The Weekly Round-Up for January 31 to February 4

By Rueben | February 4, 2011

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

TELEVISION NEWS

NBC has pulled the plug on its new drama Chase. This decision was obviously prompted by the low ratings the show has consistently received all season.

Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Mandy Moore as well as Gwyneth Paltrow and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine will all perform nominated songs at the Oscars, which will be televised on Sunday, February 27 on ABC. Levi and Moore will be accompanied by Alan Menken on the piano for the song “I See the Light” from their animated film Tangled while Paltrow will sing “Coming Home” from her film Country Strong. A.R. Rahman and Welch will perform “If I Rise” from the film 127 Hours, and Randy Newman will sing “We Belong Together” from the animated movie Toy Story 3.

TNT has extended the seventh, and purported final, season of The Closer by six episodes. Ten episodes will air this summer, followed by five in the winter and the final six in the summer of 2012. The six additional episodes (set for the summer of 2012) will be the last for Kyra Sedgwick’s Brenda Leigh Johnson and will also likely serve as a platform to introduce a new central character for a spin-off. The spin-off is tentatively titled Major Crimes, and would see the show evolve into a more gritty drama, focusing on what happens when criminals aren’t sent to death row and the behind-the-scenes deal making. The justice system’s give and take will play a part in Brenda’s exit.

Actress Alana De La Garza will reprise her Law & Order role in the Los Angeles spinoff, teaming up with Terrence Howard’s Jonah Dekker. The series still has no return date.

Actress Laura Vandervoort (V) will reprise her role as Kara Zor-El (a.k.a. Supergirl) in one of final five episodes of Smallville.

NBC has rolled back the episode order for their new drama The Cape from 13 to 10 episodes.

NBC has set the debut date for the final season of Friday Night Lights. Mark your calendars for April 15 at 8 PM. The series is finishing its final run on DirecTV on February 9.

MTV has set a premiere date for their new drama Teen Wolf, which will be loosely based on the 80’s camp films. The series will debut on June 5 immediately following the MTV Movie Awards.

NBC has moved the return of their new fall drama The Event to one week later. It will now air back-to-back episodes at 8 and 9 PM on March 7.

No great surprise here, but CBS confirms they have renewed their powerhouse series NCIS for a 9th season.

USA Network announced today that the 10th and final season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, featuring original stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, will begin on May 1.

Meanwhile, the network will also have their drama In Plain Sight back for a 4th season on May 1 as well.

NEW SHOWS NEWS

The ABC Family Channel will debut two new one hour dramas and one half-hour comedy sometime later this year. They include the following:

Switched at Birth – This one hour drama tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano from Gilmore Girls) grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez (newcomer Katie Leclerc), who lost her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls. The cast includes Constance Marie (George Lopez), D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights), Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City) and Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical).

The Nine Lives of Chloe King – This one-hour drama is about Chloe King (Skyler Samuels from The Gates), who is looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her friends and single mother, just like every other year. That is until she starts developing heightened abilities and discovers she’s being pursued by a mysterious figure. Chloe soon learns she’s part of an ancient race which has been hunted by human assassins for millennia – and that she may be their only hope for ultimate survival. The cast includes Amy Pietz (Caroline in the City, Grey Damon (Friday Night Lights), newcomer Grace Phipps, Benjamin Stone (10 Things I Hate About You), Alyssa Diaz (Southland) and Ki Hong Lee (The Secret Life of the American Teenager).

The Great State of Georgia – This half-hour comedy series starring Raven-Symone as Georgia, an aspiring actress with a larger than life personality, and her science geek best friend, who try to make headway in New York City. The cast includes Majandra Delfino (Roswell) and Meagen Fay (According to Jim).

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Singer-actor Jesse McCartney has landed the male lead in the FOX pilot Locke & Key, which is set around a family’s attempt to rebuild by moving in with their deceased father’s brother at the family homestead in Maine, where they discover doorways with decidedly spectral qualities. He will play Ty, the eldest of the Locke children. The cast already includes Harrison Thomas, Miranda Otto, Nick Stahl, Sarah Bolger and Skylar Gaertner.

A&E has booked a script for a new drama called Overload from John E. Pogue (who is involved behind the scenes at Army Wives). The drama will be about a female detective blessed and cursed with hyper-acute senses who balances her work and personal life in Boston.

