Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

This week sure has gone by fast, hasn’t it? And, once again, the entertainment news isn’t too voluminous. I don’t know if that bodes well or not for next week, but we shall see, right?

In the meantime, here is what I found for today:

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has put in development the first major series project centered on an illegal alien character. The potential series is to be about an illegal Mexican immigrant working as a private investigator. Part of the executive producer team will be Dawn Parouse and Marti Noxon. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Martin Sheen (The West Wing) has been cast as Uncle Ben in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters) is in early talks to play Aunt May. Already part of the cast is Emma Stone (Easy A) as Peter’s love interest, Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as the film’s unnamed villain and Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. (The Hollywood Reporter and Gina DiNuzzo at TV Guide)

Dame Judi Dench is set to make a cameo in the box office film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The film apparently *SPOILERS ALERT* opens with Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) on trial for piracy in London’s Old Bailey before he escapes in a Keystone Cops-esque chase sequence through the city’s streets. Dench is to play a noblewoman in a carriage who is “ravished” by Captain Jack as part of his attempted escape. The cast of the movie already includes Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane and Keith Richards. (The Daily Mail and Dark Horizons)

Aaron Eckhart is set to star in the thriller The Expatriate, playing a CIA operative who leaves the agency to start a new life as a security consultant in Belgium and to spend time with his estranged teenage daughter. The pair soon end up on the run together when he discovers the security company no longer exists and his assistant is an assassin out to kill him. To make matters worse, his daughter doesn’t trust him when she learns of his past. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and Jackson Rathbone (The Twilight Saga) are negotiating to star in a 3D adaptation of the Peter Straub novel Shadowland. The story follows two young boys who spend a summer with a famous magician, who teaches them more than just harmless tricks but real sorcery. (Variety and First Showing)

ARTICLE ABOUT BEING ERICA

7 Reasons You Should Be Watching Season 3 of ‘Being Erica’

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

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Hey All,

Still not a lot of news during this election week, but there were some interesting tidbits to share. Please read on:

MUSIC NEWS

There is an unconfirmed rumor that the album Glee The Music, Volume 4 will be released on November 30. Remember this is unconfirmed. (Twitter)

TELEVISION

Joan Allen has signed on for her first TV series, the upcoming HBO drama Luck. She will appear in a multi-episode arc in the series that examines the horse racing world through the owners, jockeys and gamblers. The cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte and Dennis Farina. Allen will portray a woman who runs a program that uses prison inmates to care for broken-down racehorses. (Deadline and Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Michaela McManus (One Tree Hill and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) will appear in a multi-episode arc on The Vampire Diaries, playing a gal pal of Mason’s (Tyler Kinney) who comes to Mystic Falls looking for her missing-in-action friend. (Movieline and Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show) has joined the cast of the CBS midseason drama Chaos, replacing Stephen Rea (The Crying Game) in the role of a covert government agency director. The series stars Freddy Rodriguez as a rookie CIA operative assigned to spy on some fellow team members. (Deadline and Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Craig Bierko (Cinderella Man and Damages) has been cast in the USA Network pilot Necessary Roughness. The pilot stars Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) as a psychologist who becomes the therapist for a professional football team. Bierko will play her estranged husband, Ray. The pilot also stars Mehcad Brooks (True Blood), Marc Blucas (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), Scott Cohen (Gilmore Girls), Concetta Tomei (Providence) and Amanda Detmer (What About Brian). (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The USA Network has given pilot orders to three new shows: Eden, Wild Card and Over/Under. Eden is about a young hotel worker 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. Over/Under is about a day trader with a gambling problem who’s fired from his job six months after a bad trade costs his firm millions. Shut out of the job market, he and his wife retreat to a neighborhood on the cusp of gentrification. He finds an unlikely partner and starts to turn his life around in an unexpected way. Wild Card is a Las Vegas-set procedural about people behaving badly, and two very different lawyers. These pilots join the previously announced titles, A Legal Mind, Necessary Roughness and Common Law. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) is back at NBC as the star/executive producer of Rest, a new drama project based on a comic book series he co-created. The story centers on John Barret (Ventimiglia), a normal twentysomething guy in New York City who spends every waking hour working. He enrolls in a testing program for a drug that eliminates the need of sleep and soon becomes addicted to it, which helps him accomplish more but also leads to serious consequences. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Cillian Murphy has joined Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver in the new film Red Lights. The story centers on a psychologist (Weaver), and her assistant, whose study of paranormal activity leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic (De Niro). (Shock Til You Drop and First Showing)

Rachel Weisz will star in the movie The Deep Blue Sea, a period drama that stars Tom Hiddleston (Thor) and Simon Russell Beale (MI-5). The story is about a privileged housewife (Weisz) in 1950s London society who leaves her husband (Beale) for a young ex-Royal Air Force pilot (Hiddleston). The story is an adaptation of the 1952 stage play of the same name. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) has taken the title role in Effie, a biopic on Effie Gray, the wife of English art critic John Ruskin, who became entangled in a famous Victorian love triangle. Emma Thompson wrote the script and her husband Greg Wise and Orlando Bloom are to co-star. (Production Weekly Via Twitter Update and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Thank God the elections are over, right?! We can now watch TV and not have to put up with nearly every commercial being a political ad. Every year those things get worse and worse, don’t they?

