(May 2006) Gilmore Girls should call it quits

'Gilmore Girls' should call it quits
By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun

Amy Sherman-Palladino calls tonight's Gilmore Girls sixth season finale -- her swan song as the show's driving force -- "the coolest thing we've ever done." The question is: Can and should this eccentric series survive without her?

I say cue the fat lady, bring out the fork, strike the sets. This show is toast with or without Palladino.

The last two or three seasons, Gilmore Girls has almost dared viewers to change the channel. Every character on the series was fluent in smartass. Even the extras had snappy answers to stupid questions. The rat-tat-tat patter, clever at first, became enraging.

Like Northern Exposure's Cicely, Alaska, Gilmore's Stars Hollow is Eccentricville, U.S.A. After a while, shut up with the Dorothy Parker dialogue already.

What saved Gilmore Girls from Exposure's premature flame out was great acting, especially from Lauren Graham as Lorelai and Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann as the over-the-top grandparents. They kept the show grounded and real, allowing Sherman-Palladino to spin her flighty fantasy world.

Doing this show without Sherman-Palladino will be like taking Aaron Sorkin out of The West Wing. It will create a different show. That may not be a bad thing; it might be refreshing to see these characters drop the know-it-all blather. Or -- and this is the bigger risk -- it may become Everwood dull.

New network CW probably needs these Gilmore Girls to snare WB viewers next fall. For what -- to string out the Luke and Lorelai romance for another season? Did they learn nothing from those one-too-many seasons of That '70s Show, Friends or Will & Grace? You go, Girls.

http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/05/09/1570407.html

(June 2006) Scott Patterson knows what to do with his GG money

Scott Patterson knows what to do with his Gilmore Girls money
Posted Jun 16th 2006 12:33PM by Joel Keller

Anyone remember when Scott Patterson -- currently playing Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls -- played Elaine's "spongeworthy" boyfriend on Seinfeld? Well, that was probably Patterson's first big role, but it didn't exactly start the money rolling in. In fact, according to this New York Daily News article, Patterson's earnings in the two years before he got the Gilmore part were $23,000 and $33,000 (yikes -- he made that little money despite his high profile roles? Shows you how hard it is out there if you don't have a regular series).

But seven years on a hit show has Patterson in the money. But he didn't always spend it well. The article details some of the mistakes Patterson made at first -- he lost a bundle on eToys stock, for instance -- before seeking the help of former actor and current financial planner Jeffery Fishman. Now, he's actively involved in planning for his future, whether the acting jobs continue or not.

By the way, Patterson is 47. Wow. Didn't realize he was that old (I figured he was closer to 40). At least we know the guy takes care of himself.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/16/scott-patterson-knows-what-to-do-with-his-gilmore-girls-money/

(June 2006) Interview with Melissa McCarthy

Sugar Shot
June 16, 2006
By Sarah Kuhn

Melissa McCarthy would like to thank the producers of MadTV. After all, they inadvertently helped her land the role of Sookie St. James, klutzy chef and best friend to Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) on the hit series Gilmore Girls. The part originally went to actor Alex Borstein, who is perhaps best-known for her wildly popular MadTV characters Miss Swan and The Gap Troll. MadTV wouldn't let Borstein out of her contract, and McCarthy nabbed the part. Quips McCarthy, "I should have sent all those producers flowers."

These days, it's hard to imagine anyone else bringing sweetly scatterbrained Sookie to life. Still, McCarthy found replacing Borstein a nerve-racking experience--particularly when Borstein showed up at the first table read. "I about had a heart attack, 'cause I thought, 'Oh, my God, they worked out her contract--she still has the part and no one called me,'" recalls McCarthy. "And no one really knew who I was, so I was just kind of standing there, having a bit of a meltdown: 'At some point they're going to start, and then I'm just going to, like, back out of the room.' But she got up, came all the way across the room, and introduced herself and let me know, 'You're not crazy, and I'm playing a different part'-she did some guest-star work on [the show]... She was the sweetest person to me." Incidentally, Borstein's real-life husband, Jackson Douglas, plays McCarthy's husband on the series.

Gilmore Girls returns this fall for a sixth season, but McCarthy is keeping busy in the meantime. She just finished working on a film called One Part Sugar, a comedy about "a little decrepit town that takes its power back from the bad guy."

"I wear a really, really pretty waist-length mullet in it," relates McCarthy. "[It's] just this side of playing a man. It's not my beauty role, but it was really fun."

She's also set to appear at "Achieve Comedy Greatness-From the Ground-lings Up," a comedy-focused Learning Annex panel/class on Tues., June 20. The panel features notable members and alums of The Groundlings, Los Angeles' legendary comedy/improv troupe that has launched such talents as Lisa Kudrow and Will Ferrell. McCarthy's fellow panelists include Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers), and Michael McDonald (MadTV). "There's a pretty good group going from kind of a variety of angles..." says McCarthy. "I think you get [together] a handful of funny people that have kind of been in the business long enough, and you'll probably get a lot of straightforward answers."

Comic Creation

McCarthy is a current company member at The Groundlings and recalls seeking the troupe out when she moved to Los Angeles about nine years ago. "My sister, who's not in the business at all, sent me an article all about The Groundlings and all the people who had come out of there," she recalls. "It just piqued my interest, so when I got to town, it's the first place I went, and I saw a show, and I had never seen anything like it. I think Kathy Griffin was there, and Patrick Bristow and Mike McDonald. And I saw these people just slightly out of their minds in a delightful way. I thought, 'Gosh, that looks like fun.' So I went back and auditioned and started taking classes and that began a very long love affair with The Groundlings."

Before that, she started her career in New York City, doing standup comedy. "I had moved [to New York] with a friend of mine, and he said, 'You have to do an open mic-it's ridiculous. You're basically doing standup anyway at parties,'" she remembers. "I came home and he had open mics booked for me. I kind of had no choice, and I didn't really know what they were, so I just showed up and I just talked. I did...I guess what's now alternative comedy: stream-of-consciousness stories. I just did that because I've never really been jokey and I didn't really know what I was doing, so I didn't prepare. Things went well, so I kept going back. It wasn't for quite a while that someone was like, 'Your 10-minute set seems like it changes.' I was like, 'Changes? I've never written anything down.'"

From there, McCarthy started acting in plays. "I did years and years of very serious, depressing plays," she says, laughing. "I didn't do anything comedic again until Groundlings. So I spent a good five or six years crying all through little stages in Manhattan."

On Solid Groundling

McCarthy says having such a strong improv background has helped in all facets of her acting. "I think it's really easy to kind of prerehearse your stuff and anticipate how it's going to come out, and I think…as we're learning lines, it plays out a certain way in our heads, and that usually or rarely matches what happens on the day of shooting," she says. "So to not be thrown by that and kind of take it as a nice surprise is always good. It's always much more interesting-if you're thrown a little off balance, it usually works in your favor."

That said, McCarthy doesn't get to use her improv skills much when it comes to Gilmore's whip-smart, fast-paced dialogue. "There is absolutely no changing [of the lines]-not a preposition, not anything," she says. "It is a show that's done verbatim, and it's a rhythm and style show, so it makes sense. It's written at a certain clip and a certain style, and what [creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has] always wanted is for that to translate. That is our job: What she gets out on paper, we've got to get it out of our mouths."

Is that strange for McCarthy, given her extensive improv training? "It is, because I constantly think things are funny in the script and then I always want to elaborate," she says, chuckling. "I've gotten used to not doing it... There's no time for it-that show is so tightly, tightly packed. There's not an extra second that we're not trying to get four pages in."

And that, she says, is why she continues to be a part of The Groundlings. "That's where I write; that's where I get that great interaction with a live audience. That keeps me sane," she says. "If I didn't have Groundlings, I would probably be trying stuff at Gilmore all the time to the point of them wanting to kill me."

"Achieve Comedy Greatness-From the Ground-lings Up" takes place Tue., June 20, 7-9:30 p.m. in L.A. The price for the class is $49.99 for Learning Annex members, $54.99 for nonmembers; use coupon code GRD06 for a $10 discount. Go to www.learningannex.com or call (310) 478-6677 for more information or to register for the class. Location for the class will be provided when you enroll.


http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/features/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002689831

(July 2006) I've Read the First Gilmore Girls Script!

by Michael Ausiello
Contains small spoilers, read with caution.

I've Read the First Gilmore Girls Script!
Don't ask me how I got it. Or from whom. But I got it.

By "it," I'm referring to the most sought-after 77 pages in Hollywood right now — the script for the season premiere of Gilmore Girls, penned by David S. Rosenthal. OK, so maybe "the most sought-after" is a slight exaggeration, but it's definitely been the most sought after by me. You see, this script contains answers to some of the new season's biggest questions. Among them: Can Rosenthal mimic Team Palladino's signature, rapid-fire rhythms? How will last May's controversial finale affect Luke and Lorelai? Does the boss favor some supporting characters over others? And, most importantly, is the thing any good?

Let's start with that last question first. I'm happy and greatly relieved — and, if I'm being completely honest, a smidge shocked — to report that yes, it's good. In fact, it's better than good — it's great.

Obviously, I can't get too specific. As it is, Warner Bros. and CW have probably already hired a bounty hunter to track down the source of the script leak. But here are some things I learned about Mr. Rosenthal after reading his debut as show-runner, with a few spoilers mixed in for fun.

He Has Palladino Blood in Him
Translation: He's got Amy and Dan's style down pat. When I finished the script, I almost had to look back at the byline to make sure the last name was Rosenthal and not Palladino. Honestly, I could not tell the difference. Besides nailing the banter, several of his one-liners were classic, laugh-out-loud Palladino. On the downside, like his predecessors, he overestimates viewers' appetite for one Taylor Doose.

He's a Fan of Luke and Lorelai
Now, I'm not going to lie to you. The episode is going to be a tough one for Luke and Lorelai fans to watch. Really tough. Based on how the season ended — and the fact that Rosenthal confirmed to me last week that Lorelai and Christopher did indeed have sex — that much was a given. But I think he handled the fallout from Christophergate with unbelievable grace and dignity — particularly as it pertains to Luke and Lorelai as a couple. Let me put it this way: The episode left no doubt in my mind that Lorelai and Luke are meant for each other.

He'll Always Have Paris
Liza Weil told me herself at the CW party last week that Rosenthal had given her her longest scene ever in the premiere — and she wasn't exaggerating. It's six pages! But it's not the length that stood out, it's the way Rosenthal managed to capture Paris' trademark vim, vigor and bite. Plus, I can't think of a more perfect business venture for Rory's sometime roommate than an SAT prep course. The possibilities for clashes with stupidity are endless!

He's a Hopeless Romantic
And Logan and Rory fans will be swooning as a result. Sure, the episode finds them on opposite continents, but Rosenthal has found a way to bring them closer together than I think they've ever been. All I'll say is his method is sweet, utterly romantic, and it ties in with the episode title, "The Long Morrow." And the end result should put Matt Czuchry fans' mind at ease. (At least for the short term.)

Other scoopy treats from the episode:

Rory and Lorelai spend some quality time together at a *a********* c****

There's a very silly subplot involving Michel, Sookie and *r* ********g.

Lorelai makes a passing reference to the title of one of the best Gilmore Girls episodes ever.

I was left with the impression that there will be a significant time lapse between Episodes 1 and 2.

Emily, Richard, Lane, April and Anna are MIA, but the rest of the supporting cast is pretty much accounted for.

Having said all this, there's no guarantee our Girls won't go to hell in a handbasket beginning with the second episode. But let's celebrate one win at a time. We got over the first hurdle. Rosenthal is clearly a talented guy who gets our little show. That's a good start.

http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700004169

(July 2006) Michael Ausiello interviews David Rosenthal - Part 2

*Warning: Small season 7 spoilers.

Finally: Gilmore's New Boss Speaks

Here's my interview with David Rosenthal, conducted immediately following today's Gilmore Girls press-tour session. Luckily, he was much more forthcoming during our little Q&A than he was on the panel.

Ausiello: What can you tell me about the first six episodes?David Rosenthal: Obviously, the repercussions from the end of last season [will play out]. That's something that is not going to just disappear. It's a major shift, a major change in everybody's lives. It affects not just Lorelai and Christopher and Luke, but Rory as well. There are a lot of consequences, and we fully intend to explore them — the positive and the negative. It's a big deal, not just for the fans, but for us, the writers and producers of the show.

Ausiello: Fans are holding out hope that maybe Lorelai and Christopher didn't sleep with each other.
Rosenthal: No, no, no. That's a pipe dream. Those were two grown-ups who woke up in bed together after spending the night together.

Ausiello: Is Matt Czuchry off the show?
Rosenthal: No. God, no. Rory's going to try to engage in a long-distance relationship. He's going to be in London; she's going to be in college. Obviously, it's a very challenging and difficult thing, and it's going to present obstacles for the two of them. But they're very much in love, so they're really going to work hard to make it work. He's very much on the show and very much a part of her life, but it's from thousands of miles away.

Ausiello: You hinted during the session that there will be other boys in her life.
Rosenthal: There will be people in her life, male and female. Perhaps the return of characters from past seasons.

Ausiello: Marty?
Rosenthal: Marty perhaps will be returning in her social circles, and perhaps some new friends who we have yet to meet. Again, not only did Logan graduate, but Colin and Finn, too. A lot of the people she spent a lot of time with over the season have moved on, so she has to find a new life for herself at Yale.

Ausiello: I heard the first couple of episodes are dramatic.
Rosenthal: Certainly. It's a big thing we have to deal with, but there will be plenty of humor. We're not shifting gears here. We're not suddenly going to lose that spark and that humor that people know and love about Gilmore Girls. We work very hard to maintain that balance between the comedy and the drama. One of the things that I love so much about the show is the ability to shift back and forth between the comedy and the drama. And also to play so much comedy through the drama, and vice versa. That's something that we work very hard to maintain.

Ausiello: Amy told me she believes Luke and Lorelai are soul mates. Do you agree?
Rosenthal: [Tentative] Yeah. That doesn't mean that we're going to see them behind a white picket fence a month from now. But they have a very, very deep bond. I certainly see it and feel it. But sometimes soul mates spend a lot of time not together. Just because someone's your soul mate and may be your ultimate destiny does not mean that there's not a lot to go through before you reach that destiny.

Ausiello: Will April be back?
Rosenthal: Yes, absolutely. April is a part of his life. Luke is going to have some issues this year in terms of his deepening relationship with April and his relationship with Anna. There's a lot to get into there, and we will spend a great deal of time exploring that as well.

Ausiello: Are you aware of all the anti-Gilmore sentiment out there?
Rosenthal: I'm aware of it. I do pay attention to it, but I try to keep my eye on the ball. I try to keep focused on the long term and the arcs for the season and where we want to take these characters — and keeping the show alive and growing so that it can go more than just this season. So this won't have to be the last season of Gilmore Girls, 'cause I do feel like there's a lot more life left in the show. But I think it's up to us, the writers, to make that a reality.

Ausiello: I've never seen Luke and Lorelai fans more riled up. Do you look at that and go, "Maybe we need to do something about this. We don't want to lose these viewers."
Rosenthal: We don't want to lose the viewers, but I gotta say, in our [writers'] room, half of the people don't understand at all, and the other half understand that she's been waiting around for a year for this guy and she feels like he's made a choice. That she's no longer the No. 1 priority in his life. He has other priorities now, and at the end of last season she was really at her wit's end. So I think a lot of people are sympathetic to that and understand that. Again, we're creating situations where the characters can learn things from choices they make and choices they don't make. We're just trying to keep the drama alive. If everything's settled and happy and nobody has any problems or issues, man, that's not going to make for a great TV show. But we respect and honor Luke and Lorelai's history, their relationship and whatever their future holds for them. It's a journey they're on together.

Ausiello: Do you see potential with Christopher and Lorelai as a couple?
Rosenthal: They certainly have to deal with what happened, and it is not a simple thing; it has far-reaching consequences. So, yeah... he's in the show a lot. He's going to be around a lot. I don't want to give away too much, but yeah, he's a major part of her life this year. Absolutely.

Ausiello: At what point does everyone have to get together and decide if this is the last season?
Rosenthal: You know, that's above my pay grade. That's a network and studio decision. Look, the studio and the network I'm sure want it to come back. I know it's going to be one of the signature shows for the CW. We'll just keep doing our work and hopefully make shows that people respond to and like, and we'll see what happens.

Ausiello: Did Amy offer you any advice before she left?
Rosenthal: She did. She wished me luck. I spent a terrific year last year working with Amy and Dan, and she was incredibly supportive, and she told me from the beginning that this was a distinct possibility that she would be moving on and I would be running the show. When she brought me in at the beginning of last year, that's one of the things she told me. She brought me in as an executive producer for that reason. So I feel very honored that I was her hand-picked successor. That was a great thrill for me. At the end of last season she wished me luck, and I'm thrilled to be doing it.

http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800003763&tstart=0&mod=1153206902015

(July 2006) Lauren Graham Speaks!

Exclusive: Lauren Graham Speaks!

Michael Ausiello

It can no longer be said that my close, personal relationship with Lauren Graham is one-sided. Why? Because last Friday, Gilmore Girls' bedazzling banterer had just survived a massive flood in central Virginia and was stranded alongside elephants, giraffes and all manner of wildlife on top of a humongous ark, covered in dirt and melting under 110-degree temps, and you're never going to believe what she did. She picked up her cell phone and called... me.

Ausiello: Are you OK?
Graham: [Frantic] I'm [shooting Evan Almighty] the sequel to Bruce Almighty, where God tells Steve Carell to build an ark, and he refuses to do it, so animals start following him and he starts, like, growing long hair and a beard — he starts turning into Noah. But we have this ark that we've built that is literally at least one football field long. It's truly insane. I've been stuck on top of the ark for, like, hours and here I am. Hello.

Ausiello: Are you sure this is a good time? I got a call from your manager saying you might have to postpone.
Graham: I'm OK now. I called [my manager earlier] and was like, "I've been on top of the ark. I have dirt on me that's, like, 3 inches thick." And they're like, "OK, it's not really the flood. Calm down." [Laughs] But I'm OK for the moment.

Ausiello: How much more filming do you have to do?
Graham: It's endless. It overlapped with [Gilmore Girls] by, like, a month, so there were about 30 days where I would work in one place, fly overnight and work in the other place.... It's been, like, two and a half months. And then we still have two or three more weeks here in Virginia and then like three weeks in L.A. doing effects and green screen and stuff. It's huge. It's a huge shoot — animals and a flood and craziness!

Ausiello: How meaty is your role? This isn't the kind of thing where you spend four months filming and you only get 10 minutes of screen time, is it?
Graham: There's no way to say now, and I certainly wouldn't offer conjecture that would harm me in anyway. You know, I'm his wife, and it's a great part. The family is important to what happens in the movie. It's a bigger job than I've ever had, so I'm just happy with that.

Ausiello: How is it working with Steve?
Graham: It's been great. It's been totally great, especially because now we're nominated for [a TCA Award] together. We had a fistfight this morning.

Ausiello: That's right! You're up against one another in the best-comedy-actor/actress category!
Graham: I know! Isn't that funny? So, it's been really fun. It's just been really fun.

Ausiello: How does it feel to be nominated against all men?
Graham: It feels really cool because those are the guys on TV that I enjoy the most. That, to me, would make a great dinner party. It's totally unexpected and really cool, and [the critics] have been so important to the success of the show and to me in particular, so I'm really thankful. This is the time of year when I start getting asked a lot about [the Emmys], because I think I've become, like, the Susan Lucci [figure] — except I'm not even nominated.

Ausiello: Are you aware of the changes in the Emmy system this year?
Graham: Yes, but I don't totally understand them. I know that it's sort of like they hole up everybody in a screening room and you're sort of forced to watch an episode. I don't really understand what the difference is.

Ausiello: As I understand it, Academy members will decide the top 10 to 15 nominees in the major categories, and then a blue ribbon will choose the final five, but only after watching episodes of all the pre-noms.
Graham: Well, I think that's interesting, but I wonder if it will help or hurt, frankly, because the [Gilmore] episodes I like the most tend to be the most dramatic. I think our strongest episodes are the least funny, [but we're] in the comedy category. You're still gonna be watching it along with something with a laugh track, and it might seem weird.

Ausiello: Well, speaking of Gilmore, what was your reaction when you found out Amy was leaving?
Graham: I still am in some sort of denial. She was directing the [season finale] and she told me personally one night after work. You know, there had been rumblings, but there always are this time of year, because they have renegotiated pretty much one year at a time. I thought there was a chance for a reconciliation. From what I understood from her and then from what was printed, the reasons why don't really match. So I don't know. They're both really talented.

Ausiello: How do you feel about it on a personal level?
Graham: I feel sad. I feel sad because I think this is probably going to be the last year of the show and we won't all end it together. There have been ups and downs over the years, like any collaboration, but I trust her dialogue. I haven't always liked where the story's going, and I haven't always liked the plots, but I really enjoy her language. And she really had a huge part in every episode. On the other hand, we're in the hands of David Rosenthal, who's very talented, and who's really kind, and who really deserves the belief that the show will be really good. Most shows, at this point, don't have their original show-runner still attached. And we have a much bigger crew of writers now, because when you're a husband-wife team writing every other episode, you don't have a lot of other writers. So we now have some really high-level people who are fans of the show, and I think that energy might be really important. It's our seventh year, so we have to look at it as an opportunity to kind of have a renewal. But [Amy and I have] been e-mailing back and forth. I think it'll be OK.

Ausiello: One of the things Amy and Dan wanted was a two-year deal, which struck many people as odd because you and Alexis have made it pretty clear that you're leaving after next season. What's your take?
Graham: I mean, I don't know. I think it's really better left... I think they hoped that we would change our minds.

Ausiello: Is there a possibility of that?
Graham: There's no way to say. No one's approached us about [an eighth season]. It's a lifestyle thing as well as a creative thing. I'm not set for life or anything. I need a steady job, and this is a wonderful character and a great show and something I'm really proud of. So there are definitely reasons to keep doing it. But to me, when you start staying someplace for money or security, it shows in your work. It's a very difficult show to do. It's a lot of language and that makes for very long hours.

Ausiello: Will it be a decision you and Alexis make together?
Graham: It will be something we talk about. We talk about major things involving the show frequently. I don't think we'll ever get in a situation where she wants to stay but I don't and one of us is holding out. We wouldn't do that in a vacuum without the other one knowing.

Ausiello: Would you ever continue without Alexis?
Graham: Never. Can you imagine? "Lorelai's Place." I, like, move into Luke's diner and, you know, hang up a new sign and start singing the theme song and directing all the episodes. That would be terrible.

Ausiello: I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the majority of fans I've heard from hated that Lorelai ended up in bed with Christopher in the finale.
Graham: I don't think people were probably thrilled — of course, all my references are 50 years old — when somebody shot J.R., you know? Oh my god, I'm 100! It stirs up your passion for what you would like to happen and for the characters you're interested in. And it's human. The thing I don't like on television is when somebody does something that makes absolutely no sense just for the shock of it. [The Lorelai-Christopher thing], to me, was such a long time coming. This was built into the story for a long time — that Lorelai didn't feel understood [by Luke] and they weren't communicating. [Christopher and Lorelai] have a connection and it made total sense to me, just given the story. To me, that's a satisfying season finale. I'm sorry if people were upset.

Ausiello: Fans also didn't understand why Lorelai was so passive when Luke shut her out of his life with April.
Graham: I totally agree. But I've [voiced] these complaints before and it always gets sort of explained to me like, "We're going somewhere. You have to trust." And our show is not that "plotty." It's not Lost. It's not like you get a lot of, "And then they're all living in a cave," or whatever happens on Lost. The whole season has an arc of these little moments of behavior. I don't think this is a passive character, but both in the Rory situation and in that April situation, it's hard to play. But I do think the payoff was good. And had you not had all those episodes where you and I and everybody was frustrated, would the payoff be as good? I don't know. I really trusted [Amy's] way of telling a story and that's her way of telling a story. There may be some difference in that this year, and then will people complain about that? "Too much happened!" You know, "Lorelai's too sassy again!" If you have a show you like or characters you like.... it's like the Clippers. The Clippers don't always win, but I still like going to a Clippers game. If you like the team, then come back and watch the team. But that's another reason why I think maybe this will be our last year. I think the story is kind of headed to a place where Rory will graduate from college and something is gonna be resolved with this [Luke/Christopher] thing. And maybe Lorelai ends up with Mr. Big.

Ausiello: Do you know what David has planned next season?
Graham: No. But he doesn't either. I had a nice meeting with him not that long ago, and the writers are just sitting down together to break stories. I know that he'll talk to me about it because he's like that. So, I think I'll know more than I might normally have.

Ausiello: Will you be more involved in the creative process?
Graham: No. I would like to be a producer on the show, but that's not anything they're gonna let me do.

Ausiello: Why not?
Graham: I think, at this point, any request [might lead to], "Well, if you want something then we want an eighth season" kind of thing. It's nothing quite that bold. It's not David's decision anyway; that's higher.

Ausiello: That's [Warner Bros. TV president] Peter Roth.
Graham: Yeah. But they have their reasons. It's important to me to be involved in that way. I'll still be involved, just in a less formal way.

Ausiello: I have one more question that I've been dying to ask you since September. Did something happen backstage at the Emmys between you and Jennifer Love Hewitt? You looked like you were about to claw each other's eyes out when you presented together.
Graham: Oh my god, that's terrible!

Ausiello: The way she darted to the podium and left you in the dust....
Graham: That was the only thing! I was in a tight dress, and she was in a more Audrey Hepburn kind of shape, and I just think she could move faster. I was laughing. I was just sort of like, "And here I am, nine hours later.... the nominees for.... " [Laughs] No, there was nothing. She's a doll. She's a really sweet girl.

http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800003763&tstart=0&mod=1153206902015

(July 2006) Michael Ausiello's Q&A with Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Ventimiglia Q&A

By popular demand (152 e-mails and counting), here's the complete transcript of my interview with Milo Ventimiglia, conducted last Friday during a preplanned meet-and-greet at TV Guide's Gotham headquarters. Juicy, scoopy bits abound — particularly the stuff about Lauren Graham's Gilmore Girls contract that you just know I'll be asking her about tomorrow if, er, when she lands her first Emmy nomination!

Ausiello: Inquiring minds (read: TVGuide.com readers) must know: Are you single?Milo: Yeah.

Ausiello: How's single life treating you?
Milo: [Chuckles] That's about all you'll get out of me.

Ausiello: Any chance of you going back to Gilmore Girls?
Milo: Never gonna happen.

Ausiello: Because the Palladinos are gone?
Milo: Yup.

Ausiello: But what if the new show-runner, Dave Rosenthal, asks you? He might be a fan of yours.
Milo: I appreciate that, but I'm pretty busy this year.

Ausiello: So you feel that Jess' story is done?
Milo: I felt that it was done a long time ago, but Dan and Amy kept saying, "We got some cool things, and we're really hoping you'll be a part of it." So I went back and I kind of enjoyed what Jess turned into. He turned into a grown-up. Watching [my] last episode, I was like, "It's done."

Ausiello: Were you surprised that Amy and Dan left?
Milo: No. I think they thought that [Warner Bros.] was willing to take care of them like they take care of John Wells and Aaron Sorkin. Those guys have major empires. [Amy and Dan] had always been developing with the studio and trying to find some things to do, so the fact that they stepped away doesn't surprise me. Amy said she knows what happens in the last scene of the final episode, so who knows how that's going to turn out. But I'm not going to be part of it. It was always nice that they kept wanting me to come back. And I always had a good experience working with them. And, I have to admit, they gave me my first public push. All the work that I did [before Gilmore Girls] was very much under the radar, and still pretty much under the radar.

Ausiello: Do you think next season will be the last?
Milo: I know Alexis' contract is up, and she really wants to leave.

Ausiello: Lauren's contract will be up as well.
Milo: No, it's not. I think she bartered for more money one year to secure another [season].

Ausiello: Are you sure? I just talked to her, and she made it pretty clear that she was only contracted for one more season.
Milo: Eh, you probably know more than me.

Ausiello: How was Rocky VI?
Milo: Rocky VI was fun.

Ausiello: Did you do any boxing?
Milo: No. None. I'm his son. I'm a Philadelphia businessman with, like, suits off the rack. Rocky's on his own; Adrian's passed away. My character's off working in corporate Philadelphia. Paulie, in the original script, had a girlfriend, and was still working at the meatpacking place, so Rocky was just on his own. He didn't have anybody around. He starts thinking about boxing again, and ESPN does this thing where they match up old fighters and new fighters in a computer to see who would win per stat. And they match up Rocky versus the current champion, and in the computer, Rocky wins. So there's all this speculation about what would happen if they fought. Here's a guy in his mid- to late fifties, and the other guy is in his prime. It's obvious that the current champion would win, not Rocky. It actually comes to a head when they set up an exhibition match to see who would win it. We shot many different endings.

Ausiello: What kind of shape is Sylvester Stallone in?
Milo: The best. He was in great shape. He was at fighting weight. I couldn't get over his stamina, and I'm not even talking about boxing so much. He wrote the film, produced it, directed it and acted in it. The responsibility of all those things, as well as being in peak physical shape and having a pretty good temperament... I found him to be patient, incredibly intelligent. He really wanted the cast and crew to understand what he was going for. I never had a hard time understanding what he was looking for. And he was really respectful to the people who were working hard, who put the time in, did their homework and came prepared. I hope he gets some recognition for being an artist, because he really is. Of course he's done a lot of big action movies — Tango and Cash, whatever — but when I first read the script, take away 30 years of Rocky history and it was a beautiful, beautiful script that he wrote.

Ausiello: When does it open?
Milo: December 22. I think they're going to start running trailers for it with Pirates of the Caribbean.

Ausiello: Did you ever think about waiting to see how the movie does before committing to a TV show like Heroes? This could launch a movie career for you.
Milo: You know what? Doing both is fine. TV is steady work. I never expect a job to give me that huge break. I just go in and do the best work I can.

Ausiello: Speaking of Heroes, your character believes he can fly. Will you be wearing tights?
Milo: (Laughs) No, but they made sure my jacket was [big enough] in the pilot so when I fall it opens wide [like a cape]. There's an element of the superhero, so there is going to be action and suspense and what not. But at the base of it, [series creator] Tim Kring really wanted to have these everyday people dealing with the fear and exhilaration of having certain powers, like flying or walking through walls or bending space and time. That's what the story is. It's these people going through regular human emotions of, 'F--k, I can't believe I'm about to jump off this building, but I really, really bet I can.' A lot of the stuff I've done has been very cerebral, very wordy, but the characters that I've played are very different than what I'm playing here. This guy has a really big heart. He looks after other people before he looks after himself. But at the same time, Tim didn't want him to be a pushover or a wuss. He didn't want him to not be able to stand up for himself and for others around him.

Ausiello: Have you seen Superman Returns?
Milo: Not yet. I'm excited to see it. I saw the last X-Men movie, and I got really excited about seeing a Bryan Singer film. I was a big fan of the first two X-Men movies.

Ausiello: The third one sucked.
Milo: I wouldn't say sucked, it just wasn't the first two.

Ausiello: You're probably going to be asked this at press tour, so you can rehearse your response now: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Milo: I would want the power of persuasion. Think about it: You could walk into a foreign country and start a war — if you're so evil. If you're peaceful, you could walk into a foreign country and end a war just by talking to someone. It's kind of like Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi-type thing.

http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000049&start=15

(July 2006) Michael Ausiello interviews David Rosenthal - Part 1

Warning: Small season 7 spoilers.

Michael Ausiello

Finally: Gilmore's New Boss Speaks

Here's my interview with David Rosenthal, conducted immediately following today's Gilmore Girls press tour session. Luckily, he was much more forthcoming during our little Q&A than he was on the panel.

3:40 pm: Damn wi-fi!! It went down just as the session started. But we're back up and running now.

3:43 pm: Got the Luke-Lorelai question in. Dave didn't say anything specific about how he planned to repair the relationship, just that fans should "stay tuned."

3:50 pm: Lauren Graham is clearly optimistic about GG post-Palladino.

3:53 pm: Lauren left the door open to doing another season. Alexis didn't address it.

3:55 pm: Yikes! A reporter just asked David about Heidi Klum, and Lauren jumped to his defense. "It has nothing to do with anything. Next!"

3:59 pm: David is being extremely tight-lipped about future plotlines.

4:00 pm: Lauren concedes that things are more "open door" with David, but she doesn't want that to be seen as a diss on Amy and Dan.

4:01 pm: If this is the final season of Gilmore Girls, David says he will ask Amy how she intended to end the show.

4:02 pm: Alexis is going to see how this season goes before deciding on another year.

4:05 pm: Bad news, Logan fans: David says Logan will be staying in London. Also, Christopher will be a bigger presence than ever before. (Don't shoot the messenger!)

4:07 pm: No plans on bringing Milo back.

OK, just had a 15-minute interview with Rosenthal. I'll transcribe and post later, but here are the highlights: Matt Czuchry is not leaving the show. Logan and Rory will have a long-distance relationship. Lorelai and Christopher did have sex in the finale. Marty will be back. It sounds like Luke and Lorelai will be broken up — at least during the first part of the season. He's aware that fans are not happy about how last season ended.

I'll try to get the complete transcript up later. My head is spinning! My battery is about to die, or else I'd live-blog the Mars session, too.

- Submitted by Mookie

(July 2006) The new Gilmore guy speaks

From Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune:

The new 'Gilmore' guy speaks

In contrast to the cuddly “Veronica Mars” session, the “Gilmore Girls” session had a feel of a cage match.

In one corner: New “Gilmore Girls” showrunner David Rosenthal, who was meeting the press for the first time

In the other: Members of the press who have written about and raved about and ranted about “Gilmore Girls” for a six seasons, many of whom were unhappy with where the sixth season ended up, and wondered how this new guy would be able to take over a show with such a specific tone and such specific voices.

It was a tough crowd. At least Rosenthal was flanked by the show’s two stars, Alexis Bledel, who didn’t talk much, and Lauren Graham, who talked a lot.

She specifically said that if the press reported her as saying negative things about Amy Sherman-Palladino or Daniel Palladino, the show’s former head honchos, she would be upset. But, having said that, she said she already had the first script of the new year, which appeared to be unusual by this point in the production process.

She also indicated that the process was more collaborative than it had been under the Palladinos. She added that though where she understood where Lorelai ended up and how she got there, she’d been unhappy with the way her character was written last season, and had expressed her concerns.

“It wasn’t my favorite stuff to play, to kind of be dictated to by Luke, but again it was a believable conflict and a believable obstacles between them. That’s why the ending [of the season] made perfect sense because she tried to kind of be in a place that wasn't natural to her, that wasn't who she is. And so ultimately she couldn't take it anymore,” she said.

“But I think you had to have that build-up to get to where we got. I mean, if everything had gone the way the fans wanted it to go in terms of that relationship, the show would be over, or I would just be calling Rory, like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ … to me this is a relationship with a lot of built-in problems between two people who are very different, who are trying to find a common language, and so it made sense to me.”

Regarding whether she’d leave the show when her contract is up at the end of Season 7, Graham said she hasn’t made up her mind.

“I have felt that way but I haven’t been in this particular collaboration before and I think we’re all really excited to see where the show can go. I read the first script and I love it,” she said.

“I am a huge fan of Amy and Dan. I loved that writing. I had some of the best, most interesting, fun, great scenes ever. But I also think there is room for it to grow and, you know, there's all these people now where we had a more specific, smaller group working on it,” Graham said. “Now we have these people who I sat down with the other day who are so enthusiastic, who come in as fans, who come in as people who have kind of fresh voices to lend to it, and I think it's going to grow.”

Bledel said she’s also undecided about returning. “I really don't know what this year is going to be like,” she said. “I think it's going to be really different, and I'm just going to see what it's like and then decide how I feel.”

As far as capturing the tone of the show, Rosenthal said that he’s hired new writers and there are now a total of eight writers on staff, all of whom come to the show as fans of the Gilmores.

Rosenthal said he’s not treating this as the end of “Gilmore Girls,” but that if it emerged that this year was the show’s last, he’d try to find out from Amy Sherman-Palladino what she’d envisioned for the show’s last scene. She’s long said she has the last scene of the show mapped out in her mind, down to the show’s last two spoken words.

The session did turn extraordinarily frosty when one writer asked Rosenthal about some personal troubles he had that involved a fascination with Heidi Klum. He turned red in the face, and it felt like the temperature in the room instantly dropped 30 degrees.

“My personal life is not an issue here,” Rosenthal said. “It's not worth getting into. I'm just here to talk about the show.”

“How does it make you professionally the right person for this show?” the questioner persisted.

“It has nothing to do with anything. Next,” Graham snapped.

Later, Graham made a surprising admission. She doesn’t much like working with the dog who plays Paul Anka. But he will be back in the new season.

Nothing against that particular dog, she said, but “I just am not a fan of dog comedy,” she said.

After the session, Rosenthal spoke with several reporters. Part of the transcript for that session is here, the other part is on the jump of this item.

What do you feel like your take is on the show is, that might be different than what went on in the past? What do you bring?

“I’ve brought in a whole new team of writers. We have one wonderful returning writer from last year, but everybody else is new [Rina Mimoun from ‘Everwood’ is one of the new writers]. And as Lauren said, they come in as real true fans of the show.

“I think that kind of passion and perspective is great for a show, especially for people who find themselves inside the show, a show that they’re huge fans of, a show that they’re invested in. So I feel like that perspective is exciting, it’s exciting for me to hear from them, for them to share their thoughts and ideas and opinions. That’s something I feel has really impacted us creatively in a very positive way.”

“Gilmore Girls” has one of the most passionate, vocal fan bases out there. Is it the kind of thing where you just have to make the choices that you make and you can’t worry about people’s reactions?

“I think it’s wonderful, believe me, the reason the show is still on the air and does so well and I think it may have had its highest ratings ever last year because of that passionate fan base, so I completely respect and love that they’re out there. But yeah, ultimately, we spend all day every day talking about this show and talking about the characters and working very hard, in a very focused manner on it. And ultimately we have to do what we feel is in the best interest of the show, both short term and long term, in terms of where the characters are going.

“And also, we have the benefit of seeing arcs. We have the benefit of seeing the future and knowing where we want to take them. So while something may be disturbing in the short run, or upsetting or confusing to a fan, we as the writers recognize that, yes, that’s upsetting but ultimately that’s the journey that this character has to go on, they’re required to do this or that. It can be hard to go through different experiences that can be hard on them or hard on the fans, but ultimately we’re interested in personal growth. Obviously if characters never went through difficult times or never suffered, or had to face obstacles it would be hard for them to grow.

“One of the beauties of the show and one of the reasons it continues to attract such a loyal fan base is that the characters are able to grow and change and develop, like Alexis said. I mean, she’s really grown and changed over the years as has Scott [Patterson, who plays Luke]. And so that’s something that I feel is a huge identity of the show.”

How does it feel to be on a different network? Is there a different energy?

“I gotta say, we’re on the same night, the same time, I know in Los Angeles we’re on the same channel. I would imagine we’re on the same channel across the country. For us the work is exactly the same and the effort is exactly the same and the show is exactly the same. So it’s really just a question of how it’s presented and how it’s marketed and how it’s broadcast and that’s not something that we really deal with. And I’m sure that [the CW folks] will do great.”

Is the character the Paul Anka, the real Paul Anka, is he going to be back on the show?

“There are no plans for him to come back, but he was terrific on the show, so it wouldn’t surprise me. I mean it was a dream sequence. But the dog will definitely be back, I promise.”

Will the rift between Lorelai and Luke be similar to the rift between Lorelai and Rory last year? The fans hated how that played out. Are you going to play this out differently?

“Yeah, we never want to what’s been done in the past, Luke and Lorelai, their relationship is unique, it’s not a mother-daughter relationship, it’s boyfriend-girlfriend or fiancés. So we’re going to explore that, we’re going to let the characters take us where they will. It’s not going to be like the Lorelai-Rory [situation]. I’m not saying it’s always going to be pleasant or pretty, I mean, they’re two adults and they’re going to have to deal with what’s happening.”

Was there any nail-biting at all or did you always know you would be on the new network?

“No, I don’t think there was ever any question. It always seemed a no-brainer to bring ‘Gilmore Girls’ along.”

- Submitted by Mookie

(July 2006) Gilmore Girls' going through multiple off-screen changes

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Gilmore Girls' going through multiple off-screen changes

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Beth Harris - Associated Press

Los Angeles -- All the drama won't be confined to the fictional town of Stars Hollow this fall on "Gilmore Girls." A new network, new executive producer and some new writers have shaken things up behind the scenes.

Add to that the fact that Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, who play the close-knit single mother and her daughter, are entering the final year of their contracts. Neither did much Monday to put to rest rumors about the show's fate after its seventh season, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 26.

"Your legal contracts are up, and you begin to imagine what if," Graham told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting. "I don't want to be in a situation where I feel sorry for me. I've seen that happen to actors and shows where the thing is done, let it be over. I don't know that we're in that situation."

Bledel added, "I really don't know what this year is going to be like. I'm going to see what it's like, then decide how I feel. We'll see."

Graham wasn't thrilled with last season's story line that had her Lorelai character giving fiance Luke a now-or-never ultimatum after he asked for patience in dealing with his newly discovered 12-year-old daughter. Luke let Lorelai walk out of his life.

"It wasn't my favorite stuff to play, to be dictated to by Luke, but again, it was a believable conflict and a believable obstacle between them, and that's why the end made perfect sense," Graham said. "If everything had gone the way the fans had wanted it to go, the show would have been over."

And Graham "wasn't a fan" of the painful separation between Lorelai and her screen daughter, Rory.

Those scripts were written by show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband and co-executive producer, Daniel Palladino, who both left the comedy-drama last season after failing to reach agreement on a new contract with Warner Bros. Television.

Graham made it clear, however, that she is "a huge fan of Amy and Dan's."

"I loved that writing, but I also think there's room for it to grow," she said.

The Palladinos, who handled the majority of the scripts, said they wanted to add more writers to ease their burden.

Dave Rosenthal, a writer and producer on the show, is in charge now, and he oversees an eight-person writing staff. He said he's not treating this season like it will be the show's last.

"The goal is to do 22 good episodes of Gilmore Girls' and let the rest take its course," he said.

Sherman-Palladino has said she knows how the show should end. When the time comes, Rosenthal said he'll call her.

"I would definitely like to talk to Amy about that," he said.

- Submitted by Mookie