Kyle Killen, the Executive Producer of the short-lived FOX drama Lone Star has received a pilot order from NBC for an Inception-like drama called REM, which is about the simultaneous and parallel lives of a detective who cannot let go of any aspect of his fractured family after a horrible car accident.

Meanwhile, NBC has order the adaptation of the British hit Prime Suspect to pilot. The pilot would follow an iconoclastic female detective has to make her bones in a tough New York precinct that is dominated by men. The network has also ordered to pilot the Civil War based series The Crossing, which is about a soldier who crosses the country and settles into a complicated town where he is welcomed as its savior — whether he likes it or not.

The proposed companion series to The Vampire Diaries doesn’t look like it will be happening, but Kevin Williamson (one of the Executive Producers for popular CW series) will be working on a new project called Secret Circle, based on a three-book series from The Vampire Diaries author L.J. Smith, which centers on a California teen who moves to her mom’s hometown of New Salem and discovers that she is a witch. There is no confirmation if this new project will be picked up as a series by The CW as yet, though.

Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias and Felicity) has landed the lead in the A&E hour-long pilot called Big Mike, which is about a plus-sized detective who is a force of nature in the SanDiego PD.

Actress Camille Guaty (Prison Break) has joined the cast the USA Network hour-long pilot called Eden that centers on a young hotel worker (Nick D’Agosto) who, with the help of his escaped con artist cousin (Enver Gjokaj), gets a job as the concierge at an elite NYC hotel. Together they manage toprovide the hotel guests with whatever they desire, at whatever thecost. Guaty will play a strong-willed, hard-working single motherwho’s carved out a career in real estate to support her five-year-oldson.

HBO is hoping to launch a new series by Aaron Sorkin (the man behind The West Wing and The Social Network) that will chronicle the backstage drama at a cable news network.

Actress Jordana Brewster (Chuck) has scored the lead role in the TNT remake of Dallas. The story will center on feuding cousins John Ross and Christopher, the offspring of brothers J.R. and Bobby Ewing, as they clash over the future of the Ewing dynasty. Brewster will play Elena, the gorgeous daughter of the ranch’s cook who is locked in a love triangle with Christopher and John. Actor Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) has also joined the cast and original show stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray will reprise their roles.

Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Glynn Turman (In Treatment) and newcomer Donis Leonard Jr. have joined the cast of the Showtime comedy House of Lies that stars Don Cheadle as a highly successful, cutthroat consultant who is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his clients the information they want. Turman and Leonard will play Marty’s father Jeremiah and son Roscoe, respectively. Meanwhile, Bell is set to play Marty’s associate Jeannie Van Der Hooven, a razor-sharp, cute, Brown grad who has some control and self-loathing issues, the self-loathing mostly around finding herself attracted to Marty.

ABC has given the green light to the Marc Cherry pilot called Hallelujah, which is set in the town of Hallelujah, Tennessee. The town is being torn apart by the forces of good and evil. Its fortunes change when a stranger comes to town, bringing justice, peace and faith.

Actor Barry Watson (7th Heaven and What About Brian) will join Christine Taylor in the TV Land comedy called Rip City, which revolves around an Ivy League-educated woman (Taylor) who moves to Oregon to work at a beverage company called Rip City Cola. Watson will play her colleague and potential love interest.

CBS has ordered the drama The Rememberer to pilot. The project is a female NYPD detective who possesses the special ability to remember everything and, although a gift in her job, it’s also a curse in her personal life.

The CW has given a pilot order to the following projects:

Cooper & Stone, a drama about two Chicago female detectives who specialize in pop culture knowledge and solving homicides.

Hart of Dixie, a new drama about a young big-city doctor who inherits a medical practice in an oddball Southern town.

Heavenly is another new drama about a female lawyer and an angel-turned-human who work to save the futures and the souls of their subjects.

Meanwhile, ABC has given pilot orders for the following:

Georgetown, which is an ensemble drama about the young people behind the power brokers of Washington, D.C.

Identity, which is a take on the U.K. drama about an elite police unit that combats identity-related crime, has received a pilot presentation order.

Once Upon a Time, which is a drama about a woman with a troubled past who is drawn into a small town in Maine where the magic and mystery of fairy tales just may be real.

Revenge, a modern day take on The Count of Monte Cristo, which will focus on a vengeful woman with a secret who moves to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her family.

The River is a drama about a family who travels to the deep Amazon to locate and rescue their missing father.