But, despite the elections being over, the news is still a little slow, but here is what I found:

TELEVISION

The CW announced late last night that they are not picking up the remaining 9 episodes of their show Life Unexpected. What does this mean? Simply, the show will only air 13 episodes, but it hasn’t “officially” been canceled. That final decision will “supposedly” be made in May.
(Twitter)

Actor Mark Dacascos (Iron Chef America and The Crow: Stairway to Heaven) has been cast as Wo Fat (the long-time nemesis of Steve McGarrett) in the new version of Hawaii Five-0. There is no word yet on when Dacascos will make his first appearance though. (Zap2It)

Cybill Shepherd will not only show up in an episode of No Ordinary Family, but she will also guest star on $#*! My Dad Says. On the comedy, she will play Charlotte Ann Robinson, a motivational life coach. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

MID SEASON TV

The new FOX drama The Chicago Code (formerly titled Ride-Along) will make its series debut on February 7 at 9 PM. The series follows the most powerful and respected cops in Chicago as they navigate the city’s underbelly to fight crime and expose corruption within Chicago’s notorious political machine. The cast includes Jason Clarke (Brotherhood) and Jennifer Beals (The L Word) as well as Delroy Lindo, Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights), Billy Lush (The Black Donnellys) and Devin Kelley (Tease). NOTE: Lie To Me is expected to return to the schedule at a later date. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It has been announced that James McAvoy (Atonement), Hugh Laurie (House), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge), Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Imelda Staunton (Taking Woodstock) and Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty) will all provide voices for the Christmas themed, 3D animated, family comedy film Arthur Christmas. The film sets out to answer the question of how Santa Claus delivers all his presents in one night. The movie will hit theaters on November 23, 2011. (First Showing)

Q&A SECTION (with Mickey and Adam from TV Guide)

Question: Will Damon ever be happy on The Vampire Diaries? — Sarah Jane

MICKEY: It’s unlikely, Sarah Jane. But look for a sun-kissed beauty to lighten his mood. She won’t flinch when Damon attempts to sabotage their flirtation with his acidic charm, but that’s because her interest in him is not personal. Said beauty has come to town to investigate Mason Lockwood’s disappearance, and this lady does not have a thing for bad guys.

Question: Any chance Michael and Nikita will ever play nice? —Amy

MICKEY: Would you believe they’ll be fighting on the same side soon? In an upcoming, Michael-centric episode, Nikita will actually help Michael complete a mission — because she’s one of the few people who knows how much it means to him personally.

Question: I could really use a couple of Castle nuggets. — Mark

ADAM: Then a couple you shall have. First, remember the role I teased about an alien abduction support group leader? The show has cheekily cast Millennium star Lance Henriksen to play the character. And second, Terri Miller, who penned the Season 2 Halloween episode that was rife with Firefly references, will also take on the upcoming episode that features Brothers & Sisters’ Gilles Marini as a magician.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Much like yesterday the entertainment news is slow-moving because of election fever I guess. The same can be said for tonight’s lack of TV viewing. It is going to be a rather boring night for those few of us uninterested in anything related to politics. Am I alone in that camp?

Anyway, here are the items I found for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Renée Felice Smith has become an official series regular on NCIS: Los Angeles, after playing the recurring role of Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones this season. (Daemon’s TV)

The Shonda Rhimes-produced medical drama Off the Map, which is about young doctors working at a remote clinic in South America, will premiere on ABC on January 12 at 10 PM. The show stars Martin Henderson, Caroline Dhavernas, Mamie Gummer, Rachelle Lefevre and Zach Gilford. (Twitter and Zap2It)

Actress Christine Adams (The Whole Truth and Pushing Daisies) has joined the cast of the FOX drama Terra Nova, playing a resident of the time-traveling colony. (Entertainment Weekly and Zap2It)

Canadian actress Camille Sullivan has joined the cast of the series Rookie Blue and Lauren Holly (NCIS) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the series. Sullivan will play detective Jo Rosati in the second season. (Etan Vlessing at The Hollywood Reporter)

TV TRAILER

Want to see an impressive trailer for the upcoming new drama The Chicago Code (formerly known as Ride Along)? The series stars Jennifer Beals, Delroy Lindo, Jason Clarke (Brotherhood) and Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights) and is set to debut on FOX in February. Here’s the link to the promo trailer as provided by The TV Addict.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Joel Edgerton (King Arthur) will play the male lead role opposite Jennifer Garner in the fantasy fable film The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which centers on a childless couple who bury all their wishes for a baby in a box in their backyard. One day, they wake up to find that a child is born – a child that is not all that it appears. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

