michael.ausiello

Can you please give me some ...

Question: Can you please give me some scoop on Greek?Answer: First off, you guys were right — this show rocks my socks off. Before I left on my little vacay, I hosted my own personal Greek marathon and now I'm caught up on the entire first season — and yes, that includes the Sept. 10 season finale (thanks, ABC Family, for the pre-screener!). And, wow, what an action-packed finale it is. (Spoiler alert) In addition to three breakups, a mole is discovered in the Omega Chi house, Calvin is betrayed by someone close to him, a major character's secret is exposed, and special guest star Charisma Carpenter predictably steals every scene she's in. I can't wait for second semester!OK, that's all for this week. Apologies again for this week's abbreviated AA. I'll make it up to you next week when I return from central Pennsylvania my undisc

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

Got any scoop on the two ...

Question: Got any scoop on the two deaths on Desperate Housewives? Answer: One of them is slated for February sweeps. And it's a dude.

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

Emily Deschanel as Wonder ...

Question: Emily Deschanel as Wonder Woman (Ask Ausiello 8/29)? I am so there! Answer: Check out this week's Ausiello Report vodcast for a faux first look!

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

With fall TV just weeks away, ...

Question: With fall TV just weeks away, could you compile a list of all the shows with their updated times and premieres? Answer: You're lucky I'm away this week and in desperate need of filler. Sept. 11 (NBC) The Biggest Loser season premiereSept. 14 (FOX) Nashville series premiere  Sept. 17 (FOX)  Prison Break season premiereSept. 17 (FOX) K-Ville series premiereSept. 17 (NBC) Deal or No Deal season premiereSept. 18 (CW) Beauty and the Geek season premiereSept. 19 (CW) America’s Next Top Model season premiereSept. 19 (FOX) Back to You series premiereSept. 19 (FOX) ‘Til Death season premiereSept. 19 (FOX) Kitchen Nightmares series premiereSept. 19 (CBS) Kid Nation series premiereSept. 20 (CBS) Survivor: China season premiereSept. 23 (FOX) Simpsons, King of the Hill

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

Dirt dirt? Pretty please?

Question: Dirt dirt? Pretty please?Answer: Hope you've got a big shovel there, Tiny, 'cause I've got loads. For season 2, the show is casting five - count 'em, five - new recurring roles. Debuting in the first episode will be Elaine Bass, the editor of rival rag Superstar; Sharlee Cates, who is, in essence, Lindsay Lohan; and Farber Kauffman, Dirt Now's new hire, a twentysomething know-it-all stolen away from a respectable mag. (Paging Matt Czuchry… ) Episode three will introduce Adam Proteau, a foreign wild man in the same age range as Rudolf Martin (24). And in episode five, we'll meet Adrian Duncan, a Richie Rich slumming as a playboy paparazzo with the hots for Courteney Cox's Lucy. (And pretty much anyone else in a skirt, too.)

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

Can you give us a heads-up ...

Question: Can you give us a heads-up next time you take a vacation? I don't like it when you tell us at the last minute. We need time to prepare. Answer: Funny you should ask — I'm actually on vacation right now. I know what you're probably thinking: "Michael, how can you be on vacation — there's a new AA this week?!" Well, proving what an unbelievably selfless person I am,  I quickly pounded out an AA before I left, so that you, my beloved Ausholes, wouldn't be starving for scoop. I also pretaped my vodcast and made arrangements to have Matt Mitovich's go-to fill-in, Ben Katner, update my blog should any big, exclusive stories break in my absence. Bottom line: If all goes according to plan, you won't even know I'm gone. All I a

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

USC sucks! Go Bruins!

Question: USC sucks! Go Bruins! Answer: Is that seriously the best you can do? Let's hope you guys are better at scoring touchdowns than you are at witty comebacks.

