Recaps
The Weekly Round-Up for Dec. 14 to 18
Here are the entertainment news items for this week (December 14 to December 18):
CONDOLENCES
Pioneering televangelist Oral Roberts passed away after suffering a fall near his California home. He was 91.
Legendary actress Jennifer Jones passed away this week at the age of 90. She appeared in the movies Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and The Song of Bernadette (for which she won an Oscar.
NEWS
Congrats to all of the Golden Globe nominees in film and television. Good luck!
Jennifer Morrison (House) is Broadway-bound, as she has joined the forthcoming revival of William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker in the role of Helen Keller’s mother, Kate. The play focuses on the relationship between a young Helen (to be portrayed by Abigail Breslin) and the teacher (Alison Pill from In Treatment) who taught her to communicate. Matthew Modine rounds out the all-star revival.
Men of a Certain Age will wrap its freshman run on Monday, February 22 on TNT.
Leverage will be back on TNT starting January 13 and conclude its second season on February 17.
Southland will air its seven-episode first season starting on January 12 and the six-episode second season will start on March 2 at 10 PM on TNT.
The annual Paley Festival will be held from February 26 to March 14 next year. The first two panels have been announced with the cast and crew of Glee and The Vampire Diaries expected to appear at the event’s new location: the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Lifetime is NOT in any kind of talks to pick up the recently canceled ABC series Eastwick.
House will air a special episode on FOX on Monday, January 11 at 8 PM followed by an unaired episode of Fringe from the first season at 9 PM. Fringe will return on April with House returning on January 25 after the 2 hour premiere of 24 airs on January 18.
The canceled series The Beautiful Life: TBL will get a second chance (of sorts) on YouTube. All five episodes will air there with the first two episodes and a third unaired episode will run Thursday, while the remaining two unseen episodes will premiere Monday.
The 10-part HBO mini-series The Pacific will debut on Sunday, March 14, airing every Sunday at 9 through May 16. The focus of the mini-series is set in the Pacific, following the real-life journeys of three U.S. Marines from the United States’ entrance into World War II to V-J Day and beyond. Stars include James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello and Jon Seda.
ABC Entertainment has signed a deal to cross-promote the upcoming revival of the Lilith Fair, now known as Lilith Tour, hyping the tour through their online ABC music lounge as well as their other outlets.
Lenora Crichlow, from Being Human, will star in a new six-part drama called Material Girl, a romantic comedy about a young fashion designer battling an evil ex-boss, a sexy-but-devilish business partner and snobby fashionistas to get her break in work and love. The only drawback is that it will be airing on January 14 at 8 PM on BBC1 TV in the UK only.
ABC will complete the episode runs of both Scrubs and Better Off Ted starting in the month of January with back-to-back airings. Scrubs will air at 8 and 9 PM and Better Off Ted will air from 8:30 to 9:30.
FOX will switch the air times for the returning American Idol and the new series Human Target. Human Target will still debut on Sunday, January 17 at 8 PM and get a boost by American Idol on Wednesday, January 20 at 9 PM. Then starting on January 27, Human Target will air at 8 PM with American Idol following at 9 PM.
Time Warner Cable subscribers be forewarned: FOX is threatening to pull programming from Fox Broadcasting, Fox Cable and Fox regional sports, which could really prove to be a problem for the millions of viewers who get the service.
Amanda Seyfried, who has played Bill Paxton’s eldest child on Big Love since the drama debuted in 2006, is leaving the show and will be focusing on her movie career. She will leave at the end of the season, leaving the flock in the 8th episode of the 9 episode season. The fourth season premieres on HBO January 10.
NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE
Casting is underway for the proposed Criminal Minds spin-off and some of the characters include:
• Cooper is the B-team’s leader, a middle-aged alpha male who’s as loyal to his team as he is sketchy about his past.
• Thirtyish Gina escaped the mean streets of Baltimore, only to wind up being sent back to them as an undercover agent. After her father died not knowing she hadn’t really fallen in with a bad crowd, she quit the FBI… until Cooper re-recruited her.
• Ex-British Special Forces operative Mick, 30, a sniper who’s as good with words as he is with a firearm.
• Prophet, also in his 30s, is a born-again African-American ex-con who’s eager to clean the slate he so completely filled pre-prison.
Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) has signed on to write the pilot script of The Vanderbilts the period drama for Showtime, which follows the saga of the wealthy railroad and shipping family.
Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) and Angelina Burnett will write the pilot script for the FOX legal dramedy The Real Amanda Strauss. The story is about a woman who works in the district attorney’s office and secretly comes from a family of con artists.
Gerald McRaney (Jericho) has been cast in the J.J. Abrams NBC espionage drama pilot called The Undercovers. He will play a CIA operative who recruited married spies Samantha and Steven Bloom to the agency and who serves as the company’s liaison with the two spies. Boris Kodjoe (Soul Food) has landed the male lead in the series, where he will play Steven, the sharp, smart, and very attractive half of the show’s central couple.
Show Money, the production company of producer Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), has several projects set up in development at various networks:
• A US adaptation of the Channel 4 comedy The Book Group at NBC with creator Annie Griffin adapting the story for an American audience;
• The Showtime drama Westbridge about execution chamber workers at a Texas prison from writer Kelly Marcel;
• The A&E police drama Back-Up, which follows a Jewish brother and sister who are both cops in Chicago and must deal with corruption charges against their father, from writer Robert Munic;
• A single-camera comedy called Boyfred at ABC, with Sony Pictures Television attached;
• The untitled Matthew Perry comedy vehicle at ABC about a sports arena manager (Perry) who finds himself in a mid-life crisis; and,
In pilot news, CBS has ordered another project from Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre. The project is called Mark and Molly and centers on a couple who meet at a weight-loss support group, the HR says. Lorre wrote the pilot with Mark Roberts, a writer and executive producer on Men
Emmy Rossum (Phantom of the Opera) and Justin Chatwin (The Invisible) and Allison Janney (The West Wing) have been cast in Showtime drama pilot Shameless, which is based on the Paul Abbot UK novel that stars William H. Macy. Rossum will play Fiona, the 18-year-old daughter of an alcoholic (Macy) whose wife has gone missing and who must raise her five younger brothers. Janney will play a potential love interest for Macy’s character, while Chatwin will play a car thief who has a thing for Fiona.
Steve Stark Productions has set up a number of projects at various networks, including:
• The USA drama pilot Facing Kate, starring Sarah Shahi;
• The NBC drama pilot The Event from writer Nick Wauters, about a huge government cover-up that quickly unravels;
• An untitled Lifetime drama pilot written by Gay Walch about a female psychologist at the Dallas Police Department;
• A USA dramedy pilot called Stick from writers Mark Altman and Steve Kriozere about a suspected pro hockey player who helps people;
• An NBC comedy based on the life of Paula Deen; and,
• A comedy pilot called Last Resort about a single mother and an eccentric lifelong bachelor who form a strange family.
Lifetime is developing an untitled legal drama about a team of victim witness advocates from writer Pam Wechsler (Canterbury’s Law), who will executive produce alongside Jim Serpico and Denis Leary.
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter and Quarantine) has joined the cast of the indie thriller Hungry Rabbit Jumps, which stars Nicolas Cage as a teacher who joins an underground vigilante organization after his musician wife (January Jones) is the victim of a brutal crime. Carpenter plays the best friend of the wife. Guy Pearce also stars.
Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) is set to direct a film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical In the Heights, which explores three days in New York City’s Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights.
Summit Entertainment will have a new movie called Cancun that will star Taylor Lautner (the Twilight saga), which is about an out-of-place college kid who travels with a girl to Cancun on a break. While there, the girl and her friends are taken hostage by a drug cartel and he is forced to save them. The action will be designed to take advantage of Lautner’s martial arts skills.
MADE FOR TV MOVIES
The Hallmark Channel will air the following made-for-TV movies in early 2010:
On February 13, Elevator Girl, starring Lacey Chabert (Party of Five) and Ryan Merriman (The Pretender), will air. The movie is about a free-spirited woman and an uptight lawyer who get stuck in an elevator together.
On March 6, the movie Uncorked will air. It is a romantic comedy starring Julie Benz (Dexter) and Scott Elrod (Men In Trees). The movie follows a workaholic CFO (Benz) on business to Southern California’s wine country, where she meets a world-famous chef (Elrod).
On March 20, Healing Hands, which stars Eddie Cibrian (Invasion) as a school janitor who awakens from a coma to learn he has the ability to heal others just by touching them. His fiancée will be played by Lisa Sheridan – also from Invasion.
Jodi Lynn O’Keefe, Justin Bruening, Constance Marie, and Eric Roberts have been cast in the Hallmark Channel movie Class, which will also premiere in 2010.
