Senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich and Mickey O'Connor answer your burning questions. All requests for spoilery goodness should be sent to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
After watching the promo for the next episode of Grey's, I must ask: Is there anything for Mer-Der fans to look forward to? You know, other than three women lying in Mer's bed while Derek lives downstairs? — Karen
Matt: Well when you phrase it like that, you make me think that Melissa George's debut this week as Sadie, a college pal of Meredith's, will only further muddle things for the would-be Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd. But maybe not. Consider this: Sadie's arrival will prompt Cristina — who feels displaced by her BFF's old BFF — to be a better sounding board for Derek, and that just might ease the tension in the lovebirds' overcrowded nest. Oh, and speaking of Xtina: Kevin McKidd (Owen) is now a series regular.
When does the next volume start on Heroes? Because "Villains" is turning the show into Heroezzz. (No offense, Tim Kring.) — Charles
Mickey: I hear you, Charles. At this point, I don't even care who is good and who is evil and/or how they got there; I'm just ready to move on. The next volume, titled "Fugitives" and said to be inspired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, begins in January. It centers on a character called ...
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Any TV drama that deals with military heroism must eventually also confront the enormity of tragic loss. With that said, consider this a spoiler alert regarding the next two episodes (tonight and Nov. 13) of CBS underrated The Unit, in which this covert Special Forces team takes a fateful, fatal hit.The network and the shows production studio have been urgently promoting these episodes (so much for keeping this twist under wraps), and while theyre uneven, theyre very much worth watching. Theres undeniably a bit of a sweeps stunting at play here, but Im willing to take executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield) at his word when he says, in a cover letter attached to the screeners I received, For three years, weve wanted to tell this story, but couldnt until now. We needed the audience to know and love our characters for it to have the impact we knew it deserved. He adds: In the current war we are fighting, military dea...
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I had forgotten that the hair/makeup trailer is such a crossroads until my cousin Phillip flew back to L.A. with me from Dallas. Raising three daughters he separated from their mother because he "always had his eyes open for what might be around the corner" and orphaned at the age of 14, he's a devoted father, saving for his three daughters' futures. He gets up in the morning at 5:30 am, seven days a week, to take a bus to his job at a milk plant. He'd like to buy a house one day where all his girls can have their own rooms "Even after they're grown they can live with their dad." He stresses education and is ever-protective of his girls always gives them the practical advice, like, "Don't let the boys talk you out of your panties." Phillip has muscle-bound arms and the sweet smile of a teenager that belies the fact that he is about to hit 40. He takes two weeks off every year but never really goes anywhere. Wanting to do something for himself for a change...
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We wrapped shooting in April. We then had two-and-a-half months off. We actors go our separate ways to discover ourselves in different roles.Michael Irby headed off to New Orleans to shoot a jazz movie featuring Wynton Marsalis. Demore Barnes went back home to Canada and worked on his own film project. Abby Brammell traveled to Bangkok, where her tattooed blues-singing husband was making his acting premiere in a Sylvester Stallone movie.I returned to Dallas to start a home-renovation project. My aunt Virginia currently lives in the atomic ranch-style house as I go back and forth to L.A. I'm moving in another aunt who has a disabled daughter by the end of the year and wanted to make the home wheelchair accessible ramps, wider doors, a new bathroom so I find a contractor who says they can knock the job out in three weeks. In my mind I tack on a couple of extra weeks, thinking I'll still have plenty of time to sit on a beach in Tahiti during the remaining hiatus and "rene...
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Question: Someone wrote in recently about there not being any shows on the air that have a lead character of color, even in an ensemble show, and you said you couldn't think of any, either. I can think of at least one, and it happens to be one of my very favorites: The Unit. Jonas (Dennis Haysbert) is very much the lead character of that ensemble cast, and a fantastic one at that. Please don't overlook this excellent show: It wouldn't be the same without Dennis Haysbert's Jonas Blaine. He is the star.
Answer: No argument. The Unit is less a classic ensemble drama than a military action adventure with a strong domestic component, but there's no question about Haysbert being the authority figure. Ditto for Regina Taylor as the spiritual den mother. And I missed another one in this discussion, as Jennifer reminds me: "While I won't argue that there should be more minority casting, I did want to point out that a major network has built an ensemble around a minority actor: Ugly Betty. That
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