Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me) has joined the cast of Smash for the show’s second season, playing a new love interest for Julia (Debra Messing). The show is not expected to return to NBC until mid-season. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

FX has picked up the drama pilot The Americans for a 13-episode debut season. The series will star Keri Russell (Felicity) and Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters) in this period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington DC shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Syfy has put a drama called Clandestine into development. The project comes from actor-writer Todd Stashwick (Heroes) and artist Dennis Calero. It is being described as a swash-buckling space drama/adventure that revolves around mercenaries who masquerade as part of an Intergalactic fleet. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES NEWS

BBC Two, one of the major networks in the U.K. has hired writer-actor Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) to write a historical drama telefilm about the creation of the classic TV series Doctor Who in the 1960’s. With the shows impending 50th anniversary, this telefilm is well-timed. (Airlock Alpha and Dark Horizons)

Q&A SECTION (from TV Line)

Question: I need some Zoe and Wade scoop! What’s coming up for my favorite Hart of Dixie couple? – Erin

Answer: You may want to look away, Zoe and Wade fans, ’cause we don’t have good news for you as it looks like Zoe will be going on a date with a smart and handsome guy named Zach, who happens to be the cousin of her new friend Ruby (played by Girlfriends actress Golden Brooks). In case you weren’t sold on the smart and handsome part, Zach is on town to check in on the environmental clean-up. What a catch! However, we’re hearing Zoe might be a tad distracted on their date. (Could that distraction just happen to have washboard abs?)

Question: What’s this I hear about Nolan getting a new love interest on Revenge?! – Matt

Answer: Yes, our favorite billionaire genius is getting a love interest (a female one, by the way!), and if Gabriel Mann had his way, Nolan would have more than one. “The more, the merrier! I mean at this point, Nolan has established nothing is off limits, so I hope for a panning shot that comes from the end of the bed and strangely there are eight set of feet in there!” As for non-romance scoop when it comes to Nolan? Well, prepare to see a different side of him. “You’re going to see a little bit of a transformed, bigger, badder Nolan of sorts,” Mann teases.

Question: Got any Nikita scoop? – Adam

Answer: In episode four, which is forebodingly titled “Consequences,” we’ll meet a former Division agent who is working for Amanda and Percy. She’s cool, intimidating and an incredibly dangerous agent that Nikita should not cross paths with. But of course, she probably will, and something tells us that this new foe will be around for a lot longer than we’d like.

Question: Got anything on Grimm? – Harold

Answer: The Portland police are getting an intern! Grimm fans will meet the eager Rick in episode eight and can expect him to stick around for several episodes. Now go fetch Nick and the rest of the precinct some coffee!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (24 and FlashForward) will have a recurring role in the new fall FOX drama The Mob Doctor, which will center on a young surgeon (Jordana Spiro) who is working to pay off her debt to the Chicago Mob. Aghdashloo will play Dr. Jayana Baylor starting with the fourth episode of the new series. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Pablo Schreiber (A Gifted Man and Weeds) will show up on an upcoming episode of White Collar, playing JB Bellmiere, a brilliant and volatile avant-guarde artist who studied under a legendary New York sculptor. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

BET has picked up the hour-long pilot called Being Mary Jane that will star Gabrielle Union as a successful talk show host – Mary Jane Paul who is looking to one day become the No. 1 nightly news anchor while searing for Mr. Right. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Joss Whedon has signed on to help ABC and Marvel Television develop a live-action TV series set within the Marvel Universe (and he will direct the box office sequel to The Avengers) (Vlada Gelman at TV Line and Deadline)

Neil Cross, the creator and executive producer of the acclaimed BBC series Luther, which starred Idris Elba, is looking to create a potential mini-series centered around the character Alice who was the focal point of the first season of Luther. Alice, played by Ruth Wilson (The Prisoner) was a beguiling serial killer who went toe-to-toe with Luther in the TV series. It should be noted that there are no confirmations on this mini-series yet; but it is being reported that Elba would not be part of Alice, at least not initially. (Jon Weisman at Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is in negotiations to join the cast of the film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones the young adult fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare. He is expected to play Valentine Morgenstern, a powerful but insane Shadowhunter looking to make the world pure at any cost. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Actor Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern) will star in the upcoming box office film Queen of The Night, playing a father whose daughter went missing when she was just nine-years old, but years later some disturbing clues pop up that indicate she may still be alive, so he goes on a quest to find the now 17-year old. (First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS

Watch: First ‘Trouble with the Curve’ Trailer Starring Clint Eastwood

First Trailer for Soccer Charmer ‘Playing for Keeps’ with Gerard Butler

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

Question: Can you give me any more information about the senator Beckett will meet on Castle? — Riley

ADAM: The character, played by Heroes alum Jack Coleman, will have “compelling information” about Beckett’s mother’s murder — compelling enough that she will likely call on him throughout the season, creator Andrew W. Marlowe tells us. But Beckett may not like all the things she learns as she finally closes her mom’s case. “”It’s going to spin our characters in a different emotional direction,” Marlowe says. “Once Beckett has that knowledge, what’s she going to do with it and who is she going to become?” In other words: Closure may not exactly equal contentment.

