Hello, all you Hidden Palms fans! My, but you are an exclusive lot. Perhaps a tad too exclusive. That might be why the network is now showing two episodes (that’s right, two original episodes back-to-back!) this Wednesday and next Wednesday, in the hopes that they can ignite Hidden Palms fever by the time our finale airs on July 4. (Cue fireworks here.)That being said, I deeply appreciate all your comments and votes of confidence and will continue to blog no matter what. Or at least until TV Guide tells me to stop. Which might happen on July 5. We’ll see. Anyway, let’s talk about our two upcoming episodes. I think you will enjoy them for the following reasons:1. The mystery surrounding Eddie’s death deepens.2. The adults start to become more of a factor in the developing events. Trust me, this is a good thing. Kids misbehaving is one thing, but when the adults go naughty, it’s a hoot!So, here's the scoop:• Cliff finally has it out with his mom’s sl...
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Well, we're three weeks into this new teen drama, and tonight's episode was the one that pulled me in. Up until now, I wasn't sure I wanted to keep watching, but I see more potential for this Palm Springs crew now that I'm getting to know them a little better. Plus, Taylor Handley keeps impressing me with every episode, so he's a big part of this soapy summer indulgence for me.So, the big reveal tonight was Liza sending the instant messages and old blog videos to Johnny. Clearly she knows the truth, and I'm not surprised, considering she seems to be the eyes that witness a lot of neighborhood activity. But I'm ready to hear about the murder. Throughout the episode, my mind kept yelling, "What is the truth?!" Watching that old video of Greta and Eddie didn't really explain anything further except for the obvious fact that Greta can't let go of it all, which we already knew from her moments with Cliff.Speaking of Cliff, what is he hiding? One minute, he's the devil, the next, he's com...
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I feel tangled in a web I can't quite figure out. The circles of flirting and warnings are making me dizzy, and most frustrating is the enigma of Eddie. What on earth was that whole computer appearance at the end? "Welcome to my world." More like, "Welcome to my room" — the familiar backdrop was pretty creepy. It was already clear he didn't kill himself before Johnny received those shady instant messages, but now I'm even more confused. Cliff's fluff talk wasn't fooling anyone and with Bob confirming that the Realtor only mentioned a death not a suicide, and Greta uttering "what we did," I can only begin to imagine what actually happened between the three of them. But there's lots more to go around than that mystery. Nikki's (Tessa Thompson) arrival was key, if only to provide a little competition to win Johnny's attention — not everything revolves around Greta. Nikki was there for maybe a minute before the two girls were staring each other down. But her appearance also op...
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Amber Heard and Taylor Handley, Hidden Palms
Hot, rich kids with equally attractive parents, a sexy California setting, and a new guy who doesn't quite fit in. Sound familiar? "Of course we're getting all The O.C. comparisons," says Kevin Williamson, the creator of the CW's brand-new Hidden Palms (Wednesdays at 8 pm/ET), who was also the brains behind Dawson's Creek. "But we were just trying to make something fun and juicy, a guilty pleasure." There's Johnny, who moves to Palm Springs with his mom and her new husband after his dad's suicide and his own brief stint in rehab. He's befriended by slick Cliff and falls for gorgeous Greta, whose former boyfriend supposedly killed himself in what is now Johnny's bedroom. But if you ask science geek Liza, it was more like murder. Hooked yet?
Johnny, "
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Nobody likes a stalker.OK, where are my fellow teen-drama fans? The O.C.'s gone, One Tree Hill's fourth season is coming to a close, and The Hills — although technically not a drama, but has enough in it to fall into the category — is on hiatus. Hello, I need my mindless, love-torn, unrealistic TV! The CW wasn't about to leave us hanging, though. I've got to admit, the opening of this show surprised me and yet it didn't at the same time. "Life shouldn't be so expected." Well, I didn't expect Johnny's (Taylor Handley) father to shoot himself just then, but again, how can I be that shocked, right? "C'mon, Dad, I love drunk time, but I really need to finish this." Just with that line alone, Johnny's former structured self became just a cover for someone whose parent was so out of control, the only thing that made sense was numbers. Definite answers. One year later, camera in hand, hair as messy as a wannabe rock star's (or Jesse McCartney's possible twin brother?), Johnny's i...
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Hello, again! I thought that since the show was premiering this week, it might be time to share some stories about shooting it. We all arrived at a fabulous hotel in Palm Springs called The Parker and started in on the various activities one does before starting to shoot something. You know, this one has to get his/her hair cut (that is always me), this one needs to consult with wardrobe and that one needs to talk to the director about their "character." That’s something that usually sends most directors running for the hills, by the way. As is very often the case with most projects, there was not really a lot of time to get to know everybody. There was a very nice meet and greet dinner, but a lot of us were still very much strangers during the first few days of shooting which can lead to some strange interchanges. For example, on the very first day of shooting, Gail O’Grady and I were scheduled to shoot a scene in which her son (my step-son), Johnny, catches us making ...
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Hello there, good people, and thanks for checking out the blog! I have gotten a few comments and I just want to say that I appreciate the compliments both on the blog and on my previous work. It means a lot to me that people out there have followed my career. But more than that, I want to say your budding enthusiasm for Hidden Palms is fully justified. I think you guys are gonna love it! My first blog was a little indulgent insofar as it chronicled my personal experiences associated with getting to work on Hidden Palms. So now I’m going to be a little more generous and talk about the basic premise of the show, the experience of shooting the pilot and, of course, my fellow cast-mates. So let the dirt-slinging begin! So some of you have asked about the premise of Hidden Palms. It’s a classic coming-of-age story, unique to our times and distinctive in that it comes wrapped in the particularly arch intelligence of a Kevin Williamson project. Those of you who have never seen o...
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Hello there! My name is D.W. Moffett (but maybe you already figured that oneout), and I have been given the distinct privilege of blogging here at TVGuide.com about my new show Hidden Palms, as well as a few other projects I have under way. I am very much looking forward to this experience as being a two-way street, with a significant part of my content coming in response to your comments and questions. So bring it on! Are you ready? Here we go....The folks here at TVGuide.com have asked that I initially give you a little idea of what Hidden Palms is about... you know, its tone, the cast and all the vicious, horrible things actors do to each other when... no wait. Wrong magazine. But I am going to spice things up a bit when the time comes and the hat fits and all that, so keep your eyes open.Seriously, though, my first contact with Hidden Palms was a script that appeared on my doorstep followed shortly by a phone call from my agent that went something like this:Hello?Hi, D.W., it's ...
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So far, O.C. newbie Oliver seems like a sweetheart, doesn't he? The kind of ex-druggie you wanna just hug. The sort of mental patient you could bring home to Mom, even if Mom is piranha Julie Cooper. But, according to the poor little rich kid's portrayer, Taylor Handley, there may be something a wee bit sour behind his screen counterpart's sweet smile. "Oliver is very intelligent," the 19-year-old tells TV Guide Online (as if we aren't glued to Fox every Wednesday at 9 pm/ET), "and intelligent people are good manipulators."
In other words, our hero Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) won't want to turn his back when main squeeze Marissa (Mischa Barton) is around Mr. Nice Guy. Says Handley: "There's definitely some tension between Ryan and Oliver since Marissa now has a boyfriend and also a friend — especially because my character is very needy due to his past. It kind of takes Marissa's attention away from Ryan."
The sullen sexpot might as w
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