Source : Metro

Ricardo Antonio Chavira, who plays Carlos Solis on Desperate Housewives, says he has fun with his nasty, macho-man character.

Ricardo Antonio Chavira says he prefers staying in his own little bubble and out of the rumoured "I'm better than thou" talk said to have coloured the set of Desperate Housewives.

Chavira plays Carlos Solis, the husband of Eva Longoria's character Gabrielle Solis, on the hit ABC comedy-drama, which just began its second season.

"They're all very nice, they're all very good people, and we have a great cast and crew," Chavira says of his work environment. "You just feel fortunate to be on a show … to be working. So there was no attitude … although I'm sure there's a little bit about that now between a few people on the show, but I try not to pay attention to it."

Chavira says working with the ladies of Wisteria Lane — Longoria, Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Nicollette Sheridan — has been a great experience so far, but he adds it's just a job he does and goes to every day like any other regular Joe.

It's not a nine-to-five kind of job, but it's an enjoyable one that allows Chavira to be creative and have fun with his nasty, macho-man character. So what was it about the script and the role of Carlos Solis that piqued his interest?

"Just the fact that it was an opportunity to audition for a job," he says with a laugh. "A friend of mine who went and auditioned for the same character said I was perfect for the part and handed me the script ... and it was one of the scenes where I'm being a real jerk to Gabrielle and I was like, 'Oh, so I'm an jerk? Thank you.'"

Having grown up around those kinds of men — the typical macho guy's guy, Chavira explains it was easy to tap into his character's personality and "obviously they liked my audition, because they hired me three days later."

Chavira says people love to swallow up nighttime soaps like Desperate Housewives because it's an escape from their own realities.

"So if at the end of the show, they can laugh and say, 'Thank God I don't have to deal with that crap,' it may spur some sort of conversation about your own relationship," he says. "People are looking for anything to distract them from their own problems, and as my father says, it's so much better to watch someone else's show than your own."

Source : USA Today

The Applewhites aren't the only baddies on Desperate Housewives (ABC, Sunday, 9 p.m. ET/PT). Others on Wisteria Lane have dark sides. And Lynette, having escaped daylong domesticity, finds something wicked at work. USA TODAY takes a look at the other villains.

Edie Britt and Karl Mayer

With new new pink house, "Edie has a bird's-eye view of Wisteria Lane, right at the end of the cul-de-sac," says Nicollette Sheridan, calling from the set. Tensions rise when Sheridan's Edie takes up with Susan's ex-husband, Karl (Richard Burgi). "Obviously Edie is the last person Susan would want her ex-husband to date," says Sheridan. "But unbeknownst to Susan, they've been dating for quite a few months."

Burgi, now a series regular, adds that Susan "will have to breathe a little deeper to access those layers of patience, understanding and forgiveness."

Paul Young

Despite killing Mrs. Huber, framing Mike for the murder, kidnapping Zach so many years ago and burying the body of the boy's biological mother underneath the family pool, Paul (Mark Moses) manages to move back into the neighborhood.

"They have no proof," series creator Marc Cherry says of the spooked-out residents of Wisteria Lane.

Sitting in the Van De Kamp house set during a break between scenes, Moses is once again dressed in his character's well-pressed, nerdish clothes. He says, "When Paul comes back, it stirs up the pot."

As for Paul seemingly getting off scot-free, the actor teases: "There's so much that goes on on Wisteria Lane that I'm sure Paul Young will do his research on the others before he heads home."

Nina Fletcher

Once she kisses the kids goodbye, trouble waits for Lynette (Felicity Huffman) every day at the Parcher & Murphy ad agency in the form of new cast member Joely Fisher.

"I'm so nasty to her," says Fisher of her character, Nina Fletcher, who was introduced last week. Pregnant in real life with her second child, due Feb. 1, Fisher says Nina is anything but maternal. "Lynette suddenly has to come up against this tiger lady who never stops reminding Lynette that she's childless by choice. Even though Nina is not a housewife, she is desperate in her own way."

To make her own life easier, Lynette will attempt to "chill Nina out with massages and aromatherapy," Huffman says. "But finally, she figures that what Nina really needs is (sex)."

Source : USA Today

Something wicked is happening behind the doors of 4351 Wisteria Lane. The colonial home on the Universal Studios back lot is now occupied by the newest of TV's Desperate Housewives: Betty Applewhite and her handsome son, Matthew.

Oh, yeah — there's also that guy Betty has shackled in her basement.

Lunching on scrambled eggs at the Four Seasons Hotel, Alfre Woodard, who plays Betty, chooses her words delicately. "Betty never means harm," she says of her seemingly saccharine character, a former concert pianist turned neighborhood piano teacher. "Let's just say she has flaws. She had to make some really tough decisions quick and if the law ever catches up with her, she'll have to serve time. ... But they'll never catch her."

Apparently, Matthew (Mehcad Brooks) got himself into some trouble in the past. But all ABC series creator Marc Cherry will say about the mysterious Applewhites is that "they've got a secret. And it's pretty gothic. It's real and human and awful all at the same time."

During Cherry's appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show last fall, Winfrey suggested the need for some color on his mostly lily-white Wisteria Lane. But he had not originally intended for Betty to be played by a woman of color. Two white film stars had turned down the role over financial and time-commitment concerns.

But Cherry, a longtime fan of Woodard's work, says once he verified that Woodard was as easygoing as she was talented, he knew he'd found his Betty.

"I wish I could work with her more," says co-star Marcia Cross, whose uptight character, Bree Van De Kamp, might have to deal with her daughter growing closer to Matthew. "Alfre's soulful, powerful and smart. I love talking to her."

Woodward, 52, a four-time Emmy winner, had only appeared as a series regular on the hospital-set soap St.Elsewhere (1985-87), though new NBC drama Inconceivable was banking on her becoming a regular before she was lured to Housewives.

