Ask Ausiello

Ausiello: A big premiere demands an even bigger scoop: I'm hearing that a significant death occurs sometime after Episode 4, but before Episode 8.

Ausiello: Does one innocent night of canoodling qualify as sexy time? If so, then the answer to your question is yes.

Ausiello: Nothing quite that scandalous. The only thing that came close was Brittany Snow's publicist introducing her to reporters as "Britney Spears," before quickly correcting himself. Luckily for the flack, the gaffe went unnoticed by Snow. Until now, that is.

Ausiello: Funny you should ask. Brittany Snow and I tackled that very same issue at the SAGs. And, between the two of us, I think we came up with a solution that everyone can live with. Well, everyone except Snow's L.A. neighbors. Click here to watch.

Ausiello: Thanks for that, Suzanne. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions — rain, chilly temps, a second assassination attempt made against me by a certain frenemy (and I use that term very loosely) — I had a blast and a half. But if I had to pick one highlight, it would be my interview with the always hilarious Rainn Wilson. If you've already seen it, I strongly suggest you give it a second look. We just added an additional seven seconds to the end of the clip to include new information about the paternity of Angela Kinsey's unborn child. (Hint: The daddy-to-be is very tall, extremely handsome and completely oblivious.)

Ausiello: Nah. But thanks for playing!

Ausiello: Nothing's official, but the buzz is that a tentative agreement has been reached, with an announcement coming as early as tomorrow. But it's hard to tell what's solid intel and what's just spin. To wit: In the past 24 hours, one source close to the negotiations insisted that talk of a resolution was way premature. "There's no deal," maintained my spy. "That's just misinformation put out by the AMPTP to pressure the WGA." But moments before I put this column to bed, I heard from another very plugged-in source that the deal is done. Short story shorter: There's cause for optimism, but not celebration. Yet.

Ausiello: Depends on the network and the show. A source at one of the Big 4 tells me that should the strike end by mid-February, one best-case scenario being bandied about has established series going back into production and working through June, making more episodes for this season and some for next. Then they'll take a summer break before starting regular production on next season. The reason for this is twofold: They don't want to bail out on this season, but they also don't want to go to the expense of putting shows back into production for just two or three episodes. One industry observer describes this as "a smart plan," while acknowledging that there's another variable in all this: the actors. "The trouble is, a lot of actors schedule hiatus movies, or just elaborate vacations. And if they ask them to work through certain dates, that could trigger some contract issues." Now, continue reading for the worst-case scenario….

Ausiello: I posed Donald's strike-aftermath Q to Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, and here's his sobering response. " Even if the strike ends in the next week or two, it looks like they will scuttle the rest of the season. This is for many reasons. One is that it will be hard to launch a big promotional campaign for four or five episodes; it's just not cost-effective.  Two is that if we did come back we would land right in the path of the American Idol juggernaut, and would likely be decimated. Three is if we came back in the fall with a full slate of episodes, then ABC could relaunch the show in a big way. The tentative plan now is to start the writers immediately [after the strike is resolved] so we can get some scripts stockpiled, and then hit production in June. But that's all tentative. We've talked about so many options since the strike began and they fluctuate on a weekly basis. But right now a short first season seems the most likely."

Ausiello: I had a dream last night that Kate Walsh had joined the cast of General Hospital full-time. Don't forget to make nice with the tip jar on your way out!

Ausiello: Not true.

Ausiello: Good news. The Walkers' final two pre-strike outings air Feb. 10 and Feb. 17, and, man, do I have a little scoop for you. The latter episode features a guest turn by none other than Veronica's pa, Enrico Colantoni! And that's not the juiciest part, this is: He appears in what can only be described as a highly suggestive scene with another — hold onto your hats, Neptune Pirates — dude. And you'll recognize this dude since he's a series regular on the show. By my calculations, you've got a 50/50 shot of correctly guessing which dude I'm referring to, so head over to the Ask Ausiello Discussion Thread and place your bets!

Ausiello: Perhaps it has something to do with, oh, I don't know, a lack of actual episodes?! Just a theory. In any event, here are some highlights from the aforementioned two remaining pre-strike eppys:

• Someone leaves the show, most likely for good.
• Kevin chooses between Jason and Scotty.
• Multiple relationships end, but one of them permanently so.
• Sarah channels a gay icon, and, as a result, becomes one herself.
• A couple has sex for the first time.

Ausiello: I've seen this Friday's episode and, while there's plenty of eye-rolling on Julie's part — not to mention a little door-slamming — the little demon spawn's histrionics are somewhat justified this time around. Let's just say all hell breaks lose when Ma Taylor bails on a very important date with her daughter. Also this Friday, Saracen's post-breakup descent into madness comes to a head in his bathtub, Landry is forced to choose between Tyra and Jean, and Connie Britton turns in a performance that will put Emmy/Golden Globe/SAG voters to shame. 

Ausiello: No idea whatsoever. And I've been checking hourly.

Ausiello: I chatted up Sara Ramirez at the SAGs and she hinted that Callie might not be in a rush to jump back into another steady relationship post-George. "I think it's an interesting concept, Callie being alone again. It's a universal issue that women deal with a lot. 'What do I do when I'm alone?' 'Is it OK to be alone and not have a man?' I think it's an interesting thing to explore. But, you know, it's Grey's Anatomy. And we love our hookups and one-night stands. I'm all for her finding love in all the wrong places all over again. Maybe there's more than one? She should play the field a little." To watch my entire interview with Ms. Ramirez — featuring her thoughts on a possible reunion with George — click here.

Ausiello: I have not, but Justin Chambers had some very interesting things to say about that very subject at the SAG Awards. "I think Alex has a deep longing for her," he told me. "He's just not man enough to admit it. He's got a lot of issues to work out. Hopefully he'll get secure enough with them." (Click here to view the clip.)

Ausiello: I happen to think Bea Arthur and Tom Cruise are magical together.

Ausiello: "Probably February" is what Christina Applegate told me at the SAG Awards, although the show isn't showing up on ABC's February schedule as of yet. As far as a renewal goes, I'll be shocked if it's not back for a second season. As Applegate points out in this red-carpet clip, there are a ton of memories Samantha has yet to regain.

Ausiello: No.

Ausiello: I'll see your race card and raise you one ambiguously gay alien. In addition to EHC, Girlfriends and The Game, I've added Kyle XY.

Ausiello: Too lazy to click through to the Countdown Chart, eh? All 10 Season 2 episodes of Kyle XY have been produced. Three episodes have aired, so there are seven episodes left. The season finale airs March 17.

Ausiello: The buzz is that, much like Pushing Daisies, SVU's season is pretty much dunzo — regardless of when the strike is resolved.

Ausiello: Unless Fox completely scraps the eight episodes they have in the can — and that's extremely unlikely given how much those episodes cost to produce — Tony will still be the Big Bad when the show returns. Whenever the show returns.

Ausiello: Nah. But thanks for playing!

Ausiello: I don't like October Road for the same reason I don't like getting an air-conditioner dropped on my head: It's painful. Having said that, we're in the middle of a strike and I'm desperate, so here's a hint about Sam's daddy: While we'll learn more about his paternity in these final episodes, don't expect the mystery to be solved until Season 3. [Shudder]

Ausiello: Sorry, but I'm not that desperate. Yet.

Ausiello: She was hanging out with bud Matthew Perry at the just-wrapped Sundance Film Festival, where they were supporting their new flick, Birds of America. A little birdie passed along some interesting tidbits from the film's press kit. Like this quote from Lauren on how she became involved in the project: "I was in New York and full of conflicted feelings about Gilmore Girls coming to an end. We'd just shot the final episode and I still hadn't even become used to not having to be up at six every morning. So I was at dinner in New York when my phone rang with the news that [director] Craig Lucas wanted to meet me the next day. The meeting went great and we started shooting two weeks later." She added that, from a production standpoint, Birds was "very different" than GG. "Gilmore Girls was very rat-a-tat-tat, a high-energy show with lots of language. We'd shoot nine, 10, 11 pages a day, but we always had time — time to rehearse, talk, prepare. On this movie, we worked insanely quickly: I remember hearing 'rolling!' the second I'd set foot on set."

Ausiello: It's true. A Smallville spokesperson confirms that "a scheduling conflict" put the kibosh on her one-episode reprisal.

Ausiello: Well, it's true that they're strongly considering making Episode 11 the "season finale," but I'm not certain a final decision has been made. Based on what I'm hearing about 11 — "It's awesome" "OMG!" "Frak me!" — I can understand why they'd want to end the season with it. Apparently, the eppy's climax involves Sam, Dean and a slew of dead bodies.

Ausiello: Nah. But thanks for playing!

Ausiello: What are you waiting for, Ausholes, a personalized invitation?! Get busy plantin'!

Ausiello: Nah. But thanks for playing!

Ausiello: No comment and roughly 136.

OK, that's all folks. Some good news/bad news regarding this week's Ausiello Report vodcast. Let's start with the bad news: It's been delayed until tomorrow. Now the good news: It's going to be worth the wait! Not only is it jam-packed with red-hot scoop straight from the SAG red carpet, but Ugly Betty's Becki Newton gives AR viewers an exclusive peek inside her… well, you'll just have to wait and see when it goes live tomorrow.