BuzzSugar

Shenae Grimes on Being "The New Brenda" (or Not) on 90210

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:30:10 -0700

One week from today, we'll get to see what this updated 90210 is really all about. For some more hints, I spent some time at the TCA press tour chatting with star Shenae Grimes - who previously played Darcy Edwards on Degrassi: The Next Generation - about her role as Annie Wilson, the new girl in the hottest zip code around. Here are highlights:

Did you ever watch the original 90210?
Yeah, my mom raised me on that show. I watched it all my life.

So what did you think when you first heard there was going to be a new 90210?
I thought, awesome! Super excited to watch it. And then when they called me to audition on tape, I was like, ha! OK, whatever, if I can find the time - it doesn't matter if I put it down or not, cause no one's gonna see it, whatever. And I crammed to put it down one day, got a call the next day saying - I actually auditioned for Silver originally, and then I got a call the next day saying, "They want to try you out for Annie." I was like, what? Whoa, hold on, step back for a minute. Literally never thought I'd hear anything ever again. I didn't even think the tape would get watched. But things happened, and here I am, and it's the most surreal thing in the world for a kid from Canada.

You did several seasons on Degrassi. Being a kid from Canada, where Degrassi is a big deal, what was that like?
Degrassi's the be-all and end-all for Toronto's youth actors. There's not a lot of great material at home, and the stuff that there is, it's cute, but you're always playing 14-year-olds. No one has roles that are hearty and challenging for young actors there. So Degrassi was really it. I mean, that's the show that everybody's trying to get on. I finally did, and I had to work my way up the food chain, and it took me a few years to "prove myself" for my producers, but I finally did, and I felt like, seventh season, I had the best storylines in the world. It doesn't get much more challenging than that. I felt like it was time for me to, you know, step off a little bit and let some of the new kids come in, cause it's the pinnacle for young actors.

More from Grimes on Degrassi and 90210, so read more.

The sense that I always had is that Degrassi in Canada is sort of like what 90210 was here.
Oh, absolutely. And I couldn't be more proud of both. I look at Degrassi as like my boot camp to prepare me for this. It was a groundbreaking thing. You couldn't throw more at a high school student, and they did it - they brought things to the table that people hadn't seen on TV before.

So, tell me a little bit about Annie.
Annie's the Kansas City gal who's been picked up by her dad and thrust into the Hollywood life for her grandma. The whole point is you're watching her and the journey that she takes, this crazy new world, the transition that she's making and how she handles it all. It's a big, big change. Everyone's asking me, "What did you do to prepare for the role?" and I'm like, "I'm doing it right now, man!" I'm from this small town and coming to Hollywood. And we don't have celebrity back home, there's no such thing as that! So this is a new world for me, too, and I'm trying to meander my way through it.

A lot of people are looking at the show and going, "Oh, she's the Brenda." Do you think that's fair? Can you do that with this show?
No - I mean, obviously, it's a family, and I'm the daughter, and so they will say that, which is totally cool and fine. But no, all the characters are very new and very different, not based on anybody. They've got a lot more layers, and they're not as stereotypical and one-note, necessarily, as they were before because kids have a lot more going on these days than they did back then.

Were any of the people in your cast people you had watched as a fan? I know for us in the US, Lori Laughlin is Full House -
Aunt Becky, are you kidding me? I saw her at the screen test, and I was like, "Oh my God, I saw Aunt Becky!" I didn't even put it together that they were casting her as the mom, and we totally look alike! I couldn't ask for better fake parents - I'm very flattered. And I've got Rob Estes as my dad. Hello, I watched Melrose Place growing up, so I was a big fan. And, you know, Freaks and Geeks with the producers, and I'm catching up on The Wire now.

OK, so sell me on the new 90210. Best reason to watch?
Everything about it's going to be amazing - the clothes and the music and the storylines and the actors. If that all doesn't entertain you, there will be much more that will. It's going to be a hot, hot show, and we're going to live up to everyone's expectations and then some.

Photos Source and courtesy of The CW

Tristan Wilds on Moving From Baltimore to Beverly Hills

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:15:49 -0700

One of the biggest reasons I'm excited for the new 90210 is the casting of Tristan Wilds. For two seasons on The Wire, Wilds played Michael, a tough and complex kid from the Baltimore streets. It was an incredibly nuanced performance from someone so young, one that had me hanging on his every word. When I heard someone that talented was making 90210 his new TV home as Dixon, the adopted son of Debbie and Harry Wilson (Lori Loughlin and Rob Estes), it made me take notice.

At the CW's party at the TCA press tour, I chatted with Wilds about making the transition from Baltimore to Beverly Hills. Here are highlights:

How did you find 90210 - or how did 90210 find you?
My manager called me and told me about 90210. I was a little skeptical about it, but I definitely wanted to show that I had a broader range than just Michael. Of course, when I went out for it, I found out that Dixon isn't really that much different than Michael. They both grew up with a really bad beginning - Dixon has been in and out of group homes his whole life, landed in Kansas, got into a little fight over something that got him in real trouble and that was going to send him to a juvenile detention center until the Wilsons came in and rescued him. They adopted him, so they saved him in a place where Michael really needed to be saved.

When you told your friends from The Wire that you were going to be on 90210, what did they say?
Actually, all they were saying was, "Really, you're on 90210? Wow!" They were all giving me accolades and all that. It was great.

What's it like going from a show like The Wire, which had a lot of acclaim but maybe not the viewers, to something like 90210 that has so much buzz?
It has so much buzz, and the way that we're shooting it - it's going to be edgy, it's going to be a little bit racy, but it's going to show the real lives of teenagers. Every character is a different aspect of teenagers' lives. I think that every teenager will be able to identify themselves with at least one character on the show.

To learn whether Wilds watched the original 90210 and what his experience was like on The Wire, read more.

Did you watch the original 90210?
To keep my manhood intact, I don't want to say I watched it too much, but I've seen a couple episodes. I've done my research on it. But of course, you know, you always have that time where you want to watch cartoons and your big sister puts you in the headlock and makes you watch TV with her - so yeah, I've seen it a couple of times.

When you were working on The Wire, in those moments, did you realize how big and important the show was?
I was a big fan of The Wire from the beginning, from season one when the cops beat the kid until he was blind in one eye. I was a really big fan; I was really into it. Season four - I didn't know how big it would be, because it was always such an underground thing. You would see people every now and then talking about how good The Wire was, but you never knew how big it was going to be until after it came on and everybody was watching it, and I was like, "Wow. We have a fan base like this?" And it was so diverse, which is why I love it so much.

After The Wire, what were you looking for in your next role?
I think the main thing I was looking for was growth. I was trying to build myself as an actor, which is why I was going to acting classes . . . When this came along, I was like, all right, maybe this will take me to the next level. I'm praying this is what it is.

Are there things you get to tap into with Dixon that you couldn't with Michael?
I get to show the playful side of me. I get to show that troublemaker. I get to show the suave ladies man, if you will. Dixon portrays all of this. Michael didn't really get a chance to because he was a kid stuck in his ways.

What would you say to people who are fans of yours from The Wire who might be rolling their eyes at 90210?
I would say to them, "Just watch." Just like Michael was a three-dimensional character, Dixon is a three-dimensional character . . . You get to see life through another kid's eyes who lived like Michael did but got another chance at life.

If I looked at your TiVo right now, what would I see?
You'd probably see America's Best Dance Crew, two episodes of Tom and Jerry, the whole season of Family Guy, and probably Ugly Betty, 'cause I watch it with my mom.

Source and courtesy of The CW

Joe E. Tata Kisses and Tells How He Came to the New 90210

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:45:43 -0700

I'm just gonna come right out and say this: Joe E. Tata, aka Nat from the Peach Pit on 90210, kissed me. Twice. They were both just pecks on the cheek, but that doesn't change the facts: That Nat, he's a kisser.

At the time of the kisses, Tata was presiding over a Peach Pit-themed breakfast to promote the 90210 spinoff at the TCA press tour. Besides his more romantic inclinations, Tata also chatted with me a bit about his return to the Zip code that made him famous. Here are some highlights:

What was it like getting the call saying, "We're bringing 90210 back, and we want Nat"?
I was on the ceiling. First of all, when I heard that - they always said, "We're gonna do a movie." Well, eight years went by, and I'm still waiting for the movie! Where's this movie?

What have you been doing for the past eight years?
I went to Europe, did a couple of films there. I was so glad to come home.

There was a rumor seven or eight years ago that you were going to open up a string of Peach Pit restaurants. What happened there?
We had a giant, big attorney. It took too long. . . . We had the plans and everything done, and then, the attorneys!

To see what Tata had to say about the new cast, just read more.

How much of the new cast have you met so far, and do any of them remind you of the original cast?
I met four or five people, and they're all different. There's a couple of devils in there, I like that much. They're going to be fun.

There isn't a whole lot of precedent for a show being completely recast and brought back from the dead like this. is that a gamble?
I would think so. But then again, it's up to the stories, and it's up to if [people] like and connect with the cast. That was the whole thing on our show - we had good words, and they liked the characters, every one of them.

Are you a good cook in real life?
You bet your ass.

Source

90210 + Freaks and Geeks: A Match Made in Heaven?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:30:00 -0700

At first glance, Freaks and Geeks and 90210 wouldn't appear to have a lot in common. One was a hyper-realistic drama that told quiet stories about high school life and was canceled after a handful of episodes. The other was a massively popular soap that looked at teenage years through a glamorous lens.

But Freaks and this Fall's bright, shiny reboot of 90210 share one big thing: their writers. Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah made a splash on Freaks and created the little-seen (but much loved, at least by me) Life as We Know It for ABC. Now, at the helm of one of this Fall's most highly anticipated shows, the two are looking to reinvent the teen show yet again.

At the TCA press tour, Sachs and Judah talked about what compelled them to take on the project and how they'll try to keep this round of Beverly Hills stories grounded in reality. Can they pull it off? I'm now more excited than ever to see them try. To see what they had to say about how they plan to meld their style with the CW's fast-paced glam, just read more.

How do two Freaks and Geeks guys end up at the helm of a majorly promoted show that, if it does well, could possibly get credit for saving an entire network? Did they have to change their style to fit in? "Somebody had to adapt," quipped Rob Estes, who plays Beverly Hills High principal Harry Wilson. "But I don't think it was them."

Nobody was more concerned about the adjustment than Sachs and Judah themselves. Sachs (pictured at right) said the two of them spent a long time talking about whether they could pull off the project, but in the end, they just wanted to go for it. "Our writing's not going to change," Sachs said. "This is how we write, and this is how we create stories."

Sure, some of the characters might seem over-the-top at first, but Sachs and Judah, who also previously worked on What About Brian, want us to learn why, by meeting their parents and learning about their values. "We're trying to put as much - we've said it a thousand times - reality into it [as possible]," Sachs said.

And we can expect some serious awkwardness mixed in with all the glitz. "We shot something the other day - it's just a tiny, one-second line, but it's one of many Freaks and Geeks lines that we're trying to put in," Judah said. "There are moments in this show that would have fit in Freaks and Geeks."

Do you think it can work? Are you excited to see where two guys from the Judd Apatow universe can take the 90210 franchise? Or does that just seem like an unholy union?

Photos courtesy of The CW and Source

TCA Tidbits: Bluths, The Ex List, Showtime Series, and More!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:45:39 -0700

Wow, that was one whirlwind weekend here at the TCA press tour. CBS, Showtime, The CW, and NBC's cable networks have all been on stage, plus the Television Critics Association took a break from the panels to deliver some honors of its own. I've heard lots about the new 90210, been bowled over by the hilarity of The Ex List's showrunner, and heard references to The Wire and Arrested Development - in the same session! Here are some of my favorite bits:

First off, have you read about what's coming up on Friday Night Lights yet? Seeing the cast together again was hands-down one of the highlights of this press tour so far.

