Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Season 2 of Being Human (the US version) will return to Syfy on January 16 at 9PM. (Twitter)

Actress Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Life Unexpected) will appear on the new ABC fairytale drama Once Upon a Time, appearing as the Blind Witch from Hansel and Gretel. She will appear in the 9th episode of the debut season of the new series that premieres on October 23 at 8 PM. (Meg Masters at TV Line)

Actress Rose Leslie (the mini-series Downton Abbey) has joined the cast of Game of Thrones. She will appear Ygritte a Wildling woman that Jon Snow meets during his adventures beyond the Wall. The series will return to HBO for its second season sometime next spring. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

FOX has scheduled the two-hour season finale of Terra Nova (which only had a 13-episode order with the network) for December 19 at 8 PM. (The Futon Critic)

Actors Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) and Mykelti Williamson (24) will play the “baddies” on Justified when the acclaimed series returns to FX for its third season. McDonough will recur as Quarles, a Detroit mobster in a sharp suit who comes to Kentucky with visions of becoming a crime lord while Williamson will play Limehouse, a man who lives in a small black town in Harlan County and who will do whatever it takes, legal or otherwise, to protect his holler. (Mandi Bierly at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Rachael Harris (The Hangover) will guest star on the new FOX comedy New Girl, playing Tanya, a quirky vice principal at the school where Jess (Zooey Deschanel) teaches. This could potentially be a recurring role. The series returns in November with new episodes. (Dan Snierson at Entertainment Weekly)

NEW WEB SERIES

Actress Shiri Appleby (Life Unexpected and Roswell) is set to star in the upcoming web series called Dating Rules From My Future Self where she will play a 29-year-old who receives text messages from herself 10 years in the future warning her to radically change her dating strategy. This project comes from Alloy Entertainment (the people behind shows like The Secret Circle and Pretty Little Liars and the web series Wendy). Appleby will also produce this web series, which will launch in January 2012. (The Hollywood Reporter)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Alexa Vega (Spy Kids franchise) will star in a new Lifetime movie that has just been green lit. The movie is based on the true story of 17-year-old Washington state high-school student Gaby Rodriguez who pretended to be pregnant in an effort to explore conventional stereotypes and the treatment of pregnant teens for a senior year school project. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Lifetime is also developing an original movie based on the hit box office film Steel Magnolias, but the contemporary remake will feature an all-black cast. Let the dream casting commence. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Director Nora Ephron is collaborating with Sony on a remake of the BBC mini-series called Lost in Austen, which is a modern take on the Jane Austen classic Pride & Prejudice. That mini-series followed a modern Gotham girl transported into the middle of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

Actors Terrence Howard, Brendan Gleeson and Sam Elliott, actress Anna Kendrick and 11-year-old America’s Got Talent finalist Jackie Evancho have all joined the cast of the political action thriller called The Company You Keep from Robert Redford. This film is an adaptation of the 2003 novel from Neil Gordon in which Redford plays Jim Grant, a former Weather Underground militant wanted by the FBI on murder charges for a robbery gone wrong in 1974. He encounters a young newspaper reporter (Shia LaBeouf) in search of a story and must abandon years of safe underground life for the dangerous life of the road, traveling across American and deep into his past. Kendrick will play LaBeouf’s former flame, a young FBI agent who provides him with information he needs to uncover the truth. Howard will play the senior FBI agent and task force leader assigned to take down Grant. Gleeson will play the retired Michigan Chief of Police who investigated the robbery in the 1960s. Elliott will play a marijuana dealer who was involved with Julie Christie’s character. Evancho will play Redford’s daughter, who recently lost her mother. Other cast members include Brit Marling, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Richard Jenkins, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci and Chris Cooper. (Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

First Full Trailer for Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Directed by Joss Whedon

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All

Happy Monday! There isn’t a lot of news today, but there are still a few interesting items to share:

TELEVISION

The holiday episodes of Warehouse 13, Eureka and Haven will air on December 6 on Syfy. (Twitter)

CBS has effectively, if not officially [although production has been shut down], canceled the new comedy How to Be a Gentleman by moving it to Saturday nights at 8 PM beginning October 15. The comedy Rules of Engagement will now air on Thursdays at 8:30 PM starting October 20. (Entertainment Weekly and TV Line)

Season 1 of Lost Girl premieres on Syfy January 16 at 10PM and Merlin will be back with season 4 on January 6. (Syfy Press Tour)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC has bought an hour-long project from Jerry Bruckheimer Television and writer Sascha Penn. Inspired by the Josie Brown 2010 novel called Secret Lives of Husbands And Wives that takes on life, love, marriage, infidelity and friendship in suburban California. The project is described as a thriller-dramatic soap that centers on a murder and the secrets exposed in its aftermath. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) has joined the cast of the upcoming film Paradise Lost where he will play Jeehamel, an angel who is persuaded to join the evil Lucifer (Bradley Cooper). He eventually becomes the devil’s right-hand man under the new moniker Moloch. Benjamin Walker portrays the archangel Michael, who wages an all-out war with Lucifer over who will control heaven. Actors Djimon Hounsou, Casey Affleck, Camilla Belle and Callan McAuliffe co-star. (Movie Web)

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

1. Real Steel, $27.3 million
2. The Ides of March, $10.4 million
3. Dolphin Tale, $9.2 million
4. Moneyball, $7.5 million
5. 50/50, $5.5 million
6. Courageous, $4.6 million
6. The Lion King, $4.6 million
8. Dream House, $4.5 million
9. What’s Your Number?, $3.1 million
10. Abduction, $2.9 million

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for Friday:

TELEVISION

Actress Amber Benson, best known for her role on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, will guest star in her former co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar in the new CW series Ringer. Benson will star as Mary Curtis, an informant for Agent Machado (Nestor Carbonell). (TV Guide and TV Line)

Actor Malik Yoba (Alphas) will guest star in the November 18 episode of Nikita, playing Wallace, a tough and unpredictable Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who interferes with Alex’s (Lyndsy Fonseca) quest for vengeance. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

USA Network is finalizing a deal with Jeff Eastin (the creator of White Collar) for a pilot order to a one-hour drama that follows agents from various federal and local agencies (DEA, FBI, LAPD) who all live at an undercover house in southern California. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

A number of actors have joined the cast of the TNT Western drama pilot Gateway aka Tin Star, which is set in the Colorado town of the same name in the 1880s, and tells the story of the 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. Actress Shannon Lucio will play Terence’s wife while actor Eric Lange will play the town banker. Additionally, Keith Carradine will play Frank Saar, a tired homesteader, worn down by the hardships of the West, who is thrust into the role of a father figure to the late sheriff’s three sons. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Playwright-screenwriter Kate Robin (Six Feet Under) and director-producer Jake Kasdan have sold a project to FOX that is an ensemble drama focusing on the female secret service agents who work on the protective detail of the First Lady. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Johnny Depp is expected to star in a live-action biopic about classic children’s author and illustrator Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel). (Risky Biz Blog and Dark Horizons)

Actor David Morse has joined the cast of the zombie post-apocalypse film World War Z that stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale. Morse will play a prisoner living in an abandoned jail. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actress Tamara Tunie (Law & Order: SVU) is will co-star in the upcoming film called Flight that stars Denzel Washington as an airline pilot with substance abuse issues who steers an endangered flight to a safe crash-landing. Tunie will play the lead flight attendant who is interviewed during a routine investigation that leads to the unraveling of his life. John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly and Bruce Greenwood also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Kristin Lehman (The Killing) has joined the cast of the upcoming dark comedy film called Arthur Newman, Golf Pro that stars Colin Firth as Wallace Avery, a man who hates his job and is despised by his family. He decides to fake his own death and create a new identity, along the way meeting a young woman (Emily Blunt) with her own troubled past. The pair start breaking into empty homes to pose as the absent owners. Lehman will play Firth’s ex-wife, who lives with their son and her new husband. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

