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 Fran Drescher and Eric McCormack by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage.com |
2.13.06 - The February 13th issue of TV Guide magazine says that if you want your nails to look like Debra Messing's on Will & Grace, try Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color ($4.50, drugstores nationwide) in Honeymood Red.
2.3.06 - Just days after it was announced that Britney Spears will guest on Will & Grace as a Bible-thumper who brings to Jack's cable show, among other things, a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's," the NBC comedy has come under fire from the American Family Association — the same advocacy group that targeted The Book of Daniel. The AFA claims Spears' sto (filled by David Schwimmer in a London production last year) in Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s), making its U.S. premiere on Broadway June 8. McCormack, whose previous Great White Way run was in 2001's The Music Man, plays a soon-to-be-engaged man who pays final visits to four ex-girlfriends.
ry line "mocks the crucifixion of Christ" and will "further denigrate Christianity" by airing April 13, the night before Good Friday. In response, NBC claims the episode summary that went out contained "erroneous information" and that the script has yet to actually be written.
2.1.06 - Britney Spears will guest star on the April 13th episode as a conservative Christian talk-show host.
1.30.06 - TV Guide magazine gives its Jeer of the Week to Matt Lauer for degrading himself during a guest shot on Will & Grace. In the NBC's sitcom's most recent live episode, the Today show newsman was reduced to uttering vulgar punch lines like "I need to tinkle" and "You got more than butt!" (after Debra Messing's Grace goosed him). Where in the world was Matt Lauer's dignity when he agreed to do this humiliating gig?
1.23.06 - Will & Grace's eighth and last season will conclude May 18 with a one-hour retrospective and an hourlong finale.
1.17.06 - Click here for a picture of Debra Messing and Cheryl Hines at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards, and click here for a picture of Debra Messing and Daniel Zelman at the NBC, Universal Pictures and Focus Features Post Party.
1.12.06 - Lifetime has picked up six episodes of "Lovespring," and improvised half-hour comedy from executive producers Eric McCormack and Michael Forman. More...
1.5.06 - Sean Hayes was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, and Megan Mullally was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. The 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony will be on January 29th, 2006, and will air live on both TNT and TBS.
12.15.05 - Zap2It.com: Just call the cast of "Will & Grace" the 2 Live Crew. After performing the season premiere live, the NBC series has decided to go without a net again next month. The show's second live episode of the season is scheduled to air at Thursday, Jan. 12, a week after it moves to its new 8 p.m. ET timeslot. More...
12.15.05 - From TV Guide Online: Having successfully performed a live season premiere — even working around a last-minute and conspicuous injury to Megan Mullally — Will & Grace is ready to dip into that well again. On Jan. 12 the sitcom, now in its eighth and final season, will stage another live episode, in which Karen throws herself a lavish birthday soiree only to spend the evening crammed in the bathroom with her three buds. (And no, I don't mean Vicodin, Paxil and Xanax.)
12.9.05 - CBS has picked up a D.C.-based pilot about thirtysomething staffers on Capitol Hill, tentatively titled Sex, Power, Love & Politics, by Will & Grace exec producer Greg Malins.
12.1.05 - Effective Jan. 2, My Name Is Earl and The Office move from Tuesday to Thursdays at 9pm ET, where they will follow a pairing of Will & Grace and the new sitcom Four Kings (starring Seth Green, Shane McRae, Josh Cooke and Todd Grinnell).
12.1.05 - NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has cleared its new fall syndicated talk show series, The Megan Mullally Show in a variety of markets including KTVK/Phoenix, KARE/Minneapolis; WISH/Indianapolis and WBAL/Baltimore. Add these to the previous clearances that include WNBC/NY, KNBC/LA, WMAQ/Chicago and KNTV/San Francisco. The show will be taped in Los Angeles.
 1064/Most Wanted/ZUMApress.com |
11.14.05 - Bobby Cannavale (Vince) has inked a deal to headline his own New York-based sitcom for NBC.
10.24.05 - NBC Universal Television Distribution has cleared its newest daytime strip series with Megan Mullally in the top three markets (WNBC, KNBC and WMAQ), as well as KNTV in San Francisco. The one hour talk show will originate from LA.
10.4.05 - TV Guide reports that three shows that Eric McCormack developed have already been picked up: UPN has grabbed his serialized campfire story, Evil; Lifetime has snagged an untitled comedy about a dating service; and NBC has bagged Morningside Heights, a comedy about cohabitating apprentice priests, rabbis and monks who stop being polite and start getting real.
9.29.05 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace,' Without a Net - When "Will & Grace" begins its eighth and final season Thursday (Sept. 29) with a live episode, the show's famously giggly cast will try to keep things running smoothly and avoid a "Carol Burnett Show"-esque meltdown. If Eric McCormack (Will) starts to go too far off-script, though, Debra Messing (Grace) has a plan. "I just intend on saying, 'Eric, stop f***ing up!'" she deadpans. More...
 Kevin Winter/Getty Images |
9.12.05 - At Sunday's Creative Arts Emmys, where, for some reason, they award the Emmys for best guest actors, Bobby Cannavale won best guest actor on a comedy for his role on Will & Grace.
9.6.05 - The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing Sept. 18 on CBS, will feature actors performing classic TV theme songs throughout the telecast. At the end of the show, a winner (determined by viewer votes) will be declared the "Emmy Idol." The playlist includes Megan Mullally singing the theme from Green Acres along with Donald Trump.
8.25.05 - TV Guide Online reports that there is no plan right now to do a Will & Grace spinoff of any kind.
8.23.05 - Debra Messing has been added to the list of presenters at the 57th annual Emmy Awards on September 18th.
8.23.05 - Sean Hayes and his producing partner, Todd Milliner, whose Situation: Comedy is currently living out its final days on Bravo, are developing a semiscripted local-news parody for TBS. Broken News will feature actors improvising a newscast for a fictional small town.
8.17.05 - From the August 14th issue of TV Guide: They're Going Live!
How do you breathe new life into aging TV shows? Go live! At least that's the plan for two Emmy-nominated NBC series, The West Wing and Will & Grace.
The West Wing is planning to do a live special during November sweeps that will revolve around a heated debate between presidential hopefuls Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). "We are in negotiation with NBC to do a live debate," confirms the show's executive producer John Wells. "We would actually film the hour leading up to the debate, the on-stage [action], all the backstage [stuff] and the aftermath."
Meanwhile, on September 29, Will & Grace will kick off its eighth and final season by doing two separate live telecasts at 8:30pm Eastern and Pacific times. Although the episodes will include some serious gags, little will be left to chance. "We'll rehearse more, that's for sure," says star Eric McCormack. "We usually don't rehearse that much because we like to keep it fresh, but we probably shouldn't make as many mistakes in the live episode."
-Bruce Fretts, with reporting by Mary Murphy and Michael Ausiello
8.11.05 - It's not a good sign - Bravo has moved Sean Hayes's reality show, Situation: Comedy, to Friday's at 7pm ET from Tuesdays at 9pm ET.
7.26.05 - TV Guide Online: Sean Hayes Finds Himself in a Situation
by Daniel R. Coleridge
TV is in a sitcom slump these days, and Will & Grace's Sean Hayes wants to fix it. As a producer of Bravo's Situation: Comedy, he helped select five aspiring sitcom writers to compete for $25,000, a high-powered agent and the possibility of his/her sitcom making it to the small screen. We asked Hayes — who calls Joey a "very good show" — about trying to find the next great American laffer.
TVGuide.com: So this is Project Greenlight for TV.
Sean Hayes: The execution is quite different, but the idea is similar. You actually get to see our two [finalists'] shows at the end of the series instead of trying to find Stolen Summer at your local multiplex.
TVGuide.com: Will we see you and [producing partner] Todd Milliner as tough, Simon-like judges?
Hayes: We're not judges! [Chuckles] We've got to make sure that you say this because [a major newspaper] printed that we're hosting the show. All we did was come up with the idea and produce it.
TVGuide.com: Viewers pick the winner, but who decides if the winner's show gets picked up?
Hayes: It's ultimately up to NBC. The funny part was they said, "Well, what if America's wrong?" And I said, "About what? What they just told you they want to see?" That's the network for you.
TVGuide.com: Will & Grace lost 6 million viewers last season. Why do you think your ratings are down?
Hayes: I believe, creatively, [we've] slipped a little bit. The people who created the show are in a very public lawsuit with the network [over financial deals]. And it's kind of like when Mom and Dad are away, this is what happens to a show. And also, [moving us] to 8:30 behind [Joey], an unproven but very good show, will affect ratings.
TVGuide.com: On the bright side, you and Megan Mullally are now being compensated on par with your other two costars.
Hayes: I'm just glad to be a working actor.
TVGuide.com: You have the luxury of not having to worry so much about how to pay the bills...
Hayes: Well, sure, I have some of those [concerns], but yeah.
