Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

NEWS

Congrats to the winners at the VMA’s last night, including (but not limited to) Rihanna, One Direction, Coldplay, Beyonce and Katy Perry.

TELEVISION

Actor Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files and Sons of Anarchy) has been promoted to series regular on the reboot of Dallas, as it airs on TNT. He will back, full time, when the series returns next year as Harris Ryland, the ex-husband of Brenda Strong’s character, who controls influence over the entire Ewing family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Matt Long (Jack & Bobby) will appear on Private Practice in the recurring role of a new doctor – yep, that’s all I got right now. The series will be back for its final season starting on September 25 on ABC. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Blake Hood (90210 and The Young and the Restless) and actress Alyssa Diaz (The Nine Lives of Chloe King and Army Wives) will both have guest star roles on The Vampire Diaries, playing new “minion” (aka hybrids) of Klaus (Joseph Morgan). The CW series will be back starting on October 11. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actress Debra Mooney (Everwood) will play a Supreme Court Justice in a multi-episode arc on Scandal. The ABC drama returns for its second year on September 27. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The box office film Act of Valor is being shopped around as a TV series to both the major and cable networks. The original film mixed real life U.S. Navy SEALs and Navy Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen with actors. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Howard Gordon and Alex Cary (who worked behind the scenes on Homeland) are adapting another international series for possibly US consumption. This time it will be the Icelandic series Réttur that centers on a seasoned lawyer with an unorthodox approach who demonstrates his personal contempt for the law by using it as a blunt instrument. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TNT gave the green light to three new pilots. First is the Howard Gordon pilot called Legends, based on the novel by Robert Littell, that follows a deep-cover operative who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. The next pilot is from Jerry Bruckheimer called Trooper, which centers on a recently divorced female state trooper who is as unconventional at work as she is at home raising her three kids. Her partner on the job is a widowed father who has a much more by-the-book approach to policing. The third pilot is from Shane Brennan and is called King & Maxwell, which is a based on the popular characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell from author David Baldacci. They are former secret service agents whose unique skill set often gives them a leg up on both suspects and conventional law enforcement. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Chris Evans (The Avengers) and Michelle Monaghan (Source Code) will star in the upcoming “anti-romantic comedy” called A Many Splintered Thing that is described as in the vein of the films Amelie and (500) Days Of Summer, telling the story of a young man disillusioned by love who meets a breathtaking young woman at a charity dinner by pretending to be a philanthropist. But, it turns out that she’s engaged to a guy who doesn’t like her going on dates. Challenged by the chase, and egged on by his eclectic friends, he feigns a platonic relationship in order to keep seeing her as he tries to conquer her heart. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Legendary actor Christopher Plummer and Rosamund Pike (Pride & Prejudice) have joined the cast of the upcoming comedy film called Hector and the Search For Happiness that is based on the novel by François Lelord. The film will star Simon Pegg as an eccentric yet irresistible London psychiatrist in crisis: he’s going nowhere and his patients are just not getting any happier. One day Hector breaks out of his sheltered vacuum of life into a global quest to find out if happiness exists for not just everyone else, but himself. The quest takes him on an exotic, dangerous and hysterical journey. Pike will play his long-term girlfriend while Plummer will play UCLA’s Happiness Studies guru Professor Coreman. (Dark Horizons)

Actor Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale) has been cast in the role of Beetee in the sequel film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Latest Breaking Dawn: Part 2 Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Syfy has picked up the overseas series Sinbad for broadcast here in the States. The series chronicles the famous Middle Eastern sailor’s voyages in a 12-episode first season that is expected to premiere on Syfy in April 2013. The series stars Elliot Knight in the title role, with Lost alum Naveen Andrews co-starring. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Kim Raver (Grey’s Anatomy and 24) will join the new fall drama Revolution in a recurring role. The show takes place 15 years in the future, showing the aftermath of a global blackout where the entire world lost power. There are few details on the character that Raver will play, but she will play a pivotal role. Revolution debuts on NBC on September 17. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actress Christina Ricci (Pam Am) has landed a guest starring role on The Good Wife, playing a controversial comedienne in need of the firm’s help. The Good Wife returns on September 30 on CBS. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Character actor Roger Rees (Warehouse 13, Grey’s Anatomy, The West Wing) will have a guest starring role in the new fall drama Elementary, the modern-day Sherlock Holmes drama on CBS. The only details known about the character he will play is that he is “an important figure from Holmes’ mysterious past. Elementary debuts on September 27. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives) will have a guest appearance on Scandal, playing Joan Reston, the wife of a governor. Scandal returns for a second season on September 27 on ABC. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

