Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

It’s over the hump day and the weather certainly seems to be acting strangely as folks on the West Coast have been experiencing rain, thunderstorms and in some cases tornados. Just hope the bad weather gets over soon, no one is hurt by the more severe weather patterns and no damage is wrought.

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

TELEVISION

Robert Patrick (The Unit) will guest star in multiple episodes of Big Love, playing Bud Mayberry, the leader of a polygamist fringe group. (Andy Patrick and Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Scott Cohen (Gilmore Girls) has been cast opposite Callie Thorne in the USA drama pilot Necessary Roughness, where he will play a ‘fixer’ for a football franchise who works closely with Danielle (Thorne). (Deadline and Televisionary)

Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect) has joined the cast of the CBS comedy Rules of Engagement as surrogate Brenda. Joan Collins (yes, THAT Joan Collins) will appear in a November sweeps episode of the comedy as the mother of David Spade’s character. (Deadline and Televisionary)

Aquaman (Alan Ritchson) will make his return to Smallville later this season, and he’s bringing a wife in the form of Mera, played by Elena Satine (Melrose Place). The duo are set to turn up in the ninth episode, which is directed by Tom Welling. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly and Televisionary)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Ron Moore (the man behind the Battlestar Galactica reboot and Caprica) is in the VERY early stages of developing a remake of the ’60s classic The Wild Wild West, which originally ran on CBS from 1965 to 196 starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin as secret service agents who get reassigned to the Old West. (Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly)

Chris Mundy has left the CBS midseason Criminal Minds spinoff, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. He will be replaced by Ed Bernero, who will now oversee both the flagship and spinoff series as show runner. (Variety and Televisionary)

Fox has nabbed the rights to a series adaptation of the 2005 hit romantic comedy Hitch, which starred Will Smith. The series is described as an action-packed one-hour. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES NEWS

The Hallmark Channel movie Christmas in Canaan was named Best Show or Series: Family Friendly at the 3rd annual CableFAX Program Awards gala held in New York and the network announced that Billy Ray Cyrus has signed on to star in the sequel which will premiere in 2011. The original movie had Cyrus playing Daniel Burton, a farmer in Canaan, TX, during the civil rights movement who forces his young son to spend time with his black classmate, leading to an unexpected friendship. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Tom Hanks may be the first actor to join director Kathryn Bigelow’s first post-The Hurt Locker project called Sleeping Dogs. The story centers around five men of varying ages who all work in the Triple Frontier, the notorious border zone between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil where the Igazu and Parana rivers converge and a haven for organized crime and terrorist funding activities. Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Sean Penn and Jeremy Renner have all been rumored to be potentially involved in the project. (ABC News and Dark Horizons)

Idris Elba (The Losers) has joined the cast of the box office sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, playing an alcoholic warrior monk tasked with finding Ghost Rider (Nicolas Cage) while Johnny Whitworth (Gamer) plays a criminal who is recruited by the devil and is later turned into a demonic creature. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

Thomas Haden Church (Easy A) has joined the cast of the film We Bought a Zoo, which has Matt Damon already set to star and Amy Adams apparently considering a role in the adaptation of a memoir from Benjamin Mee about his own family who bought a rundown mansion in the English countryside which included the 30-acre Dartmoor Wildlife Park, home to over 200 animals. Church’s role has yet to be revealed. (Variety and First Showing)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Today seems to be a slow news days, but I did, at the very least, find a few good tidbits to pass on. But before I get to that, please keep in mind just how much good TV there is to watch tonight. You can watch NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife on CBS or tune in to Glee on FOX and then head over to The CW for Life Unexpected and follow that up with Parenthood on NBC. Or you can check out the second episode of the new ABC series No Ordinary Family then race over to Syfy for a new Stargate Universe and the return of Caprica. That’s just a small sample of what is on tonight so make your choices wisely.

In the meantime, here is the news for today:

TELEVISION

Buoyed by strong ratings and critical acclaim, Syfy announced a third season pickup of 13 episodes for its hit dramedy Warehouse 13, which will return in 2011. (Syfy Press Release)

For now, ABC will air reruns of Grey’s Anatomy at 8 PM in place of the recently canceled new series My Generation while FOX will air reruns of Fringe in the Saturday 10 PM timeslot where reairs of Lone Star were being aired. And, rumblings are underway at NBC about possible timeslot changes, but nothing significant has been announced yet. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC is looking at another scripted summer series, this time an untitled female-centric spy drama that is described as Taken meets The Bourne Identity. (Deadline and Televisionary)

Fox has picked up a project about a woman living parallel lives. It’s a legal procedural about a young prosecutor who finds herself caught between two realities: one in which she is an incredible trial lawyer, and another in which she is the one on trial. (James Hibberd at Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Zack Snyder (the Director of 300 and Watchmen) has been tagged to direct the upcoming Superman reboot. (E! Entertainment Online)

Ray Liotta, Ving Rhames and Christian Slater are star in the indie thriller The River Sorrow with Liotta playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer, Slater playing an FBI agent overseeing the case and Rhames playing Liotta’s friend and captain. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Watch: Official Trippy Trailer for Julia Taymor’s The Tempest

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Happy first week of October!  Are folks getting excited for Halloween?  I’m sure a lot are.  And, of course, TV programming is complimenting this time of the year with lots of Halloween themed viewing.

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

TELEVISION

Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal and Numb3rs) has joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy for a multi-episode arc, playing Dr. Stark, a pediatrics attending who will be working closely with Alex (Justin Chambers).  (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)

Starz has officially started looking for an actor to replace Andy Whitfield on Spartacus: Sand & Blood.  Whitfield left the show earlier due to being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and has recently been advised by doctors to resume aggressive treatment against the disease.  (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

ABC Family has canceled its freshman drama series Huge, which was based on the young adult novel by Sasha Paley.  The series averaged 1.9 million viewers.  (James Hibberd at Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like David E. Kelley (the many behind Ally McBeal and The Practice) has secured a deal with Warner Bros. to bring Wonder Woman to the small screen.  (Yes, you read that right: the small screen).  The question now is which actress will fill those infamous boots?  There is a lot of speculation but nothing concrete for quite some time.  (E! Entertainment Online)

Lifetime has ordered a pilot for an untitled drama about the female head of a university hospital psych department.  The show would revolve around a woman who moves to Philadelphia to work as chief of staff in the psychiatry department alongside her sister and a diverse staff.  (Variety and Televisionary)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES

Charles Dance (Alien 3, Bleak House and Gosford Park) has joined the cast of the Syfy 4-hour movie event Neverland based on the prequel to author J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan.  He will play the role of Dr. Richard Fludd, a 400-year-old former alchemist to Queen Elizabeth and the genius who holds the key to the “bridge” between our world and Neverland.  He joins cast members Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins, Raoul Trujillo and Charlie Rowe.  (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

