Big Brother 7: All-Stars host Julie Chen
Voyeur alert! CBS' Big Brother — that wildly addictive, Orwellian peep show — will launch its seventh season tonight at 8 pm/ET with Big Brother 7: All-Stars, featuring 12 of the show's most popular houseguests. During the kickoff, host Julie Chen will introduce the 20 semifinalists, then unveil which six were picked by fan votes and which six were chosen by executive producers Allison Grodner and Arnold Shapiro. The winner collects half a million bucks — but not bef
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Zach Braff, Scrubs
Question: I know that you have finally given The Office the credit it is due, but there is still an argument that Scrubs should be paired with My Name Is Earl. Why does it have to be one or the other? I grew up with two full hours of NBC comedy hits on Thursday nights. Why can't NBC put together another Thursday-night powerhouse and have all three of the shows on Thursday?
Answer: You would think, wouldn't you? (And more than a few weighed in with this very thought.) So let this be my latest (by no means my first) cry for NBC to have some common sense and decency and put Scrubs back where it belongs, on Thursdays, if not to close this season out — that seems too much to ask — then to jumpstart next season. The idea of Scrubs leading into an Earl-Office combo, with some unknown comedy filling the first half hour, is my idea of comedy heaven. Unfortunately, NBC has always had a tin ear for this sort of thing, and even in the best of days (the Cheers/Seinfeld/Frasier eras), there was
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Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, Cagney & Lacey
Question: I don't have any wagers, arguments or bets to settle. I just have a question, if that's OK. Was there another actress who played Cagney on Cagney & Lacey before Sharon Gless did, or is my memory failing already? Thank you for your time.
Answer: Actually, there were two, Ruth. Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H) first played Det. Chris Cagney in the CBS TV-movie that aired in 1981. However, after that movie proved successful enough for the network executives, who didn't initially believe the concept was strong enough for a show to order up a series, Swit was unavailable. In stepped actress Meg Foster, and the reason for her abrupt departure, together with the lack of network spin on it, provides an interesting lesson in how different today's political climate is from that of 20 years ago.
"[T]oo
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Michael Vartan
It's the news Alias fans have been waiting for. As reported exclusively in today's Ask Ausiello, Michael Vartan has sealed a deal to return to ABC's spy drama. For more on his big comeback — plus breaking casting news, er, poop on ER, Charmed, The Shield, Everwood, NCIS, House and Gilmore Girls — read today's fresh AA. (There, Mike, was that plug shameless enough for you?)
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Question: What is the scoop, er, poop on the possible relationship between Dr. Chase and Dr. Cameron this season on House? I have been seeing a lot of different spoilers floating around — one-night stand, nothing at all, etc.
Answer: According to exec producer David Shore, their hookup comes out of a crisis. "Cameron deals with a patient who's made very different lifestyle choices than she's made, and she starts to wonder whether she's made the right life choices," he says. "So, for a moment, she decides to embrace life and, specifically, Chase." And how does she feel the morning after? "In many ways, she regrets it right away," he says. "But on the other hand, it was good."
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Question: Any House news?
Answer: The House-Stacy story is going to move to the forefront during November/December, building to Sela Ward's departure in January. Take it away, David Shore: "We have a fun episode coming up where House is going to have to kill a rat in her home, but House ends up curing the rat instead of trapping it. He deduces at some point that the rat's actually sick. But as a result of this, we throw House and Stacy into a domestic situation together. And in the episode right before that, House is going to find out through — I'd have to say — illegal means, how Stacy feels about him. He's going to do something incredibly unethical and inappropriate and learn something about her feelings toward him."
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Big Brother
Question: I love your column and agree with most of your opinions, but I don't think you're giving Big Brother enough credit. It's the one show that gives me a reason to look forward to summer at all. There's so much more to it than good-looking people and hooking up (which is not my cup of tea, either). The strategy involved in the game is much more complex than other reality shows', even Survivor. The best part is getting to see every moment of it on live feeds and watching the daily Internet talk show, House Calls. It makes for a complete immersive experience, unlike any other show.
Answer: This is what I get for opening that Big Brother door instead of my original plan to just ignore this ridiculous show this summer. In a much snarkier retort, another BB fan, Andrew, wrote in to chide: "I find it quite offensive and a bit odd that you consider a show like Big Brother a 'colossal waste of time.' Isn't everything on TV a waste of time, unless you're a fan? I don't know. I find it
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