TVGuide.com: ...so producing this show on Bravo is really more about a creative stretch for you, yes?
Hayes: The one major thing that drew me to work on Situation: Comedy was to give back. The No. 1 priority for me is to give actors, writers and directors who don't otherwise have the access to open Hollywood's doors [and get] the opportunity to work.
TVGuide.com: Any other pipe dreams or goals for the future that you want to pursue as Will & Grace draws closer to the end of its run?
Hayes: I have many, many dreams. What are your dreams?
TVGuide.com: I dream of getting safely to the end of this work day, Sean.
Hayes: My dreams are simple. I just want world peace.
Situation: Comedy debuts tonight at 8 pm/ET on Bravo.
7.23.05 - Zap2It.com: Hayes Lands a New 'Situation' - After seven years as Jack on "Will & Grace," you'd figure Sean Hayes knows what makes a television sitcom successful. Time will tell, since the Emmy-winning actor turns executive producer -- along with his college buddy, Todd Milliner -- to give aspiring showmakers their shot in "Situation: Comedy," an unscripted Bravo series premiering Tuesday, July 26. With original scripts submitted by thousands of hopefuls, Hayes, Milliner and other industry pros whittle the field down to 10 potential projects, then five, then just two. More...
7.22.05 - Will & Grace will air live several times next season, including its premiere episode. That really means live - with separate performances for the east coast feed and the west coast feed, and you can expect network censors will be firmly in place ... just in case. Next season is expected to be the show's last.
7.14.05 - Emmy nominations are out, and Will & Grace tied Desperate Housewives for the most nods with 15. Eric McCormack was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Sean Hayes was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Megan Mullally was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Victor Garber, Jeff Goldblum, Bobby Cannavale, and Alec Baldwin were all nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Blythe Danner was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, and the show was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards show will be broadcast on Sunday, September 18th on CBS.
 Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.com |
6.6.05 - Don't miss Sean Hayes in the reality show Situation: Comedy which premieres on Bravo on August 2nd at 8pm ET.
6.1.05 - It's official, Megan Mullally will be hosting her own daytime talk show, shooting in Los Angeles and set to debut in the fall of 2006.
5.17.05 - TVGuide.com - They Will survive: Debra Messing and Eric McCormack tried to pretend that everyone was thrilled about next season's return of Will & Grace at NBC's Upfront presentation Monday. --->
5.17.05 - NBC announced their fall schedule yesterday, and Will & Grace will air on Thursdays at 8:30pm ET, despite all the rumors that it would be moving to Tuesdays.
5.10.05 - From TV Guide Online: Stacy Keach Hits Daily Double
by Steve Robinson
Versatility defines Stacy Keach. Though perhaps best known for his two TV-series portrayals of private eye Mike Hammer (a DVD box set of 1997's syndicated Mike Hammer, Private Eye comes out in July), Keach has played memorable roles on stage, screen and TV since the '60s, from Richard III to Ernest Hemingway to crazy Ken Titus. Next, he'll star in the upcoming Fox show Prison Break. But before that, the actor does two TV guest spots tonight: First, he's on ABC's George Lopez Show at 8:30 pm/ET. An hour later, he pops up on NBC's Will & Grace. Here, TVGuide.com catches up with him via telephone in... Poland?
TVGuide.com: Why are you in Poland?
Stacy Keach: My wife is Polish, my kids are half Polish and we have a little house right outside of Warsaw in a place called Magdalenka, which is right on the edge of the oldest forest in Eastern Europe. My kids are going to the American School over here. I've got two teenagers.
TVG: Is that your main home now?
Keach: At the moment. We still have a condo in Beverly Hills. Because the kids are going to school here, I find myself traveling back and forth quite a bit. But we don't consider ourselves expatriates. We are still very much California people.
TVG: So you're doing two guest shots on one night. Quite a coup!
Keach: I had a great time on both shows. On Will & Grace, I worked with [director] Jimmy Burrows, who's an old classmate of mine. We went to Yale together. It was like a reunion. I play this self-absorbed, out-of-work actor who's become an acting teacher and usurped Jack McFarland's (Sean Hayes) acting-school methodology. It's a fun part. Of course, I get my comeuppance.
TVG: What can you tell us about Prison Break?
Keach: We follow these young people through their exploits in prison, and the part that I play, the warden, is very much away from the cliché. He has a hard side to him, but he's out of the ordinary. He prevails upon one of the inmates, who's a structural engineer, to help him build a matchstick version of the Taj Mahal for his wife of 40 years, because he loves her dearly and feels he hasn't given her her due. It's unique to see a guy who's actually a sweet, good, caring person and not just your hard-ass prison official.
TVG: Random question. You worked with the late George C. Scott in 1972's The New Centurions. What was that like?
Keach: One day, we were shooting in downtown Los Angeles, and there were a lot of fans. And they were yelling, "Hey, there's General Patton, there's General Patton!" And I remember him stopping and looking, and very quietly going over and saying, "I am not General Patton. I'm George C. Scott." [Laughs] No actor likes to be identified exclusively with any one character. In later years, I discovered the same kind of sensibility when people would identify me as Mike Hammer. But I wouldn't say, "I'm not Mike Hammer. I'm Stacy Keach." That's not my style.
5.4.05 - USA Today reports that Megan Mullally is in talks with NBC to have her own talk show.
4.25.05 - Despite talk that the four main stars of Will & Grace would likely take a pay cut to return next fall, The Hollywood Reporter says the quartet have secured "significant salary bumps" for an eighth season. According to the trade paper, each of the actors will pocket $600,000 per episode, compared to $400,000 per episode this season. This marks the first time Mullally and Hayes will be brought up to full paycheck parity with Messing and McCormack.
4.21.05 - NBC is thisclose to finalizing a deal to renew Will & Grace for another season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show's producers and four stars are expected to take a pay cut due to the show's sharp drop in ratings.
3.1.05 - David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are developing a comedy project for the WB about two twin sisters with nothing in common. Already cast as one of the sisters is Sara Gilbert.
2.24.05 - Sharon Stone will guest-star on the April 14 episode. For more information on her character, see the previews page.
1.30.05 - TV Guide gives Jeers to Will & Grace for wasting Jeff Goldblum in an unfunny role as an ex-high school rival who tries to take over Karen's company. It's far from the first time W&G has booked a big-name guest (John Cleese, Janet Jackson) and then given them little to do but watch the regulars hog all the good gags. That's not very Grace-ful.
1.28.05 - Wedded bliss: A pretty-in-pink Debra Messing cuddles up with on-screen beau Dermot Mulroney at the premiere of their film The Wedding Date.
1.13.05 - Don't miss Bobby Cannavale (Vince) in the off-Broadway production Hurlyburly, playing at The Acorn Theater, 410 West 42nd Street.
1.11.04 - Sean Hayes was nominated for SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, Megan Mullally was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and the whole cast was nomainted for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The awards will be presented on Saturday, February 5th, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition and will be televised on TNT at 8pm ET.
1.10.04 - Will & Grace won Favorite Television Comedy Series at the People's Choice Awards last night.
1.7.05 - Despite the fact that they are currently suing NBC, TV Guide Online reports that David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are developing a new comedy series for the Peacock about a quartet of male friends living in New York.
12.22.04 - NBC's cop project, NY-70, based on the two NYC cops made famous by the film "The French Connection" - Eddie Egan and Sonny Grasso, has cast Bobby Cannavale as the pilot's star. Cannavale's character is based on the professional life of cop Sonny Grasso.
12.14.04 - Eric McCormack has set up his own production company and has named Michael Forman to head it up. Big Cattle Prods hangs its shingle at NBC Universal Television Studio, which also has a first look deal, per Variety.
12.13.04 - Will & Grace has received three nominations for Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, one for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for Debra Messing, and one for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Sean Hayes. The Awards will be presented on Sunday, January 16th in a live telecast on NBC.
12.7.04 - Jeff Goldblum and Lily Tomlin will guest star in upcoming episodes of Will & Grace. For more on their characters, see the previews page.
11.23.04 - NBC appears ready to give the order for a comedy pilot called Kings of New York from the makers of Will & Grace, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, per Variety. The project is about a group of four lifelong friends living in NYC.
11.1.04 - The Hollywood Reporter reports that Kari Lizer is writing/producing a new sitcom about a divorced woman/businesswoman/single mom who now lives with her brother, and how this woman deals with her daughter's new stepmother and all that life brings.
10.27.04 - Will & Grace has been nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, and Debra Messing and Megan Mullally have also been nominated for both Favorite Female TV Star and Favorite Funny Female Star. You can vote at PCAvote.com until January 9th, when the awards show will air on CBS.
10.14.04 - AZCentral.com: Stepping In - an interview with Bobby Cannavale about his role in the new movie "Shall We Dance" starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere
QUESTION: How much did you know about ballroom dance when you took the role?
