Melinda Clarke

Will a Certain Lady Make CSI's Grissom Forget Sara?

• Nov 6, 2008 04:20 AM ET
• by TV Guide News
• 60 Comments

Melinda Clarke and William Petersen

Since sultry dominatrix Lady Heather first appeared on CSI in 2001, she's been no stranger to peril. She's seen her employees and daughter murdered, and nearly got herself killed by a customer living out his morbid fantasies. Each time, Grissom (William Petersen) has come to her rescue, raising viewers' hopes that the unlikely pair — whose chemistry is strong enough to spark a brush fire — will finally stop dancing around each other and pull out the whips. But when Melinda Clarke returns on November 6, their roles are reversed. Get ready for Heather to save Grissom.

"She's in a good place now where she's made some changes in her life," Clarke says. "And we won't necessarily see ... read more

TV Guide Exclusive: Lady Heather Returns to CSI!

• Mar 23, 2007 07:06 PM ET
• by Matt Mitovich

Lady Heather is back! The professional dominatrix who gets CSI's Gil Grissom all hot under the collar returns to the CBS series May 10. During this, her fourth stint on CSI, Melinda Clarke's character could very well shed some light on Grissom's secretive relationship with fellow CSI Sara Sidle. "He's a fascinating character to go after," Clarke teases. "And who doesn't love a good triangle?" The writers are still working on a final draft of the script, so how Grissom resolves his personal issues and the problem of that pesky miniature killer in the season's second-to-last episode remain a mystery. — Reporting by Craig Tomashoff read more

Fall 2007: O.C. Vet Teams Up with The Man

• Feb 21, 2007 03:31 PM ET
• by Matt Mitovich

Who's doing what during this pilot season? Here's the latest from Variety and the Hollywood Reporter:• With The O.C.'s swan song but a day away, Melinda Clarke has scored a gig on CBS' The Man, playing a tough and sexy policewoman who has worked with LL Cool J's undercover cop over the years.• Beau Bridges is a father whose two separate sets of grown children don't know the others exist in Fox's Two Families.• Last seen on Pepper Dennis, Lindsay Price is joining Kim Raver and Brooke Shields in NBC'sLipstick Jungle, playing a fashion mogul.• Linus Roache (Kidnapped) is Julianna Margulies' husband in Fox's Canterbury's Law.• Keith Robinson (Over There, Dreamgirls) has joined the Fox crime drama The Apostles.• CBS has picked up three comedy pilots: the Paul Reiser-produced Atlanta, about a man and woman who meet at a funeral; an office comedy from Will & Grace's Max Mutchnick and David Kohan; and The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud, concerning a lite... read more

December 14, 2006: It's a Wonderful Chrismukkah

• Dec 15, 2006 06:07 AM ET
• by Jennifer Sankowski

‘Twas the night before Chrismukkah,when people worried through The O.C.Because Ryan wasn’t stirring,stuck in a coma was he.Chrismukkah is always very special on The O.C., and this installment didn’t disappoint. This year they borrowed a popular page from the TV Christmas Handbook and did their own “alt-universe” spin on It’s a Wonderful Life. George Bailey stand-in Ryan was able to see what life in Newport would have been like if he never arrived there, and it wasn’t pretty. But it was funny. Funniest of all had to be Summer, Chester’s “mindless bimbo” of a bride-to-be. Every time the clueless, bling-loving junior Newpsie was on screen I cracked up. And although the save-the-earth Summer that we have come to know the past few months can be a bit of a downer, this episode showed how things would have been much worse if Summer had gone in the opposite direction.Likewise, it showed Sandy going in a direction that strayed far from the et... read more

November 30, 2006: Not the Most Obvious Couple

• Dec 1, 2006 05:49 AM ET
• by Jennifer Sankowski

Sure, Taylor was enamored with Ryan for rescuing her from her loveless marriage. And she appreciated the beauty of the sight of a shirtless Ryan. But what was the telltale sign that she had truly fallen for the guy? She actually thought the king of brooding was funny. And while Ryan’s far from Seth when it comes to witty retorts, Taylor has no problems in the humor department. Becoming someone’s uncertified sleep therapist is definitely a novel way to go about seducing someone. And she gets bonus points for the elaborateness of her approach: 50 candles, flannel pajamas and an offer to be a warm body. Her false denial when Ryan finally asked her whether she liked him was priceless, as well as somewhat believable. I can’t say that I fault him for not picking up on things initially — Taylor is a little bit kooky, and she’s always jumped into projects (like high school committees) with tremendous gusto, so attacking his insomnia with such tenacity wasn’t ou... read more

The O.C. Preview: How Marissa's Death Has Rocked Newport!

