Question: It's time for 24 scoop! Answer: Guess who Peter MacNicol beat out for the role of next season's big baddie? Here's a hint: MacNicol and this particular actor are TV casting directors' go-to guys when a part calls for a neurotic type. Here's another hint: His name is *a** *i**-***e*.
Question: How many cases of Snapple did you get this year at press tour? Answer: Factoring in the two cases I had to go out and purchase myself, I received a grand total of (drumroll, please… ) two. Thanks to everyone who considered sending me some but ultimately opted against it. Your support means the world to me!
Question: OK, who do you think Lorelai should end up with: Luke or Christopher? Answer: I'd like to see Luke and Lorelai end up together, but I'm not opposed to a Lorelai-Christopher pairing in the short-term. Lauren Graham and David Sutcliffe have an easy-breezy chemistry and, unlike L&L, I don't feel the need to cover my eyes when they round third base. There, I said it. Now commence with the stone-throwing.
Question: Welcome back, Michael. I'd like some Entourage scoop please! Actually, you've been away for awhile, make that two scoops! Answer: Sounds fair to me. Vincent's dreams of starring in the big-screen epic "Medellin" may come true after Paul Haggis drops out as director. And Drama's TV series with Edward Burns debuts to less-than-stellar reviews. But it's one particular critique — and critic — that has him all bent out of shape.
Question: Do you think that any of ER's famous alums will come back before the show is done? Answer: Actually, as NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly informed me at press tour, ER still has two more years left on its contract, so it'll be around at least until May '08. I was under the mistaken impression that this might be the show's final season. But I imagine when the end does come, producers will try to coax a few of their MVPs back, although the one most fans care about — George Clooney — is probably a long shot. Speaking of ER, casting is underway for a new surgical chief who bears a striking resemblance to a certain crabby doctor on Fox.
Question: I am very interested in working the weekend shift at your new Tasti D-Lite. I even have customer-service experience, and $7 an hour is exactly what I was making at my old job. Answer: Huh? OMG — you thought I was serious about opening a Tasti D-Lite. My humor is getting way too subtle. (That said, the Tasti D-Lite in my neighborhood is in dire need of someone with customer service experience.)
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."
Question: First off, can I have your baby? Secondly, I see that Donnie Wahlberg is starring in the CW’s new show Runaway. Does this mean he won’t be back for Saw 3? Answer: Are you insane, Dementia? No, you can't have my baby. I'll answer your second question, though. The former New Kid recently hinted to my colleague Damian Holbrook that his big-screen character's fate was as shady as the horror franchise's creepy-ass clown puppet. “I never thought I would do a horror movie, but I am glad I did [Saw 2]. But I can't comment on [the sequel]…. I couldn’t do that. So you can read into that however you want." Yeah, he's so coming back.
Question: Where were last week's questions and answers? Answer: Last week's questions and answers? Last week's questions and answers!?! Unless I'm mistaken, this column has a name. Show some friggin' respect. And while you're at it, get with the program. I've been in L.A. covering press tour.
I was just about to go to bed when I noticed this story on Variety.com and nearly swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste. What do we think about this!?!? And what do you wanna bet Sherilyn Fenn gets cast as one of the sisters!?!?GILMORE GIRL LANDS AT FOXby Josef Adalian"Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has set up her next series project, landing a put pilot at Fox Broadcasting Co. Deal comes just weeks after Sherman-Palladino and husband Dan Palladino ankled "Gilmore" after failing to come to terms with Warner Bros. TV on a new deal. No studio is attached to Sherman-Palladino's new project, a half-hour dramedy that will revolve around two estranged sisters who reunite after one of them agrees to carry the other's baby. Sherman-Palladino will write and exec produce the pilot; she may direct.
Josh Hopkins is reteaming with his former Ally McBeal costar Calista Flockhart on her upcoming ABC drama Brothers & Sisters, a well-placed source confirms. Pepper Dennis' ex will play a liberal pundit who locks horns — and lips — with Flockhart's conservative radio host. (Picture Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala with even more sexual tension.) I'm guessing Hopkins will juggle his Brothers & Sisters gig — which, at this point, is for seven episodes — with his series-regular duties on Fox's new thriller Vanished. Hey, if Peter MacNicol can do it, so can he.
You won't believe this, but I once again found myself in a hospital while in Los Angeles covering the TCA Press Tour. But unlike the Root Canal Crisis of 2005, this year's medical intervention didn't involve any pain, just some mild heart palpitations, high blood pressure and sweaty palms. And the doctors attending to me bore the names McDreamy, Meredith, Izzie and Addison. If you haven't figured out where I'm going with this yet — and if the headline hadn't already given it away — I pity you. I, along with 60 other TV critics and reporters, was admitted to Grey's fictional Seattle Grace Hospital on July 20 for an emergency tour of the set and a brief consultation with the cast. I was sprung after only an hour, but I learned quite a lot during my Anatomy lesson. For instance: 1. Shonda Rhimes is loosening up on her spoiler policy.Not only did the onetime Information Nazi announce that "the fabulous Miss Diahann Carroll" would be one of the new season's first guest stars, s...
You're never going to believe what found its way into our little snack bags this morning: chocolate-covered pretzels! Fox, I take back all the bad stuff I said yesterday about 'Til Death. It's the next Yes, Dear!JUSTICE PRESENTATION9:02 am: Here's what you need to know about this new legal drama: Victor Garber and Kerr Smith are lawyers who tackle high-profile cases. And it's not half bad. 9:06 am: The trailer ends, the lights come up and... OMG! Jack Bristow's alive! Sweet Jesus, he's alive!9:09 am: Exec producer Jonathan Shapiro (a onetime federal prosecutor) is giving us a legal dissertation. Is it too late to drop this class?9:14 am: Garber on returning to series television so soon after Alias: "If you talked to me Friday night around midnight I would've said, 'What was I thinking?' The schedule is brutal."9:28 am: I just realized that Kerr Smith has yet to utter a single word. 9:29 am: Upcoming Justice cases will deal with a roller-coaster accident, a celeb rehab center and a ...
Lost has found its new mystery man — and you're reading about it here first! Rodrigo Santoro, best known to American audiences as the hot dude Laura Linney crushed on in Love Actually, is joining the cast this fall. I know what you're thinking, "Rodrigo... Whatchoo Talkin' 'Bout Willis?" That was my initial reaction, too. Well, the 30-year-old actor may not be a household name here in the States, but there apparently is no bigger movie star in Brazil than him. Don't take my word for it, though. Read on, as Lost boys Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse proudly discuss their latest find. I have to admit, I'm not all that familiar with Rodrigo's work. Carlton: You haven't seen Carandiru or Behind the Sun or Brainstorm? You're a little behind the curve. [Laughs] Rodrigo has won, like, eight best-actor awards, including the first-ever best-actor award for the Brazilian Academy of Arts and Film. He's a huge star in Brazil.Damon: He keeps getting described to us as the Brazilian Tom Cruis...
Bear with me today, as I'm slightly hung over from last night's TCA Awards. (What you need to know: Lauren Graham did not win; Grey's Anatomy's super-cool trio of James Pickens Jr., Isaiah Washington and Sara Ramirez hung out at the after-party practically until last call; and I think career-achievement honoree Carol Burnett scored herself a role on best-comedy winner The Office.)EXECUTIVE SESSION9:04 am: Fox has single-handedly transformed the Ritz Carlton ballroom and foyer into a replica of SkyBar, complete with glowing tabletops, sleek flat-screen TVs and a DJ. 9:05 am: Fox forgot to include chocolate-covered pretzels in their traditional snack bags. Suddenly, their pilots are looking a lot less promising. 9:06 am: First question for Fox Entertainment president Peter Liguori: are audiences still responding to Quintuplets? (I kid. I kid.)9:08 am: Liguori announces that he's going to dispense with opening remarks and get right to the Q&A. But first: some opening remarks.9:09...
Don't ask me how I got it. Or from whom. But I got it. By "it," I'm referring to the most sought-after 77 pages in Hollywood right now — the script for the season premiere of Gilmore Girls, penned by David S. Rosenthal. OK, so maybe "the most sought-after" is a slight exaggeration, but it's definitely been the most sought after by me. You see, this script contains answers to some of the new season's biggest questions. Among them: Can Rosenthal mimic Team Palladino's signature, rapid-fire rhythms? How will last May's controversial finale affect Luke and Lorelai? Does the boss favor some supporting characters over others? And, most importantly, is the thing any good? Let's start with that last question first. I'm happy and greatly relieved — and, if I'm being completely honest, a smidge shocked — to report that yes, it's good. In fact, it's better than good — it's great. Obviously, I can't get too specific. As it is, Warner Bros. and CW have probably already hired ...
I'm sure Keith Olbermann puts on a good show on MSNBC, but even the promise of a "hot breakfast" isn't enough to lure me down to his early-morning Countdown panel. I'm sleeping in.HEROES PRESENTATION10:51 am: If we can make it through this session without a question that starts, "This is for the entire cast: If you could have any superpower...," then I'll be a very happy man.10:53 am: As the Heroes trailer plays on the monitor, the cast hoots and hollers like a football team before the big game. This is going to be a fun bunch. 10:54 am: The trailer ends, the lights come up, and... sweet Jesus Jenny Craig, my buddy Greg Grunberg is half the man he used to be! 10:55 am: This is odd. Adrian Pasdar, arguably the biggest "name" in the cast, is banished to the back row alongside second-tier stars Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, Masi Oka and Leonard Roberts. Up in front are Grunny, Ali Larter, series creator Tim Kring, Sendhill Ramamurthy, Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia. How'd th...
