Frivolity Break: Laura Leighton Returns to Melrose Place

Photo from source, Socialite Life

Everybody has their guilty pleasures. Whether it's professional wrestling, soap operas, ABBA, Clay Aiken, or Judge Judy, we all have them. As something of a pop culture junkie (though not as much as I get older) I've had more than my share. But none was guiltier or trashier than Melrose Place.

I got hooked mostly to see the gay character played by Doug Savant, pictured here with Laura Leighton (who is his wife), and Marcia Cross. Melrose Place was something of an updated, more youthful Dynasty, and both were from Aaron Spelling. Coincidentally (or maybe not so much), I started watching Dynasty for the character of Stephen, played by Jack Coleman (Noah on Heroes).

Anyway, neither Stephen nor Matt (Savant's character) got any action at all on their shows. But it was enough to get me hooked on both. I probably watched every single episode of each, well beyond their primes. The common denominator (beyond what I've already mentioned) was Heather Locklear, who took the lion's share of Melrose Place's attention. No offense to Heather, but it was the two ladies in the picture who provided the best scenes and the most interesting story lines on MP.

Both were evil redheads, both were crazy, and both died on the show. Which presents a dilemma for the writers, I suppose. I mean they're reviving the show, which isn't so hard to do. But they're also reviving Leighton's character, Sydney, who was run down and squashed by a car on her wedding night! Bringing back either Cross' evil Kimberly or even Savant's Matt would be even more difficult. Sure, they're both also dead in the storyline, but they also co-star on one of my other guilty pleasures, Desperate Housewives.

It's all very silly, and I'll probably watch every single episode.

[Excerpt]

Laura Leighton To Reprise Sydney Andrews On 'Melrose Place' Remake

The bitch is back. Okay, I may now actually watch the pilot. Original Melrose Place actress Laura Leighton has joined the CW pilot in a recurring role. . .

Read more at: Socialite Life

90s Nostalgia: Melrose Place to Return?

Image from source, Pink is the New Blog

This blog didn't used to be all about politics. And it certainly didn't used to be all about the Presidential campaign. But like many other general-interest bloggers, avoiding the pull of it has been like trying to avoid a black hole. Still, I like to put some good old frivolity into the blog on occasion.

And how can you get more frivolous than Melrose Place? Spun off of Beverly Hills, 90210 back in the 90s, Melrose was a frothy, silly, sometimes downright stupid soap opera. And I never missed an episode.

I stuck with it through a boring first half-season, mostly for Matt, the love-lorn gay character (a rarity in those days). Then, to spice things up, they added Heather Locklear as a mean bitch (surprise!), and seriously amped up the storylines. Unlike many other serials, MP moved at lightning-quick speed, throwing two or three cliffhangers into almost every episode. It was seriously addictive, and by the time Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross blew a gasket (and blew up the apartment building), I was a total junkie.

But, like the "Moldavian Massacre" on Dynasty, the show never fully recovered from that amazing rush of episodes. I still watched, as cast members came and went, and Locklear went through every man on the show. They killed off Matt, and still I watched, right through the ludicrous ending.

If they can build a following by writing a snappy, fast-paced show like classic Melrose, seasons 2 and 3, they'll really have something. I was never a 90210 fan, and haven't checked out the remake. But this one might just be worth a look.

[Excerpt]

A ‘Melrose Place’ Redux In The Works?

Andrew Shue, call your agent. A spokesperson for The CW confirms what has been buzzed about for months: The network is developing an update of Melrose Place. Details remain sketchy, but it’s believed Melrose 2.0 would launch next fall. The move comes as The CW has enjoyed some measure of success with its 90210 reboot. Despite modest ratings, the show has brought attention to the struggling network at a time when it sorely needs it. The suits no doubt figure a Melrose rebirth will generate another round of mass hysteria. (And they’d be right!) Earlier this month, Darren Star, who created both Melrose and 90210, admitted to TVGuide.com that a Melrose resurrection “would be a fun thing to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened — if it can be put together in the right way. . .”

Read more at: Pink is the New Blog

Classic Commercials #7: Before They Were Famous

Boy, it's been a long time since I've done one of these! Weekends, and Sundays in particular are difficult days for blogging. The news gets sparse or stale, and many of the usual sources just quit on Saturdays and Sundays. And since I had such a light posting day yesterday, I wanted to make sure to have some new content today. I've managed, but it wasn't easy.

Anyway, what was missing was something fun. My post about the death of the Polaroid Land Camera inspired me to post another classic commercials post. This time, I'm focusing on those old commercials, with famous people before they were famous. Take a look.

#1 - Heinz Ketchup - Here's Friends and Joey star, Matt LeBlanc looking very 80s cool.

#2 - Head & Shoulders - Farrah Fawcett and Penny Marshall sharing a bathroom.

#3 - Burger King - Unbelievably cute and precocious, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar slays McDonald's.

#4 - Fabrege Shampoo - Heather Locklear may have been on Dynasty by the time this commercial came out, but was far from a household name. The commercial, however, will forever be part of pop-culture history.