According to Exhibitor Relations (via E! Entertainment Online), here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend:

1. The Social Network, $23 million

2. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, $10.9 million

3. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, $10.1 million

4. The Town, $10 million

5. Easy A, $7 million

6. You Again, $5.6 million

7. Case 39, $5.4 million

8. Let Me In, $5.3 million

9. Devil, $3.7 million

10. Alpha and Omega, $3 million

Olivia Wilde (House) is set to play the mother of Justin Timberlake in the as-yet titled sci-fi movie formerly known as I’m.mortal.  The story is set in a society where people are engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm.  The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can. Timberlake plays a ghetto rebel wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Amanda Seyfried).  They soon begin a steamy romance whilst being pursued by a ruthless law enforcement officer (Cillian Murphy). Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) co-stars.  (The Wrap and Dark Horizons)

Emily Blunt will join Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis in the time travel sci-fi movie Looper.  The complicated plot involves a killer (Gordon-Levitt) who works for the mob of the future.  He, along with other so-called Loopers, dispose of people that are sent from the future. When he recognizes one victim as his future self (Willis), he hesitates, letting the man escape. Now, in order to save his immediate future, the man needs to track down and kill his future self, while his future self is trying to find and kill a young boy who is the key to his survival in the future.  Blunt will play the mother of the boy.  (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) have joined the indie hockey comedy Goon, which follows a bouncer (Seann William Scott) who joins a rag-tag hockey team and inspires them to greatness.  Jay Baruchel (who co-wrote the script) co-stars.  (The Wrap and First Showing)

Thomas Haden Church (Easy A) has joined the dark comedy Killer Joe alongside Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch. The story follows a brother (Hirsch) who, along with his sister, plot the death of their mother for insurance money and hire “Killer Joe” Cooper (McConaughey) to get the job done.  (Variety and First Showing)

Summit Entertainment has bought the rights to develop Tempest, the first book in a forthcoming trilogy by first-time author Julie Cross.  The young adult novel follows a 19-year-old time traveler who witnesses his girlfriend’s murder and inadvertently jumps back two years.  Stuck there, he’s recruited by a shadowy government agency run by the man he thought was his father and vows to save his girlfriend no matter the cost.  (Dylan Stableford at The Wrap)

That’s it.  Enjoy!

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Hey All,

It’s the end of the week already – YEAH! – and I know everyone is looking forward to the weekend, right? (Right!) But, before the celebrations start, please check out the news for today:

TELEVISION

ABC Family is said to be close to giving a back order of 10-12 episodes to comedy Melissa & Joey. (Deadline and Televisionary)

Charles Dance (Bleak House) will star opposite Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, and Bob Hoskins in Nick Willing’s Neverland, the four-hour mini set to air on Syfy and Sky Movies HD. (The Hollywood Reporter and Televisionary)

Lifetime has given a pilot order to the drama Meet Jane, which revolves around an unhappily married mother of two daughters in the Washington, DC area who is suddenly re-energized and empowered when the FBI enlists her to spy on her husband, a computer technician because the government suspects he is selling top-secret information to Russia. (Deadline and Televisionary)

Adult Swim has picked up a 14-episode second season of the web series Childrens Hospital, which was created by Rob Corddry, who stars and executive produces the series. The cast includes Malin Akerman, Lake Bell, Erinn Hayes, Ken Marino, Megan Mullally and Henry Winkler. (Jon Weisman at Variety)

CONDOLENCES

Prolific producer of iconic TV shows such as The A-Team, 21 Jump Street and The Rockford Files (among MANY others) – Stephen J. Cannell – passed away last night at the age of 69 due to complications associated with melanoma. Condolences are extended to his family, friends and fans. (Entertainment Tonight)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC has given a script order to an untitled one-hour dramedy from executive producers Jennifer Lopez, Simon Fields, and Alexa Junge about three branches of an extended Los Angeles family, as told through the eyes of their three Latina nannies. (Variety and Televisionary)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE

ABC Family Channel will air the made-for-TV movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation on November 28 at 8 PM. The movie features Paris Hilton (in her first voice-over role) as Bella, a French poodle who becomes the target of inept thieves during a holiday getaway. Returning as the voice of the misguided guard dog Zeus, in pursuit of Bella’s affections, is Mario Lopez. The cast also includes Gary Valentine (The King of Queens), Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Elisa Donovan (Clueless), Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Catherine Oxenberg (Dynasty), and Adrienne Barbeau (Maude and Carnivale). (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Emma Thompson is in negotiations to join the cast of Men In Black 3D as Agent OH, who is monitoring a, presumably alien, prison breakout. She joins returning cast member Tommy Lee Jones and new additions Jemaine Clement (as the villain Yaz) and Josh Brolin as a younger version of Jones’ character, Agent Kay, during a part of the story that involves Jay traveling back in time to 1969 for some unknown reason. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

The Denali clan has been cast. Who are they, you ask? The other “vegetarian” vampire family in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. As announced earlier, Maggie Grace (Lost) has been cast as one of the Denali sisters (Irinia) and now MyAnna Buring and Casey LaBow will portray the other two Denali sisters, Tanya and Kate meanwhile Mía Maestro and Christian Camargo will portray the Denali parents, Carmen and Eleazar. (Movie Web)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

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Hey All,

So, it seems like the heat wave in Southern California is finally breaking, my cold is (hopefully) on its last legs and there is loads of TV to watch tonight. In the meantime, here are the news items for today:

CONDOLENCES

Legendary actor Tony Curtis (father of Jamie Lee Curtis) passed away Wednesday night at the age of 85. Condolences are extended to his family, friends and fans. (E! Entertainment Online)

TELEVISION

Miranda Cosgrove (Nickelodeon’s iCarly) will guest star as a troubled pop star in need of representation after she’s arrested on a DUI charge on an upcoming episode of The Good Wife. (Kate Stanhope at TV Guide)

Parminder Nagra (ER) will guest star in an episode of the ABC legal drama The Whole Truth. She will appear in the 8th episode of the new series as Pilar Shirazeem, who comes to her best pal’s defense when she is charged with killing her husband. (William Keck at TV Guide)

Kyle MacLachlan is set to appear in at least two episodes of the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother, as the ex-husband of Zoey (Jennifer Morrison). Morrison’s first episode airs October 18, while MacLachlan is set to debut in early November. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Shelley Conn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) has been cast as the female lead in FOX’s upcoming prehistoric/futuristic adventure series Terra Nova, which will get a sneak peek in May before launching in Fall 2011. Conn will star opposite Jason O’Mara and Stephen Lang and will play Elizabeth Shannon, the wife of O’Mara’s character, who travels back 85 million years. (Deadline and Televisionary)

