michael.ausiello

Nagging Oscar Questions Answered!

Some Oscar questions defy explanation. For starters, did big-coiffed J.Lo think she was attending Barbarella's senior prom? And then there are those mysteries that can actually be solved. Here's what puzzled us most at Sunday's Academy Awards. Where did Will Smith disappear to? The Ali nominee  who was MIA during the presentation of the best actor category  was called home to deal with a family crisis. "His 16-month-old daughter Willow became ill and he had to take her to the hospital," Smith's rep, Stan Rosenfield, tells TV Guide Online. "She had a deep ear infection and came down with a high fever." Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith sli

Tue, Mar 26, 2002

Kylie Minogue's Moulin Rouge Fairy Tale

Long before "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reintroduced Kylie Minogue to America, the Australian disco belle was a superstar everywhere else in the world. So why on Earth didn't her compatriot, Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann, conjure up more hallucinations featuring the pop tart as the Green Fairy? Could he possibly have been working in the absence of absinthe? "I would have loved to have [given Minogue more screen time]," Luhrmann tells TV Guide Online, "and, actually, at one point, I was thinking that the Green Fairy might reappear. "But," he continues, "I had to be very disciplined about subjugating all of the decadence, if you like, in the interest of telling the story." Despite his firm resolve, the snubbed Oscar outcast

Tue, Mar 26, 2002

Backstage with the Oscar Winners!

It's not every day that Hollywood icon Robert Redford gets upstaged. But then again, the 74th annual Academy Awards wasn't your "everyday" Oscar ceremony. The honorary Oscar recipient was in the midst of fielding reporters' questions backstage when onstage Denzel Washington became the first African-American thesp in nearly four decades to win best lead actor. With the majority of the press under their headphones and glued to the monitors, Redford realized there was only one thing to do: He temporarily halted the Q&amp;A so he too could listen in. Pity the Oscar winner who was in Redford's place when Halle Berry was named best actress  the only African-American to ever

Mon, Mar 25, 2002

Ally Sheedy Gets Teed Off

Ever since Ally Sheedy shrugged off the onus of the Brat Pack, she has taken one creative leap after another, playing everything from a drug-addled lesbian in the sleeper High Art to a transsexual rocker in Off-Broadway's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Yet the Reagan-era teen queen may never have undertaken a role quite so alien to her as that of the 1960s housewife she plays in Just a Dream, the upcoming Showtime movie that marks Danny Glover's directorial debut. "It was different," the edgy actress admits to TV Guide Online. "I had to rein myself in and put on a wig. But it was Danny Glover, so I would've been a dog and barked. "[On the set], he just watches you and gives you all this positive feedback," she adds. "I was in love with hi

Fri, Mar 22, 2002

Ally Alum Pans Moulin Rouge

Not everyone in Hollywood is doing the can-can over Moulin Rouge. Leap of Faith star Lisa Edelstein  probably best known to TV audiences for her stereotype-shattering portrayal of a transgender person last season on Ally McBeal  confesses that she didn't get a kick out of Baz Luhrmann's Oscar-nominated musical. "I actually ended up leaving the theater. I got kind of bored," she admits TV Guide Online. "Cabaret is one of my favorite movies, and part of it has to do with the costumes and the choreography and the music. But Moulin Rouge [didn't feature] original music and none of the dance numbers were shot

Thu, Mar 21, 2002

Denis Leary's Oscar Picks

Denis Leary is breaking one of Hollywood's golden rules: He's going public with his 2002 Oscar picks. And not surprisingly, the foul-mouthed comic-turned-actor  who's among the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences's 5,700 voting members  sided mostly with the underdogs. In the acting categories, the star of ABC's The Job (airing tonight at 9:30 pm/ET) reveals to TV Guide Online that he "voted for [I Am Sam's] Sean Penn for best actor, [Monster's Ball's] Halle Berry for best actress, [In the Bedr

