michael.ausiello

Anything on Without a Trace?

Question: Anything on Without a Trace?Answer: Detective Mars is joining the cast! No, not Kristen Bell. Or Enrico Colantoni, for that matter. Trace is adding a character named Detective Mars, a male in his mid-to-late thirties who specializes in human trafficking. Of all the names they could've used, did they have to go with that one? That's just cruel. Almost as cruel as me leading off this answer with, "Detective Mars is joining the cast!" OMG, this just in: Detective Mars is being played by none other than Spike himself, James frakkin' Marsters! He just announced it on his website! (Thanks Pattie, Brandi and Helen for the heads-up!) 

Wed, Aug 15, 2007

Got any Shield Season 7 ...

Question: Got any Shield Season 7 scoop?Answer: Corrine's going to get arrested for — get this —neglecting her kids. No lie.

Wed, Aug 15, 2007

Can you give us any major ...

Question: Can you give us any major scoop on what will be happening on the new season of Nip/Tuck?Answer: One piece of major Nip/Tuck scoop coming your way! You already know that Portia de Rossi will be joining the cast for nine episodes playing a lesbian mom whose teen daughter wants to go under the knife. But what I'm 100 percent certain you don't know is that Portia's character is going to be involved in a torrid relationship with — holy lipstick lesbians, Batman! — Joely Richardson. That's right, Julia's switching teams for Ellen's honey. And word on the set is the pair's sex scenes are anything but tame. Of course, this is Nip/Tuck, so that much is a given.

Wed, Aug 15, 2007

I read on James Morrison's ...

Question: I read on James Morrison's website that he will be returning to 24. Is this true?Answer: You think I'm gonna call Bill Buchanan a liar?

Wed, Aug 15, 2007

Has any decision been made ...

Question: Has any decision been made about whether Julianna Margulies' pregnancy will be written into Canterbury's Law?Answer: I'm hearing Margulies got her wish — her belly bump will be hidden.

Wed, Aug 15, 2007

Exclusive: Mandy Patinkin Returns to Criminal Minds!

Mandygate just gets weirder and weirder. My moles at Criminal Minds have just confirmed for me exclusively that disgraced cranky-pants Mandy Patinkin will be returning to the show this fall after all  but only for one episode (airing Oct. 3), so as to provide some closure for his Gideon character. Strange as that may sound, though, that isn't the really odd part: He'll only be in one scene, and he'll essentially be the only one in it.Why? Well, duh! My spies tell me that no one in the cast wanted to work opposite him again after he brought production to a standstill by pulling a no-show without even calling in (cough, cough) sick. What's more, Minds' producers were forced to use a special crew to shoot the pariah's scene because the show's regular staff refused to be on set with him. Except possibly to Patinkin, who seems to live in his own world, the backlash against him isn't entirely a surprise. Last month, costar Shemar Moore raked him over the coals at press tour. "I don'...

Tue, Aug 14, 2007

Exclusive: Mandy Patinkin Returns to Criminal Minds!

Exclusive: Housewives Casts First Gay Neighbors

Well, it's not David Beckham and Robbie Williams, but this'll do.Desperate Housewives has tapped One Life to Live's Tuc Watkins and ex-Judging Amy actor Kevin Rahm to play Wisteria Lane's first gay couple. Watkins will play Bob, described as a country mouse who leaves the big city for greener (and quieter) pastures. Rahm is his bitchy partner, Lee. Both roles are of the recurring variety. Interestingly, the characters' names are a tribute to ABC News' Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee, whom series creator Marc Cherry befriended last spring.I'm not all that familiar with Rahm, but I'm a big fan of Watkins' work in both daytime (OLTL, GH) and prime time (Beggars and Choosers, where he also played gay). Your thoughts?  Additional reporting by Jonathan Small

Tue, Aug 14, 2007

Exclusive: Housewives Casts First Gay Neighbors

Wipeout: John from Cincinnati Canceled!

No official word from HBO, but my sources are telling me that John from Cincinnati has been axed after one dismally rated and atrociously reviewed season. Now let's put Deadwood back on the air and forget this whole thing ever happened. K?

Tue, Aug 14, 2007

CSI's Case of the Murdered Diva

There's nothing I love more than a good gimmick, and this one qualifies as great.The outside-the-box thinkers over at CSI and Two and a Half Men are toying with the idea of swapping writing staffs for an episode to air later this season. And although the switcheroo is far from a done deal, Men creator Chuck Lorre has already hatched a killer plot for his potential CSI debut  and it's sure to leave many a tongue wagging in Hollywood. According to sources, his CSI episode would revolve around the grisly death of a disliked sitcom diva  a subject the comedy vet has plenty of experience with, having legendarily clashed with Roseanne and Cybill Shepherd on their eponymous series. And lest he leave any doubt that he is drawing from his own personal nightmares er, experiences, he has gone so far as to reach out to ex-Cybill sidekick Christine Baranksi to play the deceased shrew's co-star. Natch, Lorre's spokeswoman insists the proposed story is not based on "one person in...

Mon, Aug 13, 2007

Updated: Why Kristen Bell Won't Be Getting Lost

Updated Sunday 1 pm/EST: Did Kristen Bell say no to Lost because she's planning a trip to Broadway? That's the buzz along the Great White Way. One of my Broadway moles tells me that Bell could be replacing Laura Bell Bundy in Legally Blonde this February. K.Bell, who was forced to turn down the lead in the new musical Xanadu due to her Veronica Mars duties, recently visited the show (click here to see pics) and a casting agent for the musical recently told TheaterMania.com that they are considering "adding a TV-based name to the cast in the not too distant future." And even the assertion from Bell's rep that her client "has no plans to do Legally Blonde at this time" would seem to leave open the possibility of a February start -- and it would certainly explain why she was reluctant to make another TV commitment (i.e. Lost). Just some food for thought. My original story follows... Total. Bummer.The greatest casting coup of the century was apparently not meant to be: A spokesperson fo...