TV TRAILERS

Hunted (New Cinemax Series) Promo

Downton Abbey Series 3 Trailer

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

JJ Abrams and J.H. Wyman (one half of the team behind Fringe) are teaming up for a new futuristic drama at FOX that is described as an action-packed buddy cop show, set in the near future, when all LAPD officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. This is the 2nd of two robot-themed dramas on the development block, but that one is from Howard Gordon (24) and Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) over at NBC. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Looks like Wonder Woman just might make it back to TV after all. At least, The CW, Warner Bros. and DC Comics think so as they have found a new way to revive the legend of Diana of Themyscira. This time around it’s an origins story. The plan is for Allan Heinberg (Grey’s Anatomy and The O.C.) to write the script under the working title of Amazon; but unlike other failed incarnations, this version will focus on Wonder Woman as a young, budding superhero, rather than a fully formed defender of liberty. But before anyone starts freaking out or bellowing, The CW is only developing a script at this point; no pilot production has been greenlit or even contractually guaranteed. (Josef Adalian at Vulture)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Full Theatrical Trailer for The Wachowskis’ and Tykwer’s ‘Cloud Atlas’

RETROSPECTIVE TRAILER

Mischief Managed: the Harry Potter Retrospective

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

Question: I miss Hart of Dixie…spoilers please! – Helen

WWK Team: We were on set for the Halloween episode, and based on what we saw, fans are going to go crazy…for the costumes, for the love triangle drama and, well, for the costumes. We can’t reveal much right now, but we will say that someone is dressed as James Bond, with a license to be damn handsome.

Question: You haven’t given us Psych scoop in a long time. How about if I tell you that you’re pretty? Will that help? – Gordon

WWK Team: Flattery gets you everywhere! And now that we know you think we’re pretty, this Psych scoop just happen to fall into our laps. Psych is looking for a big name to play a very important guest star and possibly recurring eccentric character named Trout. The only other thing we know is that he’ll appear in the season-seven finale. We cannot wait to see who Psych picks for this role.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The final two episodes of the Canadian series Saving Hope that has been airing on NBC over the summer will not be aired on the network, but rather have been relegated to online. Once the episodes have aired in Canada, they should be available here in the States at NBC.com. The episodes were to air on September 8 & 15. (Twitter and TV Line)

Actress Amanda Schull (Center Stage and Pretty Little Liars) has landed a recurring role on Suits. She will play Katrina Bennett, a tenacious assistant district attorney; described as an ambitious go-getter, who knows how to play people’s weaknesses to get what she wants within Manhattan’s D.A.’s Office and proves to be a foil for Harvey (Gabriel Macht). Suits returns to the USA Network in January. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actors David Meunier and David Andrews – both who appeared in this past season of Justified – will both have minor roles in the new NBC drama Revolution. Meunier will play Strasser, a tough and psychotic militiaman who works for General Monroe (David Lyons) while Andrews will play O’Halloran, a kind family man and former cop. Revolution debuts on NBC on September 17. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

TV TRAILER

Downton Abbey Season 3 Preview

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has put a new martial arts drama called Downtown Dragons into development. The project will be set in the underworld of modern day Chinatown, New York, focusing on rival gangsters who must rely upon traditional fighting techniques to maintain their territories after the triad bosses bans all firearms in the area following a bloody shootout. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Kyle Killen (the creator of the short-lived shows Lone Star and Awake) has another drama in development; this time with ABC. The project is called Influence and is a provocative workplace ensemble centered on the complicated relationship between two brothers — a bipolar genius in human psychology and a slick ex-con — who head a unique agency designed to solve their clients’ problems using the real science of human motivation and manipulation. In addition to helping their clients, the agency’s staff sometimes turns their powers to pull strings on one another. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC has landed another family soap from playwright-screenwriter Kate Robin (Six Feet Under) and director-producer Jake Kasdan. The untitled drama explores what happens when a successful NYC woman suddenly disappears. The lives of her husband, daughter, siblings and parents are turned upside down as they struggle to find out what happened to her while trying to survive the investigation and media circus that considers them as potential suspects, uncovering their darkest secrets. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Graham Yost, the EP behind Justified, is developing a drama for NBC called L.A. Woman, which revolves around a female spy in 1970s Los Angeles. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Michael Fassbender is attached to star in the upcoming comedy flick called Frank that is about a young wannabe musician who discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Fassbender). (Entertainment.Ie and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Lea Michele and Martin Short in Trailer for Animated ‘Dorothy of Oz’

Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant from TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Have you heard anything new about Psych? — Ebony

ADAM: Looks like the Santa Barbara Police Department is about to get a makeover. The show is casting a new oddball (think Paul Reubens or Alan Cumming) who is brilliant at turning dysfunctional departments into top-notch law enforcement institutions. That’s bad news for Shawn and Gus, whose lack of professionalism bewilders their new overseer. Do we see unemployment in their futures?

Question: Got any intel on Covert Affairs? — Jacob

ADAM: Wanna know what’s in the file on Annie that Lena gave Arthur before she shot her and Simon? We hear that it’ll help Lena wipe her hands clean of the shooting, while simultaneously implicating Annie in some wrongdoing. “[The file] puts Annie in a bit of a gray area with the committee,” co-creator Matt Corman tells us. “The whole thing has been well-thought-out by Lena.”

Question: Now that you’ve seen the Castle premiere, what can you tell us about “the morning after”? — Brittney

ADAM: Based on Castle and Beckett’s post-coital glow and hilariously giddy morning chatter, it sounds like their (possibly kinky?) night won’t soon be forgotten. But it also won’t soon be replicated. Just when the couple seems ready for Round 2 (or Round 4, if you ask Castle), a comedy of errors will foil their plans — and force Beckett to do a bit of a walk of shame.

Question: Any scoop on Switched At Birth? – Miguel

Ausiello: Bay’s rebound boyfriend from Monday’s premiere? “He comes back!” reveals Vanessa Marano. “As we all know, Bay likes her boys. We did a count, and she has had the most boyfriends on the show — and that includes Regina, who, as we know, has had many good-looking men herself.” So will fists fly between her new guy and her other ex, Emmett? “Actually, there is a fight this season — a big fight. But not between those two characters actually — though Emmett is involved.”

Question: I’m so ready for new episodes of Haven. Do you have any scoop on what’s coming? Last we saw Nathan had a gun to Duke. I gotta know what’s coming! —April

Ausiello: The Sept. 21 season premiere overfloweth with testosterone as Nathan and Duke have at each other in a donneybrook tinged with more than a little supernatural weirdness. Luckily, heads cool in time to track down MIA Audrey, who’s been abducted by a faceless figure hungry for intel on “The Colorado Kid.” One Close Encounters of the Third Kind homage later, the hour closes with the introduction of many new questions about Audrey’s past, including one raised by a warning message she left for the world 20some years ago.

Question: I would highly appreciate any Nikita scoop. —Joseph

Ausiello: Nikita is forced to work with one of the Dirty Thirty ex-Division agents she’s hunting when a mission puts the two in Ari’s (and perhaps Amanda’s?) crosshairs.

Question: Any juicy new scoops on Once Upon a Time? The second season isn’t arriving fast enough! —Trippie

Ausiello: As a power struggle ensues in the newly magically enriched Storybrooke, Episode 2 will flash back to when the Evil Queen first met Rumplestiltskin. Also, series co-creator Adam Horowitz told Matt Mitovich that the show got Sebastian Stan back as the Mad Hatter for no fewer than three of the early batch of episodes — “and he doesn’t just show up to say, ‘Hey, I’m still here.’ He has his own story, because his daughter is still out there.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items from Labor Day and today:

TELEVISION

Actor Steven Culp (Desperate Housewives) will have a recurring role on Grey’s Anatomy this fall, playing Dr. Parker, a top dog doctor. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Well-known author Neil Gaiman will be writing another episode for Doctor Who. Let the rejoining begin, as he wrote the fantastic episode “The Doctor’s Wife” last season!! (We Got This Covered and Blastr)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

