Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

There was a lot of news, of course, while I was on vacation last week and here it all is:

TELEVISION

Actress Stephanie Jacobsen (Battlestar Galactica) will appear in the new mid-season CW series Star-Crossed, playing Eva, a charismatic biology teacher at Marshall High School, who has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Atrians (aliens) and who is sympathetic to their cause. She quickly becomes a favorite among human and Atrian students alike. (Zap2It)

Actor Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) will lend his voice to the new CW series The Tomorrow People. He will voice TIM, an artificially intelligent mentor who helps the team of kids with special abilities that are the focus of this remake of the UK original. (Give Me My Remote)

Actor William Atherton (Die Hard) and actress Anna Hopkins (Human Trafficking) have joined the cast of Defiance. Atherton will play Viceroy Mercado, a jaded, Earth Republic official while Hopkins will play a documentarian Jessica “Berlin” Rai. (The Futon Critic)

True Blood will air its final season in 2014. (The Futon Critic)

Actor Elias Koteas (The Killing) has joined the cast of the new, upcoming NBC spin-off series Chicago PD, playing Alvin Olinsky, a longtime undercover detective in the Intelligence Unit. (The Futon Critic)

Actor Jason O’Mara (Vegas and Terra Nova) will have a recurring role on The Good Wife this fall, playing Colin, a wild-eyed Irish attorney who has spent a decade successfully defending gang members and crime families. Now he’s looking for a home at a corporate law firm like Lockhart/Gardner where he clashes with the more conservative culture. (Deadline)

TV TRAILER

Hot TV Trailer: Downton Abbey Season 4

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

ABC is developing the drama called Saga about a family of fans of a J.K. Rowling-esque writer who discover she’s been kidnapped into the very real world of her books and attempt to rescue her. (Deadline)

HBO is developing a pilot called Westworld from Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest) and Lisa Joy (Burn Notice) based on the Michael Crichton 1973 movie that is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin. (Deadline)

Actors Christopher Egan (Letters to Juliet) and Alan Dale (Lost) have been cast in the Syfy supernatural drama pilot called Dominion based on characters from the 2010 box office film Legion. The project will be set 25 years after the events of the movie, picking up in the aftermath of a catastrophic war between an army of angels and mankind that has transformed the world. Set against a backdrop of the ultimate celestial battle as it touches down on earth, the series follows the perilous journey of Alex Lannen (Egan), a rebellious young soldier who discovers he’s the unlikely savior of humanity. Dale will play Rysen, the general who led the humans to victory against the angels during the Extermination War. (Deadline)

Actress Jennifer Finnigan (Monday Mornings) will play the female lead in the FX drama pilot called Tyrant that will tell the story of an unassuming American family — Barry (Adam Rayner); his strong, smart and idealistic wife Molly (Finnigan); and their kids Emma (Anne Winters) and Sammy (Noah Silver) — drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle East nation. (Deadline)

Actress Samantha Mathis (Under the Dome) has joined the cast of the AMC drama pilot Line of Sight that tells the story of Lewis Bernt (David Morrissey), a National Transportation Safety Board investigator who survives a mysterious plane crash, bringing him on an emotionally disorienting quest to discover the accident’s cause. Mathis will play Tony’s (Kai Lennox) wife. (Deadline)

No Way Back, a drama project based on the 2013 mystery/thriller novel by best-selling author Andrew Gross, has landed at ABC. The series centers on two women who join forces and embark on a dangerous odyssey to find the truth and save their lives. One is a suburban mother and ex-cop, whose chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends when the man is murdered and she’s the only witness. The other is a young woman from Mexico who has a deadly secret that has driven her into hiding until she can prove her innocence. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) and actress Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) have been cast in the lead roles of Fifty Shades of Grey. (Deadline)

Here are the top 10 box office films from last holiday weekend courtesy of Deadline:

1. The Butler – 20 million
2. One Direction: This Is Us 3D – 18 million
3. We’re The Millers – 16.3 million
4. Planes 3D – 10.5 million
5. Instructions Not Included – 10.3 million
6. Elysium – 8.2 million
7. The Mortal Instruments – 6.8 million
8. The World’s End – 6.5 million
9. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters – 5.9 million
10. Getaway – 5.5 million

Actor Bradley Copper (Silver Linings Playbook) has joined the voice cast of the upcoming box office animated film Guardians Of The Galaxy. He will lend his voice to the character Rocket Raccoon, a furry gun-toting hero. The voice cast includes Chris Pratt, Benicio Del Toro, Zoe Saldana, Glenn Close, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker and John C. Reilly. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All

Here are the news items for today, few though they are:

TELEVISION

There is good and bad news coming from the cable network A&E: they are renewing Longmire for a third season, but they are canceling The Glades after four season and a whopper of a cliffhanger episode. (John Covney, Executive Producer of the show via Twitter and Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Former Chuck alums (behind the scenes) Matt Miller and Zev Borow are developing a cop/family drama pilot for FOX called Bad Guys that will center on Lea Morris, a NYPD detective and a single mom raising a teenage son, and her dad Nalin Morris, a recently paroled ex-con who wants a second chance with his daughter and a first with his grandson. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Cinemax is developing another drama project called Blanco that will center on an uptown gangster who uses his status as a confidential informant to turn the tables on law enforcement and build his criminal empire. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a terrific holiday weekend.

PS: I’ll be on vacation next week so there won’t be any updates until September 9.

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Hey All,

TELEVISION

Actress Lisa Kudrow (Friends) will have a recurring role on Scandal, playing a character named Shelley Meyers, who is a powerful and smart politician. Scandal returns to ABC on October 3. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Michiel Huisman (Nashville) has joined the cast of Game of Thrones in an as-yet unidentified role. Game of Thrones will return to HBO sometime in 2014. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) will have a major recurring role in the DirecTV series Rogue, playing Marlene, a fallen from grace FBI agent who butts heads with Grace (Thandie Newton). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

France and Sony Pictures Television Network have renewed Crossing Lines, the international series that aired on NBC this summer starring William Fichtner, Donald Sutherland, Marc Lavoine, Tom Wlaschiha, Gabriella Pession and Richard Flood; but, there is no word yet on whether NBC will pick it up for airing here in the States or not. (TVSeriesFinale.com)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has ordered a drama pilot called Hoke that will star Paul Giamatti. The dark comedy is based on the Charles Willeford series of novels, centering on Hoke Moseley (Giamatti), a hard-boiled and possibly insane homicide detective in 1985 Miami. (AJ Marechal at Variety)

Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is working on his next project, the as-yet untitled Les Miserables-themed FOX pilot that will take a contemporary look at the story as a primetime soap about a brilliant lawyer running a legal exoneration program who fights to evade the consequences of his own unjust conviction many years before. He must navigate high society, continue his mission of saving innocent people, and manage his tumultuous family and romantic life all while staying one step ahead of a ruthless U.S. Attorney who refuses to let the ghosts of the past die. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor James Spader (the star of this fall’s The Blacklist) has been cast as Ultron in the upcoming The Avengers sequel. (Dominic Patten at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team at E! Online)

Question: If I could I would move to Bluebell and never ever leave! What’s coming up on my beloved Hart of Dixie this season? – Dani Bree

TV Scoop Team: We recently chatted with the lovely Kaitlyn Black and she exclusively told us that AnnaBeth and Zoe are going to get super close—like braid each other’s hair close. “Yes there will definitely be a stronger relationship between the two of them and we will get to see lots of AB/Zoe shenanigans,” she says. So does this mean that AB and Lemon’s Belle bond is broken? Black explains, “Zoe is not taking the place of Lemon but with Zoe being very close to Lavon and AB being in love with Lavon they definitely get to hang out with each other quite a bit more.”

