Posted in New Shows, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 17, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On June 21, the new HBO series Perry Mason will debut at 9 PM
On the heels of an unsavory investigation involving a famous comedian, Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) is hired to solve a perplexing case involving the brutal kidnapping of 1-year-old Charlie Dodson.
The cast includes Tatiana Maslany and John Lithgow.
Here is a trailer for Perry Mason:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 17, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The UPtv movie Mechanics of Love will debut on June 21 at 7 PM.
Shocked to learn her father’s auto-repair shop is in the red, Mattie finds herself caught between the interests of childhood friend, Jake and Devin, the charming-would be buyer of her dad’s business. Mattie starts to realize that fancy clothes don’t make a prince.
The cast includes Tyler Hynes, Shenae Grimes, Emily Tennant, and Lochlyn Munroe.
Here is a trailer for Mechanics of Love.
Posted in Music, News, Pictures, Television, Video on June 16, 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 2013:
Some memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* The Americans – This FX drama hit the small screen in May, starring former Felicity star Keri Russell and Brothers & Sisters alum Matthew Rhys as an average American couple with kids who were anything but. They were actually embedded Russian agents at the height of the Cold War. The show was heralded by critics for its writing, characters and acting, but it didn’t win any Emmys until its last season on the air while receiving two Peabody Awards, which is a rarity.
* Orphan Black – This innovative series debuted on BBC America in March, and featured talented actress Tatiana Maslany not only in the lead role of Sarah Manning, but during the show’s five season run, she appeared in at least 13 different versions of herself: same face, but different name, different upbringing, different life. It was a ground-breaking show that will never be replicated.
* Sleepy Hollow – The FOX drama debuted in September with the most outlandish tagline: Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers. The show shouldn’t have worked (and after season one, it really didn’t), but its debut season made the most implausible story work, and had people looking forward to hearing Ichabod call Abbie Mills – leftenant.
* Orange Is the New Black – The comedy-drama debuted in the summer of 2013, becoming the most watched series on Netflix and won three Emmy Awards for its first season. The show was widely acclaimed by critics and fans alike and was praised for “humanizing prisoners and for its depiction of race, sexuality and gender and body types.
Some of the shows that came to an end in 2013 were:
* Nikita – The CW remake came to an end in December of that year after four seasons on the air; and the leads, Nikita and Michael, even got to have a happy ending: they ended up married (they eloped), spending their life together on an island, but going on one last mission as you can see in this video clip:
You can also read my salute to the show.
* Burn Notice – After 7 seasons on the USA Network, this action drama came to an end in September with one very big series finale. Mama Bear Maddie sacrificed herself to save Michael; Michael and Fiona’s deaths were faked with Jesse and Sam seemingly prepared to take on the mantel held by Michael and his team previously while Michael and Fi were in a cabin safe and sound with Michael’s nephew.
* The Glades – This was the little cop show on A&E that should have been renewed, especially given it was in its fourth season and the final episode was to include the much anticipated wedding of leads Jim and Callie; but instead of getting to the church on time, Jim was shot by an unknown assailant, bleeding out in his home with no one the wiser as the finale came to an end. This was the worst kind of cliffhanger to leave for fans, but made all the more worse because the network cancelled the show AFTER this finale aired.
Among the top TV moments that year included the following:
Tony and Ziva finally kiss on NCIS. It only took 8 seasons of will they/won’t they and did they/didn’t they on the long-running CBS crime series for all that bottled up chemistry to finally lead to a kiss.
You can watch that scene below:
Richard Castle proposed to Kate Beckett on Castle. It may have taken five years for it to happen, but for fans of the show and of the TV couple, it was a moment long worth waiting for.
Here is the video of both the proposal that aired in the season finale in May of that year followed by Kate’s (albeit awkward) answer in the season premiere that fall:
Also in 2013, Castle celebrated its 100th episode – a big milestone for any show; and the same thing happened for the USA Network series Psych.
Another milestone in TV history, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Make sure to check out the video below of when 11 meet 10:
Before the massacre happened
Another big moment on TV was the Red Wedding episode of Game of Thrones otherwise known as “The Rains of Castamere.” For those countless viewers who (like me) were unaware of this story from the book, watching this massacre play out was literally and figuratively gut-wrenching, especially given the relentless amount of death depicted all throughout this show’s run.
Also for the fans of the long-running thriller Supernatural, it was so much fun to see fan favorite Felicia Day show up as Charlie Bradbury, who would play an important role in the lives of the brothers Winchester.
A big announcement was made on March 13 by Veronica Mars series creator Rob Thomas. A Kickstarter campaign took place with the goal of raising 2 million dollars to create a box office film that would continue the cult classic/fan favorite TV series. The devoted fans rallied together that culminated in 5.7 million dollars to make the film a reality.
In movie news, the #1 box office film was Iron Man 3, but it was the animated movie Frozen that took the world by storm. One movie that might not have been a box office hit – it only earned 5.3 million – but Joss Whedon (the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and the director of Marvel’s The Avengers) released a modern-day take of William Shakespeare’s classic tale of Much Ado About Nothing. Two of the worst movies, however, were Grown Ups and R.I.P.D.
Just as in years past, I selected an interesting group of people who were the faces of that year and those faces that people should be on the look-out for in the coming year.
Among those I selected in 2013 included: Aaron Tveit, Luke Mitchell, Emily Bett Rickards, Tom Mison, Lupita Nyong’o, Sam Heughan, Lily James and Alicia Vikander.
COMING SOON: Salute to 2014
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The Hallmark Channel movie Love Under the Olive Tree will debut on June 20 at 9 PM.
Nicole (Tori Anderson) has plans to expand her family’s Northern California olive oil business until childhood crush Jake (Benjamin Hollingsworth), heir apparent to the neighboring ranch and her biggest competitor, discovers the land where Nicole wants to build on may belong to his family, stemming from a decades-long feud since their grandfathers ended their partnership.
When a local judge decides to resolve the dispute by awarding it to the winner of the upcoming olive oil competition, the flames are further fanned between the families, but Nicole and Jake begin to find common ground and a romance develops as the big competition looms.
Here is a trailer and sneak peek for Love Under the Olive Tree:
Posted in New Shows, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 14, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On June 17, the Hulu drama Love, Victor – based on the world of the box office film Love, Simon, will debut online.
The 10-episode series is set in the world of the box office movie Love, Simon – inspired by the acclaimed novel by Becky Albertalli.
It follows Victor (Michael Cimino), a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation. When it all seems too much, he reaches out to Simon to help him navigate the ups and downs of high school.
The cast includes Ana Ortiz and Sophia Bush as well as Nick Robinson (lead of the Love, Simon movie) as the narrator.
Here is a trailer for Love, Victor:
Posted in Movies, News, Pictures, Television, Video on June 14, 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 2012:
Some memorable shows that debuted during that year included:
* Smash – The NBC musical drama focused on all the people involved in bringing a Broadway play, based on the life of iconic actress Marilyn Monroe, to life, including the rivalry for the lead role between a beautiful novice and a stage veteran, the tenacious producer, the songwriting duo, the director and all the other players. Among the cast was Debra Messing, theatre veteran Christian Borle, Broadway star Megan Hilty, American Idol alum Katharine McPhee, box office veteran Anjelica Huston, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Jack Davenport and future Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr. [among countless others];
* Scandal – The Shonda Rhimes drama that made Kerry Washington a household name started out focusing on Olivia Pope, a former White House Communications Director who starts her own crisis management firm only to realize her clients are not the only ones with secrets. The show became a juggernaut, and its storylines were crazier each year than the previous;
* Longmire – Based on the popular book series by Craig Johnson, the A&E series centered on Walt Longmire (Australian actor Robert Taylor), a sheriff in fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming. The show became the highest rated original drama series on the network, later moving to Netflix for its final three seasons. The show featured Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff and Lou Diamond Phillips [among others];
* Arrow – The show that started it all for The CW. The founding father (if you will) of the Arrowverse that led to the following shows all airing on the network: The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman and, most recently, Stargirl. Canadian actor Stephen Amell landed the coveted lead role of Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) that would make him a household name all over the world in a show that would also introduce viewers to Emily Bett Rickards, who quickly became a fan favorite;
* Nashville – The ABC drama – or more to the point night-time soap opera – followed the lives and tragedies of rising and fading country music stars that featured Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, first as rivals and later as friends, that had viewers flocking to iTunes (and other online music outlets) to download the new shows that were featured nearly every week; and,
* The Lizzie Bennet Diaries – The online streaming series was a modern-day retelling of the characters in the classic Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice told in “vlog-style” by Lizzie Bennet (Ashley Clements), who narrated the trials and tribulations of her family life with the help of her best friend (and aspiring filmmaker) Charlotte. The regular cast of characters were there including Mr. Darcy and his best friend Bing Lee and Lizzie’s sisters Jane and Lydia.
I should also make note that one of my favorite shows that year that seemed to be lacking in viewers was The CW remake of Nikita that starred Maggie Q in the title role and Shane West as Michael. The show consistently created unique and interesting stories for our lead character and plenty of kiss-ass moments. It definitely filled the Alias-sized hole in my heart.
On the opposite side of things the following shows came to an end during 2012:
* Eureka – The endearing Syfy series came to an end in July of that year, and here is the article that I wrote about the series five year run.
* Chuck – The fan favorite NBC series about an unlikely nerd turned spy that became a cult classic and was saved by fans (with a big assist from Subway), came to an end in January of 2012; and just like Eureka, I had to pay tribute to the show here.
* Leverage – The show came to an end on Christmas Day of that year, mainly due to low ratings, but not because fans didn’t love the show. In fact a couple weeks later, Leverage won the Favorite Cable TV Drama at the 39th Annual People’s Choice Awards.
Among some of the big TV moments that took place during 2012 included:
* The introduction of Kevin Tran (the adorable Osric Chau) as a prophet in Supernatural, who became a fan favorite character in the long-running thriller;
* The Vampire Diaries was in its 3rd season and was still a big hit during 2012; and the heat between human Elena and vampire Damon was pretty intense, culminating in Elena finally kissing Damon. Let the following video show you:
* Amy and Rory dying in the October episode of Doctor Who entitled “The Angels Take Manhattan,” where the couple sacrificed themselves to the Weeping Angels only to wake up in a graveyard in New York. Just as they thought they had won, a surviving weeping angel displaced Rory and a crying Amy said goodbye to her and Rory’s grown daughter Melody (aka River Song) and her raggedy man – the Doctor. You can see that final scene below:
Speaking of Doctor Who, the long-running series won the 3rd Fan Favorite cover of TV Guide Magazine in 2012. Check out the cover below:
In the summer of 2012, the first ever ATX Television Festival was held in Austin, Texas, celebrating and showcasing the past, present and future of the TV industry with screenings, Q&As, cast reunions and industry panel discussions that was described by its organizers as having “the functionality of a traditional film festival, and a blending of industry and fan events.”
On a more personal note, it was on Leap Day of 2012 that the world learned that singer-actor Davy Jones, a member of the 1960’s band The Monkees, had passed away. I had been (and continue to be) a fan of The Monkees – and especially Davy – since I was 8 years old when their TV show was reaired on Saturday mornings, along with my favorite cartoons, and I was hooked because of how fun and silly the show was; and I really enjoyed the music.
Later that year, the remaining members of the group – the late Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith – went on tour for the first time in over 15 years as a tribute to Davy. I went to one of those shows with two dear friends of mine, who were big fans of the group just like me.
[Left to right: Peter, Davy and MIcky]
As for the top box office movie, that honor went to Marvel’s The Avengers while the sleeper hit of 2012 was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Whereas, two of the worst movies of the year were John Carter and That’s My Boy.
I began making it a tradition in my year-end round-ups to highlight the faces of the year as well as faces to be on the look-out for in the year to come.
The following are just some of the faces that I picked for 2012 and 2013: Chadwick Boseman, Tatiana Maslany, Theo James, Alden Ehrenreich, Stephen Amell, Jenna-Louse Coleman and Sutton Foster.
The pictures didn’t come through on that year’s posts, like the previous two years (sorry!), so I apologize for that, but I’m pretty pleased with some of my selections:
COMING SOON: Salute to 2013
Posted in Comic Con, Movies, News, Paley Center, Pictures, Television, Video, WonderCon on June 12, 2020| Leave a Comment »
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
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On June 14, the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie Timeless Love will debut at 9 PM.
Megan (Rachel Skarsten from Batwoman) seems to have the perfect life with a wonderful husband named Thomas (Brant Daugherty from Pretty Little Liars and Dancing With the Stars) and two adorable children. She then finds herself awakening from a coma – and discovers she is not and has never been married. But when she meets Thomas for real, she seizes the chance to help him fall in love with her, again – for the first time.
Here is a trailer for Timeless Love:
Posted in New Shows, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »
On June 14, the new period piece drama Beecham House will debut on PBS at 10 PM.
The drama is set in 1795 India where ex-soldier John Beecham (Tom Bateman) buys the titular manse to start a new life after quitting the greedy British East India Company. His extended family and household staff are soon caught up in shared secrets, lies, love and political intrigue.
The cast includes Lesley Nicol, who played Mrs. Patmore on Downton Abbey
Here is a trailer for Beecham House.
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on June 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The UPtv movie Sisters of the Groom will debut on June 14 at 7 PM.
Jason ropes his neighbor Sarah into pretending to be his girlfriend for his brother’s wedding, but soon they begin to question if they are really pretending after all.
The film stars Malese Jow, Jeremy Sumpter and Greg Evigan.
Here is a behind the scenes look at Sisters of the Groom:
Rueben's Ramblings 