TVSquad

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Saturday Night Live now has a web site devoted to politics.
• Actually, maybe The CW is going to renew Reaper after all.
• Kathie Lee Gifford says she wants to be cremated.
• Ricky Gervais is filming a movie in Massachusetts with Tina Fey, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jason Bateman, John Hodgman, and Louis C.K and blogging about it.
• Marion Ross answers questions from Entertainment Weekly readers.
• Jeff Zucker wouldn't mind Katie Couric coming back to NBC.
• A look at the new CBS series Swingtown.
• Not only is the season one DVD set for Mad Men coming on July 1, there will also be a CD of music from the show released on June 24.

Obviously I mean the actor, David Anders. But wouldn't it be beyond cool to see the character of Sark show up on Heroes? Maybe he got some sort of power from being so close to all that Rambaldi business. Maybe he can have the power to impersonate anyone's voice exactly (Anders is actually from Oregon but does a British accent perfectly).

Kristin over on E! is reporting that Anders is under negotiations to join the NBC hit this fall. He would play a new character named Kane (Isabelle has details on the character here), though there are no other details about the character. Of course, it's not a done deal, but it would be fantastic if this actually happened.

[via TV Tattle]

New mom Jennifer Garner is hoping to return to television, this time as an executive producer. She and Lauren Sanchez-Whitesell, former host of So You Think You Can Dance?, are pitching a show by moms and for moms to an unnamed network next week. Sanchez-Whitesell tells People that she will host and Garner will executive produce and make occasional appearances.

She compares it to The View, but for mommies. Topics will include everything from advice on getting kids to eat and sleep and behave, and also talk about the strains put on a marriage when kids come into the picture. (It sounds like ParentDish for television!)

Sanchez-Whitesell has a one-year old son with husband Patrick Whitesell, who just happens to be Ben Affleck's agent. Affleck and Garner had a daughter, Violet, in December of 2005.

So, you've seen every single episode of Lost and you own all the DVDs and you consider yourself an expert. Check out these five questions and see if you really know as much as you think you do.

1. What is the name of the only hit song that Charlie's band Driveshaft had?

Director Steven Spielberg is interviewed on the new deluxe Alias DVD set that was released last week.

No, Spielberg didn't produce the show or even direct an episode, but it is one of his favorite TV shows and he admires creator/director J.J. Abrams so much that he agreed to be interviewed for the set.

Spielberg liked the show so much that he actually asked Abrams to write the War of the Worlds movie for him, but Abrams couldn't do it because he was working on Lost. Of course, after that, Tom Cruise also contacted Abrams because he was a big fan of Alias (he got the DVDs and watched them all in one weekend, as he has said many times in interviews) and he hired Abrams to write the third Mission: Impossible movie.

On a related note, I had planned on buying the Alias set this month, but after buying the West Wing and Twilight Zone sets and it being Christmas and all, I really don't want to spend the money right now. But if any TV Squad reader (or coworker of mine) would like the buy the set for me, well, I wouldn't say no to that at all.

[via TV Tattle]

To support Greg Grunberg's Pediatric Epilepsy Project, the cast of Heroes has each drawn his or her own character for an online auction. Bidding has begun and will conclude in approximately twenty days. I have to say that Hayden Panettiere gets extra points for using more than one colored marker in her rendering of Claire Bennet and Milo Ventimiglia managed to add a little perspective to his drawing of Peter Petrelli.

This isn't the first time television stars have contributed their handiwork to the Pediatric Epilepsy Project, which directly supports UCLA's Pediatric Neurology Department. You can also purchase hand-painted cards by such celebrities as Jennifer Garner, David Schwimmer, Ryan Seacrest, Teri Hatcher, Sean Hayes and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Can I tell you how much of a crush I have on Jenna Fischer? That's another post for another time.

Entertainment Weekly has an interview with The Office star, where she talks about her struggling actor days (she always seemed to play waitresses and teachers and secretaries), her husband, director James Gunn (she's married? Damn it!), and what if feels like to watch Jim flirting with the woman at the other Dunder-Mifflin branch. But the most interesting part of the interview, and it's only quickly mentioned and not talked about further, is that Fischer revealing that she auditioned for the role of agent Sydney Bristow on Alias, but didn't get the gig because, even though she was good, she wasn't "hot" enough.

Well, Jennifer Garner was great in the role, but wouldn't it have been great to see Sydney make little cute faces toward the camera and play jokes on Sloane?

A spinach recall is fair reason to do jokes about tossing salads. "Call some friends over, have some drinks, and toss each other's salads!" It's a matter of safety, people.

"Papa Don't Preach": Jon did some nice coverage about the Pope's comments (and apology) regarding Islam. I'm going to have to try "I was just quoting a Byzantine emperor!" excuse some time in the near future. Senior Vatican City and San Marino Correspondent John Oliver elaborated on the situation. I thought the comparison of the popes to all the various James Bonds was fantastic.

This was hinted at a few months ago, but now it's official: on November 21, the same day the Alias 5th season DVD set is released (with tons of extras), Buena Vista is going to release a limited edition (40,000 copies) Complete Alias set. The set is going to come in a box that looks like a Rambaldi artifact, and will include 29 discs! The discs will have every single episode of the series, and there will be a bonus disc hidden inside a secret compartment in the set that will include many extras, including interviews with the cast and Jennifer Garner's first interview she ever did.

Not enough for you? The set will also include a hardcover book that will answer all of your Alias question, with an intro from J.J. Abrams himself. All this for only $200.

A few days ago I said I wanted the Complete West Wing set that was coming out this fall for Christmas. But if you wanted to buy this one for me instead I wouldn't mind. Your choice.

I know, I know, it seems like this is Columbo week here at TV Squad, but you've got to watch this. It's a video made for the 50th Anniversary of ABC a couple of years ago. I didn't watch the show, but I'm glad someone put it up on YouTube. Columbo has been called in to help Sydney, Jack, Vaughn and the rest of the team.

Who asked him to help out, and what is he supposed to help with? Well, you'll just have to watch it to see. You don't usually see a crossover episode involving two of your favorite shows, so this was a great find. Very funny stuff.

Alias star Jennifer Garner has allegedly turned down the role of Pam Ewing in the upcoming feature film version of the popular 1980s primetime soap opera Dallas. Using the "quote from someone close to her, but not the person herself"  approach of most gossip rags, the story floating around right now is that Garner felt uncomfortable about being in the movie with Jennifer Lopez, who is the former flame of Garner's husband, Ben Affleck, and who will be playing Sue Ellen in the movie. Apparently the two had a bit of a feud before, and Garner didn't want to revisit it. I suppose that makes sense, though I think a better explanation she could have given was that the movie, like pretty much all cinematic remakes of TV shows, probably won't be very good.

As we reported last month, ABC has started an auction of Alias props and clothing. The money collected at the ebay auction will go to charity.

You can bid on one of Arvin Sloane's suits, or maybe one of Dixon's cool Hugo Boss suits. Or how about one of Sydney's wigs?

My birthday is in two weeks. If somebody could buy this for me, I'd really appreciate it.

For the past several months, Esquire mag has been torturing male readers (and probably more than a few female ones) with their slow unveil of "The Sexiest Woman In The World." Body part by body part, they've been giving us little clues as to who she is. Now it's all online, in six parts, and the web site provides the final clues as to who she is. There's a picture of her rummaging through a refrigerator. She has blonde hair, but that might be a wig to disguise her true hair color.

There's a handy drop down menu of names, and it includes such TV stars as Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, Jessica Biel, Tyra Banks, Teri Hatcher, and Eva Longoria.

There is also an interview with her, and she says she's not a vegetarian, she's never appeared on a WB show (guess that leaves out Biel), she doesn't have a blog, and a song was inspired by her. Any guesses?

I know, it's Madeleine Albright!

ABC has been playing with the schedule lately, so it's sometimes hard to find out when our favorite shows are going to have their finales. The Grey's Anatomy season finale aired on a Monday, and that Oprah special got switched around because of the President's speech. And now, since Lost is having a two hour finale this Wednesday, Alias has to switch nights for its two hour series finale. (Lost gets first dibs over Alias on the ABC schedule, of course.)

The finale airs tonight at 9, and promises to answer all the important questions: what is the ultimate Rambaldi plan? Who will live and die? Will Sloane turn good again at the last second? What caused the crash of Flight 815?

Oh, wait, that's the other show.

Some of you long time readers of TV Squad -- in particular those who are Alias fans -- know that I've had a love-hate relationship with the show. I've been an avid viewer since its first season, and although I will say it's had its ups and downs, there's no denying that the show has retained one simple yet important characteristic: it's fun.

Unfortunately for some, the show comes to an end next week, having completed a solid five season run. Though I feel some may not find it so unfortunate, as the show gets to wrap up the way it should, giving it the proper send off it throughly deserves.

Speaking of fortunate, I was just that for having the opportunity to talk to Carl Lumbly last week. Carl's been playing Marcus Dixon on Alias since day one, starting out as Sydney Bristow's partner in what they both thought was the CIA. He's also supplied the voice of Martian Manhunter from the Justice League cartoon series. We talked about his work on Alias, Justice League, his new 'do and a little bit of golf.