INSIDE SCOOP (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Question: Will Once Upon a Time explain how Mulan and Aurora helped Philip get his soul back from the wraith, before they found an injured Baelfire? –JJ

Mitovich: In a word, kinda. “We’ll hint at it, but we probably aren’t going to show that [back]story for a while,” says co-creator Eddy Kitsis. For one, it’s not like Neal has reason to raise it as a conversation topic. But more importantly, Kitsis explains, “One of the things about Season 3 is we’ve really tried to focus on the core characters, including the six people on that boat and Neal. We do eventually want to get to that [Philip/wraith] story, but we’re coming out of the gate with the people on that boat.”

Question: Is there any way that Once Upon a Time‘s Ariel and Regina already met? Assuming that the “certain mermaid” Regina referred to in Episode 1×12, “Skin Deep,” was Ariel? –Mirza

Mitovich: I suspect you are onto something, though co-creator Adam Horowitz will only say that “we might” flash back to that aforementioned encounter during JoAnna Garcia’s turn as the Little Mermaid.

Question: Last year, OUAT ran a one-hour special to recap the season before the new season starts. Do you know if they will be doing that again? –Bernadette

Mitovich: Yes, they shall. Once Upon a Time: Journey to Neverland will air Sunday, Sept. 29 at 7/6c, leading into the Season 3 opener.

Question: Can you give us any hints on how Deeks’ mom will come into play this season on NCIS: Los Angeles? –Anna

Mitovich: Actually, somewhat interestingly, she won’t – meaning, I hear that at this time there are no plans to introduce her. (This topic, on which I have received multiple reader emails, is apparently the result of some game of “Telephone.” Sorry!)

Question: On NCIS: LA, will we learn more about Callen’s past? –Molly F.

Mitovich: Oh yes. As show runner Shane Brennan shared with me, “You know that little tea tin sitting on the mantle in Callen’s house, filled with little pieces of his past, pieces of that jigsaw? Well, he adds another very significant piece of the puzzle to that box” early this season. “It’s incredibly emotional.”

Question: Have you heard anything yet about Oded Fehr’s “secret” Covert Affairs return date? – Jo

Mitovich: A) It’s still a secret, because B) Eyal’s appearance is designed to catch you – as well as Annie – quite off guard. Teasing the encore, Piper Perabo told me, “Something happens, a door opens and it’s him — and when this door opens, you are not thinking about him at all. There is no reason he should even know where she is.” In fact, Perabo says she was slightly distracted when first reading that script, and thus was startled herself to see Eyal pop into frame! “It’s so shocking when he appears,” she reiterates. “For me to be reading one of the scripts and be so like, ‘W-w-what?’ is really fun.”

Question: Any info on the remaining Graceland episodes? –Hayley

Mitovich: Only on, like, you know, the season finale, which airs Sept. 12 and finds Jangles taking a resident of Graceland hostage. The rest of the house thus must band together to (hopefully) rescue one of their own.

Question: Do you have any scoop on Haven? Will Nathan and Audrey be reunited early in the season? –Stephanie

Mitovich: Early might be stretching it. Granted, I’ve only seen the season premiere thus far, but there are obstacles a-plenty standing in the way of them finding each other. For one, Nathan is kinda persona non grata, having fled town after his acts in the finale failed to do squat. (Jordan, for one, is very much not a fan of his now.) Secondly, Audrey doesn’t believe she needs to be “found,” wherever she now is. In fact, she seems pretty content just kicking back and schmoozing Colin Ferguson’s charming mystery man.

Question: Any word on whether NCIS will bring back family members of the team? And if so, do you happen to know which? –Daniel

Mitovich: Thus far, both Ralph Waite and Robert Wagner are likely (though not double-secret confirmed) to again play pop to Gibbs and DiNozzo, respectively.

Question: Is there a 100-percent chance that Monroe’s son is revealed during Revolution Season 2? –Jack

Mitovich: Definitely 97 percent, I’d say. Series creator Eric Kripke tells us that while that reveal will be “a slow burn,” “It does become a storyline this season” – one that offers “some twists and turns” along the way.

Question: Robert Sean Leonard was great (although almost unrecognizable) on Falling Skies. Any word if he he’ll return in Season 4? –Sue

Mitovich: Yes, RSL was almost unrecognizable, and yes, at this early stage, he is confirmed to appear in at least one episode of the upcoming season.

Question: Is there any hope that King & Maxwell gets renewed for a second season? I was just getting to know everyone! –Susan

Mitovich: Show boss Shane Brennan says he hopes to get the good word next month – “perhaps in early September” – about any possible Season 2, adding: “Fingers crossed!”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Zeljko Ivanek (Damages, Heroes and Big Love) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Revolution this fall, playing Dr. Calvin Horn, a meticulous and deeply curious scientist. Revolution will be back on NBC on September 25. (Sadie Gennis at TV Guide)

Actor Brendan Hines (Lie to Me and Scandal) will have a recurring role on the new fall series Betrayal, playing Aidan, a wine representative. Betrayal will debut on ABC on September 29. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Todd Stashwick (Supernatural and Heroes) will have a recurring role on The Originals, playing Father Kieran, a tortured Priest with a dark past. The Originals will debut on October 3 on The CW. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC is developing a new hour-long series called Outbreak with former ER executive producers John Wells and Jack Orman. This project will be based on the 1995 feature film that is a medical thriller, following an ensemble of characters as they race to contain a lethal virus before it becomes a global pandemic. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

FOX is developing a drama project from writer John Scott Shepherd (creator of the short-lived NBC comedy Save Me) called Broken Girl that will focus on emotionally damaged Trish Derring who, after she loses the man she saw as her last hope for happiness, decides she has nothing left to live for only to discover she’s literally invincible. Blending elements of Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Unbreakable, this project follows an anti-heroine who must live with a body that has become both her fortress and her cage. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor David Morrissey (The Walking Dead) has been cast in the lead role for the AMC drama pilot Line of Sight that is about Lewis Bernt, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board who survives a mysterious plane crash and becomes obsessed with finding out what caused it. (Liz Raftery at TV Guide and Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) has joined the cast of the upcoming Bible drama Exodus from Ridley Scott that is already set to star Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. Paul will play Joshua, the Hebrew slave who leads the people into the promised land after Moses. (First Showing)

Actor Allen Leech, who plays Sybil’s Irish husband on Downton Abbey, is in talks to co-star with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley in the upcoming biopic called The Imitation Game. Turing (to be played by Cumberbatch) was responsible for cracking the German Enigma Code during World War II that helped the Allies stave off defeat, and who would later be prosecuted for being a homosexual. Leech plays a Scottish spy who worked with the Soviets to plot against Turing. (Vulture and Dark Horizons)

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

Question: What’s going to happen to Henry on Once Upon a Time? — Melanie

NATALIE: Though the Charmings and their foes are working together to rescue Henry, the real question you may want to ask yourself is what happens to Henry if and when they do save him? Does he go home with Emma, Snow and Charming? Or does the Evil Queen have other ideas about his future? First, though, they’ll have to figure out why Peter Pan even wants Henry. “In the first few episodes, you’re going to start realizing what he wants Henry for, but like any good mystery, you won’t know the whole picture until you watch the whole 11 episodes,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says.

