Ask Ausiello

Ausiello: Woo-hoo! You know what this means, right? I no longer have to make up questions for this column! We can stop watching October Road!

Ausiello: I suggest you make your way to my Ausiello Report blog for an answer to that question and much, much more.

Ausiello: That's a very complicated question. So complicated that I'm going to hand it off to a top TV talent agent to answer: "The basic answer is that yes, actors are obligated to return and finish a certain number of episodes," explains the tenpercenter, who asked not to be identified because his coworkers aren't aware he's an Aushole. " That said, there are all sorts of variables. One is that most actors' contracts define a 'season' with a beginning and end date. So, if studios ask the actors to come back and work beyond certain dates, some of them are going to fight that. The one thing I can tell you for sure: The studios will try to force the path that costs them the least. Even if they have to weather a few lawsuits to do it." So that explains why a caravan of entertainment lawyers were spotted entering the Grey's Anatomy set yesterday. (That was a joke, BTW. At least I think it was.)

Ausiello: My CSI spy tells me that showrunner Carol Mendelsohn's recent decision to re-sign for four more years should go a long way in getting Petersen to stick around. "She's been with the show from the start," says my mole, "and that continuity and stability is important to him." 

Ausiello: It changes from minute to minute, so keep close tabs on my Strike Recovery Chart for the latest. As of 10 seconds ago, there was less than a one percent chance of Club producing additional episodes this season. However, it remains a contender for the fall. An unlikely contender, but a contender nonetheless. OMG, it just changed again! That one percent has just been downgraded to .015 percent! It's insanity!

Ausiello: Per my Strike Recovery Chart (SRC), NBC is hoping to squeeze six additional episodes out of Steve Carell and Co. this season. In related news, an Office crew member e-mailed me to say that Carell and about 20 other Office actors/writers sent letters to the crew over the weekend alerting them to the fact that they'd soon be receiving $2,000 checks to help them get over this last hump. "The writers have had just as hard a time as everyone else, and for them to be so generous on top of it all just warmed our hearts," wrote my spy. "Thought you might want to share this with your readers."

Ausiello: All I know is that Season 3 comes to an end next Monday and the show remains on the bubble for fall. My guess? Prison Break as we know it will end, to be replaced next season with the "women in prison" spin-off that Fox has been developing. But that's just a guess.

Ausiello: Yes, she was a regular. And yes, she died on the show. And although she didn't need to be present for this particular cameo, she was most definitely an integral part in making it happen. Hmmmm….

Ausiello: Cancel Cashmere, but let Lipstick linger a few more weeks. Or at the very least through tomorrow's episode, which features both a rollicking guest turn by Lorraine Bracco and an adulterous Kim Raver having sex with a half-naked Robert Buckley. Speaking of the latter, next week the jig is nearly up when they do it on the floor above her magazine's photo shoot. And let's just say there's a window up there. A big window.

Ausiello: A CW spokesperson tells me that the network is "proceeding with our plan to run Reaper encores behind Smallville encores [beginning Feb. 28]. Supernatural originals will return in April." In what time slot it'll return is undecided at this moment, but the rep insists everyone at the CW "loves Supernatural and it shall return!" BTW, two more pre-strike Supernaturals remain. The first one airs tomorrow, second one next Thursday. Tell your friends!

Ausiello: According to the trades, NBC is contractually obligated to produce more episodes this season, so it'll definitely return in April. And if Warner Bros. can shave enough $$$ off the budget for next season, there's a decent chance it'll be back for a 15th (!!!) season.

Ausiello: I practically did with the clue I gave you. C'mon, the answer is right at your fingertips!

Ausiello: OK, good-news/bad-news time. The good news: We're looking at anywhere from four to seven additional episodes this season and the show just got renewed for a third season. The bad news: Despite the fact that Betty is firing on all cylinders creatively this season, someone saw fit to fix what wasn't broken and fire exec producers Marco Pennette and James Hayman, the latter of whom was responsible for directing some of my favorite Betty episodes.

Ausiello: Doesn't sound like it. One of my House moles tells me that the network is panicking over SCC's relatively soft ratings (this week's ep finished third in its time slot, with roughly eight million viewers) because the show's budget is so astronomical. "They should have given that show the post-Super Bowl slot instead of us," says my spy. "They needed it; we didn't." A Fox insider, meanwhile, points out that SCC is the No. 1 new drama in every demo.

Ausiello: Yes. Multiple sources are now confirming to me exclusively that NBC is in advanced talks to sell Jaime Sommers' used parts to Radio Shack. And not just any Radio Shack. The one on the lower level of Port Authority. That's quite a coup for them.

Ausiello: OK, good. It wasn't just me. Yes, I get that no one wants to see Claire cry buckets for the rest of the season, but c'mon — she just found out he died. At the very least, she should've looked a little sullen. Let her walk around with a box of Dharma tissues for a few hours. Something. 

Ausiello: Some heat? Dr. Phil took some heat for his bungling of Britney-gate. I was tarred, feathered and then raked over the coals. But I stand by my argument. The Jack and Kate I know would've pressed Miles and Faraday a lot harder for an answer to that critical question before traipsing around the island with them. 

Ausiello: Three mild spoilers await you in this week's Ausiello Report vodcast.

Ausiello: The status is Amy's gonna be pissed. Fox just kicked Jezebel out of its cushy post-Idol launch pad on March 12. Now, the sitcom will debut with back-to-back episodes on Friday, March 14.

Ausiello: Yep, two of 'em in fact — one involving lightbulbs and another involving mini footballs. And to your first question, your hubby is neither demented nor wrong. FNL is indeed in trouble, although NBC Studios is exploring all options to try to save it. Let's hope they succeed, 'cause there'll be rioting in the streets of Burbank Universal City if they don't. 

Ausiello: All I know is what I heard backstage at the tour: This year's lineup could include three sports stars, one magician and a deaf actress.

Ausiello: You wouldn't be asking that question if you'd seen this week's Ausiello Report vodcast.

Ausiello: Apparently he doesn't take his cues from TVGuide.com readers, 97 percent of whom urged him not to let Denise Richards whore her children out on TV.

Ausiello: Look for some very familiar faces to return in the final pre-strike episodes — and that's not including the dude who gets sprung from the pokey.

Ausiello: OK, that does it for this week. Don't forget to check out:  

• My scoopy Q&A with Lost exec producer Carlton Cuse.
• The continuously updated Strike Recovery Chart.
• My latest vodcast.
• This awesome site my friend runs about USC basketball.
• My e-mail address to aid in transporting hot tips.

See ya back here next week! The strike's over! Woo-hoo!