Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress A.J. Langer (My So Called Life alum) is joining the ABC medical drama Private Practice in a recurring role, but details on the character she will play is limited except that her character’s name is Erica. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica) will guest star in an upcoming episode of CSI: Miami, playing Robbie, one half of a freelance storm-chasing duo who is questioned by Sgt. Tripp (Rex Linn) when a piece of his equipment is linked to a murder. The show will be back on September 25 at 10 PM on CBS. (Denise Martin at TV Guide)

Actress Vanessa Lengies (Hawthorne) will appear in the FOX series Glee in the recurring role of Sugar, a new student who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but can’t carry a tune to save her life. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

The USA Network has returned their new legal drama Suits for a second season. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actress Jeananne Goossen (best known for the Canadian shows Falcon Beach and Wild Roses) will appear in a two-episode arc on CSI: NY as Officer Lauren Cooper, a young rookie police officer who will work with Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo). (William Keck at TV Guide)

HBO has announced they are renewing True Blood for a 5th season. (Twitter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

An untitled drama pilot from Jerry Bruckheimer and writer Aron Eli Coleite (Heroes) is being considered for pick up by CBS. The drama would center on a common-sense mother who becomes a New York State Trooper. (Deadline)

Alan Ball is working with Cinemax on a new series called Banshee that follows an ex-con who poses as a murdered sheriff in a small Pennsylvania Amish town where he enforces his own kind of justice while developing plans to serve his own ulterior motive. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Eddie Murphy is set to voice Hong Kong Phooey in a feature film based on the classic 1970’s Hanna-Barbera animated TV series. The film will be a combination of live-action and animation, revolving around a dog Penry (Murphy) who is granted mystic powers, including the ability to walk, talk and do kung fu. Donning a costume to become Hong Kong Phooey, he sets out to combat criminals. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves (the men behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II) may be working with Warner Bros. on a multi-film adaptation of the Stephen King novel he Stand. (Hit Fix and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Official Release Trailer for ‘Tanner Hall’ with Rooney Mara

NOTE: Rooney Mara is the same girl who will appear in the lead role in the US version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – yes, the girl in pigtails in this film is the same girl with the tattoos and heavy makeup that you’ve seen in trailers. You can also see here for character details and a picture of Rooney in her Lisabeth Salander role to see the STARK difference!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Sarah Paulson (the remake of Cupid) will be back on Wisteria Lane reprising her role as Lynette’s loser sister, Lydia on Desperate Housewives. But Lydia is a changed woman, as she is now engaged and shows up with her new fiancé. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Actor LaMarcus Tinker (Friday Night Lights) will join the cast of the FOX musicomedy Glee, playing Marcus, a massive linebacker for the McKinley Titans and a love interest for Mercedes (Amber Riley)’s lovelorn diva. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Natalie Hall (All My Children) will appear in a story-arc on Pretty Little Liars, where she will play Kate, the step-sister to Hanna (Ashley Benson). (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Autumn Reeser will guest star in an upcoming episode of Hawaii Five-0, playing Dr. Akina, the curator of a maritime museum who lends her expertise when a murder investigation takes McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny (Scott Caan) into the world of sunken treasure. This could be a potential recurring role. The series is slated to return on September 19. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Courtney Ford, who has appeared in Dexter, The Vampire Diaries and most recently True Blood, will guest star in a fall episode of CSI: NY when it returns with all new episodes on September 23. She will appear as Nicole, a car thief who only steals cars worth at least a quarter of a million bucks. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actor Sebastian Roche (who played Balthazar on Supernatural) will appear on The Vampire Diaries as the newest vamp hunter who even makes Klaus (Joseph Morgan) nervous. (Zap2It)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like CBS is thinking about rebooting the classic TV series Bewitched. The network has ordered a script from Sony Pictures Television, but no other details are available yet. (The Live Feed and Dark Horizons)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Natalie Hall (All My Children) has booked the lead in the Hallmark Channel mini-series Love’s Christmas Journey, which is part of the Love Comes Softly series of books by Janette Oke. In the two-hour, two-part mini, slated to air in November, Hall will play Ellie King, a young pioneer woman who has suffered the loss of her husband and daughter. Ellie visits her brother Aaron (Greg Vaughn from General Hospital), a sheriff in the small town of Haddonton and his two children during Christmas. When a corrupt attorney in town leaves an innocent young man to blame for Mayor William Wayne’s (Sean Astin) barn catching fire and burning, Ellie steps in to help. The cast includes Dylan Bruce, JoBeth Williams and Ryan Wynott [among others]. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Rose Byrne is set to replace actress Greta Gerwig in the upcoming box office film called The Place Beyond the Pines. Bryne will play the wife of Bradley Cooper’s police officer turned politician who finds himself in a showdown with a motorcycle-riding bank robber (Ryan Gosling). (Vulture and Dark Horizons)

Actress Stephanie Szostak (Dinner for Schmucks) is set to play the living wife of Ryan Reynolds’ deceased police officer in the upcoming film adaptation of the comic series called R.I.P.D. The story is about an officer murdered while on duty, who is recruited to the Rest in Peace Department. (Digital Spy and Dark Horizons)

Actor John C. McGinley (Scrubs) has joined the cast of the upcoming film called I, Alex Cross, which is the reboot of the character from the James Patterson novels. The film will star which Tyler Perry in the lead while McGinley will play Chief of Police Richard Brookwell and boss of forensic psychologist Cross who is tracking down a serial killer (Matthew Fox). (Showblitz and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Intense UK Trailer for Ralph Fiennes’ Shakespeare ‘Coriolanus’

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

Question: How will House deal with Cuddy’s absence? Is there any chance Lisa Edelstein will come back to shoot a proper ending for her character? — Beth

ADAM: Though the show’s one-year time jump will skip Cuddy’s exit from Princeton-Plainsboro, creator David Shore says the show won’t overlook it altogether. “There’s going to be an acknowledgement, but it’s not going to be a big story about her because unfortunately we don’t have [Lisa],” he says. Does Shore think he will ever get to write Cuddy a proper send-off? “Down the road, that might be more appropriate. It didn’t seem right now,” he says. “Given that she was gone, we decided it was better to not just have her come back to leave again.”

