Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actor Dorian Missick (last seen in the short-lived series The Cape) has joined the TNT cop drama Southland in the recurring role of Ruben Robinson, the new partner of Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Showtime has renewed their new series Homeland for a second season. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The classic Stephen J. Cannell 1980s series Wiseguy will be getting a contemporary reboot at NBC. This version will be a re-imagening of the original series that centered on a disgraced former cop who, while serving time in prison, cuts a deal to work undercover for time off his sentence. This isn’t the first classic series to get a reboot for next season. CBS has a Bewitched remake in the planning stages and The CW has Beauty and the Beast. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Karl Urban (Star Trek) and Ben Barnes (Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) have joined the cast of the upcoming action thriller Overdrive. The actors will play adventurous brothers who find more trouble than they are looking for in the South of France. Actress Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) is in negotiations to join the cast, but nothing has been confirmed yet. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: Any scoop on Once Upon a Time? I’m so excited for Episode 2 this Sunday! —Aurore

Ausiello: Episode 3 flashes back to Snow and Prince Charming’s first meeting, and suffice it to say, it wasn’t pretty. “Their relationship is so complicated,” says Snow’s portrayer, Ginnifer Goodwin. “It was based in the beginning on real animosity and manipulation and selfishness.” (Spoiler Alert: They met on The Bachelor!) Meanwhile, Josh Dallas (a.k.a. The Prince) has this to say about the forthcoming arrival of Alan Dale as his onscreen father, King George. “The kingdom is ailing and [my dad] needs some help,” he explains. “He goes to King Midas, and they make a deal. King Midas says, ‘If your son slays this dragon, I will take care of your kingdom. I will give you gold. I will give you riches. You will be taken care of.’ So he makes a deal with Midas for me to slay this dragon.”

Question: Did you know that we have the same birthday? I would appreciate either a belated or early birthday gift in the form of some Smash scoop please. —Emily

Ausiello: Producers have been so enamored of recurring guest star Will Chase — who plays Joe DiMaggio in the Marilyn Monroe musical-within-the-show — that they’ve extended his arc by five episodes and added a Season 2 series regular option to his contract.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Grey Damon (The Nine Live of Chloe King and Friday Night Lights) and actress Stepfanie Kramer (from the classic series Hunter) will both appear on The Secret Circle. Damon has landed the potential recurring role of Lee Laceque, a “sexy and mysterious twenty-something grifter type with a lot of confidence — and knowledge who comes from Santeria heritage and runs an occult Botanica in the suburbs”. He, of course, is a bit dangerous, catching the attention of Faye. Meanwhile, Kramer will appear in one episode as Kate Meade, the equally complicated and strong mother of Charles (Gale Harold) and grandmother to Diana (Shelley Hennig). (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide and Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Angus Macfadyen (Braveheart and Miracles) will guest star in a multi-episode arc on Chuck as the last major villain of the show’s final season. He will play Nicholas Quinn, a former CIA agent who now runs a mercenary spy ring. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

AMC has renewed The Walking Dead for a third season. (TV Guide)

CBS is giving new dramas Unforgettable and Person Of Interest a full season each. (Twitter)

WEB SERIES NEWS

Alloy Entertainment, the creative minds behind such teen TV shows Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and The Secret Circle as well as the online series Wendy, is currently producing a new web series called Dating Rules From My Future Self. In addition to the recently announced Shiri Appleby (Roswell and Life Unexpected), who will play the lead role, actors Taylor Kinney (The Vampire Diaries), Alison Becker (Parks and Recreation), Mircea Monroe (Episodes), and Bryce Johnson (Pretty Little Liars) have joined the cast. The web series follows a 29-year-old woman (Appleby) who gets text messages from herself 10 years in the future that serve as warnings that she has to change her dating tactics or she’ll end up alone and unhappy. (Tanner Stransky at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Lily Collins (Priest and Abduction) will star alongside Julianne Moore, Greg Kinnear, Nathan Lane and Michael Angarano in the independent comedy film called The English Teacher, which centers on a beloved high school English teacher (Moore) whose repressed personal life is in contrast to the passion she brings to the classroom. After her former star pupil returns to their small town after failing as a playwright in New York, she convinces him to mount his unproduced play at the school, which creates more drama than she’s ever known. Collins will play a popular high schooler who comes into conflict with the teacher. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actors Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Forest Whitaker and Kevin Durand have joined the cast of the upcoming film called The Truth that follows a former CIA operative-turned-political talk show host (Garcia) who is hired by a corporate whistleblower to expose her company’s cover up of a massacre in South American village. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Katheryn Winnick (Bones) will play the female lead opposite actor Charlie Sheen in the independent drama film called A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Swan II that follows 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 heads into a downward spiral. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor John Cusack has landed the lead role in the new action thriller called The Numbers Station. Actress Malin Akerman has stayed attached as the lead female role. The film follows a disgraced black ops agent (Cusack) tasked with a dead-end job of protecting a young woman (Akerman) in the middle of the Nevada desert. When the two come under attack, they have to fight to stay alive. (Variety and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) will make a rare dramatic detour with a recurring role on the fifth and final season of Damages, playing an investment bank employee troubled by her company’s conduct. When she approaches Channing McClaren (Ryan Phillippe), the iconoclastic founder of a WikiLeaks-type website devoted to corporate and government transparency, it lays the foundation for the case that will pit Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons against each other. Additionally, actor John Hannah (Spartacus) will appear in a recurring role on this series as Rutger, McClaren’s loyal adviser and protector whose ability to put out political fires and strong desire to see him succeed make him indispensible. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line and Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Krista Vernoff (Grey’s Anatomy) has sold the new legal drama Maybe Angels to ABC. The project is about two angels who help their former spouses. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

