Teen Drama Links for February 15, 2022

Like many pop culture lovers, I was devastated by the news last week that Entertainment Weekly is ceasing its print operations.

EW is the only magazine I currently subscribe to besides People and I’ve been a subscriber for about 10+ years. (I tried to find out the exact number of years but it is not reflected in my online account.) I spend one dinner a week taking my sweet time through each issue, reading every single article word for word. It’s partially how I manage to keep up with all corners of pop culture without actually seeing every single movie or television show or listening to every album.

Back in 2009, I was up for an internship at the magazine, roughly a year after I interned at People. I hoped a summer internship at EW would kick-start my post-college career. I had a phone interview from my Illinois dorm room and then an in-person interview at the magazine’s Manhattan offices. I was crushed when I didn’t get the gig… and even more so when someone else from my university did. I think my life would’ve turned out extremely differently had I been able to go down the EW path.

That disappointment didn’t dampen my love for the publication or my devotion to it. My current subscription wasn’t supposed to end until this November and of course I was going to renew it. The demise of the physical magazine is both shocking and not. During my People days, I remember editors at our morning meeting marveling over the increasingly thin issues of EW (meaning it had fewer and fewer pages) and wondering how much longer it would last. That it lasted another decade and change is really remarkable.

And what a gift it was that last year we were treated to the “Summer of Teen TV.” With special teen drama-related content both in the magazine and on the EW website, I was in heaven. Indeed, I showcased some of the amazing offerings in various “Teen Drama Links” last summer. Now, in honor of this legendary publication coming to an end, I strongly encourage you to take a look back at all of the magazine’s teen drama covers. How lucky we were to enjoy such issues!

RIP, Entertainment Weekly in print. My heart goes out to all of the staff affected. But I can’t wait to see what the brand continues to do online. Long live EW.com.

Teen Drama Links for February 15, 2022

• “38 Shocking Teen Drama Scenes That I Honestly Don’t Think Get Discussed Enough” (BuzzFeed)

• “16 TV Shows That Absolutely Nailed Their Endings, And 15 Finales That Were A Total Dumpster Fire” (BuzzFeed)

• “23 Teen Drama Characters And How Likely They Would Be To Survive The Chaos At Euphoria High” (BuzzFeed)

• “23 ‘Gossip Girl’ Burns That Still Sting All These Years Later” (BuzzFeed)

• “Kirsten Dunst And Jake Gyllenhaal, And 24 More Former Celeb Couples That We Have 100% Forgotten About” (BuzzFeed)

• “21 TV Duos Who Didn’t Date, But The Actors’ Chemistry Carried The Show Anyway” (BuzzFeed)

• Speaking of wonderful EW content, couples from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” and the original “Gossip Girl” are all celebrated in “The 100 best TV romances of all time.” (Entertainment Weekly)

  • I adore the blurb written for Kelly and Dylan. Happy to see another one of my all-time favorite couples, Joey and Pacey, also represented.

  • You’ll see other TD stars on the list for romances on other shows.

• “Beverly Hills, 90210” is listed in “The 10 Best 1990s TV Shows That Weren’t Afraid To Get Real.” (Collider)

• Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills, 90210) says she’s working on a new reality show that’s “kind of a mix of reality and food and cooking.” (The Sun)

• Another new interview with Spelling: “Tori Spelling Dishes On Dealing With Online Haters & Protecting Her Kids From Negative Social Media Comments.” (OK!)

• Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Megan Fox are officially divorced. (TMZ)

• Luke Perry (Dylan, Beverly Hills, 90210) was remembered by his Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Kristy Swanson in a new interview. (Fox News)

  • Still hate linking to this outlet but…

  • It’s interesting how many people who appeared on “Beverly Hills, 90210” are in that movie.

• Shawn Levy (Howard, Beverly Hills, 90210) will direct and produce an adaptation of Backwards for Netflix. (Deadline)

• “An Ode to the Varsity Blues ‘I Don’t Want Your Life’ Speech” is all about the character played by James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek). (Vulture)

  • Also mentioned is the role played by Ali Larter (Kristy, Dawson’s Creek).

  • Varsity Blues was directed by Brian Robbins (executive producer, One Tree Hill) and produced by him and Mike Tollin (executive producer, One Tree Hill).

• Oliver Hudson (Eddie, Dawson’s Creek) was on the “PEOPLE Every Day” podcast. (Apple Podcasts)

• “Almost Paradise,” starring Christian Kane (Nick, Dawson’s Creek), has been renewed by IMDb TV after its first season aired back in 2020 on WGN America. (TVLine)

• Watch Seth Rogen (Bob, Dawson’s Creek) in a Super Bowl commercial for Lays. (YouTube)

• Ben McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.) is starring in a Japanese horror movie. (Variety)

• Autumn Reeser (Taylor, The O.C.) was on last night’s season finale of “4400.” (YouTube)

• Reeser is starring in a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film called Always Amore. (Deadline)

  • Reeser’s co-star will be Tyler Hynes, who just starred in An Unexpected Christmas with Bethany Joy Lenz (Joy, One Tree Hill).

• Reeser participated in a group chat with her co-stars from Hallmark’s The Wedding Veil Unveiled. (YouTube)

  • Related: “Interview: Autumn Reeser talks about ‘The Wedding Veil Unveiled’ on the Hallmark Channel” (Digital Journal)

• Shailene Woodley (Kaitlin, The O.C.) will co-star in a biopic about Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari. (Deadline)

• Watch Chris Pratt (Che, The O.C.) in the trailer for Jurassic World Dominion. (YouTube)

• As reviews for Peacock’s “Bel-Air” come in, some are again comparing the show to “The O.C.”

  • “Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air Fights’ to Take the TV Throne” (rogerebert.com)

  • “The differences between ‘The Fresh Prince’ and dramatic reboot ‘Bel-Air’” (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • “Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’: TV Review” (The Hollywood Reporter)

    • There’s also a “Beverly Hills, 90210” reference in this one.

  • “‘Bel-Air,’ Peacock, review: Will Smith’s Fresh Prince reboot isn’t as gritty as it thinks” (i news)

  • “At the Super Bowl, Nostalgia’s the Only Game” (The New York Times)

  • “Fresh Prince remake Bel-Air more than justifies its dramatic existence” (news.com.au)

  • This one actually draws a “Gossip Girl” comparison: “‘Bel-Air’ takes ‘The Fresh Prince’ down a dark path that’s better than it has any right to be” (CNN)

• I liked this story because it features a guest star from “The O.C.” and a guest star from the original “Gossip Girl”: “‘Firefly’ Reunion? Morena Baccarin Would to Love to Appear on ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ With Gina Torres” (Variety)

  • Reminder that Baccarin is married to McKenzie and starring in a new show with TD connections. (TDW)

• “It Couldn’t Happen Here,” hosted and executive-produced by Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill), will have eight new episodes airing on SundanceTV and AMC+ later this year. (The Futon Critic)

• Burton is encouraging “One Tree Hill” fans to donate to a GoFundMe for a Wilmington local injured in a shooting. (Instagram)

• I’m obsessed with this video Lenz posted of a toddler singing the “Drama Queens” theme song. (Instagram)

• “Love, Victor,” which features Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill), will end with its upcoming third season, which will premiere June 15. (TVLine)

• Nick Lachey, who memorably played himself on “One Tree Hill,” is promoting the new season of “Love Is Blind,” which he co-hosts with wife Vanessa Lachey (Camille, BH90210).

  • “Nick Lachey thinks he ‘would have ended up’ with Vanessa if they met on ‘Love Is Blind’” (Page Six)

  • “Nick Lachey Would Be on ‘Love Is Blind’ If He Wasn’t Married to Vanessa: ‘It’s Proven to Work!’” (Us Weekly)

  • “Nick Lachey Reveals What It’s Like to Host a Reality Show With Your Significant Other” (E! Online)

  • “Nick Lachey Details ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 2” (ET Canada)

  • “Nick Lachey’s Very Personal Connection to ‘Love Is Blind’” (The Daily Beast)

  • “Nick Lachey on hosting ‘Love is Blind’ and how he met his wife Vanessa” (WGN)

  • “Nick Lachey Teases What’s Different About ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 2” (Entertainment Tonight)

• “One Tree Hill” and both versions of “Gossip Girl” are briefly mentioned in “‘Euphoria’ is driving the teen genre to the dark side — but it's not the first.” (CBC)

• Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) is nominated for two ACM Awards for the music video she directed and produced for Taylor Swift. (Entertainment Tonight)

• Here’s some fashion fun: “Blake Lively Perfectly Channels Serena van der Woodsen at These Fashion Week Appearances.” (E! Online)

• Watch Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) in the trailer for Netflix’s The Weekend Away. (YouTube)

• Sebastian Stan (Carter, Gossip Girl) was asked about “Gossip Girl” fans on the “Hot Ones” podcast. (YouTube)

• Lottie London has launched a “Gossip Girl”-inspired makeup collection. (Cosmetics Business)

• “‘Yellowjackets,’ but with Other TV Teens” amusingly imagines characters from the original “Gossip Girl” and the spinoff in the “Yellowjackets” world. (New Yorker)

• Both the original “Gossip Girl” and the spinoff are discussed in “‘Less high school, more horror film’: why is teen drama so miserable now?” (The Guardian)

• The new “Gossip Girl” is also discussed in “TV Reboots Have A ‘Representation’ Problem.” (HuffPost UK)

• The “Gossip Girl” spinoff is seeking people to play background roles. (Backstage)

• Evan Mock (Aki, Gossip Girl spinoff) explained why he’s an investor in kombucha maker JuneShine. (Fortune)

• Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna, 90210) did some press to promote her latest GAC movie, which premiered on Saturday. She not only stars in the film but also wrote and executive-produced it.

  • “Jessica Lowndes Shares Profound and Personal Journey to Harmony from the Heart” (TV Fanatic)

  • “Jessica Lowndes & Jesse Metcalfe Preview New Movie ‘Harmony From The Heart’” (On with Mario Lopez)

  • “Interview: Jessica Lowndes talks about ‘Harmony From The Heart’ on GAC Family” (Digital Journal)

  • “‘Harmony From The Heart’s Jessica Lowndes: This Film Has Been A ‘Labor Of Love’ (HollywoodLife)

  • “Jessica Lowndes’ Many Responsibilities In Harmony From The Heart” (The List)

    • She’s asked about a “90210” revival in this one…

      • Also… I can’t help but notice her character’s last name is “McKay.”

  • Related: “Music Premiere: Jessica Lowndes Unveils ‘11:11’” (CelebMix)

• Tristan Wilds (Dixon, 90210) opened up about hosting the Discovery+ docuseries “Profiled: The Black Man.” (New York Post)

• Trevor Donovan (Teddy, 90210) is making films inspired by after-school specials. (Variety)