Question: Will Finn and Rachel be happy when Glee returns? — Joshua

NATALIE: Yes! “You pick up with them as a couple,” Lea Michele tells us. “I have a feeling that they’re just going to be settled this year. They did talk a lot about Rachel in the final episode of last season, of her wanting to go to New York and not knowing where he’s going to go, so I think that’s going to be a lot of the issues between them this year, and not so much of the Rachel/Puck and Finn/Quinn stuff.” Gearing up for a possible career on New York City’s Great White Way, Rachel will join the school musical this season.

Question: Got any good scoop about Ziva on NCIS? — Rodney

ADAM: Cote de Pablo tells us that she wants to move away from the stories about Ziva’s father and introduce some motherly love to her backstory. Executive producer Gary Glasberg does too. “Ziva will be dealing with a Middle Eastern family and the matriarch of the family connects with her in a really interesting, personal way,” Glasberg says. “Sounds like Ziva will need the support based on Glasberg’s other plans. “Someone from her past who we haven’t met before is coming forward,” he says. “[In addition,] Ray will probably come back halfway through the season, and they will intersect.”

Question: What’s the latest on Sweets and Daisy on Bones? — Megan

ADAM: “Daisy is definitely a part of Sweets’ life,” John Francis Daley tells us, and we can confirm Daisy will appear early in Season 7. But Sweets may have bigger fish to fry. “He is more active in the investigations because Brennan is slightly less able to go on the scene and get herself into dangerous situations,” Daley says. “So, you’re going to see more of Booth and Sweets working together as FBI agents.” Even better, creator Hart Hanson tells me that for the first time ever, Sweets will be packing heat! [Cue the Aerosmith song.]

Question: How is Fringe going to handle Peter never existing? — Amanda

NATALIE: Au contraire, Amanda! Peter did exist, according to the man who plays his father, John Noble. He says the final scene of the season finale, in which the Observers appear to negate Peter’s existence “was a slight teaser in the wrong direction, because Peter did exist, but Peter died as a child; both Peters died as a child.” As a result, the Season 4 premiere might remind you of It’s a Wonderful Life, as we’ll find Walter in a familiar predicament. “When we meet him in Season 4, he’s still insane, locked into the lab with guards, and mad because he’s never had Peter to bring him out of it,” Noble says. “He won’t have had that motivation to repair himself, so he’s quite mad and neurotic and obsessive-compulsive. He’s agoraphobic, so he won’t go out of the lab.”

Question: I’m really hoping you have some NCIS: Los Angeles scoop? — Thomas

ADAM: How’s this? In an early Season 3 episode, all the agents will be forced to swap partners! “Hunter puts us in this situation… and it screws up the whole dynamic,” Eric Christian Olsen tells us of the super-covert mission. “Deeks ends up with Sam… and [he’s] really trying to jostle for position, because Sam’s the man. He’s the Navy Seal, but Deeks is like, ‘No, I got this!'” Anyone care to take a guess who wins that battle?

Question: Will Damon and Elena go on the hunt to find Stefan on Vampire Diaries? —Sarah

NATALIE: They will both attempt to find him, but one is certainly trying harder than the other. “Damon loves his brother, he can’t deny that anymore, but at the same time, his relationship is building with Elena in a very nice way, so that maybe he’s not trying as hard as he should to find Stefan,” executive producer Kevin Williamson tells us, adding that Damon will feel guilt over that. As for Stefan, the ripper lifestyle will lend for some serious life contemplation on his part. “Will he ever be able to come back and how will Stefan and Elena save him if they do? It’s really going to be about the journey for Stefan: What’s Klaus up to? What’s Klaus’ use for him? It twists and turns in a bunch of different ways that are surprising.”

Question: Someone’s been stingy with the Glee scoop of late. And that someone would be you. —Lisa

Ausiello: Someone’s about to make up for lost time. And that someone would be me. I heard through the grapevine that Quinn gets back in touch with her inner bad girl when Season 3 starts. Also, word around town is that several cast members will be taking a crash course in tap-dancing in preparation for the Sept. 20 season opener.

Question: Any scoop on Chuck? —Dani

Ausiello: Chuck and Sarah are taking full advantage of their new professional autonomy, particularly when it comes to the design and look of their new spy shingle. I hear the offices of Carmichael Industries will look like the cool rec room you always wanted as a kid but never had. We’re talking pinball machines, candy-filled jars and other kitschy goodness. It’s the kind of set-up that would make General Beckman lose her will to live, so it’s probably best she’s only around part-time this season.

