Janeane Garofalo as Lyla, Lisa Edelstein as Abby, and Beau Garrett as Phoebe in ‘Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce’ (Photo by Carole Segal/Bravo)
Alanna Ubach has joined the cast of Bravo Media and Universal Cable Productions’ Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce coming to Bravo on December 2, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT. Bravo also announced Matthew Glave and Virginia Williams will have recurring roles in the comedy series inspired by Vicki Iovine’s Girlfriends’ Guide books.
The series will be executive produced by Iovine, Marti Noxon, Meryl Poster, Robert Duncan McNeill, Liz Kruger, and Craig Shapiro.
Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce marks Bravo’s first original scripted series.
The Plot:
Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce follows Abby, a self-help book author and guru of all things family who shocks the world when she reveals that her seemingly perfect life has been a lie. After publicly admitting that she has separated from her husband, Jake (Paul Adelstein), America’s once-favorite girlfriend finds her career and marriage in a free fall. As she starts to navigate life as a single woman in her 40s, Abby turns to her new divorced friends including Lyla (Janeane Garofalo) and Phoebe (Beau Garrett) for advice.
Meanwhile, a rival attorney at Lyla’s firm, Delia is hired as Abby’s divorce attorney. Laverne Cox and Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters will guest star in season one.
Jesse L. Martin at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Richard Chavez/ShowbizJunkies)
Jesse L. Martin says he wasn’t sure about signing up for another TV series, and he definitely wasn’t looking for a show where he could play a detective again. However, he couldn’t say no to The CW’s The Flash. “One of the things when I finished working on Law & Order I said to myself, ‘I don’t know how much more I want to be a detective, particularly on TV.’ But I sat there in New York City with Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti, and they hate when I describe it this way, but it’s totally how they were, they were like little puppies who needed to pee. They were so excited.
They saw me fit in this world so much more than I did that I really had to take them seriously. I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I might be missing out on something if I don’t do this.’ And then suddenly they sent me the script and I was reading it and I’d be fool not to do this. So, luckily it turned out the way it did. It’s so awesome. I’m having such a great time doing it that I feel super lucky,” said Martin at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.
Martin says he didn’t grow up knowing this comic book world and its mythology, but that actually aids him in helping to get into the character of Detective Joe West.
“Playing Joe West, Joe doesn’t know that stuff either,” explained Martin. “I have to plug my ears sometimes because they get so excited they tell us what’s coming. I just say, ‘I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know,’ because Joe doesn’t know. I’d rather not know that world. If I know too much I’ll start playing things differently and then it won’t be fun or good. So, I like the fact that I just don’t know that much. Like, I walk past that gorilla cage and I was like, ‘I don’t know what that is,’ and I’m glad I don’t know.”
Check out the rest of our interview with Jesse L. Martin for more on what’s happening with his character and with the first season of The Flash:
Margaret Qualley and Justin Theroux in ‘The Leftovers’ (Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO)
The Leftovers will be sticking around for second season as just confirmed today HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo. The hour-long dramatic series premiered on June 29, 2014 and will finish up its 10 episode season one on September 7th.
The Leftovers was created by Lost‘s Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta and is executive produced by Lindelof, Perrotta, Peter Berg, and Sarah Aubrey. The cast of The Leftovers is led by Justin Theroux and includes Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Max and Charlie Carver, and Annie Q.
“We are thrilled to bring back The Leftovers for a second season with the exceptional talents of Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta,” says Lombardo. “It has been truly exciting to see the overwhelming response to their provocative and original storytelling. We look forward to continuing the journey as the show delves deeper into the lives of those who remain.”
The Plot:
The Leftovers is an original look at The Rapture…or was it The Rapture at all? Set in a small New York suburb, the intimate family drama focuses on the residents of the fictional town of Mapleton, whose preconceptions are shattered in the wake of a global event dubbed “The Sudden Departure.” Three years after the fateful day when 140 million people disappeared without a trace, the series looks at the ways ordinary people react to inexplicable events that can unite or divide families and communities, examining how their untold grief and the strain of an unprecedented calamity can turn faith into cynicism, paranoia, madness or cult-like fanaticism.