Question: I’m so excited for Person of Interest to come back. Any spoilers you can offer? — Dana

ADAM: The new season is all about The Machine, creator Jonathan Nolan tells us. That’s fitting, given that in the Season 1 finale, Reese appeared to be communicating directly with the machine after Finch was kidnapped. “Our relationship with The Machine has been one that we haven’t questioned too much,” Nolan says. “We think we understand what it is, but the idea in the second season is to challenge those assumptions. [We want] to take that fifth character, who’s largely been a silent partner, and start [letting Reese know] how that works. ‘What is the machine, really?’ is a huge question for Season 2.”

Question: How is Callen going to get away with shooting The Chameleon on NCIS: Los Angeles? — Kyle

ADAM: Who says he is? Although the Season 4 premiere, which takes place the following day, opens with Callen walking out of jail, he will still be suspended for the duration of the investigation. And it sounds like things go from bad to worse. “The deeper we get into this story, the further Callen seems to fall,” executive producer Shane Brennan says. However, Callen’s fall may also be an act of honor. “Callen makes a choice to protect Hetty,” Brennan teases. “In doing that, Granger puts out an arrest warrant on Callen. It plays to the closeness of these two characters.”

Question: What’s the latest on the Friday Night Lights movie? —Tony

Ausiello: “I’m just doing a little tweaking to it,” reports Katims. “A million things have to come together, but we’re hoping to if everybody is on board with doing it we’re hoping to find a time for everybody’s schedule to shoot it. It’s definitely something we’re trying to make happen.” Meanwhile, the picture’s leading lady, Connie Britton, is still waiting for someone to send her said script. “I haven’t seen it yet,” the star of ABC’s upcoming Nashville tells me. “I do know that they have one and they’re all really excited about it.” My prediction: The FNL film will go into production next spring.

Question: I’m really excited for Suits‘ flashback episode this week! Got any scoop? —Nikki

Ausiello: The time-tripping hour goes back five years to when Jessica and Hardman ran the business together. “We get to understand why [Hardman] was forced to leave the firm,” previews Sarah Rafferty, who play Donna. “That definitely forwards the plot in terms of the balance of power issues that are happening at Pearson-Hardman, but it also speaks to big character issues with all the main characters.” As for Rafferty’s former secretary, we’ll get some insight into why Donna “is important to not just Harvey, but the firm — what her value is and why she’s valuable.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Phoebe Tonkin (The Secret Circle) has landed a recurring role on The Vampire Diaries where she will play Hayley, a wild friend from Tyler’s (Michael Trevino) past. She will first appear in episode three of the new season. (Watch with Kristin at E! Online)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FOX has bought The Beach, a drama based on the 1996 novel by Alex Garland and the 2000 movie directed by Danny Boyle that starred Leonardo Di Caprio. The story is about a group of young people feeling disconnected and disenchanted from society who try to start over in paradise but discover that while creating the perfect world is hard, protecting it is even harder. Andrew Miller, who wrote the original script for the now defunct CW series The Secret Circle, will write the pilot. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Oscar-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch, who wrote the theme song and score for box office film The Way We Were, passed away yesterday after a brief illness. He was 68. (TV Guide)

ME: Rest in Peace, Mr. Hamlisch. Condolences are extended to his family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It seems that actor Kevin Costner is making a bit of a comeback after the recent success of the TV mini-series Hatfields & McCoys. He has landed the co-lead in the upcoming reboot of the Jack Ryan film franchise that will now star Chris Pine (Star Trek) in the lead role. Costner will also be seen as Papa Kent in the much-anticipated Man of Steel and could be playing a dying assassin in the upcoming action thriller called Three Days to Kill. (First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Elizabeth Olsen and Josh Radnor in First ‘Liberal Arts’ Comedy Trailer

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

Question: Love me some Awkward on MTV! Got anything to share about Thursday’s episode? – Conor

Watch with Kristin: Oh, how about that it is a can’t-miss episode with some major moments between Matty and Jenna and Jake and Jenna?! Warning: you may find water falling from your eyes during the episode. Need some more? Well. Sadie commits one of her worst acts yet, horrible, horrible bridesmaid dresses are worn (with even worse hairstyles) and Ringer’s Kris Polaha swoops in to woo Jenna’s mama (he’s totally her Matty). Yes, he’s ridiculously good-looking, charming and wears a suit. You’re welcome.