Question: Got anything about ABC’s Once Upon a Time? —Danny

Ausiello: Two things: It’s so good I watched the pilot twice (and that almost never happens). Also, the show runners told TVLine’s Matt Mitovich that they initially reached out to Lady Gaga to make a cameo as The Blue Fairy in the pilot, but they never heard back. Mother Monster’s loss is Canadian actress Keegan Connor Tracy’s gain!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today, including some interesting development news as well as casting announcements and more:

TELEVISION

Actor Michael Graziadei (The Young and the Restless) has booked a recurring role on the upcoming FX drama series American Horror Story, which is about a couple (Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton) moving into a 1920s house and their new nosy neighbor Constance (Jessica Lange). He will play Constance’s new, young boyfriend. (Deadline)

Actor Ashton Holmes (The Pacific) has landed a recurring role on the upcoming ABC drama Revenge, which stars Emily VanCamp (Brothers & Sisters) as a young woman who goes to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the rich Grayson family who destroyed her father. Holmes will play a high-society bad boy who is a Harvard classmate of Daniel Grayson (Josh Bowman). (Deadline)

New Zealander actress Simone Kessell (Underbelly) will have a major recurring role on the upcoming prehistoric drama Terra Nova from FOX. She plays Alicia Washington, the tough second-in-command to the Terra Nova colony’s Commander Frank Taylor (Steven Lang). (Deadline)

Actress Mariana Klaveno (True Blood) has been cast in the TNT movie Innocent opposite Bill Pullman and Marcia Gay Harden. The movie is based on the novel by Scott Turrow, which takes place twenty years after the events in best-seller Presumed Innocent. Klaveno will play a court clerk whose relationships with both Rusty Sabich (Pullman) and his son come into the limelight after Sabich is charged with the murder of his wife. (Deadline)

Actor Roy Dotrice (best known for his work on Beauty & the Beast) and actress Hannah Murray (Skins) have joined the cast of Game of Thrones for its second season. Dotrice will play Pyromancer Hallyne, chief of the Guild of Alchemists while Murray will play Gilly, one of the many women living with Old Craster who wants to escape his oppression. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Scott Wolf (V and Party of Five) will appear in the season premiere of NCIS, playing FBI Agent Casey Stratton. This role could potentially be recurring. The long-running CBS series returns with new episodes on September 20 at 8 PM. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Zachary Abel (Make It or Break It) will guest star on The Secret Circle, the new drama from The CW that debuts on September 15. The premise of the show is orphaned Cassie (Britt Robertson) moves in with her grandmother after the death of her mother. She soon learns that she’s a teen witch destined to bind powers with five others to complete a new generation of the Secret Circle. Abel will play a “hot jock” named Luke who asks Cassie out in episode 3. (Mandi Bierly at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Claire Holt (Pretty Little Liars) will appear in The Vampire Diaries when the show returns this fall to The CW. She will play Rebecca (aka Bex), a beautiful vampire who had the pleasure of Stefan’s company back in the early days when he was feasting on human blood. (Zap2It)

Actors Justin Hartley (Smallville) and Jeff Fahey (Lost) will guest star in the second episode of the final season of Chuck when it returns this fall. Fahey will play Karl Sneijder the boss of a diamond company with mines in South Africa, who has been investigated by the CIA in the past for alleged criminal activity. Hartley will play Wesley Sneijder, Karl’s handsome younger brother, who is a Dartmouth and Oxford-educated anthropologist. (Zap2It)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It looks like the 1980’s classic film Dirty Dancing is in for a remake treatment much like Footloose and countless other movies. Kenny Ortega, the movie’s original choreographer and the man behind the High School Musical franchise will be directing. No cast has been set yet. (Marc Malkin at E! Online)

Actress Kim Fields (The Facts of Life) has joined the cast of the ensemble romantic comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting. She will play a social worker who helps out a couple with an adoption. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Brit Marling, one of the indie film circuit’s newest faces, will appear in the new political thriller The Company You Keep from Robert Redford. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gordon. Redford will star in the film as a former Weather Underground radical wanted by the FBI who must go on the run when his true identity is exposed by an ambitious young reporter (Shia LaBeouf). It’s not clear what role Marling will play in the story. Nick Nolte co-stars. (First Showing)

Actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) and Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) have joined the Russia-set period drama film called Closer to the Moon. Strong plays Max Rosenthal, the former head of a Bucharest police criminal investigation unit. He and four prominent Jews pulled off a bank robbery while assuring the crowds they were filming a movie. The group are tried and sentenced to death, but only after the communist government forces them to re-enact their crime in a propaganda film. Farmiga plays Max’s former lover and mother of his child, who returns from studying in Moscow. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

The Odd Life of Timothy Green Movie Trailer

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created Gilmore Girls, is working on a new project for ABC based on the New York Times best-seller The Nanny Diaries, written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. (Michael Schneider at TV Guide)

The film The Lincoln Lawyer is also being considered for a TV adaptation. (Michael Schneider at TV Guide)

NBC has ordered a drama script for a modern-day take on the legend of Frankenstein to be written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner (the men behind House). (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

As of today, my entertainment updates will be posted each evening, as I am embarking on a possibly new writing challenge – for which I am looking forward to – but it will require me to change my daily writing routine. Wish me luck!

In the meantime, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Devin Kelley (The Chicago Code) has landed a recurring role on Covert Affairs, appearing as the new girlfriend of Auggie (Christopher Gorham. She will play Parker, the younger sister of Billy, who served in Iraq with Auggie and was killed during the Jack of Diamonds mission that blinded Auggie. (Joyce Eng at TV Guide)

Actor Linus Roche is set to reprise his role of ADA Michael Cutter on Law & Order in its season premiere, which is set to air on September 21. Cutter is now Bureau Chief of the DA’s office, a position that just so happens to oversee Special Victims Unit cases. (Megan Masters on TV Line)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

PBS has picked up a prequel of the long-running series Inspector Morse that will air on Masterpiece Mystery next year in time for the 25th anniversary of the show’s 1987 premiere. The prequel – called Endeavour – which is a reference to Morse’s first name, will star British actor Shaun Evans (Ashes to Ashes) as the younger version of Colin Dexter’s iconic character. The made-for-TV movie will be set in 1965 and will foolow the hunt for a missing schoo lgirl, which draws Endeavour Morse back to the place that will ultimately shape and define his destiny: Oxford. Another Inspector Morse offshoot, series Inspector Lewis starring Kevin Whately in the role he originated in Inspector Morse, also airs on Mastepiece, with four new episodes slated to begin Sept. 4. (Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Actor Francesco Quinn, the son of Hollywood legend Anthony Quinn, passed away late last week at the age of 48. It is reported he suffered a heart attack near his home. (E! Online)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, $54 million
2. The Smurfs, $21 million
3. Cowboys & Aliens, $15.7 million
4. The Change-Up, $13.5 million
5. Captain America: The First Avenger, $13 million
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, $12.2 million
7. Crazy, Stupid, Love, $12.1 million
8. Friends With Benefits, $4.7 million
9. Horrible Bosses, $4.6 million
10. Transformers: Dark of the Moon, $3 million

Actor Stacy Keach (Prison Break) has joined the cast of the spy thriller The Bourne Legacy. His character will perform alongside Joan Allen and Albert Finney’s characters who were part of the covert Treadstone program. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Actress Naturi Naughton (who appeared in the box office remake Fame and will be seen in this fall’s new show The Playboy Club) has been cast as Cecilia Reyes, a trauma surgeon who is also a mutant with the special ability to create a force field around her body, in the superhero sequel The Wolverine. (Vlad TV and Dark Horizons)

Actor Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) will have a small role in the upcoming thriller World war Z, which a movie that is set in the aftermath of an undead apocalypse which has wiped out much of the world’s population. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

I have a lot of cool news to share with all of you today so please sit back, relax and read on:

TELEVISION

Actor Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation) will have a recurring role on Castle when the show returns for its 4th season on ABC, starting on September 19. He will [SPOILER ALERT!] play a psychiatrist who Beckett (Stana Katic) is forced to see. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

It looks like the popular Syfy series Eureka may be coming to an end. The cable network is close to ordering six more episodes, which will mark the end of the sci-fi series, which is currently airing Season 4.5 and is filming the 13 episodes for Season 5. The proposed plan is for the show to film the final six episodes in October. (Deadline)

Actor Jamie Harris (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) has booked a killer new role, playing sociopathic murderer R. Franklin on the upcoming FX series American Horror Story, which is slated to premiere on October 5 at 10 PM. (The Hollywood Reporter and TV Guide)

Actor Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies and Human Target) will guest star on the season finale of the new USA Network series Suits, playing District Attorney Wolf, who appears in the wake of a scandal that shakes up the District Attorney’s office. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actress Isabella Hoffman (Homicide Life on the Street) will appear as one of Agent Rossi’s (Joe Mantegna) three ex-wives. She will appear in a two-episode arc as Rossi’s first wife. The series will return for its new season on September 21. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Bridget Regan (Legend of the Seeker) will have a guest-starring role in NCIS: Los Angeles this fall; but the details are being kept under wraps as to she will be playing. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Oscar-winner and TV legend Patty Duke will guest star in an episode of Hawaii Five-0 this fall. She will play an Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother of a murder victim. Meanwhile, legendary actor Peter Fonda (the classic film Easy Rider) will also appear in an episode of the series as a salty treasure-hunting sea captain, who actually preys on suckers and bilks them out of millions. The series will be back with new episodes starting on September 19. (William Keck at TV Guide and James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Ashley Zuckerman (The Pacific) has signed on for a major recurring role on the upcoming sci-fi time-travel drama Terra Nova from FOX. He will play Lucas, a mysterious and enigmatic character connected to Stephen Lang’s Cmdr. Nathaniel Lang. Also, actress Emelia Burns (the Australian children’s series The Elephant Princess) has also booked a recurring role as Reilly as a soldier under Taylor’s command. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Vivica Fox and actor Jeffrey Nordling (Desperate Housewives) are joining the new Lifetime series The Protector in key roles. Fox will play Captain Lisa Novak, the ex-wife of Miguel Ferrer’s Lieutenant Felix Valdez. Nordling is set to recur as a love interest for the Gloria (Ally Walker). (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

ABC will end Desperate Housewives in May 2012 after the show’s 8th season. (Deadline)

Actor Luke Kleintank (No Ordinary Family and Gossip Girl) will appear as the new intern on Bones this coming season in what being considered a potentially recurring role of young genius Finn Abernathy, who is brilliant, sweet and a bit rough around the edges. Bones returns to FOX on November 3 at 9 PM. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Actress Cara Buono (Mad Men) will guest star on the new CBS drama A Gifted Man this fall. She will play a charter-jet pilot who meets neurosurgeon Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) at a cocktail party, and he first thinks she may have carpal-tunnel syndrome but finds that there may be more going on. (Maureen Ryan at AOL TV)

The TNT cop drama Rizzoli & Isles has just been picked up for season 3. (Series Star Sasha Alexander via Twitter)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Actress Catherine Bell (Army Wives) is set to headline the TNT movie Good Morning, Killer, an adaptation of the April Smith novel that follows FBI Special Agent Ana Gray as she hunts for a kidnapper. This film is the latest entry in the network’s recently announced new TNT Tuesday Night Mystery movie franchise slated to launch in November that will feature six contemporary crime dramas, from true-crime stories to fictional mysteries. Some of these films are reportedly being eyed as potential backdoor pilots as well. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice) has joined the cast of the upcoming box office film Oz: The Great and Powerful but his role has yet to be announced. (Twitter and Dark Horizons)

