News
The Weekly Round-Up for February 14 to 18
Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:
TELEVISION NEWS
Ready for the time warp? The CW is going to reair the very first hour of Smallville on April 8 at 8 PM. The first episode of this long-running series originally aired on October 16, 2001. A repeat of Supernatural will be aired that night with new episodes of both shows airing the next week.
Congrats to all the winners at the BAFTA’s and Grammy Awards last night!!
What a difference 24 hours makes – at the end of last week it was announced that actor Michael Rosenbaum would NOT be returning for the final season of Smallville, returning to the role that made him famous: Lex Luthor. Well, he has changed his mind and will be back after all. Here is the statement he issued: “I’m simply doing it for all of the fans out there who made Smallville the great success it is. I appreciate all of their passion, their relentlessness and even their threats. Ha ha. I can’t wait to hug the old crew back in Vancouver one last time and see all of my old friends once again….. Oh, and for Lex to become the badass he’s destined to be.”
Actor James Tupper (Men in Trees) will reprise his role as Dr. Andrew Perkins this spring in a multi-episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy.
Actress Amber Benson – best known for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer – will reprise her Season 2 role on Supernatural, playing “good” vampire Lenore.
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Actor Gary Cole (Wanted – the TV series) has joined the comedy pilot for FOX called Tagged, which is a workplace comedy set in a coroner’s office. Cole will play James Percy, a respected coroner whose son comes to work for him after finishing medical school.
The graphic novel by Steve Valentine and Paul Chart called Among the Spirits is being developed by Syfy as a potential drama series. The story is about Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle solving mysteries in 1920s. This project would follow Houdini and Doyle, who, with the help of a female cop, try to solve bizarre murders and strange occurrences that look like hauntings and other supernatural events using steampunk technology.
Actor Anthony Ruivivar (The Whole Truth) and actress Nicole Ari Parker (The Deep End) have joined the A&E drama pilot called Big Mike that is about Mike O’Bannon (Greg Grunberg), a plus-sized homicide detective in a world where plus-sized is a minus. Ruivivar is set as Mike’s partner/childhood friend, Armando Romero, an ex-Marine who – much to Mike’s chagrin – has the annoying ability to eat twice his weight in food every day and not gain a single pound. Parker will play Grace Peterson, the duo’s smart, efficient lieutenant, the youngest to hold said post in San Diego history.
Actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) and actor Orlando Jones (The Evidence) are in talks to appear in the ABC drama pilot called Identity, which is a procedural set at the Identity Crimes Division, the FBI’s first cyber-crime unit mixed with traditional investigators. Miller would play John Bloom, a former undercover agent who’s reluctantly drafted to the team, with Jones as Anthony Wareing, a prideful, ambitious agent.
American Idol runner-up-turned-actress Katharine McPhee has been added to the cast of the NBC hour-long pilot called Smash that is to follow a cross section of characters who come together to put on a Marilyn Monroe musical on Broadway led by the musical’s composer Tom and lyricist Julia (Debra Messing). McPhee will play a beautiful struggling actress who goes to all lengths to book the role of Marilyn Monroe in the musical.
Veteran actress Stockard Channing has signed on to star in the NBC pilot called 17th Precinct, which is an ensemble cop drama with supernatural elements from Ron Moore (the man behind the reboot of Battlestar Galactica) The pilot is set in the fictional town of Excelsior where magic and supernatural elements rule over science. Channing will play Mira, a fiercely intelligent former homicide detective who’s working in the robbery division. Meanwhile, actor Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica and Law & Order: UK) will star as Caolan in the pilot.
Actor Jesse Martin (Law & Order) has been cast in the lead role of the Marc Cherry drama pilot for ABC called Hallelujah. He will play a charming drifter.
Actress Saffron Burrows (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) has joined the prospective Bones spinoff for FOX. The proposed spinoff already includes actors Geoff Stults and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Australian actor Robert Taylor (The Matrix) has landed the lead role of Walt Longmire in the A&E drama pilot called Longmire. The pilot is about the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.
