michael.ausiello

The Office was amazing last ...

Question: The Office was amazing last Thursday. Thanks for the spoiler about Michael's warehouse powwow, but can you give us anything else? Please? Answer: Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson are heading to New York this week to shoot an episode in which Wilson's Dwight makes a speech at the company's Gotham headquarters. And I'm assuming you already heard about the show getting a 22-episode pickup for next season. That was the second best piece of news to come out of press tour. (The first was the announcement that CBS would be serving soft pretzels as an afternoon snack.)

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Any Grey's Anatomy scoop?

Question: Any Grey's Anatomy scoop? Answer: First, let me tell you about my "showdown" with series creator/information Nazi Shonda Rhimes at press tour Saturday. During the Grey's Anatomy session, I publicly asked the spoilerphobe to defend the no-tolerance-for-blabbermouths policy she enacted on the show's set. (To this day, Grey's stars still refer to the bloodcurdling memo she issued to the cast just prior to last summer's press tour.) "I grew up watching a lot of television [and] one of the things I feel strongly about is [not] knowing what's going to happen before you see it," she responded. "It just seems like a waste. Why tell people what's going to happen instead of getting them to watch it and see for themselves? To me, the show is more interesting because nobody knows what's going to happen next. It freaks me out to see our story lines on the Web. So we all made an agreement that we're going to keep

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

What are the chances that The ...

Question: What are the chances that The West Wing will end as great as it began? BTW, you crazy in a good way! Answer: Considering John Wells told me exactly how the show will end, I'll let you be the judge. "The last scene will either be the new president entering the oval office or it will be Bartlet on Air Force One heading back to New Hampshire, standing up from behind the desk, coming around and sitting on the sofa next to Abbey. We'll shoot them both and one of them will be the next-to-last scene and one will be the last scene. But until we put it together, we won't know which one works best." Personally, I pick Bartlet on the plane. What do you guys think?

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Did you see last week's ...

Question: Did you see last week's episode of Gilmore Girls with the winter carnival? Babette gave away a Smurfette doll as a prize. As soon as I saw it, all I could think about was you! Answer: What an unbelievable coincidence — I immediately thought of me, too! Here's another little tidbit about that episode: The whole thing about dictator-in-chief Paris referring to her underlings at the Yale Daily News as numbers and not by their names? I'm fairly certain that was taken from Amy Sherman-Palladino's tour of duty as a producer on Roseanne. I seem to recall hearing that Roseanne, at the height of her reign of terror, pulled a similar stunt with her writing staff, only instead of numbered caps she handed out sweatshirts. Ah, memories…

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Just heard that WB, UPN are ...

Question: Just heard that WB, UPN are shutting down and merging into the CW network! What's gonna happen to Veronica Mars? (Panic setting in... can't breathe… ) Answer: Um, apparently this is not a joke. (Anxiety attack setting in… swallowing two Xanax… anxiety attack passing…) All right, I've done a little digging and there's no reason to freak out… yet. This is all in the very early stages and nothing — I repeat nothing — has been canceled… yet. Still piddling? Well take a deep breath and repeat after me: "Introducing CW's new Tuesday featuring fresh episodes of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars!" (Getting excited… jumping for joy…)

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

What else can you tell us ...

Question: What else can you tell us about Veronica Mars? Answer: I actually have some major Mars prattle — and it concerns the show's third season. At press tour, Rob Thomas told me exclusively (at least I think it was exclusive) that not only does he already have next season's overriding mystery figured out, but he's introducing it (wait for it… wait for it) this season! "We know what we want to do next year as our big 'Who Killed Lilly Kane/Who sent the bus off the cliff?' mystery," he says. "In fact, we're going to hint at it in an episode this year." Rob adds that the story will have a "completely different" flavor than the two previous mysteries. "There will be a criminal at play rather than a crime that happened that we're trying to solve. It'll be a crime that is ongoing, so it'll have a sense of urgency." (POSSIBLE SPOILER: Episode 16 is titled "The Rapes of Graff" and finds Veronica tracki

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

So is Jake in Progress ...

Question: So is Jake in Progress canceled or not? Charlotte Ross fans need to know. Answer: At press tour Saturday, ABC prez Steve McPherson said he still believes in the show. "We would really like to find a place for it, to give it one more shot." And should it strike out for a third time, ER boss man John Wells is poised to step in and snag John Stamos for a long-term stint. "I would love to have John Stamos come onto ER," Wells tells me. "We had created that [paramedic] character on the assumption that Jake in Progress wasn't coming back this year. But it hasn't been officially canceled, so they haven't released him."

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

So, now that The West Wing is ...

Question: So, now that The West Wing is coming to an end, is there any hope for us Josh and Donna fans, or will John Wells exile them to the planet of Unresolved Sexual Tension?  Answer: How much do I love you guys? So much that this was the first question I asked John Wells when I tackled him Sunday following NBC's West Wing session at press tour. I think you'll like his answer: "One of the great things when you know the show is ending [is that] you can actually do stuff that you probably wouldn't do if you thought the show was continuing." You like his answer, don't you? I knew it.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Is it possible that Lost's ...

Question: Is it possible that Lost's Libby is not a doctor, but a ********** ****.Answer: That's what I'm hearing, yes.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Hey Ausiello! Has Shawn Ryan ...

Question: Hey Ausiello! Has Shawn Ryan confirmed yet that this season of The Shield will be the last? Answer: Nope. Chatted with him about that at press tour and he said he's holding off on making a decision until the first half of the season wraps this spring. BTW, something bad is going to happen to Claudette (CCH Pounder) in Episode 7.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

I believe the December bet ...

Question: I believe the December bet required much more Lost scoop than we got. Dig a little deeper, Mikey! We're depending on you! Answer: I'm doing the best I can! Here's a little teaser ABC sent out about the Feb. 8 episode, titled "The Long Con." "Survivors fear that 'The Others' may have returned when Sun is injured during a failed kidnapping attempt. Meanwhile, Sawyer is an amused but highly interested bystander when tension escalates between Jack, Locke, Kate and Ana Lucia."

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Kevin Smith. Joss Whedon. ...

Question: Kevin Smith. Joss Whedon. Lucy Lawless. Michael Ausiello. Just look at the company of guest stars you are in at Veronica Mars — I'm proud of you! How'd it go on Friday? And which was the better "guesting" experience: Veronica or Gilmore? Answer: Please don’t make me choose. OK, Veronica Mars wins — but only because they gave me (pause for dramatic effect) my very own trailer! I. Kid. You. Not. In case you live under a really big, soundproof rock, I landed on Mars' San Diego set Friday morning to tape my role as "Blushing Guy" in Episode 15, airing Feb. 22. (It's all part of my bid to take over the world a big behind-the-scenes feature coming up in TV Guide magazine and on TVGuide.com.) Who the heck is Blushing Guy, you ask? He's a pivotal character who finds himself pulled into a bachelorette party being thrown for (spoiler alert) the sister

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

How about a Kathryn Morris ...

Question: How about a Kathryn Morris interview featuring some Cold Case scoop? Answer: Done and done. At CBS' press-tour party, Ms. Morris confided that the old flame of Lilly's who was hinted at in the Jan. 8 episode will soon show up in the flesh and look a lot like Strong Medicine's Brennan Elliot. "You're going to see a different side to Lilly that you didn't expect," she said. Also, in Episode 16, Lilly will face off against a serial killer who "knows a lot about the George thing." I'm gonna take a leap of faith here and assume you Cold Casers know who this George fella is. If so, please share with the rest of us.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Can you please tell us ...

Question: Can you please tell us something — anything — about Grey's Anatomy's Super Bowl episode? Answer: During the aforementioned press-tour session, ABC screened a short clip of the Super installment that showed the interns freaking out after Seattle Grace goes into a "code black" panic. What's a code black, you ask? Per Shonda Rhimes, it's "bad and it's black and it's a code." What's a code black, really? Per my Grey's mole medical encyclopedia, a code black occurs when (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT) someone enters a hospital with a bomb strapped to their chest.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

How was your nap (Ask ...

Question: How was your nap (Ask Ausiello 1/18)? Answer: Funny story: It never happened. Damn press tour.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

The video clip that was ...

Question: The video clip that was released early this week of Smallville's 100th episode reveals that Lana is in a car accident. And WB has already confirmed that "a fatal car accident takes the life of someone Clark loves." Did they just decide to give it all away before Thursday's episode? Answer: You're not getting anything out of me… except this: Watch the episode because it's one of the best hours of TV this season — and I'm not even a big Smallville fan.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Please give me the scoop on ...

Question: Please give me the scoop on Entourage's third season.  Answer: Can this wait two days? Because I'll have a ton of scoop on Ari and Co. in my (wait for it… wait for it… ) new weekly TVGuide.com column, The Ausiello Report!!! Launching Friday, TAR will feature a mix of breaking news, profiles, Q&As and some repurposed material from my similarly titled mag column. Short-story-short: I'll be coming to you twice a week! Now help me celebrate by going to the TV Guide Store and buying something with the word "Ausiello" on it!

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Please tell me that the CW ...

Question: Please tell me that the CW (the new combined network of WB and UPN) will keep Veronica Mars alive one more season. Answer: You know that whole Gilmore Girls-Veronica Mars Tuesday block I hinted at earlier? Well, I just e-mailed the idea to Rob Thomas and he wrote back, "That's the exact pitch my agent gave." (And Matt Roush, too!) Great minds… anyway, I truly believe in my heart that Mars will be back next year. In fact, UPN prez Dawn Ostroff — who will serve as president of CW when it launches next fall — was very optimistic about the show's future when I spoke to her last week at press tour. "We really love the show. And the show's doing better this year than it was last year, so that's a big plus. I feel very hopeful. I can't say it'll definitely [be back], but we love the show and we're doing everythi

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Any truth to the rumors of a ...

Question: Any truth to the rumors of a possible Rob Lowe appearance in the West Wing finale? Answer: John Wells confirmed that an offer is out to him, so the proverbial ball is in his court.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Please find out what's going ...

Question: Please find out what's going to happen to my favorite WB and UPN shows (Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Everwood) now that WB and UPN are combining to form a new network! Answer: Huh? I think someone's pulling your leg.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Please find out what's going ...

Your film critics, Maitland ...

Question: Your film critics, Maitland and Ken, recently posted their picks for the Top 10 movies of 2005. What are yours? Answer: I'd thought you'd never ask. Here they are in alphabetical order:Batman BeginsBrokeback MountainCinderella ManCrashIn Her ShoesKing KongMarch of the PenguinsMunichWar of the WorldsWedding Crashers

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

What is the point of Ask ...

Question: What is the point of Ask Ausiello? It's a waste of Web space. Give me Ask Matt and Ask the Televisionary any day over this joke of a column! Answer: Geez, Debbie, you're such a downer. And that concludes the joke portion of this week's AA.

Wed, Jan 25, 2006

Wed, Jan 25, 2006