While some weeks are slower than others, there’s also a lot that can happen in a week (or two).
After my vacation, we have a ton to get to, so let’s get right on with it!
SAG-AFTRA Strike Update
News and notes…
It’s been status quo with the rewatch podcasts: “9021OMG” has still yet to acknowledge the strike is even happening, while “Drama Queens” is alternating rewatch installments with “23 Questions” editions with guests.
“90s Con” is still scheduled to take place this weekend with all previously announced “Beverly Hills, 90210” cast members still slated to attend and participate in a panel.
As a reminder, here are the rules regarding what is and isn’t permissible at conventions: long version / short version.
Alan Toy (Professor Finley, Beverly Hills, 90210) posted a photo of himself on the picket line. (Facebook)
James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek), Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek), and John Wesley Shipp (Mitch, Dawson’s Creek) all recently participated in GalaxyCon in Austin, and I appreciated how this article explained that their appearances could not “be presented as a Dawson’s Creek reunion.” (The Austin Chronicle)
Warner Bros. TV suspended its overall deal with Greg Berlanti (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek) due to the writers strike. (Deadline)
Berlanti has launched a $500,000 strike relief fund for support staff and below-the-line workers who worked on Berlanti Productions projects, and he’ll also be making additional donations to other strike-related funds. (Deadline)
Cast and crew members from “The O.C.” reunited for an “O.C.”-themed day of picketing.
Melinda Clarke (Julie, The O.C.) shared photos. (Instagram)
Donovan did an interview from the picket line. (HELLO!)
Michelle Hurd (Ms. Fisher, The O.C. / Laurel, Gossip Girl / Rachel, 90210) joined fellow “Star Trek” cast and crew members for a themed picketing day. (Deadline)
Cullen Moss (Junk, One Tree Hill) is part of the cast of Rebel Girl, which was recently filming in Minnesota after getting a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement. (Star Tribune / Facebook)
Moss also revealed his participation in another approved project, Gaia. (Facebook)
Penn Badgley (Dan, Gossip Girl) was photographed on the picket line. (Deadline)
CBS Studios suspended its overall deal with Lis Rowinski (co-executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff) due to the writers strike. (Variety)
Elaine Loh (writer, Gossip Girl spinoff) participated in a roundtable discussion about mini-rooms — one of the issues at play in the writers strike. (The Wrap)
I’ve been confused seeing Trevor Donovan (Teddy, 90210) repeatedly share posts promoting A Harvest Homecoming, as the project isn’t listed on the SAG-AFTRA interim agreements list. (Twitter / Facebook)
Donovan even tweeted yesterday, “Hey y’all, seeing your efforts to spread the love for #AHarvestHomecoming has been SO heartwarming. Even with me unable to do as much due to the current strike, you’ve all stepped up... and it means everything. Seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart. - TD.”
This just confused me even more — “unable to do as much”? It’s really unclear to me what he can and can’t do regarding this project.
In contrast, I haven’t seen any posts from Donovan’s co-star Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna, 90210). However, I am not sure what agreement the film was produced under, as I don’t even see it in the union’s signatory database.
In any case, look no further than the recent Selena Gomez controversy to see the backlash that can ensue over seemingly strikebreaking promotion. (Variety)
Teen Drama Links for September 12, 2023
Listicle Links
Reminder: All lists and articles relate to the teen dramas or teen drama stars in some way.