The Defenders co-creator Niels Mueller is developing a new drama at CBS about an ordinary man making an extraordinary impact on people’s lives. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Alan Ball (the man behind True Blood) is developing a new drama at HBO entitled Wichita that will be about a Kansas surgeon who inadvertently becomes the focal point of a contemporary political, cultural and ethical war. (The Hollywood Reporter and The Futon Critic)

Michael Bay is set to produce the hour-long drama Outsiders for The CW. The pilot follows a quirky sociology professor with an almost savant-like expertise in subcultures. He is partnered with a young but uptight female detective and the pair solves crimes involving youths and subcultures in Los Angeles. (Vulture and Dark Horizons)

Lifetime has greenlit the pilot American Housewife, which is a drama that has Melanie Griffith in negotiations to star as well as executive produce with husband/producing partner Antonio Banderas. The pilot centers on a mother of two children who has conversations with her inner voice while dealing with the life change of one her kids leaving home for college and the other still being at home. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) and Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) have emerged as the frontrunners for the lead roles of Arthur and Lancelot for the upcoming King Arthur project that is being planned. There are no confirmations on these roles or if the film will even be made; only speculation at this time. (Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actors Eric Bana and Danny Huston will star in Elvis & Nixon, an independent film that marks the directorial debut of actor Cary Elwes. The film is based on a 1970 powwow between Presley (Bana) and Nixon (Huston) when the former petitioned to be a Federal Agent at Large in the war against drugs, which in hindsight seems a bit odd. Presley brought a Colt .45 pistol as a gift to the president. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actor-director Ben Affleck will head up the Warner Bros. adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand with Affleck writing his own script. (Sean O’Neal at A.V. Club)

Writer-director Joss Whedon surprised the industry over the weekend with the announcement that while he was directing the blockbuster film The Avengers, he also directed the independent film based on the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing. Among the cast are Whedonverse alums, Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Buffy, and Dr. Horrible), Amy Acker (Angel and Dollhouse), Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse), Sean Maher (Firefly), Reed Diamond (Dollhouse), Tom Lenk (Buffy), and Fran Kranz (Dollhouse and The Cabin in the Woods), as well as Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson from Iron Man, Thor, and The Avengers). You can see the list of actors here. (Adam B. Vary at Entertainment Weekly)

Here is a list of the top 10 box office movies from this past weekend courtesy of Exhibitor Relations and E! Online:

1. Paranormal Activity 3, $54 million
2. Real Steel, $11.3 million
3. Footloose, $10.9 million
4. The Three Musketeers, $8.8 million
5. The Ides of March, $4.9 million
6. Dolphin Tale, $4.2 million
7. Moneyball, $4.1 million
8. Johnny English Reborn, $3.8 million
9. The Thing, $3.1 million
10. 50/50, $2.8 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The Glades has been renewed for Season 3 by A&E. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

It looks like CBS might just be giving Person of Interest and Unforgettable back orders for the rest of their debut seasons. No confirmation yet, but it is sounding promising. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Mena Suvari (American Beauty) has been cast in American Horror Story as a young woman with a connection to the house: The Black Dahlia. Yes, ass in the high-profile murder victim whose 1947 unsolved killing was the subject of myriad books and movie adaptations. She is expected to appear in the 9th episode. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC is picking up a drama pilot from Shonda Rhimes called The Circle, which is described as part soap, part conspiracy thriller. It follows ten friends, adopted as children by a billionaire philanthropist, who begin to question their past when one of their own is murdered. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