Question: Any Vampire Diaries scoop on Damon and Elena? — Kayla

ADAM: For once they’ll be happy. But their bliss will be foiled — yet again! — by Katherine, who’ll be back to meddle in everyone’s lives. Although Damon says that he’s over her, what will Elena — who’s now off at college — think when she learns that Damon and Katherine have been bunking together at Chez Salvatore all summer long?

Question: Are there any Beauty and the Beast Spoilers? –Viv

Ausiello: I foresee a helper… and a headache. The show is currently casting the guest-starring roles of Zach, a cocky former soldier who uses a reunion with an old friend (perhaps Vincent?) for vengeance (against, perhaps, Muirfield?), and Beth, a high school pal of Cat’s who is now the hard-charging producer at a news station — suggesting to me that she’ll be the next one to get wind of the beasts now in our midst.

Question: Can you please keep us updated with the latest on Beauty and the Beast? It will be much appreciated! –Carol

Ausiello: Speak of the devil, here is the very, very latest: I can exclusively report that Bryan Dechart (Jane By Design) will debut in Episode 4 as Aaron Keller, a relative of Vincent’s (!) who is a street-smart arson investigator prone to being a (ahem) “hot” head. Hailing from a family of firefighters, Aaron is desperate to make his mark. And there you have the very latest!

Question: Can we look forward to any substantial Snow/Emma scenes in Once Upon a Time Season 3? Also, is Snow finally going to get back to her warrior ways? –Christina

Ausiello: Yes, and thus yes. As mom and daughter brave Neverland together while still adjusting to their family dynamic, “In a lot of ways, Mary Margaret may not be able to bond with Emma, but Bandit Snow and Emma have a lot in common,” notes co-creator Eddy Kitsis. Meaning, going up against Peter Pan and his Lost Boys will bring bow-toting Snow to the fore. “David and Mary Margaret last year were saying, ‘We are both,’” Kitsis reminds. “But this year it’s, ‘We need Snow and Charming.’ That’s what this mission requires.”

Question: Since Person of Interest announced that Sarah Shahi would be a series regular, social media has been lit up by passionate fans who either love or hate her character, Sam Shaw. Are they sticking by their choice? —Casey

Ausiello: Absolutely — and the thing to keep in mind is that as a result, Shaw isn’t now some full-time member of Finch’s team. As show runner Greg Plageman explained to Matt Mitovich as part of our Fall Preview Spectacular, Shaw’s betrayal by her own government “informed her opinion about belonging to anything or giving allegiance to anyone right now.” And as such, “She helps us out only when she feels like it.”

Question: Anything new on the NCIS front? –Cheryl

Ausiello: If you are by chance among the McAbby fans who worry that Tim’s new computer geek girlfriend Delilah (played by Big Bang Theory brainiac Margo Hasrhman) will be some ersatz Abby, Gary Glasberg is here to set the record straight. “I’d like to believe that maybe he’s drawn to people like that and is intrigued by women like that, but I wouldn’t say that [Abby and Delilah] are that similar,” the show runner tells us. “They have their differences, that’s for sure!”

Question: Any scoop on Grimm? –Jordan

Ausiello: The third season of the supernatural drama will feature “alligators in the sewer” and “a reemergence of the Bauerschwein-Blutbad feud,” show bosses James Kouf and David Greenwalt tell TVLine. A word to the wise: You might want to DVR the Wu-centric episode – in which the cop comes face-to-face with the Wesen world – and watch it after dinner. The baddie in that hour is “something so creepy that the last thing that creepy was the fly episode,” Greenwalt promises. “This is right on par with that.”

Question: I have to say, the more I hear about Revenge Season 3, the more encouraged I become. Anything else you can share? —Melody

Ausiello: The weekly takedowns are back, but with a twist: They’ll play out over multiple episodes. They’ll also be less plot-driven. “We’re going to use them to explore who Emily is a little bit more than we’ve had a chance to in the past,” previews new show runner Sunil Nayar. “We’re 44 hours into the show now. She’s experienced so many different things, culminating in the revelation of who [really] is to Jack. We’re examining not just who she is and what happiness means to her, but what are the ramifications of her plans are. Because now there’s someone who knows. And that’s going to have an impact on Emily. So the takedowns are still going to be wonderful, but they’re also going to have a deeper meaning and a deeper effect.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Sutton Foster (Bunheads) will guest star in the season 8 finale of Psych entitled “A Nightmare on State Street” (the winning episode voted on by fans) that will follow a sleep-deprived Gus into dream therapy as he attempts to get to the bottom of recent night terrors. After his treatment, however, nothing is what it seems, and he soon learns that “in dreams, no one can hear you scream!” Foster will play a sweet middle school teacher who might be having a fling with a gym teacher. An official air date for season 8 of Psych has yet to be announced, but the much-anticipated Psych musical will air on December 15. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actor Justin Bruening (All My Children and Switched at Birth) will appear in a multi-episode arc of the new ABC Family spin-off series Ravenswood, playing a high school teacher. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, is working with Amazon Studios on his first pilot in more than a decade. The pilot is called The After, a thriller that takes place at the moment of apocalypse. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Joshua Jackson (Fringe and Dawson’s Creek) has joined the cast of the Showtime pilot Affair that is already set to star Dominic West (The Hour), Ruth Wilson (Luther) and Maura Tierney (ER). Jackson will play a hard-edged cowboy who manages a ranch on Long Island and is married to a woman who begins an affair with a Gothamite who is spending the summer on the island with his family. (Cynthia Littleton at Variety)

NBC is developing a supernatural mystery pilot called Conception from writer John Glenn (Eagle Eye) and producer David Janollari. The pilot will track a modern-day immaculate conception on a large scale, following those few children that survived and how they’re destined to change the world. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Chadwick Boseman (42) will play the late singer James Brown in an as-yet untitled biopic about the legendary singer. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team at E! Online)

Question: Nashville is the show I just can’t quit. Will Connie Britton get some lovin’ this season? – Monica

TV Scoop Team: Yup! Rayna is getting a hot new love interest, a guest star who might be all famous and fancy-like. His name will be Luke, and he is extremely charming and can sing and play guitar very well. Expect these two to make some beautiful music, but it probably won’t last more than five episodes. So don’t get your panties in a bunch. Mostly because it’s uncomfortable.

Question: No NCIS: LA spoilers in what seems like ages! Help me! – Gemma

TV Scoop Team: We just chatted with the cast at their 100th episode party, and they shared some scoop that’s actually quite dire. “When we come back Sam and Deeks are being tortured,” Chris O’Donnell tells us, adding that we’ll find out more about Callen’s family and what the hell that “G” stands for. Meanwhile, Daniela Ruah revealed that she heard a character will be leaving at the end of the season!