Before signing on, though, Woodard first had to familiarize herself with a show she'd never seen. The producers of Housewives sent her 15 episodes, and her family and friends divided up the tapes and watched them in different rooms of Woodard's house. When they gathered together to share story lines, all were instantly hooked.

She purposely avoided reading the Housewives exposé in May's Vanity Fair so that she would enter with a fresh perspective. Besides, she says, "where am I going to work where I'm not going to be around people who don't have emotions? I would be out of work for the rest of my life if I was going to only go where people treated each other with kid gloves. You can't create anything without conflict."

The role of sadist is one Woodard assumes with glee. She covers her mouth to stifle the laughs as she confesses to a reign of terror that began as the youngest of her family's three children in Tulsa. As a 5-year-old, she once smoked a cigarette her brother found in the dirt. During a game of Cowboys and Indians, she tied up her sister — and threw lit matches near her feet. Twice, she feigned death after rough-housing with her siblings. "We got spanked every day," she recalls. "Our parents spanked us. The neighbors spanked us. If they were spanking one of us, they'd tell the other, 'C'mon, let me get you now because I know I'm going to have to spank you before the day is over.' "

Her penchant for exploring the dark side of human nature served her well in the 1997 TV movie Miss Evers' Boys. She played a 1930s nurse who knowingly allows her black, male patients to be denied medication as part of a long-running government syphilis experiment. It was a complex role, and she won an Emmy for it. "I love to play the bad ones," she coos. "It's so fun."

Woodard has two films coming up — a ballroom dancing drama with Antonio Banderas called Take the Lead (no release date yet) and a "fabulous interracial falling-in-love story" coming out in February titled Something New, in which she plays a disapproving mother.

Woodard's own interracial love story (she's been married to producer/teacher/activist Roderick Spencer for 22 years) defies the odds of any Hollywood marriage. "Our families have always been very supportive," she says. "We were both taught 'you pick your friends on how they treat you — not by what they have or what they look like.' We get twice the cultures."

They have two children, daughter Mavis, 14, and son Duncan, 11. Hearing her children, both of mixed race, referred to as "adopted" catches the proud mother off guard. "Yes, I did adopt my children, but I'm so grateful that we did all find each other through adoption," she says. "If I had tried to carry a baby, I never would have got to my real children — the ones I was meant to parent."

Source : ExtraTV

The rumors never seem to end when it comes to celebrities, and today we're going cross country to set the latest gossip straight. So from New York to Los Angeles, Dallas to Wisteria Lane, here's your latest edition of Rumor Control!

They've got one of TV's top shows, and now the "Desperate Housewives" may have a new friend. Is it true that Courteney Cox Arquette is moving in to Wisteria Lane as a guest star?

No -- Cox's people tell "Extra" that as juicy as the rumor is, it's not true.

Meanwhile, screen legend Shirley MacLaine has won an Oscar and had plenty of people kissing up to her, but did fellow Oscar winner Charlize Theron take that to a whole new level at this year's Premiere Women in Hollywood Awards dinner?

Yes -- "I'm going to kiss your a** too," Theron said to MacLaine while onstage. But actually, literally, so…--" Needless to say, Theron was true to her words.

And what did MacLaine think of the rear end recognition? "That's the best I've had all year."

The Premiere Women in Hollywood Awards air October 2nd, on AMC.

Over in the Big Apple, Denise Richards is in town to set straight a few things of her own. Are Denise and estranged husband Charlie Sheen trying to work things out?

Yes -- At least that's what it sounded like this morning on "Good Morning America." "All I can say is Charlie and I are focusing on our children," Richards said. "And if our marriage can be saved that would be such a blessing, and if for some reason we can't, we'll try and be the best parents we can be."

And finally, forget who shot JR, how about who is playing JR. With a big screen remake of "Dallas" in the works, are some of Hollywood's biggest stars battling over Larry Hagman's cowboy hat?

Yes -- "Extra" has learned that Mel Gibson, John Travolta and Kevin Costner are all looking to throw on a pair of boots.

Source : EOnline

Apparently, viewers have been desperate for Housewives.

ABC's steamy nighttime soap received a warm welcome back to the airwaves Sunday night, with a whopping 28.4 million viewers tuning in for the second-season premiere.

The giant numbers generated by Desperate Housewives and ABC's Wednesday-night winner, Lost (23.5 million), led the Alphabet net to its best first-week performance in five years.

The network racked up five out of the top 10 programs for the week, including Grey's Anatomy (19 million), Invasion (16.4 million) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (16.4 million).

Banking on the success of the second-season premiere of Lost, ABC bumped back the season premiere of The George Lopez Show and the series premiere of Freddie by one week in order to re-air the episode Wed., Sept. 28, in the 8 p.m. slot, followed by an all-new episode.

Helped by the much-watched season premiere of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (29 million), CBS held fast to its standing as the top network. Even so, the Eyeball's net's first-week ratings were down seven percent compared to last year, which is likely due in part to the demise of the long-running Everybody Loves Raymond.

Also hurting CBS was the fact that Survivor: Guatemala has proved less popular than seasons past. Even so, the reality series' Thursday night outing drew 17 million viewers, winning its time slot.

Once the gold standard of Thursday night television, NBC felt the sting of its diminished "Must-See TV" lineup, with Joey, The Apprentice and ER (14.4 million) all losing viewers.

However, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, the network saw its newest sitcom, My Name is Earl, debut with 15.3 million viewers, making it the strongest sitcom of the week.

For the week, CBS averaged 12.9 million viewers, ABC had 12.3 million, NBC 9.9 million, Fox 6.5 million, UPN 4.2 million, the WB 3.3 million, and Pax TV 560,000.

