Ali Page Goldstein/NBCHey, all! Happy Peacock Day.
I'm here on my CrackBerry inside Radio City Music Hall in NYC, where just moments ago I was on the red carpet flirting with John Stamos (some things never change), high-fiving the Friday Night Lights cast (they're coming back!) and fondling Adrian Pasdar's new pornstar-ish beard (hot). Good times!
NBC is unveiling its new fall schedule to advertisers today, and here's what I can tell you so far...
RED CARPET REPORT
- Per Jeff Zucker, Scrubs will come back in the fall in its regular Thursday-night time slot. Whee! The season will have only 18 eps, but still, I'll take it.
- The last three minutes of the Heroes finale will be the first three of next season. And apparently they are insane, and according to Zachary Quinto (Sylar), they "end with a boom."
- Tina Fey wants Oprah to play her mother next season on 30 Rock. Please? (Please, please, please!)
- The FNL castmembers are all adorably sweet and could not be more excited that they are coming back. And now they will be on Fridays at 10. Which, strangely, they also seem excited about.
- There are four possible endings for The Office's season finale—and Jenna Fischer knows which one it'll be! She teases that Michael and Jan have "the biggest stuff." Hmmm!
I'll bring you highlights from all those interviews via video very soon, but in the meantime, I've infiltrated the NBC presentation to get sneak peeks of all the new shows and hopefully a little scoop. Read on for the word from the big rainbow bird...
PRESENTATION
Okay. Presentation is starting—and clips of all the shows. Up first: Journeyman, which looks fantastic, one reason being because it stars Kevin McKidd of Rome, whom I just crowned on the red carpet "the new McDreamy"—'cause he's dreamy and a real "Mc"—and he had no idea what I was talking about. Hee. Pretty funny since he's in a movie with Patrick Dempsey right now.
Up next...Life, a new drama about a falsely imprisoned cop. Looks a little...snoozy. And sappy. Hmph. Here's hoping the show is better than the preview.
Lipstick Jungle looks pretty good but definitely girlie. It's basically a network version of Sex and the City, but this time "the women (Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price) are Mr. Big." Andrew McCarthy is a love interest, so he's...Carrie?
Chuck looks surprisingly promising—and funny. Geeklicious goodness about a nerd who accidentally gets the entire CIA database implanted in his head.
But wait a minute...Bionic Woman—um, dare I say that it looks to be the best of all of them? Dark, dramatic, kickass...more Alias than the OG version of Bionic Woman. And Katee Sackhoff totally rocks as "the first Bionic Woman"! I might already be in love with this show. When I interviewed Jeff Zucker on the carpet, he mentioned Bionic Woman first when I asked which new series he's most excited about, so I'm not alone!
Jerry Seinfeld is here, and for the first time ever, the advertisers in suits are...wait for it...laughing. Inside an upfront presentation. Wow, history! Jerry's here to announce his new NBC project, Bee Movie, an animated DreamWorks made-for-TV film.
John Madden's balls just flew out at the audience—which would be interesting if they weren't footballs.
I'm sitting with Masi Oka and he wants me to tell you all to watch my new Vine show starring amazing special guest Masi Oka! It just went up!
All the Heroes are here (yes, I am a pig in poo), and Ali Larter told me she just shot The View (she appears tomorrow) and although she was nervous, she had a blast. She also says her characters are merging, and she'll be playing one—either Niki or Jessica—next season!
Of course, the coolest Heroes news today is that we'll get 30 episodes next season, thanks to the "Origins" episodes that will take us back in time to show the backstories of new characters.
Kevin Reilly says Journeyman is the highest-testing new drama in five years. It does look incredible! He also says Kevin McKidd is "sure to break out this season." Told ya. McDreamy 2.0.
Reilly says Earl is getting a new love interest. And The Office will have 24 regular eps and five hourlongs next season, which for some reason he is calling "30 episodes."Friday Night Lights is moving to Fridays to "end confusion," per Reilly. Announcement of FNL's return elicted cheers from audience—which never happens among the ad suits! Looks like it's critically and advertisingly (new word) acclaimed. Yay!
Holy peacock! NBC clocked in at a delightfully brief hour and 25 minutes. We're dunzo! I'm head off to get drunk—er, to professionally, sternly and soberly gather news and information in the public interest—at the NBC upfront party. Check back often for gossip and dish as it breaks! Smooch!
7 p.m. Update: I just got back from the NBC party and can tell you exactly what you missed: All your favorite NBC folks (casts of The Office, Heroes and more) trapped like animals in various corners, greeting a never-ending line of advertising peeps who lined up to get their photos taken with the stars.
The first man to duck out of the Photo-Op-lympics? Adrian Pasdar, who clocked 30 minutes of pressing the flesh of the dark suits before bolting. The last men standing? Sendhil Ramamurthy and Zachary Quinto, who were still chatting up and snapping pics with fanvertisers when I left two hours after the party started.
Meanwhile, I spent a bit more time talking to Journeyman's Kevin McKidd and can tell you he's bona fide Future Husband material (you know, if I, um, didn't have a real FH in real life). And Lipstick Jungle's Kim Raver spent a good 45 minutes chatting up Jeff Zucker, so clearly she's blending right into her NBC family—though she still won't say if Audrey ends the season dead or alive on 24.
I'll be back tomorrow with a report from ABC. See you then!