“26 Actors Who Did Such A Good Job With A Character, You Kinda Can’t See Them As Anything Else” (BuzzFeed)
“Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson Are Already New York Fashion Week’s Hottest Couple” (People)
“10 Reasons Jack & Jen Are The True Soulmates Of Dawson’s Creek” (Screen Rant)
“Marissa’s Death Was A Massive Turning Point For The OC (& Forced It To Be Better)” (Screen Rant)
“How Old The O.C. Cast Was Compared To Their Characters” (Screen Rant)
Related: How the Teen Dramas Affect the Way We See Physical Appearances (TDW)
“9 Stars From ‘The O.C.’ Are Parents, & So Many of Them Have Shared Family Photos!” (JustJared)
“On the joy of rewatching The OC, a worse show than I remembered” (British GQ)
“‘The OC’ didn’t talk down to teens, but it gave Tijuana a bad rap” (KCRW)
“10 Best Characters in One Tree Hill” (CBR)
“One Tree Hill Stars Who Went On To Be In Hallmark Movies” (The List)
“The 10 Wealthiest ‘Gossip Girl’ Characters, Ranked” (Collider)
“Every Friend Group Has A Blair And Serena — Which Are You?” (Brit + Co)
“How Old The Gossip Girl Cast Was Compared To Their Characters” (Screen Rant)
“Every Time the ‘Gossip Girl’ Cast Has Reunited Over the Years” (People)
“9 of the best TV shows to indulge your inner teen” (Stylist)
“12 Frustrating TV Show Couples That Never Got Together” (Screen Rant)
“16 Netflix Shows With Awesome Gay Characters” (Pride)
Related: The Evolution of LGBTQ Teen Drama Characters (TDW)
“8 Film & Television Characters Who Are Total Style Goals!” (Young Hollywood)
“20 TV characters known for their incredible style” (Yardbarker)
“The 25 coolest TV characters of all time” (Yardbarker)
“10 Actors We Think Should Play Hercules in the Live-Action Remake” (Movieweb)
“20 Guilty Pleasure TV Shows Some People Can’t Admit They Like” (Movieweb)
“The 20 Best TV Shows with Slow-Burn Romance” (Movieweb)
“30 Great TV Shows That Had Spin-Offs You May Have Forgotten About” (Cinemablend)
Related: The Teen Drama Spinoffs (TDW)
“6 Shows Like ‘Euphoria’ If You Like Gritty Teen Dramas” (The Messenger)
“10 Shows Like ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ to Watch Next” (The Wrap)
“The 10 best shows like ‘And Just Like That…’” (We Got This Covered)
“The Best & Worst TV Recasts of All Time” (TVLine)
“Most Romantic TV Rain Kisses of All Time: From ‘HSMTMTS’ to ‘Outer Banks’” (Us Weekly)
“The Best Romance Shows on Prime Video Right Now” (Collider)
“The Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes to Watch Instead of Football” (House Beautiful)
A little early for this, no?
Related: Teen Drama Thanksgiving Episodes (TDW)
“Get To Know The Actors Behind Mel, Jack, & More Of Your Favorite ‘Virgin River’ Characters (Romper)
I can’t overlook the mistake here…
“10 Shows to Watch After You’ve Binge-Watched ‘Virgin River’” (People)
“Celebs You Never Realized Got Their Start On The Young And The Restless” (The List)
Best of the Rest
Netflix announced release dates for several films with teen drama connections. (Deadline)
Missed this last month: Several stars with teen drama connections are part of new Audible Originals series. (The Hollywood Reporter)
A “Beverly Hills, 90210” channel has launched on the Australian version of Pluto TV, powered by 10Play. (AdNews)
Such a channel already exists on the U.S. edition of Pluto, of course.
Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) was a guest judge on last week’s “Battle of the Decades.” (Food Network)
LOL at this description: “1993’s timeless tv show ‘90210’”
Today, Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210), partner Sharna Burgess, and Randy Spelling (Kenny / Ryan, Beverly Hills, 90210) are launching a podcast called “Old-ish.” (iHeart)
I find it hilarious that Green is partnering on a podcast with Randy when he won’t even appear on “9021OMG” with Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills, 90210). Guess we know which Spelling sibling Green prefers these days.
FWIW, Tori commented on Randy’s Instagram announcement: “I’m soooooo proud of all 3 of you!!! Yesssss this will be amazing xo.”
Hard eye-roll at the opening line in the podcast’s description: “Brian Austin Green spent 10 years as the star of 90210.”
Green was eliminated on the season premiere of Australia’s “The Masked Singer.” (Yahoo)
He previously competed on the American version.
