One of life’s great shared injustices is the yearbook photo. We all had to get them. And — unless they’ve somehow magically found a cure for awkwardness, geekiness and general dorkitude since I was a teenager — most of us dreaded them. For whatever reason, be it bad skin, bad clothes or the steadfast yet ultimately misguided belief in the transformative properties of big bangs, many of us look back at our school pictures and cringe. Or, at the very least, giggle. But you know what? Celebrities had to get them too, just like us mere mortals. Now that is what I call justice.

So, let’s play a little game called Name That Teenager. It’ll be fun; like being back in high school, but already knowing what everyone will look like at the class reunion. Let the games begin:

Among them you have a Rock star, an Alien hunter, an alphaBette and the possible next president of the United States of America.

Give up? … continue reading

For those of us in 24 American states, it’s Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Tuesday (hey, that’s nearly half the country; I think it deserves an upgrade from just “super”). Whichever way you pull the lever, today will be a historic vote. Well, unless you’re voting for that other party. In which case, have fun choosing an old white guy.

In the first presidential election of the YouTube era, the campaigns have gone viral from the start. Who can forget the Obama Girl or Hot4Hill? But in the past week, two of arguably the best videos for each candidate have emerged. One is sincere and inspirational (not to mention packed with star power), and the other is lighthearted and fun (not to mention Hill-arious). Both are, interestingly, music-based. And both are a reminder that, as difficult as the decision between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may be for Democratic primary voters, it’s also an embarrassment of riches to have two strong, smart and special candidates on the ballot.

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As roc reminded us earlier this week, our favorite shows are running out of new episodes. That includes Grey's Anatomy, which is my personal choice for 2007's Best Comeback From a Lukewarm Season.

To make us feel better, ABC has released some midseason (which could be end-of-season) promotional stills of the cast. And not sharing the best ones with you would just be wrong. So here's a little eye candy for your weekend viewing pleasure.

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Last week, Private Practice and Bionic Woman were jointly, and depressingly, reviewed in The New York Times. The essence of the review appeared midway: "Both shows suggest that the easiest way to make a female protagonist likable is to dumb her down with self-doubt." I had planned to watch Bionic Woman but not Private Practice. However, I decided to check out both and see if the prognosis was as bleak as the reviewer suggested. My conclusion, not surprisingly, was both yes and no.

I started with Private Practice, which I'm not going to thoroughly review, except to say that it was disappointingly stupid. If Audra McDonald is going to do television instead of Broadway, then it needs to be good television, people!

For anyone unaware, Private Practice is the ill-advised spin-off of Grey's Anatomy (which I do not watch.) The show's opening introduces us to the other doctors in Addison's new practice. Fertility specialist Naomi (Audra McDonald), Addison's best friend, is sobbing on her bathroom floor eating an entire cake.

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This week on She Made Me Watch This!, we have a guestbian in the house: Karman Kregloe from the We're Getting Nowhere vlog. It's like the Different Strokes-Facts of Life crossover episode, which I guess would make Karman our Gary Coleman.

What does this mean? More Sarah Shahi! More Resident Evil! More interruptions!

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Other topics discussed? Bionic Woman's Lesbian Moment That Wasn't, the travesty that was Saffron Burrows on Boston Legal, why not even Kate Walsh could save Private Practice, what we like about the new lesbian dramedy Exes & Ohs, and who each us would be if we were a character on The Office. We answered Jan, Jim, and Ryan the (Former) Temp, respectively — match us with our characters before watching the video, and win a spot on the Dunder Mifflin Party Planning Committee!

I really hope you weren't planning to do anything but watch TV tonight. I'm cursing my Xanadu tickets. Nah, not really, but there's a lot to take in on the tube tonight!

Let's get the obvious one out of the way: Kate Walsh has her own Private Practice starting tonight at 9/8c on ABC. I'm giving it one episode to impress me, and if it doesn't, I'm done, despite my abiding love for Audra McDonald.

Next, it's finally here: Bionic Woman premieres tonight at 9/8c on NBC. … continue reading

So, the AfterEllen.com legal department told me I had to put a disclaimer on this post. They kept talking about possible liabilities and class action suits resulting from injuries related to mass fainting spells and/or hearing loss due to uncontrollable squeals of delight. So I’ve decided the only prudent way to proceed is to ease you slowly into the facts. So here goes. Prepare yourself. First of all, it’s about Kate Walsh.

All right, that seemed to go well. Do you need a sip of water? No? Fine, let’s move on. So, Kate Walsh is dancing. OK, now I’m pretty sure you need that glass of water. Hold on, I’ll get it. All better? Good, now I want you to sit down for this last part. I mean it. Are you sitting? It’s Kate Walsh dancing in (deep breath) nothing but a towel. … continue reading

Sometimes, we writers let the words get in the way. We string together sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph in our efforts to entertain and enlighten. We pontificate. We expound. We dissect. But sometimes the best thing we can do is shut up and let stuff speak for itself. So here goes.

I believe the only words needed here are hummana hummana hummana.

How hot is that? The reason for the crazy, calling-all-engines, four-alarm smoking sexiness was Kate Walsh’s bachelorette party this past weekend in Las Vegas. The future Private Practice star partied hearty along with her former Grey’s Anatomy costar Sara Ramirez and 16 other friends. Exactly how hearty? … continue reading

This is a live blog from the bi-annual Television Critics Association conference. See more TCA live blog posts here.

The last panel of the day — and the three-week TCA conference — is the much-anticipated Grey's Anatomy spinoff Private Practice, starring Kate Walsh (#14 on The AfterEllen.com Hot 100 List, for good reason). There are double the normal number of people in the audience, and on the stage, with creator Shonda Rhimes in the middle flanked by Taye Diggs and Kate Walsh.

ABC rolls the promo for Private Practice, and it focuses mostly on Addison's story line on Grey's Anatomy. Clearly they're still retooling the spinoff after the critical lashing the back-door pilot received in May.

Shonda fields a few questions about how she's handling the pressure, but she doesn't really say much. Not saying much, I'm about to discover, is her MO. When it comes to saying something while saying nothing, the woman has skills.

Kate's asked about her reaction when she found out about the spinoff, and she says she was "in bed at 3am reading it like a teenager emitting screams of joy, like a super-top secret diary of someone else's that I'd just found." I start to picture that scene, but stop when I realize it's interfering with my ability to focus on the panel.

A reporter asks why Audra McDonald replaced Merrin Dungey, and after Shonda jokes, "I don't think we can go wrong with a four-times Tony winner," she says they were rethinking the character of Naomi and needed someone "strong and tough." Um, have you ever seen a show called Alias? Evil Francie can kick some serious ass! … continue reading

Don't you hate it when your little-known special favorite undiscovered talent hits the big time? I mean, there you are, nurturing your fandom even when nobody else cares, remaining true to the cause even when all hope is lost — and then, BAM, your personal project gets a huge break and everybody starts shouting her name and you look like just another member of the unwashed masses.

I think that's about to happen to me with Audra McDonald. The Broadway star, heretofore reserved for me and Rosie O'Donnell and my girlfriend (no, we're not all the same person) and theater aficionados, has landed a role that will make her a household name. McDonald will play the BFF of Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice.

In the spin-off pilot — technically a May episode of Grey's — the character of Dr. Naomi Bennett was played by Merrin Dungey, aka Francie on Alias. According to the L.A. Times, "No reason was given for the change in direction" from Dungey to McDonald. It seems to have something to do with "fine tuning," which is obviously fine for McDonald and less than fine for Dungey. Francie doesn't like coffee ice cream or fine tuning! … continue reading

In the comments on our Hot 100 list, AfterEllen.com user wyle e coyote mentioned that Kate Walsh (our #14) recently had a few things to say about the Maxim Hot 100 list. I too enjoyed her appearance on The Showbiz Show With David Spade (even though it never occurs to me to watch that show — good thing my girlfriend programs the DVR while I'm aimlessly wandering the internets in search of blog topics). … continue reading

Over the past couple of years, ABC has become the most-watched network among women ages 18-49, and the network that brought us Desperate Housewives isn't about to give up its mantle this fall. ABC announced today that it has ordered seven new dramas, four new comedies and one new alternative series (an Oprah Winfrey feel-good philanthropy reality show) for the fall 2007 season, and nearly all of them aim to lure in female viewers. Here are the highlights:

Private Practice: The Grey's Anatomy spinoff about Addison Montgomery's (Kate Walsh) new life in Los Angeles after leaving McDreamy and McSteamy behind. Here's a shot of the entire cast:

Pushing Daisies: This one-hour "blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy" is about a man who can bring people to life (or kill them) with a touch. Word is that this is one of the best bets this fall, and it stars Kristin Chenoweth (Running With Scissors). Here she is seducing us all with a pie: … continue reading

It’s nice to see that Ellen DeGeneres has finally learned how to throw her weight around Hollywood. In an interview taped earlier this week and airing today on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Grey’s Anatomy doc Kate Walsh told Ellen that she still wasn’t sure if her spin-off Private Practice was getting picked up for the fall season. With that, the Great Panted One sprang into action. I guess after hosting the Oscars and winning 6 zillion Daytime Emmy Awards (seriously, does she need a warehouse to house them all?), Ellen was feeling out her clout.

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To take Kate off pins and needles, she called ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson live on air to get the scoop.

This past Sunday, the New York Times said there's something wrong with Grey's Anatomy and its upcoming spinoff. And it's something kind of serious: According to the author of the article, Alessandra Stanley, these shows are bad for women.

Stanely notes that "career girls" on TV started off "competent-but-flaky" (see Mary Tyler Moore and Marlo Thomas), but have devolved into "basket case[s]" — and it's all thanks to Ally McBeal.

Unfortunately, says Stanley, the Kate Walsh spinoff seems even worse in this regard: … continue reading

Production on the ABC Grey's Anatomy spinoff called Private Practice -- which revolves around Kate Walsh's Dr. Addison Montgomery, and co-stars Taye Diggs (Day Break, Rent), Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy), Tim Daly (The Nine, Wings), Merrin Dungey (Alias), Paul Adelstein (Prison Break) and that annoying Piz guy from Veronica Mars, Chris Lowell (how did he get included with this illustrious bunch?) -- is in full swing, and the first stills from the show's pilot episode (entitled "The Other Side of This Life - Part 1 and 2" and airing on Thursday, May 3 from 9:00-11:00 p.m.) have surfaced on the 'net.

But first, a summary of the spinoff plot:

Here are a few of the stills, with captions provided by me for your entertainment (and mine):

Tim Daly thinking, "thank God Kate got rid of those Zooey-Deschanel-run-amok bangs she wore at the GLAAD Awards." … continue reading