FOX has picked up the Marvel comic The Punisher as a potential series for the network. The pilot would be an hour-long procedural with a new take on the iconic character, Frank Castle, a rising star detective with the New York Police Department who moonlights as the vigilante Punisher, seeking justice for those the system has failed. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BEHIND THE VELVET CURTAIN (aka SPOILERS) (from Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Here are some teasers from Revenge executive producer Mike Kelley:

On the uber-creepy Tyler, Kelley said the Talented Mr. Ripley-inspired character will very soon “make things very difficult for a lot of people.” “I think what you’ll find with Tyler is that this is somebody that not only wants to be friends with Daniel Grayson, but he wants to BE Daniel Grayson. So the Tyler arc is a very strong one and he gets in there and starts to take over Daniel’s role inside the Grayson family as Daniel starts to marginalize himself with his budding relationship with Emily.” And if that’s not enough, Kelley teases that an upcoming arc will find Nolan, Ashley and Tyler involved in a “triangle.” I can only assume he means a love triangle, but you never know with this show.

Craving more Nolan? You’re not alone. And soon, Kelley says the true past that Nolan shares with Emily’s father will come to light. “He knows a lot more than Emily thinks he does” says Kelley. As a matter of fact, he knows things that she doesn’t know. So you’re going to find out that Nolan himself has a bit of a motivation that informs the future story of Revenge in a big way.”

Prepare yourself… for episode 7. “Something very, very big and very permanent will happen to one of our core cast members in episode 7. It’s going to really push the show up a level in the stakes,” explains Kelley. I shudder with excitement.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Bradley Cooper has emerged as the favorite to star in the upcoming spy action-comedy feature adaptation of the classic TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The original 60’s show and the upcoming film (also set in the 60’s) follows the exploits of two secret agents, American Napoleon Solo and Russian Ilya Kuryakin who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. Cooper currently has an offer to play Napoleon. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones will star in the upcoming film Broken City. She will play the philandering wife of the mayor of New York (Russell Crowe); and when a Brooklyn detective (Mark Wahlberg) is hired by the mayor to identify his wife’s lover, and the lover turns up dead, the detective takes it personally and uncovers a wider conspiracy involving his employer. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

The web series I Kissed a Vampire is moving from the computer screen to the big screen via Monterey Media. The rock musical web series stars Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical and Switched at Birth) and Drew Seeley (Another Cinderella Story and Glory Daze) and newcomer Adrian Slade and is about a teenager who tries to save himself and the girl he loves after realizing that he is turning into a vampire. The web series debuted on iTunes in 2009. (Joshua L. Weinstein at The Wrap)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for yesterday and today:

TELEVISION

Actor Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files) will appear in the remake of Dallas that is coming to TNT next summer in a multi-episode arc. He will play Harris Ryland, owner of Ryland Trucking and Shipping, an “alpha male” and Ann’s (Brenda Strong) ex-husband. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Madchen Amick (Twin Peaks) has landed a potentially recurring role on Ringer, playing Greer Sheridan, a socialite who once counted Siobhan (Sarah Michelle Gellar) as one of her closest friends. Unfortunately, a mysterious incident put a major strain on their relationship and Bridget (posing as her twin sister) makes it her mission to find out what went wrong when the two team up for a charity event. Amick makes her debut in Episode 11. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actress Cybill Shepherd, actor Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty) and basketball player-turned actor Rick Fox will guest star in an episode of the upcoming season of Franklin & Bash. Shepherd will play Evanthia Steele, Infeld’s (Malcolm McDowell) ex-wife, on trial for kidnapping a neglected dog. Mabius will play Rossi, the handsome and sexy half of Jango & Rossi, while Fox will play Andrew, professional tennis player who will testify in the case. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Titus Welliver (Lost and The Good Wife) will guest star on CSI, playing a villainous new foe named John, who is a slick, arrogant and powerful military contractor who is questioned about his company’s role in a recent arms theft. He is slated to debut in this season’s ninth episode, which is expected to air on November 23. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Kelli Williams (Lie to Me and The Practice) has landed a recurring role on the Lifetime series Army Wives where she will play a potential rival to Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney). Her character will be Jackie Clarke, an ambitious and well-educated spouse of a general who brings a whole new set of challenges to the wives. Additionally, soap legend Susan Lucci will appear in at least two episodes of the show, playing the wife of a retired general who gives Claudia Joy valuable advice on how to deal with Williams’ character. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has bought a new drama project from filmmaker Burr Steers (17 Again and Charlie St. Cloud) that is described as an Upstairs, Downstairs-style family soap set in the exclusive enclave of Palm Beach. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has also bought a mystery drama called Vanish from Moonlight co-creator Trevor Munson, Sam Raimi and Josh Donen. The project centers on a man with a mysterious past who protects deserving people from danger, and helps them disappear. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry has set up a new hour-long soap at ABC titled Devious Maids, which is an adaptation of the Mexican telenovela The Disorderly Maids Of The Neighborhood. This project will center on four Latina women who are maids in Beverly Hills. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