• Oct 26, 2006 04:00 AM ET
• by Megan Cherkezian

Ben McKenzie and Rachel Bilson, The O.C.

With Mischa Barton's Marissa gone, graduation over, and Kaitlin Cooper back in Newport for good, can The O.C. remain as juicy and scandalous as ever? You bet it can. With Marissa's death and everyone dealing with it in their own way, there's plenty of room for relationship turmoil, new story lines, and guest stars to stir the pot. When Season 4 premieres (Thursday, Nov. 2, at 9 pm/ET, on Fox; now streaming at MySpace.com), the twisted O.C. family is displaced and obviously changed five months after the season finale's fatal accident. With the very first glimpses of Ryan, it's hard not to think back to his Chino days, and with Summer starting her first semester at Brown University, things for the fake-tan-loving freshman have cl read more

Your last column and ...

• Aug 9, 2006 04:00 AM ET
• by Michael Ausiello

Question: Your last column and some remarks by Melinda Clarke (Julie) got me wondering: Are we going to see flashbacks of people's reactions to Marissa's death? I think that the audience really will feel shortchanged if we don't get to see that. I have no problem with the show picking up six months after, but I think that the audience is going to expect to see flashbacks or reactions, and maybe even the funeral.

Answer: Sorry, but the first script doesn't contain any of those things you just mentioned.

Did you get any O.C. scoop at ...

• Aug 2, 2006 04:00 AM ET
• by Michael Ausiello

Question: Did you get any O.C. scoop at TCA?

Answer: Six months will have passed — on screen and off — when the show returns in November. In other words, Marissa will long be dead and buried, and (almost) everyone will already be onto the fifth stage of grief. "It's a very realistic approach," reasons Melinda Clarke. "But I hope the audience doesn't feel like they've been short-changed." It's not like Marissa's death will be glossed over. Far from it. The ripple effects from that tragic night will continue to be felt — mostly by Julie. "She's on the edge," Clarke says. "Everything [Julie] did was motivated by Marissa. She wanted her to have a better life than she had. Now that she's not there, I don't think Julie is feeling very well."

What's Next for The O.C.'s Julie?

• Mar 9, 2006 03:00 AM ET
• by Allison Corneau

Melinda Clarke, The O.C.

Love her or hate her, Julie Cooper is back, and things are finally heating up for Newport's rich-girl-turned-favorite-trailer-park neighbor. As Marissa and Kaitlin's mom on Fox's The O.C. (returning with new episodes tonight at 9 pm/ET), Melinda Clarke is finally getting story lines to rival her troublesome TV kin, and as such is having nothing but fun with her "roller-coaster" of a fictional life. TVGuide.com spoke with the actress about Julie's new digs, her relationship with Dr. Roberts (which will continue to develop), and what trouble's ahead for Marissa and Co. in this season's remaining episodes. TVGuide.com: Your O.C. alter ego has been getting some really good story l read more

What's Next for The O.C.'s Julie?

• Feb 16, 2006 03:00 AM ET
• by Allison Corneau

Melinda Clarke, The O.C.

Love her or hate her, Julie Cooper is back, and things are finally heating up for Newport's rich-girl-turned-favorite-trailer-park neighbor. As Marissa and Kaitlin's mom on Fox's The O.C. (returning with new episodes March 9), Melinda Clarke is finally getting story lines to rival her troublesome TV kin, and as such is having nothing but fun with her "roller-coaster" of a fictional life. TVGuide.com spoke with the actress — who recently reprised her role as dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI — to dish about Julie's new digs, her relationship with Dr. Roberts (which will continue to develop), and what trouble's ahead for Marissa and Co. in this season's remaining episodes. TVG read more