Should Tom Hanks Be America's Most Trusted Celebrity?

Forbes.com just came out with their list of America's 10 Most Trusted Celebrities. With Tom Hanks being number one, I had to read the list.

People on this list included (in no particular order) Rachel Ray (say what???), Ty Pennington (he's a celebrity? I thought he was just a good looking carpenter), Denzel, Reese Witherspoon, Ron Howard, Oprah.

The only three I agree with in the list of most trusted celebrities are:

Michael J Fox
James Earl Jones
Morgan Freeman

The people I thought were highly overlooked are (and were):

Audrey Hepburn- She's dead and she still can sell GAP pants. BTW, I hate the ad. She is so pretty and elegant and yet she has been reduced to a mall advertisement.

Alan Alda- Pure genius of a man. If you haven't read Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, go get it. I don't care if it's from a library or from the second hand store. You will not be disappointed.

Mel Gibson (despite his tirade. At least he speaks his mind, not hide his beliefs)

Christopher Reeve (he may be a mediocre actor and probably would've not done the charity work he did if he didn't get paralyzed but he never gave up when the chips were stacked against him)

Selma Hayek (never underestimate the Latina that made us accept the fact that curves are good and that it's not necessary to have a man to measure success especially when gracing the age of 40)

Sidney Poitier- A pioneer for all colored people and for the presence of interracial marriages in Hollywood. Imagine all the stereotypes he had to break. Even "Look Who's Coming" became controversial because it covered the issue of interracial relationships!

Angelina Jolie- she has a no nonesense approach to helping the world heal one person at a time. I may not agree a hundred percent as how to run her relationships or her household but she is determined to share her talent and resources no matter how many times she is told otherwise.

My runners-up (replacing the deceased) are Natalie Portman and Zach Braff not because they were in Garden State together but because they represent a generation that isn't afraid to discuss their beliefs and practice what they preach.

So, who do you think should be on America's Most Trusted Celebrities?

Only a Die-Hard Prison Break Fan Would Do It

I know I am slow but I thought you guys might find this interesting (if you're as geeky as me).

Remember the morse code on the crane Sara received from Michael? Here's someone from Kristin's E!Online viewership that actually decoded the message. Thanks E!Online!

Posted By: kristin
Created in: Forum: Watch with Kristin
Posted: Sep 26, 2006 1:34 PM
Thanks to Andi Z. for sending me this message. It's pretty freaking cool!

***********************

Hi Kristin,

Thanks to the smart work of some people on the myspace Prison Break group we have figured out how to decode the dotted crane message.

3 6 3 3 9 8 6 8 7 = "Phone number" Michael gave Sara on the crane.
... .. .. . .. .... ... ... .. .... = First line of dots on the crane from Ep 201.
3 2 2 1 2 4 3 3 2 4 = The dots, converted to numbers.

7 3 6 3 3 9 8 6 8 7 = Numbers on a phone key pad
3 2 2 1 2 4 3 3 2 4 = Letters for each number above it.

For example, (7, 3). The third letter on the number 7 is R. Then (3, 2). The second letter on number three is E. Following this pattern, the first line of the dots combined with the new phone number spells out... "R E N D E Z V O U S" - which is French for "meeting" or "get together".

We did the same thing for the phone number given on the 9/25 episode which gave us the message "SUNDOWN HOT"

and from a special source, we have learned that the last set of #s is 35445266 which gives the message "ELGILANM"

spaced out correctly, the message is - "Rendezvous - Sundown Hotel - Gila, NM

ta da! Give credit to the Myspace Prison Break group!

What I Think of Heroes and Other Shows this Week

My latest obsession, like I need another one, is Hiro's Blog. Heroes still proves to be one of the better newbies this season and next week's episode is going to be a good one.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is catching my attention. I like it. But then their humor is a little more high brow than your usual shows. The drama wrapped in this package is good. I think this is going to be a keeper.

And Prison Break? Oh goody. One more is going to be biting the dust. Who's it going to be? Sucre? Tweener the dumbass or C-Note?

Jericho is officially dropped from my viewing pleasure.

Men In Trees is hanging by a thread.

Gilmore Girls starts tomorrow and Supernatural starts Thursday. When will I have time to watch all of these shows? Ask my by Thanksgiving. I might have a clue then. LOL.

Other updates? Hopefully we get to find out what the sex of the baby is in 7 days! We'll keep you posted.