HBO is in negotiations with Christ Cooper and Dianne West for the lead roles in their upcoming drama project called The Corrections based on the award-winning 2001 novel by Jonathan Franzen, which revolves around the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple, 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)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Matt Damon and John Krasinski (The Office) are teaming up on the upcoming box office film Father Daughter Time that will find Damon playing a salesman who arrives in a small town only to have his whole life called into question. (Variety and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS

Watch: Second Trailer for ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ Hits

Watch: First TV Trailer for Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Woman in Black’ Chiller

Super-teen flick Chronicle could crush those bad Heroes memories

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Annabeth Gish, most recently seen on Pretty Little Liars, will appear in a 3-episode arc on CSI, playing Laura, a childhood friend of Catherine’s (Marg Helgenberger) whose husband is investigated by the CSI team. Laura is married to a billionaire head of a military contractor who may (or may not) have played a role in a recent arms theft. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica) will have a multi-episode arc on Body of Proof, playing Scott Decker, a potential love interest for medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany). (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Tom Wopat (the original Dukes of Hazzard) will guest star on A Gifted Man, playing the husband of Margo Martindale’s character Rita. His character will be Len Sr., a long-distance truck driver who spends most of his time on the road. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Chord Overstreet will be back as Sam on Glee in a recurring capacity. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Bo Derek will appear as herself in the latter part of Chuck. Her “role” is shrouded in mystery, though. Quote: “Her arrival will reveal stunning secrets, as well as a forbidden romance with one of the characters.” (The Hollywood Reporter and ChuckTV.net)

Actor Craig Bierko (most recently seen on Necessary Roughness) will guest star on an upcoming episode of The Mentalist, playing Trevor ‘Doc’ Dugan, a famous quarterback who’s enjoying the excesses of his superstar lifestyle. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actress Carla Gugino will have a recurring role on Justified, playing Karen Goodall, a Washington, D.C.-based assistant director of the U.S. Marshals Service who used to work with Raylan back in Miami and shares a history with him. The FX drama will kick off its third season in early 2012, likely in February or March. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The creators of the TV series Big Love are developing another unconventional family drama for HBO called China Doll that will be about a mixed-race family and their humanoid robot. (Yes, you read that right – robot). The series would center on a successful California construction subcontractor, his Asian American wife, a university professor, and a robot, as they are straddling both sides of the Pacific with extended families on two continents. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW has bought Dare, an hour-long action thriller from Bert V. Royal (the writer of the box office film Easy A) that follows six young adults who find themselves forced to play a dangerous and deadly game of Truth or Dare. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors/Actresses Helen Hunt, David Duchovny, Maggie Grace, Joan Chen and John Robinson are all set to star in the box office film called Relative Insanity that is based on the Anton Chekhov 1895 play The Seagull. The story follows the romantic and artistic conflicts between four characters: an ingénue, a fading actress, her playwright son, and a famous middlebrow story writer. This version shifts the action to the Hamptons in contemporary times. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actress Anne Hathaway will join Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in the box office adaptation of Les Miserables with Hathaway playing Fantine. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

PS: Tomorrow’s update will either be posted late or will be combined with Thursday’s news, as I will be on a set visit to the new TNT series Perception.

