SueTube – Let’s talk TV with critic Susan Young

The CW believed so strongly that 90210 would be a hit, they didn’t bother sending out review copies to critics.

What was the point? The network already knew they had a built-in audience ready to go back to the zip code that built the House of Fox. And they were right. Audiences turned out for 90210 in record numbers.

And the CW gained a lot of ground with young women viewers. Even if US Weekly says the girls on the show are too skinny.

And critics probably would be less than kind about the acting range of most of the cast – with the exception of Tristan Wilds who came from the critically acclaimed but low rated HBO series The Wire.

“Model Behavior”– Dustin Milligan as Ethan and AnnaLynne McCord as Naomi on 90210 on The CW. Photo: Michael Desmond/The CW ©2008

Barely a few weeks after the premiere, the CW has announced it has picked the series up for a full season run.

“The successful addition of ‘90210’ has taken The CW another step forward in building a cohesive schedule that defines this network as a destination for young women with shows that get our audience talking — and watching,” said CW Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff. “We’re very excited about the chance to watch this ensemble of newcomers and familiar faces coalesce and grow together as we move forward.”

The two-hour debut of “90210” shattered ratings records for The CW Network, becoming the highest-rated series premiere in the network’s history with women 18-34 (4.5/12), adults 18-34 (3.1/9) and adults 18-49 (2.6/7).

The most recent telecast of 90210 scored week-to-week gains in target demos, including 6% in women 18-34 (3.3/10), 14% in adults 18-34 (2.4/7) and 3% in total viewers (3.3mil).

As for the critics, 90210 don’t need no stinkin’ critics to be a success. All they needed was the was the powerhouse producers Gabe Sachs & Jeff Judah (“Freaks & Geeks”). With those two on board, the critics probably would have given the show a thumbs-up. If anyone cared.

The CW sent out a message saying that the network wouldn’t be screening the “Beverly Hills 90210” spin-off “90210” for critics.

Oh, hurt me again.

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“90210” Pictured: AnnaLynne McCord as Naomi, Dustin Milligan as Ethan, Shenae Grimes as Annie, Tristan Wilds as Dixon, Jessica Stroup as Silver, Michael Steger as Navid Photo Credit: Art Streiber/ The CW ©2008 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

Here’s the statement from the CW:

“The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen “90210” for any media in advance of its premiere. We’re not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time.”

Well, the curious would be anyone old enough to remember “Beverly Hills 90210” and I’m not quite sure who is out there waiting with great anticipation. And I think that the least they could do if The CW insists on the cutesy opening date of 9.02 is to wait until 9.02.10.

No matter which way you try to slice this one, it all adds up to clunker. Not that we’re surprised, given the track record of the CW in recent years. Back when it was the WB, this network was the place To Be. Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Ah, those were the days.

And you can still catch those shows on the new WB website. Just sign up.

But back to the problem at hand. Networks don’t usually pass on the free publicity they get from sending their shows out for review. Even bad reviews get people interested. But The CW thinks everyone can find this baby on their own, and fall in love with it.

Frankly, I’m dubious.

C’mon. Don’t you think that if this show has a snowball’s chance in Hades to work, Fox would have picked up on it?

Well, check out this promo.

Now, I’m not advocating that anyone should want to be on a reality show, but if that’s what you want to do with your life, then I’m here to give you the 4-1-1

I’m not sure what to think about a program described as a “horror/reality” series, because probably every reality series is an exercise in horror one way or the other. I mean, telling the world you wish you weren’t married to your husband on “Moment of Truth”? Eating crusty, raw and probably diseased sea life on “Survivor”?

Anyway, “13” – which the CW reminds us is only a working title – is described as a “spine-tingling new eight-episode series combining the horror genre with a reality show format.” It airs this summer on the CW and casting begins on Monday, March 31, 2008 (for those people who will read this item in 2010 and wonder where everyone is).

Casting directors are looking for men and women between the ages of 18-30 who are energetic, competitive and full of personality to be part of television’s first scary competition reality show and win a grand prize of $66,666.

Casting calls will take place at the following locations:

LOS ANGELES*
Monday, March 31 & Thursday, April 3
10:00am-6:00pm
CBS Radford
4024 Radford Ave.
Studio City, CA 91604
*Must email 13castingLA@gmail.com for appointment time. No one will be allowed on the lot without an appointment.

PHILADELPHIA
Sunday, April 13 Tuesday, April 15
10:00am-6:00pm 10:00am-6:00pm
JD McGillicuddy’s (Manayunk) Mar Bar (2nd Floor of Marathon Grill)
111 Cotton St. 200 S. 40th Street @ Walnut
Philadelphia, PA 19127 Philadelphia, PA 19104
For additional information: 13castingph@gmail.com

MIAMI
Sunday, April 13 & Tuesday, April 15
Location & Time TBD

DALLAS
Sunday, April 13 & Tuesday, April 15
Location & Time TBD

For up-to-date casting information and to apply online or download an application, click here. Deadline for online entries is April 16, 2008.

