michael.ausiello

What's going on with ...

Question: What's going on with Deadwood? I heard it might be canceled after this season? Has HBO completely lost its mind? It's bad enough they axed Carnivale, but now Deadwood? Answer: I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole mess. As I understand it, HBO hasn't exactly canceled it. They "merely" released all the actors from their contracts, freeing them up to accept other, non-Deadwood gigs. In other words, if the show does get a fourth season, it may have to introduce an entirely new cast of characters. As far as boneheaded decisions go, this one ranks right up there with CW renewing 7th Heaven and One Tree Hill over

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

I just clicked on the ...

Question: I just clicked on the Ausiello Report and a banner telling me to read the Ausiello Report appeared at the top of the page. I know you're awesome and all, but isn't that slight overkill? Answer: I'm always pleading with folks here to stop promoting me so much, but they never listen!

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

I'm dying to know who "hovers ...

Question: I'm dying to know who "hovers near death" on tomorrow night's O.C. finale. Answer: You waited this long, what's another 24 hours?

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Jim and Pam finally got ...

Question: Jim and Pam finally got together! Any scoop on The Office's Season 3? Answer: No, but can we just pause for a second and talk about how heartbreakingly sweet their climactic kissing scene was? One of the best TV moments of the year. And "just once" may go down as the best TV line ever. And although I'm still not supposed to discuss our Dream Emmy Ballot before it gets unveiled next week, I'll let you in on a little secret: Based on someone's performance in the Office finale — his initials may be JK —  we had to make a last-minute change to a certain supporting category (my apologies in advance to Doogie).

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

One major question that was ...

Question: One major question that was not asked about the Veronica Mars finale: Did Beaver rape Mac? It sure seemed like it when she said "he took everything." Your thoughts? Answer: Forget my thoughts, let's ask boss man Rob Thomas himself. "Beaver did not rape Mac," he says. "He took her clothes, the phone, the towels, the bedding. Mac was essentially trapped in the room. When Veronica found her, Mac was wrapped in a shower curtain. That's all we meant to imply with the line. We ended up cutting a scene in which we would have seen Beaver exiting the room with a Santalike bag of 'stuff.' Viewers would've been left to imagine what was inside."

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Any really good Sopranos ...

Question: Any really good Sopranos scoop? Answer: HBO sent out this innocuous tease for the June 4 finale: "Tony gets Carmela's career back on track; Chris picks up where Tony left off; AJ gets a work perk; Phil won't let well enough alone."

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Now that it has been ...

Question: Now that it has been confirmed that ABC has canned Invasion, is there any chance CW will pick it up? I'm hearing that there's a slim chance of it. Answer: There was some talk of that, but it faded rather quickly when CW execs realized how expensive the show is to produce.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

The buzz was right — the ...

Question: The buzz was right — the Grey's Anatomy finale did not disappoint!! I think the majority of the cast deserves Emmy nods. What do you think? Answer: I think I'm not supposed to discuss the Dream Emmy Ballot until it's unveiled in next week's issue of TV Guide magazine, but good thing I'm horrible at following orders. We have singled out five Grey's performers in the 2006 Ballot, four in supporting roles and one lead. Any guesses? We would've chosen the entire cast if we could, but, well, we couldn't. And yes, Monday's finale was damn near perfect. I'll tell you, no one straddles the line between comedy and drama like Shonda Rhimes. The woman is a genius. And as sad as I was to see Denny go, it totally made sense story-wise. It also gave us that fantastic scene where

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Was Gallant's death on ER the ...

Question: Was Gallant's death on ER the one you referred to a few months ago? Or should we expect another one? Answer: Yes, that was the one, but there will be another one next fall.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Help me, Ausiello-Wan Kenobi, ...

Question: Help me, Ausiello-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope! I know the CW upfront is Thursday, but have you heard any advance scoop on Veronica Mars? I'm getting frightened. Answer: Relax, Jill. CW execs put down their crack pipe long enough to do the right thing and renew Veronica. As I first reported in the Ausiello Report on Monday, the show was picked up for 22 episodes, which can be reduced to 13 if the ratings suck really bad. All told, it's a major win for us.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Do you know when the new ...

Question: Do you know when the new season of Rescue Me will start? Answer: May 30 at 10 pm. And here's a little prattle: We'll soon discover that one of the firemen is better acquainted with hoses than the others. (Hey, just be grateful I didn't make a Brokeback Mountain joke.)

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

OK, so, besides Gilmore Girls ...

Question: OK, so, besides Gilmore Girls and your eating habits, do you have anything new? Like on, say... Bones? Answer: I'm hearing Fox plans to bring the show back in August to give it a jump on the competition.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

I heard that you woke up with ...

Question: I heard that you woke up with a sore throat on the Monday that upfronts began. Weren't you sick at the upfronts last year, too? Do you think your body is trying to tell you something? Answer: The only thing my body is telling me is, "Where are all the get-well gifts from your fans?" It's a good question. Wish I had an answer. OK, I'm running off to another upfront. Keep checking my Ausiello Report blog for 'round-the-clock updates, scoop and prattle from the biggest TV week of the year!

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Rumors have been raging ...

Question: Rumors have been raging across the net that Ian Somerhalder will be the newest member of the Strike Team on The Shield. Is this true or just another hoax? Answer: I believe that would be a hoax. They're looking for someone in his early- to mid-thirties.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

In her Insider interview with ...

Question: In her Insider interview with Matt Mitovich, Kristen Bell says, "I think that what is done in the final episode hasn't been done on television before. Not in the way of stunts or anything, but the theory behind it, if you really think about it, hasn't been done." Do you know what she is referring to? Answer: Not a clue. Even Matt's stumped. "I've asked myself the same thing," he told me in an exclusive interview conducted in TV Guide's break room. "Perhaps she was referring to the part where she imagined her alternate life? Or the topic of sexually molested boys?" If I see her at CW's upfront on Thursday, I'll ask her.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Are the executives at CW on ...

Question: Are the executives at CW on crack? How could One Tree Hill get renewed over Everwood? Answer: To answer your first question, they must be. To answer your second question, see my answer to the first question. All kidding aside, Everwood's demise has taken everyone by surprise. "I was really shocked, because I expected it to get picked up," Scott Wolf told me last night at ABC's bash, where he was promoting his new show The Nine. "And I'm disappointed for a really great group of people. I know they were hopeful that they'd make i

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Will Gia or Dick be returning ...

Question: Will Gia or Dick be returning to Veronica Mars next season? I love them. Answer: Not sure about Dick, but Rob Thomas told me that it could be "a delicious couple-episode story" if Gia returned to exact revenge on Veronica and Keith for indirectly contributing to her dad's murder. "But," he added, "there are no plans for it."

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

More CSI picture clues: The ...

Question: More CSI picture clues: The gold building in the skyline disappears when you scroll over it (an explosion, perhaps?). Grissom's head turns in the direction of Sara's and likewise, Sarah's head turns also. Grissom's hand moves, too. And when you mouse over the "play" sign it turns to "dead." Answer: Thanks for the update!

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

What's with NBC holding ...

Question: What's with NBC holding Scrubs until "some point later in the season"? Answer: NBC prez Kevin Reilly seems to think exec producer Bill Lawrence will welcome this news, seeing as how Scrubs sat on the shelf for five months this season and returned stronger (at least in terms of creativity) than ever. But why don't we let Bill speak for himself: "It doesn't really bother me," he admits. "I'm sure I'll come up with something snarky to say sooner or later." Unlike last year, Lawrence says he knew ahead of time that NBC was benching the show until mid-season, "so it wasn't as tough a pill to swallow. We were told if [NBC] picked us up we would be in the same way we were this year:&n

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

I can't believe America voted ...

Question: I can't believe America voted Chris out! Answer: You and me both, sister. I really couldn't care less who wins at this point. McPhee is on borrowed time and Yamin and Hicks are equal parts ham and cheese. Seriously, their appeal mystifies me. Chris, on the other hand, was the whole package: great singer, fantastic performer, easy on the eyes and a little edgy to boot. Did I mention that he stopped by the TV Guide offices yesterday for a quick meet-and-greet? He was totally down to earth and only slightly scared when Angel Cohn threw herself on him. Remind me to sit her down and teach her how to stalk someone and still feel good about yourself in the morning.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

Dude, you rawk with your ...

Question: Dude, you rawk with your spoilage. I love Ask Ausiello! Find out anything interesting about the season finale of Desperate Housewives? Answer: MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: Rumor has it Kyle MacLachlan is going to make road kill of Mike Delfino.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006

You are without a doubt the ...

Question: You are without a doubt the purtiest man on the planet! No scoop needed. Answer: Now that's what I'm talking about. Thanks, Rose. I was beginning to worry that the idiots were running the asylum this week.

Wed, May 17, 2006

Wed, May 17, 2006