BuzzSugar

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:30:12 -0800

This week's CW drama block may have its share of cool guest stars like N.E.R.D. and Samantha Ronson, but, on the whole, it's a total mess. On the one hand, you've got the unstable girls of 90210 having emotional breakdowns at the drop of a hat; on the other, the Melrose Place residents are busy sneaking around to cover up their crimes. Personally, I was a bit annoyed by all the over-the-topness - especially you, Annie. Oh, and you, Ivy. But hey, at least it gives us a few surprising moments.

Ready to dissect each show and decide which packed more punch? (Warning: major spoilers!) Take a peek at my arguments and then weigh in with your own when you read more.

90210 point: Sasha is officially a nut job. First she tells Dixon that she's pregnant, but when Debbie gets wind of it, she questions Sasha even further to catch her in her baby lies. But the best part? When Debbie says the line, "It starts with you're not pregnant, and it ends with stay away from my son." Oh, snap! Congrats Debbie, you just went up a notch on the list of cool TV moms. Sasha backs off, telling Dixon she had a "miscarriage."
Melrose Place counterpoint: Did David kill Sydney? They sure try to make it seem that way. David tells Ella that he was blackout drunk that night after finding out that Syd was sleeping with his father - and then he has a flashback where he wakes up with blood all over himself and a knife in his hand. I gasped a little over the big reveal, but I'm not entirely convinced that David wasn't set up by someone else.

90210 point: Annie is getting in way over her head with Jasper, and unfortunately, she seems much too insecure to dig herself out. When Navid hears that Jasper is a dealer, he tells Annie and she confronts Jasper about it. Jasper wigs out, making Annie cry and beg forgiveness. Later, we see Jasper selling drugs to someone, so we know the rumors are true. For more on his buyer, keep reading.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Jonah makes out with Kendra, the hot movie producer, literally within the first five minutes of the episode. (That didn't take long.) He stops things from going further, but when he comes clean to Riley, he gets on her case again for her kiss with Auggie. She apologizes profusely, but the damage has already been done. By the end of the episode, I was thinking, Wait, did they actually just break up?! I don't think so, but if you stuck around for next week's promo, things do not look good for the engaged couple.

90210 point: Jen is back, throwing around her prima donna wicked attitude. She walks in on Ryan during his date with the bartender from the previous episode and goes into attack mode with the verbal jabs. ("You look older closer up.") Ryan is actually turned on by her jealousy, and the two become exclusive. But what I can't understand is why, after he knows that she lies, does he actually trust her story about Liam coming on to her? He totally buys it!
Melrose Place counterpoint: Auggie finally gives his a-hole boss Marcello a piece of his mind, er, fists. Marcello passes off one of Auggie's recipes as his own, and then he makes a few lewd comments about Riley - and you know how Auggie feels about Riley. He starts swinging, knocking Marcello out. Back at the apartment later, Violet shows up, and in a moment of what I can only blame on Auggie's emotional distress, the two finally knock boots. I'm guessing this means we'll be seeing Violet's worst kind of crazy very soon (right before she and Auggie say sayonara).

90210 point: Adrianna is inching closer to her previous life of drug use. It starts when she plays a song asking for Navid's forgiveness. (So cheesy!) He turns her down, so she continues sulking in bed, sobbing. Silver and Naomi want her to go to a meeting so she can stay clean, and with due concern - at the end of the episode, we see her buying from none other than Jasper.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Ella's squeaky-clean client, Jessie, is hospitalized with major cocaine in his system, so she begs Lauren to write a fake report citing an allergy as the cause of his stay. Lauren refuses. (Anyone else confused about why Lauren continues to take the high road, despite her side prostitution gig?) Ella then discovers a wad of cash in Lauren's room and realizes her Pretty Woman secret. Of course Lauren denies the accusations, but no matter - Ella decides to let her star take the fall anyway and promises to never question Lauren again.

90210 had way more melodramatic outbursts, but those ladies were so crazy that it kind of turned me off. (You girls give women a bad name. Even Violet seemed normal this week compared to you.) So I'm giving this week to Melrose by default: I was genuinely shocked at David's bloody flashback and the fact that Jonah has suddenly broken out of his perfect-fiance persona. I expect scandal from someone like Auggie or Ella, but from Jonah? Come on!

Do you disagree? Were you actually loving all of the melodrama on 90210?

Don't forget that you can also keep the conversation going over in the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community. Check it out!

Photos courtesy of The CW

Rihanna Opens Up, Mariah Almost Tumbles, Kate Talks Jon, and Rob Causes Mayhem in Japan!

