Recaps
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!
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