One last dish with the ‘Desperate Housewives’

By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it

Behind the wisteria lurk the secrets, affairs and lies one admits only to closest friends. Through marriages, divorces, births, deaths — accidental and intentional — illnesses, triumphs, children and crimes, one bond remains indestructible: the women’s friendship.

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” comes to what will undoubtedly be an over-the-top two-hour finale Sunday, May 13. Even as the actresses head into their final weeks after eight seasons, they don’t know what will happen, but they respect creator Marc Cherry’s cloak of secrecy. Three of the four original housewives — Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria (Teri Hatcher declined to participate) — and Vanessa Williams, who joined two years ago, reflect on the show in long, separate interviews with Zap2it.

Huffman as Lynette: She’s the housewife most women relate to. She loves her husband and kids, but they drive her crazy. She’s had jobs, but taking care of her family trumped career. Lynette vanquished cancer, and this season saw her separate from Tom (Doug Savant) after 20 years.

Reflections on “Desperate Housewives”: “I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Huffman says. “Just the other night I was talking to Bill (husband William H. Macy) and trying to work on something and said, ‘Maybe I can practice doing this better.’ It is such a luxury to get eight years of acting.”

Little-known tidbit: “I wanted to play all of the parts,” she recalls of reading the pilot. “I wanted to play Gabrielle Solis! I want to be a Latina supermodel. That’s the good thing about good writing. Who wouldn’t want to play that part?”

Best “Desperate Housewives” quote: “I can’t tell you what a total pleasure and honor it has been to work with Doug Savant for eight years. Eva gets to work with Ricardo (Chavira, as Carlos Solis), Teri got to work with Jamie (Denton, as Mike Delfino), and Marcia got to work with most of the men this side of the Mississippi.”

Cross as Bree: With her manicured gardens, twin sets and pearls, Bree seems unflappable. She made and lost a huge business based on her recipes and has gone through a couple of husbands, and this season alone, many men.

Reflections on “Desperate Housewives”: “Some of her is based on his mother,” Cross says of Cherry’s mom. “At some point a penny dropped — it is not just his mother — it is him! And what I mean about that, in spite of all of the craziness in the press, in my eight years with Marc, he is never anything but pleasant. That is something that he lives by.”

Little-known tidbit: Though Cherry initially wanted Dana Delany as Bree, she turned down the role. “I knew her vaguely socially, and she came to work on the show,” Cross says. “At first

I was terrified (thinking), ‘She should have been Bree!’ Not only did that go away, actors are different. Additionally, I absolutely fell in love with Dana, and she is one of my favorite people ever.”

Best “Desperate Housewives” quote: “I hope if nothing else it advances the age of the working actress,” Cross says of the show’s legacy.

Longoria as Gaby: Though a shallow narcissist, Gaby is selfaware and a great friend. After her early dalliance with a younger gardener (Jesse Metcalfe), she has stayed true to Carlos.

Reflections on “Desperate Housewives”: “It broke the mold for a lot of things,” Longoria says.

“For dramedies, we were never a comedy, never a drama. We always rode the hyphen. Marcia, Felicity and Teri were over 40 and leads of the show, and for four female leads to be on the No. 1 show in the world said a lot about the movement and progress women have made in television.”

Little-known tidbit: “Felicity and I both sew in our trailers,” Longoria says, “and I will miss that.”

Best “Desperate Housewives” quote: “I am trying to steal my Andy Warhol pictures of Gaby on the wall,” Longoria says.

Williams as Renee: She has the moxie to take a gun out of

Bree’s hand and talk about being beautiful with Gaby. Renee, rich from her divorce, used her money to help her beau, Ben (Charles Mesure).

Reflections on “Desperate Housewives”: “One of the greatest compliments has been most fans think I should have been there from the beginning, and just consider me one of the cast,” Williams says.

Little-known tidbit: “I have gone to Felicity Huffman’s game night, and she plays a mean running charades. Marcia singing Rihanna’s ‘What’s My Name?’ in her gardening gloves and twin set. Eva is always dragging you to some crazy thing. Once she filmed us dancing to ‘I Like Big Butts’ — me, her and Felicity. Teri invited me to two of her Halloween parties. She just had a ‘Chopped’ thing at her house”

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Best “Desperate Housewives” quote: “This is the easiest gig in the world. I work maybe two days a week. It is an ensemble show. They greet you at the door with my chai soy latte. I could not get taken care of any better than that. I have a fantastic trailer that Dana Delany tricked out, and all of my kids moved out to L.A., so I will miss the whole machine.”

ACROSS

1. Role on “NCIS” (2)

8. “__ __ Life”; 1990-92 sitcom for Chris Elliott

9. __ __’ War; champion racehorse

15. “__ Just Not That Into You”; 2009 movie

16. 90 degrees from NNW

17. Alma mater for Princes William and Harry

18. Role on “How I Met Your Mother”

19.

24. __ Paulo, Brazil

27. “Rabbit __”; 2010 film for Nicole Kidman

28. Angel dust, for short

29. Word from Emeril

32. Writer __ Stanley Gardner

33. “__ __ __, Chelsea?”

36. Historical periods

37. “When the frost __ __ the punkin ...”

38. Role on “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” (2)

Down

1. Extremist

2. “Say __ __ So”; 2001 film for Chris Klein

3. __ Johnson

4. Actress Suzy __

5. Actor Kilmer

6. Tiny map in a larger map

7. “Lorna __”; 1951 Barbara Hale movie

8. News commentator __ Van Susteren

11. Concord’s place: abbr.

12. “__ Own the Night”; ’07 Joaquin Phoenix film

13. “__ Kelly”; 2003 Heath Ledger movie

14. Ruby or topaz

20. American or Swiss

21. “The Amityville __”; 2005 Ryan Reynolds film

22. Steve or Tim

23. Billy __ Williams

24. Mineral spring

25. “Green __” (1965-71)

26. “A Night at the __”; Marx Brothers classic

29. Pear variety

30. Gold, in the lab

31. McKinley or Whitney: abbr.

34. Orange edible 35. Stylish

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