Ask Ausiello

Ausiello: It's with overwhelming joy deep regret that I inform you that Gizzie is no more. Sources confirm that the ill-conceived plot twist suffocated to death under the weight of its own absurdity shortly after the writers returned to work last month. A private memorial service was held in early March at the home of Shonda Rhimes. In lieu of flowers, fans are asked to keep the "thank gods" to a low roar….

Ausiello: I've actually got a big clue, Angie, and here it is: Addison just so happens to stop by Seattle Grace on the same day a patient is admitted to the hospital with a neo-natal-type emergency. What are the odds?!

Ausiello: You'll find some in this week's Ausiello Report vodcast.

Ausiello: A Tree Hill babe is either undergoing surgery or getting lucky (or both), because the show has issued a casting call for a gifted surgeon in his thirties who is both handsome and charming.  

Ausiello: How 'bout I tell you something about the episode that precedes the 200th on April 22? I think you'll be glad I did, especially since it pertains to the casting of Bill Pullman as Benson's newspaper-editor boyfriend. This scoop is rated VS for "Very Spoilery," so proceed at your own risk. According to an SVU insider, we'll find out that Benson has been quietly dating Pullman's character not for days, not for weeks, but for months behind everyone's back — Stabler included. Um, awkward!

Ausiello: They've ordered a script and only a script. Of course, they've commissioned Rob Thomas to pen it, so a pilot pickup is pretty much a foregone conclusion. The only question now is which members of the original cast will be making the leap to 90210: The Next Gen. "They're still figuring out what the link will be," says one insider, "but there will be a link." Not sure if this is worth reading into, but I hear the last name of one of the teen characters rhymes with Filver. Hmmm….

Ausiello: Yep, and some of it's good, while some of it's, well, less good. The sucky news is that the ratings haven't been great since the show returned. On the plus side, Trees' small but feverishly loyal audience has been growing over the past two weeks — and, given the across-the-board erosion we're seeing these days, that's pretty miraculous. Let's hope the numbers continue to inch upward and series creator Jennie Bicks doesn't have to use the alternate, series finale ending she shot for this season's last episode.

Ausiello: Who said Aaron is not one of the Oceanic Six? Certainly not me. Take another look at my asterisk quiz from Feb. 27 and consider all of the possible combinations. In the meantime, don't expect a definitive answer about the Six from Team Darlton. Carlton Cuse tells me they're "not going public with any further clarifications right now." And what of the ABC promo that promised viewers they'd know the identity of the Six by the end of last week's episode? "We don't determine how ABC promotes the show," says Cuse. "But Damon and I will say you have now seen all of the Oceanic Six in this season's episodes."

Ausiello: "Too bad you are only half right." I was referring to the widely held assumption (at least among rabid Lost fans) that Jin made it off the island with Sun.

Ausiello: I suppose I had that coming. 

Ausiello: Judging by the ratings for the premiere, I'm not even sure we'll see a third episode, let alone all seven.

Ausiello: Here's further proof that Josh Schwartz is determined to get a "name" actress to play the role of Serena's scheming frenemy, Georgina Sparks: I hear his casting peeps offered the gig to a big-time Buffy grad. Too bad she was asking for too much $$$. Got guesses? Post 'em in the Ask Ausiello Discussion Thread.   

Ausiello: Then my scoopy dispatch from Saturday's Paley Fest panel on Daisies may just save your life! One thing I neglected to mention was that series creator Bryan Fuller told the crowd that ABC already approved his outlines for next season's first five episodes. So the network is apparently pleased with the "harder, more aggressive direction" Fuller plans on taking Daisies in next fall. Speaking of Paley, mucho thanks to all those who sent in questions for tonight's Friday Night Lights panel, moderated by (squeal) me! I'll try to get them answered in between tossing my cookies. Also, if you've got Qs for the casts of Buffy, Dancing with the Stars and Gossip Girl, get them to me via ask_ausiello@tvguide.com before their respective panels on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Click here to find out who'll be in attendance, and please write "Paley Qs" in the subject line of your e-mails.

Ausiello: Unfortunately, you're the only one who responded my security detail scoped out the space and determined that the open seating and huge glass windows made me too vulnerable to sniper attack. And that's just not a chance they're willing to take. I'm really sorry.

Ausiello: The only thing more pathetic than a whiny Aushole is a whiny and dishonest Aushole.

Ausiello: The Cutthroat Bitch is back! A Fox spokesperson confirms that Anne Dudek will reprise her role as Dr. House's female doppelganger for at least two more episodes this season.

Ausiello: In addition to a boyfriend, Harmon's Lindsay is also getting a dad, and an estranged one at that. Apparently father (a former cop) and daughter haven't spoken in seven years.

Ausiello: Production on Season 4 starts next month and the first episode airs June 16. Prepare yourself for a radically different show, though. When we pick up, Nancy and family are living in a small town near the Mexican border and her little operation has gotten a lot bigger.

Ausiello: The five pre-strike episodes will air as scheduled on NBC beginning April 10. Nothing's official beyond that. There's lots that's unofficial, though. For example, the cast is unofficially going back to work next Wednesday to shoot the first of 18 unofficial episodes to unofficially air on ABC next season.

Ausiello: Look who's trying to get into Beth's slacks!

Ausiello: Two significant, albeit recurring, characters will not be returning in the fall.

Ausiello: Not if Crossing Jordan's Ken Howard has anything to say about it. He's just been cast as McCallister's chief rival for the Republican nomination, and let's just say he makes Robert an offer he might not be able to refuse.

Ausiello: The scoop is more people need to start watching. Maybe the two new female characters they're adding will prove enough of a draw. One of them is described as a "bland and anemic" Bench worker in her thirties who's in desperate need of a makeover (think SNL's Rachel Dratch), and the other is a sweet, funny and sharp-witted nurse in her twenties (think O.C.'s Autumn Reeser).

Ausiello: I'm told the cast and crew don't know if they're coming back yet. That's not stopping the writers from mapping out story arcs for next season, though.

Ausiello: I'm hearing ABC is going to give it a one-time tryout on Sunday night after Desperate Housewives next month. 

And that, as they say in the biz, is a wrap. Check my Ausiello Report blog throughout the week for breaking news, scoop and spoilers from Paley Fest '08. (Remember, get those questions to me at ask_ausiello@tvguide.com.) Also, my red-carpet interviews with the casts of Friday Night Lights, Gossip Girl, Buffy and Dancing with the Stars are headed to a TVGuide.com video player near you beginning this Thursday. Finally, a special thank-you to the wonderful folks at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa for taking such good care of me during my stay here in lovely and beautiful Los Angeles. Seriously, they're treating me like some kind of visiting celebrity. I've never felt more at home in my life.