Wed, Mar 20, 2002

Survivor Bachelor's Rosie Gaffe

Ousted Survivor: Marquesas stud Hunter Ellis is probably regretting asking Rosie O'Donnell to give a shout-out to his mom on last Thursday's Rosie O'Donnell Show. Not only did she say hello, O'Donnell took it upon herself to invite Mrs. Ellis to join her 33-year-old bachelor son on an all-expenses-paid cruise to Alaska! Nothing says, "Iceberg, dead ahead!" like a week-long pleasure trip with your mother. "I talked to my mom [later that morning] and she goes, 'I want to know  is my name on the ticket?'" Ellis recalls to TV Guide Online with a chuckle. "She started laughing and then said, 'If you ditch me and take some girl...'" Although Ellis hasn't decided whether he'll throw Mama from the boat, the former Navy fighter pilot insists that if the old woman does end up tagging along, they won't be playing shufflebo

Tue, Mar 19, 2002

Ice Age's Ray of Light

Good thing for Ray Romano that everybody doesn't love James Earl Jones. The master orator was initially considered to supply the voice of Ice Age's wooly mammoth Manny, but ultimately, director Chris Wedge just couldn't warm up to the idea. "We needed more comedy," he tells TV Guide Online. That paved the way for the Everybody Loves Raymond star's eventual casting as the film's snow-bound hero. "It took a while to get to it, but it was really perfect once we thought of it," explains Wedge. "Ray's voice is kind of deep and his delivery is kind of slow, but he's also got a sarcastic wit behind it." How does Romano feel about trumping the erstwhile

Fri, Mar 15, 2002

John Leguizamo: Psychic?

John Leguizamo called it. During an interview with TV Guide Online last Friday, the actor-comedian was asked why he was skipping the Screen Actors Guild Awards (where he and his Moulin Rouge co-stars were up for best movie ensemble)  opting instead to stay in New York for the weekend premiere of his new animated flick, Ice Age. His response? "I love Moulin Rouge, but Gosford Park's going to [win]. That is the only real ensemble film." Sure enough, the cast of Robert Altman's acclaimed murder mystery did in fact walk off with SAG's top honor Sunday night. However, when it comes to the granddaddy of all kudofests  the

Thu, Mar 14, 2002

Tom Arnold on the Hot Seat

Things are looking up for Tom Arnold. Just two years ago, the comedian  whose marriage (and subsequent divorce) to onetime sitcom queen Roseanne earned him a place in the National Punchline Hall of Fame  was battling one helluva midlife crisis: His career was in the dumpster (check out Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th) and his personal life, a joke (Remember MarryTom.com?). Cut to 2002: Arnold has a steady gig (on Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period) and is in love again (with political consultant Shelby Roos). Even the public seems to be rooting for the erstwhile Jackie Thomas: A recent TV Guide Online poll found that only 5 percent of readers wanted to see Arnold follow Lance Bass into outer space. (Hey,

Tue, Mar 12, 2002

Falcon Crest Hunk Returns!

If you ask us, Friday nights have been a whole lot less intoxicating since 1990, when CBS put a cork in Falcon Crest, its sublime sudser about vindictive vintners and their whiny relatives. So, especially considering the multitude of other Reagan-era reunion projects that are fermenting (L.A. Law, The Cosby Show, for starters), why isn't the Eye Network drunk on the idea of unbottling vinegary Angela Channing and her clan of Chablis-swilling swine? According to William R. Moses, who played Maggie and Chase's son, perpetual pushover Cole Gioberti, it's a question he and a former co-star recently asked themselves. "Lorenzo Lamas and I spoke of it when we ran into each other in the Napa Valley, of all places," he tel

Mon, Mar 11, 2002

Creek Hunk in "Mourning"

Dawson's Creek beauty Katie Holmes may not be in any hurry for the past-its-prime WB drama to come to an end, but her co-star, Joshua Jackson, certainly is. "I'll miss the guys, but I'm ready now for the next portion of my life," he tells TV Guide Online. "I'm 23 years old. I'm ready to have those nine months of my life back and be able to travel and do whatever it is I want to do." Although the WB has yet to decide whether the teen soap will return in the fall for a sixth season, its Wednesday night companion  Felicity  has already been expelled. Jackson has a sinking feeling that Creek could be next on the Frog's hit list. "

Thu, Mar 7, 2002

Romano to Letterman: Please Don't Go!

Ted Koppel and his colleagues at Nightline aren't the only ones quaking in their boots at news that Late Show host David Letterman may defect from CBS to ABC. Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano  whose top-rated CBS knee-slapper is produced by Letterman  also is dreading the prospect. "I hope he doesn't [leave]," Romano tells TV Guide Online. "Things will get confusing. He's a producer on our show, so that would just get more crazy. Now what? Am I loyal to Dave? Because I have to be. But I'm also loyal to CBS." "It's like two parents that split up and you're the child wondering who you belong to," he continues. "So I hope he doesn't go. I want to keep him in the family. But... I'm still a [Letterman] fan no matter where he goes." If the bespectacled funnyman does jump

Tue, Mar 5, 2002

How X-Files Lured Back Duchovny

So much for David Duchovny's supposed apathy toward an X-Files return. Not only has the actor agreed to reprise his role as Mulder for the show's May 19 series finale, but TV Guide Online has learned that, before X-creator Chris Carter decided to end the show, Duchovny himself expressed interest in getting back into the UFO-chasin' biz. Here's the scoop: Earlier this season, Carter  still under the impression that Duchovny had washed his hands of Mulder for good (at least on the small screen)  approached the Evolution star about directing the April 28 episode. His response floored Carter and fellow X-ecutive producer

Tue, Mar 5, 2002

X-Finale: The Confusion Is Out There

Here's a puzzle even Mulder and Scully would be hard-pressed to solve: How do you wrap up nearly a decade's worth of convoluted  and some might say downright undecipherable  mythology in just two hours? That's the challenge currently facing producers of Fox's The X-Files, which ends its nine-year run on May 19. "The truth is, it would be impossible to answer all of the questions people might have," executive producer Frank Spotnitz tells TV Guide Online. "More than answering questions, the [final episode will be] about giving meaning to the story that we've told for the past nine years  giving closure not just to the hard plot of The X-Files, but to the lives of the characters." Still, Spotnitz  who is mapping out the series finale with X-Files creator

Mon, Mar 4, 2002

Grammy Shocker: Rap Just a Fad?

Joan Rivers may not know squat when it comes to contemporary music, but that didn't stop the red carpet's worst lady from making some bold predictions during E! Entertainment Television's Live from the Grammy Awards pre-show. Chief among them: The death of that struggling little genre we call  yikes!  rap. During an exchange with Nelly, Rivers asked the chart-toppping hip-hopper, "Where will you go when rap is over?" Before you could say "damage control," E!'s resident music expert Dave Adelson quickly brought the "Ride Wit Me" performer back out to help remind viewers that rap is no longer considered an "alternative" genre. Phew, that was a close call. Surprisingly, classic Joan blunders weren't as easy to spot as one might expect given, well, her history at these things. Of course, that may have more to do with the fact that her sidekick  daughter Melissa  was banished to the dreaded "on

Thu, Feb 28, 2002

Happy Days Here Again for Rosie?

Here's hoping Barbra Streisand doesn't rain on Rosie O'Donnell's parade May 22. TV Guide Online has learned that the departing talk show host has asked Babs to perform her signature song, "People," on the final Rosie O'Donnell Show. "Yes, Rosie has asked Barbra to perform," the Funny Girl's manager, Marty Erlichman, confirms. "But I don't know if she can do it. Barbra is currently off on holiday, so I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it." After much on-camera begging, O'Donnell welcomed Streisand onto her show in November 1997. Two years later, she visited the singer-actress-director-diva at her Southern California home for a two-part interview. This would be the first time, however, that Streisand would serenade the Queen of Nice. A spokeswoman for Rosie would not confirm (or d

Wed, Feb 27, 2002

Buffy Alum Soldiers On

This is a big week in the career of actor Marc Blucas. Tonight, after a year-long absence, he reprises his role as Buffy Summers's wholesome ex-beau Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 pm/ET on UPN). And come Friday, he can be seen on the big screen opposite Mel Gibson in the brutal Vietnam drama We Were Soldiers. "[The back-to-back gigs are] nice for me and my family," Blucas admits to TV Guide Online, "but the verdict's still out on whether anyone else thinks it's nice or not." Well, as far as his small-screen comeback is concerned, the modest 6'2" hottie need not worry about receiving a warm reception: Buffy fans have been drooling for Riley's return ever sinc

Tue, Feb 26, 2002

Mel Gibson's Great Challenge

We know who Oscar-winning producer-director Mel Gibson won't be casting as Alexander the Great in HBO's upcoming $120 million, 10-part epic miniseries: Gibson's Patriot co-star Heath Ledger. The young actor has just been tapped to star in Oliver Stone's dueling big-screen biopic, Alexander. So, who is on Gibson's short list to play the legendary Macedonian conqueror? "I don't want to say anything," Gibson hedges to TV Guide Online. "C'mon, I've got to make a deal!" The Aussie actor  who's producing the project for the pay cabler under his Icon Productions shingle  concedes that, "It's a hard role to cast. He's got to be really good." Well, Mr. Braveheart better hurry up:

Mon, Feb 25, 2002

Mel's Co-Star Sounds Off!

Let there be no doubt that veteran actor Sam Elliott was the perfect choice to portray gruff, no-nonsense Sergeant Major Basil Plumley in the upcoming Vietnam drama We Were Soldiers (opening March 1). Case in point: At the film's Feb. 10 junket, the 57-year-old thesp appeared to still be playing the part! Asked to weigh in on a number of topics  everything from the impact Sept. 11 has had on military movies to actors goofing off between takes (regarding the latter, big surprise, he's not a fan of it)  Elliott hardly minced words. But the popular TV cowboy (The Shadow Riders, The Yellow Rose) was at his most animated when discussing America's current war on terrorism. "To be honest, I think we all got real soft," he asserts. "And it's one reason I am as

Thu, Feb 21, 2002

That Shocking '70s Split

Are That '70s Show sweethearts Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie (Mila Kunis) headed for permanent splitsville? Yes... at least if Malcolm in the Middle's Chris Masterson has anything to say about it. "My plan is to sort of infiltrate that relationship and make her my own," laughs Masterson, whose multi-episode arc as Jackie's "dorky" cheese shop manager-slash-suitor kicked off last night. Next week, his polyester-clad character's plot to steal Kelso's main squeeze intensifies. Explains the actor: "Basically, I'm pretty conniving. I'm like, 'Wow! Kelso was late picking you up again! That's three times this week!' And Jackie and I end up getting together be

Wed, Feb 20, 2002

Greg Kinnear's Shocking New Focus

On paper, the plot of Greg Kinnear's upcoming film Auto Focus is just the kind of bizarre tale you'd see mocked on Talk Soup, the E! show he hosted from 1993-95. The pic chronicles the tragic final years of late Hogan's Heroes thesp Bob Crane, whose kinky sexual exploits are the stuff of Hollywood legend. Despite the sensational subject matter, Kinnear (who stars as Crane) tells TV Guide Online that Auto Focus is slightly more complex than your average installment of Jerry Springer. "If you're looking for a really sexually graphic movie, you'll be wildly disappointed with this," the 38-year-old actor insists. "Yes, those elements are involved in the story [because] you're not talking about

Mon, Feb 18, 2002