CBS has landed the Beverly Hills Cop remake that was put into development with Shawn Ryan (the man behind The Shield) at the helm. The series will center on Axel Foley’s blue-collar police officer son, Aaron, who helps take down the criminal elements of the rich and famous in Beverly Hills, while trying to escape the shadow of his larger than life father. Murphy will reprise his role as Axel in pilot and may recur if the pilot goes to series. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor William Fichtner (Prison Break) and legendary actor Donald Sutherland [among others] are set to star in Crossing Lines an action-crime drama series created by former Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero for Tandem Communications. This 10-episode series will follow the workings of a special crime unit set up by the International Criminal Court to investigate serialized crimes that cross over European borders and to hunt down criminals to bring them to justice. This marks the first series for the Munich-based Tandem, a leading producer of event mini-series like The Pillars Of The Earth. It will air on TF1 in France and on Sony Pictures TV Networks’ AXN channels across 81 countries. The series has no U.S. distribution yet, though. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Crackle, the multi-platform entertainment network, announced the production of its new original series called Chosen that will star Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), who will also executive producer alongside series creators Ben Ketai and Ryan Lewis. The series follows Ian Mitchell (Ventimiglia), a husband, father and lawyer who awakens one morning to discover a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a loaded gun – and a photo of a stranger he is instructed to kill within the next three days. This series will be comprised of six half-hour episodes that will include cast members Diedrich Bader (Napoleon Dynamite), Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass), Brett Davern (Awkward) and Katrina Law (Spartacus: Vengeance) [among others]. (The Futon Critic)

Starz has picked up a 10-episode series called The White Queen, which is an adaptation of the Phillipa Gregory series of best-selling novels (“The White Queen”, “The Red Queen” and “The Kingmaker’s Daughter”). The series will follow the thrilling story of the women caught up in the ongoing conflict for the throne. They are some of the most ruthless players in history and will stop at nothing to support their own causes and those of the ones they love. It is a stunningly rich tale of love and loss, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, vibrantly woven through the stories of three different yet equally driven women, in their quest for power as they manipulate behind the scenes of history – Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. The year is 1464 and England has been at war for nine years battling over who is the rightful King of England – it is a war between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster. The House of York’s young and devilishly handsome Edward IV (Max Irons, Red Riding Hood) is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator Lord Warwick “The Kingmaker” (James Frain, True Blood and The Tudors). But when Edward falls in love and secretly marries a beautiful young widow, the commoner Elizabeth Woodville (newcomer Rebecca Ferguson) Warwick’s plan for control over the English throne comes crashing down around him. Frustrated by the new Queen’s influence he will stop at nothing to maintain his grip on the King. The captivating and beautiful Elizabeth Woodville marries for the love of her King, with the help of her mother Jacquetta (Janet McTeer), a self proclaimed sorceress. Elizabeth’s most fierce adversary is the staunchly loyal Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort (Amanda Hale, The Crimson Petal & The White), a damaged and highly religious woman who would willingly lay down her life to see her young son Henry Tudor take the throne. And then there is Anne Neville (newcomer Faye Marsay), Lord Warwick The Kingmaker’s daughter – a pawn in her father’s battle for control; who finds her strength and ambition when she takes control of her destiny and marries the King’s younger brother Richard Duke of York (Aneurin Bernard, Spring Awakening). The White Queen will air on Starz in 2013. (The Futon Critic)

CONDOLENCES

Oscar-nominated actor Michael Clarke Duncan passed away over the weekend, two months after suffering a heart attack. He was only 54 years old. He is best known for his work in the box office film The Green Mile, but he also appeared in Daredevil and Green Lantern (among other films). He was also one of the lead stars in the short-lived, Bones spin-off called Finder. (Twitter and E! Online)

ME: Rest in Peace, Mr. Duncan. Deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box offices from this past holiday weekend courtesy of TV Guide and Box Office Mojo:

1. The Possession – 17.7 million
2. Lawless – 10 million
3. The Expendables 2 – 8.9 million
4. The Bourne Legacy – 7.3 million
5. ParaNorman – 6.6 million
6. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – 6.3 million
7. The Dark Knight Rises – 6.1 million
8. The Campaign – 5.7 million
9. 2016 Obama’s America – 5.6 million
10. Hope Spring s- 4.7 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Hot Trailer: ‘Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters’

Q&A SECTION (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Have you seen the Castle screener?— @genkichiba

Gonzalez: Yes I did! The morning-after scene is everything executive producer Andrew Marlowe promised and they bring the plot about Beckett’s mom’s murder to a big non-resolution resolution that is very clever. And you’ll see exactly what my confusing terminology means when you see the episode.

