Steve Granitz/WireImage.com, Lisa O'Connor/ZUMAPress.com, Rob Loud/WireImage.comGreetings, TVegans! Hope you're having a good Monday. I've officially thawed out from SAG and am ready to rock your Q's (down to Electric Avenue), so let's do it, 'kay?
Ginny in Las Vegas: Any scoop at all on HEROES? The silence is killing me. I want to know if Adrian Pasdar and David Anders will return!
Just scored a little scoop! I'll tell you exactly who's expected to return in the spoiler section below.
Amanda in Boston: Yay! LOST is back this week!
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! There is no point in me answering this question other than to let you all know I'm officially bouncing off the walls. (Boing. Boing. Hear that?) Finally something good to talk about!
Ella in Santa Monica, California: Will you be doing your Lost Redux again this year?
Would I abandon you? I think not. Yes, I'll be doing the Lost Redux again this year, along with our favorite Lost expert, Dr. Anna Graham, so stop by every Friday morning for a wrap-up of what happened and what's ahead. And, you know, a good group cybersqueal from time to time.
Aeryn in Rijswijk, Netherlands: I just heard/read that BLOOD TIES is definitely not gonna be picked up by another network. Can you confirm this?
Not true! Sources tell me everything is still on the table, and negotiations may even begin this week at the NATPE conference, a major TV-biz event in Vegas. Keep your bloody fingers crossed, friends!
Helen in England: You've got to help me, because I'm dying here! The reason? I read the spoiler that Cutthroat Bitch (April) and Wilson are dating on HOUSE! Please tell me this is true, and please tell me this is not just a one-episode thing, pretty please! You are my only hope...
Actually, your only hope is the sweet and lovely and (woo!) tall-like-me Anne Dudek. I ran into her at the SAGs and, of course, asked about her stints on House, BIG LOVE and MAD MEN. (She didn't have such a bad 2007, that one.) I ran this House bidness by her, and she said, "Wait, where did you hear that?...I can't comment on that." But might we see her again on the show? "Um, I think so. I think Cutthroat Bitch is more involved in things than you might think." Sweet. Anne will also be back on Mad Men next season as Francine, and on HBO's Big Love as Albie's lady, whom Anne describes as "the really evil crazy woman with weird fake eyelashes. I have no makeup except giant fake eyelashes, which I think is such a genius choice."
Randall in Austin, Texas: So happy THE OFFICE won last night. It's the best show on television. Any scoop from the Dunder gang?
Just that Rainn Wilson told me I should try growing a beard 'cause I would look distinguished, and Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Lapin-Vance) nearly gave me a freaking heart attack on the red carpet when she—no joke—said, "We go back to work tomorrow"—before getting yanked away for an interview with Extra. I dropped my mike, disconnected my earpiece, ran after her and asked her what she meant. She said, "Oh, no! Must've been my wishful thinking! I meant, I'm going back home tomorrow. To St. Louis." Bubble of hope = popped.
Garret in San Francisco: I'm a huge 30 ROCK fan, and I noticed Toofer was missing from the writers room in a bunch of eps. Is he gone?
Nofer! Keith Powell (Toofer) was partying it up with the rest of the cast at the SAGs, and we talked about how the show just needs 14 million or so new viewers to keep it safe. Keith joked that the 6 mil who do watch at least are the "right 6 million people." Hells yeah. I also chatted up Judah Friedlander (who plays trucker-hatted TGS writer Frank Rossitano), who said of the celebfest: "It's weird, because you see everyone all dolled-up in their fancy, extravagant outfits, but when they get out of their limo, you see the marks on their back from the vinyl seating in the limo, and then you're like, okay, this isn't that glamorous." The man tells it true.
Lori in Queens, New York: U-G-L-Y. You ain't got no alibi, I need UGLY. Uh-huh, I need UGLY. Sorry, I'm a child of the '80s. Any UGLY BETTY scoop?
Just that things are staying complicated for Betty and Henry. I talked to the quite-rakish-in-real-life Christopher Gorham at the SAG Awards, who told me, "Well, I'm such a fan of Betty that I just want her to be happy. I think she's very happy right now, but they have some tough times coming up, because that baby's comin' out, and it's Henry's baby." So, will he be heading back to Arizona to be a dad? "That's the plan. He didn't really have a dad growing up, and so it's really important for him to go do that." Oh, fine, be responsible and decent like that. Jeez.
Nicole in Albany, New York: Are we ever going to see Bradford Meade again on Ugly Betty? He makes a pretty good spirit guide.
