michael.ausiello

Friends Co-Star Dishes and Tells

Jennifer Aniston's rep for being one of Hollywood's sweetest, most down-to-earth actresses apparently is no joke. According to Eddie McClintock, who appears in tonight's one-hour Friends season finale as Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) new flame, not even childbirth can turn Mrs. Brad Pitt into a brat. "She really went out of her way to be nice to me," he tells TV Guide Online. "Even though we didn't work together, she made a point of coming over and saying 'Hi.' She'd actually say, 'Hi Eddie,' which was a big thing because that means she remembers. She took time enough to remember my name instead of just, 'Oh, there's that gu

Thu, May 16, 2002

Felicity Star Robbed!

In the two years she spent on the WB's soon-to-be-expelled college drama Felicity, Amy Jo Johnson weathered her fair share of angst. But last Thursday, the 31-year-old actress-singer got a real-life anxiety attack when she discovered a burglar in her Manhattan pad. "I woke up and found a huge man staring at me above my bed," she recalls to TV Guide Online. "I ran out the door and got a cop." By the time they returned, however, the thief had already made off with her laptop computer. "It's just annoying more than anything. I'm really happy that I'm okay and he wasn't here to hurt me, [but] it's very inconvenient." Indeed, the intruder couldn't have picked a worse time to disrupt Johnson's life: Less than 24 hours later, the erstwhile Power Ranger was slated to debut as rock icon

Wed, May 15, 2002

Do You Know Unfaithful's Big Secret?

If you have the impression that Unfaithful is just another run-of-the-mill infidelity flick straight off the assembly line, you're in for a rude awakening  at least according to Richard Gere. "I don't feel that it's simply a story about an affair," insists the actor, whose character gets two-timed by Diane Lane in the film. "There is a thriller element to this  there are surprises. There are moments where the audience will go, 'Oh my God.'" Among the bombshells moviegoers may not see coming: Lane's remarkably subtle performance  which insiders are already predicting will earn her an Oscar nomination. Unfaithful marks Gere's second collaboration with the 37-year-old actress; the two co-starred in 1984's The Cotton Club. "What

Fri, May 10, 2002

Meet Unfaithful's Dark Prince

French heartthrob Olivier Martinez insists that there is a line he won't cross when it comes to shagging on the big screen. Of course, you might have a hard time believing that after seeing him and Diane Lane go at it behind Richard Gere's back in Unfaithful (opening nationwide Friday). "I know it's not a French tradition, but I'm an actor who doesn't appear naked [in films]," the 36-year-old dreamboat confesses. "I don't play naked. I'm shy. Sometimes we're actors, but we're also human beings, and different personalities have different behaviors." Ironically, Martinez had no problem with an Unfaithful scene that called for his character to seduce Lane's suburban housewife in the hallway of his apartm

Thu, May 9, 2002

Survivor Role Reversal

Survivor: Marquesas's latest casualty, Tammy Leitner, has had plenty of experience dealing with media frenzies. As an award-winning crime reporter, the 29-year-old Arizona resident has covered everything from the arrest of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano to Hillary Clinton's Senate run. But now it's Leitner who's making news, and she's the first to admit, it's a whole different story. "It's weird being on the other side, being the focus of the story rather than writing [it]," she tells TV Guide Online. "But I think this can only help me in my journalism career, because you really get to see what it's like to be battered with questions and put through the ringer." Sounds to us like someone's been getting off easy...

Wed, May 8, 2002

Diane Lane: Sexpot?

At the box office this weekend, Adrian Lyne's latest cautionary tale, Unfaithful, very well could squash Spider-Man  provided that sex indeed does sell. More than once, the frisky film, in which Richard Gere's wife Diane Lane says oui to an affair with French hunk Olivier Martinez, is sure to make audiences blush and squirm in their seats. "And this is the tame version," Lane says with a laugh. "This is the edited version." To help prepare his stars for the explicit canoodling, Lyne convened a special sex summit at which he screen

Wed, May 8, 2002

Can James Cameron Save Dark Angel?

Turns out, Hollywood budget-buster James Cameron can do more with less. The Oscar winner  who spent $200 million to make Titanic  managed to shoot tonight's 90-minute Dark Angel season finale for a measly $3 million. "So, theoretically," he jokes to TV Guide Online, "I should be able to make a [two-hour] movie for about $5.5 million." Of course, features and episodics are two very different beasts  as Cameron quickly learned. "I think we did 116 set-ups in one day... those are nutso numbers," he marvels. "The most set-ups I've ever done in my life before that was probably 40. But I think some of the lessons I learned will be valuable from a filmmaking standpoint. "On TV, you have to figure out the things yo

Fri, May 3, 2002

Debra Messing: Will Without Grace?

Accompanied by enough fanfare to make Just Jack blush, NBC recently announced that it had renewed its Must-See Thursday-night smash Will &amp; Grace for a staggering three more years  through its seventh season. What the Peacock Network failed to mention, however, is that the $300-million pact doesn't extend to all of the sitcom's stars. "It's a completely separate deal [from our individual contracts]," Debra Messing confirms to TV Guide Online. "I haven't talked to anybody else in the cast about it, but I'm signed on for two more years, and the show's been picked up for three." Messing admits that she has yet to decide what she'll do when her contract expires in 2004. "I take it year to year. I have two more years left, and that's a long time," she says. "I feel that, up until this point, the show's writing has been consistent and fun

Thu, May 2, 2002

Jolie's It Guy Kisses and Tells!

Regrettably, Christian Kane's favorite moment with Angelina Jolie in the just-released romantic comedy Life or Something Like It didn't make it on the final reel. "We had one small kissing scene that got cut out of the movie," the 27-year-old actor laments to TV Guide Online. "I'm pretty pissed  and you can quote me on that!" So, are Jolie's lips as luscious as they appear? "I don't want to talk too much about the kiss, because it wasn't that big [a deal]," he says, "but [her lips] are even better in person." In Life, Kane  best known as David Boreanaz's onetime nemesis on Angel  plays Cal Cooper, a second baseman fo

Tue, Apr 30, 2002

Noah Wyle: ER's New Top Doc

It took eight years, but Noah Wyle is on the verge of becoming ER's new chief of staff. With Anthony Edwards checking out on May 9, Wyle soon will be the show's longest-running cast member. "I've been very curious to see what it will be like to carry the show the way Tony's been carrying it for [eight] years," the 30-year-old tells TV Guide Online. "To find myself having incrementally climbed up the call sheet and now arriving at the number-one spot... I'm very excited at the challenge of being at the center of the ensemble that I've given a third of my life to." Contractually, Wyle is committed to ER for two more years  through the show's tenth season. After that, he'll most likely look to be discharged. "There's something nice about ten years in my head. It's a nic

Thu, Apr 25, 2002

Survivor's Gay Villain Speaks!

When it comes to playing the game of Survivor, it pays to be gay  at least according to recently outed, er, ousted Marquesas contestant John Carroll. The 36-year-old Nebraska native  whose ruthless tactics reminded us of another egomaniacal non-hetero, original Survivor champ Richard Hatch  believes it's no small coincidence that some of the show's most memorable (and successful) participants have been men who love men. "To be honest, my intention was not to lie, but I was in the closet for 21 years," he tells TV Guide Online. "When you are gay, you learn to have facades. So, I think manipulation is inherently a defense mechanism for many gay people." Well, unlike Hatch, Carroll's Jekyll and Hyde routine did not sit well with the majority of his tribemates  leading to his ejection at the end of last Thursday's episod

Wed, Apr 24, 2002

Eminem Shocks Mariel Hemingway

Poor Eminem has another enemy: Mariel Hemingway. The 40-year-old actress  who plays Tipper Gore in the VH1 record-content labeling satire Warning: Parental Advisory  experienced a case of sticker shock herself when she first heard the erstwhile Marshall Mathers's controversial single "Stan," in which the foul-mouthed rapper sings about putting his pregnant girlfriend into the trunk of his car before driving it off a bridge. "I was listening to it with my 11-year-old daughter and I was pretty shocked  and she was scared," Hemingway tells TV Guide Online. "It made me go, 'Oh, these labels are there for a reason.' I obviously didn't pay attention to it. So, we took it back [to the store] and it was fine." The experience probably helped Hemingway relate to Gore, whose mid-1980s crusade against filthy rock lyrics inspired Warning (which

Thu, Apr 18, 2002

Wedding Bells for Felicity Star?

Despite rumors, Felicity star Tangi Miller has no plans to transfer to Angel once her college drama ends its four-year run next month on the WB. Of course, that could change should her real-life beau, Angel regular J. August Richards, someday quit. "It would be weird," Miller says of mixing business and pleasure with Richards. "That would probably be too intense. It's hard enough as it is. Could you imagine? Having a fight at home and then you have to be together on set? Oh God, hell no. "I'd love to be in a movie with him," she adds, "but that would just be for a short time." Miller also is setting the record straight about talk that she and Richards may take the plunge in the not-too-distant future: They're not. "He's definitely a prospect but we're just tak

Wed, Apr 17, 2002

Crouching Tiger Redux?

Fans of Ang Lee's martial arts fantasy Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are flying high with anticipation over The Touch, an upcoming Miramax film teaming Tiger badass Michelle Yeoh with director Peter Pau  the cinematographer behind the Oscar-winning epic. However, co-star Ben Chaplin  who plays Yeoh's love interest  tells TV Guide Online that although Touch is being billed as a martial arts romance, it's not a Tiger clone. "It's a very different film," he says. "I mean, there will be quite a lot of action sequences, b

Thu, Apr 11, 2002

Sandra Bullock's CSI Gig!

In researching her role as a homicide detective in the new thriller Murder by Numbers, Sandra Bullock did not consult the country's most popular authority on the subject: CBS's top-rated forensics drama CSI. "I haven't watched CSI," she admits to TV Guide Online. "I like the real-life stuff, like on Discovery and The Learning Channel... and Cops. Give me the real gore. And if [those shows] are not on, then you go to the other shows that [feature] actors." In Murder by Numbers  which opens April 19  Bullock's character is caught in a cat-and-mouse game with two high school killers. Did Miss Congeniality get squeamish having to sift through all the evidence (i.e., blood, guts, puke,

Wed, Apr 10, 2002

Party's Over for Neve Campbell

One thing you can say about Neve Campbell: She doesn't scare easily. Not only did the 28-year-old actress survive three Scream films, but she also endured the final, dreadful seasons of Party of Five. Her latest act of bravery? Working opposite Oscar winner Jeremy Irons in the upcoming Showtime flick Last Call. "I was a little intimidated going in because he was somebody that I admired for a long time," she tells TV Guide Online. "But we really hit it off and we had a good energy together. He's such a talented guy and a sweetheart as well, so it was a great experience." Last Call  which premieres on May 26  chronicles the final months in the life of author

Mon, Apr 8, 2002

Dwight Yoakam: Evildoer Extraordinaire

Judging by his loathsome turns in 1996's Sling Blade and the current box-office smash Panic Room, Dwight Yoakam seems to have this whole thug routine down pat. Still, the country singer-turned-actor admits he doesn't really get why Hollywood continues to peg him as Public Enemy No. 1. "It's ironic, because if you interviewed anybody that grew up with me, [they'd say I would be] the last person to play the bad guy in movies," the 45-year-old Honky Tonk Man says. "It just wouldn't happen. "Maybe it's because of that," he adds. "Maybe it's because... I wasn't subjected to that kind of behavior at home. Maybe if you're too close to it you wouldn't be able to play it." In Panic Room, Yoakam portrays a vicious burglar terrorizing

Thu, Apr 4, 2002

Ashley Judd's Secret Life

Liza Minnelli, listen up! Ashley Judd has discovered a way to keep her marriage to racecar driver Dario Franchitti private: She's refusing to talk about it! While promoting her new thriller, High Crimes (opening Friday), the 33-year-old actress  who wed the speed demon last December in a super hush-hush ceremony  is giving the media precious few details about life in the Franchitti-Judd household. "I enjoy being married," she says. "We feel very blessed and we're having a great time." Why all the mystery? "My husband and I have very public spheres in which we participate," Judd explains, "and we feel like we give a lot of ourselves in those areas  he obvi

Wed, Apr 3, 2002

Paul Reiser: Mad About a New Series?

It's been three years since Mad About You went off the air, yet Paul Reiser confesses to TV Guide Online that he's not in any hurry to jump back into another weekly TV gig. "I'm not hungry to do that right now," says the 46-year-old actor, who spent seven years as the producer and star of the NBC sitcom. "I'm having more fun picking and choosing things that don't involve an extended commitment. It's been fun, taking it easy and doing things at a more sane pace." Reiser's new laid-back career strategy was apparently music to the ears of Showtime execs, who cast him in two different movie projects: The family drama Strange Relations and the romantic comedy Women vs. Men. Relations, which premiered Sunday and is being rebroadcast Thursday at 8 pm/ET, finds the erstwhile Paul Buckman playing a shrink who is diagnosed with cancer.

Tue, Apr 2, 2002

Jodie Foster's Plum Role

Jodie Foster is so over Russell Crowe. Back in September 2000, Foster was all set to direct the Beautiful Mind troublemaker in the trapeze romance Flora Plum, when he sustained a shoulder injury during rehearsals. Crowe was forced to drop out, leaving Foster  and the film's star, Claire Danes  breathing fire. Now, nearly two years later, Foster appears ready to rejoin the circus, but she's looking for a new freak. "[Russell's role] will be recast," reveals the two-time Oscar winner. "He cannot put his arm up, let alone put any weight on it, for a year. So, he's definitely not in the picture. "Times have changed," she adds. "Russell has gone on to do other things, and he's not necessarily &#1

Fri, Mar 29, 2002

Survivor's Sarah: Did She or Didn't She?

Survivor: Marquesas's buxom castoff Sarah Jones wants to get something off her chest concerning the authenticity of her breasts: They are most definitely hers  and she has the receipt to prove it! The 23-year-old cocktail waitress can thank fellow contestant Vecepia Towery for leaking news of her boob job to the masses: In the first episode, Towery cracked: "Sarah has a very cute body. She paid a lot for it." Towery's sound bite was reprinted everywhere  including in TV Guide magazine. "The part that everybody left out was when she then said, 'Well, if you've got it, flaunt it,'" Jones groans to TV Guide Online, before adding, "I took her comment as a compliment. I didn't take it as derogatory." So, how did Towery uncover Jones's not-so-little secret  aside from, um, taking a lucky guess? "She had asked me earlier if my boobs were real and I said

Thu, Mar 28, 2002

Remembering TV's Uncle Miltie

You think NBC's current Thursday night lineup is Must-See TV? Well, you clearly weren't around from 1948-1953, when Milton Berle's NBC variety hour Texaco Star Theater owned Tuesday nights. How popular was his outrageous shtick? When the city of Detroit investigated why water levels dropped dramatically at 9 pm on Tuesdays, they discovered that people waited until Texaco concluded to go to the bathroom. Store owners across America put up signs that read: "Closed tonight to watch Milton Berle." And Texaco was the only show not dropped to make room for coverage of Harry S. Truman's upset victory over Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 presidential election. However, the biggest indication of Berle's phenomenal appeal is in this little factoid: When Texaco debuted in 1948, there were 500,000 TV sets in the U.S. When the show ended in 1953, there were 26 million.

Thu, Mar 28, 2002