Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan and the recently defunct Against the Wall) is joining the cast of NCIS: Los Angeles in a recurring role. He will play NCIS Assistant Director Allan Granger, a high-ranking federal agency supervisor. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Carlos Bernard (24) has landed a recurring role on the TNT remake of Dallas that will air next summer. He will play a suave Venezuelan businessman trying to hammer out a deal with J.R. (Vulture)

Actress Torrey DeVitto (who happens to be the real-life wife of Paul Wesley) will appear on The Vampire Diaries in the recurring role of Mary, an intelligent young doctor intrigued by Alaric’s (Matt Davis) powers of recovery. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings franchise) will make a guest appearance on Franklin & Bash play a college security guard who dons a cape and tights by night to fight campus crime under the name Viper. When he’s accused of killing a so-called culprit, he retains Franklin and Bash to defend him. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Kevin Alejandro (True Blood) will guest star in an episode of the A&E series Breakout Kings, playing Benecio Cruz, a tattooed, Latino religious obsessive, who is dying from Stage 4 lung cancer. Cruz escapes from Sing Sing and fighting to maintain his sanity with the aid of a pain patch, attempts to atone from his past crimes. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

CBS is planning on remaking the 1950’s/1960’s classic TV series The Rifleman with Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier writing the script and executive producing. The original series starred legendary actor Chuck Connors as a skilled gunman and widowed Civil War hero who moves to uncharted New Mexico territory to raise his young son and gets recruited by the sheriff to help protect the unruly town. (Variety)

Syfy has picked up three new potential projects (all scripted dramas). The first is an untitled project that has this tagline: After decades of war, the newly formed Unity Democracy orders a volatile mix of humans and trans-humans to lead the Starship Defender on an expedition in search of lost worlds requiring law and order. The second has the working title of Seeing Things and is about a cop who becomes a ghost after his violent death and the only person who can help close his last case is a socially awkward man who realizes that the hallucinations he’s had all his life may not be a figment of his imagination. The last is called Ghost Projekt and is based on the popular comic series about a female KGB agent and male American weapons inspector who form an unlikely partnership when a deadly force is unwittingly unleashed from a Siberian research facility. (TV By the Numbers)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The casting is underway for the adaptation of the Stephenie Meyer novel The Host. Actress Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) is already cast in the lead, but now it has been announced that actor Jake Abel (Supernatural and I Am Number Four) will play one of the two male leads. The other male lead role is still up in the air with the likes of Liam Hemsworth, Max Irons, Kit Harrington and Jai Courtney vying for the role. (First Showing)

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

Question: Some Revenge scoop, please? —Sabrina

Ausiello: Some of the Hamptons’ stuffed shirts may start looking a little deflated after we meet over-the-top Mason Treadwell. He’s a fancy pants writer type whose book on the locals has made him as big a celebrity as any of the rich bitches he’s profiled.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Corey Reynolds (The Closer) has signed a talent holding deal with NBC and with that sealing that the deal that he WON’T be involved in the spin-off from The Closer – Major Crimes – that will star Mary McDonnell. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Soap actress Tanya Clarke (Guiding Light) will appear as Mary Evans, the mom of Sam (Chord Overstreet) on Glee. This news follows yesterday announcement that John Schneider (Smallville) will be playing Sam’s dad. This is potentially to be a recurring role for Clarke. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Treat Williams (Everwood and Against the Wall) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing Jake Stanton, a former all-star quarterback caught up in a sting operation with an underage prostitute. Stanton will be represented by famed defense attorney Bayard Ellis (Andre Braugher). (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actress Janet McTeer (Into the Storm) has been added as a regular on the fifth and final season of Damages, playing Kate Franklin, a former colleague of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) who aims to take on her old boss by working for rival Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne). (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) and actor Peter Weller (Robocop) will both guest star on Franklin & Bash. Seymour will play the freewheeling, indecisive Earth Mom of Peter Bash (Mark Paul Gosselaar). Weller will play a reclusive rock star whose estranged son is being evicted from a Hollywood music club he created. Franklin & Bash will return sometime next summer. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Emilie de Ravin (Lost) will guest star on Once Upon a Time, playing Belle from the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. There are few details on her story, but it is said Belle will have a connection to Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle). She will appear in an episode slated to air early next year. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Hayley Atwell (Captain America) has joined the independent steampunk-themed film called The Return Of Captain Nemo, which is a sequel to Jules Verne’s classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The story has President Ulysses S Grant freeing Captain Nemo (Hugh Bonneville) from prison to try and discover why mysterious “sea monsters” are sinking ships up and down the Atlantic Coast. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