ANSWER: I knew nothing, so I trained for three months. Jennifer (Lopez) was doing a movie in Vancouver, so she got trained up there, and I was in New York, so I got trained with Stanley (Tucci), Richard (Gere) and Lisa Ann Walter. The good thing is none of us knew how to dance, so we all started off on the same foot. That brought us close. Even Richard. The first time I met him he said, "Look man, I'm on the same page with you." I said, "No way, come on, you danced in Chicago." He said, "No, I did a little soft-shoe, that's it." When people are laughing at us in the film it's because we really have those same insecurities.
Q: You've been everywhere: Sex and the City, Will & Grace, Six Feet Under and The Station Agent. Which do you consider your first big break?
A: Career-wise? The Station Agent. Personally as an actor, eight years ago I was in a play with Mark Linn-Baker. I was an understudy and the guy I was studying left to do a movie, so I took over. I went on and killed 'em. It was the best I ever did. After that I got cast right away in the TV show Trinity, which led to Third Watch. And it's funny. Years after I stopped Third Watch, people still come up to me and say, "Oh my God, I cried so hard when you died! I can't handle it!" I tell them, "I died four years ago, I'm OK now, see?"
Q: What do you have coming up next?
A: A musical called Romance & Cigarettes, by John Turturro. I sing and dance in it. It's the best cast ever: Susan Sarandon, Christopher Walken, Kate Winslet, Mandy Moore. I play a guy who thinks he's James Brown and he's the lead singer in a band, and the band is Aida Turturro on drums, Mary-Louise Parker on guitar and Mandy Moore on bass. It takes place in Queens and it's about regular people with troubles. When they can't communicate with each other, they break out into song.
Q: What do you do for fun when you're not working?
A: I love to order songs off of iTunes. Mostly I love to stay in and clean my apartment. Is that weird? I mean, like hard-core cleaning - scrubbing the toilets, mopping the floors, washing the walls, moving furniture. Maybe because I'm really busy jumping back and forth between New York and LA, it makes me feel like I have a routine. But I really get into it. I like to clean my oven and stove so much that it will be all shiny, and then I'll take a picture of it. Or like, I have lot of light in my apartment and I have this great banister, so I'll shine the light on it to show off the staircase. I have this stuff called Mr. Muscle, and I'll spray it on and it gets so shiny, I'm like, "Wow, I've never seen it that shiny!" so I go and take a picture of it. (laughs) That's so lame, I can't believe I'm telling you this!
10.11.04 - Kristin Davis will guest star in the November 4th episode as Nadine, the best friend of Will's boyfriend, Vince.
10.1.04 - The Hollywood Reporter says that Sean Hayes has agreed to star in the Revolution Studios comedy "Simon Says." The story centers on teacher of the year Simon Christopher (Hayes), who can break through to any child. He meets his match, however, when a Manhattan media mogul hires him to home-school his troublesome children. Hayes will begin shooting in the spring when Will & Grace is done filming for the spring.
9.23.04 - Bid on 2 VIP tickets to a taping of Will & Grace and a signed poster of the cast, donated by the producers of the show to benefit the ACLU of Southern California. Last I checked, the current bid was $405 and the auction ends the morning of September 28th. Go to eBay
9.22.04 - E!Online Fashion Police: Hope Chest The usually graceful Debra Messing falls frumpily in a pink strapless gown, bright auburn hair and pale pink lips. We know the first-time mom is still battling baby fat, but really, would feisty Karen cut her a break? We think not. "I'm not back to where I want to be yet," she told Star Jones. "But I'm still breastfeeding, so it's okay." Well, at least the dress gives easy access.
9.13.04 - TV Guide Online: Barry Manilow's Big Duets
Mercifully, Sean Hayes and Debra Messing don't sing on Will & Grace: Let the Music Out!, the NBC sitcom's soundtrack, on sale Sept. 14. They wisely left that task to Elton John, Cher, J. Lo and their more musically inclined costars. Megan Mullally sings a duet with Carly Simon and Eric McCormack croons a bittersweet ballad, "Living with Grace," with Barry Manilow on piano. Here, Manilow answers TV Guide Online's questions about the CD — and pretty much anything else we could think of to keep him on the phone. If you need an incentive to read on, here's three words: Olivia Newton-John!
TV Guide Online: How did you choose your contribution to the Will & Grace CD?
Barry Manilow: I had the idea to sing "Be a Clown" along with the show's entire cast. I thought it was a home run and they hated it. [Laughs] Then, Eric e-mailed me some beautiful lyrics he'd written. So I wrote a melody and recorded the song with me singing it. Eric called me crying and thanked me — he's very sensitive..
TVGO: Why is McCormack singing solo?
Manilow: We tried a duet, but the lyrics are so personal, it sounded like I was intruding. So we took me out. He's singing our song and I play piano for him.
(There is more, but it's not relevant to Will & Grace, so you can check it out on TV Guide Online if you're interested.)
by Daniel R. Coleridge
9.5.04 - From TV Guide: Nip Chucked We've been kept abreast of Will & Grace's canceled plans to poke fun at Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction during the diva's September 23 guest appearance. It was a clothes call, it seems: An "exposed boob joke" was in the original script, but "we thought that was kind of played out," executive producer Alex Herschlag explains. "If she was on last year, we would have run it in a second." Speaking of superstar turns, we hear a certain Funny Girl is next on the sitcom brass' most-wanted list. "We'd love to have Barbra Streisand," says Herschlag. "Who wouldn't?" Um, George W. Bush, for starters.
9.2.04 - From a recent interview with Suzanne Pleshette in TV Guide Online:
TVGuide: Any chance you'll return as Karen's mom on Will & Grace?
Pleshette: Yes! Whenever they ask, I do that. Originally, I was going to do the [finale] last season, but they had to completely rewrite it because Debra Messing couldn't be in the last segment, so I didn't get the chance to do it. I love doing that show. Although, now I'm a blond. I don't know what I'm going to do if I have to come back. But it is perfect that Karen's mother would have a different hair color every time she came on.
8.31.04 - Zap2It.com: The Heat's On 'Will & Grace' - NBC Universal Television Group President Jeff Zucker likes to call "The Apprentice" the show that changed his network and reassured advertisers that even without "Friends" and "Frasier," NBC is still capable of staying afloat. While the Trump-fest remains anchored on Thursday nights this fall, it's clear that perhaps no show on NBC is under more pressure than "Will & Grace...."
8.27.04 - Zap2It.com: The WB Stays 'True' to 'Will & Grace' Scribe - Always on the lookout for potential comedy hits, The WB has given a cast-contingent pilot order to "True," a comedy from writer-producer Kari Lizer....
8.20.04 - Will Arnett, currently known as the magician Gob on FOX's Arrested Development, will guest star in the September 23rd episode of Will & Grace. For more info on his role, see the previews page.
8.18.04 - Full press release on the new companion album coming out on September 14th.
8.18.04 - Jennifer Lopez will guest star in the season premiere of Will & Grace airing on September 16th. For more info on the episode, see the previews page.
8.18.04 - Michael Angarano, who plays Jack's son Elliot, has been cast in the superhero family comedy, "Sky High." Angarano will play a student at Sky High, a high school for the super-powered. His parents will be played by Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston. Also starring are Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) as the high school principal, Bruce Campbell as Coach Boomer, whose tests determine whether students will become elite heroes or second-fiddle sidekicks, and Dave Foley (who has been recurring as Jack's boyfriend Stuart) as Mr. Boy, who teaches the sidekicks the skills necessary to support the heroes. The Mike Mitchell-directed project began shooting Tuesday (Aug. 17) in Los Angeles.
8.11.04 - In a recent interview on TV Guide Online (which was mainly about his gig on Celebrity Poker Showdown), Dave Foley said he doesn't know if he will be back on Will & Grace, but if they asked, he would do it in a second. "I don't think they ever killed off my character. I think I just disappeared in the way that sitcom characters do. I would go back in an instant if they asked because it was a great, great time being there. It was really fun and they are all really nice and really talented."
8.10.04 - Janet Jackson is taping a guest spot on Will & Grace due to air on September 23rd. For more info, see the previews page.
8.10.04 - The FCC dismissed charges of indecency filed by the Parent Television Council and Americans for Decency against two popular primetime series -- Will & Grace and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The complaint about Buffy came after an April 2003 airing of the series on the Washington DC station, in which Buffy and Spike have a violent fight, and then sex. A statement issued by the FCC read, "The commission noted that there was no nudity and there was no evidence that the activity depicted was dwelled upon or was used to pander, titillate or shock the audience." A similar statement was used in the FCC's decision regarding a Will & Grace episode which aired in March 2003 on a Fox station in Phoenix, in which a female photographer kissed another woman and then 'humped' her. The FCC also noted here that both were fully clothed.
