Desperate Housewives

Good morning, everyone. Hope you’re all enjoying the holiday weekend. Since we’re back to seeing reruns again, I thought I’d take some time to talk about the Season 1 DVD set for those who don’t have it. I got the chance to borrow it recently and I’m enjoying it a lot. It has, of course, all the episodes plus some great features. There are interviews, commentary, behind-the-scenes stuff and more.

One of my favorite features is “Oprah Winfrey is the New Neighbor”. It’s a skit in which Winfrey plays Karen Stofer, a woman longing for a simpler life away from the big city and the pressures of a running huge company. Guess she didn’t check out the area carefully enough… Anyway, the skit briefly features the Housewives themselves introducing themselves to her. Once they leave, Karen decides to go to the store and get some sugar so she can make a special dessert in honor of their first night in a new home. Her husband talks her into borrowing some from the neighbors because “people in the suburbs live for that stuff.”

Oprah then goes on a mission to get sugar, getting spliced into scenes from the first season. She interacts with Susan after she was locked out of the house naked, watches Lynette yelling at the kids and other stuff. She runs home to tell her husband there is something very wrong with this neighborhood. Later, she goes on a walk and comes across a sight that causes her to demand they leave immediately.

I thought it was pretty amusing to see a relatively normal person getting thrown into the world of Wysteria Lane and realizing these people are seriously messed up… but isn’t that the fun of the show? Well, I’m out of here. There’s plenty more of the way this week, so stay tuned!

Good morning, everyone! Later on today, I’ll be giving you the actor/actress of the week. For now? Let’s check it on where some of the cast has been showing up lately.

This picture of Eva and Brenda was taken on April 28th. They were Events of the Heart’s “You Gotta Have Heart” premiere in Westwood, California. It’s always a bit surprising to me to see Brenda next to the other cast members, since she’s so much taller.

How’s this for a random paring? That’s Elizabeth Berkley (yes, the chick from Saved by the Bell and Showgirls) chatting with Marcia during the Feed 100 reception at Whole Foods in LA. That took place just a few days ago, on May 19th.

Finally, Felicity Huffman was spotted at the Rogan for Target event at Barneys in Beverly Hills on May 15th. I gotta say that the filming break looks like it’s agreeing with everyone.

Andrea Bowen’s not just sitting around now that Julie’s on her way to college. Besides the album I mentioned a few posts back, she’s appearing in the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenaged Blockhead. It’s a twisted take on the Peanuts gang, where Andrea will be playing Charlie Brown’s sister. The show opens June 7th at Hudson Backstage Theatre in LA. She’s also considering an offer from Dancing with the Stars.

Are you fearless about spoilers and wanna hear some gossip about next season? Well, read on. (more…)

Good morning, everyone! So, how about that finale? I have to say that’s one of the best episodes yet in a season I already really liked. Looks like I’m not alone, either. According to various media outlets, Desperate Housewives came out a winner this year. It beat CSI to become the most-watched scripted series this season, ending the crime drama’s 5-year reign. Not only that, the finale averaged 16.8 million viewers this week.

In other not-so-great news… AFTRA is apparently having a tough time coming to an agreement with the Producer’s union over new contracts for their actors. SAG has already bowed out of the negotiations for now. Is another strike in the cards for Hollywood, already trying to recover from the writer’s walk out? Only time will tell. If there is one, it won’t start until the end of June and would mostly affect films for now, as the TV season just ended. Just like the writers, the actor’s unions are making new media (the internet/cell phones) the big issue in the talks. I’ll post updates as I find them. Hopefully, this will all be resolved quickly so we can get a more normal season in the fall.

The housewives are definitely keeping themselves busy during their summer break. They’re popping up in all kinds of places lately, from film premieres to charity events. The picture above shows Eva Longoria at the premiere of Kung Fu Panda. The picture below shows Teri Hatcher at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Poker Fundraiser.

Finally, check out the Housewives on TV! Felicity Huffman’s movie Snap Decision will be on Lifetime Movie Network on the 23rd at 4 PM eastern. Marcia Cross and Doug Savant can be seen on Soapnet repeats of Melrose Place. Episodes will begin airing again on May 27th at 12 PM eastern. Doug can also be seen on a repeat of CSI. That will air tonight at 7 PM eastern and again at midnight. How is that for timing? Well, I’m out of here for now. Check back tomorrow to see what Felicity and Marcia are up to during their time off. See ya then!

Good morning, everyone! Ready to dish? I am! Picking one actor this week was a tough job. I was partial to one’s performance, but another one also did really well. So, I have decided to go ahead and pick them both. This week, I’ve picked Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross.