FUN READ FOR FANS

Nathan Fillion, a pop culture king beyond ‘Castle’

Q&A SECTION (with Kristin at E! Entertainment)

Question from Monique: Once Upon a Time is my new fave show!! Please, any info you have! Give us something juicy!

Kristin: Sheriff Graham (Jaime Dornan) is definitely a well-known storybook character. Guesses? Also, I’m hearing of a big death in the works for one of the major characters.

Question from Jake in Seattle, Wash: Grimm! What new monsters can we expect this season?

Kristin: Oh, what a wicked web Grimm weaves! We are really intrigued about a future episode which features Lena, a beautiful yet terrifying “Black Widow” creature who is cursed with a disease that causes her to age rapidly. The only cure to stop the aging? Kill three young men in three days by sucking the life out of them. Eek! But here is where the show really gets interesting: When Lena isn’t preying on the innocent, she is driving a minivan to soccer practice and enjoying a simple suburban lifestyle.

Question from Shannonxo: Secret Circle goodness in the way of black john scoop please?

Kristin: You may be asking, “Who the heck is Black John?!” right about now. While TV viewers know him as John Blackwell, fans of L.J. Smith’s book series know and love to hate him as Black John. “We might incorporate a character like Black John,” executive producer Andrew Miller coyly tells us. “He might be renamed.” So yes, John Blackwell definitely equals Black John, and if you’ve read the books, you know the character is pure evil. Basically Black John is to TSC what Klaus is to The Vampire Diaries.

Question from lindsx11: anything & everything Secret Circle…please?!

Kristin: How about that Cassie (Britt Robertson) will begin looking into her past, namely her mysterious (and most definitely evil) father John Blackwell? “We’re going to see Cassie looking through books and go through a whole thing of who her mother was and what her mother did,” Robertson tells us. “It’s like, I can only imagine where she’ll go with her father. She needs to know who she is at heart and what makes her who she is.”

Question from @the1nonlunisha: It seems like Hart of Dixie is moving away from Zoey and George any chance they’ll revisit that?

Kristin: We’ve got scoop on that! Minus the Zoe (Rachel Bilson) part… Later this season, we’re going to see George (Scott Porter) seriously butting heads with someone, and surprisingly it’s not Lemon (Jaime King). Introducing: Lawrence Lee, an extremely competitive and arrogant lawyer who clashes with George both in the courtroom and during a fierce game of Pictionary. His wife is Delia Ann, head of the Blue Bell Historical Society so we’re just going to assume that Lemon will want to smooth out these conflicts as soon as possible.

Question from Fatherdowling: when is Jack going to get an actual love interest on #Revenge?

Kristin: Something, or someone, tells us we’ve already met her. And that someone is Joshua Bowman who says, “There is going to be an introduction to another character, and I don’t know if that is going to make it into a love square but it is definitely going to put a spin on the works.” Our guess? Jack (Nick Wechsler) is going to take an interest in the real Emily Thorne (Margarita Levieva) who just came into town. Ruh-roh!

Question from Stacy: Revenge is my new guilty pleasure. got a scoop for me?

Kristin: It’s our guilty pleasure too, just minus the whole guilty part. It’s that awesome. Prepare for a major rift to occur between Daniel (Bowman) and Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) in next Wednesday’s episode. “There is a huge showdown because she does something very nasty,” Bowman teases. “She does something to Emily (Emily VanCamp) to pull on me to confront her in a serious level, and it wasn’t good. It wasn’t cool. I can’t say what it is, but it has to do with Frank (Max Martini).” Color us intrigued!