Actress Ashley Madekwe (The Beautiful Life) is the first to join the cast of the ABC drama pilot called Revenge, about Emily Thorne, a mysterious young woman who comes to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her family. She will play Ashley Davenport, Emily’s stylish and confident friend who works for the people who wronged her.
Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) and Mike Colter (The Good Wife) have joined the cast of the CBS drama pilot called Ringer, which is about Bridget Cafferty (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a troubled young woman who, while on the run from the mob, hides out by inhabiting the life of her wealthy twin sister, Siobhan Marx, until she learns that her twin’s life has a bounty on it as well. Gruffudd will play Siobhan’s husband Andrew Marx while Colter will play Malcolm Howard, Bridget’s AA sponsor. Nestor Carbonell (Lost) also stars. Meanwhile, actress Tara Summers (Damages) has also joined the cast of this pilot. She is believed to be playing Gemma Gallagher, Siobhan’s tall, attractive best friend.
Actor Max Greenfield (Veronica Mars) has joined the Zooey Deschanel-led FOX comedy pilot known as Chicks and Dicks. The ensemble comedy is about the sexual politics of men and women and centers on Jessica (Deschanel), an optimistic but unlucky-in-love elementary school teacher who, after her most recent break-up, moves out of her apartment with her ex and moves in with 3 juvenile guys.
Actress Annie Wersching (24) will alongside actress Scottie Thompson (NCIS and Trauma) in the ABC drama pilot Partners, which centers on two female police detectives, Mattie (Thompson) and Jess (Wersching), who are fiercely loyal to one another since they’re also secretly half-sisters.
Actress Christine Lahti has signed on to star in the CBS drama pilot The Doctor, which centers on Emily Campbell (Lahti), a mother who reconnects with her adult children when she joins the family medical practice.
Lost alum Michael Emerson will reunite with J.J. Abrams on his upcoming CBS pilot, Person of Interest, which drama follows an ex-CIA hit man and a mysterious billionaire (Emerson) who team up to prevent crimes before they happen.
Actor Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot Poe about Edgar Allan Poe, the world’s very first detective, as he uses unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 1840s Boston. McNally will play Kyle Kilpatrick, the city’s tough, authoritative commissioner.
Life Unexpected star Brittany Robertson has been cast in the CW pilot Secret Circle, which is based on a series of books by author L.J. Smith about a young woman who moves to a new town and discovers that not only is she a witch and part of a secret coven, but she’s also the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good versus evil.
Megan Dodds (Detroit 1-8-7) has joined the cast of the FOX drama pilot Exit Strategy, which stars Ethan Hawke in a story about a team of CIA agents who are sent in to fix operations gone bad. Dodds will play Hannah Burke, a doctor with a prodigy-level IQ who trusts no one.
David Giuntoli (Privileged) has been cast in the lead role in the NBC drama pilot called Grimm about a police detective who discovers fairy tale creatures live among us. He will play Nick Burckhardt, who is tasked with defending humans from these mythical beasts.
Wilson Bethel (Generation Kill) will star alongside Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) in the CW drama pilot Hart of Dixie which is about a young New York City doctor who inherits a medical practice in a small Southern town inhabited by an eclectic and eccentric group of characters. He will play Wade Kinsella, the doctor’s fisherman neighbor.
Kiefer Sutherland (24) MIGHT be coming back to network TV in the FOX drama pilot from Heroes creator Tim Kring. The pilot is called Touch and Sutherland could be playing Martin Bohm, an unassuming baggage handler at JFK who discovers that his autistic, mute son can predict events before they happen.
Eric Roberts has landed the lead role in the AC drama pilot called Grace, which focuses on Michael Grace (Roberts), a famous choreographer whose womanizing ways have produced three daughters – Sarah, a lawyer; Shay, a photographer; Eden, a teenager – all with different mothers.
Glee co-creator and co-executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are returning to the cable network FX with a new drama pilot called American Horror Story. The premise is being kept under wraps, though.
