Lost, Comic-Con dominate critics’ concerns
Wednesday marked the first of the last two days of the Television Critics Association press tour - two days that will be filled with sessions and programming dedicated to ABC network’s upcoming shows. The last stretch of the conference began with the executive session, and ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson quickly found that critics had only one thing on their minds: Lost, and why its producers were addressing the fans at Comic-Con instead of TCA’s 150+ press representatives.
All the hype about Lost’s absent producers and the insult they were dealing TCA’s journalists did culminate in one tidbit of worthwhile, placating news: Harold Perrineau’s character Michael Dawson will be returning to the show next season. McPherson also stated that Don Imus will be joining the Lost cast this coming fall, but that seems to have been little more than a joke to soothe the irritated critics.
ABC presented a few other slices of information during their executive session. The much-anticipated pilot adaptations for Footballers Wives and Mr. and Mrs. Smith have hit a snag at the network and are basically dead in the water. Men in Trees, on the other hand, will start up again this season, with the episodes that didn’t air after its spring hiatus added to the fall roster instead.
ABC also put a lot of emphasis on its high-profile Pushing Daisies, which has so far received mixed expectations. Daisies features a man who can bring back the dead and kill them again with his touch alone, and is being advertised as a mix between a love story and crime drama. Many critics aren’t sure about the likelihood of the show’s success, citing its oddball storyline and lack of a clear category as possible pitfalls in attracting steady viewers. One thing’s for sure, though: Daisies will be a definite break from the basic similarity between many of ABC’s drama shows.
(Source: TV Guide.com, TV Squad)
Check out a first-hand, minute-by-minute account of ABC’s first day of programming here.
30 Rock: Despite rumors to the contrary, Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels announced that Alec Baldwin will be playing Jack for another season of 30 Rock, and Tracy Morgan will stay on the show as well. Fey also confirmed that Jerry Seinfeld will be playing himself in the season premiere, which she hopes will drum up a lot of interest: “Maybe people in America will actually watch it, even if it’s just for that one time,” Fey said.
Location, location, location seemed to dominate the 
I arrived just in time on Day 1 to catch the tail end of a lunch panel about NATURE: 
Following the presentation were a fancy dinner buffet and interviews with the panelists. Most of them were tied up, but I did manage get one with Betty White. When asked about her favorite Golden Girls episode, she immediately lit up and mentioned ” The Operation,” the one about performing her tap dancing routine with Blanche while Dorothy was in the hospital - quite possibly the best dance/musical GG episode, second only to “Bang the Drum, Stanley,” where Blanch and Rose audition for Cats.