First Trailer for James McTeigue’s ‘The Raven’ Starring John Cusack

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Tim DeKay (White Collar) will guest star on Chuck as Kieran Ryker, Sarah’s former CIA handler who is described as a stoic, unflappable man who forces her to confront her past and the choices she’s made. DeKay will appear in episode 8 of the final season, which gets started on October 28 on NBC at 8 PM. (James Hibbard at Entertainment Weekly)

The co-Canadian produced Cinemax series Strike Back has been renewed for a second season of ten new episodes, which will begin shooting in South Africa in early 2012 and will air later in 2012. (Twitter)

Singer Nick Jonas and two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters will both guest star in the new NBC musical drama Smash. Jonas will play Lyle West, a child actor turned sitcom star who got his start on Broadway. Peters will guest star as Leigh Conroy, Ivy’s (Megan Hilty) Tony-award winning mother who turns into a total stage parent, living vicariously through her daughter. Smash stars Debra Messing, Katharine McPhee, Anjelica Huston and Jack Davenport and it will premiere on February 6 on NBC. (Jenna Mullins at E! Online)

CONDOLENCES

Actor Charles Napier, known for his roles in The Blues Brothers, Rambo, and Silence of the Lambs, passed away yesterday. He was 75. (E! Online)

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

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

DEVELOPMENT NEW

ABC has bought a prime time soap from Oscar-winning writer Callie Khouri and TV producer/documentary filmmaker RJ Cutler, which is set in Nashville against the backdrop of the country music world. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Krysten Ritter, star of the upcoming ABC comedy series Apartment 23, has sold her first TV project as a producer. It is an hour-long drama based on the Eric Garcia book called Cassandra French’s Finishing School for Boys, which is described as being in the tone of Heathers, centering on a 22-year-old overachiever who gets her dream job as a lawyer for a Hollywood studio but can’t find a guy ready for a real, mature relationship. After the latest disappointment, she locks a guy up in her basement in order to train him to become the perfect gentleman. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

USA also has bought the project called Wayward Bound, which is an hour-long dramedy from Richard Murphy. The project is about employees at a boutique travel company struggling to navigate life while guiding their clients through the concrete jungle that is Los Angeles. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

FOX has preemptively bought Magicians, a drama series adaptation of the Lev Grossman popular fantasy novel described as Harry Potter for grown-ups. The one-hour drama follows a group of 20-somethings in New York who study magic and have access to a magical world. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Patricia Clarkson has joined the cast of the upcoming film called The East that follows an undercover agent (Brit Marling) for a private security firm who infiltrates an eco-terrorist group known as The East but ends up falling for the leader (Alexander Skarsgard). Clarkson will portray Marling’s boss. Ellen Page and Toby Kebbell also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Paul Walker has signed on for the indie drama film called Hours that will be set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Walker would play a father trying to keep his newborn daughter alive in a New Orleans hospital. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Michael Raymond-James (True Blood and Terriers) has joined the cast of the film One Shot, based on the 2005 Lee Child novel, with Tom Cruise playing ex-Army cop Jack Reacher who gets sucked into the mystery surrounding the arrest of a sniper accused of killing five people in a shooting. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) will voice the new villain of the animated sequel Despicable Me 2, but the only details on his character have pegged him as being named El Macho and has a son aptly named Machito. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS

Watch: First Trailer for Michelle Williams in ‘My Week with Marilyn’

Watch: Dane Cook in the Trailer for Indie Drama ‘Answers to Nothing’

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actors Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives), Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) and Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) will all make guest appearances on the new TNT crime dram Perception, which is set to air next summer. Perception stars Eric McCormack from Will & Grace fame. (William Keck at TV Guide)

CBS has picked up 2 Broke Girls for a full season. (Twitter)

