Exclusive: Tori Is Out, Shannen Is In for 90210 Remake!
If you’re a fan of the OG Peach Pit posse, you might want to sit down, ‘cause sources connected to the CW’s new 90210 are spilling exclusive dish of OMG proportions.
In a nutshell: Shannen Doherty is in, Tori Spelling is out and Jennie Garth may be—wait for it—reuniting with Shannen on the screen.
(We’ll pause while you find a paper bag to breathe into…especially if your name happens to be Jennie Garth.)
After EW.com’s Michael Ausiello first reported the news that Shannen is in talks, a very reliable and very inside source who works on 90210 tells me exclusively that “It is happening with Shannen. It’s just a question of how long she’ll shoot, whether it will be one day or ten, and what the storyline will be, but we are working on it and it is a very real thing.”
Inside sources also confirm exclusively that Tori will not be appear in the season premiere as planned because of personal reasons—like she just gave birth to a baby girl on June 9. The new mom had been signed on to do a few episodes at the beginning of the season, but she isn’t yet ready to return to work, so her appearance has been pushed to a later date.
As for Shannen’s storyline, I’m told the details are still in the initial-concept stages, but the writers are hoping to get Shannen and Jennie together, onscreen, for a scene. Can you imagine? As far as superhot publicity explosions go, that would be akin to mixing gasoline, Tabasco sauce and fire.
Of course, the real question is, will they do it? “I don’t think there’s any love lost between Shannen and Jennie,” says one rock-solid inside source. “But they are both adults now and professionals, and I don’t see it being an issue. Everyone has their take on what happened back in the day, and I think the feeling is that it’s time to move on. They were 19 and 20 when all of that happened and a lot has changed. And, you know, they’re not moving in together, just shooting together for an hour and a half.”
Another insider close to the negotiations points out: “I want to stress that Shannen has been very, very cool through this whole process. We have seen nothing like the behavior for which she was once famous for.”
Awww…Who doesn’t love a redemption story, right? As long as there are two red dresses in the dressing room, all should be right with the world, the ratings should go through the roof and we 9-0 fans can start freaking out about how lip-smackingly juicy this remake just might turn out to be.
What do you think of Jennie and Shannen reuniting? Post your comments below!
Which shows do young and old viewers watch?
Variety has an interesting article up about the age demographics of certain TV shows. It seems that the average age of the television viewer has risen to the age of 50, outside of the key demographic of 18 to 49.
The oldest-skewing shows are NBC’s Monk and ABC’s Women’s Murder Club. Interestingly, the ages on ABC, Fox, and NBC have been rising while CBS, which promotes to an older demographic to begin with, remains steady.
The study was released by Magna Global’s Steve Sternberg. “The median ages of the broadcast networks keep rising, as traditional television is no longer necessarily the first screen for the younger set,” Sternberg wrote.
The CW, whose viewership tends to skew younger, insists that the average age of the television viewer is 38, the median age of the United States populace.
In short, if you’re older and you want to seem younger than you are, be sure to watch The CW (average age: 34) or American Dad and Family Guy (average age: 29).
Anne Archer taking over Privileged role
Anne Archer has joined the cast of the new CW series Privileged. She’ll be replacing Marsha Mason in the role of Laurel Limoges, a wealthy Palm Beach resident raising her orphaned granddaughters. Mason appeared in the drama’s pilot episode. Privileged is the series’ newest title. At different stages it was called How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls and, in the network’s recent upfront, Surviving the Filthy Rich.
The drama begins with twentysomething Megan Smith (played by Joanna Garcia) unexpectedly getting hired by Laurel Limoges to tutor the woman’s teen granddaughters. Laurel is a widow whose fortune comes from a successful cosmetics empire.
It’s unfortunate that Marsha Mason didn’t work out, but Anne Archer is a terrific fit for a show like this. She’s had more TV roles over the last few years. She played Melinda’s mother on Ghost Whisperer, and appeared in several episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as Dennis and Dee’s mom. It will be fun to compare her performance with Jessica Walters’ grandmother role, since Privileged is airing after 90210 on Tuesdays this fall. Which wealthy matriarch will rule the CW?
Tinsley Mortimer Gets Into “Gossip Girl”
Tinsley Mortimer Gets Into “Gossip Girl”
Manhattan socialite Tinsley Mortimer, along with Gossip Girl cast members Blake Lively and Taylor Momsen, were spotted looking lovely in white ensembles on Monday morning as they got to work on the set of their hit CW show.
Currently filming in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York, Mortimer, aka The Tinz, recently scored herself a cameo on the juicy drama, fitting in quite nicely with her now fellow co-stars.
In related news, MTV recently shot down a reality show that was to feature Ms. Mortimer as the main attraction.
A source told Page Six, “A Tinsley reality show was shot by MTV. But they couldn’t use any of it. It’s collecting dust. She looked good but she just got dressed and went to parties every day and didn’t have anything interesting to say. It was incredibly boring. The project is dead.”