PaleyFest 2011: Details From NBC's Community Panel

Everybody now: Pop Pop!

Last night marked Community's second time at the annual Paley Festival and the evening, moderated by The A.V. Club's Todd VanDerWerff, was a celebration of the off-kilter NBC comedy and its cast and crew, which came out in full force (save Donald Glover and Alison Brie, who were shooting) for this hysterical and fun session.

The evening began with a screening of this week's upcoming episode of Community ("Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy"), written by Andy Bobrow, which featured guest star Enver Gjojak (Dollhouse) as Luka, a friend of Troy and Abed's with whom Britta becomes romantically involved. I don't want to give too much away about the episode--it was hysterical, after all--but I will say that it involves war crimes, kidnapping charges, Chang smoking a pipe, and Kickpuncher III, as well as Gillian Jacobs' Britta creating chaos in her wake and the pregnancy/paternity subplot swirling around Yvette Nicole Brown's Shirley.

In true meta fashion, creator Dan Harmon introduced an introduction to his introduction, before seguing into the screening of "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy." If you've never watched an episode of Community alongside hundreds of other fans, you truly are missing out as the audience roared with laughter and seemed to love this remarkable series as much as I do.

So what did the cast and crew have to say about what's coming up on Community? Let's take a look.

Harmon was loath to spill too many details about what's ahead this season on Community, which--for shame!--still hasn't been renewed for a third season. Still, producers said that they are hopeful for a renewal. As for what's coming up...

"We are going to tell some stories," he said, in true Dan Harmon style. "Shirley's got to drop the papoose."

Meanwhile, we'll see the one-hour season finale "sequel" to "Modern Warfare" that features Lost's Josh Holloway. Executive producer/director Joe Russo said that the installment was a "Sergio Leone homage" and "almost killed" them making it. Harmon and Co. are keeping details about the episode firmly under wraps, however. "When we found out that Sawyer was coming to Greendale, it was like Christmas morning," said Brown, admitting that the entire cast are huge Lost fans.

But Harmon did tease another upcoming episode, a "memory episode," which will be Community's version of a clip show, with 75 scenes, all new, from "episodes that don't exist," according to Harmon. It's their take on the traditional sitcom clip show, but with a twist that only Community could pull off. (This sounded AMAZING.) Brown said that the episode is "rich with things in the background of each scene" and said to pay attention to the details in the scenes.

For his part, Joel McHale joked, "We're doing a parody of Small Wonder and Bridge on the River Kwai," when posed with the same question. But Danny Pudi did spill one detail, as he said that Abed will be doing a critical analysis of Who's the Boss? in an effort to determine once and for all just who the boss really was.

Additionally, he writers will address the issue of whether Pierce is in fact redeemable after his behavior in such episodes as "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" and "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking." (If you missed my take on Pierce and Chevy Chase from a few weeks ago, you can read "The Problem with Pierce" here.)

Chase said Pierce just wants to be accepted by the group and that he has the "mind of a 13 year old." "It's so close to who I am," said Chase, who said that he's just playing himself as Pierce. Semi-seriously, I think. "I get one fan letter a week now," he said. "Before I was on the show, I got 2000-3000." (But lest you think that Chase sat back demurely during this panel, that wasn't quite the truth: a gag involving his mic cord occurred within the first few seconds of the panel and a way-too-loud nose blow occurred when Danny Pudi answered a question. When the panel all praised Chase's performance in the Dungeons & Dragons episode, Chase answered, "What's D&D?")

Gillian Jacobs said that a lot of the physical humor comes from her awkwardness as she doesn't have a lot of grace. "It's been really great to go from the girl on the pedestal to 'you're the worst, please leave'!"

About the now famous Christmas claymation episode, Danny Pudi said that he wasn't concerned about all of the depressing stuff in that episode because "it was in clay." But as Pudi began to talk about how surreal it is to be sitting up on stage at a Community panel or have a special airing on Christmas Eve (the claymation episode was repeated that evening), Chase interrupted his answer with the aforementioned nose-blow. (Le sigh.)

Later, Pudi was asked about the "Brown Jamie Lee Curis" line and said, "It's so true! I never realized it!"

Joel McHale said that we will eventually meet Jeff's father, and joked that he's a centaur. But McHale also said that he hopes that Jeff's issues will be explored in Season Three of Community, which led the audience to applaud and cheer. "Much like erosion, it takes a long time for people to change," said McHale of Jeff Winger.

Jim Rash told a hilarious story about the costume fitting for Dean Pelton's recent Uncle Sam costume (or, sorry, his sister's Uncle Sam costume) and said thathe wants to see Dean Pelton's "dirty, dirty" apartment and joked his whole place would be "black-light." Harmon spun the audience a hypothetical plotline in which we'd see the study group at the start of the episode--with Shirley considering eating something else, Troy thinking of growing a mustache--and have the scene interrupted by the Dean and then follow him out and have the whole episode focus on Dean Pelton, only to wrap up at the end with Troy's mustache, etc. (Let's just say that the crowd loved the idea.)

And we will see Dean Pelton's midriff, apparently, as well as more "shirtless Jeff Winger."

There was a huge round of applause for the Community staff writers sitting in the audience as the house lights came up and the writers stood up. Harmon joked that he did a weird "Howard Hughes thing" during the first season, writing alone in his house, but this season he really used his writing staff and understood what can come from team writing and those writer all-nighters. "This season, if you like it more it's because of the writing staff," said Harmon.

Asked for their favorite current television comedies, Ken Jeong said that he loves Parks and Recreation (go, Pawnee!); Jacobs, Brown, and Pudi all love 30 Rock, and Harmon said that the show that makes him laugh the most right now is HBO's The Ricky Gervais Show.

Harmon said Jeff's recent slam of Barenaked Ladies was not a slam against The Big Bang Theory. He honestly had no idea they sang the theme song to the CBS sitcom that airs in their timeslot.

(To the audience member whose question was really just an opportunity to issue Magnitude's "Pop Pop!" I'd like to tip my hat at you.)

In the "That's nice" category, Yvette Nicole Brown's answer about the role Twitter and social networking among the cast and crew of Community. As the others cracked jokes about Brown retweeting Reverend Run quotes Brown said, "This is gonna sound corny but they're called followers and I feel like we should lead them somewhere positive."

Wait, a heartfelt moment among the laughter? It wouldn't be Community without it. Thanks to the cast and crew of Community for a fantastic evening.

Community airs Thursday evenings at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

PaleyFest 2011: Details From NBC's Parks and Recreation Panel

Welcome to the home of the world famous Julia Roberts... lawsuit. To the Paris of Indiana. Welcome to Pawnee.

It was clear, as the cast and crew of NBC's painfully funny and wickedly sweet Parks and Recreation gathered on stage last night as part of the 2011 edition of the Paley Festival, that there's as much love for the series coming from the actors than there is coming from the audience.

"I think this is the beginning of us being around for a long time," said Amy Poehler about Parks and Recreation reaching its stride. The numbers have climbed during the long-delayed third season, which made the move to the plum post-Office timeslot in January.

Though Poehler was quick to poke fun at moderator Michael Ausiello of TVLine for issuing a backhanded compliment about the underrated first season of this winning comedy series. "It's a bit like saying that your baby used to be ugly and is now cute," said Poehler on reactions to Season One, which she termed an "amuse bouche, for all you Top Chef fans out there."

Nearly everyone praised Poehler for the professional and warm tone she sets for the entire cast and crew. (It really does all trickle down from the top, if I'm being honest.)

"Writing for this cast is like a writer's dream come true," said co-creator Mike Schur. "Each of them is a Swiss Army Knife."

One of my favorite quotes had to be from Poehler about Leslie Knope at the start of the panel, as she described Leslie as "part Girl Scout, part pioneer, and zero game."

There was one bit of newsworthy business that had to be dealt with before the evening got under way and that was the rumors swirling about Rob Lowe, who joined the cast of Parks and Rec last season as eternally optimistic Chris Traeger. Mike Schur said there is "no truth" to rumors about Rob Lowe joining the cast of Two and a Half Men and replacing Charlie Sheen. Lowe, said Schur, is under a multi-year contract. As for why Lowe wasn't there last night, Schur said he was looking at colleges with his kids back East.

(Aubrey Plaza, meanwhile, had her own choice words to Sheen, issuing a deadpan proposition to the former Two and a Half Men star that insinuated that she'd do anything for him, no matter how dirty, and that he should "find [her] on Twitter.")

So what else did the cast and crew of Parks and Rec have to say? Let's take a look and what lies ahead for the gang in Pawnee and some other interesting tidbits...

Leslie. "The second half of the season will be about how [Leslie's] profile is heightened" as a result of Harvest Festival," said Schur about the professional arc facing Ms. Knope after next week's "Harvest Festival" episode, with Leslie becoming something of a local celebrity in Pawnee.

Ben. As for Ben (Adam Scott), the nascent romance between him and Leslie will provide a bit of a throughline for the remainder of the season, as they "tap-dance" around each other. "Leslie had had many suitors but this is the first one that's interested in the same thing she is," said Poehler about Ben. As for whether Ben has a shot with Leslie, Poehler said, "Leslie is like a single mom and Pawnee is like her kid. And if you treat her kid well, you might get to have sex with her."

Ann Perkins! "Ann turns into a real slut," said Poehler about Ann's upcoming romantic arc. "She goes on a Rumspringa."

April and Andy. Andy and April are "on a rollercoaster". They like each other a lot and are just hanging onto the outside of it, said Schur.

Asked why Andy is so much more lovable now than when we first met him in Season One (when he was taking advantage of the good graces of then-girlfriend Ann after falling in the pit), Nick Offerman said, "Andy met a man named Ron Swanson, and now he has much better manners."

Tom. Tom will invent a beverage called Snake Juice this season, though I hope it tastes better than Tommy Fresh's "teriyaki hairpiece," um, odeur. ("Eventually one of Tom's inventions will hit... in Season 9," said Schur.) As for Tom's personal life, Aziz Ansari said, "I secretly want Usher to play Tom's brother."

Mayor Gunderson. We were promised that Mayor Gunderson WILL eventually be seen on the series. Poehler wants Bill Murray to play him, a casting note that had everyone in the audience cheering. ("He'd only have to work three hours," promised Poehler.)

Among the other details revealed last night:

• Aubrey Plaza says Amy Poehler was one of her comedy heroes when she was in high school. Aw. The two worked on Saturday Night Live at the same time, when Plaza interned in the art department, though she said that Poehler never said one word to her. Amy rejoined, "I was busy!"
• "You can make so much fun of him and he doesn't care, because he's so good looking," said Rashida Jones about her co-star Rob Lowe.
• Aubrey mentions that because she's "so young" she didn't know who Rob Lowe was when he arrived for his first day of work last season. Poehler's reaction? "Oh, shut up, Aubrey."
• Poehler wants to see Louis C.K. back on Parks and Recreation, especially to see him work with Adam Scott. In fact, she was the one who suggested Louis C.K. for the role, which was originally written as a handsome, buff local cop. (Amy won out in the end.)
• Asked by an audience member for their favorite fictional characters, several actors named Omar Little from The Wire, though Schur admitted that no fictional character makes him laugh as much as Cookie Monster.
• Retta told a story about how she didn't really have any lines in the first season until Amy started ad-libbing with her. "Where'd you get that leaf?" Leslie asked, referring to a leaf Donna had pinned up on a bulletin board behind her desk. "Outside," deadpanned Donna. (HA!)
• In other Retta news, she said she almost passed out at the table read for "Ron & Tammy II" because she was laughing so hard. "Chris [Pratt] makes me pee all the time."
• "I don't remember any of that," said Plaza after Schur told the story of meeting her and creating April based on that first meeting; the way that she made him feel mirrored the way that she makes Leslie feel.
• The writers' first inkling about the possibilities of pairing April and Andy came during Season Two's "Hunting Trip" episode, in which they got left behind at the office and the two played Marco Polo and practiced spit-takes. (Funnily enough, it was the first time I twigged to the possibility that these two could be meant for each other.)

