2007 Summer TCA

My most-anticipated new show of the season, ABC's "Pushing Daisies," premieres tonight, which means it's just a few hours until you all get to see the fantastical world of the Pie Hole for yourself. (Can't wait? Yum has a preview of the tasty pies).

A big part of the show's magic touch comes from Lee Pace, who plays Ned, the pie baker who learns at a young age that he can bring things back to life — including, in the pilot, his childhood sweetheart, Chuck Charles (Anna Friel). You may recognize him from The Good Shepherd or "Wonderfalls," but it's Pace's sweet turn in this show that could make him a star. At the TCA press tour in July, I chatted with Pace about working with director Barry Sonnenfeld, playing such a good guy, and — of course — those pies.

How did you get involved with "Pushing Daisies"?
I'd done movies the past few years — I know that sounds so pretentious; I just mean to say that I really wasn't looking at TV scripts. I heard that Brian [Fuller, the show's creator, whom Pace worked with on "Wonderfalls"] was doing a show, and I was just curious to see what he was doing — I wanted to read it, be like, "Congratulations, good luck, knock 'em dead, it's gonna be a big hit." And I read it, and I was like, this is actually really really good. This character is better than a lot of characters I've ever read, and I kind of want to play it. I thought about it, I talked to Brian a lot, and it just got to be too compelling to turn down, and I decided to do it. And I'm so glad I did because the cast we assembled is unbelievable. Barry Sonnenfeld is a genius, and I will work with him on anything ever. He's great.

When you read the part of Ned, what was it that grabbed you?
What I loved about him is that he's someone who gives life. He's a good guy. He's a good-hearted person. He brings positivity and generosity to people. His life is complicated, and he lives a very sheltered, funny life, but he's got a gift. He's not one of these antiheroes who's going to destroy his life and everyone around him, you know? We're putting something out into the world that is a good thing.

Lots more from Lee, so read more

If you don't know Blake Lively yet, you will after tonight's premiere of "Gossip Girl." Lively, who might be best recognized right now by fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, plays Serena, a central character who kicks off the show's story by moving home from boarding school and causing chaos in the lives of her Upper East Side friends — especially best frenemy Blair (Leighton Meester). Lively chatted with me at the TCA press tour about mean girls, making the jump to television, and what sets Serena apart.

How did you come to "Gossip Girl"?
[Creators/executive producers] Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage! Josh is very passionate, and he's very aggressive. He called me personally on my cell phone, and he was like, "You know, you have to do this, I wrote this for you, and I'm not going to the show with anyone else, and I have to do the show, so you have to do it." I've never wanted to do a TV show, just because you have to commit potentially six years of your life to something. It has to be something that you're really passionate about. But I met with them, and they are so excited about what they do. They are so passionate, they're young, and they're not some jaded studio executive who just signs off their name for some commercial product and goes to their house in the Hamptons and is never involved. They're involved from every outfit I wear to every person that gets cast, every backdrop of every scene. If I have a flyaway hair they come up and fix it for me. If it wouldn't have been them, I definitely don't think I'd be doing the show.

You can check out Lively's thoughts on her character if you read more

The cast of "The Office" will start production on the show's fourth season today in Los Angeles, which means it's only a few short weeks now till we find out what will become of our beloved Pam and Jim after the third-season finale. After the hilarious NBC comedy panel at the TCA press tour, I joined a group of reporters chatting with John Krasinski about the Jim and Pam dynamic, as well as his upcoming role in Leatherheads and his favorite Dwight prank. For highlights of what he had to say, read on ...

On where he'd like Jim and Pam to go: "I think that it would be interesting to see — after all that pressure — to see what a relationship would be like. I feel like there would be some sort of awkwardness. ... There's a lot of fun stuff you could do with it — and then there's a lot of fun stuff you could with making people wait a little longer."

On what's up with Karen: "Rashida [Jones] is back, as far as I know. I think she's back for a couple episodes. ... She didn't get to say her piece. I think she'll come and slap everybody in the face and then just walk out. It'll be glorious."

On creating the Jim/Pam dynamic with Jenna Fischer: "I constantly am thinking about Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis [Tim and Dawn from the BBC version of "The Office"] and what they gave to us. It's really a gift; they're so perfect in what they did. So us playing the relationship had to be between Jenna and I, and sort of finding little things that we do. We hang out a lot together on set and we talk a lot about it, and Greg [Daniels, the executive producer] is so nice to let us have a say in it. Working with her has been a real treat. We both sort of understand the awkwardness and where it's going, and we love putting the brakes on."

More JAM from John, so read more

I already told you about all the season four scoop the "House" crew spilled at the TCA press tour. But Omar Epps, who plays Dr. Eric Foreman, had some goodies of his own in store for me when I chatted with him after the show's panel discussion. Here's what he had to say:

How has Foreman changed from who he was in the first season to someone who could say no to House?
He's sort of evolved. I think, season one, he kind of always had that in the background, but it was his first year on the job and you kind of don't want to ruffle any feathers. But I think working so closely and sort of having some of the same personality quirks that House has, he's become confident enough to stand up to what he disagrees with in House. In this coming season, it will be interesting to see how that all sort of comes full circle, because he's had a chance to be out on his own in the real world and actually has a lot more of the House qualities than he thought he had — and suffers for that.

More from Epps — including what Foreman will be up to in the fall — so read more

The Bennets' new home wasn't the only spot I got to tour on the set of "Heroes" at the TCA press tour. As I wandered through Isaac's studio, Mohinder's apartment, and an Irish pub, cast members — including my tour guides, Hayden Panettiere and Zachary Quinto — delivered a few hints about what's going to happen when season two begins in September. To hear what they had to say, read more

I'm back from my first stint at the TCA press tour, and frankly, I'm awed (and a little baffled) by all the access we reporters got to stars, producers, writers, and even the top brass at the networks. Is there any other industry that would open its doors so wide to journalists — and give them food and cocktails in the process?

I've been sharing a lot of the news from the tour, and there will be more interviews and stories to come as we get closer to the fall TV premieres. But I also wanted to let you in on some of the behind-the-scenes moments from my days in LA. So, without further ado ...

• When it comes to party planning, none of the other networks can hold a candle to Fox. NBC and ABC kept their parties on-site at the Beverly Hilton this year, and the CW went to the Pacific Design Center just down the street. But Fox went all-out, first busing the TV critics to Les Deux for a New Orleans-themed bash with the cast of "K-Ville," then renting out a portion of the Santa Monica Pier so everyone could mingle among the skee ball games, crazy rides and bumper cars.
• Fox also had the crowd beat when it came to clever themes. In addition to the "Family Guy" lunches named for characters, we also had a cafeteria-style meal for "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" The network's pages, who pass the microphone to reporters during the sessions, also changed outfits between sessions, donning lab coats for the "House" panel and fatigues for "The Sarah Connor Chronicles."
• An ABC publicist told us on Wednesday night that the guys of "Cavemen" would be walking the red carpet in their full caveman makeup on Thursday — but no dice. At least the guys were nice enough to wear their nametags around the party so we could recognize them.
• The kids of The CW's new shows — especially "Gossip Girl" and "Aliens in America" — are so darn nice and funny, it's hard not to love them. The whole crowd spent the CW's all-star party joking around with each other, begging their publicists to let them go into the weird floating bubbles in the fountain at the Pacific Design Center, and taking pictures of each other making ridiculous faces. At one point, lead "Gossip Girl" Blake Lively took my recorder out of my hand so she could interview the "Aliens" boys and one of her costars. Precious!

More details, so read more

Along with all the gorgeous women joining ABC's prime time, there will be plenty of eye candy for the ladies as well. The male version of Sex and the City is called Big Shots and stars Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus and Joshua Malina. In the pilot these four CEOs sit around in a steam room bitching about their lives when Dylan's character finally says, "Men, we're like the new women." Talk about a guilty pleasure! Then there is the most hyped show of the season, the Grey's spin off, Private Practice. While everyone else is focusing on Kate Walsh, we'll lust after Taye Diggs who will get another shot at ABC prime time. For lots of upcoming PP and Grey's secrets, click here.

Peter Krause stars in Dirty Sexy Money where he plays a lawyer who takes over his dead father's job as personal counsel for an uber-rich dysfunctional family. The creator of the show, Craig Wright, said it was inspired by the Dallas or Dynasty models but more updated. Ex-OC and Entourage star, Samaire Armstrong also joins the cast as the blonde bratty socialite that many are already comparing to Paris Hilton. Just what we need - another place to watch a tabloid family come to life. To check out a clip and learn more about the show just click here.

For lots more pics including Amy Brenneman, Tim Daly, Joshua Malina and more just read more

It would have been exciting enough to wander alone through Claire's new home on the "Heroes" set. But it was far better for my tour guide to be Jack Coleman, aka Mr. Bennet, aka HRG. He led a group of reporters through the airy, spacious, well-decorated house during a set visit at the TCA press tour, artfully dodging questions about where exactly we were.

"Let's just say it's not where the old house was," Coleman said.

OK, then. Is it in a different time zone?

"A different time zone is very possible."

A sunny climate?

"You're killing me."

All we know for sure is that the Bennets have indeed relocated since, you know, that whole episode when Ted-the-radioactive-guy kinda ruined the Bennets' Texas home and made Claire's face melt temporarily. The new home, decorated almost entirely in shades of blue, brown and black, has a large triangular window, potted trees in the corners, glass jars of rice and lentils in the kitchen, and a walk-up pathway lined with slightly trampled Astroturf. There are fewer pictures of Mr. Muggles in this house, though Coleman assured us the dog has not been forgotten. And though we're not quite sure what Mr. Bennet's plans are for the season, even Coleman had to admit that the home looks pretty permanent.

One reporter pointed triumphantly at the flowering bougainvillea in the back yard — yes, there was a back yard, complete with patio furniture — as a dead giveaway that the Bennets were in California (and that's what a little bit of casting news indicated to us, too).

"I don't know," Coleman teased back. "We might be in the Mediterranean."

Source

Here's a tidbit of news for all you "Ugly Betty" fans still on the edge of your seats after the dramatic season finale. At last night's ABC TCA Party, Executive Producer Marco Pennette revealed that Victoria Beckham will guest star on the show this season. He wouldn't say much about her role but he did reveal this, "There's a wedding involved with her storyline." Oh, will it be designed by Christina? Make the cover of Mode? Will she play one of Wilhelmina's bridesmaids? Will Betty have to save the day? Probably yes on the last one. Judging from your comments about her TV special, some of you enjoy Victoria's sense of humor. I, for one, feel like she's the perfect level of kitsch for the show and can't wait to see her cameo. What do you think about Posh invading "Ugly Betty"?

Photo copyright 2007 ABC, Inc
Beckham photo source