Gilmore Girls Crisis Update

There's still no news. And if you don't know what "news" I'm referring to, you either aren't a Gilmore Girls fan or you skipped over the first question of this week's Ask Ausiello. (And right about now, you're probably going, "Enough with all this Gilmore crap!") But for everyone else, you know very well I'm talking about the nail-biter of a cliff-hanger over whether or not series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her right-hand man, husband Dan, will abandon their six-year-old baby just as it's heading into what may be its final season  and its first on new network, the CW. Although there's nothing official to report  see "There's still no news" above  the rumors are spreading faster than hummus on a toasted whole wheat bagel. Here's the latest:As early as Tuesday morning, it appeared as if Team Palladino was going to announce their departure. (Hence, the "scary moments" I alluded to in AA.) But then a funny thing happened as I sat by my phone waiting for the offi...

Michael Ausiello

April 14, 2006 at 11:59 a.m. PT

There's still no news.

And if you don't know what "news" I'm referring to, you either aren't a Gilmore Girls fan or you skipped over the first question of this week's Ask Ausiello. (And right about now, you're probably going, "Enough with all this Gilmore crap!")

But for everyone else, you know very well I'm talking about the nail-biter of a cliff-hanger over whether or not series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her right-hand man, husband Dan, will abandon their six-year-old baby just as it's heading into what may be its final season - and its first on new network, the CW.

Although there's nothing official to report - see "There's still no news" above - the rumors are spreading faster than hummus on a toasted whole wheat bagel. Here's the latest:

As early as Tuesday morning, it appeared as if Team Palladino was going to announce their departure. (Hence, the "scary moments" I alluded to in AA.) But then a funny thing happened as I sat by my phone waiting for the official word: absolutely nothing. That prompted speculation that either the Palladinos or Warner Bros. Television had blinked.

How certain did it look that they were going to bolt? Well, yours truly went ahead and wrote an exit story and was prepared to push it live on TVGuide.com at a moment's notice. Or, more accurately, at a premature moment's notice. You see, due to a technical glitch, the piece accidentally went live early Wednesday morning, causing mass hysteria in the Gilmore fan community. Luckily, my colleague, Angel Cohn, immediately caught the gaffe and pulled it down before I killed anyone (or anyone killed himself... I think).

Sources close to the negotiations say Warner Bros. is offering Team Palladino just shy of $5 million for a one-year deal, a pact one insider describes as "unprecedented." (The studio had no comment.)

Team Palladino apparently wants Warner Bros. to give Gilmore Girls a two-year renewal, which would carry the show through an eighth season. Seems plausible considering what AS-P told me just last month: "The studio is floating the concept that maybe next year is the last year," she said. "Frankly, I've heard that line the last four years in a row, so, to me, it doesn't mean anything." There's just one problem: The show's leading ladies, Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, are only contracted through a seventh season.

A source close to the show says AS-P informed individual cast members this week that she was planning to leave. (Gilmore Girls wrapped production for the season on Wednesday.) "They had the typical end-of-year group picture [Tuesday] night with the cast and crew," says an on-set spy. "Amy was very emotional."

It's no secret that fans aren't pleased with the Palladinos' handling of Gilmore Girls this season. Even so, the majority of them - at least according to a poll on the fledgling michaelausiello.com - can't imagine Stars Hollow without Mom and Dad. "I've had a lot of problems with the story lines this season," wrote Kelly, "but I want to see how Amy and Dan plan on playing it out rather than them leaving a mess for someone else to clean up." Sara added: "I might not be happy with every story line this year, but I still trust Amy."

But as of late Thursday, there was - all together now - still no news. And I'm getting a little frustrated. You?