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« Ausiello Report
Live CW Upfront Coverage; The Verdict on Veronica Mars
11:01: The Pussycat Dolls are performing "Doncha you wish your girlfriend was hot like me." All I think while watching them bump and grind up there is "you bitches may've killed Veronica!"
11:05: CW president (and honorary "Girl") Dawn Ostroff takes the stage and welcomes us to the second CW upfront.
11:07: Last year was about establishing the network. This year is about finding new hits.
11:09: Dawn's diving right into the sked, starting with Wednesday night. ANTM is staying put at 8 pm. Tyra's in the house!
11:10: Tyra introduces a highlight reel from Cycles 7 and 8.
11:11: While the clips play, let me take a moment to remind Mars fans that a press conference with ostroff will immediately follow the upfront. And she better have good news for us.
11:13: Back to the sked, Josh Schwartz's Gossip Girl follows ANTM at 9 pm. "This show is going to do for NYC what The O.C. did for Orange County," Ostroff predicts.
11:16: We're getting our first glimpse of Gossip... And OMG, Kristen Bell really is narrating the thing. (exclusive scoopbit; Schwartz told me moments ago on the red carpet that Kristen will likely be replaced if VM gets picked up.)
11:20: Wow, it feels like Kelly Rutherford — the mom on the show — went from ingenue to matriarch overnight.
11:21: Pretty people. Bitchy dialogue. Kelly Rutherford. I'm hooked.
11:23: The cast walks on stage. they're doing a little shtick in character — and Kristen's narrating that too. It's almost like she's standing backstage with a microphone. Kristen, come out and tell us everything is going to be OK!!!!
11:29: Onto Thursday, Smallville and Supernatural are staying put. Ditto Friday with Smackdown.
11:34: Onto Sunday, and two new quasi reality shows no one will watch: CW Now and Online Nation.
11:36: CW ad sales boss Bill Morningstar is doing a spiel on content wraps. I hope someone acknowledges the passing of Gilmore Girls. A video tribute would be nice.
11:40: Onto Sunday and the new South African-set family drama Life Is Wild. And yes, they are really shooting this thing in South Africa. At least that's what the cast told me on the red carpet.
11:43: Life sucks. I give Life two weeks.
11:45: Dawn announces that she's "strategically holding One Tree Hill until mid-season." She also confirms what we already knew; the show will flash forward four years. The missing years will be filled in via online diaries. Yippee!!!
11:48: Mid-season reality competish Crowned — which features mother and daughter teams competing in a beauty pageant — could be fun. I said could.
11:50: Onto Monday, Everybody Hates Chris kicks things off at 8. Dawn breaks news! Creator Chris Rock will guest star in the season premiere as a guidance counselor.
11:57: New 8:30 pm comedy Aliens in America looks shockingly funny!
11:59: Girlfriends and The Game return from 9-10 pm.
12:01: Onto Tuesday, Beauty and the Geek replaces Gilmore Girls at 8. Oooh, Dawn finally brings up Gilmore. Grab your tissues! "While we're sad to see Gilmore Girls go," she says "the truth is Beauty and the Geek actually performed better among young adult viewers." WTF!? That's the tribute?! Unbelievable!
12:05: New 9 pm "thrillomedy" Reaper has a little Buffy-Supernatural vibe going on. Me like. Added bonus; it costars Invasion sidekick Tyler Labine and the dude who killed Laura Palmer.
12:08: To close the show, one of the Dolls — don't ask me which one — comes back onstage and performs the "world premiere" of the CW's new theme song, "Get Into It."
12:13: Upfront over. Press conference assembling. Stand by for the final word on Veronica Mars! My heart is racing!
12:28: First question, asked by me: "Is Veronica dead?"
12:29: OK, here it is in a nutshell, per Dawn Ostroff. Veronica Mars is dead. But, and there is a but, she says she's "talking to Rob and Kristen" about doing something else. She's not calling it a spin-off, and wouldn't say whether it would feature the character of Veronica. Translation: I'm as confused as ever!
12:33: I will try and get more clarification on this. Please stand by....
12:36: OK, a reporter just asked a VM follow-up — and Dawn continues to dodge. She says they're discussing "an idea," but adds, "I don't think it's going to happen."
12:47: The press conference is over. I tackle Dawn just as she tries to escape and I ask her to level with me. Is Veronica dead? "Veronica Mars is over, but we're talking about something else. I don't know if it's going to be anything. I'm being honest with you. It could come back in some form, but I don't know what form that would be." She confirmed that the deadline to make a decision is "somewhere around" the June 15 date I referred to previously. Long story short: mystery still not solved!
12:53: Heading back to the office to bang my head against the wall.
UPDATE: Rob Thomas reacts to Dawn's comments!
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May 17, 2007 11:38 AM
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Yay!! I can finally take a deep breath... Supernatural was renewed!! I was only like 12% worried... but now I can enjoy the SEASON finale so much more.
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May 17, 2007 11:43 AM
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But what about the Aerie girls? Will they be back? Tuesdays nights just wouldn't be the same without them!
Also, between the horrible timeslot and the cost of filming in South Africa, how long before Life is Wild is canceled? I say 3 weeks tops.
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May 17, 2007 11:55 AM
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Thank you, Mike, I mean truly bless you...my fellow Supernatural Obsessives reported yesterday on reading blurbs in publications that the show was renewed but there was a possiblity of a scheduling change. But I still wasn't going to full-on 100 percent believe it until I heard it from someone at TV Guide straight from the upfronts. I'm so glad it's renewed and that it's not moving (my part time job work schedule is arranged around it!).
You're a good man, Mike, thanks so much for reporting for us!
Now do the same good job for Bones at the Fox upfronts later on...
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May 17, 2007 11:59 AM
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Wait - I'm confused...am I thanking Mike or Angel?! Well, whoever I owe this news to - thank you!!!
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May 17, 2007 12:01 PM
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"the truth is Beauty and the Geek actually performed better among young adult viewers." WTF!? That's the tribute?! Unbelievable!
Dems are FIGHTIN' words, Dawn Ostroff. Now Michael's fired up. She doesn't know what's waiting for her in the Q&A now! I fully expect the appropriate amount of venom in your questions, please.
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May 17, 2007 12:13 PM
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So I guess Dawn is treading carefully over the V word...
(Veronica...
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May 17, 2007 12:13 PM
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If Kristen goes from VM, what's the point of renewing it?
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May 17, 2007 12:15 PM
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Corner all those CW people, Mike!
Corner 'em until they give you those Veronica Mars answers!!! 
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May 17, 2007 12:16 PM
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Oooh, Dawn finally brings up Gilmore Girls. Grab your tissues! "While we're sad to see Gilmore Girls go," she says "the truth is Beauty and the Geek actually performed better among young adult viewers." WTF!? That's the tribute?! Unbelievable!
Wow, that Dawn Ostroff is a b****.
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May 17, 2007 12:18 PM
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I hate the CW. I wish they would air more re-runs of Friends and Will & Grace. Like back when the little frog used to sing and dance for us.
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May 17, 2007 12:19 PM
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So Haley and Nathan will have a four year old child when the show returns? I get the feeling they didn't really think this one all the way through.
And thank you for giving us your honest opinions, Mike. Your column is so much better than a certain other writer who fawns all over and praises everything. And it's why I actually value what you have to say.
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May 17, 2007 12:20 PM
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>
> 12:01 Onto Tuesday, Beauty and the Geek
> replaces gilmore girls at 8. Oooh, Dawn finally
> brings up Gilmore. Grab your tissues! "While
> we're sad to see Gilmore Girls go," she says
> "the truth is Beauty and the Geek actually
> performed better among young adult viewers." WTF!?
> That's the tribute?! Unbelievable!
>
Beauty and the Geek performed better than Gilmore girls..what is WRONG with the TV watching crowd??...SERIOUSLY!!!
They kept One Tree Hill(and are skipping 4 years), so now they are going to be finally be playing the 40 year olds they are..go them.
VERONICA!!!!!!!!!!!
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May 17, 2007 12:21 PM
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this is so agonizing... 
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May 17, 2007 12:25 PM
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What a shabby way to treat a show that anchored a network for so many years and represented some of the best television on today. Dawn Ostroff should be ashamed! Although I'm not surprised as Everwood was treated even worse and now Veronica will probably be thrown out like yesterday's garbage as well.
Make her give us some answers, Mike! Let her know our anger and that there's still Life on Mars.
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May 17, 2007 12:26 PM
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