Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner by Jim Rogash/WireImage.com

• Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series for "There's Only One Sidney Bristow" (Michael Reitz, Head Hairstylist, Katherine Rees, Key Hairstylist, Shimmy Osman, Key Hairstylist)
• Outstanding Stunt Coordination for "Reprisal" (Part 1) & "All The Time In The World" (Part 2) (Shauna Duggins, Stunt Coordinator)

3.23.06 - NBC's drama pilot Lipstick Jungle, starring Gina Gershon, has cast Melissa George to co-star as one of the three strong women who will do whatever it takes to get ahead in their New York City careers.

3.1.06 - TVGuide.com: Victor Garber has joined a new legal drama for Fox called American Crime.

3.1.06 - TVGuide.com confirms that Alias will return to wrap up its final season on April 19, in a new Wednesdays-at-8 time slot.

2.16.06 - Alias scribes Monica Breen and Alison Schapker have inked a two-year deal with Touchstone, as part of which they will join the writing staff of ABC's Lost.

2.14.06 - Herald Sun: Lovable rogue Michael Vartan Hollywood actor Michael Vartan is one eligible bachelor. The Alias and Monster-in-Law star has been breaking hearts galore as he parties up a storm in Melbourne over the past few weeks. The Eye hears Vartan has been enjoying the company of several different Melbourne women, including one young lass he picked up while she was at work. More...

2.10.06 - The Ausiello Report: Exclusive Scoop on Alias' Big Finish! The countdown to Alias' hotly anticipated series finale officially got under way last week when new mum Jennifer Garner returned to the set to begin work on the show's last 10 or so episodes. And although ABC has yet to announce when (or where) the spy drama will complete its run (what's up with that?), there's every reason to believe that the 5-year-old series will go out the same way it came in: with a huge bang and a ton of hype. Not one to diminish expectations, executive producer Jeff Pinkner declares, "We want every episode from here to the end to top the one before it." OK, if ever there's a statement that demands a few follow-up Qs, it's that one. So, let's get to it. More...

2.9.06 - Greg Grunberg will star in the NBC pilot "Heroes," a show about people who discover they have superpowers.

2.1.06 - ABC is still being vague about when in "spring" Alias will return to the airwaves, but at least today is Jennifer Garner's first day back on the job from maternity leave.

1.27.06 - Ron Rifkin will join the Touchstone TV drama pilot for ABC called Brothers & Sisters, in the role of the brothers and sisters' uncle.

1.24.06 - Don't miss Bradley Cooper in the upcoming Broadway show "Three Days of Rain," also starring Julia Roberts.

1.23.06 - Kristin at E!Online reports that she talked with Amy Acker last night, and she confirmed that there will be no Jen-less episodes--ever. "We just took an extra long Christmas break, and we are going back on the 30th of January," she explained. They have completed all scenes without Sydney for the next upcoming episode, and when Jen gets back, they'll slot those in, so the cast has to make sure they don't make any Chandler-esque (remember the 50-pound weight-loss cliffhanger?) appearance changes in the meantime.

1.12.06 - ABC has ordered a pilot from executive-producer J.J. Abrams called Six Degrees, a drama about the intertwined lives of a group of strangers.

1.11.06 - Last night, Jennifer Garner won two People's Choice Awards, one for Favorite Female Action Star and one for Favorite Female TV Star.

Jennifer Garner by Scott Garfield/ABC

by Shawna Malcom

Shortly before Thanksgiving, ABC executives called Alias creator J.J. Abrams in China — where he was directing Mission: Impossible 3 — to break the news that his four-year-old spy drama would complete its final mission in May. A sober Abrams then placed calls to each of the drama's original cast members, beginning with star Jennifer Garner. While the cancellation news wasn't shocking, "it's sad nonetheless," says executive producer Jeff Pinkner. "When we met Sydney Bristow, she didn't know who she was. Now, at the end of this season, she may have a family. It's time for her to move on to the next phase. That's what life is about."

Viewership has suffered in the show's recent Thursdays-at-8 time slot, declining 31 percent from last season. And even back in August, Abrams hinted that this could be the show's swan song, telling TV Guide that "it certainly feels that way, like certain things do, that it's the end of a chapter."

But not, perhaps, the closing of the book. Producers are mulling ways to continue the franchise. "I would say we haven't seen the end of all things Alias," Pinkner teases. "There are versions of this show which could exist after this season. There are plenty of stories we'd love to tell."

Among the formats Pinkner and Abrams have discussed is a spin-off series revolving around villains Sark (David Anders), Peyton (Amy Acker) and Sloane (Ron Rifkin). "It's the triumvirate of evil!" Pinkner says. (No official discussions with ABC have taken place yet.) Producers have also toyed with the idea of a big-screen adaptation starring Garner.

Regardless, expect an explosive countdown to the series finale. The Dec. 14 episode — a special Wednesday airing and the last installment before the show's hiatus to accommodate Garner's maternity leave — featured the return of Sydney's true love, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan), who was apparently killed in the season premiere. The reunion, not a dream sequence per se, left open the possibility that Syd and Vaughn could still ride off into the sunset together come May.

When the series returns this spring, expect to see familiar faces. Greg Grunberg has already filmed an episode as Eric Weiss, and producers have worked up a wish list that includes Syd's buddy Will (Bradley Cooper of the just-axed Kitchen Confidential), perhaps more appearances by spy mommy Irina (Lena Olin, who put in a "surprise" cameo in the Dec. 14 outing), and the evil Francinator (Merrin Dungey), who, as Pinkner points out, "cannot die."

Other long-running characters, though, may not be so lucky. "The good thing about getting the news now," Pinkner says, "is that we have 10 episodes left to really wrap things up. We can kill characters and not worry about what to do without them next year. We can tell the epic story that this deserves to be."

12.14.05 - Greg Grunberg will guest star in an upcoming episode of House on FOX entitled "Sex Kills." He will be playing a man whose wife was just killed in a car crash, however Dr. House wants to keep her alive to use her heart for a transplant for a dying patient.

12.14.05 - Michael Ausiello of TV Guide Online reports that while it's true that executive producer Jeff Pinkner has discussed with J.J. Abrams the possibility of a Sark/Peyton/Sloane-centered offshoot — "It's the triumvirate of evil," he told TV Guide magazine — the odds of Alias living on in another form are practically nil.

12.12.05 - Don't miss the article: "Is Alias Really Over?" starting on page 6 of the December 12th issue of TV Guide magazine.

12.6.05 - Zap2It.com: 'Tis the Season for a Little Sark on 'Alias' In an interview early in the season, "Alias" star Rachel Nichols, who plays neophyte agent Rachel Gibson, protege of pregnant CIA superspy Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), said, "I hope they bring Sark back because, hey, who doesn't like a little David Anders?" "Exactly," Anders says. "But she likes to include 'little,' a 'little David Anders.' How about, a nosh of Anders?" More...

12.3.05 - Don't miss the great article on Rachel Nichols starting on page 28 in the December 5th issue of TV Guide magazine.

12.2.05 - Yesterday, Jennifer Garner gave birth to a baby girl, Violet (according to E!News).

12.2.05 - Find out why Kristin at E!Online thinks there's an upside to Alias being cancelled.

11.28.05 - This will be Alias's final season. The series finale will air in May, 2006. ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson says that Alias will not "wind down as it comes to an end, it's going to rev up.... We're going to make it the event it deserves to be."

11.28.05 - Kristin at E!Online asked Melissa George about coming back to Alias, and she replied: "You know, I don't know. I'd love to. I miss the cast so much. I crave them every moment, but I think Lauren got shot so many times on that season finale that there's no way she'd come back! When we were filming that scene, I did one take where I opened my eyes, just in the off chance that maybe she's still alive, and they'll bring me back! But they told me to close them, [and said] 'You're dead! You're really dead!' I was like, 'Are you sure?!' They're like, 'Yes, you're dead.' Maybe she has a twin! I think there are two of them. I told Jen to pitch it to JJ, too." Speaking of Jen, Melissa says, "She's doing really good and due any day now."

11.28.05 - We may be seeing more of Amy Acker on Alias. The Angel alum has been replaced on CBS's mid-season series, The Unit, with Audrey Marie Anderson (Once and Again). Guess Acker won't get a chance to co-star with both Jennifer Garner and her ex, Scott Foley, all in one year.

11.18.05 - Alias will be returning to its old time slot of Wednesday night at 10pm ET, following Lost. The new schedule begins next month.

11.16.05 - Although it looks likes Bradley Cooper's FOX comedy, Kitchen Confidential, has been cancelled, the episode in which Michael Vartan guest stars is still planned to air on December 5th.

Hass MS&L Swiffer CarpetFlick/FOX

11.7.05 - From Wanda at E!Online: I've heard from someone who knows that ABC is actually very happy with how Alias has been performing this season. Given that it's on Thursday night, the powers that be are thrilled it's claiming any kind of audience at all. And Jennifer is signed through season seven, so I don't think we need to start prepping our goodbyes just yet.

11.11.05 - The People's Choice Awards nominees were announced today, and Jennifer Garner has been nominated as both Favorite Female Star and Favorite Female Action Star. The 32nd annual awards will air January 10th on CBS.

11.3.05 - TV Guide Online: Michael Vartan has joined the cast of Rogue, a bigger-budget follow-up to the Aussie thriller Wolf Creek, Moivehole.com has officially confirmed. Backed by prolific producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Rogue concerns an American journalist who encounters a man-eating crocodile in the Outback.

10.31.05 - TV Guide Online: Jennifer Garner has signed on to produce and star in the Touchstone thriller Sabbatical, per the Hollywood Reporter. The story revolves around a couple who, after their seventh year of marriage, decide to take a two-week break from each other during which they can do whatever they want — within reason. When the wife (Garner) returns to their agreed-upon meeting place two weeks later, however, she discovers that her husband has vanished.

10.31.05 - From the October 31st issue of TV Guide: Alias Exclusive! We haven't seen the last of Agent Weiss. Weiss may have said goodbye to Sydney a few weeks ago on Alias, but that doesn't mean Greg Grunberg's ferociously loyal black-ops agent will be gone forever. "There's a reason [the character] is in Washington," hints exec producer Jeff Pinker [sic]. "Keep watching." One thing's for sure, though: Fans won't be seeing Weiss go down Vaughn-style. "I was hoping for it!" Grunberg says. "I was hoping for this big 'Scarface'-like ending where I'm getting shot and I keep coming back with a cheeseburger in one hand and a gun in the other, and [creator] J.J. Abrams said, 'No way. I'm never going to kill you on this show.'" But Grunberg got his gore fix while playing a serial killer in the upcoming indie horror pic "The Darkroom" and doing voice work for Sega's new hair-raising video game Condemned: Criminal Origins (in stores this November). "I've got a dark side," Grunberg admits. "Bring my in-laws in the house and you'll see my dark side." —Daniel Roberts

10.28.05 - TV Guide Online: ABC is scheduling the second edition of Dancing with the Stars on Thursdays at 8 pm/ET beginning Jan. 5. Dancing will run for eight weeks, replacing Alias during the hiatus to accommodate Jennifer Garner's maternity leave. The network says the new batch of celebrity hoofers will be announced at a later date.

10.26.05 - When asked by Michael Ausiello of TV Guide whether or not he would be involved in writing or direction any episodes of Alias this season, J.J. Abrams replied: "Given the [M:I 3] schedule, my day-to-day involvement in Alias and Lost this season has been minimal," he told me via e-mail. "While I would truly love nothing more than to film the series finale, I think I'll be in the depths of M:I 3 postproduction, and therefore unavailable — which would be depressing."

10.26.05 - Michael Ausiello of TV Guide reports that, while there's nothing definitive about the movie Michael Vartan is working on in Australia, his "Down Under peeps at moviehole.net are speculating that the film in question may be Greg McLean's Wolf Creek follow-up, Rogue. If that's true, he'd be playing an American journalist who encounters a man-eating crocodile while in the Australian Outback."

10.26.05 - People Magazine StarTracks: He's Back! Jennifer Garner reunites with ex-costar (and real life ex-boyfriend) Michael Vartan on Thursday while shooting a scene in Santa Monica for Alias. Vartan, who played her onscreen love interest, was killed off the show in the season's first episode. (click here to view the picture at People's web site)

10.24.05 - From the October 24th issue of TV Guide, a quote: "[My dog] Martha was supposed to come. She learned a new trick to meet you, [but] she got a little ill and I was nervous to bring her on the plane.... She's not as fastidious as you are, Martha. She doesn't have that in common with you." –Jennifer Garner, explaining why her dog, named Martha Stewart, didn't travel with her, on Martha

10.17.05 - From the October 17th issue of TV Guide: Is Vaughn Really Dead? It sure looked like Michael Vartan's character was killed in Alias' shocking season opener. But since when does anyone on this show actually die? "If things go according to plan, he'll be back this season," reveals exec producer Jeff Pinkner. "We're writing an episode right now that Vaughn is in, and we have more planned." Vaughn could return as soon as December, before the ABC spy series goes on hiatus for Jennifer Garner's maternity leave. Vartan's manager confirms that producers have asked the actor to return for up to three episodes, though so far no deal has been signed. Or has it? —Shawna Malcom

10.12.05 - Variety reports that Touchstone Television has signed Alias showrunner Jeff Pinkner to a two year deal, which will keep him with Alias as well as develop new projects for the studio.

10.12.05 - Michael Ausiello of TV Guide says that Vartan's departure was, as you might expect, complicated. A reliable source close to the situation says that after Vartan and Garner's breakup, Vartan allegedly made it known that he wouldn't be terribly upset if Vaughn were to get whacked while on assignment. TPTB, in turn, made it known that Vartan had a contract to honor and, well, he better suck it up and be a professional. Cut to 2005: Producers, looking for a way to revitalize the show and give Sydney a personal mission in Alias' final season, finally granted Vartan his wish. There was just one problem: Vartan was once again loving his job and didn't want to go. But the writing was already on the wall, albeit with the presumption that Vartan would return later in the season either as Vaughn, Vaughn's ghost or someone else altogether. And that brings us to the second problem. For some unknown reason, producers never got Vartan to sign off on that return engagement before jettisoning him, resulting in the stalemate we have now. The good news is that the odds are still leaning in the favor of his returning before year's end — despite the fact that he just landed a movie in Australia.

10.5.05 - Kristin at E!Online has this to say about Michael Vartan's departure: All I can tell you is that I have friends/sources who work on all sides of Alias, and here is what they've told me over the past several weeks:

According to Camp Alias (people who actually work on the show), the departure was Michael's doing. He wanted to leave the show to pursue other projects.

According to Camp Vartan (those friendly with M.V.), though, granted, Michael was somewhat miserable last season with all the Garfleck/shooting nude shower scenes with an ex understandable awkwardness, Michael did not choose to leave the show and was told by JJ Abrams that he was being let go for creative reasons, that they weren't sure what else to do with his character.

According to Camp Garner (those friendly with J.G.), Jennifer was actually sad to see M.V. leave (as was the rest of the cast, who I've heard feel it's not the same without him there).

So, all I can tell you is that the "official" truth is probably a little bit of all of the above.

10.4.05 - The New York Post reports that Martha Stewart invited more moms-to-be to the taping of her talk show's Jennifer Garner baby-shower episode today than would fit in the venue.

9.30.05 - Michael Vartan is reuniting with former costar Bradley Cooper in an upcoming episode of Cooper's Fox sitcom, Kitchen Confidential. Vartan will be playing Michel, a womanizing French chef and rival to Cooper's character, Jack.

9.28.05 - Jennifer Garner accidentally revealed the gender of her unborn child on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. Not long after refusing to divulge the baby's gender, Garner said, "You can just start to feel really pregnant, like you are the hugest person on the face of the planet. I felt bigger and bigger, like she..." Whoops!

9.23.05 - Jennifer Garner will be on The Ellen Degeneres Show on Wednesday, September 28th.

9.19.05 - Kristin at E!Online reports that Amy Acker (Angel) will be guest starring in two episodes of Alias this season.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

9.9.05 - Mia Maestro will be lending her voice to the September 18th episode of Family Guy on FOX.

9.6.05 - TVGuide.com reports that NBC has greenlit Grand Union, a sitcom pilot starring Greg Grunberg as a family man who works as the manager of a local grocery store on Long Island. Beth Lacke (Mr. 3000) will costar as his wife. The show, part of an overall deal Grunberg struck with the Peacock, is being eyed for a potential midseason berth.

9.2.05 - In response to a New York Post article about rumors being spread online by Michael Vartan's more militant fans (including the allegation that his name can never be uttered on set!) a rep for the Alias says, "[This] is so not true! Of course people say [his] name. He was loved very much on the set, and [cast mates] remember him fondly. All this misinformation is being put out by fans who are angry about what happened with [Vaughn]." Hmmm... so much past tense....

Jennifer Garner & Michael Vartan by Scott Garfield/ABC

by Rochell D. Thomas

Sydney Bristow's team at APO will be getting bigger when Alias returns for its fifth season on Sept. 29 (the show's new time slot is Thursdays at 8 pm/ET). Producers are adding three new characters to the hit ABC spy series — and that's not counting star Jennifer Garner's soon-to-be-born child, who will also be written into the action. (Yes, Syd is pregnant with Vaughn's baby. That much is certain in the secret-filled, perpetually uncertain Alias world.)

For starters, French actress Élodie Bouchez has been tapped to play a cohort from Vaughn's shady past, which had been just barely hinted at prior to last season's horrific car-crash finale. "She and Vaughn share a history," says executive producer Jeff Pinkner, "and in our season finale we started to tease the audience with what that history is and what secrets Vaughn has been keeping from Sydney. We knew there would be another player in that story, and [Bouchez] plays that role." Also coming on board is Balthazar Getty as Thomas Grace, an APO agent who is "a little rough around the edges," says his portrayer, and thus doesn't play well with others. "It's pretty cool how they introduce my character," hints Getty of his debut in the season's second episode. "I come in fighting."

As does Rachel Nichols, whose butt-kicking agent, Rachel Gibson, will become APO's youngest rep. "She joins the team early in the season, but they don't actively set out to recruit her," says Pinkner, "and if I were to tell you much more, it would give away the fun of meeting her character." The exec will say, though, that introducing this newbie will "show how you [create] a superagent like Sydney Bristow. She doesn't have the skills Sydney has, but she will need to acquire them over the course of the season."

Pinkner says the plan to spice up the cast with the aforementioned new arrivals developed "simultaneously" with Garner's announced pregnancy, and is not a calculated effort to cover for her understandably decreased on-screen fisticuffs. After all, Sydney still may find herself in a scrape or two. "We're not going to do anything that begs credibility anymore than we have in the past," he notes. "But if danger comes to her, she will absolutely fight it off."

And there will be danger in great supply as the new season picks up immediately after the car crash. The question of Vaughn's true identity and what else he was going to tell Syd "will be answered in the first episode — or most of it will be," allows Pinkner. "The consequences reveal a new enemy who is far more pervasive and dangerous and mysterious than any we have fought before." — Additional reporting by Matt Webb Mitovich

8.21.05 - In an article on TV's Top 10 Scene Stealers in the August 21 issue of TV Guide Kevin Weisman is #9 as Marshall Flinkman, the gadget geek with a heart of gold on Alias. We love him because: While everybody else is off in an exotic land, brandishing weapons, wigs and bad accents, he's manning the office and using his brain instead of his brawn to get it done. Where you've seen him before: As some sort of weird guy on shows such as Felicity, Roswell, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. But did you know: As the drummer in a hardcore band called Trainwreck, you can address him by his alias, Kenny Bob Thornton. He says: "A lot of times I'll just thumb through the script to my scenes, which makes it a very short read. I could literally read it in one trip to the bathroom."

8.21.05 - From TV Guide's August 21 issue: Alias Spy Guy Quits - It looks like mom-to-be Sydney Bristow is already down one baby-sitter. Greg Grunberg confirms that, after four seasons as Agent Weiss, he'll leave the show this fall. "It's just time for me to go," says the former Felicity sidekick, who admits that he's jonesing to make the leap from perennial supporting player to full-fledged leading man. "Doing [the ABC drama pilot] The Catch felt so right, and although it didn't get picked up, it really gave me the itch to do something where I have a larger role." Grunberg says he's "weighing a couple great [TV] things right now" that would reunite him with his first love: comedy. As for how Alias producers plan to deal with Weiss' impending exit, he promises that "it will be dramatic." I think we all know what that means. -by Michael Ausiello with additional reporting by Matt Webb Mitovich

8.15.05 - Balthazar Getty is joining the cast of Alias this fall as Thomas Grace, a new agent on the APO team.

8.3.05 - French actress Elodie Bouchez will be joining the cast of Alias for the 2005-2006 season. For more information on her character, see the previews page.

8.3.05 - Michael Ausiello of TV Guide says that ABC president Steve McPherson told me that it's 80 percent likely that this will be Alias' final season. He also said that despite her pregnancy, Jennifer Garner will appear in every episode this season — even if that means producing fewer episodes. Finally, McPherson expects her maternity leave will result in a longer-than-usual winter hiatus, with the show going off the air at the end of November and returning sometime in March or early April.

8.2.05 - Kristin at E!Online is spreading rumors that Scott Speedman and a Ben (not Affleck) are in talks to join Alias next season. Also, David Anders will be in more episodes than he was last season, and the producers are trying to get Franka Potente. Also, Jennifer Garner may not be in every episode.

7.21.05 - Touchstone Television has signed the writers behind Alias to a 2-year / 7 figure development deal. Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec will stay on as exec prods of Alias for the next two seasons, while also developing new projects for the studio.

7.14.05 - Emmy nominations are out, and Jennifer Garner was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards show will be broadcast on Sunday, September 18th on CBS.

7.14.05 - Despite Jennifer Garner's pregnancy, Michael Ausiello at TV Guide says that production on the show's fifth (and likely final) season is still slated to begin on Monday, Aug. 1, and ABC still plans to launch it this fall.

6.30.05 - Jennifer Garner married Ben Affleck on Wednesday at Parrot Cay resort in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos. In attendance was Garner's co-star, Victor Garber. Garner and Affleck are expecting their first child.

6.21.05 - Zap2It.com: Cooper Cuts Up in 'Kitchen' Comedy - Bradley Cooper, who was last seen on "Alias" stabbing Merrin Dungey's character, will be sharpening his knife skills for his upcoming sitcom, "Kitchen Confidential." More...

6.20.05 - Zap2It.com: Affleck and Garner Not Married ... Yet - Although Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have been keeping their relationship on the down low, they haven't gone so far as to sneak off to get married as the rumors claim. More...

5.24.05 - Kristin at E!Online reports that there are discussions going on to bring Lena Olin back next season.

5.19.05 - Bradley Cooper's new show, Kitchen Confidential, will premiere on FOX this fall.

Lena Olin by Scott Garfield/ABC

by Shawna Malcom

On the Burbank, Calif., set of Alias, a recently rescued prisoner is quietly recounting details of unthinkable torture.

Her eyes are hollow with exhaustion. Scars and bruises form grotesque ribbons around both wrists. But while series superspy Sydney Bristow, played by Jennifer Garner, has witnessed this scenario countless times before, she can't help but fight back tears. After all, the broken beauty before her is her mother, Irina Derevko, and until moments ago, Sydney believed she had been offed by her pops (Victor Garber).

"But no one really dies on Alias, right?" asks Lena Olin, who's returning as the duplicitous Derevko after a two-year absence from the ABC spy serial. "I am definitely back."

And how. Irina may not be, as creator J.J. Abrams cracks, "resurrected from the dead with some kind of Rambaldi serum," but her return will provide a shot of adrenaline to the end of the season. In the May 18 episode, Sydney and Co. discover that Irina is being held captive by her power-hungry sister Elena (Sonia Braga); they break her out, just in time to help (or hurt?) Sydney as she tries to prevent a Rambaldi-foretold apocalypse in the May 25 finale. (Syd will have a bit of bliss when Vaughn, played by Michael Vartan, suddenly pops the question.) "It's a wild finale," Abrams says excitedly. "And in order to make it work the way we wanted it to, we needed Lena."

Abrams had been trying to lure the 50-year-old Swedish-born actress back since she abruptly left the drama in May 2003. Rumor had it that money was the sticking point, but Olin claims her reasons were strictly personal. She says she had always intended to leave Alias when her contract was up in order to spend more time with her New York-based family, which includes film-director husband Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules), teenage son August and daughter Tora, 9. "I had been away too much," says Olin, "and I needed to stay at home for awhile."

She took her daughter to school in the mornings and contemplated moving the family back to Sweden. Occasionally, she slipped off to make a movie, most notably the upcoming Casanova, directed by her husband and starring Heath Ledger. Olin admits that for some time she refused to take Abrams' calls. "When I talk to J.J., it's really hard to say no," she says with a laugh. "I knew if I talked to him, he'd be able to convince me to come back."

That was the case when they finally spoke earlier this year. "Time had passed," says Olin, who's open to returning next season. "I was like, 'Let's do it.' And it's been so fun."

5.18.05 - J.J. Abrams says that even though his new show, Catch starring Greg Grunberg, didn't end up on ABC's fall schedule, the show is not dead. "I'm very, very optimistic that we're going to find a home for it," he told Michael Ausiello (TV Guide) at ABC's upfront party yesterday. "There are a couple of the other possibilities."

5.17.05 - ABC announced their fall schedule today, and Alias is moving to Thursdays at 8pm ET.

5.10.05 - In the May 8th issue, TV Guide gives Cheers to Alias for casting Joel Grey as the evil imposter of double-dealing spymaster Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin). The Oscar-winning actor ("Cabaret") has also excelled in playing creepy villains on other cult shows like Oz and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seems like Grey took the title of his most recent Broadway musical to heart: "Wicked."

5.9.05 - According to E!, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are expecting their first child. The news comes just weeks after the couple reportedly got engaged. It's not clear what impact this will have on Garner's Alias duties, but if rumors of an October/November due date are true, the actress could be sidelined through January.

5.5.05 - You can bid on a chance to meet Victor Garber in person and tour the set of Alias, while also supporting the Alzheimer's Association Rally for Research. Winning bidder and guest will take a guided tour of the set of the ABC hit Alias. Meet cast member Victor Garber who plays CIA agent Jack Bristow and see first hand where the cast films those action-packed scenes. While you are there, you'll receive a script signed by the cast along with other Alias goodies. You will also receive your own pair of purple UGG boots and matching bag, just like the ones the stars use in between filming their scenes. As of this writing, the high bid was $1,075.00. The auction ends on May 12th, 2005.

5.4.05 - From the May 8th issue of TV Guide magazine: Looks like David Spade and Alex Rodriguez aren't the ony stars to refuse to be Punk'd on TV by jokester Ashton Kutcher. Word has it that Michael Vartan also wouldn't sign the waiver giving MTV permission to air a Kutcher-backed prank that reportedly found him trapped on a broken-down airplane. Meanwhile, the Alias star, who's notoriously afraid of flying, is now telling reporters he was never punked. What gives? Both sides declined to comment, but if we were Vartan, we'd watch our backs. -Nerina Rammairone

4.6.05 - ABC has renewed Alias for a fifth season.

3.23.05 - The Catch, a new pilot for ABC from executive producer J.J. Abrams, is about a pair of bounty hunters played by Orlando Jones and Greg Grunberg. It has recently added Don Rickles and Kym Whitley to the cast. Rickles will play Grunberg's grandfather, and Whitley will be a new partner in the company. Other cast members include Joanne Kelly and Daylia Wallace.

3.21.05 - Jennifer Garner will be directing one of the May sweeps episodes.

3.10.05 - Jack can smile! Alias' Victor Garber and Jennifer Garner share a lighthearted moment (and matching black suits!) at an Alzheimer's benefit, of all places. -->

2.3.05 - From TV Guide Online: Lost's Band Plays On

For a band that doesn't really exist, Drive Shaft sure is getting a lot of exposure. The fictional rock group of Lost castaway Charlie (played by Dominic Monaghan) was featured in a flashback episode in the fall, and the band's single "You All Everybody" was recently heard blasting from Sydney's stereo on Alias, another ABC Wednesday-night show.

There's a music video at www.abc.com, and even a faux fan website, www.driveshaftband.com, complete with bios, photos, a discography and dedications to its missing bassist. "We've been talking about putting out an official album," says Lost executive producer Bryan Burk.

Groupies can catch the band again in Lost's Charlie-centric installment next Wednesday at 8 pm/ET. "As long as Lost is alive, so is Drive Shaft," Burk promises. Rock on.

1.30.05 - TV Guide gives Cheers to Alias for making Mía Maestro a full-time cast memeber as Sydney Bristow's half sister, Nadia Santos. Her appearances last season proved that the Argentinean-born costar of "The Motorcycle Diaries" can hold her own with the ABC action drama's muscular ensemble. And it's good to know that if Jennifer Garner ever leaves the show, there's another butt-kicking brunet ready to fill her shoes.

1.12.05 - J.J. Abrams is attached to direct "The Good Sailor," a Universal Pictures drama revolving around the 1945 sinking of the USS Indianapolis, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ABC, meanwhile, has greenlit another Abrams drama pilot, Pros and Cons. This one centers around five ex-cons who end up working with the government.

1.11.05 - Jennifer Garner was nominated for SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. The awards will be presented on Saturday, February 5th, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition and will be televised on TNT at 8pm ET.

1.11.05 - Topher Grace (That '70s Show) has been selected to replace Jennifer Garner as the guest host of this weekend's Saturday Night Live, due to Garner's illness.

1.10.05 - Jennifer Garner won Favorite Hair at the People's Choice Awards last night.

1.7.05 - ABC has commissioned a new drama pilot from J.J. Abrams. What About Brian revolves around a thirtysomething single guy whose friends are all married.

1.7.05 - TV Guide Online: Rossellini's Alias Return

by Angel Cohn

After last night's turn of events on Alias, Lena Olin's return as Jennifer Garner's malevolent mama seems highly unlikely. Fortunately, those who can't get enough of superspy Sydney Bristow's freaky family tree may still have something to look forward to. Remember Isabella Rossellini, who guest-starred last year as Syd's not-so-nice auntie, Katya Derevko? Well, she's just itchin' to kick some more butt.

"They called me the other day to see if I was available," Rossellini says excitedly, "so I hope they'll make me kill someone else."

So Katya's definitely coming back? "I did say that I was available," the 52-year-old actress hedges with a smile. "But their schedule changes. They film an hour [episode] every 10 days, so they have to have all the scripts and to make sure other people are available. It is an incredible job of organization and scheduling. So I am available, hopefully."

That teasing response sounds straight out of creator J.J. Abrams' "How to Keep Alias Secrets" textbook. "Alias is great, it is a lot of fun," Rossellini says. "I've done some dark ladies, but never really much violence. [In one episode,] I had to take my chopsticks and put them in somebody's hand. It was special effect and not hurting the person, but even just doing it, I flinched a little bit. The director said to me, 'You are the actress. If you get the violence, you can be governor, so go for it.' They are a great bunch of people.

"My character is very mysterious and we are all very devious," she continues gleefully. "The moment you think you've got your character [figured out] – 'I'm bad at this but good at this' – uh-uh. The next script arrives, and you are betraying [someone]. We are meaner than the public can even imagine." And that's just how we like it.

1.6.05 - Zap2it.com: 'Lost,' 'Alias' Premiere Hit Series Highs - The early returns on ABC's J.J. Abrams-ification of Wednesday nights are all positives. The first new episode of "Lost" in nearly a month and the two-hour season premiere of "Alias" both established new records for the dramas, help ABC dominate the Wedesday (Jan. 5) ratings....

1.4.05 - Citing illness, Jennifer Garner has abruptly canceled a spate of TV appearances to promote the return of Alias and her upcoming feature "Elektra." Inside Edition reports that Garner has a nasty viral infection and will be laid up for at least a week. Garner was scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on January 15th. It is unclear whether this illness will affect here hosting duties. Her rep, meanwhile, is dismissing tabloid reports that the actress is pregnant.

12.13.04 - Jennifer Garner has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama. The Awards will be presented on Sunday, January 16th in a live telecast on NBC.

12.7.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Alias' Scribe a Real 'Catch' for Touchstone - J.J. Abrams has called in reinforcements to nail down his bounty-hunter pilot "The Catch." John Eisendrath, who's worked with Abrams in the past on "Alias" and "Felicity," will collaborate with Abrams on "The Catch," co-writing the pilot script and serving as an executive producer. The arrangement comes as part of a new two-year deal Eisendrath has signed with Disney's Touchstone TV...

11.17.04 - It's official! Alias, premiering January 5th, 2005, will now be on Wednesdays at 9pm ET after Lost.

11.11.04 - Victor Garber will guest star on the November 18th episode of Will & Grace on NBC.

11.11.04 - The latest rumor is that ABC is leaning towards moving Alias to Wednesday nights at 9pm ET after Lost.

10.27.04 - Alias has been nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Drama, and Jennifer Garner has also been nominated for Favorite Female TV Star and Favorite Leading Lady. You can vote at PCAvote.com until January 9th, when the awards show will air on CBS.

10.26.04 - Kristin at E!Online reports that it's looking more and more likely that Alias will air on Wednesdays starting in January.

10.22.04 - TV Guide Online: We Spy Alias Scoop!

by Shawna Malcom

Alias creator J.J. Abrams is even busier than a jet-setting CIA operative these days. Besides launching the ABC hit Lost, he's preparing to direct The World's Biggest Box-Office Star (that would be Tom Cruise) in Mission Impossible 3 next summer. But never fear, Sydney Bristow fans: Abrams remains committed to his wildly entertaining spy drama, whose fourth season begins in January, partly because of his jam-packed schedule. "When I went away to [direct the pilot episode of] Lost," he says, "I got away from Alias enough to look at it in a way that was surprising again." So what's coming up for Syd? Here, we attempt to pry a few top-secret details out of the notoriously tight-lipped writer.

TV Guide Online: Many fans were thrilled when Vaughn (Michael Vartan) shot his wicked wife Lauren (Melissa George) in last May's finale. Is she really dead?
J.J. Abrams: Melissa is not coming back at the moment. I know some fans were frustrated, but I'm ultimately proud of last year. I'm being optimistic here, but I think Season 3 will actually improve, in retrospect, because we'll see where it went. The stories we're telling now use the best of last year to build the foundation of what happens now.

TVGO: So where does the show go next?
Abrams: I think one of the biggest mistakes I made last year was to let story and plot dictate episodes rather than have our characters run the show. There was no more Sydney as a real, normal person. [This season] we'll get a sense of her as a person, not just a suit. Part of it will be through her relationship with Vaughn, part of it will be seeing her at home, part of it will be through her relationship with her sister, played by Mia Maestro. She will be a regular this season.

TVGO: What kind of relationship will Syd have with her sis?
Abrams: It won't be without its issues. Ultimately, it'll be very relatable, the kinds of things siblings experience, but transposed onto that sort of odd universe of Alias.

TVGO: According to the Rambaldi prophecy, aren't they a danger to each other?
Abrams: All siblings are somewhat a danger to each other.

TVGO: Rumor has it your old SD-6 gang will somehow be reunited. True?
Abrams: We will see the characters return to the dynamic that worked best for them. Sloane will no longer be a peripheral character. Vaughn will no longer be the kind of meandering betrayer of Sydney. Marshall won't just be another mouthpiece in conference-room scenes. Dixon will no longer be the authority figure. And Jack will no longer just be the milquetoast dad.

TVGO: The mysterious info Sydney found in that Wittenberg bank will undoubtedly strain her relationship with Dad.
Abrams: That cliff-hanger figures prominently in the two-hour premiere. By the end of it, you will know what Jack did and what the ramifications are.

TVGO: Will Syd's mother (Lena Olin) be back?
Abrams: I tried so many times [to get] Lena back, but I think, at the end of the day, it's just not gonna happen. I want her back; it just seems like something she doesn't wanna do.

TVGO: Angela Bassett guest-stars in the season premiere as a new CIA honcho. Will any other biggies pop up?
Abrams: I would love Bradley Cooper [who played Will] to come back. We just talked about it, and it's something we're gonna try to do. David Anders [who plays Sark] will be back, but not as a regular.

10.20.04 - TV Guide Online reports that Jennifer Garner is in talks to play a woman facing the sudden death of her husband in the romantic comedy "Catch and Release."

10.19.04 - Melissa George is in talks to take on the role of Supergirl in a remake of the original '80s movie.

10.5.04 - From TV Guide Online: The tube industry is still abuzz over Sunday's boffo Desperate Housewives premiere on ABC. A stunning 21.3 million viewers caught the show's debut episode, giving ABC its most-watched series premiere since Spin City eight years ago. Now for the $64,543 question: What the heck does this mean for Alias, which was slated to reclaim its Sunday-9 pm time slot in January? I spy a move to Monday night for Sydney and Co.

9.30.04 - Ted at E!Online reports that Michael Vartan is dating someone new, but no word on who the new woman is.

9.22.04 - E!Online Fashion Police: I Do Declare! Secret agent or southern belle? Alias star Jennifer Garner wears an Oscar de la Renta white lace layered dress that looks like it was made from a few tablecloths and tied with a black ribbon. Great for a Kentucky garden party--or a wedding. Hey, you don't think...Better warn reluctant groom Ben Affleck!

9.21.04 - According to Variety, J.J. Abrams is developing a new drama for the WB entitled Six Degrees. The show will focus on six post-college adults whose lives cross in various ways. While Abrams will be executive producer, the script will be written by Raven Metzner and Stu Zicherman. In addition, Abrams is also developing a show for ABC called Pros and Cons, about a group of ex-cons now working for the good guys (also written by Metzner and Zicherman).

Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

9.15.04 - Bid on an autographed (by the whole cast) script of Alias (pilot episode), donated by J.J. Abrams to benefit the ACLU of Southern California. The item also includes an 8" x 10" picture with pre-printed signatures (the signatures on the script are original), a T-shirt (large) and a hat. Last I checked, the current bid was $103.50 and the auction is over the morning of September 21st. Go to eBay

9.7.04 - Former Saturday Night Live star Cheri Oteri is reportedly in conversations with J.J. Abrams to develop a comedy project for Oteri. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is being considered by ABC. This would be Abrams's first comedy project.

8.24.04 - Kristin at E!Online reports that David Anders (Sark) has a new recurring role on CSI as a toxicology expert. Alias has asked him to block out the month of October, so he will probably be appearing in the spring (since Alias doesn't start airing until January this year).

8.23.04 - Trainwreck, featuring Kevin Weisman, will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live the night of Friday, August 27th.

8.7.04 - Kristin at E!Online gets the dish on cast changes, chemistry, and Marshall's Speedo showcase from Alias's head honcho.

8.2.04 - Angela Bassett will play the new CIA director.

7.15.04 - Alias received 8 Emmy nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Jennifer Garner), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Victor Garber), Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series ("Taken"), Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series ("Conscious"), Outstanding Hairstyling For A Series ("Unveiled"), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series ("Resurrection"), Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series ("Hourglass"), and Outstanding Stunt Coordination ("Resurrection"). The awards ceremony will air live on ABC on Sunday, September 19th, from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and will be hosted by Garry Shandling.

7.14.04 - Zap2It.com: Abrams Promises to Fix 'Alias' - Few television shows have a fan base as faithfully and dedicatedly obsessed with their every detail as ABC's "Alias." The spy drama's aficionados have put up with and embraced thousands of unconnected details about some dude named Rambaldi, doppelgangers galore, several total reinventions of the show's plot, scores of distant and rediscovered relatives and enough confusing twists to leave even the most patient of heads scratched raw....

7.1.04 - Melissa George is in talks to star in MGM's remake of "The Amityville Horror."

6.21.04 - TV Guide Online: Alias: We Spy a Makeover

When Alias kicks off its fourth season in January, fans are going to spy some big-time changes. Coming off a subpar season, which saw viewership decline 9 percent, series creator J.J. Abrams will once again embrace the show's original conceit. Namely, Sydney will go back to juggling her dual roles as an international spy and normal twentysomething.

"We got so deep in the Rimbaldi and Covenant [mysteries] that we lost sight of some of the stuff we fell in love with [in the beginning]," ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson tells TV Guide Online. "J.J. is talking about getting back to some of the joy that she used to have in her personal life early on... while still living in this crazy world."

Abrams says he had an epiphany about Alias' disappointing third season while he was working on the pilot for his upcoming ABC thriller, Lost. "Going away to do Lost allowed me to look at Alias in a way that I could not have done otherwise — from the outside," he explains. "And it was like an incredibly enlightening thing. I suddenly knew in my heart what I wanted and what I didn't want — and I saw what was happening. Not that I wasn't proud of what was there, but I saw some mistakes that I made and I thought, 'Oh my God.'

"It was like going home and watching the game on TV — it gives you that perspective that you don't have when you're playing it," he adds. "I have a knowledge of the show I never had before."

Meanwhile, Abrams, unlike fans, is not peeved at ABC for delaying the show's return until January. "I was begging them to do it," he admits, noting that the midseason launch will allow his baby to unspool its 20 episodes uninterrupted by reruns. "Every time we would return after three or four weeks of repeats, our ratings would dip. Every time."

The move, therefore, should not be interpreted as ABC not believing in the show, he says. "I guess you could argue that shuffling it to the back makes it look less important to them, but I think it's actually the opposite. If they didn't believe in the show they wouldn't have A) picked it up, B) ordered 20 [episodes] and C) strategized how to maximize its [potential]."

"I couldn't believe more in the show," McPherson attests. "We're going to be launching a lot of new dramas in the fall and we wouldn't have been able to put any money [into promoting Alias]. So we felt the best thing to do was bring it on in January when we've got all [20 episodes] and a huge promotion platform with the Academy Awards."

And if that strategy doesn't entangle more viewers in the spy yarn, Jennifer Garner can kiss her extensive wig collection good-bye, right? Wrong. McPherson insists there's "not a chance" Season 4 could be Alias' last. "It will be an asset for years." How many, exactly? Cracks Abrams: "Exactly 100." Nobody likes a smart-ass. Well, except us.

6.6.04 - In the Roush Riff from the June 6th issue of TV Guide, Matt Roush writes: RIP, Lauren Reed. The season finale of ABC's Alias finally delivered the deathblow to a character many of us wanted dead from the start. Lauren, played by the colorless Melissa George, had alienated fan affections immediately by stealing spy-hunk Vaughn away from series heroine Sydney. As a loyal wife, Lauren was an irksome mouse. The only way to redeem her was to turn her into a two-faced supervillain. Lauren did get a grand finish, though: one last brutal catfight with Syd, with exposition flying as betrayed husband Vaughn plugged her with six bullets. Of course, Alias has an exasperating tendency to resurrect characters presumed DOA. My advice to Lauren: Keep playing dead.

6.4.04 - TV Guide Online: Alias Baddie Goes Good

True Alias fans will never forget Merrin Dungey's role as Allison Doren, aka "Bad Francie," the evil look-alike who slayed Sydney's roomie, Francine Calfo. Still, we love listening to the actress recall her twisted turns so much, it seems wrong not to let you in on the fun!

"Allison killed the real Francie and took her place. Sydney (Jennifer Garner) tried to kill Allison, but it didn't happen because I had the gene juice from the Rambaldi formula that gave me extra powers or whatever," Dungey tells TV Guide Online in character. "Then, she tried to kill me again in September, but I got away and overturned that ambulance in Prague. Then, I showed up again and Will stabbed me. That's the last we've seen of the Francinator so far."

Word is, Alias creator J.J. Abrams adores Bad Francie so much, he won't permit a bit of bloodletting to spell the end of her. "I was slumped on the ground, but that happens all the time," Dungey shrugs. "They may be stab wounds I couldn't recover from... Who's to say? The show has indicated to me that it would be fun for Allison to turn up again and cause havoc. If so, let's hope they give me plenty of warning so I can get back into kickboxing training with my sensei."

Until Alias calls, Dungey's keeping busy with her cozier new gig as a series regular on Summerland (Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET on WB). She plays Full House grad Lori Loughlin's gal pal — a Beverly Hills fashionista named Susannah Rexford. "Alias was very taxing on my body," she admits. "I sustained a lot of injuries from it, including a right-foot injury I've had for six months. Training for this show is much easier. I just do Pilates. It's a beach show, so it's all about abs and bikini wear!"

by Daniel R. Coleridge

5.18.04 - ABC won't debut a fourth season of Alias until January '05, giving the show an uninterrupted, rerun-free 20-episode run.

5.12.04 - Alias in syndication: The Fox-owned station group has made an "Alias" for itself, securing rights to the Buena Vista Television series. "Alias" will debut in fall 2005 for a weekend run of the Touchstone Entertainment action series starring Jennifer Garner. The deal involves all 35 of the Fox-owned stations, including WNYW and WWOR (New York), KTTV and KCOP (Los Angeles), and WFLD and WPWR (Chicago).

5.11.04 - Alias will be back for a 4th season! Official announcement from ABC to come next week.

5.2.04 - The May 2nd issue of TV Guide gives Jeers to Alias for repeating itself. Too many scenes feature spy Sydney (Jennifer Garner) going undercover to contact villains at Eurotrash nightclubs. At first, it seemed like a sly running joke–and a convenient excuse to show off Garner in skimpy outfits. But now that she's visited every bar on the continent, it just feels like lazy writing.

4.26.04 - Zap2It.com: ABC Renders 'Empire' Role Unto Garber

Victor Garber rules.

That's not a statement of preference so much as a description of his next role -- as Julius Caesar in the ABC's ancient-Rome series "Empire."

Garber, who stars in "Alias" as CIA Agent Jack Bristow, will have a recurring role as the Roman emperor in the limited series, which recently began production in Rome. Jonathan Cake ("The American Embassy"), Santiago Cabrera, Sting's wife Trudie Styler ("Me Without You") and Fiona Shaw (the "Harry Potter" movies) have also joined the cast.

"Empire" centers on the fictional character Tyrannus (Cake), Caesar's bodyguard and confidant. When Brutus (James Frain) and fellow senators assassinate Caesar, Tyrannus promises that he will protect the dying emperor's nephew, Octavius (Cabrera). They flee Rome to protect Octavius from those who want to end Caesar's bloodline, aided by a soldier (Christopher Egan) and a young woman (Emily Blunt).

The eight-episode series, which is scheduled for next season, reunites Garber with executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. He previously appeared in their TV productions of "The Music Man," "Life with Judy Garland" -- for which he earned an Emmy nomination -- and "Cinderella."

4.26.04 - TV Guide Online reports that Jennifer Garner has a new alias: Box-office draw. The actress's first solo effort on the big screen, 13 Going on 30, opened at No. 2 over the weekend with a better-than-expected $22 million. The lighthearted comedy came in just a hair behind Denzel Washington's violent thriller "Man on Fire," which snagged the No. 1 spot with $23 million. Kill Bill -- Vol. 2, meanwhile, fell from first to third with $10.4 million -- a steep 59-percent drop from its big debut last weekend.

4.20.04 - Jennifer Garner will be on The Ellen Degeneres Show on Thursday, April 29th.

4.14.04 - Zap2It.com: Garner Exposes Her Inner 13-Year-Old - On TV's "Alias," Jennifer Garner can be seen fighting the Covenant, silently suffering her true love's marriage to another woman and dealing with the fact that she comes from a family of spies. In her first comedy film, "13 Going on 30," however, she's shown giggling with a bunch of teen girls at a slumber party, talking about boys and dancing around like a goofball....

4.13.04 - Kristin at E!Online swears that Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan are still an item, and says that their reps have confirmed it.

4.13.04 - Zap2It.com: Sympathy for the Devil on 'Alias' - "Let me please introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste ..." Certainly The Rolling Stones had someone more supernatural in mind in the hit song "Sympathy for the Devil," but in the world of ABC's Sunday-night espionage drama "Alias," it's hard to find a character that better embodies ultimate evil -- not to mention wealth and taste -- than Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin)....

4.11.04 - The April 11th issue of TV Guide magazine gives Cheers to Alias for giving better exposure to one of its most ill-utilized assets, Carl Lumbly. Since getting promoted to director of the CIA's Los Angeles bureau this season, Lumbly's Marcus Dixon has been given little to do except spout exposition. But when Dixon's children were kidnapped in a recent episode, Lumbly got a chance to show off his acting range–and his action-hero skills. We can only hope the show will no longer keep Lumbly's talents undercover.

4.8.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel' Scribe Moves on to 'Alias' - Jeffrey Bell, a writer and executive producer on "Angel," is jumping to another cult-favorite series when The WB show ends in May. He will become a writer and co-executive producer of "Alias" next season as part of a deal with Touchstone TV, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The contract moves him to an executive producer spot for 2005-06....

4.6.04 - Zap2It.com: Bradley Cooper Loves 'Touching Evil' - No, your eyes were not deceiving you. That was indeed former "Alias" star Bradley Cooper in the April 2 episode of the new USA Network crime drama "Touching Evil," airing Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. But if you missed him, don't worry, Cooper and his character, Agent Rivers, are sticking around for five additional episodes....

4.5.04 - Michael Vartan is in talks to join the cast of "Monster-in-Law," which centers on a girl (Jennifer Lopez) who's set to marry the perfect guy (Vartan) until she meets his mother (Jane Fonda). Vartan would shoot the film this summer during his Alias hiatus.

4.3.04 - Zap2It.com: Garner Says 'Alias' a Go for Season Four - While ABC won't officially announce its fall schedule until May, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner says that she and the spy series will be part of the line-up. "We are coming back for next year, which we are thrilled about," Garner tells Zap2it.com. "I don't know if it's been announced, but I'll be back. We hired new writers, we hired new cast members, so it's happening...."

3.26.04 - Ted at E!Online reports that Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan may have broken up, although Garner's reps say he's wrong wrong wrong.

3.26.04 - TV Guide Online: We spied Alias' Jennifer Garner snagging a trophy for Female Star of Tomorrow at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas.

3.25.04 - The March 27th issue of TV Guide gives Cheers to TNT for buying the rights to air reruns of Alias starting next year. For devotees of ABC's drama, it'll be a chance to relive the early exploits of spy Sydney Bristow. And for everyone else, it'll be an opportunity to catch up with a serial that can be as difficult to follow as the habitually sprinting Sydney.

3.24.04 - Mia Maestro ("Frida") has been cast in at least three episodes of Alias starting April 25th. For more info on her role, see the previews page.

3.22.04 - Kristin at E!Online says that according to an inside source, Lena Olin is close to signing a deal to reprise her role as Sydney's mother, Irina, for at least one episode this season. It's all part of a big reveal involving that whole crazy Sloane affair, which could include another player.

3.12.04 - From TV Guide Online (with a shortened version in the March 6th issue of the magazine): Office Star's New Alias

How did Ricky Gervais follow up his double Golden Globe win for BBC's The Office last month? He went straight to work filming scenes for Sunday's episode of Alias (9 pm/ET on ABC). Here's what the British funnyman thought of his weird, wicked week in sunny Los Angeles.

TV Guide Online: Aside from The Office, you haven't really acted before. What was it like starring in a big TV action-drama?
Ricky Gervais: The hardest part was keeping straight-faced. Everybody around me was in black and cool and wearing Gucci and Armani and guns, and there I was in a jumper looking like a country fisherman. I just pretended to be Jack Bauer from 24.

TVGO: Who do you play?
Gervais: All I can tell you is he's a very, very bad man indeed. An international terrorist. Let's just say he's somebody I most certainly wouldn't like to sit next to on an airplane.

TVGO: Still, it sounds like a pretty cushy gig compared to the BBC.
Gervais: I admit, it was hard not to become a diva. The first day, I was intimidated. The next day, it was old hat. The third day, I was blasé and by the fourth, they were lucky I showed up.

TVGO: Is Jennifer Garner as beautiful as she appears on TV?
Gervais: Not compared to me, actually. People will realize why they had to get me on the show. They needed my body.

TVGO: What was your most surreal Hollywood moment of the week?
Gervais: Aside from Jennifer Aniston saying the name "Ricky Gervais" [when she announced the Golden Globe winner], it was looking out in the audience and seeing Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas and Jude Law staring silently at me. All I could tell myself was, "Say something, you idiot!"

TVGO: What did you learn about Hollywood?
Gervais: Contrary to popular belief, people in Hollywood aren't hung up on agents and helpers and how they look. At least not all the time. But more to the point, I realized I am a writer and not an actor.

TVGO: Does this mean you're not staying stateside?
Gervais: I don't want to pop up as a Mr. Brit on every other television program. I've done it once. Now I need to go home to where it rains and where I can walk everywhere.

TVGO: If NBC's upcoming version of The Office goes badly, will you care?
Gervais: Nope, because it doesn't matter to me. I've done my bit. I wish them all the luck in the world. Two hundred and fifty million Americans don't know me or The Office. It's like somebody doing a cover of your song. You don't hang about the studio going, "No wait, don't sing it like that. Softer. Softer!" So my life's not going to change.

3.9.04 - Zap2It.com: The Secret Life of Eric Weiss on 'Alias' - "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams has written a pilot for cast member Greg Grunberg, who plays CIA Agent Eric Weiss on the Sunday-night ABC espionage drama. But since the episode isn't planned to hit the schedule before the middle of next season, Grunberg has the opportunity to think about what he'd like Weiss to do in the meantime....

3.8.04 - With the third season of Alias making its UK debut in March, dreamwatch, the British magazine for sci-fi and fantasy entertainment, talks to Michael Vartan, who plays CIA agent Michael Vaughn, about the action-packed season and finds out about his real life relationship with the show's star, Jennifer Garner. To get dreamwatch delivered to your door in the UK, call 01536 764646 or email dreamwatchsubs@titanemail.com. To get dreamwatch delivered to your door in the US, call 1-877-363-1310 or eamil expressmag@expressmag.com. Please quote reference number P103.

3.5.04 - Read Kristin from E!Online's account of the Museum of Television and Radio event featuring Jennifer Garner, Keri Russell, J.J. Abrams, and Felicity co-producer Matt Reeves.

3.5.04 - TV Guide Online: Alias Bad Boy's Secrets

It's not just viewers who are blown away by the twists and turns on ABC's spy drama Alias. Dave Anders — the show's British bad boy Mr. Sark — gets his share of surprises, too. Sark has gone from a mere recurring character in Season 1 to a major player in the North American cell of The Covenant last month. His rising status as a TV terrorist is quite an unexpected coup for this 22-year-old actor.

"In the first season, I didn't know how long I was going to be around," Anders tells TV Guide Online. "I [even] wanted to get Jennifer Garner's picture and autograph. On the picture, she wrote, 'To David: Welcome to prime time. Get comfy. You're going to be here awhile.' I was like, 'What the hell does she know? She knows something I don't!'"

Not bad for an Oregon native with only two professional acting credits on his resum&eactue; before booking Alias. (He'd done the Olsen twins' short-lived sitcom, So Little Time, and a straight-to-DVD thriller called The Source.) And Sark's role will keep growing, thanks to his new Covenant gig, a budding affair with Vaughn's double-agent wife, and finally getting a first name — Julian — after two years without one. "I'm being brought into the forefront of the show," he laughs. "I'll wear tight Lycra and heels, like Jennifer, and run up and down stairs."

Anders can't give up top-secret details on the new Alias episodes (beginning Sunday at 9 pm/ET on ABC). But he is willing to blow the cover on a few plotlines the show's scribes considered, yet never brought to the screen...

"Sydney and Sark were going to be related. But I think people caught on to that and it was kind of a mixed, lukewarm reaction," Anders reveals. "[Then,] Lauren and Sark were going to be brother and sister. They batted around the idea of us consummating the relationship and then finding out, but that's a little weird — even for Alias!"

What would he like to see happen to Sark? "I don't know if I could write it any better than the writers," Anders says. "I got my wish of a first name. Beggars can't be choosers."

3.4.04 - Zap2It.com: Favorite MIA 'Alias' Characters May Return - For "Alias" fans looking for favorite characters like Lena Olin's Irina Derevko or Bradley Cooper's Will Tippin, this has been a somewhat disappointing season. Derevko has been reduced to an entirely off-screen presence, a deus ex machina character still invariably capable of providing answers and support. Communicating only via e-mail and instant messages, she has just become another name on Jack Bristow's (Victor Garber) AIM Buddy List....

3.3.04 - The February 28th issue of TV Guide reports that, despite earning his first Oscar nod, Djimon Hounsou is returning to the tube. The "In America" actor will reprise his Alias role of Covenant kingpin Kazari Bomani for two episodes in late March.

3.2.04 - Cynthia's Cynopsis reports that TNT has acquired the cable rights to off-net series Alias for a reported fee of $200,000 per ep, aimed to hit the schedule in Fall 2005. That fee is considerably less than the ask six months ago, which was closer to the tony $1m neighborhood. The show was at one time in 2002 repurposed on ABC Family to disappointing ratings. However, one could argue the environment at TNT will be considerably more desirable to the show, potentially surrounded by the likes of L&O, NYPD Blue, ER and Without a Trace.

	Jennifer Garner by Steve Granitz/WireImage

2.24.04 - TV Guide Online: We spied Alias' Jennifer Garner slinking down the red carpet at the SAG Awards.

2.7.04 - "Independence Day" star Vivica A. Fox guest-stars in "After Six," the Sunday, Feb. 15, episode of "Alias," bringing to three the number of people involved in "Kill Bill" to appear on the ABC espionage drama. Preceding her were the film's director and writer, Quentin Tarantino, who reprises his recurring role as McKenas Cole in "After Six," and Bill himself, David Carradine, who appeared an episode last April. For more info on this episode and Vivica A. Fox's role, see the previews page.

2.4.04 - J.J. Abrams has inked a new seven-figure deal to keep his production company -- Bad Robot Television -- at Disney-owned Touchstone TV, Variety reports.

2.3.04 - ABC has ordered a pilot of action/adventure project The Catch starring Greg Grunberg about bounty hunters as a potential mid-season series for next year. Writer/producer JJ Abrams is also working on the network's project Lost about a group of people stuck on a deserted island.

2.2.04 - From the January 31st issue of TV Guide: Cheers to Alias for finally explaining what the heck happened to Sydney Bristow during her two-year blackout. It seems she volunteered for an experimental memory-erasing procedure in an attempt to thwart the evil Covenant. The drama satisfyingly tied up numerous loose ends — while unraveling others with the revelation that Vaughn's wife is a double agent.

1.27.04 - From E!Online Red Carpet Pics: Jennifer Garner at the Golden Globe Awards

1.15.04 - Jennifer Garner received a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award as Female Actor in a Drama Series. The SAG Awards will air on TNT Sunday, February 22nd.

1.14.04 - Don't miss Bradley Cooper in the ABC Family movie "I Want to Marry Ryan Banks," airing on Sunday at 8pm ET on the ABC Family Channel.

1.12.04 - Kristin at E!Online reports that Jennifer Garner rented out Disneyland--the entire park!--on Saturday night as a Christmas gift to the show's cast and crew. A friend tells her that Jen came up with the idea and other castmembers and producers also pitched in.

1.9.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Alias' Creator Offers 'Full Disclosure' - At opposite ends of the spectrum lie two of the most viscerally satisfying of TV experiences. On the one hand, there's that moment when some great plot twist is revealed, and you leap out of your easy chair, do a victory dance around the living room and shout, "I knew it. I knew it." Then there's the other moment, when your jaw drops open, you shout, "No way" and clasp your hands over your mouth....

1.6.04 - Alias has been nominated by The Producers Guild of America as one of the best dramas on TV. Winners will be announced on January 17th.

12.29.03 - MSN Entertainment: 'Alias's Other Woman - Melissa George pumped playing tough chick who got Sydney's guy

Melissa George, who plays NSC agent Lauren Reed in the Sunday-night ABC spy drama "Alias," is a little groggy this morning, but brightens when she talks about what kept her up the previous night....

12.19.03 - Jennifer Garner was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The Golden Globes will be presented on Sunday, Jan. 25 and the show will be televised live on NBC.

12.15.03 - The American Film Institute named Alias one of the 10 best TV shows of the year.

12.15.03 - Zap2It.com: Melissa George's 'Alias' Is the Other Woman - Melissa George, who plays NSC agent Lauren Reed in the Sunday-night ABC spy drama "Alias," is a little groggy this morning, but brightens when she talks about what kept her up the previous night. She was shooting a scene with co-star Jennifer Garner, who plays CIA agent Sydney Bristow. Sydney is the ex-girlfriend of Lauren's husband, CIA agent Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan). Sydney lost her memory for two years, and when she woke up in Hong Kong, she discovered Michael had gotten married, thinking she was dead. Then she learned she'd been going by the name of Julia and killed people. But, that's "Alias...."

12.12.03 - Isabella Rossellini will guest-star on Alias in a multi-episode story arc as Sydney's aunt.

12.5.03 - From TV Guide Online: Syd's Bud Back on Alias - So you've forgotten the past two years of your life. You're also a CIA spy surrounded by shifty foes. You need info! But who you gonna call? For Alias spy Sydney Bristow, the answer is her old buddy Will, who appears in Sunday's episode (9 pm/ET on ABC). And that means fan fave Bradley Cooper is back! For more, see the previews page.

12.1.03 - From Zap2It.com: Bradley Cooper Reappears on ABC's 'Alias' - That music in the background of Bradley Cooper's cell phone might be one of the many live performers on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, where the former "Alias" star is now strolling -- or perhaps not....

11.26.03 - From TV Guide Online: Alias Star Vs. Stalkerazzi

Ain't fame a beeyatch? Just look at Jennifer Garner. This 31-year-old actress has come far since playing mousy Hannah on Felicity. She spied her way to stardom in ABC's Alias, then confirmed her spot on Hollywood's A-list by doing Daredevil with Ben Affleck. On the downside, Garner faces the tabs and their relentless paparazzi, who salivate over her personal life — including her recent split from husband Scott Foley and subsequent hook-up with Alias leading man Michael Vartan — on a weekly basis. How rough is that?

"Luckily for me, most of the time, I'm here [on the Alias set]," she says. "It's very easy to live my life here, because this crew has been with me for three years. They really look after me emotionally, as well as taking care of my day-to-day physical needs."

Apart from the lovely paychecks, of course, it's Garner's bond with boss J.J. Abrams — who created Felicity and Alias — that made her sign on to play super-spy Sydney Bristow through 2007. "The main thing that starts with J.J. and works its way down is a familial atmosphere," she enthuses. "It was that way on Felicity as well. It's why people want to work with him again and again, and it's why he uses actors again and again, because he must believe in this kind of family setting...

"I've really leaned on this crew for support," she adds. "And as far as the photographers at my house, they've chilled out. Of course, I don't like it, but I wasn't ignorant [of the consequences] when I took the role. And the good so outweighs the bad. What are you gonna do?"

So despite the public breakup and all the messy fallout, Garner seems to have her head in the right place. "You know, life is good," she smiles. "My house is not on fire. It has been an incredibly hard year, but it's gonna be okay."

11.14.03 - From TV Guide Online: Alias villainess Lena Olin seems to be taking her role as Jennifer Garner's absentee mom, Irina Derevko, a little too literally. The actress nixed a deal to return this season despite the fact that, as a source close to the negotiations puts it, "every single one of her demands were met by ABC and the producers." Among her initial requests: "Sharon Stone-type money," says an insider, referring to the unprecedented $100,000-per-episode salary the Basic Instinct star reportedly pulled in for her recent Practice stint. ABC declined to comment, as did Olin's camp, but Alias exec producer J.J. Abrams is holding out hope that Olin will be back. "[Irina] remains a critical piece of the puzzle." Albeit an expensive one.

11.5.03 - Bradley Cooper will reprise his role as Will in the Dec. 7th episode. For more information on what will happen, see the previews page.

10.31.03 - Ricky Gervais, best known as the insecure egomaniac boss David Brent on the BBC America comedy The Office, will guest-star on an upcoming episode as a "juicy, horrible, evil" villain, reports TV Guide Online. Gervais is set to tape his appearance in early 2004. "[Alias creator] J.J. Abrams is a fan of The Office and offered to write me a part," he says. In fact, Abrams is tailoring the role to Gervais's gift for subtlety. "A good bad guy doesn't have to be arch, over-the-top, mustache-twirly," Abrams adds. "A good bad guy needs to be smart. And certainly, Ricky is smart."

10.24.03 - From TV Guide Online: Alias spy Sydney Bristow is turning to an unlikely source to help her fill in those missing years: David Cronenberg. The acclaimed Dead Ringers director appears in an upcoming episode as an "experimental researcher" who employs a radical therapy to help Syd get her memory back. Okay, so long as he's not an OB-gyn.

10.22.03 - MSN Entertainment: 'Alias' Dad - Victor Garber adds father/spy to his long list of varied roles....

10.6.03 - Zap2It.com: Where Did the Time Go on 'Alias'? - Some TV series are like Hummers -- solid and foursquare. NBC's "Law & Order" comes to mind. One feels the entire cast could be sucked into space, and somehow the show would pop back next season without skipping a beat.

At the other end of the spectrum are shows that are more like unicycles -- kinetic and delicately balanced. ABC's "Alias" comes to mind. It wobbles and dips, careening from one improbable plot twist to another, and yet somehow stays upright....

10.3.03 - Amanda Foreman guests on Miss Match on NBC tonight.

9.25.03 - MSN Access Hollywood: Jennifer News - Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan, one of Hollywood's 'undercover couples,' didn't go to the Emmy's together. But on the season premiere of ABC's "Alias," Jennifer gets a choke hold on her beau in an explosive scene....

9.24.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Satin Doll - Sexy secret Alias agent Jennifer Garner disguises herself as a high-society debutante. The demure white satin Ralph Lauren gown, diamond necklace, matching earrings and politely upswept hair is quite classy. But all that's missing is the white satin gloves and a corsage. Hey, it's a pretty good cover, but we miss our kick-butt babe. Bet soon-to-be-ex hubby Scott Foley does, too.

9.24.03 - Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber are auctioning off what they wore to last Sunday's Emmys ceremony to benefit the Cure Autism Now Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Husband and wife team Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) are spearheading the "Clothes Off Our Back" fundraiser, and more than 30 other celebs will participate.

9.22.03 - Michael Vartan has a new safehouse to hole up in. The 34-year-old actor is poised to become a first-time homeowner with the purchase of a $1.6 million crib in the Hollywood Hills. According to the Los Angeles Times, the contemporary-style home boasts three bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms and an attached guest house.

Lena Olin and Jennifer Garner by Michel/IPA

9.19.03 - The WSPA (The World Society for the Protection of Animals) kicks off its internet auction to benefit animals at www.GoBid.ca, starting October 1st until midnight October 31st! There are over 100 items up for grabs, including a "Daredevil" digital press kit signed by Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.

9.16.03 - Victor Garber has been added to the list of Emmy presenters for the September 21st ceremony.

9.15.03 - The Creative Arts Emmys were awarded this past weekend. The creative arts awards recognize more than 60 technical and other achievements for the 2002-03 season, and are a precursor to the main Emmy event later this month. Angela Nogaro, Diana Brown and Kaori Turner won an Emmy for Outstanding Makeup for a Series (non-prosthetic) for the episode "The Counteragent," and Jeff Habberstad won an emmy for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for the episode "The Telling." The rest of the Emmys will be awarded in a ceremony on September 21st which will air live on FOX.

9.13.03 - "Alias" star Jennifer Garner and a trio of past winners lead the latest round of Emmy presenter announcements. Last year's best actor and actress in a drama series, Michael Chiklis and Allison Janney, and four-time best actor winner Dennis Franz will also give out shiny golden trophies. The Emmys will air live on FOX on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

9.12.03 - Don't miss Vaughn's new wife, Melissa George, on the season premiere of Charmed on the WB, airing 8pm ET on Sunday, September 28th.

9.10.03 - Zap2It.com: ABC Follows Procedure with 'Alias' Pair - If you want specific details on the new project from "Alias" executive producers Alex Kurtzman-Counter and Roberto Orci, you may need special clearance. The duo has a put pilot commitment with ABC to write and executive produce a drama about the Secret Service....

9.6.03 - Don't miss the great article on Alias that starts on page 23 of the September 6th issue of TV Guide.

9.4.03 - Djimon Hounsou will join the cast in a recurring role as a bad guy.

8.29.03 - Zap2It.com: Melissa George Marries into 'Alias' Family - Former "Thieves" star Melissa George has been cast as the woman who steals Vaughn's heart on "Alias." George will join the cast of ABC's spy thriller this fall as Vaughn's (Michael Vartan) wife, National Security Council agent Lauren Reed....

8.29.03 - Alias re-runs could be coming to Spike TV or FX soon, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Both of the male-oriented networks are interested in tapping into Jennifer Garner's fan base.

8.28.03 - From TV Guide Online: The CIA is making a play for Alias spybabe Jennifer Garner. According to Reuters, the government agency has approached the actress about appearing in an official recruitment video geared to university graduate students. Chase Brandon, a film industry liaison for the CIA, says, "We feel that Miss Garner, both in character as agent Sydney Bristow and as herself, embodies the intelligence, enthusiasm and dedication that we're looking for." Plus, she's hot!

8.18.03 - Kristin at E!Online reports that David Anders will be in 22 episodes this season (compared to the 15 he was in last year). For more scoop on Sark, see the previews page.

8.18.03 - TV Guide Online: Meet Alias's Sexy New Superspy - Jennifer Garner's got someone new to kick around on Alias this season. Actress Melissa George has been cast as Lauren Reed, the mysterious Brit that Vaughn (Michael Vartan) went and married during Sydney's two-year brain freeze. The Aussie import — best known as John Stamos' partner in crime on ABC's short-lived Thieves — will debut in the show's second episode. TV Guide Online spoke with the femme fatale just hours after she nabbed the plum part, so forgive her if she's a little giddy....

8.18.03 - Access Hollywood: On the Set: Jennifer's 'Alias' Return - US Weekly broke the news that Jennifer Garner is indeed dating her "Alias" co-star Michael Vartan. Reportedly, the two have been an item for the last few weeks. The on-screen/offscreen romance could be good news for Jennifer, who just signed up for a long "Alias" run. Access Hollywood was first on the set as she returned to work on her sexy spy series....

8.14.03 - From TV Guide Online: Alias fans, you may want to sit down for this: Jennifer Garner is dating her leading man Michael Vartan! The official confirmation — which came as a complete shock to no one — was issued by Garner's spokeswoman, who told Us Weekly that the pair "were friends and they recently started dating." Garner split from her hubby, ex-Felicity star Scott Foley, last April, but according to Us, she and Vartan didn't start dating until Alias resumed production two weeks ago. It's not a lie if you believe it.

8.1.03 - E!Online: Garner Undercover for More "Alias" - Jennifer Garner could be spying a heftier paycheck. According to the trades, the actress is in final talks with producers of her ABC drama Alias for a new deal that will not only keep her kicking butt on the series through the 2007-08 television season, but also award her a handsome pay raise....

8.1.03 - From TV Guide Online: Jennifer Garner won't be ditching her small screen career in favor of feature films anytime soon. According to reports, the actress is thisclose to signing a new deal that will keep her on Alias through the 2007-08 season. The pact would likely increase Garner's per-episode paycheck from $40,000 to about $150,000.

8.1.03 - Zap2It.com: Garner Extends 'Alias' Duty - "Alias" star Jennifer Garner has extended her contract with the ABC spy show by one year and will get a substantial raise for her work. The one-year contract extension means Garner will stick around the series through the 2007-08 season -- assuming the show lasts that long. While "Alias" has rabid fans and has racked up more than 20 Emmy nominations -- including two for Garner -- in its first two seasons, it hasn't yet become a breakout hit....

8.1.03 - Access Hollywood: Garner's Guy: '13 Going on 30' Set - Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are all laughs on the "Daredevil" gag reel, currently out on DVD. But now Jennifer is ready to do it on her own, carrying her first feature film in the romantic comedy "13 Going On 30." Access Hollywood's Pat O'Brien was on set in New York....

7.30.03 - The season premiere of Alias will air on Sunday, September 28th.

7.24.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Heidi Ho - Alias action babe Jennifer Garner goes way undercover on the New York set of her new film, 13 Going On 30. Check out this "Swiss Schoolgirl on Ecstasy" disguise: floral-print, puffed-sleeve peasant top; pleated yellow skirt; rubber waders; pink plastic tank watch; and little-girl pigtails. We're sure the garish garb is just for the movie role. But let's hope Garner gets back to her sexy, stylin' supersleuth ways before the Alliance gets wind of this.

7.17.03 - Alias got 11 Emmy nominations this morning, including Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series ("Phase One"), Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series ("Double Agent"), Outstanding Costumes For A Series ("Phase One"), Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series ("Phase One"), Outstanding Hairstyling For A Series ("The Counteragent"), Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic) ("The Counteragent"), Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series ("Phase One"), and Outstanding Stunt Coordination ("The Telling"). Jennifer Garner was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Victor Garber was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Lena Olin was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The Emmy Awards will be presented live on Fox from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, September 21st.

7.4.03 - MSN Entertainment: Alias' Lena Olin - Despite film roles, actress gets noticed for TV series - Lena Olin has discovered the power of television. Despite roles in dozens of movies, her recent television work is what's getting her noticed. Olin stars as Sydney Bristow's mother on ABC's "Alias." She said that since she began work on the show, she has received more attention and more opportunities. Although she has been in the entertainment industry for years, many people are just discovering her....

7.3.03 - TV Guide Online "Caught in the Act" - Going All The Way: Alias star Jennifer Garner looked a bit concerned — but still sexy — during the filming her new movie Thirteen Going on Thirty.

6.25.03 - From TV Guide Online: Alias creator J.J. Abrams is developing a new drama for ABC that revolves around bounty hunters. Alias sidekick Greg Grunberg, who also starred in Abrams's late, great WB drama Felicity, has been tapped to play the male lead.

6.18.03 - Alias has received five Teen Choice Award nominations. Jennifer Garner has been nomintated for Best Actress in a Drama Series, Michael Vartan has been nominated for both Best Actor in a Drama Series and Breakout Male TV Star, Kevin Weisman has been nominted for Best Sidekick, and Alias itself has been nominated for Best Drama Series. The awards are scheduled to air Wednesday, Aug. 6 on FOX. Teens can vote on several categories at TeenPeople.com (a subscription is required).

6.16.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Divorce Sport - Alias' sexy secret agent Jennifer Garner, who just formalized her separation from hubby Scott Something-or-other, is disguised as a Plain Jane at the ABC press previews. She wears a staid and matronly purple 'n' white mid-calf sheath dress by Marc Jacobs. No earrings, no necklace, no wedding ring and, most telling, no sparkle in those hazel eyes. Let's hope our favorite spy girl soon feels more in the mood to accessorize.

6.13.03 - From TV Guide: Former Felicity (and current Alias) star Greg Grunberg has scored two film roles. He'll play a manic commercial director in the Coen brothers' crime caper The Ladykillers and a compulsive gambler in the indie pic Poker Night. Both films shoot this summer.

6.2.03 - Zap2It.com reports that there was little for reporters to do at this year's MTV Movie Awards, but the backstage highlight was when Jennifer Garner was asked how she was adjusting to single life. After a very long pause, and a look of horror on her publicist's face, Garner said what one would expect -- it's tough, but she's dealing with it thanks to the help of friends.

5.21.03 - The 29th Annual Saturn Awards, honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror film and television, were presented on Sunday night (May 18), and Alias scored three awards despite only a tenuous claim to either horror, science fiction or fantasy. In the category honoring best network television series, J.J. Abrams' spy drama topped the more easily classified likes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Enterprise." "Alias" dominated the acting awards with Jennifer Garner topping Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kristin Kreuk and Charisma Carpenter, Emily Bergl and Claudia Black for best actress. Victor Garber snagged the supporting actor prize, beating actors like Michael Rosenbaum and John Glover of "Smallville" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" co-star James Marsters.

5.20.03 - Matt Roush raves about Alias in this week's issue of TV Guide: Alias has done it again. First, ABC's electrifying spy thriller reinvented itself at mid-season with jaw-dropping twists on Super Bowl Sunday. That was mere child's play compared with this month's breathlessly exciting season-ending cliff-hanger that left us baffled but beside ourselves in anticipation for this fall. In the weird climax, after a bruising battle with the genetically altered "double" of her best friend, Francie, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) awoke in Hong Kong, dazed and confused. When her lover, co-agent Vaughn (Michael Vartan), arrived, he told Sydney she had been missing and presumed dead for nearly two years. Plus, he's wearing a wedding ring. Huh? Can't wait to see how this will be explained (and if we even understand it when it is).

5.20.03 - Kristin at E!Online reports that, over the summer, Jennifer Garner is filming three movies: "13 Going on 30," "Happy Endings" and the "Daredevil" sequel "Elektra." Meanwhile, Lena Olin will grace the big screen with Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett in "Hollywood Homicide."

5.14.03 - Helvetica Bold reports on Zap2It.com that Jennifer Garner is hot and heavy with her co-star, Michael Vartan. But according to Ted Casablancas' gossip column in E! online, a prominent producer on the show says that this isn't "the right time to go public" and that for now, everybody's keeping things "under wraps." Reps for both Jennifer and Michael say its strictly professional but that's not the buzz around town.

5.13.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Alias' Garner Files for Divorce - It hasn't been a good past few days for Scott Foley. On Monday (May 12), NBC failed to pick up his comedy series "A.U.S.A." and three days earlier his wife of two-and-a-half years, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner, filed for divorce....

5.13.03 - It's official! Alias has been renewed for a third season, and remains in its Sunday, 9pm ET time slot. Alias gets a new lead-in in the form of a new cop drama from Aaron Spelling starring Danny Nucci and Ernie Hudson, entitled 10-8. The Practice will return to its 10pm ET time slot following Alias.

5.13.03 - Acclaim Entertainment has announced a video game based on Alias which will include the current cast, according to a Reuters report.

5.2.03 - Alias's Jennifer Garner is replacing Gwyneth Paltrow in the upcoming indie flick Happy Endings. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paltrow is seeking time off to grieve the loss of her father, producer/director Bruce Paltrow, who died last October while she was shooting Ted and Sylvia. Lisa Kudrow will also star in the comedy which is set to shoot this summer in Los Angeles.

4.24.03 - Zap2It.com: David Carradine Knows Secrets of 'Alias' - In "Countdown," the episode of ABC's spy melodrama "Alias" airing Sunday, April 27, at 9 p.m. ET, Sloane (Ron Rifkin), the former head of evil espionage agency SD-6, heads to Nepal to receive a life-changing revelation from a mysterious monk, concerning his quest for the artifacts of the 15th-century prophet Rambaldi. To likely no one's surprise, "Kung Fu" star David Carradine plays that monk, oddly named Conrad....

4.11.03 - Jennifer Garner was caught by the E!Online Fashion Police at the ABC Awards.

4.4.03 - TV Guide Online reports that ESPN is launching an hour-long drama series set in the world of professional football. The show -- titled Playmakers -- is being produced and written by Alias exec John Eisendrath. It debuts Aug. 26.

4.2.03 - TV Guide Online reports that Jennifer Garner and her husband, Scott Foley, have "mutually decided to separate." Well, that explains why Foley didn't accompany Garner to the Oscars last month.

3.25.03 - TV Guide Online: Oscar's Nagging Questions Answered! - Who was presenter Jennifer Garner's mystery date? And why wasn't she escorted by husband Scott Foley? We spy a scandal...
"Her best friend Katie Gage was in town for the weekend, so Jen took her instead," explains a rep for the Alias star. "Everything's fine [with her and Scott]." And if a publicist says so, it must be true.

• Glamour / October 2001 / "She TV" / pg. 258
• TV Guide / September 15-21, 2001 / cover / "Wonder Women" / pg. 8 / "Fall Preview 2001" / pgs. 12-13 / "Short Takes - Just For Kicks" / pg. 20
• GQ / September 2001 / "Fahrenheit: Woman On Our Mind" / pg. 126
• TV Guide / August 11-17, 2001 / "Young Hollywood In Love" / pg. 17