The top 10 shows for the week ended Sunday were as follows:

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 29 million
2. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 28.4 million
3. Lost, ABC, 23.5 million
4. Criminal Minds, CBS, 19.6 million
5. CSI: Miami, CBS, 19.2 million
6.Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 19 million
7. Survivor: Guatemala, CBS, 17 million
8. Law & Order: SVU, NBC, 16.8 million
9. Invasion ABC, 16.4 million
10. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC, 16.4 million

Source : Access Hollywood

"Desperate Housewives" featured a desperate widow Sunday night.

Bree (Marcia Cross) was coping with the sudden death of husband Rex as the reality of his passing set in.

But her usual ice-queen demeanor was put to the ultimate test with the arrival of her mother-in-law, Phyllis, a chronic buttinsky who clashed with Bree on every detail of the funeral arrangements - even pushing Bree to swap Rex's necktie as he lay in his coffin during the service.

"You look magnificent," Bree said, once she had removed Phyllis' garish orange choice from the body.

Brand-new housewife Betty (Alfre Woodard) and her teenage son Matthew got off to a properly mysterious start when Matthew sympathetically told Bree's daughter that he, too, had lost a father.

"Pretending your father's dead?" Betty asked Matthew after the girl had gone.

"I just thought that could help our cover story," he explained. "You know - win 'em over."

"In the future," she said, "leave the cleverness to me."

Lynette (Felicity Huffman), as expected, set out to resume her corporate career after years at home, leaving her husband to play Mr. Mom to their four kids. And as expected, he fell short in his new role, forcing her to take the baby to her job interview. She got the job anyway.

Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) was expecting a child - maybe her husband's, maybe the lawn boy's - as her husband Carlos sat in jail. But when Carlos demanded she take a paternity test, she apparently faked the results.

Those were among the developments when ABC's "Desperate Housewives" returned for its new season, four long months after last year's finale drew some 30 million viewers (the biggest audience for a freshman series finale since "ER" a decade ago).

The most urgent piece of unfinished business was the ambush faced by Mike -- the hunky plumber who dates Susan (Teri Hatcher) -- at the hands of unhinged teenager Zach, who was holding Susan at gunpoint while holed up in Mike's house. But as he pointed the gun at Mike, Susan knocked him down, and he ran out the door. Problem solved.

Later, Mike told Susan that he suspects Zach is the son he never knew he had. Upset by the news, Susan replied that she and her daughter couldn't move in with Mike after all.

The biggest question left over from last season -- exactly why Rex died so unexpectedly -- was left unaddressed. For this, viewers will have to stay tuned.

And they'll have to keep watching to make sense of the opener's final scene. In what appeared to be a nightly ritual for Matthew, he had prepared a dinner tray for someone.

"I'll get the tray," said Betty to her son. "You take the gun."

Down in the basement, they leave the silver tray and the meal (complete with bud vase), and make their departure. A hand - someone held captive? - is seen reaching for the glass as they close the basement door.

Could there be any doubt: "Desperate Housewives" is back!

Source : Entertainment Weekly

Leave it to the cheeky writing staff of Desperate Housewives: After making us wait an interminable 126 days for a new episode, they further delay our gratification with a particularly sleepy opening 20 minutes in the second-season premiere.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Just as Bree politely waited till 9 a.m. to inform her friends of Rex's death and drop off a welcome basket to her new neighbor — yes, it appears Mr. Van De Kamp really has left this mortal coil, quashing any long-shot hopes that he faked his own demise — the show's writers were slow and calculating when it came to delivering their own heaping basket of fresh-baked treats.

Seriously, with Lynette rescuing her imperiled infant midway through a job interview, Wisteria Lane's newest resident apparently holding someone captive (albeit well fed) in her basement, and Edie Britt sporting perhaps the best hat in TV-funeral history — all during the episode's last half — it's a wonder that creator Marc Cherry and company had any room for a scene so obscenely perfect it'll have fans recalling it not only for the rest of the season but probably for the rest of their natural lives.

And no, I'm not exaggerating, as anyone who witnessed Bree changing her dead husband's necktie in front of a church full of mortified mourners can attest. In this case, the she-devil was in the details — and the pitch-perfect performance of the incomparable Marcia Cross. The hilarity and the credibility of Bree's wordless transformation from heartbroken widow to borderline psychopath could've easily been derailed if, say, Rex's prep-school tie hadn't been quite so orange, or so hideously adorned with that blasted crest. Or if the episode's director hadn't allowed the camera to linger on Bree as she propped her late husband's torso upward as casually as one might, say, fold an airplane seat table. Or if Cross's body language and facial expression hadn't been so marvelously hungry as Bree scanned the throat of every man in the church for the perfect pinch-hitting accessory.

Cross' scenes with Shirley Knight (as Rex's mom), and Dakin Matthews (as their clergyman) crackled, too, especially Bree's wrathful comment to the latter: ''I will go nondenominational so fast it'll make your head spin.''

But before I get all Marcia, Marcia, Marcia on you — and yes, I do sort of think Cross wuz robbed of her Emmy last weekend — the formerly underrated Felicity Huffman and new neighbor Alfre Woodard also had some statuette-worthy moments this week.

In light of the way she schemed and manipulated at her husband's office last year, it was an eye-opener watching Lynette try to get back in the workplace after seven years — and returning not as the warrior I expected but instead as a woman so (for lack of a better word) desperate to get steady work outside the home that she would sacrifice her considerable pride, and possibly the happiness of her family, to get it.

I'm not sure if Joely Fisher is steely enough an actress to go Manolo-a-Manolo with Huffman every week, but it did break my heart a little to see Lynette promising away her nights, weekends, and holidays in an effort to convince her boss she'd be the emotionally detached woman for the job. Here's hoping this is one story line that gets dragged out slowly, allowing Huffman to bring to life the unique working-mother problem of packing up your maternal instincts before arriving at the office but making sure to take 'em out of your briefcase before you return home at night. Watching her change a diaper and brilliantly critique the ad agency's lackluster website was pure poetry, punctuated by that wet Pamper splatting against the glass wall.

