Hey All,
Here are the news items for today:
TELEVISION
Actress Diane Neal (Law & Order: SVU) will have a recurring role on the upcoming Starz drama called Power that is about wealthy New York City nightclub owner James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), who is living a double life. When he is not in the club, he is the kingpin of NYC’s most lucrative drug networks for a very high-level clientele. Neal will play the polished, professional and hyper-intelligent Cynthia Sheridan, who works for Vogue magazine and is also working with Ghost and his club to host a blowout party for her boss. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actress Serinda Swan (Graceland) will guest star in an upcoming episode of The Tomorrow People. She will play Cassandra “Cassie” Smythe, a bank-robbing paranormal who is the most powerful breakout on the planet. She becomes the object of Stephen’s (series lead Robbie Amell) fascination when he learns they share a psychic connection similar to the bond he experienced with Cara (series regular Peyton List). But when Stephen discovers Cassie’s connection to the Founder, he realizes her agenda may be more complicated than he first believed. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
The Sundance Channel is developing a new prime-time drama series called Cold Dead Hands, a family drama that will be set against the backdrop of the National Rifle Association, centering on the fictional and polarizing head of the NRA, Trip Thibodeaux, swirling around him both at work and at home. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team from E! Online, Natalie Abrams and Adam Bryant at TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Question: Maybe it’s just me, but I love Aiden and Emily together on Revenge! Please tell me they will be OK when the show returns! – Hilary
TV Scoop Team: Well, Emily getting shot has kind of ruined the hot Brit’s plans, so expect some major drama for the couple in January. “His future’s just been upended and Emily’s going to have to stay in the Hamptons for a little bit, and it’s confusing to him,” boss Sunil Nayar spills. Plus, a blast from his past could pose a threat to their love. “There’s another great introduction into the nature of the Aiden back-story that sort of takes him into the future that shakes things up between him and Emily, too,” he previews.
Question: I don’t want to wait until March for more Once Upon a Time, I need some scoop now! – Bethany
TV Scoop Team: Spinoff, ahoy! We’ve seen the magical Once Upon a Time spinoff in Wonderland, but wouldn’t it be fun to take a deeper peak at the dark and dangerous world of Neverland? Robbie Kay, who plays the mischievous Peter Pan, certainly thinks so! “That is certainly an amazing prospect. If the opportunity were to arise, I would love to pursue that opportunity,” the actor spills. “I mean that would be a brilliant concept as a show, especially as Wonderland has been doing relatively well. So Neverland as a realm could certainly have a lot of exploration. It’s a very expansive environment, so that would be very, very interesting.”
Question: Oliver and Felicity have to get together on Arrow, right? Right?! – Valeria
TV Scoop Team: “Oliver isn’t quite sure what he feels. Like he knows he feels something for her, but he can’t quite define it,” Andrew Kreisberg explains. “For Felicity, she doesn’t want to like Oliver in a way, because she finds him unattainable. And, in a way, he is unattainable.” But he says Barry, and Felicity’s flirtations with him, “has a profound impact” on the couple, that will play out over the rest of the season. Translation: Prepare for a lot more Olicity goodness.
Question: Cannot believe I have to wait until February for a new episode of Scandal. I don’t know how I will survive. Maybe some scoop can keep me going? – Jacqui
TV Scoop Team: Oh, we see what you did there. Well played, reader. Well played. You can expect to see Cyrus and Leo (guest star Paul Adelstein) to battle it out over Sally Langston in the new year. “Leo is already ridiculously formidable for Cyrus. It’s like this guy is no joke. He is a scary, smart mercenary. He is so scary, he is so damn smart, he pisses Cyrus off, I’ll tell you that,” Jeff Perry teases, adding that there is “no question” they will be duking it out for control of Sally. “Cyrus and Leo are going to be butting heads.”
