Not sure if it's still too early to weigh in on the new 90210, but here it goes anyway.

As someone who grew up watching the original and is now exposed to this new brand, I've got to say, I like it. Quite honestly, my own reaction surprised me. After missing the initial night of its premiere (due to other obligations),  I was able to view it when the CW re-aired it on Thursday, September 4th.  To make sure I didn't miss it this time around, I DVR'd it and ended up watching it twice.

Sure, it's got somewhat of a different take than the original, but that's what probably makes it so good. If the current production staff were to attempt recreating the original, it wouldn't have worked so well. It's great that and definitely a good choice to try and preserve the original show, with having the stars from BH 90210 recur. On the flipside, what makes the show so appealing is how it is not focused solely on the high school kids but mixes in adult storylines, too.

The casting of Lori Loughlin, Rob Estes, Shenae Grimes and Tristan Wilde was a good choice, especially in terms of looks between Lori and Shenae. The resemblance of them playing mother and daughter is believable.  And character-wise, Annie and Dixon play off well as brother and sister.

To me, this version of 90210 is much like a cross between Fox's "The O.C." and the N's "South Of Nowhere."

Perhaps what makes everything more exciting is the fact that Jennie Garth is recurring as Kelly. Not sure if she's mentioned as Kelly Taylor, but I'm guessing that's something which will be revealed as the season progresses. When last we left 90210, Kelly was with Dylan, but now, in the present day, Kelly is single, with a 4 year old son.

Who is the father? That's the 1 million dollar question.

Suspicions had led me to believe that it was Dylan McKay at first, but when Kelly and Brenda (yes, Shannen Doherty is guest starring for a handful of episodes), my mind thought the father could be Brandon. That assumption came from Kelly mentioning Brandon had called a few days prior at 3am from Belize. Add to that, she also said Brenda hasn't seen Sammy since he was a baby.

But...

There leaves one more possible person as the father.

Steve Sanders.  Why is he a possibility? Well, because Sammy has a blonde afro. Yeah, shallow assumption, but Kelly also dropped a few more clues in last night's (9/9/08) episode.  She said Sammy's father was someone she had a lot of history with in high school and one night, he came back into her life and hooked up. The rest... well, that will most likely be explained as the season progresses.

Silver, rather Erin Silver is quickly becoming my favorite character. Besides being Kelly's younger sister (as well, as David's) I like her personality and the character in general. I had thought she'd be this introvert at first, but she's a good match for Annie in terms of friends. That and she doesn't have the whole Beverly Hills rich girl vibe.

Other characters... well, they're eh. Can't exactly give an analysis yet. It'll definitely take a few more episodes for me to feel them out.

I thought the adult characters were fairly well cast with Rob Estes, Lori Loughlin, Jennie Garth and Jessica Walter giving the proceedings a solid presence. Shannon Dougherty’s appearance playing Brenda Walsh once again was somewhat brief and unspectacular. I still believe producers made a big mistake not spending the money Shannon’s being paid on putting Tori Spelling back into the zip code. While many poke fun at Tori Spelling just for being Tori Spelling, her Donna Martin character was the heart of the original series and her presence here would have gone to better use. As for the new cast of young teen characters, I would say the majority were fairly bland with one exception: the show’s lead, 18-year-old actress Shenae Grimes who plays Annie. She is solid as the center of this new universe. I was a big fan of the original and, while I didn’t really feel this new interpretation had the same feel and overall chemistry at least so far, I’m willing to watch some more as I think it has potential to get better as it goes on. I’ll give this premiere episode 5 out of 10.

Uno spin-off attualizzato della serie-icona Beverly Hills, 90210, il nuovo 90210 guarda la vita attraverso gli occhi di Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) e di suo fratello Dixon (Tristan Wilds), il cui primo giorno di scuola alla West Beverly Hills High School li convince senza ombra di dubbio che non si trovano davvero più in Kansas. La famiglia Wilson, compreso il padre Harry (Rob Estes) e la madre Debbie (Lori Loughlin), si è spostata a Beverly Hills per stare vicino alla madre di Harry, Tabitha (Jessica Walter), una ex stella della televisione alcoolizzata, membro onorario della Clinica Betty Ford...