Another highlight: Seeing Showtime's trailers for both The United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie - the latter of which just got picked up as a series. Bottom line: I'm very curious to see more from both. Tara stars Toni Colette as a mother with multiple personalities (we saw at least three in the three-minute trailer) whose family alternately resents her disorder and appreciates how different it makes them. Jackie stars Edie Falco as a sharp-tongued, occasionally devious nurse whose motto seems to be "Make me good, God, but not yet" and has her turning to one controlled substance or another to quash her persistent back pain. The trailers were both extremely well-produced, which gives me great hope for the full-length versions.

One of the contenders for best quote of the press tour: Jessica Walter of 90210 on what makes her new character, grandmother Tabitha Wilson, different from Lucille Bluth. "Lucille liked vodka and Tabitha likes scotch." She went on to explain that the fact that she's gotten her family to move to Beverly Hills to help her stay sober is another difference: "I promised them I'm going to try," she said. "Lucille never really tried."
By the way, Walter once referred to the Bluths in the past tense, then corrected herself: "The Bluths were so dysfunctional - are still so dysfunctional. We hope they're going to be making a movie." Someone hurry up and confirm it already!

To see who the TCA honored at its awards, meet my new favorite woman in Hollywood, and get some news from Bravo and NBC's other cable networks, just read more.

Mad Men, 30 Rock, and John Adams were among the big winners at Saturday's TCA Awards. There are lots of great dispatches from the night; here's one funny one, and here's another.

I liked The Ex List well enough when I watched the pilot, but I will most definitely be paying attention now that showrunner Diane Ruggiero has completely won me over. She charmed the whole room on Friday during her session, telling stories about accidentally dumping an ex-boyfriend's Mount St. Helen's ashes all over his carpet ("That's when you go, 'I guess we broke up . . . '") and being cute ("kind-of-ish") in New Jersey but invisible in Los Angeles. When one of the many older male reporters here asked her why there was so much "vaginal humor" in the pilot, Ruggiero immediately responded "I actually let my vagina write half of the script." Zing!
Sunday's sessions with NBC's cable networks were dizzying for all their news, but here are just a few highlights: Make Me a Supermodel and The Real Housewives of New York City will both be getting second seasons on Bravo; The Rachael Zoe Project premieres Sept. 8; Top Chef: Masters and Fashion House, which sounds vaguely like it could be groomed into a Project Runway replacement, are both in development; USA has ordered a second season of In Plain Sight; Mark Feuerstein has signed on for a USA pilot about a doctor who becomes the MD for the rich and famous; and the new season of The Janet Dickinson Modeling Agency will start in August and have Janice living with the models in the same house for the first time. Whew!

Still to come: Lots of news from NBC, plus visits to the set of Pushing Daisies and Chuck, so stay tuned!

Photos courtesy of Showtime and Source

It's Official: Brenda's Back!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:40:46 -0700

We haven't yet seen the last of Brenda Walsh. At the TCA press tour this morning, 90210 producers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah confirmed that Shannen Doherty has a deal to return to the show as Brenda.

"She'll be the guest director of our musical," Sachs said - which several of the cast members seemed to think was a joke at first. ("I have questions!" exclaimed AnnaLynne McCord, who plays bad girl Naomi.) But it's totally true. As Judah said after the session, the producers met with Doherty and pitched her several ideas, one of which was the drama teacher story. She'll be helping the cast put on Spring Awakening, though Judah wouldn't go so far as to say Doherty will be signing or dancing.

A CW press release filled in Brenda's backstory a bit more: after the original 90210 wrapped up, Brenda headed to London to study acting, became a successful actress in London and New York, and then moved into directing. West Beverly High managed to petition her to return as a guest director. The deal makes Doherty the fourth original cast member to make the transition to the new show: Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, and Peach Pit proprietor Joe E. Tata will also be back.

Source