Archive: April 2009 (92-98 of 98)

Apr 2 2009 05:40 PM ET

'Housewives' scoop: Gale Harold returns May 3

Desperatehousewives_l
Six months after being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, Gale Harold, now fully recovered, returns to Desperate Housewives as Susan’s ex, Jackson, on May 3. And I do mean fully recovered.

“Quite frankly, I think he looks even better [than before the crash],” says series creator Marc Cherry with a laugh, adding that Jackson reappears with a “very important question for Susan — one that she’s kind of stunned by.” (I’m thinking it’ll be something along the lines of *i** *o* *a*** *e?)

Harold’s unexpected hiatus forced Cherry to do some fancy footwork
storytelling-wise — we learned through Susan that Jackson abruptly
left town to pursue a teaching opportunity — but the scribe says it
all worked out in the end. “We were planning to end his storyline
[around midseason],” he explains. “But because of the accident, we get
to bring him back for the end of the season, which will be a nice kind
of full circle journey for Susan in season 5.”

As for season 6? Although Cherry says no decision
has been made about Harold returning next fall, he hints that the
once-commitment-shy actor may be warming to the idea of sticking around
long-term. “I think Gale may have changed his priorities [since the
accident],” Cherry concedes. “But those decisions won’t be made until
May.”

Happy Harold is heading back to Wisteria Lane? Theories as to what
surprising question he’ll be posing to Susan? Hoping Jackson will
extend his run into next season? Sound off below!

More TV Scoop:
Find out who’s not getting married on Grey’s Anatomy
Look who’s returning to Lost
House reunites with Wilson’s dead ex

Apr 2 2009 02:21 AM ET

Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on 'House,' 'Lost', 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Housewives,' 'Scrubs,' 'Bones.' 'Supernatural,' 'Heroes,' '24,' and more!

Housegreyslost_lQuestion: Do you have any snippet to share with us about Lost‘s season finale? –Megan
Ausiello:
We will come to learn that the dude who may or may not be playing Jacob bore witness to pivotal events in the pre-island lives of Locke, Sayid, and Sawyer. Speaking of Lost, I wanna say a few words about Evangeline Lilly’s performance in tonight’s episode: Wow. (Okay, one word.)

Question: Will we ever find out what happened to Rose and Bernard on Lost? –Lucas
Ausiello:
I’m hearing we will.

Question: Any news on Heroes? Maybe something on the season finale? –Dennis
Ausiello:
Sylar kills a regular Hero that’s been on the show since Season 1. And it sticks.

Question: I am a huge Bones fan. I am also a huge Buffy-Angel fan. Any chance the Bones producers would think about bringing Sarah Michelle Gellar on for a guest appearance? –Dana
Ausiello:
I think you’re more likely to see an appearance by, oh, I dunno, Cyndi Lauper than SMG. In unrelated news, sources confirm to me exclusively that ’80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper is in talks to recur next season as a kooky psychic that Booth and Brennan bring on as a consultant.

Question: Desperately need some scoop on One Tree Hill. Are Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray returning next season? –Scott
Ausiello:
They’re negotiating new deals now. Everything you’ve been hearing, reading, and seeing about how Warner Bros. and the CW don’t want them back is bunk, so don’t fall for it. 

Question: Please can we have some scoop on USA’s In Plain Sight? Some Mary-Marshall tidbits perhaps? –Becky
Ausiello:
Following her near-death experience, Mary is much more emotional and erratic in the second season premiere (airing April 19). As a result, she leans on Marshall more than ever. And although she’s supposed to be on administrative leave, she’s recruited to assist Marshall on a case. Of course, taking a backseat to Marshall isn’t really in Mary’s DNA…

Question: Shonda Rhimes said the 100th episode of Grey’s Anatomy takes place on Mer and Der’s wedding day, but you said they’re not getting married. What’s the deal? –Claire
Ausiello:
Do I have to remind you of Shonda’s long and well-documented history of injecting her spoilers with tricky and misleading wordplay? Case in point, Izzie doesn’t have a brain tumor, she has a brain metastasis. Here’s the deal: Unless the script underwent an 11th hour rewrite, I stand by my earlier statement that Mer and Der do not get married on May 7. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether or not I should reveal the name of the bride and groom who are tying the knot in that episode. I’m on the fence about that one. What do you think I should do? Submit your pro/con arguments in the comments section. I’ll get one of our interns or Annie Barrett to tally up the votes at the end of the day.

