May 10, 2002

Michael Rosenbuam Is Coming To Lex You Up

Maybe it's my love of the lemon-fresh scent of Mr. Clean.

Or maybe it's that growing up, I thought Daddy Warbucks and Mr. T were the coolest fools on the planet.

Whatever the reason, I can honestly say this without a five o'clock shadow of doubt: I'll take Lex Luthor's smooth, sexy noggin over Clark Kent's rippling bare chest any day of the week.

It's all about Lex, baby.

And after you spend a little time with Michael Rosenbaum, you'll be singing the same silly tune. As the Nair-haired villain-to-be on Smallville, Michael's not only witty, handsome and charming enough to make your knees knock but also has enough charisma to fill this season's Cordelia void on Angel.

You'll be able to see for yourself, because Michael's coming to answer your questions.

If you're keeping track, this is the fifth ultrasexy guest in a row. (Please don't hate me because my job is better than yours.) But this week, things go down a little differently. Because he's shooting a new movie, Michael won't be able to make our normal chat on Monday. However, because he's perhaps even cooler than Mr. T and Daddy W., he's going to step in and tackle your questions later that day. The answers will be posted with Tuesday's chat transcripts.

If you ask me, this is a win-win, my friends. We still get Michael, plus I get you all to myself this Monday at 6 p.m. ET to spill the juicy scoop on all the upcoming season finales. Monday also marks the first day of "upfronts," when the networks announce their fall schedules, so we'll have plenty to talk about (including the heartbreaking news I just received that Andy Richter is officially kaputz).

To get you started, here are a few facts about Michael, which he revealed during a recent WB party (surrounded by half the females in the room, natch).

• He Is Not Really Bald: "I'm a hairy young man, and when I'm done with this show, I'm going to grow this shit out and be just like Tom Hanks in Castaway."

• He Does Use Hair Products: "Ivory soap and a loofah."

• He Has Had Worse Jobs Than You: "I was a mechanic at a go-cart place, a deejay at a roller rink, a telemarketer in New York, a grocery bagger. I worked at Pet Land Discounts in New York, cleaning up bird shit at seven in the morning."

• He Desperately Wants a Dog: "A shepherd or a golden retriever. I need a companion; I'm lonely up in Canada."

Hmmm...Funny, I just so happen to know a certain TV columnist who'd move to Vancouver at the drop of a bald cap.

But I digress. Up next, I've taken some of your most pressing Q's to Smallville creator and head honcho Alfred Gough (who, by the way, just landed a job to pen the Spider-Man sequel--not too shabby). Wondering what's coming up on the big finale? What's in store for Clark? Which girl Clark's really meant to be with? Read on...

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No, It's the Man Behind Smallville--Alfred Gough

Wanda: Are you done filming?
Alfred: Yes! We finished shooting yesterday. We still have a few days until the finale's in the can. But we're looking forward to a break and then season two.

What's going to happen next year? Have you planned that far out?
We have signposts for seasons two and three, some of it you sort of fill in as you go--you don't want to get too locked up in things. You want to leave yourself open to the ability to be surprised. And that definitely happened this year. Certain characters really popped, and the actors rose to the occasion.

Like Michael Rosenbaum. How did you find him?
Lex was actually the last role we cast. We saw a lot of people. We were looking for a young Michael Keaton--a comedian who had a charisma that would draw people to them but also had a dark side that was there under the surface and a sort of sexiness. It was a tall order. And, thank God, Michael came in.

We actually saw him early in the process, and I think he had the flu or something, and then he came back toward the end and just gave a great audition. As a writer, you pray for this kind of actor. They can take it from the page and put it up there, and you go: God, it's better.

What can you tell us about the finale?
Twisters come to Smallville, and we leave everybody cliffhanging. Lionel Luthor comes to town and shuts down the plant to get Lex to come back to Metropolis. This is where you see Lex and his father have their first major showdown.

What's up for Clark?
A reporter discovers a certain something in the Kent's storm cellar, and we see what that does to Clark. Whitney makes a pretty big life decision. And then, of course, it's...Who is Clark taking to the spring formal? Lana or Chloe?

There's a rumor going around that Chloe is actually the future Lois. [Laughs.] That's a character we created. There's no comic connection. We reinterpret some characters, and then add new characters that add a new dimension to the mythology.

Chloe is sort of the audience. She didn't grow up in Smallville, and she brought a perspective to the town. That was her primary function at the beginning, and now we've moved her past that. She feels like she has a life outside of "The Torch," and, certainly, her interest in Clark has grown and she has a friendship with Lana.

Regarding the love triangle, we all know that ultimately, Clark doesn't end up with either girl. Does that make it difficult to write?
Not really, because you feel there's a soul-mate connection between Lana and Clark. And whether or not he ends up with that person, it's...How does that person affect the man he'll become? Yes, he goes on, and he's with Lois, but did he ever get over Lana? Was she the one who got away? Because maybe, at that point in life, he couldn't be honest or deal with it. With Clark and Lana, you have a little bit of the star-crossed lovers, and a little bit of When Harry Met Sally.

If Clark and Lana are soul mates, where does Chloe fit in?
Chloe is interesting, because Chloe, in a way, represents the kind of woman Clark ends up with. Both girls bring out different sides of Clark; they're both good for him in a way. You don't look at one girl and say she's all wrong for him.

We've been lucky that Tom Welling [Clark] and Kristin Kreuk [Lana] have great chemistry. But also, Tom and Allison Mack [Chloe] do. Allison has really stepped up, and she's such a good little actress. She's fun to write for. And she has a different energy with Tom. So we're like, Shit, we actually have two girls who have chemistry with our guy! Usually, you can only get one. We're really fortunate. Now, it's just figuring how to play these cards out.