Henry Ian Cusick by Bob D' Amico/ABC; Marg Helgenberger by Robert Voets/CBS; Mariska Hargitay by Michael Parmalee/NBC
Every Wednesday, senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich and Mickey O'Connor answer your questions!In what capacity we will be seeing Desmond and his constant, Penny, next season on Lost? Any word on that? – MajaMatt: Maja, this is an excellent question. I even rewatched the season finale to confirm my own POV: "Why would we ever see Dez again?" I mean, he and Penny reconnected just before sendind the Oceanic Six on their (actually not-so-)merry way. However... I have it on good authority that Henry Ian Cusick is still a part of the cast, and that Sonya Walger is likely to resurface as well. As one setsider reminds me, "Just like when people die on Lost and you see them again, just because everyone reunited doesn’t mean you've seen the last of them."I was wondering what fans of CSI could look forward to for some of the other characters? There's been a lot of talk about Grissom and Sara but nothing about, say, Catherine or Nick. – JocelynMatt: The good news, if you did not g...
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Albert Brooks by Monty Brinton/Showtime
Cheers to Weeds for scoring the summer's coolest guest star: Albert Brooks. Showtime's pot-com lost its way last season, but by making a run for the Mexican border — and casting one of the funniest people alive as Mary-Louise Parker's estranged ex-father-in-law — it's gotten back on track. With his perfectly deadpan delivery, Brooks fits right in as Len, a gambling addict who takes in drug dealer Parker's on-the-lam family, despite the fact that he's still never forgiven her for not being Jewish. It's a thrill to see such terrific actors doing weekly TV series — and now comes the news that Brooks' Broadcast News costar William Hurt will play Glenn Close's new client on Damages. Who needs movies?• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Albert Brooks by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com
They wanted a "name" and they got one.A Showtime rep confirms that Weeds has tapped Albert Brooks to play Nancy's estranged father-in-law, Len, in at least four episodes. The Oscar-nominated multi-hyphenate — whose prior TV work has been limited to Simpsons voice-overs and a few random '70s guest stints — will turn up early in Season 4, which debuts June 16.In related news, Showtime has released the following semi-spoilery preview of Season 4:"What's cable's No. 1 pot dealer to do when her cozy suburban enclave burns to the ground, taking her clients and stash along with it? What else? Pack up and move on. With the embers of Agrestic smoldering in her rearview mirror, Nancy & Co. relocate to the fictional beach town of Ren Mar on the San Diego/Mexico border to set up shop with a new front biz that’s… pregnant with possibilities. With the help of her old friends and new partner Guillermo, Nancy will get even deeper in the shadier side of dealing — on both...
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Jon Tenney, The Closer
TNT's The Closer (Mondays at 9 pm/ET) is the hottest show on cable right now, and it has the numbers to prove it. On the day that the Season 2 premiere's record ratings came in, TVGuide.com got on the phone with Jon Tenney, who plays FBI agent Fritz Howard, beau to Kyra Sedgwick's crafty, if curt, police chief.
TVGuide.com: So you're a star of TV's most-watched — what's the qualifier again? — ad-supported cable drama telecast ever?
Jon Tenney: "Ad-supported, original scripted cabl
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Albert Brooks, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
For Albert Brooks, it was a longer trip than expected from Los Angeles to India. His new film, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World — in which the comic, as a version of his real self, visits India and Pakistan on behalf of the U.S. government to learn what makes Muslims laugh — originally was slated for an October release (and lofty Toronto Film festival showing). Instead, it got shuttled to this weekend due to some nervous Nellies. And all because of the title.
After screening some footage almost a year ago for Sony execs, "Everyone felt excited, but I didn't feel as excited as the others," Brooks recalls, "because when I told them the title, one of the big shots made a joke that was weird to me, like, 'Good title. I guess we're going to have to put extra phone lines in to take these calls.' When studios say t
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An exchange between David Letterman and guest Albert Brooks on Monday night's Late Show has begotten buzz that the late-night vet has an eye on retirement. "I think we are going to be here another two or three years," Letterman said in response to Brooks' quip that the talker's days are numbered. Per the New York Post, some theorize that the banter was planned as a "trial balloon"/negotiation ploy of sorts. Brooks, however, told reporters at a Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World junket on Tuesday that the conversation topic was "not at all" discussed beforehand. A Late Show rep tells the Post, "Dave has no plans to retire."
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Just Legal
Just six years ago Jonathan Shapiro was working as an assistant to the lieutenant governor of California and thinking about running for statewide office. But he underwent a major career shift after he wrote a script for The Practice and was hired by producer David E. Kelley. On Sept. 19, Shapiro's own creation, Just Legal, will premiere on WB. Based on Shapiro's family experiences, the show stars Jay Baruchel as an 18-year-old prodigy who passes the California bar exam but can't get a job with a decent law firm. He gets his break when he's hired by an ambulance chaser with an alcohol problem (Don Johnson). The Biz recently spoke with Shapiro about his new show and about how TV may have saved him from a life of unsuccessful political fundraising.
TVGuide.com: Before you got into television, you were counting on having a career in politics.
Jonathan Shapiro: I planned my entire life to run for office. I was a speechwriter fo
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