CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Hey "Desperate Housewives" fans! Wanna know who was under the veil as Mike's bride on the season finale?

Well, so does Mike.

Actor James Denton, who plays Mike, will be in Charleston on Monday for the play "How Cissy Grew" at the Clay Center. Last week, he graciously let me pick his brain for a scoop on the upcoming season of "Desperate Housewives," which begins filming July 13.

The big question, of course, was about his bride to be. He doesn't have any official confirmation, but he's pretty sure he knows who it is -- and, no, he's not saying. "I can tell you, but then I'd have to go and collect my belongings from my trailer because I don't think I'd be welcome on the set anymore," he said with a laugh.

Actually, Denton prefers to go with the flow and learn the show's plots as he receives his scripts. "Teri Hatcher [Susan] taught me in the first season not to ask. It's much more fun this way; it's just as much fun for us as the viewers."

Plus, he laughed again, "you don't have to lie to reporters."

As it turns out, there might not be a lot of news to spill right now, anyway. Denton said the big mystery for this season hasn't been written yet. "The writers go on vacation -- they're going to Vegas this year -- and they sit down and hammer it out."

So what could he tell me?

Well, backing up to this season's finale, he assured me that, no, the institution where Dave was placed -- Boston Ridgeview -- was not a hint as to the whereabouts of Wisteria Lane.

"The only reason it's in Boston is that's where Neal [McDonough, who played Dave] is from," he said.

He did theorize, though, as to why Dave might have been institutionalized instead of being killed, which is the direction the story seemed to be heading. It turns out that McDonough was in no hurry to leave Wisteria Lane. Denton said that by the end of the season, he had approached executive producer Marc Cherry to see if there was any way his character could stay.

And this isn't the first time that's happened. Denton said Kyle MacLachlan (Orson) and Dana Delany (Katherine) were originally scheduled for a single season. In fact, Orson was supposed to be arrested after running over Mike.

"When he ran over Mike, he was supposed to get caught and be done, but they blamed it all on his mother, so they could let him stay."

And despite rumors to the contrary, it's likely that MacLachlan will continue on the show. A report on the Internet Movie Database last week said he was considering leaving the show so he could spend more time with his wife and infant son.

Denton said he'd heard nothing of the sort. "I'd be shocked," he said. "I vote false on that one."

Denton himself plans to hang on as long as he can. His hope/goal for Mike this season is to "just stay alive."

"No one is safe here," he said. "Every character gets their story arc, and then you're just a foil for the women. You just want to keep your head down and make it through the year with an interesting enough storyline that Marc will bring you back the next year."

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Hey "Desperate Housewives" fans! Wanna know who was under the veil as Mike's bride on the season finale?

Well, so does Mike.

Actor James Denton, who plays Mike, will be in Charleston on Monday for the play "How Cissy Grew" at the Clay Center. Last week, he graciously let me pick his brain for a scoop on the upcoming season of "Desperate Housewives," which begins filming July 13.

The big question, of course, was about his bride to be. He doesn't have any official confirmation, but he's pretty sure he knows who it is -- and, no, he's not saying. "I can tell you, but then I'd have to go and collect my belongings from my trailer because I don't think I'd be welcome on the set anymore," he said with a laugh.

Actually, Denton prefers to go with the flow and learn the show's plots as he receives his scripts. "Teri Hatcher [Susan] taught me in the first season not to ask. It's much more fun this way; it's just as much fun for us as the viewers."

Plus, he laughed again, "you don't have to lie to reporters."

As it turns out, there might not be a lot of news to spill right now, anyway. Denton said the big mystery for this season hasn't been written yet. "The writers go on vacation -- they're going to Vegas this year -- and they sit down and hammer it out."

So what could he tell me?

Well, backing up to this season's finale, he assured me that, no, the institution where Dave was placed -- Boston Ridgeview -- was not a hint as to the whereabouts of Wisteria Lane.

"The only reason it's in Boston is that's where Neal [McDonough, who played Dave] is from," he said.

He did theorize, though, as to why Dave might have been institutionalized instead of being killed, which is the direction the story seemed to be heading. It turns out that McDonough was in no hurry to leave Wisteria Lane. Denton said that by the end of the season, he had approached executive producer Marc Cherry to see if there was any way his character could stay.

And this isn't the first time that's happened. Denton said Kyle MacLachlan (Orson) and Dana Delany (Katherine) were originally scheduled for a single season. In fact, Orson was supposed to be arrested after running over Mike.

"When he ran over Mike, he was supposed to get caught and be done, but they blamed it all on his mother, so they could let him stay."

And despite rumors to the contrary, it's likely that MacLachlan will continue on the show. A report on the Internet Movie Database last week said he was considering leaving the show so he could spend more time with his wife and infant son.

Denton said he'd heard nothing of the sort. "I'd be shocked," he said. "I vote false on that one."

Denton himself plans to hang on as long as he can. His hope/goal for Mike this season is to "just stay alive."

"No one is safe here," he said. "Every character gets their story arc, and then you're just a foil for the women. You just want to keep your head down and make it through the year with an interesting enough storyline that Marc will bring you back the next year."

When his time does come, though, the 46-year-old Denton hinted that he might be done with Hollywood for a while. He and wife Erin (who appears with him in "How Cissy Grew") have two children, ages 4 and 6, and he says he doesn't want to raise them in L.A.

"Our whole lives are about whatever's best for them. When 'Housewives' is over, we're gone. People will be like, 'What happened to that 'Desperate Housewives' guy?' I'll be on a mountain in Montana."

Or perhaps he'll be on a stage somewhere -- but a small one, preferably, not The Great White Way. "When I started acting in Chicago, it was all theater. I never thought I would be in front of the camera. I ended up in TV trying to make a buck, but I love theater more than I can describe.

"But big-house theater doesn't really appeal to me -- wearing microphones and trying to convey a piece to 1,000 people. I did lots of plays at 99-seat houses in Chicago. I think that's about perfect. After that, you lose so much of what theater is about."

To see Denton in his element, call 304-561-3570 or visit www.theclaycenter.org to get tickets to Monday's performance. The show will be done in the round, meaning that the audience will be seated on stage with the actors. Tickets are $19.

On an un-"Housewives" related note, I asked Denton what his favorite show is, and he answered without hesitation, "House."

"It's the best show on TV," he said. "It's just a combination of the subject matter, the actors and the writing. Hugh [Laurie] is just a genius with what he does with that character on a weekly basis. It's so hard with anti-heroes to not submit to wanting to be liked. He resists it every time, and that's incredibly hard. Hugh is brilliant, and he doesn't get nearly enough credit."

Laurie and Denton play together in Band From TV, a cover band of -- you guessed it -- actors from television who perform to raise money for charity. (Other members include Denton's co-star Teri Hatcher, Laurie's co-star Jesse Spencer, "Heroes'" Greg Grunberg and Adrian Pasdar, "Bachelor"/"Bachelorette" star Bob Guiney and Bonnie Somerville, formerly of "Cashmere Mafia."). Denton admitted, "I was a little star struck when Hugh came into our first rehearsal, because he's so talented and he's a musician."

Aside from "House," Denton is a self-described "news junkie -- 'Hardball,' that kind of stuff."

Returning: "Chopping Block," 8 p.m. Friday, NBC; "Eli Stone," 10 p.m. Saturday, ABC; "Better Off Ted," 9 p.m. Tuesday, ABC.

Season premieres: "Can You Duet," 8 p.m., and "The Singing Bee," 10 p.m. Saturday, CMT; "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," 8 p.m. Monday, ABC Family; "History Detectives," 9 p.m. Monday, PBS; "America's Got Talent," 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, NBC; "The Cleaner," 10 p.m. Tuesday, A&E; "P.O.V." ("New Muslim Cool"), 10 p.m. Tuesday, PBS; "The Real World: Cancun," 10 p.m. Wednesday, MTV.

Series premiere: "Brainrush," 8 p.m., and "Destroy Build Destroy," 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Cartoon Network (live-action teen game/reality shows); "Merlin," 8 and 9 p.m. Sunday, NBC (drama about the magician as a teenager); "Make It or Break It," 9 p.m. Monday, ABC Family (teen gymnastics drama); "The Superstars," 8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC (sports competition pairing pro athletes and celebrities); "NYC Prep," 10 p.m. Tuesday, Bravo (real life "Gossip Girl"); "The Philanthropist," 10 p.m. Wednesday, NBC (drama about billionaire playboy turned do-gooder).

Of note: The moon is on a collision course with Earth in the two-part ABC miniseries "Impact," starting at 9 p.m. Sunday; Poirot returns in the first of two new "Masterpiece Mystery" episodes, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS.

Reach Amy Robinson at flips...@wvgazette.com.