'Felicity' Star Finds Romance

I've discovered the connection between "Angel" and another show. And no, it's not "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Tangi Miller's boyfriend is J. August Richards. Miller stars as Elena Tyler on "Felicity," and Richards is Charles Gunn, the tough guy from the streets on "Angel."

"He's so sweet, completely different from Gunn," Miller said at an Oscar viewing party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "He's the sweetest guy in the world.

"We met two weeks before he started working on the show. We've been dating for a year now," Miller said. She recalled that first encounter.

"We went out with friends. He was very, very charming," Miller said, beaming with an unElena-like smile. "We fell in love."

"Felicity" returns April 18 on The WB with six new episodes to wrap up the season. It will air at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on Channel 5.

The season finale of "Jack & Jill," which involves a hurricane, will air at 9 p.m. this Wednesday on The WB. "Jack & Jill" and "Felicity" have shared the time slot in an experiment to avoid reruns.

New episodes of "Jack & Jill" did overwhelmingly better in the ratings than "Felicity" reruns at this time last year. And ratings for "Felicity" overall are up 27 percent among all adults ages 18-34 and 33 percent among women ages 18-34, a key advertising demographic for The WB.

While both shows are good, I like "Jack & Jill" better (no offense, Tangi) for its quick banter, character-driven dilemmas, and the chemistry between Amanda Peet (Jack) and Ivan Sergei (Jill).

"Felicity," meanwhile, continues to succeed with well-written, evolving characters; changing situations; strong surprises; and a willingness to take chances.

In the winter cliffhanger of "Felicity," James, played by actor Eddie Cahill, shot someone, but we don't know who. The April 18 episode will pick up from the moment of the gunshot, and fans will be tuning in to see who was shot.

Miller, of course, wouldn't give away the answer. But she did say the shooting would affect Elena, who will start taking self-defense classes.

Miller said she likes how Elena has evolved. "My character started out very insecure. She wasn't friendly toward Felicity."

But Elena, who continues to say what she thinks, learned to trust people.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the question will be whether she can keep that trust -- and to what extent she should.

This season also marked Elena having sex with her boyfriend Tracy, a virgin. (At least, he was a virgin.) Donald Faison plays Tracy. "Felicity," in its third season, is about New York University students -- young adults who are living on their own for their first time.

"It's an honest show," Miller said. "It's about the most exciting time in your life."

Miller said she has been pleasantly surprised by the fact that the series appeals to older viewers.

At the Oscars party, a fund-raiser for Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation, Miller wore an aqua gown and sported a curlier, shorter, attractive hairstyle that makes her look a little younger.

She hopes to keep it on "Felicity."

"You know how we are with hairstyles," Miller said, laughing. She was referring to Keri Russell's decision to cut her hair two seasons ago, which led to a good-natured controversy for Russell, who stars as Felicity Porter. In fact, Susanne Daniels, entertainment president of The WB, joked at a news conference that she would allow no stars, male or female, to cut their hair at The WB.

Miller, meanwhile, was rooting for "Traffic" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at the Oscars party.

Director Steven Soderbergh won for "Traffic," and "Crouching Tiger" picked up several Oscars, including best foreign-language film.