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

NEWS

Congrats to the winners of the Scream Awards that were presented this past weekend. The winners included the films Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Super 8, X-Men: First Class, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Let Me In; the TV shows Game of Thrones and True Blood; and actors Natalie Portman, Daniel Radcliffe, Milla Jovovich, Matt Smith, Chloe Grace Moretz, Alexander Skarsgård, Ralph Fiennes, Chris Evans, Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Joe Manganiello, True Blood and Hugh Jackman. (E! Online)

TELEVISION

TNT has canceled the cop drama Memphis Beat. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing and Being Erica) will appear in a multi-episode arc on Season 2 of Falling Skies on TNT. He will play Sunil Chutani, a handsome and overwhelmed mechanic who has spent a fortune on an Ivy League engineering degree and was just days away from launching an IPO when the aliens hit. The series will return with 10 new episodes starting next summer. (The Hollywood Reporter)

FX has renewed Sons of Anarchy for a fifth season. (Twitter)

Actor Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica) will appear in a November sweeps episode of House as a man who “suddenly collapses, and in the process of diagnosing his symptoms, the team discovers that he has been hiding dark secrets and lying about his personal and professional life… But when he openly confesses his wrongdoings to his family and community, he compromises his chances of receiving the proper medical treatment that could save his life.” (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Eion Bailey (Covert Affairs) will appear in a multi-episode arc on the new ABC fairytale drama Once Upon a Time. He will first appear in the 9th episode as “The Stranger”. There are no other details on his character at this time. The show debuts this Sunday, October 23 at 8 PM on ABC. (Jethro Nededog at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Jamie Ray Newman (Eastwick, Drop Dead Diva and Eureka) will have a two episode guest appearance on NCIS as Melanie Burke, a Navy Lieutenant Commander who is a chaplain at the Navy Yard. In addition, Newman will also guest star on an episode of Grimm, the new fairytale-based drama on NBC. She will play Angelina, one of the episode’s titular “Three Bad Wolves.” (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FOX has picked up Wildwood, a 1985-set coming-of-age dramedy from ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes. Veronica Mars executive producer Diane Ruggiero will write the pilot and executive produce with Rhimes and Betsy Beers. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Danielle Panabaker (Shark) will star in the ABC Family pilot called Intercept that is a one-hour technology- and action-driven drama about four college students who get roped into solving crimes when one of them creates a high-tech communication device that intercepts conversations throughout the West Coast. Panabaker will play one of the two girls on the team. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Donal Logue and actresses Karen Allen and Ana De la Reguera have joined the cast of the TNT action/adventure pilot Gateway, which is set in the Colorado town of the same name in the 1880s. The potential series tells the story of three Flynn brothers — Terence (David Denman), Daniel (Keir O’Donnell) and Jake (Cam Gigandet) — who step in to save their town when their sheriff father is murdered, pitting them against a corrupt cattle baron determined to make the town his own. Allen will play the brothers’ mom, a rancher’s daughter. Logue will play Auggie, Jake’s drinking buddy, an aristocratic soul who inherited the town store from his father. De la Reguera will play the practical and feisty co-owner of Lola’s saloon. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Harry Potter actor Tom Felton (he played Draco Malfoy) will join actors John Hurt and Sebastian Stan in the four-hour mini-series called Labyrinth, which is based on Kate Mosse’s bestseller. The mini tells the parallel stories of Alice, a present day volunteer at an archeological excavation who discovers a ring with a labyrinth engraved on it and 13th Century new bride Alais who is protecting books that reveal the secret of the Grail. Felton will play Raymond-Roger de Trencavel, Viscount of Carcassonne, who died in 1209, a martyr, trying to protect his Cathar citizens from genocide. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Aaron Eckhart will tell the fascinating, albeit often tumultuous, story of the late Dennis Wilson, member of the legendary band The Beach Boys, for a new biopic called The Drummer. Eckhart is currently being trained in vocals, piano, and of course, drums. The film will chronicle the last six years of Wilson’s life, including the release of his acclaimed solo album Pacific Blue Ocean. (Aly Semigran at Entertainment Weekly)

Here are the top 10 movies at the box office from this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo and E! Online:

1. Real Steel, $16.3 million
2. Footloose, $16.1 million
3. The Thing, $8.7 million
4. The Ides of March, $7.5 million
5. Dolphin Tale, $6.3 million
6. Moneyball, $5.5 million
7. 50/50, $4.3 million
8. Courageous, $3.4 million
9. The Big Year, $3.3 million
10. The Lion King, $2.7 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

ABC is ordering full seasons of new shows Revenge and Suburgatory. (Twitter)

Actor Jason Behr (Roswell) has landed a potentially recurring role on A&E’s fugitive-themed drama Breakout Kings, playing Darius, a convicted rapist and murderer who manages to escape from prison with the help of an adoring sycophant. The series will be back with new episodes sometime next year. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Alan Dale (Lost) will guest star on Person of Interest as a former member of the German Stasi secret police. He will appear in episode 8. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Ryan Phillippe has landed a major role on the upcoming season of Damages, but details on his character are being kept under wraps at this time. The former FX series is expected to kick off its fifth season next summer. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

ABC has canceled Charlie’s Angels (ME: no great surprise there) but word has it that the episodes that have been produced to date will still air. (TV By the Numbers)

Actor Jimmy Bennett (No Ordinary Family will guest star on the new TNT series Perception, playing Alex Willingham, a lonely, depressed teen whose father died in an apparent suicide. Alex soon finds himself in over his head in an attempt to cover up the murder of a U.S. Senator. Perception stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) as Dr. Daniel Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist and university professor with a unique way of seeing the world and Rachael Leigh Cook as an FBI agent — and Pierce’s former student — who calls on him to help the feds solve complex criminal cases. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The production team of Maria Grasso and Deborah Spera (Army Wives) has sold a handful of projects to the broadcast networks: a modern-day Treasure Island and astronaut drama Riding Rockets, both to NBC, and a family soap Heiress to ABC and Wayward Bound, an hour-long dramedy at USA. Treasure Island is described as a modern-day revisionist take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel. Riding Rockets is inspired by Mike Mullane’s memoir and tells his coming-of-age story of being an astronaut in the first class of NASA’s Space Shuttle program. The Heiress is an upstairs/downstairs-style soap inspired by a true story, it follows Huguette Clark, who upon her death, left behind a $100 million dollar, fully-staffed estate in Santa Barbara, which she hadn’t visited in decades. Wayward Bound is about the employees at a boutique tour guide company. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Steven Bochco and David Milch (the men behind NYPD Blue) have reunited to create a new drama series for NBC. The project is set inside DC’s hottest law firm, Tapman Rose, which boasts a perfect record of billion-dollar settlements. It centers on Ted Tapman, a charismatic “rainmaker” lawyer with a dark secret. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC is developing a Latino family drama with dance elements to be executive produced Kenny Ortega and Steve Stark. The untitled project is about a multi-generational Hispanic family running a Latin dance studio in Miami. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

HBO has made a deal to develop the Oscar-nominated comedy The Kids Are All Right as an hour-long series. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

FOX has picked up an hour-long drama called Confessions of a Contractor, project from Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (the guys behind My So-Called Life). The project is described as an alternative soap that focuses on what happens when you mix desire, jealousy and home renovation. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Cam Gigandet (Twilight) has joined the cast of the indie drama flick called Free Rise. He will star alongside Anna Paquin, who plays an abused single mother in the 1970’s who flees to Florida with her two daughters to start a new life. He will play her new love interest. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actors Colin Egglesfield and Stuart Townsend [among others] have joined the cast of the indie action-thriller film called Stranger in Paradise that follows a trader at a hedge fund whose life takes a drastic turn when the SEC launches an investigation against the head of the company for insider trading. Forced into a “vacation”, the trader finds himself in Bangkok with a price on his head and a morally ambiguous older brother knee deep in the Thai mafia. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Dave Franco has joined the cast of the film Now You See Me that follows a team of FBI agents that track a group of illusionists pulling off daring bank heists during their performances. Franco plays one of the illusionists. The cast already includes Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman and Isla Fisher. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

ONLINE INTERVIEW

Q&A: Felicia Day, from ‘The Guild’ to ‘Dragon Age’

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

Question: The Closer, please! I feel like the final months are going by way too fast!! — Jarret

Gonzalez: Here’s a bit of casting news. Detroit 1-8-7′s Amanda Warren has been cast as Deputy DA Claire Baldwin, a young DA who ends up squaring off with Brenda over a rape case. Let’s just say they have different definitions of “justice served.” She’ll appear in the episode titled “Hostile Witness,” airing next summer.

Question: Thanks for your chat with Eric Christen Olsen! Would love scoop on anything on NCIS: LA! — Marien

Gonzalez: Well, there’s a lot to get excited about in November, and next week I’ll have more details on that. But frankly, I’m most excited about seeing Olsen and co-star Daniela Ruah hit the dance floor in the Nov. 8 episode! “Danny and I do the waltz,” he says. “It’s brief and hilarious.” Natural next question: Who’s the better dancer? “Are you kidding me? Totally Dani.” He admits, laughing. ” [It’s] not even close. She, Daniela Ruah, is winner of Dancing With the Stars Portugal. She is the real deal.”