Question: I’m obsessed with Scandal! Anything you can tell me about season two? – Diana

Watch with Kristin: Funny you should ask, because that’s the exact question we had for star Columbus Short, who tells us he’s looking forward to meeting “Harrison’s love interest.” Finally! But is it someone we know? “Maybe,” he teases. Aside from some much-needed romance, Short tells us, “[Harrison] is up to some business this year. It’s going to be fun. I’m excited as an actor to play it.”

Question: You’ve been lacking on the Supernatural scoop! Make it up to us, please? – Melissa

Watch with Kristin: While Misha Collins is set to appear in “a minimum of eight” episodes, per CW president Mark Pedowitz, it seems like fans will only be seeing him (at least in the beginning of the season) in flashbacks to purgatory. “You’re certainly going to see more of him in terms of understanding what happened in purgatory, and that’s as far as we’re going, because it’s fairly significant what happened in purgatory,” new showrunner Jeremy Carver teases of Castiel’s role in season eight. As for Dean’s mental state post-purgatory and if it will at all resemble his post-hell experience in season four? “Purgatory has a very different effect—and different types of beings that are down there,” Carver tells us. “Just because he’s driven and he’s very into hunting, it doesn’t mean all is well.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actor Michael Raymond-James (True Blood and the short-lived Terriers) is joining the cast of the second season of Once Upon a Time, but it would seem his role is being kept under wraps right now. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Josh Stewart, who has a role in The Dark Knight Rises and appeared in the short-lived No Ordinary Family will be showing up on an episode of Grimm. He will play Bill, a middle-class guy who moonlights as a Badger-esque creature called a Drang-Zorn. He will show up in episode 7 of the second season. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Odette Annable (House) has landed a a multi-episode arc on Banshee, the upcoming new drama to air on Cinemax. Banshee centers on Lucas (Anthony Starr), an ex-convict and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Penn, and continues to carry out his criminal activities even as shadowy gangsters hunt him. Annable will play a beautiful Native American assassin with a murky past. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

The six-episode Canadian series Bomb Girls will debut on ReelzChannel starting on September 11 at 10 PM. The series is a period drama about a group of women who risk their lives in a munitions factory in support of the European front during World War II that stars Jodi Balfour, Meg Tilly, Peter Outerbridge (Nikita) and Sebastian Pigott (Being Erica). (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

1. The Dark Knight Rises, $36.4 million
2. Total Recall, $26 million
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, $14.7 million
4. Ice Age: Contiental Drift, $8.4 million
5. The Watch, $6.4 million
6. Ted, $5.5 million
7. Step Up Revolution, $5.3 million
8. The Amazing Spider-Man, $4.3 million
9. Brave, $2.9 million
10. Magic Mike, $1.4 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Anna Chlumsky (Veep), Broadway actor Raul Esparza and TV vet Roger Bart (Revenge and Political Animals) will all appear in the same upcoming episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the fall. Chlumsky will play the author of a best-selling erotic novel (think “50 Shades of Grey”) who accuses a high-profile talk show host (Bart) of a brutal rape. However, the SVU squad gets suspicious when they discover her account of the rape mimics the chapters in her book. The squad, along with the DA’s office (Esparza), also struggles to keep the case from turning into a media frenzy. The long-running series will be back on NBC on September 26. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actor turned director Peter Horton (thirtysomething) will appear in an upcoming episode of CSI: NY this October, playing a California-based FBI agent who once dated Jo (Sela Ward). While visiting New York, his character will reconnect with Jo and help her and Mac (Gary Sinise) with a case that concludes in the City by the Bay. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Irish actor Colin O’Donoghue (The Tudors and The Rite) will appear in the potentially recurring role of Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time. He will first appear in the fourth episode of the new season that is set to start on September 30 on ABC. (TV Overmind)