Actor Mark Ruffalo and actress Amanda Seyfried will appear in the upcoming thriller called Now You See Me that follows a group of the world’s greatest illusionists, who pull off daring bank heists during their performances, showering the profits on their audience. Eventually, the FBI gets involved, prompting a cat-and-mouse game between adversaries. Ruffalo will play the FBI task force leader while Seyfried portrays a technical whiz who builds devices to help the illusionists pull off the heists. Jesse Eisenberg and Mélanie Laurent have already joined the cast. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

A long list of voice actors have been added to the upcoming animated sequel Ice Age: Continental Drift. The usual cast, of course, includes Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Chris Wedge, Seann William Scott and Josh Peck are being by Jeremy Renner, Wanda Sykes, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, singer Drake and Jennifer Lopes. Additionally, Heather Morris, Joy Behar, Nicki Minaj and Alan Tudyk [among others] will also be featured. The film is expected to hit theatres on July 13, 2012. (Dark Horizons)

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

Question: I would love some fresh Nikita scoopage — preferably NOT about Mikita. How about some new Alex tidbits… like, does she have to give up her cool digs, car and clothes now that she doesn’t actually work for Division? What about prospects for new friends this year? Without Nikita or Michael to hang out with, she has like zero friends (who aren’t now dead or scared of). Thanks! — Adele

Sandra: This is Alex we’re talking about. Girl’s got style. I wouldn’t worry about her being less than her best — or at least demanding it if anyone tries to give her otherwise. And as far as friends, she seems pretty happy hunting down Nikita, which she proves to be pretty good at considering she knows many of Nikita’s tricks. The only “new” friends this year seem to be old friends that we’ve never met. For example, the show is currently casting the role of Kelly, a very good friend of Nikita’s who worked with her at Division.

Question: I e-mail you every week, and you never pick my question! Pllleeaaaaasseee, give me some Chuck scoop!

Sandra: Get ready for some trouble in paradise for an unlikely pair… Jeffster! “There’s going to be a little bit of drama between Jeffster at the Buy More, my character Jeff and Lester,” Scott Krinsky says. He couldn’t elaborate as to the exact cause, but he said “There’s going to be a little tension. I better get my dramatic chops going.”

Question: Anything on Burn Notice?! – Melissa

Sandra: The upcoming episode featuring Gavin Rossdale as an evil international arms dealer (First Look!) — and former friend of Fiona’s — is going to be a doozy. Fiona has to compromise a lot in order to get something that is vital to Michael’s investigation, but the price will apparently weigh heavily on the couple. “They moved in together and for a while there, things were going pretty well. They were in a much more stable place than they’ve been. But now they’re really working on Michael’s problems together, and this is one of the first hints that both characters are realizing that their co-habitating bliss might be much more complicated than they imagined it to be,” says creator Matt Nix.

Question: NCIS: LA, please! Who’s going to get shot in the season premiere! — Danni

Sandra: Oh, I’m not telling you THAT. But what I will tell you is some intel given to me by the lovely Daniela Ruah about the huge shake up caused by new operations manager Lauren Hunter. “She continues to create a little confusion by swapping the partners around a little bit. It gets us all thinking, ‘What is she doing?! What kind of control is she trying to assert over us. It’s exciting,” she says. “When I was reading the first episode of the season, which was written by [showrunner] Shane Brennan, it was like a movie script.” So who does Kensi end up with? “I’m not going to tell you who I’m partnered with! But to be working with either one of these guys … they’re so great to work with. It changes the dynamic of things and it makes it more interesting for the audience, too.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

There wasn’t very much news to share for today, but there were a few casting tidbits.

TELEVISION

Actor Jason Gedrick (last seen on Desperate Housewives) will appear in a 3-episode arc on the new USA Network series Necessary Roughness. He will play Dr. J.D. Aldrigde, Dani’s (Callie Thorne) former grad school professor who unexpectedly falls back into her life. But Aldridge will do more than just woo Dani; he’ll also butt heads with Matt (Marc Blucas), her onetime fling and obvious soulmate. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actor Robbie Amell (How I Met Your Mother and True Jackson, VP) will have a recurring role on the new fall soap Revenge that debuts on ABC on September 21 at 10 PM. He will play Adam, a wealthy lad on track to attend Yale who becomes involved in a messy love triangle with rich girl Charlotte Grayson (Christa B. Allen) and blue-collar boy Declan Porter (Connor Paolo). (Megan Masters at TV Line)

It looks like actress Marg Helgenberger will finish her 11 season run on the CBS juggernaut series CSI this January. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Lara Pulver (Sookie’s fairy godmother on True Blood) has been cast in the role of Irene Adler in “A Scandal In Belgravia”, the first episode of the second season of the BBC mini-series Sherlock. The character is famously a romantic interest for Holmes. The season is scheduled to premiere around October/November. (Den of Geek and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

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

TELEVISION

Actress/comedian Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up and the documentary Paper Heart) has been cast as a new regular on the FOX medical drama House next season. She will play a new member of Dr. Gregory House’s (Hugh Laurie) diagnostics team at Princeton-Plainsboro. (Deadline)

Actress Sarah Hagan (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Freaks and Geeks) has booked a recurring role on 90210, where she will play Alana, one of Naomi’s new sorority sisters at California University. The character is described as a born leader who proudly flaunts her extensive vocabulary and book smarts. 90210 returns for its fourth season on September 13 on the CW. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Up-and-coming actress Brittany Belt (who has had roles in The Ex List and Castle) will have a recurring role on the NBC series Parenthood, playing one of Haddie’s (Sarah Ramos) best friends since 7th grade. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Another actor has been added to the cast for season 2 of Game of Thrones when it returns sometime next year on HBO. German actor Tom Wlaschiha has landed the role of Jaqen, one of the criminals being transported along with Arya (Maisie Williams) to The Wall. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Laurence Fishburne will appear as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White in the Superman reboot Man of Steel, that stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner. The film is slated for a June 2013 release. (Entertainment Weekly)