Question from BLehmanDC: When (and how) is Tyler going to “get his” on Revenge?

Kristin: Sorry to break it to you, but we think Tyler (Ashton Holmes) is going to be around for a little longer. The good news? He’s so much fun to hate and Daniel is on to him. “Tyler is really taking a grip of my dad and he’s starting to weasel his way in,” Bowman says. “I am going to put a stop to that you’ll see over the next three or four episodes.” Go Daniel!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Starz has renewed Spartacus for a third season. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Larry Miller (10 Things I Hate About You) will guest star as Ed Slater, the future father-in-law of Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) on the Christmas episode of NCIS. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Jenna Elfman will guest star in an upcoming episode of Shameless, playing Jill, who has a dangerous past and “an awkward present”. Shameless is slated to return to Showtime on January 8. (AOL TV and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor John Schneider (Smallville) will play the dad of Sam (Chord Overstreet) on an upcoming episode of Glee. Right now, he is only booked for one episode. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Gail O’Grady (American Dreams and Hellcats) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Hawaii Five-0, playing a woman whose husband is in a coma discovers her supposedly dead son may be alive after all. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The CW has bought an hour-long project called Danny Hollywood, which is based on the successful Israeli half-hour series of the same name. This project is a time travel fantasy-musical, where a young documentary filmmaker travels back in time in order to prevent the death of her ’90s musical idol Danny Hollywood and finds that the story is even more complicated than she thought. Mark Harmon (from NCIS fame) is one of the executive producers. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Director-producer Marc Buckland has sold a drama pilot to NBC called State Of Mind. The project centers on a police forensic psychologist who helps solve the most mysterious homicide cases by getting into the minds of the victims, all while starting to lose his own. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Legendary 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney passed away over the weekend due to complications following minor surgery. He was 92. (E! Entertainment)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Rufus Sewell (A Knight’s Tale) has joined the cast of the theological war epic Paradise Lost, which is based on the classic John Milton poem. The story details the fall of God’s most beautiful angel Lucifer (Bradley Cooper) and the celestial war between his forces and those of the archangel Michael (Ben Walker). Sewell will play Samael, Lucifer’s partisan who urges him to start the rebellion in Heaven. The cast includes Casey Affleck, Djimon Hounsou, Diego Boneta and Camilla Belle also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Much in demand actress Jessica Chastain (The Help and The Tree of Life – among others) will play the late, iconic Princess Diana in a biopic called Caught in Flight, which will chronicle her secret two-year love affair with heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Kahn that wasn’t revealed until 2008. (Thompson on Hollywood and First Showing)

The top 10 box office movies for this past weekend are as follows according to Entertainment Weekly:

1. Puss in Boots – 33 million
2. Tower Heist – 25.1 million
3. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas – 13.1 million
4. Paranormal Activity 3 – 8.5 million
5. In Time – 7.7 million
6. Footloose – 4.6 million
7. Real Steel – 3.4 million
8. The Rum Diary – 3 million
9. The Ides of March – 2 million
10. Moneyball – 1.9 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Fans can rejoice! The new ABC fairytale drama Once Upon a Time has been picked up for a full season. (Twitter)

ABC has ordered five more scripts of the new period drama Pan Am, despite low ratings. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Gregory Harrison, best known for his role on Trapper John, M.D., will have a recurring role on the CW series Ringer as Tim Arbogast, the father of the missing Gemma (Tara Summers). (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