First footage from the Doctor Who Christmas Special (and more on BBC America)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Bryan Fuller (the man behind Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies) is working on a modern-day reboot of the classic series The Munsters. So far, NBC has only ordered only a pilot, but since the potential series is being described as “Modern Family meets True Blood,” it could have a shot at succeeding. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

FOX is considering ordering Lawyers for Less, which is to be a workplace comedic drama about two best friends – a white-shoe lawyer coming back from disbarment for mixing business and pleasure and an enterprising black lawyer who takes him in as partner – who run a small storefront law firm specializing in ambulance chasing and defending the defenseless. (Deadline and Televisionary)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES NEWS

Fionnula Flanagan (Lost and Brotherhood) will star in the Hallmark Channel movie Three Wise Woman on December 14 at 8 PM. The movie is a new twist on ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Flanagan stars as Beth, who has a rare opportunity to accompany her guardian angel, Tom (Hugh O’Connor), to visit her past and find out exactly how a single choice can change a life. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Michael Shannon, Benicio Del Toro and James Franco are attached to star in the box office movie Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, which is based on the true story of Richard “The Ice Man” Kuklinski, a man who for more than 40 years led a double life as both a professional assassin and a doting husband and father in suburban New Jersey. Mickey Rourke was linked to the project earlier this month. (Production Weekly and Dark Horizons)

Sam Raimi (Director of Spider-Man) is in talks to set up an alien invasion movie titled Earth Defense Force, which is being described as a cross between Top Gun, Independence Day and The Last Starfighter. It is based on a reading of Andrew Marlowe’s script, opening with the U.S. and Chinese militaries coming under attack from aliens, who swiftly depart, only to destroy many of the world’s landmarks and military installations before vanishing. It seems they came to test Earth’s defensive capabilities, and we failed miserably. (Vulture and The Wrap)

Legendary actor Christopher Plummer has joined the cast of the American version of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. He will play the wealthy industrialist who hires a disgraced journalist (Daniel Craig) to solve a 40-year unsolved murder. The case uncovers a web of familial corruption. (Heat Vision and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS/POSTERS

Three Dark, Gritty ‘Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows’ Banners

Watch: Second Trailer for ‘Burlesque’ with Christina Aguilera

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

Question: Let’s assume Chord Overstreet’s Sam is not a love interest for Glee’s Kurt, and Darren Criss is. Well, who will Sam be paired with? —Jeff

Ausiello: I’m hearing single mom Quinn. But if you’ve got a better idea, the comments section below has your name written all over it, Jeff.

Question: Is Mike Chang going to get a solo on Glee? I’m swooning over his dancing (and now his abs!), but a solo would just be the icing on the cake. —Kraig

Ausiello: He’ll get the next best thing to a solo in episode 4: a duet with Tina!

Question: Any truth to the rumor that Glee‘s post-Super Bowl tribute episode will be a sequel to Britney/Brittany? —Taylor

Ausiello: If by “any truth” you mean “no truth whatsoever,” yes. Otherwise, not so much.

BREAKING GLEE NEWS: Sources confirm to me exclusively that Charice will reappear in episode 7!

Question: I was hoping that you can give me some Bones scoop. —Ina B

Ausiello: An upcoming episode will be told entirely from Brennan’s point of view. “It’s a very stylized episode where Brennan is investigating a murder of someone who appears to be her,” explains exec producer Stephen Nathan. “It’s sort of Brennan examining her own life while examining the victim. We’ve never done anything this internal. It’s probably the most psychologically oriented episode we’ve ever done.”

Question: Which episode of Bones is Emily Deschanel directing this season? —Frankie

Ausiello: Episode No. 14. And so far, that’s all I know.

Question: Hawaii Five-O scoop? —Johanna

Ausiello: Newly unemployed Lone Star star James Wolk should call his agent, because the CBS reboot is casting the perfect part for him: a possibly two-faced old buddy of McGarrett’s who’s visiting the islands as a bodyguard for a controversial Third World leader.

Question: Got any NCIS: LA scoop? — Justin

Ausiello: The show is on the lookout for a sixtysomething with a slight German accent to play the recurring role of a retiree who, though blind, still sees the fun in manipulating people. And since the character is named Burgess, I’m thinking the show is a fan of the Penguin.

Question: On a scale from 1 to 10, how crazy will the final scene in Smallville‘s 200th episode drive Clois fans? Any chance you can give us a little more on it? — Geff C.

Ausiello: Nine. Can’t say more except that it’ll take your breath away.

Question: Do you have any updates on the possibility of Michael Rosenbaum returning to Smallville? — Denny

Ausiello: I hear episode 10 may be titled “Luthor,” so draw your own conclusions. Actually, let me help you: I’m guessing that ties in with his pa Lionel’s return. But I could be wrong!

Question: Do you have any scoop on why/how Robert Wagner is coming back to NCIS? —Lyss

Ausiello: Tony Sr. gets caught up in a case that requires him to go on a date with (wait for it)
Ziva!

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Happy over the hump day folks! How is your week progressing so far? Getting excited for the weekend? I bet you all are. In the meantime, here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Human Target is being moved yet again. The premiere will now air on November 17 at 8 PM. This move changes the show from Friday nights to Wednesday nights AND bumps the show back over a month from being aired (it was to be back on October 1). (The Futon Critic)

As announced yesterday afternoon, Fox has pulled the plug on Lone Star after two low-rated episodes. Reruns of Lie to Me will fill the show’s Monday-9 pm time slot beginning next week. (Spoiler TV)

Rachel Nichols (Alias) has been cast in a multiple-episode arc on Criminal Minds, where she will play FBI cadet Ashley Seager. She is slated to appear in three episodes. (Deadline and Televisionary)

Izabella Miko (Coyote Ugly) will appear in a five-episode arc on the upcoming midseason NBC superhero drama The Cape. (Deadline and Televisionary)

Catherine Dent (The Shield) will appear in at least two episodes of NCIS. She will play Whitney Sharp, a former NCIS agent who shares a past with Ducky. Both of these episodes will air during November sweeps. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES

The Hallmark Channel movie The Santa Incident will debut on December 7 at 8 PM. The movie stars Ione Skye (Private Practice and Say Anything) and Greg Germann (Ally McBeal) [among others] in a movie about Homeland Security’s Asymmetrical Threats Division has unknowingly targeted Santa Claus for piloting an unidentified aircraft and flouting national sovereignty. Before fully identifying the target, their agent Ross fires a heat-seeking missile into Father Christmas’ dash wings. His reindeer rocked, his jingle bells jangled, Santa crashes to Earth, where he is rescued by a couple of kids and nursed back to health by their mom Joanna (Skye). Erickson (Germann) and Cunningham, a pair of bumbling secret agents have also homed in on Santa’s position, and they are determined to make Kris Kringle pay for their looking bad in a prior botched anti-alien interdiction. (The Futon Critic)