Before The CW Lets the Dogs Out

This is the best week ever! Sadly, I can't watch all the shows live but there is this great thing called a recorder that would help me get set this week.

Here's a sneak peek of the CW family via Kristin Veitch on E!Online.

If that's not enough, here's Ausiello's live interview with the who's who in the CW.

Whew.

And, if you haven't watched it yet, the first epsiode of Season 3's Grey's Anatomy was stellar. That, my friend, is no lie.

OMG, OMG, Spoilers

With the new fall lineup in full swing, here are some spoilers for those still coming up (GA, VM, GG to say the least) and what people thought of Studio 60 and Men In Trees.

Now I bring you Ausiello of TV Guide.

Man, the days I wish I had his job...

The Rosenthal List

Gilmore Girls is going to debut its seventh season in a few days. Here's what the current writer , David Rosenthal had to say about this year's drama.

Thanks again to Ausiello for giving us the lowdown.

Continuum: To Buy or Not To Buy

Here's what I thought of John Mayer's current album.

Hope this influences you to go seek someone who's actually worth spending money on.

Breaking Up is Hard To Do

I may not agree with Jen's open letter about divorcing Gilmore Girls but last season had proved one thing. It made all true die-hard fans of Gilmore Girls ponder whether or not to drop the show because of three things:

1. The senseless, pointless plots ASP was filling the screen with at the end of Season 5 transitioning to Season 6

2. The inability of Lorelai and Luke to "seal the deal" eventually ending up with Lorelai withdrawing her proposal and her ending up in bed with the father of her only child, Christopher

3. The presence of really senseless characters like Liz, Paul Anka and April to name a few

There is something to be said that viewers are still vocal about their disappointment over ASP's plot to start all over the Chris/Lorelai/Luke triangle. Not to mention the almost parasitic relationship Rory and Logan have especially now that they are keeping a transcontinental relationship!

Agh. Thank goodness that the season starts in 2 weeks. It'll hopefully quell some of the negativity floating there.

I may divorce ASP but I just cannot divorce my girls, especially Lorelai. There's just too much time that had been shared between me and my GG. I just hope that when this relationship ends, I shall feel more fulfilled than robbed.

David Rosenthal, my (TV) future lies in your hands. Same goes to you, Rina Mimoun.

I am glad though that Mike Ausiello has seen the ep and has reported back that it is good. However, this does not bode well coming from Ausiello's frienemy, Kristin V:

From xrollinthundrx: Gilmore Girls? Have you seen the season premiere? How is it sans Team Palladino?

I just got my hands on the tape and, during this very chat, had our trusty intern Marisa watch it. She tells me it's good, and that there's a scene with Lorelai rejecting a certain someone that some of you hate! I'll report back with more after I see it firsthand. Can't wait!

With that being said... AMY, DO NOT READ BELOW THIS LINE!!!!!!! (It's for your general health)

Thanks to Kristin V of E!Online for this chat:


From marshes: Please tell me Grey's Anatomy is going to be good!
I've now seen some of it firsthand and can tell you, this season is going to McRock! In only the first few episodes, there are at least a few jaw-droppers, including the return of someone you might have thought was gone for good--bah!--an addiction for our girl Izzie--eek!--and Addison is going to be in a bad, bad way but you won't be feeling sorry for her for too long...


From indygirl1438: I saw the Fray's video for Grey's Anatomy. Amazing. Are the Mer-Der shippers going to be happy overall with where Shonda is taking the story?
It's going to take much longer than I thought for anyone to be happy! Patience is a virtue, and you'll need it this season--big-time--my friends.


From wvgurl: Why is Addison in "plain clothes" and crying to the chief?
You saw the undies, right? I'm sure you can do the math.


From sandora1344: Will Alex get another love interest on Grey's? I hate to see him moping over Izzie.
Don't you worry about pretty-boy Alex--he's moping his way right over to the bathroom to do some scandalous acts with someone whose name does not rhyme with Dizzie or Disobel!


From indygirl1438: Is the person returning to GA--whom we thought was gone for good--male or female?
Male.


From joey: What's the biggest shocker you've seen from Grey's so far?
Not one, not two, but three people we know and love--yes, three series regulars!
--are caught in bed with someone they shouldn't be! Did I just blow your mind? I think I did! And two of them are with each other! And I'm not talking about Cristina, Burke, Meredith or Derek.