It looks like Treme will not go beyond season four on HBO. The series just recently started shooting season three, which is likely to air next spring. (Variety)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) has joined the cast of the BBC mini-series Top Of The Lake, which is expected to be lead by Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as reported yesterday. The mini will follow detective Robin Griffin (Moss) who investigates the disappearance of a five months pregnant 12-year-old named Tui who was last seen standing chest deep in a frozen lake. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire and Eastwick) and actress Emmy Rossum (Shameless) will star in the independent crime drama called Way Down South that tells the story of a gambler and small time crook (Huston) who steals a Civil War-era sword from a museum to finance his escape from a loan shark who staked him in a losing poker game. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actresses Melissa Leo and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) have joined the cast of the independent dramatic thriller called Over the Wall that is set in the world of professional stock car racing. The story focuses on how one tragic event rips apart the lives and relationships of four closely intertwined people – husband, wife, surrogate mother and best friend. Nick Stahl and Freddy Rodriguez co-star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actresses Alona Tal (Supernatural and Against the Wall) and Natalie Martinez (soon to be seen in the FX pilot Powers) have landed the two female leads opposite actor Mark Wahlberg in the film Broken City, which centers on a cop-turned-private-investigator (Wahlberg) who, in an attempt to turn his life around, is thrust into a murder investigation amid a mayoral candidate (Russell Crowe) involved in a corrupt election. Tal would play Wahlberg’s assistant while Martinez will play his girlfriend. Catherine Zeta Jones also stars. (Variety)

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

Question: After Wednesday’s crazy game-changing fun, it has become absolutely necessary that you provide some scoop on one Mr. Nolan Ross. He’s had me intrigued from the beginning. I love his character and the two different sides we tend to see from him. And you can’t deny us something when we’ve got to wait TWO WHOLE WEEKS for a new episode of Revenge! – LG

Gonzalez: Devastating, right?! These are going to be two LOOONNG weeks. Anyhoo, I don’t have much, but according to Connor Paolo (who I chatted with this week), the next episodes will definitely dig into exactly why Nolan and Emily don’t seem happy to see each other at the party seen in the pilot. “As the season progresses more and more, they’ll continually go back to the Labor Day party and catalogue who’s there, what are they doing, what are their relationships. Clearly, Emily and Nolan are frosty to each other, so [you’ll see] what happened between them.”

Question: Help calm my fears about Chuck! I was not a huge fan of the premiere but am a huge fan of the show. I want Chuck to have the Intersect back!! — Lola

Gonzalez: Executive producer Chris Fedak was coy this week when answering questions about Chuck possibly getting the Intersect back, but I can tell you that tonight’s episode 2 is an improvement — in no small part thanks to Carrie-Anne Moss. But it’s episode 3 that will really make you feel better about the season. Let’s just say the team learns something about Morgan’s intersect that changes Chuck, Sarah, and Casey’s reaction to some less-than-charming behavior you’ll be seeing from Morgan. Also, look for a BIG Jeff twist in episode 3 that will re-define Jeffster possibly for the rest of time.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The BBC mini-series Downton Abbey has been confirmed for a third season. [NOTE: Those of us in the states are still patiently waiting for Season 2 to get a premiere date, but really nice to know there is so much more to enjoy!] (Michael Rosser at BroadcastNow)

Actress Deidre O’Connell (Law & Order) will appear on The Closer as the caring – yet crazy – first wife of Lt. Provenza (G.W. Bailey). She is the mother of his three children who gets ripped off when pawning some personal items in an attempt to pay for her beloved dog’s veterinary care. She’s an English teacher with a soft heart but who is always correcting everyone’s grammar. Her role may recur in the spinoff Major Crimes that will star Mary McDonnell. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

It looks like HBO is moving forward with their drama pilot, with now confirmed actors Chris Cooper and Diane Wiest in the lead roles. The pilot is called The Corrections and is based on the Jonathan Franzen book, which revolves around the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple (Cooper and Wiest), and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to “one last Christmas” together near the turn of the millennium. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC is considering a drama series for next summer to be produced by Bob Cooper and actor Anthony Lapaglia (Without a Trace). It is Titled Beautiful Gangsters and revolves around three mafia wives who cut a deal with the FBI to enter Witness Protection together in exchange for their testimony, in the hopes of giving their families a second chance at life. The FBI relocates them to a suburban border town in Canada, where they struggle to fit in, struggle to make ends meet … and struggle to resist temptations to take criminal shortcuts. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) is in final negotiations to play the lead in the BBC six-hour miniseries Top Of The Lake that centers on Robin Griffin (Moss), a detective investigating the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl, who is the daughter of a local drug lord. There is no set provider for viewers in the states, as yet, but Sundance Channel might get it. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jason Statham will star in the action-drama called Hummingbird that centers on an ex-Special Forces soldier looking for a way out of London’s criminal underworld. A twist of circumstance allows him to assume another identity and act out his vengeance through his redemptive justice. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Theatrical ‘Underworld Awakening’ Trailer with Kate Beckinsale