Rebecca Hall (The Town and The Prestige) is rumored to be the top contender to play Daisy in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby. Luhrmann will audition a number of Hollywood’s major actresses before making a decision with the likes of Keira Knightley, Amanda Seyfried, Blake Lively, Abbie Cornish, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, and Scarlett Johansson all making his current wish list. Hall has an edge however, she participated in Luhrmann’s workshop reading in the role last week alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carroway. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

Abigail Breslin (My Sister’s Keeper) has joined the ensemble cast of the pseudo-sequel to the romantic comedy Valentine’s Day called New Year’s Eve. There are no details known on her character at this point, but the film is supposed to be set in New York and will follow intertwining stories of characters trying to navigate their way through romance on New Year’s Eve. Glee star Lea Michele is the only other announced cast member so far. (Variety and First Showing)

Q&A SECTION (with Kristin at E! Entertainment Online and Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Question: So sad that Medium is probably winding down. I love that show. Any scoop on the final few episodes? – Kelly

Kristin: Amazing news! Superawesome Ryan Hurst (who plays superawesome Opie on Sons of Anarchy) is back on Medium as Allison’s brother Michael “Lucky” Benoit for episode 11—we’re so glad to hear they were able to get him back for one before visit before the show signs off! In the episode, which is called “Only Half Lucky,” Michael, who can never quite catch a break, is semi-possessed by a dead guy with a killer sales pitch…

Question: It’s been a while since we got some ‘Nikita’ scoop. Are we ever going to dive into Michael’s back story? – Colby

Mitovich: The episode airing Nov. 11 will shed much light on how Michael came to Division. “Michael was always in the military in some sense,” Shane West previews, “and something that is truly devastating happened to him in his personal life that made him completely emotionless. That’s when Percy (played by Xander Berkley) finds him and brings him into Division.” The reveal of that backstory “changes the dynamic, at least for a while, of what’s go to happen in the present,” West says of his favorite episode to date.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Today’s news is rather short. I’m guessing that with the drama of registration for Comic Con failing miserably, final votes for the TV Guide cover and upcoming election day fervor got the better of the news outlets.

Anyway, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Alan Dale (Lost) will have a recurring role on the NBC series Undercovers, playing James Kelvin, the boss of Shaw (Gerald McRaney) and the man responsible for bringing Steven and Samantha Bloom back to the CIA. Although the couple were told they were recruited to rescue Leo Nash, the real reason involves elements from the Blooms’ past in which Kelvin is interested. He will make his first appearance in Episode 11, but viewers will begin hearing his voice in episode 8. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Two former 24 alumni will show up in a January episode of No Ordinary Family. Rick Schroder will appear as a man whose life is saved by big Jim (Michael Chiklis). Annie Wersching will appear in the same episode, playing Schroder’s wife. (William Keck at TV Guide and Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Warner Bros. is developing a reboot of its 1998 film Practical Magic, which starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, for ABC Family. The studio and network are in the very early stages of bringing back the fantasy, which is based on a novel by Alice Hoffman. Practical Magic is about the Owens family, including two sisters and their orphaned nieces, who are the latest in an ancestral line of witches. If any of the Owens women find true love with a man, he dies tragically. (Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

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

1. Saw 3D, $24.2 million
2. Paranormal Activity 2, $16.5 million
3. Red, $10.8 million
4. Jackass 3D, $8.4 million
5. Hereafter, $6.3 million
6. Secretariat, $5.1 million
7. The Social Network, $4.7 million
8. Life As We Know It, $4.1 million
9. The Town, $2 million
10. Conviction, $1.8 million

Alex Pettyfer (from the upcoming movie I Am Number Four) and Matthew Bomer (from White Collar) have joined the upcoming sci-fi film Now (formerly titled I’m.Mortal) that stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde. The film is set in the future where people can live forever, but time itself becomes a currency to prevent overpopulation. (Darrin Franich at Entertainment Weekly)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Happy Friday everyone! The news is pretty light for today, but still some interesting tidbits to share with all of you. Here goes:

TELEVISION

Scott Foley (Felicity and The Unit) will appear in a multi-episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy, playing a patient named Henry who “stirs things up” with Kim Raver’s Teddy. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Vanessa Bell Calloway (Hawthorne) will appear in the upcoming Showtime series Shameless, which is about a far-from-stellar working class patriarch (William H. Macy) of an unconventional Chicago brood of six motley kids (headed by eldest sibling Emmy Rossum) who keep the home afloat while he’s out drinking and carousing. Calloway will play the vivacious mother of Veronica (Shanola Hampton), the best friend of Rossum’s character. (The Futon Critic)