Actor Eric Bruskotter (Six Feet Under) will appear in a major recurring role on Glee as a love interest for Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones). He will play a recruiter who comes to McKinley High for talent but ends up having eyes for the coach. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)

Actor Lex Medlin will return to Drop Dead Diva for season four (coming sometime next year to Lifetime) as a series regular. He plays Judge Owen French (Jane’s new boyfriend). (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Emmy winner Charles S. Dutton will guest star on Criminal Minds, as Tony Colt, a Philadelphia boxing trainer who learns that his favorite pupil, whom he’s mentored like a son, turns out to be the violent serial killer that brings the BAU to the city. (Joyce Eng at TV Guide)

Model-turned actress Molly Sims (Las Vegas) will guest star on the Royal Pains finale set to air this winter. She will play Grace Hay Adams, a supermodel-turned-magazine editor who successfully turned her life around after a tragic accident. Additionally, actress Tsai Chin (she played Cristina’s mom on Grey’s Anatomy, will also guest star, playing Mrs. Sesumi, the grandmother to three rambunctious teens. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

A new hour-long project for ABC will team Jon Favreau and Seth Green (as well as Roberto Orci and Michael Daugherty) in a project that brings “an X-Files sensibility to Capitol Hill. The project is being called Secret Cabinet with this tagline: A procedural following a newly-elected president and his secret cabinet, the government’s covert team of America’s most elite minds who investigate and protect our nation from the strangest occurrences and conspiracy theory truths out there.” (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) will star and executive producer the Lifetime movie called Of Two Minds that deals with mental illness. Actress Tammy Blanchard will also star in the story that chronicles the relationship between a woman (Davis) and her younger sister (Blanchard), who has schizophrenia. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Robert Downey Jr. will be teaming with Warner Bros. to relaunch the Perry Mason franchise as a feature film. (Jeff Sneider at Variety)

Actor Rodrigo Santoro (300 and Love Actually) and actress Jamie Alexander (Thor and Kyle XY) will co-star with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action thriller called Last Stand that has Schwarzenegger playing the sheriff in a small town who runs up against an escaped drug cartel leader heading for the Mexican border. Santoro will play the party-loving fellow officer Frank Martinez while Alexander will play Sarah Torrance, a beautiful cop who enjoys a playful romance with Martinez. Peter Stormare (Prison Break) and Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) co-star. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Actress Julia Stiles has signed to star in the upcoming film called The Silver Linings Playbook that stars Bradley Cooper as a teacher institutionalized for depression who falls for an unstable woman (Jennifer Lawrence) while trying to win back his estranged wife. Stiles will play the older sister of Lawrence’s character. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Jeremy Irvine (who will be seen in the upcoming movie War Horse) will play Pip in the latest film adaptation of the classic Dickens tale Great Expectations. Among the other cast members are Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Sally Hawkins and Holliday Grainger also star. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: Will there be a Glee Halloween episode this year? —Katie

Ausiello: No. The show goes on a three-week hiatus after this week’s episode, returning on Nov. 1 with the non-pumpkin themed “Pot O’ Gold.”

Question: Is Supernatural planning any meta episodes this season? The season has been pretty dark so far. I need a pick-me-up. —Patty

Ausiello: I have a hunch the Nov. 18 episode, titled “Season 7, Time For a Wedding,” should quench your meta/humor thirst. (And before you ask, yes, one of the brothers is the groom.)

Question: Any inside gossip on The Vampire Diaries? —Bridii

Ausiello: Rumor has it the Oct. 13 episode, “The Reckoning,” is going to be E-P-I-C. Basically, Klaus goes totally off the rails and no one is safe — especially not Elena, Stefan and Tyler.

Question: Words cannot express how excited I am that True Blood‘s Kristin Bauer van Straten is playing Maleficient on Once Upon a Time. Any plot details? —Cynthia

Ausiello: My crystal ball is showing me… a catfight of mythic proportions! “In our world, Maleficient is the Evil Queen’s oldest friend — and someone she wishes would just drop dead,” reveals exec producer Edward Kitsis. “That’s what happens when evil befriends evil.” Adds fellow EP Adam Horowtiz: “To go toe to toe with our Evil Queen we needed an iconic character — which led us to introduce Maleficient. And as huge fans of Kristin’s we couldn’t imagine anyone better to come in and bring her to life.”