DVD RELEASE

Life Unexpected

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men and Angel) will star as the father of Amanda Seyfried’s character in the sci-fi box office movie formerly known as I’m.mortal. The story is set in a society where people engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm. The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can. Justin Timberlake plays a ghetto rebel wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Seyfried). They soon begin a steamy romance. (Variety and Dark Horizons)

Tobey Maguire is set to both produce and star in Good People, which is based on the book by Marcus Sakey, which follows a Chicago couple who come across $400,000 and do whatever they can to try and keep it. (Production Weekly and Dark Horizons)

Jared Harris (Mad Men) [and son of the late Richard Harris] will appear as Professor Moriarty in the sequel to Sherlock Holmes. (Latino Review and First Showing)

Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) has joined the cast of the romantic comedy BFF and Baby starring alongside Krysten Ritter and Kate Bosworth. The story is about two best friends who fight to maintain normalcy in their lives after one of them (Ritter) gets pregnant and has a baby. Ritter wrote the script. (Variety and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

‘I Am Number Four’

Must Watch: Second Full Trailer for Universal’s Sci-Fi Skyline

Q&A SECTION (with the TV Gurus from TV Guide)

Question: What’s this I hear about Brennan solving her own murder on Bones? — Maggie

ADAM: Well, Brennan obviously isn’t the corpse, but her resemblance to the victim is uncanny. Executive producer Stephen Nathan says the experience will be educational for Bones. “Brennan gets to look at herself objectively, which is something she’s never really been able to do,” he says. “She sees herself in a new light, and that obviously will change her character to a certain extent.”

Question: So many answers on The Event this week! I can’t help but think they’re pulling a fast one on us. Have any scoop? — Martin

MICKEY: Go with your gut. We’ll soon find out that at least one of the most fundamental parts of The Event’s narrative is a big fat lie. Further, Sophia won’t tolerate any leaks, even if people have to die to protect her secrets.

Question: What else can you tell me about Katee Sackhoff’s role on CSI? — Andrew

ADAM: She’s a tough, stubborn woman, and that initially puts her at odds with George Eads’ Nick Stokes. But she slowly wins him over. “She plays her character with a lot of bravado, which is something I think Nick really likes to be around,” Eads tells us. Do we see sparks? “For Nick to have a relationship with anyone on the show, the genesis of it has to be mutual respect,” Eads says, noting that the length of Sackhoff’s arc has yet to be finalized. For his part, Eads is ready for something serious: “I would like to see her again.”

Question: Poor Artie! Will he find another love on Glee? —Amalia

MICKEY: I wouldn’t call it love exactly, but on an upcoming episode, Artie will make a connection with a Cheerio that will make him feel special for a short while.

Question: Help! I can’t tell if the werewolves are the good guys or the bad guys on The Vampire Diaries. — Cory

MICKEY: I can’t either, but perhaps a new addition to the cast will clarify everyone else’s relative goodness. He’s a man of few words who allows his piercing eyes to do the talking for him. I’m hearing him compared to the Haitian on Heroes, which means those peepers are probably good for more than just lookin’.

Question: I really enjoyed the Brothers & Sisters premiere. Is this really the last season? — Katie

ADAM: Despite a reduced episode order and some significant cast exits, executive producer David Marshall Grant isn’t planning on going anywhere. “I’ve approached the show as if it’s going to go on and on. I take my cue from the studio and the network, and they’ve given me no indication — not even a hint or a heads-up — that [cancellation is] a possibility,” he says. “If and when I hear different, I will adjust and make sure that we take these Walkers off the air in the style that they deserve. But I have heard nothing to suggest that I should be planning for that.”

Question: I know it’s a ways off, but can you give me any V scoop? — Kara

MICKEY: A major female character will lose her head in an early episode — which is to say, she’ll be beheaded. I only mention the violent act because it will be as revealing as it is fatal.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Between the record heat wave that hit Southern California, the sore throat and head cold I seem to be coming down with (YEAH!! – not) all the shows to watch and the articles to write, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed; but the news doesn’t rest so here is what I found for today:

TELEVISION

Sonya Braga (Alias and American Family) will appear on Brothers & Sisters as the mother of Gilles Marini’s character on the Thanksgiving episode that is to air on November 14. (William Keck at TV Guide)

The USA Network has picked up White Collar, Royal Pains and Psych for another season each. Royal Pains has received a 16 to 18 episode order with Psych and White Collar both getting 16 episode orders. (LA Times)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Treat Williams (Everwood) will star opposite Rachael Carpani in the Lifetime drama pilot Against the Wall, which is a family drama set in Chicago following policewoman Abby Kowalski (Carpani), who causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department’s Internal Affairs division. Williams will play Abby’s dad, an old-school career Chicago cop who is rough around the edges but has a real soft spot for his only daughter until she tells him of her new gig, news that makes him feel hurt and angry. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC Family Channel has greenlit three pilots, including the following:

The drama Nine Lives which follows Chloe King who is looking forward to celebrating her 16th birthday with her friends and single mother, just like every other year until she starts developing heightened abilities (super speed, agility, hearing…claws), and discovers she’s being pursued by a mysterious figure. She soon learns she’s part of an ancient race who have been hunted by human assassins for millennia – and that she may be their only hope for ultimate survival. Casting on the project is yet to be announced. The drama is based on the book series The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Celia Thomson.

The drama Switched at Birth, which tells the story of two teen girls who discover they were accidentally switched at birth. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and two brothers, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing as a child due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls. Casting for the project is yet to be announced.

The drama Strut, which revolves around a showgirl named Roxy who marries a stranger after a wild evening, and overnight finds herself living in a small town in Texas and reinventing the high school’s struggling drill team. Roxy uses her background as a dancer to connect with the group of high school outsiders, specifically awkward teen Meg. When Roxy takes it upon herself to shape them into a bona fide strutting team of performers, she turns the town upside down in the process. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Rachel Bilson and Josh Schwartz (the man behind The O.C. and Chuck) are teaming up for a new project at NBC. The project is to be called Ghost Angeles with Bilson starring as a young woman in Los Angeles who talks to the dead and helps out ghosts as they help her. (Deadline and TV Guide)

ME: So let me get this straight? NBC cancels Medium while CBS picks up Medium but at the same time CBS let’s Ghost Whisperer go and now NBC picks up this new ghost-inspired show. Does that just sound ridiculous or what? Oh wait, that’s how the networks work…. Why bother trying to figure it out, right?

