Devious Ana Ortiz

As the substitute host of yesterday's Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius XM OutQ 109 (so that Frank could attend the funeral here in NYC of James Gandolfini), I had the pleasure of interviewing Ana Ortiz, one of the stars of Lifetime's new series Devious Maids.

If the description of Devious Maids sounds familiar -- five women come together and form a friendship after the murder of one of their own -- it's because it's from the creator of the long-running hit Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry.  In the interview below, Ana -- an incredibly funny, sexy lady whom I first met nearly a decade ago when she was acting in a sitcom pilot created by a mutual friend -- talks all about her new character, Marisol, and about her star-making role as Ugly Betty's fabulous, high-heeled sister Hilda.

And by the way, if you missed the premiere of Devious Maids this past Sunday, June 23, there are a few ways to catch up before episode 2 this Sunday.  This IMDB link will work for the next few days, so go ahead and enjoy the pilot for what looks like a fun, soapy new end-of-the-weekend treat.


Devious Maids
Lifetime
Sundays, 10 PM Eastern

CBS Goes Gayer

Last week, the gay media watchdog group GLAAD issued its annual report card, where it grades TV networks on their representation -- or lack thereof -- of LGBT characters. As in the past, in GLAAD's estimation, CBS flunked out.

This morning, at the very start of the two-week Television Critics of America press tour in Beverly Hills, CBS President Nina Tassler was asked to address the failing grade.

The network, she said first of all, did have a few gay characters in some of their pilots for this fall, but none of those got picked up. And so, she says, "We're adding a few characters to this season because we're very disappointed in our track record so far. We know, and we will do better."

There will be at least three new gay characters on CBS this fall, Tassler pointed out. We will meet Alicia Florrick's gay brother in season 2 of The Good Wife. On Rules of Engagement this fall, we'll meet the lesbian from Jeff's softball team who will become the surrogate mother for Audrey and him. And on S#*! My Dad Says, Tim Bagley's gay DMV worker -- in my estimation, the best part of that show's pilot -- has become a series regular.

Stay tuned for more news coming out of the TCA, including spoilers from Desperate Housewives' upcoming season 7!

Catching Up with... Desperate Housewives

As everybody knows by now, when Desperate Housewives returns for its fifth season this fall (Sunday, Sept. 28th at 9 PM ET), the show's storyline will have skipped ahead five years. Mischievous kids will have turned into full-on troubled teens, and yet our leading ladies will remain just as young and beautiful. Isn't it wonderful how TV works?

"I was originally going to do an eight-year jump," the show's creator and executive producer Marc Cherry revealed to us TV critics at our semi-annual convention in LA last month. "But then when someone explained to me how the actresses would react to the idea that they were eight years older, I thought, 'Maybe five. Maybe I could get away with five.'"

Cherry says he was inspired to bend time as he struggled for new ways to keep the Housewives' lives juicy yet still anchored in some kind of reality. "I felt that the soap had really started to build up, and so I wanted to pare down to where everyone's problems were small but very relatable." He did, however, want this decision to remain a surprise to us viewers until we tuned in in late September. But "it leaked like everybody's business," he told the TV critics in mock annoyance. "I made the mistake of telling one of my actors, and the next thing, I read it in the Times, going 'Dammit, Marcia!'"

In case you don't have Marcia Cross, aka the series' delicious Bree Van De Kamp, to keep you posted on the latest Housewives gossip, there are a few other ways to come up to speed on the show's first four seasons' worth of soap (where has the time gone?!) For one, ABC has created a "Starter Kit," which is a four-minute or so video summarizing the show (just like in the Eli Stone and Ugly Betty entries below.) Or, you can watch full episodes of the show on ABC.com. And if you're a DVD fan, you probably have seasons 1-3 of Desperate Housewives already. On September 2, you'll have the chance to add season 4 to your shelf.


Desperate Housewives (Season 5 premieres September 28 at 9 PM ET)


OR Click here for full episodes on ABC.com

OR

Desperate Housewives, The Complete Fourth Season (The Sizzling Secrets Edition)
Release Date: 9/2/08

And Now, a Word From...

Marc Cherry
Creator and executive producer, ABC’s Desperate Housewives

Last month, as ABC presented its fall programming to TV critics at their semi-annual California convention, I caught up with Desperate Housewives creator and executive producer Marc Cherry, and asked just how gay a neighborhood we can expect Wisteria Lane to become.



Must-Hear TV: Marc, what can we expect from the show in terms of gay characters this coming season?

Marc Cherry: We’ve got our two gay neighbors returning. And Bree’s son [Shawn Pyfrom] has now become a young executive helping her with her career, so we’ll have some storylines connected to him.



MHTV: Even with the five-year leap forward in time this season, Andrew’s back, and he’s as gay as ever?

MC: Well he’s first and foremost Bree’s son, but yes, his sexuality is the same, and we hope to be investigating that further. I don’t have anything planned right now for the first part of the season, but I think we’ll be getting into some things in the latter part of the season.



MHTV: And those neighbors, Bob [Tuc Watkins] and Lee [Kevin Rahm] – do they have any juicy storyline coming up, or are they part of any ongoing mystery?

MC: We still have them in the neighborhood, where they’re going to help mostly filter into other people’s storylines. But they’re very much a presence on the street -- and a chance for me to have a diverse portrait of an American neighborhood.

Desperate Housewives
Season 5 Premiere
Sunday, September 28
9 PM Eastern
ABC