Question: So how does Peter get out of prison on White Collar? – Andrew

TV Scoop Team: Well, we can’t reveal exact details on that, but we can turn it over to Matt “Blue Eyes That Stare Right Into Our Souls” Bomer to tell us about the Peter-Neal relationship in the new season. “I am really excited about this season! It’s all about this Faustian bargain; a deal that Neil makes with the devil in exchange for Peters freedom and it just creates this interesting dynamic on the show because the show is all about trust,” he tells us. “Once again Neil always has the best intentions but it puts him in a very compromising position.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Jim Beaver (Supernatural and Justified) will guest star in Revolution this fall, playing John Franklin Fry, a hard-ass, whip smart Texas Ranger who allies with Miles. Revolution will be back on NBC on September 25. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Warren Kole (The Following and Common Law) will guest star in an episode of Person of Interest this fall, playing a real lothario in a case that will find Detective Carter, Agent Shaw and Zoe Morgan all gunning for him. Person of Interest will be back on CBS on September 24. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Syfy has given a greenlight to the TV adaptation of the box office film 12 Monkeys, the 1995 Bruce Willis film about a convict from a post-apocalyptic future sent back in time to acquire intel on a virus that will wreak havoc on humanity. (Deadline and Yahoo TV)

Actress Jaime Ray Newman (Red Widow, Eureka and Drop Dead Diva) has joined the cast of the upcoming ABC drama Mind Games, playing Anna Gordon, a seasoned con woman who is trying to turn over a new leaf. This new drama has yet to be given an airdate by ABC. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break) will appear in at least three episode of The Mentalist this fall, playing a tough, no-nonsense cop who doesn’t suffer fools and isn’t overly impressed by Patrick Jane’s skills or charm. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FOX has landed a potential drama called Kill Zone that will be built around an intense, edgy, humor-laced relationship between Dole Green, a 10-year vet of the Secret Service and his rookie partner. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

NBC has ordered a new pilot for Ricochet that focuses on a professional hitman who is trapped in a coma and forced to serve as a guinea pig for a secret NSA espionage program; a project that uses technology discovered while researching near-death-experiences to send operatives into other people’s bodies. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box offices movies from this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1. Lee Daniels’ The Butler, $17 million
2. We’re the Millers, $13.5 million
3. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, $9.3 million
4. The World’s End, $8.9 million
5. Planes, $8.6 million
6. Elysium: $7.1 million
7. You’re Next, $7.1 million
8. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, $5.6 million
9. Blue Jasmine, $4.3 million
10. Kick-Ass 2, $4.2 million

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

New Divergent Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Robert Buckley (One Tree Hill) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Hart of Dixie, playing Peter, a sweet and ordinary guy who has a chance encounter with Lemon (series regular Jamie King) while passing through Bluebell. (Small Screen Scoop and Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actor Alexis Denisof (Angel and Much Ado About Nothing) will have an arc on NBC’s Grimm this fall, playing Viktor, Albert Wilhelm George Beckendorf, the cunning, smart, funny and ruthless first cousin to Eric Renard (James Frain). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Stephen Moyer (True Blood) has been cast opposite singer-actress Carrie Underwood in the upcoming live holiday production of The Sound of Music that will air on NBC on December 5. He will play World War I hero and single father Capt. Georg Von Trapp, who is living in Austria on the cusp of World War II. He falls for his governess, Maria (Carrie Underwood), who he hires to take care of his children. Apparently Moyer has musical experience from his days working in London theatre and recently appeared in a staging of Chicago at the Hollywood Bowl. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

NOTE: Not sure how well this will work; and we can harken back to the days when all the Broadway fans were up in arms when Gerard Butler was cast as the Phantom in the box office adaptation of Phantom of the Opera opposite Emmy Rossum. Let’s see if Moyer can hold his own in this role or not.

Actor and former James Bond portrayer Timothy Dalton has been cast in the upcoming Showtime drama Penny Dreadful, which is a frightening psychological thriller that will star Josh Hartnett and Eva Green. Dalton will play Sir Malcolm, a hardened African explorer on a deeply personal quest. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) and actor Patrick Flueger (The 4400) have joined the cast, as series regulars, of the Chicago Fire spin-off called Chicago PD that is expected to air mid-season. The series follows the workings of the Chicago police department’s investigative team. Bush will play Erin Lindsay, a member of the team with an unexpected past while Flueger will play Kyle Ruzek, a hotheaded rookie plucked by Voight (Jason Beghe) from the Academy for dangerous, delicate undercover work for the Intelligence unit. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Jonathan Tucker (Parenthood and The Black Donnellys) and actress Charity Wakefield (the failed Mockingbird Lane pilot) have been cast in the 90-minute Syfy pilot High Moon, which comes from Bryan Fuller (the man behind Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me). The pilot explores what happens when the countries of Earth establish colonies to mine the moon’s resources and discover a new form of life. Wakefield will have the guest-starring role in the pilot of smart and savvy Eve St. John-Smythe, the CEO of the world’s most profitable corporation that is responsible for opening up the moon by providing oxygen to the various countries there. Tucker will play Stanislav “Stan” Stavin, a handsome and outgoing miner for the Russians who may be hiding something. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress LisaGay Hamilton (The Practice) will co-star in the AMC drama pilot called Line of Sight that tells the story of Lewis Bernt, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator who survives a mysterious plane crash, bringing him on an emotionally disorienting quest to discover the accident’s cause. Hamilton will play Ruby Jensen, an NTSB rep sent to investigate the crash. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC is now jumping on board a project inspired by the Wizard of Oz (much like what CBS, Syfy and some of the crew of Heroes are all working on and/or developing). This NBC version is called Emerald City is being described as a dark reimagining of the classic tale of Oz in the vein of Game Of Thrones, drawing upon stories from Baum’s original 14 books. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones and Elementary) has joined the cast of the much-anticipated 2-part adaptation of the Suzanne Collins book Mockingjay (the last book in the Hunger Games franchise). Dormer will play Cressida, a defector from the abusive overlords in the Capitol. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

BOX OFFICE TEASER TRAILER

DIVERGENT Official First Look Tease

SCOOP NEWS (from Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

REVENGE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON JACK IN SEASON 3

Put yourself in the shoes of poor Jack Porter for a hot second. Your wife is dead. Your brother is dead. You have a newborn. And your friend just revealed that she’s actually your former childhood BFF who’s been posing as someone else. What are you going to do? GET THE HELL OUT OF TOWN, of course. But it won’t stay that way.

Over the course of Revenge’s season 3 premiere, Jack will return to the Stowaway and the ghosts of the town that took so much from him. And Sunil Nayar, the show’s new incoming showrunner, says Jack has a tough road ahead. “He has an absolute lot to synthesize for himself and, especially as a person who is so inherently moral and good, to have so much bad and betrayal enacted upon him has been a journey. And when we see him in the premiere, he’s obviously still on that journey, but also has asked himself a lot of questions and come up with answers to a few.” Which begs the question, though, why did Jack return at all? “You will get a sense of why that is,” Nayar teases. “And the other thing is, there’s a real connection to the Stowaway. It’s the bar his father created and it is where the memories of those he’s loved and lost lived. It’s the one anchor he has. In some ways, it represents his past, what happened with Emily represents his present and Carl represents his future.”

Throw him a bone, though, Nayar! Jack needs SOMETHING good to come his way. What about a new dog? “It’s funny you should say that,” he laughs. “You’ll see him explore that early in the season.” (Jack + puppy = best thing ever?)