Non ci sono ancora notizie di una trasmissione italiana della serie, ma sicuramente se ne parlerà nel 2009.

On Labor Day night, TNT will premiere its new legal drama from STEVEN BOCHCO titled RAISING THE BAR. The show stars MARK-PAUL COSSELAAR who was on Bochco’s long running series NYPD BLUE for its last two seasons. He’s best known for playing Zack on Saved by the Bell. While reviews for the pilot have been somewhat tepid, I’ll give this show a chance just because it’s a Bochco production. TNT has become a force to be reckoned with as its original program is attracting sizable audiences. Its show’s THE CLOSER and SAVING GRACE have pulled in better than 7 million viewers an episode and have gotten plenty of Award accolades to boot.

HBO’s new Vampire drama, TRUE BLOOD, is getting some really good buzz. From the creators of Six Feet Under, the program premieres Sunday September 9th.

I have to admit I’m going to be rooting for NBC’s split personality spy drama, MY OWN WORST ENEMY, to be a hit when it premieres October 13th. Why? - because it stars Christian Slater, an actor I’ve always liked. It’s no secret his personal demons have derailed a once promising career so hopefully he can be re-discovered on Television.

ABC’s gabfest, THE VIEW, returns from hiatus Tuesday September 2nd for its 12th season with the same panel lead by Whoopi Goldberg and, the always annoying, Elisabeth Hasselbeck. With the presidential race in full swing, the hot topic segment should be a fun watch.

One other bit of TV news - NBC will kick off the NFL football season with the REDSKINS at the GIANTS on Thursday September 4th. John Madden continues to be an American institution.

Woo hoo!  Last night the cast of 90210 celebrated the return of the famous zip code, including the most highly anticipated comeback of Shannon Doherty!  You can still see the inner bitch thru her eyes!

Check out the premiere September 2 at 8 p.m. on the CW Network.

Today I met my new co-worker dude, Brian, for the first time, and we headed on over to Malibu to cover a celebrity kickball game. Highlights included demanding that Ryan Eggold, one of the stars of the new "90210," tell us if he had a large wang; shrieking at Ryan that he needs to watch "Gossip Girl" on the CW in order to understand the brilliance of his new network home; accidentally kicking a kickball into actor Sam Murphy's nutsack, with seemingly no effect on him, because he is probably made of steel, and also he is very attractive; asking Perez Hilton about how big he thought the dude players' wieners were; chasing down the object of Brian's affection in order to lure her to our table so that he could talk to her; getting compliments on my badass heart-shaped bedazzled Lolita sunglasses; hitting on numerous members of the Screen Actors' Guild; interviewing actress Katie Cassidy about this fall's CBS spooky ooky ooky series "Harper's Island" and then accidentally calling it "Harper's Ferry;" drinking a beer (Newcastle) that I actually enjoyed; interviewing Nick Kroll only to be besieged by TJ Miller, who I'm pretty sure didn't realize we'd met before even though he's been on Family Hour with Auntie Sara; and ogling numerous hotties of both sexes.

In short, I adhered to the rules of monogamy but made no bones about the fact that I thought almost everyone in sight was balls-out hot. Brian and I also managed to establish that Patricia, Girl #9 on "Deal or No Deal," is smart, friendly and quite an enjoyable interview.

Seagulls attacked cupcakes, Ryan Eggold attacked the drunken gay umpire, and I attacked our friend TJ Luby for mispronouncing the name of the glorious "Full House" Lori Loughlin character ("AHHH-nnt Becky," not "EEAAAAAHHHHNT Becky.") Eventually, a kindly sun burned off enough of the smog so that we could see the ocean located immediately behind the kickball field.

All in all, it was a great first day at work. So great, in fact, that I am too keyed up to sleep, and feel kind of lonely since I didn't get to see my good friends, and so engaged in overtexting one friend out of boredom/excitement (the weirdest combination there is), which I am pretty sure has understandably led him to the conclusion that I am nuts, when in fact I am actually just nosy.

