TV News: "Lost" and "Scrubs" Casting News, Locklear Returns to "Melrose Place?"

- Well that didn't take long! Hot on the heels of the leak of a character description for a new Lost character, it was announced today that actor John Hawkes will be joining the show as the recurring character Lennon. The casting side described the character as "the spokesman/translator for the president of a foreign corporation" who's "far more powerful than his lowly position would seem to indicate." Hawkes is a veteran of shows including Deadwood and Eastbound & Down. [TV Guide]

- The three new regulars who will play the next generation of Scrubs doctors have been cast.  Dave Franco (yes, he's James Franco's younger brother and has also starred in Greek and Privileged), Michael Mosley (The Proposal) and Kerry Bishé (Virtuality) will be the new med students under the tutelage of series veterans Donald Faison and John C. McGinley. [Hollywood Reporter]

- Speaking of Scrubs, congrats to actress Sarah Chalke and her fiancé, who recently announced that they are expecting their first child! [People]

- Heather Locklear may return to Melrose Place. The erstwhile Amanda Woodward is now in talks to reprise her role on the rebooted series, which now stars Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. Several of Locklear's fellow cast members from the original series have also signed on, including Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett and Daphne Zuniga. [TV Guide]

- Syfy has reupped their new original series Warehouse 13, ordering a 13-episode second season of of the show. Evidently Warehouse 13 is the most-watched show in the channel's history.  [Variety]

- In some groan-worthy tv news, ABC is looking to turn both the '80s "Brat Pack" movie St. Elmo's Fire and the novel The Time Traveler's Wife into television series. A feature film version of The Time Traveler's Wife was, of course, was released into theaters last weekend.  Click here to read Pop Wench Radhika's review of the movie. [TV Guide and MTV.com]

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Movie Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

Warning: some minor spoilers ahead.


When I first saw the trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife a couple of months ago, I was nervous. The casting didn't bother me — I like Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams just fine. But the trailer had a slightly over-the-top, "schmoopy," quality to it that didn't seem to capture the spirit of the novel the movie is based on. While the novel — written by Audrey Niffenegger — focuses on the romance between its main characters, it's definitely more than just a romance.

Luckily, the film didn't turn out ridiculously lovey-dovey despite a few sappy moments here and there. But unfortunately, there was definitely some truth to my fears. [bxA]

The first half of the movie is odd, partially due to the filmmakers' attempts to condense aspects of the book. We meet our characters during a series of choppy episodes that take place in different parts of the story's timeline. While the jumping time settings make sense due to the nature of the storyline, we don't really get to know our characters all that well. We know their names and occupations thanks to some small scenes and bland dialogue, and we see Henry (Eric Bana) introduce himself as a time traveler to a few trustworthy people here and there.

But while Rachel McAdams (playing Henry's wife Clare) and Bana are likable enough, the audience isn't really given a reason to understand what makes them tick. The Henry and Clare of the novel are ardent music and art lovers — we don't really see this in the movie until an older Henry time travels outside a Pavement concert, or until we get to see some of their decorating choices in their future home together. This may sound like a silly thing to nitpick, but these kinds of details do tend to give characters some soul.

That being said, the latter half of the movie is much stronger than the first part. The characters go through some struggles in their marriage, and the events leading up to the film's tragic ending introduce some much-needed tension. And the story's ending (though slightly tweaked with the novel's final scene cut out of the film) definitely draws an emotional response out of its viewers. It's just a shame the film couldn't be consistently riveting throughout.

If you're looking to pass some time with a movie to take your mind off things, The Time Traveler's Wife might serve that purpose. But this is definitely one of those cases where the book is far, far better and more worthy of one's time.

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Time-Traveler's Wife Gets New Ending

Warning: spoilers for both the novel and upcoming film ahead.

According to SCI FI Wire, the big screen version of The Time Traveler's Wife (starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams) will have a new ending that differs from the novel on which it is based.

Audiences at a test screening didn't like the original ending, which features McAdams as a much older version of her character, and found it confusing. In response, the second-to-last scene in the book between the married couple has become the movie's final scene. Wonder what the fan reaction to this change will be? [SCI FI Wire]

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Film News: Ring Stars Return for Hobbit, Disney Flick Packs Star Power

- Guillermo del Toro has confirmed that Hugo Weaving will again play Elrond in the upcoming Hobbit movies. Weaving joins fellow Lord of the Rings alums Andy Serkis (Gollum/Smeagol) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf), who have also signed on to reprise their roles for the two Hobbit films. [Entertainment Weekly]

- Disney's You Again has signed on a heck of a cast. In the movie, a young woman "finds out that her brother is planning to marry the girl who made her high school years a living hell and tries to convince him that his finacee is not the nice girl she pretends to be." Kristen Bell plays the young woman. Sigourney Weaver's addition to the cast was reported on Pop Wenches earlier this month, and she will play Bell's aunt. Rounding out the family tree are Jamie Lee Curtis and Victor Garber as Bell's parents, and Betty White as her grandmother. Odette Yustman (The Unborn, Cloverfield) plays the high school diva and the brother's finacee. [Hollywood Reporter]

- The official trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife (starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams) is now online:

- A new starring vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio is under development. The untitled movie will be set in the world of online casinos based in Costa Rica. DiCaprio is slated to star and produce the film. [Variety]

- Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins (Gambit and Kayla Silverfox, respectively, in Wolverine) will star in John Carter of Mars, an upcoming adaptation of an Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulp sci-fi novel. Carter (Kitsch) is "an American Civil War veteran who finds himself transported to Mars under mysterious circumstances and gets pulled into a war between races." Andrew Stanton (WALL-E, Finding Nemo) is onboard to direct. [MTV]

- Natalie Portman may have breathed new life into Darren Aronofsky's stalled Black Swan film by signing on as the lead. Described as the story of a veteran ballerina who may be competing against a rival who is either supernatural or the product of her own imagination, the thriller seems to share the same the tone as films like The Others. [Reuters via Yahoo! News]

- A trilogy of "family fantasy adventure" films may return Roy Rogers to the silver screen. [Variety]

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TV & Movie Tidbits: Christian Bale is a 'Fighter,' Debra Messing returns

- Christian Bale has signed on to star in The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg. The film focuses on the story of Boston fighter "Irish" Mickey Ward and his half-brother Dicky Eklund. The two stars will be working with director David O. Russell. While deals are still under negotiation, it seems the film is set to begin production in July. [Variety]

- Debra Messing is about to return to NBC. It looks like the network is on the verge of picking up an untitled sitcom starring the former Will & Grace star as "a laid-off CEO who is as ill-prepared to be a full-time wife and mother as her husband is to provide for the family." [The Hollywood Reporter]

- io9.com has a couple of promotional pictures for The Time Traveler's Wife, the movie adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 debut novel. The movie, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, was originally set for release last June. It now looks like it will finally come out this August. [Warner Bros. via io9; Slashfilm]

- Ugly Betty is set to come back to ABC a week sooner than originally planned on April 30. This will mark the show's return to its 8 p.m. Thursday night slot. [Entertainment Weekly]

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