The untitled Susannah Grant drama will be about an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife dies and begins teaching him what life is all about from the here-after.

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES NEWS

The Kennedys mini-series has finally found a home at Reelz Channel and will premiere on April 3. The film stars Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes as John and Jacqueline Kennedy; Barry Pepper as the president’s brother Bobby, and Tom Wilkinson as their father, Joseph.

The two-part Syfy movie Treasure Island will air in early 2012, starring Eddie Izzard (The Riches) as Long John Silver, Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings franchise) as Ben Gunn and legendary actor Donald Sutherland as Flint. Also, Toby Regbo (who will appear as a young Dumbledore in Harry Potter) takes on the role of the gutsy, eager and courageous young Jim Hawkins, who is unexpectedly drawn into the world of piracy when he discovers a treasure map and then finds himself battling with Silver for the treasure and his life. Shirley Henderson (Bridget Jones) plays his mother and Nina Sosanya (Love Actually) is Silver’s wife. Other cast members include Phillip Glenister (Ashes to Ashes), Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) and Daniel Mays (Made in Dagenham).

CONDOLENCES

Five-time Oscar-winning composer John Barry, who wrote music for a dozen James Bond films passed away over the weekend. He was 77.

ME: Deepest condolences are extended to his family, friends and followers.

MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Looks like Halle Berry is out and Katherine Heigl is in as a cast member in the upcoming holiday –themed film New Year’s Eve that already boast the following cast members: Robert De Niro, Sofia Vergara, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, Josh Duhamel, Ice Cube, Jon Bon Jovi, Hillary Swank, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers and Abigail Breslin. Heigl will take over for Berry as a caterer who encounters her ex-lover at a party. Additionally, actress Alyssa Milano (Charmed) has joined the burgeoning as well.

Actor Haley Joel Osment has joined the cast of the upcoming movie called Sassy Pants, which is to be a coming-of-age comedy starring Ashley Rickards, Anna Gunn, Jenny and Diedrich Bader.

Actors Jim Caviezel and Chiwetel Ejiofor will star in the historical drama film Savannah, which is based on the true story of early 20th century aristocrat Ward Allen (Caviezel) who develops an unexpected partnership with freed slave Christmas Moultrie (Ejiofor). Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), Jaimie Alexander (Thor and Kyle XY), Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) and legendary actor Hal Holbrook all co-star.

Multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry is set to star in the film I, Alex Cross, which is a reboot of the franchise based on the James Patterson novel series. Originally this character was played by Morgan Freeman in the films Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. In the book series, Alex Cross is a forensic psychologist who hunts down various killers, but no details are available yet on the direction of this reboot.

Cameron Diaz is to star in the remake of the 1966 British caper comedy Gambit, which is set to star Colin Firth as a London art curator who plots an elaborate scheme to con a wealthy collector into buying a fake Monet painting. As part of the ruse, he recruits a Texas steer roper (Diaz) to play the part of a woman whose grandfather liberated the painting at the end of WWII. The original film starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine.

Actor Jackie Earle Haley (Human Target) and rising Aussie actress Bella Heathcote are in early talks to join the film adaptation of the 1960s supernatural TV soap opera Dark Shadows that will follow the life of vampire Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) who is forced to deal with all sorts of monsters, ghosts and other supernatural creatures. Heathcote would play a waitress whom Collins takes a shine to because of her resemblance to his long-lost love. Haley’s possible role has not been released. The film is expected to be released in the spring of 2012. Also, actress Eva Green (Casino Royale) has landed the female lead in the film. She is expected to play the role of Angelique, who in the TV series was a powerful witch who was alternately tormented and bewitched by her love-hate relationship with Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp).

In a decision that could really upset fans of the Superman franchise IF it proves to be true, it looks like Lois Lane MAY not be a part of the reboot of the upcoming film that will star Henry Cavill (The Tudors) as the Man of Steel. Word has it that Diane Kruger (National Treasure), Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League), and Rosamund Pike (An Education) have now emerged as the three actresses in contention for the female lead character. The character one of these beauties would portray has not been disclosed, but it has been confirmed that it will NOT be Lois Lane.

Legendary actor Jeff Bridges will appear in the box office film The Seventh Son – the new name of the adaptation The Last Apprentice, which is a series of young adult novels by Joseph Delaney. The story revolves around a teenage boy training to be an exorcist in the 1700’s. Bridges will play Spook, the exorcist who would train Thomas. Rumor has it that actor Alex Pettyfer (the upcoming I Am Number Four) and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) may be playing lead roles in this film as well, but neither has been confirmed yet.

