Posted in New Shows, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on July 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On July 8, the limited series Stateless will debut on Netflix.
The paths of four diverse strangers intersect at an immigration detention center in the Australian outback.
The cast includes Cate Blanchett (who also co-created) as well as Dominic West, Jai Courtney and Yvonne Strahovski.
Here is a trailer for Stateless:
Posted in New Shows, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 29, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The new Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club will debut online on July 3.
In this contemporary take on the beloved book series, five best friends launch a baby-sitting business that’s big on fun and adventure.
The parents will be played by Alicia Silverstone and Mark Feuerstein and a group of newcomers as the five friends.
Here is a trailer for The Baby-Sitters Club:
Posted in Comic Con, Movies, News, Pictures, Television, Video, WonderCon on June 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Rueben’s Ramblings is celebrating its 10th Anniversary!!
In honor of that I decided to highlight some of the big events that took place during each year of the past 10 years.
Today’s salute is focused on 2019:
A couple of the more memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* A Discovery of Witches – Based on the book by Deborah Harkness, this series starred Matthew Goode as a centuries-old vampire and Theresa Palmer as a historian (and reluctant witch) who fall in love despite the long-held distrust between witches and vampires.
* Whiskey Cavalier – This action series was a breath of fresh air and just so damn fun to watch during the spring of 2019. The chemistry between leads Scott Foley and Lauren Cohen was pretty terrific too. The most upsetting thing was the network cancelled the show after only 13 episodes, disappointing all of its fans and especially the cast.
* His Dark Materials – This HBO drama may not have pulled in the ratings as expected or even hoped – given that it took over the Game of Thrones time slot – but it certainly was grand in scope, had Lin-Manuel Miranda recurring – and a giant talking polar bear. There was much more to the show than that, but those were the stand-outs for me.
* The Witcher – The draw for this Netflix fantasy series was, of course, Henry Cavill (Superman himself), but I found myself captivated by the action, the magic and even the grunts and growls from Geralt. Despite less than positive critic response, this series became one of the most in demand original series on streaming platforms.
* Pennyworth – This EPIX series gave viewers a much different look at Alfred Pennyworth, the long-time butler to the Wayne family from Batman legend. Viewers got to see a young man looking to find his own place in the world while becoming a target for a conspiratorial group wanting to take over the British government.
* Batwoman – The most recent installment of the DC Universe was introduced in the fall of 2019, bringing Kate Kane, cousin to Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) to live in a Gotham City where the Caped Crusader has been MIA for the past three years. Sure, at the end of the debut season viewers were very surprised that Ruby Rose (series lead) left the show, making it necessary for the series to be revamped for its sophomore season.
Some of the big events that took place throughout the year included:
Jane the Virgin came to an end in 2019 and Gina Rodriguez had an impressive 7-minute monologue where she talked about her situation between the unexpected return of her late husband Michael (who had been believed to be dead for YEARS) and her relationship with Rafael. And, during the series finale of the show it was FINALLY revealed that the narrator of the series was actually a grown-up Mateo, Jane and Rafael’s son.
NOTE: Sadly the video of Jane’s monologue is not available online, but the video of the Mateo reveal is available, and you can see that below:
The final season of Game of Thrones was raked over the coals by fans for being hot-and-cold, disappointing a lot of fans; but one of the best events to take place in the final season was watching 5′ 1″ tall Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) kill the Night King, ending all of the White Walkers.
You can see that scene below (go to 4:48 in the video to see the BIG moment):
A big milestone that took place in 2019 was the 20th Anniversary of the TV series Angel with a reunion of the cast members on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
Check out the cover photo for that issue:
[Photo Credit: Entertainment Weekly]
One of the final episodes of Supernatural (sure, the very last 7 episodes will air in 2021 because of the pandemic, but…) featured the return of John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). It was an emotional episode for the cast and the fans.
You can see the family picture below:
Five years after the box office movie was released, Veronica Mars FINALLY returned for a much anticipated fourth season, and the episodes were even released early as a way to not only appease the fans but also in celebration of lead star Kristin Bell’s birthday.
That being said, though, the fourth season brought about a major controversy [Spoiler Alert if you haven’t watched] that rocked the fandom to its core. Veronica and Logan got married BUT then Logan was killed – yes, killed – in the final episode shortly after they exchanged their vows.
