Fresh faces give dramas an edge

by Steve Brennan and Cynthia Littleton

[...]

Emmy analyst O'Neill observed: "We have seen this huge swing toward new shows, cable network shows and daring shows. Voters are sending a very clear message that the days of the Emmy reruns are over. 'ER' is not nominated, and for the first time 'Frasier' is out of the running. Yet we see Jennifer Garner nominated for 'Alias.' It's not so surprising that she got nominated, but it's astounding that 'Alias' got 11 nominations in all."

© Hollywood Reporter 2002

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by Marc Berman

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy, CBS)
Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under, HBO)
Jennifer Garner (Alias, ABC)
Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, HBO)
Allison Janney (West Wing, NBC)

-Should Win: Jennifer Garner
-Will Win: Allison Janney

If there is one category where two competing actors could cancel each other out it's this one with Conroy and Griffiths virtually equal. Of course, if hard work alone was the main reason for winning an Emmy no one comes close to Jennifer Garner. But since Emmy loves Janney, the already two time winner could reign supreme in her upgraded category.

© Mediaweek.com 2002

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ABC's Emmy total

Per Souris:

ABC got a total of 35 Emmy nominations. Alias accounted for 11 of those -- that's almost one-third of the network's total! If ABC hadn't had the Academy Awards this season, it would have been even more.

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Critics Poll Spring/Summer 2002

'24' makes critics real-time happy

by Michael Freeman

As the clock wound down on a strange, slightly delayed 2001-02 season, Fox's antiterrorism-themed "24" drama retained its title as the best show on television in Electronic Media's semiannual Critics Poll.

"24's" victory in the Spring/Summer 2002 Critics Poll proved the first-year show had staying power with critics, who embraced it early in the season and named it the top show in the Fall/Winter 2001 Critics Poll. That victory by the Fox rookie broke a three-year stranglehold on the top spot by NBC's "The West Wing" and HBO's "The Sopranos," which had flip-flopped as the No. 1 show through six polls.

"A triumph of sustained suspense and continuously riveting narrative, more cinematic than most movies and easily more satisfying," said Matt Roush, a critic for TV Guide. "Ruthless from the start to finish. Killing Jack's wife [played by Leslie Hope] on the final night was a stroke of dark genius. The performances weren't showy, but Kiefer Sutherland, Leslie Hope and Sarah Clarke [as murderous turncoat CTU agent Nina Meyers] were all masterful."

The critics gave the best comedy vote to another first-year series from Fox, "The Bernie Mac Show." FX's "The Shield" and MTV's "The Osbournes" achieved another milestone, becoming the first basic-cable network series to crack the top 10 list in the 18-year history of the Critics Poll.

HBO's "Six Feet Under," which premiered in June 2001 but was unable to squeeze in for voter consideration in EM's Spring/Summer 2001 poll, gained ground with critics as it climbed from a 12th-place ranking in the Fall/Winter 2001 Critics Poll to a close second in the new poll.

The warm reception for first-year potential breakout series concepts extended to two comedies, NBC's "Scrubs" (10th) and HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (19th), and to ABC's spy drama "Alias" (12th).

[...]

© Electronic Media Online 2002

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Celebrity Q&A

Thanks to JenniferGarner and AllAlias.com:

Is it true that Sydney's supposedly dead mother will become a major character in the new series of Alias? If so, who will play the part?

In the casting surprise of the year, the role of Laura, the long-lost mother of Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), goes to beautiful Swedish star Lena Olin. Some insiders were startled that the classically trained actress, an Ingmar Bergman discovery, would sign up for a Hollywood action series. However, Olin has always split her time between the classics and such popular movies as 1988's memorable The Unbearable Lightness of Being (in which her character insisted on wearing a bowler hat while having sex) and 1993's Romeo is Bleeding, in which she played an assassin who could crush a man to death between her legs.

The 47-year-old Olin will join the Alias cast this month, when shooting on the second season begins. For Olin, this will mean a temporary move to Hollywood from the rustic home near New York she has shared with her husband, Chocolat director Lasse Hallstrom, and their two children ever since they immigrated to the United States eight years ago.

© Sun-Sentinel.com 2002

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Jen on Access Hollywood

Thanks to Kristina, Vartan Ho #207:
I was lucky enough to see AH last night and this is basically what happened…
Some lady (didn’t catch her name—wasn’t paying much attention until I heard what she was saying) was reviewing some of the best things in tv in the past year. She named things like best show, best … this and that. And then she announced her pick for best breakout star: our lovely Jennifer Garner! They showed a few clips of the filming of ATY (including the infamous black-leather-jacketed-Vaughn-walking-into-the-club scene at the end of the episode). Sadly, I don’t remember much else, after seeing Michael, I was a goner. ;)

Thanks to Krisa:
There really wasn't anything all too interesting or anything that we already knew about that was broadcasted in Access Hollywood. They just mentioned Jennifer Garner as the breakthrough star in this first 6 months of 2002. I think that Access Hollywood is going to rebroadcast that little tid-bit on Saturday.

Thanks to Marie-France:
I saw it. It was just the TV Guide list of best in everything on TV. Jennifer was named best new star on TV. No interview, just a clip of mixed Alias episodes.

© Access Hollywood 2002

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Alias promotion

From MeLaNiE, Vartan HO #96:

It looks like ABC might be trying a little harder to boost the interest of Alias..i was in Times Square on Saturday and yesterday (i'm a tour guide for 2 french girls that know and like sylvie vartan)..and abc has their HQ there and a gigantic tv screen...they played the promotional video like every 15 minutes...also right before the video it says "Alias starring Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber and Michael Vartan!" and on the side of the building is like a 4 story billboard of Jen in the rubber blue dress...and lastly...when we were getting on the midtown tunnel..to go home i saw a little sign that said St. Vartan park..!!! can u believe it, he's a saint..lol..okay i'm stopping now.. au revoir.

Thanks so much, MeLaNiE! :)

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Mid-Year TV Report Card: Breakouts and Breakdowns

Per Whoosh25 on the JenniferGarner Yahoo group. Thanks! :)

Jennifer Garner garners kudos from both male and female fans

Access Hollywood looks back at the first six months of the television year with TV Guide Deputy Editor Lisa Bernhard, who gives the lowdown on the movers, shakers, winners and losers of the small screen. Here's the Access mid-year report card:

Breakout Star:
"People are gravitating more and more to Jennifer Garner from Alias. She's so attractive that guys love her and she's this high-kicking cool chick for women to kind of admire."

© Access Hollywood 2002

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Jennifer Garner on Extra

Per Souris:

Jen was mentioned on "Extra" on a piece about the buffest stars. No quotes from her, but it said that she does lots of biceps and triceps curls and pull-ups for strength.

© Extra 2002

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MTV Honors Best Movies of 2001

The view from the purple carpet

by Scott Huver, Hollywood.com Staff

Alias star Jennifer Garner revealed her favorite MTV award was Best Kiss. When asked what put her in the mood to be kissed, she looked appreciatively in the direction of her hubby, Scott Foley, as he waved to fans and sighed dreamily "Do I really need to be in the mood?"

© Hollywood.com 2002

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Movie News: Garner looking to BIG-style fantasy film

13 GOING ON 30 to be next film after DAREDEVIL

by CHRISTOPHER ALLAN SMITH

Blazing hot after a season of ALIAS, and looking just right to play the curvy assassin as Elektra in DAREDEVIL (here’s the pic, just for you) Jennifer Garner is now contemplating a role in what sounds a lot like a remake of BIG.

Garner is eyeing the top role in 13 GOING ON 30, about a young girl who finds herself looking… well, like Jennifer Garner. The mode of transformation is the birthday game ‘seven minutes in the closet’ in which you have to… well, what’s the name of the game after all?

When she returns, she’s gone from an unpopular teen to a very popular 30 year old. Shooting is planned for next summer.

© Cinescape 2002

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Entertainment News

MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING: Alias badass Jennifer Garner has a new identity: movie star. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress — who's currently shooting Daredevil with Ben Affleck — is in talks to earn $3 million to star in 13 Going on 30, which is described as a female Big. The film would go into production next summer during Garner's Alias hiatus.

© TV Guide Online 2002

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Per Souris:

E! News Live just had a piece on the Eligible Bachelors, and they had a woman from People commenting on some of the guys. She mentioned MV and said most of the same things that were in the article -- the ketchup, the hockey -- but also said that he was a real "gentleman."

© E! News Live 2002

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Papa Don't Preach - TV's Worst Dads

by Bruce Fretts

Here are the eight worst TV dads. Ward Cleaver, they ain't. And even though one of them is Ozzy, you won't confuse their families with the Nelsons. Yet these bad TV dads are still worth celebrating for Father's Day

Victor Garber, ''Alias'' Granted, his wife did turn out to be a double agent known as the Man. But that doesn't give Jack Bristow an excuse for his painfully chilly relationship with fellow CIA/SD-6 agent Sydney. When it comes to father-daughter bonding, he don't know Jack.

© EW.com 2002

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John Hannah News

On June 10, John Hannah began filming "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in Vilinus, Lithuania. The film is being produced by Clerkenwell films, owned by John Hannah and Murrary Ferguson. The film will be shown on the Bravo channel in the U.S. in late 2002/early 2003.

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Cliffhanger Clues: Which Way Are Your Favorite Shows Headed?

SPOILERS!

Alias
Will Vaughn Live? Um, does ABC need good ratings? Flood or no flood, there isn't a chance in SD-6 that Michael Vartan won't return next season. The question is how. Exec producer JJ Abrams offered up this morsel when asked how our sexy agent man could possibly survive "Let me just say the water is the least of Vaughn's problems."

Yowza. Let me just say that whatever it is, I hope it tears off those leather pants.

What Will Happen with Sydney's Mom? For those who haven't heard, Sydmom will be played by Swedish stunner Lena Olin for a minimum of 16 episodes. "Until now, women of this age haven't had a kickass role model," Abrams said. "I think Lena's the perfect actress to change that."

Fabu. So, what can we expect from the bad mamma jamma? "There is a world of mystery surrounding this beautiful woman," Abrams said. "What she's seen and how she's survived it proves she's easily as tough as Sydney--and 20 years wiser. She'll surprise the hell out of you."

© E! Online 2002

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Transcribed by SpyDaddyRulez at TWoP. Thanks! :)

SUM OF ALL RIFKINS

Since opening in ''Ten Unknowns'' at the Huntington Theatre, actor Ron Rifkin has been returning to his ''Alias'' roots - well, just a bit. In the hit ABC spy show, Rifkin plays Arvin Sloane, the heartless director of the dubious spy agency SD6, and we mean that in the nicest possible way. Recently Rifkin was joined by ''Alias'' castmates Bradley Cooper, who plays a diligent newspaper reporter (is there any other kind?), and Victor Garber, who plays the spy father of the show's star, a college-student spy (happens everyday), as well as Broadway actress Debra Monk for dinner at Clio. Cooper, Garber, and Monk then took in a performance of Rifkin's play. ... And last week, Rifkin, who's in the movie ''The Sum of All Fears,'' made a trek to the Needham studios of local ABC affiliate WCVB-TV, where he appeared on the midday news to talk about his play, the TV show, and the movie, which stars Ben Affleck.

© Bosten Globe 2002

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Transcribed by ilovethee_mv on vartanetc. Thanks! :)

SPOILERS!

Nonmutant Ninja

For the role of Elektra in the upcoming film Daredevil, Jennifer Garner plays a wealthy student by day and an avenging ninja by night. Both personas sport great clothes, says Garner, currently shooting the movie while on hiatus from the TV show Alias. The outfit below is what she wears "to go out killing". Elektra is particularly keen to off Daredevil, played by Ben Affleck, and to do so, she employs pronged knives called sais, which she spent months training to use. "At first I was a danger to myself and everyone else," she says. "It was extremely cool, but next summer I'll probably be looking to do a comedy."

© TIME Magazine (Canadian Ed.) 2002

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On the set of 'Daredevil'

Per Souris:

Frankly, it wasn't that exciting. It was only a couple of minutes, and they didn't talk to Jen an awful lot. Rob Zombie was the "reporter." They showed a bit of the "rain" scene with her in the red top, and she seemed to enjoy getting wet. Michael Clark Duncan bemoaned that he didn't have any scenes with her, and she teased that she'd rather be kissing him than Ben.

© MTV 2002

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