Ever since the beginning, Felicity has managed to make me tolerate Lynette no matter how many dumb moves she makes. Like getting Tom fired, pretending one of her kids is sick to get into yoga… you get the idea. Still, I’ve really warmed up to Lynette ever since Kayla and her mother entered the picture. I like that, for awhile anyway, Felicity managed to walk a thin line between resentment and discomfort with the kid and affection. Now, she’s doing an excellent job of portraying a scared and frustrated mother dealing with a clearly messed up kid. The slapping scene in the mall is a perfect example of that. You could just feel the terror and frustration coming off her when Penny is threatened. She combines it with total regret over the slap itself. Kudos to her…. can’t wait to see where this all goes.

Meanwhile, Marcia Cross is doing a great job as well. Especially in the scenes where Edie blackmails her and she confesses the truth to the others. As Edie reveals she knows everything about the baby, Marcia Cross seems to visibly age several years in about two seconds. As for the confession, I loved the combination of resignation and regret in her voice as well as the obviously gratitude and relief when the others side with her and tell her she’s a great mom.

So, there you have it: my favorite performances this week. What do you think? Did I overlook someone? Let me know about it in the comments. Well, that’s about it for now. See y’all next time. I’ll be dishing about the finale promo, Richard Burgi’s (Karl) appearance on Reaper tonight and more this week. You won’t want to miss it!

I’m sorry I didn’t post yesterday.  A weekend trip turned into a family emergency and we didn’t arrive home until yesterday evening.  It’s good to be back and scouring the headlines once again.  And you may have heard that the Primetime Emmy Awards were Sunday night.  The show might not have won, but the women looked fantastic.  As far as I can tell, Nicolette Sheridan wasn’t in attendance, but all the other women were and I found their dresses (save for Eva’s) all had a common theme.  They all looked very nice, as you can see below.  If you’d like to see each image larger, simply click on it.

Since I’m convinced that Felicity Huffman will be the housewife to leave the show this year (due to her character’s illness), I’m pleased to read that she’s currently in talks to do a new movie. She’s my favorite on the show and I like to hear that she’s going to be busy in the months ahead. The word is this is a romantic comedy called “The Accordian” and is to be an updated remake of an Italian movie, “Bread and Tulips”. The gist is it’s about a woman who gets stuck on a golf tour forcing her to reassess her life. The film is set to be directed by famed director Norman Jewison and written by “Moonstruck” writer John Patrick Shanley.

Also interesting, is the movie is set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Says Jewison:

“In the Italian film the setting was Venice, but we’re changing Venice to New Orleans post-Katrina. Every film has a place and an ambiance, and it’s very important because the setting and where it takes place is part of the story, so the city is very involved in the film.”

Sounds like an interesting movie for Felicity and I’m happy for her!

Just when you were starting to think that maybe the women on “Desperate Housewives” might actually be getting along, rumors are flying that quite the opposite is true.  Apparently, cast members have been taking bets on when Eva Longoria’s marriage will fall apart.  This is, of course, according to a report to be published by the National Enquirer so take it with a grain of salt.

And the bets aren’t all, either.  According to the magazine,  the women are arguing about everything from scripts to photo shoots to trailers.  An insider on the set has revealed:

“The cat claws are out like never before, and the actresses’ inability to get along is causing headaches for producers, writers and crew members. And the one joke that’s keeping a smile on people’s faces is at Eva’s expense.”

This all sounds absolutely absurd to me and I hope that something is resolved soon.  Why is it that women can’t work together without the gossip swirling that they are all at each other’s throats?  How about everyone just settles down and makes a good show this season?  Is that possible?

The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced and there was a notable exception to the list:  “Desperate Housewives” was left off the list for Best Comedy for what might be the first time since the show first aired in 2004.  The only major award “Desperate Housewives” was nominated for, in fact, was for Felicity Huffman (which, all things said, BIG congrats for her because she definitely deserves it).  

Also left off the list for the most part is the critical and audience fave “Friday Night Lights”.  The Emmy’s had better watch it or they will find themselves becoming rapidly irrelevant in the eyes of the viewers.  And we all know, when it comes down to it, the viewers are ones who really run the show in Hollywood.  Just sayin’.

No, there isn’t any photos of Eva in her wedding dress yet.  Not that I can find, that is.  The pair were married twice this last weekend.  First, there was the civil ceremony at a town hall in Paris on Friday.  Then, we had the giant, star-studded affair that took place on Saturday.  The festivities were incredibly locked down with the paparazzi and fans kept at a great distance from the church and the loving couple themselves.  What few pictures I have seen are of the wedding guests and perhaps one or two of Eva and Tony’s limo.  I can barely contain my excitement, I don’t know about you.

All reports are that the wedding went off as planned and that it was a stunningly lavish affair.  OK! magazine has exclusive rights to the photos of the couple and the festivities and we should be getting a look at those sometime later this week.  And maybe we’ll get some details as well.  I can’t blame them for putting their most special day under lock and key; I’d probably be tempted to do the same.  But shoot, throw us a bone!  Let us at least see a picture of her in her dress!  At any rate, best wishes to the happy couple, wherever they are!

To see some pictures of the “Desperate Housewives” cast-members at the ceremony, check after the jump.
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Before you laugh, it’s totally true.  Apparently, back when Felicity Huffman and her husband actor William H. Macy put on an acting workshop, Jessica was one of their students.  The couple taught a master acting class at the Atlantic Theater Company, as well they should because they are both amazingly gifted in their work.  Jessica Alba took the course when she was a mere 16 years old and was left in tears when Felicity tore apart her technique.  So what did Felicity do or say to the pint-sized beauty to reduce her to shambles?

“Felicity was very hard on me. She’s a tough cookie, that one.  I just remember her making me cry because I didn’t prepare a scene right, or I didn’t talk loud enough.”

So basically, she was doing her job as an acting instructor and trying to teach her how to hone her craft.  Sounds as if someone was a little on the sensitive side going in, don’t you think?  If anything, I think Jessica should thank Felicity for helping her toughen her skin and perfect her talent.  But what do I know?

Rumors have been flying around about whether or not Felicity was drunk on the set of her new movie with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan, “Georgia Rule”. Did she drink? Yep, she sure did. Was she drunk all the time? No way. She insists that the claims have been greatly exaggerated, due to some comments she made to a magazine that were taken out of context. She has said that she was pretty much joking around it (not that drinking or being drunk is a laughing matter) and that was lost in the context of what she said. Is this a big deal? I surely don’t think so. I’m sure many celebrities drink and are drunk during moive shoots. It’s just another occurrance of misunderstanding and blowing things out of proportion. Hey, I believe in you, Felicity!

Did you know Felicity Huffman was on “Regis and Kelly” yesterday? She was promoting her new movie, “Georgia Rule” which comes out this Friday. In it, she co-stars with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan. But she didn’t just talk about the new movie, she also spoke quite a bit about “Desperate Housewives” and Lynette’s whole “affair” with the the Chef Dude. In fact, that was probably what they talked about the most. That and Eva Longoria’s wedding and bridal shower, that is. Felicity looked stunning, as usual, and got in some good jibes at Regis while she was at it, which is always a crowd pleaser. Give it a look-see, you’ll see what I mean.

Felicity Huffman threw co-star and pal Eva Longoria a bridal shower at her Los Angeles home this past Sunday, inviting a huge amount of friends and family, including her other “Desperate Housewives” costars, Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Brenda Strong and Nicolette Sheridan. All accounts show that the party was quite a success. At one point, Eva presided as judge over a competition where unmarried guests made wedding gowns out of toilet paper. Teri Hatcher won the grand prize, a tissue tiara. The theme was “Home”, obviously, as little pink houses served as centerpieces for the tables and Felicity requested that guests bring gifts for each room of their new home together. Felicity joked that she didn’t need to give a gift since she was the one throwing the shower. Uh, don’t think it works that way, Felicity.

Did you know Felicity is in a new movie with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan? Yeah, neither did I! But I saw this trailer for the film, “Georgia Rule” online and it looks really good! Here’s a short synopsis, via ifilm:

With her latest car crash, rebellious teenager Rachel has broken the final rule in mom Lily’s San Francisco home. Lily hauls her daughter to the one place she swore she’d never return…her own mother’s Idaho farm. Matriarch Georgia lives her life by a number of unbreakable rules, demanding anyone who shares her home do the same. Now saddled with raising the young woman, it will require each patient breath she takes to understand Rachel’s fury. But as Rachel succumbs to her summer of misery and shakes up the tiny Mormon town, Georgia notices something is changing within her granddaughter. Given structure and responsibilities, Rachel is letting her guard down and learning compassion…especially for her mother. Her journey will lead all three women to revelations of buried family secrets and an understanding that–regardless what happens–the ties that bind can never be broken.

It’s nice to see Jane Fonda again, and it looks like a fun role for her her. And I thought Felicity’s hair looked awesome in the trailer. And, dare I say it, Lindsay doesn’t look half bad. Plus, it’s always nice to see Felicity branch out from “Desperate Housewives” and do something different. It generally seems to turn out well for her and I hope that will continue to be true. If you want to check out the trailer, you’ll find it below.

Today, since there’s not much in the news about “Desperate Housewives” at the moment, I’m going to share some recent publicity photos of our favorite Housewives with their main men.

Teri Hatcher and Stephen Kay on February 10th at the 11th Annual Power Of Love Gala to benefit the “Keep Memory Alive Foundation” at The MGM Conference Center in Los Angeles.

A completely adorable photo of Felicity Huffman and William H Macy on February 27th at the Los Angeles premiere of “Wild Hogs”. Let’s all say it now.. “awwww!”

Eva Longoria and Tony Parker on February 18t at the NBA All-Star Weekend at PURE Nightclub in Las Vegas, NV.

Nicolette Sheridan and Michael Bolton on February 25th at the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles.

Desperate Housewives, Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Nicolette Sheridan, Michael Bolton, William H. Macy, Stephen Kay, Tony Parker