Needless to say, fans were in an uproar over that unnecessary and unwelcome twist and what made it even worse was the fervor over how Kristin Bell and series creator Rob Thomas handled the fans ire over Logan’s death, and the resulting efforts to stop a season 5 from ever being made without Logan.
The top movie at the box office in 2019 was Avengers: Endgame. Meanwhile some of the worst movies for the year were Stuber, Cats and the Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway film Serenity. Two movies that SHOULD have done well but turned out to be flops were Dark Phoenix and Terminator: Dark Fate.
NOTE: Regardless of how poorly those two movies performed at the box office, our photographer Dom got some great shots of cast members at Wonder Con and San Diego Comic Con.
Check out Dom’s pictures at the links below:
Terminator: Dark Fate at San Diego Comic Con
Following in the tradition, I had started a number of years earlier, I selected a group of interesting people as part of my faces of the year and new faces to be on the look out for in the new year.
Some of the people I picked for 2019 included: Cynthia Erivo, Marsai Martin, Kaitlyn Dever, Simone Missick, Andrew Scott, Samara Weaving and Beanie Feldstein.
Posted in New Shows, Reminder, Television, Video on June 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On July 2, the new Netflix series Warrior Nun, based on the manga novel of the same name, will debut online.
The series follows 19-year-old Ava (well-known Portugal actress (but relative unknown in the US) Alba Baptista), a self-proclaimed “freak” who mysteriously wakes up in a morgue to find that she’s now a member of an ancient order that fights demons on Earth.
The cast includes Joaquim De Almeida (24).
Here is a trailer for Warrior Nun:
Posted in Movies, Pictures, Television, Video on June 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Rueben’s Ramblings is celebrating its 10th Anniversary!!
In honor of that I decided to highlight some of the big events that took place during each year of the past 10 years.
Today’s salute is focused on 2017:
A couple of the more memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – In the late 1950s Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she has ever wanted: the perfect husband, two kids and an elegant apartment on New York’s Upper West Side. Her seemingly idyllic life takes a surprising turn when she discovers a hidden talent she didn’t previously know she had — stand-up comedy. This revelation changes her life forever as she begins a journey that takes her from her comfortable life on the Upper West Side through the cafes and nightclubs of Greenwich Village as she makes her way through the city’s comedy industry on a path that could ultimately lead her to a spot on the “Tonight Show” couch.
* The Handmaid’s Tale – Based on the 1985 novel, the streaming series is set in a dystopian future, where a woman (Elizabeth Moss) is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. The first season won 8 Emmy Awards among countless others.
It was in 2017 that the end came for the following drama:
* Grimm – This fairytale drama came to an end after 6 seasons on NBC with a very twisty series finale that found Nick literally losing everyone he cares about because of the final season’s big bad: Zerstorer. But in the end, Nick – with a little unexpected help – he is able to defeat this devil; but then he’s swept through a vortex back to moment before the final war with Zerstorer was waged without the devil coming with them. In the final scene, it’s 20 years later with the second generation – little Diana all grown up, baby Kelly grown up and looking much like his dad and the triplets of Monroe and Rosalee – working together with their parents to continue the work of the grimm.
There were also a couple of disappointments that year as well:
* Marvel’s Inhumans – Given all the success of the Marvel films, ABC was determined to get a successful series on the air – other than the mediocre success of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. [primarily in terms of ratings] – and you would think that the new 2017 series Marvel’s Inhumans would have done just that given how famous these characters are in the comic book world. Unfortunately, the show was disappointing, a ratings failure and for many it was dull.
* Prison Break: Resurrection – When Prison Break debuted in 2005 it was a breakout (no pun intended) hit; but the same cannot be said for this limited event series that took place 8 years after the series finale in 2009.
There were a couple big TV events that took place in 2017:
Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak AND Barry Allen and Iris West got married in a joint impromptu ceremony with John Diggle preceding. This event took place during the big crossover episode of all the DC Comics-based shows that were airing on The CW at the time entitled ‘Crisis on Earth-X.’
Here is the video of that ceremony:
Fans of Downton Abbey and the character Matthew Crawley saw a VERY different side of actor Dan Stevens when he starred in the new FX series Legion where he played David Haller, the mutant son of Professor Charles Xavier (of the Marvel franchise X-Men) and Gabrielle Haller. David was a troubled young man diagnosed as schizophrenic, but after a strange encounter, he discovered special powers that would change his life forever.