NOTE: There are some interesting co-stars in this movie as well, including actor Michael Ealy (FlashForward and the upcoming USA Network series Common Law), British actor Theo James (from the BBC series Bedlam), Kris Holden-Ried (Lost Girl) and India Eisley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager).

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actress Charisma Carpenter (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel) has landed a recurring role on new ABC Family Channel series The Lying Game. She will play Rebecca “Annie” Sewell, the estranged sister of Phyllis Chamberlain (Sydney Barrosse) and aunt of Sutton/Emma’s best friend, Char (Kirsten Prout). Rebecca’s return to town after many years brings back old memories — and secrets — that Alec Rybak (Adrian Pasdar) and Ted Mercer (Andy Buckley) would like to keep in the past. She begins her arc in the show’s midseason premiere, which is slated to air in early January. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

Actor Rockmund Dunbar (Prison Break and Terriers) will reprise his role of Pookie on the BET series The Game for a major arc, comprising of six to eight episodes. The show was renewed earlier this year for a 22-episode fifth season, which is slated to premiere in January. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

British actress Lucy Griffiths (the BBC drama Robin Hood) will appear in season 5 of True Blood, playing Nora, Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgard) centuries-old vampire “sister” (they were both progenies of Godric) who is working as a double agent within the Vampire Authority. True Blood‘s fifth season will have its premiere next summer. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Jonathan Tucker (Black Donnellys) has landed a recurring role on the NBC series Parenthood. He will play Bob Little, a frighteningly young and attractive political candidate for whom Amber (Mae Whitman) and Kristina (Monica Potter) go to work. Kristina’s former intern, Bob hires the harried wife and mother-of-three to run his campaign. Kristina, in turn, hires Amber to assist her. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

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

Question: I’ve got a bunch of Halloween candy leftover. Trade you for some Castle scoop? —Ivy

Ausiello: Castle and Beckett spend an upcoming episode literally handcuffed together.

Question: Please tell me that Deeks getting fired on NCIS: LA is only temporary! His partnership with Kensi is just too good. —Melissa

Ausiello: EP Shane Brennan assures fans that, “Even though he’s fired, in the great tradition of NCIS: Los Angeles, everything that you love about the show will continue. [What lies ahead] is a mystery within a mystery within a mystery.”

Question: I’m absolutely loving Once Upon A Time, but I’m dying to know: Are we ever going to get the scuttlebutt on the cute British sheriff? Does he have a fairytale counterpart? —Kathleen

Ausiello: Answers are coming — and soon! “That particular question is one we intend to answer definitively within the first batch of episodes we’ve already produced,” reveals exec producer Adam Horowitz, adding, “We love that people are theorizing already!”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Bridget Regan (Legend of the Seeker) will guest star on Person of Interest, playing Wendy, a charming/funny/sexy/sassy hairstylist from Brooklyn who learns that one should always look a gift horse in the mouth. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives and Mad Men) will guest star on Fairly Legal, playing a powerful, savvy trial attorney looking to expand his legal empire. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and actor Daryl Mitchell (Brothers) have joined the cast of the TNT drama pilot Scent Of The Missing. Glau will play a new member of the K-9 Search and Rescue team who is beautiful and very wealthy but much tougher than she looks. Meanwhile, Mitchell will play a wheelchair-bound former military sergeant who serves as the communications technician for the team. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