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

Exclusive: ER Doc to Make a House Call

One thing you can say for Princeton Plainsboro: Understaffing is not an issue. Although House's hospital already has hired five new doctors to make the rounds this season, former ER M.D. Michael Michele has just been tapped to scrub in as well.Now, before you go getting your stethoscope in a knot about your favorites being left to simmer on the back burner, you need to know that the knockout isn't coming in as a series regular. Well, at this point, anyway. What happens is, Doc Crankypants meets the CIA medicine woman when he's called to the agency to care for a patient. She wows him with her bedside manner, and wham, bam, thank-you-ma'am, he invites her to come work for him at PP.So what do you think, people? Is Michele just what the doctor ordered? -- Additional reporting by Ben Katner

Wed, Sep 5, 2007

Has SNL's Maya Rudolph Already Had Her Last Laugh?

The season premiere of Saturday Night Live is less than a month away, and it's looking like the show may have to go on without Donatella Versace, Whitney Houston and Oprah Winfrey. That's right  Maya Rudolph has yet to re-sign.At the TCA press tour in July, executive producer Lorne Michaels confirmed that the funny lady's contract was up and that she was undecided about whether she would strike out on her own in hopes of becoming the next Molly Shannon or... um, Nora Dunn. But, he hinted, he was hoping to convince the MVP to stick with SNL.Now, with Sept. 29 just around the corner, it's looking more and more likely that Rudolph will walk. If you ask me, that's a crying shame  and not in a laugh-until-you-cry kinda way, either. Her "Wake Up, Wakefield" shtick with Rachel Dratch, paired with a caffeinated Snapple too close to bedtime, are about the only things that can keep me up that late.But all kidding aside, what do you think? Could she  should she  try to ...

Tue, Sep 4, 2007

Has SNL's Maya Rudolph Already Had Her Last Laugh?

Kristen Bell: From Hero to Rock Star?

Kristen Bell wasn't kidding about that whole "world domination" thing. My musically-inclined BFF just confirmed for me exclusively that she's planning to form a band called Kung-Fu Professor with her new buddy, Greek star Clark Duke. News of their collaboration first broke yesterday in a Q&A Duke did with New York magazine."We're not sure what we will sound like and we may not be any good," Bell tells me, "but we do know we will all be wearing cravats."You know what this means? Now I can be an official Kristen Bell groupie! Who's with me?

Fri, Aug 31, 2007

Exclusive: ER Star Gets "Busy" on HIMYM

It's the stuff Maxim subscribers' dreams are made of: ER's Busy Philipps has been cast on How I Met Your Mother as the hottie who may or may not end up in the sack with Ted... and his hit-and-run fling, Trudy (Danica McKellar, the Wonder Years cutie, thankfully all grown up). As you may recall me telling you in a recent Ask Ausiello, in the Oct. 15 episode, Trudy is ready to go another round with Ted, but a new rival has already staked her claim on him  Trudy's old college frienemy, to be played by Philipps. So things could get heated in one of two ways: There could be name-calling and hair-pulling or clothes-ripping and sheets-tangling. (Either way, Ted's one lucky mother.)Though Philipps is likely to fit right in with the How crowd, don't expect her to stick around beyond this pre-sweeps installment. Ted's pal Lily gives the sexpot the big thumbs-down after realizing that she's the shopper who ruined her shopping trip by walking off with a pair of coveted boots.So what do yo...

Fri, Aug 31, 2007

Exclusive: O.C. Babe Returns to Fox!

Someone over at Fox really likes Amanda Righetti. The onetime O.C. starlet  who followed up her stint in Newport Beach with back-to-back gigs on Fox's North Shore and Reunion  is joining the cast of the net's new drama series K-Ville. She'll be playing the recurring role of A.J., a potential love interest for Cole Hauser. As we'll learn in the Sept. 24 episode, the two characters share a common link. To say more than that would ruin the big twist at the end of the Sept. 17 premiere. And as you know, I don't ruin. Spoil, yes. Ruin, no.

Thu, Aug 30, 2007

Exclusive: 24's Michelle Dessler Rushed to ER!

