Some good news for fans of the original Melrose Place: Heather Locklear will be reprising her role as Amanda Woodward on the new series this November 17th. It was pretty much inevitable that Amanda would be back at some point, given that she was the signature character of the first show, but I'm glad that it's going to be sooner rather than later.
I thought the second episode of the show, which aired last week, was better than the pilot, and not just because we got to meet the show's gay character, Caleb, played by the yummy Victor Webster. We didn't see very much of him, mind you, but maybe that will change in upcoming episodes.
For now, I'm just excited to see Heather Locklear back in Amanda's designer pumps! It will be interesting to see how she fits in with the current cast.
Showing posts with label heather locklear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heather locklear. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Thoughts on the New Melrose Place
The new Melrose Place debuted tonight on The CW. I'd been looking forward to it ever since I heard that Thomas Calabro and Laura Leighton would be reprising their roles as Michael and Sydney from the original series.
Early in the summer, I stumbled across a spoiler that Sydney would actually be killed off in the first episode and my excitement was dampened. I still wanted to check out the show, however, especially when they hired the completely sexy and adorable Michael Rady as a regular cast member and then further announced that the hunky Victor Webster would be playing a gay character.
Still, I honestly didn't have high expectations for the show, given my recent dislike of similar fare like Gossip Girl and 90210. Still, those are teen shows and this is a 20 something show. Maybe that would make all the difference?
After spending an hour watching the premiere episode, my feelings are mixed. For the most part, I didn't think it was very well put together. There was just too much going on and most of the interactions between characters felt forced.
Sydney was indeed killed off at the start of the episode, and even though her tenants found her body and later held a poolside memorial service for her, it didn't seem like any of them actually cared at all. They each treated her brutal murder as an afterthought in a busy day, paying a bit of lip service to how shocked they were and then moving on. Even her brief memorial turned into an engagement celebration for two other characters.
I think it would have been a better idea to spend a few episodes establishing Sydney in these characters lives, but the show clearly wanted to start off with a murder mystery, even if they didn't seem to have much room in the episode for what should have been the major event. At the very least, they could have ended the episode with the murder.
I wasn't overly impressed with most of the acting, either, particularly from the male cast members (with the one shining exception of Michael Rady, of course), but they certainly do bring the sexy. I just wish they brought the talent, too.
With that said, there were some good aspects to the episode. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't felt a rush of nostalgia wash over me when we first saw the old apartment complex after so many years! I felt like a kid all over again. That alone made me want to love this show.
Now, I know that I'm biased, given that I was already a fan of Rady's from his role on Greek, but his character, Jonah, was one of only two who really stood out for me tonight as someone I'd be interested in seeing from week to week. Jonah, the adorkable videographer, was sweet and sexy and his story, in which he proposed to his girlfriend of five years and she wanted time to think it over, was the only one I really cared anything about tonight.
The other standout for me was the bitchy publicist Ella (a bisexual character), played by Katie Cassidy. While most of the other roles seemed to have a long way to go before they even begin to feel like full fledged characters, Cassidy really brought something to her role that made Ella seem human and vulnerable beneath her carefully crafted professional persona. There's already something to Ella and to Jonah that is so far lacking in the rest of the younger cast members.
Ella was clearly troubled by Jonah's engagement, but whether that's because she has feelings for him or for his fiancee, Riley, remains to be seen. The best part is, Katie Cassidy (whom I also liked in this summer's murder mystery show Harper's Island) makes me want to tune in again to see which one Ella likes.
Victor Webster's gay character wasn't on tonight, so we'll have to wait to see what develops with him.
It was also good to see Thomas Calabro as Dr. Michael Mancini again. 17 years have passed since the first Melrose Place started and the man still looks damn good! One of the male characters is Michael's son, so hopefully that means we'll be seeing a lot more of the devious doctor than we did of poor Sydney.
Two other cast members from the original series, Josie Bissette (who played Jane) and Daphne Zuniga (who played Jo) are going to be putting in appearances at some point, and I'm looking forward to that, even though neither of their characters were particular favorites of mine.
It's only a matter of time, I'm sure, before Heather Locklear returns as Amanda Woodward. She was smart to avoid returning at the beginning (they'd planned to kick off the show with Amanda's murder, which would have been practically sacrilegious, not to mention a stupid move; Sydney was their second choice), but I'm hoping it won't be long before she graces the complex once again.
