Minnie Driver has backed Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo) to win an Oscar for her TransAmerica performance. "Felicity deserves it," she told USATODAY.com. "She's extraordinary. And people love her because she's so good, and for so long. And she so never got the credit she deserved. Then with Desperate Housewives, people started realizing on a very broad level just how brilliant she is. And then suddenly with Transamerica, it just cemented that she's just a gifted, gifted woman. It's so cool to see that happening."

• In an article at The Bard Observer, Tom Houseman warned that Huffman could cause upset at the Oscars. "Huffman is television's 'it' woman thanks to Desperate Housewives, and everyone has been saying that she was phenomenal as a pre-operative transvestite in Transamerica," he wrote. "Anytime an actor takes on a role as difficult as the one Huffman took on, they're going to turn some heads, and Huffman is an upset in the making."

• Director of Transamerica Duncan Tucker said that Huffman was so convincing in her role that it took Harvey Weinstein, a producer on the movie, a while to recognize her. "It took Harvey Weinstein a long time to recognize her and he knows her," Tucker told The Sydney Morning Herald. "People said, 'Where did you find that transsexual actress?'"

• Dolly Parton, who received an Oscar nomination for a song she wrote for Transamerica, has been receiving hate mail for her involvement with the film, and for having gay fans. "Some people are blind or ignorant, and you can't be that prejudiced and hateful and go through this world and still be happy," said Parton. "One thing about this movie is that I think art can change minds. It's all right to be who you are."

• Felicity Huffman has filmed Dove "webepisode" advertisements where she is transported back to into the homes of TV mothers such as The Brady Bunch's Carol Brady, reported Leading the Charge.

• Huffman was among celebrities that attended the recent British Academy Film Awards, according to SunHerald.com.

• In an article that profiled ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson at SignOnSanDiego.com, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry praised the man who is credited for helping turn ABC around. "A lot of people had written me off," said Cherry. "He was the first person in a position of power to say, 'I love this show.' He was supportive before it was a hit."

• Eva Longoria (Gabrielle Solis) will appear on the 100th episode of George Lopez, according to Tittle-Tattle. The episode is set to air on March 29 in the US.

• A Pepsi advert which features Eva Longoria dancing in the rain made its debut last week, according to a press release at Hispanic PR Wire. "My heritage is who I am. It's my language, my food, my music," said Longoria. "For me, it's extra special to do these commercials and air them on Spanish and English networks."

• Eva Longoria will appear on Live with Regis and Kelly on February 28, and Felicity Huffman will visit The Ellen Degeneres Show on March 1. Thanks to Ultimate Desperate Housewives!

• According to a report at Indiantelevision.com, CSI: Miami, Lost and Desperate Housewives were the top three most watched shows in the world in the last year.

• Chris Rich, director of James Denton's (Mike Delfino) recent episode of Reba, told LA Daily News that Denton made him look good as a director. "I enjoy working with actors who have some experience, and he wasn't on cruise control," he said. "He was working this episode very hard, and it really paid off for both of us. He made me look good."

• Duluth City Council unanimously rejected a request from residents to rename their road from Denim Drive to Wisteria Lane, according to St. Paul Pioneer Press. Not all residents agreed with the move, with some branding it "a whim".

• Joely Fisher (Nina Fletcher) will host a fashion show called Icon, according to a press release at Yahoo!. According to the press release: "The Icon opening night benefits the Dream Foundation, the first national organization to fulfill wishes for terminally ill adults. A live and silent auction on behalf of the charity includes items valued over $20,000."

• Rumors of Edie's son appearing on Desperate Housewives failed to materialize, and TV Guide's Ausiello said he thinks Marc Cherry has changed his mind about the story. "I'm guessing Marc Cherry had a change of heart, because I know of no imminent plans to introduce the little demon spawn," he said.

• Currie Graham (Ed Ferrara) has been cast in the CBS pilot Edison, according to Leading the Charge.

Discuss this news item at Talk Desperate!
 Add Get Desperate! RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!