Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

First of all the sad news that hit the airwaves over the weekend was the sudden and tragic passing of legendary singer-actress Whitney Houston topped off with the Grammy Awards airing Sunday night to its second highest audience in, well, a VERY long time much in part to the quickly planned tribute to Houston. I want to extend deepest condolences to Whitney’s family, her fans and her fans – Rest in Peace, Ms. Houston.

Sadly, within the same breath, I have to say congratulations to all of the Grammy Award winners, including Adele, The Foo Fighters, Bon Iver, Lady Antebellum, Tony Bennett and Corinne Baily Rae.

And now, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) will make a guest appearance this spring on the FOX series Fringe, playing an FBI agent assigned to a Fringe case, but it is unclear if this is the same role as that of an “Alternate Universe Agent” that possesses strength and confidence as well as strong comic timing that was rumored to be coming up in a future episode. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Lights) has joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot County from show runner Jason Katims. The medical drama also stars Jason Ritter (The Event and Parenthood) and chronicles the lives of a group of young doctors, nurses, and administrators in a troubled LA County Hospital. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor James Wolk (the short-lived Lone Star) has joined the six-episode USA Network drama series Political Animals from show runner Greg Berlanti. The pilot is based in DC, is slated to premiere this summer and focus on a fictional former first family in the throes of a crisis. Wolk will play one of her sons, who also serves as her chief of staff. (Deadline and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Ving Rhames will star opposite Alfred Molina in the TNT/David E. Kelley medical drama pilot Chelsea General, which is based on CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta’s upcoming novel Monday Mornings. The pilot follows the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings. Rhames will play a physically imposing former professional football player who now is the most celebrated trauma chief in the country. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Sarah Bolger, Blythe Danner and Madeline Zima are the first actors attached to the ABC period drama The Gilded Lilys from show runner Shonda Rhimes. The project is set in 1895 and focuses on the family who owns New York’s first true luxury hotel, the staff who work there and the people who pass through. Bolger will play the newly rebellious Violet Langton Lily with Zima as her personal maid, Abigail Perkins. Danner is set as Caroline Naughton Lily, a ruthless but wickedly funny matriarch widow. (The Futon Critic and Deadline)

Actor Ryan Phillippe has joined the cast of the previously known CBS drama pilot called Golden Boy from show runner Greg Berlanti that will track one cop’s meteoric rise from officer to detective to police commissioner. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Saoirse Ronan is in final talks to star in the next Snow White box office film called Order of Seven that was originally developed as a Kung Fu retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But now the film has been reworked as a standalone action adventure that’s cut all ties to the classic tale. Ronan would play Olivia Sinclair, a British expat in 19th century Hong Kong, who seeks the protection of a centuries old group of warriors, now a jaded group of outlaws. After the re-emergence of an ancient evil empress, Sinclair helps the warriors reclaim their destiny and noble roots. (Marc Graser at Variety)

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

1. The Vow, $41.7 million
2. Safe House, $39.3 million
3. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, $27.6 million
4. Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace, $23 million
5. Chronicle, $12.3 million
6. The Woman in Black, $10.3 million
7. The Grey, $5.1 million
8. Big Miracle, $3.9 million
9. The Descendants, $3.5 million
10. Underworld Awakening, $2.5 million

Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) has signed on to co-star in the box office movie Oblivion alongside Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko. The picture is set in a future where the Earth surface has been rendered uninhabitable, with most humans living above the clouds. Back on earth, those who remain have to deal with brutal alien Scavengers that stalk the ruins. But when a surface drone repairman (Cruise) discovers a mysterious woman in a crash-landed pod, it sets off an unstoppable chain of events that will force him to question everything he knows. Coster-Waldau will play Sykes, a battle-hardened, physically imposing, intelligent and extremely athletic military technology and weapons expert. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Teaser Trailer for ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ Arrives

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actors David Marciano and Navid Negahban have been promoted to series regulars on the Showtime drama Homeland for the series’ second season. As viewers will recall, Marciano played Virgil, Carrie’s “right-hand snoop” and Negahban played the renowned terrorist Abu Nazir. Homeland is expected to be back in the fall. (Matt Mitovich and Michael Maloney at TV Line)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Legendary actors Christopher Plummer and Frank Langella have signed on the upcoming HBO project Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight. Plummer will play Supreme Court Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan II, and Langella will take on the role of Chief Justice Warren Berger. An actor has yet to be named to play Ali himself, though. (Lanford Beard at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Bridget Regan (Legend of the Seeker), actor Ethan Embry (That Thing You Do!) [among others] have joined the cast of the NBC Western pilot called The Frontier that will chronicle the journey of a group of disparate travelers from Missouri to the West Coast in 1840. Regan will play Hannah, who is traveling with her husband but becomes close with one of the other travelers while Embry will play DJ Jackson, who pretends to be married to Payton, but is secretly gay. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actors Jon Voight and Elliot Gould have joined the Showtime drama pilot called Ray Donovan that will star Liev Schreiber in the title role. Voight will play Ray’s father Mickey Donovan, a newly freed ex-convict who heads to Los Angeles with suspicious intentions to reconnect with his estranged family. While Gould will appear as a recurring guest star named Ezra Goodman, a senior partner at a law firm who is Ray’s mentor and confidante, yet is showing signs of dementia. (The Futon Critic)

