Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

ABC Family has picked up Pretty Little Liars for a third season. That season will include 24 new episodes and is expected to air next summer. The remainder of its current second season will be back on January 2. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Lifetime has picked up 10 more episodes of Army Wives. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries) will guest star in a late January episode of Supernatural, playing Lydia, a character who is wry, independent, and as fun-loving as Dean. She will also supposedly get to have a “sizzling one-night stand” with Dean. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Recently it was announced that NBC has picked up a pilot by Bryan Fuller (the man behind Pushing Daisies) that will reimage the classic 60’s series The Munsters. Now news has broken that Bryan Singer (director of X-Men and Superman Returns will be directing the pilot. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) has been chosen by J.J. Abrams to join the ensemble cast of the second installment of the new Star Trek franchise. While details are scare on what part she will be playing, it is believed to be a new character to the legendary canon. Most of the cast from the previous installment is returning, including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

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

Question: When will the curse be broken on Once Upon a Time? — James

NATALIE: Well, first of all, it’s not going to be like — poof! — and all of the sudden everyone knows they are beloved fairy tale characters. In fact, they’re definitely not going to find out all at the same time. But one person will, and soon. But this knowledge might end up being more of a curse than a blessing. “Even if you do know who you are, that doesn’t mean everything immediately comes back to you and you get your happy ending,” executive producer Adam Horowitz says. Adds executive producer Edward Kitsis: “In a lot of ways, it might just make it worse.”

Question: I can’t stand thinking of Jason Dohring as a rapist on Ringer. Please tell me that it didn’t really happen! — Jessica

NATALIE: It didn’t really happen… or did it? You’ll find out for sure after the New Year, but let’s just say things aren’t exactly what they seem between Juliet and her teacher. In fact, there’s actually a third party involved.

Question: So glad Leverage is back. What can you tell me about the new episodes? — Todd

ADAM: Look for Hardison to take more of a leadership role. “We’ve addressed Hardison’s interest in running his own team,” Aldis Hodge tells us. “[He’s] taking a shot at it and… it’s a very interesting turn for him because he’s never had that kind of responsibility.” Don’t worry, Hardison’s not leaving the team. In fact, the experience may serve as an attitude adjustment. “I think he’s still learning,” Hodge says. “I think he’s ready in ways that he still doesn’t understand, but he still has a few tactics that he needs to get comfortable with.”

Question: What do you know about the new season of Pretty Little Liars. — Meg

NATALIE: Remember when Pretty Little Liars star Ian Harding told us that Ezra was going to have a “tumultuous” interaction with a certain someone’s parents that involved a stunt coordinator? That violent confrontation takes place in the premiere. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll be quite surprised by who throws the first punch.

Question: Any scoop on Rookie Blue for the upcoming Season 3? —Elizabeth

Ausiello: Blue is introducing a new Rookie. The show is casting the role of Leslie, a smart detective in her 30s who has the gravitas to run a division. She’ll appear in three episodes of Season 3 and will likely recur during Season 4 (assuming there is a Season 4).

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

While there is no official confirmation from the network, it’s looking like the new ABC period drama Pan Am is on the cancellation block. (Twitter)

Actress Nora Zehetner (Everwood and Heroes) will have a recurring role in the upcoming buddy-cop dramedy Common Law from the USA Network that is set to debut on January 26 at 10 PM. The series is about butting detectives Travis (Michael Ealy) and Wes (Warren Kole) who are ordered to attend couples therapy. Zehetner will play a pretty and offbeat female detective fresh out of training at Quantico and the new head of the digital technology unit. She’s immune to Travis’ flirty charms but is impressed by Wes. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing) has joined the cast of the untitled drama pilot for USA from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin. The project follows agents from various federal and local agencies (DEA, FBI, LAPD) who all live at an undercover house in Southern California. He will play Dale Jakes, a quick-tempered U.S. Customs agent living at the house. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Liev Schreiber will star in the Showtime drama pilot Ray Donovan that takes a novelistic look at contemporary Los Angeles. He will play the title character, a professional “fixer” for the rich and famous in Los Angeles. (The Hollywood Reporter)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

