Entertainment Weekly has just reported that Ansel Elgort has been offered the role of Augustus “Gus” Waters in the film adaptation of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars opposite Shailene Woodley's Hazel Grace Lancaster.

H&Her Kate Nagy had this to say about Green's The Fault in Our Stars in her review of the book: 

[It's a] well-received Young Adult novel about two teenaged cancer patients who fall in love, and…wow. This book is to typical teen romance as Veuve Clicquot is to Capri Sun. Both funny and—well, “sad” doesn’t begin to describe it—it’s the best book I expect to read this year.

Intense, right? Could this movie earn a place in Jennifer Proffitt's list of top “no HEA” movies? We shall see!

One odd note: Woodley and Elgort will first be seen playing siblings in the Divergent film. Will they be able to transition from fraternal to romantic?

Anybody here ever go into a show or movie already knowing which couple you'll be rooting for, or shipping? Because I absolutely do, and not only when it's a book-to-screen adaptation where I'm already attached to a version of a couple.

No, I mean brand-new-to-me pairings that I get prematurely hooked on with very little to go on, like promo pictures, interviews, or even just character descriptions. Such was the case for me with Jack/Rose in Titanic back in the day (yes, I admit it!) and Clint/Natasha in The Avengers just last year. I also blame a certain recent post on LiveJournal's Oh No They Didn't community for my recent marathon catchup of The Borgias, which, let me tell you, will really make you wonder what TV is doing to your moral compass, even when it's all fiction. Anyway. This ever happen to you? Just me?

I'm wondering now if this will be the case for me with a show reportedly a lock for the ABC fall TV schedule: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., an Avengers spinoff from Joss Whedon starring Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson and Ming-Na Wen's Melinda May that'll focus on lower-level agents in Nick Fury's Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) spy intelligence agency.

It is still VERY early days for this show (I'm literally only going on character descriptions, some throwaway lines, and, let's face it, WILD SPECULATION), but already two characters in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supporting cast have caught my serial-shipper imagination: Agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, described as “A twosome so connected to each other they're known as 'Fitz-Simmons.' ”

[That all you got?...]

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This morning on the Today show, Ryan Seacrest chatted with Divergent and Insurgent author Veronica Roth—and revealed the cover for the final book in the trilogy: Allegiant, out October 22, 2013.

In the interview, Roth talks about writing Divergent in college, why she jumped into a bathtub of marshmallows (?!) after she got an agent and book deal, why she loves writing for teens, and her reaction to learning Divergent would be a movie.

What do you think? Excited to see what the final book has in store for Tris and Tobias, aka Six and Four?

We know Downton Abbey is all over pop culture these days. How I Met Your Mother recently paid homage to the show when Marshall, Lily, and Ted found themselves addicted to a very similar period drama called Woodworthy Manor. And in an episode of The Mindy Project a few weeks back (“Santa Fe”), Mindy's ex Josh got a quick update from a high-profile pal/client (the Green Bay Packers's Clay Matthews) on the Crawley drama he'd missed while he was TV-less in rehab. Then there was the time the show was a hot topic with Gossip Girl's upper east siders (or at least with Serena's mom Lily)... The list goes on, really.

So yes, Downton is all over the place lately. But did anyone see that Iron Man 3 connection coming?

******MAJOR IRON MAN 3 SPOILERS AHEAD*****

[Who knew Tony could be so sensitive?...]

Academically put, tropes are “common or overused theme[s] or device[s]," which makes them sound like cliches, which makes them seem like a bad thing.

But they’re totally not! Romance novel fans all have their favorite—not to mention least favorite—tropes, from friends to lovers, chick in pants, secret baby, marriage of convenience, opposites attract, May-December, boss-assistant...the list goes on.

Each month, we’ll be picking a romance novel trope and ask you to offer recommendations falling under the trope rubric (again with the academic talk!).

In boss-employee (boss-assistant, boss-housekeeper, boss-governess, etc.) romances, heroes and heroines risk breaking alllll the workplace rules to be with the one they love—and boy can that forbidden aspect make for some delicious tension. Here are a few such stories that come to my mind:

• Sarah's Child by Linda Howard
• Nothing Personal by Jaci Burton
• Dream's End by Diana Palmer
• The Blind-Date Proposal by Jessica Hart
• Only His by Susan Mallery
• A Deal with the Devil by Liz Carlyle
• Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
• Anything He Wants by Sara Fawkes

Any others come to mind? In the above novels, the heroes are the bosses—have any recommendations where the heroine is the boss? What about male/male or female/female romances that feature this trope?

Kristin Cashore's YA fantasy Graceling trilogy—Graceling, Fire, and last year's Bitterblue—have been optioned for film, according to Variety. The rights have been purchased by the same companies behind the first Vampire Academy series film, Blood Sisters, which is currently slated for a 2014 release.

Graceling and its companion novels are set in a world where individuals with special powers—called Graces—are set apart from their fellow citizens with mismatched eyes, and each book revolves around a different heroine (Katsa, Fire, and Bitterblue, respectively). In book 1, Graceling, the strong and skilled assassin Katsa meets her match in another Graced fighter, a prince named Po, and together they help to rescue a young princess (Po's cousin, Bitterblue) and her kingdom from its dangerous ruler.

Have you read the Graceling trilogy? Looking forward to seeing it brought to life on the big screen? Who would you like to see cast as Katsa and Po? 

***

And on a related note, for those caught up on the series...

BOOK SPOILERS

 Am I the only who NEEDS a Bitterblue/Giddon book at some point?! Sequel, sequel!

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 12, “The Oath.”

Last night was the penultimate episode of The Americans season 1, and I don't know about you, but they got me good. How did I miss the signs?! It's so obvious, looking back, how the episode was going to end, where the show wanted to be at the start of next week's season finale, but I was too absorbed to notice.

It was hard to narrow down my Top 5 this week, but there was no choice at all when it came to my #1 favorite scene—how about you?

5. Viola's confession to the FBI. We already knew Viola felt incredibly guilty about her part in Elizabeth and Phil's scheme earlier in the season to bug her employer's house, despite the fact that she was as much a victim as her son in the situation, so I didn't feel it was really necessary to set up her trip to FBI headquarters like they did. That said, the fact that Gaad and Stan now have a new source of intel in the bugged clock Viola planted for Phil and Elizabeth will lead to good drama in the future, I'm sure. And given how the episode ended...well, at least the FBI has something going for them?

[Let's count it down...]

Fifty Shades movie gossip alert!

Alex Pettyfer for Christian Grey? Not exactly. Entertainment news site The Wrap has reported that director Gus Van Sant, who would like to direct the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey and is bidding for the job along with others, shot test footage (directors are just auditioning for the job at this point, and nothing has been decided) with Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, Beastly) in the role of Christian Grey.

What does this mean? At the moment, not much, as, again, there are other directors in the running and test footage is just that: a test. Even if Van Sant gets the job, he may not cast Alex Pettyfer (remember, Pettyfer was also rumored to be closing in on the role of Four in Veronica Roth's Divergent, and that didn't end up happening).

But as competition—and gossip—heats up, we ARE becoming really curious about who might direct and star in Fifty Shades of Grey. Have you been following the news about this movie? Would Alex Pettyfer as Christian make you more or less excited about the movie?

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 11, “Covert War.”

While last night's episode wasn't my favorite, it did have some pretty great moments. Here are my top 5 (+1) scenes:

Honorable mention: Elizabeth taking down a CIA agent in the bathroom. I just enjoyed seeing the tiny Kerri Russell beat up someone twice her size. Never gets old.