Young actor Max Thieriot (The Pacifier) has landed the lead role in the as-yet titled Roland Emmerich drama pilot for ABC. The pilot centers on Carter (Thieriot), an astrophysics grad student in NYC who learns that he is the chosen one to destroy the forces of evil. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Autumn Reeser (No Ordinary Family and The O.C.) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Last Resort that will star Andre Braugher. The pilot centers on the crew of the U.S.S. Nevada, a nuclear submarine, who, after disobeying a suspicious order, become fugitives. They land on the island of Sainte Marina, where they take over the NATO Listening Station and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation. Reeser will play Kylie, a charming lobbyist for her family’s weapons manufacturing company. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Kevin Alejandro (True Blood and Southland) has been cast in the as-yet titled Greg Berlanti drama pilot formerly known as Golden Boy that will chronicle a cop’s meteoric rise from officer to detective and eventually police commissioner. Alejandro will play the top detective in the squad who is disturbed by the new guy’s arrival and plots to derail his career. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC is temporarily shelving their remake of the Munsters pilot – now titled Mocking Bird Lane – to June effectively removing it from this fall’s TV line-up; but that doesn’t mean it’s dead – just delayed. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Syfy is developing a series version of the box office film Legion, which chronicled human race’s battle for survival against God’s legion of angels sent by him to bring on the Apocalypse. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Keong Sim – who played Mike Chang’s dad on Glee – has joined the cast of the TNT medical drama pilot from David E. Kelley and for which is based on CNN chief medical correspondent’s Sanjay Gupta’s novel Monday Mornings. The pilot follows the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their personal and professional feelings. Sim will play Dr. Sung Park, an abrupt but socially awkward neurosurgeon who performs his job with a searing intensity and relentless ambition. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It looks like yet another Beauty and the Beast project is getting underway – this time on the big screen with actor Vincent Cassel (Black Swan) and Lea Seydoux (Midnight in Paris and Robin Hood) in the lead roles. There are no story details at this time, though. The film is expected to be in theatres in 2014. (Deadline, Movie Web and Blastr)

Young actress Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is in negotiations to join Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson in the box office film Can a Song Save Your Life? that has Johansson’s character moving to New York to pursue her dreams of a singing career but finding herself all alone when she’s dumped by her boyfriend. Enter a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) who finds her singing in a local bar and the two realize that they may be each other’s last chance to turn their lives around. Steinfeld will play Ruffalo’s daughter. (Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Former Charlie’s Angels beauty Jaclyn Smith has just signed on to play Wallace Langham’s mom on CSI, who makes a surprise visit to see her son and gets to interact with all his co-workers in an amusing fashion. (William Keck at TV Guide)

FOX has finally done it. They have cancelled the long-running medical drama House, which will end at the end of this season after being on the air for eight seasons. (Variety)

Syfy has ordered a third season of the US version of Being Human. The series will get a 13 episode order for that season. The current season just started airing as of January 16. (TV By the Numbers)

Actress Mercedes Ruehl has joined the cast of the new HBO horse-racing drama Luck where she will play Julietta Caligari, the mother of Renzo (Ritchie Coster). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Catherine Dent (The Shield) has landed a recurring role on the upcoming FOX drama Touch. She will play the sister-in-law of Kiefer Sutherland’s widowed character — and won’t necessarily make his already tricky life any easier. The show will make its official debut on March 19. (Megan Masters and Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Jessica Tuck (True Blood) will appear in an upcoming episode of Grimm, playing Adalind’s (Claire Coffee) Hexenbiest mother Catherine. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Lisa Edelstein (House) will appear in a Lifetime made-for-TV movie called Blue-Eyed Butcher, which is based on a true story. The film will follow the story of Susan Wright (Sara Paxton), a gorgeous young wife and mother of two who violently kills her husband (Justin Bruening) in their Houston home after years of alleged abuse. When Susan claims that she needed to kill her hubby — out of self-preservation for herself and her children after years of mental abuse — prosecutor Kelly Siegler (Edelstein) argues that the accused is actually a cunning, doe-eyed sociopath. The film will premiere on March 3. (Megan Masters and Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor James Purefoy (Rome) will star opposite Kevin Bacon in the untitled Kevin Williamson pilot for FOX that centers on Joe Carroll (Purefoy) a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and the retired FBI profiler (Bacon) who finds himself in the middle of it all. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Aimee Garcia (Dexter and Trauma) has been cast in the NBC drama pilot called County, (from creator Jason Katims) that will star Jason Ritter (The Event and Parenthood). The project chronicles the lives of a group of young doctors, nurses, and administrators in a frenetic underfunded and morally compromising LA County Hospital. Garcia will play a sharp-witted, no-nonsense new intern at the hospital. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Sullivan Stapleton (Strike Back) is in final negotiations to star in the untitled follow-up to the box office flick 300, but plot details are being kept under wraps. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

Actor Billy Connolly has been added to the cast of the two-part adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel The Hobbit. He will play Dain Ironfoot, a dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). The first part of the film is slated to hit theaters on December 14. (Bruna Nessif at E! Online)

Actress Naomi Watts will play the role of Princess Diana in the upcoming movie Caught in Flight that will paint a portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life. It charts how finding true personal happiness for the first time allowed her to achieve her defining successes evolving into a major international campaigner and humanitarian. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

Actress Jaimie Alexander (Thor and Kyle XY) and Frank Grillo (The Grey and The Gates) have joined the cast of the upcoming thriller called Intersection. Alexander will play a woman who, along with her lover, plans to murder her husband. Things get complicated, however, when the lover and the husband wind up in a car accident together along a desert road in Morocco. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Morgan Freeman will star alongside Tom Cruise in the sci-fi film called Oblivion that has Cruise playing the last man on a post-apocalyptic and nearly uninhabitable Earth, who stays behind to repair ships that hunt down and blast a virulent alien species. Actresses Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko will also star. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actor Henry Cavill (the upcoming Man of Steel reboot) is in negotiations to star in the upcoming film The Great Wall that looks at the mystery behind how China’s Great Wall was constructed. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

Legendary Pictures has officially pulled the plug on the planned film Paradise Lost. (Jeff Sneider at Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Maggie Lawson (Psych) will show up on an episode of Justified, playing a nurse who might have vital information to share with Raylan (Timothy Olyphant). And, in another episode of Justified actor William Mapother (Lost) will play an Oxy-addicted, woman-beating bar owner. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC has given a straight to series pick-up to Mistresses, which is based on the BBC series of the same name. The series is targeted for summer 2013 and is described as a provocative thrilling drama that finds four women with scandalous romantic lives, caught in storms of excitement and self-discovery, secrecy and betrayal, and at the mercy of the complex relationships they’ve created. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Daisy Betts (Harry’s Law and the short-lived Persons Unknown) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot Last Resort that is set to star Andre Braugher. The project centers on the crew of the U.S.S. Nevada, a nuclear submarine, who, after disobeying a suspicious order, become fugitives. They land on the island of Sainte Marina, where they take over the NATO Listening Station and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation. Betts will play a member of the crew, Lt. Grace Shepard, the daughter of an Admiral father who is new to the sub and to command positions. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Alona Tal (Supernatural and the short-lived Cane) has been cast in the CW drama pilot Cult, which centers on Skye (Jessica Lucas), an inquisitive, young female production assistant on a wildly popular television show called Cult who, after a rash of disappearances and a likely murder, joins a journalist blogger in investigating the rabid fans of the series who might be re-creating crimes seen on the program in real life. Tal will play an actress portraying a young LAPD detective on the show. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Alfred Molina is set to star in the David E. Kelley-TNT medical drama pilot called Chelsea General, which is based on CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta’s upcoming novel Monday Mornings. The project follows the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings. Molina will play Dr. Harding Hooten, the steely-eyed Chief of Surgery at Chelsea General, known for his punishing and outwardly-uncaring ways. Other cast members include Jamie Bamber and Jennifer Finnigan. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actor Jonathan Patrick Moore (Savages and The L.A. Complex) is set to co-star opposite actresses Tori Spelling and Tia Mowry in The Mistle-Tones an ABC Family holiday movie that will anchor the network’s next ‘25 Days of Christmas’ event. The actor will play, Nick, Holly’s (Mowry) boss. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) is in final negotiations to join the cast of the upcoming box office film The Seventh Son which is based on the Joseph Delaney children’s book series called The Wardstone Chronicles (aka The Last Apprentice). The story follows a young man named Tom (Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia franchise) in training to be the apprentice of a ‘Spook’ (Jeff Bridges), a fighter against evil magic in the 1700’s. Trouble begins when his friend Alice (Alicia Vikander) is tricked into releasing the most sinister witch in the world (Julianne Moore). Harington will play the former apprentice of Bridges’ character. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is set to star in the modern day thriller A Most Wanted Man adapted from the novel by John le Carre. The story takes place in present day Hamburg, Germany where a mysterious, tortured and near-dead half-Chechen, half-Russian man on the run arrives in the city’s Islamic community desperate for help and looking to recover his late Russian father’s ill-gotten fortune. Nothing about this young man seems to add up, though. Is he a victim or a thief or, worse still, an extremist intent on destruction? Drawn into this web of intrigue is a private British banker and a young female lawyer determined to defend the defenseless. All the while, they are being watched by the brilliant, roguish chief of a covert German spy unit (Hoffman), who fights to put the pieces together as the clock ticks. (First Showing)

Actor Tom Felton (the Harry Potter franchise) is in negotiations to star opposite Elizabeth Olsen and Glenn Close in Therese Raquin. Close is attached for the role of Madame Raquin, while Olsen is set for Therese, who, with her lover Laurent, murder her husband (Felton), a sick boy that Madame Raquin forced Therese to marry. After Therese later marries her true love, the couple is haunted by the ghost of the dead husband and it poisons their love into all-consuming hatred. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actor Jason Statham will star in a remake of the iconic 1987 film Heat that starred Burt Reynolds. The story centers on a recovering gambling addict (Statham) who makes his living providing protection to other gamblers and who refuses to resort to gunplay, strictly using hand and edged weapon combat. (Brent Lang at The Wrap)

Fringe producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have signed on with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to help bring the vampire Lestat – from the acclaimed Vampire Chronicles series of books by Anne Rice – back to the big screen via the 1993 novel The Tale of the Body Thief. (The Hollywood Reporter and Blastr)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

First Full Teaser Trailer for ‘The Bourne Legacy’ with Jeremy Renner

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

Question: Any good Tiva moments coming up on NCIS? — Melissa

ADAM: If it’s Tiva tension you’re after, don’t miss next week’s episode, which features Tony’s ex-fiancée Wendy (guest star Perrey Reeves, aka Entourage’s Mrs. Ari). “There’s a whole lot of lip-locking,” Michael Weatherly teases. “I think Ziva understands there’s a real threat.” But even though Weatherly thinks something is brewing between Tony and Ziva, he doesn’t believe they will ever be a couple. “Who knows? Maybe they secretly try a kiss just to see what it might be like,” he says. “But putting them together? I don’t think it is a good idea for our show.”

Question: Very excited that Smallville’s Cassidy Freeman will be on The Vampire Diaries! Any scoop on her character? — Jones

NATALIE: “Expect her to be pretty badass,” Freeman tells us. We’ll meet her character, Sage, in the “1912” episode where she’ll find herself in some, ahem, compromising positions. There have been all those “naked Damon” teases…

Question: Where’s the scoop on Drop Dead Diva? — Mel

NATALIE: Jane’s new guardian angel is the polar opposite of Fred. With an oversized sense of entitlement and a bottomless bank account, Luke’s hedonistic ways are perfectly suited to Los Angeles. To put it bluntly: Yes, he works for God, but he’d also probably do just fine working for the guy downstairs.

Question: I really love Justified, but I am wondering what will happen with Winona and her pregnancy. I just have a hard time imagining Raylan with a baby on his lap in the future. Any scoop on that front? —Muriel

Ausiello: That story takes a surprising turn at the tail end of Episode 5 (airing Feb. 14) when Raylan comes home after a long day’s work and find something very spoilery waiting for him.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings franchise) will guest star in a March episode of NCIS as a psychological operations investigator working alongside guest star Jamie Leigh Curtis. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Noah Bean (Nikita and Damages) will guest star on Once Upon a Time as a handsome stable boy in fairytale land who tends to horses at the royal manor; and young actress Bailee Madison (Just Go With It) will also appear on Once Upon a Time as a young Snow White while singer Roger Daltrey (from the legend rock group The Who) will provide the voice for the talking caterpillar in an Alice in Wonderland-themed episode of the series. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line, James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly and Variety)

Actor Stephen Lang (Terra Nova and Avatar) will appear in a three-episode arc of In Plain Sight, playing the troubled father of Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack). The show will be back for its final season on USA on March 16 at 10 PM. (William Keck at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies) has been cast in the CBS drama pilot called Golden Boy, which tracks an ambitious young police officer’s meteoric rise through the department ranks. He will splay his new partner, Detective Owen. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC Family is moving forward with a new series from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino called Bunheads that will star Sutton Foster as Michelle, a Las Vegas showgirl who impulsively marries a man and moves to his sleepy coastal town, and takes an uneasy role at her new mother-in-law’s dance school. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Young Australian actors Brenton Thwaites and Indiana Evans (both co-stars on the popular Australian soap opera home and Away) are stepping into the roles made famous by Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins in The Blue Lagoon, the contemporary remake being made by Lifetime. Thwaites and Evans will play Dane and Emma, a boy and a girl marooned on a tropical island where they grow up together, fall in love and discover sexuality. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Amy Adams is set to star in and produce an adaptation of comedian/actor/author Steve Martin’s novel called An Object of Beauty that follows fifteen years of a young art entrepreneur’s life. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

New Amazing Spider-Man Trailer—Watch It Now

ME: I have to admit that I wasn’t sold on this new reboot of Spider-Man because I enjoyed the first two movies from the franchise that starred Tobey Maguire; but now that I have seen this trailer, I will, most likely, end up seeing this movie after all. It impressed me enough to give it a chance.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Bobby Cannavale (Third Watch) has joined the cast of the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire for Season 3. He will play Gyp Rosetti, a charming gangster who poses as a threat to Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi). (Movie Web)

Sons of Anarchy has been picked up for another season; it’s sixth. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

The A&E series Breakout Kings will be back for its second season on March 4 at 10 PM. (The Futon Critic)

Actor Terry O’Quinn (Lost) will appear in the final two episodes of the second season of Falling Skies, which returns this summer. He will play a former history professor and mentor to Tom Mason (Noah Wyle). (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Jonathan Groff (Glee) and film star Sanaa Lathan (Something Borrowed ) will be part of the cast of the Starz series Boss. Lathan is expected to play Mona, the incorruptible new chief of staff, who becomes an obsession for Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer) while Groff will play Ian Todd, a smart and ambitious staffer in Kane’s office who steps into the void Ezra Stone (Martin Donovan) has left to offer astute council to Kane. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary actor Ben Gazzara passed away late last week from pancreatic cancer. He was 81 years old. He was in such films as Anatomy of a Murder, Road House and The Thomas Crowne Affair. (The Wrap)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The Dave Cullen 2009 book about the tragic events surrounding the deadly 1999 school shootings in Columbine is being developed as a mini-series by Lifetime. (The Hollywood Reporter and The Futon Critic)

Actor and Emmy winner Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) is set to lead the ensemble cast of the ABC drama pilot Last Resort that centers on the crew of the U.S.S. Nevada, a nuclear submarine, who, after disobeying a suspicious order, become fugitives. They land on the island of Sainte Marina, where they take over the NATO Listening Station and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation. Braugher will play Capt. Marcus Chaplin, the commander of the U.S.S. Nevada, a veteran of real combat, a leader by nature and a patriot, but will not follow any man blindly. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Jane Levy (Suburgatory) is in talks to play the lead in the remake of Evil Dead, replacing Lily Collins, who recently exited the film. In the planned remake Levy is to play Mia, a character that corresponds to Ash played by Bruce Campbell in the original 1981 movie. Mia is one of five young people who head to the remote cabin where evil awaits. Recovering from a recent overdose, Mia is particularly vulnerable. The movie is targeted to open April 12, 2013. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Here are the top 10 box office films for this past weekend according to Exhibitor Relations:

1. Chronicle, $22 million
2. The Woman in Black, $21 million
3. The Grey, $9.5 million
4. Big Miracle, $8.5 million
5. Underworld Awakening, $5.6 million
6. One for the Money, $5.3 million
7. Red Tails, $5 million
8. The Descendants, $4.6 million
9. Man on a Ledge, $4.5 million
10. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, $3.9 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Extended Super Bowl Spot for Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Online!

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush at TV Guide)

Question: I’ve been watching Once Upon A Time from the beginning, and I thought by now, we’d start to see some real movement towards the present-day fairy-tale folks realizing that something was amiss. But it seems to be dragging and dragging, and while the “fairy tale” portions are fun to watch, there’s nothing there that gives one hope that finally, someone other than Henry knows something’s amiss. It’s getting boring. Any tidbits as to when that might finally happen? — Holly

Matt Roush: We’re only 11 episodes into the first season (which didn’t even premiere until late October), which seems awfully early to be getting impatient for game-changers. Although I’ve felt from the start that the Storybrooke stories tend to pale next to what’s going on back in fabulous Fairy Tale Land. And judging from the questions I’ve been fielding lately, the entire convoluted premise of the town living under this curse has thrown lots of fans into a nit-picking frenzy. I won’t project what’s down the road because this isn’t a spoiler column, but your dissatisfaction with the present-day stuff seems more a reflection of the show’s overall unevenness — and I’m speaking here as someone who’s learned to enjoy the show — than a problem with pacing, because they’re actually breaking a fair amount of story from week to week. Just not the story you’d like to see being played out quite yet. But give it time. These are early days, and Once Upon a Time is going to be with us for a long time to come.

Question: I was wondering with Alcatraz and the new show Touch on Fox, where does that leave Terra Nova for Monday nights? Terra Nova started out with a bang, but it fizzled midway through the season then had an interesting cliffhanger for the winter finale. Is Terra Nova gone the way of The Event, or is it coming back at a different time and or day? — Stephanie

Matt Roush: Terra Nova is done for the season, so is currently in limbo, and its renewal chances are probably dimming, given the solid performance of Alcatraz and the strong opening of Touch in its sneak-peek premiere. If Touch and Alcatraz hold up, Fox may not need to bring back Terra Nova, which was already pretty much “on the bubble” at the time of its December finale. On the other hand, if Fox were to plot out a schedule where some of these shows were renewed for shorter 13-episode seasons (if the economics made sense) and shared time periods the way Terra Nova and Alcatraz (and later, Touch) have done this year, maybe the show could be saved.

Question: I watched Touch, and I really enjoyed it. However, I have my concerns over whether the premise could be stretched out into a series that could potentially last years. The idea, in fact, seemed far more conducive to a two-part miniseries or movie-length format. Interestingly, I’ve found that problem with a lot of shows: The premise is awesome, the pilot interesting, and then over time the idea becomes stretched so thin that the story starts running out of steam. I’m thinking of shows like Touch or Alcatraz or even a show like Ringer. Do you think American television will ever take a note from Spanish-language TV and its concept of telenovelas? That is, shorter-run series that have a defined running period? Or is that a pipe dream? — Barb

Matt Roush: This is a question that dogs any long-running serialized show built around a tantalizing high concept. It’s almost inevitable that whenever an out-of-the-box pilot captures our attention, especially those that play more like a movie than a formula TV show, that we end up asking: How long can they sustain it? Even something as captivating as Showtime’s Homeland has us wondering, after the first season: What next? How can they top it? Should they even try? Currently, I’m wondering how far they can take the thrill ride of ABC’s riveting The River beyond the first eight-episode season should it explode the way it deserves to. Some premises do seem better suited for miniseries (the telenovela concept) than for the long-run, but the networks have turned away from that format, and if a show somehow becomes a hit, the bottom line typically demands more, not less. I do think we’ll see (and to a small degree are already seeing) the networks moving closer to the cable model, and this midseason could provide a few watershed moments in watching limited-run series — like The River and NBC’s fascinating Awake — try to break through.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Gabourey Sidibe has been bumped up to series regular for the third season which will air starting on April 8 on Showtime. (Andy Patrick at TV Line)

The new NBC sci-fi drama Awake is finally getting placed on the TV schedule, taking over the 10 PM Thursday night timeslot from failing new legal drama The Firm beginning on March 1. The Firm isn’t completely gone – for those few who are watching it – as it will finish its run on Saturday night at 9 PM with repeats of Grimm following at 10 PM. (The Wrap)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Jamie Bamber has joined the cast of the new David E. Kelley TNT medical drama called Chelsea General which is based on CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s upcoming novel called Monday Mornings. The project follows the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings. Bamber will play one of them, Dr. Tyler Wilson, supernova vascular neurosurgeon who has a fling with a fellow neurosurgeon (Jennifer Finnigan). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Ernie Hudson has booked a recurring role on the new NBC pilot called Beautiful People, which is set in the near future in a society where humans co-exist with mechanical androids that look like people but are treated like second-class citizens. Hudson will play the owner of a law firm. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has green lit the drama pilot called Revolution from Eric Kripke (the man behind Supernatural) and J.J. Abrams (who really needs no introduction anymore, right?). The project is being described as a high-octane action drama following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Viola Davis (The Help) will appear in two upcoming high-profile films based on popular books. First, she will in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel Beautiful Creatures, which is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan, a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena, who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town. Davis will play Amma, a seer who looks after Ethan and his father after Ethan’s mother’s death. Second, she will appear in the film adaptation of Ender’s Game, which follows a genius boy strategist recruited by the government to help destroy an insect-like alien race. Davis will play a military psychologist who oversees the emotional welfare of young trainees. (Mike Fleming at Deadline, Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Jessica Chastain and actor Joel Edgerton have signed on to star in the film called The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, which is about 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, one from the wife’s. (Reuters and Dark Horizons)

Actress Octavia Spencer (The Help) has joined the cast of the high-profile sci-fi indie film called Snow Piercer, which is set in a future when an Ice Age has killed off all life on the planet except for the inhabitants of the Snow Piercer, a train that travels around the globe and is powered by a sacred perpetual-motion engine. A class system evolves on the train but a revolution brews. Spencer plays a passenger on the train who joins the revolt in order to save her son. Chris Evans, John Hurt and Tilda Swinton (among others) will star. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Actor Edwin Hodge (the upcoming Red Dawn remake) will star in the sci-fi thriller called Vigilandia that already includes cast members Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. The story details are being kept under wraps, though. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Al Pacino will dip his toes into new territory when he provides his voice for the animated sequel to Despicable Me. No details are available on storyline as yet. (Deadline and First Showing)

SIDE DISHES (with Sandra Gonzalez from Entertainment Weekly)

Question: You’re the only person who listens to my calls for scoop from my beloved USA shows! So Psych me, please! — Billie

Sandra: This season’s finale is going to blow your socks off. Two words: Kama sutra. Just kidding! (Sort of.) But in the episode, a case from the past suddenly reopens that puts Jules in danger and makes Shawn’s dad begin to doubt his skills. It all leads to a shocking decision and an even more shocking conclusion. Yes, there’s a cliffhanger.

Question: I have a Revenge question. I know you can’t say WHO the killer is or the killed person, but I want to know what my reaction will be. — Robyn

Sandra: Satisfaction — at least according to EP Mike Kelley. “I’m hoping for satisfaction, and I think that there will be some gasps, some ‘I told you so.

Question: After the murder on Revenge, are we going to switch locations for the trial? — Josh

Sandra: Not immediately. “For a lot of reasons, our key players will be staying in the Hamptons in the off season,” Kelley assures.

Question: I would love some Grimm scoop. — Sue

Sandra: You’re going to find out very soon why Nick can’t tell others the truth about who he is, but not telling people is going to get harder and harder, according to EPs David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf. “Their partnership will be tested and its going to get to the point where some things are going to happen that are truly not easily explained to Hank. So we’re going to push it as far as we can and hold off as long as we can.”

Question: Do you know when/if The Glades and In Plain Sight will return? I keep seeing cast members in other shows and am hoping this doesn’t mean the shows were canceled. They are two of my favorites and everything was left hanging on both of them. — Merrilee

Sandra: Of course they’ll be back, but Glades isn’t slated to come back until summer. In Plain Sight, meanwhile, returns March 16 with a batch of eight new episodes. As you’ll recall, the latter ended with Mary going into premature labor and still uncertain if she was going to keep the baby. Your scoop? An episode in this upcoming season will find her doing background checks on nannies!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Chris Klein (American Pie franchise) has landed a guest spot on an episode of Franklin & Bash, playing an old high school friend of Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). His character will be a charming politician who wants to end his gubernatorial bid after a family scandal. (Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide)

ABC Family has renewed veteran TV series The Secret Life of the American Teenager for a fifth season to become the longest-running series ever on ABC Family, hitting the 100-episode mark. (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor David Conrad (The Ghost Whisperer) has joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot Beautiful People that is set in the near future in a society where humans co-exist with mechanical androids that look like people but are treated like second-class citizens. Conrad will play Jerry, the head of Universal Kinematics, a Steve Jobs-type of entrepreneurial genius, expert at both high-level design and higher-level marketing of sophisticated Mechanical servants. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Jennifer Finnigan (Better with You) is the first cast member set for the David E. Kelley medical drama pilot called Chelsea General for TNT. The pilot is based on CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s upcoming novel “Monday Mornings” that follows the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings. Finnigan will play one of them, Dr. Tina Ridgeway, a neurosurgeon who has a fling with a fellow neurosurgeon. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Kate Mara (American Horror Story) has been cast in Netflix’s first original series, the David Fincher drama called House Of Cards. The political thriller stars Kevin Spacey as Rep. Frank Underwood, the Majority Whip of the US House of Representatives who, after getting passed over for Secretary of State, hatches a plot to bring down the new President. Mara will play Zoe Barnes, a reporter for a top Washington newspaper who, desperate for a break, makes a deal with Underwood for a scoop that could cost her her soul. Also, actress Robin Wright will play Underwood’s wife. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Cam Gigandet, Robert Knepper, William Fichtner, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Anson Mount and Freddy Rodríguez and actress Kathleen Robertson (among others) have joined the cast of the upcoming film called Code Name: Geronimo that follows the story of the Navy SEAL mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. (Screen Daily and Dark Horizons)

Actor John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone and Deadwood) will star alongside Mos Def in an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard 1978 crime novel “Switch”, which is a prequel to Leonard’s book “Rum Punch”, which was adapted into the 1997 feature film Jackie Brown. Hawkes and Def will play the younger versions of Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie, the characters Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson played in Jackie Brown. In this film, Ordell and Louis team to kidnap Mickey Dawson, the wife of a corrupt Detroit real estate developer. When the husband refuses to pay the ransom for his wife’s return, the ex-cons are forced to reconceive their plan, and the angry housewife uses the duo to get her revenge. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Damian Lewis (Homeland) and Natascha McElhone (Ronin) are set to play Lord and Lady Capulet in the latest film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which will be set in the medieval time of the play (something that hasn’t been since the1968 version). Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth play the doomed lovers. Also among the cast are Stellan Skarsgard, Paul Giamatti, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ed Westwick (among others). (Risky Biz Blog and Dark Horizons)

Actor Eric Bana and actress Rebecca Hall will play former lovers in an as-yet-untitled international thriller that is to center on a pair of old flames who find their lives at risk when they work together on a terrorism trial. (Brent Lang at The Wrap)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Barbara Hershey (Black Swan) will appear on Once Upon a Time as the mother of the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla). She will first appear the queen’s mom, Cora, later this season with the option of also having a short arc in season 2 (as long as the show gets a series renewal for next season, that is). (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Veronica Cartwright (the legendary film The Birds) will play a judge in upcoming episodes of Revenge. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Actress Rachel Miner will be back to play demon Meg Masters on Supernatural but details on her comeback are scarce. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Showtime has given early renewals to Shameless, House of Lies and Californication. (E! Online)

Army Wives will be back for its sixth season starting on Sunday, March 4 at 9 PM on Lifetime. (The Futon Critic)

The new FOX drama Alcatraz has been extended by two weeks while long-running medical drama House will not be on the schedule at all for March. Alcatraz will now continue until March 26 and House will be back on April 2. (The Futon Critic)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC has handed 4 more hour-long pilot orders to the following potential shows (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline): Devious Maids, loosely based on the Mexican telenovela The Disorderly Maids Of The Neighborhood centers on four Latina women who are maids in Beverly Hills. Gotham centers on a female cop who, after pursuing a seemingly unsolvable case, discovers a magical world that exists within New York City. Zero Hour is about a bizarre twist of fate that pulls a man who’s spent 20 years as the editor of a skeptics magazine into one of the most compelling conspiracies in human history. And, Penoza, which centers on the widow of an assassinated criminal who is forced to adopt her husband’s role in a crime syndicate in order to protect her family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Stephen Amell (The Vampire Diaries and Hung) has been cast as Oliver Queen in the proposed Green Arrow pilot at The CW that will simply be called Arrow. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Kevin Bacon has been cast in the as-yet-titled Kevin Williamson drama pilot at FOX that is being described as an edge-of-the-seat thriller about a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and a retired FBI profiler (Bacon) who finds himself in the middle of it. And, in a twist Bacon has only committed to 15 episodes rather than the standard 22. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Don Cornelius, the former host of TV’s now defunct nationally syndicated dance music show Soul Train, has died of an apparent suicide. He was 75. (E! Online)

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

WARNING! Tread lightly if you don’t want to be spoiled

Question: You have anything on Hart of Dixie? I would love to see Zoe get together with Wade! —Muriel

Ausiello: So apparently would Wilson Bethel (a.k.a. Wade), who tells TV Line, “My sincere hope is that by the end of the season there will be something in store for the Zoe/Wade fans. In the meantime, Wade’s gonna have some personal growth. With Zoe he has to step his game up — but that doesn’t mean that he loses his Wadeness!” Bethel also confirms that Wade will get a new love interest that “will drive Zoe crazy.”

