Teen Drama Links for February 1, 2022

What does Japanese anime have to do with the teen dramas? In the case of Belle, a lot.

I first mentioned Belle in the January 18 edition of “Teen Drama Links,” after my friend Zoie told me about it. The movie piqued my interest for two reasons: part of the story is inspired by my favorite Disney film, Beauty & the Beast, and Chace Crawford (Nate, Gossip Girl) voices one of the characters in the English dub.

The Japanese-language original debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on July 15 (my birthday!) last summer, where it received a 14-minute standing ovation. Now that I’ve seen the movie myself (albeit the English-language version), I understand why.

There are scenes that are clear recreations of memorable Beauty & the Beast scenes and one could argue Crawford voices the “Gaston” character of this tale. But more than that, the film is a story of grief. It’s also a story of coming of age. And coming-of-age stories are my favorite.

We watch a teenage girl, filled with insecurities and still mourning the death of her mom, wrestle with crushes while going through the motions of life as a shy loner. We see her go on a journey to, quite literally, find her voice again. And she does in an alternate universe, which, as I’ve written in the past, is one of my favorite tropes. In other words, Belle in many ways is a teen drama.

The movie will make you laugh, cry, and smile in recognition. In addition, the music is simply stunning. I initially feared based on the trailer that I’d find Crawford’s voice distracting, but I was able to put thoughts of the actor aside and just see and hear the character.

If you like any of these things — Beauty & the Beast, Crawford, coming-of-age stories reminiscent of our teen dramas, beautiful depictions of grief, heartbreaking songs — I cannot recommend Belle more.

Teen Drama Links for February 1, 2022

• “35 Side-By-Side Pictures Of Disney Characters And The Famous Actors Who Voiced Them” (BuzzFeed)

• “You Truly Aren’t Emotionally Prepared For These 15 Rounds Of ‘Which Of These TV Shows Must Go’” (BuzzFeed)

• “‘Glee’ Used Real Slushees That Stained Cast Members' Skin And 56 Other Fascinating Teen Show Facts” (BuzzFeed)

• Thanks to Kelly for the heads-up that Thursday’s episode of the FOX comedy “Pivoting” has this for a synopsis: “Sarah, Amy and Jodie’s made-up annual holiday, ‘D-Day,’ celebrates a major moment from ‘Beverly Hills, 90210.’” (IMDb)

  • I wonder what “D-Day” is referencing. Is the “D” a reference to Donna losing her virginity?

• This list of the “40 Best Teen TV Shows of All Time” includes “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” and the original “Gossip Girl,” along with other shows featuring TD stars. (Reader’s Digest)

  • One factual note: “…falling into comas on their wedding nights” isn’t exactly what happened to Peyton (Hilarie Burton, One Tree Hill).

• “Celebrities Who Dated in Real Life After Playing Siblings Onscreen” includes stars from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “The O.C.,” and the original “Gossip Girl.” (People)

  • One factual note: Pretty sure Jason Priestley (Brandon, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Shannen Doherty (Brenda, Beverly Hills, 90210) just hooked up once or twice — they weren’t in a full-fledged relationship, but maybe I’m wrong.

• The “Dawson’s Creek” pilot is highlighted in “Cosmopolitan in pop culture: a timeline.” (Cosmopolitan UK)

• This is a disturbing story about James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) and his family: “James Van Der Beek’s Influencer Wife Is Peddling Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Instagram.” (Rolling Stone)

• One of the winners at last month’s Sundance Film Festival has a personal connection to Michelle Williams (Jen, Dawson’s Creek). (Entertainment Weekly)

• Kevin Williamson (creator, Dawson’s Creek) and Julie Plec (producer, Dawson’s Creek) will be co-showrunners, executive producers, and writers on a TV adaptation of the comic “Dead Day” for Peacock. (Deadline)

• Watch the trailer for Plec’s new NBC show, “The Endgame,” starring Morena Baccarin (Maya, The O.C.). (YouTube)

  • In addition to Plec, the show is also executive-produced by Jake Coburn (co-producer, Gossip Girl).

  • Reminder that Baccarin is married to Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.).

• Adam Brody (Seth, The O.C.) has been cast in the FX adaptation of Fleishman Is in Trouble. (Deadline)

• Kat Graham (Kim, The O.C.) released an NFT. (YellowHeart)

• This look at the “The Worst TV Parents Ever” includes a mom from “The O.C.” and a dad from the original “Gossip Girl.” (Looper)

  • You’ll also see Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Joe, The O.C.), who is married Burton, on the list for his role on “Supernatural.”

• All4 has removed “One Tree Hill” from its streaming offerings and fans are NOT happy. (Twitter)

• Naley’s second nuptials on “One Tree Hill” are celebrated in “The Best TV Weddings Of All Time.” (Looper)

  • One factual note: Naley’s “rocky path” wasn’t “after their first year of marriage” but during it.

• Johnny Alonso (Joey D, One Tree Hill) recalled being on “One Tree Hill” while promoting the new movie Harvey. (Morbidly Beautiful)

  • Alonso also had bit parts on “Dawson’s Creek.”

• Mike Daniels (writer, One Tree Hill) is writing and executive-producing a pilot for NBC based on the Dutch series “A’dam – E.V.A.” (Variety)

• “One Tree Hill” and the original “Gossip Girl,” along with other shows with TD stars and / or produced by key TD players, are listed in “10 Shows That Made The CW Iconic.” (Collider)

• The article “15 Years Ago, ‘Skins’ Broke New Ground for Teen Dramas” briefly mentions “One Tree Hill,” the original “Gossip Girl,” and “90210.” (W)

• Here’s a look back at Penn Badgley (Dan, Gossip Girl) and Zoe Kravitz’s relationship. (InStyle)

• Jessica Szohr (Vanessa, Gossip Girl) did an in-depth interview about the original “Gossip Girl” as promotion for her new “XOXO” podcast. (Teen Vogue)

  • Confirmation that it’s NOT a traditional rewatch podcast: “Szohr pitched an interview-style podcast with occasional rewatches; it would be more focused on memories, and what fans want to talk about.”

    • Despite that, “XOXO” is included in “From ‘New Girl’ to ‘The Office’: Your Favorite TV Shows That Now Have Rewatch Podcasts,” along with “9021OMG,” “Welcome to the OC, Bitches,” and “Drama Queens.” (People)

  • Szohr also gives a really interesting response when asked if “XOXO” will be similar to “Drama Queens” in calling out the show’s shortcomings.

  • I listened to the first “XOXO” installment and shared my brief thoughts. (Twitter)

    • I’m still tweeting my thoughts on “9021OMG,” “Welcome to the OC, Bitches,” and “Drama Queens” every week.

• Another interview about the podcast: “Why Jessica Szohr Won’t Let Her Kids Watch ‘Gossip Girl’” (E! Online)

  • This is noteworthy: “There’s one topic that Jessica won’t be getting into: cast relationships. She acknowledged that fans are interested in the real-life romances that developed behind the scenes but said, ‘It’s not a gossip situation.’”

• Coincidentally, the similarly named “XOXO, Gossip Kings” podcast, which is a “Gossip Girl” rewatch podcast, is highlighted in “This Month in Comedy Podcasts.” (Vulture)

• “From Regina George to Blair Waldorf, These Fictional High Schoolers Could Defeat Nate Jacobs” includes characters from the original “Gossip Girl” and “90210.” (PopSugar)

• Similarly: “‘Euphoria’ Fans Are Going After Nate Jacobs With Fictional Characters Who Could Shut Him Down” and that includes Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg, Gossip Girl). (Teen Vogue)

• “‘Gossip Girl’s Best Character Showed Up in ‘The Gilded Age’ (Well, Kind Of)” is about Zuzanna Szadkowski (Dorota, Gossip Girl) appearing in HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” (Glamour)

• Aaron Tveit (Tripp, Gossip Girl) opened up about his diet and how he stays hydrated for his demanding Broadway schedule. (Grub Street)

• “11 Hilary Duff Roles to Revisit After ‘How I Met Your Father’” includes Duff’s role on the original “Gossip Girl.” (Collider)

  • I learned from this that Duff and Evan Ross (Charlie, 90210) starred in a movie together. Interesting!

• I thought I’d have a lot to share today with Sebastian Stan (Carter, Gossip Girl) promoting “Pam & Tommy” since it premieres on Hulu tomorrow, but so far I just have this: “Did Sebastian Stan & Lily James Ever Watch Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee’s X-Rated Video? They Say...” (E! Online)

• There is a ton of press with Kristen Bell (Gossip Girl, Gossip Girl) as she promotes Netflix’s “The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window.”

  • “‘Woman in the House’s Kristen Bell Says Netflix Satire Required Some ‘Good, Bad Acting’ — Allow Her to Explain” (TVLine)

  • “Kristen Bell Had Five Parents Who Were Always There for Her” (The Wall Street Journal)

  • “Kristen Bell on the Sleuthing Skills of ‘The Woman in the House’...’s Anna: ‘Veronica Would Be So Disappointed’” (Rotten Tomatoes)

  • “Kristen Bell on First Colonoscopy, Dax Shepard’s DIY Medical Treatments & Favorite Nextdoor Posts” (Jimmy Kimmel Live)

  • “Watch Keith Morrison from ‘Dateline’ surprise Kristen Bell” (Today)

  • “Kristen Bell Reveals What She Was Really Drinking in Her Wine Glass in ‘Woman in the House’” (Entertainment Tonight)

  • “Kristen Bell Says ‘Everyone’s a Suspect’ in Netflix’s New Murder Mystery” (PopSugar)

  • “Kristen Bell on liking ‘very dark things’ and why you should ‘devour’ ‘The Woman in the House’” (Entertainment Weekly)

  • “KRISTEN BELL EXCLUSIVE: ‘Woman in the House’ actress and co-stars preview new Netflix satire” (Toronto Sun)

  • “Kristen Bell’s ‘bad acting’ in parody Netflix show ‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window’” (Yahoo)

  • “Kristen Bell, Michael Ealy and Tom Riley talk new genre-bending Netflix series” (WLJA)

  • “Kristen Bell On ‘Woman In The House’ And The Legacy Of ‘Veronica Mars’” (BuzzFeed)

  • “Kristen Bell Had To Choose Between 16 Of Her Iconic TV And Movie Roles, And I Bet You Can Guess Which One Is Her Favorite” (BuzzFeed)

• “Millennials, Have We Aged Out Of The High School Genre?” uses the new “Gossip Girl” as one of its examples. (Refinery29)

  • For the record, I will never age out of the genre.

• Hocus Pocus 2, featuring Whitney Peak (Zoya, Gossip Girl spinoff), will premiere on Disney+ on Halloween. (Deadline)

• The off-Broadway revival of Assassins, starring Tavi Gevinson (Kate, Gossip Girl spinoff) and Adam Chanler-Berat (Jordan, Gossip Girl spinoff), ended its run early due to the ongoing pandemic. (The New York Times)

• “Why Euphoria is one of few teen dramas to get the nuances of recreational drug use vs addiction” contrasts “Euphoria” with a “90210” storyline. (iNews)