Actor James Wolk (from the short-lived series Lone Star) has landed a lead role in the drama pilot Georgetown (from Joss Schwartz and Stephanie Savage) that is a sexy soap centering around the young people behind the power brokers of Washington, DC. It centers on Andrew Pierce (Wolk), an effortlessly charming and brilliant Yale graduate and the youngest presidential speech writer on record who was once idealistic but is now cynical as he sees how compromise has eroded the administration’s promise.
Meanwhile his former Lone Star co-star, actress Eloise Mumford is the first to be cast in the ABC drama pilot The River, which centers on a small group that goes deep into the Amazon in search for a missing TV explorer. She will play a fearless helicopter pilot attached to the expedition whose father, the explorer’s cameraman, is also missing.
Box office actress Leelee Sobieski (Joan of Arc) has been cast in the CBS drama pilot called Rookies (that comes from Robert DeNiro. The pilot is to follow six rookie cops who patrol especially dangerous areas.
MADE FOR TV MOVIES NEWS
The USA Network has announced the air date for the made for TV movie prequel of sorts for Burn Notice, focusing on Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell). The film – called Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe – will air on Sunday, April 17 at 9 PM. The film, of course, will star Campbell in the role he made infamous on the popular series with Burn Notice lead actor Jeffrey Donovan being the director. The film takes place in Colombia 2005 when Lieutenant Commander Sam Axe is sent to advise a local military platoon. It’s there he discovers deep layers of deception and ultimately realizes he may be allied with the wrong side. The film will co-star RonReaco Lee (The Good Guys), Kiele Sanchez (The Glades), John Diehl (Stargate) and Chandra West (The Gates).
WEB SERIES NEWS
Web series pioneer/Actress Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog and Buffy) is going from a fictional role-playing game to a real one. The creator of the online series The Guild is set to launch a new web series inspired by the BioWare game Dragon Age called Dragon Age: Redemption. The six-part series will have its premiere this summer after the release of the game sequel Dragon Age II. In the series, Day will have a featured role as an Elvish assassin who forms an uneasy alliance with others to capture a dangerous rogue mage. Day will present the trailer for the new Redemption series Wednesday on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. BioWare will launch the Dragon Age II demo Feb. 22 on Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and PC, followed by the game’s official release to stores March 8.
Tahmot Penikett (Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse) has joined the cast of the Warner Bros. digital series Mortal Kombat. He will play police officer Lieutenant Stryker. Other cast members include Michael Jai White as Jax, Jeri Ryan as Sonya and Darren Shahlavi as Kano. White and Ryan are reprising their roles from last year’s unofficial Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short.
CONDOLENCES
Actress Betty Garrett, best known for her roles in Laverne & Shirley and All in the Family passed away over the weekend. She was 91.
Joanne Siegel, the widow of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, who served as the model for Lois Lane, passed away. She was 93.
Veteran screen and voice actor Kenneth Mars, best known for his work in the Mel Brooks movies The Producers and Young Frankenstein, passed away over the weekend. He was 75.
MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actor Gerard Butler (300) may be playing Rick “Frosty” Hesson in the upcoming surfing movie called Mavericks. The story follows the late Jay Moriarity and his quest to ride the iconic Northern California break known as Mavericks, where winter swells bring in treacherous waves the size of five-story buildings. Moriarity trained for over a year under Hesson, a friendship that transformed both their lives. Moriarity, who died in 2001 in a diving accident in the Maldives, remains an inspiration to surfers around the globe.
Actresses Abigail Breslin and Julianne Moore have joined the gothic vampire thriller called Innocence, which is the story about a recently bereaved teenage girl who finds herself the focus of everyone’s attention at her elitist private school, which is home to a nest of vampires. The story is adapted from the original novel of the same name by Jane Mendelsohn.
Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman are negotiating to join the cast of the upcoming box office movie Stoker, which is a family mystery-drama about a moody teenager (Mia Wasikowska) whose mysterious uncle (Firth) comes back into her family’s lives after the death of her father. Kidman would play the mother. The screenplay for this film comes from actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break).