Question: Anything on Psych? Maybe about the marriage proposal that never happened? —Ginger

Ausiello: Shawn’s other significant other, Gus, discovers the ring in the Season 6.5 premiere on Feb. 28 and promptly confronts his BFF about it. Shawn shrugs the bling off as an “emergency ring” that’s only to be used if the perfect proposal moment should present itself. I also hear the episode ends with Shawn and Gus engaged in a hilariously epic slap-off.

Question: If you give me some Vampire Diaries scoop. —Juan

Ausiello: A recurring male character’s days are numbered.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Taylor Swift is out and stage star Samantha Banks is in for the role of Éponine in the new film adaptation of Les Miserables that already includes cast members Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Eddie Redmayne. (Variety and First Showing)

Singer-actor Justin Timberlake will team up with legendary actor-director Clint Eastwood for the box office flick Trouble With the Curve. Timberlake will play a former pitcher and friend of an aging baseball scout (Eastwood). Amy Adams and Matthew Lillard will also star. (Variety and First Showing)

Young actor Max Burkholder (Max on Parenthood) and Australian actress Adelaide Kane (Neighbors) will play Charlie and Zoey (respectively) in the box office film Vigilandia that already includes Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. (Joshua L. Weinstein at The Wrap)

Actor Colin Firth will join actress Reese Witherspoon in the film Devil’s Knot, which is a dramatization of a trio of teens wrongly incarcerated for 18 years after being convicted of the murder of three younger boys. Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of the defendants as they headed into their first trial. (Deadline and First Showing)

The long-in-gestation film Winter’s Tale, based on the 1983 novel by Mark Helprin, looks like it might be coming back to life as big name actors Will Smith and Russell Crowe have committed to supporting roles in the film. The story is about a thief, a dying girl and a flying white horse in 19th Century and contemporary Manhattan where magic is abundant. Crowe will play Pearly Soames, a gangster boss, while Smith will play a judge. The lead roles of the thief and the dying girl still need to be cast, though. (Vulture and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Susan Sarandon has booked a multi-episode arc on season 3 of the Showtime dramedy The Big C, which stars Laura Linney as Cathy, a woman diagnosed with cancer who is determined to make the most out of her life. Sarandon will play Joy, a cancer survivor who is using her unique experience to inspire and motivate others. Season 3 of The Big C will premiere on April 8. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Tyler Blackburn, who plays Caleb on Pretty Little Liars, will find himself much busier when the show returns this summer for its third season. He has been bumped up to series regular as of season 3. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has given their new horse-racing series Luck a second season after one official episode airing. The series premiere pulled in 1.8 million viewers this past Sunday (in addition to the 1.1 million viewers who tuned in for the sneak preview back in November). The show stars Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte and Jason Gedrick (among others). (Variety)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC has greenlit a pilot drama called Scruples to be based on the 1978 best-selling book by Judith Krantz that centers on a rich and powerful clothing designer in a world of sex, revenge and scandal. Krantz’s son Tony and actress Natalie Portman will produce. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Showrunner extraordinaire John Wells (ER, Third Watch and Southland) is back with NBC with a new potential drama called Bad Girls, which is based on the long-running UK hit series of the same name. The pilot follows the ins-and-outs of a group of unlikely women in a federal prison: a scandalous female warden, her new protégé and a host of inmates – some mothers, some friends—who struggle with loyalties to people on the inside and the outside. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW has the green light to three more drama pilots. First, there is the J.J. Abrams and Mark Schwahn pilot called Shelter; the Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain pilot called The Selection and the Bert Royal pilot called Joey Dakota. Shelter is set at a historic New England summer resort where the new and returning staff attend to the practical, emotional and often comical needs of the guests while navigating friendships, rivalries and romances of their own. The Selection is based on the forthcoming series of books by Kiera Cass that is being described as an epic romance set 300 years in the future, centering on a poor young woman who is chosen by lottery to participate in a competition to become the next queen of a war-torn nation at a crossroads. Meanwhile, Joey Dakota is a “romantic time-travel musical” based on the successful Israeli half-hour series Danny Hollywood that centers on a documentary filmmaker who travels back in time to the 1990s, where she meets and falls in love with the rock-star subject of her film. When she unexpectedly returns to present day, she must find her way back to the past to reunite with her love and prevent his untimely death. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

20th Century Fox has closed deals with director Matthew Vaughn and the cast of X-Men: First Class to return for a forthcoming sequel. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) is set to play singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie in the upcoming film called The Drummer that follows the last six years of the life of Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson (Aaron Eckhart). Wilson and McVie had a passionate relationship, becoming each other’s muses and confidants. Farmiga will use her classical piano training in the production and will sing in a number of duets with Eckhart. (Screen Daily and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Henry Cavill and Bruce Willis in ‘The Cold Light of Day’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

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