Spill

Veronica Mars, the hero

Kristen Bell is joining the cast of Heroes this season for a multiple episode arc. I hope she gets to make out with Peter Petrelli. I also hope that this doesn’t interfere with her rumored appearance in Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Updated: Kristen Bell said she’s doing at least 13 episodes this season in an interview with TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello, and (hurray!) also didn’t rule out doing Legally Blonde.

Veronica Mars goes Legally Blonde?

TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello reports that Kristen Bell might take over the lead in Broadway’s Legally Blonde. Four words: I am so there.

Rob Thomas takes over Big Shots

Great news! You might recall that Rob Thomas, creator of Veronica Mars, was on board to run ABC’s Miss/Guided, starring Judy Greer. Then he jumped ship, citing “creative differences.” Makes sense, considering that Miss/Guided sounds like a broad Ugly Betty-ish comedy, and Veronica Mars was dark and snarky. Anyway, ABC wisely offered him the showrunning gig on Big Shots, otherwise known as Michael Vartan’s Glorious Return to Series Television. Now, I’m going to watch this show no matter what, but TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello has hinted that the pilot sucks. Sounds like the show needs some new creative guidance, and there’s just nobody better than Rob Thomas at making things awesome.

Interviews with the cast of Big Shots, including my beloved Vartan, are viewable here and downloadable here.

Jason Dohring joins cast of CBS’s Moonlight

I mentioned Moonlight in my rundown of the fall TV upfronts, and was decidedly ambivalent. I mean, it’s about a vampire detective, which is the exact plot of Angel. Here’s my thinking:

Pros: I liked Angel.

Cons: Get a new idea already, you network jackholes.

But now I’ve got something else to add to the pro column: Jason Dohring is going to co-star! You might remember him as dreamy Logan from Veronica Mars. This time, he’s playing a vampire sidekick/hedge fund trader. (Interesting social commentary there.) Those tricky CBS bastards got me: I’ll definitely give this show a chance.

Betty and Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars may be over, but it still lives on in my heart, and I was hoping that Rob Thomas would author a novel to finish out the story.  Close enough: a comic book series is planned.  Intriguing.  I’d prefer something a little more substantive, but I’ll take what I can get.

Veronica Mars FBI trailer on DVD set

Remember back when life was great and Veronica Mars was still on the air?  Yeah, those were good times.  Anyway, the oft-discussed, never-aired FBI concept trailer shot earlier this year will be a special feature on the third season DVD set.

I really hope Rob Thomas kept the book rights for the show.  I doubt a movie would get off the ground, but I’d love to read the continuing story, and maybe get a happy ending for Veronica after all.

The last episode of Veronica Mars ever

Get ready to shed a few tears, because tonight’s the series finale of Veronica Mars, 8 pm on the CW.  Here’s a promo:

Sigh.

Veronica Mars is over

Here’s Rob Thomas’s response to Michael Ausiello’s comments over at the TV Guide site:

“No one has talked to me about a new, non-Veronica project. All my writer’s have been offered jobs elsewhere, and I believe they will now all accept these jobs. Very, very, very sad day around the VM offices.

I assume that anything Dawn would be talking about in the realm of a Rob-Kristen project would involve a new from-scratch pilot as they don’t have me in a deal, and they’ll lose Kristen in a couple of weeks.”

Veronica Mars is dead. Long live Veronica Mars.

Gloomy outlook at the CW press conference

I’m copying this verbatim (typos and all) from Michael Ausiello’s live blog of the CW upfront presentation:

12:28 First question, asked by me: “Is Veronica dead?”

12:53 Heading back to the office to bang my head against the wall.

2007 Fall Upfronts: Day Four (The CW)

Veronica Mars is canceled. Here’s my resentful take on the CW’s (boring and lame) fall schedule. Videos of the new shows are here, but they all look lame.

Returning Series:
Everybody Hates Chris: This adorable show is back at Monday at 8 pm.

Girlfriends and The Game: Back at Monday at 9 and 9:30 pm.

Beauty and the Geek: Takes over the Gilmore Girls spot at Tuesday at 8 pm.

America’s Next Top Model: Staying at Wednesday at 8 pm.

Smallville and Supernatural: Thursday night.

One Tree Hill: This creatively bankrupt show is held until midseason, will most likely take over at Wednesdays at 9 pm. It’s fast-forwarding to after the characters have graduated from college, so this teen drama is now an old folks drama.

That barfworthy Pussycat Doll show is coming back at midseason, too.

New Series:
Aliens in America: Not an ALF ripoff. It’s about a Pakistani exchange student — get it, aliens. Replaces All of Us on Monday at 8:30 pm.

The Reaper: This motherfucking show is to blame. It’s taken the Veronica Mars spot at Tuesday at 9 pm. Sounds like a Dead Like Me ripoff.

Gossip Girl: It’s like The OC, but in fancy Manhattan. Our girl Kristen Bell is narrating, but who gives a crap, we want to see her solve mysteries. Wednesday at 9 pm.

Life is Wild: a family drama set on a South African game reserve. They couldn’t come up with a better title? Sunday at 8 pm.

Crowned: A mother-daughter beauty pageant. Shudder. Held for midseason.

Farmer Wants a Wife: As much as I hate the CW right now, this title totally cracks me up. It sounds like the natural next step after The Bachelor, and it’s just ridiculous enough to get me interested. Held for midseason.

Still waiting for word on Veronica

Rob Thomas told TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello that there’s no “definitive” word on whether Veronica Mars is canceled. Then he told E! Online’s Kristin Veitch that the network is considering it as a midseason replacement, and has until June 15 to decide. The Hollywood Reporter is also backing off their earlier assertion and says we’ll hear next month. So, we won’t see Veronica Mars on the schedule tomorrow, but we’ve got a few more weeks before the band-aid gets ripped off. Argh.

In other news, Kristen Bell’s chipper voice will narrate the CW’s new series Gossip Girl, which looks pretty good.

I’m still pretty annoyed about this whole thing, though. Honestly, the CW doesn’t know enough about their budget to make a decision on the show now? How will two weeks change things? Are they just waiting for advertiser reactions? I have a sneaking suspicion that they’re holding off on the announcement in order to avoid casting a shadow over their upfront presentation, which is … sneaky and underhanded. They’re going to face tough questions either way, so if this is a PR move, it’s pretty dumb.

Maybe I’ll go to church this week and light a candle for Veronica Mars. Certainly won’t be the most frivolous thing I’ve ever done.