And that's a wrap! Thanks to the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation for such a lovely and funny evening and be sure to catch next week's "Harvest Festival," which I've now (as of late night's screening before the panel) seen no less than six times.

Parks and Recreation airs Thursday at 9:30 pm ET/PT on NBC.

PaleyFest 2011: Details From HBO's True Blood Panel

The fans are hungry for blood.

Or, in this case, more True Blood, which doesn't return for another few months yet, sadly. However, the cast and crew of HBO's seductive vampire drama was on hand last night for the Paley Festival's True Blood panel, which brought together an astonishing 17 actors from the series on stage with creator Alan Ball.

The evening, moderated by TV Guide Magazine's Debra Birnbaum, kicked off with a selection from the Paley Center's archives--in this case, a fitting scene from the pilot episode of the similarly fanged Buffy the Vampire Slayer--before presenting a sizzle reel from the first three seasons of True Blood... and a scene from the upcoming fourth season.

So just what did we lucky attendees get to see from Season Four? The scene that Ball presented was set outside Fangtasia as a mob gathered outside the club to protest, chanting "Steve Newman's right; you're devils of the night." (Hmmm, any chance we might get to see the Fellowship of the Sun again and those dastardly Newmans?)

Pam, Hoyt, and Jessica--who step outside to see what the commotion is--are reminded only too well that this is a "post-Russell Edgington world" now. Everything seems peaceful until Hoyt gets involved, attempting to get into a debate with one protester about how he can't possibly be Christian because he's standing in the way of love. But when said protester calls Jessica a "vampire whore," things take a turn for the very, very nasty...

What else did we learn over the course of the season about the characters and what lies ahead for the denizens of Bon Temps? Let's take a look, though WARNING! There are spoilers ahead!

Sookie. "There's some stuff that's different," said Anna Paquin about Sookie's state when she returns from Claudine's world in Season Four. "We will see what she learned tempering the way she goes about looking for independence."

But don't expect Sookie to return with full control over her faerie abilities, like those microwave fingers she's brought forth upon occasion. "She's new at this faerie stuff."

Sookie and Alcide? Asked whether there's any hope for Sookie and Alcide to get together this season, Paquin said, "Well, he doesn't turn into a ball of charred fire in the daytime... Alcide has that nice, warm thing going, which is a plus. But he comes with some baggage, which is less of a plus."

Sookie and Bill? "It's hard not to think of them as soulmates when they're soulmates in real life," said Ball about Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer's Sookie and Bill. Still, Ball wants 17 more seasons of True Blood in order to explore all the possible romantic permutations for Sookie. (So, Bill-haters, don't take this too much to heart.)

THAT Scene. "I got to have my own f--- puppet," said Moyer about that whiplash-inducing scene with Lorena this past season.

Vampire Showdowns. Bill and Queen Sophie-Anne had a bit of a "bite-off" at the end of last season, said Moyer. Look for a major battle between Bill, Sophie-Anne, and someone else to come to the light as it were.

Eric. Eric's amnesia storyline is definitely a go for this season, revealed Skarsgaard, who said that Eric looses his memory thanks to some malevolent influences this season. ("He messed with the wrong people," revealed Ball.)

"Things are defintely unstable for Eric," he said. "He doesn't know who he is. Thousands of years of human resentment, gone."

As for whether there's a shot at Sookie and Eric getting together, the cast and Ball were equally tight-lipped. "You're just going to have to watch," said Paquin.

Godric. Look for Godric to return this season, either in flashback or dream sequence. "Or he was cloned," joked Alan Ball.

Pam. Fan-favorite Pam (Kristin Bauer van Stratten) attracted quite a bit of attention during the evening. Asked whether we'd ever see some flashbacks between Pam and Eric, KBVS said, "Well, I'd love to see what Audrey Fischer would do with the clothing." And when asked who she'd like to work with that she hasn't gotten to, Rutina Wesley said that she wanted to see some Tara/Pam action, prompting Ball to say, "You will." (For her part, Bauer van Stratten wanted to do a scene with Ryan Kwanten's Jason, while Anna Paquin said that her favorite lines were "everything Pam ever says, ever.")

Witches. Responding to a question about portrayals of Wicca and its practitioners, Ball said that the way into Season Four's witches storyline will be through a circle of Wiccans, but said "there is a more evil force" at work here. "We've tried to preserve the traditions of Wicca as much as we can," said Ball, who revealed that the writing staff had done a lot of research on the subject.

Niall. Those hoping to see the character of Niall from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novel series may have to wait a little while longer: Ball said Niall will eventually make an appearance on the show, but it may not be this season.

Jessica and Hoyt. "The fairytale can't go on forever," said Deborah Ann Woll about Jessica and Hoyt's romance, "but maybe reality is better than a fairytale." (Aw.)

Russell Edgington. "There are definite plans to bring back Russell," said Ball. "He is gonna be pissed." Ball said that he and the writers specifically decided not to kill off Denis O'Hare's Russell in an effort to leave the door open for his return down the line.

Sam Merlotte's Love Life. Sam Trammel says Sam has a "slim" shot at love this season. (Hmmm... Any takers on with whom?)

Jason Stackhouse. "Jason wants a super power so badly and can't," said Ryan Kwanten. "He's like a rarity in this town." (Yet, there were no questions about Jason and the werepanther all evening. Huh.)

"If anyone should not be in charge of a bunch of meth addicts, it's Jason Stackhouse."

Andy Bellefleur. "A lot of V came into the station... and that's where he works," said Chris Bauer on Andy's, uh, temptation this season. Looks like Andy is concealing a secret of his own.

Tara. Where Tara goes at the end of the season will be revealed early on, according to Wesley, and there is a chance of happiness for Tara. Or maybe not. "Maybe," said Wesley when asked.

And Baby Makes Three. So what's up this season with Arlene and Terry's baby? "The last we left it, her baby was on board," said Carrie Preston. And that problem grows, er, exponentially."

Season Four's Themes. Asked about the overarching theme of Season Four, Ball said, rather tongue-in-cheek, "It's about the duality of existence... Or man versus nature... the terrors of intimacy... Eh, it's just True Blood. It's for the fans: an escapist, emotional, terrifying journey is all that matters."

Guest Stars and New Characters. The guest stars this season will include Gary Cole and Fiona Shaw, the latter of which will play a, well, witch, "among other things," teased Ball. New characters will include witches, vampires, shifters, a child, some humans, and a new werewolf.



Season Four of True Blood is set to air this summer on HBO.

Paley Festival Announces Full Line-Up: Community, Parks and Recreation, True Blood, White Collar, The Walking Dead, and Much More!

The moment many have been waiting for is finally here.

The Paley Center for Media has this morning unveiled its full lineup for the 2011 Paley Festival, taking place March 4-17 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA. (The annual festival moved to its new digs last year.)

Among the offerings for the 2011 festival, which is always standing room only: Community, Parks and Recreation, True Blood, White Collar, The Walking Dead, American Idol, Supernatural, Eastbound and Down, Raising Hope, a Freaks & Geeks/Undeclared Reunion, an evening with Jimmy Fallon, and more.

Tickets will go on sale to members on January 21st and to the general public on January 23rd at 9 am PT via Ticketweb.

The complete Paley Festival 2011 lineup, with event dates, can be found below:

March 4th at 7 pm: The Walking Dead
March 5th at 7 pm: True Blood
March 7th at 7 pm: White Collar
March 8th at 7 pm: Hot in Cleveland
March 9th at 7 pm: Parks and Recreation
March 10th at 7 pm: Eastbound and Down
March 11th at 7 pm: An Evening with Jimmy Fallon
March 12th at 7 pm: Freaks and Geeks/Undecared Reunion
March 13th at 3 pm: Supernatural
March 14th at 7 pm: American Idol
March 15th at 7 pm: Community
March 17th at 7 pm: Raising Hope

Now that the full schedule has been announced, I'm curious to know: which of the above panels are you the most excited to see? What are you dying to get tickets for? And are you planning on coming out to Los Angeles for the event? Talk back here.

Paley Festival: "Community" Cast and Crew Give Us Vampires, Doppelgangers, and Naked Joel McHale

Vampires. Doppelgangers. A nearly naked Joel McHale.

Such were the topics at last night's Community screening and panel at the 2010 William S. Paley Television Festival, where the cast and crew of NBC's Community (sadly without Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, and Alison Brie, who were shooting last night) came together to celebrate the freshman comedy, attempt to ignore the jaw-dropping antics of Chevy Chase, and offer a brief insight into the hysterical madness that is this sweet/sour comedy gem.

While Brown, Pudi, and Brie were absent (Brown told me via Twitter that they were shooting a scene with Jim Rash, who plays Dean Pelton), the rest of the cast and crew filled the stage, including: Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong, Neil Goldman, Anthony Russo, Gillian Jacobs, Joe Russo, Russ Krasnoff, Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Garrett Donovan, and Dan Harmon.

Moderated by Entertainment Weekly's John Young (who seemed a little out of his element and way out of his depth), the raucous and insightful evening got underway with a screening of tonight's episode of Community ("Physical Education"), which features Jeff (McHale) taking a billiards class until he learns that he must wear physical education department regulation shorts--resulting in what might just be television's very first naked pool match as Jeff strips down to face off with the class' curmudgeonly instructor--and the gang attempting to makeover Abed (Pudi) so he can win over a girl who seemingly has a crush on him. The result? Comedy gold.

I can't say enough wonderful things about tonight's "Physical Education," which features Pudi's Abed in a range of various personas--from a vampire (which must be seen to be believed), Don Draper from Mad Men, and Jeff Winger--and McHale in a truly hyper-confident sequence where he strips off his clothes and his inhibitions (and constant need to be cool) in order to play a game of pool.

Each of the characters gets a chance to shine here, whether it's Brie's Annie cautiously checking out Jeff's naked behind, Glover's Troy explaining to a confused Shirley (Brown) that they want to "Love Don't Cost a Thing" Abed after Abed says that they intend to "Can't Buy Me Love" him, the hostility of Senor Chang (Ken Jeong)'s "you're the worst" line, Britta (Jacobs)'s pronunciation of "bagel" (and the ashamed face she makes later), and the general obliviousness/insensitivity of Pierce (Chase). There's also a nice undercurrent of anti-PC racial humor, touched on above, that goes onto include someone's unexpected doppelganger.

Plus, the episode features one of the very best tags ever on the series. I don't want to spoil the surprise but I will say that Pudi and Glover are absolutely hysterical and worth every penny they're earning.

Following the screening, the cast and crew took to the stage to talk about the series.

Genesis: Asked where the idea for Community came from, creator Dan Harmon said that he had enrolled in community college when he was 32 years old. Acing his biology class, he was roped into a study group with teenagers who wanted to somehow siphon his knowledge but eventually came to like these people, whom he normally wouldn't be friends with. At the time, he mentally bookmarked the scenario as a possible idea for a television series and later used it to develop Community.

Racial diversity: The character of Troy was originally written as a white, Woody Harrelson jock-type but the casting of Donald Glover is what really brought the character to life and took it in a whole new direction. Harmon joked that he had to rewrite the character's dialogue after Troy became an African-American character, so he just added "yo, yo, yo" to the beginning of every line... a topic that veered into an insightful look at race neutrality in the casting of these characters and Harmon's childhood in the 1970s being raised by a liberal mother in Milwaukee who strove so hard to make her son not racist that Harmon instead became obsessed with race.

Glover went on to describe what an urban version of Community would be like: Troy would be the star, Reverend Run would play his father, there would be tons of bling, and he would try to sell Britta.

Nudity: Given the larger-than-life near-nudity in the screened episode from McHale, a significant part of the conversation was devoted to McHale's nakedness shooting this episode. "I got so used to being in nude underwear," said McHale. "It was no problem. I didn't realize it might be weird to be at the craft services table." He also revealed that he had to shave down before shooting. "I shaved down," he said. "I had lots of unwanted hair I never knew I had. I went on the 'you're going to be naked in two weeks' diet."

