I ask for Justified spoilers, you guys will deliver. Right? – Marc

Team Watch with Kristin: Was that a threat veiled as a compliment? Well played, sir. In episode seven of the new season, Raylan will get more than he bargained for when a young grad student develops a cute little crush on him. And when we say “cute” and “little,” we really mean “intense” and “huge.” We hope this doesn’t turn into an Alicia-Silverstone-and-Cary-Elwes-in-the-movie-Crush type situation. Wait a minute. This is Justified! Of course it’s going to take a turn for the worse.

Question: So bummed Once Upon a Time wasn’t on this week. Cheer me up with some scoop, please! – Devon

Team Watch with Kristin: You can expect conflict between Prince Charming and two of the show’s more devious characters in the coming episodes, but you can kind of understand why: “Now that Regina and Gold know that Cora is in the mix, they don’t want her to come through,” Jennifer Morrison teases of the obstacles Snow and Emma face when trying to return to Storybrooke.

Question: I am loving Beauty And the Beast! Vincent and Cat’s chemistry is insane! Please tell me there’s a kiss on the horizon?! – Amy L.

Team Watch with Kristin: You think the powers-that-be over at Beauty and the Beast would dare give you a kiss that easily? Of course not! The CW series has been casting very attractive men and women to distract Vincent and Cat from their undeniable chemistry, so our advice is to not hold your breath for those two. We anticipate Cat smooching someone else before smooching the Beast.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Michael Beach (Third Watch) has landed a recurring role on the Lifetime series The Client List, playing the boyfriend of parlor’s owner Georgia (Loretta Devine). He is a former musician who owns the bar where she works. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

MTV is developing a new drama called Blackwood from Kelsey Grammer’s production company that is based on the young adult book of the same name by Gwenda Bond. The project centers on 19-year-old Miranda Blackwood who, when 114 people, including her father, suddenly vanish off Roanoke Island, begins to investigate the mass disappearance, teaming with her high school sweetheart. But she makes a chilling discovery when she uncovers that she’s at the center of not only this mystery, but one that traces back to the first American mystery: the disappearance of 114 people at what would be called The Lost Colony. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Producer Carol Mendelsohn is developing a project for CBS based on the Kate Braestrup novel called “Here If You Need Me”. The project is a drama about a female state trooper whose husband is killed; and as a way to cope, she takes over his life and finds spirituality in the process. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Deadline:

1. Breaking Dawn Part 2 – 141.3 million
2. Skyfall – 41.5 million
3. Lincoln – 21 million
4. Wreck-It Ralph – 18.3 million
5. Flight – 8.6 million
6. Argo – 4 million
7. Taken 2 – 2.1 million
8. Pitch Perfect – 1.3 million
9. Jab Tak Hai Jaan – 1.2 million
10. Here Comes The Boom – 1.1 million

Q&A SECTION (with Team Watch with Kristin at E! Online)

Question: Where is the Nikita scoop? – Brooke in San Diego

Team Watch with Kristin: Right here! In episode 12, Amanda is up to no good. Well, she’s always up to no good, but this time the whole country is in danger. Amanda will be training a terrorist who really has it out for America after he lost a family member to collateral damage during a war in his country. And he wants revenge in the worst way possible.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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