Question: Once Upon a Time scoop, please! —Meg

Ausiello: Later this season, Kitsis and Horowtiz will introduce another iconic diva — The Blind Witch from Hansel and Gretel! Now read the official character description and tell me if this doesn’t scream another True Blood alum: “She lives in a gingerbread house and likes to dine on small children. She’s incredibly scary and frightening. Although blind, she’s also intense, strong, and calculating — no pushover, even for a grown man. Rather than hunting her prey (children), she uses her gingerbread house to lure unsuspecting young wanderers to her, only springing into action once they’ve stepped squarely into her trap.” Um, hello — Michelle Forbes!

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

The news is short today, but there are still some interesting items to share:

TELEVISION

Actor Brad Dourif (Deadwood and Fringe) will guest star on the new upcoming ABC series Once Upon a Time. He will play a beggar who befriends the evil Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle). The series debuts on ABC on Sunday, October 23 at 8 PM. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

NBC has canceled the new drama The Playboy Club (after all three episodes, which were low-rated by the way) while giving full season pick-ups to the comedies Up All Night and Whitney. (NBC Press Release)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actresses Elisabeth Shue and Abigail Spencer have joined the cast of the upcoming surfing drama called Of Men and Mavericks that follows Jay Moriarty (Jonny Weston), a Santa Cruz native who found his calling in the world of surfing at a young age and flourished under the guidance of local elder Rick “Frosty” Hesson (Gerard Butler). Moriarty passed away the day before his 23rd birthday in a free-diving accident in the Maldives. Spencer will play the role of Frosty’s wife, while Shue will play Moriarty’s mother. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actress Rose McGowan (Charmed) will headline the romantic thriller called Napa, which is an adaptation of the Hans Ostrom novel Three to Get Ready. She will play a woman who, after three tours of duty in Afghanistan, returns to her hometown where she is given the job of sheriff. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) will star in the remake of the girl group musical called Sparkle, playing Stix, a songwriter who helps a Harlem-based singer break into the big time. Other cast members include Whitney Houston and “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks. (Brent Lang at The Wrap)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

It looks like fans of the cult-favorite Arrested Development will be getting a second chance on TV and on film according to series star Jason Bateman, there will be “10 episodes and the movie”. He also said, “They will probably be shooting all together next summer for a release in 2013”. (TV Line)

True Blood actor Chris Bauer (Sheriff Andy Bellefluer) will guest star on Hawaii Five-0, playing the manager of an off-shore oil rig who finds himself coming face-to-face with Danny and McGarrett when one of his men is murdered. (Vulture)

Actor Jason George (previously from Off the Map) will guest star on the winter finale of The Closer slated to air on December 26. He will play Marvin Evans, a successful businessman with old ties to the neighborhood where Turell Baylor was brutally murdered last season. Brenda goes to Evans seeking help to solve a gang murder that may be connected to Turell’s demise. (Tanner Stransky at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Cheryl Ladd (the original Charlie’s Angels) will appear in Chuck as the mom of Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). Chuck will return to NBC on October 28 (its new return date) at 8 PM. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Syfy is developing a TV series based on the box office movie The Adjustment Bureau with former Smallville executive producers Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin writing the adaptation. The movie version centered on a rising politician whose budding romance with a dancer is intercepted by the Adjustment Bureau, a secret organization with special powers, which uses them to ensure that people’s lives follow the chairman of the Bureau’s plan for them. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE FOR TV MOVIES NEWS