My boyfriend is asleep 3,000 miles away after a hard day of making silly videos with his friends, and our cat is with him, and I'm here in California, restless, a little overheated, and slightly sunburnt.

Regular work starts Monday afternoon, but this kickball trip was a nice way to kick off the job.

Shit! I just realized I forgot to nab a swag bag.

Okay so other than that, the day was pretty rad. I'd live here if I could snap my fingers and be in NYC instantly anytime I wanted.

Conheça melhor o elenco do spin-off de Beverly Hills 90210, a mais famosa série teen de sempre.

Fotos de elenco (1):

Este primeiro grupo de fotos inclui Shenae Grimes, Tristan Wilds, AnnaLynne McCord, Jessica Stroup, Dustin Milligan, Ryan Eggold, Michael Steger e Lori Loughlin.

Fotos de elenco (2):

Este segundo grupo de fotos inclui novamente Shenae Grimes, Tristan Wilds, AnnaLynne McCord, Jessica Stroup, Dustin Milligan, Ryan Eggold e Michael Steger ao lado de Rob Estes e de Kelly Taylor... ah... digo Jennie Garth.

A série estreia já no próximo mês no canal norte-americano CW.

According to Variety, New Line Cinema and HAIRSPRAY Creator John Waters have struck a deal to move forward on a sequel to last year’s hit musical which starred John Travolta and the terrific new comer, Nikki Blansky. Director Adam Shankman, along with Tony winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will be back to head the creative team. Waters will come up with a storyline treatment which will center on the Turnblad family right where the last film left off in Baltimore of 1962. The trade also reports that while none of the original cast had sequel options Warner Bros hopes to get them all back. The studio is looking to get the finished product in theaters for a mid-July 2010 release. Personally I love the idea as I thought Hairspray was the best movie musical since GREASE back in 1978.  

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Director Tim Burton has cast 18-year-old Australian actress, Mia Wasikowska, in his big budget live action version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND which will be produced by Disney. Wasikowska, a relatively unknown, can currently be seen on the HBO show “In Treatment.” The Alice in Wonderland story and Director Tim Burton seems, at least on paper, like a match made in Heaven. The trade is also reporting that Disney and Burton will shoot the film in a 3-D process.

The CW network is already heavily promoting its 90210 spin-off show that premieres this September 1st. I must say, I find the fact that they have signed original cast members Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and Shannon Doherty to play a big part in the series very interesting although the show will focus more on a nucleus of young actors that will head up the cast. Actress Lori Loughlin (Summerland) will also be a big component of the new show. Personally I was a big fan of the original series and I really hope they can create something equal in quality. The success or failure of 90210 will be very important for the fledgling CW network as it hasn’t made much of an inroad in terms of ratings since its inception.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1391265&w=425&h=350&fv=overstretch%3Dfalse%26height%3D380%26width%3D480%26displaywidth%3D480%26repeat%3Dfalse%26volume%3D100%26usekeys%3Dfalse%26autostart%3Dfalse%26sid%3D1%26file%3DV08G019beiyCIX]

Brandon

After a short stint as a copy editor with the Washington Bureau of the New York Chronicle, he returned to his true love of politics. Running as a representative of Minnesota, it looked as if he'd win until... Chancellor Arnold leaked rumors of Brandon's checkered past that includes a gambling addiction and a drunk driving accident. Brandon returns to the zip code to wait tables at the Peach Pit while he "gets his head straight."

What to Look For: Lots of late night convos with Nat over coffee after the diner closes.

Brenda

Her run at British theater was an epic failure. Returning to the states, she did the New York thing, landing two minor roles: One in a Crest Whitening Strips commercial, the other as "White Girl on Scooter" in the straight to DVD release of House Party 4. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the better when she booked the role of "Mirtha" in the feature film Blow. But when the script called for her to be nude, Brenda got all Brenda and huffed out. Now it's back to 90210 to run the drama department.

What to Look For: Brenda adapting Gil Myers' unpublished novel, Blood Money, into West Beverly's spring production.

Kelly

The retirement of Ms. Teasley left a gaping hole in the guidance department at West Beverly. Having overcome a shooting, a rape, a coke addiction, multiple burns in a fire at a rave in frat house, a lesbian experience, and amnesia, Kelly felt as though she would make the perfect replacement. In the pilot ep, trouble again arises when her little sister, Erin (now a high school junior), asks her to buy beer for a party she is throwing in Jackie's house.

What To Look For: Kelly dropping the "don't you know who I am?" bomb when bouncers at the Peach Pit After Hours reject her at the door in an effort to keep the joint young and hip.

Dylan

Having blown through the Jack McKay fortune on various heroin and booze binges, Dylan spent the last two years in a tent on a beach in Baja firing a pistol at empty beer cans and listening to REM's Everybody Hurts on a continuous loop. In one last attempt to get sober, he heads back to 90210 where he too takes a job waiting tables at the Peach Pit.

What to Look For: Lots of seemingly innocent, but nonetheless awkward high-fives between him and Brandon while working the dinner rush.

Donna

After her father's death, Tori Spelling lost all connection to the TV biz. She not only is rejected for a reprise role as Donna Martin, but she also receives an email from Darren Star saying that if it weren't for her father, the role of Donna would have gone to Alicia Silverstone.

What to Look For: Tori Spelling in porn.

David

After a failed run in the music business, he opened Silver Party Platter, a deejaying gig for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. But after complaints of the deejay "dancing too much" at the parties he was working, the business began to suffer. Now it's time to put his go-for-broke plan into action: Find T-Boz from TLC and hand deliver his demo tape to her, which he says has a "crazy, sexy, cool, Waterfalls vibe" to it.

What to Look For: Silver mentoring the new West Beverly Radio on-air-talent.

Steve

His landmark video franchise Crazy College Co-Eds raked in millions. But when his father, Rush Sanders, passed away, Steve became overwrought with guilt. Knowing that his father would never approve of his financial endeavors, Steve is now about to pull a Warren Buffet, and donate all of his money to a good cause.

What to Look For: A handsome donation to the West Beverly Athletic Department... under one condition: They name the new football field "Steve Sanders Field House."

Andrea

Andrea died after a long bout with Alzheimer's. She was 104 years of age. She is survived by her daughter, Hannah, and her ex-husband, ambulance chaser Jesse Vasquez.

What to Look For: A best-of episode where the gang sits under the Hollywood sign sharing their fondest memories of her.

_________________________________________________________________________________

And that's it. You take my backstories, throw Lori Loughlin and Lucille from Arrested Development into the mix, and I don't see how you can lose. The only problem might be finding storylines for the students of the "next generation."

I remember once I heard about the show, people kept asking if any of the original cast members were coming back, and if so, was it going to be Brenda. Well....she's coming back, under certain circumstances; it really depends on her storyline, and how much they'll pay her.

To me, Shannon Doherty is more infamous than she is famous, but I don't know what she's infamous for. This could be a good or bad thing; a lot of people are anticipating Brenda's return, then they will tune in or they could not give a damn because they think the show is gonna be whack anyways. Well, filming has already started, so we can only wait til Sept. 2 and see.

Oh yeah, and Tori Spelling won't be on the show, I think. If she isn't, it makes sense being that she just had a baby and all.

I first saw Jesse McCartney on the WB show Summerland as the eldest child of three children who were adopted by their mom's sister in Southern California. It was a set in on a beach in a more subdued O.C. storyline kind of setting.  His castmates included such notables as Zack Efron ( Hairspray and High School Musical) and Lori Loughlin (  Full House).

Jesse was the teenage heart throb of the show. He was already known from his previous acting stints as a regular from  the soap All My Children and on several shows, inlcuding Disney.

 He was the blond surfing boy character on Summerland. He also could sing and had release some hit songs that were also featured videos on MTV.

Fast forward past the shows to 2008.  He is now 21. No longer platinum blond.  Matured from Cute Boy to Handsome Man.  A hit Album. Hit songs.  Sexy Videos. McCartney is back.

