News Roundup: One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Dawson’s Creek and The O.C.

13 01 2010




News Roundup: 90210, The O.C. and Dawson’s Creek

12 01 2010
  • 90210 is briefly mentioned at the end of this interview with Jessica Walter (Tabitha).
  • New York Magazine has an interview with Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.). Here’s another all about Southland and this one talks about Southland and its relation to the Jay Leno debacle.
  • Small Screen Scoop has a fantastic interview with Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek). They asked great questions!
  • In this interview with Life Unexpected creator Liz Tigelaar, she has many great things to say about Smith.




News Roundup: One Tree Hill, 90210, The O.C. and More

10 01 2010
  • TVByTheNumbers.com is speculating which CW shows will be renewed next year. Stay tuned for my own take in a few days.
  • Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley, One Tree Hill) confirmed that she is now on Facebook.
  • Elisabeth Harnois (Shelley, One Tree Hill) is one of the stars of Miami Medical, a new show starting in April on CBS.
  • AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi, 90210) is starring in the film Gun, alongside 50 Cent.
  • Beverly Hills 90210 is mentioned in this article on The Simpsons celebrating their 450th episode.
  • Found this article about the Beverly Hills school district to be quite interesting, since on the show, Andrea had to keep it a secret that she wasn’t a BH resident.
  • Southland, starring Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.) and Michael Cudlitz (Tony, Beverly Hills 90210) has its TNT premiere Tuesday night.
  • Both Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek) and DC get cute mentions in this article on Life Unexpected.
  • James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) will be on at least eight episodes of Mercy beginning January 27, which also stars Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina, Gossip Girl).




News Roundup: One Tree Hill, 90210, Gossip Girl and More

5 01 2010
  • As of tomorrow at 4pm, SoapNet will begin reairing One Tree Hill’s first season.
  • MTV summed up the latest news on The Notebook musical, which Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley, One Tree Hill) talked about in the podcast I posted yesterday.
  • Matt Barr (Ian “Psycho Derek” Banks, One Tree Hill) will appear on Friday Night Lights. Have you read my interview with him?
  • Starpulse has a brief interview with Ryan Eggold (Ryan, 90210).
  • Jessica Walter (Tabitha, 90210) voices a character in Archer, a new animated show on FX premiering next week.
  • On Sunday, SoapNet is airing This Time Around, which stars Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills 90210).
  • SoapCentral has an interesting article on Vanessa Marcil (Gina, Beverly Hills 90210) possibly returning to General Hospital. The article also mentions Marcil starring in the webseries The Bannen Way, which also features Autumn Reeser (Taylor, The O.C.).
  • Jezebel has a look at the Gossip Girl comic book/graphic novel.
  • Blair (Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl) is out of the Girl on Top tournament.
  • Josh Schwartz (creator, Gossip Girl & The O.C.) is now on Twitter. Added him to the Twitter Directory.
  • Worth noting, as Zap2it did, that The Secret Life of the American Teenager, starring Shailene Woodley (Kaitlin, The O.C.), and Make It Or Break It, produced by Paul Stupin (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek), did significantly better in the ratings last night than Gossip Girl and 90210 typically do.




News Roundup: 90210, One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and The O.C.

31 12 2009
  • Noticed that the finalized artwork for the Beverly Hills Season 9 DVD is significantly different from the preliminary art, and both are significantly different from the original photo. First the original photo was altered to photoshop in Luke Perry (Dylan). Then they decided to also add in Vanessa Marcil (Gina) and cut out Vincent Young (Noah). This makes the second season in a row with Young missing from the cover art, even though he was a regular the entire season, unlike Perry, Marcil and even Jason Priestley (Brandon) and Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Valerie). Missing in all three photos, however, is Daniel Cosgrove (Matt) who was also a regular that season, albeit not from the beginning (though he is in one of the faded background images). Expect me to still be griping about this when the set is released on February 2nd.
  • ABC News has an interview with Candy Spelling (wife of Aaron, mother of Tori; Beverly Hills 90210).
  • Digital Spy has an interview with Matt Lanter (Liam, 90210). Some of it is outdated for us, since the show is just premiering in the country where the site is based. Most interesting is that he says he’s pretty sure there’s going to be a season 3–and then is bold enough to say the show could last “four or five years.”
  • They also have an interview with Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna, 90210), which also covers things we’ve already seen but also has spoilers.
  • MTV made New Year’s resolutions for Ryan (Ryan Eggold, 90210), Dan (Paul Johansson, One Tree Hill) and Jenny (Taylor Momsen, Gossip Girl). Zap2it and The Wrap have good resolutions for The CW.
  • Star News has a brief article on Brett Claywell (Tim, One Tree Hill) and the amazing work he’s been doing on One Life to Live. It’s truly remarkable.
  • Blair (Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl) is still in the running in the Girl on Top tournament.
  • You can vote for Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) and Chace Crawford (Nate, Gossip Girl) as the stars you would kiss on New Year’s Eve.
  • The new season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, starring Shailene Woodley (Kaitlin, The O.C.), premieres Monday on ABC Family.




