ABC new fall line-up and contest

Our friends at ABC are offering sneak peeks at their new fall line-up. Check out the links below for clips and other cool information.

I’ve come to expect great things from the Alphabet Network, considering it gave us McDreamy, Sawyer, Jack and Kate, Alan Shore and Denny Crane, Bree, Susan, and the girls, and my dearly departed Invasion. From what I’ve seen of ABC's new fall line-up, it looks consistent with the quality programming they’ve cranked out the past few seasons.

I’m most excited about Ugly Betty and The Nine. I’ve seen a few minutes of The Nine, starring Tim Daly and Scott Wolf, and I have to tell you, Tubers... Oh. My. (Insert expletive here.) It looks amazing.

Brothers and Sisters and Men in Trees also look promising.

In honor of some of your favorite ABC characters and shows, Tube Talk is giving you the chance to win a fun-filled prize pack that includes an ABC hat and t-shirt. Free swag, folks. Does it get any better?

To enter, simply fire off an e-mail to tubetalkgirl@gmail.com with the words ABC Contest in the subject line. Be sure to include your name and physical mailing address in the e-mail along with the name of your favorite ABC TV character and show. Two winners will be chosen randomly, and I’ll forward the results of your favorites to ABC. The contest deadline is October 14. Good luck!

Check out the complete preview of ABC’s fall schedule here.


THE NINE
Premiere Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2006 at 10/9 C
Official Site: http://www.onlytheyknow.com
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ABCPrimeTime

Cast: Tim Daly (Wings), Chi McBride (Boston Public), and Scott Wolf (Party of Five)

Synopsis: So much in life is beyond your control. One day you wake up and go to work like a regular day. Suddenly a random moment, an accident, a blessing, even a stranger, comes from out of the blue and redirects your life forever. But it's up to you to decide if that moment will stop you in your tracks or lift you up to new heights. Today nine people face just such an unexpected twist when they are caught in a bank robbery gone wrong and endure a 52-hour hostage standoff that will leave two persons dead. When all is said and done, these nine people will never be the same. They will always share the common bond of what happens inside the bank…which only they'll know. And they will be forever affected and intertwined because of it. From the creator of Without a Trace and an executive producer of The West Wing comes a dramatic character study that will keep audiences hooked from the beginning of the bank robbery to the end of the hostage standoff. Taking a twist from Lost, each episode will begin with a flashback to reveal another 10 minutes of the hostage crisis, uncovering why and how these nine strangers are still linked today.

SIX DEGREES
Premiere Date: Thursday, September 21, 2006 at 10/9
Official Site: http://www.u-r-connected.com/
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ABCPrimeTime

Cast: Jay Hernandez (Friday Night Lights), Erika Christensen (Flightplan), Bridget Moynahan (Sex and the City), and Hope Davis (About Schmidt)

Synopsis: It's said that six people separate any one person from another. Considering the millions of people in the United States alone, it's an amazing thought that we're connected to anyone and everyone by a chain of six. Laura, a grieving single mother, begins the chain. Then to Whitney, the self-made success story who thinks her boyfriend is cheating. Move on to Steven, the artist/photographer who believes he's lost his 'eye.' Follow with Damian, who can't escape his criminal brother's shadow. Then to Mae, the girl with a dangerous past she's hiding from. And finally to Carlos, the good guy with a crush who doesn't know what he's in for. These six strangers are going about their normal lives but not realizing the impact they're having on each other – yet. It's a mysterious web of seeming coincidence and happenstance that draws these people closer to those who will change their lives forever. Even decisions made freely will seem part of a larger design begging the question if there is a greater force at work in our world, guiding us along and connecting our lives. The producers of Lost and Alias create an intriguing tale of intertwined strangers. It's a story that will prove just how small the world really is and how someone just five people away could be shaping your future right now.

UGLY BETTY
Premiere Date: Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 8/7C
Official site: http://www.bettysuarez.com/
Watch clip here: http://abc.go.com/primetime/schedule/2006-07/?clip=108945

Cast: Mark Indelicato, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Ashley Jensen, America Ferrera, William Abadie, Alan Dale, Eric Mabius, Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, Becki Newton

Synopsis: In the superficial world of high fashion, image is everything. Styles come and go and the only constants are wafer-thin beauties who wear it. Where could a girl who is less than pretty and a little bit pudgy possibly fit in? If you knew Betty Suarez, you'd see how sweet, intelligent and hard-working she is. Few people ever get to know her because in the world of fashion, Betty is the oversized square peg, in the petite round hole. But finally, her looks and lack of fashion sense are going to be an asset. When publishing mogul Bradford Meade hands the reigns of his fashion magazine, Mode, over to his son Daniel, he specifically hires Betty as his son's new assistant - mostly because she's the only woman in NYC who Daniel won't sleep with. Repulsed at first, Betty will win him over with her efficiency. Neither of them really knows the ins and outs of the fashion world, but the two of them are a formidable team against the label-wearing sharks who will do anything to see them fail. That includes many couture co-workers with botoxed smiles on their faces and knives behind their Galliano backs. Executive Producer Salma Hayek and the creator of Urban Legend brings the Latino television phenomenon to an English-speaking audience. America Ferrera (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Eric Mabius (The L Word) are the Working Girl couple who tackle the colorful, cutthroat world of fashion head on.

MEN IN TREES
Premiere Date: September 12, 2006
Watch clip: http://abc.go.com/primetime/menintrees/index.html

Cast: Anne Heche as Marin Frist, Abraham Benrubi as Ben, Emily Bergl as Annie, Seana Kofoed as Jane, Suleka Mathew as Sara, Derek Richardson as Patrick, Sarah Strange as Theresa, James Tupper as Jack and John Amos as Buzz.

Synopsis: From one of the headwriters and executive producers of "Sex and the City" and the director of the Academy Award(r)-winning film, "Walk the Line," comes a fun and sexy ensemble drama about finding love in the most unexpected places. "Finding a good man in today's world isn't as difficult as some women think. You just have to watch out for the signs. You wouldn't drive with a blindfold on, but for some reason, women continue to date with one..." So native New Yorker Marin advises a crowd of her devoted fans. Marin thinks she has found her good man, fiancé? Graham, but discovers, bound for a speaking engagement in Elmo, Alaska, that he's been cheating on her. Plans for the wedding come to a screeching halt. Concluding that she really doesn't know anything about men, Marin resolves to temporarily stay in Elmo, where the ratio of men to women is ten to one, and get started on her new book - about men. Marin's subjects are quite a lively bunch. Adorably affable Patrick, an avid fan of Marin's books, runs the town's only inn and radio station. Man's man Buzz owns and flies the only plane in and out of Elmo. Sophisticated Ben runs the town's only bar and has an unusual past. Last but definitely not least, strong and silent Jack protects the environment and comes to protect Marin from a possibly rabid raccoon and, occasionally, herself. There are women in Elmo too. Both Theresa, Ben's estranged wife and former rock musician, and Sara, the town's "working girl," introduce Marin to a whole new way of thinking about men. And of course there's Annie, Marin's biggest fan, who moves to Elmo after hearing about Marin's break-up to reassure her -- mostly by quoting the relationship advice she has learned from Marin's books. Back in NYC, Marin's tough-girl editor, Jane, lends her long distance support, and even braves the ice and bad cell phone reception for the occasional visit. Marin learns that she has been living with her eyes closed for too long. Now that they're finally open, she sees the amazingly beautiful world around her, and for the first time she'll have the chance to stop and breathe. Now if she could just get the raccoon out of her hotel room, this place might be perfect.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Premiere Date: Sunday, September 24 at 10/9C
No sneak peek is available, but the cast alone should make you tune in.

Cast: Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Sally Field, Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig, Balthazar Getty, Dave Annable, Matthew Rhys, John Pyper-Ferguson and Sarah Jane Morris.

Synopsis: Brothers and Sisters is a compelling, new one-hour primetime drama from executive producers Ken Olin and playwright Jon Robin Baitz about the California-based Walker family. In the series, we meet a collection of incredibly intertwined and somewhat damaged adult siblings who embrace one another unconditionally while striving to reflect the perceived perfection of their role model parents. In the days ahead, they will navigate waves of temptation, deception and grief. Brothers and Sisters follows the Walkers through the maze of American life today -- the pressures, limitless options and the struggle to grow beyond our backgrounds into ourselves. Through these fascinating siblings -- Sarah (Rachel Griffiths), the corporate VP who returns to the family business so she can give to her marriage as much as she does to her career; Tommy (Balthazar Getty), the loyal son yet charming womanizer; Kevin (Matthew Rhys), the gay lawyer cautiously learning about love; Justin (Dave Annable), the baby of the family, grappling with war trauma and addiction; and Kitty (Calista Flockhart), right-wing radio host turned TV pundit who has always been Daddy's little girl -- the show explores what it means to be a family in the 21st century, and how these brothers and sisters balance their own lives as they strive to accept their parents as people -- flawed, contradictory and forgivable -- rather than just as a father and mother. The parents are Tom Skerritt as William Walker, the larger-than-life patriarch and president of the family business, and Sally Field as Nora Holden, the opinionated wife and mother to the five Walker siblings. Then there's Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Nora's dandyish brother; John Pyper-Ferguson as Sarah's husband, Joe; Sarah Jane Morris as Tommy's wife, Julia; and Patricia Wettig as the mystery woman who could bring the Walkers and their company down. Brothers and Sisters stars Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) as Kitty, Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under) as Sarah, Sally Field (Norman Rae) as Nora Holden, Ron Rifkin (Alias) as Saul Holden, Patricia Wettig (thirtysomething) as Holly, Balthazar Getty (Alias) as Thomas, Dave Annable (Reunion) as Justin, Matthew Rhys (Titus, Love and other Disasters) as Kevin, John Pyper-Ferguson (Unforgiven, Nightstalker) as Joe and Sarah Jane Morris (Felicity) as Julia. Ken Olin (Alias, thirtysomething), Jon Robin Baitz (The Substance of Fire, The West Wing) and Greg Berlanti (Everwood) are executive producers. The series is produced by Touchstone Television.

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