TNT has greenlit an original movie adaptation of the best-selling novel from Patricia Cornwell called Hornet’s Nest. Actresses Sherry Stringfield (ER) and Virginia Madsen (Sideways) have been cast to star in the film, which will premiere next spring as part of the TNT Mystery Movie Night. The story is about reporter Andy Brazil, Police Chief Judy Hammer (Madsen) and her top deputy, Virginia West (Stringfield). (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Michael Chiklis (The Shield) and Forest Whitaker are set to star in the indie crime thriller called Pawn that follows an ex-con who becomes entangled in a manipulative chess game between the Feds, local police and the mob during a hostage situation that has gone terribly wrong. Common and Ray Liotta also star. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) has landed a role alongside Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg in the political thriller film Broken City that will follows a New York City detective (Wahlberg) who is hired by a powerful politician (Crowe) to identify his wife’s lover, who is subsequently found and killed. Barry Pepper also stars in the film as a mayoral candidate and Chandler is working at the core of his political team, but it is unclear how the two tie into the logline of the story. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright and Griffin Dunne also star. (First Showing and Variety)

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

Question: You guys have been slacking on the Supernatural scoop lately! Any idea what’s coming up on my favorite show?

Kristin: Bobby’s (Jim Beaver) flirting with death after that whole being shot in the head thing that happened last episode. So where does he find himself? Purgatory! Yes, our beloved Bobby will be reliving his life and will come across a dear old friend in the process: Rufus (Steven Williams).

Question: Anything on Once Upon a Time please! When will we found out more about Mr. Gold?

Kristin: We’ll learn more about Mr. Gold (the ah-mah-zing Robert Carlyle), and his fairy-tale counterpart Rumpelstiltskin, in episode eight, penned by Jane Espenson! “Some crucial facts about where Rumpel comes from,” are revealed in the episode, Espenson tells us. As for whether or not he’s truly evil, that remains to be seen. “He’s a wild card,” she says. “His ulterior motives are still always very complicated.”

Question: Once Upon a Time, please! I am obsessed with this show!

Kristin: Remember that deal Emma (Jennifer Morrison) made with Mr. Gold? “He’s going to hold onto that for a while,” Espenson teases. “He’s going to make sure that’s paid off when he can get the maximum bang.”

Question: some Revenge please?

Kristin: Grandpa Grayson is comin’ to town! Yes, Revenge is currently looking for someone to play Donald Grayson (who will first appear in episode 14), an imposing, self-made man who is a little rough around the edges. Donald made his children (including Conrad) work very hard for their share of his fortune as he’s a believer in hard work. Seems like just the person to light a fire under Daniel

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

I sure hope everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend. Here are the news items, few though they be, for today:

TELEVISION
Actor Justin Hartley (Smallville) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Castle. He will appear in the same episode as Hilarie Burton (White Collar and One Tree Hill) as the boyfriend of Kay Cappuccio (Burton), a Kim Kardashian-like reality star who’s famous for being famous. (TV Line and TV Guide)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Goode will star in the BBC five-part drama called Dancing On The Edge that is set in the 1930’s, following a black jazz band in London. Jacqueline Bisset and Anthony Head co-star. (BBC and Dark Horizons)

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

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1, $42 million
2. The Muppets, $29.5 million
3. Happy Feet Two, $13.4 million
4. Arthur Christmas, $12.7 million
5. Hugo, $11.4 million
6. Jack and Jill, $10.3 million
7. Immortals, $8.8 million
8. Puss in Boots, $7.5 million
9. Tower Heist, $7.3 million
10. The Descendants, $7.2 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today and please note this is the last update for a few days in honor of the Thanksgiving weekend:

TELEVISION

Desperate Housewives is welcoming back three of their own for its final season: Dana Delany, Kyle MacLachlan and Andrea Bowen. The length and timing of their returns, however, are not known. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Hilarie Burton (White Collar) will guest star in an upcoming episode of EW, playing Kay Cappuccio, a reality TV star with good looks, charisma, and a knockout bod (i.e., a Kim Kardashian knock-off). Kay is described as having “achieved significant fame and fortune without possessing any discernible skill or talent and is famous mostly for being famous. The character, however, is more complex than some might think, as she both relishes the spotlight and at the same time feels like a prisoner of her own celebrity lifestyle. She is set to appear sometime next year. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The CW is joining the treasure hunt trend by picking up the new drama project called Golddigger that centers on a young female treasure hunter who tracks down artifacts for a variety of mysterious and interesting clients. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Meanwhile, NBC has bought an untitled adventure drama described as the Da Vinci Code meets National Treasure, which centers on a young NYPD beat cop who, along with his family and friends, embarks upon the greatest treasure hunt in history. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Jeffrey Nordling (Body of Proof) will co-star opposite Melanie Griffith in the Lifetime drama pilot called American Housewife, which Griffith is executive producing with her husband Antonio Banderas. The pilot centers on Leila (Griffith), a seemingly perfect housewife living the American Dream in an affluent neighborhood, married to wealthy up-and-coming politician Stanford (Nordling) with whom she has three grown or almost-grown children. Leila’s life is filled with chaos, but lately even her quiet moments are not so quiet — she’s begun hearing a voice, and it’s telling her things she doesn’t want to know. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead) and her entertainment company have optioned the Annie Jacobsen book Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base for a potential TV series. The hour-long project follows two men working on the base who are thrust into danger when they uncover secrets that the government will protect at any cost. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

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

Question: How will Jane’s memory loss affect Cassie on The Secret Circle? — Laura

NATALIE: Cassie will pay the ultimate price for Charles’ backfired spell. “It’s going to toss her world around because, in some sense, the last family member she has is drifting away from her,” executive producer Andrew Miller says. Could this be the catalyst for the emergence of her dark side? Here’s hoping!

Question: Have you heard anything new about the next season of Justified? — Beth

ADAM: As a matter of fact, I have! The show has recruited Pruitt Taylor Vince, fresh off his gig as zombie bait on The Walking Dead, for a juicy guest spot. He’ll play Glen Fogle, a local pawnbroker and modern-day Fagin who sells stolen goods and pays his band of thieves with Oxycontin. He takes twisted pleasure at the pain of others, but may get a taste of his own medicine when one of his own turns against him.

Question: How long before we see the effects of Beckett’s most recent confession to her shrink on Castle? — Whitney

ADAM: Well, don’t expect her to run straight into Castle’s arms. After all, we’re pretty sure that secret he’s keeping from her will rear its ugly head at some point. But Stana Katic remains optimistic, despite the obstacles. “The more the characters grow, the more undeniable it will be that the two of them are just going to be together,” she says. “It’s a natural progression. It’s not a matter of teasing the audience; it’s just a matter of fully fleshing out the characters and [then] it’ll just happen. It will have to.”

Question: I really wish Once Upon a Time would do more with Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito. — Elaine

NATALIE: Your wish will soon come true! (Note: That’s also a hint.) Once will bring Esposito back after the New Year, executive producer Adam Horowitz promises. “His origin story will hopefully be very surprising to people; [we’ll find out] who he is, who he was and how he got in the mirror,” he says.

Question: Any news on Switched at Birth? —Melissa

Ausiello: Emmett and Bay will still be going strong when Birth returns Jan. 3, which begs the question: How is Daphne dealing with seeing her pal dating another girl? “Not well,” Katie Leclerc told us at Sunday’s American Music Awards. “It would be hard — the one that you love hanging out with the one that you don’t like at all.” Look for Daphne to take some of her “rage and aggression” out on the courts. “I’ve been playing a lot of basketball,” notes the actress.

Question: This season of Vampire Diaries is absolutely the best yet, and I’m rather depressed there won’t be any new episodes until January. Please ease my suffering with some scoop! —Kim

Ausiello: We’ll meet Klaus’ somewhat less evil brother, Finn, in a circa 1491 flashback sequence slated to air in Episode 13. As legend has it, Finn stumbles upon a vulnerable Katerina, and, well, one thing leads to another…

Question: I am dying for a scoop on my new addiction, Hart of Dixie! Got anything? —Hannah

Ausiello: Look for Lavon to have his hands full with his parents visiting and Lemon revealing to him her and George’s plan to drive off that night and elope. Hmm, but a snowstorm is at hand…

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

NBC has given Grimm, the new fairytale procedural, a full season order. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Eric Roberts will appear in an upcoming episode of the new series The Finder, the Bones spin-off that is set to begin airing in January. Roberts will play Uncle Shadrack, the revered head of a gypsy family to which Willa (series regular Maddie Hasson) happens to belong. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