CASTING SCOOP

Actress Amy Smart will appear in the final two episodes of the new Showtime series Shameless as Jasmine, a new friend of Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum).

Actor Taylor Kinney (Trauma and The Vampire Diaries) will guest star on CSI: NY, playing Jayson Luck, who attacks and kills someone he believes to be an old man on a subway platform. Unfortunately for Jayson, the crime is witnessed by Ellie, the daughter of Sela Ward’s Jo. This episode is slated to air in April.

Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss is the NBC drama Parenthood for a multi-episode arc. He will appear in this season’s final four episodes as Gilliam T. Blount, a once-great theater producer who also happens to be an old friend of Zeek’s (Craig T. Nelson).

Actor Chris Messina (Julie & Julia) has joined the cast of Damages, which will have its fourth season air on DirecTV this summer. He will play a high school friend of Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) who was a decorated soldier before being recruited to work for a private security firm in Afghanistan. Messina joins John Goodman and Dylan Baker, who were previously announced as new cast members.

Actress A.J. Cook will reprise her role as Jennifer “J.J.” Jareau on Criminal Minds for one episode this spring.

Casting is fleshing out for the Burn Notice prequel TV-movie that will center on Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell). The film, to be directed by Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan, is set in 2005, as a faction of Colombian rebels makes trouble for the locally stationed military platoon. When Lt. Cmdr. Sam Axe is deployed to check things out, he uncovers some dark secrets of the area and, in turn, learns hard lessons about deception and sacrifice. Actress Chandra West (The Gates) will play Donna, a sexy and fun woman Sam has recently started seeing. Then, as the action moves to Colombia, RonReaco Lee (The Good Guys) turns up as Dr. Ben Delaney, a field medic who runs a non-profit clinic and now finds himself fending off terrorists. Similarly, Kiele Sanchez (The Glades) plays a humanitarian with a food relief effort who has a hard time trusting soldiers — Sam included. Lastly, our Sam needs someone to report to during the ordeal. That responsibility falls to John Diehl (Stargate) as Rear Admiral Lawrence, a no-nonsense Naval Officer who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of things. The two hour Burn Notice prequel movie is due to air on the USA Network sometime this spring.

Casting for the upcoming soap-opera themed episode of Castle entitled “One Life to Lose” – reflecting lead actor Nathan Fillion’s time on the soap One Life to Life – has been made: All My Children favorites Cameron Mathison and Rebecca Budig as well as Corbin Bernsen (Psych) and Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman). Bernsen will play Lance Buchanan, the handsome and dashing lead actor of the fictional soap called Temptations, who has the reputation as a ladies’ man. Mathison plays a character named Vince Bowers while Budig will appear as Mandy Bronson. The intrigue involves a Temptations fan who blogs about her intense dissatisfaction with the soap’s storylines. The episode is expected to air this spring.

Actor Ray Wise (best known for his roles on Twin Peaks and Reaper) will make an appearance on an upcoming episode of Chuck, starring as an attorney for Volkoff (Timothy Dalton). Wise will appear in the same episode for which actresses Lauren Cohan (Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries) and Robin Givens are slated to appear.

Actress Sally Kellerman (the original Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the film version of M*A*S*H) will appear in a multi-episode arc on the CW series 90210, playing Marla, a faded movie star-turned-hoarder who’s losing control of her Grey Gardens-esque existence. She hires Annie (Shanae Grimes) to de-clutter her house.

Actor John C. McGinley (Scrubs) will have a recurring role in the upcoming HBO drama Lucky that take a look inside the provocative world of horse racing, with a specific spotlight cast on the owners, gamblers, jockeys and diverse gaming industry players that will star Dustin Hoffman. McGinley will play a genial swindler working in cahoots with his daughter.

Actress Alicia Coppola (Jericho) will appear as Lucy, the much-talked about but never seen ex-wife of Fitch (Michael Imperioli) on Detroit 1-8-7. Coppola is currently working on the USA Network pilot Common Law that stars Michael Ealy and she will be seen in next week’s episode of Castle.

Actor Sam Hennings (Memphis Beat) will appear as Samuel Colt in an upcoming episode of Supernatural. Colt is the man behind the Colt revolver who Sam and Dean come face-to-face with when they travel back to the Old West later this season.

