They wanted him, and they got him. As scooped by Ausiello earlier in the week, The CW's 90210 serial was hot to cast Rob Estes as the central family's patriarch/West Beverly High's new principal, and sure 'nuff, it happened.The onetime Melrose Place resident will play Harry Mills, a WBH alumnus who moves his family from Kansas to Beverly Hills to take care of his alcoholic mother (Arrested Development's Jessica Walter). Lori Loughlin plays his wife, Shenae Grimes and Tristan Wilds their children.What's your take? Too hunky to be a high school principal? Belding and Skinner never looked like this. MWMRelated: Exclusive: New 90210 Has Serious Daddy Issues
read more
My loyalties are so divided on Friday nights. I want ABCs so-so new crime drama Womens Murder Club to do well enough to bring some much-needed eyeballs to the charming romantic comedy Men in Trees, which finally returns from a cruel nearly eight-month hiatus. With James Pattersons name as a selling point for Murder Club (though hes not writing this series any more than he appears to be penning half of the books that go out with co-writers names on his ubiquitous book jackets), the show certainly has a shot at commercial success, even on a night thats widely considered a graveyard. Remember: This same night, and this same time period (9 pm/ET), is where the original CSI launched to even less fanfare, and the rest is TV history.But I also dont want anything to take audience away from Murder Clubs competition, most notably NBCs ever-fragile Friday Night Lights, which offers another superb episode this week. Even if like many observe...
read more
And here I thought I was the only one left who was obsessed with Dark Shadows. But no, apparently Johnny Depp is, too. According to Variety, the erstwhile Cap'n Jack grew up wishing he was the '60s soap's anti-hero, vampire Barnabas Collins — and still does. So now that he's a big movie star and not a starry-eyed kid, he's making it happen, developing a big-screen version of the daytime drama. Oh, please, please, please, can we get Angelina Jolie to play Angelique the Witch?! Those lips, those eyes! She's perfect! Elsewhere... Susan Sarandon has been cast as the slain heroine's grandmother in The Lovely Bones, based on Alice Sebold's best-seller. Stanley Tucci is considering playing her killer. Dude, Susan Sarandon's in the movie.... What's to think about? Meanwhile, Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are teaming up to coproduce and star in New Line's Four Christmases, about a couple who visit their four divorced parents all on the same holiday. In small-screen casting news, G...
read more
And so we say goodbye to deliciously creepy Nick Townsend. He is survived by his ex-wife, Natalia Boa Vista, who had him put in jail. His apartment had been described as Grand Central Station, with women coming in and out, but he had many other redeeming characteristics as well, such as stealing and stalking. Upon further consideration, he had no redeeming characteristics whatsoever, except that he was just basically awesome. I, for one, will miss him and his alter ego, Rob Estes. Thus ends the obituary of Mr. Townsend. You knew that in the end he was either going to go to jail or be killed, but I was always of the opinion that the CSIs on this show needed a more serious nemesis, and he seemed like a good one. I suppose that over the rest of the season itll be the terrorists, but still, Ill always have a soft spot for this guy.Also, we got an introduction to the bizarro-CSI: Miamians, aka the night shift. Of course, if we arent counting Jake, there seem...
read more
Yes! We got the triumphant return of Rob Estes as Natalias ex-husband, and it happened not a moment too soon. That all-too-brief scene was definitely the highlight of last nights episode. The exchange between Maxine and Natalia after he asked out Maxine was too priceless. Are you mad? Not at you. Is no friendship sacred? (I guess that if Denise Richards can steal Ritchie Sambora away from Heather Locklear, then theres no hope for us mere mortals.)What can I say about the plot? The opening was certainly intriguing. A marine recruiter gets shot at a civilian gun range, but he was dead before he got there. In the end we find out that in fact, Matthew (the guy who shot him) was actually the one that killed him. For a child of two pathologists, Im a little concerned about his intelligence. His argument for dragging Hicks to the gun range in the first place was so that it would look like an accident. Either way, he still killed him. Im...
read more