Question: OK, I know you hate answering best-of questions because you always leave something out, but I just couldn't resist writing to tell you that I can't believe you missed some of my favorite modern-era season finales! First off, the Alias Season 2 finale will always live on in my memory: the amazing fight scene between Syd and the Francinator, knowing Will was stabbed and lying in a tub, and then the revelation that two years had gone by. I was in ulcer mode all summer, dying to know what happened. Then there was the CSI season finale directed by Quentin Tarantino; that had to be one of the most cutting-edge, suspenseful and well-acted season finales of a show ever. Another fave is the Season 1 finale of Veronica Mars, which so perfectly wrapped up a phenomenal season and then left us with the quiet-toned cliff-hanger of who was at the door. And while I loved Lost's Season 3 finale, I've actually enjoyed all of them — with the exception of the total lack of revelation about the ...
read more
David Anders by John Sciulli/WireImage.com
A half-dozen new (albeit in some cases familiar) faces to watch for on the new season of Heroes, per the Hollywood Reporter:• David Anders (Alias' delicious Sark) will play Takezo Kensei, an ancient samurai warrior and Hiro's childhood hero. Kensei, of course, is the original owner of the sword Hiro sought during much of Season 1. In what, I am boldly guessing, is a related story line, Asian pop star Eriko Tamura has been cast as a Japanese princess. (What, was Kassie DePaiva not available?)• Barry Shabaka Henley is Detective Fuller, a New York police officer.• Holt McCallany is Ricky, the ringleader of a group of Irish thugs.• Lyndsy Fonseca (Ted's future-daughter on How I Met Your Mother) and Dianna Agron are cheerleaders, one sweet, one tart, in a Southern California town to which Claire is expected to move.
read more
Question: I'm really surprised that you and so many people seemed to love the Lost finale and the whole "game-changer." I've been a devoted fan from the beginning. I defended the first half of this season, rejoiced in the brilliance of the second half and was expecting the best finale yet. But to change things up by showing what happens to Jack after he gets off the island feels like a cheat. Don't get me wrong, I loved the rest of the episode. It was incredible and still the best thing on TV, but it just left me with such a hollow feeling at the end. It reminded me of the season finale of Alias when Sydney woke up two years later. I felt cheated out of seeing the progression of the characters and seeing the pivotal moments, and the subsequent season fell well short of making up for that. I know there are several ways the next three seasons can go from here, but if it focuses too much on this dim future, I will be heartbroken. Leaving the island so quickly just feels like someone read ...
read more
Scrubs - The Complete Fifth Season courtesy Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Touchstone
Wow, May 22nd is a great day for TV-on-DVD, with plenty to choose for everyone. We have animated shows suitable for kids (Avatar Season 2, Volume 3; Legend of the Dragon Season 1; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 1, Volume 1; Stuart Little; Hero High), and an animated show NOT for kids (Afro Samurai). There are comedies (Kitchen Confidential: The Complete Series; Scrubs Season 5), dramas (The OC: Season 4; The Magnificent Seven Season 2; Roots), and even a sci-fi series (Kyle XY Season 1). Yup, May 22nd is a good day for TV-on-DVD (view the complete release schedule at TVShowsOnDVD.com).My pick for this week is a show I've loved since I first saw it, Scrubs. This 3-disc set includes all 24 episodes from season 5 along with 3 commentary tracks - "My Big Bird" (Neil Flynn and Randall Winston), "My Way Home" (Zach Braff) and "My Lunch" (John C. McGinley and John Michel), "My Way Home" extended 100th episode, My 117 episodes: 5 seasons of Scrubs, Deleted Scenes and Alternate Lines. ...
read more
Raise your hand if you're already hooked. Shonda, you have just sold me on Grey's 2.0, or what you are currently planning on calling it: Private Practice. I can't imagine ABC not picking the show up for the fall. To make this easier for me to write, but more importantly, to give it a more reader-friendly approach, I'd like to split this in two. I'll get to my comments on the very well-executed Kate Walsh pilot later. First, let's talk about Grey's...I. GREY'S ANATOMYWhen I heard that Meredith was going to be experiencing another family death, my initial thought was Thatcher, but then I felt that it would be silly to kill off her father right after her mother. When her step mom Susan (Mare Winningham) showed up again at Seattle Grace, this time with perpetual hiccups she claimed were due to her acid reflux, I agreed with Meredith and Thatcher. I figured Susan was faking it as an excuse for Thatcher to spend needed quality time with his daughter. As Susan kept returning with worse sym...