Details on the movie and the cast of the new, upcoming Hallmark Movie Channel telefilm called Hannah’s Law, a western set to premiere next spring, has been announced. Set in a frontier town filled with crime and corruption until Hannah (Sara Canning from The Vampire Diaries), a strong-willed heroine, and her friends, including Wyatt Earp (Greystone Holt from the upcoming mid-season series Alcatraz) and Doc Holliday (Ryan Kennedy from Hellcats), take a stand for justice as she tries to track down the McMurphy gang, which brutally murdered her parents and young brother. Legendary actor Danny Glover will play Isom Dart, a father figure to Hannah; Kimberly Elise (For Colored Girls) is Stagecoach Mary, her best friend; Billy Zane (Titanic) is Lockwood and John Pyper-Ferguson (Caprica) plays Frank McMurphy. (Kimberly Nordyke at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Friday Night Lights actor Zach Gilford will star opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the box office film The Last Stand in which he will play the young small-town cop who works for Schwarzenegger’s sheriff character. They are all that stands between a drug cartel and the Mexican border after the kingpin escapes from a US prison and races home. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Here’s a complete look at the weekend’s top movies, per Friday-Sunday estimates as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Dolphin Tale, $14.2 million
2. Moneyball, $12.5 million
3. The Lion King, $11.1 million
4. 50/50, $8.85 million
5. Courageous, $8.8 million
6. Dream House, $8.2 million
7. Abduction, $5.7 million
8. What’s Your Number?, $5.6 million
9. Contagion, $5 million
10. Killer Elite, $4.9 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Indie Trailer Sunday: Coming of Age Film ‘Norman’ Starring Dan Byrd

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The legend himself – Stan Lee – will be making a guest appearance on Chuck in the 7th episode of the final season. Chuck will get to meet Lee “in the most unexpected places,” but no other specifics are being provided. Chuck will be back on October 21 at 8 PM on NBC. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide and HitFix.com)

Actor John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C) will guest star on the new CBS medical-supernatural-laced drama A Gifted Man as Ben, an upscale limo driver for an elite car service, who has a condition that causes him to break into uncontrollable fits of rage that dissipate almost as quickly as they arrived. And, what’s more he also is hiding a terrible secret; and it’s when he brings his son into the late(-ish) Anna’s Clinica Sonando that he decides he needs to be treated himself. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Carlton Cuse (one of the men behind Lost) will team with author/pastor Rob Bell for Stronger, a drama project with spiritual overtones that has been sold to ABC. The potential project revolves around Tom Stronger, a musician and teacher, and his spiritual journey as he becomes a benefactor and guide to others. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC has picked up the drama project called Turner Loose from Barry Schindel (executive producer of Numb3rs). The project is about Bobby Turner, a disgraced Wall Street banker turned jailhouse lawyer. Turner can get plenty of other inmates out of prison, but can’t win his own freedom — until he gets a chance to work with the female prosecutor who put him away. (Tim Molloy at The Wrap)

