Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

It’s over the hump day and it’s also the first day of the TCA (Television Critics Association Press junket with the networks). Wish I were there covering it, but I haven’t made the cut quite yet, but I’m hopeful that will change one day.

Anyway, there are some interesting items to share with all of you today so here goes:

TELEVISION

Hawaii Five-0 has been given the timeslot after the NFL AFC Championship game on Sunday January 23. Mark your calendars. (The TV Addict)

Debra Messing will guest star Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in February, playing a television journalist working to expose pedophiles. The SVU detectives must step in when her own life is put in danger. (The Futon Critic)

Actor Grant Show (from the original Melrose Place) will make a surprise appearance in the premiere episode of Big Love on January 16. He will play a spiritual marketing guru who shows up just as Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) is having a meltdown over her jewelry business. (Lynette Rice and Tim Stack at TV Guide)

Buffy alum Adam Busch will guest star in at least one episode of Grey’s Anatomy, playing a first-year resident who must shadow Dr. Cristina Yang. (Kristin and Jennifer at E! Entertainment Online)

MORE OF THE BEST OF 2010 TV

The 50 Best Episodes of 2010: #40-31

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Gemma Arterton will play the sister half of the titular duo in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, a dark twist on the classic fairytale siblings. Jeremy Renner is apparently still attached to the project as Hansel. In this version, we follow Hansel and Gretel some 15 years after that whole gingerbread house incident with the brother and sister known as famed witch hunters. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

John Goodman will appear alongside Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks in the adaptation of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Goodman is set to play a doorman for 10-year-old Oksar, who embarks on a journey around New York City after losing his father (Hanks) in the September 11 attacks. (The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly)

Sam Rockwell has signed on to join Brad Pitt in the comic crime saga Cogan’s Trade, which has Pitt playing Jackie Cogan, a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that takes place during a high stakes poker game held under the protection of the mob. Rumor has it that Casey Affleck may possibly participate. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

James Badge Dale and Dallas Roberts (both from Rubicon) will join Liam Neeson in the upcoming film called The Grey, a thriller that follows a group of Alaskan pipeline workers being hunted by wolves in the frigid wilderness after their plane crashes on their way back home. The cast also includes Dermot Mulroney and Frank Grillo [among others]. (First Showing and Deadline)

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

Question: Have you heard anything more about the new character on Hawaii Five-0? — Mark

ADAM: The show is still on the lookout for what’s now being described as a young version of Jack Ryan from The Hunt for Red October. (That doesn’t rule out the ladies though, as we’re hearing the character could very well be a woman.) Further, we’ll first meet the character as part of a protection detail enlisted for McGarrett. But we’ll soon learn that he or she also has a score to settle with Wo Fat.

Question: Anything good coming up on Blue Bloods? — Lisa

ADAM: When Frank gets shot (yes, shot), his kids kick things into overdrive trying to find the assailant. More surprising will be that their main suspect has a history with Frank, and his attack is of the eye-for-an-eye variety. Revenge is a dish best served cold, like nearly 40 years cold.

Question: Any scoop on Nikita’s Alex now that she’s staying at the agency? — Harry

NATALIE: An upcoming mission will find Alex on a date with a wunderkind techno kid who is developing a device that will make the iPhone look like an eight-track. The mission takes a turn for the worse when Alex has a run-in with the head of the Russian sex trade ring into which she was once sold.

Question: It seems like Erica is becoming a better leader on V. Could the Fifth Column have a chance at defeating the Visitors? — Sam

NATALIE: Erica will make some major missteps as the leader of the Fifth Column this season. “The [mistakes] have a massive effect, and people get hurt,” Elizabeth Mitchell tells us. But she’ll learn from her mistakes. “Some other things that she does are quite effective,” she says. “As the season goes on, she’s willing to risk more and more.”

Question: Any new stuff on Supernatural? —Christy

Ausiello: As you may or may not have heard, a late winter episode will obliterate the fourth wall by transporting Sam and Dean to an alt-universe where they are actors named Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki starring in a cult TV show called Supernatural. Wait, it gets wink-winkier: In this other dimension, Sam/Jared has a wife — and it’s none other than Padalecki’s real-life bride (and former Supernatural costar) Genevieve Cortese.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

I have a lot more links than usual to share with everyone today. There were just too many good things to share to shorten them down. You have to see and/or read them as they are intended. So those will be first:

THE BEST OF TV FOR 2010

The 50 Best Episodes of 2010: #50-41

PREPARATION FOR NEW TV TONIGHT

Show 101: V

Show 101: Southland

ARTICLES/VIDEO ABOUT TELEVISION

More TV viewers may be cutting the cord this year

First look at Starz’ ‘Camelot’: ‘One word? Fleshy.’

