Question: In response to last week's question about your childhood nicknames, we wouldn't point and laugh at you if you told us what they were. So, just tell us. Answer: One of them involved a character from a popular fast-food chain. No fair — you promised you wouldn't point and laugh!
Question: How can Bedford Diaries be dead (Ask Ausiello 2/22)? I saw a commercial for it the other day!!! Answer: By "dead" I meant it won't get more than one season.
Question: Any news on the new season of Entourage? Answer: Eric and Sloan are going to partake in their first threesome. But things get a little awkward when Eric and the third party begin to bond a little, um, too well.
Question: WB's Charmed — staying or going? Answer: Going. Unlike Everwood, Charmed is prepping one ending and one ending only — a series finale.
Question: Last week's Battlestar Galactica, "Downloaded," was the most perfect hour of television I have seen all year. If Tricia Helfer, Grace Park and Jim Callis don't get Emmy nods for that piece of perfection, then the whole race is a sham. Answer: You'll get no argument here, Brian. And after watching an advance screener of the two-part season finale — airing March 3 and 10 — I'm going to add the incomparable Mary McDonnell to the Emmys' must-list. Oh, speaking of the big climax, it'll probably come as no surprise that it's fan-frakking-tastic. Before it's over, two major characters will get hitched, two closeknit characters will become estranged and another Cylon model will be revealed. But the big twist comes in the final 30 minutes of the second episode. All I'll say is it's a Galactica first and it's something you'll have to read to
Question: Any additional news on Everwood? Is this the last season?Answer: A decision isn't expected until May, but exec producer Rina Mimoun isn't leaving anything to chance. She tells me that she's prepping "two different endings for our show so that fans will not be disappointed if the worst happens. We would never leave without saying a proper goodbye!" Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Question: Got any spoilers about some returning shows in March, like Prison Break? Answer: Lost's flashback bug appears to be contagious. When Prison Break returns, we're going to delve into the inmates' backstories and learn how they ended up at Fox River. And as I told you back in December, we're also going to find out how Veronica came to know Lincoln and Michael.
Question: I saw this and thought of you. Any word on Cheri Oteri's sitcom with J.J. Abrams?Answer: That little link took me to the Best. News. Ever. Thanks for that. And the Cheri/J.J. project is still in the works. I'll hopefully have more news on this next week.
Question: Please tell me that you have some Veronica Mars spoilers! I'm starting to go into withdrawal waiting for new episodes! Answer: Assuming the scheduling can be worked out, Teddy Dunn will be back for one more episode later this season. But there's nothing definite yet.
Question: We haven't seen Lorelai's pet pooch Paul Anka on Gilmore Girls since he was headed to Sookie's to spend the night. Has he gone the way of Miss Kittyfantastico, Chuck Cunningham, Judy Winslow and the middle child from Grounded for Life? Answer: Actually, major doggie doo-doo: My Gilmore spy informs me that the real Paul Anka will make a guest appearance in the April 11 episode. He'll apparently be turning up in a dream/fantasy sequence, à la Madeleine Albright.
Question: Did you get anything good for your birthday? Answer: Well, I'd say receiving a voice message from one of my FFPOTP (favorite famous people on the planet) qualifies as pretty darn good. Click here to listen for yourself.
Question: How much do you hate Meredith!?! How could she do that to George!?!? Poor guy! Do you think George is the intern leaving the program?! He better not be, or I will really hate Meredith!! What the hell kind of name is Meredith anyway?! And that hair!! WTF! Answer: Simmer yourself, Joe — nobody's perfect. (And I like her hair.) While we're on the subject of Seattle Grace's resident selfish whore, you know the dad she just saw for the first time in 20 years? Turns out he has a new wife and a daughter — both of whom Meredith will meet later this season. (And I meant "selfish whore" in a good way.)
Question: You have really been lacking on 24 intel this year. Let's have it. Answer: You don't want to miss the back-to-back episodes next Monday. As you saw from the previews, Kim is back, as is Tony. We'll also meet Kim's new shrink friend (C. Thomas Howell), Logan's VP (Ray Wise) and Henderson's wife (JoBeth Williams). BTW, if Ms. Williams thought those slimy dead folks in Poltergeist were scary, wait until she sees Jack in interrogation mode.
Question: You're on Sirius? When? What channel? Answer: Channel 106 (aka OutQ) every Friday. I'm usually on between 9 and 10 am/ET, but this Friday, due to jury duty (pray for me!), I'm going on at 7:30 am/ET.
Question: Didn't you know we were all pointing at you and laughing anyway? Answer: I had a hunch.
Question: Love AA and look forward to it every Wednesday! Will Sarah Brown be back on Cold Case? Answer: No, but here's some big scoop: They've cast Family Ties' Meredith Baxter as Lilly's mom. She'll turn up in Episode 19, slated to air on April 9.
Question: There have been numerous reports that Showtime has picked up Arrested Development for one 12-episode season. Are they true? Answer: Still nothing official, but it's looking better this week than it did last week.
Question: Who needed to actually see Meredith and George sleep together on Sunday's Grey's Anatomy? Anyone? [Crickets] I thought not! On a less disturbing front, when will Veronica Mars return? Answer: I actually liked the way Grey's handled the whole Meredith-George hookup and aftermath. I had to chortle when she asked him if he was almost done. Too funny. And to answer your second question, Mars returns March 15.
Question: Come on, I can't stand it! Give us more dirt on The Shield. Answer: So much is going on in the March 14 episode I'd be shocked if FX doesn't have to supersize it. Danny goes into labor, someone we know gets promoted to captain, a member of the Strike Team goes into hiding and Mackey is going to get Kavanaugh where it hurts. Hint: It involves his wife (Gina Torres).
Question: You wrote that someone is supposed to die on ER. Is it a major character, and does he/she die tragically? Answer: Yes and yes. There's a pretty big hint in the new issue of TV Guide (on sale tomorrow), so avoid the ER news story alongside the Ausiello Report if you don't want it spoiled.
Question: Is this the end for George and Meredith? Answer: As lovers? Definitely. As friends? Probably not — although it's going to be rough sledding for a while. "There's no turning back," says Grey's writer Stacy McKee on my new favorite site, greyswriters.com. "There’s nothing George and Meredith can do. The damage is done — things will never be the same. They’ve just changed something important in their lives forever and… they are freaking out." Series creator/information Nazi Shonda Rhimes also weighed in on Georedith in a wide-ranging (yet spoiler-free) Q&A on ABC.com.
Question: After looking at the pictures of your stint on Veronica Mars, I have to say, you are a cutie and your photo on this column doesn't do you justice. You should get them to change it. Answer: OK, it's been changed (see above). But don't think I'm going to jump every time you snap your fingers, Barb. And since you brought up my Veronica Mars stint, I just watched an early screener of the March 22 episode, and Rob Thomas is indeed a man of his word: My three-second bit definitely made the cut. In fact, describing it as a "bit" is an understatement; this is more like a moment. It's definitely more substantial than my role on Gilmore Girls as Dragonfly Inn Guest No. 1. Short story short: That Guest Emmy is mine to lose.