Sat, Aug 11, 2007

Updated: Why Kristen Bell Won't Be Getting Lost

Exclusive: USA Warms to Burn Notice, Orders Second Season

Sources confirm that USA Network's Burn Notice  which, judging by my AA mailbag, is the best show I'm not watching  has just been greenlit for a second season. No surprise considering last week's episode notched a red-hot 4.4 million viewers, up a cool mil from the previous week. OK, this weekend is all about catching up on Burn Notice and Greek. Anything else I'm missing out on?

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Exclusive: USA Warms to Burn Notice, Orders Second Season

What's the scoop on Numbers? ...

Question: What's the scoop on Numbers? The season finale did not make me a happy camper! I cannot believe they made Colby a spy! And what's up with Larry and Megan? Are they gone, too?Answer: They will all be back. And all the business about Colby being a spy will kinda-sorta be resolved in the season premiere. "I think you'll see the essence of what you want to know resolved in one episode," says exec producer Cheryl Heuton, "and then a lot of repercussions on from there." As I pointed out in my latest vodcast, the Tony Scott-directed hour will be unlike any episode of Numbers you've ever seen. "It goes at a blistering pace," previews Heuton, who, after crunching the, ahem, numbers, predicts it'll rank as the most expensive episode since the pilo

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

Please clear something up for ...

Question: Please clear something up for me: Who will be a senior this season on Friday Night Lights?Answer: Just Smash. And I know what you're thinking, 'cause I thought it, too: Does Smash's inevitable recruitment by a major college mean Gaius Charles will be written out should FNL be lucky enough to see a third season? Maybe. Maybe not. While exec producer Jason Katims didn't rule out that possibility when I spoke to him at press tour, Charles was thinking positive thoughts: "If they can make Coach Taylor work as a character outside of [Dillon], I don't see any reason why they can't make my character work that way," he said. "I trust the writers."

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

Is it true that David Beckham ...

Question: Is it true that David Beckham and Robbie Williams have been signed to appear on Desperate Housewives as the latest addition to Wisteria Lane — an English gay couple?Answer: They've signed on — in Marc Cherry's dreams. All kidding aside, yes, the hunky cross-ponders are perched atop Cherry's wish list, but I'll be shocked if he's able to seal the deal. Also, it should be noted that there's nothing in the casting breakdowns about the same-gender lovin' duo being British. It merely describes them as being from a big city.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

Do you have any CSI spoilers?

Question: Do you have any CSI spoilers?Answer: Although there won’t be a miniature-type serial killer plot this season, exec producer Carol Mendelsohn reveals that Grissom will immerse himself in a season-long project. "Grissom will begin to study colonization in Episode 3," she reveals. "We're going to do this very dark, scary episode set in a haunted house. While there, Grissom is going to find a live beehive, and he is going to take this beehive back to [the lab] and he is going to study it all season. He's trying to figure out why these honey bees are dying around the world. It's really about Grissom looking outside the lab… to see the problems of the world. It's Grissom's science experiment for the year."

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

Got any CSI Miami scoop in ...

Question: Got any CSI Miami scoop in your back pocket?Answer: This just in: What About Brian's Jessica Szohr (Laura) is joining the cast as Samantha Barrish, the young and feisty new A.V. Tech specialist.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

Please, please, please, give ...

Question: Please, please, please, give us some more One Tree Hill scoop! We need more since we have to wait until January for it to return!Answer: At some point in the season, Brooke will find herself in a red-carpet moment and in the press spotlight. I know this because they offered my TVG colleague Damian Holbrook the role of the entertainment reporter interviewing her. Sadly, he had to say nay due to scheduling conflicts. Clearly I was too big a name for them.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

I have never been so excited ...

Question: I have never been so excited about a piece of paper before: I just received my Dragonfly Inn stationery, and I just wanna say thanks! I've never won anything before!Answer: Hey, that reminds me: To all those who entered our Goodbye Gilmore Giveaway, if you didn't receive anything resembling free Gilmore crap in the mail last week, you most likely didn't win. To everyone else, congrats! You own a piece of history!

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

Nice haircut, Mike. Have you ...

Question: Nice haircut, Mike. Have you been drafted?Answer: Yeah, by the Hottie Brigade.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

I will build you a Smurf of ...

Question: I will build you a Smurf of ginormous proportions if you give me even a scooplet about How I Met Your Mother.Answer: Major-ass prattle alert! Enrique Iglesias has signed on to play a love interest for Robin in at least two episodes, exec producer Craig Thomas confirms to me exclusively. He first appears in the Sept. 24 season premiere. "Enrique plays a dreamy vacation romance that Robin tries to transplant back into her real life… much to Ted's dismay," Thomas tells me. "The character, Gael, is exactly the guy you don't want your ex-girlfriend hooking up with next: In addition to being a sexy, guitar-playing surfer/massage therapist, the guy looks a like lot Enrique Iglesias. It drives Ted nuts." Note to Mallory: I hear Michaels sells blue clay in bulk. That's al

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

What's next for My Boys? Do ...

Question: What's next for My Boys? Do you have any tantalizing details to share?Answer: I don't know if I'd call these details tantalizing, but Intern Dani just screened the next three episodes, and here are the spoilery bits she e-mailed to me: Andy adjusts to life in the 'burbs, PJ gets visitors from the past who shake up her world, and Brando gets a wake-up call after exhibiting some out-of-character behavior.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007

I heard a House spoiler that ...

Question: I heard a House spoiler that Cameron and Chase will be moving to Arizona to work together. Say it ain't so!Answer: Half of it's true, half of it's not.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007