ME: This is a really a terrific cast!! I may just have to figure out how to get Starz since that is one of the few channels I don’t already receive.

JUST HAD TO SHARE (TOO FUNNY!!)

James Van Der Beek launches James Van Der Memes

ONLINE FANDOMS

Which Show Has the Strongest Online Fandom? Science Attempts to Measure

ME: Okay, now for some sad news:

CONDOLENCES

Character actor Bill Erwin, who has appeared on several episodes of Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, Perry Mason, Growing Pains, Highway to Heaven, and Just the Ten of Us, as well as more recently appearing on episodes of Monk, The West Wing, Just Shoot Me!, and My Name Is Earl has passed away. He was 96. Viewers will best know Mr. Erwin from his Emmy nominated role in Seinfeld as Sid “The Old Man” Fields and as the knowledgeable bellhop in the 1980 film Somewhere in Time (his character helped Christopher Reeves time travel to find love). (Entertainment Weekly)

ME: And, now the remainder of the news for today:

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Olivia Wilde has joined the cast of the family drama film called Welcome to People, follows a struggling twenty-something junk dealer (Chris Pine) who returns home to Los Angeles for the funeral of his estranged record-producer father. His late dad’s last will stipulates that he delivers $150,000 in cash to a 30-year-old alcoholic sister (Banks) he never knew existed. Determined to keep the money, he makes contact with her and her troubled teenage son anyway but doesn’t reveal who he really is. Wilde will play Hannah, his character’s girlfriend. (Reuters and Dark Horizons)

Actress Jodie Foster will join Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley in the sci-fi feature called Elysium to directed by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp. Story details are still being kept under wraps, though. (Dark Horizons)

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

Question: Alison O. (via Twitter): Can you please clear up a mix-up? It seems that the press release for Medium’s next episode states that David Arquette and not Ryan Hurst will be playing Michael Benoit?

Kristin: Sadly, it’s true. Patricia Arquette’s real-life brother David Arquette will be replacing Ryan Hurst, who originated the part of Allison’s half-brother Lucky Benoit, in the “Half-Lucky” episode of Medium. A show insider whispers that Hurst was not available to reprise the role, and we inquired with Hurst’s people about that, but haven’t heard back. Mysterious, no?

WARNING: Remainder of this Q&A Section is a SPOILER ZONE. Tread lightly – SPOILER ALERT!!

Question: @TooCool_2012 (via Twitter): Is Bonnie gonna hook-up with Jeremy or the new guy Luka?

Kristin: Yes! That’s a pretty safe answer to your question because Katerina Graham herself just told us this about what lies ahead: “Bonnie does get a kiss.” So which guy will seal the deal? She’s not saying, but she did spill some other details on Jeremy and Luka and the possibility of Damon and Bonnie, so stand by for more from Katerina soon.

Question: @jvento (via Twitter): What’s coming up when Chuck returns?

Kristin: Chuck (Zachary Levi) is about to get all Casanova-like with Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). And by “Casanova-like,” I mean trying to create a romantic getaway out of a mission that takes him to a French vineyard. Not the same, but at least Chuck is attempting to play double-duty. And that usually goes so well for him.

Question: Schemingstar05 (via Twitter) Any spoilers for Supernatural?

Kristin: Did you know Supernatural is the best show of 2010? You did? OK, how about some scoop from the first episode of 2011? A dragon (we’re talking a dragon with ginormous wings) is breaking into people’s houses and snatching up local girls wearing purity rings. For those who are interested in the cool monster factor of demon-hunting, this will be the episode for you. If you just want to see Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) working together and everything returning to sunshine and puppy dogs…maybe not the episode for you.

Question: Penny: I’m way excited for new episodes of Royal Pains! What do we fans have to look forward to?