5. Elizabeth freaks out over her CIA captive's comments that she's just a killer and doesn't know how to love. So untouchable in the pilot episode, Elizabeth has thawed a lot, and actually seems headed toward a complete meltdown. Last night she recognized that she was totally out of control after she lost her shit during her interrogation of the CIA agent who killed her mentor General Zhukov, and she and Philip let the guy go (luckily he was blindfolded the whole time, though they're definitely still taking a risk by letting him go). But the fact that this guy was able to get to her just by calling her out as being a weapon for her country with no one to love (which is...kinda true) shows that Elizabeth could really be on the brink of a breakthrough about her place in the world, the importance of her family, etc. It's been awesome to watch; can't wait to see where the writers go with her next.

[Which scene made #1?...]

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 10, “Only You.”

Last night's episode of The Americans dealt with the fallout of last week's shocking turns in “Safe House,” in which FBI agent Chris Amador and KGB kid agent Vlad were both killed as a result not of premeditated plans but rather of a series of massive misunderstandings and miscommunications.

So things are still FUBAR, pretty much, with both sides still reeling from the way the night's events have spun completely out of control, and naturally it bleeds into their personal lives. Phil and Elizabeth bicker when she drops him off at his motel (“[The motel doesn't look that bad.“ / ”Let me know when you want to trade"). Agent Gaad (a.k.a. John Boy) promises his FBI team that there will be consequences, whether they bring Amador's murderer in in handcuffs or a body bag, and in the privacy of the vault he tells Stan that he shouldn't feel bad for ~doing what had to be done (killing Vlad)~ because this is a war. That same night (seriously, won't the day ever end? these poor people), after being ordered by Gaad to go home and get some rest, Stan shows up at Phil's door with some beers for a nightcap. Phil is understandably caught off guard, wondering how Stan knew where he was and why he stopped by (what does he know?!) but it quickly becomes clear that Stan just needs a friend to unload on about his partner's death—too bad he doesn't really return the favor and ask Phil about why his friend is living in a motel or why his marriage is on the rocks.

[Buddy of the year right there...]

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 9, “Safe House.”

In a season full of romantic ups and downs for KGB agents and cover couple Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, nothing has been more poignant than the first scene in last night's episode, when the pair told their children Paige and Henry—the only two people you know they love unconditionally and never want to hurt, mind—that they were “hitting the pause button” on their marriage and separating.

The scene became all the more painful when Paige asked if her parents still loved each other, because that's the crux of the matter, of course, unbeknownst to the kids: Philip and Elizabeth never did love each other. Or rather, it's because they've realized they DO love each other that they now can't overcome the obstacle of Phil's infidelity and dishonesty. How so deliciously complicated, show?

[Hurts so good...]

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of Justified, including last night's Season 4, episode 13, “Ghosts.”

There hasn't been anything romantic between Raylan and Ava in a long time, but Raylan may just have become part of a Raylan-Boyd-Ava triangle anyway (or some sort of mess, at least) in last night's Season 4 finale of Justified. Because in choosing to do a favor for Raylan, Boyd wasn't there for his lady when she most needed him, and now Ava's being charged with murder. I'm thinking Boyd's going to have to give up that dream house of theirs to pay her legal fees, too. Oh, the angst!

Still, that passionate, desperate Boyd/Ava kiss in the squad car was pretty great, and who didn't love Boyd's “Good luck, cowboy” as Raylan got out of his truck? It's those moments as much as the suspense about Ava's upcoming murder defense that'll have me coming back to Justified for Season 5.

What did you think of last night's episode?

*****Beware Lover at Last Spoilers*****

At an event today in Cincinnati, Ohio, J.R. Ward revealed that the next book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series will be titled The King, and will focus on Wrath and Beth, who will be trying for a baby.

The King will be out in 2014. More details as we get them, of course.

What do you think? Surprised, excited, disappointed?

Academically put, tropes are “common or overused theme[s] or device[s]," which makes them sound like cliches, which makes them seem like a bad thing.

But they’re totally not! Romance novel fans all have their favorite—not to mention least favorite—tropes, from friends to lovers, chick in pants, secret baby, marriage of convenience, opposites attract, May-December, boss-assistant...the list goes on.