Exclusive: The O.C.’s Autumn Reeser on Why She Loves Taylor Townsend

27 12 2009

For many, the fourth season of The O.C. was a marked departure from past years–and that was a good thing. The show took a step away from the melodrama and made a right on Comedy Lane. Much of the fresh humor came courtesy of one Autumn Reeser.

Reeser, who first appeared in the third season, was bumped up to regular status when The Powers That Be realized what fans had: this girl was a goldmine! As she won over Ryan’s heart, she won ours, too. In case you’ve forgotten why, our charming interview is sure to remind you.

TeenDramaWhore: What attracted you to the role of Taylor on The O.C.?

Autumn Reeser: I love what a go-getter she is, her quirky oddness, her knowledge of her flaws & ability to accept them.  I felt an immediate affinity for her and I approached my audition with a lot of freedom.  She has a zest & hunger for life and is extremely smart and well-read.  She also takes herself way too seriously and is unintentionally hilarious–great fodder for an actor.

TDW: Taylor was known for having that quirky personality.  Did you share any similarities with her?

Reeser: When I was little, I stood out (not in a good way, I thought) because I actually liked school, studying and learning, and took myself too seriously (like Taylor).  A couple kids even used to call me ‘Autumn Research’ which I thought was terrible at the time.  I wish I was as smart as Taylor, though!  I always thought she probably spoke at least 7 languages– in the 2 seasons I was on, I spoke French, Latin, Korean and Spanish.  If the series had continued, I’d have loved to see the writers continue to play with that aspect of her personality, because those scenes were so much fun for me!

TDW: If you had to guess, where do you think Taylor is today?  Is she with Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie)?

Reeser: As sad as it is for the fans, I don’t see Taylor and Ryan’s relationship working out in the long-run.  I think she always thinks of him with happiness & a bit of fond regret, because he was her first love.  But I think Taylor moved away from the O.C. and went into politics.  She has a big personality, a ton of ambition and strong opinions, and I don’t think the O.C. could have held her in its grasp for long.

TDW: Are you still in touch with the cast?

Reeser: Rachel [Bilson, Summer] & Melinda [Clarke, Julie] and I stay in touch to some degree, and it’s always lovely when I happen to run into someone, but for the most part we’ve gone our separate directions.  As an actor, you’re essentially changing jobs multiple times per year, and it’s rare to stay close friends with everyone you meet.

TDW: The O.C. has been your biggest TV role to date. Why do you think that is–was The O.C. that unique and successful or you haven’t found another show you want to commit for that long? (Or none of the above?)

Reeser: When The O.C. ended, I was at an odd mid-place in my career– not interested in playing high schoolers anymore, and too young-looking to play anyone my own age!  I’ve always looked much younger than my age, and for a time that became a problem rather than an asset.  In my personal acting study, I’ve constantly been working on challenging characters, but I found it hard to be seen for equally demanding roles in the industry.  Finally this year it’s happened for me, I think largely because of my appearance on Entourage (as a junior TV agent who battles it out with Ari Gold).  Ever since then I’ve had some amazing auditions with fully-fleshed out fabulous characters, and I can’t wait for one of those to be the right fit for me.  I’m having a great time looking for the right one!

TDW: Tell me about your character in Smokin Aces 2. Anyone with AK-47 in their name has to be the complete opposite of Taylor, right?

Reeser: I got such a kick out of this role.  One of my favorite things about acting has always been playing characters that seem far outside of myself, and then finding my pathway into who they are.  In this case, Kaitlyn “AK-47” Tremor is a malicious, bleached-blonde, tattooed, hillbilly criminal who does absolutely nothing redeeming in the entire movie.  Mostly she kills people.  I learned how to handle 5 different weapons, had a gold tooth, and found my inner darkness playing her.  It was such a fun challenge and will be so fun for people to get a chance to see me in this type of role.  I haven’t seen the finished film yet, but I had a blast preparing & performing this part!

TDW: What exactly is The Thrilling Adventure & Supernatural Suspense Hour? I got chills just typing it!

Reeser: This is a live 1930s-style radio show that I perform with.   We perform at M-Bar in Hollywood the second weekend of every month and they are serialized ‘programs’ (nothing actually goes out on air; it’s all intended for the audience there), in the style of 1930s, 40s and 50s radio programs.   The characters reoccur, but the scenarios are different every month.  It’s a great way for me to stay in touch with my stage roots, work with an incredible group of comedians/voice performers, sing, and work on coming up with more characters of my own.  You can see photos, learn more and get tickets at: http://thrillingadventurehour.com/

TDW: What other projects are you working on?  Any interest in going back to musical theater?

