Ben Stiller by John Sciulli/WireImage.com
Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films has decided to make a series of Gods Behaving Badly, a popular British novel (being released on our side of the pond Dec. 10) about what happens when the deities of ancient Greece, now roomies in a modest London flat, stop being polite and start getting real.... West Wing Emmy winner Alex Graves will direct Fox's Fringe, the J.J. Abrams pilot about a cute FBI agent who, in another place and time, would've been Veronica Mars.... GSN has ordered 40 episodes of How Much Is Enough?, a new game show in which Corbin Bernsen (Psych) invites contestants to pit their greed against their speed. — Ben Katner
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Question: I have this feeling that John Wells is going to have Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) step in and replace Leo as Santos' new V.P.
Answer: Interesting theory. At press tour, I grilled exec producer Alex Graves about Lowe's possible comeback, specifically with regard to the length. "That's part of the negotiation," he said. "Does he have time to do one episode? Does he have time to do two?" But more importantly, does West Wing have time for him? Says Graves: "Once we get past Episode 17, which is the election, we only have five episodes left to wrap up everybody's story line and then get to the inauguration." And he's not even factoring in the inevitable Josh/Donna sex scene, which will eat up at least two episodes.
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The West Wing
When I first heard about this debate, I was a little skeptical. Between the parade of guest stars and the announcement of a live stunt, I thought this thing had a whiff of Will & Grace desperation stink. And while it didn't reach the level of President Bartlet's debate drubbing of Rob Ritchie a few seasons back, it was still pretty darn exciting to watch Bobby Simone and Hawkeye Pierce get it on without a net.
First off, did we need Ellen DeGeneres playing host? I dig Ellen as much as the next guy (or girl), but she doesn't exactly ooze executive-branch gravitas. I was also kinda surprised they started with a backstage segment. I guess director Alex Graves really wanted to try his hand at a live West Wing walk-and-talk.
Wasn't Alan Alda's long opening pause great? For a minute, I thought he had lost it like Admiral James Stockdale in the 1992 VP debate. Vinick's gambit to dump the debate rules turned o
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OK, so I just got back from seeing The Fog, and let me tell you, I feel like I was royally fogged out of $10. So lame. Trust me, stick with the original. Which should be a rule in life, but as we've all learned from our Orange County kids, mixing it up can yield a few surprises. So let's get right down to this week's "Steeephen Who?" survey.1) Are boyfriends like shoes, purses or sunglasses? Because I'm thinking Steeephen is a pair of Uggs — so "last season" and still not cute.2) What the hell does Lauren's dad do, other than look exactly like Donny Osmond? That house is sick.3) Did Casey jet from the all-star barbecue so early because everyone hates her? Or was she following the trail of Alex M.'s ladystench?4) Hotter ride: Kristin's BMW X-3 or L.C.'s Jason? (I'm not even going to discuss Scruffy McPlayer's antique whatever that was.)5) Are you loving the new all-color, big-size TV Guide? Hot, hu
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