8.5.04 - Ted at E!Online reports that Eric McCormack was seen toning up his sex-ay calves on a dusty trail in Runyon Canyon. Hell-Ay. Eric-babe was huffing it up with wifey-poo Janet Holden, two-year-old son Finnigan and two panting hounds. What a slobbery-sweet gathering indeed!
Also, Sean Hayes was seen humming the Please Don't Recognize Me refrain after a matinee screening of The Bourne Supremacy. ArcLight Theaters. Sunset Boulevard. Howevah, Sean-doll was blocking key passage to the elevator--hardly the brightest move to remain low-profile. Clad in cargo pants, a blue Earl Jeans tee and a baseball cap, S.H. appeared slightly anxious for his movie companion to finish up in the restroom.
7.30.04 - TV Guide Online: Get Real, Sean Hayes
Ever look at the dopey situations and lousy dialogue on TV sitcoms and think, "I could write funnier than this crap"? Well, now's your chance, buddy. Bravo just picked up the talent-search series Situation: Comedy, created by Will & Grace star Sean Hayes and his college pal, Todd Milliner. "It's to find the next sitcom," Hayes recently told reporters at the TCA press tour in L.A. "It's kind of like a Project Greenlight for television."
The show's expected to bow this fall; hopeful scribes can apply through Sept. 18 via Bravo's website. "We're going to shoot two sitcom pilots," Hayes explained, "and have America decide which one they want to see go to series. But it could hit or not. I mean, who knows! It's just fun trying."
Besides Situation: Comedy, Hayes has also shot another Bravo pilot called Underexposed, about wannabe filmmakers. (That one has yet to be greenlit.) We must say, it's odd to see the Emmy-nominated thesp jump on the reality bandwagon, while most TV actors spit on this genre, complaining it puts their colleagues out of work...
"I call [these projects] documentaries," he sniffed. "Here's the thing. The only two reality shows I'm doing are giving jobs to actors, writers, directors and producers. I enjoy watching [reality TV], but I don't want to be a part of it." Alrighty then!
7.19.04 - Two days before its Sept. 16 seventh-season premiere, Will & Grace is releasing a companion CD, Let the Music Out!. Along with previously released material by performers such as J. Lo, Cher and Elton John, the album will include several new recordings. Among them are "Living with Grace," a duet between Barry Manilow and leading man Eric McCormack; a cover of Carly Simon's "Loving You's the Right Thing to Do," sung by Simon and Megan Mullally; and "He's So Hot!" featuring the whole cast, plus a sample of guest star Madonna's "Holiday."
7.15.04 - Will & Grace received 9 Emmy nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Sean Hayes), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Megan Mullally), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (John Cleese), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Eileen Brennan), Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series ("I Do, Oh, No, You Di-in't"), Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series ("Ice Cream Balls"), Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series ("Last Ex to Brooklyn"), and Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special ("Courting Disaster"). The awards ceremony will air live on ABC on Sunday, September 19th, from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and will be hosted by Garry Shandling.
6.24.04 - According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC has tapped veteran comedy writers Alex Herschlag and David Flebotte to serve as Will & Grace's new showrunners. Friends grad Greg Malins is also coming on board as a co-executive producer.
6.21.04 - TV Guide Online: Will & Grace Star Switches Teams
by Michael Ausiello
Will & Grace's Eric McCormack will play the straight man (literally) in three episodes of Showtime's Dead like Me, which returns for its second season July 25. "Like Will, he's charming and funny," says exec producer Stephen Godchaux of his character, a reality-show exec who seduces grim reaper Laura Harris (24). "But he's not gay."
How did a little show like Dead like Me snag an actor of McCormack's stature? Quite simply, they asked and he said yes. "We had written out this three-episode arc and we wanted to get the best actor we could," Godchaux explains. "Then, Paul Weber, who's head of casting at MGM (the studio behind Dead), read the first script and pitched Eric; he was the first actor out of his mouth. It just seemed brilliant to me. We jumped at the chance to get him."
Producers were even willing to work around the Emmy winner's schedule, which meant delaying production until he was free. "Eric is a sought-after guy and a busy guy so we had to wait until Will & Grace finished shooting [for the season]. But he's been very accommodating and we're happy to have him." (McCormack declined to be interviewed for this story.)
McCormack's stint will air in the fall and it appears doubtful his alter ego will be resurrected. "When people who are not dead get involved with our grim reapers, sometimes it has darker consequences," Godchaux hints, cryptically. "And this relationship has darker consequences."
6.16.04 - TV Guide reports that Eric McCormack will play the straight man (literally) in three episodes of Showtime's Dead Like Me, which returns July 25. his character, a reality-show exec, seduces grim reaper Laura Harris. "Like Will, he's charming and funny," says executive producer Stephen Godchaux, "But he's not gay."
6.8.04 - Megan Mullally has agreed to co-star in "Rage Control," a basketball comedy starring Martin Lawrence and Breckin Meyer. The movie centers on college basketball coach Roy McCormick (Lawrence) who attacks a referee in the heat of the moment and then is forced to coach a junior high school team. Mullally will portray the school's principal, while Meyer plays McCormick's agent. Patrick Warburton plays the coach of the rival team, and Kimora Lee Simmons is set to play a tenacious, annoying reporter. "Daddy Day Care" director Steve Carr will helm the sports comedy.
5.27.04 - Michael Angarano (Jack's son Elliott) has signed on to headline Disney's in-the-works teen superhero comedy "Sky High." He'll play a kid who attends a high school for superpowered teens.
5.17.04 - NBC has announced that Will & Grace will officially move to Thursdays at 8:30pm ET next fall. It will be preceded by the Friends spin-off, Joey, at 8pm, and followed by The Apprentice at 9pm and ER at 10pm (all ET).
5.13.04 - Ted at E!Online reports that Sean Hayes was seen enjoying cupcake-fresh grub at the corner eatery Toast. 3rd Street, Hell-Ay. Perfectly sporting Adidas track pants and a worn baseball cap, Sean-babe babbled on with his brawny, gym-happy, randy pal in between bites. The witty hon from Will & Grace was mucho friendly to the very laid-back staff--the Toast folks practically lined up to chitchat and shake hands with him.
5.10.04 - By the way, in case you hadn't heard, Will & Grace has been officially renewed for a 7th season by NBC.
4.28.04 - Kristin at E!Online says that Jennifer Lopez has asked producers to write her in again next season. Meanwhile, one of the two title castmembers is wary of all the big names and is fighting for fewer guest stars.
4.21.04 - Debra Messing and her husband, Daniel Zelman, have decided on a name for their newborn son: Roman Walker Zelman.
4.8.04 - Zap2It.com: It's a Boy for Messing - "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing and husband Daniel Zelman are the proud parents of a baby boy. According to Extra, Messing's child was born on Wednesday (April 7) morning and weighed in at a petite 5 lbs, 14 oz. The couple is described, naturally enough, as "thrilled," with their "healthy, beautiful" child....
4.7.04 - Bravo greenlit the making of Pilot Season, a reality series produced by Sean Hayes that chronicles the making of a sitcom.
3.31.04 - Zap2It.com: No Messing Around for 'Will & Grace' Finale - Emmy winner Debra Messing is expected to miss the last four "Will & Grace" episodes of the season after doctors ordered the pregnant actress to stay off her feet for the remainder of her pregnancy.
While Reuters reports that there have been no complications with Messing's condition, she was instructed to "take it easy." Reportedly production has been continuing without Messing for the past three weeks and the character of Grace has been written out of the show's one-hour season finale, expected to air on Thursday, April 29.
Messing, who one her first lead actress Emmy in 2003, is eight months pregnant with her first child, with husband Daniel Zelman. Her character, however, has not followed suit, leading to a season of loose-fitting clothes and interesting camera angles.
The sixth season finale of "Will & Grace" will revolve around Karen's (Megan Mullally) wedding to the character played by legendary British comic John Cleese. Sickness is expected to be the explanation for Grace's absence, though Jennifer Lopez will make a guest appearance.
3.30.04 - From TV Guide Online: Will & Grace Baby Mystery
Will & Grace is in major denial. Although actress Debra Messing is very pregnant — the baby's due in late spring — her character, Grace, is not. The show's producers initially hid Messing behind pillows and purses. But lately, they haven't tried too hard to conceal her distracting baby bump. At times, cameras shot her full body — belly and all — as if she were still stick-thin. What's up with that?
"Pretending Grace's body hasn't changed is stupid," says Leon Hall of E!'s Fashion Police. "Now, when Karen makes cracks about [Grace's] clothes, it comes off mean-spirited because we know [she's] with child." Reps for NBC and Messing refused to comment on the decision not to explain Grace's weight gain. We're just expected to accept, adds Hall, "that Grace is flat-chested. But suddenly her B-cup runneth over!"
"It's always a tricky situation when a series star gets pregnant midrun, especially when it makes no sense for her character to have a baby," says TV Guide critic Matt Roush. "Grace having a husband as boring as Leo (Harry Connick Jr.) was bad enough. But because Debra Messing's entire physical appearance changed during this pregnancy, it makes it even more awkward."