Actress Alex Kingston (ER and Doctor Who) will have a multi-episode role on Private Practice, playing Marla, a shrink who will help out one of the staff work through a personal ordeal.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

There is a lot of programming to keep track of each, so, the list below covers most of what you can expect this coming weekend and next week (including reairs, new episodes and made-for-TV movies):

Saturday, February 5:
NCIS on CBS at 8 PM (Reair)
Chuck on NBC at 8 PM (Reair)
Law & Order: Los Angeles on NBC at 9 PM (Reair)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 10 PM (Reair)
Treme on HBO2 at 9 PM (Reair)
Boardwalk Empire on HBO2 at 10 PM (Reair)
Smooch movie on Hallmark at 9 PM (Debut)
Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story movie on Lifetime at 9 PM (Debut)
Glee marathon on Oxygen (check local listings for airtimes)

Sunday, February 6:
Glee on FOX (check airtime after Super Bowl)
CSI: Miami on CBS at 9 PM (Reair)
Hawaii Five-0 on CBS at 10 PM (Reair)
Big Love on HBO at 9 and 10 PM
Big Love on HBO2 at 8 PM (Reair)
The Tudors on Showtime2 at 8 and 9 PM (Reairs)
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena on Starz at 10 PM (Reair)
Titanic II movie on Syfy at 9 PM (Debut)

Monday, February 7:
Castle on ABC at 10:01 PM
Hawaii Five-0 on CBS at 10 PM
90210 on The CW at 8 PM
Gossip Girl on The CW at 9 PM
House on FOX at 8 PM
The Chicago Code on FOX at 9 PM (DEBUT)
Chuck on NBC at 8 PM
The Cape on NBC at 9 PM
Harry’s Law on NBC at 10 PM
Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family at 8 and 10 PM (NEW and Reair)
Greek on ABC Family at 9 PM
Rizzoli & Isles on TNT at 10 PM (Reair)
Being Human on Syfy at 8 PM (Reair)
Being Human on Syfy at 9 PM (New)
Big Love on HBO2 at 10 PM (Reair)
Backyard Wedding movie on Hallmark at 9 PM (Reair)
Lies in Plain Sight movie on Lifetime Movie Network (Reair)

Tuesday, February 8:
No Ordinary Family on ABC at 8 PM
V on ABC at 9 PM
Detroit 1-8-7 on ABC at 10:01 PM
NCIS on CBS at 8 PM
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 PM
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 PM
One Tree Hill on The CW at 8 PM
Hellcats on The CW at 9 PM
Glee on FOX at 8 PM
Parenthood on NBC at 10 PM
Southland on TNT at 10 PM
Lights Out on FX at 10 PM
White Collar on USA Network at 10 PM

Wednesday, February 9:
Off the Map on ABC at 10 PM
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 PM
Blue Bloods on CBS at 10 PM
Nikita on the CW at 8 PM (Reair)
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 9 PM (Reair)
Human Target on FOX at 9 PM
Friday Night Lights on DirecTV at 9 PM (Series Finale)
Chase on NBC at 9 PM (Conclusion)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 10 PM
Being Erica on SOAPNet at 11 PM
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena on Starz at 10 PM (Reair)
Big Love on HBO at 10 PM (Reair)

Thursday, February 10:
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 PM
Private Practice on ABC at 10:01 PM
CSI on CBS at 9 PM
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 PM
The Vampire Diaries on The CW at 8 PM
Nikita on The CW at 9 PM
Bones on FOX at 9 PM
Royal Pains on USA Network at 9 PM
Fairly Legal on USA Network at 10 PM
Big Love on HBO at 8 PM (Reair)

Friday, February 11:
The Defenders on CBS at 8 PM
CSI: NY on CBS at 9 PM
Blue Bloods on CBS at 10 PM (Reair)
Smallville on The CW at 8 PM
Supernatural on The CW at 9 PM
Fringe on FOX at 9 PM
Law & Order: UK on BBC America at 9 and 10 PM
Merlin on Syfy at 10 PM
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena on Starz at 10 PM
Big Love on HBO Signature at 9 PM (Reair)
Smooch movie on Hallmark at 9 PM (Reair)
Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story movie on Lifetime at 9 PM (Reair)

NOTE: Please check your local listings for the correct air dates and times for all of the above.

Have a great weekend!