RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!
Your frenemy Kristin reported on an upcoming ‘One Tree Hill‘ suicide. Do you have details on who? – Cory
Only that this person has shown hints of being emotionally unstable and, if successful, the suicide would impact several characters on the show. Speaking of ‘Tree Hill,’ did you also hear that someone might be leaving us in a non-fatal manner? And that he might not making the move alone?
Credit: Fancast
8. A drunk Johnny falls off a cliff (The O.C., Episode 3.14: The Cliffhanger)
7. Mitch gets into a car accident (Dawson’s Creek, Episode 5.03: Capeside Revisited)
Come back tomorrow for two more deaths no one saw coming.
I’ll be getting my copy sometime today.
Check back later for more details!
UPDATE
I was at Barnes and Noble when it opened its doors at 9am. The sales clerks in the DVD section had no idea what I was talking about but eventually located a copy with a retail price of $59.99.
Unlike the covers for the previous few seasons, this one doesn’t feature a cast shot but rather individual pictures of the characters. Staring out from the center is Hilary Swank (Carly). I’ve been complaining about this ever since the art was first released as Swank was only in 16 episodes. Sure, she was billed as a lead character (and hired to be in the whole season) but with limited cover space, that spot should’ve gone to Vincent Young (Noah), who was not only in every episode of the season but also seasons 9 and 10. I’ve been told the decision to put Swank front and center was a marketing decision designed to capitalized on the Oscar winner’s recognition factor. Apparently that applies to the individual disc covers as well as Swank is also featured prominently on one of those while this time the MIA actor is Brian Austin Green (David), who’s been with the series since Day 1.
The back cover also doesn’t feature Young but manages to include him and everyone else in the description (though in a different order than the opening credits): “The Real World: 90210…School is over and the friends of Beverly Hills 90210 are discovering that life after graduation is not as easy as they thought! Come along with Brandon (Jason Priestley), Kelly (Jennie Garth), Donna (Tori Spelling), David (Brian Austin Green), Steve (Ian Ziering), Val (Tiffani Amber Thiessen), Noah (Vincent Young), and Carly (Hilary Swank) as they explore love and life outside of college in all 30 titillating episodes of Season 8. Experience Kelly’s recovery from a drive-by shooting, Brandon and Kelly’s wedding plans, and Donna’s drug overdose. It doesn’t take long for the gang to discover that the real world can be just as unpredictable as college.”
The set contains 7 discs with descriptions on the back of the individual cases. It’s pretty much a given there’s going to be errors (or, at the very list, vague summaries that miss the key points) but there are some doozies here! (1) “Racial lyrics lead David’s band, After Dark, into problems.” First off, the band wasn’t David’s–he was pseudo-managing them. But more importantly, After Dark is the name of the club that’s been on the show since season 5, not the name of the band (which was actually called Cain Was Able). (2) Continuing with the band name errors, they say “a member of Jasper’s Legend tries to sue Noah after a car accident” but the band was called Jasper’s Law. (3) We’ve got a serious reversal of events when they say “Valerie accuses Noah of date rape when she wakes up without any memory of the night before…and Donna and David get into a car accident.” Considering Donna and David’s interaction is partly the catalyst for Valerie and Noah even sleeping together, the order is crucial. (4) And the biggest error comes in the description for the two-part series finale: “Kelly takes an AIDS test after she comes into contact with the blood of an HIV patient. Trying to calm their new female news achor, Brandon ends up getting her drunk. Mel issues David an ultimatium. Valerie anxiously awaits her HIV test results. Brandon and Kelly have some very big news for their invited guests a few hours before the wedding.” The first half of that (from “Kelly…” to “…ultimatium” is from an episode in season 7! That’s right, folks. How a description for an episode that wasn’t even in this season–and wasn’t even a season finale, for that matter–ended up merged with the description for the actual season finale is beyond me. And, just to be totally accurate, Brandon and Kelly had their “surprise” *at* the wedding, not hours before.
