Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Where do the winners go after accepting their Emmys? Backstage to the (overly air-conditioned, brrrr) press room! Here is your minute-by-minute guide to who said what about their most memorable night.
8:06: Show's just starting, and we're watching it back here like the rest of ya. Host Conan O'Brien's pretaped opening says it all: NBC (and The Office) gets second billing in a funny bit that leads off instead with rival ABC's Lost.
8:18: Alan Alda wins, giving The West Wing its 26th Emmy ev
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Leslie Hope, Runaway
Leslie Hope and Elisha Cuthbert were two of the first actors I interviewed for TVGuide.com, back in 2002, during the debut season of a little-show-that-could called 24. Coincidentally, I was slated to talk with each of the "Bauer women" again this week, but one of them "politely passed" at the last minute. The actress I now like a bit more is Ms. Hope, who called me from the set of Runaway, a CW drama debuting Sept. 25, and concerning a family that assumes a new id
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Question: First off, can I have your baby? Secondly, I see that Donnie Wahlberg is starring in the CW’s new show Runaway. Does this mean he won’t be back for Saw 3?
Answer: Are you insane, Dementia? No, you can't have my baby. I'll answer your second question, though. The former New Kid recently hinted to my colleague Damian Holbrook that his big-screen character's fate was as shady as the horror franchise's creepy-ass clown puppet. “I never thought I would do a horror movie, but I am glad I did [Saw 2]. But I can't comment on [the sequel]…. I couldn’t do that. So you can read into that however you want." Yeah, he's so coming back.
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Question: I know it's still summer, but have the networks announced tentative dates for their season premieres?
Answer: As of now, the only network not to announce premiere dates is CBS, which will likely launch most of its new and returning shows the weeks of Sept. 17 and 24.
Here's how the others shape up: The season kicks off early on Fox, with Prison Break and Vanished on Aug. 21; then the limited reality series Duets on Aug. 29; Justice and Bones on Aug. 30; House and Standoff on Sept. 5; the comedies 'Til Death and Happy Hour on Sept 7; Nanny 911 on Sept. 8; Cops and America's Most Wanted on Sept. 9; Fox's animated comedy lineup plus The War at Home on Sept. 10; and MADtv Sept. 16. (The O.C. won't return until after postseason baseball on Nov. 2.)
On ABC, 20/20 officially kicks off Sept. 8; Dancing with the Stars returns Sept. 12 and 13; Wife Swap premieres Sept. 18; Grey's Anatomy and Six Degrees on Sept. 21; Ugly Betty and Men in Trees on Sept. 22; Extreme Makeover: Home
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Question: I'm curious. From what you have seen so far of the shows being introduced in the upcoming fall season, which ones are worth watching?
Answer: From the stuff I've seen so far, Fox's 24-esque kidnapping thriller Vanished and NBC's Tina Fey SNL-esque comedy are two early standouts. I also got a kick out of Fox's The Wedding Album, but that was mostly because of the chemistry between recently fired lead Bruno Campos and costar Tara Summers. On the flip side, all of Fox's comedies — with the exception of Brad Garrett's 'Til Death, which has potential — are major stinkers. I also wasn't crazy about CW's Runaway, and I'm not saying that because it took Everwood's place on the fall schedule. Oh, who am I kidding — sure I am.
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Question: First 24, then Lost. I love that we're going to see more of these high-end productions, but do you think the networks will cause viewer burnout since every major network will have new serialized dramas to tout in the fall? I'm sure that money has everything to do with their breaking into new platforms for these shows. Even Lost will have toy figures for its characters!
Answer: It's a fact that just about every network wants to have a show that commands as much media attention, viewer loyalty and branding possibilities as the best of the serial thrillers tend to generate. (It helps when you have breakout stars like Prison Break's Wentworth Miller; you should have heard the screams at the Fox upfront.) It's also a fact that there are going to be a few too many of these continuing mysteries on the fall schedule, more than most will be able to keep up with. Call it a glut. And they sound almost indistinguishable: Vanished. Kidnapped. Runaway. There may well be burnout, and I
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Brad Garrett, 'Til Death
After attending the networks' upfront presentations all week, the Biz has this analysis of the coming season. (Click here for next fall's grid and new-show descriptions.)
CWYou've got to wonder what went wrong in CW's new-series development process if the network had to bring back 7th Heaven — even though the show lost a reported $16 million for WB this past season.
But the decision to have CW's inaugural schedule made up of established shows from WB and UPN may end up being a blessing. Many of the shows have small but rabid followings, and promoting new shows on a new network will be tough. The fans of shows like One Tree Hill and Veronica Mars will track them down on their own. Viewers in the 18-to-34-year-old demographic that CW targets don't watch networks, they watch shows. (According to recent survey, only one in four 1
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Angie Harmon, Secrets of a Small Town
It's that time of year again: Network executives are spending these lovely spring days in dark screening rooms, searching for next fall's big hit. As we approach the mid-May unveiling of the new 2006-07 prime-time schedules, the Biz is here to provide you with an early glimpse of which drama pilots are heating up. We'll report on the sitcoms next week.
ABC: Secrets of a Small Town — a drama starring Angie Harmon about a small town whose residents have plenty of skeletons in the closet — is believed to have the inside track for the Sunday-night slot after Desperate Housewives. (It's now a given that the network will move the superhot Grey's Anatomy to another night where it can help launch a new show.) Also hot are Six Degrees — another ensemble soap about six strangers whose lives intertwine in New York — and Traveler, about three graduate students involved in a national-security emergency.
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On the big screen, John Malkovich has been tapped to play a 23rd-century Trump in the upcoming sci-fi thriller The Mutant Chronicles, the Hollywood Reporter informs us.... On the small screen, American Dreams' cutie-pie Sarah Ramos (she was prickly sis Patty) has been added to the cast of Runaway, CW's proposed drama about a family of fugitives.... Charmed head-turner Kaley Cuoco has been adopted as Marisa Coughlan's sib in ABC's untitled sisters pilot.... The Mountain man Oliver Hudson will yuk it up in The Weekend, a potential CBS laffer.... Marion Ross — that's Mrs. C to you — is doing Community Service for NBC.
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Variety reports that Sara Gilbert (Twins, Roseanne) and Maulik Pancholy (Weeds) have joined the ABC pilot Girls on the Bus, about reporters covering a political campaign.... The Hollywood Reporter has Jessica Lucas (She's the Man) and Alona Tal (Veronica Mars) scoring roles on CW's Split Decision, Karen LeBlanc joining CW's Runaway, and John Ducey and Colby Paul getting cast on Fox's Union Jackass. (Am I allowed to say "jackass" here? In a non-K-Fed story?)
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