Joseph Lyle Taylor (Close to Home) will have a recurring role in the FX series Justified when it returns in February for its second season. He will play a cop whose family consists of pot farmers and is a brother to a new character on the show, played by Jeremy Davies. (The Futon Critic)

Arnold Vosloo (24 and The Mummy movies) will be the “Big Bad” on this season’s Bones, playing an elite sniper named Jacob Ripkin Broadsky, who is accused of assassinating a pivotal recurring character. He is slated to appear in at least three episodes beginning in early 2011. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Mehcad Brooks (True Blood and the short-lived My Generation) will co-star in the new USA Network pilot Necessary Roughness, which centers on tough, sexy Long Island divorcee Danielle Santino (Callie Thorne), who, to make ends meet, becomes the therapist for a professional football team and quickly becomes sought after by other athletes, musicians, politicians and those living in the spotlight. Brooks will play one of her clients: a star wide receiver for the Hawks who has been unable to hold onto the ball recently while regularly getting into trouble with the law. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actors Marisa Ramirez, Brandon Quinn and Chris Johnson have joined the Lifetime pilot Against the Wall, which is a family drama set in Chicago following policewoman Abby Kowalski (Rachael Carpani), who causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department’s Internal Affairs division. Ramirez will play Abby’s new partner at Internal Affairs. Quinn will play Abby’s younger brother Richie, a Chicago Patrol Officer. Johnson will play Abby’s longtime friend, a lawyer. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: William Monahan’s New ‘London Boulevard’ First Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

It’s a big night of television, especially for the fans (myself included) of The Vampire Diaries on the CW. What will happen next on there? Tune in to find out or enjoy whatever other programming that you will be watching tonight.

Meanwhile, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Laura Prepon (That 70’s Show) will appear on Castle (early next year) as Natalie Gray, the actress who has been cast as Nikki Heat in the movie version of Richard Castle’s (Nathan Fillion) book Heat Wave. The book is, of course, based on Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic). (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

HBO announced earlier today that their series Big Love will end after this upcoming fifth season. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Starz has booked Spartacus: Gods of the Arena for January 21 at 10 PM. This is the six-episode prequel to last year’s Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Here are the details of this “prequel” (of sorts):

Before Spartacus struck down his first opponent in the arena, there were many gladiators who passed through the gates onto the sand. This six-part mini-series follows the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus: Gannicus (Dustin Clare) in a more ruthless time before Spartacus’ arrival where honor was just finding its way into the arena. The new series adds to the cast Jaime Murray as Capua’s sexy social climber Gaia and Marisa Ramirez as Melitta, a beautiful slave who must face the ultimate decision of the heart. Jeffrey Thomas plays Batiatus’s father Titus, the traditional and cautious Lanista, head of the Ludus. They join returning cast members John Hannah (Quintus Batiatus), Lucy Lawless (Lucretia), Peter Mensah (Oenomaus, before he becomes Doctore, the gladiator trainer) and Manu Bennett (Crixus). (The Futon Critic)

CONDOLENCES

Original Hawaii Five-0 actor James MacArthur passed away this morning, at the age of 72. No cause of death was given. (Kate Ward at Entertainment Weekly)

ME: Rest in Peace, Mr. MacArthur. Condolences are extended to his family, friends and family. Moment of silence, please…

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like Charlie’s Angels is heading back to the small screen, courtesy of Smallville creators Miles Millar and Al Gough, who will executive produce alongside Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen, and Leonard Goldberg. ABC has given the pilot the official greenlight with production slated to begin roughly in mid-January. Here is a casting breakdown of the three angels:

First there is Kate Prince, the team’s gorgeous African-American Angel, a former cop. Kate is an incredible athlete and possesses a razor-sharp intellect. Although the most serious of our three Angels, she also knows how to let her hair down and have a great time. Kate is an ex-cop, a master of martial arts and a strict vegetarian.

Next is Abby Sampson, the youngest of the Angels (and likely the blondest) whose street skills are at odds with her upbringing. Her beauty has always turned heads, but it’s her quick wit and quirky sense of humor that makes her stand out. She grew up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and is the daughter of a notorious Wall Street crook a la Bernie Madoff. She is an expert thief, con artist and is trained in the deadly art of Krav Maga.

Lastly, there is Marisa Valdez, the exotic Latina beauty with a buff physique and a knowledge of weaponry. She’s an orphan, an immigrant and a former U.S. Marine. She is a weapons expert and is trained in all forms of hand-to-hand combat. Marisa has a no-nonsense attitude, is a Play Station addict and self-confessed neat freak.