Kristin: Tom Cavanaugh guests in Royal Pains’ first episode back on Jan. 20 and reminds us: Dude is adorable and seriously needs his own show. In other news, two key employees tender their resignations to HankMed CEO Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein)—and since HankMed only has two employees, we’re pretty sure you can guess who they are. Gasp!

Question: Bear: I’m missing my man Marshal Marshall on In Plain Sight—any news on my second-favorite ABQ show after Breaking Bad?

Kristin: You have fine taste in New Mexico-based programming, my friend. When season four of In Plain Sight launches, look for a new local lady cop who is… dating Marshall (the relentlessly fantastic Fred Weller). Aaah! Mary (Mary McCormack) instantly hates Det. Abigail Chaffee, of course, but all things considered, Abigail is a good woman who wouldn’t be a terrible long-term match for Marshall. Any thoughts on who should play the new girl in town?

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Welcome to the first entertainment update of 2011. There are some interesting things to share with all of you so please read on:

TV ARTICLES

Keck’s Exclusives First Look: V Brings Back an Old Fave

Show 101: Pretty Little Liars

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Diego Klattenhoff (Men in Trees) has been cast in the Showtime pilot Homeland where he will play Mike Faber, a Marine colonel and the best friend of Scott Brody (Damian Lewis), the lead character who returns after years in exile in Iraq only to raise the suspicion of a CIA agent (Claire Danes) who suspects that Brody may now harbor anti-American, jihadist tendencies. Mandy Patinkin plays Danes’ boss, and Laura Fraser is Brody’s wife. (Marisa Guthrie at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The following are the top 10 movies at the box office for this past holiday weekend according to Exhibitor Relations:

1. Little Fockers, $26.3 million
2. True Grit, $24.5 million
3. Tron: Legacy, $18.3 million
4. Yogi Bear, $13 million
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, $10.5 million
6. Tangled, $10.01 million
7. The Fighter, $10 million
8. Gulliver’s Travels, $9.1 million
9. Black Swan, $8.5 million
10. The King’s Speech, $7.6 million

The much-anticipated movie version of Kiefer Sutherland’s TV thriller series 24 isn’t happening any time in the foreseeable future. The script for the flick was turned down by executives at 20th Century Fox. The future of “24: The Movie,” is best-described by executive producer Howard Gordon as being “in suspended animation.” (Entertainment Weekly and Radaronline.com)

CONDOLENCES

Oscar-nominated British actor Pete Postlethwaite passed away in London at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father and had recently been seen in the critically acclaimed film Inception and had worked on The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad. (LA Times)

Actress Anne Francis, who co-starred in the 1950’s science-fiction classic Forbidden Planet passed away over the weekend. She was also known for her lead role in the 1960’s TV series Honey West, playing a sexy female private detective. She was 80. (LA Times)

NOTE: Rest in Peace Mr. Postlethwaite and Ms. Francis! Deepest condolences are extended to their families, friends and fans.

A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

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

Question: When Human Target premiered last season, I thought that this would be a good thing, especially since 24 was ending and Target seemed to have a bit of an edge to it, even though it was episodic. This season, however, Target has a totally different feel to it with the new cast members, which I didn’t think they needed, and new theme song. The show has even lightened up in its tone. It’s starting to look more like Burn Notice. Is this the producers’ attempt to gain more viewers? — Bill

Matt Roush: The simple answer is yes. Adding two female regulars was clearly a bid to broaden the show’s appeal — and while I think Indira Varma was a fine add as the new boss figure, I’m not sure what the Ames character is really bringing to the party, though I don’t mind her — but I’m not sure that likening it to a USA series is the insult you may intend it to be. For me, Human Target has from the start felt more like a caper series than a hard-edged action adventure, never intended to be taken as seriously as 24. Chance’s back story clearly has a dark side, and Guerrero always means business and has edge (though he’s as hilarious as he is lethal), but the show has always been much closer in tone to USA than FX, unless I’ve missed something. I’m not sure these tweaks will help the show find an audience, especially with the strategy of scheduling back-to-back episodes the next two weeks — too much of an OK thing, even for a fan. But I’m also not convinced they’ve done irreparable harm.