Recently in an interview with The Canadain Press(http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j6_D_CRtJY_fvE7350B5YGRrL1qA) he said,

 " I turned 21 recently and I'm living on my own now. I feel like I've assumed a little bit more responsibility in my life the last couple years. I feel like I've opened a new chapter and it's certainly made for great songwriting and being in the studio and being able to talk about that, being able to talk about my travels and my relationship with women and being in and out of relationships and dating - those things I think make for good songwriting and I think is accessible for my fans and I think it gives them a little piece of me and I think it's something that they care to hear about."

 With his new album, Departure, successfully hitting the airwaves, McCartneys newest evolution is sure to last. 

 The Video: Leavin:

Here are some video interviews:

May 7th, 2005

2:51 pm

so about 5 hours after that last post, i decided i was a little less of a tuff guy, and a little more of a hypochondriac, so i made a doctors appointment. this sickness really kicked my ass yesterday. today i'm feeling a lot better, but i went to the appointment anyway. gonna go to 'whole earth day' later.

Amityville 3-D:

pretty much exactly what i expected from the title. it's a shitty movie with a tiny, poorly written plot that is sewn together with lame 3-d effects. i guess i can't accurately call them 'lame', since i didn't have 3-d glasses, but unless these glasses also somehow turn shit into awesomeness, then it doesn't matter. but i think the movie is better than the other two amityville movies i've seen, just because by having "3-D" in the title, you don't expect it to be good or to be taken seriously. it's just meant to be fun. it really doesn't even have anything to do with the amityville horror, except that they used a similar looking house. it could have easily been made without any ties to the amityville horror name. there's one scene i liked. it wasn't scary or creepy or anything, but it was reminisent of real ghost stories. the daughter drowns in a boat accident, and at the same moment, her mother sees her walking up the stairs, soaking wet, into her room. oops! i gave away some crucial part of the plot!! alright... i know i'm making this movie sound bad, but don't completely dismiss it. the film had two great actresses in it before they were famous: meg ryan and LORI LOUGHLIN!!! okay... so neither is really great, but i think allison, at least, will appreciate any movie with Rebecca 'Becky' Donaldson Katsopolis in it.

11:07 pm

went to see jason webly tonight. hb says he's a tom waits rip off, but i like him. when he plays live, it's just him and an accordian or acoustic guitar, but the cd i bought (the new one) has piano, strings, percussion, everything. i would recommend checking him out.

Beneath Loch Ness:

WOW!! imagine anaconda, but take away all the good stuff, add a worse plot, worse dialogue, worse acting, some bad scottish accents, and computer effects reminiscent of star fox for snes, or at best, turok for nintendo 64. yes sir! worst movie so far, and very likely the worst movie i'll see.

Amityville II: The Possession:

spouse and child abuse, insest, murder, demonic possesion... what more could you want from a movie? this is the best of the amityville series. it's supposed to be a prequel to the first film, but it never really says if it's supposed to be before the defeo family bought the house or before the lutz family bought it. either way, it doesn't work, cuz it would mean two families were murdered in the house, and the first film doesn't mention this. this film, like amityville 3-d, doesn't need to be in the amityville series. it really has very little to do with the house or the first movie. it's basically just about a kid who becomes posessed. the make up effects are pretty cool at times, but at others they just seem like a cheap imitation of regan from the exorcist. the ending sucked. and over all, the writing was bad. if you want to see a weaker version of the exorcist, rent this film.

The Best of the Amityville Horror Series:
1. Amityville II: The Possession
2. Amityville 3-D
3. The Amityville Horror
4. The Amityville Horror (remake)

the theme from the amityville horror is still up there at the top of my all time favorite theme songs list. spooooky!

***boy... i was pretty good at writing/spelling in the old days...

scott

There's this new site called 90210 Insiders which has all the latest info about all the cast members of 90210, and the actual show. You should go check it out.

Lori says about her role on the show, "

What I love about my character is she’s not just the mom that’s home parenting — she’s got a career! She’s a photographer — she’s in the workplace. She was making a move from the Midwest to California, so it’s about her adjustment to her new lifestyle.”