Molly — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Rihanna breaks her silence with Diane Sawyer and in Glamour. Plus, Mariah Carey jokes about losing her balance on Leno and Robert Pattinson causes a frenzy in Japan. Check out Samantha Ronson on 90210 and Kate Gosselin getting emotional while talking about her split with Jon. Watch PopSugar Rush now!

Link Time! Rumer Willis to Romance a Major 90210 Character

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:30:34 -0700

Guess who Rumer Willis's character on 90210 is going to have a girl-on-girl relationship with? - Ausiello Files
Hulu will not start charging for content after all - PopWatch
Zooey Deschanel will make a guest appearance on Bones - The Futon Critic
Natalie Portman was the guest judge on Top Chef last night - test your knowledge! - YumSugar
Dave Eggers's novel Zeitoun is going to be made into an animated film - Vulture
The new Avatar trailer is a bit more exciting than the first - Cinematical
Keanu Reeves will star in romantic comedy Henry's Crime with Vera Farmiga - Coming Soon
Abigal Breslin will star as Helen Keller on Broadway, along with Alison Pill - Hollywood Crush
Will Twilight's Anna Kendrick get a supporting actress nomination for Up in the Air? - HitFix

Photos courtesy of The CW

The 7 Reasons Halloween Is Huge in 2009, Part 1: TV, Movies, and Celebrity Baby Trick-or-Treaters!

Molly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:05:16 -0700

We had so much fun with our PopSugar Rush Vampire Special, so we're back with more - this time it's all about what makes this Halloween even bigger and better than ever! In part one, we've got our favorite vampires, the TV shows with the best Halloween episodes, the reason that scary movies are everywhere - hint, the Twilight craze helps! - and our favorite celebrity kids all dressed up for trick-or-treating. Watch the 7 Reasons Halloween Is Huge in 2009, Part 1 now, and check out part two on Thursday!

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:30:45 -0700

Tuesday night's soapy dramas packed several surprises into this week's episodes - 90210 introduces a whole new character to love (or hate) and Sasha drops a bomb on Dixon; while over on Melrose, Riley and Jonah's seemingly perfect relationship is quickly unraveling. But the biggest surprise of all? Ella was nice. I know, crazy stuff.

Ready to pick apart a few plot lines (spoiler alert!) to determine which show was this week's juiciest? Let the battle begin when you read more.

90210 point: Annie steals a car! In her defense, she was talked into doing it by Jasper, because he wants to film the heist for his "movie." (I purposely put movie in airquotes, because who knows if this guy is for real. I don't trust him.)
Melrose Place counterpoint: Lauren finds out that David has been doing some stealing of his own when diamonds spill out of his bag. She makes a deal with him that she won't turn him in, if he stops. Not that Lauren should be doling out moral advice...

90210 point: A new surfer girl named Ivy arrives, and after accidentally hitting Liam's car, the two get competitive on and off land. He cuts her off at a surf contest, and she fakes a cramp to win. (This is also known as foreplay.) Their flirty antics grab Naomi's attention, who answers back by ditching her relationship with Richard - and her chances at college - for his roommate Jamie.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Violet gives the evil eye to anyone who comes near Auggie. When she sees his concern for Riley, she hints to Jonah about their questionable friendship to help break things up. And those sparrows in the complex that Riley and Auggie seem so smitten with? I doubt it's a coincidence that their nest was later smashed. Watch out Riley - my bet is Violet's gunning for you next.

90210 point: Dixon gets frustrated that he can never be seen with Sasha and dumps her. When she shows up later, he thinks that she's making amends, but actually, she's pregnant. This isn't necessarily new teen territory, but pregnant when you're in an underage relationship? Now that's scandalous.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Where do I begin with Jonah and Riley? First Auggie lets it spill that Riley kissed him, then Riley doesn't 'fess up the truth to Jonah, then Jonah grabs a drink with the hot new film exec who's helping him with his script (Step Up's Jenna Dewan!). We all know where this is headed...
90210 point: Debbie is still fuming over Harry calling her Kelly by accident, but matters worsen when Harry plans to have lunch with her and then cancels to comfort Kelly. Deb shows up to Harry's office with some food, and surprise - Kelly is there. Later, he teases Kelly about how Deb thinks she has a crush on him, but when Kelly doesn't respond right away, Harry realizes it's true. Do you think they're going to have an affair?
Melrose Place counterpoint: Riley models for another fashion shoot, and is asked to get topless by the photographer (Jo from the original Melrose!) In an even bigger shocker, Ella stands up for Riley when Jo starts throwing a few verbal punches at her from behind the camera. She even calls Jo a sell out. Awww, Ella, you do care.