The remarkably moving albeit short-lived series Underground featured amazing performances by actress Amirah Vann, who portrayed Ernestine and Aisha Hinds, who portrayed Harriet Tubman.
Hinds was so moving, in fact, she was chosen by the folks at TV Line as the Performer of the Week.
Another big event to take place in 2017 was the resurrection of the NBC series Timeless that was cancelled by NBC but then three days later the network changed course, giving the show 10 more episodes. This kind of rescue is extremely rare, but the cast, creative minds and fans were very happy about the additional episodes.
Our photographer Dom was in attendance, once again, at that year’s ATX Festival in Austin, snapping pictures of the reunion of Battlestar Galactica.
You can see his pictures from that panel here.
It was also in 2017 that I attended – for the last time for quite some time – both Wonder Con in Anaheim, California and San Diego Comic Con. I have to admit it was hard to give up attending the events after going to them every year for so very long, but the expense was just getting to be too much. However, I quickly learned how much easier it is to cover the events right from home thanks to all the outlets that are covering the two events, as well as coverage from Roz and Dom who have helped out with pictures and stories from both cons.
The top movie at the box office in 2017 was Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens while Wonder Woman thrilled audiences all over the globe. Meanwhile two of the worst movies for the year were CHiPs and Father Figures.
Following in the tradition, I had started a number of years earlier, I selected a group of interesting people as part of my faces of the year and new faces to be on the look out for in the new year.
Some of the people I picked for 2017 included: Florence Pugh, Keala Settle, Zoey Deutch, Dafne Keen, McKenna Grace, Kathryn Newton and Kumail Nanjiani.
COMING SOON: Salute to 2018
Posted in Movies, Pictures, Television, Video on June 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Rueben’s Ramblings is celebrating its 10th Anniversary!!
In honor of that I decided to highlight some of the big events that took place during each year of the past 10 years.
Today’s salute is focused on 2016:
Some memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* The Magicians – The Syfy fantasy series debuted in December of the year, following a group of students at a secretive academy (think Harry Potter but on acid) where they learn that the magic they read in a book series is not only very real but also extremely dangerous.
* Stranger Things – This Netflix thriller captured viewers interest with its cast of pre-teen characters, a mom and a police chief who had to battle terrifying supernatural forces to get a missing boy back.
* This Is Us – This gripping multi-layered, decade-jumping drama about a unique set of triplets, their ups and downs and their wonderful parents consistently had viewers crying every week with its heartwarming and gut-wrenching stories. It also didn’t hurt that the show garnered impressive ratings, averaging over 14 million viewers (when all viewing options were added in) every week.
* Timeless – This NBC time-traveling series eventually ended up being the little show that could, but during its debut season it had a rocky road in the ratings, but a very loyal and rapid following. The series followed an unlikely trio who travel through time to battle unknown criminals and protect history. It was like getting a history lesson while travel around in a dome-like time machine.
* The Crown – The series depicted the life inside the Royal family, following Queen Elizabeth II, as she got married, took over the throne and the early days of her rule. For the most part the series has been commended for its depiction of events, but it has also been criticized for excessive dramatization as well as depicting some events that bear no relation to historical evidence.
A few of the shows that came to an end that year were:
* Person of Interest – The CBS crime drama about an ex-CIA agent and a wealthy programmer who saved lives via an extremely advanced surveillance AI that sent them the identities of civilians involved in impending crimes came to an end in June. The team was up against Samaritan, and in the end they defeated the evil AI, but lost Root and Reese along the way. It was a gut-wrenching finale, but in the end Shaw (who became the new owner of Bear) are out for a walk where a pay phone began to ring; and when she answered it, she smiled. Looked like the missions weren’t ending after all.
* Downton Abbey – After 6 seasons of very tumultuous stories for both the residents of the upstairs and the downstairs of the regal home Downton Abbey, the final episode of the long-running and acclaimed international hit aired in March with a two-hour Christmas-themed story that gave a happy ending to, well, pretty much everyone: Edith finally got to be happy and married, Mary was remarried and pregnant, Anna and Bates welcomed their child and even Barrow got to redeem himself.