As for the family Lori will be portraying, she says, "It’s the same premise in the fact that it is a brother and sister moving from the Midwest to California, but other than that, they’re not twins. One is my biological daughter. The other is my adopted son, who is African-American. So it’s a contemporary family. It’s fitting more of what’s happening today in families.”

But unlike the original show, Lori won't be living the rich life.

She continues, “Yes, modest living. We go to live with my mother-in-law who is ailing and played by Jessica Walters, and she was supposedly a big movie star in the 1970s. But we move in with her. So, we live in Beverly Hills but we’re not like in a big mansion.”

And finally, Lori adds about the show, “The spin-off is a whole new group of younger kids. They’re what teenagers are going through now in high school, and I’m the mom. It’s going to be really good — a little more interesting — because you’ve got like the parents and their lives and Rob Estes is my husband. I’m very excited about that!”

Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor) will be playin a guidance couselor in West Beverly High, and will be making a few appearances throughout the season.

Tori Spelling will also be making appearances during the season, but will not be a season regular. She will be playing an owner of coolest stores that are frequented by the new cast members.

At least the show will be on a whole new level in terms of diversity. As you'll recall, the original 90210 was pretty lily-white in the beginning, only bringing characters of color in for "special" episodes (remember the episode that had some kind of rivalry between West Beverly and the inner-city school? And all the kids from the inner-city school came to crash West Beverly's dance and it looked like mayhem was about to ensue until Donna and Kelly started dancing with the crashers to David's lame music? The whole thing was so very pre-Bring It On. Sort of). Only once the gang got to college did we get a Latino regular character in Jesse Vasquez, Andrea's boyfriend--then baby-daddy--then husband--then almost ex-husband, but after all that drama the two left for the East Coast. 90210 Deux, on the other hand, goes all in right from the start and makes the "new Brandon" character--Dixon Mills--the African-American adopted son of the Mills family. Even so, I still feel that the presence of an African-American character in the main cast opens the door for "special" episodes galore, so we'll see if the writers resist this temptation or if they can't, then if they can make some meaningful comments about race rather than just "hey, isn't the world great when we all just get along and dance to crappy music?"

But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Most of the "teenaged" characters look old enough to be not only out of high school but at least halfway through their Ph.D.s by now, except for Annie Mills, played by the wonderful Shenae Grimes. Grimes got her teen angst training playing Darcy the Incredibly Screwed-Up Uber Christian on the always-awesome Degrassi: The Next Generation, so she should be more than prepared to battle her way through West Beverly (and, yes, I'm fully aware that I know more about teen shows than I probably should at my age. Stop laughing at me. I mean it.).

One change I'm not so sure about is the Midwestern hot-mom of the Mills clan played by Lori Loughlin (And is it me, or does she just seem to keep getting younger after surviving Full House? Not that I watched Full House, of course--it wasn't so much watching as it was accidental torture due to someone else in the household having control of the TeeVee at the time). Instead of the endearing dorkishness of Cindy Walsh, Celia Mills already looks pretty hip to the ways of Beverly Hills (and I've read that Rob Estes, late of Melrose Place, has been cast as the Mills family patriarch. I watched Jim Walsh for years and Rob Estes, you, sir, are no Jim Walsh). And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't let the writers waste Jessica Walters as Grandma Tabitha Mills. I'd love to see some of Arrested Development's madcap Lucille Bluth slip into this character. Combine Tabitha with some laughs from guidance counselor Kelly Taylor, and the "old folks" could provide some comic relief from the serious, pretty youngsters.

But my guess is that the comedy will be sparse and that the 90210 reboot will be an OC with no snark, making it essentially the West Coast version of Gossip Girl. I'd love for this show to be smarter than that (and the potential was there when Rob Thomas--of Veronica Mars fame--was tied to the project. But, alas...). And I know that the original 90210 wasn't exactly Shakespeare, but at least it tried, after a while, to be about more than rich kids in Beverly Hills and their drug and sex and daddy problems (okay, it never tried to be much more than that. But still. "Special" episodes, remember?).

So as of now, I still plan to tune in for that first episode. I want to see if this show crashes like Brandon's first car or merits a tiara like Kelly at the spring dance.