I'm going to have to give this week's round to 90210 yet again. The guys from Melrose weren't bringing that much new drama to the table, but how can you compete with an illegal pregnancy and a car-napping? Do you agree, or should the Jonah and Riley storyline earn Melrose more points?

On a side note, is 90210 setting up Silver and Teddy? Looks so, but I hope not!

Don't forget that you can keep talking about these questions and the rest of the episode over in the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community. Check it out!

Photos courtesy of The CW

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Both 90210 and Melrose Place felt like they were building up to something big this week. It didn't make for a particularly juicy two-hour block, but I cannot wait to see exactly what happens in the coming episodes as each carefully placed plot point starts to unravel. (You just know Jen's scheming is about to blow up in Naomi's face - and don't even get me started on nut-job Violet! They're going to have to kill her off soon if she keeps acting this cuckoo.)

Which show do you think had the most drama? I know my pick for the week, so check out my argument and see if you agree when you read more.

90210 point: Jen is such a snake in the grass. She talks smack about Naomi - even going so far as to say "You couldn't even keep your little high school James Dean happy" about Liam. Then she backpedals and pretends to be Naomi's best friend to weasel money out of her.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Can we say psycho? First, Violet tries on Auggie's clothes while he's out of town, and then she makes Michael her new mark, going to the hospital with a fake heart attack and getting him to drop trou outside the bar. Oh, and let's not forget the clincher: She shows up to his house by posing as the new babysitter and blackmails him.

90210 point: Adrianna is such an idiot, even she said so. She breaks up with Navid because of her wandering eye for Teddy, but after a quick frolic on the beach (barf!) set to the tune of "You're a Dream to Me," Teddy breaks the news that he wasn't looking for a relationship. By the time Adrianna realizes the mistake she's made, Navid knows about her kisses with Teddy and tells her that he doesn't want anything to do with her. Hurtful, but deserved.
Melrose Place counterpoint: The hooker lifestyle is quickly getting more out of control for Lauren. When she takes a job on board a party boat with a few other "girls," her neighbor David shows up, forcing her to make a quick escape - and putting her on very thin ice with her madam. Anyone else think the writers are starting to put her and David together romantically? Ella is going to be pissed!

90210 point: Mark gets jealous of Jasper, and tells Annie that Jasper pulled a knife on someone at his old school. As a result, Annie starts blowing Jasper off, and instead accepts a date with Mark, which quickly escalates into borderline rape. Jasper swoops in to break it up and denies the knife rumor - but whaddyaknow, he just happens to have a blade on him so he can stab Mark's car tires.
Melrose Place counterpoint: An art deal goes wrong fast with David, so he gets beat up by multiple guys and has to go to the hospital. His nurse? Lauren, naturally. I swear these two will be knocking boots any minute now.

90210 point: Silver starts to rekindle her relationship with her mom - that is, until Kelly butts in and tells her mom to stay away from Silver because she's bipolar. (Kind of mean for Kelly, wasn't it?) In other Kelly news, Harry obviously has feelings for the teach. He drinks too much at the bar, and accidentally says her name - instead of his wife's.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Prepare for a Riley-Ella face-off. Did you see the death stare Ella gave her when Riley became the new model for the jeans line?

Alright, so I'm giving this week's round to 90210. While Violet is certifiably insane, she really was the only shocker on Melrose. But on 90210, you've got Jen and Jasper keeping things interesting. Do you agree with my assessment? Which one caused you to do a TiVo rewind?

Want to keep talking about the episode? Check out the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community!

Photos courtesy of The CW

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:30:59 -0700

It's Tuesday! I've already given you some picks to beef up your Netflix queue, but now it's time for your iPod. Check out today's new music releases for what you should download.

The birth of new sound: The latest from The Flaming Lips, Embryonic, is the musical equivalent of an acid trip. The band reportedly improvised a lot in the studio, so the entire album feels raw and pretty much all over the place. MGMT joins in on the track Worm Mountain, Karen O lends silly animal noises (yes, really) to I Can Be a Frog, and a mathematician spouts out equation, x=y type stuff on Gemini Syringes. Weird? You bet. Every track is experimental, which means you'll either embrace it for its free-spirited creativity, or write it off as too strange. Either way, it's worth checking out.

Pop culture candy: Hell has frozen over - Jack White is on the 90210 soundtrack. Hey, I'm not knocking TV music - I've already professed my love for it - but I was surprised to see The Raconteurs associated with a CW show. The band lends a wicked guitar riff to the first track Many Shades of Black (featuring soulful singer Adele) to start the album off. The rest of the playlist includes a mix of new offerings from indie artists and more mainstream pop, but my favorites are the sleepy Valium by MuteMath and the Postal Service-ish Sunburn by Owl City.

