TV Guide Author: michael.ausiello

Entertainment World Halts to Mourn

Tuesday’s devastating terrorist attacks against the United States shut down the entertainment industry, closing major Hollywood studios, canceling awards shows and shutting down both Disney theme parks. As before with tragic events that reach across the country ? most notably President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 ? Americans turned to live TV coverage to try to sort through the shocking news. All regular network programming was suspended throughout Tuesday and most of Wednesday. The major television networks  ABC, CBS, NBC  featured non-stop coverage of the assault and its aftermath. MTV and VH1 replaced its regular programming with reports from CBS News, and QVC halted all shopping, opting instead to post a message urging viewers to donate blood. Behind the scenes, the networks debated whether to push back the premieres of some of their fall shows this week. At press time, CBS had not officially announced if Wednesday night's premiere of Wolf Lake

Wed, Sep 12, 2001

Order Restored to Harmon's Life

What's the secret behind Angie Harmon's happy marriage to New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn? Apparently, unemployment. The Law &amp; Order alumna  who quit the NBC drama at the end of last season to pursue film work  confesses to TV Guide Online that she's growing increasingly fond of her new domesticated lifestyle. "It's the first time that my husband actually has to leave the house before I do," she enthuses. "He's leaving at 6:15 in the morning and I'm like, 'Buh-bye!' And when he comes home I get to cook for him. I've had a blast  I'm loving it." In fact, the 29-year-old ex-Baywatch babe is relishing her gig as homemaker so much that she's tempted to take early retirement. Natch, she's kidding  or so Hollywood better hope. Asked when she plans to start pounding the pavement again, Harmon winks: "Probably in like 10 or 15 years. "I'm at a really good pl

Wed, Sep 12, 2001

Order Restored to Harmon's Life

What's the secret behind Angie Harmon's happy marriage to New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn? Apparently, unemployment. The Law &amp; Order alumna  who quit the NBC drama at the end of last season to pursue film work  confesses to TV Guide Online that she's growing increasingly fond of her new domesticated lifestyle. "It's the first time that my husband actually has to leave the house before I do," she enthuses. "He's leaving at 6:15 in the morning and I'm like, 'Buh-bye!' And when he comes home I get to cook for him. I've had a blast  I'm loving it." In fact, the 29-year-old ex-Baywatch babe is relishing her gig as homemaker so much that she's tempted to take early retirement. Natch, she's kidding  or so Hollywood better hope. Asked when she plans to start pounding the pavement again, Harmon winks: "Probably in like 10 or 15 years. "I'm at a really good pl

Tue, Sep 11, 2001

All the Backstage Scoop from the VMAs

'N Sync and Fatboy Slim may have emerged the big winners at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards Thursday night, but the real star of the night  at least according to the reporters holed up in the press room  was a silly little hand puppet named "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog." Fresh from his scene-stealing, J.Lo-sniffing performance on the floor of Manhattan's Metropolitan Opera House, the Robert Smigel creation  a regular visitor on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien  revealed to the weary media assembled backstage what the bootylicious diva said to him when the cameras cut away. "It was a Spanish curse," he cracked. "It's a language I don't understand, but I could tell that it was vulgar." The caustic Muppet-wannabe, who already had the jaded press corps rolling in the aisles, then added: "No, she's very nice. Honestly, J.Lo rules... her butt rules. Let's face it, it's all about the butt. Have you heard her

Fri, Sep 7, 2001

Henry Rollins Gets Spooked!

Tattooed rocker-cum-poet Henry Rollins is flattered that his gig hosting Fox's anthology thriller Night Visions has led some to compare him to Twilight Zone's Rod Serling  who from 1954-1962 introduced creeped-out viewers to the "fifth dimension." But the Rollins Band frontman points out that there are some glaring differences between him and the late, great TV maverick. "I'm a thicker-necked, not-as-charismatic version of Rod Serling," the 40-year-old muscle man winks to TV Guide Online. "A more contemporary version." Ironically, although Rollins admits he was a fan of The Twilight Zone  "It was this strange black and white show with this intense man at the beginning"  it was one of Serling's later works that really made his spine tingle: The short-lived '70s supernatural frightfest Nig