I know NBC is in the ratings crapper, but that's no excuse for the sorry breakfast spread the Peacock had waiting for us this morning. They essentially threw a few croissants and pastries on a tray and called it a meal. No eggs. No Rice Krispies. No bagels. Pathetic! Good thing I had a stash of Balance Bars in my room.EXECUTIVE SESSION9:06 am: Kevin Reilly walks out on stage to what sounds like a porno soundtrack. 9:07 am: Reilly's self-deprecating jokes about NBC's misfortunes are diluted by the fact that he is reading his speech directly off a teleprompter in the back of the room. 9:08 am: Scoop: David Hasselhoff still has a job! A new cycle of America's Got Talent will return in January. Additionally, NBC is producing webisodes of Bill Lawrence's YouTube phenom Nobody's Watching with the intention of picking it up as a series later this season. 9:12 am: Scoop! NBC will air a Madonna concert special in November. 9:13 am: Scoop! Andre Braugher will do a six-episode arc on ER. 9:17...
I've got good news and bad news about last night's ABC press-tour party. Let's start with the bad news: I interviewed only two people the entire night. Wait, it gets better. The good news is, the two folks I spoke to were Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse, and Marc Cherry's new right-hand man at Desperate Housewives, consulting producer Jeff Greenstein. And I don't know if it was the McSteamy martinis that ABC was serving, but both men were spewing major spoilers about their respective shows' new seasons. The complete transcripts from both interviews are below. What can you tell me about the show's first six episodes?Carlton Cuse: Damon and I are designing the show as a sort of miniseason. We almost view the first six as a miniseries. And it's going to answer what we left hanging at the end of the finale. Obviously, we're going to explain what happened to Locke and Desmond and Eko, and sort of deal with the fact that Sawyer and Kate and Jack are in captivity. We really love the...
Today's big news: I woke up to find a zit the size of a Vespa parked on my face. Good times....EXECUTIVE SESSION9:04 am: ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson is wearing blue jeans that scream "rock-star network executive!"9:06 am: McPherson announces that he's going to pressure the TV Academy to let us, the nation's top TV critics, decide next year's Emmy nominees. Hey, that was my idea! (And not to split hairs, but it's only supposed to be Matt Roush and me.)9:08 am: McPherson admits if he had to do Commander in Chief over again, he wouldn't have impeached Rod Lurie and replaced him with Steven Bochco. "We would probably bring it on later in the season and let Rod prep for it a lot longer than he had a chance to. He was the voice of that show." 9:08 am: I ask McPherson what he's doing behind the scenes at Desperate Housewives to address last season's "creative collapse." Although he disagrees with the "creative collapse" part — I was going to say implosion — he c...
Here's my interview with David Rosenthal, conducted immediately following today's Gilmore Girls press-tour session. Luckily, he was much more forthcoming during our little Q&A than he was on the panel. Ausiello: What can you tell me about the first six episodes?David Rosenthal: Obviously, the repercussions from the end of last season [will play out]. That's something that is not going to just disappear. It's a major shift, a major change in everybody's lives. It affects not just Lorelai and Christopher and Luke, but Rory as well. There are a lot of consequences, and we fully intend to explore them — the positive and the negative. It's a big deal, not just for the fans, but for us, the writers and producers of the show. Ausiello: Fans are holding out hope that maybe Lorelai and Christopher didn't sleep with each other.Rosenthal: No, no, no. That's a pipe dream. Those were two grown-ups who woke up in bed together after spending the night together.Ausiello: Is Matt Czuchry of...
3:40 pm: Damn wi-fi!! It went down just as the session started. But we're back up and running now.3:43 pm: Got the Luke-Lorelai question in. Dave didn't say anything specific about how he planned to repair the relationship, just that fans should "stay tuned."3:50 pm: Lauren Graham is clearly optimistic about GG post-Palladino. 3:53 pm: Lauren left the door open to doing another season. Alexis didn't address it.3:55 pm: Yikes! A reporter just asked David about Heidi Klum, and Lauren jumped to his defense. "It has nothing to do with anything. Next!"3:59 pm: David is being extremely tight-lipped about future plotlines.4:00 pm: Lauren concedes that things are more "open door" with David, but she doesn't want that to be seen as a diss on Amy and Dan. 4:01 pm: If this is the final season of Gilmore Girls, David says he will ask Amy how she intended to end the show.4:02 pm: Alexis is going to see how this season goes before deciding on another year.4:05 pm: Bad news, Logan fans: David says...