Indeed, whether she's supposed to be preggers or not, Grace is totally showing. "There's no perfect solution," Roush notes. "Just ignoring the whole situation might be jarring, but I still prefer that to the way Frasier dealt with Jane Leeves' pregnancy a few seasons ago, when they began doing fat jokes about Daphne. I found that incredibly offensive and still haven't entirely gotten over it."
3.30.04 - Jennifer Lopez will guest star as herself on Will & Grace's hour-long season finale April 29th.
3.25.04 - The March 27th issue of TV Guide give Jeers to Will & Grace for wasting the brilliant John Cleese in an unfunny role. The sitcom's writers haven't given the former Python any good jokes–or maybe he just can't outmug his TV fiancée, Megan Mullally. Cleese deserves better than playing the show's token straight man.
3.17.04 - This fall, NBC will release Will & Grace: Who's Your Daddy? -- a CD featuring songs from (and inspired by) the show. Stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes will lend their voices to the disc, which will also include musical cameos by W&G guests Elton John, Cher, Barry Manilow and Kevin Bacon.
3.11.04 - From TV Guide Online: John Edward Sees His Future
Back in January, Universal canceled Crossing Over with John Edward, that low-rated show with the psychic guru from Long Island who talks to dead people. New episodes will run through May, but there's no plan for the show to continue in syndication. (Please don't ask, "If he's psychic, why didn't he see this comin'?" He's heard 'em all.) So what will John Edward do next? For starters, he guest stars on Will & Grace tonight (8:30 pm/ET on NBC). Here, TV Guide Online gets the sitcom scoop and glimpses into his future.
TV Guide Online: You just came back from Australia, right?
Edward: I don't even know what day it is! I was on tour for my latest book, Afterlife. I did five cities with huge venues of [up to] 10,000 people.
TVGO: It's funny to think of you as an international celebrity. I just see you as...
Edward: That guy from Long Island! That's exactly how I still perceive myself. When people recognize me, I have to remind myself, "Oh yeah, you've been on TV for four years." At first, I think, "Do I know you? Why are you looking at me like that?" Especially on the Long Island Railroad, which I've had to stop taking.
TVGO: You're right up there with famous people from Long Island.
Edward: There's Billy Joel from Hicksville, Rosie O'Donnell from Commack, me from Huntington. Ashanti's from Glen Cove. We both went to Glen Cove High School.
TVGO: So in Afterlife, you discuss your father's death. Have you communicated with him?
Edward: I sense his presence around. It's actually ironic because my dad and I were not close in life. A lot of people think that, in my work, I speak to the other side the way you and I are speaking! How this actually works is it's not a physical conversation. It's energy transmitted for the medium to interpret.
TVGO: What's your take on skeptics who think you're just doing magician's tricks, like cold reading the audience?
Edward: I really haven't had people accuse me of that, like, "I think you're a cold reader and you're full of s---." [Laughs] When people don't understand, they need to explain it and rationalize it away. Those are more cynical beliefs than skeptical. I encourage a healthy skepticism when dealing with this subject matter, because there are many frauds and charlatans. They have neon signs in their windows that say, "Psychic Readings $5." Skepticism helps guard yourself against that. Cynicism is where people say, "Nothing is possible. When you're dead, you're dead." I don't need to defend my belief in God and my knowledge that there is an afterlife and we can connect with it.
TVGO: How did you react to Crossing Over's cancellation?
Edward: I was happy! [Laughs] A lot of people are shocked by that, but I don't think we should've even done the last season. It's run its course. How many funerals do you want to go to in a week? Between Sci Fi Channel and syndication, six episodes a day were running in some markets! That's intense, and it takes a lot of energy out of viewers.
TVGO: So you'll still have your worldwide seminars and books to make a living, right?
Edward: I've been on TV about four years, but I've been doing this work close to 20. The show was only one small aspect of what I do; it's not how I define myself. My waiting list for seminars was extensive — up to three or four years — even before the show. I hope that viewers who watched Crossing Over as therapy can move on, and not be dependent on a show to know that life and love are eternal. It's helped a lot of people and that is the true gift.
TVGO: Do you help Karen talk to her late husband, Stan, on Will & Grace?
Edward: I've been asked to guest star on a lot of shows, but I usually say no. For one thing, I can't act! And I also don't want to risk jeopardizing the integrity of the work I do. People would be like, "What, does he wanna be an actor now?!" But I'm a fan of Will & Grace. The scenario is that Karen's interested in marrying again, but she's having dreams about Stan. So I'm at a local bookstore signing books and she asks me to read her on the spot — and I say I can't do it, as I would in any bookstore! It's inappropriate to switch it on like "Ba-boom!" when there's 1,000 people waiting in line to get their books signed. She has a great line when I say no to her. Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes are hilarious. It was awesome.
 Eric McCormack and wife Janet by Michel/IPA |
3.4.04 - Three months ago the creators of Will & Grace, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, produced by NBC Studios, sued the network for making a sweetheart deal for the show's longterm primetime renewal rather than seeking the fair market value, since the deal was between NBC Studios and the NBC network. Now the network has come back with a countersuit, alleging the creators were duplicitous in their dealings, having always intended to ultimately sue the network, and that their seemingly cooperative manner during the negotiation was just a 'illusion.' The complaints reads the creators: "always secretly planned to sue (NBC Studios) and were prepared to say whatever they needed in order to extract additional money for themselves, even beyond the enormous sums that they are already receiving."
2.23.04 - Megan Mullally won a SAG Award for her role as Karen at last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards.
2.19.04 - TV Guide Online reports that Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher and Debra Messing have signed on to voice characters in Open Season, Sony Pictures' first computer-animated flick. The story centers around a domesticated grizzly bear (Lawrence) and a mule deer (Kutcher) who are stranded in the woods during hunting season. Messing plays the forest ranger who comes to their rescue.
2.18.04 - Sopranos star Edie Falco and Chloe Sevigny ("Boys Don't Cry") will make their sitcom debuts when they play a pair of lesbian real estate moguls on the March 11th Will & Grace, USA Today reports.
2.13.04 - The cable network Lifetime will begin airing syndicated episodes of Will & Grace in 2005.
2.5.04 - Season 2 will be released on DVD March 23rd, 2004.
1.27.04 - From E!Online Fashion Police: The Big Top
Debra Messing [at the 2004 Golden Globes] is deliciously busted in Isaac Mizrahi's empire-waist black chiffon dress with a discreet matching high-collared jacket. "He did an amazing job, because in the past few weeks, I have just kept growing and growing," Messing says. Yeah, its hard to miss the, um, evolution. Hey, if you got 'em, we say flaunt 'em.
1.21.04 - From TV Guide Online: Debra Messing's Graceful Pregnancy
Debra Messing isn't too lucky in love on Will & Grace, where her estranged TV spouse has gone off to Cambodia. And she's no prize in Along Came Polly — currently in theaters — as Ben Stiller's cheating bride. Off camera, however, she and husband Daniel Zelman are quite happily married and eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child.
"I feel wonderful," sighs Messing, 35. "I am beside myself with happiness. [Having a baby] is something I wanted my whole life, and it is everything that I hoped for. I can't wait to meet our child."
In case you're wondering, Messing's baby bliss will stay out of her story line on Will & Grace. With Grace's marriage to Leo crumbling, it was bad timing for the sitcom's writers to incorporate a child. After all, the show's supposed to be a comedy, not a tragedy! But was the idea ever considered?
"For, like, a second," she acknowledges. "It just very quickly became apparent that [hiding the pregnancy] seemed like the right way to go. We have been a little creative with the way we block [my scenes] and the way I dress. I have lots of shopping bags, pocketbooks and coats that cover my tummy."
Do they really think they're foolin' anyone? Seems like they're only half trying. Will (Eric McCormack) commented that Grace had put on a few pounds in last week's episode, which only called attention to the tentlike top Messing wore to cover her protruding belly. "I think it is sort of a wink to the audience," she says. "We do our best, but you are never going to be able to hide it entirely. Our fans know that I am pregnant, and I think part of the fun now is tuning in and seeing how we hide it."
With motherhood and more movies in her future, has the actress thought of quitting the series that made her a star? "As of now, we're still having a fantastic time doing it every day," she insists. "And the writers are still coming up with really fun story lines for us. I think, as long as both of those things are in place, I don't see why we shouldn't be able to continue."
1.17.04 - From the January 17th issue of TV Guide: Dustup? Karen' crib on Will & Grace gets a long-overdue cleaning in February when Shelley Morrison returns as Rosario after a suspicious five-month absence. A show rep says "the story lines...have not called for her." All together now: "Hmmm..."
1.15.04 - Will & Grace has received four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations: two for Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Debra Messing and Megan Mullally), one for Male Actor in a Comedy Series (Sean Hayes), and one for Ensemble of a Comedy Series. The SAG Awards will air on TNT Sunday, February 22nd.
1.14.04 - James Burrows has received a nomination from the Directors Guild of America for directing the episode "Last Ex to Brooklyn."
1.6.04 - So, I should have put this up earlier, but here's a fairly long promo on iFilm.com for Inside the Actors' Studio with the cast of Will & Grace that aired on Bravo last November.
1.6.04 - Will & Grace has been nominated by The Producers Guild of America as one of the best comedies on TV. Winners will be announced on January 17th.
12.19.03 - TV Guide Online reports that exiting recurring guest star Harry Connick, Jr. has inked a deal with 20th Century Fox to star in and produce a big-screen musical romance titled Ben Invention. The actor-crooner will also contribute original music to the film, which follows an isolated man (Connick) who ventures into civilization in search of love.
12.19.03 - Eric McCormack was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Debra Messing was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally also received nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. The Golden Globes will be presented on Sunday, Jan. 25 and the show will be televised live on NBC.
12.15.03 - Zap2It.com: Baby Won't Make Three for 'Will & Grace' - It was for a moment -- a brief moment -- that the team of "Will & Grace" thought they would incorporate Debra Messing's real-life pregnancy into the storyline. "Yeah, we thought about it for a second; we considered putting it in the show, but we decided against it," Messing says....
12.12.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace' Creators Sue NBC - The men who gave life to "Will & Grace" are suing NBC, claiming the network has tried to deny them their rightful share of profits from the series. David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, creators of the Emmy-winning sitcom, claim NBC is paying a license fee that's "tens of millions of dollars below fair market value" for the show because NBC Studios, the in-house production unit that produces "Will & Grace," cut a sweetheart deal for its renewal in 2002. They filed suit Thursday (Dec. 11) in Los Angeles Superior Court....
12.3.03 - Debra Messing has been nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Television Performer, and Will & Grace was also nominated for Favorite Telelvision Comedy Series. The People's Choice Awards will air live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on CBS on January 11th.
12.1.03 - Zap2It.com: Bergen Stretches to Be Herself on 'Grace' - Fans of NBC's "Will & Grace" have heard Megan Mullally's Karen refer to her acquaintance "Candy Bergen" on several occasions, but on Thursday, Dec. 4, that enigmatic friend will finally appear, played by none other than, naturally, Candice Bergen....
11.16.03 - Zap2It.com: Connick Plans Holiday 'Grace' Note - Harry Connick Jr. doesn't envy the writers of "Will & Grace." Connick's commitment to the show, which he joined last season, lasts for only a couple more episodes, which he'll shoot early next year. In that time, the story of his character, Dr. Leo Markus', marriage to Grace Adler (Debra Messing) will have to be resolved. At the moment, the show has the two of them in Cambodia, where he's working for Doctors Without Borders....
11.15.03 - From TV Guide: Without a Grace
So that's why Will & Grace shipped Grace to Cambodia–Debra messing is expecting her first child. When the Emmy winner was reported, ahem, Messing-in-action from the sitcom's set for much of October, rumors arose that she was pulling a Brad Garrett, prompting her flak to insist, "She's been under the weather. There's no agenda." NBC added that the actress had come in during her "sick leave" to tape some scenes. No word yet on how long the mom-to-be will be out, but we're sure the network will hire 50 or 60 guest stars to fill the void.
11.13.03 - TV Guide Online: Will & Grace's Leo Problem
While stork news is happy news, the pregnancy of Debra Messing spells trouble for Will & Grace. With the expectant mom on a reduced work schedule, Will's writers had to trash episodes they'd penned well in advance. Instead, Grace was hastily sent off-screen — to Cambodia with her hubby, Dr. Leo. What now? Don't ask Harry Connick Jr., who plays Leo, how his limited run on the sitcom will end. He doesn't know!
Here's the rub: NBC has confirmed that Messing's pregnancy will not be written into Grace's storyline. Leo — and Connick — have gotta go, so that means no baby for the Doctor Without Borders and his wife. Connick jokes that he hopes Leo won't just die suddenly. That sounds unlikely, anyway. Too grim. Any other ideas for splitting up Grace and Leo, Harry?
"It has to end somehow," he tells TV Guide Online. "I can't stay on the show! I'm glad I don't have to write it, because I don't know how I'd get out of it. I hope they put it more on Grace — make it more her decision. 'Cause it's gonna be rough, man. I don't think the fans like to see her mopin' around and depressed. Who knows what's gonna happen."
Why can't Connick just stay on Will & Grace, you ask? Frankly, the busy, singing thesp has bigger ambitions than co-starring on somebody else's show. (His guest stint — which was only supposed to be six episodes — has lasted way longer than expected.) Next up, Connick's got his own Thanksgiving special, Harry for the Holidays, airing Nov. 27 at 10 pm/ET on — where else? — NBC. He's also signed a development deal with the Peacock to make his own sitcom. "I'd like to incorporate some music into it," he says. "I'm not sure how. I don't really have any idea what the show's going to be about! I don't even know if it's gonna happen, but if it does, it looks like it'd be a helluva lot of fun."
If it gets off the ground, will the show's title — or the name of Connick's character — have "Harry" in it? "I've thought about it," he chuckles. "I kinda thought it would be cool to call it Harry, but then there's Ed, there's Whoopi... It just seems like there's a lot of that out there. We may end up doin' it. If you have any ideas for a title, let me know, 'cause I'm definitely open!"
11.5.03 - NBC has announced that Debra Messing's recently revealed pregnancy will not be written into the show. I wonder how they're going to explain the new boobs she'll soon be sportin'. :)
11.3.03 - From TV Guide Online: How weird! On Thursday's Will & Grace, Grace (Debra Messing) appeared in only two minor scenes — and she was bed-ridden in both. Then, at episode's end, she decided to follow Leo to freakin' Cambodia! What gives? It turns out, Messing has been feeling under the weather because she's expecting her first child with husband Daniel Zelman. The show's writers hurriedly shipped Grace off to Cambodia in order to explain her absence while Messing's on a reduced work schedule. NBC won't say how long Grace will remain MIA, or whether the pregnancy will be worked into the show.
10.28.03 - You can now bid on items worn by the cast members of Will & Grace. All proceeds go to benefit the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Check it all out at http://www.absolutout.com. Items include a red fuzzy turtleneck worn by Debra Messing and a black button-down shirt with the white trim worn by Megan Mullally.
10.6.03 - Don't miss Sean Hayes in the new movie "Pieces of April," in theaters October 17th.
9.29.03 - Will & Grace has cast Monty Python alum John Cleese to play the father of Karen's nemesis Lorraine (Minnie Driver) in six episodes. Driver will also be back for as many as six episodes this season.
9.27.03 - Debra Messing's old FOX sitcom, Ned & Stacey, will begin airing repeats on WE: Women's Entertainment on Monday, October 20th.
9.25.03 - From TV Guide Online: Remember that NBC show called Will & Grace? Last season, it was more like Leo & Grace... and Oh Yeah, Will. The show needed a bit of shake up last year, executive producers Jeff Greenstein and Jhoni Marchenko tell TV Guide Online. (We agree. It was getting sort of shrill.) "Getting Grace (Debra Messing) married was a big risk," admits Marchenko, while defending the "conflict and good stories" it generated. And "fans like the effect it's had on Grace," adds Greenstein. "She's more together, less neurotic, more of a woman."
While that heterosexual marriage will survive — at least until November sweeps — the producers know the show's fans (including us) miss the love that used to scream its name between Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace. "One of the things we'll be doing over the initial dozen episodes is that Will and Grace will find themselves enmeshed in each other's lives a lot more," Greenstein promises. Hmm. We hear their living arrangements will change once again. Though we don't yet know who rooms with whom, we could easily picture a prodigal Grace turning up with suitcase in hand at Will's door.
There will also be some new love this season. Look for Karen (Megan Mullally) to get even with her nemesis, Lorraine — as played by the wonderful Minnie Driver, who will return for at least four episodes. The boozy, single socialite shares cocktails with Lorraine's wealthy, "rough around the edges" dad, who — blessed be! — owns a distillery.
Oh, and "some romantic assignations" are in the hopper for perpetual bridesmaid Will, who has at least one date with Dylan McDermott this season. Meanwhile, the nude bodies occupying Jack's interest will be bed-bound. As in the convalescent type. "Just Jack" takes his act off to nursing school, where we're sure he'll look just adorable in scrubs.
9.24.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Penny-Pincher - Debra Messing looks like a million bucks, in small change. This bright pink copper metallic strapless Elie Saab Couture "made me happy," says Messing, who plays up her priceless look with smooth side-parted hair and bronze beaded chandelier earrings. The Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner keeps her own spare coins in a Jimmy Choo bag, and, even though you can't see them, she's also in Jimmy Choo shoes. She keeps the bling-bling down in H. Stern gold earrings. This is one penny we'd bend over to pick up.
9.24.03 - All four of the major cast members are auctioning off what they wore to last Sunday's Emmys ceremony to benefit the Cure Autism Now Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Husband and wife team Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) are spearheading the "Clothes Off Our Back" fundraiser, and more than 30 other celebs will participate.
9.23.03 - Will & Grace's Megan Mullally married fiancé Nick Offerman Saturday night in a private Los Angeles ceremony, Extra reports.
 Jennifer Aniston and friend by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com |
9.19.03 - In case you hadn't hear, NBC has been planning new minute mini-movies (1MM), each spanning one minute with an ongoing story airing within commercial pods with the goal of keeping viewers through the commercials and into the next program segment (think Taster's Choice commercials of a few years ago). The first such mini-movie will air during Will & Grace on September 25 and will feature the Pussycat Dolls and starring Carmen Electra. The shorts' one minute will be taken from program content, not from commercial time within the show.
9.17.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Botched by an Angel - Debra Messing hides her light under a bushel at the Rodeo Drive Tribute to Giorgio Armani. This boring--er, understated--black A-line Armani satin long-sleeve frock adds nothing to her naturally wavy, mid-parted auburn hair. If it weren't for those sexy ankle-straps, we'd swear she was on her way to a convent for a life of piety, not a star-studded fashion gala. Say three hail Armanis, and sin no more.
9.17.03 - TV Guide reports that Will & Grace producers have retained ex-Practice star Dylan McDermott to play a romantic interest for Will (Eric McCormack) in an episode to air Oct. 30. As of now it's just a one-shot deal, but it could develop into a recurring gig. Why the hesitation? "It scares people," says McCormack of a full-blown love story for Will. "It scares middle America. So we have to be careful. And I think to do it with the right person -- somebody they already know, an actor they're already comfortable with -- might help. This is maybe one that makes them comfortable."
9.15.03 - The Creative Arts Emmys were awarded this past weekend. The creative arts awards recognize more than 60 technical and other achievements for the 2002-03 season, and are a precursor to the main Emmy event later this month. Gene Wilder won an Emmy for his guest role on Will & Grace as Will's boss, Mr. Stein, Tony Askins won an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematogrpahy for a Multi-Camera Series for the episode "Sex, Losers and Videotape," and Glenda Rovello and Melinda Ritz won an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series for the episode "24." The rest of the Emmys will be awarded in a ceremony on September 21st which will air live on FOX.
9.3.03 - Mira Sorvino will guest star in the October 2nd episode of Will & Grace this fall. For more information on her role, see the previews page.
8.28.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace,' 'Malcolm' Pairs to Present Emmys - Comedy connects the multiple emcees of this year's Emmy Awards, and a theme is emerging among presenters as well: Everyone confirmed so far is part of a TV couple....
8.13.03 - This week's issue of TV Guide gives Jeers to curious casting news. While we've enjoyed jazzy crooner Harry Connick Jr.'s dramatic roles in the movie Hope Floats and the ABC movie special South Pacific, his comedy stint on Will & Grace last season had us laughing for the wrong reasons. Now comes news Connick may be getting his own sitcom on NBC. Who's next? Michael Bolton?
8.10.03 - Gregory Hines, who played Will's sometime boss Ben Doucette, died Saturday in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 57 years old.
8.1.03 - From J. Max Robins at TV Guide Online: After originally announcing The Stones would launch this fall, CBS did an unusual about-face by putting it on hold until mid-season. The decision is particularly perplexing given that the sitcom about two adult siblings living with their divorcing parents won a coveted spot on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm following The King of Queens. (In its place, CBS is bringing back the struggling Becker, starring Ted Danson.) Official word is that CBS feared The Stones would get lost among the new fall shows.
True to a point. But network sources say CBS brass started doubting the decision to green-light the series for fall soon after announcing its debut last May at the "upfront" presentation for advertisers. "[The Stones] came to CBS from the same team that created Will & Grace [David Kohan and Max Mutchnick] – and you want to be in business with those guys," says a network insider. "Plus [CBS] only had one other new comedy [Two and a Half Men, with Charlie Sheen] to show advertisers. But there were problems with the [Stones] pilot, and people at the network knew it wasn't ready for the fall."
7.30.03 - The supersized season premiere of Will & Grace will air on Thursday, September 25th, at 8:45pm ET.
7.28.03 - From TV Guide Online: NBC may give actor-crooner-Will & Grace star Harry Connick Jr. his own sitcom, Variety reports. Word is the show would not be a spinoff of his W&G character, which is good because that so wouldn't be funny.
7.17.03 - Will & Grace got 12 Emmy nominations this morning, including Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series ("24"), Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series, Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series ("Sex, Losers And Videotape"), Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series ("24"), Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series ("Marry Me a Little"), and Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series Or Special ("Bacon and Eggs"). Eric McCormack was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Debra Messing was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Sean Hayes was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Megan Mullally was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Gene Wilder was nominated as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. And Will & Grace was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. The Emmy Awards will be presented live on Fox from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, September 21st.
6.25.03 - From TV Guide Online: Will & Grace star Debra Messing has landed her first lead role in a feature film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress has been cast opposite Dermot Mulroney in the romantic comedy Something Borrowed. She'll play a young woman who hires a male escort (Mulroney) to make her ex-fiance jealous.
6.16.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Grace Face - Debra Messing is a breath of fresh spring air at the NBC fall press previews in New York. The strapless red and white Donna Karan sundress, hoop earrings and red sandals make great garden-party gear. But why not let that lovely wavy auburn hair hang loose over those pointy Mr. Spock ears? Add a nice chunky necklace to break up that pale expanse of bony clavicle, and not even Jack will be able to complain.
6.10.03 - I have learned from a Yahoo group that I subscribe to that Megan Mullally recently got engaged to Nick Offerman, an actor who once played a plumber on the show. Mullally says they haven't set a date yet, and they're hoping to have a cozy affair with fewer than 20 guests.
6.4.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace' Maid Cops Plea in Theft Case - Shelley Morrison of NBC's "Will & Grace" has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft charges and will serve probation. Morrison, 66, entered the plea Wednesday (June 4) in Los Angeles Superior Court. She was charged with shoplifting about $450 worth of jewelry from a Robinsons-May department store in the city on April 23. "Clearly, a mistake was made," Morrison's lawyer, Donald Etra, tells the AP. "Ms. Morrison fessed up to that mistake and now she wishes to move forward. I think Ms. Morrison has certainly learned from this experience. She will never find herself in this situation again...."
5.21.03 - On May 22, 2003 The Discovery Fund For Eye Research is launching its 3rd annual "Seeing the Stars," celebrity charity eyewear and memorabilia auction on eBay. The cast of Will & Grace have generously donated a signed cast script and presigned photo as for auction to benefit the Discovery Fund's medical research and patient education programs for Macular Degeneration, Keratoconus, Diabetic Retinopathy and Ocular Herpes.
5.14.03 - David Kohan and Max Mutchnik's new comedy, The Stones, has been picked up for the fall season by CBS and will air on Wednesdays at 9:30pm ET, following The King of Queens which has been moved from its Monday time slot.
5.13.03 - TV Guide Online "Caught in the Act" - Amazing Grace: Will & Grace star Debra Messing showed off her stunning style at the NBC Upfronts outside the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
5.12.03 - JEERS from TV Guide for too many visitors. NBC's Will & Grace isn't the only series using guest stars as sweep stunts, but it is the most egregious abuser (and, no, Madonna still can't act). Airing the recent clips episode of celebrity visitors only furthered the show's growing reputation as this decade's Love Boat.
5.12.03 - Not that it's any surprise, but NBC announced their fall line-up today, and Will & Grace will be keeping its Thursday, 9pm time slot for next season.
5.6.03 - From TV Guide Online: How's this for ironic: Will Truman is finally getting some action, and it's on the big screen! Will & Grace star Eric McCormack has signed on to write, direct and star in the Disney romantic comedy What You Wish For. "It's about a normal married Midwestern couple whose marriage is turned upside down because of a celebrity sex fantasy," McCormack tells Variety. "The idea is, no matter how happy a person is with his partner, there's that one hot actress or athlete you'd allow them to sleep with, knowing it would never happen. Here, it happens."
4.30.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace's' Morrison Claims Innocence - Shelley Morrison of "Will & Grace" says she's innocent of shoplifting and will fight charges that she stole from a Los Angeles department store. The Los Angeles district attorney, meanwhile, has decided not to file felony charges against the actress, who was arrested Wednesday, April 23. Morrison, 66, was booked on suspicion of grand theft, a felony, but the DA's office decided the case wasn't serious enough to warrant the more serious charges.....
