Weekly Update

The Weekly Round-Up (August 3 to 7)

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Here are the entertainment news items for this week:

CONDOLENCES

Legendary Writer/Director John Hughes, who brought audiences movies such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful and Sixteen Candles, unexpectedly passed away this week at the age of 59. He suffered a fatal heart attack while taking a walk in Manhattan.

NEWS

The USA Network drama In Plain Sight has been renewed for a third season. The cable channel is also negotiating for another season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

ABC Family Channel has ordered the telepic The Cutting Edge: Fire & Ice, the third sequel to the 1992 ice skating film The Cutting Edge, which will star Francia Raisa (The Secret Life of an American Teenager) and Brendan Fehr (Roswell). It is expected to premiere in spring 2010.

Executive Producers Charlie Craig and Thania St. John for the SyFy series Eureka will not be returning for the show’s 4th season. No word as to what Craig will be doing next, but St. John has moved on to the Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva.

Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore is on the mend after accidentally getting clipped by a car while tooling around on his bicycle in Los Angeles, suffering a broken leg in the mishap.

Lost is now found online. In addition to ABC.com, which has offered various episodes over the years on its less-than-ideal player, you can now find Season 1 and several Season 5 episodes on the far superior Hulu.com. If you’re a Netflix customer, you can stream all of Seasons 1-4 on that site as well.

ABC is moving the daytime soap All My Children from New York to Los Angeles.

Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy) will cross over to Private Practice in the season’s third episode. Miranda Bailey will travel to LA to visit her former colleague Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) and perform a “very interesting” medical procedure.

ABC is adding the Alyssa Milano comedy Romantically Challenged to its midseason line-up. The show, which was created by Ricky Blitt (Family Guy) has earned a 13-episode order. It will be one of four new shows launching in early 2010, along with the dramas The Deep End, Happy Town and V.

Despite any reports that came out of Comic Con, the TV series Chuck will not return to NBC for its 13-episode run until the beginning of March 2010.

Paula Abdul will not be returning as a judge on American Idol, but new judge Kara DioGuardi will be back.

SyFy has ordered a 90-minute pilot for Zak Penn and Michael Karnow‘s action-adventure drama Alphas, which had been previously set up at ABC two seasons ago under the name Section 8. The project follows a team of agents who “possess hyper-developed neurological abilities” (read: superpowers). Section 8, which had a 6 episode order from ABC, left the network post-writers’ strike over creative differences before winding up at SyFy, which ordered it to pilot from the three projects it had in development.

The N, which is about to be rebranded as TeenNick, has optioned Deborah Gregory’s novel series Catwalk, about four friends at Manhattan’s Fashion International High School. Gregory will adapt her series with Without a Trace scribe Jacob Epstein.

When Adam Rodriguez returns to CSI: Miami this fall it will be for a limited engagement only, after which he will exit the show. According to a source close to the actor, Rodriguez may possibly return for a multiple episode arc, but in a worst-case scenario he will only shoot the season premiere.

26-year-old Oscar and Golden Globe winner Anna Paquin and 39-year-old British father of two Stephen Moyer (who play human/vampire lovers on True Blood) are engaged.

White Collar is a new USA Network drama about a con artist (Matt Bomer Chuck) and an FBI agent (Tim DeKay) who have played a game of cat-and-mouse for years. Sex and the City funny guy, Willie Garson, plays the con’s sidekick, Tiffani Thiessen (Beverly Hills, 90210) stars as Tim’s wife, and the legendary Diahann Carroll (Grey’s Anatomy) is on for about half the episodes. This new series will premiere on Friday, October 23 at 10 p.m.

Want to see the cast of Glee (the new FOX musical-comedy) live and in person. Check out the details of their across-the globe-publicity tour, via appearances at Hot Topic, at the following website:  http://community.hottopic.com/events/hot-topic-presents-gleek-tour

The USA Network unveiled details on some of the new programs on their slate, including:

Facing Kate – A new spin on a legal franchise featuring a mediator from a family of corporate lawyers.

Crash Dummies – A veteran Hollywood stuntman, his reluctant son and a team of offbeat movie magic specialists.

Good Cop, Bad Cop – Sibling rivalry is taken to new heights when an estranged brother and sister are paired up as cops in their small hometown.

Louise Candell – A female attorney, whose star was on the rise, unexpectedly becomes a star on YouTube for all the wrong reasons.

Busy Bodies – A soccer mom teams up with a gay stay-at-home dad to solve mysteries in the suburbs.

Rock Doc – A famous rock star leaves the music business to go to medical school.

Stephen J. Cannell/Scott Kaufer Project – An ex-con car mechanic goes undercover.

Hotel Dix – An old school hotel detective is brought back to work at a modern hotel.

Gourmet Detective – A food detective travels the world and stumbles across mysteries of the palate and murder.