HBO has signed a deal with Akiva Goldsman for an untitled Western drama about Doc Holliday that will be inspired by the book “Doc” by Mary Doria Russell. In this version, however, Holliday will appear as an educated Southern gentleman and dentist by trade, thrust into the cruel and violent world of the Old West. It will also feature the unexplored love triangle between Holliday, his prostitute wife Kate, and his best friend Wyatt Earp. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Graham King’s TV division has acquired global distribution rights to the upcoming Canadian sci-fi series Out of Time with actress Thandie Newton circling the lead role of a female cop in the year 2077 who is transporting a group of terrorists en route to their execution when suddenly the group is sent time traveling back to 2012 where they can reconstitute their violent agenda. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Vanessa Ferlito (CSI: NY) has joined actor Aaron Tveit in an untitled USA pilot from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin. The project follows agents from various federal and local agencies (DEA, FBI, LAPD) who all live at an undercover house in Southern California. Ferlito will play Catherine “Charlie” Lopez, a very attractive and strong-willed DEA agent. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Film actor Ewan McGregor is set to co-star in the HBO drama pilot called The Corrections continues that stars Chris Cooper and Diane Wiest in a story based on the Jonathan Franzen book that 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. McGregor will play Chip, the middle child, a Marxist academic who lost his tenure-track position over an affair with a student and now works for a Lithuanian crime boss defrauding American investors. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Syfy is looking to bring the DC Comics franchise Booster Gold to life on the small screen in the form of a one-hour drama from Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters and No Ordinary Family). The story will center on Booster Gold, a washed-up athlete from the future who travels back to the present in hopes of becoming the greatest super hero of all time. Instead of chasing criminals, however, his main priority is chasing fame and money. But Booster Gold discovers that being a hero takes more than just a megawatt smile, and that the future doesn’t happen without first protecting the present. (The Hollywood Reporter)

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

Question: We saw Snow White, Cinderella and soon Belle will arrive. Which other Fairy princesses can we expect on OUAT?

Kristin: While we’re not sure which princesses will be making appearance in Storybrooke soon, we do know the show is currently casting a “beautiful, alluring and seductive” woman to play the siren. It’s almost impossibly for any man to ignore her temptations and we hear she may set her sights on a certain charming man.

Question: Some Once Upon a Time scoop would be great!

Kristin: Remember Dr. Whale (David Anders), David’s slimy doc who was in cahoots with Regina (Lana Parrilla)? We’ll soon learn who he was in the fairy tale realm. Speculate away!

Question: I do not approve of anyone dying on Once Upon a Time! Any hints?!

Kristin: We love all the characters so we’re bummed to see anyone go…but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. We can officially eliminate Henry and Ruby from the guessing game. Also,

Question: Any scoop on The Lying Game’s Ethan and Emma? Thanks.

Kristin: From what we’re hearing, Ethan (Blair Redford) and Emma (Alexandra Chando) will be going strong when the ABC Family show returns, much to her (or, you know, Sutton’s) father Ted’s (Andy Buckley) dismay. In fact, the couple is going so strong, there’s a moment so cute in episode 13 that might just melt fans’ hearts. Also, the show is currently casting a love interest, named Ryan, for Mads (Alice Greczyn).

Question: Revenge scoop!

Kristin: Revenge is taking a cue from its sister show Once Upon a Time and drawing from fairy tales for inspiration. OK, not really, but Nolan (Gabriel Mann) is the Hamptons’ version of the little boy who cried wolf, at least according to Jack (Nick Wechsler). “I continue to try and advise him, but he doesn’t want to listen to me anymore,” Mann tells us. “I gave him terrible advice as far as he’s concerned, but this time he really, really, really should listen to me.” Hmmm…we’re guessing this has to do with the real Emily Thorne (Margarita Levieva) setting her sights on Jack.

Question: Revenge question! Will the Real Emily tell Jack that she’s ‘Amanda’? I don’t like those two getting close…

Kristin: Nor do we, but close they are going to get! The show is currently casting a darkly handsome tattooed local named Lee who will come between “Jack and Amanda.” Something tells us the Amanda they are talking about is not played by Emily VanCamp.

Question: Revenge is my new favorite show! I’m obsessed. Anything you can share?

Kristin: Prepare for even more flashback goodness, including “clumsy ’90s” Nolan! “Oh, flashback a plenty, yes,” Mann says. “Lots of flashback coming. In episode nine, you’re going to start to see more of Nolan in the past.” Mann says he’s excited for the writers “to connect the dots from the person that he was early in that business, and how he

Question: Do you expect NBC’s Smash to be the NBC version of a Glee spinoff? It looks like what I would expect from a Glee spinoff, but what’s your take?