No word on breakdowns for Bosley or the mysterious Charlie–always heard and never seen–himself. (Televisionary)

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) has signed up to play the lead role in TNT’s new dramatic pilot Perception, which is the working title. The series centers on Dr. Geoffrey Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist who uses his unique outlook to help the federal government solve complex cases. With an intimate knowledge of human behavior and a masterful understanding of the mind, this quirky, crime-solving professor pulls lessons from an odd and imaginative view of the world. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Looks like Ryan Gosling will star in the political drama based on the Broadway play Farragut North by Beau Willimon. The film is to be called The Ides of March and follows a young, idealistic press spokesman (Gosling) who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate (George Clooney). During the campaign, his career is done in by more seasoned politicos who thrive on poisonous partisan politics, dirty tricks and back-stabbing. Among the co-stars are Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. (Dark Horizons)

Legendary actress Angela Lansbury has joined the cast of the family comedy film Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which is an adaptation of the beloved 1938 children’s book by Richard and Florence Atwater. Jim Carrey plays a high-powered, New York business man named Popper who suddenly inherits six penguins. Taking care of the animals is difficult and he encounters many hurdles, but he soon learns the value of family and friendship both human and animal. Lansbury will play the owner of a local tavern that Mr. Popper is trying to buy. Carla Gugino, Ophelia Lovibond, James Tupper, Clark Gregg and Philip Baker Hall also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) has been cast to play serial killer Charles Manson in an upcoming film titled The Family, which will center on Manson and the murders he and his followers committed. (The Wrap and TV Guide)

Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Could you please give some spoilers on Psych regarding Shawn and Juliet? —Steve

Ausiello: The show’s fall premiere (airing Nov. 10) will pick up shortly after the couple’s big kiss in the finale. “Our viewers are probably a little unsure of what that kiss meant,” says exec producer Steve Franks. “Will Juliet still take some time away on the Amalfi coast with Declan, or did the kiss change her mind? In the 5.5 premiere, she is still on her way to Italy, and Shawn is on his way to Canada at the request of convicted thief Pierre Despereaux [a returning Cary Elwes]. Their divergent travel plans may have derailed their romantic momentum, until Juliet unexpectedly shows up in Vancouver for Despereaux’s extradition and that spark becomes a fire. The question is, Do Shawn and Juliet believe ‘what happens in Canada, stays in Canada’? Stay tuned.”

Question: Do you know any Vampire Diaries scoop? —Savannah

Ausiello: Trent Ford and Daniel Gillies have joined the show along with Lauren Cohan as centuries-old vampires Trevor, Elijah, and Rose. “They have deep ties to Katerina Petrova,” reveals exec producer Julie Plec. “They will be heavily featured in November sweeps episodes ‘Rose’ and ‘Katerina.’

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Today’s news isn’t too voluminous, but there are a few interesting items to share. Here goes:

TELEVISION

The death knell just may be ringing for the CBS (sans NBC) series Medium, which had its episode order reduced from 22 to 13 episodes for this TV season. The decrease is likely tied to the show’s decline in viewership (which was at 8.24 million viewers last year, but at 6.16 million this year). A renewal of the show is not looking likely. (The Futon Critic)

Over at ABC, though, they seem very smitten with their upcoming midseason drama Off the Map, as they have ordered six more episodes, bringing the total to 13 episodes. The series follows Tommy (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights), Lily (Caroline Dhavernas, Wonderfalls) and Mina (Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter) at a medical clinic in South America. The cast also includes Jason George, Martin Henderson, Rachelle Lefevre and Valerie Cruz. Off the Map is slated to debut in early 2011. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

More cast members have been added to the cast of the upcoming time-traveling FOX drama Terra Nova. Landon Liboiron (DeGrassi: The Next Generation) will play Josh, the 17-year-old of Jim (Jason O’Mara) and Elisabeth (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Shelley Conn) Shannon who also finds a father figure in Frank Taylor (Stephen Lang from Avatar). Newcomer Naomi Scott will play his sister Maddy, a bright 15-year-old, while newcomer Alana Mansour has signed on as Zoe, the youngest member of the Shannon clan who is smuggled into the time-traveling portal that takes everyone to the Terra Nova settlement. Other cast members include Mido Hamada (24) and Allison Miller (Kings). (Lynette Rice at Entertainment Weekly)

CELEBRITY BLOG POST

Kristoffer Polaha to Life Unexpected’s Die-Hard Fans: Our Little TV Family Thanks You!

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck and Judd Hirsch have joined the ever-growing cast of the box office movie Tower Heist, which follows a group of employees in a luxury apartment building who attempt to rob the owner of the penthouse, a fraudulent banker (Alan Alda) under house arrest for swindling his employees. The cast already includes Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Tea Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Pena star. Broderick will play a successful Wall Street-type who loses his job due to the banker’s actions and ends up joining the gang’s planned heist. Affleck will play a straight arrow who despite being a friend of Stiller’s character, disagrees with the heist and wants to turn him in. There are no details on the part for which Hirsch will play. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

Q&A SECTION (with Adam and Mickey from TV Guide)

Question: Have you heard anything about Ziva’s storyline on NCIS’ November sweeps episodes? — Carly

ADAM: A special security team will be tasked with protecting Ziva’s father (Michael Nouri) when he attends an NCIS conference. Also at the conference: former NCIS agent Riley McCallister, whose troubled past has given him a bit of a hero complex. It’s probably no accident that McCallister is played by Michael O’Neill, who learned a lot about gunplay as a Secret Service agent on The West Wing and as the gunman who shot the hell out of Seattle Grace in last year’s Grey’s Anatomy finale.