In the wake of his elimination, Green was interviewed on Australia’s “The Project.” (YouTube)
Before production wrapped, Green spoke about filming Chasing Midnight in Canada. (Edmonton Journal)
This is the first mention I’ve seen of Green filming Cape Holly Christmas earlier this year — we’ll have to see if and where that gets distribution this holiday season.
Green received a lot of negative comments for posting about a (super-expensive) preventive full-body scan he got. (Instagram)
If you’re interested in this topic, this was a read good: “Wealthy People Are Getting Full-Body Scans. Early Detection or Unnecessary?” (The Wall Street Journal)
Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea, Beverly Hills, 90210) stars in a new scripted podcast called “The Murder Years.” (iHeartMedia)
Tiffani Thiessen (Valerie, Beverly Hills, 90210) revealed the full slate of dates for her book tour. (Instagram)
Fans can also sign up for Thissen’s “launch team” for special perks. (Worthy Publishing)
Thiessen was on the “Whine Down” podcast, hosted by Jana Kramer (Portia, 90210 / Alex, One Tree Hill). (Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay Price (Janet, Beverly Hills, 90210) and husband Curtis Stone renewed their vows for their 10th anniversary. (Instagram)
Ordinary Angels, starring Hilary Swank (Carly, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Alan Ritchson (Tripp, 90210), no longer has a release date. (Deadline)
Watch a new trailer for the film. (YouTube)
I received a pitch (likely due to my day job) to interview Dean Cain (Rick, Beverly Hills, 90210) about his investments in gold and other assorted financial advice. I will be passing for a number of reasons, but I was greatly amused by the email.
Shawn Levy (Howard, Beverly Hills, 90210) did a number of interviews while at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he received the inaugural Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award.
“Director Shawn Levy on the ‘Deadpool 3’ ending and the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman bromance” (Los Angeles Times)
“Shawn Levy Provides Update On ‘Deadpool 3’; Marvel Threequel In The Spirit Of ‘Midnight Run,’ ’48 Hours’” (Deadline)
“Deadpool 3 director says ‘army of nerdiest nerds’ worked on Hugh Jackman’s comic-accurate Wolverine suit” (Entertainment Weekly)
“All the Light We Cannot See director Shawn Levy reveals changes from book, cutting ‘deeply upsetting scenes’ for TV” (Entertainment Weekly)
Also: “Page to screen: All the Light We Cannot See director breaks down 5 key scenes” (Entertainment Weekly)
“Shawn Levy Addresses Rumour He’s Directing ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’” (ET Canada)
“Shawn Levy Confirms He Is Returning to Direct For ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5” (Collider)
FYI: Collider broke up their interview with Levy into like 10 different articles, so the above is just one example.
Ashley Tisdale (Nicole, Beverly Hills, 90210) was sued over a 2022 car accident. (TMZ)
Jensen Ackles (CJ, Dawson’s Creek) and Danneel Ackles (Rachel, One Tree Hill) were sued by a crew member of “The Winchesters” who was struck by lightning while filming the show, which they executive-produced. (Deadline)
Kevin Williamson (creator, Dawson’s Creek) was on the “Happy Horror Time” podcast. (Apple Podcasts)
Busy Philipps (Audrey, Dawson’s Creek) did interviews for another partnership, this one with Babybel. (Ad Age)
“Busy Philipps and Babybel Goodness Land celebrate flavorful playtime” (FoodSided)
“Busy Philipps Reveals the Secret To Spending Quality Screen-Free Time With Her Kids & Wait, It’s That Easy?” (SheKnows)
Jack Huston spoke about working with Michael Pitt (Henry, Dawson’s Creek) for his feature directorial debut, Day of the Fight. (Deadline)
Ouch: “For many, Huston is off to a flying start with the casting of Michael Pitt, a terrific actor rescued from a life of Dawson’s Creek himbo-dom...” (Deadline)
Another week, another set of interviews with Ben McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.) about his book.