Each month, we’ll be picking a romance novel trope and ask you to offer recommendations falling under the trope rubric (again with the academic talk!).

This month, the Ugly Duckling trope is on my mind—stories where heroes or (probably more often) heroines are at first regarded as rather...homely...but later grow into their looks and/or become beautiful in the eyes of the one who loves them:

• The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James
• Shades of Twilight by Linda Howard
• Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
• Blind Curve by Annie Solomon
• Heat of the Moment by Jessica Hall
• Priceless by Christina Dodd

Any others come to mind? What are your favorites?

American writer Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and French student Céline (Julie Delpy) met on a train and “kinda, sorta fell in love” 18 years ago in the romantic film Before Sunrise, met and fell for each other all over again 9 years ago in the sequel Before Sunset, and are back in the third (and final?) installment, Before Midnight, which will hit theaters on May 24.

~Hat tip to Chelsea Mueller for the hot trailer alert!

The final chapter of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries may be upon us (it's almost hard to mind after Episode 98), but it sounds like the fun's far from over. The web series' creators have launched a Kickstarter campaign (watch your back, Veronica Mars Kickstarter!) to fund the release of a DVD set with special features, among other things. Visit the Lizzie Bennet Diaries Kickstarter page for more info, including a video introduction from co-creator Hank Green (brother of YA author John Green, yep).

Plus, the page reveals that while there is a yet-unnamed full/major web series in the works to keep us entertained post-LBD (it's slated to debut in later summer), in the meantime the minds behind LBD will be launching a project called Welcome to Sanditon, based on Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon and starring LBD's Gigi Darcy.

A full analysis will be going up shortly, so watch this space, but until then, if you haven't seen the latest episode of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (Episode 98, “Gratitude”) and you love Dizzie (or Lizzie/Darcy, if you prefer), you really must. Like, really. You must. Right. Now.

Rumors about a movie follow-up for fan favorite and critical darling Veronica Mars, a UPN/CW television show that followed the adventures of spunky high-school P.I. heroine Veronica Mars (and chronicled her tempestuous relationship with bad-boy Logan, a pairing often referred to by Logan/Veronica shippers as LoVe), have swirled since the series was canceled after its third season in 2007. But now it looks like the movie could get the green light for real—with a little help.

Series creator Rob Thomas and Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell, have teamed up to create a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds for the movie's production. Read all about it at the Veronica Mars Kickstarter page. And check out how this whole project came about in this article (and video! with special guests!) from Entertainment Weekly.

Any fellow VM fans out there? Excited about the chance to see the cast reunited on the big screen? And what does it mean that we might get to see a favorite long-gone-from-our-screen couple once more? Are there any other on-screen couples you'd like to see get new life on TV or in a movie?

This week's episode brought everyone's favorite techie, Felicity, back into the picture in a big way, and it was awesome. So let's just dive in, shall we?

(Need to catch up? Don't miss H&H recaps of the pilot episode, episode 1.02, episode 1.03, episode 1.04, episode 1.05, episode 1.06, episode 1.07, episode 1.08, episode 1.09, episode 1.10, episode 1.11, and episode 1.12). Plus, read Jennifer Proffitt's report on the Arrow cast panel at NYCC!)

***SPOILERS TO FOLLOW FOR ARROW 1.14, “THE ODYSSEY”***

Highlights

Moira actually shoots at—and hits—the Green Arrow, not realizing, of course, that she's just seriously injured her son. Y'know, the one she's just said she has to live for when pleading with Arrow not to kill her. Oh, the drama!

FELICITY! My favorite episode of the moment, by far, was the reveal that a wounded Oliver had climbed into her car, and Felicity's realization that he's the vigilante. “Everything about you just became so unbelievably clear,” she says. Love her. And look, I know Laurel is probably going to be The One for Oliver, the one he'll spend seasons pining over, but at this point I'm waaaaay more into the idea of Oliver/Felicity.

[Make it happen, show!...]