Question: The reader who wrote to ask what city we’re looking at when watching certain shows struck a chord with me. I have lived in the metro Atlanta area for over 20 years and have seen movie and TV productions come and go. Lately, there has been a large influx of productions due to some hefty tax incentives. Drop Dead Diva, The Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead and all of Tyler Perry’s TV comedies are filmed around here. Diva is set in L.A., so it is odd to see the peach logo at the end of the credits. The best use of Atlanta locations that I have seen since Driving Miss Daisy was in the recent Lifetime TV-movie, Marry Me. It was set in Atlanta and featured a number of places that I love. It didn’t hurt to have Lucy Liu and Steven Pasquale at their most charming strolling, driving and jogging around the city and environs. When the story shifts to a French castle, they’re actually in neighboring North Carolina at the Biltmore estate. The only false note was Annie Potts carrying a Macy’s bag through a mall that doesn’t have a Macy’s store, but that was a minor quibble and was perhaps a product placement. I just wonder if I’ll get as jaded as the L.A. or Vancouver folks must be seeing my city used as a backdrop for stories that may or may not be set here. Marry Me was a real treat in any case. — Frank

Matt Roush: Thanks for that observation. It’s especially refreshing when a project filmed on location actually allows itself to be set there. (Why, when you think of it, couldn’t a show like Diva be set in Atlanta?)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

It’s the last day of 2011. I hope you all are enjoying your big holiday celebration. Please don’t drink and drive, though. I have combined the entertainment news from yesterday and today together, but there wasn’t very much to share. Although it is short, I think you’ll find some interesting items below:

ARTICLE ABOUT TELEVISION

‘Chuck’ co-creator Chris Fedak answers your questions in this week’s Spoiler Room

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) will play Hawkeye in the upcoming movie The Avengers (to be directed by Joss Whedon), but this character is expected to make a cameo in the soon-to-be-in-the-theatres movie Thor. Make sure you stick around for the very end of the movie Thor to see if this cameo actually takes place. (The Wrap)

Samuel L. Jackson and Luke Wilson will star in the adaptation of the novel Meeting Evil by Thomas Berger. The film will follow a depressed real-estate agent recently fired from his job who crosses paths with a mysterious stranger (Jackson) in need of his help. Before you know it, the duo embarks on a day-long crime spree in a strangely odd symbiotic relationship. Leslie Bibb (Talladega Nights and Iron Man) will also star as Wilson’s wife. (Scene Magazine via The Wrap and First Showing)

RUMOR PATROL

Rumor has it that Tim Burton MIGHT be developing a sequel his film The Nightmare Before Christmas, but there is no confirmation of this rumor as yet. (Dread Central and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!

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Hey All,

Really short update for today, but there were at least a couple interesting items to share with all of you:

TELEVISION

Starz plans to give viewers an early look at its upcoming drama Camelot by airing the full 64-minute premiere after the finale of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena airs on Friday, February 25. Spartacus airs at 10 PM and the Camelot sneak peek should air at approximately 11 PM. Camelot will then formally launch on April 1 at 1 PM. (The Futon Critic)

Legendary actor Ed Asner will appear on the new CMT show, Working Class, which stars Melissa Peterman as a single mom who takes a job at a frou-frou grocery store. Asner will play her neighbor and co-worker Hank. (Margaret Lyons at Entertainment Weekly)

Webisodes you should watch before seeing Primeval season 4

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Diane Kruger will appear as Marie Antoinette in the adaptation of the Chantal Thomas novel called Farewell, My Queen that will be a look at the 1789 French Revolution through the eyes of a royal reader played by Lea Seydoux (Robin Hood), who recalls the historical events 30 years later. (Allocine via The Playlist and First Showing)

Joining Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) in the upcoming movie J. Edgar will be Damon Herriman (Justified) as Bruno Hauptmann, the man convicted of kidnapping and killing the Lindbergh baby as well as Judi Dench in an unknown role. Charlize Theron MAY appear as Helen Gandy, a Justice Department file clerk who ended up being Hoover’s personal secretary. (The Playlist, Sandwich John Films and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Happy Week between Christmas and New Years!! Yes, that’s a silly greeting; but it’s the best I could come up with. I hope that everyone had a terrific holiday weekend and that you are getting prepared for the New Year’s weekend.

There wasn’t much news yesterday so I decided to save what little I found yesterday, combining it with the news for today; but sadly, the news for today is just as minimal. Funny how there isn’t any news over the holidays, huh?