Question: Anything on Castle?? Please?— @themrslondon

Gonzalez: All the buzz about the first scene is worth it, but the last scene is also going to be a fave among the fans.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Kelly Overton (True Blood) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the new CW drama Beauty and the Beast, playing Claire, an intelligent and extremely athletic doctoral student who hits it off with medical examiner Evan (Max Brown) after they meet online. The series will debut on October 11 at 9 PM. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

Actress Gloria Votsis (White Collar) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Person of Interest. She will play Maxine Angelis, a hotshot reporter. The CBS series will be back on September 27. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Julia Ormond (Sabrina) will star in the hour-long Lifetime pilot called Witches of East End based on the Melissa de la Cruz best-selling novel of the same name that centers on the adventures of Joanna Beauchamp (Ormond) and her two adult daughters. Joanna is a sexy, warm, artistic, tough, ethereal beauty who has been concealing a shocking secret from her daughters; namely, that they are witches born and bred. Having put her magical past and powers on hold, Joanna is now living a quiet life as a small town art teacher, but in the face of a grave and immediate danger, it seems the only way out is for the trio to rediscover their skills. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC has given a script order for a terrorism drama from writer-producer Pamela Davis. The project is called Double Felix and it will revolve around a family man who after suffering from a traumatic brain injury attempts to regain his memory and discovers he may have been part of a domestic terrorist plot. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

CBS has picked up an as-yet-untitled project that will center on an FBI agent from Nebraska who single-handedly prevents a major domestic terrorist attack while on a family vacation and instantly becomes an American hero. He then takes on a new job leading a DC task force. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Liam Hemsworth, Hippies & Teresa Palmer in ‘Love & Honor’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific, holiday weekend.

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Jorge Garcia (Lost) will appear as “The Giant” on Once Upon a Time, but no other details are being released about his storyline. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Kimberly Williams- Paisley (According to Jim) will have a multi-episode arc on the new ABC drama Nashville, a “family” soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene that follows one star at her peak (Connie Britton) and one on the rise (Hayden Panettiere). Williams-Paisley will play Peggy Samper, an old flame and former co-worker of Teddy Conrad (Eric Close), husband of Rayna Jaymes (Britton). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Tessa Thompson (Veronica Mars and Copper) will have a recurring role on the new ABC thriller series 666 Park Avenue, which is about a young couple (Dave Annable and Rachael Taylor) who sign up as managers of a mysterious Manhattan building. Thompson will play Laurel Harris, a media consultant with an inside track on New York politics. She entices Henry (Annable) with her contacts, offering to open doors for him, and her presence complicates his relationship with his girlfriend (Taylor). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Laura Vandervoort (Smallville and V) will appear in at least two episodes of the Syfy series Haven, playing a highly intelligent and beautiful woman who has returned to Haven for the latest cycle of Trouble. She is driven to the brink of madness by the loss of a loved one. (Matt Mitovich and Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has bought a “light” drama that will be executive produced by country star Miranda Lambert. The project is inspired by Lambert’s experience growing up and centers on a couple who run a highly successful detective agency while also trying to raise two teenagers. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has also bought an as-yet untitled project from Howard Gordon (EP at the Showtime series Homeland) and writer Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) that is being described as a thriller soap set in a world much like ours, where human-looking robots are commonplace. After a routine homicide explodes into the first robot-on-human murder, the lead detective must solve the case and investigate a growing robot rebellion while dealing with the impact on his own fractured family. [NOTE: Does this sound anything like I, Robot? C’mon?!] (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Actress Taylor Schilling (Mercy and The Lucky One) will have the lead in the new Netflix 13-episode hour-long series called Orange Is The New Black from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. The series is based on the book by Piper Kerman and is about Piper (Schilling), an engaged Brooklynite whose decade-old relationship with a drug-runner in college results in her arrest and multi-year detention in a federal penitentiary. Lacking any real-world experience to deal with this harsh new environment, Piper immerses herself in women’s prison culture and finds acceptance, tears, laughter, and love amidst an outspoken group of inmates. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Michael Keaton will replace Hugh Laurie as the villain in the remake of the box office film RoboCop that will star Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) in the lead role. Keaton will play the CEO of the corporation that builds RoboCop. (The Wrap)

