Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actress Tina Majorino (Bones and Veronica Mars) has landed a recurring role on True Blood, which is set to return on June 10. She will play a key member of the Vampire Authority’s support staff. She will first appear in the episode set for June 24. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Australian actor Aden Young (Killer Elite) will appear in the first in-house drama series from Sundance Channel called Rectify. Young will appear as Daniel Holden, who must put his life back together after serving 19 years on Georgia’s Death Row before DNA evidence calls his conviction into question. The supporting cast includes Abigail Spencer (Mad Men) and Clayne Crawford (The Glades) [among others]. (Marisa Guthrie at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Mireille Enos (The Killing) will appear in the West Memphis Three-themed drama flick called Devil’s Knot alongside Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. She will play Vicki Hutcheson, an important witness in the case, who was a link between two of the trio. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Singer/Dancer/Actress Julianne Hough (Rock of Ages and Footloose) will star in the film adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel Safe Haven, playing a young woman with secrets struggling to rediscover love after moving to a small coastal town. Josh Duhamel will play the male lead. (Yahoo News and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Jeremy Renner in New Action-Packed ‘Bourne Legacy’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Adam Harrington (The Secret Circle) and Currie Graham (Raising the Bar) will guest star on Drop Dead Diva this season. Harrington will appear as Paul Hewitt, a charming and relentless lawyer for a grieving stepmother who’s suing for custody of her dead stepson’s cremated ashes. Paul will call a witness whose testimony may derail the entire defense for Jane and Grayson. Meanwhile, Graham will appear as Simon Grundy, a lawyer who works with Jane when Deb’s mother, Bobbi Dobkins (Sharon Lawrence), is sued for a young girl’s personal injury in Bobbi’s dance studio. Drop Dead Diva will be back on June 3. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Tim Daly will not be returning to Private Practice when the show comes back this fall for its sixth season. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) has joined the cast of the sci-fi mystery film called I’ll Follow You Down that will star Rufus Sewell (Zen) as a scientist who mysteriously disappears during a business trip, devastating his wife Marika (Anderson) and son Erol (Haley Joel Osment). Erol and his grandfather (Victor Garber) years later make a shocking discovery about the man’s whereabouts. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Question: Is NCIS getting new digs next year? — Jennifer, via Twitter

ADAM: Not really, but the cleanup of the team that will be more significant, says executive producer Gary Glasberg “There are psychological ramifications that will carry over,” he says, in particular Ducky’s heart attack. “How will that affect his character as a medical examiner and his approach to dealing with the dead? How might it change him and the way he views things?” he asks.

Question: How will Brenda handle the instatement of “The Johnson Rule” when The Closer returns? — Whitney

ADAM: Although she’s still bitter about it (wouldn’t you be angry if your boss named a rule about what not to do after you?), she actually uses the new code to her advantage: She takes a reluctant-to-speak rape victim home with her in order to keep her out of a “hostile environment.” The move also conveniently gives Brenda time to arrange a scenario in which the victim can identify her attacker. However, Brenda’s continued coloring outside the lines will have further consequences. Let’s just say Brenda’s going to have a whole new level of oversight that she’s not going to like.

Question: Will the public still have suspicions that the president is a cheater on Scandal? — Jaime

NATALIE: Despite the vice president denouncing what Billy said, there will still be people who believe that the president not only had an affair, but also had a hand in the death of Amanda Tanner. Little does Fitz know that Cyrus was behind that little act. “Every president has little stains on their record and people whispering about those conspiracy theories,” executive producer Shonda Rhimes says. “This will be part of that for Fitz’s presidency.”

Question: I am still heartbroken that Hank and Evan went their separate ways last season on Royal Pains! How far after that night will Season 4 pick up? —Heather

NATALIE: The Season 4 premiere will start, literally, the day after the Lawson brothers’ breakup, and, as fans saw in the final moments of the finale, Evan won’t waste any time replacing Hank. Opposites attract when Evan must hire two docs who could not be more different: the charismatic but too carefree Dr. Paul Van Dyke (Kyle Howard) and the brilliant yet awkward Dr. Jeremiah Sacani (Ben Shenkman). And just because he’s no longer part of HankMed proper, don’t expect Hank to put down that first aid kit anytime soon, especially when the season premiere ends with a dangerous and fiery cliff-hanger!

Question: Is Henry going to survive being shot in the Psych cliff-hanger? — Bridget

ADAM: I’d say it’s a safe bet. Actually, I’d tell you to bet the house limit because I hear an upcoming episode will involve Henry and Juliet’s stepfather Lloyd traveling to Mexico to settle one of Lloyd’s gambling debts with a notorious Mexican crime lord. (Gus, Shawn and Juliet naturally give chase when they realize the pair is “missing.”) Bonus: The episode, hilariously titled “No Country for Two Old Men,” also features Lassiter’s Mexican doppelganger!

Question: How long will this rift between Maura and Jane last on Rizzoli & Isles? — Sarah

NATALIE: They will eventually reconcile, but don’t expect it to be an easy turnaround. In fact, they’ll even have a catfight that has to be broken up by the police in the season premiere.

Question: Got any Leverage scoop? — James

ADAM: The show is picking up where Chuck left off! Well, sort of. One of Nate & Co.’s upcoming targets is the regional team leader for Buy More, a nationwide chain of stores that moves into town and quickly puts all the Mom-and-Pop shops out of business. Though they preach honest, American values, they succeed by bribing county officials and slashing prices by selling goods made in sweatshops. We don’t think the Nerd Herd would approve.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for yesterday and today:

TELEVISION

Actress Zuleikha Robinson (Rome and Lost) will have a major recurring role on the second season of Homeland. She will play a Middle Eastern woman Roya Hammad, a field journalist with a special relationship to Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) who delivers an ultimatum to Brody (Damian Lewis). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Wanda de Jesus (CSI: Miami) has been cast in a multiple-episode arc Sons Of Anarchy. She will play Carla, a smart and sexy associate of Nero (Jimmy Smits), a Latino gangbanger with an exit strategy who becomes a dangerous mentor for Jax (Charlie Hunnam). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Michael Weatherly (NCIS) is the first high-profile guest star for the new TNT series Major Crimes, which is the spinoff from The Closer. He will play Arthur “Thorn” Woodson, a charming con artist who currently works as an “intuitive life strategist” for a group of Israeli mob wives (all of whom he is bedding). Major Crimes will debut on August 13 at 10 right after the series finale of The Closer. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor James Frain (True Blood) has been cast as the brother of Captain Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz) on Grimm. He will play Eric Renard in what is being described as a recurring guest star. It seems the brothers don’t have that great of a relationship; and he is in town after a very bad creature makes its way into Portland. (David Eckstein at Zap2It)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office moves for the long holiday weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo and E! Online:

1. Men in Black 3 – $70 million
2. The Avengers – $46.9 million
3. Battleship – $13.8 million
4. The Dictator – $11.8 million
5. Chernobyl Diaries – $9.3 million
6. Dark Shadows – $9.4 million
7. What to Expect When You’re Expecting – $8.9 million
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $8.2 million
9. The Hunger Games – $2.9 million
10. Think Like a Man – $1.8 million

Actress Malin Akerman (Watchmen) will play Blondie singer Debbie Harry in the upcoming independent film called CBGB, after the iconic New York hotspot that she and her band often frequented. The film will chronicle the legendary music venue that stars Alan Rickman as Hilly Kristal, the owner of CBGB, and Rupert Grint as Cheetah Chrome, the guitarist for the Dead Boys. (Bruna Nessif at E! Online)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All

Here are the news items for yesterday and today:

TELEVISION

Actress Vanessa Ray (Suits and White Collar) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Pretty Little Liars, playing Cece, a charming blonde who works as a stylist in a hip boutique, but as it turns out, she is actually Jason’s ex-girlfriend and the person that schooled Alison in the wicked ways of the world, she taught her everything she knows. Pretty Little Liars will be back on ABC Family on June 5. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

WEB SERIES

Actor Ryan McPartlin (Chuck) will co-star in Daybreak, a six-episode web series loosely connected to Touch, the FOX drama. This web series will center on the Dodecahedron, an object that was recently introduced on the Kiefer Sutherland series. The web series will launch following the May 31 Touch finale episode. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Lifetime is developing a drama series based on Clarice Starling, the character created by novelist Thomas Harris and portrayed by Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs. The project would follow a pre-Hannibal Lecter Clarice soon after she graduates from the FBI academy. (TV Guide and TV Line)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actor Grant Bowler (True Blood) will portray Richard Burton opposite Lindsay Lohan in the Lifetime original movie Liz & Dick, the biopic about Elizabeth Taylor. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Rupert Grint (of Harry Potter fame) will appear in two upcoming films. The first is called The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman in which actor Shia LaBeouf plays a young man who falls for a woman (Evan Rachel Wood) who belongs to a dangerous crime boss (Mads Mikkelsen). Grint’s role is unknown at this point. The second is CBGB, the film about the famous New York nightclub and its effects on the underground music scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Alan Rickman leads the cast as club founder Hilly Kristal while Grint will play Cheetah Chrome, lead guitarist of short-lived ‘70s punk band The Dead Boys. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Gary Oldman will star opposite actor Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) in the remake of Robocop. Kinnaman plays Alex Murphy who is brought back from the brink of death and turned into a cyborg police officer. Oldman will play Norton, the scientist who creates Robocop and finds himself torn between the ideals of the machine trying to rediscover its humanity and the callous needs of a corporation. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Actress Nikki Reed (Twilight Saga franchise) and actors Michael Angarano (Almost Famous), Paul Ben-Victor (In Plain Sight) and Chris Diamantopoulos (The Starter Wife) have joined the cast of the film Empire State. The film is set in 1980’s and is about two friends who plan to rob an armored car company. Dwayne Johnson, Emma Roberts and Liam Hemsworth are already part of the cast. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific holiday weekend!