RATINGS RESULTS

The following list is from E! Entertainment Online and shows how the new fall series (the dramas that is) are stacking up so far this season:

Hawaii Five-0 (14.2 million, 11th place)
Blue Bloods (13 million, 17th place)
The Defenders (12.2 million, 23rd place)
The Event (10.9 million, 27th place)
Detroit 1-8-7 (9.3 million, 35th place)
Undercovers (8.7 million, 40th place)
Chase (7.3 million, 48th place)
My Generation (5.2 million, 73rd place)
Outlaw (4.9 million, 78th place)
The Whole Truth (4.8 million, 79th place)
Lone Star (4.1 million, 88th place)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Casting News for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

Josh Holloway (Lost) is in final negotiations to act as a member of the Impossible Mission Force for the box office sequel Mission: Impossible 4. The cast already includes Tom Cruise, of course, as well as Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton,Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg. (Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Must Watch: First Teaser Trailer for the Coen Bros’ True Grit!

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Question: Do you have any hints as to why Robert Wagner is coming back to ‘NCIS‘? – Carlee

Mitovich: I turn this first question over to the Hintmaster himself, Shane Brennan. “R.J. Wagner’s return as the charming Anthony DiNozzo Sr. recaptures all the fun and chaos that resulted from his last visit,” the ‘NCIS’ boss tells the Big Tease. What’s more, he says the encore “reveals an emotionally charged moment between father and son that’s not to be missed.”

Question: I’m obsessed with what ‘Fringe’s Anna Torv said about Olivia finding a new ally in the alternate universe. Did she give any other clues? – Deb

Mitovich: Did Anna? No. John Noble? Maybe. When I questioned alt-Broyles’ allegiance to the Secretary of Defense, Noble responded, “Broyles is a strong character. Now, how much he’ll go along with things is to be revealed.”

Question: Are we going to see more of the hybrid baby when ‘V‘ returns? – Susan

Mitovich: “Ohhh yeah,” exec producer Steve Pearlman told me during my visit to the ABC series’ Vancouver set last week. “You’ll see the hybrid in Episode 1″ (premiere date TBD). As for the little one’s appearance, “It won’t necessarily look very human,” he teased.

Question: Did your visit to the ‘V‘ set turn up any scoop on what “red sky” is or does? – Greg

Mitovich: Though Elizabeth Mitchell wouldn’t spill any specifics, she said the answer “definitely satisfied me” and it “happens in the first five minutes…. all kinds of really horrifying things.” And yet, somehow, Anna will spin it as a good thing for humanity. Somewhere in outer space lays a very savvy publicist.

Question: Please give me some scoop on ‘The Good Wife‘! – Karen

Mitovich: Oh, tonight’s season premiere is a fine hour. That “intimate” scene that made headlines a few weeks back? Well-played. Also, the way Kalinda meets her new rival (’FNL’s Scott Porter) is pretty awesome, as is their ongoing prickly banter (he knows a secret of hers that she very much doesn’t like him knowing); Eli acquires a new cohort; Michael Ealy (’Sleeper Cell’) fits in smoothly as a new partner with big ideas; and Will has been named one of the area’s most eligible bachelors (ouch, Alicia!).

Question: Do the folks at ‘Human Target‘ feel like they’re shooting a James Bond film with every episode? Because it sure feels like one! – Joel

Mitovich: Exec producer Matt Miller must agree. “Between our incredible stunt coordinator (Emmy nominee Dean Cho) and our producer-director Steve Boyum, who spent the majority of his career as a stunt man, we have the best stunts on television,” he boasts. And what sort of explodey goodness is on tap for Season 2, premiering this Friday at 8/7c? “For our eighth episode, our kind of ‘holiday ‘episode, we really wanted to destroy a mall,” Miller says. “We wanted a cool set piece where Chance is just wreaking havoc in a mall.” I suggested the episode title “A Very Human Target Christmas” – cross fingers!

Question: Will ‘Smallville’s Clark ever say to Lois the words, “I love you”? – Nicole

Mitovich: First, let’s ask Clark himself. “I would think so,” Tom Welling told me Saturday night at the show’s 200th episode party. “I’m not sure what exactly they have in store for [the final season], but Lois is definitely a part of Clark’s future.” And now, the executive producers. “There will be epic romance, that we can say,” teases Brian Peterson. Adds Kelly Souders: “Definitely watch the 200th episode” (airing Oct. 15).

Question: How about some scoop on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s Meredith? – Kazzer

Mitovich: This is the week Mer tells Derek that she had a miscarriage. But also on the horizon are some powerhouse scenes on the sisterly front. As the aftermath of the shooting continues to play out and “Meredith begins mothering everybody, Lexie is like, ‘Hey, what about me? I don’t understand where you’ve been for me in this,’” Chyler Leigh previews. That leads to “several really great scenes between the two of us, where we really define what our relationship is.”

Question: Any info on Jensen Ackles‘ ‘Supernatural‘ directorial debut? – DeanGirl1 via Comments

Mitovich: If by info you mean raves, here’s one castmate’s take on Jensen’s turn behind the camera: “The truth of the matter is he’s a natural,” Mark Sheppard (Crowley) tells Fancast. “He was extraordinarily well-prepared, and he’s very good at getting what he wants. It was fun for me and Jim [Beaver] to….” To what? Frak, Mark caught himself and stopped short of spoiling. But he did share this about the Crowley/Bobby teaser shown at Comic-Con this summer: “That is a fabulous, really fun scene – and that’s not all of the scene either. There’s a lot of stuff going on.”

Question: You seem to be the only source of ‘Make It Or Break It‘ news – whatcha got? – Irena

Mitovich: What I’ve got is a correction to my scoop on Sean Maher’s guest-starring role. Turns out the ‘Firefly’ alum is going to be playing a National Gymnastics Organization official who starts poking around Emily’s life. Though I’m sure he would’ve done fine as a gymnast.

Question: Last week’s ‘Terriers‘ – WTF?! – Joe

Mitovich: I’m assuming that’s a request for scoop on the shadowy figure seen slinking into the crawl space of Hank’s house? That out-of-left field mystery “is resolved pretty quickly,” says Donal Logue. “You’ll find out who it is, and to me a really cool aspect of this show is what it means getting to work with that person.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

Lee Ann

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Hey All,

It’s the start of another week and if you’re living on the West Coast, we’re experiencing a bit of a heat wave something that was lacking over the summer and not all that much appreciated at the end of September.