TEEN WOLF: MORE SCOOPS ON SEASON 3B

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I loved the Teen Wolf finale. But here are three outtakes from my post-mortem with Executive Producer Jeff Davis.

Question: On Isaac and Allison: Are they a ‘thing’ yet?

JEFF DAVIS: “It’s not officially a thing, but it’s definitely a relationship that’s complicated. So it’s going to cause a lot of complications for people and for their own lives. I think it’s interesting to show a different kind of love triangle where it’s not necessarily the two guys fighting over one girl but what you see is one guy doing his best to let go while realizing his best friend might be in love with his former girlfriend. And his girlfriend is trying to figure out, ‘how do I date my former love’s best friend?’ Those things are interesting to me. Not necessarily the pull of jealousy. It’s about, ‘How do we make this work and still stay friends?’ That’s hard to do in high school. That’s teenagers having to start acting like adults.”

Question: Will be a time jump between season 3A and 3B?

JEFF DAVIS: Just a few weeks, like 3 weeks.

Question: On the Halloween episode in the second half of the season:

JEFF DAVIS: “It is the fourth episode. We do the first two episodes are a two-parter. They tell one story so we can get some breathing room in that story and the [next] episodes revolve around both mischief night and Halloween. Things move very fast in Beacon Hills and you’ll see a lot of danger. I don’t want to see too much about them….You may not see them in quite the costume you think. And I’ll leave that up to your interpretation. You’ll see what I mean when it [airs].”

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line, TV Scoop Team at E! Online and Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Any fresh Once Upon a Time scoop??? Need something to hold me until the premiere! –@Bezi12

Mitovich: During my long, in-depth Fall Preview chat with the series’ creators, Eddy Kitsis excitedly touted Season 3’s 11-episode trip to Neverland “as its own season, like one giant movie. And like any adventure movie, there’s romance, there are things that are terrifying, and there are things that are heartbreaking. That was always our goal, to have that big, summer movie feel.” Promising a mix of “uplift, romance, action and quieter moments,” Adam Horowitz added, “The best kind of roller coaster is the one that goes through all of that stuff.”

Question: On Once Upon a Time, magic always comes with a price, so did the magic that Robin Hood used to heal Marian come with a price? –Mirza

Mitovich: Damn straight it did. ‘“There’s a price — and a debt,” Adam Horowitz teases of Sean Maguire’s upcoming, Fairytale Land-based arc as the Prince of Thieves.

Question: Lanie and Esposito are my favorite Castle characters. Is there anything you can tease about what will happen for them this season? –Marine

Mitovich: I just spoke to Jon Huertas (who was busy the day I was on set), and while he has yet to shoot any such scenes, I am assured that there is Lanie-Esposito stuff coming up this fall. But here’s the possible run: Castle creator Andrew Marlowe also tells me that Tori Ellis, the tech forensics expert Javy seemed to take a shine to at the end of Season 5, is set for an encore.

Question: I’d like some Revolution scoop on the new actors. –Chris

Mitovich: You will get scoop on one of the new players — and only one. (For now.) With Rachel in a very bad place in the wake of the season finale, Aaron and Miles will bring her to Texas to reunite with her father Gene, played by 7th Heaven‘s Stephen Collins. And “this role is unlike anything Stephen’s ever done before,” says showrunner Eric Kripke. “He’s gruff and pissed off and tough. It’s really fascinating to see Stephen playing this part, all whiskered and haggard. I think people are going to be blown away by the work he’s doing.”

Question: Thanks for all the Teen Wolf scoop lately! I’m excited for the Kitsune to come in, but can we expect any other monsters to be introduced in the new season? – Thomas L.

E! Online: Executive producer Jeff Davis, take it away: “You may see others, but it revolves around the Kitsune myth. You’ll see, but we have some great new bad guys this season that we’re excited about.”

Question: Any scoop on Dean on Supernatural? Love me some Jensen Ackles? – Maddie

E! Online: If you didn’t love you some Jensen Ackles we’re pretty sure you’d be banished by the TV Gods, just saying. As for Dean, fans will get to meet Robin, an attractive waitress at a diner she inherited from her father who happens to have shared a sweet puppy love-style romance with Dean almost two decades ago. All together now: Awww!

Question: You guys are severely lacking in the Falling Skies scoop department. Any season four teases? – Amy

E! Online: A major new recurring character will be introduced in the season four premiere: Mira, a young East Indian girl who is being brain-washed with Espheni propaganda, but has a bit of a rebellious streak in her. Expect to see her team up with Matt and a few other kids in order to fight back.

Question: Will we actually get to meet Baby Ryan on Castle or only be told he/she was born? — @ToZiKa

Sandra: I have no solid answer for you yet on that front — mostly because EP Andrew Marlowe reports they’re “just starting to explore that.” But, he adds, “my assumption is we will get to meet the baby and that that episode will be late this fall.”

Question: I was SO excited about to hear about the Castle episode with Josh Gomez! Can we expect any more fun ones or will they be mostly darker episodes? — Marsiella

Sandra: Same combo as usual. A few serious (the premiere) and a few funny (the Saved by the Bell-paroding episode). Plus some adventure, too! Marlowe told me that one episode during the first half of the season will have a “Da Vinci Code/National Treasure” feel to it.

Question: I’m going to bug you with this NCIS: LA question until I get the answer. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SEE WHAT’S INSIDE THE BOX? — Rosie

Sandra: Persistence is key. And luckily, it sounds like Shane Brennan has a plan. “I can absolutely that you will see the box in every episode, where Deeks left it. It’s still there. There may be a moment this season where — because of what he’s been through and because of the kiss and because of the delicate nature of the relationship between Kensi and Deeks — that Deeks gets that box down, and picks up those scissors, and maybe opens the box or maybe doesn’t.” Tease.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Wes Ramsey (CSI: Miami) will have a recurring role in Pretty Little Liars during the end run of the shows current season that will air in early 2014. He will play Rosewood High’s newest guidance counselor Jesse. The summer finale of the show airs this coming Tuesday. (Leanne Aguilera at E! Online)

Actor Shaun Sipos (Life Unexpected and the rebooted Melrose Place) will have a recurring role on The Vampire Diaries this fall, playing Aaron, who comes to college to escape his tortured past. It’s there that he meets Elena and the two will bond over the fact that they’ve both experience and survived dark family tragedies. (Jenna Mullins at E! Online)

Actor Nicholas Gonzalez (Off the Map) will have a recurring role on the new FOX thriller Sleepy Hollow, playing Luke, Abbie’s (series lead Nicole Beharie) ex-boyfriend who works for the Sleepy Hollow Police Department. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Meta Golding (The Hunger Games) has been cast in the new CW drama The Tomorrow People, playing a sexy intimidating new partner to series lead Robbie Amell. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Joshua Gomez (Chuck) will make a guest appearance on Castle this fall as a murder suspect who claims to have traveled from the future to prevent a cataclysmic event from happening. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actor Navid Negahban (who played Abu Nazir on Homeland) will play the latest “big bad” on Arrow this fall. He will play a new villain named Al-Owal, who has major ties to a group of baddies DC Comics fans know very well, which also connects him to Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman). (Tierney Bricker at E! Online)