Here’s a quick rundown of when you all can expect to see your fav CW shows on this spring. Note for the five of you watching “Life is Wild” – it’s gone:

SERIES ANTICIPATED RETURN EXPECTED # OF NEW EPISODES
THE GAME March 23 9

ONE TREE HILL April 14 6

SMALLVILLE April 17 5

GOSSIP GIRL April 21 5

REAPER April 22 5

SUPERNATURAL April 24 4

*EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS completed 22 episodes. The 12 remaining originals will begin airing March 3.

* ALIENS IN AMERICA completed 18 episodes. The 8 remaining originals will air March 2-March 23 and April 27-May 18.

The show is being described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets “The Assistant” and it comes from Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, who teamed up for “America’s Next Top Model.” The new cycle of ANTM starts Feb. 20.

Miss Tyra Banks of “America’s Next Top Model” is looking for contestants for her next reality show.

Bottom line, do you want to enter the fashion world as a minion?

“It is a competition show about aspiring assistants looking to become assistant editors at a fashion magazine,” says Mok. “At the same time they’re trying to prove themselves as aspiring fashionistas, that they have a sense of style and savvyness, all the things to make it in the fashion world.”

Open auditions will be held this Saturday, February 9, at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District, 750 Kearny St. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Written applications will be available for download here. , however it’s not required that you have a completed application in order to audition. Applicants must be between 18 and 27 at the time of application.

According to an article in the Hollywood Reporter, Eli Holzman, who developed “Project Runway” at Miramax TV, and the show’s executive producers Jane Cha and Desiree Gruber, fashion experts and managers of “Runway” host Heidi Klum, came up the initial idea for the new series and pitched it to the CW.

The network in turn suggested a collaboration with Banks and Mok in mounting the production because of Banks’ background as a supermodel and the duo’s experience in the fashion reality genre with “Top Model.”

Banks, Mok, Holzman, Cha and Gruber will executive produce the series, which has received an eight-episode order and will begin production in April for a launch in late spring or summer.

With ratings like these, if the CW was a TV show, it would have been cancelled long ago.

The barely breathing network trotted out its new game plan today, with the family-in-Africa drama “Life is Wild” missing. If you don’t know what show I’m talking about, don’t worry. Very few viewers ever tuned it. In fact, if you gathered all the regular viewers together they probably wouldn’t even make a noticible line in Starbucks.

Penn Badgley as Dan and Blake Lively as Serena star in Gossip Girl on The CW. Photo Eric Liebowitz /The CW

Not that they don’t have some great shows. “Gossip Girl” is a great guilty pleasure, and although “Reaper”never again rose to the level of its fantastic pilot, it’s still not a bad show.

Enough pitching. Here’s the line-up:

Monday

8 p.m. “GOSSIP GIRL” (Beginning January 28)

9 p.m. “PUSSYCAT DOLLS PRESENT: GIRLICIOUS” (Beginning February 18)

Tuesday

8 p.m. “REAPER” (Beginning January 15)

8 p.m. “BEAUTY AND THE GEEK” (Beginning March 11)

9 p.m. “ONE TREE HILL” Wednesday (Beginning February 20)

8 p.m. “AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL”

9 p.m. “PUSSYCAT DOLLS PRESENT: GIRLICIOUS”

Encore

Thursday

8 p.m. “SMALLVILLE”

9 p.m. “REAPER” (Beginning February 28)

Sunday (Beginning February 10)

7 p.m. “CW NOW”

7:30 p.m. “EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS” Encores

8 p.m. “EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS”

8:30 p.m. “ALIENS IN AMERICA”

9 p.m. “GIRLFRIENDS”

9:30 p.m. “THE GAME”

Although the new CW reality show “Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants” doesn’t air for a couple of weeks, we thought we’d avoid the holiday rush and let you know that Hayward mother-and-daughter Annette and Alana _ no last names _ are featured on the show.

Annette and Alana

“We proudly represent Hayward,” says the mother-and-daughter team, which unfortunately chose their “team name” to be Silent But Deadly.

School children across the country will be snickering over that one. It certainly got to judge Carson Kressley, who asked them how they could not think of breaking wind when they came up with the moniker.

The women looked truly perplexed by his questions, because they thought the name conjured up the image of strong, stealthy creatures rather than something that would make you leave a room with the utmost speed.

Still, the other teams didn’t do much better with names like “Reigning A’s,” “Blonde Bombshells” and, variation on a theme, “Redheaded Bombshells.”

Too bad Annette and Alana didn’t keep their original name, “Sophisticated Ladies,” because that fit the two so much better.

“Crowned” premieres at 9 p.m. on Dec. 12 on the CW.

Only four vodcasts under our belt and I think we’re getting better.

I’ve been using writers at the paper for the first three, then a guinea pig, er, friend, agreed to be the beta for our first civilian interview.

Thanks Angie, who is a sophomore at Monte Vista High School in Danville, for helping out. You did a great job. Chick Chat video

Comments? Offers to volunteer to be on the show? C’mon down.

You can read the review of “Gossip Girl” on the TV page