One of my all-time favorite 24 heroines is being admitted to the ER. Sources confirm that Reiko Aylesworth  who kicked ass as CTU boss Michelle Dessler (until her inevitable death)  is joining the cast as County General's hot and hip new chaplain who starts a very intimate, ahem, prayer group with John Stamos' Gates. (For those of you who suck at innuendo, "intimate prayer group" is a double entendre for "steamy hospital sex.")And before you go ratting her out to God, Aylesworth's preacher woman is allowed to lead a normal life, and that includes wearing slutty regular clothes and having sex with dating whomever she wants. Are you as psyched as I am about Aylesworth's tube return? If so, post your cheers below!

Thu, Aug 30, 2007

Exclusive: 24's Michelle Dessler Rushed to ER!

Since you are always a source ...

Question: Since you are always a source of trusted guidance, I was wondering if you could give me advice on how I should set my TiVo Season Passes this fall? Of course, I'll keep my returning favorites: Heroes, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, ER and Prison Break, but what new shows need to be added?Answer: Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Samantha Who?, Aliens in America, Reaper and Chuck. You should also tag Gossip Girl, Bionic Woman, Journeyman and The Return of Jezebel James, but you may wanna go week-to-week on those until they prove themselves Season Pass-worthy.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

Do you have any news on ...

Question: Do you have any news on Traveler's Aaron Stanford's guest-starring role on Numbers this coming season?Answer: His episode airs Oct. 5 and he plays a movie star at the center of a murder investigation in a classic "Hollywood whodunit" saga.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

Any scoop on the upcoming ...

Question: Any scoop on the upcoming season of Curb Your Enthusiasm?Answer: A Monica Lewinsky-like stain will feature prominently in Episode 2.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

Gasp! I love you, Michael, ...

Question: Gasp! I love you, Michael, but I'm extremely worried about you. You wasted your energy answering two questions about One Tree Hill in last week's column, and you didn't even mention Lost once! I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.Answer: Imagine how I felt. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since that column ran last Wednesday. The good news? Order has been restored to the universe and, to prove it, here's a little Lost prattle: As you know, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney did a small role last season as an Other. Well, here's what you don't know: The scene where Julie rifle-butted him in the head was not the last we were supposed to see of him.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

More Men in Trees, please!

Question: More Men in Trees, please!Answer: The show is introducing a hunky young foreign ice-hockey player who will be playing for Ben's newly acquired hockey team. And in his downtime, he'll be making eyes at Annie.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

Is there any hope of House ...

Question: Is there any hope of House getting a new love interest in the new season?Answer: Depends on how he feels about fast women, because there's a speedy one headed to Princeton-Plainsboro. An upcoming patient-of-the-week story will revolve around a Danica Patrick-esque NASCAR driver. In a separate episode, House will tend to a patient with a craniofacial deformity à la Eric Stoltz in Mask. OK, that's a wrap. Quickly make your way over to the Ask Ausiello Discussion Thread to rabble-rouse about this week's column. Also, watch the latest episode of my Ausiello Report vodcast. And, of course, send all hot tips to askausiello@tvguide.com. Oh, and Damian Holbrook begged me to

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

What you got for me on Friday ...

Question: What you got for me on Friday Night Lights?Answer: I've got conflicting stories, that's what I've got. My Texas mole tells me that Tim, Jason and Lyla take a road trip to Mexico around Episode 5, and, while there, one of them fantasizes about a possible (pausing for dramatic effect) threesome. A source at NBC, however, calls this whole thing hogwash, insisting that the only thing that's accurate about my mole's report is the trio's trip to Mexico. Damn. For a second there I thought the show had a shot at doing a 10 share.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

Kyle XY?

Question: Kyle XY?Answer: Lori's getting a new love interest in the form of sometime-CSI: Miami lab tech Josh Zuckerman, although their relationship will at first be more hate than love. As sparks continue to fly, both Stephen and Declan take notice — and neither of them is happy about it. Zuckerman will debut in the fifth episode of Season 2's back 10, which is scheduled to air next year.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007

Have you heard anything about ...

Question: Have you heard anything about Edward Herrmann's character on Grey's Anatomy?Answer: I hear Grandpa Gilmore's playing the world's oldest intern.

Wed, Aug 29, 2007