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Interview: Diane Ruggiero on The Ex List, Superheroes, and Veronica Mars

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:30:17 -0700

I don't crouch down on the ground to interview just anyone. But when Diane Ruggiero, the executive producer of the upcoming CBS series The Ex List, asked a group of reporters if it would be all right if she sat down while we talked to her, we all sat too - even though it meant getting cozy with the cold cement floor of a Hollywood night club.

That's how much we wanted to talk to Ruggiero, who earlier in the day had completely won over the room at the TCA press tour with her rambling stories and witty retorts. The former Veronica Mars writer immediately proved her coolness by having a friend take a picture of the half-dozen of us huddled - literally - at her feet. She seemed shocked that she could attract such a crowd, but she shouldn't be; talking with her was one of the highlights of this year's TCA. She filled us in on some details of her show, which stars Elizabeth Reaser of Grey's Anatomy as a woman told by a psychic that she's supposed to marry one of her ex-boyfriends, plus talked about writing kick-ass women characters and working with Mars boss Rob Thomas. Here are some highlights:

This is not a typical CBS show. It's a very women-centric show. Why CBS? And does that worry you?
No. It's so funny, because I get [the concern]. But I know Nina [Tassler, the CBS entertainment president]. . . . If I met her outside CBS, and you said, "Would Nina like the show?" I would say, "Of course she would, it's totally her thing!" And I'm excited that they're giving it a try.

What about the viewers, though? How do you get them to tune in?
I have to go door to door and pretty much be like, "You know that show Numb3rs? Well, if you tune in a little earlier . . . " I don't know how that's going to work. I did a show, same time period, several years ago, and no one was [watching] - it was like, my mom, and a couple aunts . . . but it's a different world now, with TiVo, and I'm hoping that it will get a nice buzz, and then they'll TiVo it and that will kind of help it. I personally am home on Fridays at nine, so it's not a big deal for me. My shows that are on, if I don't get a chance to watch them [live] I still watch them - that's why God invented TiVo.

More from Ruggiero, including her superhero pilot and working on Mars, so read more.

What did you think when you first saw the Israeli original?
My pilot that I had got force majeured during the strike. And it was a superhero kind of deal, right? And so they call me and they're like, there's this show, Mythological X [the show's original title], and I'm like, "Right on, it's a superhero show!" And then they tell me what it was about, and I couldn't think of what to expect. It's awesome. It's like 11 little independent movies. They're shot really raw, and it's cool. It's shocking that that's on Israeil television. That woman has sex with, like, everybody!

How did you find Elizabeth Reaser for the lead?
Apparently, when you do these things, there's a very short list. And they give you some names where you're like, "If this person says my words, I will hang myself." And then they give you some other names, and you're like, "Really, are you serious, can that happen?" And you find out really quickly that it's just, they're dangling a carrot. But then there's this short list, this very intense short powerful list of the chosen "about-to-pop-ers," and there's like two people. And it was like Elizabeth and - it's out of my head, but she's about to pop. My little wheelhouse is so small that I was just like, can we get the chick from Battlestar?

What was the show you were working on before the strike?
It didn't have a title yet, but - I'm gonna do it still. I think I might do it as a movie. It was two neighborhood girls from Jersey who were kind of down and out, and they went to a female-empowerment seminar, like a Marianne Williamson "unleash the power of the goddess" thing, and there's an accident and they do. So like, by day, they're kind of just ambling about trying to make it happen, and by night they're superheroes. . . I had the idea because I was leaving Veronica Mars one day, and there was this guy who kicked his dog, and I started yelling at him, and all of a sudden, I see he's walking out to my car and he had a brick in his hand. I had this brief fantasy - and I had a soundtrack and everything - of me just stopping and getting out and like shutting the door and busting some move on him and kicking his ass and taking the dog. That was my big fantasy, and that's how I had this idea - wanting to see me at the moment where I'm like, "'I'm taking the dog."

Did you put any of those superhero qualities in Bella for The Ex List?
I did want her to be a girl that can hang out with guys, the whole surfing aspect of it - I wanted her to be cool and strong and tough, but I didn't put any of that [superhero stuff]. The show doesn't necessarily call for it yet. She doesn't necessarily need it now, but when she does, I'm not a shrinking violet kind of person.

You've had your own shows, and you've also worked for other people on their shows. What did you learn from that experience?
Working for Rob [Thomas, on Veronica Mars] was amazing. You serve one master - all I had to do was make Rob laugh, all I had to do was make Rob happy. Rob loved me - the second we started working together, he was like, "You're mine." He would joke, "If you listen to Veronica, who does she sound like?" Rob is so genius and smart and so great at story. That's what I aspire to. I'm still like the "I can write now, it's raining!" girl.

Photos Source and courtesy of CBS

TCA Tidbits: Bluths, The Ex List, Showtime Series, and More!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:45:39 -0700

Wow, that was one whirlwind weekend here at the TCA press tour. CBS, Showtime, The CW, and NBC's cable networks have all been on stage, plus the Television Critics Association took a break from the panels to deliver some honors of its own. I've heard lots about the new 90210, been bowled over by the hilarity of The Ex List's showrunner, and heard references to The Wire and Arrested Development - in the same session! Here are some of my favorite bits:

First off, have you read about what's coming up on Friday Night Lights yet? Seeing the cast together again was hands-down one of the highlights of this press tour so far.

