Article: FALL TV PREVIEW; TV TALK "It's not too annoying because he's a pretty good actor and a good-looking guy." -- Wauwatosa native Brad Rowe of ABC's "Wasteland," on his much remarked-upon resemblance to Brad Pitt "Our brains are fried. It's 8 o'clock at night, (Eastern) time, and we started at 3:30 this morning, so (we may be) totally incoherent. . . . I'm supposed to say something about how much the program has improved, which I do feel (is true), but whatever quote you'd like to write down from my mouth about how much the program has improved, I will endorse it and accept that totally." -- Charles Gibson of ABC's "Good Morning America" McDonald makes it into `Annie' - 16 years later

Audra McDonald never did get to play Annie at that 1983 dinner-theater production in her native Fresno, but sometimes fate has a way of evening things out.

Too old now at 29 to impersonate the world's perkiest orphan, the three-time Tony Award winner will play the part of Grace, loyal secretary and eventual love interest to Daddy Warbucks, in ABC's November broadcast of "Annie."

McDonald told TV critics Tuesday that she was "devastated" about not getting the Fresno gig, all the more so because her sister got a part in the play.

"When I called my sister to tell her I had gotten (ABC's) `Annie,' " McDonald said, "she called me back and said, `You finally get to be in that damn musical!' "

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