The West Wing's Donna ain't lovelorn no more. Janel Moloney is joining the cast of Showtime's Brotherhood for at least four episodes this season, playing a woman who has an affair with Jason Clarke's ambitious politico. (All together now: Poor Annabeth Gish.)In other Showtime news, in addition to Matthew Modine joining Weeds for at least 10 episodes (first scooped by the Ausiello Report, he'll serve as a love interest for both Nancy and Celia), Zooey Deschanel's krazy Kat is returning for the Season 3 opener, while Carrie Fisher will guest this season as Celia's "May-the-divorce-be-with-you" lawyer.
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The totally terrific Mary-Louise Parker has a fun little TV-movie — The Robber Bride — premiering Saturday, March 3, on Oxygen, and I got the chance to Q&A her about that (of course), as well as Weeds (how will Nancy get out of her season-ending jam?), The West Wing and a bunch of other stuff. Check it out!
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Question: Why is everyone so hard on Studio 60? After seeing a few episodes, I went and watched the entire series of The West Wing. A lot of the jokes and even some of the lines and conversations are the same. So why was one worshiped and the other so disrespected? Why do people expect one to be the same as the other? Why does everyone keep saying the characters are poorly developed, blah, blah, blah? It's television! It's not supposed to be real. It's supposed to be funny, dramatic and entertaining. You want "real," then watch the news!
Answer: The problem isn't that West Wing fans wanted Studio 60 to be the same — I think we were all hoping for something new and fresh. The problem is that too few people seem to find the show to be "funny, dramatic and entertaining," although clearly there are a number of loyalists who are still charmed by what they see. I seem to hear from them every week. (Jessica's certainly wasn't the only e-mail I got in the wake of Monday's attacks.) I'm sorry to
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Question: I share some of the discomfort about Danny's recent stalking on Studio 60. It was particularly creepy when Jordan asked him to back off and he said "no." What I'm surprised by is that people are acting like this is something strange for Aaron Sorkin. It may be written a bit less artfully, but this story line is vintage Sorkin. We've got the one romantic subplot of the "will they or won't they" tension between Matt and Harriet, and then we've got the "If she doesn't give in at first, stalk her till she admits her love" story line of Danny and Jordan. These same themes were present in Sorkin's previous shows. We had Josh and Donna on The West Wing and Casey and Dana on Sports Night doing the "will they or won't they" dance. With the "stalking" subplot, we've had Charlie and Zoey on West Wing and Dan and Rebecca on Sports Night. Sorkin's shows have contained other expressions of stalkerish love, such as when Natalie on Sports Night refused to acknowledge that Jeremy had broken ...
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Dulé Hill, Psych
After seven seasons of serious politics on The West Wing, Dulé Hill is enjoying tapping into his silly side on the USA crimedy Psych, which begins the back half of its freshman season this Friday, Jan. 19, at 10 pm/EST. As Burton 'Gus' Guster, the pent-up best friend/reluctant accomplice of bogus psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday), Hill huffs, pouts, rolls his eyes and protests all of his buddy's schemes to no avail. He's the Cameron Frye to Roday's Ferris Bueller, if you will. But while Hill is technically the second banana, he ends up with the lion's share of laughs due to his endearing portrayal of a neurotic nerd. Hill chatted with TVGuide.com about his two si
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John Amos on Men in Trees, and Good Times
Everybody knows the dad from Good Times. But did you know that the actor who plays him actually got his big break on the Mary Tyler Moore Show? Well, we're here to remind you, as we walk with John Amos down memory lane past all the roles that have lead him to his current gig, the lovable pilot Buzz on ABC's Men in Trees (Thursdays at 10 pm/ET).
Meteorologist Gordy Howard on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, 1970-1973"When [producers] told me they were going to bring me on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, I felt
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Question: Why do people who love a new program insist it is the greatest program in the world without letting it stand the test of time? Don't you agree that a TV show should be on the air for more than one season before honors are heaped upon it, or on the air for several seasons before awards are even considered? It's like getting a new toy for Christmas. It's fun for a few minutes, hours or days, but will it still be the favorite in a week, or will it become just another item in the toy box? The West Wing, for example, had great writing and acting for a few years; then its quality went down for a couple of seasons, but then it finished great. New TV shows shouldn't be on anyone's top-10 list unless they’re on a list of the top 10 new shows.
Answer: Boy, I couldn't disagree more with this one. This is the same tension the TV industry faces come awards time: How to balance new breakthroughs against old favorites. Plus, you seem to be confusing a show's long-term reputation (as in
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Rob Lowe, A Perfect Day
You can't keep a good man down, let alone a fine actor. Rob Lowe, who famously exited The West Wing during its prime, and then ultimately went on to pass up filling McDreamy's scrubs, is at the fore again, amping up ABC's Brothers & Sisters as a senator who has taken a shine to Calista Flockhart's Kitty. What's more, the former Brat Packer stars with Paget Brewster in TNT's A Perfect Day (premiering Monday at 8 pm/ET), a holiday movie in which Robert Harlan,
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Danica McKellar, Inspector Mom
Best known for her sweet, endearing role as The Wonder Years' Winnie, Danica McKellar has come a long way from drive-ins and school dances. Playing a deep-digging journalist-turned-mom in Lifetime Movie Network's Inspector Mom (premiering Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 pm/ET), McKellar got a taste of motherhood while solving crimes — and she had a great time doing it. TVGuide.com asked the actress why she chose this project — you'll never guess who convinced her to go through with it! — and how "boot camp" made her a better actor.
TVGuide.com: You're on set right now for Inspector Mom?Danica McKellar: Yeah, we're doing two TV-movies and 10
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Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
You loved her as Mrs. Landingham (so much so that you mourned her First Secretary's sudden death), and adored her as Old Lady God on Joan of Arcadia. These days, Kathryn Joosten is hanging with the Desperate Housewives (Sundays at 9 pm on ABC), even grabbing some gold for her portrayal of the sometimes-cranky, other times gossipy Karen McCluskey. TVGuide.com chatted with the Emmy-caliber character actress about what's ahead for Wisteria Lane, and how much she misses the Oval Office.
TVGuide.com: I was thinking recently how cool it was to seeMrs. McCluskey hanging out on the porch, shooting the breeze with the other Housewives....Kathryn Joosten: Yes, wasn't that fun?! Dishing the dirt a little bit.... [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: D
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