Also worth mentioning is the pamphlet advertising other shows on DVD, including 90210: The First Season. The description reads: “New Drama. Same Zip. There’s a new generation in town, and they’re turning up the heat at West Beverly High. For hook-ups, break-ups, drug busts, and betrayals, 90210 is the place to go for the ultimate in guilty pleasures! Packed with Special Features.”
Unfortunately, this set isn’t “packed with special features.” Just as it was with season 7, my biggest complaint is the absence of special features altogether. I can only hope they are making some kick-ass ones for a complete series release. (And if there’s no complete series release, I’ll be hella pissed.)
Season 9 comes out in February.
Stay tuned!
1. Dawson’s Creek: Episode 3.19, Stolen Kisses
While denying feelings for each other, Pacey and Joey share a moment in bed. (Skip to 5.15)
2. The O.C.: Episode 1.07, The Escape
While denying feelings for each other, Ryan and Marissa share a moment in bed.
Over the course of 13 episodes in 1993-1994, Cress Williams added drama, humor, athleticism and, perhaps most importantly, color to Beverly Hills 90210. As D’Shawn Hardell, we saw Williams challenge Brandon (Jason Priestley), woo Donna (Tori Spelling) and show off some pretty smooth skills on the basketball court. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Williams appear on one of my favorite non-teen drama shows, Prison Break.
Williams was kind enough to discuss both with me:
TeenDramaWhore: When you joined Beverly Hills 90210 way back in October 1993, were you familiar with the show?
Cress Williams: I knew the show existed, but I had never seen the show. After I got the job I watched an episode. I was in the middle of finishing college, so I didn’t watch a lot of TV.
TDW: Your last appearance was just over a year later. Did you keep up with the show after you left?
Williams: Other than watching it that one time to get a sense of it, I never really watched it again. After I finished on the show, I was done with school and fully involved in life and career.
TDW: On the surface, D’Shawn was just a basketball player who hassled Brandon. In reality, you brought some much-needed diversity to the show. Did that cross your mind at all?
Williams: Most definitely. I knew there wasn’t really any people of color on the show. In fact, when I met the assistant casting director at a little seminar before ever auditioning for the show, I pretty much blew it off because I didn’t think I had much of a chance of being on a show like that.
TDW: Are you actually skilled at basketball or was it the “magic of television”?
Williams: Basketball was and is my favorite sport. When I was younger I played a lot. So at the time of doing the show, I was in good shape and played it a lot. All the basketball stuff was me, not movie magic.
TDW: Do you have a favorite memory or episode?
Williams: 90210 was my first professional job, so all of it was a new experience for me. Mainly I just remember being a trained actor and knowing about acting, but not knowing about acting on television. Everyday was a learning experience.
TDW: Are you still in touch with the cast?
Williams: Not really.
TDW: Last year, you were on another one of my favorite shows, Prison Break. What was it like joining a series that you know is in its last season?
Williams: Like 90210, I have done a lot of work on shows that had been in production for a while. I know how to step in and fit in on the fly. I really enjoyed playing a character so different from me and what I have played in the past.
TDW: Did you have to catch up on the complicated back story and conspiracy?
Williams: Not really. My character was a hired gun who was simply called in to clean up. A lot of the crew were big fans of the show, so they helped to give me any back story I needed.
TDW: You played a hit man, who ironically had his own unexpected death. How do you approach a character like that?
Williams: Well, I saw the character as a man who didn’t really do what he did because he enjoyed it. I saw him as someone who killed because it was simply a part of who he is. He took no pleasure in it, and he never took it personal. It was all business. He was so good at what he did because he had a distance from what he was doing. I felt like if he could, he would love to be normal, but he couldn’t change who he was. So I tried to keep what I did acting-wise very simple.
TDW: What projects are you working on now?
Williams: Recently I just finished an episode of Cold Case, which [aired] in October. I am currently working on writing a future TV series of my own with a couple of friends. I hope it makes it to the small screen someday.
TeenDramaWhore 