Question: Obsessed is an understatement for me when it comes to Reign. I demand scoop on what’s next for Mary! – Jared
TV Scoop Team: Oh, just her mother Marie de Guise (played by Amy Brenneman) coming back into her life and throwing her “off-kilter,” Adelaide Kane says. “Her character’s kind of delicious and sort of Catherine-esque in her manipulations,” she previews. “Where Catherine uses her children, she still ultimately loves them and wants their happiness. With Marie de Guise, she does use Mary, and it’s questionable whether or not she’s emotionally invested in Mary’s emotional well-being.”
Question: Do you know who the mole is on The Blacklist? —Dominic
NATALIE: When the NBC drama returns, everyone who was in attendance during Garrick’s incursion on the black site will be a suspect, and a familiar face will end up on Red’s hit list. See, he’s determined to avenge Luli’s death, taking down anyone and everyone who was involved in the raid.
Question: With more and more people finding out about Emily’s identity and shadiness, is this the beginning of the end for her and Revenge? — Sarah
NATALIE: Definitely not! “Surprisingly, there’s so much story left to tell and one of the things the finale helped do is change the nature of how we can do [those stories],” executive producer Sunil Nayar says. “Definitely one of the things we’re talking about is that Emily needs a measure of success by season’s end, just so we understand she is good at what she does.”
Question: Do you have any scoop on Nyssa al Ghul’s arrival on Arrow? — Tricia
NATALIE: Interestingly enough, Arrow’s version of Nyssa (Katrina Law), who is sent to hunt down Sara Lance, will be similar to her sister Talia al Ghul. “She’s the next wave of the League of Assassins that comes to Starling City,” explains executive producer Andrew Kreisberg. “She’s certainly exotic, beautiful and smart. She has some interesting secrets as well.” (Fun fact: Law almost landed the role of Shado, but because she’d share so many scenes with Manu Bennett, they thought it would be Spartacus overkill.)
Question: Got any scoop on the Pretty Little Liars premiere? — Rachelle
NATALIE: Ezra is acting extra-creepy now that we know he’s probably “A.” For example, he’s very tellingly teaching his students about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Meanwhile, when the girls focus on who is in the grave (since Ali isn’t) they’re led to a story eerily similar to their own.
Question: Any scoop on The Fosters? — Jeannie
NATALIE: The premiere will pick up immediately after the finale, but the family won’t realize that Callie is actually gone. As soon as they do, Lena and Stef immediately set out to locate her, coming thisclose to finding her when she eludes them once again. Alone, scared and on the run late at night, Callie takes drastic measures in the final minutes of the hour to find shelter — even if that means getting arrested in the process.
Question: I need some Justified scoop! — Brandon
ADAM: The Season 5 premiere is a very bloody affair, especially when Boyd and his new partner Wynn Duffy have to make a trip to Detroit to settle a beef about a drug shipment gone wrong. On a lighter note, Raylan’s living arrangements get a serious upgrade (bye-bye, barroom) and he and Winona share a very nice moment. But Raylan’s happiness might be fleeting, especially when Art begins digging into exactly how Nicky Augustine met his demise last season.
Question: Watching the Carrie and Quinn scene at the end of Homeland‘s Season 3 finale has me wondering — are they going to be a thing next season? —Fyeah
Ausiello: I put that exact question to showrunner Alex Gansa on Monday and he didn’t rule it out. “I think if there is romantic energy between them it’s at a very nascent state,” he said. “Carrie’s emotions have been engaged elsewhere, so it’s unclear how she feels about him. I think it’s pretty clear how he feels about her. But whether Carrie Mathison is going to be emotionally available for a romantic entanglement is another question entirely.”
Question: Would love to know if Mandy Patinkin will remain a series regular for Season 4 of Homeland. —Nicole
Ausiello: He will. As Gansa all but confirmed to me, Carrie will likely recruit Saul (now a private contractor) to work with her in Istanbul. “As she mentioned to Sen. Lockhart, she gets to choose her own people,” the EP noted. “So Quinn, Fara… Virgil and possibly Max may come along with her. We get to bring some of our familiar faces overseas.”