* Castle – After 8 seasons of crime-fighting and solving, the ABC drama came to an end, but not without its problems. It had long been known (although never outright publicly confirmed) that the show’s two leads did not get along with each and due to financial constraints [too long of a story to haggle about here and now] both series lead Stana Katic and long-running co-star Tamala Jones were – for all intents and purposes – fired from the show in the spring – a move that caused a lot of controversy – but only a few weeks later it was decided by the network to simply pull the plug on the show altogether, giving viewers a patched up, and somewhat disappointing series finale with a flash-forward to the couple still together, and raising three children.
One of the fun experiences at San Diego Comic Con that year was watching The Flash stars Grant Gustin and Jesse L. Martin tap dance during their moderated panel. Check out the following video:
It was also in this year that extremely talented actress Tatiana Maslany FINALLY won an Emmy for multi-roles in the BBC America drama Orphan Black. That season of the show wasn’t it’s best, but the Emmy voters finally paid attention to her talent.
2016 also marked the year that I was proud to announce a new member of the Rueben’s Ramblings staff: my good friend Roz, who is also on the staff with me at NiceGirlsTV.
One of Roz’s articles that year was the salute to the late Carrie Fisher and her mother, legendary Debbie Reynolds, who passed away within a day and a half of each other
It was also in 2016 that actress Meghan Markle and Prince Harry began dating, and we all know how that later turned out.
The top movie at the box office in 2016 was the animated film Finding Dory while some of the worst movies included Why Him?, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and The Brothers Grimsby.
Following in the tradition, I had started a number of years earlier, I selected a group of interesting people as part of my faces of the year and new faces to be on the look out for in the new year.
Some of the people I picked for 2016 included: Brie Larson, Felicity Jones, Haley Bennett, Mahershala Ali, Bridget Regan, Auli’l Cravalho, Tom Holland and Millie Bobby Brown.
COMING SOON: Salute to 2017
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On June 26, the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie Midway to Love will debut at 9 PM.
Rachel (Rachel Hendrix from Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses) the host of a television show returns to her hometown and reunites with her high school sweetheart, Mitchell (Daniel Stine). Her show is changed to become more tabloid driven and Rachel is unsure of what to do. She realizes that having someone to share a life could be more important than fame.
Here is a trailer for Midway to Love:
Posted in Movies, News, Pictures, Television, Video on June 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Rueben’s Ramblings is celebrating its 10th Anniversary!!
In honor of that I decided to highlight some of the big events that took place during each year of the past 10 years.
Today’s salute is focused on 2015:
Some memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* Marvel’s Agent Carter – This Marvel’s series may have only been on ABC for two seasons, but it sure was great seeing Hayley Atwell bring Peggy Carter to life (even more so than in the Captain America movies) and it was a thrill to see Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Souza;
* 12 Monkeys – Based on the box office movie, this Syfy series captivated viewers with its albeit complex storylines, time travel escapades and lots of intense action. Starring Center Stage alum Amanda Schull and Nikita alum Aaron Stanford, they took on the mantels of Dr. Cassie Rally and James Cole aplomb, making this a must-watch show for those who love sci-fi programming;
Thom Allison as Pree
* Killjoys – Speaking of sci-fi programming, this unique series about a group of bounty hunters in a world that is on the brink of an interplanetary war, thrilled with its action, kick-ass fight scenes, a talking spaceship and the one and only Pree (Canadian actor Thom Allison);
* Good Witch – The Hallmark Channel had aired 7 movies from The Good Witch franchise, leading up to the debut of the weekly TV series that was made possible as star Catherine Bell was finally available; her long-running series Army Wives came to an end. This feel-good show reflects life in the charming town of Middleton and the lives of the Merriwick women;
* Daredevil – This small screen adaptation of the Marvel character took the story in an even darker direction with Charlie Cox taking over the lead role of Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin;
* Dark Matter – Yet another Syfy series that was set in the future – this time a dystopian 27th Century – where six people wake up on a deserted spaceship with no memory of who they are or why they’re on that ship. They each take a number as their name (based on the order in which they awoke), and set out to learn the truth;
* Poldark – While many were going through Droughtlander (the over-extended time between new seasons of Outlander), this PBS series (originally aired on BBC One) helped fill the gap. It also helped that Brit hunk Aidan Turner took on the lead role of Ross Poldark, a soldier returning home after the American Revolutionary War only to find his love engaged to his cousin and his father gone;
* Supergirl – The third DC series to air on the small screen actually debuted on CBS (Arrow and The Flash were on The CW), and performed fairly well in the ratings for its first season, introducing Glee alum Melissa Benoist in the lead role of Kara Danvers (aka Supergirl), but it was pulled from CBS and moved over to The CW for its second season; and,
* Blindspot – The debut season of this unique NBC series focused on a mysterious woman, quickly monikered Jane Doe, who was found inside a large bag dumped in the heart of Times Square; her entire body was covered in tattoos and she had no memory. Every tattoo led to a major crisis within the city and around the globe.
The one ‘new’ show that SHOULD have been a hit, but crashed and burned was Heroes: Reborn – As TV viewers will recall the first season of Heroes – which debuted in 2006 – was a ratings juggernaut quickly becoming a massive hit; and 11 years later the hope was this reboot (so to speak) would repeat the success. Unfortunately, that was not the case despite all efforts made.
Among the shows that came to an end in 2015 included:
Falling Skies – After 5 seasons, the TNT thriller about the survivors of an alien attack on Earth came to a close with the remnants of civilization finally defeating the Espheni Queen (and with her death so too the death of all her minions).
Here is the final scene from Falling Skies:
There were also a couple big events that took place on the small screen including:
* Fitz and Simmons finally shared a kiss (or two) on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – In the Marvel world, Fitz and Simmons were synonymously known as FitzSimmons; best friends and dedicated work partners, who after a lot of crazy experiences and even Simmons being trapped in a alternate reality to FINALLY share a kiss.
You can watch that scene here:
* Jon Snow died on Game of Thrones – It was rather unexpected (even for a show was volatile as this one), but to see the one and only Jon Snow stabbed to death by Alliser Thorne and several men of the Night’s Watch – after being labeled a traitor – was (at least for me) VERY hard to watch.
The site’s official photographer Dom attended that year’s ATX Festival in Austin, Texas where the much anticipated reunion of the cast of Gilmore Girls took place.
Check out his some of his pictures here.
It was also in 2015 that Rueben’s Ramblings celebrated its first big milestone: its 5th Anniversary!
And the Broadway stage, and quickly the world, was overtaken by a little production from Lin-Manuel Miranda called Hamilton.
The top movie of that year was Jurassic World while some of the worst movies included Hot Pursuit, Get Hard and Mortdecai.
As I had been doing for years at this point, I would select performers of all walks of life (within the industry) to be part of my faces of the year and faces of the new year.
Some of the people I picked for 2015 included: Taron Egerton, Constance Wu, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Melissa Benoist, Scott Eastwood, Priyanka Chopra, Alex Roe, John Boyega and the cast of the then upcoming TV series Shadowhunters.
COMING SOON: Salute to 2016
Posted in Interview, News, Television, Video on June 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Thursday morning cast members Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan along with showrunner Matthew B. Roberts chatted with Antonia Blyth, Deputy Editor of Deadline’s Awards Magazine, after a virtual screening of the season finale of Outlander‘s current, 5th season [which aired on May 10].
If you watched that gripping season finale, you will know about the horrible assault perpetuated against Claire Fraser. The way the episode played out viewers was from Claire’s perspective both in real time – as to what was happening to her in – and in an disassociated state – where she escaped to a dreamscape where her family and, most importantly, her husband Jamie were there to protect her as much as possible until she could be rescued.
With that finale clearly in mind for the interview, Cait, Sam and Matthew were asked about how they prepared for that episode with Matthew sharing that they knew from the beginning of this season how they wanted it to come to an end so they sought out expertise from their consultants. Cait shared they knew they had to be careful with how they depicted the sexual abuse, and the trigger warnings at the beginning of the episode was also helpful in warning viewers.
As for the emotional scenes they had to depict, not just in the season finale, Cait and Sam stated that it was helpful to have a safe environment to work within, giving credit to everyone in front and behind the cameras. Cait further shared that as an actor you have to learn how to separate your own life from work; to be in character and deal with the dark places that you have to go, but to leave all of that at the door at the end of the day.
In breaking down the dreamscape of Claire’s disassociation, they all had to work together, they had to pick a very specific time period, the costumes, the music, the house, the color – all of that was key to making those scenes work as well as sharing a lot of discussions with Sam and Cait. Matthew said he was proud of how the episode turned out.
