Rachel's TV Dramas Blog

The massive media machine that is 90210 has kicked it up a notch and this time it’s news I never thought in a million years I’d hear. Shannen Doherty may be returning to the zip code that made her infamous famous. Even crazier - Tori Spelling might be out!

Ironic is the first word that came to mind as I heard the scoop from E! Online’s Kristin. Her sources revealed that Shannen is in and Tori is out of the 90210 remake. Tori’s late father, the brilliant Aaron Spelling, created the original 90210 and then fired Doherty in 1994. Spelling then signed Shannen on for Charmed, only to fire her once again a few years later. Shannen has quite the reputation for stirring things up on set, so this time should be no different at all.

So, to sum things up -- Tori is being dropped from the remake of the show her own father created in favor of bringing on Shannen, the woman who apparently made life completely miserable on the set of both Spelling dramas, to the 90210 remake.

Yep, sounds about right to me!

^{Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images}

The June 30 deadline has come and gone, nothing has been settled between the SAG and AMPTP and actors are now working without a contract -- is another strike imminent? Could the fall television season be delayed?

The Good News: SAG President Alan Rosenberg has not called for a strike authorization and issued the following statement: "We have taken no steps to initiate a strike authorization vote by the members of Screen Actors Guild. Any talk about a strike or a management lockout at this point is simply a distraction. The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee is coming to the bargaining table every day in good faith to negotiate a fair contract for actors."

The Bad News: Although the SAG has been offered a deal similar to the one that the WGA, DGA and AFTRA accepted, they feel that some of the key issues have not been addressed. This places the union in a difficult predicament because it makes it seem as though the deal was good enough for the others, but not for SAG members.

Actors asking for more money is always a major point of conjecture, so here's a little food for thought:

When we think about actors fighting to earn more money, most probably either laugh or express outrage at the very thought. Actors on major television series such as Desperate Housewives, CSI and Grey's Anatomy do indeed earn a tremendous amount of money each year. However, there are more than 120,000 SAG members and not all of them are earning that big paycheck. In fact, many SAG members earn less than the average middle-income household.

Hopefully SAG and AMPTP leaders will continue to keep the lines of communication open (as well as those studio doors!) and get a deal worked out before thousands of people are put out of work once again. There may be loads of money in Hollywood, but I don't know if they can sustain another $2-3 billion loss within the same year.

Do you think actors should demand a better deal than the other unions? Vote in our poll and post your comments below.



^{Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images}

Chris Noth may have spent many years playing Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but he seems to be most recognized these days for his memorable role as "Mr. Big" on Sex and the City. With a recently successful movie under his belt, Noth has decided to leave Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- and his replacement is sure to make many TV and movie fans very happy indeed....

NBC has confirmed that Academy Award and Emmy nominee Jeff Goldblum will replace Noth when the series returns for its eighth season. "I'm really excited to join this group of incredibly talented people," said Goldblum.

Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice-president of original programming made the following statement about adding Goldblum to the cast:

"Jeff is one of the most exciting actors around and is a perfect addition to the Law & Order: Criminal Intent ensemble. We are very excited to see what new moves he will bring to the Major Case Squad."

The talented and versatile actor received an Emmy nomination for his guest appearance as Frank/Scott on Will & Grace, and his most recent television role was on NBC's short-lived crime drama Raines. While Noth will be missed, I think casting a star of Goldblum's caliber is quite a coup indeed!

^{Jeff Goldblum Photo: Copyright © NBC Universal, Inc./Mitchell Haaseth. Chris Noth Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images}

The fall television season gets underway September 1, and CBS is the latest network to announce their premiere dates for the new season.

CBS gets the party started on September 22 with Horatio and the forensic gang on CSI: Miami. The excitement continues on September 23 with NCIS, The Mentalist (new series) and Without a Trace. Those bad guys will have nowhere to hide when Criminal Minds and CSI: NY premiere on September 24. The remainder of CBS' series will continue to premiere over the following two weeks.

CBS Fall TV Drama Premiere Schedule

Monday, September 22

• CSI: Miami

Tuesday, September 23

• NCIS
• The Mentalist (new series)
• Without a Trace

Wednesday, September 24

• Criminal Minds
• CSI: NY

Sunday, September 28

• Cold Case
• The Unit

Friday, October 3

• Ghost Whisperer
• The Ex List (new series)
• Numb3rs

Thursday, October 9

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• Eleventh Hour (new series)

Will CBS continue their reign as king of the ratings? Is it possible for another network to throw the eye-net off their throne? The new season is almost here, so set those Tivo's and get ready for the ratings war to begin!

• Summer/Fall Premiere Schedule
• CBS Reality Premiere Schedule
• New TV Dramas on CBS

^{Photo: Cliff Lipson ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.}

It's Emmy Time! The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has released the list of the top ten Emmy semifinalists in the television drama and comedy categories.

What happens now?: The 'Blue Ribbon Panel' must sit through screenings of the semifinalists, which takes place this weekend. The Academy explains the remainder of this process in their press release: "The results of those panels, who will watch and judge the work of each finalist, represent 50 percent of the vote. Both results will be averaged together to come up with our five nominees in each category."

Did your favorite shows make the list or were they left out in the cold? Stay tuned -- Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris will announce the complete list of nominees on Thursday, July 17.