Speaking of multitasking, what's with our concert pianist and home-confinement specialist, Betty Applewhite? Folks, please tell me I'm not the only person who was shocked to the gasping point to discover that Betty and her son (well at least she seems to act like he's her son) have a third resident in their new Wisteria Lane digs: a mystery prisoner down in the basement.

I know I shouldn't ever be caught off guard by Housewives, but there's something so inherently warm and maternal in Woodard's performance, such apple-pie wholesomeness, that it makes her touches of menace all the more chilling, and puts this season's macabre mystery at least on par with Mary Alice's season-1 suicide.

Now if only the writers can unlock the mystery of Gabrielle and Susan's vaguely repetitive story arcs, any thoughts of a Housewives sophomore slump will be no more than a bad punch line. I know that it's imperative to keep up the dramatic tension between Wisteria Lane's most popular resident (yes, Teri Hatcher, we mean you) and its No. 1 hunk (yes, James Denton, we mean you), but seeing the duo tearfully separate again was the dramatic equivalent of reheating leftovers, even if I have to tip a hat to the single mother for putting her daughter's safety ahead of her own romantic needs.

And I've still got hope that Gabrielle's pregnancy will open up fresh comic possibilities — as long as the show's writers don't let motherhood tame this character's inherent wickedness. When Carlos noted he and his wife are ''not very nice people,'' Gabby scored the touché of the week with her observation, ''at least we're still rich.''

Of course, I could say the writing on Desperate Housewives isn't very nice either, but it's still very rich. And who'd have it any other way?

What did you think of the season premiere? Which of the housewives is on track to have the most interesting story? And which of the new faces — Woodard, Knight, or Fisher — deserves to extend her stay indefinitely on Wisteria Lane?

Source : ABC News

The new season of "Desperate Housewives" began Sunday night with a bang. Creator and executive producer Marc Cherry said after season one that he'd only begun to scratch the surface of Wisteria Lane or, as he calls it, "this dark little burg." If last night is any indication, he wasn't kidding.

Rex Van de Camp's funeral took place in last night's show. His wife, Bree, outraged at the prep school tie his mother put on his body, tried to switch the tie during the funeral.

Cherry said his staff did plenty of research to make sure when Bree pulled the body into the sitting position and changed the tie, it would look realistic.

"We actually did research on that. Rigor mortis sets in, but then it leaves," he said. "So by the time the funeral happened, she could have done that."

He added, "That was an idea that came out of the writer's room … We had introduced the character of Bree's mother-in-law and we were looking for some conflict and somebody came up with how Rex was dressed in the coffin and we went from there."

Bree might want to start focusing on things more important than neckties.

"Bree's own son is going to do something horrific to her soon," Cherry said. "We have something hideous planned."

Weddings and Babies

Someone on Wisteria Lane is getting married, but Cherry refused to say who or even give a hint as to which character might be hearing wedding bells.

"Yes, we have a wedding planned," he said. "I'm not going to tell who you who is getting married, but there's a surprise wedding on Wisteria Lane."

We will learn the identity of the father of Gabrielle Solis' baby "in a few episodes," Cherry said.

There's also a new family on Wisteria Lane hiding a big secret: the Applewhites. Last night we saw them bringing dinner down to the basement where it seemed that someone was being held prisoner. That the Applewhites are black was a casting choice, Cherry said, as opposed to being an attempt to integrate the neighborhood.

"I was looking for a great actress," he said. "I didn't care what the color of the actress was. We were talking about someone great on the series and someone said Alfre [Woodard]. I love her. I said if she's available, I would love to have her on Wisteria Lane."

"I already feel the neighborhood is integrated because the Solises [who are Hispanic] live there," he added.

Source : New York Daily News

When "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry came calling, looking to add Alfre Woodard to his collection of Wisteria Lane women, the actress confessed that she hadn't seen the show.

No worries.

Woodard knows from desperate housewives, or at least the occasional desperation of motherhood.

"Just because I really am a housewife and a mom, I don't get to watch television," said Woodard, who, like fellow "Wives" cast member Felicity Huffman, has two children.

"Literally, you know," she added. "When your children are in school, and then they do all that stuff at the end of school, and you get home with them at 6:30, they've got homework, you feed them, you do their homework with them, then you have one hour to yourself from 10:30 to 11:30, you go to sleep after that, you've got to get up for work in the morning."

"I don't get to watch anything ... so I got told [about "Desperate Housewives"] by all my relatives, my nieces and nephews who're between 25 and 40. ... They all swear by it, and they watch it with friends every week. So I knew it had a grip on people that I thought were smart and interesting and funny, so that made me curious when Marc called," Woodard said.

"He gave me tons of DVDs, so I fast-forwarded and I caught up and I called him back and said, 'Okay, I'm game.'"

Woodard, a four-time Emmy winner, will also appear for a few episodes of NBC's Friday-night series "Inconceivable."

"I go to the place where I won't be bored," she said. "I just try to keep myself interested."

Some may read cultural significance into an African-American family moving on to America's most famous suburban street, but Woodard's not going there.

Asked if Betty, her character, would feel that she was moving into an all-white community, she said, "No more than I live in all-white Santa Monica. I mean, I live in a dominant culture."

After noting that the neighborhood already has a Latino family, she added, "Wisteria Lane is a parallel universe. I don't think people should look for politics in Wisteria Lane.

"I don't think on Wisteria Lane race is an issue for anybody. They haven't mentioned it. I think there's too much dysfunction to even get to race."

Source : ExtraTV

The return of our favorite "Desperate Housewives" is just days away, and the premiere has without a doubt become one of the most highly-anticipated TV events of the fall. "Extra" stopped by the set, where the ladies of Wisteria Lane helped us uncover some more plot secrets from behind the scenes.

Among the developments, a heartbroken Bree says goodbye to her late husband Rex and hello to her insufferable mother-in-law, played by Emmy-winner Shirley Knight.