Another highlight: Seeing Showtime's trailers for both The United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie - the latter of which just got picked up as a series. Bottom line: I'm very curious to see more from both. Tara stars Toni Colette as a mother with multiple personalities (we saw at least three in the three-minute trailer) whose family alternately resents her disorder and appreciates how different it makes them. Jackie stars Edie Falco as a sharp-tongued, occasionally devious nurse whose motto seems to be "Make me good, God, but not yet" and has her turning to one controlled substance or another to quash her persistent back pain. The trailers were both extremely well-produced, which gives me great hope for the full-length versions.

One of the contenders for best quote of the press tour: Jessica Walter of 90210 on what makes her new character, grandmother Tabitha Wilson, different from Lucille Bluth. "Lucille liked vodka and Tabitha likes scotch." She went on to explain that the fact that she's gotten her family to move to Beverly Hills to help her stay sober is another difference: "I promised them I'm going to try," she said. "Lucille never really tried."
By the way, Walter once referred to the Bluths in the past tense, then corrected herself: "The Bluths were so dysfunctional - are still so dysfunctional. We hope they're going to be making a movie." Someone hurry up and confirm it already!

To see who the TCA honored at its awards, meet my new favorite woman in Hollywood, and get some news from Bravo and NBC's other cable networks, just read more.

Mad Men, 30 Rock, and John Adams were among the big winners at Saturday's TCA Awards. There are lots of great dispatches from the night; here's one funny one, and here's another.

I liked The Ex List well enough when I watched the pilot, but I will most definitely be paying attention now that showrunner Diane Ruggiero has completely won me over. She charmed the whole room on Friday during her session, telling stories about accidentally dumping an ex-boyfriend's Mount St. Helen's ashes all over his carpet ("That's when you go, 'I guess we broke up . . . '") and being cute ("kind-of-ish") in New Jersey but invisible in Los Angeles. When one of the many older male reporters here asked her why there was so much "vaginal humor" in the pilot, Ruggiero immediately responded "I actually let my vagina write half of the script." Zing!
Sunday's sessions with NBC's cable networks were dizzying for all their news, but here are just a few highlights: Make Me a Supermodel and The Real Housewives of New York City will both be getting second seasons on Bravo; The Rachael Zoe Project premieres Sept. 8; Top Chef: Masters and Fashion House, which sounds vaguely like it could be groomed into a Project Runway replacement, are both in development; USA has ordered a second season of In Plain Sight; Mark Feuerstein has signed on for a USA pilot about a doctor who becomes the MD for the rich and famous; and the new season of The Janet Dickinson Modeling Agency will start in August and have Janice living with the models in the same house for the first time. Whew!

Still to come: Lots of news from NBC, plus visits to the set of Pushing Daisies and Chuck, so stay tuned!

Photos courtesy of Showtime and Source

CBS Boss Talks Vampires, Swingers, and CSI Sans Petersen

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:30:58 -0700

Nina Tassler was the third network executive of the week to take the stage at the TCA press tour today, and she shed some light on the departure of Moonlight, the future of Swingtown, and what CSI will look like sans William Petersen. Some highlights:

To help fill the hole on CSI left by Petersen's departure later this season, Tassler said the producers plan to introduce a new character with "an interesting genetic profile" that is comparable to that found in many serial killers. His character is on something of a journey of self-discovery, she said. But he's not going to be a direct replacement for Petersen's character: "He is an outsider coming into the CSI unit," Tassler said, and he is not (at least immediately) the boss. They're still searching for an actor to play the role.
As for Moonlight, Tassler reminded reporters that she's not anti-vampire. "Everybody knows I love vampires," she said. "Vampires, witches, werewolves, warlocks - I love them all." But she said that while there was a lot of outcry over the show's cancellation, most of it was passion for star Alex O'Loughlin rather than the show as a whole. She said she'd love to find a place for O'Loughlin on another show in the future.
Tassler said CBS supports and believes in Swingtown, but she's "a little disappointed in the ratings." As of now, there's no decision made about whether to renew the show or not - though CBS is at least confident enough to have the cast attend tonight's all-star party.

To see what Tassler had to say about Britney Spears and Sarah Chalke on How I Met Your Mother, just read more.

In response to a question about Britney Spears "saving" HIMYM, Tassler insisted Britney shouldn't get the credit for that. "It was never in danger," she said. "We just took a while to make the announcement."
As for Sarah Chalke, Tassler said she's confirmed for multiple episodes at the start of the season - but, as of now, Tassler doesn't think she's the mother.
Will there be more stunt casting? Yes, Tassler said, probably so. She said actors and their agents approach the shows - often as fans - saying they'd like to do a guest spot, and sometimes those work out on screen.

Photo courtesy of CBS