Kristin: They’re both musical-driven shows, but that’s where the similarities end with Glee and Smash. For starters, Smash is set entirely in the world of Broadway, and you won’t find any standard high school drama from this group. That being said, Glee fans will certainly enjoy Smash. Tell you what, we just might have crashed the set of Smash recently (OK, we totally did), so we’ll let the cast tell you why the show isn’t just a Glee copycat. Stay tuned!

Question: Teen Wolf. Apparently, it’s started filming season two. So, to quote Buffy Summers, “What do you know?”

Kristin: Quoting Buffy? You earn a gold star for excelling at life! Congratulations! As for Teen Wolf, prepare to meet at least two new wolves this season who will be part of Derek’s (Tyler Hoechlin) pack, Isaac and Erica, who both become more confident and attractive after being bitten. Thanks, Derek!

Question: Please give us some Psych or Covert Affairs scoop! My USA shows need some love.

Kristin: You obviously have excellent taste, but we’ve got some bittersweet news for you. Dec. 6 marks the second-season finale of Covert Affairs, and it’s a real tear-jerker—especially for Auggie-Annie shippers. After receiving some terrible news, Auggie (Christopher Gorham) abandons Annie (Piper Perabo) along with his hope for a different future. At least we have Psych to cheer us up: Its midseason finale (Dec. 14 ), “Neil Simon’s Lover’s Retreat,” serves up a double serving of 90210¬-awesome with original Beverly Hills star Jason Priestley guesting alongside the relaunched series’ Lori Loughlin.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

ABC has given drama Body of Proof an order for 3 additional episodes. (Deadline)

Actress Elisabeth Shue will take over as a series regular for Marg Helgenberger on CSI starting on the episode that is set to air on February 15. (CBS)

AWARD WINNERS

Congrats to the winners of last night’s American Music Awards, including (but not limited to): Taylor Swift, Adele, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Lady Antebellum and The Foo Fighters (E! Online)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Dwayne Johnson will to star in the box office film called Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide, a live action adventure film based on the comic book mini-series by John Paul Russ. The book series is a comprehensive guide to hunt monsters, the undead and unnatural beasts, and survive the confrontations. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Here are the top 10 movies at the box office this past weekend courtesy of E! Online:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1, $139.5 million
2. Happy Feet Two, $22 million
3. Immortals, $12.3 million
4. Jack and Jill, $12 million
5. Puss in Boots, $10.7 million
6. Tower Heist, $7 million
7. J. Edgar, $5.9 million
8. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, $2.9 million
9. In Time, $1.7 million
10. The Descendants, $1.2 million

Actor Chris Evans (Captain America) will be taking over for actor James Franco in the upcoming box office film The Iceman that is based on the Anthony Bruno book about Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer for the mob. Actor Michael Shannon is attached to play Kuklinski, aka The Iceman and Evans will play his mentor, Robert Pronge. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress Amber Heard has been chosen for the female lead opposite Dominic Cooper in the upcoming film Motor City. Cooper plays a man released from prison who goes on a revenge mission, hunting down the people who framed him. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Showtime has renewed Dexter for 2 more seasons. (Variety and Twitter)

Actress Amy Acker (Angel and Dollhouse) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the new NBC drama Grimm, playing the Black Widow or more specifically, Lena, your run-of-the-mill happy housewife. The twist? She suffers from rapid-aging syndrome and every five years, she has to leech the life out of three guys in three short days in order to maintain her appearance. (Andy Patrick at TV Line)

Actresses Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Peri Gilpin (Fraiser) will guest star as bickering sisters on an upcoming episode of Grey’s Anatomy. They are scheduled to appear in mid-January. (The Hollywood Reporter and Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

Actresses Marcia Gay Harden (Damages) and Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’ other half) will appear in an upcoming episode of Body of Proof in a case similar to that of Casey Anthony. Harden will play a Nancy Grace-like journalist named Sheila Temple, while Wilson will portray the mother of the accused mother. (Entertainment Weekly and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has passed on the Nashville-set drama pilot Outlaw Country but is keeping their other new pilot called Powers alive. Outlaw Country was to be a crime thriller/family drama set against the backdrop of Southern organized crime and Nashville royalty. Meanwhile, Powers is based on the comic book of the same name that is a police procedural set in a world where superpowers are relatively common. It centers on two detectives, Christian Walker (Jason Patric) and Deena Pilgrim (Lucy Punch), in a Homicide department that deals with cases involving “powers” (people with superpowers). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