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Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Four actors have been ousted from the NBC musical drama Smash. The actors who are not expected to be around next season (or at the very least appear perhaps once or twice to complete their storylines) include: Raza Jaffrey, who played Karen’s philandering fiancé Dev, Jaime Cepero, who played devious assistant Ellis, Brian d’Arcy James, who played Julia’s husband Frank and Will Chase, who played Julia’s former lover Michael and is Joe DiMaggio in the musical “Bombshell”. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Seth Gabel will not be back as a series regular on the fifth and final season of Fringe; but it is possible he could make an appearance or two during the final 13 episodes. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

The First Trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ Adaptation

Watch: First Official TV Spot for Len Wiseman’s ‘Total Recall’ Remake

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actor Gabriel Byrne has been cast as Earl Haraldson in the History channel’s first scripted series called Vikings that will premiere next year. He will play a powerful figure in the historical telling of the Norsemen who raided and explored during Medieval times. Vikings will be a 10-episode drama. (Deadline)

Actor Jason Gedrick (Luck) will appear in a multi-episode arc on Dexter, which is back with new episodes starting on September 30. He will play the manager of a Miami-area gentlemen’s club that becomes linked to a high-profile murder case. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor James McAvoy and actress Jessica Chastain are to star in the dual-film project called The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby that tells the story of a New York restaurant owner and his wife, who goes back to college. The twist is the story will be played out across two feature-length movies — one from the husband’s perspective and the other from the wife’s. Each film will be stand-alone though watching them both will give better insight into their relationship. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actresses Jessica Biel and Chloe Moretz and actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan will star in the upcoming film called The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea that will be set in New Orleans and tells the story of a grieving widower (Morgan) who recently lost his wife (Biel) in a car accident. He will find refuge helping a wisecracking young girl (Moretz) fulfill her dream of building a raft and sailing across the Atlantic. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actress Rachel McAdams has joined Philip Seymour Hoffman in the film adaptation of the John le Carre novel A Most Wanted Man. The story follows a mysterious man who comes to Germany searching for a Russian fortune. Hoffman plays a German spy out to find this man’s true identity, and McAdams will be a civil rights lawyer who is caught in international espionage. (First Showing and The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Natalie Portman is expected to star and produce the upcoming film called Jane Got a Gun, which will center on a woman whose outlaw husband returns home barely alive and riddled with bullet wounds. She is forced to reach out to an ex-lover and ask if he will help defend her farm when her husband’s gang eventually tracks him down to finish the job. (Borys Kit and Pamela McClintock at The Hollywood Reporter)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

There are a number of guest stars showing up on Suits when the series returns to the USA Network for its second season next month. First, actor Scott Grimes (ER and Party of Five) will appear as Tommy Walsh, an entrepreneur with a penchant for making high-stakes gambles and succeeding, forcing Harvey to raise his game. Actor Matthew Glave (Army Wives) will appear as slick, no-nonsense attorney Alex Shelton, who puts Harvey on the defensive. And, actor Peter Outerbridge (Nikita) will play Keith Hoyt, Harvey’s good friend who lands in some trouble in Atlantic City. With Keith’s future on the line, Harvey makes a dangerous play that could either be Keith’s salvation or his ultimate demise. Suits is back with new episodes starting on June 14. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Sarah Wynter (24) will have a recurring role on the next season of Californication, playing the wife of rock star Atticus Fetch, who is being described as a combination of Bowie, Bono and Lennon rolled up into one. Fetch has been drafted to write the music for the Broadway musical A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which is based on the hit romantic comedy of the same name adapted from Hank Moody’s (David Duchovny) breakthrough novel. Wynter is set to appear in at least six episodes. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Well-known actors Ronny Cox and Fred Ward will both be guest starring on an upcoming episode of Leverage when it returns for new episodes on TNT starting on July 15. There are no details on what parts the actors will be playing, though. (Matt Mitovich and Megan Masters at TV Line)

Syfy has cancelled Sanctuary. The show started out as a web series and aired on the network for four seasons. (SciFiPulse)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb passed away over the weekend. He was 62. (E! Online)

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

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX is development a drama project from actor Tim Roth and Homeland co-executive producer Alexander Cary. The as-yet-untitled project, which would star Roth is being described as a drama about addiction, bank robbery, and an extremely volatile family dynamic. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

AWARD WINNERS

Congrats to the winners at last night’s Billboard Music Awards, including Adele, U2, Lady Antebellum, Coldplay and Foster the People [among others]. (E! Online)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Naveen Andrews (Lost) is set for the male lead in the upcoming feature called Diana where he will play Dr. Hasnat Khan, the heart surgeon who had a brief relationship with Princess Diana before her death in 1997. Actress Naomi Watts will play Diana. (The Guardian and Dark Horizons)

Actors Scott Speedman and Bill Pullman and actress Ali Larter are set to star in the film adaptation of the Barry Malzberg sci-fi novel called Beyond Apollo that deals with the first two-man mission to Venus that is aborted mid-flight and abruptly returns back to Earth. When rescue crews retrieve the space capsule, they discover The Captain is missing and the lone surviving astronaut has no clue as to what took place. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are set to star in a currently untitled buddy cop movie that will be about the tense working relationship between a high-strung FBI agent (Bullock) and an unconventional Boston cop (McCarthy) as they team to take down a Russian gangster. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Colin Firth will star as actor, director, playwright and singer Noel Coward in a new comedy drama called Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The story follows Noel’s two weeks at The Desert Inn in Las Vegas in 1955, when he performed for huge crowds. (Associated Press and Dark Horizons)

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

1. The Avengers, $55.1 million
2. Battleship, $25.4 million
3. The Dictator, $17.4 million
4. Dark Shadows, $12.8 million
5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, $10.5 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, $3.3 million
7. The Hunger Games, $3 million
8. Think Like a Man, $2.7 million
9. The Lucky One, $1.8 million
10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits, $1.5 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

The First “Skyfall” Trailer Is Online

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Dorian Missick (Southland and The Cape) will join the cast of Haven when it returns this September. He will appear in the recurring role of Tommy Bowen, a street smart, big city detective who comes to Haven investigating a suspected serial killer case. A shrewd, calculating policeman, he’s also a fish out of water, completely mismatched with this small town. (Showcase)

A&E cancelled the police drama Breakout Kings. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Harold Perrineau (Lost) will have a critical recurring role on Sons of Anarchy, playing Damon Pope, the ex-drug kingpin whose daughter was murdered by Tig in the Season 4 finale. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Morgan Freeman will join Michael Douglas and Robert De Niro in the comedy film Last Vegas that is about four old friends who decide to throw a Las Vegas bachelor party for the only one of them who has remained single. Freeman is set to play Archie Clay, an army veteran, who looks to escape the watchful eyes of his son and daughter-in-law and accompany his best friends on a trip to Vegas. (Deadline)

Actress Juno Temple has joined the cast of the live-action film Maleficent, a revisionist retelling of Sleeping Beauty starring Angelina Jolie as the title character. Temple will play one of three pixie fairies who are tasked with taking care of Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) in the cottage in the woods. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: First ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ Trailer with Bill Murray as FDR

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!

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Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actor Noah Bean has been promoted to series regular on Nikita; that means now that the show has been renewed, Ryan Fletcher will be a regular member of Team Nikita. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

CONDOLENCES

The Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, passed away this morning at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer. (TMZ and Twitter)

ME: Rest in Peace, Ms. Summer. Deepest condolences to her family, friends and fans.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Lily Rabe (American Horror Story) will play silent actress and key film industry pioneer Mary Pickford in the as-yet untitled upcoming movie based on the Eileen Whitfield biography about the film legend. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actresses Helena Bonham Carter and Kathy Bates will star in the English-language 3D project called The Young and Prodigious Spivet, which is based on the Rief Larsen novel. The story follows a 12-year-old boy (Kyle Catlett) with extraordinary skills who leaves his family in Montana and takes off on a cross-country adventure to the Smithsonian Museum to receive a prize. Callum Keith Rennie (The Killing and The Firm) has already been cast as the boy’s father. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE TRAILER

Watch: Bradley Cooper & Jeremy Irons in First Trailer for ‘The Words’

That’s it. Enjoy!

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