Joe Bastianich, Gordon Ramsay and Graham Elliot from ‘MasterChef’ (Photo by Justin Stephens /Copyright / FOX)
The MasterChef casting team will be visiting a dozen cities in their search for the season six contestants. Potential contestants must come prepared with a dish to serve the food judges. Per the official announcement, those who believe they have the culinary skills to make it on the show will be given three minutes to plate a dish (it must be cooked beforehand and there will not be a kitchen available for warming up your dish).
Blumhouse Productions and eOne just announced the start of production on the sequel to 2012’s horror film, Sinister. Sinister 2 will begin filming next week in Chicago with Shannyn Sossamon and James Ransone in the lead and Ciaran Foy (Citadel) at the helm. Sinister director Scott Derrickson co-wrote the screenplay with C. Robert Gargill, and Derrickson and Jason Blum are producing the sequel.
Focus Features is aiming for an August 21, 2015 theatrical release.
The Plot: In the aftermath of the shocking events in Sinister, a protective mother (Sossamon) and her 9-year-old twin sons (twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan) find themselves in a rural house marked for death. James Ransone, who portrayed the concerned sheriff’s deputy in Sinister, will be reprising his character in Sinister 2.
Before starting our interview, Jennifer Morrison made our small table of journalists squeeze together and smile while she took our photo. She and her Once Upon a Time co-star Colin O’Donoghue had been having their pictures taken all day, and Morrison was having fun turning the tables on us after posing for photos all morning at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.
After a bit of photo fun, it was back to the business at hand and the important question of whether it will be possible for Emma and Hook to find a little happiness in the upcoming fourth season of Once Upon a Time? I asked Morrison and O’Donoghue if it’ll be all moonlight and roses for everyone, and Morrison smiled and replied, “Absolutely!” while O’Donoghue said, “Yes, thanks very much.”
“No one thinks anyone would watch a show like that,” added Morrison. “But I would watch that show.”
Jennifer Morrison and Colin O’Donoghue Interview
I would watch that to see them happy for a while, just one episode.
Colin O’Donoghue: “Honestly, could you imagine watching a show where everybody was happy?”
Jennifer Morrison: “At least a break. Anyway, I can’t say that necessarily…I don’t know because we don’t know that much about that many scripts, but what I can say is that you will see everyone growing because of it. They definitely are growing in the right direction, the way that they challenge each other and the things that they’re afraid of, and the things that they end up needing to [rely] on each other about definitely makes everyone…”
Colin O’Donoghue: “The thing about it is is that they’re all so complicated that there’s bound to be – even when he tries, in the context of Hook, even when he tries to be a better person, he’ll invariably do something wrong or he’ll mess up a little bit on the way. He’s so complicated. What I think is great about the show is that Captain Hook in this show is not a villain, he’s complicated. You know what I mean? So he can have light moments…and then he can go the other way.” [editor’s note: the audio and video was too noisy to pick up exact wording of that last sentence, but this is what could be made out.]
What do you think about the Frozen storyline?
Jennifer Morrison: “Anna and Elsa have been a great addition. They’ve slid into the world, so naturally, it feels like they’ve always been there. There are tons of parallels between what’s going on with everybody in Storybrooke and what’s going on with Arendelle. It’s been great. We’ve been blown away by how naturally it’s come.”
Colin O’Donoghue: “It’s so weird. We’re shooting frozen stuff in the middle of the summer when it’s really, really hot. And then we’ll shoot scenes where we have to be outside all the time in the middle of the pouring rain.”
Can we expect more scenes of the two of you together in this next season?
Jennifer Morrison: “So far, it’s kind of picking up where we left off at the end of the third season.”