Legendary actor Keith Carradine (Dexter) has joined the cast of The Following in the recurring role of Barry, a friend of Ryan Hardy (series lead Kevin Bacon). (Liz Raftery at TV Guide)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The Discovery Channel has ordered a remake of the classic mini-series North and South based on the book trilogy by John Jakes. The original made-for-TV movie aired on ABC back in 1985, starring the late Patrick Swazye as well as James Read in the lead roles. The story follows the epic storyline of two families – the Hazard family, northern factory owners from Pennsylvania, and the Main family, southern plantation owners. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) has joined the cast of the upcoming Cinderella film to be directed by Kenneth Branagh. She will play Cinderella’s real mother at the beginning of the story. (NME.com and Dark Horizons)

Actress Maria Bello (A History of Violence) is set to play the wife of actor Kevin Costner in the true story sports drama called McFarland that follows high school coach Jim White (Costner), who loses his job as a football coach. He moves his family to the predominantly poor Latino-dominant town of McFarland where he creates a championship-winning cross country team. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

First Teaser Trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson’s ‘Pompeii’ Action Movie

Q&A SECTION (with E! Online)

Question: Clearly, Emily is faking her own death this season of Revenge, because there is no way they would kill off the star, right? – Phoebe

E! Online: We wouldn’t be so sure about that. Emily VanCamp did tell us that this season is “the beginning of the end of Emily Thorne.” Ominous, no? True, it’s a long shot that ABC would ever get rid of their leading lady, but it sounds like the writers do have some old tricks up their sleeves. “It’s going back to season one,” VanCamp says, adding that the love square or “rhombus” is back in full force. “It refocuses her conflict with the Graysons,” she reveals. As for Nolan, Gabriel Mann tells us that his character’s new trend this season will be “orange for prison jumpsuits.” Orange Is the New Nolan? We dig it.

Question: Any romance scoop on Teen Wolf? – Keegan

E! Online: Anyone else shipping Mama McCall and Sheriff Stilinski? ‘Cause we are! And yes, executive producer Jeff Davis is aware that fans want to see BFF Scott’s and Stiles’ parents get together. “We have talked about that. We’ve talked about it a lot in the writers’ room,” he tells us. “We’re not sure yet. though. I can say maybe, maybe not. If the chemistry builds and it’s there, who are we to stop it?”

Question: What is going to happen in Hart of Dixie, Parenthood or Castle? Ahhhh, withdrawals going on! – @Reneebrown84

E! Online: Eenie, meenie, miney… Hart of Dixie! By episode five, we’ll be meeting a number of new Bluebell residents, including Maisie, a gossipy tween who less interested in school and is more interested in Zoe and George’s love lives. There’s also a new member of the Belles sashaying into the group, tulle and all. Sadie is a bubbly yet quick-witted southern sweetheart who takes her position as one of Bluebell’s elite very very seriously

Question: Anything Pretty Little Liars-related will make my day! – Angela

E! Online: Red Coat may still be on the loose, but that’s not the only problem that the liars will be facing when the show returns in January. It’s easy to forget, but in between their text-message tormenting, our pretty little foursome are still in their senior year of school. And who is feeling the brunt of the scholastic pressures? Spencer, of course! Cue Brenda, an academic overachiever with a dirty little secret for her success. She’s willing to share of course, but only for a hefty price. Let’s just say that soon Emily won’t be the only Rosewood student with a history of popping pills.

Question: Any White Collar scoop would make me happy! (Anything on Peter getting out of prison would make me VERY happy!) – @Coffee2Go_Girl2m

E! Online: You would think that Peter would be giving Neal the silent treatment for that whole murder charge thing, but we hear by the middle of the season at the latest, Peter will not be in prison and the guys will be back on speaking terms. Those speaking terms might be of the angry and pissed off persuasion, but speaking terms nonetheless.

Question: That teaser you guys shared for Ravenswood was so good! I can’t wait to finally see how creepy that town really is! Any scoop to tide us till October? – Chloe

E! Online: According to Ravenswood creator Marlene King, the mysterious new cast is gearing up for their first official day of filming for the highly anticipated pilot, but we’re already focusing all our attention on the second episode! Why, you ask? Brace yourselves, PLL fans, because it looks like Ravenswood is going to be a billion times darker than those silly antics we’ve been following in Rosewood. Prepare to meet Olivia and Luke’s mother, Rochelle Matheson, a once confident woman who is now the main suspect in her husband’s murder. Damn! They’re really not messing around in Ravenswood.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse) will have a recurring role in the mid-season alien drama Star-Crossed that will debut mid-season on The CW. He will play the mysterious SEU (Sector Enforcement Unit) Officer Jack Beaumont, who is responsible for the supervision within the Atrian (aka alien) sector walls. (Kristin Dos Santos at E! Online)

Actor Cole Hauser (Olympus Has Fallen) has joined the cast of the DirecTV series Rogue, which will be back for a second season sometime in 2014. Season two of the series will continue to focus on Grace Travis (Thandie Newton) as she moves forward with her life after finally avenging her son’s death in season one. Opting for a stable position, Grace has been assigned, as a handler, to an FBI task force investigating a local prostitution ring. Hauser will play
Ethan, a former soldier who left law school to enlist in the military after 9/11. Ethan is the founder of a security consulting firm in San Francisco, which he runs with three former military buddies. This band of brothers is united by a terrible secret, a dark event that has quietly haunted them for years. (DirecTV and The Futon Critic)

Actor Eric Johnson (Rookie Blue and Smallville) has been cast in the upcoming 10-part Cinemax series called The Knick that will star Clive Owen. The series will be set in downtown New York in 1900, centering on the Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff who push the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. Johnson will play Everett Gallinger, the talented, young protégé of The Knick’s groundbreaking Chief Surgeon (Owen), who finds himself to not be quite talented enough, when challenged by a new doctor who arrives at the hospital. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actress Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and her older sister Kidada [both daughters of legendary composer Quincy Jones and legendary actress Peggy Lipton] are developing an hour-long dramedy for The CW that would revolve around two twenty-something estranged friends in search of love in New York who are reunited after learning that they’ve been dating the same guy. When their plot to humiliate the two-timer goes viral, they realize the “payback” business is a lucrative one and set up a clandestine business to continue bringing down the hand of justice for those who have been wronged. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Jerry Bruckheimer Television and writer Aron Eli Coleite are developing a drama with FOX called Home that is a family thriller/soap that delves into the secrets lingering behind the facade of a suburban family. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Fame just might be coming back to TV in the form of an as-yet-untitled drama that will include former Fame alum and legendary dancer/actress Debbie Allen as one of the executive producers. This version would be set at a Los Angeles-area performing arts school. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Stage, film and TV actress and singer Donna Murphy has joined the cast of the upcoming Lifetime made-for-TV movie House of Versace that will bring to light the story of Donatella Versace (Gina Gershon), who, following the brazen murder of her brother, world-renowned designer Gianni Versace (Enrico Colantoni of Veronica Mars fame) at the height of his success, is suddenly thrust into the spotlight as head designer of his fashion empire. Murphy will play Maria, the loved and trusted head seamstress who has been with Versace from the start. Legendary actress Raquel Welch and actor Colm Feore (Revolution) are also part of the cast, playing Aunt Lucia and brother Santo respectively. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Marion Cotillard will star opposite actor Michael Fassbender in yet another adaptation of Macbeth that is expected to hit the big screen in the not-too-distant future. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Hot Trailer: ‘Parkland’

Watch: Geoffrey Rush & Emily Watson in First ‘The Book Thief’ Trailer

Q&A SECTION (with E! Online, Natalie Abrams and Adam Bryant from TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Hardcore member of the Clone club over here, so any Orphan Black spoilers would be more appreciated than Alison appreciates headbands. – Ingrid

E! Online: If you ship Paul and Sarah, then you’d better avert your eyes for this next part. In season two, a new dude is joining the cast, and he’ll definitely be giving Paul a run for his money in terms of chemistry with Sarah. Remember all those hot love scenes between Paul and Sarah? Think along the lines of that.