HBO and BBC are collaborating on a mini-series adaptation of the award-winning historical novel Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. The story is set in Medieval England and is a fictionalized biography chronicling the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck) has been cast in the female lead in the upcoming film I, Frankenstein. She will star as a beautiful and gifted scientist, the love interest of Aaron Eckhart. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Young actor Asa Butterfield, who will soon be seen in the box office film called Hugo, has been offered the title role in Ender’s Game, the adaptation of the Orson Scott Card science fiction novel. The book is a seminal futuristic novel that begins on Earth after an alien attack, when gifted children are recruited by a government desperate to fight back. The kids are taught a competitive game that’s a cross between the Quidditch matches of Harry Potter and the Jedi light saber battles from Star Wars. Only the best and brightest will be chosen. A young boy emerges as a genius strategist, and the planet’s best hope to destroy the alien Formic race. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actor Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) has indeed been chosen to play Arthur in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie Arthur and Lancelot. Actor Joel Kinniman (The Killing) was chosen to play Lancelot awhile back. Both actors had been rumored to be getting the roles quite some time ago, but this is the final confirmation. Plot details are vague, however. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Amanda Seyfried Freaks in Heitor Dhalia’s ‘Gone’ First Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Legendary actress Jane Curtin (Kate & Allie and 3rd Rock From the Sun) has been added as a series regular to the new CBS drama Unforgettable. She will play Jane Webster, an acerbic and demanding Inspector who was running the Medical Examiner’s office in Manhattan until being demoted to the Queens Police Department for mouthing off one too many times. Although she is a brilliant forensic pathologist with an encyclopedic knowledge of New York crime, she refuses to be pigeonholed as merely a crime fighter, and even teaches a course in Romantic Poetry at New School. Carrie will soon come to rely on Jane’s deductive prowess and historical expertise to help solve the murder of her own sister more than two decades ago. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) will appear as a potential love interest for Barney on How I Met Your Mother. She is expected to recur throughout the show’s current season. Her character is named Quinn and her appearance comes on the heels of Barney’s breakup with Nora and subsequent rejection from Robin. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Emily Rose (Haven) will guest star on Harry’s Law, playing a woman attempting to adopt an escaped gorilla. This will be the same episode for which Smallville’s Erica Durance appears. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actor Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives) will guest star on an upcoming episode of the new ABC drama Revenge, playing a rich, pretentious journalist who is writing a tell-all book on the Hamptons elite. (Entertainment Weekly and Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actress Meredith Baxter (Family Ties) will guest star on the ABC Family series Switched at Birth, playing Bonnie Tamblyn Dixon, the mother of Kathryn (Lea Thompson) and biological grandmother to Daphne (Katie LeClerc). Sparks fly and tension rise when she arrives for a family visit. The series returns on January 3 at 8 PM. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has given a pilot order to The Munsters, an imaginative reinvention of the classic 60’s comedy from Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller. Word is that the network envisions the new Munsters as a potential summer or event series. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Writer Melissa Rosenberg (the writer of the film adaptations of the Twilight franchise) will write and executive produce one of two dramas for ABC. Her project centers on the widow of an assassinated criminal who is suddenly forced to adopt her late husband’s role in order to protect her family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) has joined the cast of the upcoming film Pacific Rim that is being called a “very, very beautiful poem to giant monsters” according to director Guillermo del Toro. The cast includes Idris Elba, Charlie Day and Charlie Hunnam. (Wired and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Erica Durance (Smallville) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Harry’s Law as a psychologically infirm woman who retreats into the persona of the DC Comics heroine to help wreak revenge on perpetrators of domestic abuse. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

NBC has announced they are shutting down production on Prime Suspect. (Vulture)

Actor Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Criminal Minds, playing Curtis, a blue-collar, east coast type who is a down-on-his-luck gambler. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor James Wolk (the short-lived Lone Star) will appear in multiple episodes of Happy Endings, play Max’s old new boyfriend. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Aaron Tveit (Gossip Girl and the Broadway productions of Next To Normal and Catch Me If You Can) is set to star in the untitled hour-long pilot from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin for the USA Network. The project follows agents from various federal and local agencies (DEA, FBI, LAPD) who all live at an undercover house in Southern California. Tveit will play Mike Warren, a freshly minted FBI agent just out of the Academy and dripping wet behind the ears. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Great New Trailer for Aardman’s ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’

Mirror, Mirror Trailer Is Here! So Which Snow White Adaptation Is Fairest of Them All?