Anyway, here is the little I could find to share with all of you today:

TELEVISION

‘Falling Skies’: See the trailer for TNT’s new series

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The top 10 movies at the box office for the past holiday weekend are as follows courtesy of TV Guide:

1. Little Fockers – 48.3 million
2. True Grit – 36.8 million
3. Tron: Legacy – 20.1 million
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – 10.8 million
5. Yogi Bear – 8.8 million
6. The Fighter – 8.5 million
7. Gulliver’s Travels – 7.2 million
8. Black Swan – 6.6 million
9. Tangled – 6.5 million
10. The Tourist – 5.7 million

Over a year ago we heard that director Michael Mann (Public Enemies, Collateral) was developing a biopic of renowned war photographer Robert Capa, with a focus on his two-year romance with fellow photographer Gerda Taro during the Spanish Civil War. Simply called Capa, the story begins in Paris in 1935, where Capa, a refugee from Hungary, met Taro, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. Now it sounds like Mann has found his two leads in some promising young talent as Total Film caught up with Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans) who revealed that she and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network and the upcoming Spider-Man reboot) are set to star in the biopic. (First Showing)

Teens Cast as Scorpius Malfoy & Severus Snape in Final ‘Harry Potter’ Movie

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

The news for today is very short, but still some interesting items to share and some important scheduling notices for CBS. Please read on…

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – CHANGES COMING

CBS Announces Mid-Season Additions and Time Period Moves

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Damian Lewis (Life) has joined Claire Danes in the Showtime pilot Homeland, where he will play a former prisoner of war being investigated by a C.I.A. agent (Danes) for a suspected terrorist plot. (Deadline and Zap2It)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Director Terry Gilliam and visual effects artist Tim Ollive are teaming for the movie 1884, which is described as a mixed-media adventure-espionage story set in an alternate 1884 where the industrial revolution went a lot further and faster along than it has – resulting in a futuristic imperial metropolis beset with steam-powered flying cars and the scientific advancement of mankind. The story will mix animation, live-action puppetry and CGI while the backgrounds will blend period photography, miniatures and graphics. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

RUMOR PATROL

It has been rumored that wrestler turned actor John Cena is being considered for the new ABC TV series based on James Cameron’s 1994 film True Lies. (Dark Horizons and What’s Playing)

Q&A SECTION (with Adam and Natalie at TV Guide)

Question: Anything juicy coming up on Castle? — Melanie

ADAM: It’s the moment Castle fans have long fantasized about: In the Jan. 3 episode, Castle will look Beckett square in the eyes and say, “Will you marry me?” Speaking of fantasies, just wait until you see Castle’s reaction to finally living out one of his dreams: being alone in a room with two Becketts at the same time.

Question: When will we get more back story on The Vampire Diaries? — Maxine

NATALIE: An upcoming flashback to 1864 will give Elena a new perspective on her sibling suitors. Before then, though, expect a visit or two from the Grim Reaper. “A lot of people are dying,” Katerina Graham (who plays Bonnie) tells us. “Not, like, too many, where it’s like, ‘Why are all these people dying?’ But a couple of important characters are going to go.”

Question: Can you share any scoop on Mark Singer’s guest stint on V? — Nick

NATALIE: His character will play a big role in the next level of the Visitor resistance. “He’s the leader of this massive [government-funded] military group called The Aries Project,” which is preparing for a Visitor attack, says executive producer Scott Rosenbaum. “They’re not a rag-tag [organization]; they’re the real deal.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Not a lot of news today, but there are still a few interesting items to share:

TELEVISION

Actress Joanne Kelly (Warehouse 13) will appear in an upcoming episode of the new ABC series No Ordinary Family, playing Rachel Jacobs, an Internal Affairs agent who begins investigating Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis) after reports of a rogue cop begin to surface. This episode is slated to air on January 18. (SciFi Stream and Airlock Alpha)

Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) will guest star on the comedy Raising Hope, playing the never-before-seen wife of Cousin Mike (Skyler Stone). The episode is scheduled to air in February. (Deadline)

Actor Billy Baldwin is headed back to Gossip Girl to reprise his role as William van der Woodsen, father to Serena (Blake Lively) and Eric (Connor Paolo) and the ex-husband of Lily (Kelly Rutherford). He is slated to appear in at least two episodes. (Deadline)

Actor Jason Wiles (Persons Unknown and Third Watch) will guest star on Castle this February, playing an old friend of Castle’s (Nathan Fillion) who becomes a prime suspect in a murder. (Deadline)