Colin O’Donoghue: “I mean, look, they definitely have a thing.”
Jennifer Morrison: “They have a thing.”
Colin O’Donoghue: “…that they’re going to have to deal with so it’s, yeah, I think there will be plenty of stuff together.”
Johnny Depp’s not wearing a dead bird on his head but he is sporting a bizarre mustache in the first trailer for the action comedy Mortdecai based on the book Don’t Point That Thing At Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli. Directed by David Koepp, Mordecai also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum, and Paul Bettany.
Lionsgate is aiming for a February 6, 2015 theatrical release.
The Plot:
Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.
A scene from ‘True Blood’ season 7, episode 6 with Anna Paquin and Ryan Kwanten (Photo: John P. Johnson/Courtesy of HBO)
HBO’s just released the title and synopsis for the series finale of True Blood. The season seven finale will air on August 24, 2014 and is titled “Thank You,” a fitting title to send off the series with and a nod to those who stuck through the show through decent seasons and through those that were train wrecks.
Here’s the details on what Truebies who stick around to the end can expect:
Episode #80: “Thank You” (series finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Aug. 24 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 25 (11:45 p.m.), 26 (midnight), 27 (8:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.) and 29 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Aug. 25 (8:00 p.m.), 28 (2:30 a.m.) and 30 (1:15 p.m., 9:00 p.m.)
Sookie (Anna Paquin) weighs a future with and without Bill (Stephen Moyer). Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) struggle with their uncomfortable partnership with Mr. Gus (Will Yun Lee). Sam (Sam Trammell) makes a choice, while Andy (Chris Bauer) comes upon an unexpected inheritance.
Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Scott Winant.
WGN America has given a straight-to-series order for Titans, a dramatic series created by playwright Peter Mattei. Mattei will also write the series and executive produces along with Peter Tolan, Paul Giamatti, Dan Carey, and Michael Wimer. The network’s ordered up 13 episodes of the one-hour series and is aiming for a 2015 premiere.
WGN America also announced they’re eyeing a series order for Underground and have put the series into pre-production. Misha Green and Joe Pokaski created Underground and serve as executive producers with Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell, and Joby Harold.
“These projects, each exploring a world we find to be unique and fascinating, continue our aggressive expansion into original scripted programming,” stated Matt Cherniss, president and general manager, WGN America and Tribune Studios. “Everyone at WGN America is pleased to enter this next phase of our growth with Sony Pictures Television as an important partner on these projects, along with such talented creators and producers.”
“WGN America has made a commitment to quality programming and we are happy that working together is a significant part of their growth strategy,” added Zack Van Amburg, president of programming and production for SPT.
Details on Titans:
A struggle for power and control set in the rugged and mysterious hills of Appalachia, Titans tells the story of the Farrell clan, a family of outsiders who’ve been in these parts since before anyone can remember. Living off the grid and above the law on their mountaintop homestead, they’ll protect their world and defend their way of life using any means necessary.
Details on Underground:
For a slave living in the pre-Civil War South, the only road to freedom was a dangerous journey where failure often meant death. Underground follows the slaves who set foot on the fabled Underground Railroad, the secret network of men and women who risked their lives aiding them, and the mercenaries tasked with hunting them down at any cost.
Tom Hiddleston (Photo by Richard Chavez/ShowbizJunkies)
Deadline’s reporting Tom Hiddleston (Thor, The Avengers) might take on the lead role of Judah Ben-Hur in the remake of Ben-Hur. It appears Paramount and MGM are in fact serious about remaking that classic 1959 film which starred Charlton Heston and earned 11 Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Director (William Wyler).
Ben-Hur is aiming for a February 26, 2016 theatrical release and has Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) on board to direct. Based on the epic novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ by Lew Wallace, this take on Ben-Hur promises to stay true to the novel.
Hiddleston most recently appeared on screen in Only Lovers Left Alive. Next up he has Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak and he’s currently working on High-Rise with Jeremy Irons.