Reaper creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters have sold projects to CBS and the CW. The CBS project is called Notorious, a character-based procedural that follows an attention-loving LAPD detective who has become famous after solving a murder that made national headlines. The CW project is an as-yet untitled Alien Bounty Hunter project about a young woman who, on the first day of her new job, discovers that the cosmetics company for which she is working is actually a cover business for a secret governmental project that monitors alien activity on Earth. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Writers Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff (who co-wrote Kung Fu Panda) have sold a project to NBC set in Shanghai. The project is about a pair of fugitive recovery agents working in China’s (and the world’s) largest city. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Ellen Page has joined the cast of the upcoming thriller called The East that focuses on a group of eco terrorists. Page will play a member who was formerly romantically involved with the group’s head (Alexander Skarsgard). Brit Marling also stars as a law enforcement agent who goes undercover to infiltrate the group. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actor Sebastian Stan (Captain America), actress Katie McGrath (Merlin) and acting legend John Hurt have signed on to star in the three-part adventure thriller mini-series called Labyrinth that is an adaptation of the novel by Kate Mosse. The story jumps between modern and Medieval France and centers on a search for the Holy Grail. This mini-series is expected to air in mid-2012. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here is the news for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Dillon Casey, who has been recurring on the current second season of The CW drama Nikita, playing new Division operative Sean Pierce, has now been promoted to a series regular status. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Michael Weston (House and Six Feet Under) will guest star in an upcoming episode of CSI:NY as Frank, a former FBI crime lab agent who worked with Jo (Sela Ward) in Washington, but the duo’s reunion likely won’t be a happy one. They worked together on a case involving the rape of a U.S. senator’s daughter, which was Jo’s last case before leaving the FBI for New York. Because of Frank’s mistake in processing evidence, and Jo’s refusal to hide the mistake, serial rapist John Curtis (Jason Wiles) was released. When he strikes again in New York, Frank comes to visit Jo. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Actors Dean Cain and Eric Roberts and actress Kristanna Loken will make guest appearances on Burn Notice, which returns starting on November 3 with the final six episodes of Season 5. Cain will play Ryan, a cocky and dangerous CIA officer with years of experience in both field work and intelligence gathering who can sometimes be his own worst enemy. Roberts will play Reed, who makes his living supplying foreign, unfriendly governments with sensitive information about the US. And, Loken will potentially recur as Rebecca, a hotshot young CIA agent with counterterrorism experience who gets assigned to Michael’s team. All three will turn up in the season finale set for December. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Sofia Vassilieva, who spent seven seasons on Medium, will have a pivotal guest-starring role as a rape victim on Law & Order: SVU. She will play Sarah Reese, a self-reliant, bohemian girl and shining star of her middle-class suburban family who comes to New York City on a piano scholarship, but loses her inner light after she’s attacked in her own apartment, according to an SVU insider. Her role will coincide with the debut of Andre Braugher, who has signed on as a defense attorney hired by Sarah’s attacker. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)

Actress Melinda McGraw (Mad Men) will guest star on NCIS as Diane, one of the three women for which Gibbs (Mark Harmon) married after his first wife was killed. Diane is the woman who married Gibb’s friend and colleague, FBI Agent Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano). (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

FOX has given the new comedy New Girl the “back 9,” which means the sitcom is the first new show of the fall to get a full season order. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Tony winner Sutton Foster (Anything Goes) will star in the lead role on the new ABC Family series called Bunheads (from Amy Sherman-Palladino, the woman behind Gilmore Girls). The series follows Michelle (Foster), a Las Vegas showgirl who impulsively marries a man and moves to his sleepy coastal town, and takes an uneasy role at her new mother-in-law’s dance school. (The Futon Critic)

CSI creator Anthony Zuiker has set up a drama project at ABC with writer Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center). The project centers on a female undercover FBI agent who is a master of disguise. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files is set to write, direct and executive produce a mystery drama with a female lead for MRC that will be pitched to various networks in the next few weeks. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The men behind the Hawaii Five-0 reboot and the successful Star Trek remake have landed a new project with CBS. The as-yet untitled project is based on Robyn O’Brien, an author, researcher and mother of four who has become an unlikely advocate for cleaning up the food supply. It centers on a congresswoman, wife and mother who fights for the underdog. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actor Matt Barr (Hellcats) has joined the cast of the History Channel’s miniseries The Hatfields and McCoys, which is about America’s most infamous family feud. The mini centers on “Devil” Anse Hatfield (Kevin Costner) and Randall McCoy (Bill Paxton). Barr will play Hatfield’s oldest son. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Tom Everett Scott (Southland) is set to play the husband of Marisa Tomei in the upcoming box office comedy called Us & Them that stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler as grandparents who are left alone to care for their grandkids, but their old-school methods soon clash with the more modern parenting style of their daughter and son-in-law (Tomei and Scott). (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Jai Courtney (Spartacus: Blood and Sand) has landed a lead in the upcoming film One Shot based on the Lee Child-penned Jack Reacher novel series. In One Shot, Reacher (Tom Cruise) investigates what seems like an open and shut case of a sniper who guns down five random victims. The film is also set to star Rosamund Pike. Meanwhile, legendary actor Robert Duvall will have a small, but pivotal role in the film as well. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Must Watch: Official Trailer for ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Happy Over the Hump Day! Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Legendary actor James Caan will make a guest appearance alongside his son Scott on Hawaii Five-0. This will be the first time father and son have worked together. (Midweek)