Actor Michael Douglas will portray President Ronald Reagan in Reykjavik, a political drama film that spans a three day meeting of peace talks between Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the titular Icelandic city after the nuclear fallout of Chernobyl. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire) will star in the new feature film called The First, which is about the life of Hollywood legend Mary Pickford. Pitt will play Owen Moore, Pickford’s first husband. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress Charlize Theron and producer Basil Iwanyk are teaming for a film about recently slain war journalist Marie Colvin, a well-known American war correspondent who covered conflicts in Kosovo, Chechnya, East Timor, Sri Lanka and beyond. No word yet on whether Theron will also act in the lead role in the film, though. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Shia LaBeouf Chases Robert Redford in ‘Company You Keep’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Annie Wersching (24) will join the cast of Body of Proof for a multi-episode arc, playing a nurse. Body of Proof is scheduled to return at mid-season on ABC. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC has ordered a pilot for S.H.I.E.L.D., a live-action series Joss Whedon, Marvel TV and ABC Studios. The project, of course, is based on the peacekeeping organization, which stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division that appears in both the Marvel comic book and feature film universes. Whedon will work on the brother alongside his brother Jed and sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen (who have worked on various other projects with Joss like Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Shawn Ryan (the man behind Last Resort and The Shield) and actor Eddie Murphy are shopping around a TV series version of Beverly Hills Cop, with the potential series NOT being a remake or reboot but a straight up sequel, following detective Axel Foley’s son. It is described as an hour-long crime procedural with comedic elements. Murphy is attached to reprise his role in a recurring capacity. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King have set up a drama project at Showtime called Girls With Guns which is about two Los Angeles sisters whose family moves to the one place in the world where women are drafted into the military: Israel. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) will make his directorial debut with a new film called How to Catch a Monster, starring Christina Hendricks (Mad Men). Gosling also wrote the film that is said to weave elements of fantasy noir and suspense into a modern day fairytale. It is set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city where Billy, a single mother of two, is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. (Shock Til You Drop and First Showing)

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

Question: Any hope for George and Zoe on Hart of Dixie? Love those two together! – Lizzie

Team WWK: George will start seeing someone who is not Zoe in season two, and it seems like George is pretty serious about her. Her name is Presley and she’s a tomboy with a wicked sense of humor. While she makes fun of all the Southern belles throwing themselves at the town’s golden boy at first she soon finds herself attracted to George, and, as Taylor Swift sings, sparks fly. Fans can expect to see Presley stick around Bluebell for awhile. (And Team Wade goes wild!)

Question: Any Castle scoop? Will we see Beckett’s therapist again this season?— Rachel, via Twitter

ADAM: Not right away. Beckett’s new relationship with Castle is perhaps a sign that her visits with Michael Dorn’s character last season helped. However, creator Andrew W. Marlowe isn’t ruling out the possibility of Beckett returning to the couch later in the season. “We like having that option there,” he says. “When things get even more complicated around midseason, it’s important for Beckett to have some folks to talk to, whether it’s [her therapist] or Lanie or someone else.”

Question: Anything new to report on Suits? — Lisa

ADAM: Ready to meet Rachel’s father? The show is currently casting him, a high-powered New York attorney who comes on as opposing council against Harvey in a major case. Rachel’s relationship with her dad is far from happy — a fact that Harvey will use to his advantage when he asks Rachel to sit in on depositions to distract dear old Dad.

Question: How about some scoop on Psych? — Esaul

Ausiello: How about some new details on two-hour musical episode I told you about at Comic-Con? Apparently, the plot is going to revolve around an institutionalized playwright composer, who is suspected of murdering the theater critic who was bent on trashing his show.

Question: Any chance Paige Turco’s character will return for more episodes of Person of Interest? —Carole

Ausiello: There’s a very good chance seeing as how I can confirm that Turco returns in the fifth episode of Season 2 (premiering Sept. 27). She’s not the POI that week, but helps out in a way that only Zoe can.

Question: I’m dying for some Downton Abbey scoop on Lady Sybil and Branson! —Ashley

Ausiello: The relative newlyweds are back at Downton in Season 3, which doesn’t sit well with the onetime chauffeur’s former colleagues. “When they come back from Ireland, where does he belong?” muses series creator Julian Fellowes. “It’s difficult for him because here are all these people he worked with and now they’re bending over and serving him. It’s a difficult journey he has to make.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All

Here is the news for today, albeit a few short list

TELEVISION

Actress Wendy Crewson (24 and Saving Hope) will appear in a guest starring role on Revenge when the ABC soap returns for its second season. She will play Helen, a powerful business executive who has dealings with Conrad Grayson (Henry Czerny). Revenge will be back starting on Sunday (its new night) September 30 at 9 PM (its new air time). (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actresses Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory), Teri Polo (Meet the Parents) and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) and actors Dylan Walsh (Unforgettable) and Chris Klein (American Pie franchise) [among others] are set to star in the independent comedy flick called Scribble that will be about a group of working people who want to be writers. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Elizabeth Banks and actor Morgan Freeman will provide their voices to the Warner Bros. new animated 3D film called Lego, which is about an ordinary Lego mini-figure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, who is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil Lego tyrant from gluing the universe together. Specifics on their characters are being kept under wraps, but they will join Chris Pratt and Will Arnett as part of the cast. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Thinking that it will work again, Fame just might be coming back to the small screen if Nigel Lythgoe (the guy behind American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance) has anything to say about it. It worked as a 1980 box office film and a 1982 TV series that ran for six seasons, but failed as a 1997 TV remake and a box office reboot in 2009 so who knows. This version would be a re-imagining of the original film and series, striving to embody their spirit. It would be set against the backdrop of today’s unprecedented access to the world of celebrity, exposing the gritty struggle, heartache and pain endured in the search for stardom. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Tania Raymonde (Lost) will have a multi-episode arc in the ABC Family drama Switched at Birth, playing a street artist named Zarra who becomes friends with Baby (Vanessa Marano). The series returns for the remainder of its extended-length first season on September 3. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

The Canadian sci-fi series Continuum has been renewed by Showcase for a second season, has been picked up by Syfy UK to air overseas and has been picked up by Syfy to be broadcast here in the States with an anticipated debut of sometime in early 2013. (Twitter and Showcase and Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls and The Good Wife) will make a guest appearance on the new CBS drama Elementary, playing Dr. Carrie Fox, a former colleague of Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). She will assist Joan and Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) in an investigation. Elementary is set to debut on September 27. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) will star in the A&E Psycho prequel called Bates Motel that will be a contemporary exploration of Norman Bates’ formative years, exploring his relationship with his mother, Norma (Farmiga), and will offer a look at the back story that helped forge the infamous serial killer. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE TRAILER
Watch: First Teaser for ‘The Girl’ Starring Toby Jones as Hitchcock

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Eureka) has landed a lead role in the Lifetime hour-long drama project called The Secret Lives of Wives, which will explore the unvarnished truth behind the marriages of four different women, providing an honest portrayal of the ultimate challenge every relationship faces – emotional and sexual longevity. Richardson-Whitfield will play one of the four women, Reed, who is the sultry host of a call-in radio show that caters to women’s fantasies. But her radio persona is at sad odds with her personal life, as her marriage of 17 years is on the rocks. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jason Momoa (Stargate Atlantis) will play the villain in the upcoming box office film called Wolves that centers on a young man (Lucas Till from X-Men: First Class), who transforms into a werewolf and finds himself falsely accused of murdering his parents. He goes on the run, eventually arriving at a small town named Lupine Ridge that has a history of supernatural happenings. Momoa will play the werewolf patriarch of the town. (Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter)

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

1. The Expendables 2 – 13.5 million
2. The Bourne Legacy – 9.2 million
3. ParaNorman – 8.5 million
4. The Campaign – 7.4 million
5. The Dark Knight – 7.1 million [TIE]
5. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – 7.1 million [TIE]
7. Premium Rush – 6.3 million
8. 2016 Obama’s America – 6.2 million
9. Hope Springs – 6 million
10. Hit and Run – 4.3 million

Actor Thomas Dekker (The Secret Circle and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has joined the cast of the upcoming film called Plush from director Catherine Hardwicke. The film tells the story of a young rocker (Emily Browning) who struggles to continue writing music while juggling the death of her brother and collaborator, a jealous husband, two kids, and a mysterious and infatuated guitarist. (Just Jared and Dark Horizons)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away over the weekend at the age of 82. (Deadline)

ME: Rest in Peace, Mr. Armstrong. Condolences to his family, friends and legends of fans across the globe.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

Q&A SECTION (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Any Auggie/Annie scoop?! – Shane

Gonzalez: Here’s something that might entice you: The Sept. 4 episode ends on a note you won’t see coming (it involves a betrayal and a death), and that will bring A-squared together in the following week’s episode, which is likely to go in the shipper Hall of Fame!