But, there is a lot of news to share with all of you and good TV to look forward to tonight so hopefully that levels out the playing field. Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Newcomer Darren Criss (who has guest starred on Eastwick and Cold Case) has joined the FOX series Glee as a new gay student named Blaine, who hails from a rival glee club called the Dalton Academy Warblers. He will befriend Kurt (Chris Colfer), but their relationship will remain platonic for now. (Joyce Eng at TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly)

Aimee Garcia (Trauma) will appear in the mid-season series Off the Map, playing a local who falls for Zach Gilford’s (Friday Night Lights) character, who is a plastic surgeon in a remote medical clinic in South America. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Jorge Garcia (Lost) will appear on an episode of How I Met Your Mother, playing Blitz a friend of Ted, Marshall and Lily from college who has the uncanny ability to leave a room right before things finally get interesting. Blitz has been cursed with this regrettable phenomenon for over twelve years. (Korbi at Give Me My Remote)

Oprah Winfrey has announced that she is going to reunite the cast of Sound of Music for the first time in 45 years on her October 29 show. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer will be in attendance as well as the Von Trapp kids: Charmian Carr (Liesl), Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich), Heather Menzies-Urich (Louisa), Duane Chase (Kurt), Angela Cartwright (Brigitta), Debbie Turner (Marta), and Kym Karath (Gretl). (Tim Stack at Entertainment Weekly)

Ed Decter and John Strauss have officially signed on as show runners for the USA Network series In Plain Sight. The duo replaces John McNamara, who departed the series due to medical issues. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TV POLL

Your Turn: Pick Fall TV’s Best and Worst!

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Showtime has signed up some big names for new development projects at the cable network, including Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards, who are working on a drama project together as well as Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield, who are collaborating on another project called Happily Ever After, which would star Daniels as a Michigan factory worker who quits his job to pursue music. The as-yet untitled Ruffalo/Edwards project is to be set in the morally ambiguous world of media crisis management and is to be centered on two partners running such a firm. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CONDOLENCES

Actress Gloria Stuart – best known for her role as the elder Rose Dawson in the box office hit Titanic – has passed away at the age of 100. She started in films in 1932, taking roles in horror classics like Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. She became a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild in 1933, but retired from the big screen in the 1940’s. (The Washington Post and First Showing)

ME: Rest in peace, Ms. Stuart. Condolences to her family, friends and fans.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The following are the box office results for the top 10 movies for this past weekend courtesy of Exhibitor Relations at E! Entertainment Online:

1. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, $19 million
2. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, $16.3 million
3. The Town, $16 million
4. Easy A, $10.7 million
5. You Again, $8.3 million
6. Devil, $6.5 million
7. Resident Evil: Afterlife, $4.9 million
8. Alpha and Omega, $4.7 million
9. Takers, $1.7 million
10. Inception, $1.2 million

British actor Stephen Fry (Bones) has joined the cast of the upcoming sequel Sherlock Homes, playing Mycroft Holmes, brother of Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.) and a key power player in the British Government. The movie is expected to be released next Christmas. (The Hollywood News and Dark Horizons)

Jason Reitman (Director of Up in the Air) has a new project called Young Adult, based on a script by Diablo Cody, about a ghostwriter (Charlize Theron) of young adult novels who returns to her hometown to reconnect with high-school friends. Patton Oswalt has joined the cast and Patrick Wilson is negotiating a deal to join the cast as well. (24 Frames and First Showing)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Indie Trailer Sunday: Emily Blunt & Rupert Grint in Wild Target

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES

Daniel Stern (Home Alone) and Matt Frewer (Eureka) will star as former best friends who are dueling neighbors whose Christmas decorating rivalry gets a bit out of hand in the Hallmark Channel movie Battle of the Bulbs. The movie will debut on December 18 at 8 PM. (The Futon Critic)

Victoria Justice (Victorious) will appear in the Nickelodeon movie The Boy Who Cried Werewolf on October 23 at 8 PM. Justice will star as Jordan Sands, a shy and unpopular teen who, through an accident, is transformed into a werewolf during a visit to Wolfsberg, Romania where her family has inherited an ancient castle. Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle) and Brooke D’Orsay (Royal Pains and Drop Dead Diva) co-star. (The Futon Critic)

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

Question: I was deeply upset to learn Lone Star was a ratings flop. Pretty much every TV critic out there absolutely raved about it and declared it the best new drama of the fall, and the must-watch show of the new season. I was impressed, though not blown away, and ready for the show to grow on me some more. But with such abysmal ratings — only 4 million people watched? Really? That would have been bad even for Heroes last year — is the show that critics were declaring fall’s best new drama going to fall victim to being the first new show of the season to be canceled? How long is it likely going to stick around? A couple of weeks, or a few months, or a full season? If Fox does decide to cancel it prematurely, is there a chance that it might find a new home somewhere on cable, where it would feel much more at home? I really did enjoy the show, but I just don’t feel like getting too attached is a very good idea at this point. — Alex

Matt Roush: You weren’t the only one upset. Anyone with a stake in networks continuing to attempt quality, non-formulaic programming has a right to be discouraged at the low numbers for Lone Star, which seemed to fulfill a self-fulfilling prophecy about the most challenging work only being done on cable. Lone Star has the feel of an AMC or FX show, in part because it’s built around an anti-hero (albeit a charming and sympathetic one). It’s original, it’s intriguing, and it very well may be doomed. A lot depends on what happens this week. And while the show’s new-to-TV creator Kyle Killen makes a valiant plea to viewers in his blog, and while I’m tempted to make a comparison to another Texas-set series — Friday Night Lights — to get people to tune in to this underdog, it’s pretty clear this is going to be an uphill battle. Mondays are murder — possibly even tougher than Thursdays, which no longer has a reality juggernaut on the night like Dancing With the Stars presents on Mondays.

I would like to think Fox would keep the show on the air a few weeks to see if word of mouth helps build a slightly healthier cult audience, but it’s a cutthroat ratings environment and I won’t be surprised if it’s benched quickly if the numbers stay this low. (It would take a miracle for the show to make it until sweeps, although stranger things have happened.) Fox has the option of trying to relaunch it on a less treacherous night, but I’m not sure how they get any momentum for that. And where to put it? Fridays? The likelihood of a cable network picking it up is next to nil. FX, the most logical candidate, has a pretty full stable of shows and isn’t in the business of picking up castoffs. And the show doesn’t seem established enough yet to earn a save from DirecTV (although I didn’t see the Damages rescue coming either). With Lone Star, I’m hoping against hope for the best and fearing the worst.

Question: I enjoyed reading the letter and your comments about relationships on shows and the “Moonlighting curse”. So many shows seem to fall into the same tired story line. One show that has been refreshingly different is Warehouse 13. The main characters of Myka and Pete seem to actually enjoy each other’s company. So many shows either have the character flirting with each other, like on Castle, or begrudgingly working together, as in The Mentalist. Myka and Pete almost have a sister-brother relationship that is so different than most other shows. If the show is doing well and comes back for another season, I hope the writers don’t mess up the best aspect of the show. — J.C.

Matt Roush: Totally agree. The characters on Warehouse 13 actually seem to root for each other to be happy with other people. Rarely turns out well, but the show’s young still, and as we learned with Pete and his veterinarian girlfriend, the job tends to get in the way. (And not to worry. Warehouse 13 will be back next year. That’s a no-brainer.) The affection Myka and Pete have for each other is as genuine as their exasperation over their clashing personality traits. Their sparring is part of the fun of the show, and it’s refreshing to not have it be clouded by the question of when they’re going to fall into bed together.