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and singer-actor Harry Connick Jr. (Hope Floats) will star in the holiday family film called When Angels Sing, which is about a father (Connick) whose holiday spirit was crushed by an accident when he was a child. When his son faces a tragedy, a mysterious man instills in him the courage to find the joy he lost. Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Fionnula Flanagan and Lyle Lovett are among the cast. The film will also feature appearances by Texas musicians Bob Schneider, Charlie Sexton, Sarah Hickman and Ray Benson.
Actor Eddie Izzard will lend his voice to the animated sequel Cars 2. He will play Miles Axelrod, an oil tycoon-turned-environmentalist who sold off his billions, converted himself to run on electricity and has now set out to find alternative fuels. The voice cast includes Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Michael Keaton and Jenifer Lewis, as well as John Turturro, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jason Isaacs, Thomas Kretschmann, Joe Mantegna and Peter Jacobson.
Actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) is to star in the independent dramedy called Analog that follows an introverted genius who tries to find a love connection in an increasingly digital world.
Australian actress Lian Lunson is set to make her debut dramatic feature in the contemporary fable called The Boom Boom Room, which tells the story of a young woman (Ashley Greene from the Twilight franchise) who sets out on a journey to learn the truth about her family. She soon comes upon a pair of old vaudeville stars (Christopher Walken and Shirley MacLaine) who transform her life.
Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has signed on for a lead role in upcoming movie The Perks of Being A Wallflower, which stars Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief). They will play each other’s first loves.
Looks like Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter are being lined up to join the film adaptation of the 1960’s TV series Dark Shadows. The cast already includes Johnny Depp, Eva Green and Jackie Earle Haley. Pfeiffer is expected to play Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the reclusive matriarch of the Collins clan and owner of Collinwood, the mansion where the supernatural saga unfolds. Carter could play Dr. Julia Hoffman, a specialist in psychology and rare blood disorders who moves into Collinwood. This casting has not been confirmed yet, though.
Dakota Fanning and Ryan Donowho are to star in the upcoming thriller movie Mississippi Wild. Donowho will play a teen who has to go on the run with his girlfriend (Fanning) after stealing diamonds that belong to a local gangster. Robert Duvall, Mickey Rourke and Forest Whitaker are in talks to join the cast.
Daniel Radcliffe is attached to star in the independent drama movie The Amateur Photographer, which is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Monger. The 1970-set tale follows a young man who discovers his artistic calling after being drafted by the denizens of a sleepy little New England mill town to serve as photographer of their most intimate moments.
Actress Alice Eve will appear in the box office film Men in Black III, playing the younger version of Men in Black Agency head Emma Thompson in the time travel storyline. The film is expected to be released on May 25, 2012.
Writer Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich and The Soloist) has been hired to write an untitled dramatic biopic on Texas high school teacher Lynn Shaw. The story centers on Shaw, a teacher who created a high school drama program and turned it into one of the best in the country. She died of breast cancer in 2009.
Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) will appear in the box office movie Forgotten based on the soon-to-be published novel of the same name by Cat Patrick. The story follows London Lane (Steinfeld), a 16-year old whose memory is erased daily at 4:33am.
Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected) and Dylan O’Brien (soon to be seen in the MTV series Teen Wolf) are set to star in the teen romance movie called The First Time, which follows two high school students over the first weekend of a blossoming relationship.
It looks like Mila Kunis (Black Swan and That 70’s Show) just might be playing the Wicked Witch of the West in the upcoming movie Oz: The Great and Powerful, which just might be starring James Franco in the lead role. The storyline is being kept under tight wraps, but it is said to follow the Wizard back when he was a young illusionist with a grandiose attitude who is forced to flee the traveling circus. The story also contains the origins of both the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wicked Witch of the East, not to mention Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
Despite the previous announcement that newcomer Australian actress Robin McLeavy would be getting the role, it now looks like actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim) has landed the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in the historical action horror film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
CASTING SCOOP
Actress Elizabeth Mitchell (V and Lost) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU, starring alongside returning guest star Jeremy Irons. Mitchell will play an unmarried piano teacher who was the last person to see one of her students alive. The episode is scheduled to air March 30.