4.30.03 - From TV Guide Online: Will & Grace's wiseacre maid Shelley Morrison was charged with misdemeanor theft Tuesday in connection with her shoplifting arrest last week. The 66-year-old -- who faces a maximum penalty of a year in the county jail -- allegedly stole $446 worth of costume jewelry from a Robinsons-May department store in Los Angeles. Prosecutors declined to file a more serious felony charge due to Morrison's clean record and a rumored promise from Megan Mullally that she'll flash 'em her rack.
4.28.03 - From Entertainment Weekly: Will & Gays
4.28.03 - Zap2It.com: GLAAD Salutes 'Will,' 'Six Feet Under' - At the 14th Annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards, the big television prizes went to HBO's "Six Feet Under" and NBC's "Will & Grace," while that show's star, Eric McCormack received a special award.
"Will & Grace" won the award for outstand comedy series, beating only HBO's "Sex and the City" for the honor. In a tougher category, "Six Feet Under" topped "Once and Again," "Queer as Folk," "The Shield" and "The Wire" for outstanding drama series. "Six Feet" creator Alan Ball was on hand to accept his award, while supervising producer Gary Janetti accepted for "Will & Grace."
HBO's "The Laramie Project" won for outstanding television movie.
McCormack received GLAAD's Vanguard Award, honoring a member of the entertainment community who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It was presented to him by his co-star Sean Hayes.
"It was GLAAD that during the shooting of the pilot sent a telegram saying, 'We're behind you all the way,'" McCormack said. "It was this atmosphere of support over skepticism, of enthusiasm over elitism, that not only encouraged me to do my best work as an actor but inspired me to give back to this community any way that I could."
The GLAAD Media Awards were held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
4.28.03 - Sean Hayes's speech leading up to his presentation of Eric McCormack's special award at the recent GLAAD Media Awards: "I feel good here," Hayes said. "I feel comfortable. I look around and I see kind, accepting faces -- granted most of those faces don't move above the eyebrows, but they seem to have kind and accepting potential. I've had three martinis with the new low-carb vodka, I'm feeling the love, and I think I need to do something, I think it's time to share something about myself, something that I've needed to share with you for a while now but wasn't quite prepared to do so in the past. I needed time, I needed to feel safe, I needed it to come from me and no one else. I have to confess, I'm a little nervous about it, but I can't imagine a better place to say this. So, ladies and gentleman, members of the media, colleagues and friends: I'm being selfish again! I'm being selfish again! Tonight is about Eric McCormack and _his_ heterosexuality. I apologize."
4.28.03 - From TV Guide: JEERS to popping out too late. NBC's attempt to invigorate a Will & Grace rerun with little blurbs — á la VH1's Pop-Up Video — was annoying. The graphics weren't very funny, and the device seems more than a little tired now. We'll take our Will & Grace straight.
4.26.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace' Co-Star Accused of Shoplifting - Shelley Morrison of NBC's "Will & Grace" was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at a Los Angeles department store this week. Morrison, 66, faces a charge of grand theft after being arrested Wednesday afternoon (April 23) at a Robinsons-May department store on L.A.'s Westside, the AP reports. Details of the arrest weren't released, but the grand theft charge indicates Morrison is suspected of taking at least $400 worth of merchandise. She was booked under the name Rachel Dominguez -- Morrison is married to author Walter Dominguez -- at the Van Nuys jail and later freed on $20,000 bail. Her arraignment is set for May 14.
4.25.03 - Matt Roush from TV Guide: On the first Thursday of the May sweeps, Survivor was certainly more satisfying than the night's most heavily promoted stunt: Madonna's strangely bland (when it wasn't clumsily vulgar) guest appearance on Will & Grace, in a poorly conceived and unfocused role as Karen's bossy new roomie, Liz.
Affecting a Valley Girl simper at the oddest moments, Madonna was continually upstaged by the irrepressible clowning of Megan Mullally, who got the best self-referential joke: "You must never know if people are really liking you just for you or the '80s hits." (Jack's joke about gays being drawn to her was overexposed in NBC promos.)
I suppose the episode's high point was meant to be a scene at a dance bar, in which Liz and Karen grind against each other on the dance floor before ripping clothes and pulling hair in a catfight. Sorry, but to see that sort of thing done well, I recommend old Dynasty repeats on SoapNet.
4.16.03 - From TV Guide Online: The four stars of Will & Grace are finalizing a new deal that will keep them cracking gay jokes on the NBC comedy through the 2004-05 season, the sitcom's seventh. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes are due for hefty salary increases under the new pact. As for Rosario, the network has agreed to cover her transportation expenses.
4.16.03 - According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC has renewed Will & Grace for a 7th year, through the 2004-05 season.
4.7.03 - TV Guide Online: How Will & Grace Nabbed Madonna - Madonna's April 24 guest shot on NBC's Will & Grace caps a two-year pursuit on the part of the sitcom's coexecutive producer Tim Kaiser — a mission that involved some wishful thinking, a little behind-the-scenes diplomacy and, perhaps most importantly, a bribe no material girl could resist. "I sent a lot of flowers," Kaiser laughs. "Madonna loves English roses, so I began to send these fantastic arrangements."
4.2.03 - This fall, Bravo's signature series "Inside the Actors Studio," will delve into a new aspect of the performing arts when host James Lipton sits down with the cast and director of one of televisions most celebrated sitcoms, "Will & Grace," it was announced today by Jeff Gaspin, President, Bravo.
Now in its fifth season, "Will & Grace" continues to garner critical acclaim and is considered one of the best comedies on television. In 2000, the series won three Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress (Megan Mullally) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Sean Hayes). In November 2001, Eric McCormack received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2002 "Will & Grace" received more Emmy nominations than any other comedy series, leading the pack with 13 nominations.
The series also has been honored with a People's Choice Award as Favorite New Comedy Series, 14 Golden Globe nominations including Best Comedy Series, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, three GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding TV Comedy Series and a Founders Award from the Viewers for Quality Television.
On "Inside the Actors Studio," Debra Messing (Grace Adler), Eric McCormack (Will Truman), Megan Mullally (Karen Walker) and Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland) will share their experiences working as a comedic ensemble, as well as in film and theater. James Burrows, who has been the recipient of ten Emmy Awards and is the most nominated director in the history of television at the Director's Guild, will share his experiences working on many of television's best sitcoms, including "Will & Grace," "Frasier," "Wings," "Night Court," and "Cheers," which over 11 seasons is still the most nominated series in the Television Academy's history. Also expected to participate are Creators/Executive Producers David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.
This special episode of "Inside the Actors Studio" will premiere this fall on Bravo.
3.30.03 - KIIS FM 102.7 (Los Angeles, CA) reported that Justin Timberlake will make a guest appearance on Will & Grace this season. Reports also claim that the singer/actor will be paid $50,000 for his guest appearance, but he will be donating all that money to an HIV/AIDS charity organization. This guest appearance has been refuted by people who claim that Timberlake himself later called the radio station to say that the whole thing was untrue, so take this with a grain of salt.
3.16.03 - Entertainment Weekly reports that Shelley Morrison (Rosario) will appear opposite Emilio Estevez in a new take on 1971's younger man/older woman classic, Harold and Maude. "The producers wanted J. Lo in my part," Morrison quips, "but Emilio refused, God bless him."
3.14.03 - Macaulay Culkin will guest star on an upcoming episode of Will & Grace. He'll play Karen's divorce lawyer.
3.11.03 - Zap2It.com: Mullally Latest Letterman Guest Host - Fresh off her Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Comedy, "Will & Grace" star Megan Mullally will be the latest star to take over the interview desk at "The Late Show" while regular host David Letterman continues to recover from shingles. Mullally will host the show on Friday night (March 14)....
1.28.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Sopranos,' 'West Wing' Lead SAG Nominations - "The West Wing" and "The Sopranos" lead the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, announced Tuesday (Jan. 28) morning by actors Michael Clarke Duncan and Megan Mullally. Despite their black attire, Duncan and Mullally kept upbeat as they sailed through the announcement -- barely taking time to pause when Mullally's name came up as one of the contenders for best female actor in a comedy series. Shortly after the announcement, the actress revealed that she was surprised. "They kind of kept it from me," she says, adding that on the podium she was "concentrating on not screwing up the announcement." Duncan, however, got to see the full list Monday, giving him time to practice on pronouncing the names correctly....
1.31.01 - From the February 3rd issue of TV Guide: Gregory Hines has lately been strutting his comedic skills on NBC's Will & Grace, but at heart, he's a song-and-dance showman with an edge–a talent on ferocious display in Bojangles (Showtime, February 4), a warts-and-all depiction of tap legend Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. A proud vaudevillian who defied blackface conventions, Robinson ironically earned his greatest fame playing the "happy darky" in Shirley Temple musicals. Hines, with great bravado, captures the contradictions of the charistmatic cad, reckless gambler and womanizer. Bojangles might have had feet of clay but, man, could they tap! Don't miss the final credits, when Hines re-creates a classic Bojangles routine alongside footage of the real Robinson. It's thrilling. -Matt Roush