Meet Your New Movie Star, America

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Meet Jack Reynor. He's an American-born, Irish-raised lad of 20 (he'll be 21 later this month, so watch out, pubs) who very soon will be attempting to become the next big thing. You see, he's just been cast as the lead opposite Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's Transformers 4, filling the spot once occupied by world's biggest and most beloved movie star, Shia LaBeouf. Haha, OK, so landing a role in Transformers isn't exactly a guaranteed path to super-stardom, but it is a pretty big deal. And this kid is young and handsome, sure, but he's also supposedly pretty talented. Bay said of hiring the relative unknown, "This kid is the real deal." And if anyone knows the real deal, it's... uh... Michael... Bay. Oh, whatever! Just let us have our star-is-born narrative, won't you? Quit poking holes in it. Reynor, according to Bay, "came to America with 30 bucks in his pocket," and Bay first noticed the kid after seeing him in the Irish film What Richard Did. The list of other actors who were close to landing the part is a long one that could partly be called What Richard Wishes He'd Done, and includes names like Hunter Parrish, Luke Grimes, Brenton Thwaites, and Degrassi alum Landon Liboiron. So, congrats, Reynor. You're now top-twink of the action-movie brigade. Use your powers wisely. And beware the early career of Ben Affleck, who starred in a Michael Bay film and only a few years later was flopping around in a silly red jumpsuit. Tread carefully. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Speaking of successful young people who are likely to be doomed later, TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo had a big return to the airwaves on Saturday night, with a Halloween special of the reality show bringing in some 3.1 million viewers. That's the highest-rated episode to date. So, I hope you're happy, ya jerks. Well done. Encouraging all of this rot. Oh, and here's another bit of news coming across our desk: Bravo shows Real Housewives of Atlanta and Shahs of Sunset also had record-breaking nights on Sunday. Some of you had a real magical night in front of the television, didn't you? Flipping around from some poor child get paraded around like a circus ape to a bunch of adults acting like children and throwing made-up money around. Hope you people really enjoyed yourselves while the rest of us watched something respectable. Yeah, we were swooning and drooling all over a horrifically oppressive, racist, and classist socioeconomic system. So there. Some of us just watch better TV, and that's that. [Deadline; Deadline]

Staying on the topic of excellent television, Fox head Kevin Reilly says that talks are underway to bring Glee back for a fifth season and possibly more. Because, sure, you can never have too much of a horrifically terrible thing, right? This also means that Oxygen can continue its Glee Project reality series, because the results of that show have always been good. None of those kids have felt awkwardly and arbitrarily shoehorned into the main show only to be quickly forgotten. Reilly says there is a possibility that the show would transform into something completely set in New York, which could be mildly interesting, but still. Guys. Come on. Shut this thing down. Really, really shut it down. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Fox has also renewed The Bones for a ninth season. Yes, folks, nine seasons of The Bones. Boof and Brendan have a baby together now, and everyone else is bones, on The Bones, now running almost an entire decade. Next season a kid born the year The Bones came out will be in the third grade. The third grade! That's a big grade. And that kid's life, his entire life, her entire existence, has been accompanied by The Bones. They know nothing but The Bones. It's all bones, all is bone. Nine seasons! How do you like that. Way to go, The Bones. [Entertainment Weekly]

A final piece of Fox brilliance: They're developing a miniseries with M. Night Shyamalan. Guys! What are you doooooing? In general, why are people still giving this man huge projects to do? Why? Have they not seen The Last Airbender? (Ha, of course they haven't. No one has.) It's really mystifying. Ah, well. Nothing to be done about it now. [Vulture]

Oh, dear. On February 9 tiny Canadian songbird Justin Bieber will not only be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, he will also be the host. Yup, Justin Bieber will be making the funny, allll night long. Usually when people are laughing at him that late at night he's shrieking, "Stop it! Stop it! I've never done this before!" — but now he'll be encouraging the laughter instead. Maybe he'll prove a Justin Timberlake, to the manner born, or maybe he'll be like most other musicians who host and just sorta stand there dumbly while funny things happen around him, pausing only occasionally to sing something. Whatever happens, we wish him luck. Remember, Justin: No matter what, it can't possibly be as bad as Adam Levine. [Vulture]

Golden Globe Awards presenters will include: George Clooney, Will Ferrell, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez, Debra Messing, Jeremy Renner, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Statham, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, Kristen Wiig, Hunter Parrish, Luke Grimes, Brenton Thwaites, and Degrassi alum Landon Liboiron. Oh, wait, no, sorry, scratch those last few. Still thinking about that other list. [Deadline]

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.