Recaps
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!
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