Question: How does EW not recap The Lying Game?! It seems like something that you would be totally into. It’s embarrassingly addictive. — @amydebeau

Gonzalez: I do watch! But, I’ll admit, it’s EW’s Lanford Beard who shares your addicted status (Although, I think she’s anything but embarrassed by it!) Beard actually had a chance to chat with Alexandra Chando and got some scoop on the midseason finale, airing next week. Particularly, Chando dished that the last episode will be a big one for Ethan and Emma. We haven’t started filming. We start production again on Oct. 26, so we’ll film through mid-February. I haven’t even read the next episode, which I’m very excited “The last couple of episodes, it’s always been a rollercoaster between the two of them,” she says. “More of that is seen in the finale between the two of them. Ethan, at this point, is obviously getting …[but]I think that the two of them reach a resolution in the finale.”

Question: Pretty Little Liars!!! I need to know about this Halloween episode. It looks amazing. — Jo

Gonzalez: It looks that way because it’s going to be! Sasha Pieterse dished to EW earlier this week that the episode will have many reveals. (More on that in a sneak peek next week!) Meanwhile, she also said that the Halloween episode will find Alison’s relationship with her brother Jason “not as broken.” “Alison and Jason definitely have a twisted relationship. As the second half of the season goes on, you’ll see why. I can’t say why yet. We want to give you so much, but we can’t!”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

In addition to the full-season pick-up for the new CW series Ringer, the other two new shows on the network – Hart of Dixie and The Secret Circle – both also received full-season pick-ups. (Twitter)

Actor Arlen Escarpeta (American Dreams) will guest star on The Secret Circle. He will play Holden, a cousin of Melissa (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who is described as smart and funny, but a difficult past has made him tough inside and out. He will appear in the 9th episode. (Tierney Bricker at E! Online)

Actor Eric Ladin (The Killing) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Castle, playing Daniel Sullivan, an Atlantic City casino security expert who works for the victim at the center of the case. This episode is slated to run during November sweeps. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Lifetime has teamed with actress Renée Zellweger for a period drama series called Cinnamon Girl that tells the story of four girls — Cassie, Lola, Penny and Lou — coming of age during a revolution (60’s and 70’s) and explores the characters’ lives at the crossroads of the era’s political, artistic, social and sexual rebellions. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

FOX has bought a drama pitch from Aaron Stockard who co-wrote Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone and The Town titled Thick as Thieves. The drama is a blue collar soap set in Boston. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has bought a character-driven procedural drama from veteran Law & Order: SVU writer Judith K. McCreary whose main character is modeled after Tony Ciaglia whose real-life story is told in the upcoming book The Serial Killer Whisperer: How One Man’s Tragedy Helped Unlock the Deadliest Secrets of the World’s Most Terrifying Killers. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW has bought Trending, a drama series to be executive produced by Katherine Heigl and inspired by the Cynthia Langston novel Bi-Coastal Babe. The story is about 26-year-old Lissa Bennett whose job is to search for the newest and hottest emerging trends in order to keep her corporate clients ahead of the curve, but finds it difficult to predict the trends in her love life as well. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

FX has acquired Raising Blind and the network will develop a potential series set in the world of underground gambling. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS

Watch: Tom Hardy & Chris Pine Face-Off in ‘This Means War’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Haven has been picked up for a third season by Syfy. (Variety)

Actor Rafi Gavron (Life Unexpected) will guest star on Parenthood, playing Troy Quinn, a problematic beau to Zoe (Rosa Salazar), the law firm coffee girl who’s pregnant and considering giving the baby up for adoption to Julia (Erika Christensen). The episode is slated to air on November 22. (TV Line and TV Guide)

Actress Meredith Monroe (Dawson’s Creek and Criminal Minds) will appear in at least one episode of the CW series Hart of Dixie as a very important former Bluebell resident who has ties to a few of the characters we already know and love. (Meg Masters at TV Line)

Boardwalk Empire has been renewed for a third season, HBO announced Wednesday. (HBO)

It looks like the British period piece Downton Abbey – one of the big winners at the recent Emmy Awards – just might be getting a third season. Season 2 is currently airing in the UK and will be making its way stateside – presumably next year. No confirmations yet, though, on its arrival here or the third season – yet. (Vulture)