Actor Scott Michael Foster (Cappie on Greek) will be joining Parenthood for a multi-episode arc as Gary, the new older man in Amber’s (Mae Whitman) life. The two meet when she gets a job at her Aunt Julia’s law firm, where he’s already working as valet captain. He has been booked for two episodes (so far), which should air in late April.
Relative newcomer actor Daniel Buran (who has appeared in episodes of CSI: NY, Criminal Minds and Southland) will be seen in roughly 7 episodes of True Blood, playing Raoul, the werewolf pack master of Shreveport and Alcide’s (Joe Manganiello) boss.
Legendary actor Peter Fonda will appear on CSI: NY as an ex-partner of Det. Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) named William Hunt, who will reconnect with Mac after a thug they once put away is released from prison. Even worse, this so-called reformed criminal now has a vendetta against Fonda’s character. The two-part episodes are expected to air in late April.
Actor Aaron Ashmore (Smallville) will be joining the Syfy series Warehouse 13 as a series regular when it returns for its new season this summer. He will play new agent Steve Jinks, a young ATF agent with an ability to tell when somebody is lying. Jinks is recruited by Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) to be Pete’s (Eddie McClintock) new Warehouse 13 partner as they search for mysterious artifacts.
Kathy Griffin and Loretta Devine will appear as judges at Regionals on Glee. Griffin is expected to play a Sarah Palin type (a D-Listed liberal home-schooling Tea Party candidate character) while Devine will supposedly be Sister Mary Constance, who wears a halo and a habit now, but was – gasp – a stripper in her past.
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 19:
CSI: NY on CBS at 8 PM (reair)
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 PM (reair)
Harry’s Law 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)
Primeval on BBC America at 8 PM
Being Human on BBC America at 9 PM (Season Premiere)
Treme on HBO at 9 PM (reair)
Boardwalk Empire on HBO at 10 PM (reair)
And Baby Will Fall movie on Lifetime Movie Network at 8 PM (reair)
You Lucky Dog movie on Hallmark at 7 PM (reair)
Sunday, February 20:
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 PM
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10:01 PM
CSI: Miami on CBS at 10 PM
The Tudors on Showtime 2 at 8 PM (reair)
The Tudors on Showtime 2 at 9 PM (reair)
Big Love on HBO at 9 PM (NEW)
Big Love on HBO at 10 PM (reair)
Big Love on HBO 2 at 8 PM (reair)
The Good Witch’s Gift movie on Hallmark at 9 PM (reair)
James Patterson’s Sundays at Tiffany’s movie on Lifetime at 9 PM (reair)
Any Human Heart movie on PBS at 9 PM (Part 2 of 3)
Monday, February 21:
Castle on ABC at 10:01 PM (Part 1 of 2)
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
Chuck on NBC at 8 PM
The Cape on NBC at 9 PM (Conclusion)
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)
Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy movie on Lifetime at 9 PM (Debut)
Tuesday, February 22:
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 at 10 PM
The Event marathon on Syfy (check local listings)
Wednesday, February 23:
Off the Map on ABC at 10 PM
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 PM
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior on CBS at 10 PM
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 10 PM
Being Erica on SOAPNet at 11 PM
Justified on FX at 10 PM
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena on Starz at 10 PM (Reair)
Big Love on HBO at 8, 9 and 10 PM (Reairs)
The Tudors on BBC America at 9 and 10 PM (Reairs)
Final Sale movie on Lifetime Movie Network at 10 PM (Reair)
Thursday, February 24:
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
Royal Pains on USA Network at 9 PM (Mid-Season Finale)
Fairly Legal on USA Network at 10 PM
Big Love on HBO at 8 PM (Reair)
Thurgood movie on HBO at 9 PM (Debut)
Friday, February 25:
The Defenders on CBS at 8 PM
CSI: NY on CBS at 9 PM
Blue Bloods on CBS at 10 PM
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)
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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