michael.ausiello

Have you heard any news about ...

Question: Have you heard any news about Reunion? Are they going to finish this season to reveal who the killer is?Answer: I'm guessing no, since Peter Liguori pretty much ID'd Sam's daughter as the culprit in the middle of Tuesday's exec session. He added that it was "regrettable" that Reunion ended "before its time… I do wish there was a way to wrap it up, [but] Reunion was particularly cumbersome to try and provide an ending for the audience. To gap those additional 14, 15, 16 years was an incredibly complex path. And there was just no way to accelerate that time."

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

You said Aaron Sorkin may be ...

Question: You said Aaron Sorkin may be back to write one of the final West Wing episodes. Any word on this yet? And does that mean that this is definitely the show's final season? Answer: There's a West Wing session at press tour on Sunday, so I'm sure all of those questions will be answered at that time.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Just so that I have it ...

Question: Just so that I have it correct whilst praying to my shrine, is your name pronounced "OSSie-ello" or "OZZie-ello"? Answer: For the umpteenth time, it's Aussie-Yellow.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Crossing Jordan will reach ...

Question: Crossing Jordan will reach its 100th episode this season. Any scoop on what happens? Answer: I cornered Jill Hennessy at TV Guide's post-Golden Globes party (cosponsored with NBC and Focus Features) and, although she wasn't privy to 100th-episode prattle, she did tease an upcoming episode that's sure to have watercoolers bubbling. "There's a threesome kind of a scene with myself, Jerry O'Connell and Charles Mesure (J.D.), who plays Jordan's boyfriend now — although she's breaking up with him. But when you see [the scene], you'll understand after about five minutes what's really going on. It's a little deceptive." She also revealed that "Jordan actually tries to adopt a child, which is sort of strange for her character."

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Any scoop on Entourage for ...

Question: Any scoop on Entourage for next season? Answer: Eric and Sloane's relationship will get pretty serious in Season 3.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Any updates on the Spike ...

Question: Any updates on the Spike movie? Answer: I wasn't able to attend the WB exec session on Monday due to the Globes, so I did what any omnipresent being would do: I channeled the obligatory Spike movie question through one of my peers. "We'd love to do a Spike movie with Joss Whedon," replied network president David Janollari. "[But] he's currently working on Wonder Woman… and simply has not been available to us." OK, I've got a follow-up to that: Someone in the room ask him, "Isn't that what Tim Minear is for?" (Crickets) One more time: Will someone in the room please ask him, "Isn't that what Tim Minear is for?" (Crickets) Crikey, it appears I lost my connection.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Michael, why on god’s green ...

Question: Michael, why on god’s green Earth did you spend five minutes in bed with Gillian Anderson on Saturday? Answer: Man, news travels fast in this town. OK, while I can't divulge what Gillian and I discussed in bed (not yet, anyway), I can share with you some snippets from the Bleak House session she attended just prior to our rendezvous.  * On why she's been so reticent to do TV again: "After doing nine years of [The X-Files], I didn't want to do anything that involved going to a set and being in front of a camera for a while. And when I did start to want to do things, I wanted to focus more on film." * On why she fled Hollywood for London: "I find a large aspect of life in Hollywood unbelievably soul-decaying." * On whether or not she would have done The X-Files had she known ahead of time it would go on for nine years:

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

How are you?

Question: How are you? Answer: I'm zonked. Between Monday's Golden Globes and the ongoing press tour in Pasadena, Calif., I haven't slept a wink since Sunday. In fact, the only thing keeping me awake right now is this sugar-free Red Bull drip I'm hooked up to and the fact that my brain is so overstuffed with dish, dirt, prattle and poop, it'll explode if I don't start purging some of it. So, without further ado, let the scoopapalooza begin!

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

How are you?

Is it true that One Tree Hill ...

Question: Is it true that One Tree Hill is going to be canceled after its third season?Answer: Fingers crossed! No, seriously, I'd be really surprised if it's not back next season.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Any scoop on the last nine ...

Question: Any scoop on the last nine episodes of Prison Break? Answer: I don't think Fox has announced this yet, but Dominic Purcell told me on the Golden Globes red carpet that the show returns from hiatus on Mar. 20. And that's not all Lincoln's other half shared: "One inmate dies."

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Why would 24 kill off ...

Question: Why would 24 kill off Michelle? I'm never watching again unless they bring her back and say they had to pretend she was dead in order to protect her. Answer: "We ran out of story [for her]," says Howard Gordon. "She and Tony had been back and forth so many times and had finally settled on some happiness and, in true 24 fashion, the world of their jobs and of their work wind up turning a happily ever-after into a tragedy, which is, honestly, the only place for them to go." (BTW, I suspect there's no love lost between producers and Reiko Aylesworth. Just a gut feeling.)

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Why did Gilmore Girls cast ...

Question: Why did Gilmore Girls cast the same actress for two different roles twice? First, it was Marion Ross as Great Grandma Gilmore and cousin Marilyn, and now it's Sherilyn Fenn as Anna Nardini and Sasha, the girlfriend of Jess' dad. Why not cast someone new? Answer: Because it's Amy Sherman-Palladino's show and she'll do as she damn well pleases. "I love [Sherilyn] so much and I don't care," says AS-P. "One thing about the show is I just want the best people. I've just been looking constantly for a time to work with Sherilyn, and I'm getting very old and I could just get hit by a truck at any minute. I just simply can't put it off that long, so I'd just rather get her in and have her part of my world."

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

So can you give us some hints ...

Question: So can you give us some hints on what will happen on the final episode of Alias? Something we don't already know. Answer: Get this: I'm leaving TV Guide's Globes bash and who should I bump into but my favorite TV titan of all time, J.J. Abrams, who informs me that his wife gave birth to their third child, son August, seven days ago. (No, that's not the big news. Keep reading….) After congratulating him and gushing over his baby pics (shocker: he's cute!), I got down to business and asked him if there was any chance he might find the time in between editing Mission: Impossible 3 to write the series finale of Alias. His response nearly caused me to pass out. "Actually, [MI3] is almost done, so yeah, we're talking about it. And I might direct it, too." Hey, speaking of passing out, I think I'm due for a nap.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Michael, why on god’s green ...

Question: Michael, why on god’s green earth did you spend five minutes in bed with Gillian Anderson on Saturday? Answer: How the heck did you hear about that?!?! That was supposed to be a secret! Well, it's out there now so I may as well spill. Gillian was at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena for press tour Saturday promoting her Masterpiece Theatre miniseries Bleak House (premiering Sunday on PBS), and, following her press conference, I asked the PBS publicist if I could get five minutes one-on-one with her for a top-secret story I'm working on for TV Guide magazine. Well, not only did Gills say yes, but the rep asked if I would mind going to her room in a half hour to do it. Would I mind? Would I mind? Does a wild bear mind doing No. 2 in the woods? Cut to 29 minutes later: I knock on Gills' door, walk in and find her waiting for me (pause for

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Can you put some people at ...

Question: Can you put some people at ease by telling us if you're confident that Lana isn't the one dying in Smallville's 100th episode? Because the description of the episode says (spoiler alert!) someone will die in a crash, and a trailer shows Lana in a car crash.Answer: I'm going to withhold comment until after the episode airs on Jan. 26.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Here's a chance to really ...

Question: Here's a chance to really show your stuff, Mike. What's the one show you have some pretty major scoop on that no one has asked you about? I mean, I want something really weird, far-out and bizarre.Answer: UPN is developing a Girlfriends spin-off. How's that?

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Michael, I love your column ...

Question: Michael, I love your column so much that all I can say is, "Ah wish ah knew how to quit you!" Answer: Ain't nobody's business but ours.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

I heard a report that the ...

Question: I heard a report that the Scrubs set will be torn down next spring to make room for a retirement community. I was wondering if you could check with Bill Lawrence to see what this means for the show's future. Will Season 5 be the last, or will the show move to a new set? Answer: Are you referring to that huge billboard that was erected on the side of Scrubs' studio announcing the arrival of a senior living facility in 2006? Yeah, I got tipped off about that evil plot, too, and then immediately put on my Mars Investigations hat and did some digging. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to refer you to the new issue of TV Guide magazine — on sale tomorrow — to see what I turned up. (Loyal subscribers probably already have their issue — and thus, the answer — in hand. Hint, hint; nudge, nu

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Do you have any information ...

Question: Do you have any information about Arrested Development? Answer: The grapevine (and the current issue of Television Week) is telling me that Showtime recently sweetened the negotiations pot by offering to pick up Arrested for two — count 'em, two — seasons upfront. That's a lot better than the paltry 13-episode commitment ABC was prepared to make. Meanwhile, at press tour on Tuesday, Fox president Peter Liguori confirmed that it is "highly unlikely" that Arrested will live on at Fox (no, really?), although he said he's holding off on making a final decision until after the show's last four episodes air in February. "It is regrettable that we did not find the audience that that show deserved. But it's a [Twentieth] property, and if there is interest from other networks, it's the studio's right to put it up to bid."

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

I need dirt on Veronica Mars! ...

Question: I need dirt on Veronica Mars! This hiatus is killing me! Answer: Well, given the speed with which news travels in this town, you may have already heard that late last week I got confirmation that my much-hyped-by-me Mars guest appearance is a definite go. I'm due on the show's San Diego set at 8:30 am this Friday. (Stalker Alert: I'll be heading south on the 405 freeway from 6:30 to 8:30 am Friday. Wave if you see me.) And the best part? I have an actual role, not some measly extra thing. Here's the sitch: From what I understand, Veronica will be throwing a bachelorette party for a friend and I will be one of the few men in attendance. And something happens at the party between Veronica and myself that is so snot-shootingly funny I have to hold off on telling you for fear that I'll jinx it. After all, we don't want a repeat of that disastrous Felicity incident of yore.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

You mentioned a shooting on ...

Question: You mentioned a shooting on ER. When is that going to happen? Any hints on who gets shot and who the implicated shooter is? Answer: Think Madonna.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Do you have any new Charmed ...

Question: Do you have any new Charmed scoop? Answer: Victor Webster is joining the cast beginning with Episode 16. His character's name is Cupid and he'll play an "integral role in Phoebe's quest for true love." Additionally, Marne Patterson has been cast as Christy, Billie's sister who was taken 15 years ago by demons. Christy, as we'll discover, is every bit as powerful a witch as her younger sister.

Wed, Jan 18, 2006

Wed, Jan 18, 2006