The Weekly Round-Up for Nov. 23 to 27

Here are the entertainment news items for this week (November 23 to 27):

NEWS

The Producers Guild of America will honor Joss Whedon with the 2010 Vanguard Award on Sunday, January 24.

USA Network has renewed Burn Notice for a fourth season. The smash hit is slated to return with the second half of its third season in January. The 16-episode fourth season will likely debut next summer.

In more news from the USA Network, they have also renewed Psych for a fifth season. The network ordered 16 episodes of the crime comedy.

The third and final season of Robin Hood comes to DVD on January 12, 2010. The five-disc set boasts over an hour of bonus material including behind-the-scenes features, character profiles, video diaries and more.

Cougar Town has been shut down temporarily in order to allow Courteney Cox “to deal with a private family matter.”

ABC has temporarily shut down production on the rookie drama FlashForward, but for only six days.

Lie To Me Showrunner Shawn Ryan tweeted that FOX has picked up the back 9 episodes of the hit drama giving it a full second season order.

The USA Network finally made up its mind about when Psych and Burn Notice would return as well as when White Collar will launch the remainder of its first season. The dates are as follows:

Burn Notice will be back on January 19 at 10 PM
White Collar will be back on January 21 at 10 PM
Psych will be back on January 27 at 10 PM

NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE

HBO has given a pilot order to Oprah Winfrey‘s Harpo Films for an untitled drama about a woman who walks out on her perfect marriage and children in order to fulfill her secret fantasies in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. The pilot will be written and executive produced by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary) and will be executive produced by Winfrey and Kate Forte.

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Thora Birch will star alongside Kevin Zegers in the Bonnie and Clyde remake.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon has taken in over 140 million in the US as well as over 132 million worldwide in its first week in theatres.

Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict are expected to make cameos in the upcoming remake of The A-Team, which stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel and Quinton Jackson. The movie will hit theaters on June 11, 2010.

Jessica Alba will star in an adaptation of Insiders, a series of Belgian graphic novels first created in 2002, which centers on Najah Cruz, a Columbian who is as deadly as she is beautiful; she has the weapons expertise and combat skills of a James Bond. At the secret request of the White House she infiltrates a worldwide mafia-like organization composed of businessmen and politicians and becomes the bodyguard of the organization’s leader.

Guy Pearce has joined the cast of the action thriller The Hungry Rabbit Jumps, which centers on a man (Nicolas Cage) whose wife (January Jones) is the victim of a brutal crime. He subsequently becomes entangled with an underground vigilante organization. No word on who Pearce will play.

MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS

James Remar will appear on December 13, playing a father mourning a child in the Lifetime Movie Network‘s original holiday tearjerker, The Christmas Hope.

The Lifetime movie The Pregnancy Pact will debut on Saturday, January 23 at 9 PM and stars Thora Birch, Nancy Travis and Camryn Manheim. The movie is inspired by a true story, exploring the costs of teen pregnancy set against the backdrop of the infamous alleged 2008 “pregnancy pact” in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

AS HEARD ON/MUSIC NEWS

Congratulations to the winners at last weekend’s American Music Awards.

The songs “Crush On You” by Brakesbrakesbrakes, “The Calculation” by Regina Spektor and “I’m Still Fact, She’s Fiction” by Mad Langer were heard in this week’s episode of Castle.

The cast of Glee and their rivals at Jane Adams Academy sang the following songs in this week’s episode: “Bootylicious,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Imagine” and “True Colors.” The mash up was “Hair and Crazy in Love.”

Alicia Keyes is expected to have a new album coming out on December 1.

CASTING SCOOP

James Remar will appear in an upcoming episode of The Vampire Diaries as Giuseppe Salvatore, papa to bloodsucking sons Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder).

Kevin Rahm (Desperate Housewives) will guest star in the series Three Rivers, as John Warren, a billionaire cell-phone maker with a “doesn’t plan for failure” outlook on life. So when his beloved do-gooder wife Tracy falls ill, it’s a no-brainer to seek care from the preeminent medical staff at Three Rivers, where the couple is shocked to learn from Dr. Sophia Jordan that Tracy needs a new liver ASAP.

Brian Austin Green will reprise his role as the kryptonite-powered villain in Smallville’s 18th episode, scheduled to air in the spring.

Oded Fehr will guest star on Three Rivers for a two-episode guest role in early 2010 as Dr. Luc, a charming heart surgeon returning to Three Rivers after spending time working abroad.

Felicia Day (The Guild, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog) will appear in the December 6 episode of Three Rivers as part of a daisy-chain of donors and recipients.

Lea Thompson has been cast as Cappie’s free-spirited mother, April, while Jim Abele (24) will play his non-conformist father, Tobias, in the ABC Family Channel series Greek. The modern-day hippies will appear during the second half of the show’s upcoming 10-episode cycle, which is slated to start January 25.

Mya will guest star on an episode of Mercy, playing the guitar-slinging, melodramatic daughter of a dying 80-year-old man who’s under the care of Chloe (Michelle Trachtenberg). The episode airs January 6.

James Remar will play a big role in Dexter‘s bloody December 13 season finale.

Reminder: Summer Glau, Alexis Denisof and Ray Wise will appear on the December 4 episode(s) of Dollhouse. Alan Tudyk will reappear on the December 11 installments of the series as well as Keith Carradine.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The following movies and special will air this coming weekend and next week:

The National Tree will air on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM on Saturday, November 28. It follows a teenager (Evan Williams) and his dad (Andrew McCarthy) as they travel across the country after winning a national Christmas tree contest.

NOTE: This movie will reair on both Sunday, November 29 at 8 PM and Friday, December 4 at 8 PM.

The Syfy channel presents the movie Beyond Sherwood Forest on Saturday, November 28 at 9 PM, which has Robin Hood (Robin Dunne from Sanctuary) trying to find a cure for a woman with a terrible curse that turns her into a murderous beast during the daytime. Erica Durance (Smallville) stars as Maid Marion.

The movie A Dog Named Christmas will air on CBS on Sunday, November 29 at 9 PM and is about a developmentally challenged young man (Noel Fisher) who adopts a dog at Christmas and attempts to get every family in his Kansas town to also adopt a dog for the holidays.

Meanwhile on the same night (Sunday, November 29) over on the ABC Family Channel, the movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas will air at 8 PM, which is about a seemingly inept guard dog who protects his new owners’ home while they’re away. The movie stars Dean Cain and the voice of Mario Lopez.

NOTE: This movie will reair on Monday, December 1 at 7 PM.

The annual NBC special Christmas in Rockefeller Square will air on Tuesday, December 2 at 8 PM and feature the 77th annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Manhattan with musical performances. This special will be co-hosted by Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Jane Krakowski (30 Rock).

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

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

Saturday, November 28:
Robin Hood at BBC America at 9 p.m.

Please note that Robin Hood will come to an end on December 5 at 9 PM after three seasons on the air.

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

Sunday, November 29:
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC 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 30:
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Lie to Me on FOX at 9:01 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.

Tuesday, December 1:
The Forgotten on ABC 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: President Obama is expected to address the nation so please be prepared for a change in tonight’s scheduling by checking your local listings for updates.

Wednesday, December 2:
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, December 3:
Private Practice will air back-to-back episodes on ABC at 9 and 10 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

Friday, December 4:
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dollhouse will air two back-to-back episodes on FOX at 8 and 9 p.m.
Stargate Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m. – SERIES FINALE
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!

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