Overall, I didn't care much for the first episode, except for the few bright spots I mentioned, but I'll keep watching for awhile, in hopes that it will get better and also to see how the original characters continue to fit in with the new show.
Early in the summer, I stumbled across a spoiler that Sydney would actually be killed off in the first episode and my excitement was dampened. I still wanted to check out the show, however, especially when they hired the completely sexy and adorable Michael Rady as a regular cast member and then further announced that the hunky Victor Webster would be playing a gay character.
Still, I honestly didn't have high expectations for the show, given my recent dislike of similar fare like Gossip Girl and 90210. Still, those are teen shows and this is a 20 something show. Maybe that would make all the difference?
After spending an hour watching the premiere episode, my feelings are mixed. For the most part, I didn't think it was very well put together. There was just too much going on and most of the interactions between characters felt forced.
Sydney was indeed killed off at the start of the episode, and even though her tenants found her body and later held a poolside memorial service for her, it didn't seem like any of them actually cared at all. They each treated her brutal murder as an afterthought in a busy day, paying a bit of lip service to how shocked they were and then moving on. Even her brief memorial turned into an engagement celebration for two other characters.
I think it would have been a better idea to spend a few episodes establishing Sydney in these characters lives, but the show clearly wanted to start off with a murder mystery, even if they didn't seem to have much room in the episode for what should have been the major event. At the very least, they could have ended the episode with the murder.
I wasn't overly impressed with most of the acting, either, particularly from the male cast members (with the one shining exception of Michael Rady, of course), but they certainly do bring the sexy. I just wish they brought the talent, too.
With that said, there were some good aspects to the episode. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't felt a rush of nostalgia wash over me when we first saw the old apartment complex after so many years! I felt like a kid all over again. That alone made me want to love this show.
Now, I know that I'm biased, given that I was already a fan of Rady's from his role on Greek, but his character, Jonah, was one of only two who really stood out for me tonight as someone I'd be interested in seeing from week to week. Jonah, the adorkable videographer, was sweet and sexy and his story, in which he proposed to his girlfriend of five years and she wanted time to think it over, was the only one I really cared anything about tonight.
The other standout for me was the bitchy publicist Ella (a bisexual character), played by Katie Cassidy. While most of the other roles seemed to have a long way to go before they even begin to feel like full fledged characters, Cassidy really brought something to her role that made Ella seem human and vulnerable beneath her carefully crafted professional persona. There's already something to Ella and to Jonah that is so far lacking in the rest of the younger cast members.
Ella was clearly troubled by Jonah's engagement, but whether that's because she has feelings for him or for his fiancee, Riley, remains to be seen. The best part is, Katie Cassidy (whom I also liked in this summer's murder mystery show Harper's Island) makes me want to tune in again to see which one Ella likes.
Victor Webster's gay character wasn't on tonight, so we'll have to wait to see what develops with him.
It was also good to see Thomas Calabro as Dr. Michael Mancini again. 17 years have passed since the first Melrose Place started and the man still looks damn good! One of the male characters is Michael's son, so hopefully that means we'll be seeing a lot more of the devious doctor than we did of poor Sydney.
Two other cast members from the original series, Josie Bissette (who played Jane) and Daphne Zuniga (who played Jo) are going to be putting in appearances at some point, and I'm looking forward to that, even though neither of their characters were particular favorites of mine.
It's only a matter of time, I'm sure, before Heather Locklear returns as Amanda Woodward. She was smart to avoid returning at the beginning (they'd planned to kick off the show with Amanda's murder, which would have been practically sacrilegious, not to mention a stupid move; Sydney was their second choice), but I'm hoping it won't be long before she graces the complex once again.
Overall, I didn't care much for the first episode, except for the few bright spots I mentioned, but I'll keep watching for awhile, in hopes that it will get better and also to see how the original characters continue to fit in with the new show.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Melrose Redux
Once upon a time, there was a show called Melrose Place. It started out as a pretty bland spin off of the teen drama Beverly Hills 90210, but then a little character called Amanda Woodward came along. She was played by eternal Special Guest Star Heather Locklear, and any connection to the parent show was left in the dust as it became a full fledged campy adult drama.
The younger me never cared much for Beverly Hills 90210 but I was addicted to Melrose Place, getting my weekly fix of over the top prime time drama and, yes, lusting after the guys.