Nip/Tuck will return to FX for 10 episodes, starting October 14 with the final 9 episodes airing sometime next year. Sons of Anarchy will premiere on September 8 while Damages will be back for another season in January 2010. The new series Lawman, starring Timothy Olyphant will debut in the spring and season six of Rescue Me should be back in late spring or summer of 2010.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Hugh Jackman will play P.T. Barnum, the circus legend, who had a penchant for hoaxing a gullible public, in a musical about his life which will also focus on his infatuation with singer Jenny Lind, the so-called Swedish Nightingale. This role is being penned with Anne Hathaway in mind. Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) is penning the script and talks have begun with British pop singer-songwriter Mika to write the music and lyrics for the film’s contemporary musical score.

Aussie actor Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) is replacing Tom Cruise in the lead role of the thriller remake The Tourist, which is based on the 2005 French spy thriller. The remake follows an American tourist manipulated by a female Interpol agent in Europe. Charlize Theron remains attached to play the agent.

Former wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin and Adam Beach have agreed to star in the movie The Stranger, which will follow a federal witness (Austin) trying to evade an FBI agent (Beach).

Teen actress Jodelle Ferland (Silent Hill, Kingdom Hospital) has joined the cast of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse as a vampire who has just been turned.

Singer/Actor Jay Chou (and a star throughout Asia) has joined the cast of Michel Gondry’s The Green Hornet in the iconic role of Kato.

The Losers, based on the comic book series published under DC Comics, is being made into a movie that will feature Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four), Idris Elba (Obsessed), Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard), Holt McCallany (Vantage Point), Óscar Jaenada (Che: Part Two) and Jason Patric (Lost Boys).

CASTING SCOOP

NCIS: Los Angeles show runner Shane Brennan has confirmed that Pauley Perrette, who plays Abby Scuitto on NCIS is set to appear in episode two of the spin-off series.

Grant Bowler has inked a deal with Ugly Betty to reprise his role as Wilhelmina’s crooked ex, Connor, for multiple episodes.

Actress Ann Gillespie, who played Kelly’s mom on the original Beverly Hills, 90210 will appear in the revamped CW version in multiple episodes this October.

Jennifer Ehle (Possession and Pride and Prejudice) has joined the cast of the HBO fantasy drama pilot Game of Thrones, where she will play Catelyn Stark, the wife of Ned Stark (Sean Bean, Lord of the Rings). The cast of this series includes Mark Addy, Peter Dinklage, Jack Gleeson, Kit Harrington, and Harry Lloyd.

Swoosie Kurtz (Pushing Daisies) has joined the cast of Lifetime’s comedy series Rita Rocks in a recurring capacity, where she will play the mother of Nicole Sullivan‘s character.

Brenda Vaccaro (Nip/Tuck) has will star in HBO Film’s Jack Kevorkian biopic You Don’t Know Jack.

Bashar Rahal (War, Inc.) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc in Day Eight of 24, where he will play a general from the Islamic Republic of Kamistan who is enmeshed in a conspiracy involving President Hassan (Anil Kapoor).

German actor Jürgen Prochnow (Das Boot) will terrorize New York City as Jack Bauer’s newest nemesis on 24. He will portray Bazhaev, a ruthless character who heads up an Eastern European organized crime syndicate that becomes part of the action.

Guitar legend Eddie Van Halen will play himself in an episode of the CBS comedy Two and A Half Men this fall.

Criminal Minds has tapped D.B. Sweeney (Jericho) for a six-episode arc. He will play a U.S. Marshal who is brought in to help with a big case that arcs through the first part of the season.

Legendary actor James Earl Jones will guest star in this season’s fourth episode of House. He will play President Antipas Dibala, a dictator from an African country who becomes a patient at Princeton Plainsboro.

Jessica Walter (Arrested Development) will guest-star in an episode of Law & Order: SVU in the fall. She will appear in the third episode as a legal-aid powerhouse named Petra Gilmartin.

Celebutante Paris Hilton is going to guest star in episode five of Supernatural this season.

Skeet Ulrich (Jericho) will guest star in 3 episodes of CSI: NY as a complex and deeply disturbed killer, sending the CSIs all over New York City on one of the wildest cases of their careers. The 3 episodes will begin airing Oct. 7.

Michael Raymond James (True Blood), Kimberly Quinn (Possible Side Effects), Laura Allen (Dirt), and Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break) have been cast opposite Donal Logue in FX dramedy pilot Terriers, from creators Shawn Ryan and Ted Griffin. James will play Britt, the partner of ex-cop Hank (Logue) who together launch a private investigation business. Quinn will play Hank’s ex-wife; Allen will play Britt’s baby-crazy girlfriend; Dunbar will play Hank’s former partner in the San Diego PD.

Lucy Kate Hale (Privileged) will guest on the ABC Family Channel comedy Ruby and the Rockits later this summer. Reportedly she will play a friend of Ruby (Alexa Vega) whom Jordan (Austin Butler) has a thing for.

Actor Travis Van Winkle (Transformers, Friday the 13th and Julianne Hough‘s music video to “That Song”) has signed on to 90210 to portray Jamie, a football-playing, frat boy at CU who crosses paths with Naomi, appearing in several episodes.

Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen (Sideways) has booked a three-episode arc on the USA comedy Monk. She will play T.K. Jensen, a love interest for Ted Levine’s Stottlemeyer.

Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Legend of the Seeker as one of the last Confessors.

RUMOR PATROL

Torchwood star John Barrowman told BBC1 Radio host Chris Moyle that he is meeting with the producers of ABC’s Desperate Housewives about a possible role on the series next season. No word yet on what role Barrowman could be playing or if a deal is in place for the actor to come on board the long-running drama, though.

There is a report that former Battlestar Galactica co-star Michael Hogan will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of FOX’s Dollhouse this fall. Hogan, set to appear in the second episode of the sophomore season, will play “a customer of the Dollhouse who has used the services of the ‘dolls’ in the past.”

John Slattery MAY direct an episode of the AMC hit Mad Men, but no details have been confirmed.

Rumors has it that The Streets singer Mike Skinner is set to appear on the fifth season of Doctor Who, which will launch next year with new lead Matt Smith replacing David Tennant as the Doctor. This rumor is based on a twitter post that Skinner made himself but which was deleted shortly after it was made. Speculation swirls…

Cartoon Network has cast Kevin G. Schmidt (Princess Protection Program), Jordan Gavaris (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Italia Ricci (Greek) in their one-hour live-action drama pilot Unnatural History, about a teen (Schmidt) who has traveled the globe with his anthropologist parents and returns to the States where he attends a very strange high school.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The SyFy Channel movie Infestation will air on Saturday, August 8 at 9 p.m. The movie stars Christopher Marquette (Fanboys and Joan of Arcadia) as a slacker who with a group of strangers fight alien insects that have taken over the world. Co-stars Brooke Nevin (The 4400).

The Teen Choice Awards will air on FOX at 8 p.m. on Monday, August 10.

Here is a list of new episodes for the multitude of summer series that are currently airing all over the dial:

Saturday, August 8:
Being Human on BBC America at 9 p.m. (for 1 ½ hours).
Dirty Sexy Money on ABC at 10 p.m.

Sunday, August 9:
True Blood on HBO at 9 p.m.
Hung on HBO at 10 p.m.
Entourage on HBO at 10:30 p.m.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent on USA at 9 p.m.
In Plain Sight on USA at 10 p.m.
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m.
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m.
Defying Gravity on ABC at 10 p.m.

Monday, August 10:
The Secret Life of An American Teenager on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Make It or Break It on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
The Closer on TNT at 9 p.m.
Raising the Bar on TNT at 10 p.m.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC at 9 PM
Weeds on Showtime at 10 p.m.
Nurse Jackie on Showtime at 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 11:
10 Things I Hate About You on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Ruby & the Rockits on ABC Family at 8:30 p.m.
Hawthorne on TNT at 9 p.m.
Saving Grace on TNT at 10 p.m.
Warehouse 13 on SyFy at 9 p.m.
The Cleaner on A&E at 10 p.m.
Rescue Me on FX at 10 p.m.

Wednesday, August 12:
Leverage on TNT at 9 p.m.
Dark Blue on TNT at 10 p.m.
The Philanthropist on NBC at 9 p.m.

Thursday, August 13:
Mental on FOX at 9 p.m.
Royal Pains on USA at 10 p.m.

Friday, August 14:
Mental on FOX at 9 p.m.
Eureka on SyFy at 9 p.m.
Monk on USA at 9 p.m.
Psych on USA at 10 p.m.

NOTE: Please check your local listings for the correct air dates and times for all of the above.

Have a great weekend!

Using her favorite online handle, Rueben is an East Coast-bred gal who is now a permanent Californian and a lifelong tv-oholic. She watches at least 25 TV shows a week, goes to the movies as often as possible, listens to music every waking moment, reads every day and “plays” on the internet every chance she can. Some of her current favorite TV shows are Outlander, Sweet Magnolias, Wednesday, The Mandalorian, The Equalizer, Fire Country, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, The Rookie, Cobra Kai, Virgin River, The Witcher, Leverage: Redemption and School Spirits.  She is looking forward to the season premieres of Hudson & Rex on UPtv and Skymed on Paramount+ as well as the return of fall TV albeit starting in February. Follow her at @ruebenrambling or contact her at rueben@nicegirlstv.com.