Chevy Chase: I have to wonder how anything gets done on set with Chase being quite so, er, distracting as he is. Over the course of the hour and a half or so that the panel lasted, Chase interrupted numerous times, talking over people, imitating them as a ten-year-old might (as he did to poor Ken Jeong as he attempted to answer a serious question), shouting out "boob" in the middle of the conversation, gargling with water, fiddling with his microphone, and repeatedly checking his phone. That is, when he wasn't engaging in impromptu pratfalls, as he fell out of his chair backwards at one point, or pulling out wads of cash from his pocket to prove that he had money. Chase might be a comedy icon but he came across as an extremely frustrating and irritating personality, one that likely would cause friction among a cast. (McHale meanwhile, when asked what he has learned from Chase, said, "How not to match my clothes." And then went on to say, "Chevy is like Nolan Ryan, in that he's still alive.")

Gillian Jacobs: The role of Britta was extremely difficult to cast but Harmon was exceptionally pleased by the audition given by Julliard graduate Gillian Jacobs, who had mainly played drug-addicted teen prostitutes ("look on IMDB," she told the audience) and appeared in very low-budget indie films. Jacobs nailed the role of Britta, which director/executive producer Joe Russo said was "two parts full of herself [and] two parts totally sincere."

Coming up: Before the season is over, look for a highly conceptual episode directed by Justin Lin that is being likened to a twenty-minute action move in the mold of The Warriors, Casino Royale, I Am Legend, and Die Hard, according to McHale. While the cast and crew wouldn't give any specifics, we do know that (A) they're being absolutely serious, (B) the episode had the production number of 119, and (C) it features Glover's Troy saying "Get some bitches!" Wow.

There's also an upcoming episode in which Chase's Pierce comes to believe that he is a wizard. (Yes, seriously.)

Greendale Human Being: Harmon and the crew stated emphatically that Greendale's creepy, corpse-like mascot is not played by Danny Pudi and is not Abed. There was a scene in the Valentine's episode, in fact, that got cut which played up this Twitter rumor and had Abed hiding and then popping up after it was remarked that the Human Being was there and Abed wasn't. It landed on the cutting room floor... but maybe for other reasons, said Harmon.

Asperger's Syndrome: An audience member asked Harmon whether Abed has Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. Harmon said that they don't want to label Abed in one way or another (you can read my interview with Harmon on the subject of Abed and Asperger's over here at The Daily Beast), while McHale likened Abed to Spock or Data. Harmon went on to say that because of Abed's detached observation of the characters and human interaction, he's essentially a writer. Or, as this week's episode points out, "a god" or "God." (There's also a moment in this week's episode where Annie nearly diagnoses him.)

All in all, an extremely enlightening and hilarious evening that had the entire audience in stitches. Kudos to the cast and crew for being quite so game and recounting embarrassing, "intimate," infamous, and hilarious stories. Here's to hopefully a second season of Community and many more to come.

Community airs tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Paley Festival: Team Darlton Speak About Final Season of "Lost," Water, Returning Characters, and More

With only 13 episodes of Lost remaining before the series wraps up its iconic run, the series' cast and crew united on stage to talk about the final segments of the ABC drama series, offer a few hints about what's coming up for the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 (and their alternate reality counterparts), and celebrate Lost potentially one last time before the final credits roll.

Appearing at the Saban Theatre as part of the 2010 Paley Festival, executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, cast members Nestor Carbonell, Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, and Zuleikha Robinson, writer/producers Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Elizabeth Sarnoff, and director/executive producer Jack Bender gathered on stage with moderator Paul Scheer to answer some questions, deflect some others, and offer a taste of what lies ahead in these next batch of episodes.

I had the opportunity last night to attend the Paley Festival's Lost panel, thanks to a very generous reader who donated her ticket after I was unable to get off of the press waitlist for the event. I tip my hat to her for allowing me to attend what was a fantastic evening of talk, conjecture, and intentionally vague teasing. (Those of you in the know followed along as I live-tweeted the evening's events here.)

So what did the cast and crew have to say? Let's discuss but be aware that there are some (light) spoilers for upcoming episodes below. You've been warned, candidates. [Note: as always, please do not reproduce the following on any other websites or forums. Linking and excerpting are fine but wholesale copy-and-pasting is not.]

The evening began (after a "Treehouse of Horror" clip from The Simpsons, in which Homer travels through time and alters the future by killing a mosquito) with a sneak peek at a scene from this week's episode of Lost ("Sundown"), set at The Temple.

Sneak Peak: I don't want to say too much but it featured Sayid preparing to leave and Miles telling him that he was dead for two hours and that his resurrection took the Others as much by surprise as it did them. But before Sayid can leave, they're interrupted by the arrival of Claire, who demands that Dogen go see "him." Dogen refuses, saying that if he steps foot outside the Temple, he will kill him. Claire's solution? "Send someone he can't kill." (Which would be... Sayid.)

A far too brief glimpse at the episode but a tantalizing one nonetheless. Can't wait to see just what The Man in Black has to say to Sayid and what his message is for Dogen....

Team Darlton revealed that they will begin writing the series finale of Lost next week. They're about to shoot episode 615 and are prepping episode 616. (It makes me both excited and sad to know that Lindelof and Cuse are about to put pen to paper--or fingers to keyboard--to write the final chapter of this amazing series.)

But, despite the fact that Lindelof and Cuse have had the series' ending in mind since nearly the very beginning, doesn't mean that it will end up exactly as they had planned all of those years ago.

"We have an architecture to the end of the show but... there's room for discovery as we put our characters together and find those scenes as we write them," said Cuse. "There's a destination we're getting to but.. there will be moments that [will change]."

SPOILERS! Here's what Lindelof and Cuse had to say about some upcoming plot points for Season Six:

• Just what happened to Desmond aboard the plane--and whether or not he was actually on the flight--will be revealed very soon.
• Libby's connection to Hurley will be explored and revealed this season.
• Lindelof refused to answer whether we will or won't learn this season why women can't get pregnant on the island.
• Lindelof said that Jacob was telling the truth this week: someone is coming to the island.
• There's more Charlie in the works as Dominic Monaghan will once again be returning as everyone's favorite former Driveshaft rock star.
• Darlton tiptoed around the identity of Jack's ex-wife and David's mother though they did say that it is someone we know. Lindelof said that it was Sarah (who was previously played by Modern Family's Julie Bowen) but Cuse shook his head, indicating that Lindelof was in fact lying. (Which means that my theory that it's Juliet Burke is still possibly valid.)
• Vincent the dog will be back this season and we'll find out what happened to him. However, Lindelof and Cuse declined to reveal whether we'll learn what happened to Rose and Bernard on the island. (They did say that we'll see Bernard in what I like to call the Lost-X universe but they're not saying anything more, leaving me to wonder once more if Rose and Bernard aren't the Adam and Eve corpses in the cave.)
• Wondering just who or what Ilana is? Lindelof said that "Ilana and Richard will have some things to say to each other and about each other."
• Another iconic Jack Bender painting (he did the one in the Swan station) will be showing up later this season and may hold additional clues.
• WALT! Despite his massive growth spurt, Walt may return at some point this season, if the producers can figure out a way to bring him back that makes sense as Cuse said that they were looking for a way to bring him back before the end.

So, what else did Team Darlton and Co. have to say? Here's the breakdown of some other topics of note from last night.

Lists of lists: Lindelof and Cuse did address a fan's question as to why there were so many lists over the years and why Ben said that Jack Shephard "wasn't on Jacob's list." Their answer: whether Jacob actually ever furnished a list of candidates to Ben or the Others is open to speculation... and might have been Ben lying.

Hurley bird: Remember how Hurley claimed that the bird in the jungle said his name? Remember how we all thought it did too? Looks like we may have been right. Lindelof said that the so-called Hurley bird is "on our list of things to explain."

Hitmen drama: Terry O'Quinn didn't answer a question posed to him about the potential hitman series he's allegedly shopping to networks that would pair him with fellow Lost co-star Michael Emerson as suburban hitmen. Emerson was also less than forthright: "It's a thing we might do on a street corner, or in a church basement with the idea that we'll eventually move it closer to Broadway," he joked. Hmmm...

O'Quinn, meanwhile, had the audience in stitches as recounted a hilarious story about a Lost fan in Hawaii who sort of kidnapped him in his truck and took him to meet his estranged wife. Scary and funny at the same time. Michael Emerson, meanwhile, was asked by Scheer which Lost cast member threw the best punch. His answer? "The younger the actor, the more inflamed their performance... and the more likely you are to get hurt."

Not everything will be answered: Cuse and Lindelof were blunt about the fact that not every mystery will be solved, especially those that aren't important to the castaways. For example: "We won't learn who the Economist was that Sayid shot on the golf course," said Cuse. (Me: In all fairness, that was Peter Avellino, not the Economist, whom Sayid killed on the golf course and who provided Ilana with her cover story. The Economist was Elsa's employer and was on a list of people Ben wanted Sayid to assassinate.)

Will we get to see Ben's childhood sweetheart Annie again before the end? "Probably not," said Cuse. And don't hold your breath for another appearance from Matthew Abaddon (Lance Reddick) because he won't be back.

Richard Alpert: Nestor Carbonell on his favorite bit from the series: "Finally finding out who the hell I am." Which means that, yes, Richard Alpert's backstory and origin are coming up very soon on the series. I still maintain that he was aboard the Black Rock but still can't figure out why he was cast in the role of Jacob's mouthpiece and seemingly given the gift (or curse) of immortality.

Backstories or lack thereof: Zuleikha Robinson passed on answering a question about whether Ilana is really old like Richard Alpert or not. Robinson said that it was incredibly freeing as an actor to not to know Ilana's backstory ahead of time, though she did admit to begging Jack Bender for some information about her character's past last season.

Likewise, O'Quinn wasn't told about the truth behind Locke's resurrection last season, nor that he was playing a different character. The scene on the beach between him and Ben after the crash of Ajira Flight 316 was played with O'Quinn playing Locke as though he were "indestructible" as opposed to the vulnerability we're seeing from the Lost-X Locke this season. (O'Quinn said that, as a fan, he would be "heartbroken" if old Locke were truly dead but as an actor, he doesn't care so long as he has a character to play.)

Lindelof said that the directions for O'Quinn while filming "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" were pretty vague and that was the point, rather than give O'Quinn a ton of convoluted information. "Remember when you had that orange in your mouth?" joked Lindelof. "Do that again."

Similarly, Bender told Carbonell to play the scene in the season premiere where the Fake Locke comes out of Jacob's sanctuary as "your 9/11," though he didn't have much more to go on than that.

And Alan Dale never seems to know just what is going on. "Alan Dale says, 'What the f--- am I doing on this show? What am I talking about?'" recounted Bender. "And you give them just enough to have them play it beautifully."

Disney ride: Asked about a potential ride at Disneyland (where Tom Sawyer's island currently resides), Lindelof said, "You don't have to build a ride. Put them in a darkened room, spin them around a few times, punch them in the face and say they've had the Lost Experience."

Damaged people: Elizabeth Sarnoff described Lost as being about "a collection of people who are deeply flawed and are trying to find their way out of it." It's a description that hews closely to my own and sums up the entire thrust of the series outside the mythology.

Full circle storytelling: "We talked a lot about how we wanted to bring the show full circle," said Cuse, while Lindelof said that they intended that the first and last seasons would effectively function as bookends for the series.

Daddy issues: Lindelof said that Star Wars was a huge influence on the series, as well as the writers' own father issues. For himself, Lindelof's father died a year before the Lost pilot was produced and the project was a way for him to process some of his own feelings about the death of his father.

Mr. Eko: Mr. Eko was intended to play a much larger role in the overarching plot of Lost than he ended up having because the actor portraying him, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, wanted off the series and producers wrote Eko out of the series by having him be killed by the smoke monster. Cuse said that the death of Eko allowed them to give more time to other characters and shift the focus in other directions. (Still, I can't help but wonder just what they had in store for Mr. Eko had Akinnuoye-Agbaje remained on the series.)

