Weekly Round-Up for Nov. 16 to 20

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (November 16 to 20):

CONDOLENCES

British star of stage and screen, Edward Woodward (The Equalizer) passed away after being hospitalized in the U.K. for an unspecified illness at the age of 79.

Ken Ober, the comedian best-known for hosting MTV’s late-’80s game show Remote Control passed away at the age of 52.

NEWS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards (special Oscars) were presented to iconic actress Lauren Bacall, B-movie maven Roger Corman and Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis. Producer John Calley, famed for The Da Vinci Code and Catch-22 among other films, was also honored with the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award.

Zachary Levi (Chuck) will co-host the Christmas in Rockefeller Center special with Jane Krakowski (30 Rock) on December 2 at 8 PM. Featured performers include Michael Buble, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Barry Manilow, The Roots, Shakira and the Radio City Rockettes.

Johnny Depp has been chosen by People Magazine as the 2009 Sexiest Man Alive.

The ABC Family Channel shows The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make It or Break It will be airing one week earlier on Monday, January 14 at 8 PM and 9 PM respectively. Secret Life completes its second season with 12 all-new episodes and Make It completes its first season with 10 all-new episodes. The network has also created its first 3-hour block of original programming on Monday nights by setting the premiere date for the return of Greek on Monday, January 25 at 10 PM, rounding out its third season with 10 all-new episodes.

The Closer is back for 3 new episodes beginning December 7, the same day as the premiere of the new series Men of a Certain Age, starring Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher.

The cast for the latest adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Poirot will star David Suchet as the titular Belgian detective. Joining him in the adaptation of Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express will be Dame Eileen Atkins, Barbara Hershey, Hugh Bonneville, and Samuel West. No airdate has been given yet, but it will follow the four upcoming Poirot films Appointment with Death, The Clocks, Three Act Tragedy, and Hallowe’en Party.

NBC has announced the broadcast of the 62nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on August 29 rather than in mid-September as usual.

Unexpected news came out of NBC on Thursday when the network announced that the “thought-to-be canceled” series Trauma has actually been given an order for 3 more episode, giving it a 16-episode season. After episode 10 is aired, however, the show will leave Monday nights and it is unclear where the remaining six episodes will air.

Executive Producer Jason Katims confirms that Taylor Kitsch will be off filming his lead role in John Carter of Mars and will miss part of the fifth and final season of Friday Night Lights, which will start filming this coming March.

New webisodes of Grey’s Anatomy called Seattle Grace: On Call, consisting of six episodes (running about 4 to 5 minutes in length) started on November 19 at ABC.com and will run from November through January (see the list below of air dates). The webisodes will primarily be set in Joe’s Emerald City Bar, the popular hangout spot for doctors and interns and features Steven Bailey as Joe the Bartender, Mark Saul as Intern Steve, Molly Kidder as Intern Megan, Joseph Williamson as Intern Pierce, Gloria Garayua as Intern Graciella, Brandon Scott as Intern Ryan, Nora Zehtener as Reed Adamson, and Robert Baker as Charles Denman.

The airdates are as follows:

November 19, Webisode #1
December 3, Webisode #2
December 10, Webisode #3
December 17, Webisode #4
January 14, Webisode #5
January 21, Webisode #6
January 27, Behind The Scenes Extras and Making of “Seattle Grace: On Call”

Chuck is back on NBC, starting on January 10 with two back-to-back episodes before moving to its regular Monday tineslot at 8 PM the next day. There will be 19 episodes in its third season and all of the cast except Julia Ling (who plays Anna Wu) will be returning.

NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE

Abigail Spencer (Mad Men) has joined the cast of the David Tennant-led NBC dramedy pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, where she will play Lindsey Speers, the fiancée of the titular character (Tennant) and a lawyer at Rex’s law firm.

Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos) has joined the cast of TNT’s drama pilot Rizzoli, where she will play Angela, the mother of Angie Harmon’s Rizzoli.

Nickelodeon has ordered the single-camera comedy pilot Summer Camp from writer Peter Barsocchini (High School Musical) and director Lev L. Spiro. The plot will revolve around a sleep-away camp and is slated to begin later this month.

Jason Lee (My Name is Earl) has been cast as the lead in the TNT drama pilot Delta Blues, where he will play Dwight Hendricks, a Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother. Sam Hennings (Cold Case), Robyn Lively (Saving Grace), and Leonard Earl Howze (Barbershop) will co-star.

Gretchen Mol (Life on Mars) has joined the cast of HBO’s upcoming period drama Boardwalk Empire in the recurring role of Gillian, a showgirl in 1920s Prohibition-era Atlantic City.

Sarah Burns (I Love You, Man) will star opposite Laura Dern in HBO’s untitled Mike White comedy pilot, where she will play a workplace friend to Dern’s Amy, described as a self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work.

Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) will star opposite Radha Mitchell in the A&E drama pilot The Quickening, where he will play a homicide detective who was married to Mitchell’s bipolar detective Maggie Bird.

Ethan Embry (Vacancy) has joined the cast of the USA legal drama pilot Facing Kate, where he will play the brother to Sarah Shahi’s Kate who gave up a promising legal career to be a stay-at-home dad.

Diana-Maria Riva (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) has been cast opposite Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford in the FOX cop drama Jack and Dan, where she will play Lt. Katerine Anderson, the cops’ boss and a former partner of Dan (Whitford). Meanwhile, Tim Matheson (Burn Notice) will direct the pilot for the 13-episode series.

Kiele Sanchez (Lost) and Carlos Gomez (Weeds) have been cast opposite Matt Passmore in the A&E drama pilot Sugarloaf. Sanchez will play Callie, a nurse and single mom who works at a pizza place to pay for school, who becomes the love interest for Passmore’s Jim, a former Chicago cop kicked off of the force who moves to Florida and joins the state police. Gomez will play Jim’s golf partner, friend and colleague, a forensic medical examiner.

Sam Shepard (Brothers) has been cast in the Nashville drama pilot Tough Trade for Epix, a joint venture between Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM studios who have created a new web destination and sister TV channel for all of their movies. The drama will be executive produced and run by Jenji Kohan (Weeds) and created by Chris Offutt. Shepard will play the patriarch of a Nashville music family whose penchant for drink, debauchery and divorce has left them morally corrupt and on the verge of bankruptcy.

NEW SEASON TALLY

A survey was recently done at E! Entertainment Online and while it’s not scientific, it does give a little bit of an idea what endangered shows the readers of the site want to see survey this season:

29.2% Eastwick (ABC)
19.5% Three Rivers (CBS)
14.4% Trauma (NBC)
13.9% Melrose Place (CW)
12.3% Accidentally on Purpose (CBS)
7.3% The Forgotten (ABC)

Obviously, Eastwick has only received a 13-episode order from ABC with no further episodes being ordered. Rumor has it that Lifetime MAY be interested in the show; but no confirmation has come out from the network. As stated above, NBC has taken back the cancellation of Trauma – at least for now – by giving the show an order of 3 more episodes. The Forgotten also received an order from ABC for 5 more episodes. The futures of the other endangered series listed above are still in question.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Sherwood Pictures, who turned low-budget faith-based features Fireproof and Facing the Giants into solid box-office hits, announced their next project: Courageous. The story follows four fathers and friends, all in law enforcement, who go through a terrible tragedy and begin looking at their role as fathers. They’re soon challenging one another to fulfill God’s intention for fathers. Shooting kicks off in March 2010 in Albany, no word on a release date as yet.

Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Derek Jacobi, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce have all joined The King’s Speech, which follows the man who would become King George VI, the father of the current Queen, Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ‘Bertie’ VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war. Filming is currently underway in the UK.

Arcadia Motion Pictures is set to produce Blackthorn, a ’sort of sequel’ to the story of Butch Cassidy. Sam Shepard is set to play Cassidy, aka Robert LeRoy Parker, fifteen years after he was thought to have been gunned down by the Bolivian police. Now living incognito, he plans to come back to the U.S. and retire. Eduardo Noriega will play a freewheeling cowboy who loses Cassidy’s life savings which pushes Cassidy into a final job involving a mine heist. Stephen Rea will play a railroad employee, originally sent after Cassidy following his string of U.S. bank robberies, who’s still keen to hunt Cassidy down.

Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris are teaming up on the comedy TMI to be written by Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Marc Klein. The storyline is being kept under wraps. The film will likely be Reynolds’ first project after Green Lantern, which shoots early next year.

Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy) will join Cher, Christina Aguilera, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming in the upcoming musical Burlesque, which centers on Ali, an ambitious small-town girl with a big-town voice (Aguilera) who finds love, family and success in a neo-burlesque club. Dane will play Marcus, a charming, successful businessman who offers to buy Tess (Cher) out of the burlesque club and vies for Ali’s heart.

Sam Worthington (Avatar and Terminator Salvation) is set to star in an adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime, which is set in a near future where, as a final response to terrorism and crime, the U.S. government plans in secret to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts.

Josh Klausner is set to write an adaptation of Adena Halpern’s novel The Ten Best Days of My Life, which focuses on a woman (proposed to be Amy Adams) who dies and then goes to the top of the afterlife echelon known as Seventh Heaven. However, she is in danger of being sent to a lower level unless she can prove that she lived a worthwhile life by recounting her 10 best days.

Uma Thurman will alongside Robert Pattinson in Bel Ami based on Guy de Maupassant’s 1885 novel, which follows amoral journalist Georges Duroy, who uses his harem of mistresses to move up the social and professional ladders. Pattinson will play Duroy, while Thurman has signed on as a friend and mentor.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

The holiday themed movie A Golden Christmas is set to premiere on the ION Network on Sunday, December 13 at 9 PM. The movie stars Andrea Roth (Rescue Me), Jason London (Dazed and Confused), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Bruce Davison (Ghost Whisperer), Elisa Donovan (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch) and Alley Mills (The Wonder Years). The basic storyline of the movie is: One summer a long time ago, a little girl and a little boy were brought together by a very special dog. They played all summer long, it was puppy love. Then the summer ended and they never saw each other again until… years later when her parents (Davison and Mills) retire and decide to sell their house. Jessica (Roth), recently widowed, decides she needs to start over and moves back home with her son. She hopes to buy the old house as a Christmas surprise; however, her plan goes awry when she discovers that her parents have already sold it. What she does not know is that the house has been sold to the very same person that she spent that magical summer with years ago.

The Hallmark Channel Original Movie The Wishing Well will premiere on January 9 at 9 PM.  The movie is about celeb magazine writer Cynthia Tamerline (Jordan Ladd), who is happy to have never left New York City, is less than thrilled when her boss sends her to Slow Creek, Illinois to write about the town’s wishing well. Out of place and uncomfortable from the moment she arrives, Cynthia plans to write her story and return to the city in record time. From eccentric hotel owner Big Jim (Ernest Borgnine) to Donette (Sally Kellerman), his ex-wife and the town’s resident waitress/unofficial psychiatrist, everyone’s got an opinion on the well’s supposed powers. The movie co-stars Jadin Gould (United States of Tara), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show), Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons) and Charles Shaughnessy (The Nanny).

Alicia Witt, Markie Post, and Frances Fisher have been cast in Hallmark Channel telepicture Backyard Wedding. The picture was written by Nina Weinman and will be directed by Bradford May.

AS HEARD ON/MUSIC NEWS

Songs featured in this past weekend’s episode of Brothers & Sisters were “Under Cold Blue Stars” by Josh Rouse, “Painting by Chagall” by The Weepies and “Winter Song” by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson.

The songs “Now We Can See” by The Thermals, “Love Fire” by The Emeralds, “Madly in Action” by The Shys, “Winner” by Swingfly and “Everyday” by Vetiver were heard in this week’s episode of Castle.

The songs “Done Did It” by Blakroc and “Pour Me” by Charm City Devils were featured in this past week’s episode of The Forgotten.

The cast of Glee sang the following songs in this week’s episode: “Endless Love”, “I’ll Stand By You”, “Crush”, “(You’re) Having My Baby” and “Lean On Me”. The mash-up by Mr. Shue was “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and “Young Girl”.

The episode of Grey’s Anatomy from this past week included the following songs: “Let It Snow” and “Silent Night” by the cast; “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Coldplay; “Drummer Boy” by Jars of Clay; “Awakening” by Sebastien Schuller and “Snowfall” by Ingrid Michaelson.

“If Something’s Wrong” by Aiden Hawken; “I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” by Matthew Perryman Jones; “All Roads Lead Home” by Golden State and “Let It Be Me” by Ray LaMontagne were featured in this past week’s episode of Private Practice.

New albums coming out on November 24 include “For Your Entertainment” by American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert and “I Dreamed a Dream” by Brit sensation Susan Boyle.

CASTING SCOOP

Orlando Jones has been cast as Foreman’s brother on House. He will play Marcus, Foreman’s incarcerated brother.

Justin Theroux is joining Parks and Recreation in a major recurring role, playing a friend of Ann’s (Rashida Jones) and a potential love interest for Leslie (Amy Poehler). His first episode is slated to air in early 2010. Will Arnett (Amy Poehler’s real-life husband) in early 2010. He will also play a possible suitor for Poehler’s character, Leslie.

Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?) will guest star in a January episode of Private Practice, playing a pregnant patient of midwifery expert Dell (Chris Lowell).

NCIS will have some familiar TV faces in its holiday episode, including Ralph Waite (who’ll return as Gibbs’ crusty dad, Jackson), Corey Reynolds (The Closer) and Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown).

Lauren Stamile (Grey’s Anatomy) will return to the NBC comedy Community for a multiple-episode arc later in the season.

Veteran comic Fred Willard will play the father of Phil’s (Ty Burrell) dad in the upcoming holiday episode of Modern Family.

Brooke Shields will guest star in the ABC comedy The Middle, playing a neighbor-nemesis of Patricia Heaton’s harried middle-class mom in an episode slated to air in January.

RUMOR PATROL

Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) are in talks to join the new film adaptation of Jane Eyre.

While it hasn’t been verified by the USA Network yet, it looks like the series Burn Notice and bwill be paired up on Thursday nights starting on January 28 at 9 PM and 10 PM respectively. White Collar will finish the first half of its freshman season on December 4 at 10 PM. Psych is due back on Friday, January 29 at 10:00/9:00c with the back half of its fourth season.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The following movie and special will air this coming weekend:

The conclusion of the PBS movie Collison will air on Sunday, November 22 at 9 p.m.

The American Music Awards will be presented on Sunday November 22 and will air on ABC starting at 8 PM.

NEW EPISODES

Here is a list of new episodes for the coming week:

Saturday, November 21:
Robin Hood at BBC America at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Check your local listings for channel, date and time for next new episode of The Legend of the Seeker.

Sunday, November 22:
Cold Case on CBS at 9 p.m.
Three Rivers on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Check your local listings for channel, date and time for next new episode of The Legend of the Seeker.

Monday, November 23:
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10:02 p.m.
CSI: Miami on CBS at 10 p.m.
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Lie to Me on FOX at 9:01 p.m.

Tuesday, November 24:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
V on ABC at 8 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.

Wednesday, November 25
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10:01 p.m.
Nip/Tuck on FX at 10 p.m.
Friday Night Lights on DirecTV only at 9 p.m.
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.

Thursday, November 26:
Happy Thanksgiving

Friday, November 27:
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
White Collar on USA Network at 10 p.m.
Crash on Starz 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!

Please note that I will feature a weekly round-up of sci-fi based (and similar genres) news items at our sister site located at http://scifitvzone.com/. Please visit there as often as you can. Thanks!

The Weekly Round-Up (Oct. 23 to 30)

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (October 26 to 30):

NEWS

A nationwide mall tour will be held from November 6 to 19 featuring the cast of the upcoming movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon. [Yes, you read that correctly!] The stops will include prize giveaways, Q&A’s with the cast members and other surprises. A select group of fans who get VIP credentials (given out on a first come, first serve basis) at Hot Topic or Nordstroms stores (at the participating malls) at 8 AM on October 31 will be granted access to a special event with cast members. The nationwide tour kicks off at the Hot Topic located in Los Angeles’ Hollywood & Highland Center on November 6 with live performances of songs from the New Moon soundtrack from the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Sea Wolf and Anya Marina.

The rest of the nationwide mall tour will hit the following locations:

Hot Topic locations and dates:
11/08 – Denver, CO – Park Meadows
11/09 – Washington, DC – Fair Oaks Mall
11/09 – San Francisco, CA – Stonestown Center (date change)
11/10 – Chicago, IL – TBD (date change)
11/10 – Philadelphia area – Cherry Hill Mall (date change)
11/10 – Houston, TX – Houston Galleria
11/11 – Miami, FL – Dadeland Mall (date change)
11/11 – Minneapolis, MN – Mall of America
11/12 – Atlanta, GA – Mall of Georgia
11/12 – Boston, MA – Natick Collection (date change)
11/12 – Seattle, WA – Westfield Southcenter
11/13 – Phoenix, AZ – Scottsdale Fashion Square
11/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Fashion Place
11/19 – New York City – Toys R Us (featuring a Hot Topic New Moon Boutique)

Nordstrom locations and dates:
11/5 – Topanga (Canoga Park, CA)*
11/8 – Park Meadows (Lone Tree, CO)**
11/9 – Natick Collection (Natick, MA) **
11/10 – The Galleria (Houston, TX)**
11/11 – Mall of America (Bloomington, MN)**
11/11 – Cherry Hill Mall (Philadelphia, PA)**
11/11 – Stonestown Galleria (San Francisco, CA)**
11/12 – Perimeter Mall (Atlanta, GA)
11/12 – Southcenter (Tukwila, WA)**
11/13 – Aventura Mall (Aventura, FL)
11/13 – Scottsdale Fashion Square (Phoenix, AZ)*
11/14 – Fashion Place (Murray, UT)*

* 125 VIP passes available
** Q&A forums with select cast members

Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes are set to star in a revival of the musical Promises, Promises, which returns to Broadway in spring 2010.  The play is about a corporate drone named Chuck Baxter, who works his way up the corporate ladder by lending his apartment out to executives for their affairs. Baxter eventually falls for Fran, an office woman invited to the apartment by an executive.

Kristin Chenoweth will reprise her role as the boozy McKinley High alum April Rhodes for at least one episode of Glee in 2010. Show co-creator Ryan Murphy also says he’s planning on using the whole NBC/Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade snafu into an upcoming episode. Look for the glee club to get denied having a float in the spring festival parade thanks to the villainous Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch).

Josh Groban will also be returning to Glee, playing himself once again.

Ricky Gervais will host the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards January 17. This marks the first time the telecast has had a host since 1995.

The show runners for Brothers & Sisters – Monica Breen and Alison Schapker – are out and longtime writer David Marshall Grant is taking over.  The ladies will continue to serve as executive producers and writers.

The ABC Family Channel favorite series Greek will be back with the second half of its third season will premiere on January 25.  The big surprise is the show will move to 10 PM, making Monday night the first 3-hour night of programming on the network, airing after Secret Life and Make It Or Break It.

The 17th Annual Diversity Awards from the Multicultural Motion Picture Association will be presented on November 22 at the Beverly Hills Hotel with awards going to the following:

• Glee – Favorite New Television Series
• Parks and Recreation – Favorite New Comedy Ensemble
• NCIS: Los Angeles – Favorite New Television Action Drama
• Lincoln Heights – Favorite Family Drama Ensemble Cast
• HBO – Diversity Programming Network
• Taraji P. Henson – Best Actress in Movie Drama I Can Do Bad All By Myself
• Masi Oka – Best Actor in TV Drama for Heroes
• Sanaa Hamri – Visionary Award

Abigail Breslin (Zombieland and Little Miss Sunshine) will play Helen Keller in the first Broadway revival of The Miracle Worker with Alison Pill portraying Annie Sullivan.  It is scheduled to open March 3.

NBC has canceled Trauma opting not to give it a full season pick-up.  The current plan is that the original order of 13 episodes will complete production and air, but no additional episodes will be ordered.  This increases the odds of an early return for Chuck, likely in January with NBC ordering six additional episodes of the series.

Scrubs will return to ABC with double episodes on Tuesday, December 1 from 9pm to 10pm, and then Better Off Ted will take the 9:30p slot on December 8.

Glee has gone from being a smash TV hit to becoming a cultural phenom, as their version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” has gone GOLD – being purchased in the excess of 500,000 downloads. And, to date, over two million Glee songs have been purchased online by fans.

NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE

NBC is developing the drama Nola Rising about the unlikely partnership between a struggling private investigator and a charismatic ex-con who is a spiritual medium as they “help solve the problems of New Orleans citizens, living or dead.” The project will be written by Medium’s Diane Ademu-John and executive produced by Teri Weinberg.

FOX has given a pilot script order to Ravens Parish, which is to be about a man and his teenage son who return to their rural Mississippi hometown in search of a fabled cavern hidden beneath a nearby swamp that allegedly holds hidden treasure.” The project will be written and executive produced by Dan McDermott (Eagle Eye), with Peter Aronson and Jordan Levin also acting as executive producers.

TNT has give the greenlight to the drama pilot Delta Blues, which will be executive produced by George Clooney and written by Liz Garcia (Cold Case) and Josh Harto. The story centers on an outstanding but unusual Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother.

NBC is developing an untitled legal drama about a vigilante lawyer who uses any means necessary to defend his clients against a corrupt district attorney and the city establishment. The series will star Idris Elba (The Wire). The project is from writers Sean O’Keefe and Will Staple, and will be executive produced by David Eick (Battlestar Galactica).

Denis Leary (Rescue Me) and Apostle Films are working on developing programs that include the following:

• An untitled CBS dramedy with Peter Ocko which will star Michael Rappaport as a social worker who helps people with their problems but can’t solve his own;

• A multi-camera FOX comedy called Extended Family, with John Beck and Ron Hart, about a family that takes in foster kids;

• An untitled FX drama about evangelists with writer David Folwell (Medium);

• A USA procedural drama called Partners in Crime, about divorced spouses who are private eyes;

• A USA drama called Scales of Justice, about an overweight former cop who teams up with his support group to fight crime; and,

• An adaptation of The Rebel League, about a hockey league, for Spike.

NEW SEASON TALLY

To date the following new and returning shows have been given full season pick-ups by their respective networks:

Community on NBC
Mercy on NBC
Parks and Recreation on NBC
Melrose Place on the CW
The Vampire Diaries on the CW
Castle on ABC
FlashForward on ABC
Cougar Town on ABC
The Middle on ABC
Modern Family on ABC
The Good Wife on CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS
One Tree Hill on the CW
Glee on FOX

As is the case every season, there are a number of shows that are struggling in the ratings and could potentially be pulled from the schedule, could be canceled at some point or their home network could stick with any of them for the full season. There is no clear cut answer as yet. Therefore, this list is speculative at best:

Brothers on FOX
‘Til Death on FOX
Cold Case on CBS
Dollhouse on FOX
Eastwick on ABC
The Forgotten on ABC
Fringe on FOX
Gary Unmarried on CBS
Gossip Girl on the CW
Hank on ABC
Law & Order on NBC
New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS
Three Rivers on CBS
Heroes on NBC

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Keira Knightley will appear in a remake of My Fair Lady in a project that is being adapted by Emma Thompson.

Plans are underway for a sequel to last year’s Mamma Mia. No specific details are available though.

Emmanuelle Chriqui and Val Kilmer have joined the movie Georgia, which is set against last year’s military conflict between Russia and Georgia, involvin an American journalist (Kilmer) and his cameraman who were caught in the crossfire and the Georgia native (Chriqui) and doctoral student who became entangled with them. Andy Garcia also stars.

Anne Heche will star opposite Ed Helms in comedy Cedar Rapids about a sad-sack insurance agent who goes to an industry convention to try to save the jobs of his colleagues but ends up finding a charming friend (Heche). She will have a small part in the action comedy The Other Guys, where her character hires Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s characters to investigate financial losses at her company.

Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle will appear in the Irish thriller The Guard, which follows Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) as a small-town unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humour, a dying mother, a fondness for prostitutes, and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international cocaine-smuggling ring that has brought FBI agent Wendell Everett (Cheadle) to his door. Mark Strong and Fionnuala Flanagan co-star. Shooting is currently underway in West Ireland.

Vera Farmiga and James Caan have joined the romantic comedy Henry’s Crime, where Keanu Reeves plays a big-hearted man who is falsely accused of robbing a bank in Buffalo. Farmiga will play his romantic interest. Shooting begins shortly in Upstate New York.

Carey Mulligan (An Education) has been cast in This Beautiful Fantastic, which is a modern fairy tale in the vein of Amelie and Finding Neverland. The cast includes Tom Wilkinson (Duplicity), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who and G.I. Joe), Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Joanna Lumley (Corpse Bride). The story focuses on frustrated children’s author Bella Brown, who only leaves her obsessively ordered flat for work at the library. Chronically shy, she has no friends, no family and no life until she falls in with Billy, a hopelessly messy inventor who whirls through the library’s carefully balanced world like a crazy tornado.
Shooting is scheduled to start in March next year.

Dreamworks has picked up the screenplay, written by Doug Wright (Memoris of a Geisha) about legendary composer George Gershwin. No other details are currently available.

Reese Witherspoon is attached to star in and produce Rule #1 about a New York woman who befriends a Puerto Rican girl with attention deficit disorder.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Jennifer Esposito (Samantha Who?) and David Sutcliffe (Gilmore Girls and Private Practice) star in The Wish List, a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, has begun production and will premiere on the network in 2010. The love story centers on a highly organized young woman who after too many failed relationships makes a wish list of all the criteria her future husband must have. Then, after finding the perfect man who meets all of her qualifications, she falls in love with a guy who meets none of them and realizes that life and love don’t always work out according to a master plan.

AS HEARD ON/MUSIC NEWS

Music featured in this past weekend’s episode of Brothers and Sisters included “Sumatra” by Katie Herzig, “Hold Onto Hope Love” by Amy Stroup, “My Father’s Waltz” by Hem and “Beautiful World” by Aiden Hawken.

Trey Songz and his music were featured in this week’s episode of Lincoln Heights.

The song “Pure Pleasure Seeker” by Moloko was featured in the Halloween episode of Castle this past week.

The featured music in the latest episode of The Forgotten included “Available” by Band of Skulls and “Krimson” by Warpaint.

The music heard on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy included “Moon and Moon” by Bat for Lashes.

Albums that will be released this week include “Play On” by Carrie Underwood; “Glee: The Music” from the FOX series Glee and “NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack” from the CBS series NCIS.

CASTING SCOOP

Robert Loggia has joined the cast of TNT’s new dramedy Men of a Certain Age. Loggia will guest-star in a January episode as Artie, the father of Ray Romano’s character. The series will debut on Monday, December 7 at 10 PM.

Ernie Hudson will guest star as S. Epatha Merkerson’s mystery lover on Law & Order. He will begin a multi-episode arc this Friday.

James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek) will portray a sleazy moneyman on ABC’s The Forgotten in an upcoming episode.

Leven Rambin (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has booked a recurring role on Grey’s Anatomy and it appears she will cross-over to Private Practice as well. No details are available, yet, on her character; but she should show up later this year.

In other casting news for Grey’s Anatomy, Frankie Faison (The Wire) will appear in the series as Dr. Miranda Bailey’s father. Danielle Panabaker(Shark) will play a patient under the care of Cristina and Jackson in the same episode.

Lisa Kudrow (Friends) is set to film an episode of the hit freshman ABC series,Cougar Tow later this month.

Elizabeth Banks and Chazz Palminteri will both gueststar on the new ABC comedy Modern Family later this season. Banks will play a friend who Cam and Mitchell partied with before they adopted a baby girl. Palminteri will play a friend of the patriarch (Ed O’Neill). Banks and Palminteri will appear in separate episodes.

Nick Zano, who is currently appearing on Cougar Town, is in talks to join the CW reboot of Melrose Place as a pseudo-replacement for Colin Egglesfield. He would be playing a doctor who works with Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen) and Michael (Thomas Calabro) at Wilshire Memorial. Zano finished shooting his final episode of Cougar Town so this new role will not conflict.

Sherri Saum (In Treatment) has been cast in a recurring role on the CW’s Gossip Girl, where she will play Holland Kemble, a powerful business executive-turned-Upper East Side trophy wife and could be trouble for Lily (Kelly Rutherford) and Rufus (Matthew Settle).

Dan Castellaneta (aka the voice of Homer Simpson) will play the pilot of a small plane that is supposed to wreck some havoc on Wisteria Lane in an upcoming episode of Desperate Housewives.

Oliver Platt (Bored to Death) has been cast opposite Laura Linney in Showtime’s dark comedy pilot The C Word. He will play Paul, the husband to Linney’s Cathy, a woman who is forced to come to terms with her cancer diagnosis.

JoAnna Garcia (Privileged) has landed a guest spot on How I Met Your Mother as yet another potential conquest of Ted’s. She will play Ted’s college buddy, Maggie, in an upcoming episode called The Window that will air on December 7.

Kelly Lynch will appear on 90210 as the mother of new surfer girl Ivy (Gillian Lanser). And, recent former General Hospital star Greg Vaughan will appear on 90210 in a yet undetermined role.

Scott Foley (Felicity and The Unit) will have a recurring role in Cougar Town. He will play Richard, an exasperating prospective home buyer who rubs Jules the wrong way. He will appear in the 10th episode, which is tentatively slated to air in December.

Sasha Alexander (NCIS) has been tapped to star opposite Angie Harmon in TNT’s pilot Rizzoli, which revolves around the crime-solving team of Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli (Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Alexander). Bruce McGill will play the gruff but lovable Detective Vince Korsak, Jane’s former partner who is a bit hurt that she had taken the likable but green Barry Frost (Lee Thompson Young, FlashForward), as her new partner. Jordan Bridges (Bionic Woman) will play Franke Rizzoli Jr., Jane’s younger brother, a Boston patrol officer who worships her and hopes to make detective someday.

Rena Sofer will be a guest star on NCIS, playing a lawyer with mysterious motives. The role could become recurring

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

One new series will premiere this week and that is the much-anticipated reboot of the 80’s classic series V. The new version will debut at 8 p.m. on ABC on Tuesday, November 3.

The following movie will air this coming weekend:

Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS will feature part 1 of 2 of the movie “Place of Execution” at 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 1.

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the returning and new fall shows:

Saturday, October 31:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

Sunday, November 1:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10:01 p.m.
Three Rivers on CBS at 9 p.m.
Cold Case on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy is expected to air the original 80’s mini-series V today from 1 to 5 p.m. followed by V: The Final Battle from 5 to 11 p.m. The mini-series will be repeated from 11 PM to 3 a.m. This is all in preparation for the premiere of the new version of V on ABC on Tuesday, November 3 at 8 p.m.

Monday, November 2:
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10:02 p.m.
CSI: Miami on CBS at 10 p.m.
One Tree Hill on The CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on The CW at 9 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy is expected to reair V all day from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; check your local listings for more details. This is all in preparation for the premiere of the new version of V on ABC tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 3:
The Forgotten on ABC at 10:01 p.m.
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
90210 on The CW at 8 p.m.
Melrose Place on The CW at 9 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy is expected to reair V all day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; check your local listings for more details and then relive the original V mini-series from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is all in preparation for the premiere of the new version of V on ABC tonight at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 4:
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10:02 p.m.
Nip/Tuck on FX at 10 p.m.
Friday Night Lights on DirecTV only at 9 p.m.

Thursday, November 5:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
Private Practice on ABC at 10:01 p.m.
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on The CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on The CW at 9 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy will present a Legend of the Seeker marathon today from 6 p.m. to 12 Midnight, featuring the series premiere as well as the episodes “Prophecy,” “Destiny,” “Denna,” “Puppeteer,” “Conversion” and “Fever.”

Friday, November 6:
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m. AND 9 p.m.
Smallville on The CW at 8 p.m.
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
White Collar on USA Network at 10 p.m.
Crash on Starz 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!

Please note that I will feature a weekly round-up of sci-fi based (and similar genres) news items at our sister site located at http://scifitvzone.com/. Please visit there as often as you can. Thanks!

The Weekly Round-Up for Oct. 19 to 23

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (October 12 to 16):

CONDOLENCES

1960s comedian Soupy Sales (aka Milton Supman) passed away in New York on Thursday.  He was 83.

NEWS

FOX has confirmed that Joss Whedon is set to direct an upcoming episode of Glee.  However, don’t expect new episodes of the musicomedy to start airing again until November 11.

Executive Producer John Wells is currently in talks with two networks about finding the recently canceled NBC police drama Southland a new home.  However, the new network won’t be producing any new episodes for the time being.  They would reair the seven episodes from the series’ freshman season and the six unaired produced episodes from Season Two as a thirteen-episode cycle, though.

TNT is bringing back the drama The Closer for a three-week run beginning Monday, December 7 at 9 PM.

FOX has ordered three additional scripts for drama series Lie to Me, which is struggling in the ratings during its second season.  The series currently has a thirteen-episode commitment from the network.

The CW has picked up Melrose Place for full, 22-episode seasons.  But, major renovations are underway with the departure of regular cast members Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield, who have been let go.  They will last air in January.

ABC has picked up Castle for a full second season.

NBC has picked up the new medical drama Mercy for a full season.

While Jennifer Morrison is definitely on her way out of the show House, two other regulars will soon be returning to the show. Peter Jacobson and Olivia Wilde will rejoin the team on the season’s eighth episode, which airs next month.  Actor Michael Weston will also appear in this episode.

In Treatment has been renewed for a third season by HBO.  Production is scheduled to begin in New York in early 2010, with the season to air later in that year.

NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE

FOX has given script orders to two new drama projects:

1. A US remake of the 1999 British crime drama Daylight Robbery, about a group of housewives who turn to a life of crime in order to raise some cash.  This series will be adapted by Karyn Usher (Bones), who will executive produce with creator Jane Hewland, Michael Thorn, and Marty Adelstein; and,

2. And, the series Midland, which is about a polygamist with two wives, created by writer/executive producer Kyle Killen.

ABC Family is close to handing out a pilot order to drama Pretty Little Liars, based on the series of novels by Sara Shepard about four friends of a social queen bee who vanished without a trace who are thrown for a loop when they start receiving messages from her from beyond the grave.  Lucy Hale (Privileged) is in advanced talks to star in the series, which will be adapted by Marlene King and executive produced by King, Bob Levy, and Leslie Morgenstein.

Judy Greer (Miss Guided) is attached to a ABC comedy project based on Elaine Szewcyzk’s novel I’m With Stupid.  The is about a Manhattanite who has a fling with a park ranger while on safari in South Africa; but when she returns home, the ranger tracks her down in New York.

ABC has given a script order to the comedy We Are Here, about four friends who met at the University of Texas but all still live in Austin and deal with adulthood in different ways.

Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci and Wren Arthur, the trio behind Olive Productions, have set up their first TV project.  It is a drama at HBO that will star  Tucci in a family drama about a brilliant, one-time powerful politician struggling to rebuild his career and relationships with his family and friends after being brought down by a scandal.

A US adaptation of British miniseries House of Cards, which will be reimagined as a one-hour drama series about “political ambition and blackmail” is being developed by Media Rights Capital and David Fincher.  The project will be taken out to networks soon.

Angie Harmon (Law & Order and Women’s Murder Club) will have the starring role in the new TNT pilot Rizzoli, which is based on Tess Gerritsen’s popular Jane Rizzoli mystery novels.

Sarah Shahi (Life and The L Word) has landed the lead in the USA Network pilot Facing Kate, which centers on a divorced San Francisco woman who leaves her job as a lawyer to become a mediator.

NEW SEASON TALLY

When new timeslots for returning series are introduced, they can be just as bad as ‘jump the shark’ moments in storylines. The case is true for the following (and a thank you to Zap2It.com for the details):

The Big Bang Theory was moved behind Two and a Half Men on CBS and the move has been successful.  The comedy is scoring, on average, 13.84 million viewers per week.  The same cannot be said about returning series Cold Case, which was moved to Sunday nights at 10 PM, making room for the new medical drama Three Rivers at 9 PM.  The cop drama was averaging 11.5 million viewers this time last year, but has only been getting about 9 million or considerably less since the move.

A bad move on the part of ABC has been putting Ugly Betty in what is known as the death slot of Friday nights at 8 PM.  About 5 million people watched the two-hour debut this past Friday and while that isn’t bad for the network for that time period, it is a steep drop when the show was getting 7.87 million previously.

Bones may have been moved to Thursday nights at 8 PM on FOX last season, but its stay in this difficult time period (against reality, two new comedies on NBC and new series FlashForward and The Vampire Diaries) seems to be paying off despite the aforementioned competition.  The show got 9.59 million viewers last week and with seven-day DVR viewing that number will easily bump the show to over 11 million viewers a week.

NBC is somewhat hurting, or more to the point, some of the Law & Order franchise shows are hurting. The move of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from Tuesdays at 10 PM to Wednesday at 9 PM has proven a bit unsuccessful.  Granted the show isn’t performing terribly, but it did reach a low of 7.9 million viewers at the end of September, but has rallied back a slight bit getting about 9 million viewers on average.

The crown prince Law & Order, however, is faring better than expected in its jump to Friday nights at 8 PM (from its cushy slot on Wednesdays at 10 PM).  It drew about 8 million viewers last season and is averaging about 7.45 million in its new timeslot.

The CW decided to move perennial long-running series Smallville to Friday nights at 8 PM.  The reason is the new series The Vampire Diaries was taking over the pre-Superman series old slot on Thursday at 8 PM.  The move to Fridays has proven to be less than successful with Smallville losing nearly half of its viewers.  At this time last year, the series was garnering 4.5 million viewers and is barely averaging 2.5 million in its new slot. On the other hand, though, The Vampire Diaries is cresting on just under 4 million viewers each week and is getting better ratings than any other show on the newly monikered network.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Camilla Belle (Push and 10,000 B.C.) and Alexa Vega (Spy Kids and Ruby and the Rockits) have joined the cast of the romantic comedy to Prada to  Nada, which is a contemporary Latina version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, following two spoiled sisters who are left penniless after their father’s sudden death and forced to move in with their estranged aunt in East Los Angeles.  There they find romance and love for their culture.

Jason Momoa (Stargate Atlantis) will appear in the upcoming HBO pilot Game of Thrones alongside Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, and Peter Dinklage.

Renée Zellweger has NOT agreed to do a third Bridget Jones movie despite rumors to the contrary.

The long-running musical Miss Saigon is going to be developed into a film with Paula Wagner as producer and Lee Daniels directing.  Shooting is aiming to begin next year for a theatrical release in 2011.

Monica Belluci, David Strathairn and Vanessa Redgrave are joining Rachel Weisz in the true story of a policewoman who uncovers an international scandal in a film called The Whistleblower.

Viola Davis has joined the cast of two projects.  The first project is called It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which focuses on a depressed 15-year-old who puts himself into an adult psychiatric ward.  Davis plays the psychiatrist who helps the boy understand his problems. The second movie is the David Schwimmer-directed Trust, which already stars Clive Owen and Catherine Keener.  The movie follows how a family deals with their 14-year-old daughter after she is victimized by an adult through an internet chat room. Davis will be a counselor that is assigned to the girl’s case.

Gerard Butler (300 and Law Abiding Citizen) has scored a role in an upcoming film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, which is chronicles the tragedy of a devoted and arrogant soldier whose political machinations and military might gain him heroic status, but ultimately lead to his assassination. Ralph Fiennes will star in the titular role and will direct the project.  Co-stars include William Hurt and Vanessa Redgrave.

Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris and Rodrigo Santoro (Lost and Love Actually) are negotiating to lend their voices to Rio from the makers of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.  The animated feature follows the adventures of a nerdy macaw who lights out from his small-town Minnesota cage for the exotic Summer Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro.  The move is scheduled for an April 8, 2011, release.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) has been cast in the Hallmark Channel movie Fairfield Road, which has begun production in Toronto and will premiere in 2010.  The movie is about a Boston-based political strategist with a fast-track career.  His life takes a dramatic turn when in 24 hours he loses his current job, his future job and discovers his girlfriend, who he thought was soon to be his fiancé, has been cheating on him.  He arrives understandably depressed at the small, picture postcard town in Cape Cod where he had planned to propose and finds a place that he loves and a girl that he’ll soon love even more.

AS HEARD ON/MUSIC NEWS

Songs featured on Glee this past week included “Bust a Move” and “Thong Song” as performed by Will (Matthew Morrison), “Sweet Caroline”, as performed by Puck (Mark Salling), “What A Girl Wants”, as performed by Rachel (Lea Michele) and “ I Could’ve Dance All Night”, as performed by Emma (Jayma Mays).

The songs featured in this past episode of Grey’s Anatomy were “Blindness” by Metric, “We Will Be Dust” by All Thieves, “Polaroid Solution” by Faded Paper Figures, “Songs From Different Times” by Jack Savoretti and “Out of the Dark” by Matt Hires.

The debut album “Lungs” by Florence & the Machine may have been released this past July, but you just might want to check out this talent Welch singer who has a rich voice that can easily be described as a combination between Karen O of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and a sultry Sarah McLachlan.

The stars of the Oscar winning movie Once, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, have a new album called “Strict Joy” that will be available on October 27.

Other music that will be available next week include the album “Full Circle” by the band Creed, a new album called “Save Me, San Francisco” by the band Train and a new single called “Halfway Gone” from the band Lifehouse, whose new album “Smoke and Mirrors” will be released on December 8.

Albums that were released in the last week (or so) include the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: New Moon and the album “Colour Me Free” from Joss Stone.

CASTING SCOOP

Sasha Alexander (NCIS) has been cast as House and Wilson’s new neighbor in the FOX drama House.  The duo decides to make their living arrangements permanent by moving to a new place next month.

Jonathan Groff (Taking Woodstock and Broadway’s Spring Awakening) will appear on Glee for five or six episodes playing the lead male singer of Vocal Adrenaline, the group already seen performing the songs “Rehab” and “Mercy” in previous episodes. He will be a potential love interest for Rachel (Lea Michele).

Jon Tenney (The Closer) will appear in four episodes of Brothers & Sisters, starting on November 8.  He will play an oncologist at the hospital where Kitty is getting treated, and he starts on affair with Nora (Sally Field).

David Boreanaz confirmed Zooey Deschanel will join her sister (Emily, who plays Dr. Temperance Brennan) for an episode of the hit FOX series Bones.  Look for Zooey to appear in an episode around Christmas.

Gilles Marini just debuted as a new love interest for Rachel Griffiths’ character Sarah on Brothers & Sisters this past weekend.  He was expected to do a five-episode arc, but it looks like he will return for four additional episodes with the possibility of more beyond that.

Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) will appear as herself in the November 23 episode of The Big Bang Theory.

The Mentalist is adding a new regular to its CBI team beginning in early 2010.  The character’s name is Agent Beth Scott and is described as a forty-something, authoritative African American woman who is a veteran in the California Bureau of Investigations headquarters. She is expected to remain on the show for the duration of the season and perhaps beyond.

Jamie Denbo (Weeds) has been promoted to series regular on the upcoming FX drama series Terriers, where she will play an attorney who is frequently consulted by the unlicensed private investigators played by Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James.

Elsewhere at FX, Joelie Carter (Wonderland) has been bumped up to series regular on the upcoming drama series Lawman, where she will play a former girlfriend of Marshal Givens (Timothy Olyphant) after guest starring in the pilot.

Both Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) and Jane Lynch (Glee) will return to the Starz comedy Party Down.

David Costabile (Damages) is joining the AMC drama Breaking Bad as Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) new assistant, Gale.  The 13-episode third season is slated to debut in March.

Benjamin Bratt will reprise his role as Det. Rey Curtis on Law & Order for one episode only.  The episode will be shot next month.

Neal Bledsoe (Gossip Girl) will appear on Ugly Betty as the given-up-at-birth son of Claire Meade (Judith Light).  This new story arc will start in December.

Sam Page (Mad Men and Shark) is joining the ABC Family series Greek in the major recurring role, Joel, who is described as a smart and accessible local campaign manager for a congresswoman.  He shares a past connection with Rebecca (Dilshad Vadsaria) as he used to work on the Hill with her father. Page will make his debut during Greek’s upcoming fourth season.

RUMOR PATROL

Rumors ran rampant on Tuesday – via Twitter – that Three Rivers, the new CBS medical series was in line to be canceled.  Not long after the news started to pilfer out, hoax reports started going up and the first twitter person to report the news was asked to remove his blog.  He compiled with the caveat that the show has not been canceled – YET.  Time will tell what will actually happen with the series.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The following movie will air this coming weekend:

The Hallmark Channel movie Always and Forever will air on Saturday, October 24 at 9 p.m. and stars Rena Sofer and Dean McDermott as former high school sweethearts who meet again at a reunion.

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the returning and new fall shows:

Saturday, October 24:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

NOTE: CBS is expected to reair last weekend’s episodes of both Three Rivers and Cold Case because of the football overruns that pushed the start time of the former and had a repeat of the latter airing instead of the latest installment this past weekend.  Three Rivers is to air at 8 PM with Cold Case following.

Sunday, October 25:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10 p.m.
Three Rivers on CBS at 9 p.m.
Cold Case on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

NOTE:  BBC America will be airing a marathon of episodes of the new series Being Human in honor of Halloween.  Please check your local listings for the correct time and channel.

Monday, October 26:
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, October 27:
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.

Wednesday, October 28:
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m.
Nip/Tuck on FX at 10 p.m.

Thursday, October 29:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
Private Practice on ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.

Friday, October 30:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
White Collar on USA Network at 10 p.m.
Crash on Starz 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!

Please note that I will feature a weekly round-up of sci-fi based (and similar genres) news items at our sister site located at http://scifitvzone.com/. Please visit there as often as you can. Thanks!

The Weekly Round-Up (Oct. 12 to 16)

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (October 12 to 16):

NEWS

NCIS isn’t exactly known for its music, but the successful drama released a soundtrack in February and another one – NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack, Vol. 2 – will come out this winter.

Glee will wrap its initial 13-episode run on December 9 at 9 PM.  The new action series Human Target will take over that time slot in January.  Glee will then return for the back half of its freshman season in the spring.

A Glee music tour has been confirmed by executive producer Ryan Murphy and should be scheduled for next summer.

Just days after the abrupt cancellation of Southland by NBC, it is looking somewhat promising that the gritty cop drama may find a second home at TNT.

Laurence Fishburne is set to guest star in all three CSI franchise shows, starting with CSI: Miami on November 9, CSI: NewYork on November 11 and CSI on November 12.

As of right now FOX does not plan to cancel any shows through the fall, but that’s not to say they won’t simply pass on ordering the “back 9” for any of the new shows.

Mark your calendars:  HBO has set a return date for drama series Big Love, which will launch its fourth season on January 10th.

It looks like Jorga Fox’s alter ego, Sara, will extend her comeback on CSI. Rather than making just a five episode visit it looks like her visit has been extended indefinitely. No exact number of episodes has been announced yet, but don’t expect to see Sara’s husband, Grissom (William Peterson) to join his wife, though.

NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE

Showtime has given a pilot order to a US adaptation of Paul Abbott’s British drama series Shameless, which will star William H. Macy.  The series will be set in present-day Chicago among a blue-collar family where an 18-year-old daughter is tasked with keeping her five younger siblings in line and must contend with her alcoholic father (Macy).  Production on the pilot is set to begin in December.

Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino will write and executive produce an untitled dramedy project for HBO about the complicated relationship between three adult sisters, all writers sharing the same upper east side apartment building, and their mother, a domineering literary lioness who reserves most of her affections for their ne’er-do-well brother.

FOX has given a script order to an untitled drama pilot from writer/executive producer Ben Watkins (Burn Notice) about an undercover female investigator of mixed heritage who questions her own identity, having been adopted as a baby.

A&E has given a pilot order to cop drama The Quickening, about a female LAPD detective who suffers from bipolar disorder.  Radha Mitchell (Surrogates) will star in the lead.

Matthew Perry (Friends) will co-write, star, and executive produce an untitled single-camera comedy pilot about a self-involved manager of a second-rate sports arena who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday.  This project has been picked up by ABC.

Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) will direct the pilot for the FOX drama Worthy, about an Arizona politician who finds himself being blackmailed by a mob boss after a hit-and-run accident.

The CW announced their development slate for the 2010-2011 season.  It includes:

• Spy School for Girls, from writer/executive producer Mark Schwahn, about female spy trainees;

• Nashville - from country music singer Brad Paisley, Mark Schwahn and writers Matthew Bomer and Neal Dodson, which is about a female singer and a male songwriter looking to make it big in the country music capital;

• Confessions of a Backup Dancer, about a woman who lands a job as a backup dancer to major music star, from writer/executive producer Ilene Chaiken;

• The March Sisters, an update of Little Women about a group of working-class sisters who are looking to strike it rich in Manhattan, from writer/executive producer Jill Gordon;

• Family soap Bitches in Britches, about the equestrian (yes, horses) set; and,

• An untitled drama about the life of socialite Sloan Barnett, who worked in the Early Case Assessment Bureau in Manhattan.

ABC has given a script order to dramedy Go Girls, a US adaptation of the Kiwi series about three women in their twenties and their male childhood friend who “dissatisfied with their lives, make challenging promises to one another that they set out to fulfill.” This project will be written by Liz Tuccillo and executive produced by Tuccillo, Julia Franz, and John Barnett.

NEW SEASON TALLY

What have been the highs and lows for the new season thus far? For CBS, it is returning hit NCIS as well as its spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles and Tuesday night companion The Good Wife.  The latter two both being picked up for a full season recently.  The lows for the network however, are Three Rivers and Cold Case.

Over on ABC, Grey’s Anatomy may have dropped in the ratings since last season, but it is still holding its own and newcomer FlashForward is not quite a ratings gangbuster, but it, too, received a full season order and can be crowned the top new series for the network. The lows include the new comedies Hank and The Middle (which surprisingly received a full order despite less than good ratings) and new drama Eastwick, which is struggling.

NBC has its work cut out with The Jay Leno Show already eating up 5 hours of primetime programming.  The only real highlight for the network is the continued success of half-hour comedy The Office. Unfortunately, one-time hit Heroes and the new medical drama Trauma are both failing in their timeslots.

FOX has perennial hit House to lead the pack, but don’t overlook the power of Bones, as it beat ABC new favorite FlashForward in the ratings last week.  The losers for the network are the comedy Brothers and the drama Dollhouse, which despite losing a considerable amount of viewers in its short two week run (and which already struggled to make a renewal last season) has their DVR viewers to thank for its hanging on by a thread.

Lastly, there is the CW, which can already boast the first cancellation of the season in The Beautiful Life. On the other hand, the new series The Vampire Diaries is off to a tremendous start, beating out all other shows on the network. T he low light can be shone on the reimagined series Melrose Place, which is struggling in the ratings.  The same could be said of the long-running series Smallville, but like FOX’s Dollhouse, this series has its DVR viewers to thank.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) are teaming for the lead roles in the period comedy Burke and Hare based on the true story about the famous graverobbers.

Rachel Nichols (Star Trek, GI Joe) and Jackson Hurst (Drop Dead Diva) have joined the cast of the indie romance The Loop, which is an adaptation of Joe Coomer’s 1992 novel that follows a New Mexico highway patrolman, obsessed with a mysterious talking parrot, whose world collides with a free-spirited college librarian.  Filming kicks off next month.

Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer are set to star in the movie the Beginners.  Shooting kicks off next month in Los Angeles.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are set to star in the newly titled comedy Knight & Day (which had previously been known as Wichita and Trouble Man). The movie centers on a lonely woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source. The movie also stars Peter Sarsgaard (An Education), Viola Davis, Olivier Martinez, Maggie Grace (Lost) and Mark Blucas (Buffy).

Julianne Hough has joined the cast of Burlesque, a musical about a young small-town singer (Christina Aguilera) who becomes a star at a Hollywood burlesque club owned by Tess (Cher).  Hough will reportedly play a fellow dancer. Filming starts early next month, with the flick due to hit theaters next Thanksgiving.

Chris Pine is set to play CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the reboot of the franchise based on the Tom Clancy novels.

Justin Long has joined the cast of Robert Redford’s historical drama The Conspirator about Confederate sympathizer Mary Surratt (Robin Wright Penn), who was tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination.  He will play a soldier who lost a limb in the Civil War.

Clive Owen and Catherine Keener have joined the cast of the dark drama Trust, playing the parents of a 14-year-old girl (Liana Liberato) who are stunned to discover she has been victimized by an online sexual predator who gained her trust posing as a teenager on a chat room.  Former Friends star David Schwimmer is directing and penned the story which Andy Bellin turned into a script.

Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland are set to co-star in the remake of The Mechanic.  Foster plays a young man who becomes an apprentice to a hitman (Jason Statham).  Sutherland will play the role of Foster’s father and Statham’s handler.

Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas, Transformers) is attached to star in the buddy comedy What’s He Got?. Story details are being kept under wraps, though.

Amber Heard (The Stepfather) and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) are attached to star in Cowgirl Bandits, a young version of Thelma & Louise, with Jessica Manafort is to direct.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

The Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, A Dog Named Christmas, starring Bruce Greenwood, Linda Emond and Noel Fisher will air on CBS on November 29.

The ABC Family Channel original movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas will premiere on November 29, starring Dean Cain, Elisa Donovan, Adrienne Barbeau and the voice of Mario Lopez (as dog Zeus).

Shannen Doherty (Charmed) will appear in the Hallmark Channel original movie Growing the Big One, which has started production and will air on the network in 2010.

AS HEARD ON/MUSIC NEWS

Songs featured on the finale of Army Wives included “Fields of Gold” by Eva Cassidy and “Time After Time” (from Cyndi Lauper) by character Viola.

The songs played during the finale of Drop Dead Diva were “Don’t Wait” by Dri; “If You Wanna Go” by Joy Williams, “Definition” by Alex Mills, “I Like You Baby” by Oh Darling and “Piece of Mind” by Castaneda.

The songs that aired in this past weekend’s episode of Brothers & Sisters included “3 AM” by Gregory Alan Isakov, “Too Many Days” by Matt Ellis and “Have A Little Faith” by Michael Franit.

The songs featured on this past week’s episode of Glee included “Hate on Me” (from Jill Scott), “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (from The Supremes), “No Air” (from Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown) and “Keep Holding On” (from Avril Lavigne) and “Ride With Me” (from Nelly).

Garth Brooks is dusting off his Stetson and coming out of retirement.

A new Lifehouse single out “Halfway Gone” will be released on October 27 and their new album “Smoke & Mirrors” will come out on December 8.

CASTING SCOOP

Stephen Collins (7th Heaven) is taking over for Barry Bostwick on Private Practice as Addison’s uptight dad, Captain Montgomery.  Bostwick exited the show due to scheduling conflicts.  And, JoBeth Williams will appear as Forbes Montgomery, Addison’s mother.

Billy Campbell (The 4400) is coming to Melrose Place, joining the show at year’s end to woo Heather Locklear’s Amanda Woodward. His character is a powerful dot-com billionaire named Barrett McMillan.

Alan Thicke will guest star as himself in an upcoming episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Mandy Patinkin has signed up to guest star on an upcoming episode of the medical drama Three Rivers, playing an ALS patient who asks to be taken off life support following a car crash, so that his organs can be used to save others.

Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order and The Cleaner) has signed on to guest-star in the ABC comedy, Modern Family, playing ex-husband to Gloria’s (Sofia Vergara).

Steve Harris (The Practice) has booked a recurring role on Friday Night Lights, playing Vernon Merriweather, an ex-football star and the father of East Dillon newbie Jess (Jurnee Smollett).  He will appear in roughly seven episodes of the upcoming fourth season, which premieres on DirecTV on October 28.

Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men, playing a gal pal of Charlie’s fiancée.

Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad), Ivan Sergei (Charmed), Ving Rhames (Surrogates), Rachel Hunter (among others) will appear in the Starz ten-episode ensemble dramedy series Gravity, about a group of suicide survivors who receive treatment together in an outpatient program.

Peter Fonda will appear in the November 8 episode of Showtime’s Californication, playing himself.

Lucy Hale (Bionic Woman, Privileged) has landed a part in a new project called Pretty Little Liars, which is based on a series of books. No other details are available.

Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) will guest star on NBC’s medical drama Mercy, playing Lucy Morton, a cancer patient who has lost her hair from treatment. Her episode will air on Novenber 4.

Paige Turco (Damages) and Barry Bostwick (Spin City) have been cast in NBC’s two-hour backdoor pilot The Mountain.  The project revolves Dana (Turco), a single mom with three kids who inherits a remote mountain cabin from a supposedly dead uncle.  But when she heads off to the cabin, she discovers that her Uncle Henry (Bostwick) is very much alive, and they set out to keep an evil buyer from gaining access to the mountain that holds secrets and treasures.

Veteran actor Joel Grey will appear in a November episode of Grey’s Anatomy as Izzie’s old high school teacher.  This will be Heigl’s only episode in November sweeps

RUMOR PATROL

Angelina Jolie is apparently in talks to replace Charlize Theron in the thriller The Tourist, which is a remake of a 2005 French thriller, centering on an American tourist who, on behalf of Interpol, goes undercover to entrap a former lover who’s a suspected global criminal.  Aussie hunk Sam Worthington took over for Tom Cruise in the titular role and remains attached to play the lead male role.

Shonda Rhimes is reportedly considering bringing back Sharon Lawrence as Izzie’s trashy mama, Robbie Stevens, on Grey’s Anatomy.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The new cable show White Collar, starring Matthew Bomer and Tim Dekay will debut on the USA Network on Friday, October 23 at 10 p.m.

MOVIES

The PBS movie Masterpiece Mystery! Inspector Lewis: The Point of Vanishing will air on Sunday, October 18 at 9 PM and is about a death-by-drowning case.

Sorority Wars, starring Lucy Hale (Privileged) and Courtney Thorne-Smith will air on Lifetime at 9 PM on Sunday, October 18.  The movie is about rival sororities doing battle after a sorority legend’s daughter (Hale) decides to pledge a different house.

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and most of the returning and new fall shows that are just getting their season started:

Saturday, October 17:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

Sunday, October 18:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10 p.m
Three Rivers on CBS at 9 p.m.
Cold Case on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

Monday, October 19:
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Lie to Me on FOX at 9 p.m.
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI: Miami CBS at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, October 20:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.
90210 on the CW at 8 PM
Melrose Place on the CW at 9 PM

Wednesday, October 21:
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m.
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.
Nip/Tuck on FX at 10 p.m.

Thursday, October 22:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
Private Practice on ABC at 10 p.m.

Friday, October 23:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
Crash on Starz 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!

Please note that I will feature a weekly round-up of sci-fi based (and similar genres) news items at our sister site located at http://scifitvzone.com/.  Please visit there as often as you can.  Thanks!

The Weekly Round-Up for October 5 to 9

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (October 5 to 9):

NEWS

ABC Family and Harlequin Enterprises Limited announced a new licensing agreement where Harlequin will publish four TEEN tie-in books for the ABC Family series Greek.

Showtime officially picked up Californication for a fourth season.

Flashpoint will have another 13 episodes air on CBS.   The drama, about members of a strategic response team, has averaged 9.6 million viewers in its second season on the U.S. network.  The series starring Enrico Colantoni was originally developed by Canadian CTV, which has been airing it concurrently with CBS.  NOTE: The question now is when will the show return, which timeslot will it take and what new or returning show will be pulled to make room.

Are you a fan of Glee? Well, join the Gleek Club. So far Glee music has been downloaded 1.1 million times. That is astounding.

Fox21 has set up drama project Broken at FX. The one-hour drama series, written by Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air), is set in post-Katrina New Orleans and revolves around an investigative journalist for the New Orleans Gazette who is so frustrated by the breakdown of social and governmental institutions that he takes on a sideline pursuit as a vigilante.

TNT has given a pilot order to Rizzoli, a drama based on Tess Gerritsen’s Jane Rizzoli mystery novels. Written by Janet Tamaro (Bones), the series will revolve around the crime-solving team of Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli. If Rizzoli goes into production it will join the Steven Spielberg-produced alien invasion project, which TNT picked up in July with Noah Wyle tapped as the lead.

HBO has given an early series renewal to freshman comedy Bored to Death, handing the Jason Schwartzman-led series a second season order following its third episode, which landed its largest audience to date when it jumped 51 percent in viewers week on week.

News broke that ‘Ugly Betty‘ will lose her braces this season; just one more thing in the transformation of the character that has fans in a bit of an uproar.

Former Desperate Housewives scribe Kevin Murphy has joined the writing staff of Syfy’s Caprica as co-executive producer. The writer also has several other projects in development, including an adaptation of Kate Torgovnick’s nonfiction book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders at CW with studio Warner Bros. Television and Tom Welling’s production company Tom Welling Prods and USA’s Velvet Hammer, a drama about a female FBI agent with CBS Studios.

Drop Dead Diva creator and executive producer announced that Ben Feldman, who plays guardian angel Fred will be joining the second season of the Lifetime hit as a series regular.

Ellen Page (Juno) has teamed with HBO for Stitch N’ Bitch, a single-camera comedy she will write with two other young actors, Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) and musician Sean Tillmann. The trio will executive produce the project, which follows two painfully cool hipster girls as they relocate from Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood to Los Angeles’ Silver Lake enclave in hopes of becoming artists — of any kind.  All three might also star, but a decision about them acting in the comedy will be made later. The three worked together on the Drew Barrymore-directed Whip It, which is currently in theaters.

Showtime is set to launch animated webisdoes based on Dexter.  Called Dexter: Early Cuts, the webisdoes are set to debut on October 25 on sho.com with 12-parts told in four, one to two minute chapters.

Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) has been cast as the lead in Matt Nix’s (the creator of Burn Notice) FOX drama series Jack and Dan, which already has a thirteen-episode order from the network for next season.  Whitford will play Dan, a drunken, lecherous, wild-card cop who hangs onto his job only because of a heroic act years before.  He’s paired with a morally-minded and uber-ambitious cop named Jack.  The series is slated to start shooting early next year.

CBS has given a pilot commitment to a modern version of the classic 1970s cop series Hawaii Five-O. Fringe co-creators and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and CSI: NY executive producer Peter Lenkov.  Kurtzman and Orci are creating the story with Lenkov, who will write the script.  All three will executive produce.

Since NBC’s numbers are down and its new and returning shows are mainly DOA, Chuck’s third season might get to premiere sooner than the March date that’s been bandied about thus far.  How much earlier?  As early as late October, that’s when.   Its unclear if the little show that could w return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch.   But, NBC insiders who’ve seen the first four episodes, are calling this season the best yet.  If Chuck does come back sooner rather than later, the chances of NBC ordering additional episodes beyond the 13 initially commissioned increases dramatically. And they increase further if it performs solidly.

NEW SEASON TALLY

The following is a run-down of the general state of the TV shows for the fall season – not just the sci-fi(ish) based shows, but exclude half-hour comedies:

First it was Glee. Now CBS has given full season orders to NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife, which have become the two highest rated new fall dramas of the 2009-2010 season.

The networks SEEM to be allowing the new shows room to breathe so far with only one cancellation: The Beautiful Life . New shows that look likely to get full season orders include: The Vampire Diaries and FlashForward.

There are several new shows that really need viewership to improve – FAST! – before the respective networks pull them. Those are: Eastwick, The Forgotten and Melrose Place.

None of the new medical dramas – Mercy, Trauma and Three Rivers – are a hit with viewers and are perched on the edge and could easily be pushed over by their networks very soon. Returning medical dramas House and Grey’s Anatomy have improved over their drops in viewership last year, though.

A number of returning shows are currently struggling and are going to need some life support or just plain ole “eye-balls watching them”. They are: Castle, Cold Case, Dollhouse, Fringe, Heroes, Law & Order and Smallville.

Some returning shows are holding their own but many other returning shows have lost viewership since last season, however, it seems the networks are giving them time. They include: 90210, Criminal Minds, all three of the CSI’s, Bones, Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer, Gossip Girl, Law & Order: SVU, Lie to Me, Medium, The Mentalist, Numb3rs, One Tree Hill, Private Practice and Supernatural.

The fate of Ugly Betty will be determined when it returns on October 16.

A surprise cancellation was made last night by NBC.  They canceled the sophomore season of the drama Southland BEFORE the second season premiere could even take place. Fans are very upset about this development as is executive producer John Wells who has stated publicly his disappointment with the network and is looking for another home for the series.  Could fingers start to be pointed at the network’s decision to program Jay Leno 5 nights a week, taking away prime time scheduling for grittier dramas?  You betcha!

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Fred Thompson (Law & Order), pop star A.J. Michalka (The Lovely Bones), Kevin Connolly (Entourage), Margo Martindale (Mercy), Eric Lange (Lost) and Drew Roy (Hannah Montana) have all joined the cast of Secretariat opposite Diane Lane’s role as the famous horse’s owner.  Michalka will play Diane Lane’s daughter; Thompson will star as racing league president Bull Hancock and Roy will play Thompson’s son. Connolly will play a sportswriter.  Martindale will play a veteran executive secretary, who assists Lane through a dark time and Lange will portray real-life sportswriter Andy Beyer.

Samuel L. Jackson has signed on for Same Kind of Different as Me, a weeper based on the true story of an art dealer and a con man who become friends. The movie will be based on the 2005 memoir by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  The book follows drifter Moore (presumably to be played by Jackson) and Dallas art mogul Ron Hall, who find solace when their mutual friend, Ron’s wife Deborah, is diagnosed with cancer.  There’s no word yet on who will play Ron or Deborah, or when production will begin.

Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) will co-star with Christina Aguilera in the musical-drama Burlesque (which also stars Cher and Stanley Tucci), which follows small-town, big-voiced Aguilera (in her big-screen debut) as she becomes the star attraction in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club.  The club’s previous golden girl (presumably Bell) begins to spiral out of control.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Gina Gershon (Showgirls), Ryan McPartlin (Chuck), Victor Garber (Alias and Eli Stone) and Rachel Blanchard (7th Heaven) will star in Lifetime Movie Network movie Everything She Ever Wanted based on the popular crime novel by Ann Rule.  The mini-series will air on November 14 and 15 and is inspired by the true story of a Southern husband and wife whose storybook wedding signals the beginning of a nightmare marriage that is ultimately upended by greed and violence.

Rob Lowe (Brothers & Sisters) and Lauren Holly (NCIS) star in Ann Rule’s Too Late to Say Goodbye on the Lifetime Movie Network on November 7.  The film is inspired by the true story of an outwardly charming couple whose deceit and secret affairs result in fatal consequences.

AS HEARD ON

Songs featured in last weekend’s Drop Dead Diva penultimate episode were “Lighthouse” by Buddy; “Home” by Holly Conlan and “Bad Bad Girl” by The Noises 10.

Last weekend’s episode of Army Wives has these songs featured: “”Reality Check” by Fiona Kernaghan and “Hallelujah” by Drew Holcomb.  Plus these songs were sung by character Viola: “Here for the Party” (by Gretchen Wilson) and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (by Bonnie Raitt).

The songs featured in Sunday night’s episode of Brothers & Sisters were “Sink or Swim” by Dave Thomas Junior and “Man Inside” by Shirock.

Songs featured on the most recent episode of The Vampire Diaries include: “Save the Lies” by Gabriella Cilmi; “Don’t Trust Me” by 3Oh!3; “Boom” by Anjulie; “Beauty of the Dark” by Mads Langer; “Be There” by Howie Day; “When a Heart Breaks” by S.O. Stereo and “Wait it Out” by Imogen Heap.

Free download at iTunes: “Letters From the Sky” by band Civil Twilight.  This was the song featured in the short-lived CBS series Harper’s Island.

CASTING SCOOP

Monet Mazur (40 Days and 40 Nights) is joining the cast of NCIS: Los Angeles as a love interest for Chris O’Donnell, playing Natalie Buccola, a confident secret service agent who’s taken with O’Donnell’s Callen.  The role is potentially recurring.  She will make her first appearance in episode 6.

Former WWF wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is expected to make a guest appearance in an episode of Chuck when it returns to NBC in March 2010 as Hugo Panzer, a master of close-quarters combat.  NOTE:  Please see above news about Chuck possibly returning earlier than planned.

Kim Raver (24 and Lipstick Jungle) is joining Grey’s Anatomy in a recurring role.  She will debut as a surgeon in the episode scheduled to air November 12.  Her character will play third wheel in Owen and Cristina’s relationship.

Chris Elliott has landed the pivotal role of Lily’s estranged dad on How I Met Your Mother.  The highly-anticipated family reunion is slated to air November 23 when father and daughter come face-to-face at a Thanksgiving celebration hosted by Lily’s grandparents.

Lauren Stamile (Grey’s Anatomy and the Lifetime movie Midnight Bayou) has landed a role on Community, where she’ll make a love connection with Joel McHale’s Jeff.

It’s been confirmed that Helen Hunt is no longer in the running to replace Maura Tierney in NBC’s new drama Parenthood as Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) has filled that vacancy.

MY CASTING IDEA FOR EASTWICK: For those of you who watched the second episode of Eastwick last week, you saw a picture featuring the characters portrayed by Veronica Cartwright, Cybill Shepherd and another woman along with a man who looks exactly like Daryl Van Horn (Paul Gross).  Who do you think should be the 3rd woman?  Her face was turned and obscured by her hair – which I’m sure was deliberate – but I have to wonder who casting and the masterminds behind the series are planning on using for that 3rd woman.   Here’s my idea: Why not get either Sela Ward or Anne Archer?  They are close in age to the other ladies and either one would make a great “get” for the show.  How cool to see either in the show, right?  A good friend of mine also made this suggestion, which is just as plausible:  Barbara Hershey.

RUMOR PATROL

Deborah Ann Woll and Michelle Forbes (both from True Blood) are co-starring in an upcoming film called Highland Park. This movie is rumored to also star Danny Glover, Billy Burke (Twilight franchise), Naturi Naughton (Fame) and Rockmund Dunbar (Prison Break).

Rumor has it that Tom Cruise is out of the movie Motorcade and Ryan Reynolds is being “eyed” to take his place.  The movie is an action thriller about a disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the president’s motorcade is commandeered by terrorists in New York.  Director Len Wiseman (Underworld) is also being replaced by Jon Cassar (24).

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

A few more shows will be coming back next week along with one more new debut.  They include:

Wednesday, October 14:
Nip/Tuck on FX at 10 p.m.

Friday, October 16:
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m (Two-Hours)

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and most of the returning and new fall shows that are just getting their season started:

Saturday, October 10:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

Sunday, October 11:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m. – Finale
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m. – Finale
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10 p.m
Three Rivers on CBS at 9 p.m.
Cold Case on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

Monday, October 12:
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Lie to Me on FOX at 9 p.m.
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI: Miami CBS at 10 p.m.
Durham County on ION at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, October 13:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.
90210 on the CW at 8 PM
Melrose Place on the CW at 9 PM

Wednesday, October 14:
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m.
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.

Thursday, October 15:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
Private Practice on ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

Friday, October 16:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m. – check your local listings for actual airtime
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
Psych on USA Network at 10 p.m.
Crash on Starz 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!

Please note that I will also soon be featuring a weekly round-up of sci-fi based (and similar genres) news items at our sister site located at http://scifitvzone.com/.  Please visit there as often as you can.  Thanks!

The Weekly Round-Up for Sept. 28 to Oct. 2

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (Sept. 28 to Oct. 2):

NEW SEASON TALLY

What three returning shows have built on their ratings from last season? NCIS is number 1, followed by House and rounded out by The Big Bang Theory at number 3. What three returning series that were big in the ratings previously, but are now struggling a bit this time around? The Mentalist, CSI: Miami and Desperate Housewives.

What are the top 10 new shows for the first week of the 2009-2010 season? Here is the list in order: NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Modern Family, FlashForward, Cougar Town, The Forgotten, The Cleveland Show, Accidentally on Purpose, Eastwick and Mercy. Please keep in mind this is just in terms of ratings for their premiere week. This list will change significantly from here on out, though.

How are the networks fairing after the first week of the new season? As mentioned earlier, NCIS and its sequel as well as The Good Wife and The Big Bang Theory are all performing very well. CBS has seen a slight decrease in viewers for CSI and Cold Case, but not significant enough for the network to worry. As stated above, Cougar Town, Modern Family and FlashForward performed very well on ABC and Grey’s Anatomy is holding its own too. Desperate Housewives took a big hit in viewership and while returning Castle and newcomers The Forgotten and Eastwick are holding their own, the ratings are hovering well below 10 million despite less drama competition in those timeslots.

Surprisingly, the new NBC drama Mercy performed well in its two weeks and The Office had a solid performance. Unfortunately, once stellar series Heroes has failed to grow more viewers and Law & Order: SVU was down significantly. House packed in viewers for FOX during its two-hour opener and Bones held steady with the comedies Family Guy and The Cleveland Show ranking very well among adults. Regrettably, Fringe got hammered in its new timeslot and Dollhouse faired even worse. The hit of premiere week for the CW was The Vampire Diaries and while Smallville had a small ratings share it did well enough to make the suits at the network happy for now. The same cannot be said for new series The Beautiful Life, which after only two episodes was pulled for good.

GENERAL NEWS

The new ABC series V (the remake of the 80’s mini-series) is already hitting roadblocks BEFORE it even airs. After production of the series was put on hiatus for “two weeks” to prepare more scripts, which actually lasted six weeks, the network is now only going to air the first four episodes, starting on November 3. The show will then return after the Olympics have completed in March. This does not bode well for the success of a show that was being hailed as one of the best for the network not that long ago. Shame on you, ABC!

A&E has canceled The Cleaner, the rehab drama starring Benjamin Bratt. The show’s second — and now final — season concluded earlier this month.

AMC announced its six-hour limited series event The Prisoner, starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellan, will launch on Sunday, November 15 at 8 PM, airing in three two-hour installments over three consecutive nights, with subsequent installments airing on Monday, November 16 and Tuesday, November 17.

Primeval has been recommissioned for two series under a new co-production deal between ITV and UKTV. ITV1 will premiere series four in early 2011, while Watch will have the first run of series five later that year. ITV1 will then broadcast series five. Stars Andrew Lee Potts, Hannah Spearitt, Ben Miller and Jason Flemyng will all return for the new batch of episodes. The announcement comes three months after ITV axed the series.

NBC is cutting its order on midseason sci-fi thriller Day One, opting to air the show as a four-hour event movie instead. The show will still air after the Winter Olympics but will no longer run as a 13-episode series, as originally planned. This is mostly likely a cost-cutting measure by the network. However, they could still turn the show into a series next season should the mini-series version perform well. Day One stars Adam Campbell, Catherine Dent, Julie Gonzalo, David Lyons, Derek Mio, Carly Pope, Thekla Reuten and Addison Timlin.

SHOWS IN DEVELOPMENT

Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies) is attached to executive produce and direct an untitled multi-camera ABC comedy about an overworked mother who finds a special suit that grants her super powers.

Stephen King has signed a deal to adapt his 2005 novella The Colorado Kid into a one-hour drama series entitled Haven, which will revolve around a small town in Maine where cursed folk live normal lives in exile.

CBS has given a script commitment to an untitled project from executive producers Craig Wright (Dirty Sexy Money), Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The project follows a lawyer who gets a second chance at life by the ghost of his ex-wife after a near-fatal accident.

Diane Ruggiero (Veronica Mars) will write the pilot script for an untitled FOX supernatural dramedy in the style of Shaun of the Dead, about a group of dysfunctional siblings who are forced to live together in the family’s haunted house after their father dies.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Drop Dead Diva) have received script commitments for two projects. The first is for FOX and is to be a legal drama entitled Laney Sparrow. The second is for NBC and is to be a dramedy called Inside Mary Baxter, which is set in a women’s prison.

Showtime and BBC Two have joined together to co-produce the new comedy series Episodes, set to star Matt LeBlanc (Friends). This series received a six-episode commitment and revolves around a British couple whose smash-hit British show is adapted into a “dumbed-down” US sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc (who will play himself). The project is slated to air next year on Showtime.

CBS is prepping a Criminal Minds spinoff for next season. It will be created by Minds executive producers Ed Bernero and Chris Mundy. Mundy will write the script for the spinoff, which will appear as an episode of Minds in the spring. Details are still sparse, but the new show is expected to feature a new team of FBI agents, not existing characters.

J.J. Abrams (creator of Felicity and Alias) is returning to the spy business with a new potential series project with writer/executive producer Josh Reims (Felicity and Dirty Sexy Money) and executive producer Bryan Burk (Lost). The untitled project follows a husband and wife who work as spies.

FX has given series orders to dramas Lights Out and Terriers, ordering thirteen episodes of each series. Terriers stars Donal Logue as a former cop who launches an unlicensed private eye firm with his best friend (Michael Raymond-James). It is set to debut in Summer 2010. Lights Out stars Holt McCalleny as a former boxing champ who tries to support his wife and children. It will launch in late 2010.

USA has given a cast-contingent pilot order to legal drama Facing Kate about a divorced lawyer in San Francisco who leaves her job as an attorney to become a mediator.

ABC Family has given pilot orders to two comedies. The first, an untitled multi-camera comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, will see the duo play a political dynasty wild child-turned-politician who takes in her teenage niece and pre-adolescent nephew when her sister goes to prison and her brother-in-law flees. She turns for help to Jack (Lawrence), who, desperate for a job, moves in and becomes the family’s “many”. The second is an untitled single-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Michael Jacobs about a father who gets laid off from his architecture firm and who begins to mentor his underdog middle daughter, while his veterinarian wife shares a closer bond with their Type A older daughter.

FOX and 20th Century Fox Television have extended options on the cast of single-camera comedy pilot The Station, which will remain in contention for a series order while producers tweak the pilot. Series, from executive producer Ben Stiller, follows a group of CIA operatives, including Justin Bartha, John Goodman and Whitney Cummings, working in Central America on a mission to install a new dictator.

Elsewhere, CBS and ABC Studios have again extended the options on the cast of drama pilot House Rules, including Zoe McLellan, Eion Bailey, Kristin Bauer, Tawny Cypress, Anna Chlumsky and Denzel Whitaker.

HBO has come on board to co-produce Chris Lilley’s newest series, Angry Boys, an exploration of what it is like to be a man in the 21st century. As in Lilley’s other series Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes, he will portray multiple roles as well as write the scripts for the twelve episode mockumentary-based comedy series. Production on the series begins later this month in Australia.

Showtime is developing single-camera comedy pilot Mouthpiece, from writer/executive producer Carol Liefer (Seinfeld). The project would star Marlee Matlin and Mario Cantone and is set at a high-powered law firm.

Elsewhere, Carol Liefer has set up You and Me and He, a multi-camera comedy project at CBS about a recently divorced woman who enters a same-sex relationship only to discover that she is pregnant with her ex-husband’s child.

NBC has given a script order to drama Midnighters, based on Alloy Entertainment’s novel series about a group of people, each born at midnight, who have the ability to access the 25th hour of the day in order to fight crime.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Charlie Cox (Stardust), Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money), and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) have been cast opposite William Hurt and Ethan Hawke in the big-budget Moby Dick movie. Cox will play Ishmael; Sutherland will play Father Mapple; Anderson will play Elizabeth, the wife of Captain Ahab (Hurt).

Olivia Wilde (House) has joined the cast of Paul Haggis‘ thriller The Next Three Days. The movie stars Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks in a story that revolves around a woman imprisoned for a murder she claims she didn’t commit and her husband who tries to vindicate her. Wilde will play a young mother who befriends the husband.

James Purefoy, Mark Strong and Thomas Haden Church have joined the cast of John Carter of Mars, which is an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series, centering on a Civil War veteran (Taylor Kitsch) who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars, where he becomes embroiled with the planet’s warring people. Church plays Tal Hajus, an ambitious and vicious Thark warrior who is biding his time to be a ruler. Purefoy plays Kantos Kan, the captain of the Xavarian, the kingdom of Helium’s grand warship. Strong is Matai Shang, the ruler of the Thems with godlike status. Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Dominic West and Polly Walker also star. Andrew Stanton helms the film, which is scheduled for release Summer 2012.

Jamie Foxx has joined the cast of the ensemble comedy Due Date. Robert Downey Jr. plays an expectant father who finds himself on a road trip with a mismatched partner (Zach Galifianakis from The Hangover and Tru Calling), as he races to get there before his wife (Michelle Monaghan) gives birth to his first child. Foxx will play Downey’s longtime pal, who once dated his wife and secretly keeps in touch with her.

Josh Brolin has replaced Sean Penn in the movie Cartel, playing a man on a mission to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican drug cartels. Shooting kicks off in January in Mexico City. Brian Grazer is producing this movie.

Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Michael Kelly (Generation Kill) have joined Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and John Slattery (Mad Men) in the upcoming movie The Adjustment Bureau, which will begin filming this fall.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Annie Potts (Designing Women), well-known soap actress Kim Zimmer, Drew Seeley (Another Cinderella Story) will star in the Hallmark Channel movie Freshman Father, which is about a Harvard student who finds himself in a shotgun wedding and must juggle school and parenthood.

Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Chris Carmack (The O.C.) and Zoe McLellan (Dirty Sexy Money) will co-star in the Lifetime Movie Network movie Deadly Honeymoon inspired by the real-life mysterious disappearance of groom George Allen Smith. The movie follows two young newlyweds, Lindsey (Glau) and Trevor Forrest (Carmack), as they embark on their 10-day honeymoon cruise. But the dream vacation devolves into a night of wild partying, infidelity and strange encounters with a group of Eastern European passengers, and the next morning, Trevor is missing, presumed to have fallen overboard to his death. However, one investigator (McLellan) begins to question if his death really was an accident. Filming is slated to begin in October for a 2010 premiere.

Camryn Manheim (Ghost Whisperer) has been cast in the Lifetime movie Pregnancy Pact, starring opposite Thora Birch and Nancy Travis. She’ll play a local nurse who alerts the school to the rising rate of teen pregnancies. The movie is slated to air in early 2010.

ABC Family Channel will air the sequel movie The Prince & Me: Holiday Honeymoon on Sunday, November 8 at 8 PM. The movie follows newlyweds Queen Paige (Kam Heskin) and King Edvard (Chris Geere) as they try to escape the spotlight by honeymooning in Belavia amidst ancient castles and glittering snowcapped mountains but instead end up uncovering a plot against the Danish monarchy.

AS HEARD ON

The songs featured on last weekend’s Drop Dead Diva episode included “Love Is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar (as performed by lead Brooke Elliott); “Free” by Malbac and “Happy” by St. Lola in the Fields.

The songs that appeared in the most recent episode of Army Wives included “You and I” and “Never the Same by The Kin – the same duo who sang “Together” in the “12:04″ episode of Moonlight; “All Over Now” by Eric Hutchinson and “Country Roads” by Ryan Bingham.

The songs featured in Brothers & Sisters this past weekend were “Shut Your Eyes” by Snow Patrol and “Running on Faith” by Quincy Coleman.

Here are the songs that were featured in this week’s episode of Glee “Somebody to Love”, (from the band Queen), “Last Name” (by Carrie Underwood), “Maybe This Time” (from Cabaret) and “Alone” (from the band Heart). Music that was playing in the background in two separate scenes during the episode belonged to Huey Lewis and the News and Hall & Oates.

The song “Crazy” – made famous by Patsy Cline – but written (and, in this instance, performed) by Willie Nelson was featured in various scenes of this past week’s episode of Eastwick.

The songs featured in this week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries include: “I’m A Lady” by Santigold; “Opposite Direction” by Union of Knives; “Shadows of Ourselves” by Thievery Corporation, “Back in Time” by V.V. Brown; “Believer” by Viva Voce; “Brightest Hour” by The Submarines; “Wild Place by Glass Pear; “All We Are” by Matt Nathanson; “Fallout” by Sofi Bonde and “It’s Not Over” by Carolina Liar.

How cool was it to hear a 50’s song – “Do You Love Me” – in the most recent episode of Supernatural. There is usually a strict policy of only 70’s music by creator Eric Kripke so perhaps a visit into the future is the only time a different music era can be played on the show?

EDITED TO ADD:  Songs featured in this week’s Grey’s Anatomy included In My Head by Until June, The Chain by Ingrid Michaelson, Pop Goes the World by Gossip and Brown Eyes by Rachael Yamagata.

CASTING SCOOP

Crista Flanagan (Mad Men) is joining ABC’s new Kelsey Grammer sitcom, Hank, as Dawn, the wife of Grady (David Koechner) and sister-in-law to Grammer’s Hank. She replaces Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls), who dropped out when she landed a supporting role in the Katherine Heigl-Josh Duhamel romantic comedy, Life as We Know It.

Actor Omar Miller (Transformers and Eleventh Hour) has joined the cast of CSI: Miami as a series regular, portraying Walter Simmons, a Louisiana native and art theft specialist who transfers over from the night shift to join Horatio’s team.

Ashley Jones (True Blood and The Bold and the Beautiful) will be seen in upcoming episodes of FlashForward and The Mentalist.

Kevin Zegers (The Jane Austen Book Club) will play an international bad-boy who becomes a love interest for Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) on Gossip Girl.

Seattle Grace is about to merge with Mercy West on Grey’s Anatomy and that will bring new characters onto the show, including Sarah Drew (Everwood and Mad Men) who will have a recurring role as a doctor named April. Drew joins previously announced Mercy West newcomers Robert Baker, Jesse Williams and Nora Zehetner on the show. Their characters will compete with Seattle Grace regulars for jobs and patients.

Arielle Kebbel (Gilmore Girls) will appear on the 7th episode of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries as Stefan’s oldest and best vampire friend, Lexi.

Billie Piper (Doctor Who), Theo James (Untitled Woody Allen Film), Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval), Sue Johnston (Waking the Dead), and Alun Armstrong (New Tricks) have been cast in BBC One drama Kay Mellor’s A Passionate Woman, based on Mellor’s stageplay about a young mother who calls in love with a Polish neighbor and its dangerous consequences over a thirty-year period. The project will air next year.

Jason Priestley will star in the Canadian pay TV comedy Meet Phil Fitz, about a morally bankrupt used car salesman who walks a fine line of acceptable behavior on the lot. The project is from writer/executive producer Sheri Elwood (Defying Gravity) and will air on Movie Central and the Movie Network in 2010.

Kathy Najimy is set to guest star in an upcoming episode of Desperate Housewives as a police officer with a surprising connection to Teri Hatcher’s Susan. This episode is slated to air in late October.

Shakira and model Christy Brinkley will be appearing in a November episode of Ugly Betty.

Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell) will begin his recurring role in the 10th episode of FlashForward, playing the new thorn in Detective Mark Benford’s (Joseph Fiennes) side.

Reiko Aylesworth (24) has booked a recurring role on the FX drama Damages. Details about her character are being kept quiet. Season three is scheduled for a January premiere.

The Mentalist is finally introducing Patrick Jane’s father – via flashback. In the November 12 episode, Nick Chinlund (Desperate Housewives, The Sopranos) will make his debut as Jane’s TV dad, Alex, in a series of circa ’80s flashbacks that promise to shed light on Jane’s early days as a carnie freak. Viewers will come to learn that young Jane (played by relative newcomer Chris Brochu) worked as a psychic at carnivals under the watchful eye of his overbearing showman dad.

Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) will guest star on Parks and Recreation, playing the ex-wife of Amy Poehler’s character’s boss. The episode is expected to air on Oct. 29.

Josh Lawson (Chandon Pictures) has been cast opposite Alyssa Milano and Kyle Bornheimer in ABC’s midseason comedy Romantically Challenged, where he replaces Eric Christian Olsen who played the role in the original pilot episode.

Actress/Director Joanna Kerns (Growing Pains) will play Roxie’s (Rebecca Romijn) mom in an upcoming episode of Eastwick. The episode is expected to air in late fall.

Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) just might the ‘mom’ in How I Met Your Mother, as she’s been booked to appear in at least one episode of the comedy; but not one seems to be talking about her specific role.

Broadway vet Aaron Tveit is reprising his role as Nate’s wealthy cousin, Tripp Vanderbilt, this November for at least six episodes on Gossip Girl. Sarah Steele (Spanglish) has also been cast on Gossip Girl in the potentially recurring role of Kira Abernathy, a Constance Billard student who attempts to befriend queen bee Jenny. Her first episode airs November 9.

RUMOR PATROL

Robert Downey Jr. is in talks to star in the Steven Spielberg-directed remake of the Jimmy Stewart classic Harvey. The original story told the story of a man whose best friend is a large bunny that no one else can see.

Sylvester Stallone just might be starring in a remake of the 1974 movie Death Wish, which featured Charles Bronson as a vengeance-fueled vigilante.

Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu and All Shook Up) just might be appearing in 30 Rock in a recurring role as a love interest to Jane Krakowski’s character. Cheyenne will next be seen the production of Finian’s Rainbow.

The internet was a buzz yesterday with this story: Actor James Franco (Pineapple Express, Spiderman franchise) is (supposedly) checking into the soap opera General Hospital, debuting on November 23, and then appearing off and on for about two months.

Shia LaBeouf, Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Gosling, Paul Dano and Michael Shannon have had their names associated with the Depression-era bootleggers indie drama The Wettest County in the World that John Hillcoat (The Road) is directing. No specifics are available as of yet.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

A few more shows will be back this coming week and one more new debut will happen this weekend. They include:

Sunday, October 4:
Three Rivers on CBS at 9 p.m. – NEW

Friday, October 9:
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m. (Part 1 of 2)

NOTE: The season premiere of Ugly Betty was to air on Friday, October 9, but it has been moved to October 16 instead and will get a 2-hour premiere.

MOVIES TO AIR THIS WEEK

Lifetime Movie Network will air the movie Flying By at 8 PM on Monday, October 5, starring Billy Ray Cyrus as a family man reunited with his old band who rediscovers his passion for music.

Syfy will air the docu-movie (for lack of a better world) The Possessed on Thursday, October 8 at 9 PM, which follows the accounts of an allegedly possessed girl in Watseka, Illinois in the 1870s.

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and most of the returning and new fall shows that are just getting their season started:

Saturday, October 3:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

Sunday, October 4:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m.
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m.
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10 p.m
Cold Case on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

Monday, October 5:
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Lie to Me on FOX at 9 p.m.
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI: Miami CBS at 10 p.m.
Durham County on ION at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, October 6:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.
90210 on the CW at 8 PM
Melrose Place on the CW at 9 PM

Wednesday, October 7:
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m.
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.

Thursday, October 8:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
Private Practice on ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

Friday, October 9:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
Psych on USA Network at 10 p.m.
Crash on Starz 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!

The Weekly Round-Up for Sept. 21 to 25

Here are the entertainment news items for this week – September 21 to 25:

CONDOLENCES

Actor Robert Ginty passed away this week from cancer at the age of 60. He was best known for his roles in the 70’s series Baa Baa Black Sheep, The Paper Chase and Falcon Crest. He was also a producer, director and later became artistic director of the Irish Theatre Arts Center, staging music, film and theater projects on the Irish experience at venues around the world.

EMMY AWARDS

Congratulations to the following Emmy winners (please note this is not the full list of winners from the Primetime or Creative Arts Emmys – just a short recap):

Drama Series: Mad Men
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Lead Actor in Drama: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Lead Actress in Drama: Glenn Close, Damages
Guest Actor in Drama: Michael J. Fox, Rescue Me
Guest Actress in Drama: Ellen Burstyn, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Supporting Actress in Drama: Cherry Jones, 24
Supporting Actor in Drama: Michael Emerson, Lost
Lead Actor in Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Lead Actress in Comedy: Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Supporting Actor in Comedy: Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Supporting Actress in Comedy: Kristen Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Guest Actress in Comedy: Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
Guest Actor in Comedy: Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live

NEWS

House Shocker! Jennifer Morrison is leaving the show. No specifics are available as to why.

If you want to see the “hijacking” of the Emmy Awards by Dr. Horrible (aka Neil Patrick Harris) along with Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), Penny (Felicia Day) and Moist (Simon Helberg), you can see it here: http://scifiwire.com/2009/09/miss-the-dr-horrible-bit.php.

The “revised” pilot episode of the new CBS medical drama Three Rivers is not going to be seen until October 11. The second episode of the show will actually be aired in the debut slot on October 4 instead.

NBC began streaming old episodes of Chuck on NBC.com this past Monday. The move is meant to give new and lapsed viewers a chance to play catch-up prior to the launch of the show’s third season in March 2010.

The third season of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures will air twice a week in the UK on BBC One. The spin-off series, which stars Elisabeth Sladen, aired its first season Stateside on Sci Fi (prior to the network’s name change); however, no plans have been announced yet for the second or third seasons.

Fox just ordered an additional batch (known in the industry as “the back 9”) of episodes of the musical comedy Glee to complete the show’s first-season order.

John Barrowman (Torchwood) has hinted that he might make an appearance in this year’s final David Tenannt Doctor Who specials.

John Glenn (Eagle Eye) will write the script for the FOX drama pilot Fallen, described as “a real-world drama that revolves around a group of vigilante “fallen” angels who take down the criminal and the corrupt in New York while falling in love, battling demons and seeking their own personal revenge.”

CBS has given script orders to two projects: the first is an untitled crime drama from Peter Tolan (Rescue Me) about a quirky college professor who solves crimes. Tolan will executive produce with Michael Wimer. The second is The Rememberer, from writer/executive producer Ed Redlich (Without a Trace), about a female NYPD cop who has the secret ability to recall everything that she experiences. Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly will also executive produce.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury will appear in the cast of the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music, opening at the Walter Kerr Theater in December.

NBC has acquired Canadian two-hour backdoor pilot The Mountain. The project, written and directed by Doug Barr, will revolve around a woman who moves her family to the mountains, where they move into a cabin she inherited from her uncle, who may or may not be dead.

J.J. Abrams (Lost and Fringe) will take a stab at comedy with a half-hour sitcom for FOX.  Details of the as-yet-untitled series, described as a “comedic medical show,” are being kept under wraps.

The CW ordered more episodes of One Tree Hill, bring it up to a full 22 episodes. The network also picked up nine additional scripts for The Vampire Diaries and has asked for six more scripts for Melrose Place.

Empire creator Tom Wheeler has set up two high-concept dramas at NBC and FOX, which have received script commitments. The NBC project, entitled The Cape, is about a former cop who, after being framed for a crime, becomes The Cape, a marked vigilante out to clear his name and reunite with his son in a city beset with corruption. The project will be executive produced by Wheeler, Lloyd Braun, and Gail Berman. The FOX project, The Mysteries of Oak Island, is about a mother and daughter who inherit a 200-year-old lighthouse on a privately owned island off the coast of Nova Scotia where there are legends of buried treasure.

Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe and Eric Bogosian will leave Law & Order: Criminal Intent during the upcoming ninth season. And, Saffron Burrows will replace Julianne Nicolson. However, a source has stated that deals are still being worked out for all the actors to return next season.

ABC has given a pilot order to high-concept police procedural, Hopscotch, from writer/executive producer Chris Levinson (Law & Order), executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. No other details are available.

Glen Mazzara (Crash) has been named showrunner on the second season of the TNT medical drama Hawthorne. He replaces the series’ creator John Masius, who served as the showrunner on the first season. Masius will remain with the series as an executive producer.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) will also be featured as a CIA operative in the upcoming The A-Team film.

Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) and Ali Larter (Heroes) have joined the cast of Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Nick Stahl, Rose McGowan and Amy Smart have all joined the cast of the indie romantic thriller Dylan’s Wake.

Dylan Walsh, John Malkovich and Scott Glenn have signed on for the story of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, starring alongside Diane Lane.

Universal Pictures has made a deal with Mattel to build a live action film around its signature toy line, Barbie.

Not to be outdone, Sony will unleash He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on the movie-going public, too.

Universal is in talks to gain the rights to Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High series of young adult novels with the intention of installing Diablo Cody as writer for the film versions.

Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY) and Colm Feore (24) have joined the cast of the movie Thor. Alexander will play Sif, an Asgardian warrior who often accompanies Thor in his battle to fight evil. Feore’s role has not yet to be named.

Dennis Hopper, Scott Caan (Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) and J.K. Simmons (The Closer, Spiderman movies) have joined the cast of the dark comedy A Beginner’s Guide to Endings.

Geoffrey Rush will reprise his role as Captain Barbossa in the new Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Stanley Tucci is set to join Cher and Christina Aguilera in the musical Burlesque, in which Aguilera plays an ambitious small-town girl with a big voice who finds success in a neo-burlesque club on Sunset Boulevard. Tucci plays the club’s manager and the best pal of Tess (Cher), a former dancer who tries to help the young girl.

Neve Campbell has signed on to return as Sidney Prescott while Wes Craven is in talks to direct Scream 4.

A contemporary remake of the classic A Star is Born is finally moving along at Warner Bros. Pictures.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

A big-budgeted TV event movie about the doomed flight of the Hindenburg is taking flight in Germany with an international cast that includes Stacy Keach, Greta Scacchi and Lauren Lee Smith (CSI).

AS HEARD ON TV/NEW MUSIC RELEASES

Songs from last weekend’s episode of Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime included “Moving” by Cathy Davey; “Nothing At All” by Madi Diaz; “Bloom” by Nerina Pallot and “More Of You” and “Hurry Up and Choose” by Mozella.

The single “You & Me” by Dave Matthews Band was featured in the final scene of the series finale of Eureka this past Friday.

“There There Boney King” by Radiohead was featured in the series premiere of The Forgotten, well, at least the instrumental part.

Did anyone catch Chris Isaak’s “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing” at the end of Eastwick’s premiere on Wednesday night?

How great was it to hear “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd on Supernatural this past week?

Songs from this week’s The Vampire Diaries include: “Bad Day” by Darker My Love; “Slow Poison” by The Bravery, “Starstrukk” by 3Oh!3; “Temptation” by Moby; “Strange Times” by The Black Keys and “You’re a Wolf” by Sea Wolf.

Both the band Paramore and Mariah Carey have new albums coming out next week. You can expect to see “Brand New Eyes” by Paramore and “Memoirs of an Imperfect Week” by Mariah Carey available on September 29.

CASTING SCOOP

Desmond Harrington will be returning to Gossip Girl as Chuck Bass’s (Ed Westwick) devious uncle Jack.

The CW announced that Heather Locklear will stop by the renovated Melrose Place on November 17.

Shelley Long will appear on at least one episode of the new ABC comedy Modern Family as outrageous MIA mom Dede Pritchettt.

Aida Turturro (Sopranos) will guest star on the October 30 Halloween episode of Medium.

Jason George (Eli Stone) will appear on the November 4 episode of Eastwick as Max, a rival reporter (and potential love interest) for Joanna (Lindsay Price).

Rosanna Arquette is booked for the November 18 and 25 episodes of Eastwick, as a New York City art gallery owner and old friend of devilish Daryl Van Horne (Paul Gross).

Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) has departed Southland after filming just three episodes. No reason was given for his departure. Stepping in will be Clifton Collins (Crank: High Voltage), who will play a new character named Ray Suarez.

Campbell Scott and Martin Short have signed on as series regulars while Lily Tomlin and Keith Carradine take guest starring roles on FX’s Damages.

Stephen Root (True Blood) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Day Eight of FOX’s 24, playing Ben Prady, an officer of the Department of Corrections looking into a parolee gone missing.

Natalie Zea (Dirty Sexy Money and Hung) has signed on as a series regular to FX’s new drama Lawman, which will star Timothy Olyphant.

Daniel Mays (The Street) has joined the cast of BBC One’s time travel drama series Ashes to Ashes for its third and final season. He will play Jim Keats, a Discipline and Complaints Officer with the Metropolitan Police on the series, which returns to BBC One in 2010.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

More returning shows will be back and some new shows will debut this coming weekend as well as next week. They include:

Sunday, September 27:
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 PM
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10 PM
Cold Case on CBS at 10 PM
Dexter on Showtime at 9 PM

Monday, September 28:
Lie to Me on FOX at 9 PM
Trauma on NBC at 9 PM – NEW

Thursday, October 1:
Private Practice on ABC at 10 PM

Friday, October 2:
Stargate Universe on Syfy at 9 PM (Two Hours) – NEW

EXTRA RUNS

CBS will reair the pilot episode of The Good Wife on Saturday, September 26 at 9 PM.

NBC will reair the pilot episode of Mercy on Saturday, September 26 at 9 PM.

MOVIES

Lifetime will air the movie Homecoming on Saturday, September 26 at 9 PM. The movie is about a bitter ex-girlfriend (Mischa Barton) tries to win her boyfriend back by any means necessary. Co-stars Matt Long (Jack & Bobby) and Jessica Stroup (90210). Morgan Freeman directed.

The movie Children of the Corn will air on Syfy on Saturday, September 26 at 9 PM. The story chronicles a couple’s horrific detour to a strange rural town ruled by fanatically religious children unfolds in this adaptation of the Stephen King short story. Stars David Anders (Alias) and Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica).

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and most of the returning and new fall shows that are just getting their season started:

Saturday, September 26:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 27:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m.
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m.

Monday, September 28:
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Castle on ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI: Miami on CBS at 10 p.m.
Durham County on ION at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, September 29:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.
90210 on the CW at 8 PM
Melrose Place on the CW at 9 PM

Wednesday, September 30:
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m.
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.
The Beautiful Life: TBL on the CW at 9 p.m.

SIDEBAR: Just announced this afternoon that The Beautiful Life has been canceled by The CW. Its the first cancellation of the fall.

Thursday, October 1:
Flash Forward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

Friday, October 2:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.

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

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Round-Up for Sept. 14 to 20

Here is the entertainment news for this past week (Sept. 14 to 20) and what to look forward to for next week:

CONDOLENCES

Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, North & South, Ghost) passed away earlier this week from pancreatic cancer.  He was only 57.

Mary Travers of the famous 1960’s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary passed away this week at the age of 72 from leukemia.

Actor/comedian Henry Gibson passed away this week from cancer at the age of 73.  He was best known for the 1960’s comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and more recently for his work on Boston Legal.

Larry Gelbart, the writer who made M*A*S*H a TV hit and was an Oscar nominee for the movies Oh God! and Tootsie, passed away last week after a battle with cancer.  He was 81.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, the father of the “green revolution” passed away last weekend in Texas at the age of 95 from complications of cancer.

NEWS

10 Things I Hate About You has been renewed for a second season on ABC Family Channel.  However, the network canceled its brand new half-hour comedy Ruby & the Rockits.

TBS has renewed their half-hour comedy My Boys for a fourth season.

The Broadway version of Spiderman may just be happening after all.  Bono from U2, who co-wrote the score, enlisted the help of wealthy “pals” to jump-start production after a month-long halt due to monetary setbacks.

ABC is developing a US adaptation of the British comedy series Gavin and Stacey about the romance between two very different lovers from two very different places who fall in love over the phone and begin a relationship, against the advice of their eccentric friends and families. The US version will be written by Stacy Traub (Notes from the Underbelly) and Hayes Jackson (According to Jim).

ABC has given a pilot order to 18 Years, about a young couple who become parents and must “adjust to their new life as parents — trading their fast-paced existence for a more domesticated lifestyle.”  Writer/executive producers are Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith (The King of Queens).

ABC is developing an untitled comedy from Samantha Who? executive producer Don Todd about a thirty-something woman who learns that her new job as boss to a group of twenty-somethings puts her in the role of mother, therapist, and friend.

HBO is developing two historical mini-series, including Ida Tarbell, a biopic focusing on the early 20th century female investigative journalist Ida Tarbell, who exposed the Standard Oil monopoly.   The mini-series will be produced by Harpo Films, with Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte to executive produce and Mimosa Jones to write the script.

HBO is also developing The Black Panthers with Carl Franklin attached to write and direct the project.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is still on track for an October 27 DVD release, but presumably the movie will arrive on Syfy sometime next year.

Betty White will be given the Screen Actors Guild’s lifetime achievement award, which honors career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.

Helen Hunt has been approached to join NBC’s upcoming drama series Parenthood, taking over the role played in the pilot by Maura Tierney.

FOX has given a pilot order to an untitled multi-camera workplace comedy, from executive producer Ron Howard and writer Brent Forrester (The Office), about the employees of an Internal Revenue Service district office.

Writer and producer Greg Malins (How I Met Your Mother) has sold a pilot script to ABC for a comedy tentatively called Freshmen, which will be set in Washington.  The series would revolve around three first-term members of Congress, two men and a woman, who share a house together.  Surprisingly, Malins will have the help of political pundit Arianna Huffington with this series.

Spike Lee and Robert De Niro will team up to develop a Showtime drama series about Lower Manhattan’s Alphabet City.  Alphaville will explore the neighborhood’s gritty past in the 1980s, focusing on the mix of struggling artists, drug dealers, musicians and families who were part of the scene.

DirecTV has acquired three seasons of gritty Australian drama series Underbelly, which tracks the development of the Oz underworld from the 1970s to the present day.  Series will air on 101 Network and will launch on February 10th, following the fourth season finale of Friday Night Lights.

Whedonites Rejoice:  There will be a second Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog per Joss Whedon in a Thursday conference call with reporters to promote Dollhouse.  The main question is if it’s done on a shoestring budget again or on a much bigger budget with others brought into the mix.

Let the overhaul (groan!) begin: John McNamara (Jericho) is the new showrunner for the USA Network drama In Plain Sight.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

John Slattery (Mad Men) joins Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in sci-fi movie The Adjustment Bureau loosely based on 1954 Phillip K. Dick short story.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, Supernatural) is in final negotiations to join the cast of the remake of the 1984 John Milius cult classic Red Dawn.

James McAvoy and Robin Wright Penn are set to star in the period drama The Conspirator, based on true events following the assassination of President Lincoln.  Wright Penn will play Mary Surratt, the only woman among a group charged with conspiring to kill the president.

Columbia Pictures has finally set May 5, 2011 as the worldwide release date for Spider-Man 4.

Jessica Biel and Sharlto Copley (District 9) are on the verge of signing on for the big-screen adaptation of the 1980s television series The A-Team.   Copley would round out the team as pilot “Howlin’ Mad” Murdock, while Biel’s role is as yet undetermined.

Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama) has joined Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel in the Greg Berlanti directed romantic comedy film Life as We Know It.

Gael Garcia Bernal is in negotiations to join the Kate Hudson romance drama Earthbound, which follows the story of a terminally ill woman who falls for her doctor.

Legendary actor Christopher Plummer is joining the cast of the movie Priest along with Brad Dourif and Madchen Amick (Twin Peaks).  Already part of the cast are Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Stephen Moyer, and Karl Urban.

Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon are re-teaming for the Warner Bros. supernatural thriller Hereafter.   Plot details are being kept under wraps. They previously worked together on the to-be-released in December movie Invictus.

Paul Giamatti is set to play the tyrannical King John in the medieval action film Ironclad.  The story follows one of the Knights Templar (James Purefoy) and his Magnificent Seven cohorts who defend Rochester Castle against King John and his army in 13th century England.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) will star in a Lifetime movie about con artist Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a.k.a. Clark Rockefeller, a high society scammer who ran the longest con in FBI history.  The project is written by Edithe Swensen and will be directed by Mikael Salomon.

Faith Ford, Lucy Hale (Privileged) and Courtney Thorne-Smith star in the Lifetime movie Sorority Wars, which will premiere on Saturday, October 17 at 9 PM. The movie follows Katie (Hale), a college freshman who has been groomed from birth to continue her mother’s (Thorne-Smith) legacy by joining the Delta house.  An all out sorority war begins when Katie has doubts about the Deltas and decides to pledge its rival, the Kappas.  The movie was directed by James Hayman and written by Michelle Lovretta.

David James Elliott (JAG) will play the lead role in an original Hallmark Channel movie about a workaholic ad- agency executive who loses his wife and is fired.  He soon becomes a full-time Mr. Mom to his two kids and gets help from his son’s teacher (Sharon Case). This movie is from Larry Levinson Productions and has begun filming for a 2010 premiere.

Jill Scott (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) will star in the Lifetime movie Sins of the Mother, about a graduate student who returns home to confront her alcoholic and abusive mother (Scott), only to learn that the woman is now sober and has a three-year-old daughter.  The movie is based on Carleen Brice’s novel Orange Mint and Honey and was adapted by Elizabeth Hunter.

Thora Birch and Nancy Travis have been cast in Lifetime movie Pregnancy Pact, inspired by actual events involving a teen pregnancy boom at a Massachusetts high school.  The project will air next year and was written by Pamela Davis and Teena Booth and will be directed by Rosemary Rodriguez.

Billy Ray Cyrus has been cast in Hallmark Channel movie Christmas in Canaan, about the unlikely friendship that develops in 1960s Texas between DJ (Zak Ludwig), who is white, and Rodney (Jaishon Fisher), who is black.   Cyrus will play DJ’s father.  The project is based on a novel written by Kenny Rogers and Donald Davenport and is slated to air in December.

AS HEARD ON

Be on look-out for new Irish pop group The Script on the October 6 episode of 90210.  They landed opening slots for Paul McCartney & U2.

What were those songs in The Vampire Diaries premiere? They include Katy Perry’s “Thinking of You,” Placebo’s “Running Up That Hill,” Mat Kearney’s “Here We Go” and The Fray’s “Never Say Never”.

Check out Emilie Mover’s song “Ordinary Day” that was featured in the latest episode of Drop Dead Diva; and check out the song “Seeing Stars” that was featured in the latest episode of Army Wives by Jack Ingram.

Check out up-and-comer singer Diane Birch and her debut album Bible Belt at iTunes.

Leona Lewis has a new single out called “Happy”.  You can check it out at iTunes.

Learn about the new California quintet band KSM and hear their single “Read Between the Lines” at iTunes.

Pearl Jam and Nelly Furtado both have new albums out this week.  Check them both out at iTunes.  Fair warning: Furtado’s new album is all Spanish.

Here are more songs from the most recent episode of The Vampire Diaries: “I Get Around” by Dragonette; “Interloper” by Earlimart; “Closer to Love” by Mat Kearney; “Mud” by Peaches; “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles and “Help, I’m Alive” by Metric.

How cool was it to hear “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum on Supernatural this past week?

You can get copies of the songs “Busted Your Windows” and “Mercy” from this week’s episode of Glee via iTunes.

CASTING SCOOP

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) has been cast in an untitled single-camera comedy pilot about a recent widower who tries to get his life back on track with some help from his eccentric friends and family.  The project was written by Alex Barnow and Marc Firek and will be taken out to the networks in the coming weeks.

Tony winner Denis O’Hare (Take Me Out) will appear in season 3 of True Blood as a series regular.  O’Hare is a veteran actor of movies like Milk, Duplicity and Quarantine and TV shows, most notably a 10-episode run on Brothers & Sisters.

Eric Balfour (24) is joining the cast of the CW’s The Beautiful Life for a multi-episode arc, playing a charming rival to Claudia (Elle Macpherson) at a competing modeling agency

Jasmine Guy (A Different World) has been cast on the CW’s The Vampire Diaries as the grandmother of Bonnie (Katerina Graham), who is the best friend of lead character Elena.  She will debut in episode 4.

Katey Segal (Sons of Anarchy) and Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) will be making return visits to the island on Lost during its final season.  There has been no confirmation whether Julie Bowen or Harold Perrineau will return (as yet).

Cheryl Ladd (Charlie’s Angels) will play Amanda Collins – a cougar out to seduce surfer boys – and new series regular Eddie Cibrian on the October 5 episode of CSI: Miami.

Carlos Bernard (24) has filmed a guest starring role for the current season of Burn Notice. T here are no details on what his role will be, though.  Season 3 returns from its mid-season break this winter.

Kerr Smith (Dawson’s Creek, Eli Stone) will appear in episode 2 of the new ABC show The Forgotten, which stars Christian Slater.

Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, Reaper) will join the cast of Dollhouse in the potentially recurring role of Howard, an intelligent higher-up in the Dollhouse who has huge presence and humor.

Changes are coming to Law & Order: CI when it returns for its ninth season.  They include: Julianne Nicholson is out.  The actress, who recently gave birth to her second child, has opted not to return.  Saffron Burrows (My Own Worst Enemy) has emerged as the frontrunner to replace her.  Burrows would be partnered with Jeff Goldblum, although his deal is also not 100 percent done.  Where does that leave Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe? The CI vets are in talks to return in some capacity.

Sissy Spacek will join the cast of Big Love next season in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play a powerful Washington D.C. lobbyist.

Sacha Baron Cohen is lending his voice to an episode of The Simpsons, playing an Israeli tour guide who encounters the Simpsons during a church-group trip to the Holy Land.  The episode is titled The Greatest Story Ever D’ohed and is tentatively slated to air on March 28, 2010, a.k.a. Palm Sunday.

Vinnie Jones (X-Men 3) will guest star on an upcoming installment of Chuck when it returns with its third season next year.  He will play Karl Stromberg an expert hit man with a soft side.

RUMOR PATROL

Showtime is said to be circling the period drama The Borgias, which revolves around the scandals and vendettas of the murderous Italian Renaissance family. The project is written and executive produced by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and executive produced by Justin Flavey, Darryl Frank, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, and Steve Starkey.  It’s being viewed as a likely successor to The Tudors, which will wrap its fourth and final season this spring.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

This coming week is the big season/series premiere week for all of the major networks. Here is a list of all the major network premieres:

Monday, September 21:
House on FOX 8 p.m. (Two-Hours)
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Castle on ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI: Miami on CBS at 10 p.m.

Tuesday, September 22:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m. – NEW
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m. – NEW
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m. – NEW

Wednesday, September 23:
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m. – NEW
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m. – NEW

Thursday, September 24:
Flash Forward on ABC at 8 p.m. – NEW
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m. (Two-Hours)

Friday, September 25:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.

EXTRA RUNS

There will be “extra runs” of some of the new shows this coming week and those details follow:

The Beautiful Life will reair on Sunday, September 20 at 8 p.m.

Melrose Place will reair on Sunday, September 20 at 9 p.m.

FlashForward will reair on ABC on Friday, September 25 at 8 p.m.

Mercy will reair on Saturday, September 26 on NBC at 9 p.m.

MOVIES – SPECIALS

Here are some made-for-TV movies and a special event to check out this coming weekend and into next week:

Lifetime will premiere the biopic movie Georgia O’Keeffe, based on the life of the legendary artist on Saturday, September 19 at 9 PM, starring Laura Allen and Jeremy Irons.

The horror movie Open Graves will air on Syfy on Saturday, September 19 at 9 PM, starring Eliza Dushku and Mike Vogel.

The 61st annual Emmy Awards will be held on CBS on Sunday, September 20 starting at 8 PM with Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) acting as host.

Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS will air on Sunday, September 20 the movie Inspector Lewis: The Great and the Good at 9 PM, which is about an assault on a teen girl is investigated.

The independent movie Weather Girl will air on Lifetime on Wednesday, September 23 at 9 p.m.  The movie is about a popular weather girl who is fired after an on-air meltdown brought on by her boyfriend’s affair with her co-host.

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and some of the returning fall shows that are just getting their season started:

Saturday, September 19:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 20:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m.
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m.

Monday, September 21:
Durham County on ION at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, September 22:
Ruby & the Rockits on ABC Family at 8:30 p.m.
Warehouse 13 on SyFy at 9 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.

Wednesday, September 23:
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.
The Beautiful Life on the CW at 9 p.m.
Crash on Starz at 9 p.m.

Thursday, September 24:
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

Friday, September 25:
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
Psych on USA Network at 10 p.m.

NOTE:   Please check your local listings for the correct air dates and times for all of the above “Mark Your Calendar” items.

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Round-Up for Sept. 8 to 11

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (September 8 to 11):

CONDOLENCES

Army Archerd, whose 52-year run as a Daily Variety columnist made him unique among showbiz reporters, passed away this week in Los Angeles.  He was 87.  Condolences to his family, friends and readers.

Let’s take a moment to remember all the victims and the survivors of the 9-11 attacks too.

NEWS

Bear McCreary is to release Dark Void and Razor/The Plan scores per a Twitter update over this past weekend.

BBC America will hold a Being Human Halloween Marathon on Sunday, October 25, starting at 11:30 a.m. ET – 8:30 a.m/PT.  Get your calendars marked.

Legendary British writer/director Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually) will write one of the upcoming scripts for Season Five of Doctor Who, which is expected to air next year on BBC One and BBC America.

Author Richard Russo to write a pilot script for HBO for an untitled drama series about the Catskills Gas Rush and its resulting class conflicts in upstate New York.  This project will be executive produced with Mark Johnson and Will Gluck.

Chuck producer Scott Rosenbaum received a script commitment from FOX for an “epic Western with a sci-fi twist” that he has been seeking to do for years.

*cough* Joss Whedon did that already with Firefly and look what FOX did to that?  I’m just saying… *cough*

Jerry Bruckheimer is developing a pilot for NBC set inside a unit charged with tracking fugitives.  Jennifer Johnson, a writer for Cold Case, is set to write the untitled project, which she will also executive producer with Jonathan Littman.

The Canadian sci-fi-sih series Being Erica will return to SoapNet on January 20 and the first season will re-run on October 17 and 18.

NBC is teaming with Bryan Fuller and Bryan Singer for SelleVision, a comedic one-hour set behind the scenes of a home-shopping cable channel.  Fuller is writing the project, based on Augusten Burroughs‘ novel.  Singer is on board to direct.

Maura Tierney has pulled out of NBC’s upcoming drama series Parenthood because of a scheduling conflict between the show’s production and her breast cancer treatments.

For the 100th episode of Bones, series creator Hart Hanson is considering rewinding all the way back to Booth and Brennan’s first tag-team assignment.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Steven Soderbergh will direct the spy thriller Knockout which will debut Gina Carano, a mixed martial arts circuit fighter. The story follows a tough girl from the wrong side of the tracks who takes the opportunity to use a special set of skills in a more focused, constructive environment.  The script was written by Lem Dobbs and cameras are set to roll in January.  Big-name actors are expected to flesh out the rest of the cast.

Quinton Jackson, a former UFC world light heavyweight champion is to portray Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus in the upcoming remake of 80’s TV series classic The A-Team.   He joins Bradley Cooper as Face, Liam Neeson as Hannibal, and a still as yet undisclosed star as ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock.  The Joe Carnahan-directed film will hit cinemas next June.

Will Smith and Charlize Theron will return for Hancock 2 along with director Peter Berg.

Sarah Polley (Dawn of the Dead) is to play the Queen of Sweden in the historical drama Queen Kristina, which is a portrait of the 17th century Swedish queen who ascended to the throne at age six years and became an eccentric political and military leader who eventually abdicated her throne to pursue artistic and scientific interests.

Zachary Levi (Chuck) and actress/singer Mandy Moore will voice the lead roles in Disney’s 3D-animated musical action-adventure Rapunzel.

The much-delayed film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning post-apocalyptic sci-fi story The Road has been bumped again, to Nov. 25 from its previous Oct. 16 release date,

Timothy Dalton will voice a new toy in the upcoming Toy Story 3, voicing Mr. Pricklepants – a hedgehog toy with thespian tendencies.

Jeff Bridges is in talks to reteam with the Coen Brothers on a remake of True Grit, which starred John Wayne in the original.

William Hurt and Ethan Hawke have joined the cast for an international co-production adaptation of Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick.  Hurt will play megalomaniac captain Ahab while Hawke will play the ship’s first officer, Starbuck.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will be in theatres in the Summer of 2011 and John Carter of Mars will be out in the Summer of 2012.

Eva Green (Casino Royale) has taken on the female lead in Last Word, starring alongside Ewan McGregor and Connie Nielsen. The story revolves around two characters falling in love as the whole world starts to fall apart.

Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones will open in limited theaters on December 11 before going its official release date on January 15, 2010.

Sam Trammell (True Blood) has joined the cast of the indie comedy The Details.  The story follows a struggling married couple (Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks) who, already dealing with issues like infidelity, see their lives further complicated by ravenous raccoons burrowing under the sod in their back yard.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

Two Hallmark Channel movies have wrapped production:

The first movie is Elevator Girl, starring Ryan Merriman (The Pretender) and Lacey Chabert (Party of Five), which revolves around two strangers: a hot-shot lawyer (Merriman) and a free-spirited artist (Chabert) — whose instant connection when they are stuck in an elevator sparks an unexpected romance.  This movie is executive produced by Larry Levinson, written by Jennifer Notas and directed by Bradford May.  It is slated to premiere in 2010.

The second movie is Three Gifts, starring Dean Cain, Jean Louisa Kelly (Yes, Dear), Mimi Kennedy (Dharma & Greg) and Reginald VelJohnson (Family Matters).  The film centers on a childless couple (Cain, Kelly) who take in three orphan boys to spend Christmas with them and end up trying to adopt them.  This movie was written by Donald Martin and Mitchell Gabourie and directed by Dave S. Cass.  It will air in December.

Brian Austin Green (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves) will star in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie The Wild Girl, which is set in the 1930s and is about a group of Americans who embark on a perilous expedition to exchange a young Apache girl for the son of a wealthy Mexican land owner who has been kidnapped by her tribe.

CASTING SCOOP

Natalie Morales (Middleman) has been promoted to a series regular on the USA Network series White Collar.  She will play Lauren Cruz, a smart junior FBI agent in the white-collar division who holds her own with her superiors and the master thieves she’s investigating.  Also, Peter Gallagher (The OC) has been cast in the drama as CIA director Arthur Campbell, described as a regal man and former Naval officer who loves a good fight, great scotch and a filthy joke.

Eric Lively (24: Redemption), Kari Matchett (Heartland), and Eion Bailey (ER) have been cast in the USA Network’s new drama pilot Covert Affairs, with Lively and Matchett signed on as series regulars and Bailey as recurring.

Rami Malek (Night at the Museum) and Julian Morris (ER) have been cast in multiple-episode story arcs on 24.  Malek will play Marcos, an Arab-American wannabe suicide bomber; Morris will play a CTU SWAT agent.

Singer Gavin Rossdale will play a Goth rock star who may or may not be moonlighting as a brutal serial killer on Criminal Minds.

Another casting tidbit from the minds behind Lost: Teenage Boy (Caucasian actor between the age of 12 and 14), sporting dirty blond hair and intense searching eyes, he’s wise beyond his years. He finds himself having to deal with a horrible family accident. This will be a recurring role.

Judd Nelson will appear on an upcoming episode of Psych, playing Dr. Reidman who works at the Centers for Disease Control and specializes in Thornburg Disease, a made-for-TV ailment.

Peggy Lipton (Twin Peaks, The Mod Squad) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Starz’s drama Crash, replacing Valerie Perrine, who has dropped out due to surgery.  Lipton will play Suzy Fields, the ex-wife of record producer Ben Cendars (Dennis Hopper) who is now married to author Owen Fields (Keith Carradine).

Here’s another casting tidbit – this time for Dollhouse: An actor is being sought who is in his 30s or 40s to play Howard Lipman, an intelligent higher-up in the Dollhouse.   Howard has a huge presence and humor.   This will possibly be recurring.

Edward Norton is set to guest in a November episode of Modern Family.

Adam Rodriguez will join the cast of Ugly Betty this season, playing Bobby, an old flame of Betty’s sister Hilda.

Anna Camp, the reverend’s wife from True Blood, is playing a part in The Office wedding of the year for Jim and Pam.

Julian Sands (24) is playing (Young) Jor-El in Smallville in November.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Season 3 of Robin Hood on BBC America premieres at 9 PM on Saturday, September 12.

The Hallmark Channel will air the made-for-TV movie Citizen Jane on Saturday, September 12 at 9 PM. The movie is about a woman (Ally Sheedy) who investigates a murder with help from a detective.  When the evidence begins to suggest the niece’s boyfriend is the culprit, she becomes more determined in her quest.  Singer Meatloaf and Sean Patrick Flannery co-star.

The movie Lightning Strikes will air on Saturday, September 12 at 9 PM on Syfy. The movie is about a monster wrecking havoc in a small town after riding a lightning bolt to Earth.  The movie stars Kevin Sorbo.

Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS will feature Inspector Lewis: Life Born of Fire at 9 PM on Sunday, September 13.  This movie is about a possible serial killer.

Lincoln Heights will have its season premiere at 8 p.m. on the ABC Family Channel on Monday, September 14.

One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl will both have their season premieres on the CW at 8 and 9 p.m. respectively on Monday, September 14.

The new series The Beautiful Life will debut on the CW on Wednesday, September 16 at 9 p.m.

Bones and Fringe both return for another season on FOX at 8 and 9 p.m. respectively on Thursday, September 17.

EXTRA RUNS: There will be “extra runs” of some of the new shows this coming week and those details follow:

The Vampire Diaries and Melrose Place will reair their pilot episodes on Sunday, September 13 at 8 and 9 p.m. respectively on the CW.

The Beautiful Life will reair its pilot episode on Friday, September 18 at 9 p.m. on the CW.

Glee will reair its 2nd episode on FOX at 9 p.m. on Friday, September 18.

Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and some of the returning fall shows that are just getting their season started:

Sunday, September 13:

Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Defying Gravity on ABC at 10 p.m.
True Blood on HBO at 10 p.m. – SEASON FINALE
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m.
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m.

Monday, September 14:

Durham County on ION at 10 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, September 15:

Ruby & the Rockits on ABC Family at 8:30 p.m.
Warehouse 13 on SyFy at 9 p.m.
The Cleaner on A&E at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.

Wednesday, September 16:

Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.
Dark Blue on TNT at 10 p.m.

Thursday, September 17:

The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.

Friday, September 18:

Eureka on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
Psych on USA Network 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!

Weekly Round-Up (August 11 to 14)

Here are the news items for this past week:

CONDOLENCES

Music legend Les Paul passed away on Thursday at the age of 94.  He was a legend and will be greatly missed.   Deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

NEWS

BIG changes are taking place at the USA Network series In Plain Sight.  Not only is Executive Producer and Creator David Maples not returning for its 3rd season, but also Lesley Ann Warren and Todd Williams will no longer be series regulars (they will either be recurring or guest starring only).   It is “believed” that the focus of the new season will be more procedural-based and less focused on the life of Mary. This new focus has NOT been confirmed though.

ABC is giving its V revival an early start: Tuesday, November 3 at 8 p.m.

The summer finale of Burn Notice on the USA Network garnered an impressive 7.6 million viewers.   New episodes will air this winter.

Fox has given a pilot commitment to the Shawn Ryan one-hour drama project Ridealong, about a group of Chicago-based cops ranging from uniformed beat cops to a female police chief.

The 2nd season of Merlin will begin airing soon in the U.K., but a decision has yet to be announced by NBC if they will re-air those new episodes, as they have done this past summer with seas0n one.  Those viewers who will see the 2nd season can expect appearances by Charles Dance (Gosford Park), Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Sarah Parish (Blackpool) as well as a return appearance by Santiago Cabrera (Heroes) as Lancelot.

TNT has picked up its new medical drama Hawthorne for an additional 10 episodes (i.e. its second season).  These episodes are slated to air in 2010.

Stargate Universe Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper has written scripts for a new potential Stargate SG-1 movie and a Stargate Atlantis film, but said it might be a while before they get a green light.  Two previous SG-1 straight-to-DVD movies, Continuum and The Ark of Truth, sold well, but the current economic downturn makes DVD premieres less lucrative than they were in the past.  Should the two DVD films be made, they would follow previous entries in having independent storylines that would not affect the upcoming Syfy original series Stargate Universe.

BBC America beat out Syfy for the rights to air the fifth season of Doctor Who, starring new Doctor Matt Smith.

CSI: Miami will be going back to basics – or more precisely back to its original format – this new season, focusing on more stories in the lab rather than out-of-doors.

CBS has given a pilot script order to a US version of the British crime drama series Wire in the Blood. Ildy Modrovich (CSI: Miami) has been brought on to write the pilot script and Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad) is set to direct.  The original series starred Robson Green as a clinical psychologist who teamed up with a female police detective to solve brutal murders.

NBC.com is currently giving fans the chance to catch up with their favorite shows before the fall premieres.  Please go to their website to check out all the shows you can get caught up on.

Holly Hunter’s cop drama Saving Grace will wrap up next summer after its third season according to an announcement made today by home network TNT.

Sonic Youth is scheduled to perform an acoustic version of their 1986 song Starpower on the fifth episode of this season of Gossip Girl.

Comedy Central has confirmed that it has cancelled Reno 911! after six seasons.  News of the axe was originally made by co-creator/star Thomas Lennon over Twitter.

ABC has given a script order to a contemporary series take on the 1985 feature film St. Elmo’s Fire.  The project will be written/executive produced by Dan Bucatinsky and executive produced by Topher Grace (That 70’s Show), Jamie Tarses, and Joel Schumacher.  The series would revolve around a group of six friends–three men, three women–who hang out together at a Georgetown restaurant called St. Elmo’s Bar & Grill.

Believe it or not, actor Jerry O’Connell (husband to Rebecca Romijn) has enrolled at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles as a first-year law student in night classes on a part-time basis.  This should not affect his acting schedule, though.

HBO has signed a deal with writer/producer Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files) to develop two new drama series:

• Humanitas, a futuristic drama that Spotnitz has written and will executive produce with Gavin Polone, about a potentially threatening pandemic stemming from major advances in medical science and genetic manipulation.

• Spotnitz and co-writer Adam Rapp will also adapt Robert Silverberg’s sci-fi novel The World Inside, about a future where, following massive overpopulation, the planet’s inhabitants live inside “carefully controlled urban centers where frustration and anger are eliminated, sex is rampant and fertility is the most prized human attribute.

Spotnitz is also writing a drama pilot Arc for FX about a former spy who tries to leave behind the espionage game and settle into normal life. Based on a true story, it will be produced by Scott Free Prods. and CBS Television Studios.

Kate Winslet will star in a new (supposedly HBO) mini-series adaptation of James M. Cain’s classic novel Mildred Pierce.  The story follows a bored housewife who gets into the restaurant business, an enterprise that leads to backstabbing, romance and murder.

Want to see a cool “if theTVAddict.com ran Entertainment Weekly and decided what was on the cover”, click on the link provided; members of a certain “verse” will be very pleased:

http://thetvaddict.com/2009/08/14/if-we-ran-entertainment-weekly-the-sequel/#more-7673

BOX OFFICE NEWS

More casting news for the remake of the 1984 movie Red Dawn was announced this week.  Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek), Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) and Josh Peck (Drake & Josh) have already been cast in lead roles with Connor Cruise (Seven Pounds – and son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman), Edwin Hodge (Mental), Josh Hutcherson (Journey to the Center of the Earth) and Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) joining up for the movie that is to be released September 24, 2010.

Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) has joined the cast of the box office movie The Green Hornet, but no details have been released as to the character he will be portraying.

Frank Langella has been added to the cast of the sequel to Wall Street, joining Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Michael Douglas and Carey Mulligan.

Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy) will appear as the Greek god Poseidon in the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, based on the Rick Riordan novels, alongside Logan Lerman (Jack & Bobby), Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson, Uma Thurman and Catherine Keener.  Some other names that jumped out within the cast, after a search on IMBD, include Joe Pantoliano, Erica Cerra (Eurkea), Melina Kanakaredes (CSI: NY) and Serinda Swan (Smallville).  This movie will open Feb. 12, 2010.

Jack Huston, grandson of the late, great director John Huston and nephew to actress Anjelica Huston, will appear as Royce King II in Twilight: Eclipse.  Actress Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace) has also been added to the cast of this movie, playing Maria the one responsible for turning Jasper (Jackson Rathbone).

The Garry Marshall romantic comedy Valentine’s Day keeps adding cast members. The cast already boasts: Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah.  But, now includes country singer Taylor Swift, Emma Roberts (convenient that her Auntie Julia is in one of the lead roles, huh?), and Taylor Lautner (Twilight franchise) and “pop” singer Joe Jonas.

The new Paul Bettany movie Legion will include the following cast members: Dennis Quaid, Kevin Durand (Lost and Dark Angel), Doug Jones (Hellboy and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer), Kate Walsh (Private Practice), Tyrese Gibson (Transformers), Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), Charles S. Dutton (Roc), Jon Tenney (The Closer), Josh Stamberg (Drop Dead Diva) and Yancey Arias (Knight Rider).

Patrick Duffy (Dallas and Step by Step) has joined the cast of the comedy You Again, which centers on a woman (Kristen Bell) who finds out that her brother (Jimmy Wolk) is planning to marry the girl (Odette Yustman) who made her high school years a living hell.  Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis also star.

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES

Hilary Duff will star in ABC Family romantic comedy telepic The Business of Falling in Love, based on the book Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky about a fashion reporter who goes undercover in the financial world to write an article about dating business men.

Gabrielle Union has signed on to star and executive produce the Lifetime telepic The Vow, based on a Denene Millner novel about three women who attend a wedding and make a pact to all get engaged within the following year.

Barbara Eden, Max Gail, Rena Sofer and Dean McDermott will star in the Hallmark Channel movie Always and Forever on October 24.  The movie is about a pair of high school sweethearts who ended up living happily never after, who bump into each other at the most dreaded of social gatherings: the high school reunion.

Eric Close (Without a Trace), Dreama Walker (Gossip Girl), Rachel Melvin (Days of Our Lives), Jared Keeso (The Guard), Emma Lahana (The Guard), Greyston Holt (Durham County) and Steven Grayhm (Taken) have been cast in Lifetime Movie Network’s four-hour mini-series Seven Deadly Sins, based on the mystery novel series by Robin Wasserman.  This mini-series is slated to air in 2010.

CASTING SCOOP

Elizabeth Banks (Scrubs) has signed on to guest star on ABC’s upcoming comedy series Modern Family in a potentially recurring role.

Mike Vogel (Empire State) has replaced Richard Coyle on CBS‘ midseason medical drama Miami Trauma.  He will play a charming and fiercely competitive surgeon with a healthy ego.

Two more cast additions to TNT’s untitled alien invasion drama pilot, starring Noah Wyle, and which comes from Steven Spielberg have been announced. They are Drew Roy (iCarly’s) and Peter Shinkoda (The Hole).

The Vampire Diaries is casting a new series regular to debut in episode six.  The character, Alaric Saltzman, is a fan favorite from the series of books upon which the series is based.  He is a young twenty-something history teacher.

Oded Fehr (The Mummy) will guest star on a fall episode of CBS’s Medium, playing a doctor who may have been involved in Allison’s life when she was in her coma.

Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica) has signed on to appear in a multiple-episode story arc in Day Eight of 24.  He will play Vladimir Laitanan, a Russian syndicate mobster linked to Jurgen Prochnow’s mobster Bazhaev.

Jack Huston (mentioned earlier regarding his casting in Twilight: Eclipse) is also slated to star in ABC’s new series Eastwick.

Zachary Ray Sherman (Fifteen and Pregnant) will appear in the new episodes of 90210 this fall, as the nephew of the guy that Annie (Shenae Grimes) hit.

Ernie Hudson (Oz) will have a recurring role as a police officer on the upcoming season of Heroes, playing Captain Lubbock, a Baltimore detective who’s hunting some of the characters on the show.

Scott Foley (The Unit and Felicity) has booked a guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU.  He’ll play a real estate agent involved in a murder.

Yaya Dacosta (America’s Next Top Model) has been tapped to take over the recurring role of Wilhelmina’s defiant daughter Nico on Ugly Betty.  This role was formerly portrayed by Jowharah Jones.  Nico will resurface in the October 9 season premiere and promptly get caught up in one of the show’s new mysteries.

Stand-up comedian, actor and author Lewis Black will guest star this fall in the second episode of The Big Bang Theory, appearing as a brilliant but troubled professor of entomology who works at Caltech with the guys.

Joe Morton (Eureka) will be seen in Brothers & Sisters as a tough, caring anatomy professor for Justin (Dave Annable).  He should be recurring in roughly 7 to 10 episodes.

Anne Dudek (House) will star opposite Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham in the USA Network’s drama pilot Covert Affairs, where she will play the sister of Perabo’s Annie Walker, a polyglot CIA trainee.

Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) will appear in Big Love next year, but the actor doesn’t know quite what is in store for his character.

RUMOR PATROL

Paula Abdul is in talks to guest star on ABC’s Ugly Betty.  Supposedly, she will play a Mode temp who becomes fast friends with Becki Newton’s Amanda.

AMC is reportedly close to signing a deal with Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) to write and direct an adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic series The Walking Dead for the network.  The potential series would be about a group of people who have survived a zombie apocalypse who search for a safe place to call their home.  It will be executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator franchise) and David Alpert.  No studio is currently attached.

Nathan Fillion has claimed to E! Entertainment Online that a Dr. Horrible sequel is already in the writing stages; let’s all hope this is indeed fact.

Kim Basinger (8 Mile) is in talks to star in The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud alongside Zac Efron (High School Musical).  If Basinger inks the deal, she will play the mom of Efron’s character, a cemetery caretaker who has weekly meetings with a younger brother whose accidental death he feels was his fault.

It is being reported that Kate Beckinsale has signed to appear in a proposed fourth Underworld movie, the first in a proposed trilogy, to be shot in 3-D and arriving in theaters Jan. 21, 2011.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The Syfy movie The Terminators will air on Saturday, August 15 at 9 p.m.  This movie, a “knock-off” of the Terminator franchise, stars Jeremy London.  The premise is about humans living in a world where they battle oppression by cyborgs.

Mad Men returns for another season on AMC on Sunday, August 16 at 10 p.m.

The Syfy movie Rise of the Gargoyles will air on Thursday, August 20 at 9 p.m.  Starring Eric Balfour (24) as an American professor who must hurry to Paris before an ancient gargoyle destroys the city.

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

Saturday, August 15:

Being Human on BBC America at 9 p.m. (for 1 ½ hours).

Sunday, August 16:

Merlin on NBC at 7 and 8 p.m.
True Blood on HBO at 9 p.m.
Hung on HBO at 10 p.m.
Entourage on HBO at 10:30 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 17:

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 18:

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 19:

Leverage on TNT at 9 p.m.
Dark Blue on TNT at 10 p.m.

Thursday, August 20:

Royal Pains on USA at 10 p.m.

Friday, August 21:

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!!!

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