A couple days ago, Rueben’s Ramblings celebrated its 10th Anniversary, and it’s my plan to highlight just some of the big events that took place during each year of the past 10 years.
Today’s salute is focused on 2011:
Some memorable shows that debuted in 2011 included:
* Revenge – The complex ABC drama debuted in the fall, starring Emily Van Camp (formerly of Everwood) as Emily Thorne (nee Amanda Clarke), a troubled young woman who descended upon the Hamptons to exact revenge against the people who wronged her father. Die-hard Roswell (the original show) fans were SO excited to see Nick Wechsler back on their small screens and Gabriel Mann as the one and only Nolan Ross;
* Teen Wolf – Unlike the comedy box office film of the same name that starred Back to the Future and Family Ties favorite Michael J. Fox, this MTV small screen thriller was not what viewers were expecting, but it certainly packed a bunch. Starring relative unknowns in every role (except the adults), this series made stars out of its lead cast Tyler Posey, Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent in Supergirl) and especially Dylan O’Brien;
* Once Upon a Time – In a time when people did not expect to be taken with fairytales, this ABC series took everyone by surprise, making the lives of Snow White, Prince Charming, Rumplestiltskin, The Evil Queen and so many other classic fairytales come to live; and the costumes were quite something to behold as well. Fans of the first season will also remember Jamie Dornan (who went on to become Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise) as the Sheriff (aka The Huntsman);
* Grimm – NBC wasn’t going to let ABC have all the “fun” with fairytales, as they also introduced the world to the world of make-believe by introducing the world to Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoil, who has gone on to star in ABC’s A Million Little Things), a homicide detective who could see the true faces of fairytale creatures, who were hiding in plain sight;
* Downton Abbey – The international hit was just getting its start on the small screen in January of 2011 with an incredible ensemble of characters (and actors), portraying the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early 20th century;
* Game of Thrones – Also not to be undone was the HBO adaptation of the George R.R. Martin book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ that brought the world Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Jason Momoa, Sophia Turner, Richard Madden, Maisie Williams, Gwendoline Christie, Nathalie Emmanuel and countless others; and,
* Suits – In the summer of 2011, the USA Network debuted this legal drama about brilliant college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) who found himself working alongside one of the best New York City lawyers, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). What viewers didn’t know at the time was that one of the cast members – a certain actress named Meghan Markle – would later go on to become the Duchess of Sussex by marrying Prince Harry himself.
(Photo Credit: Rueben)
The fuzzy picture was taken by me at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills in 2013 when the cast of Suits appeared for a moderated panel. I remember Meghan joking during the panel that it was surreal for her, as she used to work at Paper Source, a high-end paper and greeting card store right in the heart of Beverly Hills, which was located only a couple blocks from the Paley Center.
(Photo Credit: Dominick Dusseault)
The other picture was taken by our very own Dominick Dusseault in Austin, Texas in 2015 at that year’s ATX Festival.
Before the world was introduced to Gal Gadot as Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman, David E. Kelley, the prolific writer/creator behind TV shows such as The Practice, Boston Public and Boston Law [just to name a few], decided to take on the impossible: a new small screen version of Wonder Woman.
Taking on the insurmountable task (at the time) of playing the title character was Adrianne Palicki, who at the time was best known for her role of Tyra Collette in Friday Night Lights and also as Sam’s doomed girlfriend Jessica in Supernatural.
Here is a trailer for that much-maligned failed pilot (and check out who was to be in the cast too!):
That same year, another big production was just getting underway: the casting of Clark Kent aka Superman for the 2013 movie Man of Steel. The actor cast in the lead role was Henry Cavill, who at the time was best known for his recurring role in the TV series The Tudors and was the lead in that year’s movie Immortals. Eagle eye viewers would also recognize him as Albert Mondego, the teen son of Edmond Dantes and his lover Mercedès Iguanada in the 2002 remake of The Count of Monte Cristo. It was only a few months later that the casting of Lois Lane was made with Amy Adams landing that plum role.
In casting news for the small screen on The Vampire Diaries, the role of Klaus – the legendary vampire within that world who put fear into the dead hearts of all vampires – was also announced. British actor Joseph Morgan landed that crucial role, and while he was relatively unknown to American viewers – except those who might have watched the supernatural series Hex or had seen him in the British TV film Mansfield Park.
Actor Nathan Fillion had been a Geek God to sci-fi fans since he landed the lead role of Malcolm Reynolds aka Captain Tightpants in the short-lived but much-beloved series Firefly that aired during the 2002-2003 TV season. In 2011, he had been the lead in the ABC TV drama Castle for two seasons; and it was in March of that year that [finally] Nathan graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly as the Geek God we all knew and loved.
For convention goers – or more specifically those who attended San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) – the inaugural event of Nerd HQ – the organization masterminded by Chuck star Zachary Levi – took place alongside SDCC that year. That year’s event was small in comparison to its proceeding events, which eventually came to an end (unfortunately) in 2017.
(Photo Credit: Rueben)
On a more personal level, I had some of my first convention interview experiences in 2011, starting with an almost one-on-one interview (it was only me and one other reporter at our press table) with actress Anna Silk who played Bo in the Canadian series Lost Girl at San Diego Comic Con.
(Photo Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
And a few months earlier, I had the incredible experience of sitting at the same press table at Wonder Con with actor Henry Cavill (who had just recently been announced as the new Superman) and his Immortals co-stars Luke Evans (who has since been Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and the TV series The Alienist, among others) and Isabel Lucas (the Home and Away star who recurred for one season in the MacGyver reboot).
Here is my article from that interview: Venture Into the World of Immortals
In movie news for 2011, the #1 box office movie was Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, which marked the end of that long-running and popular movie franchise. In fact, I wrote an article about The End of Harry Potter.
On the other spectrum, two of the worst movies for that year were Jack & Jill and Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.
Just like in 2010, I chose actors who stood out in 2011 as well as actors to be on the look out for in 2012. Among those choices were Michael Fassbender, Sam Claflin, Hayley Atwell, Henry Cavill, Dylan O’Brien, Elizabeth Olson, Felicity Jones, Wilson Bethel, Lily Collins, Nicholas Hoult and Brit Marling.
Once again, I apologize for their pictures not appearing in the following links, but just like the previous year, I feel I was “spot on” in my choices:
COMING SOON: Salute to 2012
Rueben's Ramblings 