With their Nashville pilot Outlaw Country heating up for a series pickup at FX, Josh Goldin and Rachel Abramowitz have sold a second drama project to NBC. The legal drama entitled Major Crimes is set in the world of young ADAs in a Los Angeles downtown court building. Moving at a bullet pace, the show focuses on an ensemble cast of young, massively overworked ADAs falling in love, battling their own demons and ambitions, while seeking out justice on the run. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Eddie Redmayne (My Week With Marilyn) has joined the cast of Les Miserables as Marius, which will star Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert and Anne Hathaway as Fantine. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actor Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) and actresses Leslie Bibb (Iron Man) and Amy Smart (Road Trip) have joined the cast of the upcoming thriller film called 7500, that follows a group of passengers who encounter what appears to be a supernatural force while on Vista Pacific Flight 7500, a transpacific flight to Japan. Kwanten and Smart will play a married couple traveling with their two longtime friends for a trip to Japan. Bibb plays a flight attendant involved in a complicated and secret relationship. (Dark Horizons)

Actor Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) has joined the cast of the eco-terrorism thriller called The East that follows a contract worker (Brit Marling) who is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group, only to find herself falling for its leader (Alexander Skarsgard). Fernandez will play the sexually adventurous and free-spirited member of Skarsgard’s group. (Skarsgard Fans and Dark Horizons)

Actress Rashida Jones (Parks & Recreation) and Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris) have joined the cast of the indie dramedy called Decoding Annie Parker that is based on a true story. The film follows geneticist Mary Claire King (Helen Hunt) who discovered a gene linked to breast cancer. There are no details right now on the roles Jones or Stoll will play, though. Meanwhile, Samantha Morton plays Annie Parker, a woman who resolves to fight her cancer diagnosis and Aaron Paul and Maggie Grace co-star. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Bill Paxton (Big Love) is in talks to direct the film version of the classic 1972 TV series Kung Fu. The original series followed a Shaolin monk (David Carradine) as he wanders the American West. The monk wants peace but usually winds up using his martial arts skills against bad guys. John McLaughlin will write the script and shooting will kick off next Summer in China. Paxton previously helmed “Frailty” and “The Greatest Game Ever Played”. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

FX has renewed American Horror Story for a second season. (Twitter)

Actor James McCaffrey (Rescue Me) is joining the cast of ABC’s Revenge. He will play Ryan Huntley, a take-charge, no-BS attorney who has represented the husband of currently comatose Lydia in their nasty divorce. He will appear in the 10th episode, which is slated to air in January. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Soap actor Brody Hutzler (Days of Our Lives) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Ringer, playing wine connoisseur Jason Sheridan, the handsome and supportive husband of Upper East Side socialite, Greer, who will be portrayed by Madchen Amick. Both are set to appear in Episode 11. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has purchased the high-concept pitch called Afterthought box office writers Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman) and Melissa Rosenberg (The Twilight Saga). The project is described as a closed-ended procedural in the vein of CSI by way of Inception and The Cell. The story follows an unconventional team within the FBI that uses the six-hour window between clinical death and cellular death to solve murders by entering the memories of the recently deceased. (Jeff Sneider at Variety)

Maroon 5 singer and The Voice judge Adam Levin not only has a karaoke comedy project with NBC but now he also has a potential drama set with the network called Awesome Splendor, which will be set in the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Executive producer Lawrence Trilling (Parenthood) will write and direct the project. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Bradley Cooper, Dax Shepard, Tom Arnold and actress Kristen Bell will star in the romantic action comedy called Outrun that follows ex-getaway driver in hiding Charlie Bronson (Shepard) who agrees to break the rules of his Witness Protection and drive his sexy girlfriend (Bell) to Los Angeles so that she can land her dream job. When the authorities and his former gang (led by Cooper) learn he is back behind the wheel, they hit the road to chase him down. Desperate to stay one step ahead, Charlie upgrades to an even faster car as the story shifts into high gear. Kristin Chenoweth, Beau Bridges, Michael Rosenbaum, Joy Bryant and Ryan Hansen also star. (Dark Horizons)

Actor Terence Stamp has joined the cast of the upcoming film called Pan, which is a twist on J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. The story shifts the setting to contemporary United States and recasts Pan as an insane killer. Stamp’s role is unspecified. He joins a cast that includes Aaron Eckhart, Sean Bean and AnnaSophia Robb. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Besides directing what will assuredly be a blockbuster (The Avengers) and sneaking in an independent film based on the Shakespeare classic Much Ado About Nothing, Joss Whedon has yet another movie on his hands. The metaphysical love story is called In Your Eyes and follows two seemingly polar opposites who are deeply connected in ways neither could have ever imagined. Whedon wrote the script and will serve as executive producer. No cast has been announced yet, but filming will start in February. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Here are the top 10 movies at the box office for this past weekend courtesy of Grady Smith at Entertainment Weekly:

1. Puss in Boots – $34 million
2. Paranormal Activity 3 – $18.5 million
3. In Time – $12 million
4. Footloose – $5.4 million
5. The Rum Diary – $5 million
6. Real Steel – $4.7 million
7. The Three Musketeers – $3.5 million
8. The Ides of March – $2.7 million
9. Moneyball – $2.4 million
10. Courageous – $1.8 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Sarah Clarke (24 and the Twilight franchise) will appear in a 2012 episode of Nikita, but there are no details on what character she will play. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

HBO has optioned the upcoming non-fiction book Unreal Estate: Money, Ambition and the Lust for Land in Los Angeles by Michael Gross for a TV series. Producer extraordinaire Joel Silver is in negotiations to executive produce the project that explores the history of 16 estates in Los Angeles’ most exclusive enclaves — Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, and Beverly Park — as well as juicy details from the lives of their famous owners. The cast of characters features a slew of Hollywood stars who have passed through the houses over the years, including Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Marilyn Monroe, George Hamilton, Harold Lloyd, Jayne Mansfield, Tony Curtis, Sonny and Cher, as well as decadent Spanish land-grant families, desperado oilmen and railroad titans, corporate moguls, con men, porn magnates and tabloid fixtures. The potential series is envisioned as a drama with soapy and comedic elements. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Syfy Films (a joint venture between Syfy and Universal Pictures) has acquired the screen rights to Wild Cards, a superhero anthology edited, co-created and co-written by George R.R. Martin (the man behind the Game of Thrones books for which the HBO fantasy series is based). Wild Cards is a series of books and stories set in a shared universe where an alien virus has been unleashed over New York City. Those who survived were turned into either a class of beings named Jokers, mostly deformed creatures, (or more rarely) Aces, who have special powers. (Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Damian Lewis (Homeland) and actress Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) have been cast in the big screen adaptation of the classic British TV series The Sweeney that follows two members of the “Flying Squad,” a branch of the Metropolitan Police specializing in armed robbery and violent crime in London. (Baz Bamigboye and First Showing)

Warner Bros. has picked up the movie rights to The Scorpio Races, a new young adult fantasy novel from Maggie Stiefvater, which just hit shelves last week. The story follows the first female competitor in the titular races which utilize mythological flesh-eating horses from Celtic lore on an island where the woman falls in love with her horse trainer. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

Actor Bill Murray has joined the cast of the upcoming dramatic film A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III that will star Charlie Sheen as a successful graphic designer whose fame, money and charm have made him irresistible to women. But when his girlfriend breaks up with him, his life swirls into a downward spiral of doubt, confusion and reflection. The cast includes recently announced Kathryn Winnick (Bones) and the newly added Patricia Arquette (Medium) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). Jason Schwartzman and Aubrey Plaza also star. (Variety and First Showing)

