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« Ausiello Report
Live Press Tour Diary: CW
Scott Patterson by Mark Liddell/The CW
9:01 am: Scott Patterson sighting! The Aliens in America dad is in the lobby signing autographs for fans.
9:13 am: Before we start, let's observe a moment of silence in memory of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. May they rest in peace… and be revived in movie form someday soon.
9:15 am: CW prez Dawn Ostroff takes the stage and declares that the net's philosophy this season is all about "creating new hits." Groundbreaking stuff.
9:16 am: The CW's new season will kick off Tuesday, Sept. 18, with a two-hour premiere of Beauty and the Geek, which features a new twist: One handsome young man and one smart geeky woman will be added to the mix.
9:17 am: Scoop! Ostroff announces that the CW has renewed America's Next Top Model through the 2009-10 season.
9:32 am: Is the Spike movie dead?! "We typically don't do movies of the week," responds Ostroff, "but never say never. But we have not had conversations with Joss Whedon about a Spike movie."
9:34 am: Ostroff reveals that last year's Pussycat Dolls winner, Asia, has opted to embark on a solo career, which, as one reporter points out, completely defeats the purpose of the show.
9:36 am: On those failed Gilmore Girls contract talks, Ostroff points out that the show "had lost 25 percent of its audience" last season. "At the end of the day, we didn't want to see Gilmore Girls go on for another season and see the ratings go down even further. It was time to move on." Was she happy with David Rosenthal's performance as show-runner? "I was happy that the show ended on the two girls, because that's where the show started." Way to avoid the question!
9:38 am: Ostroff says she "gave Veronica Mars every chance" to catch on. "There was no stronger champion of that show than me." Can't argue with her there.
9:41 am: Ostroff concedes that "it's a shame Lauren Graham never got nominated" for an Emmy. Again, no argument here.
9:44 am: Ostroff attempts to justify bringing One Tree Hill back. This is what I'm hearing: "Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah.... "
9:52 am: My worst fears are confirmed: OTH's pickup was for a full 22 episodes.
ALIENS IN AMERICA PANEL
10:12 am: Funniest new show of the fall. Love, love, loved it. Amy Pietz, who plays the mom, is a genius. (Click here to watch a preview of the pilot.)
10:13 am: How not Hollywood are the show's two young stars, Dan Byrd and Adhir Kalyan? They showed up today wearing suits. Loving them for that.
10:16 am: Eleventh-hour recast Scott Patterson took the role because he found it "terrifically funny" and "was pleased to stay in the CW family."
10:23 am: Producers are being pelted with testy questions about the stereotypical humor in the pilot, and it's really annoying me. Um, you're missing the point, people!
10:42 am: "I was fully committed to an eighth season of Gilmore Girls," says Patterson, who adds that it was built into his deal that if GG didn't come back, "I would be placed on another CW series." On GG's Emmy drought, he says, "I don't know why we were overlooked. I thought a lot of people in that cast should have been recognized, and nobody was. It was a little bit disheartening at first.... But it brought us together as a cast. We all realized that it wasn't [about winning Emmys]."
LIFE IS WILD PANEL
11:03 am: It's 7th Heaven set in South Africa, and, as such, it blows!
11:04 am: The cast is being beamed in via satellite from South Africa. Looks like they're sitting in the show's living room set. D.W. Moffett has what appears to be a baby lion on his lap, and lemme tell you, he's a little scoochy-scooch!
11:05 am: We're being treated to a close-up of the lil' guy, and the crowd is eating him up! This is better than anything in the pilot!
11:16 am: They haven't cut to the baby lion in about 10 minutes, and the session's suffering as a result.
11:18 am: Baby lion's back — and now he's asleep on D.W.'s lap! Toooo cute!
11:21 am: A cheetah just walked into the frame!
11:22 am: You know what time it is? It's time to hand out our second Whatchoo Talkin' 'Bout Willis Award of the tour. The trophy goes to the reporter who asked the cast, "It's currently 11:15 am here in Beverly Hills. What time is it there?" Today's winner receives this handy-dandy link to timeanddate.com. Congratulations!
CW NOW AND ONLINE NATION PANELS
11:30 am - 12 noon: Time to hit the gym!
LUNCH
12-2 pm: What are all these pretty white boxes lined up here on the tables? Oh no, it can't be! Boxed lunches! No!!!!
GOSSIP GIRL SESSION
2:05 pm: The CW has a lot riding on this Josh Schwartz soap, which is basically 90210 only slicker, set on the Upper East Side and narrated by the inimitable Kristen Bell.
2:06 pm: Lots of pretty young people on this panel. One of 'em, Leighton Meester, is a dead ringer for Friday Night Lights' Minka Kelly.
2:19 pm: GG star Blake Lively (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) is getting most of the questions, and Minka, er, Leighton does not look happy about it.
2:31 pm: Penn Badgley's body language screams: "Too cool for school!"
2:37 pm: The room's giving Schwartz and fellow exec producer Stephanie Savage a really hard time about all the naughty elements in the pilot (sex! drugs! bitchiness!). Schwartz is handling it like a pro, but c'mon, lighten up, people. It's a TV show! Besides, those are the best parts!
REAPER PANEL
3:11 pm: Third favorite new show of the fall, after Aliens in America and Pushing Daisies. (Watch a clip here.)
3:12 pm: I still haven't forgiven Ray Wise (who plays the devil here) for murdering Laura Palmer.
3:28 pm: Tyler Labine wants to set the record straight -- his goofball sidekick character is not an idiot. "I know what I'm doing," he says. "I just like it."
3:36 pm: Getting an extremely positive vibe from this Reaper crew. Just a really happy group of people.
3:37 pm: Missy Peregrym hints at a possible return to Heroes this season.
3:42 pm: Tyler at long last reveals the secret at the center of Invasion: "It was about an evolutionary divide -- land people [vs.] water people." I knew it!
3:51 pm: That's a wrap! Check back throughout the weekend for more breaking news from last night's CBS party, tonight's CW bash and tomorrow's TCA Awards. And then see you back here Sunday for Fox Day One!
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Jul 20, 2007 1:09 PM
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Ostroff reveals that last year's Pussycat Dolls winner, Asia, has opted to embark on a solo career, which, as one reporter points out, completely defeated the purpose of the show. hehehe![]<img border=](http://community.tvguide.com/images/emoticons/devil.gif) "> I hope that isn't reason to do another season.
My poor veronica mars. I will miss her.
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Jul 20, 2007 1:31 PM
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CW prez Dawn Ostroff takes the stage and declares that the net's philosophy this season is all about "creating new hits."
Didn't they HAVE to create new hits??? If not, they'd have maybe one night of programing for people to watch.
Leah - I'm afraid they already said they were making another season of that wonderful show. Maybe that winner will make a solo career as well so we can have more. Can't get enough of that.
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Jul 20, 2007 1:53 PM
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Their mission is to create new hits? Have they looked at their new schedule? Fox has better looking shows (that will last all of five minutes)
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Jul 20, 2007 1:53 PM
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I'm still bitter with them for VM. Dawn might have been a "strong champion" for that show, but how does taking it off for so many weeks in a row help the show out? Ok, I'll quit now, I don't mean to open any doors. Just giving my opinion which I'm entitled to.
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Jul 20, 2007 1:56 PM
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Thanks Informant for getting the song Informer stuck in my head! Ouch the pain!!!
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Jul 20, 2007 1:57 PM
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Just watched the Aliens in America preview... oh my gosh! So freakin good! I seriously can't wait for that show!
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Jul 20, 2007 2:05 PM
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It always makes me laugh when TV critics trash-talk 7th Heaven; aka BY FAR the WB's most successful series. When those "acclaimed: CW shows (and a family one, at that) start pulling in 9-10 million viewers on their own, then I'll start listening to these jealous, err critical, remarks.
Can anyone find another series that "blows" which was #1 on their network for EIGHT straight seasons?
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Jul 20, 2007 2:15 PM
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You know, there are some of us that actually do like One Tree Hill and would have liked to know what Ostroff had to say about it.
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Jul 20, 2007 2:24 PM
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Veronica Mars was given "every chance?" Sure, Dawn, Lost and House are great shows to pitch a struggling show against!
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Jul 20, 2007 2:28 PM
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So Dawn made no comment about Supernatural??? How disappointing...
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Jul 20, 2007 3:06 PM
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Veronica Mars was given "every chance?" Sure, Dawn, Lost and House are great shows to pitch a struggling show against!
There's virtually no timeslot that doesn't have a hit show that it would be up against.
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Jul 20, 2007 3:23 PM
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Say what you want about how funny Aliens will be on the CW - I'm not about to watch it...I'm holding fast to my blockade of the network due to their decisions on GG and VM...hey, we all have to make decisions, right Dawn? And I choose not to support you the way you didn't support the fans...You shoulda signed Amy and her husband to finish GG..no wonder ratings were down - the last season was less than stellar...and now it seems the whole PUssycat Doll fiasco was for naught- it ate up valuable Veronica airtime and the winner won't even stay with the group? you people are real pieces of work...
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Jul 20, 2007 3:42 PM
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I'm also curious what Dawn had to say about OTH!
VM and GG are gone, nothing anyone can do, let's move on.
LOL at the winner of the Pussycat Doll show, what a waste, I can't believe anyone watched that crap anyway.
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Jul 20, 2007 4:03 PM
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I hope someone asks why she hates Supernatural so much and tries to change the show instead of moving it away from Grey's Anatomy and CSI. Even the cast said she doesn't get what the show is about.
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Jul 20, 2007 4:04 PM
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