Reeser: I’m currently shooting a film called The Big Bang opposite Antonio Banderas.  I play sort of a rockabilly chick with a passion for physics.  My hair is chopped in a short black shag right now–I’m loving it!  Fay is a free-spirited hippie mixed with a science geek, and I feel so blessed to be a part of what promises to be an incredible movie.  It’s sort of a neo-film-noir and the way they’re shooting it is absolutely breathtaking.  I’m really proud of my work in this one.  I would love love love to return to my musical theater roots!  I continue to study dance & voice and am hoping to find the right project to show off my chops sometime in 2010.  There are some amazingly talented girls pursuing the movie musical field out there right now, like Julianne Hough, Kristen Bell [ed. note: Bell voices Gossip Girl on, um, Gossip Girl], and Jessica Biel, and I would LOVE to see Hollywood experience a musical theater resurgence.  I think the time is ripe for it!

TDW: You’re one of many celebrities on Twitter, but even as the number continues to grow, each has their own reason for joining. What’s your reason? Why are you on Twitter?

Reeser: I joined Twitter as a way to connect with my fans & people who’ve supported my career through the years.  And also because there were so many people on there pretending to be me, I thought the real one should at least be on there to speak for herself!

TDW Interview Index





Favorite Holiday Episodes, Pt. 3

23 12 2009

MONDAY: Beverly Hills 90210

TUESDAY: Dawson’s Creek

TODAY: The O.C.

1. Episode 1.13, The Best Chrismukkah Ever

It’s impossible to look at holiday shows on The O.C. and not include (almost) every one. So sit tight because that’s what I’ll be doing here. We begin in season one where the idea of Chrismukkah is first introduced. Seth explains that with his Jewish dad and WASPy mom, he created the holiday to get the best of both worlds. Ryan has trouble embracing the holiday when he is reminded of his horrible years growing up (via a drunk Marissa) and Seth receives presents from both Summer and Anna, after which they ask him to choose which girl he wants to be with. A pivotal episode for both that triangle and because it sets up the Chrismukkah tradition.

2. Episode 1.14, The Countdown

Like in the real world, the very next week brings New Year’s Eve. Seth plans to stay home so he can avoid the Anna-Summer issue and Ryan is thrown for a loop when Marissa says she loves him and introduces a new friend, Oliver. Sandy and Kirsten end up at a swingers party where temptation just ends up reaffirming their love for each other. The episode culminates in Ryan’s mad dash to kiss Marissa at midnight–and tell her he loves her, making one of The O.C.’s most memorable endings.

3. Episode 2.6, The Chrismukkuh That Almost Wasn’t

It’s a year later and Ryan isn’t with Marissa and Seth isn’t with Anna (or Summer). Seth’s Chrismukkuh dinner gets bigger and bigger with plans for the Cooper-Nichols to attend, plus Marissa, Summer and Ryan’s newish girlfriend, Lindsay. Lindsay’s enthusiasm surprises Ryan, who worries what will happen when a long-hidden truth is revealed: Caleb is her father. When the truth comes out and major drama ensues, Seth thinks they should cancel the holiday–until Summer comes to the rescue. I’ve never been a Lindsay fan but she deserves credit for creating a Chrismukkah prop: the Yamuclaus

4. Episode 3.10, The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah

Though Ryan & Marissa and Seth & Summer are all back together, this year’s Chrismukkah doesn’t seem to be shaping up any better than season two’s. Marissa is preoccupied by a hurt Johnny and Kirsten is sad that it’s her first Chrismakkuh without her dad (despite last year’s drama between them) and her last with Seth and Ryan still in high school. The episode is a win for me because the Judaism factor is at a higher level with the incorporation of both Seth and Ryan’s Bar Mitzvahs. We see Seth’s via flashback, adding a layer of goodness to his lifelong love of Summer, and we see the gang come together to give Ryan one (though it’s real purpose is to raise money for Johnny’s surgery).

5. Episode 4.7, The Chrismukk-huh?

We know I’m a sucker for flashbacks and, by extension, alternate universes, which makes this quite possibly my favorite of all the Chrismukkahs. Ryan and Taylor’s accident turns Newport on its head, looking at what might’ve happened if Ryan never existed. While most of it involves some comedic pairings, like Summer & Che and Sandy & Julie (plus Che & Julie), there’s also a surprising emotional component: Taylor finds out that, in this world, Marissa may be alive. The possibility prevents Ryan from wanting to return to the real world but he ends up losing her all over again when he learns that Marissa never survived her drug overdose several years back since he was never there to rescue her. Intelligent viewers knew there was no chance of Marissa/Mischa Barton coming back but the writing and editing sucked us in anyway, getting our hopes up and our hearts broken.