From tigereye69: Will Denny fans like the new season of Grey's Anatomy? The finale kind of left us all sad and makes it hard for us to watch GA without Denny. Some have even given up on the show.
I honestly think you'll have a lot to watch for--and especially to have the chance to mourn with Izzie. She's not getting over this easily, and Katherine Heigl is stunning this season in her grief. Okay, that was a weird thing to say, but it's true.

From elmopaloooza: You promised to tell us who Meredith picks. So, why haven't you?
They actually changed the episodes. (Did I already tell you this?) Initially, she was supposed to make a choice in the first episode, now she addresses both of them in episode two, but still hasn't made a decision, and since I've told you that, I can pretty much guarantee it will change again! (Much like that bisexual storyline last year.) So, I'm zipping my lip now.

I Wish I've Seen It!

Ausiello has and he brings the scoop. Follow the white rabbit if you want to get the spoilers.

A Lauren Grhahm Sighting

From the fingertips of Mike Ausiello:

Exclusive: Lauren Graham to Host Studio 60!

Lauren Graham and Matthew Perry by John Sciulli/WireImage.com
You know that frosty reception I had to Aaron Sorkin's super-hyped Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip? Well, I've suddenly begun warming to the show in a big way.

A well-placed source tells me that Lauren Graham will appear in a two-episode arc later this fall playing... Lauren Graham! Per my mole, she'll serve as the guest host of Studio 60's fictional SNL-esque show within a show.

This bit of stunt casting makes sense on so many levels. First off, silver-tongued Graham reciting Aaron Sorkin's golden prose? A marriage made in TV heaven. Furthermore, both Studio 60 and Gilmore Girls are produced by Warner Bros., thus eliminating all that pesky paperwork. Finally, and most importantly, Graham and Studio star Matthew Perry are longtime pals. In fact, as readers of this column know, the duo attended Entertainment Weekly's pre-Emmy bash last Saturday. (And just to clarify: They truly are just friends. Which is a shame: Can you imagine how witty and loquacious their kids would be?)

Since turnabout is fair play, it's probably only a matter of time before Perry pays a visit to Stars Hollow as... Kirk's long-lost brother! I can totally see it!

New Updates

Did you think I will be skimping on the news? Thanks to Spoilerfix and Ausiello, here are the goodies. Read on: Scrubs, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girlsand maybe Grey's Anatomy:

Question: I hope you had fun at the Emmys! Anyway, I just read that Zach Braff doesn't want to do Scrubs anymore and that this is his last season. They'll have to stop the show if he leaves, right? — Anne Marie

Ausiello: Wrong! I cornered series creator Bill Lawrence on the red carpet and asked him point-blank whether Scrubs could go on next season without the Braffster. His answer floored me. "Yeah, I think so," he replied. "We'll have to see how we do this year. If we're doing really well, it'll be hard to stop." OK, but who on god's green earth could replace him? "I think that Zach could walk out the door and a new piece of casting could walk in with a voice-over. Or Zach could walk out the door and Donald Faison could walk in and his voice-over could say, "I don't know what I'm going to do without J.D. around." Donald Faison as the new star of Scrubs!?!? Count me in! Actually, count me and Donald in. Seconds later, I floated the idea by Turk's portrayer and he was game. "We'll see what happens, but that would be nice," he said. "Do I want it to be the last year? Of course not. I like making money, and I have a great time on the show."

Question: You looked absolutely awesome on the red carpet for the Emmys. I saw you in the background of the E! preshow. Now, after that shameless intro, I was hoping to score some Veronica Mars scoop. — Erin

Ausiello: And Veronica Mars scoop you shall receive. I asked Rob Thomas whether Piz, the new hottie in Veronica's life this season, will pose a serious threat for LoVe. "I think Veronica and Logan's struggles are going to have little to do with Piz. They're two pretty intense characters on their own, and I think most of their issues are going to be with each other. I don't want to play some traditional thing where Piz is insinuating himself into the relationship, or attempting to break them up, or doing anything other than being a nice guy who happens to be around Veronica a lot, due largely to proximity, but they also get entangled in a couple of cases together. Logan should just be worried about Logan." Piz, meanwhile, is "from a suburb of Portland, Oregon. With all the sort of brooding, rich bad boys we've had on our show, he's sort of the antithesis of that. He's much more a Lloyd Dobler, frenetic kid with a lot of words in his mouth, and a very similar middle-class background as Veronica. So he should have a real different energy than, say, Troy or Logan." BTW, check out my column in this week's issue of TV Guide to get your first look at Piz (aka up-and-comer Chris Lowell) on Mars. If you're straight and female or gay and male, I think you'll be pleased with what you see.

