JoBeth Williams has signed on to play Angel alum Julie Benz's mom in several episodes of Showtime's Dexter.... America's First Top Model (sorry, Janice), Lauren Hutton, will appear in at least three eppies of FX's Nip/Tuck this season, playing a PR whiz whose client needs a little [see title of show].... Munich's Yigal Naor has been cast as Saddam Hussein, and Shohreh Aghdashloo (24) his wife Sajida, in Between Two Rivers, HBO and the BBC's four-hour mini about the dictator's 24-year reign.For details on Barbara Eden's visit to Lifetime's Army Wives, see the TV Guide News Report.
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When Michael Ausiello teased us that one of six possible plot twists would happen in tonight's episode, I was oh-so-hoping it wasn't going to be the "Izzie and George will hook up" option. Ugh! Not that I myself haven't done stupid things while being overly intoxicated — haven't we all? Well... if the two best friends had to end up naked in the same bed (we don't yet have actual evidence that any sexual acts occurred), I'm just glad alcohol was involved. Will either of them remember the details? We shall see. But the first thing I thought when they drunkenly gazed at each other (right before they cut quickly to the next scene) was: "Lame." First he gets to shag Meredith. Now Izzie? But hey — I love this show, so I accept silly things like Meredith recovering way too quickly from her temporary death. Best line was earlier when Callie accused Izzie of having feelings for George, and George then described Izzie to Callie: "She's blonde. She's stacked. She's a supermodel. I'm ...
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Missi Pyle, who recently messed with our Hiro and Ando on NBC's Heroes, has been upgraded to series-regular status on David E. Kelley's The Wedding Bells, premiering Mar. 9 on Fox. Pyle had initially guested on the new series' first episode as a bridezilla.... Shohreh Aghdashloo (24, House of Sand and Fog) will check in as a patient on an upcoming episode of Grey's Anatomy.... The Class' Jesse Tyler Ferguson guests as Ugly Betty's orthodontist on Mar. 15.
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Question: I have to say I am surprised that Gregory Itzin isn't getting more buzz for his Emmy-worthy portrayal of the inept President Logan on 24. When he's doing something stupid or indecisive, he has me yelling at the TV at least once an episode, and he fuels more discussion between my roommate and me than Jack ever does. He does an outstanding job. So, with The Sopranos back on, and with Lost nearly guaranteed at least one acting nomination, do you think Itzin has a chance to get an Emmy nomination in the supporting category? Same thing for Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer. If Jack dies at the end of the season, does Sutherland get an Emmy for five years of amazing work?
Answer: Seriously, the Emmys is not the place to look for validation where 24 is concerned. Given the long list of terrific supporting performances on 24 that have gone unrecognized, from Xander Berkeley through Shohreh Aghdashloo, I would think Gregory Itzin, enjoyably maddening as he is, is a very, very long shot.
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The Futon Critic says NBC has given Four Kings the hook and will temporarily fill the Thursday-night void with My Name Is Earl reruns.... Bravo's eighth round of Celebrity Poker Showdown, to air this spring, aims to give New Orleans a morale boost by filming in Louisiana City.... The producers of Bubble next will bring you a "day-and-date" release of Herbie Hancock: Possibilities, hitting theaters April 14, then arriving on DVD April 18 and on HDNet April 23.... A correction from the Hollywood Reporter: Shohreh Aghdashloo will play the first cousin of the Virgin Mary in Nativity, due for a December release.
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Per Variety, Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson will star in Resurrecting the Champ, about a young reporter who finds a homeless man he believes to be a once-famous prizefighter.... Ron Howard will direct Last Man Home, in which a U.S. military unit looks for an AWOL soldier in Iraq just days before full-scale war erupted.... Per the Hollywood Reporter, House of Sand and Fog's Shohreh Aghdashloo is in talks to play sister to Keisha Castle-Hughes' Virgin Mary in Nativity.
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Question: My question concerns Yunjin Kim's omission from the Emmys' supporting actress in a drama category. Do you think this had anything to do with so much of her powerful material being in Korean? She gave my favorite performance in a drama this past year (and, with Lauren Graham, the best on television, period) with her amazing work on Lost, and I frankly think the only person who comes close in that category is Shohreh Aghdashloo. It seems especially unforgivable given how truly awful the nominees for supporting actress in a drama are (except for CCH Pounder and Sandra Oh, although neither really did anything that extraordinary this season). I was wondering if you thought that Kim's Emmy chances were hurt by the fact that she gave much of her performance in a foreign language.
Answer: Actually, you would think the exotic nature of her role would have made her stand out. I can't explain why neither she nor Aghdashloo (of 24) made the cut, as both deserved to do. But your theory is
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Question: Do you think Shohreh Aghdashloo's Emmy chances were hurt by the fact that her character died on 24 with a good portion of the season left to go?
Answer: That's as good a theory as any, as well as the fact that she was killed so abruptly without benefit of a full-fledged Emmy-bait death scene. But basically, it seems more a function of Emmy voters not being able to see 24 as an ensemble piece and nominate accordingly. Kiefer Sutherland deserves his Emmy nod each year (I'd be happy, though surprised, if he ever won), but he doesn't do it alone. And this season he had some extraordinary support, Aghdashloo being most memorable ...
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Question: Well, well. I just heard the Emmy nominations. Those were interesting. I won't go on a complete rant and talk about how their whole system is flawed, but can I float a few nominations and omissions by you that go in the all-time "what was this awards show thinking about" category? Six Feet Under and The West Wing for best drama series. I mean come on. Lost, 24 and Deadwood were all great, but absolutely necessary, choices. Where was House, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck or CSI? That was insane. And how about Shohreh Aghdashloo being left off the ballot? What in the world were these people thinking about? And those are just the first three things that came to my mind. Matt, please. Can you account for any of this?
Answer: Not really. And I'm sick about Aghdashloo from 24, and Anthony Anderson from The Shield, being passed over. They were two of the most compelling guest adversaries I've ever seen, and to ignore them for the likes of Stockard Channing, Tyne Daly (both actresses I admire, but
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For every drop of refreshing new blood in this year's Emmy field, there's a stubborn residue of tired old blood. The Emmy nominations are an annual rite of frustration in which every positive breakthrough is balanced by an aggravating snub.
This year is no different. As expected, last year's instant hits on ABC, Desperate Housewives and Lost, got their due, leading the comedy and drama pack respectively (although Housewives was tied with the academy's longtime, and inexplicable, darling Will & Grace with 15 nominations).
But because of the TV academy's regrettable devotion to faded perennials like Will & Grace, The West Wing and Si
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