Question: Are Cristina and Owen really done on Grey’s Anatomy? I actually will be in mourning if that one bites the dust. It is the first interesting plot in a while. –Elise
Ausiello:
They’re far from over. As Kevin McKidd himself told EW’s Jennifer Armstrong, the exes will be thrown "a huge curveball that neither of them see coming. Just as he starts to get over his thing, something else happens. Which is good and bad. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, this is big.’ It will be interesting to see how it leads into next season." Any guesses as to what the curveball is? Come on, it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out. Think. It’s bad and good. You can do this! 

Question: First off, I have to say thank you. Because of all the props you’ve been giving Big Love, I watched the first two seasons on DVD and now I’m hooked! I know you reported that Ana would be back for the fourth season, but please tell me she isn’t going to marry Bill again. –Manda
Ausiello:
I’d be shocked if they go down that road with her again. BTW, exec producer Mark V. Olsen told the L.A. Times that it’s not an absolute certainty that Ana will be back next season. "Ana is someone I think deserves to come back into the life of the family, but there’s not a guarantee that it will be in the fourth season," he said. "I talked to [Ana's portrayer] Branka, and I said, ‘You’re definitely going to come back either this season or in a later season. We want you to come back.’ And then what happens is we don’t always have a completely planned-out season when we go into the writers’ room. If we come up with a premise that’s going to take us through this next year, and it relates somehow to Ana coming back into the family to cause trouble or to dramatize that theme, then she’ll definitely come back."

Question: Got some Scrubs scoop? Seen the finale? Does it rock? –Lucy
Ausiello:
I have not seen it. Of course, neither has Donald Faison, so I don’t feel so bad. "I wasn’t [on set when they shot] the big reveal," he says of the episode’s major twist. "So I’m excited to see what happens, too." Wait a sec: There’s a major twist in the Scrubs finale?! Did we know this?!

Question: How about an extra juicy Desperate Housewives spoiler? –Niki
Ausiello:
A main character will seriously consider getting a facelift. No big whoop, right? Wrong. It’s not a housewife mulling a little nip/tuck it’s a househusband

Question: I’m hearing rumors that a certain redhead on Wisteria Lane will be having an affair with someone from the past. Any hints as to who it might be? –Karin
Ausiello:
All I’ll say is the redhead in question will start spending a lot of time with one of Susan’s exes. Hint: He’s the one you go to when you want a divorce, not when you want your toilet fixed. 

Question: I am so excited about the third season of The Tudors! Got any new scoop? –Hannah
Ausiello:
Pay close attention to the "previously on" recap airing right before Sunday’s premiere, because methinks Showtime orchestrated an elaborate cover-up. Actually, meknows. In an effort to make us forget that the role of Jane Seymour had been recast during the hiatus (Annabelle Wallis is in, Anita Briem is out), Showtime digitally removed Briem from all the scenes featuring the future Queen and inserted Wallis instead. Translation: Either Showtime thinks we’re really stupid or Briem burned some serious bridges on her way out the door.

Question: If I offered you $500 and a trip to Smurf Village, because I can totally arrange that, can I have some Supernatural scoop? –Ashley
Ausiello:
Does that trip to the Smurf have any blackout dates? If not, you’ve got a deal: Sam learns in the season finale that ******i** ******* is the ***** **** that has ** ** ****** ****** ******* can ***e.

Question: Your April Fools tweet about a Gilmore Girls movie being greenlit was just plain cruel. You can make it up to me by giving me some scoop on Alexis Bledel’s appearance in this week’s ER finale. –Jennifer
Ausiello:
Okay, but you have to admit the one about Paramount producing a road-trip comedy starring Keri Russell, Lauren Graham, Kristen Bell, and Mariska Hargitay was pretty genius. Anyway, Alexis — who plays an intern in the ER finale — described the experience as "wonderful" and "emotional," adding that the ER vets "did not want to part ways… everyone was crying." Despite the positive experience, she’s still not ready to make a full-time return to TV. "There were a few [pilots] that I looked at," she says. "[But] I just wasn’t ready to sign up for six years. I have commitment anxiety at the moment. I’m sure it will wear off in the next couple of years." And because I know you’re wondering, yes, she saw LG in Guys and Dolls. "I went last weekend. She’s totally amazing. She sings beautifully, she dances… I was totally wowed."

Question: Do you have any CSI season finale scoop? –Meredith
Ausiello:
What happens when a stash of vintage casino chips worth 1K each lands in the wrong hands? Murder happens, Meredith.

Question: There’s a rumor that Warner Bros. tore down all the Sarah Connor Chronicles sets, which typically means a cancellation announcement is coming. What are you hearing? –Val
Ausiello:
The SCC sets have not been struck, a Warner Bros. insider maintains. They’ve simply been "shuffled around." (Hopefully not from the soundstage to the landfill).

Question: Any other clues for who will be dying in the Smallville finale? –David
Ausiello:
The *er**n d***g ** n** C***e.

Question: What is the deal with the House promo for next week’s episode? Why is it so dramatic? What’s going to happen next week? –Samantha
Ausiello:
Something very, very bad. And that’s not a knock against special guest star Meat Loaf. I swear!

Question: Regarding the bachelor party coming up on House, there’s a rumor out there that in order to prevent deportation, Chase gets married to Wilson. True? –Luna
Ausiello:
False.

Question: Have you uncovered any details about Anne Dudek’s return to House? –Patrick
Ausiello:
I have, and this is the only one I’m prepared to divulge: House is the only one who sees her, and the vision does not take place while he’s making love to Cuddy.   

Question: Got anything on 30 Rock‘s season finale? –Martin
Ausiello:
Picture a "We Are the World"-esque charity single. Then picture one of the celeb participants being Jenna. Now picture yourself laughing until your spleen ruptures.

Question: Yes, 24 has been rocking this season, but I’m missing Chloe! I know Mary Lynn Rajskub had to take time off from filming for her maternity leave but enough’s enough! What ep will Chloe be back? –Nicole
Ausiello:
I’m told the Chloester reappears in mid-to-late April.

Question: Counting the days until Ugly Betty returns. Got scoop? –Suzie
Ausiello:
Things will get serious between Hilda and her city-official beau Archie, prompting her to declare herself the Michelle Obama of Queens.

That’s a wrap! Submit questions/anonymous tips/beauty tips to ausielloscoop@ew.com, and then come back here next Thursday and we’ll do it all again! (Additional reporting by Lindsay Soll, Jeremy Medina and Jeff Labrecque)

Apr 1 2009 07:41 PM ET

Exclusive: Duchovny falls for Farr-out babe

Dianefarr_lWhat happens when a sex addict falls for a boy-crazy student? We’ll find out later this year when Rescue Me and Numb3rs alum Diane Farr joins the third season of Showtime’s Californication as a horny grad student who falls for David Duchovny’s carnally-obsessed Hank.

The 10-episode gig is Farr’s first since giving birth to twin girls, Sawyer Lucia Chung and Coco Trinity Chung, last August. She also has a 2-year-old son, Beckett, with husband Seung Yong Chung.

“Staying home with three little kids for six months has made me wonder if I might drown in a sea of velour sweat pants,” the actress says with a laugh. “Californication is like a grooming life-preserver for me. I can’t wait to go to work.”

Farr’s especially looking forward to not having to channel yet another tough chick in uniform. “I am so excited to play someone who is girlie,” she enthuses, “and wears a sundress without a gun or a fire hose in my hand.”

Apr 1 2009 06:11 PM ET

Ratings: 'American Idol' wins Tuesday, 'Cupid' shows promise

Fox’s American Idol continued its season 8 ratings roller-coaster ride Tuesday night, averaging 23.5 million viewers for 90 minutes of performances and painful critiques. That’s down 10 percent from last week’s special Wednesday airing. Idol led into the premiere of Osbournes: Reloaded, but only 9.3 million viewers stuck around for that variety show at 9:30 p.m. — which allowed CBS to win the 9 p.m. hour with The Mentalist, according to preliminary numbers. ABC premiered the reboot of Rob Thomas’ Cupid, starring Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson, to 7.6 million viewers. The Alphabet was still in the basement for the 10 p.m. hour, but, as the network happily noted in a press release, "Cupid greatly improved the time period for ABC, up by 23 percent in total viewers and by 35 percent in adults 18-49, over the net’s average with original drama programming in the hour this season (Eli Stone)." Yes, beating Eli Stone‘s ratings is a noteworthy accomplishment.

 
   
   
      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

 

Time Show Viewers (in millions)
8 p.m. American Idol (Fox)
NCIS (CBS)
The Biggest Loser: Couples (NBC)
Better Off Ted (ABC)
Reaper (The CW)
23.5
16.8
8.7
3.6 (repeat)
2.4
8:30 p.m. Better Off Ted (ABC) 3.1 (repeat)
9 p.m. The Mentalist (CBS)
Dancing With the Stars Results (ABC)
90210 (The CW)
16.9
13.0
2.0
9:30 p.m. Osbournes: Reloaded (Fox) 9.3
10 p.m. Without a Trace (CBS)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Cupid (ABC)
12.7
9.3
7.6

More TV News:
Michael Slezak recaps American Idol
Annie Barrett recaps Dancing With the Stars
Jean Bentley recaps The Biggest Loser: Couples
Ken Tucker on Osbournes: Reloaded
Ken Tucker on Cupid
Cupid stars Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson take the EW Pop Culture Personality Test

Apr 1 2009 05:07 PM ET

Breaking: Final 'Pushing Daisies' eps have arrived!

This is not, I repeat not, an April Fools prank.

Warner Home video just confirmed that the complete second season of Pushing Daisies — including the three final, unaired episodes — will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 21.

The 13-episode set will retail for $675 (DVD) and $975 (Blu-ray). Now that was an April Fools prank. They’ll sell for $39.98 and $49.99 respectively.

Relieved much?!

Apr 1 2009 02:00 PM ET

Exclusive: 'The Hills' season 5 cast photo, plus Lauren Conrad on her future

Thehillslaurenconrad_l Here’s an exclusive look at the season 5 cast photo for MTV’s reality hit The Hills. Lauren Conrad will be saying goodbye to the show after this latest batch of episodes (premiering April 6 on MTV). “I actually thought last season was going to be my last,” the reality star tells EW. “[But] the producers wanted to hopefully give the show some sort of closure and needed one more season.” Look for Conrad to take a back seat in her final 10 episodes since, “I didn’t have that much conflict in my life over the last few months.” She adds, “I think I only cry in one episode.”

But the end of her time on The Hills doesn’t mean that the budding businesswoman is done with television. Conrad says that she’s in discussions to turn her upcoming young-adult book series — loosely based on her Hills experience — into a TV drama. “We’ve been taking a lot of meetings lately,” says Conrad, whose first novel, L.A. Candy, hits shelves in June. “I don’t know exactly where I want to go, but I’ve looked into producing because I’ve always found that so interesting.”

As for costar Audrina Patridge’s planned reality series of her own, Conrad admits, “To be honest, I really haven’t heard that much about
it. She has a pretty interesting life. She’s a really
cool girl. She’s fun to watch.”

Click here for more EW first looks

Apr 1 2009 02:30 AM ET

Ratings: Obama press conference tops 'American Idol' as the week's most-watched show

Hail to the chief, once again: President Barack Obama’s press conference last Tuesday easily drew the most viewers on broadcast television for the week ending March 29. The commander in chief attracted 29.5 million viewers across the four major broadcast networks, besting American Idol‘s performance episode by 3.5 million viewers. Idol, of course, steered clear of Obama’s primetime event, moving its performance episode (26 million viewers) to Wednesday and results installment (23.1 million viewers), which saw Michael Sarver go home, to Thursday.

That schedule change was a big help to Hell’s Kitchen, which capitalized on its special Idol lead-in and enjoyed its second-highest-rated installment of the season, drawing 10.1 million viewers. And that’s good news for the cooking competition, which has been averaging a shrinking 8.8 million viewers, compared to 11.3 million last season. Still, despite the viewership drop, Fox must have faith in Hell’s Kitchen, as the network just greenlit yet another cycle to begin airing July 22.

Also of note was ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, which came in at No. 7 with 16.1 million viewers, its second-highest draw of the season (the premiere got 18.5 million watchers). Interestingly, last week’s sugary-yet-action-packed episode (Meredith and Derek got engaged, Izzie had her brain surgery) fared better than those much-hyped Private Practice crossover episodes, which seemed to give Private Practice a rather substantial viewership bump.

March Madness also consumed TV ratings for the week: Three games from the NCAA tournament — on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday — scored in the Top 20, rolling in at Nos. 16, 18, and 19. Otherwise, the Top 20 features few surprises. The full listing is after the jump.

1. Presidential Press Conference | ABC, CBS, Fox, & NBC | 29.5 million
2. American Idol | Fox | 26.0 million
3. American Idol | Fox | 23.1 million
4. Dancing With the Stars | ABC | 20.3 million
5. NCIS | CBS | 17.8 million
6. The Mentalist | CBS | 17.6 million
7. Dancing with the Stars | ABC | 16.1 million
    Grey’s Anatomy | ABC | 16.1 million
9. 60 Minutes | CBS | 14.4 million
    Criminal Minds | CBS | 14.4 million
11. CSI: Miami | CBS | 13.7 million
12. CSI: NY | CBS | 12.6 million
13. The Amazing Race 14 | CBS | 12.0 million
14. Cold Case | CBS | 11.9 million
15. Two and a Half Men (R) | CBS | 11.1 million
16. NCAA Basketball | CBS | 11.1 million
17. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | ABC | 10.8 million
18. NCAA Basketball | CBS | 10.6 million
19. NCAA Basketball | CBS | 10.4 million
      24 | Fox | 10.4 million

Source: Nielsen Media Research, week of March 23-29

READ FULL STORY »

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  1. Tuesday, May 1
    1. The Biggest Loser NBC, 8-9PM
  2. Friday, May 4
    1. In Plain Sight USA, 10-11PM
  3. Sunday, May 6
    1. The Amazing Race CBS, 8-10PM
    2. GCB NBC, 10-11PM
  4. Monday, May 7
    1. Two Broke Girls CBS, 8-9PM
    2. Castle ABC, 10-11PM
  5. Tuesday, May 8
    1. Last Man Standing ABC, 8-8:30PM
    2. The Voice NBC, 8-10PM
    3. New Girl FOX, 9-9:31PM
    4. Unforgettable CBS, 10-11PM
  6. Wednesday, May 9
    1. CSI CBS, 10-11PM
  7. Thursday, May 10
    1. The Big Bang Theory CBS, 8-8:31PM
    2. The Vampire Diaries The CW, 8-9PM
    3. The Office NBC, 9-9:30PM
    4. The Secret Circle The CW, 9-10PM
    5. Parks and Recreation NBC, 9:30-10PM
  8. Friday, May 11
    1. The Finder FOX, 8-9PM
    2. Undercover Boss CBS, 8-9PM
    3. Fringe FOX, 9-10PM
    4. CSI: NY CBS, 9-10PM
    5. Blue Bloods CBS, 10-11PM
  9. Sunday, May 13
    1. Once Upon A Time ABC, 8-9PM
    2. Survivor: One World CBS, 8-10PM
    3. Desperate Housewives ABC, 9-11PM, SERIES FINALE
    4. American Dad FOX, 9:30-10PM
  10. Monday, May 14
    1. Bones FOX, 8-9PM
    2. How I Met Your Mother CBS, 8-9PM
    3. Gossip Girl The CW, 8-9PM
    4. Two and a Half Men CBS, 9-9:30PM
    5. Hart of Dixie The CW, 9-10PM
    6. Mike & Molly CBS, 9:30-10PM
    7. Hawaii Five-0 CBS, 10-11PM
    8. Smash NBC, 10-11PM
  11. Tuesday, May 15
    1. 90210 The CW, 8-9PM
    2. Cougar Town ABC, 8-9PM
    3. NCIS CBS, 8-9PM
    4. NCIS: Los Angeles CBS, 9-11PM
    5. Fashion Star NBC, 10-11PM
    6. Private Practice ABC, 10-11PM
  12. Wednesday, May 16
    1. Suburgatory ABC, 8:30-9PM
    2. Criminal Minds CBS, 9-11PM
  13. Thursday, May 17
    1. Missing ABC, 8-9PM
    2. Community NBC, 8-8:30PM, 9-10PM
    3. 30 Rock NBC, 8:30-9PM
    4. Rules of Engagement CBS, 8:30-9PM
    5. Awake NBC, 9-11PM
    6. Grey's Anatomy ABC, 9-10PM
    7. Person of Interest CBS, 9-10PM
    8. The Mentalist CBS, 10-11PM
    9. Scandal ABC, 10-11PM
  14. Friday, May 18
    1. Nikita The CW, 8-9PM
    2. Shark Tank ABC, 8-9PM
    3. Who Do You Think You Are NBC, 8-9PM
    4. Grimm NBC, 9-10PM
    5. Supernatural The CW, 9-10PM
  15. Saturday, May 19
    1. Saturday Night Live NBC, 11:29PM-1AM
  16. Sunday, May 20
    1. America's Funniest Home Videos ABC, 7-8PM
    2. The Cleveland Show FOX, 7:30-8PM
    3. Harry's Law NBC, 8-9PM
    4. The Simpsons FOX, 8-8:30PM
    5. Bob's Burgers FOX, 8:30-9PM
    6. Celebrity Apprentice NBC, 9-11PM
    7. Family Guy FOX, 9-10PM
  17. Monday, May 21
    1. Dancing With the Stars (Performance) ABC, 8-9PM
    2. House FOX, 8-10PM, SERIES FINALE
  18. Tuesday, May 22
    1. American Idol (Performance) FOX, 8-9PM
    2. Dancing With the Stars (Results) ABC, 9-11PM
    3. Glee FOX, 9-10PM
  19. Wednesday, May 23
    1. The Middle ABC, 8-8:30PM
    2. American Idol (Results) FOX, 8-10:07PM
    3. Modern Family ABC, 9-9:30PM
    4. Don't Trust the B— ABC, 9:30-10PM
    5. Revenge ABC, 10-11PM
    6. Law & Order: SVU NBC, 10-11PM
  20. Thursday, May 24
    1. Awake NBC, 10-11PM
  21. Tuesday, May 29
    1. Cougar Town ABC, 8-9PM
    2. The L.A. Complex The CW, 9-10PM
  22. Wednesday, May 30
    1. America's Next Top Model: British Invasion The CW, 9-10PM
*Times are Eastern Daylight and subject to change

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