Question: Any chance we'll see Aaron Ashmore (Troy) back on Veronica Mars? — Becca

Ausiello: As Rob Thomas reminds us, "He kinda got another job on us." That job, of course, would be playing Jimmy Olsen on Smallville. Still, Rob says, "We thought about bringing Troy back quite a bit, and if we could ever work out a guest-star [thing], we wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on that. But we felt like we had just put Veronica together with a lot of similar boys. If there did develop another love interest for her, we kind of want him to come from a different place." Like, say, a suburb of Portland, Oregon?

Question: Lauren Graham and Matthew Perry? I can't think of a better couple! Please tell me it's real! — Emily

Ausiello: As I mentioned in the Ausiello Report, it certainly looked real at Entertainment Weekly's pre-Emmy bash on Saturday. They weren't making love on the buffet table or anything like that, but they had a very cutesy rapport that suggested they've been, um, on friendly terms for quite some time. (Did you see how I cleverly worked in that Friends pun? It's a gift.)

Question: Ed Herrmann and Kelly Bishop rock! Any idea if they will get some type of story line of their own this season on Gilmore Girls? — Elizabeth

Ausiello: You already know that Richard will get a teaching gig at Yale and Emily will start training young girls in the fine art of etiquette. What you don't know is that later in the season, Richard will face a medical crisis that show-runner Dave Rosenthal says will have a "profound impact" on the entire Gilmore clan. "Health issues can create stress and conflict and trauma in a family, but they can also bring the family together," he adds. "It's something that will affect not only Emily but Rory and Lorelai, too."

Episode 7.04: 'S Wonderful 'S Marvelous
Airdate: October 2006

08/17 - Emily is arrested because it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving in Connecticut. She is not happy and her verbatim towards the police officer leads to a funny scene. At an art show, Rory befriends two artsy college students named Lucy and Olivia. Both will become recurring guest stars. Richard also appears. Source: SpoilerFix.com

Question: I need more clues on the major season-premiere death you teased about in the Ausiello Report! At least tell us what show it happens on! — Kelly

Ausiello: It's one of these three shows: Lost, Veronica Mars or Grey's Anatomy.

Go Ahead and Giggle

... I know I did.

CW: Failing Before the Seaon Starts

Just read and be glad you haven't seen them in person... yet.

A Little Porn For Your Pleasure

Well, it's not really porn, per se. It's Lauren Graham's new flick, The Amateurs.

Originally titled "The Moguls", The Amateurs takes place in Butterface Fields, a little town like Stars Hollow where everyone knows you and your name. Sounds familiar, right? The only difference is, Stars Hollow gets its attraction from its quirky stories and its small time charm.

Butterface Fields? Well, it wants to be known for more than that. Well, at least for one man who thinks so.

Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges), a man that tries to come up with a get rich quick scheme, comes up with the brilliant idea to make a smut film just to prove he can be the boss of him, which is one thing his son sees in his current, rich stepdad.

It's short of hilarious. Joe Pantoliano (remember him in The Matrix and Momento?) is named 'Some Idiot'. Ted Danson plays an overt gay guy that boasts to have sexual prowess over the opposite sex. Judy Greer is in it and she's exceptionally funny. She wants to be part of the porn movie. BTW, did you know she used to be Sean Gunn's (Kirk of GG) roomie? Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) sort of reprises his role as a film geek that gets to record the events (movie and life) as it unfolds before, during and after making the smut film.

A lot have said it and I do believe it: It's the most innocent adult film ever made.

I really don't know what Lauren (as Peggy) brings to the movie but it would be nice to see her outside of Gilmore Girls. Trust me, if you haven't seen her in anything other than GG, you're in for a surprise.

In Bad Santa, she played a Jewish bartender who had a fetish for Santa. (Eww, her saying, "Fuck me, Santa" makes me shiver!)

In Seeing Other People, she played a rich sister in a loveless marriage that gets off by watching other people screw. (Kinky!)

In other words, if you put LG on a pedestal and don't want to soil the good Lorelai image, stay away from this film or at least the 2 I just mentioned.

Otherwise, go watch how porn is made. Heaven help us all if Jeff Bridges or Ted Danson would be the people that would get us to watch smut with a plot!