Writer Melisa Wallack, (who wrote the upcoming Snow White film from Relativity) will write the film adaptation of the cult comic Emily the Strange, which was created in the early 1990’s by skateboarder Rob Reger. The character originally appeared on stickers and clothing before moving to comic books in 2005. The film will serve as the origin story of the gothic and odd young lady who owns four mysterious cats and is able to fuse technology and imagination. Actress Chloe Moretz remains attached to star in the lead role. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: Any scoops about the new NCIS season? I am dying to know if there’s something new, something big! — Victoria

Ausiello: Is a new agent big enough for you? Though he won’t be a series regular, the show is adding to the roster a new recurring character, a potentially deadly Fed named Stratton.

Question: I just started watching Chuck this summer and love it and am really sad that will be the final season. Speaking of which, it really sucks that there will only be 13 episodes. Any chance TPTB will give them at least a few more episodes? —Sarah

Ausiello: Let me just put this out there: A back-nine pickup would bring the show’s total episode haul to a clean 100, the traditional threshold for syndication. Let me also put this out there: NBC president Robert Greenblatt told me on Monday that it’s probably not going to happen. “[The 13-episode order] is pretty much set in stone,” he maintained. “They’re designing the season to [build toward] a series finale.”

Question: How does the Buy More fit into this season’s Chuck? —Gabe

Ausiello: Chuck’s now the owner, which means “when his spy agency isn’t doing well, the Buy More might be the only profit center for his company,” explains exec producer Chris Fedak. “It’s important that the Buy More does well, so Chuck’s trying to figure out a way to make it into a successful store.” His first priority: Creating an awesome promotional campaign. “There’s a new commercial with the face of the Buy More, Captain Awesome,” says Fedak. “He’s the most successful salesman Chuck knows.” He’s certainly better than the store’s previous spokesmodel, as viewers will discover firsthand. Reveals Fedak: “We see the original Buy More commercial that Big Mike starred in back in 1981.”

Question: I’ve heard Castle’s new season will feature a superhero episode. What can you tell me about it? —Luke

ADAM: I can tell you that the case involves a young criminal justice student who spends his nights prowling the streets as a masked, sword-wielding vigilante named the Lone Vengeance.

Question: Got any scoop on the final season of Chuck? — Matt

NATALIE: The Buy More is going through a few more changes this season. Now that Chuck’s private spy agency, Carmichael Industries, owns Nerd Herd central, Captain Awesome will become the face of the company, says portrayer Ryan McPartlin. (Can I please have a copy of the first Buy More magazine with his pretty mug on it?) “He’s going to be like the Tony Robbins of the Buy More,” McPartlin says, adding that Awesome won’t be quitting his day job as a doctor. “The fact that Ellie and Awesome know about the spy world, it’ll be like the A-Team and we’ll help out, but only when we’re absolutely needed because of the baby.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Happy Tuesday! Is everyone surviving this first week in August so far? Hope it’s been good for all of you. Here are the news tidbits for today:

TELEVISION

Actor John Corbett will return to Parenthood, as Sarah’s (Lauren Graham) recovering alcoholic ex for a multi-episode arc. His comeback coincides with the return of Jason Ritter as Sarah’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Mark. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Justin Bruening (Knight Rider) has landed a recurring role on the new fall drama Ringer that will debut on September 13 at 9 PM on The CW. He will play Tyler, who pursues Siobhan, one of the twin sisters Sarah Michelle Gellar plays. (Joyce Eng at TV Guide and TV Line)

Actress Genna Whelan (Gulliver’s Travels and The Wolfman) will play the bold, older sister of Theon Greyjoy, the impulsive young ward of the Stark family on Game of Thrones when it returns for its second season on HBO. Her character’s name on the show will, however, change from Asha to Yara. This is probably being done so the viewers won’t confuse the name with another character. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Sony Pictures TV is resurrecting Dead Lawyers, the high-concept legal drama it originally developed for Syfy 8 years ago, with Graham Yost on board to co-write/executive produce and John Stamos attached to star. The original concept was about a hotshot defense attorney who is run over by a bus and finds himself in his own version of hell: a law firm on earth composed of other dead lawyers, all trying to right miscarriages of justice in order to redeem themselves. The project is being pitched to the networks this week. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Reese Witherspoon will star in the fantasy comedy film called Wish List, which follows an ambitious career woman who lost her inner child at age ten due to ten wishes never coming true. The coin upon which she wished got stuck in the wishing well and never reached the bottom. When the coin suddenly becomes dislodged, floating to the bottom of the pool, the 30-year-old uptight professional must deal with all ten childhood wishes simultaneously coming true. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actors Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, James Gandolfini and Craig Robinson will all lend their voices to the 3D CG-animated family feature film called Escape from Planet Earth that is the story of a heroic alien astronaut who is captured and must be saved by his scrawny, risk-adverse nerdy brother. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Actor Frank Grillo (The Gates and Prison Break) has landed roles in two upcoming films. The first is the role of a Chicago gangster who operates the Continental Wire Service in crime picture called The Gangster Squad. The second is a key supporting role as the tough commanding officer of Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena in the independent cop drama called End of Watch. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Welcome to the start of August! Can you believe that it’s August already?! Where has the year gone? And, can you believe that summer is nearly over. WOW!