Also, Gabrielle confesses her sins to her husband, Carlos, who is now in jail, Lynette leaves Tom at home with the kids to go play breadwinner, and Edie moves into her new home on Wisteria Lane.

Yes, there's certainly a lot going on for the lovely ladies of Wisteria Lane. And as you countdown to the big premiere, expect the answers to last season's cliffhangers to begin unfolding, including the big question: who will turn out being the father of Gabrielle's baby?

"We shot two different endings," Eva Longoria revealed. "One where it was his kid and one it wasn't his kid. I don't even know who the father is."

And talk about cliffhangers -- the last time we saw Susan she was staring down the barrel of a gun. "Something sort of significant happens to Susan at the end of the first episode," Hatcher promised.

And in addition to playing the loveable Susan Mayer, Hatcher is about to grace the cover of the prestigious magazine, LA Confidential. The mag devotes its latest issue to the "Desperate" diva, who strikes some seductive poses for the cover and a glamorous picture spread.

"I really loved this experience because it explored a little darker or artier side," Hatcher said.

And now, at the height of her fame, the modest star is remembering the friends who have stood by her throughout her career. "This will be over at some point, two years, five years, seven years," she said. "Sometime it will be over, and those friends will still be there for me and that's what's important."

Meanwhile, the countdown is on to season two of "Desperate Housewives." Tune in Sunday night on ABC.

Source : Metro

Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season

Touchstone Television DVD box set

**** (out of five)

It took just a few weeks for Desperate Housewives to reverse the ratings curse on ABC, and a year later, the domestic comedy/thriller has become a freestanding cultural shorthand, the same way that its predecessors — movies and TV shows such as Peyton Place, The Stepford Wives and Twin Peaks — evoked a world and a mood, even for those who've never seen an episode.

The premise is hardly groundbreaking: everyone assumes that prosperous, lily-white suburbs like Fairview are rotten with dark secrets, so when Mary Alice Young kills herself in the first five minutes of the pilot, we're ready to watch the lives of her quartet of friends collapse like a crumbling levee.

As imagined by creator Marc Cross, Susan, Lynette, Bree and Gabrielle are little more than types — the lonely divorcée, the harried mom, the clinically perfect housewife and the hottie. But they manage to evolve into something more, thanks to some decent writing, even better acting (Emmy winner Felicity Huffman as Lynette is a particular standout), and that indefinable factor, the vicarious identification of fans.

Calling the show a soap opera or a melodrama is neither original nor even particularly damning.

If there's something essentially wrong with extravagantly arch, overwrought drama, larded with abundant and outrageous plot twists, it's a criticism that recedes in the shadow of overwhelming and almost eternal popularity.

Desperate Housewives might be a little bit more knowing and ironic, but good melodrama has always presumed that its audience is in on the joke, and shares its creator's joy in complicating its characters' lives in ever more baroque ways.

The first season of Desperate Housewives is a beautiful example of an audience being in perfect sync with a show as it evolves its little universe and dangles its characters over increasingly steep precipices. It will remain a hit as long as the show's fans and its creators pace each other; the end, when it comes, will be when the first fan rolls their eyes and mutters "Like as if ... " The set comes with a generous menu of bonus features, including extended and deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks and more.

Source : Houston Chronicle

If Bree Van De Kamp was as fixated on DVDs as on tidy homes, she might size up Desperate Housewives' first-season set with a quietly horrified "That seems ... inappropriate. "

Unlike Lost's first-season DVDs, in which almost all extras are clustered on one disc, the sexy soap's bonuses are scattered across six discs like a messy teen's clothes strewn on the floor.

Why does this matter? Fans want the show to come clean with new dirt, especially extra scenes. DH on DVD has them, all right, but they're as elusive as Bree's inner wild woman.

Some arise separately as "deleted scenes," with one or two per disc. Others are stitched into "expanded episodes," with six such shows spread across the set. In short, it may take hours of viewing to see all the new scenes.

A few are worth the search, including one that uncannily anticipated Nicollette Sheridan's notorious bit as Edie on Monday Night Football, when she seduced the Eagles' Terrell Owens in a locker room while wearing only a towel.

Disc 2 has a similar deleted scene, created earlier and called "Guilty." In it, Edie in skimpy underwear flaunts herself before private eye Shaw (Richard Roundtree) in a motel room. Another new scene on the disc has Eva Longoria's Gabrielle comically flustered when Marcia Cross' Bree proves clueless about her teen lover.

Most deleted scenes run a minute or two and can be viewed with or without creator Marc Cherry's commentary. Expanded episodes gain two or three minutes.

Featurettes are scattered, too, from an "Around the World" tour of DH's global popularity (Disc 1) to "Dressing Wisteria Lane" with costumes and sets (Disc 3) to five minutes of fun bloopers, as props fall and lines are blown (Disc 6). As Teri Hatcher's Susan says to James Denton's Mike, "Give my breasts a brandy." Oops.

Also a kick is "Bree's Dinner Party" on Disc 2. In a replayed scene of dinner-table confessions, the dubbed characters zip from Castilian to Italian to French to Spanish to German, via clips from international telecasts.

We've found one hidden "easter egg" so far — and for fans of Jesse Metcalfe's John, it's a doozy. On Disc 4, go to the Bonus Features menu and highlight Deleted Scenes, then click up once, then press enter.

That reveals a one-minute sequence assessing Metcalfe's "butt scene," when he trims Gaby's hedges while wearing just a shirt. It was shot to show three levels of "reveal." Naturally, the one used by ABC showed the least. "Censors are crazy, sad, tortured people," Cherry moans.

He and his stars also do audio commentaries, while regurgitated TV features include The View's Meredith Viera visiting the set and Oprah Winfrey playing a new neighbor in an amusing eight-minute fiction. DVD menus also give colorful spins to DH's artful opening credits.