Tomorrow we look at another alternate holiday universe, this time on One Tree Hill.





News Roundup: 90210, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and More

7 12 2009
  • Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills 90210) and husband Peter Facinelli are on the cover of PEOPLE’s special holiday extra edition. PEOPLE.com has a video from the photo shoot.
  • Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills 90210) and mom Candy Spelling have reportedly reconciled.
  • Luke Perry (Dylan, Beverly Hills 90210) is featured in a new video for The Killers. Interestingly enough (but I’m sure not purposefully), it somewhat echoes the season 5 episode where Dylan revisits his past lives.
  • Perry, Jason Priestley (Brandon, Beverly Hills 90210), Chace Crawford (Nate, Gossip Girl), Chad Michael Murray (Lucas, One Tree Hill), Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) and Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.) made AOL’s list of the Top 50 Teen Idols. Perry ranks the best at number 7, while CMM is at 13, Crawford came in at 17 with Priestley right after at 18 and Jackson sits at number 20 while McKenzie is at 31. Also on the list is John Schneider who recently played Liam’s step-dad on 90210.
  • Ryan Eggold (Ryan, 90210) is included in PEOPLE.com’s Sexy at Every Age photo gallery.
  • AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi, 90210) was on The Tonight Show last week and Jessica Stroup (Silver, 90210) was on Rachael Ray.
  • Greg Vaughan (Cliff, Beverly Hills 90210) tweeted that he’s filmed 3 episodes for his appearance on the new 90210.
  • If you missed Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) on SNL last week, here are some of the promos and recaps: EW.com, EW.com again and Zap2it.
  • Zap2it has a photo gallery called “The Quotable Blair Waldorf,” which feature quotes and photos from season 3.
  • OTHPodcast.com has been revamped.
  • There’s photos on Facebook of James Laffety (Nathan, One Tree Hill) and Robert Buckley (Clay, One Tree Hill) in character for The Legend of Hell’s Gate: An Ameican Conspiracy.
  • If you live near New York City, Kate Voegele (Mia, One Tree Hill) will be at the lighting of the NYSE Christmas tree this Thursday.




Most Shocking Deaths, Pt. 5

27 11 2009

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

2. Jen suffers the effects of a heart illness (Dawson’s Creek, Episode 6.24:…Must Come to an End)

1. Marissa and Ryan get into a car accident (The O.C., Episode 3.25: The Graduates)

You’ll notice some of my picks overlapped with my Top 10 Saddest Moments list because, well, let’s face it–death is about the saddest thing someone can experience.

But what I really tried to focus on here was the jaw-dropping aspect, which is why the overlapping scenes aren’t in the same order as my previous list. For instance, I think Jen’s death was more devastating (read: sad) than Marissa’s, but Marissa’s was more jaw-dropping (read: shocking).

Make sense? Feel free to disagree!





Spoiler: Watch With Kristin

24 11 2009

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Matt in Montclair, Calif.: Is Southland really that good? Should I give it a shot on TNT?
We say yes, and so does Ben McKenzie: “People just need to watch it, and after 15 minutes, you’ll decide whether you like it or not. If you’re into a sort of grittier, darker cop show without the sheen that a lot of networks put on their shows, you’ll like it. It’s very character driven, it’s hard-hitting, there’s a lot of action, but there’s also some romance, so it’s a real show you can follow week to week.” And maybe if you start watching, TNT will take note and order up some more episodes (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Monica in New Orleans: Anything good coming up on Gossip Girl?
Chuck is going to visit Bart’s grave on the anniversary of his death, and when he gets there, he won’t be the only one paying his respects. Any guesses on who’ll pop up? I’m hearing that not one but two family members could be making surprising returns.

Brianna: How about something on One Tree Hill? Anything juicy?
How’s this: A source tells me Haley and Quinn’s sister Taylor is going to come back to Tree Hill.

Cian33: 90210 is so much better this year! I hope you are watching. What can you dish?
Agreed! It is way better than season one, in case any of you are missing it. I’m told there’s a sex scandal in the works: Naomi is going to accuse a teacher of sexual harassment.

Irene in Newport News, Va.: I’m loving White Collar! Any scoop?
Ever since the White Collar pilot, we’ve found that the everyday eps of this USA series have been a smidgen flimsier than we’d like, but the midseason finale on Dec. 4 is the sharp and snappy standard we’d like to see from the show. What happens? Well, Neal (Matthew Bomer) is finally confronted with a criminal nemesis worthy of his talents, Elizabeth Burke’s (Tiffani Thiessen) presence on the show starts to make sense, and there is a huge (huge!) reveal about Agent Burke (Tim McKay) that involves something pretty important from Neal’s past.

Credit: E! Online

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Note: Bejamin McKenzie played Ryan on The O.C. and Tiffani Thiessen played Valerie on Beverly Hills 90210.