Actor Aldis Hodge (Leverage) will have a supporting role in the upcoming eco-terrorist thriller called The East, which centers around a contract worker who infiltrates an anarchist group and finds herself falling for its leader. Hodge will play an ex-military member of the townspeople who is affiliated with the group. The film also stars Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgard, Patricia Clarkson and Brit Marling. (Sophie Schillaci at The Hollywood Reporter)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) will host the People’s Choice Awards that is set to air in January. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Richard Schiff (The West Wing) will guest star on the new ABC fairytale drama Once Upon a Time as King Leopold, Snow White’s father. He will appear in episode 11. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) will guest star on The Good Wife, but there are few details on who she will be playing. (Kristin at E! Online)

Actress Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) will have a recurring role on the new CW drama Ringer, playing Catherine, the conniving ex-wife of Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd) and the mother of Juliet (Zoey Deutch). (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actors Kevin Alejandro and Grant Bowler (both recently on True Blood) will guest star on the ABC mid-season dram GCB (Good Christian Belles – formerly Bitches). Alejandro will play Danny, a local butcher who offers to supply meat for Booby-licious (a Hooters-like restaurant in the show) on the condition that Heather (Marisol Nichols) goes on a date with him. Meanwhile, Bowler will appear as Mason Massey, a frozen foods magnate and thoroughbred horse breeder. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips (Stargate Universe) will guest star in Southland as Danny Ferguson, a physically intimidating beat cop who is deeply cynical about law enforcement. His views cause more than a little tension with Ben (Benjamin McKenzie) and Sammy (Shawn Hatosy), but when the time comes to put up or shut up, Ferguson proves to be an exceptional officer. Southland will be back on TNT on January 17. (TV Guide)

Singers Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Florence + the Machine, Kelly Clarkson and Jessie J. will headline the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul, the latest edition of the popular musical series set to air from New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on December 19. (E! Online)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Austin Butler (Switched at Birth and Life Unexpected) will star alongside Danielle Panabaker (Shark) in the ABC Family hour-long pilot Intercept in a recurring capacity. The pilot is a technology- and action-driven drama about four college students who get roped into solving crimes when one of them (Butler) creates a high-tech communication device that intercepts conversations throughout the West Coast. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy) has launched her own production company – Calamity Jane – and sold its first project to ABC. The untitled drama is partially based on Laura Blumenfeld’s June article in ELLE Magazine about the female agents on the Secretary Of State’s security detail. The project will revolve around Diplomatic Security special agents who travel the world protecting American officials on diplomatic missions and will explore the personal and professional challenges these young women and men face while taking on one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Eric Winter (The Mentalist) will star opposite Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) in the new TNT drama pilot called Scent Of The Missing, which is based on the book by Susannah Charleson. It centers on Susannah (Helfer), a tenacious, strong-willed K-9 Search and Rescue volunteer who works with an equally determined partner — her mischievous golden retriever, Puzzle. Winter will play Jake, a member of the search and rescue team with his dog Shadow. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Dawn Oliveiri (The Vampire Diaries and Heroes) will appear in the independent film called Missionary, which revolves around a young missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ who has skewed God’s instructions in his efforts to win the affections of a married woman he feels should be his wife and soul mate for eternity. She will next be seen in the new Showtime comedy House of Lies that is set to debut in January. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actors Gerard Butler, Sam Worthington and Matthew McConaughey have joined the 3D CG motion-capture action-thriller called Thunder Road, which is based on the novel by Davd Zucchino. The project is described as the untold story of the dangerous surprise assault and capture of Baghdad by American Forces at the onset of the Iraq War. (Thompson on Hollywood and Dark Horizons)

Actress Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) will star in the film adaption of the Cat Patrick sci-fi novel called Forgotten, which follows a 16-year-old who has her memory erased at exactly 4:33 each morning. All she can remember are events from her future. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Robert De Niro and comedian-actress Kristen Wiig will appear in the drama film called The Comedian that is to be directed by Sean Penn. De Niro will play Jackie Burke, a comic who once had a beloved TV character but is now past his prime and trying to revive his career. After being sentenced to community service for hitting an audience member in the head with his microphone, Jackie meets Harmony (Wiig), a dazzling and defiant redhead who turns his life sideways. (Mandi Bierly at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: First Charming Trailer for Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’ Hits the Web

That’s it. Enjoy!

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