• List of Emmy Semifinalists
• 2007 Emmy Nominees & Winners
• Emmy FAQ

^{Photo: © Fox Broadcasting Co.}

She once lived the Simple Life, but Nicole Richie's life has been as complicated as it gets. In the last year and a half, Nicole was arrested for DUI, found out she was pregnant and served a little jail time. She then dumped her party girl ways for a much quieter life, got engaged and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in January. Life is very good for Nicole Richie these days.

Nicole's latest gig finds her in the wacky world of Chuck, where she'll play Sarah's high school nemesis. Apparently, this character (name TBA) made Sarah's life completely miserable, so when she and Chuck are sent on a mission that happens to take place at her high school reunion, Sarah must get over her childhood insecurities and move on -- and maybe kick a little nemesis butt along the way!

"Nicole auditioned for the part and was very funny," said executive producer Josh Schwartz. "This role is a great opportunity for her to show off her comedic skills and be diabolically evil. It's going to be really fun."

Chuck returns for season two on September 29, but NBC didn't indicate when this episode would air. How to do feel about Nicole's upcoming appearance? Post your comments below....

^{Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images}

Summer has barely begun and it's hotter than Hades right now, so what better time than the present to morph into cooler weather and begin thinking about all the goodies the networks are bringing viewers this fall.

The Good News: Since the networks have kept the majority of their dramas intact, we won't be overwhelmed with an assault of new shows in September. ABC and Fox will go into the fall season with one new show each, three for CBS and NBC and two for the CW.

The Bad News: The networks were alarmed when viewership went way down once the shows returned after the strike. During OJ Simpson's televised murder trial in the '90s, the Nielsen ratings for soap operas took a nasty dive and have never recovered. Is it possible that primetime television will suffer the same fate? Will viewers tune in to the new shows or stick to their tried and true favorites. Stay tuned -- it may be a bumpy road this fall!

• Looking Ahead to the 2008-09 TV Season
• Photo Gallery of the New 2008-09 Fall Dramas

^{Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels/The CW © The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.}

Now that Lex Luthor has left Smallville (after killing his own father), the little Kansas town is in desperate need for another villain to keep poor Clark busy so he can try to forget that the love of his life has also left the canvas. After a long search for the perfect actor, TPTB have found their Doomsday -- and he's going to make Lex and his dearly departed father look like a couple of petty criminals!

Former Battlestar Galactica star Sam Witwer has been tapped to play über-villain Doomsday. Those who have followed the comic book series know that this character is the only one to have killed Superman. Clark will have his work cut out for him in season eight as this character arrives to present the man of steel with his ultimate challenge.

Joining Witwer this season in the villain department on Smallville is Cassidy Freeman. The young actress will play Tess Mercer, the woman Lex has entrusted to run LuthorCorp while he's gone. The executive producers describe Tess as "intelligent, brilliantly manipulative, and dangerously sinister, our gorgeous new villain has one more weapon in her arsenal: Her mutual attraction with Clark may prove to be as deadly as kryptonite for him."

While most series overstay their welcome by season eight, life in Smallville certainly sounds like it's going to be more exciting than ever.

^{Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images}

In less than two weeks, the contract that covers more than 120,000 SAG members will expire and could very well halt production on dozens of films and television shows. Is Hollywood about to endure another industry-crippling strike?

Negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) began back in April, but talks are reportedly not going well and a call for strike authorization may be under consideration. In order to call a strike, 75 percent of the membership must give their approval.

On May 28, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and AMPTP struck a deal. The results of the contract ratification vote are due July 9. The SAG has made no secret of their disapproval of the terms of this deal stating that, "there are critical issues that remain negotiating priorities for SAG that were not accomplished by AFTRA."

Will a strike delay the fall television season? Series such as 24 and Dirty Sexy Money already had several episodes filmed before production was shut down. When the writers strike ended, the networks had decided to hold on to those unaired episodes for the upcoming season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, more than twenty series (such as Heroes, CSI and House) are expected to have several episodes completed by July 1.

Hopefully the SAG and AMPTP will come to a satisfactory agreement before those picket signs come out once again. The hard working people in this business have already proved how far they're willing to go to get what they deserve -- to the tune of more than $2 billion!

^{Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images}

America's favorite '70s star Mary Tyler Moore will return to the wild world of television this fall for a multi-episode stint on NBC's Lipstick Jungle.

The seven-time Emmy winner will play Wendy Healy's (played by Brooke Shields) mother Joyce, a retired businesswoman who climbed the corporate ladder right to the top and helped pave the way for women wanting to make a name for themselves in the business world.

Joyce will add a little more stress to Wendy's already complicated life when she forces her daughter to be realistic about her career goals and family life. Will she turn Wendy's world upside down or help her daughter finally find the perfect balance between work and family?

Moore weighs in on her upcoming role:

"I'm fortunate to have had a front row seat to the evolution of working women on television. It's been great fun to watch the strong female characters of Lipstick Jungle go at it week after week. I absolutely adore Brooke and I'm delighted to be a part of a show which is so well written."

Moore's first appearance will begin when the second season of Lipstick Jungle premieres on Wednesday, September 24 on NBC.

^{Photo by: Larry Lettera Copyright © 2008 NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.}