Recaps
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!
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