90210 or bust?

So, you've been keeping an eye on the development of new 90210. You know that Rob Thomas (of Veronica Mars fame, not the Matchbox 20 guy) worked on the pilot and then ran far, far away. You know that a character called Daphne was retooled as Erin, Kelly's little sister from the original. You know that Jennie Garth is back as Kelly and that OMG! Shannen Doherty is back as Brenda, but only briefly, and amazingly, that their first shoot together went surprisingly smoothly (ie. nobody hit anybody). You know that Luke Perry has basically trashed the concept of coming back but the spoilers aren't seeing him sticking to his word. You know that Aunt Becky is in it. You know that Lucille Bluth is in it. You know that the network didn't send out preview screeners of the pilot - which is generally seen in the industry as a clear statement of crappiness. And you know that, just like in the original, the cast all look waaaaaay too old. 

Or, you should know all of that. But should you bother tuning in? And why are you asking me, aside from the (correct) assumption that I would be all over this and have gotten my hands on the pilot some three hours after it aired in the US last week? 

Well, it depends.

If you're tuning in for total shlock you can laugh at .. maybe no. It's really not that bad. Get yourself a copy of The Secret Life Of The American Teenager instead and snark your little heart out. 

If you're a fan of The OC and/or Gossip Girl and want to tune in for some actually awesome teen drama ... maybe also no. It's really not that good. 

If you grew up on the original there might be a little bit here you can appreciate, even if Shannen Doherty has not aged well. There are a few in-jokes for the die-hard original fans (hands up if the expression 'geographically undesireable' means anything to you at all ... anyone? anyone?) and it's hard to deny it's a little bit fun to go back to the Peach Pit, even if it's now a lame-arse Starbucks wannabe coffee house. Whether that will be enough to sustain interest is still to be seen - as is whether they're going to have to retcon the ending of the original to make this one work, and if so, how pissed off the fans are going to get. 

There's even a Models Inc. shoutout, for the really sad among us. 

And fans of Arrested Development will appreciate Lucille Bluth. Her lines aren't as awesome as you might hope, but she made me giggle every time she appeared on screen, which is definitely a plus. 

But ultimately, two episodes (or a two-hour pilot, depending on your point of view) in - it's hard to put together an argument one way or the other. 90210 sits pretty squarely in the middle of every scale you care to place it on: It's got more humour than One Tree Hill, more realistic Dialogue than Dawsons Creek. It's prettier than Friday Night Lights, less preachy than the original 90210, less snarky and less pretty and less fun than Gossip Girl, less heartfelt and less warm than The OC. It's edgier than The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, but not by as much as it thinks it is. The writing is average. The quality of the acting ranges from wooden to passable. The directing is indistinctive. It's just sort of ... there - and it kind of feels like it's still trying to figure out where that is, which makes it all the harder for anyone else to figure out. 

In short: I give it a C. 3 stars. 6 out of 10. One thumb in each direction. A Shrug. A meh - but a charitable meh. And maybe even that little hand movement where you rock your thumb and forefinger up and down to indicate something is so-so. 

Which I know doesn't help much.

So, back to your original question: should you watch?

Sure, if you have a soft spot for teen drama and have nothing better to do with your Monday night.

I guess. 

Top 24: Round The First

I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't really feel much like writing about Australian Idol this year. After last year, I was kind of over the over-analysis that goes into the whole venture, and despite my earnest efforts, recapping was never really my thing. And so far I haven't been tempted to write, even though a few thoughts vaguely resembling the kind of thing I might put into a post have traversed this little brain of mine. Like, for instance, that red-haired guy with the glasses and how he looks like the illegitimate lovechild of Harry and Ron.

But! Tonight's show, the first six performers to sing live for actual votes, was too loaded with potential blog material that my brain LITERALLY forced me on to the computer to share my thoughts. Enjoy!


Chrislyn is a fatty, this much we know for sure. Somewhat counter-intuitively, I sort of like her. Shocking, I know.


True to her name, Jaden Dowd wore the dowdiest jumpsuit in existence tonight, in a horrific display of fashion blindness from which humanity may never recover. When quizzed on why she chose to swathe herself in said garment rather than donate it to the CFS so they can put it to use beating out grass fires, she said that it was all over the latest spring catalogues. Sure it is, Jaden. Sure it is.


Dude, lose the cowboy hat and pluck your eyebrows. I also don't think he's much of a chance competition-wise; I hadn't seen him on the show at all virtually until tonight.


She pretty. Musical theatre roXorZ!


GAY. And not just because he's an effete little French boy with a girly face. Well, that's exactly why he sets off my gaydar. Say chowda, Frenchy!


Another offender who wears the same hat all the time. I also find it difficult to get past the lank hair and beard and concentrate on his VOICE. It isn't hard to not look like you belong on a sexual offenders register, Wes. A change of hat once in a while sort of helps.

Overall, Idol this year isn't very much different to previous years. It's not worse or anything, but I'm a little dubious that there was suddenly such an unprecedented influx of talent like Dicko et al would have me believe. The absence of Mark Holden, however, is a marked improvement.

I'm thinking Nicole and Chrislyn will get through this round. Anyone disagree?