Filling Up the GG Goodie Bag

Thanks to the Ausiello dude:

Question: Please, please, please tell me that Gilmore Girls isn't planning to make Lorelai pregnant and then do a whole "Who's the daddy" mystery. That would definitely veer into jump-the-shark territory. — Karl

Ausiello: Allow me to put your mind at ease. Better yet, let show-runner Dave Rosenthal put your mind at ease. "That will not be happening — I promise," he says of a potential paternity stumper. "There are no sharks anywhere near our set and there will be no jumping of them." Rosenthal can also promise that within the first couple of episodes, Stars Hollow will experience a bit of a baby boom. Translation: Luke's sister, Liz, isn't the only one expecting. "There will be more than two babies born this season." Oh, and one more thing: "There also will be a marriage this season," he reveals. "I can’t say exactly when, but somebody’s getting hitched." Send me your guesses! My money's on Paris and Doyle.

Question: I couldn't disagree with you more re: the Luke-Lorelai vs. Lorelai-Christopher chemistry on Gilmore Girls, but to each his own. More importantly, I get the impression from your comments and your interview with Dave Rosenthal that we are never again going to see L/L as a couple on GG. The most we should hope for is a last-minute reunion in the series finale. Do you think this is the most likely scenario? — Cally

Ausiello: It depends how you interpret Dave Rosenthal's following comments: "Do I think Luke and Lorelai ultimately are soul mates? I do. I really do. But does that mean they’re going to run off together tomorrow and live happily ever after? No. They’re at a point where they both have some regrowing and changing to do, and some things to figure out."

Question: What happened to my favorite Lorelai-Luke fan? Have you been brainwashed? — Lou

Ausiello: For the record, my position on this issue has not changed: I'm still pro-Luke and Lorelai. But after the events of last season, they clearly need a break from one another — and us from them. Let's hope absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Question: Do you have any more information on the time lapse that may or may not occur between the first and second Gilmore Girls episodes? — Jennifer

Ausiello: Actually, I just learned that GG's traditional summertime skip will take place between Episodes Three and Four. The first three episodes are essentially one continuous arc.

Question: Dude, that GG/VM Logan-crossover scoop? Best. Ever. Where am I sending you that case of Snapple? — Julie

Ausiello: Sure, now you want to send me Snapple. Where were you two weeks ago when I was lying on the floor of the Ritz Carlton twitching like Whitney in rehab. But I'm not bitter. And to prove it, I'm going to share with you what Rob Thomas had to say about the Oct. 24 crossover, which, as many of you pointed out, isn't technically a crossover since Matt Czuchry isn't playing Logan Huntzberger on Mars. (Cue me rolling my eyes and making a "W" with my fingers.) "The network suggested it, as [happens with] many of these things. But it's one of those times that I'm happy about the suggestion. I'm excited that it's a real actor… rather than a Top Model — not that I think our Top Models have done a bad job." Rob confirms that Czuchry will play Charlie Stone, half brother of Mars' Logan (Jason Dohring), but that's all he'll confirm. "I want to save the rest of the show."

Ronnie and Piz Were Sitting on a Tree... Then Logan Showed Up

No, not THIS Logan but THIS Logan.

Yep, per Ausiello, he had confirmed that CW is trying to use all its power to get viewers to watch Veronica Mars. Even if it means "borrowing" cast members from the show right before it, right? Now, the Logan/Logan sandwich may commence without Kristin Veitch's interference.

Want more? Well, at least I've found a picture of Wallace's new roommate and possible romantic interest of V, the Pizzinator. Okay, it's my term but I think Stosh should've remained rather than Piz. Heck, all I can say is that he has to be better than Jackie as a season add-on. Ooh, and this is Mac's new roommate. Hmm, me thinks Logan or Dick may have wandering eyes over her direction.

GILMORE GIRLS NEWS

More Spoilers from Ausiello:

Question: Give me whatever you have about Marty on Gilmore Girls. Is he returning? — Steevyn

Ausiello: Dave Rosenthal confirmed Wayne Wilcox's return in my Q&A with him. I don't have an episode count or first air date yet, but I'm working on it.

Question: Anything Gilmore Girls-related. Please. — Chloe

Ausiello: I'm hearing that a mishap at Luke's Diner will lead Kirk to open his own eatery across the street.

Question: OK, who do you think Lorelai should end up with: Luke or Christopher? — Jessica

Ausiello: I'd like to see Luke and Lorelai end up together, but I'm not opposed to a Lorelai-Christopher pairing in the short-term. Lauren Graham and David Sutcliffe have an easy-breezy chemistry and, unlike L&L, I don't feel the need to cover my eyes when they round third base. There, I said it. Now commence with the stone-throwing.

Question: Is it true? Is someone having a baby on Gilmore Girls this season? — Lisa D.

Ausiello: Considering Liz announced that she was preggers on May 2, it stands to reason that a baby will pop out at some point this season. That's what we in the biz call a no-brainer.

NOTES: Kirk running his own diner? Surely, would you eat at a place where you know the man runs naked during REM state and can't hold a job down to save his life? I am so glad the preggy wheels on the GG women have been put to a stop. I think making Rory or Lorelai pregnant would make this season the FINAL season.

Lastly, a parting McSteamy teaser:

Question: Have you received any confirmation that Eric Dane is returning to Grey's? Or is it just pure speculation? — Donna

Ausiello: No official confirmation, but there's mounting evidence to suggest that McSteamy will be a major part of Grey's this season. I think I already told you guys that ABC served a special McSteamy martini at its press tour bash. Seems like an odd thing to do if the character weren't coming back. And Shonda Rimes herself admitted in Friday's Grey's-themed Ausiello Report that Dane made a huge splash during his brief, one-episode stint last February. But the most compelling clue comes from a source over at CSI: Miami. My South Beach spy says Dane was originally approached to play Natalia's soon-to-be-introduced shady ex, but Miami producers were informed that he was "unavailable." Rob Estes will now be stalking Eva La Rue instead. Bottom line: McSteamy's McReturning.

Thanks to Ausiello who's back doing the chats!

Scott Patterson Speaks!

Finally, something Lauren Graham and Scott feel strongly about...

The First Gilmore Girls Ep is Out

I wish I had it but I don't. Mike Ausiello had a copy leaked to him and this is what he can tell us.

Logan on Logan Action: Take One!

I wish I was Kristin V of E!Online. The lucky gal got to become a Logan on Logan sandwich at the CW TCA. You have to watch the clips. It is freaking amazing. So amazing, I was giggly. However, 2 questions: what is up with Matt Czuchry's hair and Jason Dohring's dark locks? Me not liking it at all!!! If you can't seem to get the stream online, you can check the transcripts here.

What makes me think that KV is having her best week ever? She got to interview Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars. On this interview, he wasn't as tight lipped as he used to be. Warning: If you don't want to know any big spoilers, don't read. Don't let me hear you say that I didn't warn you.

Here's the transcript:

Q: Veronica’s off to college this year! How will college Veronica be different than high school Veronica, if at all?


R: I think she’ll lose some of the outsider baggage. Whereas Neptune High School was very rigidly divided --you’re either the child of a millionaire or you work for millionaires -- that chip on her shoulder will be lessened. There will be other interesting social situations we can put her in. In episode two this year, one of the girls who was raped, we find out that the night she was raped, she went to a sorority rush function, and so Veronica goes undercover into sorority rush, which I love. You know, it’s the last place in the world that she would want to be, and so she’s putting on the floral dress and going through rush. So we’ll still have situations where she’ll feel out of place.


Q: So that’s going to be the first mystery of the year?

R: Yes, which I’m not trying to keep a secret. We sort of introduced it last year, and it wasn’t solved, so--


Q: Is Alia Shawkat coming back?


R: I hope so. We don’t have Ali booked yet, but we want to. We know that in our mapping out of the mystery, that around [episode] 5, 6 or 7, we would want to see her again, so we hope. Michael Cera, we asked, but he booked a movie, so we lost him.


Q: Have you decided yet what the second and third mystery are going to be?


R: Yes.


Q: Any clues?


R: No! I will say that all three mysteries will have decidedly different feels. We know what they are. With the second one, I know who did it. You know, we’re setting all that up. I will say that the second one was largely inspired by that Steven Soderbergh indie low budget digital film, Bubble, in which all the creative energy felt like it went into the set up, into the motives. And the nice thing is that for the second mystery, we’ve got these first nine episodes to lay in motives, so it should be interesting. I’m excited about that idea.


Q: Because there will be three different mysteries this year, it seems like the mysteries will have to be somewhat lighter or less serious I guess. Does that mean we’re going to see a somewhat lighter, different Veronica Mars this season?


R: Well, yes, the first season was all about Lily’s murder and the second season a whole bus full of kids [were killed]. I mean, people have said that Veronica Mars is a 21 episode drama series and 1 episode a thriller! It seems to have turned out that way! We spent so much money, relative to our tiny show on the series finales to turn out these great episodes, and because of the logistics of having three mysteries and not having the budget to turn out three big finales like that, yes, it will be somewhat different and that’s the downside, but I hope people will still lock in [to the storylines we have planned]. One of the upsides is to have a mystery play out over just nine episodes, you can give much bigger clues in each episode. You don’t have to do as much dilly dallying. You don’t have to do as much faking over here, there’s not as many red herrings. You can get to the crux of it faster. The danger of it is, suddenly are we easy to solve? And we haven’t done it over nine episodes, so I’m a little nervous, but so far we’re five episodes into the breaking of stories and I’m liking how it’s feeling right now. And one of the things the network has suggested we do -- and this is an idea that I really am embracing, and I think it’s a good idea for our show, and it continues in the same mode as the idea of the shorter mysteries -- is, in an effort to be more inviting to new viewers or to casual viewers, to really amp up the mystery of the weeks, and to put slightly less emphasis into the ongoing mystery. But when I say less emphasis, what I’m really talking about -- And I love this. It’s a strange note to get from a network -- is not worry about the casual viewer with our ongoing mystery, so [for example] with the serial rapist, we’re going to put those themes into each episode like we always do, but we’re not going to put any effort into catching people up. It will be there for the fans who are watching us every week. So with that extra space that we have, we’re going to dial up the mystery of the week. What [the network] is saying ‘Give us that one thing that we can put on the air and promote,’ i.e. Veronica’s going undercover in a sorority. That’s the thing that they can put in their promos, and they can sell the mystery of the week now rather than the big, overarching mystery.


Q: Will the class warfare still be a theme on the show this season, or as they get older, is it not quite as bad?


R: It’s going to be lessened this year. I mean, certainly, rather than ‘Here are the popular rich kids and here are the kids who aren’t,’ in college I think we’re going to play it much more as a series of clumps, which might be more reflective of college life. Instead of being ‘ins’ and ‘outs,’ there will be different groups on campus. I think those boys who, in high school, were kind of geeky and put upon, sort of like in real life, they get to college and sort of blossom and suddenly smart guys are kind of cooler and kids like Dick Casablancas are having a little trouble adjusting!


Q: What’s happening with Weevil?


R: He’ll reappear in episode three. We’ll find out that he went to prison briefly for assault. They didn’t get him for Thumper’s murder, but they did get him for assault, and when we first see him, he’ll be working at a car wash, which he will tell Veronica isn’t quite as fun as the song makes it sound. It’s sort of a mandated job, and Veronica just runs into him by accident, and shortly after that, Weevil pins his boss to a coke machine and he loses that job, and suddenly he needs Veronica’s help. So that’s episode three and then he gets worked back into [the regular storylines].


Q: So will Weevil be sticking around as a recurring character?


R: He will be. Yes.


Q: When will he start working as the campus janitor or something, so he will be around everybody?


R: That would be the end of episode three! Yeah, there’s no foolin’ you there!


Q: And will the Thumper murder ever be solved or…


R: The Thumper murder is in the unsolved case file there at the Neptune Sherriff Department.


Q: Will Keith ever be Sherriff again?


R: Well, not for another four years. There are no plans for that.


Q: So Lamb is still Sherriff?


R: Right. And Sherriff Lamb, by the way, is officially a series regular now, so you’ll see him in the main titles this year.


Q: What guest stars will we see this season?


R: Well, I can tell you ones that we might see, that aren’t confirmed. We immediately, before we’d even written the role, asked Patty Hearst’s agents if she would play a member of the Hearst Board of Trustees. They said ‘yes, absolutely,’ so of course when we got that [response], we started thinking ‘Well, what if a member of the board of trustees was kidnapped?!’ That’s gone though our minds as well, so look for Patty Hearst on our show! We asked Stephen King if he would play a professor this year, and we had an idea for him early in the year, and his people said he was booked then, but he loved the show, and to [ask again] later. And now we’re going after [Daily Show comedian] Lewis Black to play a professor who’s running an experiment about prisoner abuse that Wallace and Logan get involved in, and his scene is like a page and a half rant that we just think Lewis Black would be phenomenal for. The nice thing is sometimes we have these ideas for guest stars that the network is like ‘Who?! What’re you talking about?’ and I was afraid that might happen with Lewis Black, but they were totally into the idea, so I think the offer is out and we’re just waiting for him to decide on it.


Q: What are Logan and Wallace doing mixed up in a prisoner abuse experiment?


R: They’re both in the same sociology class, and the professor gives them a choice of either participating in this experiment or writing a lengthy paper, and they choose to participate in the experiment.


Q: Will we see Lisa Rinna again?


R: I don’t think so.


Q: No? We didn’t see a body.


R: I know. Believe me when I say that if you don’t see a body, you should always expect that they might come back. But there are no plans to bring her back.


Q: What about Alyson Hannigan?


R: We’d like to.


Q: I just talked to her. She said ‘I would love to [go back and do more Veronica].’


R: Alright! Well, that’s good news. It’s just that it’s tough working in, because we have to plan an episode and hope that it falls in her week off, and that’s really difficult to do, but we love Alyson. It’s just tough to make it work.


Q: When will the season two DVD be out?


R: Early, this year. August, I think. Like August 22nd?


Q: Did you guys get a chance to do more commentary?


R: Unfortunately, no. It continues to be the same thing. We can release it in January, with everything, or we can release it early, and right now our show needs viewers early, so we released it early. Last year, I did a pilot episode commentary that I posted on my website, and I’ll probably do that again, I’d imagine, with the episode I directed.


Lastly, here's a little tidbit to expect from Gilmore Girls this year. I wasn't going to repost what David Rosenthal told KV since it's pretty much verbatim to what he told Mike Ausiello but here's something KV scooped from Rina Mimoun that MA wasn't able to get:

K: ... Let’s talk about Gilmore for a sec. I’m sure you’re excited about it.


R: Honestly, I’m totally unnecessary. [David Rosenthal]’s got it all covered. I don’t need to be there frankly! It’s off and running. I had not really known the show before. But I got really excited as I was watching it -- I watched like 50 hours of Gilmore on DVD. That’s a lot of fast talking -- and the stories that they want to tell this year I am happy about. It seems a little more provocative and thought provoking, and really fun and funny. It’s the most amazing group of writers, I have to say. We start shooting on Thursday. It’s crazy. I haven’t even met [most of the actors]. I just met Kirk. I’m very excited. Frankly, the Tai Chi moment is my favorite moment on the show, so yeah, I’m looking forward to it.

Happy Friday!

Live Blogging Part II Veronica Mars

Another live blog by Mike Ausiello. Props to the man!

VERONICA MARS PRESENTATION
4:35: Kristen Bell walks on stage alongside series creator Rob Thomas. Is there a more fabulous duo at press tour? I think not.

4:37: Kristen notices a cheesy graphic of herself in a white tank top on the huge CW monitor and groans, "Oh, honestly. I'm so over it. Can we get a new picture?" The crowd roars.

4:37: Rob concedes that Season 2 got way too convoluted. He says doing "two concurrent mysteries, lasting 22 episodes, with way too many red herrings" was a tad too ambitious. "We're going to rein that in this year. Our first mystery will be nine episodes, with no pre-emptions or repeats. Our second mystery will be seven episodes, with no pre-emptions or repeats. And our final mystery of the year will be six episodes, with no pre-emptions or repeats." Of course, he adds, "that's spoken with the confidence of a man who thinks he's going 22 episodes."

4:40: Scoop! Tina Majorino is officially on board as a series regular. Wallace, Logan and, yes, Dick will all be joining Veronica at Hearst college. And Rob confirms that two new characters will be coming on board — a roommate for Mac and a roommate for Wallace.

4:41: When Kristen heard that Dawn Ostroff was heading up CW she had no doubt Veronica would be back for a third season. "Don't tell this to all the other kids," she whispers, "but we're her favorite."

4:45: Scoop! Rob reveals that he approached self-proclaimed Mars fan Stephen King to play a "crazy sociology professor" in this season's third episode. Although the spookmesiter was booked, he asked Rob to "keep me in mind for other things." Hey, I'll play it! Please?

4:52: Kristen says that she has about "20 percent more girl" in her than Veronica.

4:54: Scoop! Charisma Carpenter will be on the show "at least once." Teddy Dunn, meanwhile, is, um, done. "We had two romantic possibilities for Veronica, and one sort of dominated the fans' interest," Rob says. "And it became clear that one suitor won out." OMG, you guys got Teddy Dunn fired!

5:02: Last season's briefcase mystery will get wrapped up in the first two episodes. Today's press tour diary, meanwhile, will get wrapped up right this second.