Teen Drama Links for March 1, 2022

I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out what I want to say about AnnaLynne McCord and her much-maligned Putin poem.

Here are the facts: Last Thursday, McCord posted on Twitter a 2-minute video she titled, “Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin…” In the video, she delivers a poem (with captions on the screen) in which she basically makes the case that had Putin been loved better and cared for better by his mother, he wouldn’t have grown up to become a murderous dictator. It has been viewed more than 30 million times, sparked more than 112,000 quote tweets, and received more than 40,000 replies. And the vast majority of the comments, if not nearly all of them, are ripping McCord to shreds.

The gist of the outcry seems to be that the video is tone deaf, out of touch, not an appropriate response to Putin or war, and insensitive to those actually impacted by these terrible times. Many have drawn comparisons to Gal Gadot’s star-studded “Imagine” video, which was similarly ridiculed in 2020. My Google Alerts have been on fire with article after article discussing McCord’s video, the backlash, and so on.

For her part, McCord told BuzzFeed News she was motivated by “the children of the war” and, given her own childhood trauma, empathizes with “children who grow into adults and become people who do historically horrifying things.” She said her goal is to “protect children and stop creating dictators and abusers and enslavers and rapists and bullies.” But she was also mocked all over again for another comment about how she “could easily have moved in the direction of becoming a dictator myself.” (McCord further discussed her poem on “The Modern Spirituality Podcast,” which I have not had time to listen to.)

Like Gadot, I generally believe McCord had good, if misguided, intentions here. She wasn’t hateful or bigoted. She wasn’t spreading misinformation or disinformation, like so many Trump-supporting celebs do (some teen drama stars among them). She was expressing herself through art in a rather non-consequential way. Is her perspective a bit… weird? Totally. Is the video self-centering? Yup. Does it show a certain disconnection to the realities of the situation? Absolutely. But is it harmful? Hardly.

There are, of course, far better ways for celebrities to support Ukrainians right now. Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds have pledged to donate up to $1 million to USA for UNHCR, which, in Lively’s words, is “on the ground helping the 50,000+ Ukrainians who had to flee their homes in less than 48 hours.” That is tremendous. It deserves an outsized amount of attention.

McCord’s video does not. The amount of time people have spent ripping it and her, even filling McCord’s unrelated Instagram posts with disparaging comments, is patently absurd. By posting her video on Twitter, McCord did invite public response, for better or worse. But I’m not sure she did anything that warrants the depth and breadth of these virtual attacks. There are far more important things that deserve our time and energy.

Teen Drama Links for March 1, 2022

• “27 Actors Who Wanted To Be Removed From Their TV Shows And Movies ASAP” (BuzzFeed)

• “20 Teen Actors Who Now Play Someone’s Parent On Teen TV And Movies” (BuzzFeed)

• “17 Times Massive Celebs Randomly Guest-Starred On A TV Show And It Was SO Weird” (BuzzFeed)

• “27 TV Storylines And Seasons People Hate So Much, They Literally Pretend They Never Happened” (BuzzFeed)

• The passings of Luke Perry (Dylan, Beverly Hills, 90210), Stanley Kamel (Anthony, Beverly Hills, 90210), and Jessica Walter (Tabitha, 90210) are highlighted in “How 40+ TV Shows Have Handled the Death of a Cast Member.” (TVLine)

• In addition to Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Ian Ziering (Steve, Beverly Hills, 90210), “Name That Tune: Celebrity Edition” will feature Jana Kramer (Alex, One Tree Hill). (TVLine)

  • Note that Garth’s name is misspelled in that article. Eek.

• “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “The O.C.,” and “One Tree Hill” are featured in “10 Teen Drama Shows With The Best Opening Themes.” (Screen Rant)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Theme Songs (TDW)

• In “How Kevin Williamson Rewrote the Rules of Teen Drama,” it’s argued “There would be no ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘the OC,’ ‘Ginny & Georgia,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ ‘One Tree Hill’ or ‘Gilmore Girls’ without the trail blazed by ‘Dawson’s Creek.’” (Collider)

  • I’d argue (and have) that there wouldn’t be a “Dawson’s Creek” (and the subsequent shows) without “Beverly Hills, 90210” first.

  • I outlined the teen drama trajectory from “Beverly Hills, 90210” to “Dawson’s Creek” to “The O.C.” to the original “Gossip Girl” in a 2007 article. (TDW)

• Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) is nominated for Best Villain in a Series for “Dr. Death” in the Critics’ Choice Super Awards. (Deadline)

  • “Dr. Death” is competing against “Chucky” and “Midnight Mass,” two shows featuring teen drama stars, for Best Horror Series.

• Paula Cole, who sang the original “Dawson’s Creek” theme song, appeared on the “Nakedly Examined Music” podcast. (Nakedly Examined Music)

  • Cole’s rerecorded version of “I Don’t Want to Wait” starts the podcast episode.

• “Dawson’s Creek,” “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” and the original “Gossip Girl” are all referenced in “How ‘Euphoria’ Turned the Teen Drama Soundtrack Into a Perfect Fever Dream.” (The Ringer)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Soundtracks (TDW)

• “How ‘Euphoria’ Became TV’s Best Horror Show” notes how “frequent comparisons include series like ‘The O.C.,’ ‘Skins,’ ‘Degrassi,’ and ‘Gossip Girl.’” (The Daily Beast)

• Ben McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.) and co-writer Jacob Silverman have sold their cryptocurrency book to Abrams Press. (Variety)

  • I appreciated McKenzie’s thread addressing those “who have lost money in crypto.” (Twitter)

• Hypochondriac, a horror movie featuring Michael Cassidy (Zach, The O.C.), has been acquired by XYZ Films in advance of its premiere at SXSW. (Deadline)

• Brandon Quinn (Spencer, The O.C) and Kramer will each star in Lifetime holiday movies. (Deadline)

  • Kramer will also executive-produce her flick.