Thu, Sep 6, 2001

Amazing Hunk Jumps into Reality Race

The brains behind CBS's new reality show The Amazing Race (debuting tomorrow night at 9 pm/ET) have no problem admitting that one of the reasons they hired New Zealander Phil Keoghan to helm the globe-trotting adventure series was because of his undeniable good looks. "He actually is kind of cute," winks producer/co-creator Elise Doganieri. Clarifies her partner, Bertram van Munster: "He's actually gorgeous." Like any self-respecting TV heartthrob, Keoghan scoffs at the hunk label  insisting that Race required much more than chiseled features and a killer smile. "Don't underestimate how difficult this show is to make," asserts the seasoned TV host, whose credits include the internationally distributed Keoghan's Heroes and the now-defunct chatfest Fox After Breakfast. "This was not a gig where you get ready in a trailer and have people running around putting powder on

Tue, Sep 4, 2001

Superman Babe Returns to Smallville

Annette O'Toole's last-minute casting as Clark Kent's mom Martha on the WB's promising new drama Smallville brings her career full circle: The 47-year-old actress played Kent's high-school crush Lana Lang in 1983's Superman III. Jokes O'Toole to TV Guide Online: "Maybe I'll be Lois Lane's grandmother next." All kidding aside, the red-haired beauty  whose recent small-screen credits include the USA Network series The Huntress and CBS's Nash Bridges  admits there are far worse things than being forever linked to such a popular franchise. "I love Superman," she confesses. "As a kid, I read all of the comic books. I was always drawn to it. And when I was Lana Lang, that was a huge thing for me." Still, she adds that one dream remains unfulfilled: "

Mon, Sep 3, 2001

Superman Babe Returns to Smallville

Annette O'Toole's last-minute casting as Clark Kent's mom Martha on the WB's promising new drama Smallville brings her career full circle: The 47-year-old actress played Kent's high-school crush Lana Lang in 1983's Superman III. Jokes O'Toole to TV Guide Online: "Maybe I'll be Lois Lane's grandmother next." All kidding aside, the red-haired beauty  whose recent small-screen credits include the USA Network series The Huntress and CBS's Nash Bridges  admits there are far worse things than being forever linked to such a popular franchise. "I love Superman," she confesses. "As a kid, I read all of the comic books. I was always drawn to it. And when I was Lana Lang, that was a huge thing for me." Still, she adds that one dream remains unfulfilled: "

Fri, Aug 31, 2001

Bob Saget's TV Comeback in Trouble

Former Full House patriarch Bob Saget owes a debt of gratitude to Food Network chef-cum-sitcom star Emeril Lagasse. All of the negative press being heaped on Lagasse's upcoming NBC comedy is deflecting attention from Saget's equally cringe-worthy WB effort, Raising Dad. But with the show's premiere drawing near  Dad bows Sept. 14 as part of the WB's new Friday night comedy block  Saget may want to take cover, and quick! "It's bad," groans Mediaweek's Marc Berman. "It's definitely considered one of the worst new shows of the fall." Adds Ed Martin of industry newsletter The Myers Report: "After sitting through the pilot, I can't imagine why anyone would want to see more. It was painful to watch." In all fairness to Dad, Berman points out that any show starring Saget should expect to be saddled with a certain stigma. "When the name Bob

Thu, Aug 30, 2001

Malcolm's Muniz Handicaps Emmys

Malcolm in the Middle's pint-sized star Frankie Muniz is holding out little hope that he'll parlay his lead actor in a comedy Emmy nomination into an actual gold statue next month. "I mean Kelsey Grammer's been nominated 14 times," he points out to TV Guide Online, sizing up his stiff competition. "He almost has as many nominations as I do years in my life!" "I don't know what [the Emmy voters] were thinking," the modest 15-year-old adds. "I don't think I am a good actor at all. I just yell at my mom and fight with my brothers. That's not funny to me. I have a zero percent chance. I'm not even going." Of course, Muniz is kidding about that last part. All joking aside, the New Jersey native admits that his nomination is a "very cool" thing. "I know everyone says it's an honor to be nominated, but this really is because I hear they d

Wed, Aug 29, 2001

NYPD Blue Babe's Steamy Wish

If you were among those NYPD Blue fans impatiently waiting for something  anything  to happen between Henry Simmons and Garcelle Beauvais's lovestruck characters last season, Beauvais feels your pain. Actually, so does her real-life spouse, CAA talent agent Mike Nilon. Admits the actress: "My husband really wants me to get steamier with Henry." Beauvais may want to be careful what her significant other wishes for. Considering the ABC cop show's penchant for showcasing its stars' derri&egrave;res (among other private parts), a full-blown love affair between her ADA Valerie Heywood and Simmons's Det. Baldwin Jones can only mean one thing. "Can I tell you? It's coming," she laughs of her inevitable nude scene. "I don't know when, but probably November sweeps." Well, if ever Blue producers were going to take advantage of their actors' in-the-raw clauses, now would be

Mon, Aug 27, 2001

ER Alum Joins the CIA

When Gloria Reuben was recruited for CBS's upcoming CIA thriller The Agency (airing Thursdays at 10 pm/ET beginning Sept. 20), she knew full well that the network planned to schedule the show opposite her alma mater, NBC's still-potent ER. But incurring the wrath of her former colleagues was hardly her primary concern. "I thought, 'They must really feel confident about this show,'" she laughs to TV Guide Online. Well, Tiffany execs no doubt feel more secure about The Agency's chances now that they have stolen one of the medical drama's most valuable alums. Surely, Reuben  who left ER in 1999 to sing back-up for Tina Turner on the pop diva's world tour  feels a smidgen of guilt about going to work for the competition, right? "I never really thought about it that way," she admits. "I'm certainly not forbidden to do any show Thursday night

Fri, Aug 24, 2001

Woody Allen: Separating Fact from Fiction

For someone who claims to be publicity shy, legendary filmmaker Woody Allen is everywhere these days talking up his latest movie, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (opening Friday). Turn on NBC's Today show, and there he is shooting the breeze with Katie Couric. Open up The New York Times, and presto  he's on the cover of the "Weekend" section. Heck, you might even run into the four-time Oscar winner at your local jazz club as he tours with his band in a cross-Curse promotion. (A classy and palatable marketing campaign designed by DreamWorks  the studio behind the pic  apparently coaxed Allen out of his celluloid closet.) Fearing that such an opportunity may never present itself again, TV Guide Online sat down with Allen and gave him a chance to clear up some long

Wed, Aug 22, 2001

Nicole Kidman: "It's a Horrible Time"

Nicole Kidman's spooky new thriller The Others enjoyed remarkable staying power at the box office over the weekend, holding steady at No. 4 with more than $10 million. It's a bittersweet development for the 34-year-old actress, who, under different circumstances, would no doubt have been celebrating the film's sleeper success with her ex, Others's co-producer Tom Cruise. Instead, she's forced to maintain a brave public face while Cruise makes the rounds with his new squeeze, Pen&#233lope Cruz. "It's a really tough, horrible time," Kidman confesses to TV Guide Online. "I'm trying to focus on my children. My primary concern is being there for them. I'm just trying to be the best mother I can." Incident

Tue, Aug 21, 2001

Aykroyd on SNL's Presidential Shake-Up

Saturday Night Live alum Dan Aykroyd (Blues Brothers, Coneheads) predicts that current castmember Will Ferrell's days of impersonating President George W. Bush on the NBC sketch comedy are numbered. "He's probably got about three more years... before the administration changes and Hillary [Clinton]'s president," the 49-year-old comic-actor tells TV Guide Online. "She's going to be president, there's no doubt about it." Until that day arrives (for the record, Clinton reportedly has denied that she plans to make a run for her husband's old post in 2004), Aykroyd says it's been quite a joy watching Ferrell settle into his role as Commander in Chief. "[He] is really finding Bush," he enthuses. "All the gestures and the facial moves and the body language and the speech and accent... It's really being perfected. "I'm a big fan of the show,

Mon, Aug 20, 2001

Meet the New Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres insists that her upcoming CBS comedy The Ellen Show will be light on issues and heavy on laughs, a far cry from the final year of her politically-charged ABC sitcom Ellen. But a month before the new show's debut, the Emmy winner confesses that her comeback vehicle  in which the out comedian once again plays it gay  is already a bit of a groundbreaker. "I think it's an interesting statement that I'm on at 8 o'clock on Friday nights," she tells TV Guide Online. "I mean, [ABC] had to move [Ellen] to a later hour before, and now I'm on earlier [and] on the family night. It's really interesting to me." All things considered, The Ellen Show  which sneaks Monday, Sept. 17 before moving to its regular Friday timeslot on Sept. 21  is a perfect fit for TV's family hour. In it, DeGeneres plays a jaded city slicker who moves back to her small Mayberry-esque hometow

Thu, Aug 16, 2001

WB Showdown: A Blow-by-Blow Account

One of the most dramatic moments from last month's three-week long Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., was, ironically enough, also one of the quietest. During a poolside shindig thrown by the WB, network bigwig Jamie Kellner slithered over to Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and  egad!  shook his hand. To understand the significance of such an encounter, one has to be familiar with the bitter Kellner/Whedon feud of 2001. For those in the dark, here's a quick recap: During last spring's protracted contract negotiations over Buffy, the two combatants found themselves embroiled in a bitter and very public war of words over the value of the acclaimed dramedy. Kellner downplayed the show's importance, saying it was a niche program that appealed mainly to teens. A furious Whedon fired back, telling the New York Daily News that, "For Jamie Kellner to call it

Wed, Aug 15, 2001

'N Sync Hunk Joins Brady Bunch

Whose Line Is It Anyway? standout Wayne Brady  who launches his own ABC variety series, The Wayne Brady Show, tonight at 8 pm/ET  had an ulterior motive when he asked his good pal, 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake, to drop in for the debut. "I have to admit  and this is without any shame whatsoever  I'm a huge 'N Sync fan," the 29-year-old Emmy nominee confesses to TV Guide Online. "I just love the music. I love the pop stuff. I don't like a lot of the groups, but I love them." Apparently, the feeling is mutual. As Brady recalls, Britney Spears's dreamy beau RSVP'd to his special invite on the spot. "I said, 'Look, you know I'm doing this show. I don't know if you're touring, doing another music video... But if you're free... ' [And he replied] 'Yes.' It was that fast. 'Yes, I am.'" In the hour-long premiere, Brady, Timberlake

Wed, Aug 8, 2001

Babe Star Makes Peace with CBS

Last February, animal rights champion and noted vegan James Cromwell blasted CBS for its involvement in the grisly slaughter of a wild pig on an episode of Survivor: The Australian Outback. The Oscar-nominated Babe actor  who told TV Guide Online at the time that the incident left him "appalled, outraged and disgusted"  fired off a letter to Tiffany entertainment president Nancy Tellem expressing his objections. Six months later, Cromwell seems to have settled his beef with the network. How else to explain his decision to go to work for CBS on the upcoming drama series Citizen Baines (airing Saturdays at 9 pm/ET beginning Sept. 22). "I want to be on CBS because I want people who watch the show to hear a different

Tue, Aug 7, 2001

Capt. Bakula Salutes Shatner

As the captain of UPN's upcoming Star Trek prequel series, Enterprise  which is set a century before the Kirk administration (or 150 years from today)  Scott Bakula has the distinction of being the franchise's first commander-in-chief. Still, the former Quantum Leap hero concedes that he'll never truly be No. 1  that honor belongs to William Shatner. "In my mind, he's the first  and the last really," Bakula tells TV Guide Online. "He's the ultimate guy... You'll always live in the shadow of Shatner. But if we can achieve a little of what [his original 1966-69 series] achieved, we'll be doing a good job." Alas, if the seasoned time traveler was hoping to avoid comparisons between his Capt. Jonathan Archer and Shatner's Capt. James T. Kirk, he's out of luck. Although in a recent TV Guide story, Enterprise co-creator and executive producer Rick Berm

Thu, Aug 2, 2001

God OK's Angel Casting

Before Touched by an Angel executive producer Martha Williamson approached Valerie Bertinelli about joining the feel-good drama as a series regular, she wanted to be certain that the show would be back this fall. So, where did she go for answers? Straight to the top. "We turned our computers off and prayed," she confessed to reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "We said, 'Lord, what do you think about Valerie Bertinelli, because why drag this woman through this if we're not going to be back next season.' And I'll tell you, I had such tremendous peace. We picked up the phone and called right back and said, 'Let's go for it. Clearly, we're going to be back.'" Well, apparently God didn't let Williamson down: CBS ended up renewing the show for an eighth season, and sure enough, Bertinelli agreed to sprout wings as the angelic Gloria. Still, the image of Williamson and co.

Tue, Jul 31, 2001

X-Files's Lesbian Shocker

During her eight years chasing flying saucers on The X-Files, Gillian Anderson's G-Woman Dana Scully has been paired with a believer (David Duchovny's Mulder), a skeptic (Robert Patrick's Doggett) and a lackey (Mitch Pileggi's Skinner). Well, if Internet buzz is any indication, the addition of Annabeth Gish's Agent Monica Reyes as a regular next season gives the former abductee an altogether different type with whom she can butt heads: a lesbian. Here's the lowdown: Although it was heavily implied during Reyes's introduction last February that the sexy sleuth shared a romantic history with Doggett, the show's May cliffhanger  specifically a scene in which she gushed to an in-labor Scully that she looked "amazingly beautiful"  hinted that she may have switched teams in the interim. In fact, according to executive producer John Shiban, she nearly

Fri, Jul 27, 2001