Live Fox Upfront Coverage

• May 17, 2007 08:05 PM ET
• by Michael Ausiello

3:50: Fox upfront. The words still send shivers down my spine. As you recall, the network's presentation last year was widely considered to be the single most grueling upfront in the history of upfrontmanship. The post-traumatic stress still hasn't worn off.

3:51: Good news. Fox has clearly learned from their mistakes. In stark contrast to last year, the check-in process was easy-breezy. Even better, the air conditioning is working! Now if we can wrap this thing up in under two hours, almost all will be forgiven.

4:01: I'm in complete denial about the VM thing, BTW. Just thought I'd share. Ooooh, the show is starting... with a 24 parody!

4:05: Jack Bauer urges Fox president Peter Liguori to keep this year's presentation under an hour! LOL!

4:06: They're bringing all their stars out onstage. Fox always has a good talent turnout at these things.

4:08: Well, most years they have a good turnout. The only Prison Breaker in attendance is Sucre ( Amaury Nolasco)!

4:09: No Kiefer Sutherland, but Mary Lynn Rajskub's present. The cast of House is in the, er, house - sans Hugh Laurie.

4:10: There's Lauren Ambrose and Parker Posey from Amy Sherman-Palladino's new show. Dying to see clips from that show.

4:13: Ad sales exec talking about stuff I don't care about. Only 45 minutes left, Fox! Let's keep this thing moving!

4:17: Liguori enters stage right and... wow, his eyebrows are bigger than mine! Didn't think that was possible.

4:18: Liguori breaks news, announcing that House has landed the plum post-Super Bowl slot on Feb. 3!

4:20: OK, time for new show clips, starting with Back to You, the Kelsey Grammer- Patricia Heaton sitcom set in the local-news world. Looks promising.

4:24: It's time for AS-P's The Return of Jezebel James! Uh-oh. This looks shockingly generic.

4:26: Maybe it's just one of those shows that doesn't clip well. Please let it be one of those shows that doesn't clip well.

4:28: Moving on, it's the new Farrelly Brothers comedy with Craig Bierko and The Office's Rashida Jones, The Rules for Starting Over. This looks funny!

4:34: From the producers of Laguna Beach, comes Nashville, a docu-soap about a group of aspiring country singers. Well cast. Slickly produced. I'm still gonna have to pass. Country and me just don't click.

4:40: Moving on to dramas. First up, the post-Katrina cop drama K-Ville. It had me at "starring Anthony Anderson." That guy makes it look so easy.

4:44: Next up: New Amsterdam. It's NYPD Blue-meets -The Picture of Dorian Gray. Trippy concept. I'm in.

4:48: Julianna Margulies is back in Canterbury's Law. It's a grittier Philly... in New York. I'll give it a shot.

4:51: Ooooh, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Coooool special effects! Awesome action sequences! So-so acting! Love. It. Matt Mitovich just flashed me a thumbs-up, so he's on board, too.

4:59: It's over! And under a freakin' hour, just like Bauer said! All's forgiven, Fox! Off to the Fox party to get those final four words from AS-P. Wish me luck!