Question: Counting down the days until the Castle premiere! Everyone’s talking about Beckett’s reaction to the proposal, but what’s Castle feeling? — Cindy

ADAM: Creator Andrew W. Marlowe says that those fans questioning the intent behind Castle’s proposal should probably rethink things. (In other words, he didn’t just pop the question to get her to stay in New York.) “He asked his question out of emotion and passion and the circumstances of the moment,” Marlowe says. “He was challenged to think about what he really wanted in life. His preferred version is that he has this woman in his life.” But does this mean the twice-married Castle is truly matured to a place of being able to make a marriage work? “I think he very much likes to think that is the case,” Marlowe says. “But he is who he is…” Why does there always have to be a “but”?

Question: So excited about JoAnna Garcia as Ariel on Once Upon a Time. Do you have any scoop? — Nina

NATALIE: As the producers previously teased, Ariel has ties to a character we already know. “She’s somebody who wants to see the world,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “That spirit will run in her DNA still, but we’ll meet her in a surprising way.” We hear that will take place in Neverland, where other mermaids may not be so nice. But the good news is that we’ll also likely meet Prince Eric!

Question: I need more NCIS: Los Angeles scoop. How will Kensi and Deeks’ kiss affect the two of them in the premiere? — Becky

ADAM: Kensi will certainly find it hard to focus on the task at hand. “He fired something up in her,” executive producer Shane Brennan says with a laugh. Of course, it doesn’t help that the task is rescuing Deeks from Sidorov. “It’s not just her partner she’s saving; it’s this guy she might have a future with!” Daniela Ruah says. But once Deeks is safe and sound, the couple will have lots to discuss — which might not be a good thing. “There are changes in these relationships because of these catastrophic events,” Eric Christian Olsen hints. “Kensi and Deeks have one of the most heartbreaking scenes we’ve ever seen them do. It’s one of the few times that Deeks is able to… says exactly what he means.”

Question: Is Rachel actually going to Stanford on Suits? — Neil

ADAM: Well, she has to get in first, right? But it sounds like she will. “That’s going to take a little bit, as law schools do. She is going to keep pursuing this and it will build through the fall [episodes],” executive producer Aaron Korsh tells us. “We have decided what she will do and we will answer that before the season is over. That won’t be [a cliff-hanger].”

Question: Will Jasika Nicole return to Scandal this season? —Tammy

NATALIE: Executive producer Shonda Rhimes agrees with our assessment that Huck deserves something nice and shiny at the end of the rainbow, like a reunion with his wife Kim. But not yet. “It remains to be seen whether he is healthy enough for that to be a thing,” she says.

Question: Do you have any scoop on the Suicide Squad on Arrow? —Sam

NATALIE: Executive producer Marc Guggenheim teases that the first five episodes of Season 2 make the case that there are both heroes and villains coming into Starling City as a direct result of what The Arrow did in Season 1. Among the villains are the previously announced Bronze Tiger, who will team up with Deadshot, the leader of the Suicide Squad in the world of Arrow — and there could be others down the line. But never fear, help is on the way: “We’ll be seeing more of A.R.G.U.S. this season,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg adds.

Question: Any spoilers on Once Upon a Time? —Patti

Ausiello: Matt Mitovich just got off the horn with series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, and they caught us up on some of the back-story gaps that will be filled in via flashbacks during Season 3. Episode 2 is Snow/Charming-centric, covering the time between the former’s awakening from the sleep curse and when they encountered Regina on the battlefield. “How did the queen react to that? And who first told her?” Horowitz wonders. Episode 3 will relate Tinkerbell’s origin, featuring The Blue Fairy (but not Amy Acker’s Nova) and addressing the question: “What makes a fairy?” Also on tap for fall is a new chunk of Rumple’s past, the tale of how Hook became a pirate and the self-explanatory Episode 6, titled “Ariel” (and yes, Eric is being cast/will not be an existing character).

Question: I’d like some Once Upon a Time in Wonderland scoop, please. —Mason

Ausiello: The Once spin-off will, in its third episode, sic no less than Beowulf‘s Grendel on Alice and The Knave. Envisioned (via an actor in prosthetics) as a “large, warted, ogre-like beast,” the cannibalistic Grendel will pose a mortal threat to the genie-seeking pair — though in typical Once fashion, there is more to this beast than meets the eye. But don’t go brushing up on your Old English just yet. “It’s a wink-and-a-nod, as opposed to a real deep-dive into Beowulf,” says series co-creator Adam Horowitz of the creature’s clash with Alice.

Question: Any details on how Ashley will be written off Revenge? —Geoffrey

Ausiello: Despite portrayer Ashley Madekwe’s very public plea that her character “die in a blaze of glory,” showrunner Sunil Nayar tells us that Ash — who will depart in the show’s Sept. 29 opener —will live to see another day. “We’re not killing her,” he reveals. “We’d never do that! She’s too great a character. As sad as we are to bid her farewell at the moment, you’ll see that the way we resolve her storyline now gives her an opportunity to come back with her own revenge agenda.”

Question: Can you tease any good Emily-Victoria moments in the Revenge premiere? —Joyce

Ausiello: I could, but I’m going to let Emily VanCamp do the honors. “We have a moment where we actually band together,” previews the actress. Of course, like most of the truces forged by the sworn enemies, this one is short-lived. “We put up this united front and then, after whatever it is is taken care of, it’s like, ‘OK, I’m outta here,’” VanCamp says with a laugh. “But it’s nice to be able to play something [civil] with Madeline [Stowe] because [Emily and Victoria] are always at odds each other. And I hate it because I love Madeline so much. We’re so evil to each other.”

Question: Do you have any news on Arrow? —Calum

Ausiello: Quite interestingly, the title for this season’s fifth episode, “The Demon’s Head,” is the translation of Ra’s al Ghul — as in Batman’s infamous mentor-turned-adversary. Thus, it kinda sorta makes sense that the hour will introduce the apprentice of a most menacing man — Awwal, a scimitar-wielding protege of Dark Archer Malcolm Merlyn.

Question: Do you have any scoop on one of my absolute favorite shows, Covert Affairs? —Carol

Ausiello: This Tuesday’s episode is tense with a capital T-E-N. It finds Annie working with a familiar face, FBI agent Vincent Rossabi (Rookie Blue‘s Noam Jenkins), on the murder of CIA agent Seth Newman (aka the one who fell off the bridge). But while the G-man wants to uncover the truth, Annie’s trying to suppress it by swapping out any incriminating evidence. Still, that’s not the story you’ll be talking about after the hour’s end. Let’s just say we haven’t heard the last of a certain secret that someone was keeping from the spy gal.