Must Watch: First Full Trailer for Pixar’s New Fairytale ‘Brave’ Arrives

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

Question: Will Adam and Cassie ever get together on The Secret Circle? —Sammy

NATALIE: Here’s some good news for Adam and Cassie ‘shippers: Executive producer Andrew Miller says their sparks will ignite when the show returns in January. “It won’t be on the backburner for long,” he says, noting that Jake’s absence will open new possibilities. The bad news: Cassie’s journey toward the dark side of magic will change her as a person.

Question: What’s coming up on Pretty Little Liars? —Nikki

NATALIE: The Halloween prequel showed us that good guy Lucas has an evil side, and it looks like the PLLs will soon discover it. “There’s a big reveal coming up for Lucas … [he’s] getting scarier and scarier,” executive producer Oliver Goldstick tells us. Could this be related to the other big hints Goldstick offered about the rest of Season 2? “Somebody is getting arrested and somebody is getting killed.”

Question: Will Danielle find out that Auggie’s in the CIA too on Covert Affairs? — Heather

ADAM: Danielle’s still coming to terms with Annie’s big secret, but once she does, she might have some suspicions about the other people in her sister’s life, including Auggie. “That was one of my questions. What’s going to happen to Auggie?” Christopher Gorham tells us. “Does she find out that Auggie also works for the CIA? Would she automatically assume that he did? … We found a great way to deal with that question in the [Season 2 finale]. It’s going to set up Season 3 in a really interesting way.”

Question: It’s been fun seeing Madeline get in on the action on Burn Notice this season. Is she a temporary or more permanent addition to the group? — Troy

ADAM: With big bad Anson on the loose, the team needs all the help they can get. Thankfully, Mama Westen is up for the challenge. “Madeline becomes a very integral into the workings of trying to bring Anson down,” Gabrielle Anwar tells us. “She becomes part of the team in much more concise ways than ever before. Every time that the team has relied on her to come through, she’s always come through.”

Question: I am a loyal follower and this is the first time I have asked for scoop! Do you have anything about the Nov. 28 episode of Castle entitled “Cuffed”? Specifically, how do Beckett and Castle get handcuffed together in the first place? —Lauren

Ausiello: Good question. So good that I went directly to series creator Andrew W. Marlowe for the answer. He said, “Fans should be very curious as to why Beckett and Castle are handcuffed together” — and they’re not alone in that. “I think Beckett and Castle are very curious as to why they are cuffed together, and wonder why they can’t remember exactly how it happened.”

Question: I am a HUGE Leverage fan. Will we get to see a shirtless Hardison and Eliot this season? If you could respond, that would be awesome! —Jessa25

Ausiello: Half of your wish comes true in the Nov. 27 midseason premiere when Hardison loses his clothes during an undercover mission at a fraternity (where he’s forced to participate in a hazing ritual). Even better, things get very flirty — and kissy! — between Hardison and Parker when she poses as his slightly loony date.

Question: Any chance you have some Leverage scoop, particularly something involving Nate and Sophie’s relationship? —Lauren

Ausiello: A special Office-like mockumentary episode airing Dec. 4 finds the team posing as efficiency consultants at a greeting card company. When one of the real employees picks up on some tension between Nate and Sophie, the unsuspecting staffer — at Sophie’s delightfully evil urging — confronts Nate about it. That prompts the two of them to take their playful war to the cameras, talking-head style. Bonus scoop: Nate writes one hell of a greeting card to Sophie.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

NBC quietly gave legal drama Harry’s Law a full season order while giving new fairytale drama Grimm an additional order of more scripts. (TV.com)

Actor Derek Webster (Damages) is taking over the role of fictional New York City Mayor Robert Weldon from actor Joseph C. Phillips (General Hospital) on Castle. The role will be “beefed up” in terms of adding in critical back story details on the mayor’s longstanding friendship which allowed Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) access to the Beckett and the team. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

CBS has ordered three more episodes of the medical drama A Gifted Man, now giving it 16 episodes for its debut season. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

AMC has purchased a drama project called Thunderstruck, which concerns UFOs and extraterrestrial visits. Producer David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) is on board to produce. (Deadline and TV.com)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) has joined the cast of the action film called Snitch that stars Dwayne Johnson as a construction company owner who becomes a DEA snitch to reduce his son’s prison sentence. Bernthal will play an ex-con laborer for the construction company who is forced by his boss to help connect him to an underground drug dealer. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: I’m obsessed with Once Upon a Time. Scoop please!