Actress Annie Parisse (Person of Interest) has joined the cast of the FOX mid-season drama The Following that will star Kevin Bacon as ex-FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who leads the search to catch diabolical serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) who has created a cult of serial killers. Parisse will play Debra Parker, an FBI specialist brought in to lead the investigation of Joe Carroll and his followers. She succeeds actress Jeananne Goossen (Alcatraz) in the pilot as the role has been reworked and recast. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Syfy has been busy this week, finalizing a deal with filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and TV producer Marti Noxon (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer) and handing out a pilot order to Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) and veteran producer Robert Halmi, Sr. The first project: Proof (Shyamalan and Noxon) which will follow what happens to the son of a billionaire tech genius after the tragic accident that causes the death of his parents, offering a large reward for anyone who can find proof of life after death. Meanwhile, the Halmi-Fuller project is an adaptation of the John Christopher cult 1969 young adult sci-fi novel The Lotus Caves that will be called High Moon. The story behind this pilot is a future where the countries of Earth have established colonies to mine the Moon’s resources. When a new life form is discovered, chaos erupts as various factions race to uncover and exploit its powerful secrets. (The Futon Critic and Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Diane Kruger (National Treasure) will play Sarah Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s step-mother in the next film about the 16th US President called The Green Blade Rises. This version tells the story of America’s greatest hero, the hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women who guided him to immortality. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress Octavia Spencer (The Help) has joined the cast of the romantic comedy called Baggage Claim that will star Paula Patton as a flight attendant who is the oldest unmarried gal in her family, who sets her sights on finding a groom before her sister gets hitched in 30 days. (Vulture and Dark Horizons)

Actor Jason Clarke (Lawless and The Chicago Code) has joined the cast of the upcoming thriller called White House Down. He will play Stenz, the leader of the mercenaries who break into the Executive Mansion. Among the cast are Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx and Maggie Gyllenhaal. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Director Shana Faete (who directed last year’s Country Strong) is in talks to direct a remake the classic 80’s film Endless Love, which was based on the novel of the same name by Scott Spencer that made Brooke Shields a star. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Caroline Dhavernas (Wonderfalls and Off the Map) has joined the cast of the upcoming NBC thriller series Hannibal based on the legendary character Hannibal Lechter from the Thomas Harris novels. She will play Dr. Alana “Al” Bloom, a psychiatric protégé of Hannibal Lecter’s who teaches psychology at Georgetown University and is consulting with the FBI on criminal profiling when she introduces her mentor Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne). Hannibal is slated to air mid-season and is executive produced by Bryan Fuller, who created Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line)

Actor Elyes Gabel (Game of Thrones) has joined one of the new roles on Body of Proof. He will play Det. Adam Schaeffer, a newly minted detective and partner to Det. Tommy Sullivan (newly announced series regular Mark Valley of Human Target fame). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jay Hernandez (Six Degrees) has joined the cast of this fall’s new ABC drama Last Resort. He will appear as Paul Wells, a handsome and seemingly nice-guy charmer who tests the loyalty of Scott Speedman’s character’s estranged wife in the series (to be played by Jessy Schram from Falling Skies). Hernandez will appear in an 8-episode arc. Last Resort will debut on September 27. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

TV TRAILER

New “Doctor Who” Promo Art, Trailer

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) will play the villain role of Malekith in the Thor sequel. Malekith is a super-villain in the Marvel Universe, who is the ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim. In the comics, he clashed mightily with Thor, and will go up against the hammer-wielding son of Odin in the film. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress-Director Drew Barrymore will direct the end-of-the-world drama called The End. It is being reported that the film will focus on only a few people and have an uplifting and humanistic tone as this group reconciles their fate on Earth’s last day. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actress Keira Knightley is the front runner, while Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) and Evangeline Lily (Lost) are in the mix for the role of Cathy Muller, the future wife-to-be of Jack Ryan in the upcoming reboot of the Jack Ryan character this time to be played by Chris Pine (Star Trek). (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actor Cillian Murphy (The Dark Knight and Inception) will star in the six-part BBC drama called Peaky Blinders. He will star as Tommy, the most ruthless brother in a family of gangsters. The mini-series will be set in 1919 Birmingham where Tommy’s family rules the lawless post-war slum neighborhoods as returning soldiers, revolutionaries and criminals fight for survival. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Ruben Santiago Hudson (Castle) and Athena Karkanis (Lost Girl) have been cast in the AMC drama pilot called Low Winter Sun, which is based on the 2006 British mini-series. The project is a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption that starts with the murder of a cop by fellow Detroit detective Frank Agnew (Mark Strong). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

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

Heather: Revenge scoop, please?!