They even had a gay character, but if I'd based any ideas about being gay off of poor Matt, I would have thought all gay men were celibate. The most exciting Matt's love life ever got was a slow motion kiss that the camera panned away from before any lips actually touched (much like Luke & Noah in the Mistletoe-gate era).
But, that didn't matter to me as much at the time. I was just tantalized by Amanda, Kimberly, and Sydney and all their antics. Besides, I was always more interested in Jake & Billy when it came to the guys. Grant Show and Andrew Shue were the stuff that fantasies were made of back in those days!
Anyway, Melrose Place ended its run back in 1999 after seven action filled seasons and I honestly haven't given it much thought in the years since, except for an occasional rush of nostalgia when I see one of the actors or actresses pop up somewhere else.
Now, though, after the recent revival of the 90210 franchise, Melrose Place is getting a similar update. This initially intrigued me, but when I heard that Heather Locklear wasn't going to be reprising the role of Amanda Woodward, I decided I'd pass. I mean, why bother watching a bunch of new characters I probably wouldn't care about?
Today, though, I read that two of the cast members from the original series have signed on: Thomas Calabro will be back as the sleazy Dr. Michael Mancini and, best of all, Laura Leighton is returning as Sydney Andrews!
Don't ask me how that's possible, since Sydney was killed off at the end of the original show's fifth season! I kind of don't care, though, because I totally loved Sydney. If they can offer a somewhat plausible explanation, I'll buy it. After all, the original series wasn't huge on realism. I'll never forget how Kimberly blew up the entire apartment complex and everyone survived but one minor character! Not only that, they had the place rebuilt three seconds later.
That was okay, though, because it was part of the over the top charm of the show.
So, needless to say, I'll be giving the updated Melrose Place a chance after all. If Michael & Sydney turn out to have little to do but stand around in the background while the new cast gets all the stories I'll tune out quickly, but I'm hoping that won't be the case. They'd be foolish not to utilize two of the most hilarious, scheming backstabbers who made the old show the hit it was.
They'd also be foolish not to make up for the treatment of Matt by adding in a new gay character with an actual love life. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that.
The younger me never cared much for Beverly Hills 90210 but I was addicted to Melrose Place, getting my weekly fix of over the top prime time drama and, yes, lusting after the guys.
They even had a gay character, but if I'd based any ideas about being gay off of poor Matt, I would have thought all gay men were celibate. The most exciting Matt's love life ever got was a slow motion kiss that the camera panned away from before any lips actually touched (much like Luke & Noah in the Mistletoe-gate era).
But, that didn't matter to me as much at the time. I was just tantalized by Amanda, Kimberly, and Sydney and all their antics. Besides, I was always more interested in Jake & Billy when it came to the guys. Grant Show and Andrew Shue were the stuff that fantasies were made of back in those days!
Anyway, Melrose Place ended its run back in 1999 after seven action filled seasons and I honestly haven't given it much thought in the years since, except for an occasional rush of nostalgia when I see one of the actors or actresses pop up somewhere else.
Now, though, after the recent revival of the 90210 franchise, Melrose Place is getting a similar update. This initially intrigued me, but when I heard that Heather Locklear wasn't going to be reprising the role of Amanda Woodward, I decided I'd pass. I mean, why bother watching a bunch of new characters I probably wouldn't care about?
Today, though, I read that two of the cast members from the original series have signed on: Thomas Calabro will be back as the sleazy Dr. Michael Mancini and, best of all, Laura Leighton is returning as Sydney Andrews!
Don't ask me how that's possible, since Sydney was killed off at the end of the original show's fifth season! I kind of don't care, though, because I totally loved Sydney. If they can offer a somewhat plausible explanation, I'll buy it. After all, the original series wasn't huge on realism. I'll never forget how Kimberly blew up the entire apartment complex and everyone survived but one minor character! Not only that, they had the place rebuilt three seconds later.
That was okay, though, because it was part of the over the top charm of the show.
So, needless to say, I'll be giving the updated Melrose Place a chance after all. If Michael & Sydney turn out to have little to do but stand around in the background while the new cast gets all the stories I'll tune out quickly, but I'm hoping that won't be the case. They'd be foolish not to utilize two of the most hilarious, scheming backstabbers who made the old show the hit it was.
They'd also be foolish not to make up for the treatment of Matt by adding in a new gay character with an actual love life. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that.
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