Question: Who does Amber Tamblyn play on House? — Peter

MICKEY: House describes her as the “the love child of Einstein and Mary Poppins.” The brainiac’s bleeding-heart principles of course irk the cranky doc. So he fires her — several times. Imagine if he knew about her past with one of his team members.

Question: I’m so excited to see Timothy Dalton on Chuck. Would you call the role Bond-like? — Miles

ADAM: Dalton’s role is a little more Hot Fuzz than License to Kill. He plays an inept MI6 agent and former handler of Mama Bartowski. He and Chuck search for evidence that will clear his mom’s name, which quickly lands them on the wrong side of Volkov’s men and their hilarious torture devices.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Quite a bit of news to share with all of you so let’s get right into all of it:

TELEVISION

ABC has canceled the low-performing new series The Whole Truth; however, they are going to air all 13 episodes. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Melissa Rauch has been moved up to series regular on The Big Bang Theory. She plays Howard’s main squeeze Bernadette. She will not appear in every episode, however. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Balthazar Getty will be back on Brother & Sisters to celebrate the show’s 100th episode. He is also expected to have a new girlfriend in toe, but nothing has been set in stone yet for this milestone episode, which is slated to air sometime in January. (Kristin at E! Entertainment Online)

Alaina Huffman (Stargate Universe) will make a return visit to Smallville again in the role of Black Canary. (KryptonSite)

D.L. Hughley, Gina Gershon and Michael McKeon will make guest appearances in the new TBS comedy Glory Daze. Hughley will play Coach Franklin, a man desperate to be a father, and McKean will play the quirky and passionate head of campus maintenance. Gershon plays a tough-as-nails military instructor determined to whip her students into fighting machines. The series is a 1980s-set college comedy that centers on four freshmen — Joel (Kelly Blatz), Eli (Matt Bush), Brian (Hartley Sawyer) and Jason (Drew Seeley) — as they try to navigate life on campus. The series also stars Tim Meadows as one of the guys’ professors. The series debuts on TBS on November 16 at 10 PM. (Adam Bryant at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like NBC is developing a new pilot called The Crew, a testosterone-heavy underdog family drama set in the world of NASCAR. The ensemble series is to revolve around the family of distinctly different brothers on a NASCAR racing team who, as individuals have their own lives and dreams, opportunities and problems but as a team share a singular goal – to be the best. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The new FOX project Locke & Key has been greenlit as a pilot. The project comes from Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the men behind Star Trek and Hawaii Five-0) and is based on the graphic novel, which tells the story of Nina Locke and her three children, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode, who survive an unspeakable horror and attempt to rebuild their lives at Keyhouse, their family home in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. It is a mysterious New England mansion, with fantastic and transformative keys hidden inside its walls that are also being sought by a hate-filled and relentless creature with ties to the Locke family’s past who will stop at nothing to accomplish his sinister goals. The series is being eyed for a potential summer run. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

HBO has landed a character-driven drama from Clyde Phillips (the man behind Dexter for 4 years), which is based on the Israeli series The Naked Truth. This version will be set in a major East Coast metropolitan precinct and follows the officers investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl from a prominent family in the pressure cooker atmosphere of an explosive high-profile case that has implications not just for the family of the victim, but for the cops themselves and the political infrastructure of the city. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DVD RELEASE

Greek

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Sandra Bullock has signed on for the female lead in the space action thriller Gravity, while Robert Downey, Jr. may have to drop out because of scheduling conflicts. If Downey stays, he and Bullock will play astronauts from an orbital space station who are out in a shuttle conducting repairs when an exploded asteroid wipes out the station. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

The BBC has commissioned the online series Becoming Human to be written by four of the writers from the series Being Human and created by Toby Whithouse (the creator of Being Human). The online series will follow events that unfold on Being Human, with a vampire played by Craig Roberts going to college to get himself back on the straight and narrow. There he meets a werewolf played by Leila Mimmack and they strike up a friendship with a third character played by Josh Brown. Then the three of them become embroiled in a mystery that will provide the storyline for the series. The really unique part of the concept is that the show’s production company, Touchpaper Wales, will work with the team behind the Being Human blog and website to create an interactive experience beyond watching the show online. (Anglotopia.net)

Q&A SECTION (with Maureen Ryan from AOL TV, Kristin from E! Entertainment Online and Matt Mitovich from Fancast)

Question: Patrick: In a world where there’s too much good TV to watch, should I spend my time watching BBC America’s ‘Luther’? The 23-minute preview On Demand was not enough for me to make a decision.

