I am probably the one person on the planet who is dreading the return of that awful teen soap “Beverly Hills 90210.” That show was a flaming pile of garbage the first time around. Don’t believe me? Watch one of the re-runs on Soapnet – I dare you to sit through an entire episode without feeling like you’ve permanently lost I.Q. points. It looks like the remake, or spin-off, has hit a snag. Tori Spelling, daughter of the original show’s producer, was supposed to reprise her dry-heave-inducing role as the troll-faced virgin, Donna Martin, alongside Shannen Doherty (quite possibly the worst actress in the world) as Brenda and Jennie Garth as Kelly. But when Tori found out her co-stars would be getting more money, she backed out, citing “timing reasons” as her excuse.
Insiders tell me that Tori was hired to reprise her role as fashion boutique owner Donna Martin for just “$10,000-$20,000” per episode.
But then Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty were signed for “$35,000-$50,000” a show. When Tori found out her former co-stars were getting paid way more than she was, she got pissed and demanded equal pay. But the network suits have refused. So now my sources tell me that Tori has pulled out of the series, which premieres with a 2-hour special on September 2nd. “She thought she deserved parity, and she’s got a point,” an insider explained to me.
That’s because, for some bizarre reason, Tori is a reality show ratings hit by Oxygen’s low standards. (Last Tuesday’s Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood was the most watched telecast in the history of that execrable women’s cable channel as 1.4 million viewers saw the episode where Tori gave birth to her 2nd child — which actually took place 5 months ago.) And Spelling wrote a bestselling book besides. Showing once again that it doesn’t pay to underestimate the terrible taste of the American public…
As for Tori, she has told the media only that the timing didn’t work out for her to appear in the 90210 pilot because she was giving birth. “So we’ll see what happens later in the season,” she said last week on CBS’ The Early Show. One insider tells me it wouldn’t be surprising if Tori and the show eventually agree to bring her onto 90210 as a November sweeps stunt. Hmm.
[From Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood]
What kind of world are we living in where having Tori Spelling appear on any show would be considered a sweeps stunt? I truly hope that nobody watches this show. But I am sure I’ll be proven wrong and nostalgic Gen-Xers hoping to recapture their 90s glory days of big sideburns, flannel shirts and bodysuits will flock to this crapfest. Not me- I’ll be watching “Mad Men.”
Picture note by Celebitchy: The new cast of 90210 is shown below at the “CBS TCA Summer 08 Party” on 7/18/08.
Credit: Nikki Nelson/ WENN. Tori Spelling is shown in the header when she was hosting at “Christian Audigier The Nightclub” at Treasure Island Hotel in Vegas on 8/1/08. She just had a baby so go easy on her. Credit: PRN/ PR Photos
CB, I completely agree with your viewpoint (and I love the snarky comments). I’m so sick of everything on TV, I cancelled cable back in April and I’ll be living without TV from now on. (Drastic, I know…)
Good idea to throw out the t.v. Anyone I know who has done that has reaped many benefits (my son included). They’re doing a lot more with their lives, reading books, taking up new interests. I wish I had the guts to do that but half the time it’s not on as there’s nothing worth watching anyway.
I like the “go easy on her comment” but perhaps she should consider more clothes and/or realizing herself that she just had a baby. Why do these women think that heavy lactating boobs are attractive? Bigger is NOT always better people.
MSat, I could not agree more, and you are certainly not the only one that hated that show the first time around. I couldn’t stand the show or anyone on it, particularly Tori. She’d never have had the job if it hadn’t been for her dad, because she certainly isn’t pretty or talented. One more TV show I’ll never watch.
I loved that show when I was 12. Even if the actors were thirty and pretending to be in their teens. Would I watch it again? No. Once again, Hollywood is just recycling the same old tired storylines instead of coming up with something new and fresh.
Those are the oldest looking high schoolers since GREASE. Tori Spelling is lucky anyone is paying her to act. And she looks fucking horrible (although she’s never looked good).
MSAT, that was the funniest description I’ve ever read of Tori Spelling
Jeeze, all you Tori haters! I hated the show the first time around and love it now, MINDLESS ENTERTAINMENT………it helps get my mind off the mortgage and work problems.
Way better than dancing with the freaking stars!
Tori’s life is more interesting.
She had her baby June 9. That’s not 5 months ago. For a girl raised by a multi-millionaire and living her life on her own with no family support, she deserves kudos in my book. Leave her alone.
Not enough oats and hay in her stable either.
I must disagree with your assesment that 90210 was the worst series ever. As a 20+ man in the 90’s I loved watching Shannon and Jenny run hoing around. What about Dylan-the recreation of the Fonz-hahaha
90210 was Arron Spellings greatest feats of marketing a teen fluff series into an adult soap. Arron Spelling was the king of American nighttime trash TV. He knew he had gold when he took a bit character ‘Jake’ the older man love interest in a few episodes and came up with Melrose Place!
Too bad they waited to do this show after Arron Spelling died. I’m sure he would have came up with enough story lines and drama to make it work.
Besides what I wrote above ASpelling would have ponyied up the cash to have Tori reprise her role-and possibly turned her into a husband stealing slut.hahaha.
Additionally Arron Spelling might have had the ability to bring all the has beens, Dylan, Steve, Branden, etc. back to continue the train wreck he begot…
I’ll watch just to see if they can pull anything off. Besides that Americans love seeing smut TV. Why else would Desperate Housewives be the #1 show on nighttime TV?
90210 is quality tv.
Never watched the show and didn’t get the appeal of Luke Perry or Jason Priestly but Shannon isn’t that bad an actress imo. She did a decent job on Charmed – Now there’s mindless entertainment for ya. Except it wasn’t always entertaining. What’s my point again..?
Mmmmmm….Mad Men…love it. I’d never watch that 90210 crap again. I suffered through it once (I forget which episode), but it was crap then and it’ll be crap now.
I’d rather re-read that snake habitation book I mentioned earlier when you mentioned that her mother Candy Mandy-pants was ” penning a book”. I did not like the show then, and I will NOT watch it now. Silly!!!!
Oh they’re bringing back another horribly acted trashtastic show – oh joy. I have no time for TV but you couldn’t force me to watch this sh!te in its heydey – let alone the aging actors dredging up probably their worst (but possibly their only) regular gigs.
That said, I don’t blame her for getting pissed about the low pay. And isn’t red lipstick finally out of style by now?? It looks awful on everybody.