• Matt Barr (Wes, The O.C. / Derek, One Tree Hill / Keith, Gossip Girl) will star in The CW’s “Walker: Independence” pilot. (Deadline)

  • As I previously noted, the show is being executive-produced by Anna Fricke (writer, Dawson’s Creek).

  • Barr’s character in the prequel will somehow be connected to his late “Walker” character and share the same name.

• Characters from “The O.C.,” the original “Gossip Girl,” and “90210” are celebrated in “The 10 Most Fashionable Teen Drama Characters.” (CR Fashionbook)

• As of today, “One Tree Hill” is streaming on HBO Max. (The Futon Critic)

• ICYMI, I published this one year ago today: “The Impact of the ‘One Tree Hill’ School Shooting Episode 15 Years Later.” (TDW)

• Last week’s “A Million Little Things” featured two references to “One Tree Hill.”

  • The episode was co-written by “One Tree Hill” writer-producer Terrence Coli, who also worked on “90210” and “BH90210.”

  • I was amused by this tweet from the actor who delivered the lines. (Twitter)

• James Lafferty (Nathan, One Tree Hill) appeared on last night’s “All-American,” which is executive-produced by Greg Berlanti (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek).

• Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) made the media rounds to promote “Good Sam” again.

  • “Sophia Bush Is Casting Her ‘One Tree Hill’ Friends on “Good Sam’” (Live with Kelly and Ryan)

    • There are additional interview clips.

  • “Sophia Bush Explains Why She Pulled Her Podcast From Spotify” (ET Canada)

  • “Sophia Bush Dishes to Drew About Her Show ‘Good Sam’ and Talks Texting Gloria Steinem” (The Drew Barrymore Show)

    • There are additional interview clips, including one in which Bush reveals she bonded with Rihanna over “One Tree Hill.”

  • “Sophia Bush Hopes She’s Never Mistaken For a Real Doctor in an Emergency” (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert)

• The “Good Sam” episode guest-starring Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill) and Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley, One Tree Hill) will air on March 23. (The Futon Critic)

• Maria Menounos (Jules, One Tree Hill) opened up about “Her ‘Super Costly’ and ‘Emotionally Taxing’ Surrogacy Journey.” (People)

  • A much shorter version of this article also appears in the March 7 issue of People.

• Kesley Asbille (Gigi, One Tree Hill) and Evan Peters (Jack, One Tree Hill) lost in their respective categories at Sunday’s SAG Awards. (The Hollywood Reporter)

  • Kid Cudi, who appeared on an episode of “One Tree Hill,” was also shut out.

• Quinton Aaron (Tommy, One Tree Hill) is featured in “‘The Blind Side’ Cast: Where Are They Now?” (Us Weekly)

• LaMonica Garrett (Jerome, One Tree Hill) recalled starting his acting career with an episode of “One Tree Hill.” (Esquire)

• “One Tree Hill,” the original “Gossip Girl,” and “90210” are ranked in “The 29 best CW shows of all time,” along with other shows with TD connections. (Hidden Remote)

• One outlet is calling the book The Rumor Game “The diverse ‘Gossip Girl’ we’ve been waiting for.” (ABC10)

• Lively’s “Trainer Shared Her Fitness Routine and It’s Filled With Secrets We All Can Use.” (E! Online)

• Watch Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) in her first scene on “How I Met Your Father,” which stars Hilary Duff (Olivia, Gossip Girl). (TVLine)

• Penn Badgley (Dan, Gossip Girl) made a surprise appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” (YouTube)

• Kristen Bell (Gossip Girl, Gossip Girl) “talks couples therapy and mental health” in a new interview. (The Sunday Times)

• The original “Gossip Girl” is recommended in “10 High School Shows Like ‘Euphoria’ to Watch If You Like Messy Teen Dramas.” (TV Guide)

  • I haven’t watched the “Euphoria” season finale yet (or the preceding episode), so no spoilers, please!

  • Also on the list is “Freaks & Geeks,” another show with TD connections.

• The original and new “Gossip Girl” are briefly discussed in another “Euphoria”-centered article, “High School Forever.” (Vanity Fair)

• The “Gossip Girl” spinoff is mentioned in “Vintage Fashion’s New Role on the Small Screen.” (Business of Fashion)

• “Meet cute: Ranking 20 of TV’s most intriguing new romances” includes the Julien-Obie-Zoya triangle on the “Gossip Girl” spinoff. (Entertainment Weekly)

  • You’ll recognize a few TD stars on the list for pairings on other shows.

• Laura Benanti (Katherine, Gossip Girl spinoff) will perform at “The Spring Soirée: A Benefit for Theatre Aspen” next weekend, with direction by Todd Almond (Gideon, Gossip Girl spinoff). (Broadway World)

• Jason Gotay (Rafa, Gossip Girl spinoff) will star this week in a presentation of the new play Love and Science in the Time of HIV. (Broadway World)

• There is a short interview with Alan Ritchson (Tripp, 90210) in the February 28 issue of People.