Maureen Ryan: Yes, you should watch it. The season’s only six episodes total, but you need to give it more time. ‘Luther’ seems like a fairly standard-issue cop show at first, but the cases get more interesting as the season progresses, and it becomes clear at the end of season 1 that this is actually a serialized character drama, not just a procedural with London accents. Not all the twists and turns of the season make sense, but I enjoyed the ride overall and I think Idris Elba’s performance was worth the price of admission.

Question: When are we going to see more of my favorite ‘Castle’ couple? No, not Castle and Beckett – Det. Ryan and his girlfriend! – Marin

Matt Mitovich: Persistence pays off: After weeks of checking into this for you, Marin, I can now report that Jenny will return in Episode 12, which will air sometime in January. That of course reunites the off-screen husband-and-wife team of Seamus and Juliana Dever.

Question: True or false: ’24’s Annie Wersching is joining ‘NCIS’? – Alan

Matt Mitovich: True…ish. As we speak, Wersching is filming a guest-starring role as Deputy District Attorney Gail Walsh. But at this point, she’s on board for just the singular episode. My take: Any gal who can handle the likes of Jack Bauer surely should catch the eye of the similarly issues-laden Gibbs. Keep her around, I say!

Question: Just wondering – will we ever see Wo Fat on the new ‘Hawaii Five-0′? – Bill via Facebook

Matt Mitovich: Yes, the CBS reboot will introduce its take on the classic villain later this season, TV Guide Magazine reports. (As it turns out, Wo has ties to James Marsters’ series premiere baddie, who is on his way back.)

Question: Any scoop on ‘Human Target’? – DullyEL via Twitter

Matt Mitovich: I’m now three episodes into the new season (which premieres Wednesday, Nov. 17), and the third hour finds Chance going undercover as a goon in order to assist newcomer Ames (played by Janet Montgomery) on a heist she really, truly should not be a part of. (Old habits die hard and all.) As the action unfolds, watch for Jackie Earl Haley’s Guerrero to uncork some mad moves.

Question: Jamie in North Carolina: Got anything on No Ordinary Family?

Kristin: Jim has been keeping a secret from Stephanie, J.J.’s superpower secret finally comes out, and Daphne’s powers uncover a student/teacher relationship that is practically an epidemic on TV these days. Also, the Powells might not be the only supers in town. They’re getting new neighbors who are harboring a secret—so either this new family has powers too, or they’re hiding a homicidal relative in their basement, à la Desperate Housewives back in the day.

Question: Edward: Looking forward to the return of Burn Notice in a few weeks. Will Coby Bell still be around in the new episodes?

Kristin: Yes, Coby Bell is still on Burn Notice when it returns Nov. 11 (hallelujah!), even though he’s feeling a little (understandably) snippy about having been taken advantage of by Michael, Fiona and Sam.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Welcome to another work week (or week of school or whatever applies to each of you). I hope your Monday is going well so far. There is quite a bit of news to share so let’s get right into it all.

TELEVISION

First, there were some casting items from Twitter, including Annie Wersching (from 24) who is joining NCIS. And, Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse) will guest star in an episode of Hawaii Five-0. I don’t have any other details on either of these casting tidbits, though. (Twitter)

At the end of last week, it looked like Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) or Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) may be landing a role in the Americanized version of Torchwood that will be coming to Starz this coming summer. Meanwhile Amber Stevens (Greek) is up for one of the new female characters in Torchwood. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

The CW has given full-season orders to rookie dramas Nikita and Hellcats, as well as long-running soap One Tree Hill. Unfortunately, missing from the pickup list is Life Unexpected. The sophomore drama did, however, receive an additional script order. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Lea Thompson (Back to the Future trilogy) and Constance Marie (the George Lopez comedy) have been cast in the ABC Family Channel pilot Switched At Birth, which is about two teen girls who were switched at birth. The ladies will play the mothers of the teen girls in question. (Jethro Nededog at Zap2It)

Keith Carradine (recently seen on Dexter) will guest star in an episode of The Big Bang Theory. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

James Marsden (X-Men and Enchanted) will appear on Modern Family, playing a neighbor of Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who causes the boys’ temperatures to rise every time he whips off his shirt. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Judith Light will be taking over for Blythe Danner on Nurse Jackie as one of the lesbian moms of Peter Facinelli’s character due to Danner being unavailable because of shooting a movie. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Robert Knepper (Prison Break and Heroes) will guest star in a two-episode arc on the upcoming drama Shameless on Showtime. He will play a goon who is chasing William Macy’s alcoholic partiarch character because of a scam they had going together. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Skyler Samuels (The Gates) has landed the lead in the ABC Family pilot Nine Lives, which is based on the Celia Thomson novels Nine Lives of Chloe King, which centers on Chloe King (Samuels) a teenager with heightened abilities (super speed, agility, hearing…claws) who discovers she’s being pursued by a mysterious figure. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Jane Badler has extended her visit to the ABC series V for the entire 10-episode season, which premieres January 4 on ABC. (William Keck at TV Guide)