See one more release when you read more.

Bah-hum-blah: I was pumped when I heard that Bob Dylan was making a holiday album. It may be Halloween time now, but I always love a good carol, and Christmas in the Heart includes 15 of my favorites. But that's where my excitement ended. Dylan's voice will always be uniquely his, but the throaty quality seems out of place here, singing famous ditties like Here Comes Santa Claus. It's almost like your uncle had too many spiked ciders and started caroling. Even so, I'll probably still download I'll Be Home For Christmas or Winter Wonderland just so I'm not a total Scrooge - the proceeds go to the charity Feeding America.

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Meh. Maybe I'm still feeling down on the Tuesday night double-header after last week, but the latest episodes of 90210 and Melrose Place seemed irksome. Really Sasha, did you actually take Dixon back after learning he's in high school?! Come on. And then there's the whole Lauren prostitution storyline that, to me, is feeling a little tired already. Still, leave it to The CW to give us several salacious plot points! Let's dissect them, shall we?

Check out my list of big moments from both shows, and then tell me which one you think deserves the award for this week's drama queen when you read more.

90210 point: Naomi finds out that her grades aren't good enough to get into her dream college, so she fakes being a tree-hugger to woo the dean's son into dating her. How hilarious was it to see her on a bike with a helmet and a Sigg bottle?!
Melrose Place counterpoint: David and Jonah's friendship gets tested when Jonah is accused of stealing a necklace. Jonah believes that David might have taken it, confronts him, and a nervous David denies, denies, denies. Then the jewelry miraculously reappears...

90210 point: Teddy and hottie classmate Jasmine double date with Navid and Adrianna. After an icky spit-swapping battle between the couples. Adrianna and Teddy confront each other in the hallway and start a mini makeout sesh of their own.
MP counterpoint: Violet is trying to get between Auggie and well, anyone. When she realizes that he's friends with a female bartender at the restaurant, Violet plants money in her purse so the poor girl gets fired. Looks like Violet is going to take over her job so she can sink her claws more into Auggie.

90210 point: Dixon loses his cover when Sasha runs into his mom at the nail salon. He spends the rest of the episode trying to win her back - and succeeds. I'm only further convinced that Sasha is an idiot. First, she doesn't realize that Dixon's only 17, and then she still sleeps with him knowing the truth? Oh, Sasha, this will not end well for you.
MP counterpoint: Lauren gets into her new call girl career and enters into an agreement with her madam. (Hello, did you see that crazy pimp hair?!) Then Lauren does a striptease for a client that was a bit borderline porno. I actually wanted to shower afterward.

90210 point: Silver bolts after seeing her mother at Adrianna's AA meeting. Later, her mom tries to give her a car to make amends, so Silver shows up to AA - then gets up in front of the room and tells her mother to stay away from her. Ouch. What's even worse: We later learn that Jackie has cancer.
MP counterpoint: We learn a whole lot more about Ella, like that she hired a P.I. to break into Sydney's apartment on the night of her murder to find evidence that Sydney was trying to ruin her career. With her alibi ruined, it seems she may just end up in handcuffs very soon.

Okay, this one goes to Melrose Place. Even though Dixon and Teddy both make solid cases for 90210, Lauren's impromptu bedroom dance was one of the racier things I've seen on TV in a while. What do you think? Does 90210 deserve more credit?

Can't get enough 90210? Check out the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community!

Photos courtesy of The CW

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:30:29 -0700

We're now in our third week of episodes from The CW's Tuesday night guilty-pleasure block, and while both 90210 and Melrose Place are in full swing, the latest batch of drama wasn't my favorite. Both shows seem to be setting up for some action-packed episodes later on in the season, but for now, let's discuss which was more juicy this week.

Ready to figure out which episode get this week's crown of shameless scandal? Weigh in on the debate when you read more.

90210 point: The episode kicks off with Adrianna dreaming of Navid, but it quickly turns into an ab-tastic vision of Teddy shirtless. Obviously she can't get the six pack out of her head and later locks lips with Teddy - and, of course, Silver catches a glimpse.
Melrose Place counterpoint: The gang gets a new landlord, and it's none other than Sydney's sister Jane. Violet greets her with one of her creepy dead-eyed smiles, and Jane wastes no time blackmailing Ella.

90210 point: Dixon and his adult lady friend take it to the next level, hardcore! Massages, hotel rooms, showering together. . . that is, until Sasha discovers the trunk full o'porn in the trunk of the Lamborghini. Dixon continues to dig himself deeper into a mess of lies, I continue to wonder how the hell this woman hasn't figured out that he's only 17 yet.
MP counterpoint: When the cops come knocking at her door, Violet abandons ship and jumps out the window. She and Jane have a creep-off when Violet tells her that she's a long-lost niece, and Jane has her thrown in jail.

90210 point: Liam and Jen take us on an emotional roller coaster. First Liam turns the tables on Jen when he gets dirt on her gold-digging past! But then Jen pulls the sweet and innocent act on Naomi instead of telling her that she slept with Liam, as Liam had requested. I felt so defeated until the episode's final moments where we learn that Liam has Jen's nasty confessions on tape.
MP counterpoint: Lauren heads to a hotel to meet Toby, and another dude quickly recognizes her as being a prostitute. First she gets offended, then agrees to sleep with him - but he won't pay up. Lauren has her first taste of the hard life when the john throws her in the corner, until she finds herself a madam.

90210 point: When Annie's hit-and-run homeless guy leaves $100K to West Beverly in his will, his creepy nephew comes out of the woodwork. By the end of the episode he offers to "take Annie for a ride" and she accepts. I do not like where this is going.
MP counterpoint: Michael hires a guy to follow David; David figures it out and punches the guy in Auggie's restaurant. Auggie is not pleased.

90210 point: Navid and Adrianna finally get it on.
MP counterpoint: Ella and David finally get it on.

So who's the big winner of the week? I'm giving this one to 90210. Partly because Liam finally figured out how to take Jen down, and partly because I really enjoyed the inclusion of an actual high-school level crime - cutting class! What do you think? Does crazy Violet warrant more credit in the scandal department?

Photos courtesy of The CW

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:38:15 -0700

This week brought us another double whammy of 90210 and Melrose Place. I honestly didn't go into the evening with high expectations - between last week's sexting episode and sibling baddie Jen, I figured both shows would take a breather this time 'round. And they nearly did. However, even though there may not have any murders or nude photos, we still got a few I-can't-believe-they-did-that moments.

90210 won last week's faceoff - could Melrose take it this time? Help me determine which show was more racy (warning: spoilers!) when you read more.

90210 point: The Naomi-Annie war continues. Naomi denies that she ever saw Annie's topless photo prior to the public text message; Annie counteracts by roping in Liam and lying, telling Naomi that they did have sex after all. Annie also throws in her face how every guy she's been with likes her more. Ouch.
Melrose Place counterpoint: We get lots of flashbacks between Sydney and Michael, and just how much dirt she had on him, including her threatening to expose their affair and his involvement in her faux death. Hmm . . . was that enough reason to kill the woman?

90210 point: I thought new preppy Teddy was just a boring nice guy, but drama is a brewin'. Last night, he made nice with Navid on the yacht - and then two seconds later, he tried to hit on Adrianna.
MP counterpoint: Riley doesn't tell her parents or friends that she's engaged, and then after a good wine buzz, she kisses Auggie. Huh?! I guess I saw this coming - Jonah and Riley couldn't be cute and happy for more than four episodes - but I was still sort of surprised.

90210 point: Dixon's head is getting seriously big - what's with his hipster getups? - and he dates an older woman who has no clue about his age. (Wasn't she curious why all of his friends looked 17? Come on.) In an extreme move to keep up the lie, he "borrows" Navid's Lamborghini . . . and ends up in Napa.
MP counterpoint: Violet may be even more bat-crazy than we thought. This time, she breaks into Sydney's apartment, tries on her clothes, and steals one of her dresses to seduce Auggie. I believe the Greeks have a term for this.

90210 point: Looks like Kelly and Principal Wilson may be starting up a secret romance. She sends him a text at the end of the episode, which he hides from his wife, and he suggests getting lunch together.
MP counterpoint: Taryn Manning cameos as a pop star in a weird costume that looked like a robot-alien hybrid. Not necessarily scandalous, but still pretty friggin' weird.

All right, so this is a tough competition, but I'm going to have to call it a tie. Usually I would say that Dixon and Annie gave 90210 the upper hand this week, but Silver made a surprisingly mature move with Dixon's new gal pal, thereby bringing the shows to a neck-and-neck finish. I also have a total new appreciation for Silver now. Over on Melrose, I was thrilled to see the old character interaction in flashbacks (and a preview of Jane's return next week!), but wonder if that's just me, since I watched the old show. Were new viewers bored by that?

What do you think of last night's episodes? Anything in particular that made your jaw drop?

Photos courtesy of The CW