According to Alan Dale himself, "I don't think so. I think I'm finished. I think I'm going to go work on the stage now, and I'm going to get into the Guinness Book of World Records as the guy that died of a heart attack most often on television." In addition to recently kicking the bucket via massive coronary on Ugly Betty, you might remember his O.C. character's, Caleb Nichol, fatal heart attack/drowning, plus Jim Robinson, his character on the Australian soap Neighbors, also had a little terminal ticker trouble. Dude, don't ever forget to take your nitroglycerin.
Jason in Chicago: I heard that Evel Dick has been asked back for this next edition of BIG BROTHER! Lovebirds Nick and Daniele, too?
The rumor that Evel Dick has been cast again has not been confirmed, and sources tell me it's untrue. We may see E.D. stop by the BB house this season, but I don't believe he'll be living there. As for Nick and Daniele, they broke up! A friend of mine ran into Ms. Donato at a West Hollywood club last weekend, and she said Nick had packed it up and moved back to good ol' Minnesota. It's over between 'em!
SPOILERS
Holly in New York: Is Nathan really dead on HEROES? And please tell me Kristen Bell and Ali Larter are back in the new season. We need our hot girls!
A well-placed source tells me there appears to be a plan in place for when the show returns, and it involves Kristen Bell, David Anders and...yes, Adrian Pasdar and Ali Larter all back in the mix and most likely as series regulars. Happy news? I'd say so, but you tell me in the Comments section below!
Grace in Miami: Lady, I need some LOST!
You know how the kids are always saying OMGWTFPOLARBEAR about crazy Lost twists? Well, that's totally coming back in style in season four with, yes, another P Bear! Also, in case you haven't seen it yet, the first official review of the Lost season premiere is up at Ugo. Now, do you guys want a spoiler-free review of "The Beginning of the End" here before it airs Thursday, or would you rather hold out to see it for yourselves? Vote in the poll right below and/or post your wishes in the Comments section. Meanwhile, I can tell you that from what I've seen and heard so far, this season is going to kill us all with shocks, revelations, answers we've always been wanting and some craaazy twists.
Fadhila in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia: Regarding Lost's fourth season, is there going to be something between Sayid and Juliet this season? I'm starting to like the idea of them as a couple.
Not that I know of, but we do learn a lot more about Juliet's romantic past, as well as meet one of Sayid's lady friends. The ladies love Sayid, what can I tell you?
Mike in London: Some people claim you can see the parachutist—who was seemingly killed by Locke at the end of season three—alive and well in the trailer. So, did she survive or not?
She's mostly dead. (Think Princess Bride: "It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There is a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive...") But her being mostly dead doesn't mean we're done with her story. There's at least one mystery about Naomi left to solve.
Jane in Los Angeles: I'm dying to know what's in store for Desmond in season four. Do you know anything?
Look for more trouble from Desmond's rotten almost father-in-law. I talked to Alan Dale at the SAGs, and he's back as Charles Widmore in two of the first eight episodes of Lost this season. He told me, "I can tell you that I continue to be an absolute asshole to Desmond. I love that they keep coming up with ways I can do that. But Henry's [Ian Cusick] a lovely guy, and I enjoy doing that show." No matter how much I begged, Alan wouldn't divulge the other ep he's guesting on. Got a good guess? Post it in the Comments!
Lost: "The Beginning of the End"
Caro in Hamburg, Germany: I'm counting the days until JERICHO returns. Any scoop on the best and most disturbing TV show ever?
Someone's going off to big, bad Cheyenne, Wyoming, and we don't see the character coming back. That can't be good.
Dani in Hialeah, Florida: I need Stimi scoop!
Assuming you're talking about Stanley and Mimi on Jericho, you should love the first three eps of this season.
Ally in Charleston, South Carolina: Anything on ONE TREE HILL? Please? I beg of you...
No need to beg, my love! I'm 100 percent on board with the new season. I caught up over the weekend (thank you, rain!) and have to say, even though a couple of the storylines are a bit far-fetched, I find the new world of Tree Hill totally entertaining. It's quickly becoming my number one show to watch on the treadmill ('cause if anyone can keep me motivated, it's those adorable girls). Anyway...enough about me. (Who am I, Star Jones Reynolds?) For scoop, I'm hearing that Jamie's nanny is 100 percent insane, and we start to see how very soon. Also, she most definitely has her claws in Nathan, and that does not turn out well. Oh! And the season (mid-season?) finale will be a wedding, in case ya hadn't heard. One that will not make a certain person we love very happy.