Question: Any scoop yet on a McGee-centric episode of NCIS? –Barb
Ausiello: Let’s see if this qualifies: In the first episode back from the holiday break, titled “Kill Chain” and airing Jan. 7, McGee’s girlfriend “Delilah gets really involved in the case, and her and McGee’s relationship moves along a bit further,” show boss Gary Glasberg shares. Of actress Margo Harshman’s latest encore, he adds, “I’ve been thrilled to have her and we’ve got some exciting things planned for her and that relationship continuing this season. It feels real to us and we’re having a good time with it.”
Question: How much longer will I have to watch Nashville‘s Deacon be with Megan (or anyone who’s not Rayna)? –Jen
Ausiello: I think you’re going to like what showrunner Dee Johnson recently said on the subject. After allowing that lawyer Megan has “been good for him” and that Rayna’s ex “is working really hard to be healthy emotionally,” Johnson noted, “We can’t ignore the fact that Deacon and Rayna are connected in the deepest possible way. No matter what we do, that’s always going to be an undercurrent.”
Question: Can you use your considerable pull in the industry to make sure that Nick is shirtless and running on a treadmill on Grimm a lot more in the future? –Ryan
Ausiello: Would that I could, but this’ll have to do instead: In the second half of the NBC drama’s season, Nick will “have to go from being the student to being the teacher,” executive producer David Greenwalt says. “He’ll be passing on some of the information he’s learned – but we can’t tell you to whom.”
Question: You told us that another horseman is coming to Sleepy Hollow, and I want to know which one it is. –Ann
Ausiello: When TVLine chatted with executive producer Roberto Orci and asked that very question, he replied, “This means war.” So… can he tell us which one it is? “I just did,” the sly series co-creator responded. Maybe that’s what Moloch meant in last week’s episode when he warned, “When you know my meaning, war will take form”?
Question: Belle is one of my favorites on Once Upon A Time and I’m really disappointed in how little we’ve seen of her in the first half of Season 3. Please tell me she’ll have a bigger role in the second half! Will she at least have her own -centric episode? —Tara
Ausiello: I’m going to venture yes on getting a new Belle flashback, seeing as for Episode 15 the show is casting an “uppity,” “know-it-all” servant who must, repeat must, have a French accent. The character also is named “Lawrence,” which, I must observe, starts with the same letter as “Lumiere.”
Question: Two Once Upon a Time questions, pretty please! Rumple can’t really be dead, right? And is the Wicked Witch really the Black Fairy? –Ashley
Ausiello: Second things first: Sources say it’s unlikely that Rebecca Mader’s iconic villainess is also the Black Fairy who got name-checked in the midseason finale. As for Rumplestiltskin’s fate, I’ll remind you of what the Once creators told us a few weeks back, as they measured their words carefully. “To the Rumbellers out there, we hope that you enjoy what we have in store. In the second half of the season, they are going to be in the same world for an extended period of time,” Adam Horowitz said. Eddy Kitsis then added, “The second half of the season will further explore their relationship – in whatever state that is.”
Question: I’m loving Barry Allen on Arrow. Will we see him again in later episodes? –J
Ausiello: Although Allen’s originally planned third appearance, in Episode 20, has been scrapped in favor of filming an actual pilot for The Flash, EP Andrew Kreisberg says, “What happened in Central City at the end of [the fall finale] was certainly big news,” as the STAR Labs particle accelerator went haywire and ultimately zapped Barry unconscious. Kreisberg though stops short of guaranteeing an on-screen Arrow mention, explaining, “Right now, we’re focusing hard on writing the Flash pilot and breaking the rest of the season of Arrow. But hopefully there will be some synchronicity between the two [shows], in anticipation of getting to see more of Grant [Gustin] and The Flash.”
Question: Revenge has had such a turnaround this season. It is good again! I need some scoop…I can’t wait until January! —Kelsey
Ausiello: This Just In: Margaux’s billionaire media-magnate father is Hamptons-bound. The oft-referred-to-but-never-seen character, whose five-episode arc kicks off this spring, is being described as a cross between Rupert Murdoch and Cary Grant. And he apparently has unfinished business with the Graysons. “He has a competitive history with Conrad and a deep-rooted sexual tension with Victoria,” reads the casting notice, which calls for an actor in his 50s.
That’s it. Enjoy!
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