Kristin: Hearing that Emma (Jennifer Morrison) will battle it out with the newspaper editor for a very important law-enforcement job. And Emma’s arrangement/deal with Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) will get more complicated than even she knows. That all goes down in the Rumplestiltskin origin episode.

Question: Once Upon a Time info please!!! Which story book character is the Sheriff? Is he good or bad? Sunday night confused me!

Kristin: He is not good.

Question: Revenge scoop (please)?!

Kristin: Prepare for the real Emily Thorne (Margarita Levieva) to stir up some major trouble on the ABC hit show. “Boy, is she back!” Gabriel Mann tells us of the real Emily, who will be crashing with Nolan (Mann) while she’s in town. “She’s a handful. She just jumps right into the middle of everything. The ripple effect of her presence will affect just about every character on the show. It’s major,” Mann teases. “I think Nolan is very, very, very curious about her and you’re going to see what happens between the two of them in episode eight.”

Question: Any Revenge scoop would be appreciated. Thanks!

Kristin: If you were annoyed that the show didn’t show Nolan and Tyler’s (Ashton Holmes) make out session, you’re not alone! Mann tells us that’s the only complaint he’s heard about the duo’s shocking hookup. “It wasn’t so much about the intimacy, the physical intimacy itself, but the intention of what that liaison meant,” he explains. “To have those two people hooking up, who are both potentially such grifters, and the monkey wrench that that could potentially through in Emily’s revenge plan.”

Question: I would love to get any scoop about Revenge!

Kristin: We’re hearing people (lots of them!) kind of like Nolan and Emily (Emily VanCamp) together, so we had to ask Mann what’s coming up for the revenging duo. “That relationship continues to evolve and become more complex,” Mann says of Nolan and Emily’s. “It’s fun to mess with her because she’s such a badass. How much do I have to do before she starts karate kicking me or throwing me against a wall again?” That’s not all he had to say about Nolan and Emily, but you’ll have to check back on Wednesday to hear what Mann thinks of the possibility of a romance brewing between the two.

Question: Why you guys never give the PLL fans a scoop?

Kristin: Because when we were in preschool we missed the lesson on sharing, but I guess we can tell you this: Remember that super-creepy doll that Alison (Sasha Pieterse) has hiding in her room? Well we’re thinking that the girls will be finding it soon because in an upcoming episode called “If These Dolls Could Talk” the gang meets Martha, the owner of a run-down doll boutique. This is probably the same place where ‘A’ purchased their eerie look-a-like dolls. Yikes!

Question: Can we talk about the end of Secret Circle, please?! Anything to tide us over until January?

Kristin: It seems like Melissa (Jessica Parker Kennedy) may finally be starting to get over Nick (Louis Hunter), her dearly departed BF. There’s one problem? Melissa’s new crush may get her into some pretty dangerous situations.

Question: Secret Circle post-hiatus scoop would be great?

Kristin: You know what else would be great? If we could go back in time and push Jake (Chris Zylka) off the boat to reunite him with Cassie (Britt Robertson), or so he could tell the gang there’s another Blackwell child in the coven. Sadly, we still haven’t finished our time machine. “Jake knows the existence of such a child, but the emergence of the second Blackwell offspring will be revealed in due course,” executive producer Andrew Miller ominously says. And for Jake fans worrying we won’t see his pretty face anytime soon, fear not! We’re hearing there’s still plenty of Jake action to come.

Question: Tell us about Grey Damon’s character on Secret Circle! I loved him on Nine Lives!

Kristin: Well, we loved him when he was on Friday Night Lights, so we win! “His character is a very dangerous guy for a lot of reasons,” Miller teases. “He’s confident and cocky and has a different kind of power than we’ve seen, but one of our characters will be drawn to him in a way that could prove dire for other characters.” Spoiler alert: it’s Faye (Phoebe Tonkin).

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »