| Burnett
joins 'Desperate Housewives'
By William Keck, USA TODAY
Carol Burnett soon will be reporting to Desperate
Housewives' Wisteria Lane as Eleanor Mason, the cold
stepmother of Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross). Her
arrival is tentatively scheduled to air April 9 (9 p.m.
ET/PT).
"I thought this
would be a hoot," says the comedic legend, 72, who starts
taping next week. "I'm a soap opera fan. I've watched All
My Children for a hundred years, and this, too, is a
very campy soap. All these crazy things happen in this one
town — just like (Children's) Pine Valley."
For Housewives
creator Marc Cherry, it's a casting dream: "I learned how to
be funny watching Carol Burnett."
Cherry is writing
Eleanor as an evil role to differentiate her from Burnett's
characters on her 1967-78 variety series.
"Eleanor took over
after Bree's mother was killed when Bree was a child,"
Cherry says. "She's a very tightly wound, proper lady for
whom appearances mean everything. A lot of what Bree has
become came from this woman," and their relationship is
"polite but strained."
Burnett had but
one request for Cherry: "I said, 'I want her to be a little
(meaner).' It's more fun to have those villainous takes —
like Miss Hannigan," Burnett's wicked role in 1982's
Annie movie.
Eleanor comes to
town with her husband, Henry, after Bree's son, Andrew,
announces his intentions to be emancipated. "Andrew is
bringing up all sorts of family secrets, and they want it
stopped," Cherry says.
So far, Burnett is
scheduled to appear in only one episode, but all parties are
open to a return visit next season.
Burnett has been
selective about the roles she has chosen since her daughter,
Carrie Hamilton, died of cancer four years ago. Burnett's
energies have been devoted to raising money for The Carrie
Hamilton Theatre (carriehamiltontheatre.com), to be
established in a small balcony at the Pasadena Playhouse.
As Housewives'
second season winds down, expect new baby drama for
Gabrielle and complications in Susan and Karl's secret
platonic marriage. And the two-hour season finale, says
Cherry, "will be a mixture of current stories and flashbacks
on how all the women came to Wisteria Lane." Dead characters
will return.
The show also will
be giving Alfre Woodard and Mehcad Brooks' characters "a big
finale" — allowing next season's mystery to focus on one of
the four housewives, who "will end up in a serious
relationship with a man who has some pretty dark secrets,"
Cherry hints.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-03-01-burnett-housewives_x.htm |
