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« Ausiello Report
Live Press Tour Diary: NBC, Day 1
Isaiah Washington by Jesse Grant/Wireimage.com
8:49 am/PT: Laptop? Check. Bran muffin? Check. Diet Raspberry Snapple? Check. OK, let's do this.
8:50 am: Odd thing. The executive session with NBC's newly installed cochairmen Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman gets under way in 10 minutes and I'm one of only three journalists here. I mean, I know NBC has hit on hard times, but this is ridiculous.
8:52 am: Oops. I was just informed that the exec session doesn't actually start until 10 am. In other words, I showed up to the party an hour early. That's not embarrassing at all.
9:02 am: Twiddling thumbs....
9:22 am: We interrupt my thumb-twiddling to bring you breaking, exclusive news out of CBS: I'm hearing that talks to bring AWOL Criminal Minds star Mandy Patinkin back for one episode this fall are falling apart. Now it's looking very unlikely we'll ever see Gideon on the show again.
9:25 am: Resume thumb-twiddling.
9:31 am: Star Jones and I shared an elevator ride yesterday here at the Beverly Hilton. Most frightening 23 seconds of my life.
9:39 am: Oh good, the room is starting to fill up. If anyone asks, I planned to get here early.
9:44 am: You know, I want to give this Silverman-Graboff combo the benefit of the doubt, but they're making it awfully difficult. They've only been on the clock for a month and so far they've put Isaiah Washington on the payroll, yanked reruns of Friday Night Lights off the air and revived Donald Trump's tired Apprentice. Not the most encouraging start.
NBC EXECUTIVE SESSION
10:10 am: And we're off! Silverman and Graboff take the stage!
10:11 am: Silverman announces some major sked changes for fall:
• On Monday, Josh Schwartz's spy dramedy Chuck will kick off the night, followed by Heroes and the new drama Journeyman.
• Summer phenom Singing Bee will replace Deal or No Deal on Tuesdays at 8 pm. DOND moves to Fridays at 8 pm, where it will lead into Friday Night Lights, which moves up an hour to 9 pm. Las Vegas follows at 10 pm.
10:12 am: Silverman says he's "excited" to have Isaiah joining Bionic Woman for five episodes. No word on how the show's cast feels about it.
10:17 am: Sitcom legend Norman Lear will produce a new show for NBC, a one-hour comedy that focuses on "a battle of the sexes."
10:19 am: The Apprentice will return with a special celebrity edition! Unless they get Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Stewart and Mark Cuban to come on as contestants, I'll pass.
10:22 am: Graboff gets a huge laugh when he tells a reporter that his predecessor Kevin Reilly wasn't fired by NBC. He insists it was his decision to leave... after NBC usurped his power by bringing in two people above him.
10:28 am: Silverman defends Washington's hiring thusly: "He's a wonderful actor and a great performer." Not to mention quite the wordsmith!
10:43 am: FNL was renewed in part because it's cheaper to make than, say, Heroes. The fact that it's the best show on TV didn't hurt either.
10:50 am: Silverman read my mind: He says he'd love to have Rosie on the celeb Apprentice. Graboff adds that NBC "would love to be in business" with the ex-Viewer, and confirms that they've talked to her about a number of ideas.
10:58 am: The session ends and, with that, the countdown to lunch begins!
LUNCH BUFFET
12:52 pm: Mmmmm... carbs.
1:15 pm: Crisis: There's no dessert table! Someone call 911!
1:16 pm: OK, I've just been informed that dessert is being served, but at the other end of the frakkin' hotel in the International Ballroom. That's also where NBC is hosting some kind of research presentation. Oh, I get it: They're trying to trick me into attending their boring seminar! I'm on to you, NBC!
1:34 pm: Christiane Amanpour sighting! Rory's idol spotted walking through the hotel lobby sans entourage and carrying her own luggage. Where are those TMZ cameras when you need 'em?
LIFE PANEL
2:15 pm: This new one-hour drama centers on a cop (Band of Brothers' Damian Lewis) who returns to the force after serving 12 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Coincidentally, watching this pilot felt akin to serving a 12-year prison sentence. (Truthfully, it wasn't that bad. I really just wanted to make that joke.)
2:38 pm: Leading lady Sarah Shahi says her stint as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader was just a "stepping stone" to an acting career. There's a joke in there somewhere.
2:40 pm: Damian Lewis says he "thinks" Life "could" be an interesting series. I "think" he "could" try to muster a little more enthusiasm.
2:45 pm: A reporter asks Life costar (and onetime Chicago Hope doc) Adam Arkin for his thoughts on Mandy Patinkin's abrupt exit from Criminal Minds. "He's done it before," Arkin responds, referring to Patinkin's decision to bail from Chicago Hope. "I tend not to get shocked about anything having to do with show business." Translation: Patinkin crazy!
THURSDAY-NIGHT COMEDIES PANEL
3:02 pm: Panelists include Jason Lee, Tina Fey, John Krasinski and Zach Braff.
3:04 pm: Zach's sportin' a new shorter 'do.
3:08 pm: I love me some Bill Lawrence snark. Asked about his show's anemic ratings, the Scrubs creator deadpans, "This is the year Scrubs becomes a huge hit!"
3:10 pm: Tina Fey is excited about Jerry Seinfeld's upcoming 30 Rock cameo because "maybe now America will find out we have a show."
3:12 pm: Bill L. all but confirms that his long-brewing Fletch update is on life support, and half-jokingly places the blame on Zach for bailing on the title role.
3:15 pm: Lorne Michaels thinks Alec Baldwin will return to 30 Rock next season. Tina Fey quickly jumps in with a more resolute, "He'll be back."
3:17 pm: Office e.p. Greg Daniels believes the Jim-Pam love story "has more impact when it's not carrying the weight of the entire show." He also hints that he's not a huge fan of NBC's schmaltzy (and ridiculously misleading) Jim-Pam promos.
3:20 pm: Twenty-five minutes in and Jason Lee has yet to utter a single syllable.
3:21 pm: Earl will still be behind bars at the start of the new season. "He'll be in prison for a while," says e.p. Greg Garcia. "Fortunately, Earl has a lot of friends in prison."
3:24 pm: This is definitely Scrubs' final season. "There's something really invigorating knowing that these are our final 18 episodes," Zach says. "I'm really excited."
3:25 pm: Jason Lee opens his mouth and two words come out. The first one is "me" and the other one is "too." Totally worth the wait.
3:32 pm: Bill L. cracks himself up when, in dicussing NBC's storied history on Thursday nights, he refers to Caroline in the City as "Caroline in the Sh---y."
3:33 pm: Session over. Reporters rush the stage from all sides, a phenomenon that will heretofore be referred to simply as "the gaggle stampede."
3:44 pm: Just scored some post-session scoop from John Krasinski: He confirmed that Rashida Jones will be back for a handful of episodes at the start of the season. Also, Jenna Fischer has fully recovered from that nasty spill she took during upfront week.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE PANEL
4:40 pm: Looks like everyone's here save for Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph. An NBC rep chalks their absences up to "scheduling conflicts."
4:45 pm: I'm hoping to pull Kristen Wiig aside afterwards and get her to record my outgoing message in character as Penelope.
4:54 pm: Unintentional double entendre alert! Lorne Michaels acknowledges that "Dick in a Box" was "huge" for the show and really "exploded" on the scene.
5:01 pm: Regarding the failure of Studio 60, Lorne says Aaron Sorkin "put himself in the difficult position of doing a drama series about a comedy show."
5:02 pm: Scoop! Maya Rudolph may not be back next season. Lorne says he had lunch with her this afternoon and he's "trying to convince her to stay." Scheduling conflicts my arse!
5:09 pm: Seth Meyers' fave guest host? Peyton Manning.
5:12 pm: Gaggle stampede! Wish me luck with Kristen! See you back here tomorrow morning for Day 2 of NBC, featuring panels for Bionic Woman, the Law & Order brand and Friday Night Lights!
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Jul 16, 2007 12:06 PM
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Mike, I just read on another website that NBC may have offered Isaiah his own show for next year, and a part in Bionic Woman. Please, say it ain't so!
I mean, he can have his own show, I don't care, but not Bionic Woman!
He's a great actor, but now I can't stand him whenever he's on screen. He's going to ruin the show.
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Jul 16, 2007 12:21 PM
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Hi tamara,
Yeah, Matt Mitovitch has that story over on his page. I think if he plays an antogonist on the show, it might be a shrewd move for both him and the show. I'm trying to keep an open mind...
Hey, Mike, I hear Star Jones is trolling around. Have you seen her? Or are you actively avoiding her (which would be what I would do). Hee hee.
UPDATE: Hilarious. I as I was typing that last paragraph, you were actually ON the elevator with her! I love it!!! 
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Jul 16, 2007 12:30 PM
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Hahaha, it happens Michael, just act like that's been your plan all along, to get there early, because... well... because you wanted the best seat in the joint perhaps?
NBC... SVU... Marish! Please try to get us some scoop, especially on a certain FBI agent by the name of Dean Porter. Pretty please? With a cherry on top? Anything on the future of E/O, which seems bleak at this point, would also be much appreciated.
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Jul 16, 2007 12:31 PM
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An hour early? Sounds like something I would do.
I'm itching for information about the new shows, especially Chuck. It looks funny and action-packed and...well, too good to be on NBC, frankly.
Oh, and is NBC still going to launch Lipstick Jungle in January? Aren't they worried that ABC's Cashmere Mafia is going to steal their thunder?
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Jul 16, 2007 12:46 PM
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Star Jones and I shared an elevator ride yesterday here at the Beverly Hilton. Most frightening 23 seconds of my life.
As much as I want you to stay safe and sound, I would have loved it if you and Star had "a little contretemps in the elevator." That would have made for a juicy story!
Is it too late for you to track Star down and mix it up a little with her?
Please? For us?
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Jul 16, 2007 1:04 PM
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Michael,
When it gets to question and answer time, please let the nbc people know that some fans ARE NOT happy about IW joining Bionic Woman. I was most looking forward to this show in the fall, and now I might not even watch.
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Jul 16, 2007 1:11 PM
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Isaiah on NBC and the new BIONIC WOMAN?
Idiots!
Thank goodness it is only 5 episodes.
Where and how can we email NBC to PROTEST adding Isaiah to the new series?
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Jul 16, 2007 1:20 PM
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I for one am looking forward to IA being on Bionic Woman. The man is a good actor, so I hope he does well in the future.
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Jul 16, 2007 1:29 PM
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I'm SO happy IW joined Bionic Woman! I was missing seeing his name everywhere! I am going to pray that his contract has an option to pick him up! That would TOTALLY make my year!!!! 
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Jul 16, 2007 1:39 PM
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I was looking forward to Bionic Woman, but this casting news has me rethinking that. Might have to skip it now. Nice move, NBC -- and quit screwing around with Friday Night Lights.
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Jul 16, 2007 1:49 PM
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Well not everyone wants to see ANOTHER show with "no diversity". Is it really that bad? I watch shows with ABSOLUTELY no one that resembles me all the time. It really bugs me but I still give all shows a chance. If he was really such an ass why are other shows trying to pick him up? There are other black male actors that are just as good. Please dont turn this into another IW bash session.
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Jul 16, 2007 2:02 PM
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They've only been on the clock for a month and so far they've put Isaiah Washington on the payroll, yanked reruns of Friday Night Lights off the air,
Michael - I failed to see the work "reruns" when you mentioned Friday Night Lights and I almost crawled under my desk and died!
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Jul 16, 2007 2:16 PM
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I'm not really liking the timeslot change for Chuck. Tuesday is such a dead night for me, so it was perfect that there was at least this and Reaper to watch. On Monday, it'll now be opposite both How I Met Your Mother and Prison Break. It should be a good companion for Heroes, though.
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Jul 16, 2007 2:19 PM
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All you folks who are so thrilled to have IW back on TV better not bitch if/when Don Imus is back on the radio.
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Jul 16, 2007 2:27 PM
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