Watch with Kristin: Another crime is about to go down in the Hamptons, (Shocking, we know.) The ABC hit is currently casting a detective—a gruff one, who is looking into a recent missing persons case, and an anchor, who is reporting on a tragic crime. It also seems like we’ll be seeing more of Nolan’s professional life this season as we’ll be meeting a funky and cool tech genius. But wait, who goes missing?!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Shiri Appleby, best known for her work on the cult favorite TV series Roswell, will have an arc on the second season of the HBO comedy Girls, playing Natalie, a new love interest for Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) lover Adam Driver (Adam Sackler), who broke up with Hannah in the first season finale. Natalie is described as a beautiful and charming New Yorker who adores Adam despite his wild sexual tendencies. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Ben Feldman (who got an Emmy nom for his work on Mad Men) will be returning to his role of guardian angel Fred on Drop Dead Diva season finale set for September 9. The official description for that episode is: “Viewers get a look into what Fred’s been up to since he left Earth. Now we find him back in Heaven in his old position of processing the new arrivals and naive Fred finds himself in a predicament similar to the one that brought him to Earth in the first place”. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights) will be joining the cast of Parenthood for a major recurring role. He will play a returning soldier from Afghanistan who bonds with fellow war vet Zeek (Craig T. Nelson). (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Aisha Hinds (187 Detroit) will have a six-episode recurring role on the mid-season mystery/thriller drama series Cult that will air on The CW (she is featured in the pilot). She will play Roselyn Sakelik, a celebrated LAPD homicide detective, who is very different, and far more dangerous, than anyone first thinks she is. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Gary Dourdan (CSI) will have a recurring role in the ABC soap Mistresses – that is set to debut in May. The new series is about four women, April (Rochelle Aytes), Josslyn (Jes Macallan), Katie (Yunjin Kim) and Josslyn’s older sister Sarah (Alyssa Milano). He will play a detective who will cause trouble for Karen and Elizabeth Grey (Penelope Ann Miller). Actor Matt Del Negro (Rizzoli & Isles) will also recur as a co-worker of Karen’s who has a crush on her. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Twilight star Jackson Rathbone will appear in an upcoming episode of White Collar, playing Nate Osbourne, a volatile ex-con who will steal anything for the love of his life. He is one half of a Bonnie and Clyde duo who break out of jail and into the middle of an event where Neal (Matt Bomer) and Sara (Hilarie Burton) are present. Actress Jessica McNamee (The Vow) will plays Penny, his better half. (Huff Post TV)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

BBC America will co-produce BBC One’s remake of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel The Musketeers. The new drama will be written by Adrian Hodges (My Week With Marilyn) and will retain the 17th-century setting. There will be 10 one-hour episodes set for 2014. Among Hodges’ other credits are the TV shows Survivors and Primeval. (Tim Molloy at The Wrap)

Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner, the executive producers on House, are working with FOX on a new potential drama that will take place on a naval aircraft carrier. (Lacey Rose at The Hollywood Reporter)

CONDOLENCES

Prolific author Gore Vidal truly passed away yesterday due to complications of pneumonia. He was 86. (The LA Times and E! Online)

ME: Rest in Peace, Mr. Vidal. Condolences to his family, friends and his worldwide readers.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Writer Laura Harrington (The American) will adapt the fantasy-adventure novel Quicksilver by Sam Osman for the big screen. The story recounts the tale of three disparate middle school students who are confronted by the truth of their bloodlines and their prophesied role as humanity’s only defense against an alien occupation force. They must figure out who in their dreary English village is an alien foe and who may be a secret ally. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Margo Martindale (Justified) has joined the cast of the upcoming film called August: Osage County. She will play Mattie Fae Aiken, the wife of Charles Aiken (to be played by Chris Cooper) and sister to Violet Weston (to be played by Meryl Streep). Julia Roberts will play Violet’s daughter Barbara; Abigail Breslin as Barbara’s daughter and Juliette Lewis. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Laura Innes (ER) will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of Warehouse 13 in September, playing the estranged mom of Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore). (The Futon Critic)

Actor Tim Griffin (Prime Suspect) has landed a recurring role on Covert Affairs, playing Seth Newman, a former field operative-turned-lawyer who will work for the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General and who has a history with Joan Campbell (Kari Matchett). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Derek Webster (Harry’s Law) has joined the cast of this fall’s new NBC drama Revolution on a recurring basis. He will play Nicholas, a strong rebel leader who faces off against Miles (Billy Burke). The series will debut on NBC on September 17 at 10 PM. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

CONDOLENCES

Best-selling Irish author Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland’s most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, has passed away after a brief illness. She was 72 years old. (Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Lifetime has ordered the scripted pilot HR (the current working title) for 2013. The pilot will follow what happens after a head injury alters the outlook on life of the uptight Director of Human Resources for a global company, who throws standard corporate practices out the window and inspires the business to strive for new ambitions and profits. Her newly liberated managerial style and untraditional female point-of-view in a predominately male company is a welcome relief to some, while others see it as a threat to their power and position within the corporate structure — testing the workplace relationships inside and out of this seemingly traditional office. This pilot joins the recently announced pilot orders for Cinnamon Girl, The Secret Lives of Wives (also the working title) and Witches of East End. (The Futon Critic)