AUCTION NEWS

Syfy Invites Fans to Own a Piece of Their Favorite Syfy Shows With a Weekly Auction on Syfy.com

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has picked up two more projects for development: One is Tommy’s Little Girl (from Executive Producer Jamie Foxx0, which centers on a young girl raised in a Mafia family who is hidden away in an orphanage after her family is murdered by a rival crime boss. Now an attorney, she has a double life as an assassin avenging her family’s murder as she attempts to locate her last living relative. Second is Life Is Good, which is about a husband and father of two young girls learns he has a 19-year-old mixed-race son that throws his mellow suburban family world into chaos. (James Hibberd at The Hollywood Reporter)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES NEWS

Here are details on two upcoming November movies to air on Syfy:

The Lost Future, which stars Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings), debuts November 13, at 9PM and is set in an exotic and dangerous future world where an isolated tribe battles for survival in a landscape overrun by mutated beasts carrying a mysterious and deadly illness. Annabelle Wallis (The Tudors) co-stars.

Triassic Attack, which is directed by Colin Ferguson (Eureka), debuts November 27, at 9PM and is about the Native American owner of a kitschy roadside museum who accidentally brings to life three dinosaur fossils. Now really annoyed, the giant dinos wreak havoc on the small town and the local university. The film stars Raoul Trujillo (True Blood, Tin Man) and Steven Brand (Scorpion King). (TV By the Numbers)

Sara Rue (Eastwick, Popular and Less Than Perfect) will be starring in an ABC Family Channel movie with Barry Watson (7th Heaven and What About Brian), but no other details are available at this time. (Twitter)

NBC has also picked up a new comedy series called The Happiness Project, based on the best-selling memoir by Gretchen Rubin that will star Kristin Davis (Sex and the City). The memoir chronicled the New York-based writer’s account of the year she spent test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier. It also spawned a popular blog whose fans included Davis, which is how the actress got involved in the TV project. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE MOVIES

Here are the top ten box office results for this past weekend according to Dark Horizons:

1 Paranormal Activity 2 – $41.5 million
2 Jackass 3D – $21.6 million
3 Red – $15.0 million
4 Hereafter – $12.0 million
5 The Social Network – $7.3 million
6 Secretariat – $6.9 million
7 Life As We Know It – $6.2 million
8 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole – $3.2 million
9 The Town – $2.7 million
10 Easy A – $1.8 million

Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) will co-star opposite Dwayne Johnson and Michael Caine in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, in which she will play love interest to Johnson and mother to Josh Hutcherson. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Indie Trailer Sunday: Sally Hawkins Stars in ‘Made in Dagenham’

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

Question: I was watching Undercovers and wondering why you think it has not captured an audience the way other J.J. Abrams shows have? My theory is that maybe a lot of his cult fans (I count myself as one of them, finding Alias a masterwork, even in the unpopular later seasons) tuned in or recorded but then found themselves lost, no pun intended, when there were seemingly none of the signature Abrams high concepts and mysteries we are accustomed to. I think the only reason I watch it is for the spi-fi I love, like Alias. I don’t find the stories particularly engaging in the same way Lost or Fringe is, but it’s at least an entertaining hour of TV, which makes me curious why other shows with an escapist nature like CSI or NCIS are hits and Undercovers is not. I’m curious to hear your thoughts. — Matthew

Matt Roush: Your question came in while I was catching up with the last few episodes for a column I’m working up for the magazine. (Look for it in next week’s issue.) The more I watch Undercovers, the more disappointed I get. It’s almost shocking to me that the minds behind Alias and Lost are responsible for this drab, derivative show that lacks spark, sparkle or suspense. It goes out of its way to avoid the dense, dark layers of an Alias, and that would be OK if the show worked as an engaging caper, but it doesn’t. The leads are attractive but banal, and the supporting characters (with the exception of Gerald McRaney’s amusingly gruff boss) are uniformly annoying and forgettable. The show’s a dud. Many critics likened the show to the sort of thing you tend to see on USA Network, but even their more formulaic shows are kickier than this. It’s a real shame.

Question: What did you think of The Gates and will we be seeing more of it? I thought the season finale was awesome, and thoroughly enjoyed all the different characters and the interactions between them. There were also plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers interested. — Bob

Matt Roush: ABC has finally confirmed that The Gates won’t be back next summer. Even though I didn’t make it all the way to the end of the season — the numbers weren’t promising, and when the episodes bled into September, I got too busy — I found it to be the most original and intriguing of all of ABC’s scripted summer shows. While I found the execution often sketchy, I liked some of the suburban supernatural mash-up and would have liked to see where it went next.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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