But with all that, there's hardly a hint of what's to come in season two, premiering Sept. 25 on Channel 13. As Bree might say, that would be "inappropriate."

Source : New York Daily News

It's a lot of pressure, being one of the "Desperate Housewives." Or at least their stylists, come Emmy time.

Just like their "Sex and the City" counterparts, the actresses from the hit show are burdened with buzz: They're sexy! They're sultry! And they may not get along!

Luckily, the "Sex in the Suburbs" girls lived up to the hype, eschewing Wisteria Lane's mom jeans for pitch-perfect, blinged-out gowns.

It was a colorful showing: Marcia Cross knows the most rockin' hue for a redhead: deep, dark green, in a strapless gown by Elie Saab. She's so red-carpet-ready, it's hard to believe she spent so many years away from it. Teri Hatcher, who also emerged from relative obscurity, looked like an awards-show veteran in glamour-master J. Mendel's midnight-blue strapless with gold embroidery.

Eva Longoria chose curve-hugging, coral Angel Sanchez with a beaded neckline, while Felicity Huffman picked pink by Kevan Hall with sparklers at the shoulder-tip straps and drop waist.

Naughty girl Nicollette Sheridan picked the sweetest style — a pale-pink strapless gown, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. And Brenda Strong, the one actress we hear — but never see — made her presence known in sapphire-blue silk.

The Emmys may be a mini-Oscars, but other small-screen starlets gave those ­movie chicks a run for their ­money. And mommyhood has never been so chic: Jennifer Garner walked solo, sort of, her black strapless gown accented with a brooch — and a giant bump, thanks to her too-hard-to-conceal pregnancy. New mom Heidi Klum left home only six days after giving birth and pulled on pastel-printed chiffon by Christian Dior, with a tummy-concealing empire waist. Supermodels have such a tough time bouncing back.

Less-recent mom Debra Messing picked Elie Saab, too, a chocolate floor-length stunner.

It was a rainbow of a runway, to be sure, but Sandra Oh bucked the bright trend with a taupe corset dress, as did young starlet ­Mischa Barton, in a nude gown that'll help establish her spot as a red-carpet heavyweight.

Source : The Sun Online

DESPERATE Housewives star Felicity Huffman sobbed when she sensationally beat rival castmate Teri Hatcher to scoop an Emmy Award.

Blonde Felicity, 42, who plays hassled mum Lynette Scarvo in the hit Channel 4 drama, won the gong for best comedy actress at America's telly Oscars.

She fought off competition from co-stars Teri - the hot favourite to win - and Marcia Cross. Stunning Eva Longoria and Nicolette Sheridan were not nominated.

The cast has been dogged by rumours of bitchy rivalry and Teri gave a forced smile as Felicity went up on stage at LA's Shrine Auditorium.

TV insiders say Felicity has increasingly felt left out as Eva has hit the headlines for being the sexiest housewife, while Teri is the undisputed star of the show.

Emotional Felicity had mascara running down her cheeks as she paid tribute to her co-stars: "Marcia, Eva, Teri, Nicolette, I love you."

Backstage, Felicity said: "Last year Teri took all the awards, it feels great to win this."

After the awards bash she was seen celebrating with her hubby while the rest of the cast stayed just for a few minutes before leaving.

A telly source said: "This was a definite turn-up for the books. Teri has been picking up all the attention and the awards and no-one expected Felicity to win. Even Felicity didn't expect it.

"But it's one in the eye for Teri."

Desperate Housewives scooped another gong for British director Charles McDougall, who helmed the pilot show.

However, they were dealt a shock snub in the big award for Best Comedy which went to US sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond - which ended in May after a nine-year stint.

Source : New York Daily News

'Everybody Loves Raymond," a nine-year-old series about a Long Island sportswriter, beat down the women of Wisteria Lane at last night's "57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards."

Indeed, "Raymond" was shown lots of love — with Emmys — as it captured trophies for best comedy and for supporting actors Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts.

The wins came after "Raymond's" ninth and final season, and were notable because the show was up against the critically acclaimed "Desperate Housewives" for best comedy.

ABC's "Lost," meanwhile, was crowned best drama series.

"Housewives," which centers on a group of women in various stages of marriage, ­divorce and single life, went into the night tied with NBC's "Will & Grace" as the most-nominated series. "Housewives," however, went home with just two: for best directing of a comedy and best comedy actress for Felicity Huffman, who plays frazzled mom Lynette Scavo.

"I've turned into one of those actresses," Huffman said, as she nervously rushed through her acceptance speech.

Emmys or not, the popularity of "Desperate Housewives" was a running theme throughout the show.

At one point, host Ellen DeGeneres joked with Eva Longoria, the only lead actress on "Housewives" not nominated, asking if she was going to any after-parties.

"Wait! Wait! There are after-parties?" Longoria joked back.

Still, it was "Raymond's" night. Garrett's win was his third as the brother of series star Ray Romano's Ray Barone. And it was Roberts' fourth for her part as Barone's mother.

The Emmys were handed out during a ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and telecast live on CBS.

It was an event noted for a stunning appearance by Donald Trump in overalls singing the theme song to "Green Acres," and for actors wearing magnolias to show support for the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast region.

There were certainly a lot of familiar faces among the winners last night, too.

William Shatner earned the supporting actor-in-a-drama trophy for his role as forgetful lawyer Denny Crane on "Boston Legal." Shatner won last year for the same character on "The Practice," the show from which "Boston Legal" was spun off. Shatner's co-star James Spader won the best-actor-in-a-drama Emmy for his work as Alan Shore on "Boston Legal." It was also his second consecutive win, the first coming for "The Practice."

"Medium" star Patricia Arquette earned the best-actress-in-a-drama award. Tony Shalhoub earned his second best-actor-in-a-comedy Emmy as the obsessive/compulsive detective at the center of USA Network's "Monk."

"There's always next year," Shalhoub joked to his fellow nominees, "except, you know, for Ray Romano."

HBO's film "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" won Emmys for writing, directing and best actor in a movie or miniseries for Geoffrey Rush, who played Sellers.

Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" won two early awards for writing and as the best comedy-variety show. CBS' critically acclaimed "Amazing Race" won the best reality-competition trophy.

And the winners are

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

"Lost"

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

"Everybody Loves Raymond"

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

James Spader, "Boston Legal"

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

SERIES

Patricia Arquette, "Medium"

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

William Shatner, "Boston Legal"

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Blythe Danner, "Huff"

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Brad Garrett, "Everybody Loves Raymond"

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond"

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Geoffrey Rush, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

S. Epatha Merkerson,

"Lackawanna Blues"

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Paul Newman, "Empire Falls"

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Jane Alexander,

"Warm Springs"

OUTSTANDING MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE

"Warm Springs"

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES

"The Lost Prince"

Source : Boston Herald

Desperate no more.

That's how you'll feel after a spell with the long-awaited ``Desperate Housewives'' boxed set, hitting shelves just days before the series' second season premiere.

The six-disc set features several extras that will enhance your visits to Wisteria Lane.

Creator Marc Cherry shares insights into his favorite episodes in several commentaries, including the tidbit that Nicolette Sheridan's appearance in the pilot was a one-shot deal. Sheridan demonstrated so much chemistry with co-star Teri Hatcher that she vamped herself into a full-time job. Also listen to his comments regarding Richard Burgi, who plays Hatcher's ex-husband, and you'll understand why the actor has been upgraded to series regular.

``Desperate's'' five stars pick their favorite scenes - and their choices may surprise you - but some full-fledged commentaries from the ladies would have been welcome. The gag reel, a brief five minutes, shows the women cracking each other up. The set does not include the original pilot, which included three different actors in supporting roles.

In a segment originally aired on ``Oprah,'' the queen of daytime becomes the newest resident on the block, complete with husband and a secret of her own. It's a scream.

One telling featurette shows ``Desperate's'' worldwide appeal. Licensed in 150 countries, the show is an international sensation. It's not a cash cow, it's the entire herd. Whatever these women are paid, it's not enough. But then, housework has never been valued enough in this country.

Source : Zap2It

The casts of two of TV's more popular series -- one an Emmy mainstay, the other a breakout new hit -- will present awards at the 57th annual Primetime Emmys.

The ensembles from "Everybody Loves Raymond," which ended its nine-year run on CBS in May, and ABC's "Desperate Housewives," the biggest new show of 2004-05, will each take the stage Sunday (Sept. 18) to hand out awards. The animated cast of FOX's "Family Guy" will also make a "special appearance" on the show.

"Housewives" and "Raymond" are among the leading nominees at this year's Emmys, collecting 15 and 13 nods, respectively. Both shows are up for outstanding comedy series, and their stars represent four of the five nominees for lead actress in a comedy ("Raymond's" Patricia Heaton and "Housewives" stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman; "Malcolm in the Middle's" Jane Kaczmarek is the fifth).

The rest of the core "Raymond" cast -- Ray Romano, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle and Brad Garrett -- all earned nominations as well. Of the group, only Boyle has yet to win an Emmy for his work on the show.

"Family Guy," which returned to FOX this year after being cancelled in 2003, was nominated for outstanding animated program. It lost out to "South Park" at Sunday's (Sept. 11) Creative Arts Emmys.

Source : Access Hollywood

The bathing suit Eva Longoria wore at the MTV Video Music Awards last month is up for sale.

Longoria told "Live With Regis and Kelly" that she'll auction off the suit to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. She didn't give any further details yet on where fans can bid.

The sexy "Desperate" diva did reveal a little big of what'll be happening to her character, Gabrielle, when "Desperate Housewives" returns for a second season.

Carlos will be in jail and still angry about her affair with the gardener. He demands a paternity test to see whose baby Gabrille is carrying, Eva dished.

The second season starts September 25th on ABC.

Source : News.com.au

SHE'S the most desperate of the Desperate Housewives.

And just in case we didn't know that already, Nicollette Sheridan is preparing a slow-mo Baywatch -style bouncing jog along Bondi beach.

At least, topping her list of Aussie adventures is getting in some exercise while in Sydney and she has requested from her minders some time to jog the scenic Bondi to Bronte route.

So lads, it's time to head east as Sheridan's visit Down Under is fast approaching - the sexiest car washer on television due to touch down in the first week of October.

After cancelling a planned diving trip to the Whitsundays, Sheridan will now have five days to fill while in Sydney and the word Bondi keeps popping up in the itinerary planning, organisers tell Confidential.

While here to spruik Hestia underwear, including shooting a saucy TV commercial for the label's Allure range, the temptress of Wisteria Lane will be on her best behaviour, bringing with her Swedish fiance Niklas Soderblom. "I'm looking forward to my return. I know I'll be filming a Hestia TV commercial in Sydney and making a quick trip to Melbourne, both of which I love."

Confidential doubts she'll find the time then to visit her former Aussie boyfriend Simon Maine.

Source : Hello Magazine

Two big stars were spotted enjoying Paris this week, making some seriously unique style statements in the process.

In her jeans and flip flops, Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria looked a long way from her sassy, stilettoed Wisteria Lane character. The petite TV star was ready for the French city's famed drizzle, however, clutching an umbrella and wearing an eye-catching Burberry hat as she stopped for a cup of tea at an open air café.

Sporting a decidedly more head-turning ensemble was singer Lenny Kravitz, who was wearing a trademark boho rock star outfit as he left the plush Ritz Hotel. If his huge superstar shades and patterned shirt weren't enough to guarantee attention, his oversized snakeskin satchel certainly did the trick.

Source : Zap2It

Hoping to lure some of the burgeoning Latino market to its wares, ABC says it will offer all of its prime-time entertainment programming in either dubbed or subtitled Spanish this season.

Four shows -- the returning hit dramas "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" and comedies "George Lopez" and "Freddie" -- will be dubbed into Spanish, as will some specials and showings of theatrical movies. The remainder of ABC's shows will be close-captioned in Spanish.

"We wanted to move beyond toe-dipping and really dive in," says Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment. "Almost half of the 41 million Hispanics in this country watch only or mostly Spanish-language television, and we want to bring that audience to ABC."

Part of "Freddie," a new comedy starring Freddie Prinze Jr., is already in Spanish. One of the show's running jokes is that Freddie's grandmother (Jenny Gago), although she understands English perfectly, only speaks Spanish (her lines are subtitled in English).

Spanish-language networks grabbing an increasingly large slice of the total TV audience. The Univision telenovela "La Madrastra" (The Stepmother), which had its finale Monday (Sept. 5), averaged better than 5 million viewers per night last week and helped propel Univision stations in New York and Los Angeles to the top of the ratings, regardless of language, in their markets.

ABC says it's currently casting the voice roles for the series it plans to dub.

Source : National Enquirer

As Desperate Housewives begins shooting its second season, producers are trying to rein in cast members' egos and put a stop to their outrageous demands by posting "Rules of the Neighborhood" sheets around the set.

Insiders from the hit ABC drama told The National Enquirer that show executives are trying to instill some "neighborly" conduct among the stars, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Nicollette Sheridan, and Teri Hatcher.

A set source confided: "Producers printed up a list of rules and tacked them on the doors of each of the stars' trailers and on the walls of the production offices at both Disney and Universal Studios, where the show is filmed.

"The list was written in a tongue-in-cheek manner but it was meant to be taken seriously. The producers want a neighborly, productive environment on the set."

The producers' warnings include "no gossiping on the set," "no backstabbing" and "no gum chewing on the set."

The source added: "Producers brought in a huge assortment of games for the cast members to play during the downtime, hoping to create a harmonious atmosphere. They also have an ice cream truck come to the set every day. The execs are bending over backward to make the actresses happy."

Producers are gearing up for the fall kick-off in September, when the Housewives will hit the talk show circuit to promote the show.

An insider revealed: "Studio execs are trying to head off a potential nightmare — they're expecting a lot of bickering over who will appear with whom on which shows, who will walk out first, who will wear what, etc.

"But the actresses argue the most over who gets the most screen time. They're incredibly jealous about who gets what lines, what scenes, which clothes — even about who gets to finish up and go home first."

Housewives creator-producer Marc Cherry has already had one battle with the divas over the show's new season. Sources say when rumor spread that Kelly Monaco, the super-sexy winner of Dancing With The Stars, would join the cast, the Housewives put their foot down. Said a show insider: "They all cornered Cherry and told him in no uncertain terms that the welcome wagon wouldn't be coming out for Kelly."

Cherry apparently relented, saying: "[Kelly] is probably a fine actress. I just don't have any plans to use her."

But he may still be holding out hope that Kelly will join the Housewives on Wisteria Lane, adding: "That doesn't mean I never, never will [use her]."

Source : Zap2It

Martha Stewart's syndicated talk show will open with the lifestyle guru playing host to a desperate housewife.

Marcia Cross, who plays the tightly wound would-be Stewart Bree Van De Kamp on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," will be the first guest on "Martha," which premieres in syndication Monday (Sept. 12). The first week of the daytime how-to/talk show will also feature a "poncho day" -- inspired by the garment Stewart wore on her release from prison earlier this year -- and a segment the show's producers are calling "(W)rapping with Diddy."

Stewart has promised that "Martha," which is executive produced by Mark Burnett (who also oversees her version of "The Apprentice" on NBC), won't be a standard daytime talk show -- there's no couch -- and that her guests will be put to work showing the audience their hobbies and off-day passions. There's no word, though, on what Cross will be doing in the premiere.

The Tuesday, Sept. 13 show will be "poncho day," with the audience made up entirely of people who made their own version's of Stewart's post-lockup apparel. Comedian David Spade, who played Stewart on a "Saturday Night Live" sketch following her release, will be on hand as well.

Sean "Diddy" Combs will visit the show Thursday, Sept. 15, and we're just going to let the press release speak for itself about his appearance, because otherwise you'd probably think we were making it up: "Combs joins Martha to teach her the fine art of 'rapping' while Stewart demonstrates her own special version of 'wrapping' both with food and packages."

Source : This is London

They're back - but this time without the offscreen catfights. This sneak preview of the Desperate Housewives in the second series of their hit show seems to suggest they have put old enmities behind them.

According to insiders, the photo session went off without a hitch - unlike the Vanity Fair shoot earlier this year, which descended into a bitter row over who got centre stage.

In the new picture, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Brenda Strong and Nicolette Sheridan loll glamorously on deckchairs on a pristine lawn alongside new cast member Alfre Woodard.

Feuds over who snatches the limelight were averted by placing three of the actresses in the middle - and Sheridan in minuscule hot pants.

News that each actress is to get a £150,000 per episode pay boost must have helped ease former tensions. This second series sees the housewives looking more stunning than ever - but their immaculate looks belie what is set to be a mysterious and gripping new plot line.

Producers have spiced things up with Woodard, who gets a permanent role as a new neighbour in the street.

Her character, Betty Applewhite, brings an added bonus to Wisteria Lane - her handsome teenage son, Matthew, played by Mehcad Brooks.

The ABC drama has been broadcast all over the world. With its steamy scenes and murderous twists it had viewers hooked in their millions.

The second series of the show is being filmed at California's Universal Studios.

It was temporarily held up earlier this month after Eva Longoria was injured on set.

She was left battling crippling headaches after she was knocked unconscious by a metal pole while shooting a scene.