Question: Don’t you just love how on Terriers, they have a happy, healthy couple like Britt & Katie? Sure there is conflict in the relationship, but because the characters are fully fleshed-out people who have different opinions from time to time. Writing is NOT centered on “will they or won’t they”, or how dumb he is/how shrill-bitchy she is. — Liz

Matt Roush: Again, couldn’t agree more. Even when Britt revealed he burglarized Katie before he actually knew her, she eventually took that in stride. Terriers looks at all of its flawed characters with such affection, it’s part of what I admire about this show — and, for that matter, it’s a tone that distinguished Justified, making these my two favorite FX dramas at the moment. But the Britt and Katie relationship is a winner, no question.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

The end of another week is finally here and October is nearly upon us. Where does the time go?

Meanwhile, there is a quite a bit of news to share with all of you:

NEWS

Andrew Lloyd Webber has finally found his Wizard of Oz: Stage legend Michael Crawford — who originated the role of the Phantom in Webber’s Phantom of the Opera 24 years ago — will take on the role as the ruler of Oz in the forthcoming London-based production. This is a rather buzzed-about London production that finds the British Webber producing and writing new songs with regular collaborator Tim Rice. The show’s Dorothy was found via the BBC talent-search show Over the Rainbow. (Variety and Tanner Stransky at Entertainment Weekly)

TELEVISION

As I posted yesterday in a separate item, Lifetime has renewed its two hit show Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva for their fifth and third seasons, respectively, to premiere in 2011, during which 13 all-new episodes of each program will air on the network. (The Futon Critic)

The CW has ordered 6 more scripts for both their new show Hellcats and long-running series One Tree Hill. (The Futon Critic)

Marc Blucas (Buffy) has landed the lead role opposite Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) in the USA Network pilot Necessary Roughness, which centers on a female shrink (Thorne) who becomes the therapist for a professional football team. After succeeding beyond expectations, she is sought after by other athletes, musicians, politicians, and those living in the spotlight who all want her unique brand of tough-love therapy. Blucas will play the team’s hunky trainer and a romantic foil for Thorne. (Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Victor Garber (Alias and Eli Stone) has joined the USA Network pilot A Legal Mind as a senior lawyer (Twitter)

Summer Glau (Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has signed on to guest star in Chuck as one of the many versions of Greta, the Buy More’s rotating undercover agent. She will appear in the eighth episode. Other upcoming Gretas include Stacy Keibler and Isaiah Mustafa. Olivia Munn originated the role in Monday’s season premiere. Glau will next appear opposite David Lyons in the NBC midseason drama The Cape. (Michael Auseillo at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Courteney Cox and David Arquette are reportedly close to landing a new drama at ABC centering on the stories of 911 operators. No other details were given. (The Futon Critic)

CONDOLENCES

1950s pop singer Eddie Fisher (and father of Star Wars alum Carrie Fisher) passed away last night from complications related to hip surgery at the age of 82. Fisher was married to well-known actresses Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor and Connie Stevens during his lifetime, creating one of the biggest romantic scandals when in 1959 he left then wife (and America’s sweetheart) Debbie Reynolds to marry Elizabeth Taylor. He was also the father of Tricia Leigh Fisher and actress Joely Fisher. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

ME: Consider Fisher and his scandal just like that of Brad Pitt leaving Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie. Only imagine it 10 times bigger than the coverage that scandal received and you’ll just touch on how big that scandal was at the time.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Chloe Moretz (Let Me In and Hit Girl) will take the lead role of Emily the Strange in the adaptation of the cult fave Dark Horse comic series of the same name. (Deadline and First Showing)

Kimberly Peirce (Director of Boys Don’t Cry and Stop-Loss) has been chosen by Universal Pictures to direct Wicked Lovely, the adaptation of the first book in the best-selling young adult fantasy series by Melissa Marr. The film centers on a teenage girl, Aislinn, who has seen dangerous faeries her entire life and must go against everything she was taught to confront a world she was raised to fear. (Nicole Sperling at Entertainment Weekly)

Former Veronica Mars star, Kristen Bell, has told The Hollywood Reporter that she would self-finance a feature film version of her dearly departed noir drama IF Warner Bros. would release the rights to Veronica Mars. At this point, though, Warner Bros. feels they will not make any money out of a film version and will not release the movie rights. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter and Televisionary)

Emma Watson (Harry Potter franchise) is in negotiations to join the box office movie My Week With Marilyn, which is based on a diary by Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a young actor who worked for Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) when the veteran actor shepherded Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) around London while she shot The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. Clark and Marilyn shared many confidences and became close despite her recent marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. Emma will play Lucy, a wardrobe assistant working behind the scenes during the making of the film who has a few dates with Clark. Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia), Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench (among others) co-star. (The Daily Mail and Dark Horizons)

Warner Bros. has snapped up a sci-fi spec script dubbed Expulsion by mystery writer Gregg Hurwitz and set it up with Brad Weston. The story centers on a small band of survivors escaping to a planet beyond the solar system after a terrorist attack destroys Earth. (Dave McNary at Variety)

Billy Zane (Titanic) is to produce and direct the project Photismos (the working title) [which means illumination] is about the relationship between a young man and his uncle and will touch on philosophy, theology, Pythagoras’ theories, geometry….and Frisbees. (Nick Holdsworth at Variety)

AJ Michalka (Secretariat) has joined the cast of the J.J. Abrams movie Super 8, which includes cast members Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard. (Brian Warmoth at MTV Movies Blog)

Pixar has named its first female director, Brenda Chapman, to direct and write the animated film Brave, which is due out in June 2012. The story follows Merida, a tomboyish royal with a love of archery. After a fight with her mom, Merida makes a decision with some major repercussions for her father’s kingdom. Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, and Julie Walters are all expected to provide voices for the film. (The Hollywood Reporter and Breia Brissey at Entertainment Weekly)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Must Watch: Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech Official Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific weekend!

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Hey All,

Another big night of TV is coming up tonight with new episodes of The Vampire Diaries and Nikita on the CW as well as the returns of Bones and Fringe on FOX and CSI and The Mentalist on CBS. There is also the debut of the new show My Generation and the returns of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice all on ABC. Enjoy the viewing.

