Question: Holy crap! After reading your response to my last question about the Veronica Mars mystery, it took me about five minutes to figure out what you meant. Then, with an enormous gasp, I realized that Logan is on the newspaper and should have been on the bus for the field trip!Answer: It's not Logan I was thinking about. After last week's episode, I think it's becoming very clear who the killer(s) was targeting.
Question: I like to use "poop" instead of "scoop." Example: "What's the latest poop on Lost?" If anything, it's a heck of a lot better than "prattle."Answer: I'm game if you are. Poop, there it is!
Question: Your breakdown of hidden stuff in the first two episodes of Lost was amazing. While I caught some of it, I realized I missed a lot, too. With that in mind, can you tell me where I can find a website that details the hidden stuff from every episode?Answer: Erin wrote in suggesting I "totally pimp" her friend's site because "he has all the good Easter egg sightings." Speaking of cool Lost sites, have you seen dharmaindustries.com? Repeat after me, folks: "This show is out of control!"
Question: Why do the networks send you promotional stuff? Do they really think the stuff will influence you?Answer: I'm sure they hope it'll influence me, but I'm way too ethical to fall for that kind of thing. Case in point: NBC recently sent me a ThighMaster to promote The Biggest Loser and, well, you don't see me plugging that show, do you?
Question: Please give us something new on 24! Is Michelle really going to die in the first two episodes?Answer: (SPOILER ALERT) If you read Matt Mitovich's Q&A with Kim Raver, you can pretty much figure out that Audrey will be back at CTU this season, since she gushed about working with new cast member Sean Astin. (Astin's character is employed by CTU.) And as I said last week, I'm tabling any further discussion of Michelle until after the season premiere in January.
Question: I love Veronica Mars, but what was up with that gratuitous shot of Charisma Carpenter in the bikini?Answer: As Jason Dohring told me at the Emmys, "I think that was [exec producer] Joel Silver's doing." He's a billionaire for a reason.
Question: Don't even tell me that you spoke to J.J. Abrams at the Emmys and didn't ask him for scoop on Keri Russell in Mission: Impossible 3. 'Cause I don't want to hear that.Answer: Simmer down, Valerie, er, Diego. Of course I asked J.J. how my girl is faring opposite that scary Tom Cruise fellow; I was just holding it back a few weeks to ensure it got the attention it so richly deserved. Here's what he said: (MAJOR PIDDLE ALERT): "[Her performance] defies description. I'm not kidding. She is so intense and tough and vulnerable and sexy and funny… it's like taking Felicity and mixing her with some kind of explosive, and that's what she is. She is unbelievable. I feel like I have the biggest secret in the world. I cannot wait fo
Question: Sorry I missed your book signing, but I decided to use my Paul McCartney tickets instead.Answer: It's not my fault that your priorities are all out of whack. Let me ask you this: Did Paul give you pink panties? Or a House DVD inside a blood bag? Or how about an oversize Ask Ausiello T-shirt? Huh? Did he?!?! But I'm not bitter. Really. I mean, the line was out the door!
Question: Anything on The Shield?Answer: Forest Whitaker's deal almost fell through because, rumor has it, he was asking for "Glenn Close-type money." In related news, I want his agent. And if he's too busy, I'll take, um, er, any agent I can get.
Question: Let me get this straight: Most of the original cast members of The West Wing will be leaving after half of the season?Answer: No, most of the original cast members will be in roughly half the episodes, spread out over the entire season.
Question: First of all, your Joss Whedon interview was fantastic! And since you're clearly such an insider, I was hoping you could give me some hope about the future of my favorite new show of the season, Threshold. Its near-total lack of buzz is making me very nervous.Answer: Let the buzz start here: Threshold is fast becoming appointment TV for me. I wasn't a big fan of the pilot, but somewhere in the last two episodes I became hooked. And here’s a little prattle (see?!?!?!?): A member of Threshold (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT) will be killed in the Oct. 21 episode, per Molly's orders.
Question: I know it's not your favorite, but any word on how Chad and Sophia's breakup is gonna affect One Tree Hill?Answer: Let's just say the situation is, um, challenging for all concerned. I dispatched a probe droid to Wilmington, N.C., to capture all awkward moments on tape. We should have that streaming video for you shortly.
Question: You said Michael Vartan was not going to get killed off Alias! So, how come I watched Vaughn's funeral last week? I feel so betrayed!Answer: I said no such thing. Go back and reread my dispatch in AA and then apologize.
Question: DH spoilers?Answer: (SPOILER ALERT) We'll finally get a glimpse of that restless man-beast in Alfre Woodard's basement next month.
Question: So there's a rumor going around that Sarah Drew (Hannah) is leaving Everwood. True, or are the pesky producers just toying with us?Answer: (SPOILER ALERT) It's true that a forthcoming personal tragedy will get Hannah thinking about bolting Everwood, but I doubt she'll actually follow through on it. She better not follow through on it.
Question: Is Sark ever going to return to Alias? I need to know!Answer: Yes, he will definitely be back this season. The timing is TBD.
Question: Is Alias planning on bringing Mia Maestro back at all this season? I figured they would be able to cure Nadia as quickly as they cured Jack last season.Answer: I'm going to let exec producer Jeff Pinkner take this one: "Jack's illness and Nadia's illness are apples and oranges. Coming into the season, Sloane's agenda is to find a cure for his daughter. The question for Sloane is, how far will he go to cure her? You will definitely be seeing Nadia this season, but ultimately, it will be up to Sloane how often we see her and in what condition." Hey, that's some major-ass prattle! (And with that, I rest my case.)
Question: Everyone's talking about how the shark on last week's Lost had a symbol "tattooed" on its tail. But when I watched it, I didn't see a dang thing. What else have I missed?Answer: Grab a pencil and some paper and let AA's exclusive, Season 2, time-stamped (sans commercial time) Easter egg review begin! Episode 1 2 minutes: The prescription number on the vials of medicine Desmond takes is a set of Hurley's numbers. 11 minutes: Walt's message to Shannon, when played backward, is either "Don't press the button, the button's bad" or "Press the button, no button's bad." 35 minutes: Jack finds a mural on the hatch wall that may contain some clues. There's a sketch of a woman, the word "Sick" scrawled out and the following numbers: 42, 108 and 10W. Episode 2 8 minutes: Locke studies a logo on a fuse box ne
Question: How many of these questions/e-mails do you have to sift through every week? Just curious.Answer: I'm not allowed to release raw numbers, but let's just say I spend about five hours every week going through my feedback box. And if anyone reading this has the power to fire me, that's five hours of my own time.
Question: Do you have any scoop on Grey's Anatomy, oh mighty spoiler god?Answer: (SPOILER ALERT) We're going to meet Cristina's mother in the Oct. 16 episode, and I hear it's going to be a very unhappy reunion.
Question: Is Warrick on CSI married? I think I saw a wedding ring and marriage was alluded to in one of the new episodes.Answer: Yes, and we're actually going to (SPOILER ALERT) meet his new bride very soon.
Question: What was with all the abuse directed at you last week (Ask Ausiello 9/28)? I think people who have no sense of humor should be banned from the gene pool and your column. I still love you, even though you never mention Bones and seldom mention How I Met Your Mother!Answer: Just for that, here's some Bones prattle (see!?!?!?!): When the show returns from its baseball-imposed hiatus next month, we'll learn that (SPOILER ALERT) Booth (David Boreanaz) has a 3-year-old son and a gambling problem. And look for the sexual tension between Scully and Mulder Booth and Boone to veer off the charts when Booth's g-friend considers moving in with him.