They were then asked about Jon Gary Steele, the production designer (the man behind all of the elaborate sets used on the show) since the first season – who announced he was leaving the series after five season. While his will be big shoes to fill, Cait, Sam and Matthew were asked if they had a favorite set created by Steele. For Sam it was the Great Hall at Castle Leoch in season one; Cait’s choice was Master Raymond’s apothecary. Matthew shared that there were so many to choose from but the Star Chamber in season 2 was a top choice for him, but he also liked the Boston apartment, Claire and Jamie’s home in France, even the Wilmington and Paris streets. He further stated that every drawer and cupboard was filled because you never knew what would be seen during filming. They all agreed that it was his attention to detail that really made the difference.
Cait was then asked about Claire’s medical background, and how she dealt with all of that. She stated that she did a lot of research into all of that – in fact, they all joked that she is practicing now. Then getting serious with her answer she shared that she watched a lot of YouTube videos – even falling into a rabbit hole when she researched the breech birth for season 1.
Sam was asked about getting into character for Jamie with all that happened in the current season – from him having to don the redcoat, losing Murtagh and not being able to protect Claire. He said Murtagh’s storyline, of course, was not in the books, but he raved about working with Duncan Lacroix, especially in those final scenes.
Both Sam and Cait agreed that they are protective of and bonded to their characters but they are not their characters; in fact, Cait joked that she doesn’t go around saying “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.”
They also talked about new costumer Trisha Biggar, who took over for Ronald D. Moore’s wife Terry Dresbach, who was the costume designer for the first 3 seasons of the show. Specifically asking if they had a favorite outfit from this season. Cait stated it was blue riding coat, the green suit that had a nautical feel to it and the red dress from the finale. For Sam it was the return of Jamie’s kilt, the long leather jacket from the finale and even the redcoat.
When asked about what they have learned from being on the show, Cait and Sam both joked “nothing and everything,” sharing they were both “green” when they started on the show. Cait said she learned a lot of “technical terms,” but they also learned how to trust themselves and allow themselves to be surprised.
Cait was later asked about working with Sophie Skelton (who plays her daughter Brianna), and she shared that she “loves when (she) and Sophie get to work together…and be supportive (of each other).” She further stated that there was such a gulf between Claire and Brianna in season two, that now in season five it’s so great that their relationship has shifted to the point that Brianna can be there for Claire.
Lastly, Sam and Cait were asked about what it was liked becoming producers for the 5th season, and they shared it’s been “fantastic to have (that) role, getting to have more input; learning a lot (about) putting the jigsaw puzzle (together). Sam stated that their influence (as producers) could be seen in the season finale. They both agreed that it’s been great to “take on more responsibility (to) grow and learn and be of benefit to the show.”
You can watch the full video interview here:
Posted in Convention/Event, Movies, News, Paley Center, Pictures, Television, Video on June 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Rueben’s Ramblings is celebrating its 10th Anniversary!!
In honor of that I decided to highlight some of the big events that took place during each year of the past 10 years.
Today’s salute is focused on 2014:
Some memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* Chasing Life – This drama only aired for 2 seasons on ABC Family (now Freeform), starring Italia Ricci [who later starred in Designated Survivor and is married to Robbie Amell, current star of the Amazon Prime series Upload and star of last year’s movie Code 8, alongside his cousin Stephen Amell]. Ricci played April Carver, a talented young newspaper writer with big dreams whose life is turned upside down when she is diagnosed with leukemia. In what could easily have been a downer of a show was actually a touching series filled with love, family and friendship, and made all the better by Ricci’s moving performance;
* The Last Ship – On the opposite side of the scale was the TNT apocalyptic military drama that found McSteamy – Eric Dane from Grey’s Anatomy – at the helm of the U.S.S. Nathan James, a Navy missile destroyer, fighting to save the world after a catastrophic virus wiped out 80% of the world’s population (something that would be very scary to watch in 2020 given what is currently happening in the world);
* The Flash – It wasn’t easy to follow the success (at that time) of Arrow after two seasons, but The CW made the right decision by selecting Barry Allen and The Flash as the first spin-off from what would become a juggernaut franchise on the network. And, casting likable Grant Gustin in the lead role was even better;
* Jane the Virgin – Speaking of The CW, this U.S. version of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, was a breath of fresh air for the network that was known for its harder-hitting action-packed and/or thriller-laced dramas. It also helped that the charming and delightful Gina Rodriguez was cast in the lead role. She made the life of Jane Gloriana Villanueva very poignant and touching, and how many people just loved listening to the narrator during every episode!;
* The Librarians – Much like the made-for-TV movies from which it was based, Noah Wyle returned as Flynn Carsen, who oversaw a group of librarians (there were more than one now) tasked with saving mysterious and ancient artifacts. It also helped that the show featured Christian Kane (from Angel and Leverage fame), veteran actor John Laroquette and bombshell model-turned actress Rebecca Romijn as well as Canadian actress Lindy Booth and Aussie John Harlan Kim
* Outlander – Based on the popular novel by Diana Gabaldon, this series was basically 23 years in the making. Other versions were attempted, but nothing ever happened until Ronald D. Moore (the man behind the remake of Battlestar Galactica) brought the much-beloved novels – about a time-traveling World War II nurse who ends up in the 18th Century living alongside, and eventually falling in love, with hero Highlander Jamie Fraser – to the small screen, turning Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe into household names nearly overnight; and,
* The 100 – Much of the first season of this post-apocalyptic drama from The CW was very much like all the network’s other shows – a story of teenage angst – but, thankfully, it improved greatly as the debut season took hold, finding the show become a mixture of Lord of the Flies and the remake of Battlestar Galactica. The series was loosely based on the Kass Morgan novel of the same name that eventually became a gripping story of survival of the fittest.
A favorite show of mine – Warehouse 13 – came to an end in 2014. After 5 seasons on Syfy, the show about a massive, top-secret storage warehouse that held every strange artifact, mysterious relic, out-of-this-world object or supernatural souvenir ever found by the U.S. government – what was snagged, bagged and tagged by the warehouse “staff,” ended with a flashback-filled finale, showing the most important moments in each of the agents’ professional lives (scenes, in fact, we had never seen before) as well as an elaborate dance-spectacular for Claudia.
Among some of the big events that took place on TV in that year included the following:
Oliver finally kissed Felicity on Arrow – It took three seasons for Oliver to finally take the step, and while it wasn’t a happy ending – Felicity says, “I told you as soon as we talked it would be over,” and for awhile it was, but we finally got that kiss!:
Here is the video:
It was revealed that Grant Ward was actually working for HYDRA on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – At the end of the first season it was revealed that Agent Ward, who was seen as the embodiment of the loyal American SHIELD agent was actually working for the organization enemy HYDRA. It was a big turning point for the show and the characters.
Richard Castle and Kate Beckett finally got married in 6th episode of season 7 of Castle – It took a long time for Caskett to become a legitimate couple, and an even more complicated way for them to get hitched – especially given the failed big wedding that was to take place – but they made it down the aisle in a very private ceremony, but they finally become husband and wife.
Supernatural aired its 200th episode titled “Fan Fiction” in 2014, which found the brothers investigating a haunting at a theatre where a musical about their lives was staged by an all-girl production. This episode was a love letter and thank you to the long-time fans, for sure.
Check out the video of the girls singing what became the unofficial theme song of the show “Carry On Wayward Son”:
It was in this year that the long-running PaleyFest, the annual two-week event honoring TV hosted by the Paley Center for Media, was moved to its largest location yet: the Dolby Theatre right in the heart of Hollywood.
For me, 2014 was an important year as I added to my staff: my good friend Dominick Dusseault joined as my official staff photographer; and that summer I attended the world premiere of the debut episode of Outlander at the San Diego Comic Con, getting to see the cast and creative minds in person as well as being enraptured by the pilot episode, and my getting a rare picture taken with a bunch of kilt-wearing hunks.
See the picture below, which is very atypical for me given my haphephobia (phobia over being touched):
The #1 movie in the world for 2014 was Guardians of the Galaxy while Veronica Mars – the box office movie – came out on March 14 (if only we knew what was set to happen next, right, fellow Marshmellows?!) while some of the worst movies that year included Transcendence, Tammy and A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Even a Firefly fan film was released that year; you can check out the video (fair warning it’s a little over 14 minutes long), below for “The Verse”:
It became a tradition for every year, when putting together my year-end round-ups, that I would select interesting people who were the faces of that year and those faces that people should be on the look-out for in the coming year.
Some of the people I picked for 2014 included: Caitriona Balfe, Margot Robbie, Ansel Elgort, Manish Dayal, Gina Rodriguez, Robin Lord Taylor, Ryan Guzman, Grant Gustin, Matt Ryan and Gal Gadot.
COMING SOON: Salute to 2015
Rueben's Ramblings 