Actor Gaius Charles (Friday Night Lights) will guest star on an episode of the new ABC period drama Pan Am, playing Joe, an African-American soldier who opens Laura’s (Margot Robbie) eyes to the world. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Ringer has been picked up for a full season by The CW.   (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) has been cast in the lead role of the TNT drama pilot called Scent Of The Missing with veteran actor Gerald McRaney to co-star. The project 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. McRaney will play her father Jerry. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has bought the one-hour drama pitch called The Meadows from the creators of Memphis Beat. The project is described as a complex, high-stakes, character-driven drama that takes place following two parallel storylines: In the ’60s, Lucia ‘Lucy’ Cortes, a Mexican-American who’s fled an abusive marriage with her 12-year-old son Tommy, starts her life over in Las Vegas. In present day, Tommy is a powerful, enigmatic casino owner poised to become the King of Vegas. The show chronicles how the outsider from the wrong side of the tracks was able to rise to the top and explores the dark mystery that threatens to take it all away from him. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Lifetime is developing a period drama about William Wilkerson, the founder of The Hollywood Reporter, which is being produced by Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil and Graham King’s GK TV. The project chronicles the colorful life of Wilkerson, a compulsive gambler who started off as a film executive in New York; lost all his money on Black Friday; founded The Hollywood Reporter; launched a slew of Hollywood nightclubs; founded The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas; and got entangled with the mob and had to go into hiding in France. Also, Depp may make a cameo appearance on the potential series, which seems a rather unorthodox choice for female-centric Lifetime. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC has picked up the drama project called In Like Fin based on David Blaine. The project revolves around Fin, an illusionist who is pulled into action in a covert government sting. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It is being rumored that Sandra Bullock is in talks to play Clint Eastwood’s daughter in the upcoming box office film Trouble with the Curve that follows an aging baseball scout, who’s losing his sight, and heads on a last road trip to Atlanta with his daughter to scout a hotshot prospect. (First Showing and Twitch)

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

Question: Any scoop on Bones? —Mahika

Ausiello: Matt Mitovich can help with this:

“As much fun as the season opener is, I have to say that Episode 2 is even better. For one, the case of the week is much stronger and more compelling (and much more icky-gooey). Plus, you’ve got the addition of Luke Kleintank as Finn Abernathy, a good ol’ boy squintern whose scientific brilliance — a seeming clash with his omnipresent baseball cap and shaggy hair — drops even Brennan’s jaw, and who proves to be a very fun foil for Hodgins. Then, add on top of that even more sweet moments between Bones and Booth? Simply said, this pregnancy twist is the best thing to happen to the show in recent years. What we’re looking at is perhaps Bones at its very best. Oh, and did I mention the part where Temp discovers that years ago she helped prevent a murder? Cool stuff.”

Question: From the Castle promo pictures that were released last week, we see that Beckett isn’t exactly happy about guest star Kristin Lehman’s character hanging around with Castle next week. Tell us, exactly how jealous will Beckett be? —Ivy

Ausiello: So jealous that she ends up alluding to it during her therapy session. While we’re on the subject of next Monday’s episode, here’s a little casting tidbit: 24‘s David Hunt (a.k.a. Patricia Heaton’s hubby) guest stars in the episode as a major player in the art world.

Question: Anything else you can share about this week’s Vampire Diaries? It looks epic. —Brad

Ausiello: Klaus compels Stefan to completely shut off his emotions, thus paving the way for him to become an official baddie. That’s one of, like, four big twists in the episode, so fasten your seat belts.

Question: I wonder if you have any news on The Secret Circle, Glee, The Vampire Diaries or Nikita? —Luana

Ausiello: For Vampire Diaries, look for Matt’s issues with the supernatural world to come to a head in Episode 5, per exec producer Julie Plec. “It’s set the weekend before senior year begins and it’s senior prank night,” she previews. “And of course, things go horribly wrong. For Matt, specifically, it’s kind of bittersweet because there’s a sense of the life he’s lost over the two seasons of our show and it’s really hurting him. We get to explore that in a beautiful and tragic way.” Plec also confirms that “Matt’s gotta get laid this year. He just needs that. He needs love.”

Question: I’m totally hooked on The Secret Circle! Would you happen to have any scoop? —Lucyanne

Ausiello: Britt Robertson says the show’s Halloween episode will be chock full of tricks and treats. “When you have witches and Halloween, it can be fun to make fun of certain things,” she says. “What I love about what Kevin [Williamson] and Andrew [Miller] did is they weren’t trying to ignore the fact that we’re witches on Halloween. … We play with a lot of different, funny things. And one of our directors, Liz [Friedlander], who is a big part of our show, was saying, ‘The great thing about Halloween is that scary things can happen in the middle of the night and there’s people roaming the streets. You can scream [but] nobody really takes notice to it.’ So that’s kind of the fun element that we get to play with a lot.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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