Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? Send any/all of the above to askausiello@tvline.com
Question: Can you give me some really good stuff about what is going to happen on Gossip Girl? —Saloni
Ausiello: Good stuff coming your way in 3, 2, 1… The show is pulling out “all the stops” for its milestone 100th episode in January, according to executive producer Josh Safran. “We want to honor the [fact] that it’s the 100th episode,” he says. “We know that we are very lucky to be coming by it, and we’re going to respect that. So we definitely want to make it feel like it is a special event. Let’s put it this way — it’s not going to be a clip show.” Hmm… Safran already confirmed that Blair will spend the first chunk of the season planning her royal nups to Louis, so it stands to reason that the wedding itself would take place around midseason. See where I’m going with this, people?
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Question: I’m still confused about Taylor Momsen’s status on Gossip Girl. Is she gone for good? Gossip Girl isn’t the same without Lil J. —Jen
Ausiello: Sources confirm to TVLine that Jenny will return to the UES when hell freezes over. But it’s not like the show will pretend like she never existed. Case in point: Rumor has it her absence is addressed in the season premiere (and don’t assume she returned to school upstate).
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Question: Do you have any hints on what’s to come on the new season of Glee, especially for Santana and Brittany, separately or together? —Ghislaine
Ausiello: The word around McKinley is that Brittany will make a serious run for class president. And in potentially related news, I hear there’s an intriguing/hilarious story behind this photo, and we’ll find out what it is in Episode 2.
Question: Beggars can’t be choosers, so I’ll take any Glee scoop you can spare. —Colin
Ausiello: A new glee club provides fresh competish for New Directions — and this particular group is much closer to home.
Question: I’m anxiously awaiting the new/final season of Chuck. Got any juicy scoop for us? —Pam
Ausiello: Community‘s Danny Pudi will not be playing Abed when he crosses over to Chuck in Episode 5. “It’s not like Cougar Town,” he tells us. “It’s a different character altogether… It has something to do with Vic Sahay’s character, [Lester], I’ll say that.” And if you blink, you very well could miss his cameo. As Pudi points out, “It’s very quick.”
Question: With so much Community news, there’s been very little about Greendale’s resident buzzkill. What’s going on with Britta?! —Kellen
Ausiello: I think a better question is who’s going on. (Answer: Troy!) “The stuff with Troy and Britta has sort of been like the stuff with Jeff and Annie in the past — still too subtle for the other characters to notice,” observes Alison Brie (Annie). “It’s very vague and we’re not sure if it’s just an attraction or something more. In the third episode, Jeff and Annie kind of notice the Britta-and-Troy thing and get a little territorial, like, ‘Wait a minute! We want each other [but] we don’t want you guys to be with anyone.’ It’s very incestuous.”
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Question: Got any Community scoop? — Len
Ausiello: Apparently, the show is about to out-gay Glee! In Episode 6, we’ll meet Jason and Randall, a pair of young Greendale fashionistos who are all a-Twitter because they get to hang with Miss Urbana Champaign, a drag queen whose video goes viral (at least among friends of Dorothy). Since some singing is required, may I suggest the glamtastic Manila Luzon from RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Question: Any hope of seeing either Booth’s mom and dad on Bones this season? —Dotty
Ausiello: It looks like we may get a glimpse of Booth’s elusive pa in an early ’11 episode that finds David Boreanaz’ alter ego flashing back to his childhood — specifically, the time father and son attended the World Series together. The show is currently casting an 8-year-old version of Boreneaz for the circa ’80s sequence. Mom, send Junior to the audition in funny socks.
Question: Any scoop on NCIS: LA? —Heidi
Ausiello: A November episode will introduce a former NSA agent whose secrets begin to come to light. Middle-aged Larry — the rogue operative in question — is said to be as smart as he is unflappable. But something tells me his knack for pushing buttons won’t have diminished since he was last on duty.
Question: Do you have any scoop on whether Jack Coleman is playing Caroline’s dad on Vampire Diaries? —Elsa
Ausiello: That’s what I keep hearing, but I have no official confirmation of that. Makes perfect sense, right?
Question: Any news on what’s in store for Chase on House this season? —Melinda
Ausiello: No, but I did get Jesse Spencer’s thoughts on Lisa Edelstein’s departure. He admits he has “mixed” feelings about the loss of his longtime costar. “She’s been there since the pilot, she’s a big part of the show,” he sighs. “When I first found out I was like, ‘Oh, no. We’ve lost another castmember. That’s really difficult.’ I love Lisa and I think she’s been such a big, big part of our show. And it’s hard to lose someone like that. But at the end of the day, it’s business. Unfortunately, that’s the way the business went. And now we have new castmembers, and we’re going to have to start over.” THIS JUST IN: New House Promo Features Fresh Spoilers!
Question: Haven’t really heard anything about one of my new favorites, Blue Bloods. Got anything? —Karen
Ausiello: Danny is going to regret not calling in sick in the Oct. 7 episode when he accidentally shoots someone while working on a case. And not just any someone — a fellow cop!
Question: Is anything good going to happen for Meredith and Derek on Grey’s Anatomy, or is it all depressing stuff? —Samantha
Ausiello: I hear Social Worker Janet (played Janora McDuffie), spied in the fresh batch of premiere pics, will return to Seattle Grace in October, which leads me to believe there’s trouble on the horizon with little Zola. On the brighter side, Derek continues to make progress on his and Mer’s McDream house. In fact, Episode 4 — aka the much-buzzed-about “all-male” hour — finds several of his colleagues lending a hand with construction.
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Question: I, for one, love that Owen will be the new Chief on Grey’s Anatomy. Any intel on how he’ll adjust to the new gig? —Theresa
Ausiello: He won’t be hiding out in his office, mostly because… well, he won’t have one. I hear he’ll decide to ditch the traditional office and instead roam the halls armed with nothing but an iPad-esque tablet.
Question: Can we get any spoilers on How I Met Your Mother‘s Barney and Robin? We love this couple! —Juliet
Ausiello: In the season opener, Lily urges Robin to crap or get off the pot with regard to Barney. “She encourages her to be honest about her feelings,” previews Alyson Hannigan. “‘Cause Robin’s playing it off like, ‘No, no, no.’ So Lily’s like, ‘Alright, then, prove it. Step up to the plate and tell Barney that it’s not going to happen.’ Something magical then happens, but you’ll have to stay tuned for that.”
Question: Any intel on which old girlfriend Ted runs into in the Sept. 26 episode of How I Met Your Mother? —Jane
Ausiello: Nope, but I can tell you that it leads to a scene Josh Radnor says will “reward longtime fans” of the show. Per the actor, Ted challenges the gang to guess the identity of his ex. “And I don’t think he’s prepared for four-and-a-half pages of guesses from them of who this girl could be,” says Radnor. “They basically list every single girl that Ted has had any sort of encounter with over six years. It’s a pretty comprehensive list.”
Question: Tell me more about Annie becoming an escort on 90210. The very idea sounds laughably awful. In other words, I’ll be glued to my TV. —Angela
Ausiello: You and me both, Angela. Sadly, Annie will be playing a G-rated hooker, which basically means there’s no sex and the dates usually occur in group settings. Zzzzzz... In far more exciting news, I hear the gang goes to Vegas in Episode 8 for a fun-filled weekend that features an impromptu wedding.
Question: How will Pete respond to his near-death experience on Private Practice? Is he going to turn into a vigilante like Derek did on Grey’s? —Elizabeth
Ausiello: Hell, no. Whereas Derek embraced life (to a fault), Pete is going to retreat from it. “There have been all of these studies about heart attacks and how coming out of one is like plunging into a depression,” explains Shonda Rhimes. “People don’t come out of their heart surgeries happy or cheerful, many of them come out much darker, much more bitter people then they used to be. There’s an actual chemical imbalance, personality change that happens, and we’re going to play with that a little bit.”
Question: Do you know what the ration of mythology/standalone episodes will be on Fringe this season? —Scott
Ausiello: I don’t have any hard data, but after chatting up J.J. Abrams, it sounds like mythology has the definite edge. “What I love about what the show is doing now is it’s kind of doing what the show needs to do to be the best version of the show, as opposed to just the apologists’ stand-alone thing — which I don’t think Fringe could ever be,” he maintains. “Shows like Alcatraz and certainly Person of Interest have much more of a shot because it’s much more, clearly a new case every week, whereas Fringe is like more about this insanely twisted family of people that are working in this crazy lab.”
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Question: Any True Blood scoop ahead of Sunday’s finale? —Scott
Ausiello: By the end of the hour, the show will be down at least one series regular.
That’s a wrap! Please send questions, comments, and anonymous tips to askausiello@tvline.com. Also, you can keep track of my scoops on Twitter via @MichaelAusiello. Thanks for playing! (Additional reporting by Meg Masters and Vlada Gelman)
