Hey From the TCA! Trevor Donovan Rocks, J.J. Abrams Talks and "Spartacus" Loves Us!

NOT ALL ACTORS ARE TREVOR DONOVAN
Welcome to my 10th TCA Press Tour! For those of you sweltering around the country, I'm balancing things out because for the past eight days I've been in a hotel ballroom so cold that I wish I had my parka, Instead, I'm reduced trying to huddle next to some of the very hot actors taking the stage to explain why they should watch their show that probably won't last three episodes.

But you don't care about my discomfort! You want to hear me spill the beans on this summer's press tour which has been very interesting. So let's get to it!

Patrick Wilson (A Gifted Man) is unbelievably talented and handsome and very private. He clearly doesn't love doing press and answering questions about his private life. But he's a pro and did it anyway, and I got to stare into his dreamy eyes interview him for a few minutes.

You know how stunningly handsome Trevor Donovan from 90210 is? Well, he's actually far nicer, smart and interesting to talk to than he is good looking. I know, hard to believe, but true. I spent twenty minutes talking with Trevor and his agent and it was mostly just discussing  Hollywood and such.

Trevor Donovan

And for those of you worried about Trevor possibly being offended by my ... irreverent recaps and jokes about his age, he couldn't have been any cooler about it. In fact, Trevor had actually been looking for me at the CBS party to tell me he loves the recaps. How much does he love them? Well, he knew that I'd said I was done recapping the show after the shameful way The CW treated Teddy last season. But he asked me if I'd reconsider and recap the episodes that he's in.

Well, I don't about you, but I can't say no to Trevor, so, yes, I'll be recapping his episodes.

BTW, not every actor is Trevor Donovan (or Laura Linney or Edie Falco). One actor — who shall remain nameless — was at a network party. I first tried to interview this actor when he was on another network a couple years back and has something of a following on this site. Back then I didn't know beforehand this particular actor had a bad rep, but after he gave me a bizarre interview two years ago, I figured the reputation was deserved.

Nonetheless, I decided to give him another chance this week and pretty much got the same result. When I asked him "What do you have in common with your character?" he stared at me for ten seconds and then said, "Shoe size." When he said the thing folks would most like about his character were "tight pants," I ended the interview. I don't have time for someone who can't act like a professional.

And in case you think I'm lacking a sense of humor, trust me, I know how to have a fun interview. This wasn't an attempt to be fun. This was an attempt to "mindf*ck" with me. But no worries; this actor has been around for a while and keeps sliding down the Hollywood food chain. I don't think I'll have to worry about running into him at the TCA too much longer.

Moving on, I got a chance to chat briefly with writer/exec producer Kevin Williamson. Still no character coming up on The Vampire Diaries, and nothing gay on the first season of The Secret Circle. Bummer, I know. (And just to remind people, Williamson never said he had plans to add a gay character to TVD;another reporter misquoted him on that.)

But if you are a CW fan, there is some good news. Our favorite new show this season is Ringer, Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to TV, and the show's co-creator Eric Charmelo, himself a gay man, told me he insists on diversity on his projects and that the show will have a gay male character revealed at some point. He said the show is all about "duplicity and everyone is not necessarily what they seem."

I pushed pretty hard to get some more details (another writer on the show actually got a little annoyed with me!), but the best I could get is that we'd have the gay character by the end of the season at the latest. Until then you'll just have to settle for Sarah, not to mention all the pretty that is Ioan Gruffudd and Kristoffer Polaha.

Ioan Gruffudd and Kristoffer Polaha

Speaking of gay characters, one of the best last year was Thomas the Footman from Downton Abbey. When that show returns in January, Thomas will again be part of it. Daniel Stevens, who plays the adorkable Matthew Crawley, told me what he could about the new season and I'll have that interview closer to the show's debut.

Funny story about the Downton Abbey TCA panel: After the show presented their panel, I wanted to talk with one of the producer's about Thomas. Another reporter pointed out the writer to me, so I went up introduced myself and launched into my "Hi, I'm from AfterElton.com, we cover blah blah blah..." spiel.

The gentleman listened politely and when I was done, he very nicely said, "That sounds lovely. But I'm the sponsor."

Oof.