Noah Hawley (who created the short-lived dramas The Unusuals and My Generation) is back at ABC for a new hour-long project that will be produced by Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci. The only details on the project are that it will be a high-script drama revolving around a mysterious game. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Oscar nominee Demian Bichir (A Better Life”) has joined the buddy cop comedy called The Heat that will star Sandra Bullock as an uptight FBI agent who joins with Melissa McCarthy, who plays a tough Boston cop to take down a drug lord, but first have to overcome their mutual distrust and learn to work together. Bichir will play an FBI agent. (Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

The New “Skyfall” Trailer(s) Arrives

Official Trailer for The Big Wedding

Q&A SECTION (with Watch with Kristin at E! Online and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Desperate for Homeland scoop! – Rory

Watch with Kristin: We share your feelings of desperation, so bless Morena Baccarin, who was kind enough to give us some season-two info to tide us over until Homeland returns. “It starts off in a very different place,” she says. “Jessica has been excited by Brody’s political career and she’s finding a little bit of her own ambition in that and finding a purpose. Also, the life of the family is torn apart a little bit by his inability to be upfront with her about what’s really going on with him.”

Question: Do you have any more news on Castle? —Kaitlyn

Ausiello: In the category of “fun” episodes on tap for Season 5, series boss Andrew Marlowe is hoping to have the team investigate a murder at a sci-fi convention — “That should be fun, given Nathan [Fillion]’s background and how much of a rock star he is at Comic-Con” — and maybe do a riff on The Office. “We’re thinking about an episode that’s shot documentary-style, where we get one-on-one confessionals with the camera and get to know what people really think about certain things.”

Question: Any Supernatural scoop about the Dean-Castiel dynamic? —Joyce

Ausiello: “That is something that we explore heavily throughout the season through some pretty extensive flashbacks into purgatory,” reveals new show runner Jeremy Carver. “People are always referring to purgatory as hell, and purgatory is not hell. Purgatory is a really brutal, free-wheeling place, but it has different effects on different people. It will have a different effect on Cas and Dean as you already started to see [in the Season 7 finale]. But I will say what you think you saw might not be exactly what you saw.”

Question: What’s this I’m hearing about a big Vampire Diaries death? Any hints about the victim?—Clay

Ausiello: Stop asking yourself who dies and start asking yourself who does the killing. That’s what people will be talking about the following morning.

Question: I’ll take any Vampire Diaries spoiler you’ve got. I’m not picky. —Daniel

Ausiello: A flashback in this season’s fourth episode unearths a “big secret that will change the course of the season for everybody,” teases EP Julie Plec.

Question: NCIS spoilers, please! —Missy

Ausiello: I’ve got some info on three guest-star roles that’ll show up the CBS procedural during the upcoming season. The eccentric Dr. Blackwell is a big-deal space geologist who weighs in on some mysterious material the feds bring him, and Ellie is an upper-middle-class lady who blames herself for her father’s death a decade ago and is shocked when new information tells a different story. But wait, I saved the best for last: The show’s looking for a 50-ish male to play an aging one-hit wonder from the late 1970s who blew his earnings in the ’80s and has been skirting creditors ever since – and if it works out, an actual rock star from that era will get the part.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The Big C will end on Showtime next season with four one-hour episodes. (The Wrap and Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Mark Valley (Human Target) is set to join Body of Proof as Det. Tommy Sullivan, a former NYPD detective who has transferred to Philadelphia to try to rekindle his relationship with Megan Hunt (Dana Delany). They broke up twenty years ago because he cheated on her. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor John Pyper-Ferguson (Alphas and Caprica) will guest star on Grimm, playing Hayden Walker, a man who is mourning his deceased sister and wants to exact justice from Jarold (actor Mark Pellegrino) for disgracing his family name. Grimm will be back on Monday, August 13 at 10 PM before returning to its regular timeslot on Friday, September 21 at 9 PM. (Hanh Nguyen at TV Guide)

Actress Abbie Cobb (Suburgatory) will have a potentially recurring role on NCIS: Los Angeles, playing Astrid, who will form some kind of relationship with Kensi (Daniela Ruah); but details on the relationship has not been revealed. The series will return to CBS on September 2. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

The CW announced that they will air an edited version of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on October 9 at 9 PM. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TELEVISION TRAILER

Merlin Season Five Trailer

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Joe Taslim has joined the cast of Fast and Furious 6. The story behind this film involves the crew heading to Europe for a heist job, but this time there is a rival crew already staking the payload. Taslim will play the villain Jah, a cold-blooded killer who uses his martial arts and parkour skills against the characters played by Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez are also returning with MMA fighter Gina Carano (Haywire) and Welsh hunk Luke Evans (The Hobbit) joining the cast. The film is slated to be released on May 24, 2013. (The Daily Mail, Variety and Dark Horizons)

Here is a list of the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of E! Online:

1. The Dark Knight Rises, $64 million
2. Ice Age: Continental Drift, $13.3 million
3. The Watch, $13 million
4. Step Up Revolution, $11.8 million
5. Ted, $7.4 million
6. The Amazing Spider-Man, $6.8 million
7. Brave, $4.2 million
8. Magic Mike, $2.6 million
9. Savages, $1.8 million
10. Moonrise Kingdom, $1.4 million

Actor Nelsan Ellis (True Blood) will play Martin Luther King, Jr. in the upcoming film called The Butler. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress Rachel Nichols (Continuum) will appear alongside Justin Long in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Ten O’Clock People that follows a man who tries to give up smoking and suddenly has the ability to see that some people are actually inhuman monsters. Nichols will play a member of the titular group who take their name from the smoke breaks they used to take at 10:00am every morning. Thanks to a strange chemical imbalance in their bodies due to quitting, Nichols, Long, and the other members of the group are the only ones who can see the truth: that many high ranking officials in the government are monsters. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

A third Hobbit movie will be made per an announcement by Peter Jackson with the first film – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – slated to be on the big screen on December 14 of this year, the second film – The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13 of next year and the final film – that is as yet untitled to be out in the summer of 2014. (First Showing)

Actor Aidan Turner (Being Human and the upcoming The Hobbit) and actress CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13) have been cast in the upcoming adaptation of the Cassandra Clare book series The Mortal Instruments that tells the story of a seemingly ordinary teenage girl, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), who learns the truth about her past and bloodline as a demon hunter. Turner will play Luke, Clary’s surrogate father figure and Pounder will play Madame Dorothea, Clary’s neighbor, who happens to be a witch. (Cassandra Clare, Author of Mortal Instruments book series)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has placed an order for a new drama series pilot called The Bridge that is based on an Scandinavian hit series called Bron. This version will center on two detectives from the United States and Mexico who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the border after a dead body is found on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez. (The Futon Critic)

AMC is developing a potential drama series called Area 51 that is based on the best-selling bock by Annie Jacobson. The non-fiction book is billed as an oral history of the infamous military installation. (NY Post and The Futon Critic)
It looks like Marvel and ABC might be working together on a TV adaptation of The Avengers movie; but details have not been worked out yet. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Showtime has put a new period drama – that is a passion project of Ron Howard – into development. The project is called Conquest and will tell the story of famed Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes, who led the Spanish conquest in Mexico, and his clash with Moctezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztec Empire which fell at the hands of Cortes and his men. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Hart Hanson, the series creator of Bones) will be working on a new hour-long project for CBS based on the work of real-life crime expert, Leif G.W. Persson, the Swedish criminologist and novelist. His book series known as Backstrom centers on Evert Backstrom, an overweight, offensive, irascible detective as he tries and fails to change his self-destructive behavior. Hanson will write the script and executive producer the project. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jay Karnes (Sons of Anarchy and Burn Notice) will have a recurring role in the fall ABC drama Last Resort that is about the crew of a nuclear submarine who defy a dubious command to start World War III. Details on his role have not been revealed yet. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

MADE-FOR-TV NEWS

Three new four-hour mini-series have begun principal photography. They include the following per The Futon Critic:

Ring of Fire focuses on what happens when an oil rig causes a volcanic eruption in a small town, triggering the Ring of Fire that stretches across the globe. If these cataclysmic series of eruptions cannot be stopped, the earth will be swallowed whole, leading to an extinction level event. The cast includes Michael Vartan (Alias), Lauren Lee Smith (CSI), Terry O’Quinn (Lost) and Agam Darshi (Sanctuary).

Eve of Destruction stars Steven Weber (Wings), Christina Cox (Blood Ties) and Treat Williams (Everwood) in a story about two scientists, who attempt to discover unlimited energy. But their experiment is hijacked and sabotaged by eco-terrorists. The result is a dark energy black hole that could destroy the planet.