Question: Now that Laura Bell Bundy is on Anger Management, what will this mean for her role as Shelby on Hart of Dixie? —Vanessa

Ausiello: It means you’ll probably see her less. But rest assured you will see her. “We are definitely having Laura back for a few [episodes],” confirms EP Leila Gerstein, adding that Shelby won’t resurface “until a few episodes in.” In other Bluebell casting news, although Claudia Lee is a series regular on Fox’s Surviving Jack, Gerstein remains hopeful that Lemon’s little sis will make an appearance this season, too. And if not? “Well, she goes [away] to boarding school,” laughs the EP.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actress Kathleen Munroe (Alphas) will have a major recurring role in the upcoming ABC mid-season drama Resurrection that is set to debut on March 9. The series will ask the provocative question, “What happens when the people you have mourned and buried suddenly appear on your doorstep as if not a day’s gone by?” The lives of the people of Arcadia, Missouri are forever changed when their deceased loved ones return. Munroe will play Rachel, the feisty and charming ex-girlfriend of Pastor Tom (series regular Mark Hildreth). (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actor Henry Simmons and his wife, actress Sophina Brown (NYPD Blue) will have recurring roles in Ravenswood, the upcoming Pretty Little Liars spin-off that will debut this Halloween on ABC Family. They will play Simon and Terry Beaumont, the parents of Ravenswood regular Remy (Britne Oldford from American Horror Story). Simon runs the local paper while Terry, who recently returned home from serving in the military, is struggling with survivor’s guilt. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

Actress Cynthia Stevenson (Dead Like Me) will make a guest appearance on the ABC drama Scandal, playing a new client in need of Pope & Associates’ help. Scandal will be back starting on October 3. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actresses Jessica Stroup (90210) and Tiffany Boone (Beautiful Creatures) have joined the cast of The Following. Stroup will play Max, the niece of Ryan Hardy (series lead Kevin Bacon), who is an NYPD cop, working in the Intel Division. Tiffany will play Mandy, an impressionable young girl who finds herself to be the newest cult member following Joe Carroll (series lead James Purefoy) whether she likes it or not. The Following returns to Fox in January. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Judd Nelson will have a pivotal role in the final season of Nikita, playing a deep-cover operative working for Amanda and The Shop’s Mr. Jones. His character will have major ties to a devious worldwide plot that only the now-estranged group of crime fighters can stop. (Megan Masters at TV Line)

General Hospital actress Lindsey Morgan has landed a recurring role on The CW mid-season drama The 100. The new series will be set 97 years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. A spaceship called the Ark, housing the lone human survivors, sends 100 juvenile delinquents back to Earth to investigate the possibility of re-colonizing the planet. She will play Raven, the youngest mechanical engineer the Ark has seen in 52 years. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers have yet another drama series in development at ABC. This project is called How To Get Away With Murder that is being described as a sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller about a group of ambitious law students and their brilliant, mysterious criminal defense professor who become entangled in a murder plot that will rock their entire university and change the course of their lives. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Author Gigi Levangie (The Starter Wife and Maneater) is developing another of her novels – Seven Deadlies – for TV, this time with MTV. The project is set in an exclusive, private high school, centering on a Latina scholarship student who discovers that her classmates carry the bloodlines of the seven deadly sins, and that she must defeat them in order to save the world all while maintaining her GPA. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Actor Dylan Bruce (Orphan Black) has landed a role in the TV adaptation of the V.C. Andrews novel Flowers in the Attic at Lifetime. He will play Bartholomew “Bart” Winslow, the trophy husband of Corrine (Heather Graham), a recent widow who puts her four children into a pretty terrible situation at her parents’ mansion after their father’s death. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

The History Channel has set actor Adrien Brody (The Pianist) to star as Houdini in the network’s upcoming mini-series about the legendary magician. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Quinton Aaron (The Blind Side) has joined the cast of the upcoming box office film Left Behind, the reboot based on the best-selling book series that is already set to include Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, Cassi Thomson, Nicky Whelan and Jordin Sparks among its cast. The movie will follow a group of survivors after millions of people around the world disappear. Those left behind have to learn to survive in a world that is quickly plunging into chaos and destruction. Aaron will play Simon, a cameraman who is traveling to London when almost half of the passengers on his flight suddenly vanish into thin air. (Rebecca Ford at The Hollywood Reporter)

Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Any spoilers on Once Upon a Time? —Patti

Ausiello: Matt Mitovich just got off the horn with series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, and they caught us up on some of the backstory gaps that will be filled in via flashbacks during Season 3. Episode 2 is Snow/Charming-centric, covering the time between the former’s awakening from the sleep curse and when they encountered Regina on the battlefield. “How did the queen react to that? And who first told her?” Horowitz wonders. Episode 3 will relate Tinkerbell’s origin, featuring The Blue Fairy (but not Amy Acker’s Nova) and addressing the question: “What makes a fairy?” Also on tap for fall is a new chunk of Rumple’s past, the tale of how Hook became a pirate and the self-explanatory Episode 6, titled “Ariel” (and yes, Eric is being cast/will not be an existing character).

Question: I’d like some Once Upon a Time in Wonderland scoop, please. —Mason

Ausiello: The Once spin-off will, in its third episode, sic no less than Beowulf’s Grendel on Alice and The Knave. Envisioned (via an actor in prosthetics) as a “large, warted, ogre-like beast,” the cannibalistic Grendel will pose a mortal threat to the genie-seeking pair — though in typical Once fashion, there is more to this beast than meets the eye. But don’t go brushing up on your Old English just yet. “It’s a wink-and-a-nod, as opposed to a real deep-dive into Beowulf,” says series co-creator Adam Horowitz of the creature’s clash with Alice.

Question: Any details on how Ashley will be written off Revenge? —Geoffrey

Ausiello: Despite portrayer Ashley Madekwe’s very public plea that her character “die in a blaze of glory,” showrunner Sunil Nayar tells us that Ash — who will depart in the show’s Sept. 29 opener —will live to see another day. “We’re not killing her,” he reveals. “We’d never do that! She’s too great a character. As sad as we are to bid her farewell at the moment, you’ll see that the way we resolve her storyline now gives her an opportunity to come back with her own revenge agenda.”

Question: Can you tease any good Emily-Victoria moments in the Revenge premiere? —Joyce

Ausiello: I could, but I’m going to let Emily VanCamp do the honors. “We have a moment where we actually band together,” previews the actress. Of course, like most of the truces forged by the sworn enemies, this one is short-lived. “We put up this united front and then, after whatever it is is taken care of, it’s like, ‘OK, I’m outta here,’” VanCamp says with a laugh. “But it’s nice to be able to play something [civil] with Madeline [Stowe] because [Emily and Victoria] are always at odds each other. And I hate it because I love Madeline so much. We’re so evil to each other.”

Question: Do you have any news on Arrow? —Calum

Ausiello: Quite interestingly, the title for this season’s fifth episode, “The Demon’s Head,” is the translation of Ra’s al Ghul — as in Batman’s infamous mentor-turned-adversary. Thus, it kinda sorta makes sense that the hour will introduce the apprentice of a most menacing man — Awwal, a scimitar-wielding protégé of Dark Archer Malcolm Merlyn.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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