read more
Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg, who stars as telepathic Matt Parkman on NBC's Heroes, is using his real-life powers for good, not evil, by chairing the upcoming Epilepsy Foundation walk and working on an art auction to support the worthy cause. TVGuide.com caught up with Grunberg, whose son Jake suffers from the condition, to find out more about his charitable efforts, his celebrity band and, of course, what's coming up on Heroes.
TVGuide.com: Tell me a little bit more about the auction. How did you convince the artists and the show to donate art to the Epilepsy Foundation?Greg Grunberg: That would have been the greatest feat of salesmanship for me, but it wasn't. They're just incredibly generous and they know how important it is to me. Also, I've been working for NBC for a long time, so [NBC Entertainment honchos] Kevin Riley a
read more
Terry O'Quinn, Lost
The origin of Jack's tattoos? Puh-lease. On this Wednesday's Lost (10 pm/ET, on ABC), longtime fans will get the answer to a far more provocative mystery: What paralyzed John Locke and landed him in a wheelchair in the first place? Terry O'Quinn shared with TVGuide.com a sneak peek. Plus, the original cast member's thoughts on airing next season without a break.
TVGuide.com: According to the ABC summary for this episode, "Ben tries to persuade a determined Locke to call off his destructive plan by offering him some of the secrets of the island." What can you tease about Locke's plan?Terry O'Quinn: Nothing. [Laughs] I don't know how to do teases. There are no revelations I can give you because I'm not careful enough. I don't know what's safe to say or what's not safe to say.
TVGuide.com: Which
read more
Grey's 2.0 just got a major infusion of girl power. Sources confirm that Alias' Merrin Dungey and Judging Amy's Amy Brenneman have joined the cast of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, er, I mean "the enhanced two-hour Grey's Anatomy episode with a potential for afterlife." Based on recent intel, my guess is Dungey will be playing a psychiatrist, and Brenneman a fertility specialist. But it could be the other way around. The duo's hiring puts to rest speculation (or concern?) that Kate Walsh would find herself surrounded by a mostly-male ensemble -- buzz that only intensified with the recent casting of Tim Daly, Taye Diggs, Paul Adelstein and Chris Lowell.Pretty ftaktastic cast, if you ask me. This thing is really gonna have to suck to fail. You agree?
read more
Office fans, unite. It's Kate Flannery with the latest on-set dirt and such. First of all, many thanks to all the fans of Dwight, Meredith and the bat from last week's episode, "Business School." I got so many bat calls and bat e-mails that I have to answer a few Frequently Asked Bat Questions:• Yes, it was a real bat in the room. • No, it wasn't a real bat in the bag with my head. There were bat wranglers and puppeteers, and our director, Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, keeping us all in the right place. I loved working with Joss. He was really fun and very comfortable around bats! Rainn [Wilson] named the bat "Gary," since the bat came in nameless.Rainn and I had a lot of fun doing this scene with a bag over my head. There was a lot of screaming, which doesn't really bother me. I screamed a lot on stage in The Valley of the Dolls in NYC, and really learned how to scream often and not mess up my voice. I was a little sore the next day. Not bad. Rainn and I h...
read more
• Michael Vartan has been tapped to topline an untitled ABC drama pilot about four friends who are either high-powered CEOs or CEOs-to-be, says the Hollywood Reporter.• Gabrielle Union, last seen on The Night Stalker, will play a model-turned-recording artist and fiancée of a star wide receiver in ABC's adaptation of the U.K.'s Footballer$ Wives.• Sleeper Cell's Melissa Sagemiller is a married lawyer drawn to Damian Lewis' falsely imprisoned cop in the NBC pilot Life.• Spike Lee is on board to direct NBC's pilot about the mayor of New York City, says Reuters.
read more