Chronological DVDs: Nope. Lindelof and Cuse debunked a popular rumor that indicated that the studio would release a version of the full series of Lost with all of the flashbacks and flashforwards placed in chronological order. Not so, said Team Darlton: "There will be no chronological DVD release of the show."

Open to interpretation: Cuse said that once the final credits roll at the end of the season, they're going to be keeping mum and won't be commenting on Lost after it ends in May. (As Fancast's Matt Mitovich pointed out to me via Twitter, that's what David Chase said about the end of The Sopranos as well, but that didn't end up being the case.)

Final words: Lindelof's final word about the rest of the final season of Lost? "Water." The jury's still out on just what that means but Lindelof promised that it will become very clear once you watch the remaining episodes of Season Six.

And with that, it was a wrap for the Lost panel at the 2010 Paley Festival. Many thanks to the cast and crew for an insightful, fun, and memorable evening and to the gregarious Paul Scheer for moderating the discussion with the requisite flair of a true Lost fanatic. (If you were there and got to see Scheer read a list of fan-submitted questions he wouldn't be asking, you know how much he nailed it.)

The final season of Lost airs Tuesdays at 9 pm ET/PT on ABC.

Paley Festival: "Modern Family" Cast and Crew Faces Fears, Offers Laughs

I've been raving about Modern Family since I first saw the pilot episode last May, but there's something to be said about watching a truly great comedy with a crowd. Especially when that crowd is 1,600 in number.

Friday night's Modern Family panel, part of the 2010 Paley Festival and the annual television festival's opening event, offered one hell of an evening, due to the genial charms of the ABC comedy series' cast, co-creator Steve Levitan, and director Jason Winer.

Throw in the advance screening of an upcoming episode, this Wednesday's "Fears," (perhaps one of the most hysterical and amazing installments of the series to date) and even Clive Bixby would be proud of this evening.

Joining moderator Billy Bush on stage were cast members Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, and Julie Bowen, as well as director Jason Winer and co-creator Steve Levitan. (Sadly, no Christopher Lloyd--who pled a fear of crowds--nor the amazing Rico Rodriguez, who plays Manny.)

I had very low expectations about Bush hosting the event so perhaps that led to the feeling that he wasn't quite as bad as I thought he would be as a moderator. I'm still scratching my head as to why the folks at the Paley Center thought that Access Hollywood's Billy Bush would be a suitable moderator for their opening event and, though he purports to be a huge fan of Modern Family, Bush spent most of the evening quoting other journalists and parroting their observations rather than making any of his own.

Having said that, his moderation wasn't as much of a trainwreck as I had feared (there have, after all, been far worse moderators over the years) and Bush kept things affably warm and kept the pace moving along briskly. I'd sincerely hope that the Paley Festival organizers think more outside the television personality box next time around but, all things considered, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had envisioned. (Nor the rest of the audience apparently, though an audible groan went out through the crowd when Bush was introduced.)

As for "Fears," it's a brilliant gem of an episode and one that will win the favor of Modern Family's devoted army of fans, possibly becoming one of the series' funniest and winsome episodes to date. (You can look for a full review of the episode later this week.)

It's clear that this is a tight-knit group. Not in the way that some casts are--playing practical jokes on each other, etc.--but rather as a lovey-dovey family, one that only comes together every now and then for table reads, given that most of the series' storylines keep the cast separated for the most part.

Nearly everyone loves to imitate Sofia Vergara's Colombian accent. Ed O'Neill, I have to say, does the best rendition, as he teased Sofia for her confession that she always knew she was beautiful. (Julie Bowen also adorably offered a Sofia rendition as well.)

Another fantastically funny bit from the evening: Eric Stonestreet demonstrating his transformation from his privates-scratching self into the serenely gliding Cameron. Cameron, as we've heard in the past, is partially based on Stonestreet's mother as the heterosexual Stonestreet didn't want to play Cam as stereotypically over-the-top or flamboyant. ("I'm appreciative of all my fans, no matter how much hair they have on their back or their chests," said Stonestreet.)

"Basically, we were just looking not to get kicked off the lot," said Levitan about the impetus for creating Modern Family with co-creator Chris Lloyd. "[We] would come in the morning and just look at each other for a while and then started telling stories about what was happening in our lives. I think it started from the pure place of there were a lot of good things happening in our lives right now, a lot of interesting stories every day [and we thought], 'why don't we just write about that?' I think when you start from a place like that, real and honest, good things tend to happen."

Many of the series' storylines come from events that have actually happened to the cast and the writing staff or their family and friends. One of Modern Family's most memorable and hysterical moments--the so-called "moon landing" experienced by Stonestreet's Cam and O'Neill's Jay--was inspired by an actual occurrence of the phenomenon by writer Bill Wrubel. Barkley, Jay's dog butler statue, was also based on a real story as was Claire's inability to work the entertainment center remote control, a point of major contention in the Levitan household, apparently.

Levitan also revealed that such similarities to life extend all the way back to the pilot. He introduced his son--whom he shot with a BB gun--and his daughter, whose room he walked into wearing his underwear while she was on a video chat. Lloyd's son Owen, meanwhile, owns a burgundy dinner jacket, just like Manny's.

While the cast and crew were tight-lipped about what's coming up on the series, Julie Bowen did tease that an upcoming episode will find Claire in an all-out brawl with a mall security guard, a sequence that was shot at Los Angeles outdoor shopping center, The Grove. And we did learn, definitively, that Fred Willard will be back later this season to reprise his role as Phil's father.

And, allegedly, we will see Mitchell and Cameron be more physically intimate with each other as the series progresses. "Chris and Steve have an arc to this show," said Stonestreet. "You're going to see everything you can ever imagine for Cam and Mitchell. We're going to have sex." (That last bit, obviously, is not entirely true.)

While the series has become known for its guest star, Levitan, Lloyd, and director Winer want to keep the focus on the cast rather than the celebrities who happen to be dropping in. Winer said that otherwise you would have to take away screen time from one of the series' talented ensemble and you wouldn't have the chance to discover new acting talent, such as the guy who played the Skinny Santa in the series' Christmas episode.

And Modern Family fans seem to be coming out of the woodwork. Levitan recounted a story in which a friend of his went to an event in Washington D.C. and saw a man wearing a Clive Bixby name tag. (HA!) Burrell said that a homeless man in Central Park stopped playing a two-stringed fiddle to say that "Not since Frasier has a show come on the air so completely confident about its tone as Modern Family."

Prompted by a question from an audience member about the series' mockumentary structure, Levitan clarified the series' documentary/mockumentary format again.

"Modern Family is a family show told documentary-style, rather than a show that is pretending to be a real documentary," said Levitan. "The simple reason is that I love these characters. I'm very protective of these characters and, if these characters allowed cameras into their homes and into their children's rooms and into their bathroom, I wouldn't like them."

"It's just a way of telling a story that has a little grit and edge," he continued. "The documentary form... allows you to cut to the chase in such a nice way. They have a pacing that gets through the exposition. So that's the main reason we do it."

However, Burrell offered another take on the series' documentary structure, via a theory that his wife came up with. She believes that the camera is in fact the audience. The result is that the viewer takes the part of an unseen member of the family, privy to their thoughts and confessions. After all, it's only the series' central family members who turn to, notice, or interact with the unseen camera.

It's a theory that I would like to agree with. After all, who wouldn't want to be a part of the extended Pritchett clan?

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET/PT on ABC.

2010 William S. Paley Television Festival Lineup Announced

The Paley Center for Media has announced the lineup for the the 27th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival (known affectionately to its attendees as PaleyFest).

Critical darling Modern Family will kick off the festival on February 26th. Other series getting individual sessions include ABC's Lost, CW's The Vampire Diaries, FOX's Glee, NBC's Community, ABC's Cougar Town ABC's FlashForward, TNT's Men of a Certain Age, CBS' NCIS, Showtime's Dexter, AMC's Breaking Bad, and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, the latter of which will be the festival's final offering this year.

Additionally, keep your eyes peeled for Seth MacFarlane and Friends, an evening celebrating McFarlane's animated comedies Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show.

The day-by-day breakdown of the festival can be found below. (All panels begin at 7 pm.)

Feb. 26th: Modern Family
Feb. 27th : Lost
March 1st: NCIS
March 3rd: Community
March 4th: Dexter
March 5th: Cougar Town
March 6th: The Vampire Diaries
March 9th: Seth MacFarlane and Friends
March 10th: Breaking Bad
March 11th: FlashForward
March 12th: Men of a Certain Age
March 13th: Glee
March 14th: Curb Your Enthusiasm

The 27th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival runs from February 26th to March 14th at the festival's new location, The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 22nd for members and January 24th for the general public.

Individual tickets will go on sale to Paley Center Members on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PT. Individual tickets will become available to the general public beginning the following Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PT. For Paley Center Members, ticket prices are $60/$35/$25/$15 per event. For the general public, tickets are $75/$45/$35/$25 per event. All PaleyFest2010 tickets are available only via TicketWeb at www.ticketweb.com or call TicketWeb toll-free at (866) 468-3399 (service charges apply).

Channel Surfing: Clyde Phillips Leaves "Dexter," "True Blood" Casting Roundup, Julian Fellowes Mines "Vanderbilts" for Showtime, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Just a day after the record-breaking season finale of Showtime's Dexter, executive producer/showrunner Clyde Phillips announced yesterday that he is leaving the series. He'll be replaced at the helm by Chip Johannessen (24). According to the Hollywood Reporter, Phillips made the "hugely difficult decision" to leave in order "to spend more time with his family in Connecticut." "Clyde Phillips has made an enormous contribution to the phenomenal success of Dexter for the past four years, but we know he needs to spend more time with his family on the East Coast than he spends with the Dexter family in L.A.," said Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt. "We reluctantly say good-bye to him at a turning point in the series, but fellow Dexter executive producers Sara Colleton and John Goldwyn have chosen a great successor -- Chip Johannessen, who has been a key producer of '24' for the past two years. We're confident that he will bring intelligence, emotion and great storytelling to the next chapter of Dexter." (Hollywood Reporter)

Time for a True Blood casting roundup after the HBO vampire drama landed three actors. First up: J. Smith-Cameron (Law & Order) will recur as Melinda, the "dirt-poor, hungover, and trashy-looking" estranged mother of Sam Trammell's shapeshifter Sam. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Alfre Woodard (Three Rivers), meanwhile, will guest star on True Blood as the mother of short-order cook Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), according to the Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Finally, James Frain (The Tudors) has been cast in True Blood, where he will recur next season as Franklin Mott, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Franklin is described as "tall, dark, and handsome vampire who seems to have an 'immediate and torrid' connection to Tara." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) has signed on to write the pilot script for Showtime's period drama The Vanderbilts, which will follow the saga of the wealthy railroad and shipping family. [Editor: I'm hugely familiar with the story of the Vanderbilts, so rest assured, there's plenty of drama for Fellowes to mine.] Project, from CBS Television Studios and Simon West Productions, is executive produced by Bob Balaban and Rob Paris. Project shouldn't be confused with Joel Silver's HBO Vanderbilts project, which is in development at the rival pay cabler. (Variety)

While the full schedule has yet to be announced, The 2010 William S. Paley Television Festival will include sessions on FOX's Glee and CW's Vampire Diaries. Plus, the festival this year will move from the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight to the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, which will accommodate approximately 1000 more seats. The festival is slated to run between February 26th and March 14th. (Variety)

TVGuide.com's Mickey O'Connor talks to Scrubs executive producer Bill Lawrence about the series, which underwent a huge overhaul and cast change when it relaunched earlier this month. "I've been doing this a long time and we knew there's no possible way to please everyone," Lawrence told O'Connor. "Look, if I had done a brand-new show, you would read 9,000 things about how the new characters all suck. Even though when Scrubs premiered eight years ago, I read 9,000 things in the first two episodes about how these characters suck. With new characters, it takes three, four, five, six episodes to figure out who they are. And then the other hand, we got these people to make transitions to people hopefully you'll still like. You'll also read stuff, "why can't it just be about Zach, where's Carla and the Janitor" and I'm, like, well, that show's over." (TVGuide.com)

Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) and Angelina Burnett will write the pilot script for FOX legal dramedy The Real Amanda Strauss, about a woman who works in the district attorney’s office and secretly comes from a family of con artists. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Furst Films, will be executive produced by Sean and Bryan Furst, along with Burnett and Kouri, who may direct should the project get ordered to pilot. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson will reprise his role as Betty's orthodontist Dr. Farkus on ABC's Ugly Betty later this season. Ferguson will appear in the January 6th episode of Ugly Betty but whether he'll be removing Betty's braces is another question. It’s a really fun scene between the two of them," executive producer Silvio Horta told Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has announced their midseason schedule, including launch dates for Parenthood and The Marriage Ref. Parenthood will launch on Monday, March 1st at 9 pm ET/PT while The Marriage Ref will join the schedule on Sunday, March 14th at 8 pm ET/PT. (Televisionary)

VH1 has ordered eight one-hour episodes of a Tough Love spinoff entitled Tough Love: Couples, in which Steve Ward and his mother JoAnn will "take five couples on the verge of becoming engaged and puts their relationships to the test." Series will launch in second quarter 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Murder in Their Hearts (And a Lot of Love): Paley Fest Fetes "Big Love"

The crowd may have been noticeably older but they were certainly no less rabid at last night's Paley Festival panel for HBO's Big Love.

After a gorgeous clip package that encapsulated all of the serpentine story threads from Season Three of Big Love into one breathtaking montage that displayed the depth and breadth of the plotting this past season, the cast took the stage along with moderator Mary McNamara of The Los Angeles Times, whose enthusiasm for the event and the series matched our own in the audience.

On the stage to celebrate HBO's Big Love: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Harry Dean Stanton, Grace Zabriskie, Matt Ross, and creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer. (Sadly, unavailable to attend were Mary Kay Place, Amanda Seyfried, and Ginnifer Goodwin, all of whom were very much missed.)

Before saying anything else, I just want to say what an absolute hoot Harry Dean Stanton was. Clearly upset about the fact that Olsen and Scheffer killed off his ruthless character, the prophet Roman Grant, at the end of the third season of Big Love, Stanton repeatedly kept interjecting his disbelief that they would kill off his character and his upset at not returning with the rest of the cast for Season Four. That is, when he wasn't going off on hysterical-if-profound tangents about the shape of the universe, pre-destiny, agnosticism, perception, and W.C. Fields. (Sample quote: "All religions are gangs to me and I have no beliefs. I am nothing.")

While Olsen and Scheffer were pretty tight-lipped about what to expect about Season Four, they did offer us some intriguing tidbits. Among the possible storylines for Season Four:

• While Season Two focused thematically about building empires and Season Three dealt with the notion of increase in family (both physically and celestially) and what happens when those family units implode and lose their purpose, Season Four will deal with the subjugation of women in a "deeper" way than has been done so far on the series.
  
• Olsen and Scheffer say that they've been trying since the very beginning of the series to find a storyline involving every single member of the family and have managed to crack it for Season Four.
• Roman (Stanton) might be dead but he will still influence the characters from beyond the grave. Look for Bill (Paxton) to wind up in a serious legal quagmire after certain involvements with Roman become known to the local authorities.
  
• Margene (Goodwin) could become the queen of QVC... if Bill will give her permission. She'll also be doing some much needed growing up. "She can't be a babydoll forever," said Olsen.
  
• Lois (Zabriskie) will follow up on her inquiry to Wanda (Melora Walters) about where she could "procure" one of those $5000 birds for herself and will become enmeshed in a storyline involving "her husband Frank (Bruce Dern) and a grandchild or two."
• Alby (Ross) is wounded physically and psychologically after the events of the finale and his mother Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) has plans for him but they might not match up with Alby's own agenda.
  
• J.J. (Zeljko Ivanek) will be back after Nicki (Sevigny) took estranged daughter Cara Lynn (Cassi Thomson) off the compound in broad daylight and took her to the Henricksons' homes.

Those of you hoping that Roman Grant somehow survived the brutal strangling inflicted on him by a vengeful Joey (Shawn Doyle), don't hold your breath. "He's absolutely dead," said Scheffer of Harry Dean Stanton's Roman, a sentiment echoed by fellow co-creator Olsen. "Roman is definitely dead," he said. "Dead is dead on this show."

Still, Stanton isn't one to give up lightly. "Well, they should come up with something, another series or reprise the role from the dead," said Stanton only half-jokingly. "You know, where do you go after you die? or where were you before you were born?"

Meanwhile, if you were just as curious as me about where Teeny (Jolean Wejbe) got to at the end of the season, you're not alone. The creators themselves seem to be just as confused about where she got to and never actually explained her disappearance after the porn incident in "Block Party," sudden reappearance for the Henrickson family road trip, and subsequent disappearance again by the end of the season. According to Olsen and Scheffer, Teeny went off to summer camp--"soccer camp, archery camp"--at the beginning of the season and then was shuttled off to grandmother Nancy's house in Lake Tahoe, where she got a "refresher course on Mormonism." And then went back to camp again. Or something. (Suffice it to say: Olsen and Scheffer know that it was handled oddly on-screen but said that Wejbe will be back for Season Four.)

It's possible that we haven't seen the last of Daveigh Chase's manipulative Rhonda Volmer, last seen hitchhiking to Hollywood with a trucker... and most likely a life of prostitution. "Rhonda... is a gal who makes her way around. You may actually see Rhonda out here on Hollywood Boulevard," joked Olsen. Still, don't discount the tenacious Rhonda. "Buses do turn around," said Olsen.

(One character who seemingly won't be making a return appearance on the series any time soon: Mark L. Young's Franky, last seen heading to Nicaragua to track down his missing mother. "There's no coming back from Nicaragua," said Bill Paxton, following Grace Zabriskie's tirade against self-elected "cast assholes" on this no-nonsense set, Paxton's slam against "the work ethic of the younger generation," and Olsen and Scheffer's admonition that actors who don't espouse the cast's generous and giving nature are written out of the show. It seemed awfully clear to whom they were all referring.)

Matt Ross, meanwhile, defended his complicated character, Alby Grant, saying that it would be "too facile to define him as a sociopath" and pointing to his childhood, raised in an environment where he received no love from either of his parents. "If you keep slapping a dog eventually it's going to bite you," said Ross. "That's essentially been his life."

Zabriskie, who plays the, uh, slightly off-kilter Lois Henrickson, was commended several times by both the moderator and the cast for her outstanding work on the series. (Hell, just look at the way she uses her eyes, her mouth, and the tilt of her head.) "One of my favorite scenes of all of them is when I'm practicing with the plastic bag to see how it feels," said Zabriskie. "I love how, after I pull the bag off my head, that I kind of check my hair in the reflection of the toaster." That move was ad-libbed by Zabriskie, who was beyond thrilled that it made it into the episode and didn't end up on the cutting room floor. "You know, my character is insane, so it seems best not to dwell on it because people who are dealing with insanity think they’re perfectly normal."

"I get all the great zingers!" said Sevigny (showing off her killer legs in a gold jacket and short shorts) of her character, the duplicitous Nicki Grant. Sevigny said that she and the other actors would get together at the table reads in complete confusion over what was going on on the series. "We'd get together as actors and go, 'Really!? That's what we're going to shoot?'"

And, no, those weren't her feet witnessed in the prosecution's Joy Book, evidence in the trial against Nicki's father Roman, much to Sevigny's chagrin. She was, however, asked to bring in a picture of herself as a teenager to use in the Joy Book, which did "get the tears going."

"Barb has always been riding the fence between her disdain for polygamy and her love for Bill and her family," said Tripplehorn of Boss Lady Barb. "It will be really interesting seeing them trying to play the game and embrace it." Tripplehorn pointed to how much Barb went through this season, including a cancer scare, the sudden (if short-lived) appearance of fourth wife Ana (Branka Katic), whom Tripplehorn described as "our Yoko," and the loss of her role in the LDS church, which Tripplehorn likened to losing a piece "of your past."

Paxton meanwhile said his character Bill went through the ringer this season. "They put me through so much," said Paxton, wearily. "I have a twitch ever since the show wrapped, and I can’t seem to get rid of it." He pointed to the series' location in Utah and said that he appreciates the series' use of Western iconography, using such legends as Alan Ladd as an inspiration for Bill. (Paxton also gleefully told the crowd that he feels lucky to share a credit for Aliens on his resume with Stanton, who starred in Alien... and that he saw the original film in Times Square "on acid.")

All in all, this event will easily go down as one of my favorite panels in recent memory. It was a simply fantastic evening celebrating the gifted cast and crew of Big Love, one of television's very best dramas, and offering the enraptured audience insight, humor, and pathos.

Big Love is set to return with a fourth season next year. Production is slated to begin on Season Four in August.

Life is For the Living: An Advance Review of the Final Three Episodes of "Pushing Daisies"

"True love stories never have endings." - Richard Bach

Yesterday, I joined a sold-out crowd at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight in Hollywood to see Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller introduce a Paley Festival screening of the final three episodes of Pushing Daisies, which ABC will finally air (after a delay of several months) beginning at the end of May.

On hand to send off Pushing Daisies with Fuller were series stars Chi McBride (who jokingly said that they would be giving out "torches and pitchforks" in the lobby after the screening) and a tearful Ellen Greene, who said that as much as the audience loved these characters, the actors who played them loved them even more.

And love them we did. I'm not at all ashamed to admit that I got misty-eyed watching the exquisite final episode of Pushing Daisies, which manages to both offer closure for those of us who were utterly devoted to the whimsical series while also leaving things open-ended enough for Fuller to continue telling the story of Ned and Chuck in another medium. (He plans to launch a DC-published Pushing Daisies comic book series this fall.)

Over the course of the final three episodes, the audience was treated to something that's been sorely lacking on television these last few months: the entryway to a magical world where a Pie Maker can bring back the dead to life with a touch, lovers can kiss though plastic wrap, and the murdered can name their killers. True love is found, the wicked punished, and much cheese is consumed. In other words: the return of Pushing Daisies--however painfully brief--is something to be celebrated.

The first of the final troika of episodes, "Window Dressed to Kill," written by Abby Gerwanter, finds the gang--or at least Alive Again Avenger Chuck and Emerson working in tandem--attempting to solve the murder of a window designer at local department store Dicker's where the lavishly created window displays seem to be eerily similar to a series of murders involving their creators. Meanwhile, a secret from Olive's past comes back to haunt her (sort of) when her childhood kidnappers (played by George Segal and Richard Benjamin) break out of jail to see her, leading Olive and Ned to embark on a daredevil adventure involving a stuffed rhinoceros, disguises, and oh, so many lies.

The second, "Water and Power," written by Peter Ocko (with a story by Lisa Joy and Jim D. Gray), involves the murder of Papen County's water and power mogul, the appearance of a certain femme fatale/baby mama (guest star Gina Torres) from Emerson Cod's past, a vendetta, and the little matter of his missing daughter Penny. Plus, a fist sized ruby, glow-in-the-dark flowers, and haughty dog trainer Simone (Christine Adams)!

Finally, there's the series finale "Kerplunk," written by Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, which sees the Darling Mermaid Darlings re-embark on a professional career as synchronized swimmers with the Night of 1000 Bubbles, a traveling water-based circus act. In an intoxicating twist, this episode dives head-first into the childhoods of Aunts Lily and Vivian, exploring the dynamic in their co-dependent relationship and Lily's betrayal of Vivian with Charles Charles... with some, uh, rather explosive repercussions. It also features a slew of guest stars including Wilson Cruz, Wendie Malick, Josh Hopkins, Michael McDonald, Nora Dunn, and Joey Slotnick, some of the very best covers for Ned, Emerson, and Olive, and one of the most memorable deaths ever on Pushing Daisies. (Seriously, this one had my jaw on the ground.) This episode also marks the final installment of Pushing Daisies ever and it sails into the sunset with all of the grace, magic, and beauty with which you would expect of it.

I don't want to give away too much about these episodes, which are far better enjoyed by watching them in full than by reading about them, but I will give you a few tidbits about what to expect when these three episodes air later this summer. Look for a rather surprising declaration of love which is not what you might expect, Ned to explore the danger of being both Clark Kent and Superman, jealousy to rear its ugly head from all sorts of directions, Olive to burst into song (Lionel Richie's "Hello," no less), wintertime hand-holding, some rather clever deaths (and even more clever criminals and con artists), misunderstandings galore, wordplay aplenty, and the return of some familiar faces, including Christine Adams' Simone Hundin, David Arquette's Randy Mann, and Diana Scarwid's Mother Superior. All this, plus glimpses into the childhoods of Olive Snook, Emerson Cod, and Lily and Vivian Charles.

Cult series rarely get to present the endings that their creators originally had in mind. Too often, viewers are left with a cliffhanger of an ending that offers no possible resolution for the characters or a hastily cobbled together ending that unsatisfyingly throws star-crossed lovers together and heals all wounds. I'm happy to say that neither applies to the beautifully orchestrated finale of Pushing Daisies.

The final scenes of Pushing Daisies achieve what most series merely dream of: emotional closure for the audience. The gorgeously shot scenes provide the audience with a bittersweet trip down memory lane, as it were, revisiting several locales that have played key roles throughout the series and giving the climactic final scene a dramatic push; this very moment has been the culmination of everything that has come before. This last sequence also offers some of the series' characters a shot at their happiness while not tying anything up neatly with a bow. For a series that has always prided itself on its delicious whimsy, these final scenes are the icing on the cake. (Or make that lattice crust on the pie.)

The happy endings, in fact, aren't quite endings at all but new beginnings. The series manages to come full circle in its storytelling, bringing us back to the miracle of Ned's gift, which in the end he comes to accept and cherish, rather than fear. And the beauty of the playful and tender conclusion is that all of the characters, from Ned and Chuck to Lily and Vivian (and everyone in between), learn that life truly is for the living. It's a lesson that's underpinned by a decision that Ned and Chuck make together, one that forever closes the door on one element of the series while opening up the story to new possibilities in the future.

In Pushing Daisies, a series that's about the often times blurred lines between life and death, it's this message about really living one's life that each of the characters takes to heart in the very end. Just how Bryan Fuller and Company manage to achieve this, I'll leave for you to see when ABC airs these episodes. But I'll advise you to have a box of Kleenex nearby as we bid adieu to some of the most memorable and heartfelt characters ever to grace the small screen.

ABC will air the first of Pushing Daisies' final three episodes on Saturday, May 30th at 10 pm ET/PT.

Channel Surfing: Showtime Renews "Tudors" One Last Time, No Cougar But Kim Bauer Returns to "24," "True Blood," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Showtime has renewed period drama The Tudors for a fourth and final season. The series, which stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as England's King Henry VIII, will air ten episodes--all penned by series creator Michael Hirst--in spring 2010. (Variety)

24 executive producer Howard Gordon talks to Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider about the return of Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert) to the FOX series. "Kim has been easily targeted and lampooned by fans, so we had to do it very carefully," said Gordon of Cuthbert's return. "Elisha was as sensitive to this as we were." Gordon, meanwhile, offers a few tidbits about the reason behind her return and about her relationship with Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin was on hand last night at the Paley Festival's panel for HBO's True Blood and has some answers about the Sookie/Bill/Eric love triangle and what to expect for Season Two of the vampire drama, set to return in June. About what to expect for Anna Paquin's Sookie, executive producer Alan Ball said: "She spends the first half of the season focusing on vampires and vampire politics in Dallas, as sort of a favor to Eric, and she spends the last half of the season cleaning up the mess that some new supernatural creatures have created in her town—and she is pissed. She is not going to take it anymore." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Pilot casting alert: Diane Farr has signed on to star opposite Peter Krause in NBC comedy pilot Parenthood, where she will play the wife of Krause's character. Meanwhile, Better Off Ted's Andrea Anders has landed one of the female leads on CBS comedy pilot Big D (pilot is in second position to ABC's Better Off Ted, which has yet to be renewed); Jill Clayburgh (Dirty Sexy Money) and Henry Winkler (Arrested Development) have been cast in NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot; Joanna Garcia (Privileged) will guest star on two comedy pilots: NBC's untitled Justin Adler pilot and FOX comedy pilot Cop House (it's worth noting that both roles were originally intended to be regulars); and Lyndsy Fonseca (Desperate Housewives) and Faith Ford (Carpoolers) will star in CBS comedy pilot The Fish Tank. (Hollywood Reporter)

Josh Gad (Back to You), most recently seen on Starz's Party Down, has signed on to star in two comedy pilots and will also act as a guest correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. He has joined the cast of CBS comeyd pilot Waiting to Die, where he he will play the best friend to T.J. Miller and Nick Thune's characters who is far to eager to please his wife. Gad has also signed on in a recurring capacity in the ABC comedy pilot No Heroics (a US remake of the British series of the same name), where he will play Horce Force, a superhero and former classmate of the gang at Superhero College who has the ability to summon horses at will. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sundance Channel announced several new series, including half-hour docuseries Be Good Johnny Weir, following U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir from Endemol/Original Media, and The Day Before, which looks at the lives of fashion models during the 36 hours before a runway show from Story Box Press and Deralf. The cabler also renewed Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... for a second season and announced that it had acquired two seasons of Aussie comedy Chandon Pictures. (Variety)

Bravo has ordered fashion competition series Launch My Line (formerly known as Celebrity Sew Off), which pits celebrities against one another as they attempt to launch their own clothing lines with the help of a fashion expert, and Jackie's Gym Takeover, a Kitchen Nightmares-style series from Shed Media that will follow Jackie Warner (Work Out) as she uses her experience to help struggling gyms. The cabler is also readying The Fashion Show, launching May 7th, and Top Chef Masters, which will launch June 10th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports that 90210 star Dustin Milligan, who will be written out of the series at the end of the season, was conspicuously absent from Saturday evening's Paley Festival event. "I'm going to miss him terribly," said 90210 star Shenae Grimes. "He is an amazing guy and an amazing actor. We would bounce ideas off each other and we could be straight up with each other. We could be like, 'Chill with the mouth thing.' It was nice to have that on-set camaraderie. But we will keep in touch." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Singer Adele will guest star as herself in an upcoming episode of ABC's Ugly Betty, slated to air in May. The episode finds Betty, Marc, and Matt supervising a photo shoot for a YETI assignment that improbably becomes a wedding. (TV Guide)

HBO Films has optioned Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's upcoming book "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime," about the 2008 presidential race. Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond) will adapt the book, which is due to be published next year. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Paley Center to Offer "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Reunion DVD

Buffy fans looking to add one more DVD collectible to their burgeoning collection are in luck.

The Paley Center for Media has announced today that it has released a DVD of PaleyFest: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reunion, which captures last year's Paley Festival event that reunited creator Joss Whedon and the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer a decade after it launched. (Missed the event last year? You can read all about it here.)

The panel, shot last March at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, featured cast members Sarah Michelle Geller, Seth Green, Amber Benson, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters, and Michelle Trachtenberg along with creator Joss Whedon and producers David Greenwalt and Marti Noxon. (Sadly, no Anthony Stewart Head, I'm afraid.)

The single-disc DVD will feature an introduction by Whedon, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, the full video of the PaleyFest08 Buffy Reunion panel, and backstage photos and videos.

Priced at $19.95 each, PaleyFest: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reunion is available for purchase exclusively online at the Paley Center and will also be made available at next month’s PaleyFest09 (April 10-23). All proceeds benefit the Paley Center for Media.

PaleyFest09: Who's In?

As tickets are now on sale for the Paley Center's PaleyFest09 (also known as the William S. Paley Television Festival) for members of the Center (they go on sale to the general public on March 1st), I thought I'd ask once again this year: who's in for PaleyFest09?

Tickets are once again hard to come by at this year's festival, which boasts a lineup that includes panels for series 90210, Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, The Big Bang Theory, Big Love, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Fringe, The Hills, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Mentalist, Swingtown, and True Blood.

For my part, I'll be at the panels for Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, Big Love, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Alone Blog, Pushing Daisies, and Fringe, though I probably should have also requested a seat at It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as I love that series with a fiery passion.

But I am curious to know: For those of you reading who have gotten tickets already, which panels are you attending? And for those of you desperate to obtain seats, which panels are you most looking forward to? And which are the must-have seats of the year?

Discuss. (Meanwhile, the full schedule of PaleyFest09 events can be found here.)

PaleyFest09 Full Schedule Announced: "Pushing Daisies," "Battlestar Galactica," "Fringe," "Big Love," "Dollhouse," and Many Others to Be Feted

Ending several months of speculation, The Paley Center for Media has today announced the full lineup for PaleyFest09, the 26th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival.

Among the honorees this year are the casts and creators of 90210, Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, The Big Bang Theory, Big Love, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Fringe, The Hills, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Mentalist, Swingtown, and True Blood.

PaleyFest09 will be held from April 10th to April 23rd at the Cinerama Dome at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood; the Paley Center will also present a special closing night presentation honoring Swingtown at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills on April 24.

Other festival firsts this year? PaleyFest09 will be the festival event to honor a new media property, in this case Joss Whedon's celebrated web series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and will be the first to premiere the last three unseen episodes of ABC's sadly cancelled series Pushing Daisies.

“For twenty-six years, we have celebrated the best of television, and now new media, with the creative teams who make the breakthrough programs. This interaction between the creative community and media enthusiasts has made this annual Festival a 'Must Be There' event,” said Pat Mitchell, President/CEO of The Paley Center for Media.

The full PaleyFest09 schedule can be found below but, as always, please note that events/participants are subject to change.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia
Friday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Danny DeVito (“Frank Reynolds”), Glenn Howerton (“Dennis Reynolds”/Executive Producer/Writer), Rob McElhenney (“Mac”/Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director), Kaitlin Olson (“Sweet Dee”). Additional panelists to be announced.

90210
Saturday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Panelists from the cast and creative team to be announced.

True Blood
Monday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Alan Ball (Creator/Executive Producer), Ryan Kwanten (“Jason Stackhouse”), Steven Moyer (“Bill Compton”), Anna Paquin (“Sookie Stackhouse”), Sam Trammell (“Sam Merlotte”), Rutina Wessley (“Tara Thorton”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Felicia Day (“Penny”), Nathan Fillion (“Captain Hammer”), Jed Whedon (“Bad Horse Chorus #2/Dead Bowie”/Composer/Writer), Joss Whedon (Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director), Zack Whedon (Executive Producer/Writer).

Dollhouse
Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Joss Whedon (Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director), Eliza Dushku (“Echo”), Enver Gjoka (“Victor”), Fran Kranz (“Topher”), Dichen Lachman (“Sierra”), Harry Lennix (“Boyd”), Tahmoh Penikett (“Paul”), Olivia Williams (“Adelle”).

The Big Bang Theory
Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Kaley Cuoko (“Penny”), Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Jim Parsons (“Sheldon”). Additional panelists to be announced.

The Mentalist
Friday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Simon Baker (“Patrick Jane”), Bruno Heller (Creator /Executive Producer) Tim Kang (“Kimball Cho”), Chris Long (Coexecutive Producer/Director), Amanda Righetti (“Grace Van Pelt”), Robin Tunney (“Teresa Lisbon”), Owain Yeoman (“Wayne Rigsby”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Desperate Housewives
Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Panelists from the cast and creative team to be announced.

PaleyFest09 Special Matinee Screening Event: Pushing Daisies’ Last Unaired Episodes
Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m.
Introduction by Bryan Fuller (Creator/Executive Producer).

Battlestar Galactica/Caprica
Evening Sponsor: Microsoft Zune
Monday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: David Eick (Executive Producer), Ronald D. Moore (Executive Producer). Additional panelists to be announced.

The Hills
Tuesday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Tony DiSanto (Executive Producer), Adam DiVello (Creator/Executive Producer), Liz Gateley (Executive Producer), Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge, Spencer Pratt. Additional panelists to be announced.

Big Love
Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Ginnifer Goodwin (“Margene Heffman”), Bill Paxton (“Bill Henrickson”), Chloe Sevigny (“Nicolette Grant”), Harry Dean Stanton (“Roman Grant”), Jeanne Tripplehorn (“Barbara Dutton Henrickson”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Fringe
Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Joshua Jackson (“Peter Bishop”), John Noble (“Dr. Walter Bishop”), Lance Reddick (“Homeland Security Agent Phillip Broyles”), Anna Torv (“Special Agent Olivia Dunham”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Swingtown Celebration
Evening Sponsor: Netflix, Inc.
*Friday, April 24 at 6:00 p.m. at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills*
Festival Closing Reception & Panel Discussion
In Person: Mike Kelley (Creator/Executive Producer), Alan Poul (Executive Producer). Additional panelists to be announced.

Tickets to PaleyFest09 will go on sale February 26th to Paley Center members and the general public beginning March 1st.

So who's in this year? And what panels are you hoping to see? Discuss.

Paley Festival Announces "Dollhouse," "Dr. Horrible" Panels

While the full schedule won't be released until Wednesday, February 18th, the Paley Center for Media has offered yet another tease at two panels that will be presented as part of the 2009 William S. Paley Television Festival (a.k.a. PaleyFest 09).

Joss Whedon will present not one but two panels this year as Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible are expected to be a part of the lineup for the 26th annual television festival, along with the previously announced panels for Fringe and True Blood.

Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Zach Whedon, Felicia Day, and Jed Whedon are already confirmed and will participate in the Dr. Horrible panel, along with other members of the creative teams for both Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible. (What's a Dr. Horrible panel without the titular villain himself?)

The all-inclusive PaleyFest09 Premium Festival Pass is available now at ticketweb.com and include one guaranteed ticket for premium seating each night, access to Festival events, free parking, concession stand vouchers, one Paley Center general Membership for one year, and other benefits. Starting February 18th, 2009, three PaleyFest09 Ticket Packages will be announced and available, also at ticketweb.com. Individual tickets will go on sale to Paley Center Members on Thursday, February 26st, 2009, and to the general public beginning the following Sunday, March 1st, 2009.

PaleyFest09 will be held from April 10th to April 23rd.

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talks "Lost," Details About Amy Poehler NBC Comedy, Olmstead Talks "Prison Break" End, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'll have another post up in just a bit recapping the news at yesterday's FOX panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, including news about Prison Break wrapping its run, so sit tight.

TV maven Maureen Ryan talks with Lost masterminds Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the new season. In this phenomenal interview, Team Darlton talks about finding the balance between mythology-based storylines and character-driven ones, time travel, "The Constant," the Dharma Initiative, why they have to go back to the island, Daniel Dae Kim, and, well, cherry pie. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Elsewhere, Matthew Fox talks to Details magazine about whether there is, in fact, life after Lost, which will end its six-season run next year. "When it's all said and done, you'll be able to look at the six seasons of Lost and see a pretty amazing character arc," said Fox. "Jack has been evolving, and not necessarily into a good place. We started the show with him being this hero who had no concept of what that required, sort of trying to live up to the expectations... and then finding the way to redeem himself." (Details)

The 2009 William S. Paley Festival will take place April 10-23 here in Los Angeles and while the Paley Center has yet to announce the full lineup (they'll do so on February 18th), they have disclosed that FOX's Fringe and HBO's True Blood will be featured. Tickets go on sale to members on February 26th and to the general public on March 1st. (Variety)

Some news about the untitled NBC comedy from Greg Daniels that stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, and Aziz Ansari. ""We start shooting in February and it's on in April," Poehler tells People about the series, which she describes "like Tina Turner in [1985's Mad Max] Beyond Thunderdome. I am a boss; I have an office. It's a whole different world. It's not a spin-off, it's a whole different place. [The Office's] Rashida Jones plays my friend." (People)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice talks exclusively with Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead about FOX's decision to end the series. Olmstead admits that there was "nowhere to go beyond this season" and says that he "didn't want the show to become a parody of itself." Prison Break returns with additional episodes (though the number is, apparently, under discussion) on April 17th and Olmstead hints that "there will be deaths." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Rhea Seehorn (The Starter Wife) has been cast as the lead in FOX drama pilot Eva Adams, based on Argentinean telenovela Lalola. Seehorn will star opposite James Van Der Beek and David Denman in the Sony Pictures Television-produced pilot, written and executive produced by Kevin Falls (Journeyman), about a sexist sports agent who, following a witch's curse, turns into a woman in order to "endure the harassment he has been dishing out." (Hollywood Reporter)

One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn will now NOT be involved in the CW's planned 90210 spinoff Melrose Place. Dawn Ostroff said the network is in talks with a writer but wouldn't say who. "We're in the process of negotiating with someone," said Ostroff, "but I can't say who yet because the deal's not done." Ostroff also discusses the tone of the new Melrose Place and a "stylized" feel for the series. (Zap2it)

Hollywood Reporter has a rundown of the pilot scripts gathering the most buzz at the networks, including:

FOX: Paul Scheuring's thriller Masterwork, which is said to be reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, Jon Steinberg's Human Target, David Hudgins' Reincarnationist, Jason Richman's Forge, Carlos Coto's Wild Boys, and untitled projects from Jack Orman, Ian Biederman, Adi Hasak, and one from Manny Coto and Brian Helgeland. On the comedy side: Mike Binder's Two Dollar Beer, Kevin Napier's The Station, Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka's Walorsky, Dave Hemingson and Nahnatchka Khan's Don't Trust the Bitch at Apt. #23, and Greg Bratman and Tommy Dewey's Sons of Tucson.

NBC: Jesse Alexander's Day One, Kerry Ehrin's Girls Chasing Men, Ben Elton's Garrick, Dario Scardapane and Peter Berg's Trauma, and an untitled Hank Steinberg drama.

ABC: Scott Rosenberg, Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec's Happy Town, The Witches of Eastwick, Rene Echevarria and Greg Berlanti's The Return, and Richard Hatem's The Gates. Comedy: US adapation of British series No Heroics from Jeff Greenstein and Drew Pearce.

CBS: Untitled NCIS spinoff, The Streets of San Francisco, Hawaii 5.0, Confessions of a Contractor, untitled Curtis Hanson/Carol Barbee medical drama, and untitled Jerry Bruckheimer/Jeffrey Lieber medical drama.

CW: Kevin Williamson's Vampire Diaries and the updated Melrose Place. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Onion's A.V. Club talks to Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement of HBO's Flight of the Conchords, which returns for Season Two this weekend. (The Onion's A.V. Club)

Steve Carell's Carousel Prods. Prods. has signed a three-year overall deal with Universal Media Studios. Former Daily Show producers Thom Hinkle and Campbell Smith will run Carousel's TV operations. (Variety)

Fox's global channels division will launch The Listener, which will air later this year on NBC and Canada's CTV, in a near-simultaneous premiere across 180 foreign broadcast outlets in March, ahead of its US release. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sony Pictures Television has purchased Michael Davies' reality shingle Embassy Row following the close of a deal in the works for over a year. Davies' own overall deal with the studio recently expired after three years. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Paley Festival: "Damages"

After the excitement of last week's jam-packed Paley Festival events saluting the likes of Pushing Daisies, Chuck, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it was a bit of a rare treat to have last night's Damages panel be such a low-key affair. The crowd was positively sedate in comparison to previous evenings (not to mention a hell of a lot older), though that didn't stop them from proclaiming their love for FX's labyrinthine legal thriller Damages.

Nearly the entire cast was in attendance last night--including the ones who portrayed dead characters!--other than Aussie Rose Byrne who was in her homeland shooting a film and unavailable to participate. So who was there? Glenn Close, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Tate Donovan, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and executive producers/creators Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman.

After watching a clip from Close and Danson's riveting 1984 television movie Something About Amelia (you didn't really think this was the first time they worked together, did you?), we were presented a fantastic clip package that pulled out key scenes from the first season of Damages, including that final, amazing scene between Close's Patty Hewes and Byrne's Ellen Parsons on the dock. The result? I wanted to rush home and rewatch the entire first season all over again. (I'm definitely suffering some Damages withdrawal.)

While the producers were definitely mum about what to expect for Season Two (the writers have only now started to plot the season's arc), we did learn that there will be several new characters popping up and that Season Two will continue some of the storyline threads introduced in the first season (like, oh, Ellen out for revenge against Patty by investigating her for the FBI) while integrating some new strands as well.

As for whether Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) survived that gunshot wound in the season finale, we'll have to wait to find out. Hell, even Close wanted to know the answer to that one and Danson turned to his agent in the audience for an answer, only to get a shrug in reply. (Personally, I'd rather not know now and would love to be surprised down the line if and when he does pull through.)

While the writers had some hard and fast "tentpole" events that they knew would occur over the course of the season, they specifically didn't paint themselves into a corner with the outcome to certain storylines. The identity of both David's killer and the mastermind behind Ellen's attempted murder was something that the writers heavily debated and, at the beginning of the season, specifically gave themselves several options down the road by planting a number of red herrings and possible killers.

One of these--the woman I like to call the Cassavetes-averse Soda Skank (a.k.a. Lila) was never intended to be Ellen's attacker... or David's murderer but was always intended to be a red herring. As for whether the writers dropped the stalker storyline, Zelman was quick to point out that they didn't actually drop it, it faded into the background. Lila was never actually a key player but had entered the story through "a side door" that was outside of the Hewes-Frobisher case or the larger legal world. Lila was always a possibility for David's killer but fans of the show had a feeling that his death was connected to the larger conspiracy at work rather than his insane stalker.

Still, Zelman pointed to the paranoia that infected many of the series' fans (myself included) in which every character's seemingly innocuous actions seemed to take on larger meaning. In the end, Lila may not have bludgeoned David to death with that Statue of Liberty bookend but she inadvertently caused his death by leaving his apartment door open after she paid him a visit that fateful night... a fact no one on the panel seemed to recall.

Close admitted that it was difficult not to invent a backstory for Patty Hewes though the writers specifically asked her not to create one. The end result is that Close still doesn't know anything about Patty's past, including where she grew up or who her parents were ("acting 101," said Close), though she did give them a note about Patty's husband. Originally intended to be her college sweetheart with whom she had been together since an early age, Close felt that "impossible" and suggested they make Phil her second husband.

Ivanek knew that his character Ray Fiske was not going to make it out of Season One alive but had no idea that his end would be quite so "spectacular," as when Ray shoots himself in the mouth in front of Patty, an action that reverberates through the entirety of the season. Oh, and Ray's Southern accent (from Louisiana, perhaps?) was an intentional thing, despite Ray having lived in Manhattan since the 1970s; it was part and parcel of his showmanship as a lawyer.

The writers have seen Murder One and enjoyed that series but didn't feel that they set out to do anything specifically derived from that classic series. Instead, they wanted to do a legal drama that expanded on FX's edgy mandate about interesting and innovative storytelling. To that end, they made a important decision not to set the action in the courtroom but rather behind the scenes, focusing on actions (such as depositions and discovery) that normally aren't addressed in legal series. Additionally, they wanted to play around with time in a challenging way that wouldn't insult the intelligence of the viewer and would further set the series--with a single case running through a season--apart from other series in the legal genre.

When the Kesslers and Zelman devised the series, it wasn't specifically with the idea that Patty would be a lawyer. Instead, they wanted to explore power structures through the prism of two strong women and looked at professions (entertainment, pharmaceuticals, etc.) in which a woman could rise to the top and become immensely powerful in her field. They ultimately settled on the law, making Patty Hewes a ruthless litigator. They felt that explorations of male power hazing had been done many times before and wanted to explore the key issues in a power struggle between two women.

Ultimately, it was a fantastic evening catching up with the cast and crew of Damages and I am hungry with anticipation to see just what happens next when Season Two kicks off... hopefully sometime later this year. Until then, fingers crossed that we get to see Patty Hewes, Ellen Parsons, and all the others sooner rather than later.

Paley Festival: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Reunites Once More with Feeling

If you attended the massively hyped Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion event last night at the Arclight (courtesy of the 25th anniversary installment of the Paley Festival) and didn't leave humming Joss Whedon's tunes from the musical episode "Once More With Feeling," there's something dead inside you.

The mood was positively euphoric as the cast and crew of seminal television series Buffy reunited for the first time in four years (has it really been that long since the Scoobies last saved the world?) and waxed nostalgic about the aforementioned musical episode (which was screened in its entirety before the panel), that silent-film inspired episode ("Hush"), and recalling the difficult, funny, and memorable moments that go into making a television series as powerful and oft overlooked as this one.

So who was there? Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield (attired in a sexy outfit dubbed "a 40s gumshoe" by Whedon), Michelle Trachtenberg (looking as sleek and sophisticated as her soon-to-be costars on Gossip Girl), Martin Noxon, Charisma Carpenter, Seth Green, Amber Benson, and David Greenwalt. Whew.

No sign of Alyson Hannigan in the end (sadly) and her absence wasn't noted by moderator Matt Roush (of TV Guide) for some reason. And while I was hoping that David Boreanaz would turn up in some form or another (video greeting perhaps?), the former Angel star was noticeably missing as well, though Green recounted how Boreanaz would leave him a surprise in his trailer every single morning.

All eyes were on the cast as they recounted some of their experiences making Buffy. Me, I was wondering about certain rumors about tensions between Gellar and Whedon (and, hell, Noxon) that allegedly came out during the filming of the controversial Season Six, the series' bleakest chapter... and about which audience member would be the first to ask Benson why she didn't return for Season Seven following a much buzzed-about contract negotiation. (Answer: she avoided the question and, after joking about being at Marlon Brando's bedside during his death, gave a non-committal answer about "availability.")

What did we learn? Don't hold your breath for a film/television reunion of these characters or Buffy: Season Eight in anything other than comic-book form (though still a damn good yarn on its own). "So many stars would have to align," said Whedon. "But there's a reason I worked with these people for so long. Clearly from the comic, it's a story that I can't let go. I think it would be cool."

Surprisingly, there was no further mention of the in-development Ripper spin-off project that Whedon announced at San Diego Comic-Con, but that project may have hit the skids in the wake of the writer's strike. Whedon did hint that he often mulled over taking Buffy to Broadway as a musical though he'd sooner start from scratch than use the musical episode as a basis.

Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon often referred to Gellar as "Jimmy Stewart, the greatest American in pain in the history of film." Gellar admitted she never knew that.

Emma Caulfield lerves Battlestar Galactica. (So too does Green, who didn't chime in.)

Whedon told Carpenter that if Angel didn't work out, she would always have a net at Buffy.

We also learned that the cast clearly isn't picking up Whedon's Buffy: Season Eight comic-book (other than the hilarious Green, whose gleeful wit was one of the evening's highlights). Gellar only learned of the recent comic-book twist that Buffy, er, getting friendly with female slayer Satsu. ("A totally hot, totally steamy scenario," said Green.) Whedon said of his decision to give Buffy a same-sex encounter wasn't a life-changing event for the slayer. "It's not like Willow," he said. "Just somebody who's young with somebody who they really like a lot and they have a lot of time on their hands." Garnering some chuckles from the audience, Whedon shot back, "Oh, like anybody didn't go to college!"

Speaking of the comic-book, look for Green's Oz to definitely make an appearance in the Season Eight comic. As for why the lycanthropic Oz never made a return to the television series itself, I'm still not sure what happened.

And we learned what the WB's initial reaction was to the Willow/Tara romance. Whedon received a call from the network advising him that the WB had already "got a lot of gays here." Whedon then threatened to pack up his office when the network questioned the need for the kiss between the two Wiccan lovers (the only time he did so during the series' seven-year run) until they relented. And still, there was no advertiser backlash whatsoever about Willow's lesbianism, though the episode in which Buffy worked in a fast food restaurant ("Doublemeat Palace") caused one advertiser to drop out.

As much as I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I'll be honest: it's been a little while since I went back and cracked open my DVDs and watched the entire series from start to finish so to see "Once More with Feeling" on the big screen at the Cinerama Dome was an emotional, nostalgic experience for me and brought back all sorts of memories. Seeing Buffy and Co. engage in their truth-baring songs (and in Trachtenberg's case truth-baring, er, dance number) was a magical thing, even after all this time. (And, yes, I still remembered all of the lyrics to Whedon's addictive songs.)

So was "Once More with Feeling" the most difficult episode to make for Whedon? "I'm going to go with fun," said Whedon. "It wasn't the hardest. It wasn't really harder than "Hush" Because every day there was music." For some, this wasn't exactly the case. Marsters described it as "total terror," despite him and Tony Head (also sadly not in sight) having experience as recording artists. Trachtenberg came down with "psychosomatic laryngitis" when she learned that she was going to be required to sing. Gellar joked that she wished Buffy would be turned into a rat again so she could sit the musical episode out.

Still, it paled in comparison to the emotional depths the actors had to reach while filming the series' most gripping installment, "The Body," where Buffy discovers the body of her mother, who didn't die from a mystical ailment or vampire attack but by something more mundane and therefore horrific: natural causes. "It was tough," said Gellar. "I had a little bit more knowledge of what was coming than Michelle [Trachtenberg] did and I think in your head you get kind of prepared, you say good-bye to Christine [Sutherland], you know it's coming. But you have to understand that both Michelle and I come from families of single, strong mothers where.... our mothers are everything. So you try to separate it as best you can. At the same time, it adds that extra layer."

Gellar recounted filming the harrowing first act of "The Body," which Whedon had devised as a single, long shot as Buffy and her friends learn of Joyce's death. The result is a somber, emotional scene that took nearly a day to shoot (and, according to Gellar, broke the body of their Steadicam operator). "It was so amazing to be a part of something that was constantly breaking the rules," said Gellar about her experience. "We were constantly doing things that had never been done and we're constantly challenging both the audeince and ourselves."

So what is the Buffy gang up to these days?

• Joss Whedon: Just wrapped his short musical film, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. (And look for Noxon to turn up there as well.) And, oh, something about a return to television with the series Dollhouse.
  
• Sarah Michelle Gellar: Just returned from Africa where she did charity work for CARE and is prepping a new film, Veronika Decides to Die.
• Nicholas Brendon: Currently recurring on CBS drama Criminal Minds.
• Emma Caulfield: Also just returned from Africa (for a different charity) and has two films releasing this year. She also got married.
• James Marsters: Just wrapped the feature adaptation of Dragonball and is working on a number of television projects including Torchwood, Without a Trace, and Smallville.
• Michelle Trachtenberg: Wrapped film 17 Again opposite Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, and Leslie Mann and Kids in America (where she plays a crazy Goth chick) with Topher Grace. She's about to start a multiple-episode arc on Gossip Girl.
• Marti Noxon: Hard at work on Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, which returns this fall on ABC.
• Seth Green & Charisma Carpenter: Releasing a series of fitness videos that incorporate tae bo and cardio strip. (Kidding!) Charisma looks fabulous after having a kid and Green is hard at work on the latest season of Robot Chicken.
• Amber Benson: Recently sold a series of fantasy chick lit novels to Penguin.
• David Greenwalt: After a series of "well-timed mental breakdowns," has left the business would return if Whedon called him back for a project.

All in all, a truly magical evening that brought back all sorts of memories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how much of a cultural influence this little series that could ended up being. It was truly a wonderful sight to behold the cast gathered together on stage again and it was clear that, despite the passage of time, that these people truly loved and appreciated not only the work they did but the time they spent together.

Just the right note of kumbaya-yas, as Spike might say.

Paley Festival: "Chuck"

While last night's latest Paley Festival panel, for NBC's delightfully funny and action-packed series Chuck, was definitely a hoot (courtesy of the series' hyperactive stars and creators who riffed off of one another and moderator Damon Lindelof for nearly two hours), there wasn't a whole lot revealed that I didn't already learn from Chuck stars Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, and Adam Baldwin when I spent the day with them in December.

Nearly the entire cast was in attendance except for Sarah Lancaster who was ill and unfortunately could not attend the panel. (Damn!) In a rare switcheroo, Levi was sporting a Jesus-style beard and longish hair that still did make me want to give him all of my pudding (thanks to EW writer Gillian Flynn for that bon mot), while Josh Gomez was nearly clean-shaven with a spiky hairstyle but still sporting "chin pubes," according to Ryan McPartlin, anyway. Adam Baldwin was, as ever, sleekly attired in a stylish suit, Yvonne Strahovski looked as drop-dead gorgeous as ever, and creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak looked cool and casual... though Fedak had bought a blue tie especially for the occasion. Ryan McPartlin IS Captain Awesome, no doubt about it, even when he tries his darnedest to say "fantastic" instead of awesome. And, after seeing the panel, can I just say that co-star Vic Sahay is hysterical and deserves far more screen time than he gets?

One hilarious fact: we learned that one of the original titles for Chuck (derived from a moment of inspiration after glancing at a Chuck Klosterman book) was the destined-for-failure title Scenario 5, a "terrible, bad genre name" that Fedak acknowledged wouldn't have appealed to ANYONE. Schwartz also finally answered a question which has puzzled me since I first read the pilot script to Chuck early in 2007: what happened to the character of Kayla, Chuck's neighbor potential love interest?

Schwartz recounted the fact that the part of Kayla was cast and her scenes actually filmed and that he, Fedak, and executive producer McG (who helmed the pilot) all agreed that it bifurcated the love story between Chuck and Sarah and tried to shoehorn too many romantic subplots too early on in the series; thus editor Norman Buckley effortlessly lifted all of Kayla's scenes from the pilot, which streamlined the action and made Chuck's relationship to Sarah instantly more clear. (Good work, guys!)

Sadly, some tantalizing clues about what to expect for Season Two of Chuck, which kicks off this fall on NBC, didn't really materialize, but that was to be expected as the writing staff only returned to work earlier that day. Still, the most interesting thing to emerge from the panel wasn't even Chuck-related. Lost executive producer/writer Damon Lindelof, who moderated the event armed with blue "segue cards" that were "activated" at various points during the evening, was asked about the four-toed statue that appeared in the episode "Live Together, Die Alone."

Lindelof says that they got a note from the network that said that the four-toed statue was just too weird, even for Lost. "I was like, 'Do you watch the show? This is too weird?,'" said Lindelof. "Essentially, they said, 'Could it be a six-toed statue?' I was like, 'Someone explain to me why a six-toed statue is less weird than a four-toed statue?' And they're still noodling on that."

As for Chuck, the gang is planning to hit the road again this year for San Diego Comic-Con (I'll be there once again, will you?) to promote their six-issue comic book tie-in series from DC Comics and the second season. As for what to expect for Season Two, look for a few new characters ("We're going to bring in some fresh new characters and some new villains," promised Josh Schwartz), an intriguing subplot involving Lester and Jeff that had to be excised from Season One (it involves a secret plot against Chuck), and possibly Jean-Claude Van Damme? Well, if Schwartz get his way, anyway; Van Damme is their dream "get" for Season Two, leading Zachary Levi to ponder some others, like Steven Seagal... if anyone could figure out where he is nowadays.

All in all, a fun and entertaining evening and a chance to see the dynamic interplay of the Chuck cast and crew in all its glory. Still, I was hoping for a little more to go on regarding Season Two (which starts shooting in May) as it's still going to be quite a long time before we can get our next Chuck fix.