Lauren in Fresno, California: I'm liking BREAKING BAD, even though last night's ep was supergross. Any scoop?
Walter can't keep his cancer secret much longer, and you know that's gonna mean much meddling from the missus.
Chris in Bishopville, South Carolina: SUPERNATURAL! What's coming up?!
What's here is an in-depth spoilery Q&A with show runner Eric Kripke! Also, here's what Kripke says about Dean's impending trip to Hades...Yes, you heard me, hell! "The episode 'Mystery Spot' is airing on Valentine’s Day, I think. And 'Mystery Spot' is a Groundhog’s Day episode where Sam keeps reliving the same Tuesday over and over and over again, and at the end of every Tuesday Dean dies. And no matter what, it’s actually a pretty funny episode. We killed Dean in every conceivable way. He gets electrocuted, he gets botulism, he’s hit by a car, he’s crushed by a desk, you know he’s shot a couple of times, he’s hit with an arrow. It's a totally fun episode. It’s actually kind of meaningful, and we play—I think it hits what Supernatural does best, it’s funny one moment and emotional the next. This obviously freaks the hell out of Sam, having to watch Dean die over and over again."
Cat in Brentwood, Tennessee: Sam and Dean! Come on, gimme a little Supernatural scoop!
Before the season ends, the boys meet a new adversary to replace the yellow-eyed demon.
Kev in Marvin, North Carolina: On OCTOBER ROAD, I'm starting to worry about Big Owen and Ikey. Are they going to get past this whole adultery thing?
I asked Brad Henke, who plays Owen, about the chances of a reconciliation between the two boys, and he said we should be sure to watch the season finale, because something's most definitely going down on that front.
Kelly in Virginia Beach, Virginia: What are the chances of Hannah breaking it off with Big Cat and choosing Nick before the season's over?
Slim to none! Looks like Nick and Hannah's happily ever after isn't in the near future.
Meghan in Sandpoint, Idaho: Any clue how October Road ends this season, and are they coming back for a third year?
Because of the strike, no one knows the fate of O Road at the moment, but the cast is certainly crossing their fingers. According to Brian Greenberg, Nick has to make a huge decision in the season finale, and it's a very serious choice that affects everyone in town. Hmmm...something to do with Hannah? Any guesses?
John Z. in Los Angeles: Did you guys see that the WGA-Lionsgate side deal means MAD MEN and WEEDS can go back in to production at will? Any dish on either of those shows?
I did see that, and I cheered. No Weeds news yet, but I did just talk to the adorable Rich Sommer (bespectacled ad man Harry Crane) about Mad Men. He told me, "The show has been an amazing thing. This time last year, I was trying to find enough to eat, and trying to get a new job. I was a temp secretary at Ernst & Young. Answering calls and surfing the Web were my two specialties." So, Rich is happy, what about Harry? "Harry's got a couple of little infidelity issues to deal with, but I don't know where they're going to go with that. I hope he still works at Sterling Cooper—I hope he makes it through the off-season!" What about those rumors that we next see the Mad Men in 1962? Says Rich, "I don't think it's going to be a full two years, but it is going to skip a little time." Hmmm... (P.S.: If you haven't yet seen Rich's Christmas card, check it out! Adorable!)
Stephanie in Lynchburg, Virginia: I have officially hooked both of my sisters on the wonderfulness that is FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. They watched my season-one DVDs in a week. As a reward for converting bad television viewers into good television viewers, do you have any scoop on our favorite football team, just in time for playoffs?
Ages ago we told you about a strip-club scene, and we finally get it in the next ep. Riggins and Saracen are enjoying the company of the Landing Strip ladies when something bad happens. A certain beloved father figure comes to the rescue, and a certain surrogate son finally has the freakout he's been working toward all season. Also, the Tyra-Jean-Landry triangle is resolved. In whose favor? Well, you'll have to watch and see.
Tricia in Ireland: Your frenemy has predicted that Lyla's newfound love Chris (Matt Czuchry) won't be around long. What say ye?
Czrazy! I hear he signed up to do five episodes total, and that could always be expanded, so...game on. Also, wanna know who I (swear to God) almost hit with my car in the rain as I left the Shrine last night? A certain frenemy I almost (fake) killed once. Please, Lord, don't let me end up in prison. By the way, I cannot stand Logan (Czuchry) with Lyla. He seems a Small (Boy) Wonder bot—unemotional and too kind to be true. You?
—Additional reporting by Korbi Ghosh and Jennifer Godwin