CASTING SCOOP
Recent True Blood casting news includes: Tony winner J Smith Cameron is set to play the recurring role of Sam’s estranged mother, Melinda; Alfre Woodard will guest-star as Layfette’s mother and Tara’s aunt; James Frain (The Tudors) will play Tara’s love interest, a blood-sucker named Franklin Mott with whom she has a crazy strong connection; actress-model Natasha Alam (The Bold and the Beautiful) will have the (potientally) recurring role of Yvetta, Eric’s new dancer at Fangtasia; character actor Gregg Daniel (NYPD Blue, Desperate Housewives) will play Reverend Daniels, who Tara’s mom turns to comfort; and Joe Manganiello (One Tree Hill and How I Met Your Mother) will play Sookie’s werewolf crush, Alcide Herveaux, who helps her search for Bill; and Cooper Huckabee (Dexter) will play Joe Lee Mickens, the father of Sam Trammel‘s Sam Merlotte. Shannon Welles (Mad Men) will appear as a mysterious old woman who lives in the middle of nowhere. Lindsay Pulsipher (The Beast) will play the role of Crystal, a young woman who shares an electric connection with Jason.
Sean Maher (Firefly and Serenity) and Autumn Reeser (The O.C.) will both guest star in episodes of the new FOX drama Human Target.
Comedian Jack Black is expected to guest star on the NBC comedy Community.
Willa Holland will be back on Gossip Girl, causing more trouble with Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen).
Sarah Brown (General Hospital) will appear on an upcoming episode of Castle.
Penny Johnson Jerald will guest star in the 150th episode of NCIS that will also feature legendary actor Robert Wagner as Tony’s dad. Jerald will reprise her role as state Department Official Joanne Torrence on the January 12 episode.
Jenny Wade (Reaper) has been cast opposite Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford in the new FOX drama series Jack and Dan. She will play Liz, a tough and quick-witted assistant district attorney who used to date Jack (Hanks) and is now in frequent work-related contact with him.
Scott Elrod, who played Cash on Men in Trees, is set to do an episode of Castle, playing a possible love interest for Beckett.
Kelly Bishop (Gilmore Girls) will appear in a multi-episode arc on Mercy, playing a patient of Sonia’s (Jamie Lee Kirchner) named Elaine.
Joe Lando (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) will appear in the 150th episode of NCIS.
Jason George (Eli Stone and Eastwick) will be appearing on Grey’s Anatomy as a new love interest for Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). His multi-episode arch will begin mid-February.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The following movies and specials will air this coming weekend and next week:
The Hallmark Channel movie The Three Gifts will reair on Saturday, December 19 at 8 PM and is about a couple (Dean Cain and Jean Lousia Kelly) who offers a temporary home to three orphaned boys during the holidays.
NOTE: This movie will reair on Sunday, December 19 at 8 PM and on Friday, December 25 at 8 PM.
On Sunday, December 20 the ION movie A Golden Christmas will air at 9 PM. It is about a pair of childhood sweethearts who are reunited at Christmastime, with the help from a very special dog. Stars Andrea Roth.
The ABC Family Channel movie Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe will reair on Monday, December 21at 9 PM. In this sequel, Santa asks his daughter (Jenny McCarthy) to run the family business. Co-stars Paul Sorvino and Dean McDermott.
On Tuesday, December 22 the FOX special Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special will air at 8 PM for two hours. The special has country superstar Carrie Underwood hosting a holiday variety special with guests Christina Applegate, Kristin Chenoweth, David Cook, Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton.
The CBS special A Home for the Holidays with Faith Hill will air on Wednesday, December 23at 8 PM. The 11th annual event to raise awareness of adoption is hosted by the country superstar.
On Thursday, December 24, My Network TV will reair the 2009 Hollywood Christmas Parade at 8 PM. Susan Lucci serves as grand marshal of the 78th annual Hollywood holiday procession.
The Lifetime movie 12 Men of Christmas will reair on Thursday, December 24at 9 PM – A PR exec (Kristen Chenoweth) moves to Montana after losing her job in New York and raises money for the local rescue squad, but her racy fund-raising ideas spark controversy. Co-stars Josh Hopkins.
NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS
Because of the holidays there are very few new episodes for the returning and new fall shows, but here are the new episodes that will air this coming week:
Monday, December 21:
The Closer on TNT at 9 p.m.
Men of A Certain Age on TNT at 10 p.m.
Wednesday, December 23:
Friday Night Lights on DirecTV only at 9 p.m.
Thursday, December 24:
Raising the Bar on TNT at 8, 9 and 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!
1 Comment