michael.ausiello

Oscar Mysteries Solved!

The 76th annual Academy Awards may be history, but questions linger like sweat stains on Peter Jackson's tux. For instance, was Sandra Bullock really late to rehearsals? Who's Renee Zellweger's mysterious "beloved" and what is the Oscar winner's connection to Vincent D'Onofrio? Did ABC's censors have to utilize that five-second delay? And is Charlize Theron dating her lawyer? We'd also like to know what Marcia Gay Harden was hiding in that beehive 'do not of hers, but some things are best left up to the imagination. Everything else warrants an explanation. Who is Renee Zellweger's "beloved" John Carrabino, and why does she keep b

Tue, Mar 2, 2004

Apprentice Reject Mouths Off!

She dissed Carson Daly. Mangled Regis Philbin's moniker. And stabbed her fellow Versacorpers in the back by siding with the enemy. So, it came as no surprise when, on last Thursday's The Apprentice, 36-year-old stockbroker Tammy Lee found herself on the receiving end of a Donald Trump pink slip. Now, in an interview with TV Guide Online, the plucky Asian-American defends her controversial negotiation style, responds to The Donald's boardroom tongue-lashing and answers the question on everyone's mind: What the heck is Omarosa's damage? TV Guide Online: Why do you think you didn't gel with your teammates?Tammy Lee: I'm not afraid to be different and think outside the box. I take huge risks. And I don't think they were comfortable with the fact that I was a fun, zany business person. I'm al

Tue, Feb 24, 2004

Trump Previews Apprentice 2

Donald Trump recently sealed a deal with NBC for a second edition of his reality smash, The Apprentice. But questions loom: Will the show stay on Thursday nights next fall? Have we seen the last of Sam Solovey? Will the next batch of males get a chance to redeem their gender? Is a second-season makeover in the cards for the show's star-tycoon? Will The Donald agree to talk to TV Guide Online about all of the issues put forth in this introduction? Oh, that last one's easy — you betcha! TV Guide Online: Did you work it into the negotiations that The Apprentice remain on Thursdays next fall?Donald Trump: It's gonna stay in the same slot. TVGO: You have an assurance from [NBC entertainment president] Jeff Zucker about this?Trump: That's what they've told me. (An NBC rep tells TV Guide Online that no decision has been made about where and when The Apprentic

Mon, Feb 23, 2004

Idol's Incredible Shrinking Judge

There's something missing from American Idol this season — 90 pounds of something to be exact. No, we're not referring to Paula Abdul's suspicious sick-outs. We're talking about Randy Jackson's dramatic weight loss as a result of gastric-bypass surgery. TV Guide Online recently got an up close look at the newly svelte TV judge during his recent PR stop in New York City. Naturally, we used the opportunity to get the skinny on the dawg's sizeable makeover, as well as his take on Boobygate, Justin Guarini and a certain national treasure we like to call Scooter Girl.TV Guide Online: How has the stomach-shrinking surgery affected your eating habits?Randy Jackson: Pretty drastically, because there's only so much you can eat. If you eat too much, you get sick. If you eat too fast, you wind up throwing it up. There are certain foods that I can't eat anymore. Whatever food that I eat needs to be moist. And I have to chew it until it's just down t

Tue, Feb 17, 2004

O.C. Exec Defends Oliver

On tonight's episode of The O.C., the clich&eacute;d plot device commonly known as Oliver Trask makes a dramatic exit from the hit soap — and not a moment too soon. Fox's first-year dramedy flirted with some serious jump-the-shark territory with its introduction of the cookie-cutter villain, whose only purpose in life was to throw a kink in Marissa and Ryan's blossoming romance. It was a glaring misstep for a show that seems to pride itself on being the thinking person's 90210. To commemorate Oliver's hotly anticipated swan song, we rang up series creator (and recent Writers Guild of America Award nominee) Josh Schwartz to find out what the heck he was thinking. TV Guide Online: Dude, what were you thinking? Love the show. Hate Oliver. The guy's a cartoon.Josh Schwartz: That's fair. But I make the argument that his actions are coming from a place of lone

Wed, Feb 11, 2004

Golden Globe Questions Answered!

Some mysteries are best left unsolved. Take, for instance, the enigma that is Donald Trump's creepy coif. Other unexplained phenomena, however, warrant further investigation — especially when said perplexities occur at a major Hollywood shindig like the 61st annual Golden Globe Awards. Here's what left us scratching our comb-overs Sunday night... Is Tyra Banks appearing in Matt LeBlanc's spin-off, Joey? The Friends himbo and Victoria's Secret model made a head-turning pair as the presenters for best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy. But when the duo was introduced, it sure sounded like the announcer said Miss Tyra was going to star on Joey. Is she?"It's not true," says a Friends rep. Adds Banks' spokeswoman: "They said, 'The creator and executive producer of America's Next Top Model and from the upcoming NBC show Joey.' Because they said it quickly, it sounded as if she was doing both. But she's n

Tue, Jan 27, 2004

Frasier Finale Scoop!!

Now that the whole Frasier mystery has been solved — NBC finally confirmed Monday that the Emmy-winning comedy would end its 11-year run in May — we can all concentrate on more important things. Like, how will the show wrap things up? Will Frasier find true love with actress Laura Linney? Will Niles and Daphne get their own spin-off? And will Kelsey Grammer follow up his role of a lifetime by snagging Nathan Lane's on Broadway? Phew, that's a lot of questions. Luckily, TV Guide Online was on the show's Hollywood-based set for Monday's farewell press conference/luncheon to get all the scoop &#151 and then some. That's right, there's even more. Will Frasier at last get the girl — any girl?"It's possible," Grammer told reporters. "He's a terrific guy. And as he's mellowed through the years, I think he's a little bit easier to get along with." Ent

Tue, Jan 13, 2004

Emmy Buries Six Feet

Don't look for Six Feet Under to kill the competition when nominations for the 56th annual Prime-time Emmys are announced in July. The HBO drama, which led last year's Emmy derby with 16 nods, kicks off its fourth season in June — which is outside the Academy's eligibility period for 2004 honors. HBO's been in this situation before: Emmy also declared The Sopranos ineligible when its fourth season was delayed until Sept. 2002. While waiting two years for another Emmy fix may seem like a fate worse than death, SFU creator Alan Ball doesn't see it that way. "I don't really think about those things that much," he says. "I'm very fortunate in that the show has been so honored, so it becomes less important. It's always nice [to be recognized], but it's not the point... it's not the reason. [Besides], we'll be eligible next year." In the meantime, Ball is hard at work on the show's new season. Although tight-lipped about specifics, he d

Fri, Jan 9, 2004

Celebs Flock to Las Vegas

Is NBC's Las Vegas turning into a modern-day Love Boat? It would seem so, judging by the growing list of B- and C-list celebs checking into the Montecito. In recent months, singer Wayne Newton, magicians Penn and Teller and actress Mimi Rogers have all made cameos. And next week, Vegas hits the jackpot when Alec Baldwin and Brooks and Dunn pay a visit. "People are calling and approaching us," boasts exec producer Gary Scott Thompson. "It seems to be the fun show that everyone wants to be on or have something to do with." Illusionists Siegfried and Roy were booked to appear in a November sweeps episode, but Roy Horn's tiger attack forced Thompson to come up with a Plan B. "It was so Las Vegas," he says of the plot, which was shelved until February. "We're trying to find another [quintes

Tue, Jan 6, 2004

Who's That New Girl on 24?

When Mary Lynn Rajskub was cast on 24 as high-strung techie Chloe O'Brian, she scored more than just a cool TV gig  she landed a swift kick in the bootay. The comic genius  probably best known as Janeane Garofalo's successor on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show or Josh's girlfriend on Veronica's Closet  says the show's frenetic pacing has spilled over into her real life. "I try to act like my life is 24," she tells TV Guide Online. "I'm like, 'What's going on?!' And in my head I separate things into little boxes. It's been good for my life because I was very lethargic before. I'm really getting s--t done right now." The serial thriller has given her career a shot of adrenaline, too. Despite steady employment, Rajskub (pronounced RAY-skub) has skirted mainstream success with bit

Fri, Dec 12, 2003

Who's That New Girl on 24?

When Mary Lynn Rajskub was cast on 24 as high-strung techie Chloe O'Brian, she scored more than just a cool TV gig  she landed a swift kick in the bootay. The comic genius  probably best known as Janeane Garofalo's successor on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show  says the show's frenetic pacing has spilled over into her real life. "I try to act like my life is 24," she tells TV Guide Online. "I'm like, 'What's going on?!' And in my head I separate things into little boxes. It's been good for my life because I was very lethargic before. I'm really getting s--t done right now." The serial thriller has given her career a shot of adrenaline, too. Despite steady employment, Rajskub (pronounced RAY-skub) has skirted mainstream success with bit parts in such films as Road Trip, Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde 2. Her role as Adam Sandler's sister in Punch Drunk Love got the a

Fri, Dec 12, 2003

Will Firefly: The Movie Take Flight?

It looks like that big-screen Firefly movie has been temporarily grounded. In September it was announced that Joss Whedon had struck a deal with Universal to turn his short-lived Fox series into a feature film, with shooting expected to begin in early '04. But in an interview with TV Guide Online, the acclaimed Buffy auteur hints that the much-talked-about venture has not in fact been cleared for takeoff. "I have interest, I have hope, but I have no news," says Whedon. "I can't really talk about it. When there is news, I will [tell you]. But if I start talking about it before there is [anything definitive to say], it lessens the chance that [it will get made]." (Calls to Universal were not returned.) This much Whedon can say: Any Firefly flick would be accessible to fan

Tue, Dec 9, 2003

Tori Spelling Goes Bad

Tori Spelling jokes are so yesterday. Sure, she was given her big break by her father  uberproducer Aaron Spelling  on Beverly Hills, 90210, but that was, like, 14 years ago. Since then, the actress, 30, has paid her dues in independent films and on stage, and has made enough TV movies to earn her a Lifetime (Television for Women) Achievement Award  all on her own. Next up, the notorious good girl goes bad as a female Scrooge in the Hallmark Channel's holiday entry, A Carol Christmas (airing Sunday at 8 pm/ET). And you can bet that Pops had nothing to do with getting Tori this interview.TV Guide Online: What's a good Jewish girl like you doing starring in a Christmas movie? Tori Spelling: (Laughs) I know. My friends were like, "Do they know you're Jewish?"

Mon, Dec 1, 2003

Carnivale's Future Foretold

It looks like HBO wants to get on Management's good side: The cabler is thisclose to renewing its deliriously addictive  yet modestly rated  Depression-era freak show Carnivale for a second season. "Barring disaster, which means the ratings falling off a cliff, we should be getting a pick-up [any day now]," exec producer Daniel Knauf tells TV Guide Online. "We have every expectation that we will be back." Not bad for a series many in the media were quick to dub a disappointment. After a strong start, Carnivale's ratings tapered off, a development insiders blamed on the drama's slow pacing and increasingly complex mythology. But in terms of Internet traffic, Carnivale is nothing short of a phenomenon. Viewers have been jamming the show's official site at HBO.com in record numbers, picking apart everything from Ben's creepy dreams to whether Management is a He or a She. And the millions of fans who stuck by Samson and his ban

Fri, Nov 28, 2003

ER's Dead Doc Talking

Forget ripped from the headlines, Thursday's shocking ER was ripped straight from The Wizard of Oz. In case you missed it, a fiery helicopter was dropped on County General's very own Wicked Physician, Robert Romano  marking the one-armed medic's second (and presumably final) run-in with an angry chopper. But forgive us if we're not moved to join in a chorus of, "Ding dong the raging misogynist is dead." For as despicable as the rat bastard was, we'll miss his special brand of bad medicine. So, in honor of the doc's death, we rang up Romano's portrayer, Paul McCrane, for a quick postmortem.TV Guide Online: What's the deal with Romano and helicopters? Paul McCrane: (Laughs) Yeah, just call him Ahab [from Moby Dick]. [Helicopters are] like his white w

Mon, Nov 24, 2003

The Office Comes to America

The breakup of Coupling has done nothing to bolster optimism for The Office, the latest U.K. comedy hit to get Americanized by NBC. Slated to debut next fall, the U.S. branch is being headed by King of the Hill exec Greg Daniels. And although the show's original creator and star, Ricky Gervais (a.k.a. bossman David Brent), has agreed to play an "advisory and support" role, skeptics predict something's bound to get lost in the translation. TV Guide Online: The idea of an American Office scares us. Ricky Gervais: Yes, because you've seen the English version. And hopefully, there are 249 million Americans that haven't. TVGO: So, it's inevitable that Office fans will hate the U.S. version? Gervais: You're bound to be disappointed if you keep comparing it. I don't think they should be the same. And for as many nightmare stories of remakes, you have one that [worked]. I'm sure Americans d

Mon, Nov 10, 2003

Jessica Dreams of Jeannie

Big-screen versions of classic TV shows are all the rage in Hollywood right now. Nicole Kidman plans to play Samantha Stephens  the nose-twitchin' witch originated by Elizabeth Montgomery  in a Bewitched movie. And if Jessica Simpson gets her way, she'll be the one to fill Barbara Eden's sequined bra and harem pants for an I Dream of Jeannie flick. But will the pop tart's wish be granted? According to the Newlyweds star's manager-dad, Joe Simpson, yes. With Columbia Pictures moving forward on a film adaptation of Jeannie, Pop says, "she'd be one of their top contenders." And here's how sure the "Irresistible" vixen feels she's right for the part. Earlier this month, Simpson took a risk by making a very public plea to Sony on Larry King Live, tel

Wed, Oct 29, 2003

Bachelor Villainess Speaks!

Let's face it: A reality show is only as good as its bad girl. Imagine the first Joe Millionaire sans acid-tongued linguist Heidi. Or Paradise Hotel without Hulk Hogan's evil twin Toni. Or American Idol minus judge dreadful Paula Abdul. (Well, two outta three ain't bad.) The latest inductee into reality television's Hall of Shame on You, Girlfriend: Leeann from ABC's The Bachelor. Of course, like all the Must-See meanies who have come before her, the 25-year-old Georgia school teacher  who was rejected by Bob Guiney on last week's episode  insists she's not really diabolical, she was just edited that way on the show. So, what were we at TV Guide Online to do but give the Southern hellraiser the opportunity to tell her side of the story. And just in case Jenny was wond

Tue, Oct 28, 2003

Scott Foley's Scrubs Spoiler!

Scott Foley exits NBC's Scrubs next Thursday when his dolphin trainer character Sean accepts a plum research gig in Hawaii. But as the beloved Felicity grad reveals, that doesn't mean his on-screen romance with Sarah Chalke's Elliot will flatline. "We decide that we're going to try a long-distance relationship," he tells TV Guide Online. "At the last minute, Elliot says, 'We can do it! We can make it work!' It's really sweet." Still, the couple's long-term prognosis appears grim given that Foley is only signed on to do one more episode  tentatively scheduled for February. (He's currently appearing on Broadway in Richard Greenberg's morality tale The Violet Hour.) And despite rumors, Foley says there was never any talk of him coming on board as a permam

Fri, Oct 24, 2003

Fired Practice Star Returns!

So this is how David E. Kelley sleeps at night. Just months after pink-slipping ex-Practice aide Marla Sokoloff (as well as five of her colleagues), the prolific producer has hired back the actress. Sokoloff is joining the cast of Kelley's new CBS drama, The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire as Audrey, a local Mare Winningham's character Dotty recruits to sing at her new theater. "Dotty just takes a liking to her and convinces her to do some duets with her," says Sokoloff, who's on board for at least two episodes starting later this season. The role is a good fit for the 22-year-old, who moonlights as a singer. "It's so crazy, because I was always giving David my demo tapes when I was in my band [Smitten] and just praying he would let me

Wed, Oct 15, 2003

Idol Star Goes Gay for Pay

American Idol lullababe Tamyra Gray is going from thespian to lesbian. The Boston Public grad will play a sapphic singer who develops a crush on Rachel True's Mona character on the Nov. 3 episode of UPN's Half &amp; Half. The 24-year-old crooner admits she had some reservations about making her sitcom debut with such a "challenging" role. "In the beginning [I was a little apprehensive], but mostly because I didn't know the other actress, Rachel, who I was playing side-by-side with," she tells TV Guide Online. "But it's kind of lighthearted, so it wasn't so bad. It wasn't bad at all, actually; it was pretty easy." In the story, Mona tries to sign a hot new singer named Zora (Gray) to Delicious Records, but the hetero-leaning exec quickly realizes that the artist is sporting designs on more than just a lucrative album deal. "My character on Boston Public was a little shy," Gray says. "[Zora] is much more outgoing and

Fri, Oct 10, 2003

Gilmore Girls Becomes a Work of Art

Art imitates art this November on Gilmore Girls when the kooky residents of Stars Hollow decide to host their own version of the popular California-based Pageant of the Masters, in which living, breathing people re-create classic and contemporary paintings. "It's going to be our big town thing this season," says exec producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, who jokes that she's prepared to make up for any budget overruns by holding "a big Gilmore Girls car wash. Me and the staff are going to go out and wash [&#252berproducer] John Wells's car to raise money for Episode 7." Details of the special installment are still being finalized, but this much we know: Lorelai will bring to life a Renoir painting, while Kirk (Sean Gunn) takes on the daunting task of playing God. "He's going to be Jesus in the 'Last Supper,'" laughs Sherman-Palladino, "and he takes it very much to heart, to the point where maybe he and Judas aren'

Fri, Oct 3, 2003