The Weekly Round-Up (July 6 to 10)

The following are the entertainment news highlights for the past week (July 6 to 10):

CONDOLENCES

Rest in Peace: Actor Harve Presnell, best known to TV viewers as Mr. Parker on the NBC drama The Pretender, passed away on June 30 at the age 75. He also appeared in the movie Paint Your Wagon and in the stage and screen versions of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Rest in Peace: Actress Lorena Gale, Elosha from Battlestar Galactica and appearances in series such as Supernatural and Smallville (among many others) passed away on June 21 at the age of 51.

NEWS

BBC News has confirmed that it will NOT be bringing back drama series Robin Hood for a fourth season.

Want to pen the theme song for Lost? Here’s your chance: The producers of Lost are inviting fans to “Rock Your Lost On!” and write a theme song for the ABC series. The winning tune will probably never actually appear on the show, but will have an exclusive debut performance at the San Diego Comic-Con later this month. See ABC.com for details.

CSI: Miami is expected to kick off its 8th season with a 1997 origin episode that will show the early days of the team, coming in the form of flash backs to a critically wounded-comatose Delko (Adam Rodriguez).

Jane Lynch will NOT be reprising her role as ditzy actress Constance Carmell in the second season of Starz’s comedy series Party Down due to her involvement on FOX’s Glee.

CBS has rescinded its decision to bring back Flashpoint this summer. The first of nine new episodes had been set for Fridays at 9:00 starting July 17. The Canadian import will now return at midseason. Repeats will continue in said hour for the rest of the summer.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Will Forte’s bumbling Saturday Night Live spy MacGruber is headed for the big screen in a movie to be directed by Jorma Taccone, the actor who played Chaka in the recent Land of the Lost movie. Kristen Wiig will reprise her Vicki character for the feature, and Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe are in talks to join the cast.

NOTE: This is not a made-up story. This was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter among other entertainment news outlets.

Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen keeps breaking records, earning $319.2M in its theatrical run, and more than $700M worldwide.

According to an LA Times article, “Female ticket buyers made up nearly half of the audience for the supposedly male-appeal titles The Hangover and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. At the same time, women moviegoers helped give Sandra Bullock’s Disney romantic comedy The Proposal the actress’ best opening weekend by a wide margin: $33.6 million, compared with her previous best debut, $17.6 million for “Premonition.” If women turn out for July 24’s The Ugly Truth and Julie & Julia, they could leave an even bigger mark on the summer season.”

NOTE: Like this should be a surprise to anyone?!  Women really do make a difference in box office results as well as TV ratings.

Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) will play the lead in the independent film Beautiful Wave, a coming-of-age drama set in Santa Cruz, California. Her grandmother will be played by Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement). Helen Slater will also co-star.

CASTING SCOOP

Rumer Willis (Demi and Bruce’s daughter) will appear in at least one episode of the CW’s series 90210 this fall.

Mekhi Phifer will return to FOX’s Lie to Me next season as a series regular. Jennifer Beals will also return next season in the series as AUSA Zoe Landau, the ex-wife of Cal Lightman (Tim Roth).

Gregory Smith (Everwood) has joined Missy Peregrym (Reaper) in the pilot for the Canadian series Copper, which follows five pals enduring life as rookie cops. This series is expected to hit the airwaves in 2010.

NCIS is on the prowl for some new blood. Producers are introducing a new male agent in his 30s early next season. The role is potentially recurring.

Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon’s daughter will appear in The Closer as Brenda’s niece Charlie for at least four episode, starting August 3.

Terry Kinney (Oz) is joining The Mentalist as an ex of Lisbon’s (Robin Tunney) and a major player in the Red John investigation. His role as Sam Bosco, a by-the-book California Bureau of Investigations agent who heads up the division overseeing the Red John case, will be a recurring role for at least seven episodes.

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) will guest star in the second episode of Law & Order: SVU will returns this fall, starring as a handsome (and straight) sugar daddy.

Maiara Walsh (Cory in the House) has become a series regular on Desperate Housewives, reprising her role as Ana, the “gorgeous and manipulative niece” of Carlos (Ricardo Chavira), who moved in with the Solises last season.

Andrea Bowen has signed on to reprise her role as Susan’s daughter, Julie in Desperate Housewives. Although ABC would only confirm that Bowen is set to appear in the Sept. 27 season premiere, a Housewives insider has stated the actress is returning as a series regular.

Swoosie Kurtz (Pushing Daisies) returns to Heroes in the fall as Angela Petrelli’s old society friend, Millie, as part of a plot that will introduce Millie’s daughter and reveal a long-buried Petrelli family secret.

Miracle Laurie (Mellie/November from Dollhouse) WILL be returning for the second season.

Two new roles for Big Love are being cast. They include the following:

• Christie: Barb’s pre-teen niece and Cindy’s daughter. A real hellion.

• Dale: An empathetic closeted gay Mormon. A partner in a big 8 accounting firm, he will become the new Trustee of the Juniper Creek Assets and (presumably) a love interest for Albie.

Sterling Beaumon (Young Ben on Lost) will play a 14-year-old meth-addicted drug dealer (you read that correctly) in a mid-August episode of The Closer, which will also feature Christine Lahti (Jack and Bobby).

13-year-old actress Madeline Carroll, who played little Ben’s Dharmaville playmate on Lost two seasons ago, pops up on episode of The Closer at the end of July.

Other guest stars to look for on Lifetime’s new series Drop Dead Diva include Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue), Jorja Fox (CSI), Elliot Gould, Teri Polo (Meet the Fockers) and Chuck Woolery.

Hope Davis will portray Hillary Rodham Clinton alongside Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton in HBO Films The Special Relationship.

Richard Lewis (Curb Your Enthusiasm) will appear in the second season finale of A&E’s The Cleaner, which is set to air in late August or early September.

Ugly Betty is looking for some new faces for this coming season. They include the following:

• Natalie, Daniel’s sexy 20-something new assistant, takes the place of Betty, who has been promoted to feature editor. They will first meet at a bereavement support group. Natalie may not be all she appears to be as she is harboring a secret that could pit her against Betty.

• Claire Meade’s long-lost son. The boyish character, in his 20’s, will be recurring. How will Daniel react to meeting a brother he never knew he had?

• A secret new character who will come into Wilhelmina’s life in the season premiere. This role is somehow connected to the events of last May’s season-ending cliffhanger.

• “A hot sexy Queens-type man” who will compete with Archie for Hilda’s affections.

• A new man who will be the love interest for Marc St. James. And this romance is expected to stick.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Eli Stone will air its final episode on ABC on Saturday, July 11 at 10 p.m.

The Gambler, the Girl and the Gunslinger, starring Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) and James Tupper (Men In Trees) will air at 9 p.m (8/CT) on the Hallmark Channel on both Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12.

The new series Drop Dead Diva will debut on Lifetime on Sunday, July 12 at 9 p.m. (8/CT).

Leverage returns to TNT with new episodes starting on Wednesday, July 15 at 9 p.m. (8/CT).

The new drama Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott (The Practice), will premiere on TNT on Wednesday, July 15 at 10 p.m. (9/CT).

Who said there wasn’t anything to watch this summer? Here is a list of new episodes from this summer slew of shows that will air this coming week:

Kings on NBC on Saturday, July 11 at 8 p.m.
Merlin on NBC on Sunday, July 12 at 8 p.m.
True Blood on HBO on Sunday, July 12 at 9 p.m.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent on USA on Sunday, July 12 at 9 p.m.
In Plain Sight on USA on Sunday, July 12 at 10 p.m.
Army Wives on Lifetime on Sunday, July 12 at 10 p.m.
Secret Life of An American Teenager on ABC Family on Monday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
Make It or Break It on ABC Family on Monday, July 13 at 9 p.m.
The Closer and Raising the Bar on TNT on Monday, July 13 at 9 and 10 p.m. respectively.
Hung on HBO on Monday, July 13 at 9:30 p.m.
10 Things I Hate About You on ABC Family on Tuesday, July 14 at 8 p.m.
Hawthorne and Saving Grace on TNT on Tuesday, July 14 at 9 and 10 p.m. respectively.
Warehouse 13 on SyFy on Tuesday, July 14 at 9 p.m.
The Cleaner on A&E on Tuesday, July 14 at 10 p.m.
The Philanthropist on NBC on Wednesday, July 15 at 9 p.m.
Burn Notice and Royal Pains on USA on Thursday, July 16 at 9 and 10 p.m. respectively.
The Listener on NBC on Thursday, July 16 at 10:01 p.m.
Mental on FOX on Friday, July 17 at 9 p.m.
Eureka on SyFy on Friday, July 17 at 9 p.m.
Primeval on SyFy on Friday, July 17 at 10 p.m.

NOTE:  Please check your local listings for correct air dates and times, as the times above are ET/PT.

RUMOR PATROL

Rumors are swirling that Russell T. Davies and David Tennant will be announcing their collaboration on a big-screen Doctor Who outing later this month at San Diego’s Comic-Con.

It is being reported that Chandra Wilson will direct an upcoming episode of Grey’s Anatomy next season, making her the first original Grey’s cast member to step behind the camera.

Have a great weekend!!