CSI: Miami will have a new home on Sundays at 8 PM at least for the next three episodes, starting on January 2. Check your local listings for further details. (The Futon Critic)

ARTICLE ABOUT TELEVISION

‘Pretty Little Liars’ Scoop: A’s Identity Will Be Revealed This Season

CONDOLENCES

Actor-comedian Steve Landesberg (from Barney Miller fame) passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer. He was 65. (E! Entertainment Online)

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Will Smith is developing a crime series set in China with Fox and Overbrook Entertainment. The project centers on a college student in China who doubles as a crime-fighter. (Variety and Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: First Trailer for Joe Wright’s ‘Hanna’ with Saoirse Ronan!

TRAILER: Rachel Bilson in ‘Waiting for Forever’

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

Question from Joe: Anything on Hawaii Five-0?

Kristin: Scary wave alert! In episode 15, the Five-0 crew has to find an important ocean scientist who’s gone missing just as Hawaiian islanders are facing the possibility of a devastating tsunami. And if you missed it, check out our interview with Hawaii Five-0 boss Peter Lenkov! He promised redemption for Chin Ho, a romance for Kono, family drama for Danny and an ever-more-dangerous arch nemesis for McGarrett.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

So, the big day is almost here. I hope you guys have all of your holiday shopping done, your cards are mailed and you’re getting ready for a nice long holiday weekend.

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Amy Carlson will be promoted to series regular on Blue Bloods should the freshman drama return for a second season. She would continue to play Linda Reagan, the wife of Donnie Wahlberg’s character. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Illeana Douglas will appear in two episodes of the new NBC series The Cape, playing a nurse named Netta who for years has taken care of a mysterious patient inside The Orchard asylum. Netta ends up in a fierce battle with Orwell (Summer Glau) after Orwell’s investigation takes her inside the creepy facility. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Actress Michaela McManus (most recently seen on The Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill) will appear in a February episode of Hawaii Five-0, playing a tough district attorney named Kathleen Roberts who will work alongside Kono (Grace Park). (William Keck at TV Guide)

Actor Joel David Moore (Bones and Avatar) will also guest star in Hawaii Five-0 as a deputy director of a tsunami tracking center whom the team calls on in a crisis. (Movieline and Hanh Nguyen at Zap2It)

The new costume drama Camelot will debut on Starz on April 1 at 10 PM. The 10-episode retelling of the classic medieval tale of King Arthur stars Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Jamie Campbell Bower as Arthur, and Eva Green as the darkly powerful Morgan. (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Last week the announcement was made that ABC is developing the Canadian cult-hit Being Erica for US television. Now word has broken that the show will be set in Philadelphia. Being Erica will air its third season on SOAPnet starting January 26 at 11 PM. (Jennifer Armstrong at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 movies at the box office this past weekend according to Exhibitor Relations:

1. Tron: Legacy, $43.6 million
2. Yogi Bear, $16.7 million
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, $12.4 million
4. The Fighter, $12.2 million
5. The Tourist, $8.7 million
6. Tangled, $8.68 million
7. Black Swan, $8.3 million
8. How Do You Know, $7.6 million
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, $4.8 million
10. Unstoppable, $1.8 million

Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Olivia Munn (Iron Man 2) and Seth Meyers (SNL) have joined the cast of a film adaptation of I Don’t Know How She Does It by author Allison Pearson. The story follows a high-powered financial worker (Sarah Jessica Parker) who is also the mother of two young children, trying to balance the various competing elements of her life. Hendricks would play a friend of Parker’s character while Munn would play a work colleague. Pierce Brosnan and Kelsey Grammer also star. (LA Times and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: Do you think Fox moving Fringe to Fridays is the kiss of death for the show? What’s the reasoning behind the move? — Troy

Matt Roush: In most circumstances, I’d say without hesitation that a move like Fringe to Fridays is a harbinger of failure. But Fox is confronting the situation head-on, cutting an entertaining promo repudiating the gloom-and-doom prognosticators. Fox isn’t doing this blindly. They know the challenges of getting an audience on Friday, and they also know Fringe’s small but fierce fan base is a loyal one, so the hope is that if Fringe can carry enough of its audience to Fridays, factoring in strong DVR playback numbers as well, the network might still see this as a win. Not that anyone who has championed the show during this remarkable season is happy about this. But you ask why this happened, and the answer boils down to two words: American Idol. Nothing is more important to Fox’s bottom line than this show, and with its new scheduling on Wednesdays and Thursdays, something had to give. And that something was Fringe. Which probably has the best chance among any of Fox’s cult series to do business on Fridays, and those with long memories remember that The X-Files did OK on that night (although it did better once it was moved to Sundays). But honestly, spinning this positively is a case of desperately trying to find a silver lining in a pretty dark cloud.

Question: Now I agree with your long-held stance not to pre-judge any show before it has even aired. However, there is an upcoming show I am already concerned about: The Cape. I like the premise; the comic-book nature is right up my alley, and the previews actually look interesting. My concern has to do with one major factor: It’s on NBC. Can anything good come out of NBC these days, besides Chuck and the comedies, that is? The Event is…just OK to me. I was looking so forward to Undercovers and look what happened there. I almost have no expectations when it comes to NBC these days and I wonder whether The Cape will be yet another disappointment. Your thoughts? — Larry

Matt Roush: The good thing about lowered expectations is that there’s always the possibility of being pleasantly surprised. So my advice, as it usually is in these cases, is to give a show a shot if it intrigues you, regardless of the network or the time period. (Look at Community, for instance. It’s in a terrible time period on a bad-luck network, but still is one of the bright spots of the last year.) I’m not saying The Cape is the show that will reverse NBC’s fortunes. In fact, I doubt it. But if you’re a fan of comic-book superhero stories, you could do worse than this one. It’s not bad, but unfortunately, it’s nothing new. And NBC really could use something new and fresh, but I’m not seeing that a lot anywhere on the broadcast networks this season.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Happy Friday to each and every one of you! Hope you have some fun activities planned for this weekend. I’ll be hitting up several movies with friends so that ought to be fun.

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

TELEVISION

Actress Kaylee Defer (The Mountain and The Ware at Home) is joining the CW series Gossip Girl as a recurring character, which is shrouded in secrecy but will be introduced later this season. (Deadline)

Actor Jack Huston has been made a series regular for the second season of Boardwalk Empire. (Maureen Ryan at TV Squad at AOL)

Actress Rita Wilson and actor F. Murray Abraham will guest-star in an episode of The Good Wife inspired by The Social Network. The episode is slated to air in February and will center on a wunderkind who creates a successful website. His story is, naturally, created into a film, which prompts him to sue the studio for defamation. Abraham will play Burl, the head attorney representing the studio while Wilson will play Viola, a bright lawyer and old friend of Diana (Christine Baranski), who she turns to for help with a case. (Entertainment Weekly and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Actor Danny Strong (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will guest star on How I Met Your Mother, playing a noogey-loving bully from Marshall’s (Jason Segel) past. The episode will air early next year. Alexis Denisof (Alyson Hannigan’s real-life husband and fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel star) will make a return visit as Robin’s (Cobie Smulders) former co-anchor, Sandy Rivers. (Vlada Gelman via LA Times)

Actor John Corbett has been tapped to appear in a multi-episode arc on the NBC series Parenthood as Lauren Graham’s on-screen ex-husband Seth, a recovering alcoholic-musician. His arrival is slated to coincide with Parenthood’s move to Mondays at 10 pm in early March. (Deadline)

Actors Brian Austin Green (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Harold Perrineau (Lost) will lead the cast of the TBS hour-long comedy pilot called The Wedding Band that follows a group of guys who try to escape the stress and craziness of their lives by performing in a wedding band. Anchored by lifelong best friends – one a perennial bachelor and the other a married father of two – the band will stop at nothing to make every wedding, birthday or bar mitzvah a concert to remember. The pilot stars Peter Cambor (NCIS: Los Angeles) and Derek Miller (Secret Girlfriend). (The Futon Critic)

Soap actress Alexa Havins will appear on Grey’s Anatomy as the new wife of Meredith and Lexie Gray’s father, Thatcher. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Latin actor Kuno Becker will have a recurring role on the CBS series The Defenders, starring as a Cuban bad boy named Alex Velasco, who is too smart for his own good. His episodes will start appearing in early 2011. (William Keck at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actors Nick D’Agosto (Heroes) and Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) are set as the two leads in the USA pilot called Eden, which centers on a young hotel worker (D’Agosto) who, with the help of his escaped con artist cousin Eddie, gets a job as the concierge at an elite NYC hotel. Together they manage to provide the hotel guests with whatever they desire, at whatever the cost. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is planning to bring Marvel superhero, Jessica Jones, to television. This potential project is being considered for the slate of new ABC shows for next fall. (Variety and Jeff Labrecque at Entertainment Weekly)