Actress Sonya Walger (Lost and FlashForward) has landed a series regular role in the new upcoming USA Network series Common Law, which is a buddy cop drama that stars Warren Kole and Michael Ealy as homicide detectives whose constant quarreling gets them sent to couples therapy. She will play their shrink, Dr. Emma Ryan, a smart, attractive psychiatrist with a keen sense of humor. Common Law is expected to debut sometime in 2012. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The CW has bought the dramedy pilot Legal Aid from writer Jonathan Abrams, which centers on a young first-year law associate whose world is turned upside-down when her estranged father, an iconic 1990s TV star, joins her firm. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Sally Pressman (Roxie on Army Wives) has signed a talent holding deal with NBC, which means the network will either develop a project for her for next fall or have her join an already running series. What does this mean for Army Wives? All of the actresses’ contracts run out at the end of the upcoming sixth season and Lifetime has not announced another season beyond that. It would seem that Pressman, much like her counterpart Catherine Bell, is preparing to move on. Bell will next be seen in the TNT movie Good Morning, Killer which is being eyed as potential backdoor pilot, and next month she will appear in the 4th The Good Witch movie on Hallmark. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has picked up an as-yet untitled western project from former Will & Grace star Sean Hayes (one of the men behind the upcoming NBC fairytale series Grimm) that would be set in the 1880s, centering on Jacob Morris, a young, eccentric East Coast doctor of mental disorders who moves to a primitive Western town at the foot of the Colorado Rockies. There he immediately stands out as he doesn’t fight with a gun but rather uses new theories that are being practiced in the East. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Brittany Snow (formerly of American Dreams and Harry’s Law) has joined the cast of the upcoming box office comedy Pitch Perfect that is set to star Anna Kendrick (the Twilight franchise) as the new singer of the Divisi, an a cappella group determined to beat their male counterpart The Treblemakers. Snow will play Chloe, one of the singers with a hardened personality. (Risky Biz Blog and Dark Horizons)

Actor Sam Trammell (True Blood) and Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) have joined the cast of the indie film called Long Time Gone that follows a broken family who must cope when Gordie Iris, (Anthony LaPaglia) leaves his wife, Augusta (Virginia Madsen), for another woman. Their disparate sons, Matthew (Gilford) and Henry (newcomer Graham Rogers), have no idea what to do when their mother refuses to come out of her bedroom for days on end which turns into weeks. When carefree Bette (Amanda Crew) enters their lives, her outlook on the world revolutionizes the way each has been viewing this situation. Trammell will play Jeff, an easy-going landscaper, who hires Henry as a day laborer and befriends his distraught mother. (True Blood Online and Dark Horizons)

Actress Susan Sarandon has joined actor Dwayne Johnson in the new action-thriller called Snitch that tells the true story of a suburban father (Johnson) who goes undercover to take down a high-level drug dealer in exchange for a reduction on his son’s 30-year prison sentence. Sarandon will play an attorney working with Johnson’s character who’s looking for a big drug bust to further her career. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Actor John Goodman (most recently seen on Damages) has joined the cast of the upcoming box office film called Flight that will star Denzel Washington. The film follows a commercial airline pilot named Whip Whitaker (Washington) who is hailed as a hero after landing a malfunctioning plane that was close to crashing. However, an investigation into the cause of the crash actually reveals he was flying under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Goodman will play a friend of Whip’s who tries to help him come to terms with his problems. Other cast members include Kelly Reilly, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood and Brian Geraghty. (Deadline and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Midnight is Coming in Theatrical Trailer for ‘New Year’s Eve’

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »