Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on 'NCIS,' 'House,' 'Glee,' 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Grey's,' and more!

Image Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS; Matt Carr/Getty Images; Miranda Penn Turin/Fox; Patrick Ecclesine/The CWGot a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? You can send any/all of the above to ausielloscoop@ew.com

Question: NCIS scoop, please! —Milea
Ausiello: Ziva’s about to get a major rival. Israeli actress/model Sarai Givaty (pictured) has just been cast in a November-sweeps arc as Liat, a Mossad liaison charged with keeping Ziva’s dad out of harm’s way. Before long, Ziva-With-a-Z is feeling replaced both professionally and personally, so she does what any smart, self-confident tough chick would: She has a knock-down, drag-out fight with the new “her.” May the biggest badass win!

Question: What happened with House spoilers? It’s like a desert nowadays! —Milena
Ausiello: There’s at least one significant breakup coming down the pike. (That noise you hear is the sound of Twitter exploding.)

Question: Season’s greetings! Will there be a Christmas Glee episode? —Ryan
Ausiello: Can’t confirm a Christmas episode. I can tell you that something big happens around the holidays, and it may or may not involve a wedding.

Question: Where is Mark Salling? Is he gone permanently? Is it due to his release of a non-Glee album? You have to know something about this, right?! —Missy
Ausiello: Puck up, Missy! Though I dunno whether his absence is a side effect of his decision to work on music that isn’t in the genre of R&Glee, I do know that it’s only temporary. He’ll miss one more episode—the Oct. 26 Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute—but will be back on the air in a big way in early November.

Question: You’ve been skimping on The Vampire Diaries scoop lately. —Katie
Ausiello: No, I haven’t, you’ve just been demanding more, more, more. (And ya know it, too.) Anyway, Damon’s about to get a new lust interest — a fellow vamp named Rose. Who, please, please, please, will be played by Katharine Isabelle (the she-wolf from the Ginger Snaps trilogy).

Question: Will there be closure between you and Ms. Barrett before you leave EW? Something on Ausiello TV, perhaps? —Bryon
Ausiello: I don’t know about closure. But there will be an ending.

Question: Any chance of Blair and Chuck getting back together on Gossip Girl? —Savanna
Ausiello: There’s a pretty good chance of it happening in the next couple weeks, but I have to warn you: It won’t be pretty. Think The War of the Roses meets lots of sex.

Question: I’ve had enough Chuck and Blair spoilers. Please tell me something good about Nate and Serena! —Ilaria
Ausiello: The former lovers attend Blair’s birthday party together, but as friends. Hey, it’s something. In other GG news, ‘memba the peace treaty I told you Nate and Serena get Blair and Chuck to sign? Well, Dan — who stands to benefit from B&C remaining at war — steals it.

Question: I just read the press release for episode 6 of Brothers & Sisters, and it sounds like Scotty cheated on Kevin. Please tell me this is a mistake, because I will be devastated if Kevin and Scotty break up! —Maria
Ausiello: It’s not a mistake. You shouldn’t assume, however, that it leads to a breakup. It’s a little more complicated than that.

Question: The Good Wife is so, um, good this season. What’s coming up? —Mark
Ausiello: Look for a game-changing twist in the hotly contested race for state’s attorney next week.

Question: Mentalist writer Jordan Harper confirmed via Twitter that Mashburn’s coming back! Please investigate this one for us, Ausiello. Mashburn was awesome in last season’s episode “Redline.” He and Jane had some great scenes together. Plus, watching him put the moves on Lisbon was fun. Any chance you can find out why he’s back this time? —Rachel
Ausiello: Let’s ask series creator Bruno Heller. “As the story unfolds, it seems someone is determined to have Mashburn’s blood, and Mashburn is determined to have Lisbon,” he teases. “Someone is going to get their wish.”

Question: Hey! Where’s the Chuck scoop at? —Natalie
Ausiello: It’s right here, silly: The worlds of Chuck and Firefly will collide when Summer Glau guest-stars as Greta next month. “We’re definitely going to get Casey [Adam Baldwin] and her to cross paths,” says exec producer Josh Schwartz, “so there will be a mini-Firefly reunion.”

Question: Got any intel on the new NBC pilot Josh Schwartz is doing with Rachel Bilson, Ghost Angeles? —Nicholas
Ausiello: While it’s true that Bilson’s character communicates with spirits, Schwartz insists it’s “not nearly as similar to Ghost Whisperer as [it sounds].” He describes it simply as a “fun genre-hybrid show.”

Question: Has Melrose Place been canceled? —Diana
Ausiello: That depends. What year are you writing me from?

Question: I think I saw you shopping at Walmart in Lindon, Utah, last week. Or maybe it was your twin. In any event, I think that earns me some scoop from my favorite show, Supernatural. —Abiah
Ausiello: Wait a second — Lindon got a Walmart?! Get out! When the hell did that happen? I’m always the last to know. Here’s a little Supe scoop from this Friday’s Jensen Ackles-directed episode: Longtime voice actor Alan Ackles (a.k.a. Jensen’s pa) has a cameo as a newscaster. We’ll hear the elder Ackles’ voice during a news story that’s playing on TV at Bobby’s house. How much do we love Jensen for throwing a little work his dad’s way?

Question: You haven’t said a word about Undercovers! Breaks my heart, it does. Will they be getting the back-nine treatment or not? —James
Ausiello: Back nine seems like an iffy proposition right now given the show’s low ratings. Personally, I hope it rebounds. I find the two leads immensely appealing. I’m also excited to hear that the show will be sprinkling in a little mythology in the coming weeks. “We’re building to the reveal of why these two were really called back to the agency,” explains exec producer Josh Reims. “And along the way, we get hints about some secret CIA programs, people who aren’t who they say they are, and some facts about Samantha and Steven’s history that turn out not to be exactly what they thought.”

Question: I was kind of surprised that Derek wasn’t angrier at Mer for hiding the fact that she was pregnant and suffered a miscarriage on Grey’s Anatomy. He wasn’t really bothered by it at all. —Tim
Ausiello: Shonda Rhimes defends her decision thusly: “I would have really disliked Derek for being angry at Meredith for failing to tell him that she had a miscarriage on the day that he had been shot. I would have thought he was an ass.”

Question: How long will Jessica Capshaw be off Grey’s Anatomy for her maternity leave? And how will they explain it? —Joanne
Ausiello: Believe it or not, Rhimes expects Capshaw to be MIA for just two episodes. “We’re basically playing it by ear,” she says. “If she needs more [than two episodes], she’ll let me know. She’s not a new mother; she’s done this before. She feels like she’s in great shape and will be physically ready to come back almost immediately. But if she decides she needs some more time, we’re going to give her some more time.” As far as how she’ll be written out, let’s just say that question will be answered in dramatic fashion at the end of the Oct. 28 episode.

Question: Will we ever see Alex happy again on Grey’s Anatomy? —Julia
Ausiello: I don’t know about happy, but we will catch a glimpse of his tender side on Oct. 28 when he channels his inner Justin Bieber while treating a pediatric patient.

Question: Can we get some Private Practice scoop on Addison? Is she gonna have a story line besides her relationship with Sam? —Anna
Ausiello: Addison will play a key role in the upcoming rape story line, since she’s the only one Charlotte initially confides in. “Charlotte isn’t the kind of person who would want the world to know [that she was raped],” explains Rhimes. “And Addison’s a gynecological surgeon, so she needs somebody to help her in that sense. I love the position that it puts Addison in.”

Image Credit: ABC

Question: Any Private Practice scoop? —Diane
Ausiello: If the scene where Cooper first lays eyes on a bruised and battered Charlotte seems eerily authentic, here’s why: “The director of the episode didn’t let Paul [Adelstein] see me in the makeup before we shot it,” explains KaDee Strickland. “I literally walked around with a ginormous scarf over me on set. So when Cooper first sees Charlotte, it’s the first time Paul sees her too. I think it’s so awesome to get that natural reaction.”

Question: Can you tell us anything about the CSI episode with Dita Von Teese and what exactly happens between her and Greg? —Courtney
Ausiello: Sure can’t. Would you settle for a little scoopbit from this week’s episode? A recurring character gets killed. There’s also this: Catherine and Nick visit a sex shop as part of an investigation, and we learn that Cath is something of a regular customer.

Question: Will there be any more Annie-and-Jeff or Britta-and-Jeff developments on Community? It’s hard to believe that they’re just wiping the slate clean as if it never happened. What gives? —Becca
Ausiello: I’m surprised you aren’t asking me about Britta and Troy. Oh, wait, you haven’t seen this week’s episode yet. Oops, spoiler alert!

That’s a wrap! Please send questions, comments, and anonymous tips to ausielloscoop@ew.com. Also, you can follow me on Twitter via @michaelausiello. Thanks for playing!  (Additional reporting by Andy Patrick and Sandra Gonzalez)