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First Look: Surviving the Filthy Rich

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:15:12 -0700

Given that 90210 hasn't even cast its father yet, it's safe to say it'll be a while before we see clips of that show. But in the meantime, we can at least check out another one of the CW's new shows about the wealthy and powerful: Surviving the Filthy Rich.

The show centers on Megan, a 23-year-old Ivy League graduate - played by JoAnna Garcia, who recently appeared in Reba and thus is no stranger to the CW - who gets fired from her magazine job and becomes a live-in tutor to the twin granddaughters of a cosmetics mogul. I'm sure the girls will deliver their share of sass, but Megan has other things to deal with, too - namely that her best friend is in love with her, and her hot neighbor is dating her estranged sister.

This is the CW's second shot in two years at adapting something from a book, and just as with Gossip Girl, I'm curious to see how the book's fans react to the show. To check out some clips, just read more.

Photo courtesy of The CW

The CW's Fall Schedule: My Take

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:30:01 -0700

The CW announced its intention to bring a bunch of rich kids back to the big screen at the network's upfront presentation yesterday, scheduling a 90210 remake and a show about surviving the "filthy rich". Now that I've had some time to mull it over, here are some of my thoughts on the schedule:

I'm surprised that the CW is putting 90210 and Surviving the Filthy Rich on the same night. Why not pair Gossip Girl with 90210 and One Tree Hill with Filthy Rich? Seems like that would give all the shows a boost.
I'm actually looking forward to Stylista, Tyra Banks' The Devil Wears Prada-esque show about assistants trying to work their way up the fashion magazine ladder. I'm surprised Anne Slowey is the magazine personality involved, though - when she's guest-judged Project Runway auditions before, I haven't found her terribly charismatic.
Speaking of Stylista, I guess we'll see if that gets big enough to make up for Elle reportedly losing all its ties to Runway!

Some other thoughts - plus pictures of the new shows - so read more.

Hooray for Reaper! The buzz had been sounding good on a renewal for a couple of days now, but that doesn't mean I didn't breathe a big sigh of relief when I saw the announcement. The current plan seems to be putting Reaper on Thursday nights with Supernatural once Smallville finishes its run, and I could see those two shows pairing well together.
We heard a few weeks back that the CW was drastically cutting back on comedies - but I didn't picture that meaning only having two on the schedule and dumping them on Friday nights! Also, there was talk at some point of wrapping Girlfriends up with a TV movie, but I haven't seen anything official about that.
Will this be the year the CW can really break out? It seems like they're going really hard for this teen and 20something niche, and I'm not sure if that will work forever - but hey, it worked for the old WB back in the Dawson's Creek ad Felicity days, right?

Some photos:
Surviving the Filthy Rich

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Stylista

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Photos courtesy of The CW

The CW's Fall Schedule: Rich Kids and Beverly Hills

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:02:45 -0700

Hmmm, think the CW knows its target demographic? At its upfront presentation today, the network introduced several new shows that seem to appeal to the same audience that tunes in for, say, Gossip Girl.

One of those shows is the 90210 remake, now known simply as 90210 (pictured above), which will pair on Tuesday nights with another show about wealthy teens, Surviving the Filthy Rich. We first heard about the latter show when it was still called How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls; like Gossip Girl, it's based on an Alloy Entertainment book, this time focusing on a young woman who serves as live-in tutor to a couple of wealthy Palm Beach twins. The network also officially unveiled Stylista, a reality show about the fashion magazine world produced by Tyra Banks and starring Elle magazine's Anne Slowey.

Also notable: The CW is almost completely out of the comedy business, moving its two remaining comedies (Everybody Hates Chris and The Game) to Friday nights. Sundays, meanwhile, have been outsourced to another company that will create original programming to air on the CW.

As rumored earlier this week, Reaper will indeed be returning, with 13 episodes scheduled for midseason. Aliens in America, meanwhile, didn't make the cut. Here's the CW's full press release, and you can see the schedule and descriptions of the new shows if you read more.

All caps = new show
** = new time slot

MONDAY
8 p.m. Gossip Girl
9 p.m. One Tree Hill

TUESDAY
8 p.m. 90210
9 p.m. SURVIVING THE FILTHY RICH

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. America's Next Top Model
9 p.m. STYLISTA

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Smallville
9 p.m. Supernatural

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Everybody Hates Chris**
8:30 p.m. The Game**
9 p.m. ANTM repeats

Midseason: Reaper

Here's how the CW describes the new shows:

90210
An edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic drama Beverly Hills, 90210, the new 90210 looks at life through the eyes of Annie Mills (Shenae Grimes, Degrassi: The Next Generation) and her brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds, The Wire), whose first day at West Beverly Hills High School leaves no doubt they're not in Kansas anymore. The Mills family, including dad Harry (casting TBD) and mom Debbie (Lori Loughlin, Summerland), has relocated to Beverly Hills to keep an eye on Harry's mother Tabitha (Jessica Walter, Arrested Development), a feisty-but-faded former television star and a charter member of the Betty Ford Clinic. For Annie and Dixon, the awkwardness of being the new kids is made worse by the fact that their dad has taken a job as the high school principal. The school is one big culture shock for Annie, a sweet and friendly girl with a passion for the theater, and Dixon, a star athlete and scholar who was adopted by the Mills family after they took him in as a foster child. Annie and Dixon have a close sibling relationship, which they'll need to help them cope with all the new cliques and classmates, including Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord, Nip/Tuck), a hot, spoiled, rich girl; Ethan (Dustin Milligan, Runaway), a popular jock whose abilities rival Dixon's; Navid (Michael Steger, The Winner), an aspiring reporter who heads up the school's daily newscast; and Silver (Jessica Stroup, Prom Night), a rebel who produces and stars in a YouTube-type video series. Even the faculty seems hip and sophisticated at WBHHS, such as smart and funny teacher Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold, Dirt) and beautiful guidance counselor Kelly Taylor (guest star Jennie Garth, the original Beverly Hills, 90210). The Mills family has just begun to realize how much their lives are about to change.

Surviving the Filthy Rich

Twenty-three-year-old Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia, Reba) has a Yale education, a relentlessly positive attitude and a plan to conquer the world of journalism, despite the fact that she is currently slaving away at a tabloid rag. Megan's plan is thrown off course when, in one whirlwind day, she gets fired, meets cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (casting TBD) and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel's twin teen granddaughters in the heady Palm Beach world of wealth and power. The girls, Rose (Lucy Kate Hale, Bionic Woman) and Sage (Ashley Newbrough, The Best Years), are beautiful, rebellious and less-than-thrilled with their new tutor, but Megan is determined to win them over as she enjoys the perks of her new job - breathtaking private suite, gorgeous convertible and live-in chef Marco (Allan Louis, Stomp the Yard). Even the neighbors are fabulous in Palm Beach, and Megan quickly catches the eye of Will (casting TBD), the wealthy and extremely hot dilettante who lives on the estate next door and just happens to be dating Megan's estranged sister Lily (casting TBD). Completing this romantic quadrangle is Megan's best friend Charlie (Michael Cassidy, Smallville, The O.C), who is secretly in love with her. Despite her own complicated romantic and family relationships, Megan is committed to making a difference in the lives of her two headstrong charges as she navigates the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach. Surviving the Filthy Rich is based on the Alloy Entertainment book How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls by best-selling author Zoey Dean (The A-List).

Stylista
If The Devil Wears Prada were a reality show, it would be Stylista. Eleven aspiring fashion enthusiasts vie for a much-coveted editorial job with Elle magazine. They work as assistants to Elle's Fashion News Director, Anne Slowey, a demanding but well-respected fashion icon. The competitors will carry out an assistant task and a fashion editorial assignment in each episode. Each week, in consultation with Elle's Creative Director, Joe Zee, Anne fires one person, until the last assistant standing gets "promoted" to the coveted real-life job opportunity. The grand prize includes a paid editorial position at Elle magazine, a paid lease on a great apartment in Manhattan, and a clothing allowance at H&M, all for one year, valued at $100,000.

Photo courtesy of the CW

Have You Had Your Fill of Rich Folks on TV?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:29:31 -0800

Between following the antics of the rich folks on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money, the "true-life" tribulations of the Real Housewives of the O.C. - and now their New York City counterparts - on Bravo, and the MTV series that follows wealthy teenagers as they plan for their extravagant 16th birthday parties, do we really need another program about rich people?

The CW renewed Gossip Girl and is now developing another book-to-TV series about "filthy" rich teens. Are you choking on all this wealth? Or is this world of glamour (and in the case of My Super Sweet 16, tantrums) endlessly intriguing?

DSM photo copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.
Other photos courtesy of Bravo and ABC
Source

CW to Make Another Show About Filthy Rich Girls

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:30:00 -0800

After less than a year of following the exploits of rich teens on the Upper East Side with Gossip Girl, the CW is setting its sights on another book-to-TV adaptation, this time centering on rich teenagers in Palm Beach, Florida.

The new show will be based on Zoey Dean's young adult novel (published by Gossip Girl's same house, Alloy Entertainment) How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, which sounds as though it starts off like The Devil Wears Prada and ends up like The Nanny Diaries - but set in Palm Beach.

According to Variety, Pushing Daisies writer and producer Rina Mimoun will write the pilot episode. The story follows "a young woman who's fired from her job as the assistant at a glossy tabloid mag. She's then hired to serve as a live-in tutor and life coach for the teen granddaughters of a cosmetics magnate. Show's lead must win over the girls while also navigating Palm Beach's high society and dealing with her own personal issues."

While this story has a not-so-wealthy protagonist, there still seems to be something endlessly fascinating about rich kids. What do you think about this project? Is it intriguing or more of the same?