Scottish actress Laura Fraser has landed a lead role in the Showtime drama pilot Homeland, which centers on Marine Sergeant Scott Brody, who returns home eight years after going missing in Iraq. Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes) is the driven CIA officer who suspects he might be plotting an attack on America. Fraser (A Knight’s Tale) will play Jessica Brody, Scott’s smart, strong wife. Mandy Patinkin will co-star. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Rising, new Australia actress Bella Heathcote has landed the female lead in Twylight Zones, the film David Chase wrote and is directing. She joins John Magaro, Will Brill and Jack Huston in the film that is set in the 1960s and involves three high school friends who form a band inspired by the classic rock influences like the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. The film follows their rise and the pitfalls of fame. (Deadline)

George Clooney has taken over for Robert Downey Jr. in the film Gravity, which will also star Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks and newcomer Thomas Horn. Clooney will play the team leader of a space station. He and Bullock’s character are off working on a shuttle and become the sole survivors when the space station is decimated by the debris field from an exploded asteroid. Bullock will carry much of the action adventure, a mother who is hell-bent on returning to her young child back on earth. (Deadline)

The sizable ensemble cast of Ten Year has added actresses Rosario Dawson (Unstoppable) and Lynn Collins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). The film already stars Chris Pine, Justin Long and Anna Faris in a story which follows a group of friends attending a ten year high school reunion. (Risky Biz and First Showing)

Actress Sienna Miller (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra) and actor Danny Huston (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will star in Two Jacks, an indie drama based on the story The Two Hussars by Leo Tolstoy. The story follows two different generations of a family starting in 1992, when a legendary filmmaker returns to Hollywood after a lengthy absence to get financing for a new movie. He’s a boozer, a womanizer and wins the money he needs from poker games. Flash forward 20 years later and the filmmaker’s son (played by Jack Huston from Boardwalk Empire) comes to town to make his directorial debut amid curiosity as to whether he’s inherited his father’s gifts. (Variety and First Showing)

Actor Dennis Quaid will star in the indie thriller Beneath the Darkness, which is a story following a teen (Tony Oller) who struggles to expose the grim secrets of the house owned by Quaid’s character, a respected local hero. The cast also includes Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) and Brett Cullen (Lost and The Gates) [among others]. (Variety and First Showing)

Actress Teri Polo (Meet the Parents) and actor Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) have joined the thriller Beyond, that follows a veteran detective and a questionable television psychic who will stop at nothing to find a missing child. Jon Voight also stars. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

SPOILER ROOM (with Sandra Gonzalez from Entertainment Weekly)

BURN NOTICE: PREQUEL MOVIE SCOOP!

You’re probably nursing a TV hangover from last night’s two-hour season finale, I know, but I come with the scoop equivalent of a greasy breakfast cure. In our conversation with Bruce Campbell, the actor spilled some juicy details on the upcoming Sam Axe-centered Burn Notice TV movie, which shows us Sam’s last CIA mission in the mountains of Colombia. “[Sam] sees some events go down that change the initial plan, and he takes matters into his own hands at great risk to himself and others with a small group of misfits to try to right a bad situation,” Campbell said. “It’s a David and Goliath thing.” The Jeffrey Donovan-directed movie, which Campbell says will introduce us to the “mature side of Sam” via an emotion-heavy mission, is scheduled to air in spring before the start of Burn Notice‘s fifth season. “[People] should watch it because that’s the only way they’re going to get the whole [season 5] story,” Campbell said. “There is possibly a character and story elements that will linger forward — and not in a good way. Something from Sam’s past might come back to haunt him.”

SIDE DISHES:

Question from Heather: Thank you for all The Vampire Diaries EW has covered lately! Now, any word on the upcoming Damon shower scene I’ve been hearing about?

Answer: No word on the identity of the “beautiful girl” he shares the scene with, but I can confirm it takes place in episode 13 and airs February 3.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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