Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

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

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

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

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

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

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

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

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

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

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

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

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

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

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

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

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

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

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

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

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

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

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

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

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

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

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

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

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

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

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

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »