The Ausiello Files for October 10, 2008

A new ‘House’ supercouple?
If you were a bisexual medical intern with less than a decade to live, wouldn’t you want to make the most of your time left by playing doctor with a hot colleague? House‘s unlucky Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) sure does. After learning last season that she carries the gene that causes Huntington’s disease, this November the M.D.-in-training will agree to participate in a clinical trial overseen by Omar Epps’ Foreman. As a result, the pair ”are going to be spending a serious amount of time together,” reveals executive producer Katie Jacobs, the wink-wink, nudge-nudge palpable in her voice.

Thirteen’s leap of faith will follow a few rocky episodes in which she has a random hookup with an unidentified lovergirl and witnesses firsthand the horrors of Huntington’s via a patient (A League of Their Own‘s Lori Petty). ”I don’t want to see Thirteen come down with Huntington’s,” confesses Jacobs, ”but it’s important for the audience to see what she’s up against in dealing with [the disease].”

Damaged Man Walking
An Emmy can do wonders for one’s career, but can it also raise the dead? Fresh off his win as Damages‘ Ray Fiske, who shot and killed himself in an episode last October, ?eljko Ivanek has inked a deal to return for season 2. Hope Patty Hewes isn’t afraid of ghosts.

Ask Ausiello

Q: Who do I have to sweet-talk to get Pushing Daisies scoop? —Darlanne
A: That would be…me! In what promises to be an especially fanciful episode, Emerson, Chuck, and Ned will — shades of Seinfeld — meet their bizarro selves, a band of Norwegian detectives played by Orlando Jones, Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), and Michael Weaver (Notes From the Underbelly), respectively. The trio leave their home country due to the low crime rate and start making things very difficult for Emerson and Co.

Q: Will Jimmy and Chloe’s wedding actually go off without a hitch on Smallville? —Joey
A: The wedding ceremony? Yes. The wedding reception? Not a chance. Per my Smallville mole, the party after the nuptials will look like a cross between Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project. That probably explains why producers are spreading the action over two episodes, the first of which is scheduled to air during (shocker!) November sweeps.

Q: Aside from Peter Petrelli, what’s flying on Heroes? —Craig
A: Some serious casting scoop! Amid buzz that the show’s next volume will be titled ”Fugitives,” sources confirm that producers are on the prowl for a recognizable actor to play a badass FBI agent à la Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. The character is slated to show up in this season’s 14th episode, which means Sylar just scored himself the mother of all head starts.

Michael Ausiello doesn’t sleep. At least not until he’s delivered fresh news every day at EW.com