Delete imagines a disaster in our all-too-fragile digital world where the web becomes dangerously self-aware with one systematic purpose – to destroy mankind. Faced with possible extinction, there is only one way out – create a second artificial intelligence, just as alive, just as intelligent and just as dangerous. The cast includes Keir Gilchrist (United States of Tara), Matt Frewer (Eureka), Janet Kidder (The Killing), Erin Karpluk (Being Erica), Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) and Ryan Robbins (Sanctuary).

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Carrie Preston (True Blood) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Royal Pains, playing Jackie Van Ark, a successful romance novelist who brings her college-bound daughter to HankMed to treat her for mysterious symptoms. The twist? While easygoing Jackie couldn’t seem more different from her high-strung spawn, it turns out they have more in common than they thought. This episode is expected to air on September 5. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Ivan Sergei (Crossing Jordan and Charmed) will have a recurring role on The Mentalist, playing FBI Agent Gabe Mancini, a tough, handsome agent who comes off as hotheaded at times, but overall is a good guy. The Mentalist returns for its new season starting on September 30. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Laurence Fishburne will indeed be joining the cast of the NBC mid-season series Hannibal, based on the legendary character Hannibal Lechter created by author Thomas Harris. Fishburne will play recurring character FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit leader Jack Crawford. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Gregg Henry (Hung) and Jillian Armenante (Judging Amy) have booked recurring roles on the ABC drama Scandal. Henry will play Jackson, an older, big money Southern guy who is smart and warm unless you cross him while Armenante will play the role of Lucas which was originally written male. Lucas is described as smart, well spoken and brash. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

English actor Ian Hart (the short-lived TV series Luck) will co-star opposite actress Thandie Newton in the Direct TV drama series called Rogue that centers on an undercover cop (Newton) who goes after a crime lord (Marton Csokas) after her young son is killed in a drive-by shooting. Hart will play an Oakland Police Department detective who works with Newton. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Wes Brown (Private Practice and Hart of Dixie) will replace actor Neil Jackson (Make It or Break It) in the new mid-season drama Infamous, playing womanizing bad boy Julian. Infamous is an opulent soap in which a female detective (actress Meaghan Good) returns undercover to the wealthy family she grew up in – as the maid’s daughter – to solve the murder of the notorious heiress who was once her closest friend. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

AMC has decided not to renew their drama The Killing for a third season. (Deadline)

Actor Chad Lindberg (Supernatural) has landed a guest starring role in an upcoming episode of Castle. He will play Marco Massetti, a career criminal who runs afoul of Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) after they discover their murder victim may have been involved with one of Massetti’s jobs. Castle will be back starting on September 24. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Actress Franka Potente (Run Lola Run and the Bourne franchise) will appear in a two-episode arc on American Horror Story, playing a mysterious patient of the facility for which the second season will be based. The FX series will be back in October. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Mark Strong will star in the AMC drama pilot called Low Winter Sun, which is a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

USA Network has put a new drama by Psych creator Steve Franks into the works. He will supervise writers Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett (Terra Nova) who will write and co-executive produce the drama about a brother and sister who take over the family’s successful investment firm after the untimely death of their parents, only to discover that the business isn’t quite what it seems. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW is in preliminary talks to possibly remake the cult 2000 Japanese hit called Battle Royale based on the novel by Koushun Takami. The film was set in a totalitarian state where a class of 42 ninth-grade students are forced to kill each other until only one is left in a battle for survival. The CW was already developing another young adult dystopian series with a similar premise called The Selection, a project that went to a pilot but was not picked up. Said project has been put back in development and will likely be scrapped if this possible remake moves forward. (The LA Times and Dark Horizons)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary Latino actress Lupe Ontiveros, who appeared in the film Selena and was Carlos’s mom on Desperate Housewives passed away from liver cancer. She was 69. (CNN and E! Online)

ME: Rest in Peace, Ms. Ontiveros. Condolences are extended to her family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Kevin Zegers has joined the cast of the film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones based on the book series by Cassandra Clare. Lily Collins will play Clary Fray, a young woman living in New York City, who discovers she comes from a long line of demon hunters. Jamie Campbell Bower plays her love interest Jace while Zegers will portray Alec Lightwood, the gay brother of Isabelle, who has unreciprocated love for Jace. Among other cast members are Kevin Durand, Lena Headey and Jared Harris also star. (Just Jared and Dark Horizons)

Actor Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) and Kevin Durand (Lost) will play police officers in the independent film called Fruitvale, which is based on a true-life police shooting. Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Lights) will play a young Bay Area resident who was detained and killed by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) cops in Oakland on New Year’s Eve in 2008. The event was captured on camera, and the ensuing trial and its verdict spurred protests and riots. Other cast members include Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer and Tristan Wilds also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!

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