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

TELEVISION

Jon Seda (The Pacific and Homicide: Life on the Street) has joined the cast of the HBO drama Treme as a series regular, playing a politically connected developer and venture capitalist from Dallas, who becomes involved in the renewal efforts in post-Katrina New Orleans. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Jason Wiles (Third Watch and Persons Unknown) will guest star on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in an upcoming episode. (Robyn Ross at TV Guide)

Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) will guest star in at least one upcoming episode of The Big Bang Theory as an FBI agent assigned to conduct a background check on Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) when he needs high-level clearance for a new project. (Matt Mitovich at Fancast)

Showtime has officially announced the debut date for their new shows Shameless and Episodes as well as the return of Californication. All three shows will air on January 9, starting at 9 PM with Californication followed by Episodes and Shameless closing the night at 10 PM. (Showtime and Televisionary)

Serina Swan (Smallville) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Supernatural, playing a news reporter chronicling an unsettling series of suicides. She is to appear in the fourth episode of the new season, which returns starting tomorrow night. (Matt Mitovich at Fancast and Televisionary)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE

Jacqueline Bisset will star in the Hallmark Channel movie An Old Fashioned Christmas on December 11 at 8 PM, reprising her role of Isabella Crawford in this sequel to the movie An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving that came out in 2008. This sequel continues the narrative of Isabella (Bisset) and Tilly (Catherine Steadman of The Tudors) traveling the globe so the wealthy grandmother can teach her talented writer/granddaughter the nuances of character development and refined living. (The Futon Critic)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The new development projects by J.J. Abrams have been picked up. His Alcatraz project, which he is working on with Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost) has been picked up as a pilot by FOX. The show is about the mysteries and secrets of the most infamous prison of all time. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Meanwhile, his yet-to-be-named Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn (both stars on Lost) series has been given a pilot commitment by ABC. (Vulture)

The new pilot Exit Strategy from Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the men behind Fringe and the new Hawaii Five-0) has received a pilot commitment from FOX. The series is described as a high octane procedural set in the world of CIA agents who are sent in to “fix” operations gone bad. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

A period racing drama called Kings of Speed is being developed for the cable station Starz by Wolfgang Petersen and Ron Shelton. This will potentially be a ten-hour limited series focusing on the international automobile racing circuit of the 1950s and 19960s, Enzo Ferrari, and the underground car culture of Southern California. (Variety and Televisionary)

BOX OFFICE

Elizabeth Banks has joined the cast of the crime thriller Man on a Ledge, starring Sam Worthington as a cop falsely imprisoned who escapes after being let out for his father’s funeral and stands on a hotel ledge threatening suicide. At the same time his brother (Jamie Bell) plans the heist of a jewelry store across the street while his brother’s actions are keeping everyone occupied. Banks will play the NYPD crisis negotiator who tries to talk the cop, with whom she has a past relationship, down from his precarious perch. (Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS

Check Out the Newest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer!

Watch: ‘Mrs. Peppercorn’s Magical Reading Room’ Early Teaser

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

Question: I think you’ve been a little stingy with The Vampire Diaries scoop. How about some enlightenment? —Robin

Ausiello: How about some casting scoop? She Spies alum (and season 7 American Idol almost-finalist) Natashia Williams has landed the role of Lucy, a mysterious hipster who possesses a fun swagger.

Question: Castle scoop, please? —Ellen

Ausiello: Scrubs: Med School alum Michael Mosley will be guest-starring in an episode tentatively scheduled to air in November. No details on who he’s playing, though.

Question: Okay, so in order for me to make it ’till Thursday, I need some Grey’s Anatomy scoop—specifically on Mer/Der. —Olivia

Ausiello: By the time Meredith tells Derek about her pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage in next week’s episode, she will have kept both secrets for a grand total of three months. Why wait so long? “The man was shot and he’s already feeling [responsible] for getting a bunch of people killed,” explains series creator Shonda Rhimes. “So for her to tell him that the shooting also caused her miscarriage seems a little bit cruel. He doesn’t need one more thing to worry about.” Makes sense to me!

Question: I’d love a little Grey’s Anatomy scoopbit. —Christine

Ausiello: Yet another Buffy grad is checking into Seattle Grace. Amber Benson (ex-Tara) will guest star in this season’s seventh episode as the estranged daughter of one of Cristina’s patients.

Question: Any scoop on Ziva’s storyline on NCIS? —Jennifer

Ausiello: During November sweeps, Ziva “comes face-to-face with her father for the first time since her return from Israel,” reveals exec producer Shane Brennan. “It’s an emotion-charged reunion in a two-part episode that also reveals much about the enigmatic Eli David and one of the other team members.”

Question: I am just wondering about NCIS: Los Angeles and the status of Peter Cambor and his character Nate; in the premiere episode he’s only listed as a special guest star. What’s going on? —Kevin

Ausiello: You’ll get your answer in next week’s episode.

Question: A Brothers & Sisters scoop ahead of this weekend’s season premiere? —Kelly

Ausiello: Justin the golden child will replace Justin the hothead screw-up this season. “Justin returns from Afghanistan a very different Justin,” reveals exec producer David Marshall Grant. “We all felt that it was time for him to grow up. He becomes a much (stronger) and a much more helpful force in the Walker family. I don’t think Justin is going to be the problem anymore as much as he might be the solution.”

Question: I’m a Charice fan and was wondering when we’ll see her again on Glee? —Mauruce

Ausiello: Probably not until after Sectionals in January. That girl’s got pipes to spare!

Question: What can you tell us about the 200th episode of Smallville. Rumor has it there is going to be a major Clois moment in that episode. —Lisa

Ausiello: I can confirm that the final shot in the episode will drive Clois fans bonkers. I can also confirm that Kristin Kreuk will make a cameo appearance… sort of. The landmark episode contains a Lana flashback.

Question: Is there any news at all about the Pushing Daisies comic books? —Eric

Ausiello: Here’s an update from Bryan Fuller himself: “Issue no. 1 will hopefully be out in early 2011, issue no. 2 is being colored as we speak, and issue no. 3 is being written. Our Emmy-Award winning composer Jim Dooley and I have been talking about giving the audience a multi-media experience with the comic—specifically a score. We have no idea whether we can actually afford to do an actual Pushing Daisies comic soundtrack (because the cast has agreed to sing songs and those licensing fees are expensive), but Jim has already started composing musical cues that we will either release officially or stream for free online when the comic book is published. I’ve already heard the track for Lee Pace’s cover and it’s fantastic.”

Question: How about a Friday Night Lights spoiler? —Steve

Ausiello: In the fifth episode of the new season, the wife of a college TA screams the following words in a crowded library: “Julie Taylor is a whore!”

Question: I just saw the premiere of The Event, and it was so good! Do you have any scoops? —Marie-Eve

Ausiello: I just watched next week’s episode and was completely satisfied with both the quality and quantity of the answers we got. In addition to learning what happened to the plane and its inhabitants, we find out what turned Scott Patterson into the pilot from hell and who exactly The Others (a.k.a. Laura Innes & Co.) are. Bonus scoops: A rather pivotal character from the premiere is murdered and someone else is not who he/she claims to be.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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