Anyway, here are the news items that I’d like to share for today:

TELEVISION

Actor William Baldwin will have a multi-episode arc on Hawaii Five-0, playing a former homicide detective who was kicked off the force for corruption. Since then, he’s organized a crime wave with a team of fellow dirty cops. He is the sleazy manipulator who may set his sights on Kono (Grace Park), as reported previously. The series will return for its second season starting on September 19 at 10 PM. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

ABC Family has given a second season 22-episode order to their new series Switched at Birth. The show is scheduled to return in early 2012. (Jim Halterman)

Actress Carrie –Anne Moss (best known for her role in the Matrix franchise) will appear on Chuck in a multi-episode arc, playing a new love interest for John Casey (Adam Baldwin). . She will play a character named Gertrude Verbanski, who despite her ungainly name is a ruthlessly efficient spy. She runs a private firm that competes with Chuck and Sarah’s newly launched enterprise. Gertrude also has a history with Casey, and though they’ve been professional rivals they have clicked personally. Chuck will be back for its final season on NBC starting on October 21. (Zap2It)

Actor T. R. Knight from Grey’s Anatomy will return to TV for the first time since leaving the ABC medical drama, guest starring in an upcoming episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He will play a suspected serial rapist who consistently maintains his innocence despite overwhelming evidence. The new season of SVU returns September 21 at 10 PM. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Actress Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) will appear in the TNT police drama Southland, appearing as a member of the LAPD throughout the season. The show’s new season is expected to return in January of next year. (Turner)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Exhibitors Relations and E! Online (with a revision for the final numbers for the top 2 movies from The Wrap):

1. Cowboys & Aliens, $36.4 million
2. The Smurfs, $35.6 million
3. Captain America: The First Avenger, $24.9 million
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, $21.9 million
5. Crazy, Stupid, Love, $19.3 million
6. Friends With Benefits, $9.3 million
7. Horrible Bosses, $7.1 million
8. Transformers: Dark of the Moon, $6 million
9. Zookeeper, $4.2 million
10. Cars 2, $2.3 million

Actress Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) [and others] is set to join the cast of the Scottish independent comedy called Not Another Happy Ending where she will play a beautiful but eccentric writer of miserable, but best selling fiction who’s blocked on her latest novel since she became successful and happy. (Screen Daily and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Indie Trailer Sunday: Juno Temple Stars in Abe Sylvia’s Film ‘Dirty Girl’

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush at TV Guide)

Question: I really like The Closer and will be sorry to see it end this season. I think the cast is great but wonder if they couldn’t keep the cast, minus Brenda, hire someone like Alana de la Garza to play the female lead and name it Major Case Squad, or something like that. Kyra Sedgwick can’t be actually replaced, of course, but it seems a shame to let such a great cast go without trying something else. Has anyone thought of this before or is it just wishful thinking on my part? — Judy

Matt Roush: Actually, you’re pretty close to the mark. When The Closer in its current form signs off a year from now — this final season is being split in two — the intention is to directly transition into the spin-off titled Major Crimes, starring Mary McDonnell in her current role as the antagonistic Capt. Sharon Raydor. The new show will continue to be set in the LA Police Department, so while we don’t yet know the circumstances of Brenda Leigh Johnson’s departure, it seems likely that at least a few of the talented Closer ensemble will stay put.

Question: Will James Callis return to Eureka at some point? Dr. Grant was a great character. — Linda

Matt Roush: Nothing on the horizon. Definitely not during the current season 4.5, and apparently not yet in the fifth season, now in production. Which isn’t to say he won’t ever return, given the extraordinarily flexible nature of this show.

Question: As with all red-blooded Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, I’m extremely excited to see Sarah Michelle Gellar back in action on the CW’s new fall pilot, Ringer. While the show is generating a lot of buzz, and not just within the Whedon-verse, I’m fairly concerned with how the show will perform. Shows on the CW tend to struggle in the ratings department in general, but with Ringer taking a fairly sizable step out of the usual CW model, I think it’s going to have a difficult time finding an audience (or rather, the audience is going to have a hard time finding it).

 In spite of potential problems with ratings, I’m thrilled to see the CW finally take a much-needed step outside the usual network brand. Ringer looks to be more mature and serious than the network’s mainstays, which are almost universally aimed at younger women. The CW brand is so well-defined that I worry Ringer may be written off by many potential viewers as being simply another teen soap before they give it a chance. 

Do you think the CW will be able to break out of its self-imposed mold? Do you think they should? Will Ringer really get a fair shake on the CW or was CBS’s decision to pass on it the first nail in the coffin? — Lacy

Matt Roush: I’m cautiously optimistic that Ringer will click with the intended audience, and then some. I don’t know if I’d call it “mature and serious,” though, given that it’s basically a lurid melodrama that reminds me of the sort of B-movie potboilers Bette Davis made during a certain phase of her career (look up Dead Ringer and A Stolen Life). But it does fall in an odd place on the demographic spectrum: too young and bizarre for CBS, but a little older and less formula than the CW model of Gossip Girl and 90210. If Sarah Michelle Gellar can lure enough people to watch the pilot, I’m betting they’ll be hooked. Even so, the bar for its success will be set much lower on the CW than it would have been on CBS (where it might have failed quickly), so that’s something in its favor. But whether it works or not, I’m glad to see the CW expanding its parameters even a wee bit — although I thought Nikita did a pretty decent job of that a year ago. What depresses me is when a network like this settles for just cloning itself, as in the case of The Secret Circle, which feels like a lesser extension of The Vampire Diaries substituting witches for vamps. Lazy programming like that shouldn’t be rewarded.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today, including some Q&A’s from Entertainment Weekly so please tread lightly if you don’t want to be spoiled:

TELEVISION

Actress Jamie Ray Newman (Eastwick and recurring stints on Drop Dead Diva and Eureka) will guest star in CSI: NY as Claire Taylor, the wife of Mac (Gary Sinise), who was lost during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She will appear in flashbacks during the show’s Season 8 premiere which airs on September 23 at 9 PM. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

Talk show host Craig Kilborn will guest star in the season premiere of Chuck, which returns for its final season on NBC on October 21. He will play Roger Bale, a charming yet conniving investor who has stolen money from some of the world’s most dangerous people. The twist? Mr. Bale is rather dangerous himself! It’s probably safe to say Kilborn will have a run-in with the episode’s other Big Bad, Star Wars alum Mark Hamill. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Molly Parker (Deadwood) has landed the female lead in the TV adaptation of The Firm – the book by John Grisham that was famously made into a movie starring Tom Cruise. Parker will play Abby who, ten years ago, helped her husband Mitchell McDeere (Josh Lucas from Sweet Home Alabama) bring down a Memphis law firm that was a front for the Chicago mob. The cast of the NBC series – that still has to be given an official air date – will co-star Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers) as Tammy, Mitch’s feisty, sexy receptionist and Callum Keith Rennie (The Killing and Battlestar Galactica) as Ray McDeere, Mitch’s charming yet volatile older brother whose work as an investigator in Mitch’s office is uniquely informed by his past stretch in prison for manslaughter. (TV By the Numbers)

Actors Tom Skerritt and Bailey Chase will guest star in an upcoming episode of White Collar with Skerritt playing Alan Mitchell, the discerning dad of Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen), who is a psychiatrist and a protective father. Meanwhile, Chase will step into the role of Bryan McKenzie, a Sterling-Bosch vice president whom Sara (Hilarie Burton) suspects of stealing a Stradivarius. They will appear in the same episode that is slated to air in January when the show returns for its final six episodes of the current season. (TV Guide)

Actress Aly Michalka (Hellcats and the box office film Easy A) will guest star in an episode of CSI: NY next fall. She will play a hard rocker named Miranda who explodes onto the stage of New York’s hottest underground clubs. Her character is questioned by the CSI team when the guy she’s been dating is found murdered. (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Young actor Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class) has joined the cast of the box office thriller Stoker that stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode and was written by Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller. The film is about a teen who is mourning the death of her father at the same time her mysterious uncle appears in her life. (Joshua L. Weinstein at The Wrap)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: First Trailer for George Lucas Produced WWII Film ‘Red Tails’

SPOILER ALERT!!

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

Question: Can I assume that Shawn and Jules are in a happy relationship when we come back for next season of Psych? — Stephanie

Sandra: They’re going strong, I hear! But they’re not the focus of the season by any means. James Roday told me in a chat prior to Comic-Con that he wanted to make sure the relationship wouldn’t interfere with the dynamic of the show. “My biggest fear with Shawn and Jules — and there are many examples on other shows of when the “Will they or won’t they?” finally comes together, it just isn’t good anymore, and I think because of that we’re proceeding with caution,” he said. “We’re trying to keep it real. Predominantly, their relationship is based on work because that’s where they spend the most amount of time — so not a lot changes on that front. And they’re just kind of figuring out what they are outside of work and taking very slow baby steps in doing it so that nothing feels forced or strange.” Hoping for a soap opera of love? Probably not what you’ll find this season, he says. “We really don’t want to go there. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of protecting the show so that people don’t have to worry about that. I can personally guarantee all of our fans that they will not be disappointed. We’re just as wacky and wily. At its core, this is always going to be a show about two best friends living out a childhood dream, and there’s no way around that. That’s what we are, and that’s what we’ll always be.” Anyone else feel the need to cheer right now? He gets us, he really gets us!

Question: Any scoop on Burn Notice? Framing Michael for murder was a pretty great twist. (But poor Grant Show!) — Jessica

Sandra: Expect the twists to keep coming, says creator Matt Nix. “It’s a pretty twisty season. I mean, I’d say there are a couple of big, hard twists coming up. It depends on what you think of as a twist and then the summer season-finale is one of our twistiest episodes ever. We just finished filming that,” he teases. “There’s a lot that goes on before that. It really heats up coming to the end of the season. I just got finished directing that [last] episode, and it’s very, very, very intense.” Preview Next week we’ll have dish from Nix about how Gavin Rossdale is going to put Fiona and Michael’s relationship to the test!

Question: Castle scoop, Sandra? You know you want to! — Joanne

Sandra: Don’t tell me what I want! Kidding. Actually, I’d prefer you did because, God knows I have no freaking clue. Anyway, if you followed word from Comic-Con, you already know about plans for a superhero-themed episode and a Halloween-themed episode. But executive producer Laurie Zaks told me preliminary plans to send the gang to the premiere of the Nikki Heat film in L.A.! (The show typically shoots its New York setting on a stage in L.A.) So does that mean Laura Prepon would reprise her role as the title character of the movie? Possibly, says Zaks. “That would totally depend on her schedule, and she got cast in a pilot. If you’ll remember, the character was sent off to rehab, so hopefully she’ll be out of rehab by then,” she said with a laugh.

Question: Thanks for being among the only one to give Haven some love, Sandra. I’m dying for a little intel on Jason Priestley’s character! — Martha

Sandra: Why, thank you! I’d bow, but that’s a bit much, I think. Look for Priestley’s character to bring out the “girly side of Audrey” in episode 6, according to star Emily Rose. “What happens is really fantastic and I can’t wait for it to come out,” she says. “We see a personal side of Audrey in a really unique way.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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