Question: Can I get some Alex scoop? #Nikita — Nicole

Gonzalez: When the new season begins, Alex is having what Maggie Q calls “a little bit of an identity crisis” after coming clean about her identity at the end of last season. “She can’t be as effective as a member of the team as she’d like to be because of her new-found fame,” says Maggie Q. “The downside [of her reveal] is that she is now a public figure…She’s going to struggle with that.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Robert Sean Leonard (House) and actress Gloria Reuben (ER) will both be showing up in five-episode arcs on Falling Skies when the series returns to TNT next year for its third season. Leonard will play Roger Kadar, PhD, an obsessive but gifted scientist who runs Charleston’s power grid and lives underground with his pet rats. Reuben will play Marina Perlata, an aide to Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), who has been one of the leaders from the human resistance movement against an invading alien force. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Kristin Lehman (The Killing) has been cast in the Canadian series called Motive that has been given a 13-episode order by the Canadian channel CTV. The series follows divorced single mom Angie Snow (Lehman), a feisty female Vancouver homicide detective who matches wits with killers in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Garcelle Beauvais (Franklin & Bash) will appear in an upcoming episode of Psych as a new crush for Gus. She will play Miranda, the owner of a radio station where Gus (Dule Hill) and Shawn (James Roday) go undercover as on-air personalities to solve a murder. The confident Miranda is more than forward about her feelings for Gus. But while he would normally welcome such attention, Gus has a serious girlfriend (Parminder Nagra). (Sadie Gennis at TV Guide)

Actress Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries) and Robbie Amell (Revenge and younger brother of Arrow star Steven Amell) will both have guest appearances in the same episode of Hawaii Five-0. They will play a couple who enter a fortune-teller’s lair and face devastating consequences. Hawaii Five-0 is back for a new season starting on September 24 on CBS. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actress Madchen Amick (Damages) will guest star in the new CW series Beauty and the Beast. Appearing in episode 3 of the debut season, she will play a wealthy polo-club president named Lois who owns a therapeutic horse camp. Beauty and the Beast debuts on The CW on October 11. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Angela Bassett and Ruby Dee will appear in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie called Betty and Coretta that will tell the dual stories of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Betty Shabazz as they carry on as single mothers following the assassinations of their husbands, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Bassett will play King opposite Mary J. Blige, who co-stars as Shabazz. Dee will appear onscreen as a historical witness to narrate the duo’s story as someone familiar with the events of both their lives. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has bought an hour-long romantic comedy tentatively titled Cyrano, which will be a contemporary project centering on a less-than-attractive but genius campaign strategist who returns to save the floundering gubernatorial campaign of the handsome but inarticulate Mayor whose career he helped launch. With the candidate being the photogenic, charismatic mouthpiece for the strategist’s ideas and rhetoric, the sky’s the limit — until both men fall for the same woman, a journalist covering the campaign. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC Family has just picked up two new drama pilots: one from Jennifer Lopez and one from Jane By Design producer Gavin Polone. The first is called The Fosters (from Lopez) which will be about a multi-ethnic family that compromises of a mix of foster and biological kids being raised by two moms. The other is called Socio, which centers on a charismatic sixteen-year-old alleged sociopath, who recently reconnected with his two female best friends from childhood, and who becomes the prime suspect when a fellow student is murdered. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW has given a script commitment to a new drama from Richard Hatem (co-executive producer of Supernatural) for a drama project called Wrecking Ball that is about a JFK Jr.-type brash young man from a well known political family who teams with an idealistic twenty-something girl volunteer from his failed Congressional campaign to solve underdog cases of the week. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games and Race to Witch Mountain) has landed the role of Navy SEAL Shane Patton in the film adaptation of the Marcus Luttrell book called Lone Survivor, which tells the harrowing story of how Luttrell and his Navy SEAL team members fought to stay alive after being ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005 by Taliban forces during a covert mission in the Hindu Kush mountain region, where the team went to kill a terrorist leader. Ludwig plays a soldier alongside a cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch and Eric Bana. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actress Mireille Enos (The Killing) will star in the upcoming box office film called Ten that will star Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington. She will play a member of the elite DEA team, and she is married to the character played by Worthington. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Looks like actor Hugh Laurie (House) won’t be appearing as the villain in the remake of RoboCop after all. (Variety and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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