Live from L.A.: James Denton to clean up on 'Devious Maids'

The locally based actor among TV veterans at all-star Hallmark Channel party.

January 9, 2016 at 5:36PM
(Jonathan Leibson/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 14:  Nicollette Sheridan attends the 2012 TCA Winter Press Tour - Hallmark Evening Gala at Tournament House on January 14, 2012 in Pasadena, California.  (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/FilmMagic)
(FilmMagic/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Nicollette Sheridan

James Denton may have officially moved to Chanhassen a few years ago, but he's finding it hard to find time to spend a time due to his continuing demand on television.

Denton told me at Friday night at a Hallmark Channel party that as soon as he's wrapped up a new season of "The Good Witch," he'll be heading to Atlanta to shoot seven episodes of Lifetime's "Devious Maids." The show's executive producer Eva Longoria and his former "Desperate Housewives" castmate will also appear in the upcoming season.

Speaking of "Housewives," I had the pleasure of being seated next to former "Housewife" Nicollette Sheridan who turned out to be just as colorful and eccentric as I had had hoped.

"Oh, you're the enemy," she said after I introduced myself. Sheridan spent a lot of time in the headlines after suing ABC and her former boss Marc Cherry in 2010 on allegations that he assaulted her. The case was eventually dismissed.

Sheridan turned out to be teasing about the enemy bit (I think) as we engaged in a wide-ranging conversation on everything from the possibility of a "Knots Landing" reunion ("that would be sad") to her various conspiracy theories (she believes the government has squashed the creation of a drug that cures AIDS in six hours).

The only thing that could distract me from our one-hour chat was the company on my left -- former pro quarterback Joe Theismann who has an appearance in Hallmark's upcoming movie, "Love on the Sidelines."

Theismann said he's pleased with how the NFL is confronting reports that a career in football often leads to lifelong brain injuries -- he himself deals with memory problems -- but he was critical of Vikings' QB Teddy Bridgewater, saying that his pass delivery doesn't yet have the proper arch.

A lovely, very polite woman was sitting across the table, but after introductions, our conversation ended. Maybe I would had pushed it a little more, if I had realized earlier that the tablemate was pop star turned actress Jewel.

Also in attendance at the Rose Bowl HQ in Pasadena: Brooke Shields, Treat Williams, Diane Ladd and Andie McDowell.

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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