SPOILERS!

Question: Any news as to whether Tom Welling has signed on for another season of Smallville? -- Scarlett

Ausiello: Yes, there's news, and it's good. Some would even call it, ahem, super. According to a well-placed Smallville insider, Welling is nearing a deal to return for a ninth season. I'm told they're just ironing out some minor deal points, such as should the Brinks Truck pull into the actor's driveway, or just unload on the street.

Question: Any major character deaths on Lost this season? -- Sophie

Ausiello: None that I know of, but, after screening the first two eps, it certainly looks like a female cast-member isn't long for this world. The fact that she was recently cast in a big Hollywood movie doesn't bode well either. (Doc Jensen's got more on Lost's Jan. 21 premiere!)

Question: Got anything on Lost's 100th episode? -- Katy

Ausiello: Paris Hilton's in talks to make a cameo as a Dharma intern circa 1973. I kid, I kid. I'm told the episode, slated to air this May, won't feature any special stunts, although it is part of the run-up to the season finale and, well, that in itself is pretty stunty.

Question: I'll be your friend if you give me some Supernatural scoop. -- Shane

Ausiello: There is a traitor amongst Sam and Dean. Okay, Shane, your first order of business as my friend is to buy me this.

Question: 24 season 7 premiere screeners were recently sent out to the press, and I'm pretty sure the mighty Ausiello got one. Mind giving us a tidbit about this weekend's premiere? -- Yong

Ausiello: If it's okay by you, I'd rather give you four tidbits, one for each hour of the two-night premiere.

1) Listen closely for the words "deep sky," because one of 24's coolest twists ever occurs shortly after they're uttered.

2) A bombshell secret about Tony Almeida gets revealed around Hour 3: He's got pectoral muscles for days. Janeane Garofalo even gets to touch one of them!

3) Speaking of Garofalo, her chemistry with doppelganger Mary Lynn Rajskub is so off the charts that there's buzz Fox may spin them off into their own show. In related news, if I make a wish in Ask Ausiello, it officially qualifies as buzz. Totally true.

4) I've come to the conclusion after watching the first four eps that James Morrison is Neil Patrick Harris' biological father.

Question: Can you please give me scoop on House? I'm dying to know what is going to happens between Thirteen and Foreman after the hiatus. -- Cindy

Ausiello: Trouble in paradise. When Foreman discovers that Thirteen was given a placebo in the Huntington's clinical trial, he switches her to the real drug behind her back. The truth eventually comes out on Feb. 2 and all hell breaks lose. In the same episode, Cuddy turns the tables on House and tortures him for a change. If you're a Huddy fan, the episode is like a gift from the TV Gods.

Question: Any truth to the rumor that Gregory Itzin (President Logan) is returning to 24? He was recently seen in photos with the 24 cast at Kiefer Sutherland's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. -- Matt

Ausiello: No truth to the rumor -- although the specter of Logan will loom large throughout season 7. But if it's an Itzin fix you're itching for, make tracks to CBS' The Mentalist, where he's playing the recurring role of Virgil Minelli, the Calif Bureau of Investigation boss.

Question: Any new Heroes scoop? -- Caroline

Ausiello: I'm tempted to tell you who almost beat out Lionel Luthor for the role of Sylar's pop, but I don't think you'd believe me.Actually, I know you wouldn't believe me.

Question: We all know that Lafayette was the best character in Season One of True Blood. How can we make sure Alan Ball brings him back next season? -- Brody

Ausiello: Well, as Ball himself recently reminded me, "Lafayette did die in the books." But, he adds, "That doesn't mean he won't be back. Anything's possible."

Question: What's the deal with Michelle Forbes' character on True Blood? Is she Tara's Demon? How does Sam know her? -- Marcy

Ausiello: The mystery surrounding who (or what) Maryann is will play out front and center in season 2 -- and you may not find many clues in the books. "She's definitely a new kind of supernatural creature in Bon Temps," teases Ball. And as new as "it" is, it's also old. "Ancient. Ancient," Ball stresses. In other words, not a Cylon. BTW, production on True Blood's second season begins this week!

Source: Ausiello @ EW