michael.ausiello
What's happening with your ...
Question: What's happening with your godson, Baby Hermann? Mariska was due to give birth on June 21! Answer: I checked in earlier this week and there was still no news. Marish must be as big as I was in 10th grade by now!
OK, I have never gotten one ...
Question: OK, I have never gotten one of your asterisk quizzes, but I really think I have it this time. You were vacationing in Vormont, New Sersey and New Fork. Answer: Ooooh, you were so close! Any other guesses?
Cheri Oteri Uncensored!
Fans of Saturday Night Live funny lady Cheri Oteri can at long last simma-dah-nah. After years of listening to me bitch, moan, beg and plead, SNL has finally released The Best of Cheri Oteri on DVD — and I'm happy to report it was well worth the wait. Not only does it feature such classic Cheri characters as Burger Castle cashier Nadeen, prescription druggie Collette Reardon, porch-dweller Rita DelVecchio and, my personal fave, perky talk show host Cass Van Rye, but we also get a look at her heartbreaking (in a good way) audition tape and a never-before-seen "Morning Latte" sketch. To mark this momentous occasion, I phoned Cheri to gab about the DVD, her awkward run-in with Sarah Michelle Gellar at Cannes and the latest on her sitcom with J.J. Abrams. How was Cannes? Cheri: It was so cool. I mean, the red-carpet thing was just surreal and too exciting. And then I went to the Vanity Fair party, and I was, like, watching Al Gore dance. He's still very white. How was Southland Tal...
Pilot Buzz: ABC Courting Sally Field!
I'm hearing that ABC is wooing Sally Field to take over the role of Calista Flockhart's mom on Brothers & Sisters, the new drama that's inheriting Grey's Anatomy's Sunday-night time slot this fall. Betty Buckley, who played the role in the show's original pilot, has been let go for creative reasons. Hmm... that probably explains why Brothers & Sisters was the only pilot ABC didn't send out to critics. To get your last look at Buckley in the part, check out this trailer posted on ABC.com.
Got any scoopage for The Dead ...
Question: Got any scoopage for The Dead Zone? Answer: Anthony Michael Hall is our special guest in this week's podcast. Lots of stuff on whether this will be the show's final season. (Hint: Sounds like it won't be.)
Every time you speak, someone ...
Question: Every time you speak, someone dies.Answer: Duly noted.
Can you stop slandering 7th ...
Question: Can you stop slandering 7th Heaven's name and saying it makes you want to hurl buckets? Answer: First off, I never said 7th Heaven makes me want to hurl buckets. I said 7th Heaven's finale made me want to hurl buckets. 7th Heaven, on a whole, merely gives me severe indigestion.
Any news on what the cast of ...
Question: Any news on what the cast of Everwood is up to now that the show is over? If I can no longer watch them on one of the best shows on TV, I'd like to follow their careers. Answer: Compiling a list like that seems really tedious and time-consuming. In other words, it's the perfect job for TV Guide's summer intern, Northwestern senior Laura Moore! Here's what she found out: Emily VanCamp: According to her publicist, "Emily's moving to Los Angeles for the first time since she started acting. Her experience on the show was an incredible journey and, though she’s very sad to leave her Everwood family, she is excited about the opportunities ahead and is ready for a new challenge." Last summer, Em shot the coming-of-age indie film Black Irish, starring Will & Grace's
Any word on when they are ...
Question: Any word on when they are bringing Tru Calling back? Answer: You mean you didn't hear!?!? It returns tonight at 9 pm on Fox with the first of 12 new episodes!!!!!
Have you heard anything about ...
Question: Have you heard anything about The Shield coming back for a seventh season after these bonus 10 episodes? Answer: My feelings are hurt, Kevin. I reported that The Shield had been renewed in the Ausiello Report on June 2. Oh, and for those keeping track of such things, those 10 episodes airing in early '07 are now officially being referred to as the show's sixth season. Apparently, calling them "fifth-season bonus episodes" was too confusing. Gee, ya think?
I just got done watching the ...
Question: I just got done watching the season premiere of The 4400 and was surprised to see that Laura Allen is no longer part of the show. Was that a decision made by the show or by her? Answer: Sci Fi Wire has the whole sordid story.
Based on last night's Rescue ...
Question: Based on last night's Rescue Me, I guess Probie is the big gay surprise you've been hinting at. Answer: Yes, he is. But exec producer Peter Tolan cautioned me (via my colleague, Bruce Fretts), against slapping a label on him. "Probie is a character who has been searching for love — and in many cases, in the wrong places," says Tolan. "What he finds is not love but companionship and sexual release. But he’s a confused guy, and I don’t think he’s gay. The funniest conversations those characters have is about how they’re involved in a sexual relationship but they’re not gay. There’s been an unhealthy
There have been rumors that ...
Question: There have been rumors that Marissa will be in a coma for six episodes of The O.C. next season! Answer: Not true, insists a Fox spokesman. "Unfortunately," says the rep, "Marissa died in Ryan's arms."
Any juicy stuff for the fall ...
Question: Any juicy stuff for the fall season of Lost? Answer: AA reader Angela H. called my attention to the Retrievers of Truth website from the Hanso Foundation, which may provide some clues as to what secret Vincent's been keeping from his two-legged friends. Angela also urges everyone to "sign up for the newsletter," which she claims is even "spookier" than the site itself. All together now: thanks, Angela! Also, if you haven't listened to the last Lost podcast of the season yet, I urge you to do so ASAP. Damon and Carlton dished out loads of prattle about next season.
I know Shonda Rhimes doesn't ...
Question: I know Shonda Rhimes doesn't give even the slightest hints at scoop, but, dude, I need something on Grey's Anatomy. I don't even care if you make it up! Answer: Chris O'Donnell is in talks to lengthen his stay, Addison will find out about Derek and Meredith's prom-night tryst and run back into McSteamy's arms, and Izzy will come face-to-face with her long-lost daughter just in time for November sweeps. One of these things is true, the other two I made up.
When you say "Ask Ausiello is ...
Question: When you say "Ask Ausiello is a judgment-free zone" (Ask Ausiello, 6/7), do you mean that your readers can't judge you and your tastes? I thought passing judgment on people was what you do here. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the snarky, judgmental comments you make, and read your blog and AA faithfully. I just thought that decree came out of left field. Care to establish the Ask Ausiello rules a bit more clearly?Answer: Here are the AA rules in a nutshell: I was joking, you nimrod.
Could anyone love Lauren ...
Question: Could anyone love Lauren Graham more?! Your interview, ark and all, was fantastic! Thanks for getting to the core of what we want to know! I will be nominating you for best celeb interviewer of the year! Answer: Is there really an award for such a thing? When are the nominations announced? Don't leave me hanging!
Any spoilers on The L Word?
Question: Any spoilers on The L Word? Answer: One of the show's most memorable lesbixens — who's been MIA since the first season — will be returning for a brief stint in Season 4. Any guesses?
Please inform your readers ...
Question: Please inform your readers about the new "Save Everwood" campaign going on right now. The goal is to rent a Ferris wheel for a week and put it outside of Dawn's window. Donations needed! Answer: I love it! I'm seriosly thinking about pledging $50! I'm also going to forward that link to Virginia Heffernan over at the New York Times, who wrote in a June 6 piece that "Everwood fans are just not going to boycott or fight or lobby or raise their voices. They're too gentle, too discreet and too modest for that kind of fuss." Hmmm… discreet isn't the first word that pops into my head when I think "big honkin' Ferris wheel."
What do you know about ...
Question: What do you know about Jeffrey Dean Morgan's new show, the one that Shonda Rhimes is spearheading? Answer: Only that it's about a group of female journalists. Speaking of JDM, he just landed a role opposite Lisa Kudrow in the indie office comedy Kabluey, which, coincidentally, is being directed by an old friend of mine, Scott Prendergast. So old he apparently forgot to give me a role.
Do you have any scoop on The ...
Question: Do you have any scoop on The 4400? I know you don't normally post anything on it, but I thought you might if there was a Snapple in it for you. Answer: The government is going to develop a synthetic form of the 4400 gene for military purposes.