“How a 2000s teen heart-throb found himself investigating stock market fraud” (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Interesting: “Now that the book is out, McKenzie is turning his hand to making a documentary, using the footage captured when researching for the book.”
“‘As bad as I feared’: Actor Ben McKenzie warns of crypto investments” (BNN Bloomberg)
“‘The biggest Ponzi of all time’: why Ben McKenzie became a crypto critic” (The New Statesman)
“‘Red flags’: Star lifts lid on FTX crypto fraud case” (Daily Telegraph)
“Ben McKenzie Really Doesn’t Want You to Invest in Crypto” (Men’s Health)
Mischa Barton (Marissa, The O.C.) was on the cover of the September 3 issue of Stellar to discuss why she “said yes to surprise Neighbours role.” (Daily Telegraph)
Also: “New Neighbours star previews ‘hot and heavy’ scenes with The OC’s Mischa Barton!” (What to Watch)
And: “‘My son’s going to watch it now Mischa Barton’s on board!’ Stars of the souped-up cinematic Neighbours reboot reveal all” (The Guardian)
Watch a clip of Barton on the show. (Daily Mail)
Shailene Woodley (Kaitlin, The O.C.) signed with CAA for agency representation. (Deadline)
Watch Woodley in the trailer for Ferrari. (YouTube)
Ashley Benson (Riley, The O.C.) gave a tour of her home for Architectural Digest. (Architectural Digest)
McG (executive producer, The O.C.) discussed his latest directorial project — and the possibility of returning to a previous franchise.
“McG teases ‘meta’ nods to 13 Going on 30 in Jennifer Garner body-swap comedy Family Switch” (Entertainment Weekly)
“McG is open to returning for Charlie’s Angels 3: ‘Maybe we’ve got one left in us’” (Entertainment Weekly)
Josh Schwartz (creator, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff) and Stephanie Savage (executive producer, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff) are founding members of The Creative Collective, a new initiative from SuperBloom House. (Variety)
Hulu is marking the 20th anniversaries of “The O.C.” and “One Tree Hill,” among other shows. (The Futon Critic)
Samuel’s Sweet Shop, co-owned by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Joe, The O.C.) and Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill), is featured in the “Food Lovers’ Travel Guide” in the September 11 issue of People. (People)
Watch a new trailer for “Sullivan’s Crossing,” starring Chad Michael Murray (Lucas, One Tree Hill). (People)
Murray promoted this on Instagram and I think the reason that’s okay is because of the SAG-AFTRA contract the show was produced under, but I’m honestly not sure.
Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) will participate in Epic Cons Chicago in March. (Instagram)
Other scheduled guests include Nikki Reed (Sadie, The O.C.), Kayla Ewell (Casey, The O.C.), Kat Graham (Kim, The O.C.), Susan Walters (Principal Rimkus, One Tree Hill), and Kellan Lutz (George, 90210). (Epic Cons)
Several other events Epic Cons has in the works for this year and next also feature teen drama stars.
Bush and her business partner Nia Linder Batts wrote an op-ed about period poverty and their investment in Aunt Flow. (Teen Vogue)
Bush is selling her clothing through a partnership with Corri McFadden. (Google Forms Sign-Up)
Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley, One Tree Hill) did another interview about her time in a cult. (E! Online)
Lenz did a series of Instagram Lives last week for the launch of Modern Vintage News. (Instagram)
“Pearson,” starring Lenz and Gina Torres (Gabriela, Gossip Girl), is now streaming exclusively on Peacock. (TVLine)
Check out the first look at Kelsey Asbille (Gigi, One Tree Hill) in Don’t Move. (Variety)
Torrey DeVitto (Carrie, One Tree Hill) is engaged to Jared LaPine. (Us Weekly)
DeVitto was previously married to Paul Wesley (Donnie, The O.C.).
Maria Menounos (Jules, One Tree Hill) did interviews tied to her partnership with RXBAR. (PR Newswire)
“Maria Menounos Says Motherhood Is ‘Heaven’ After ‘Manifesting’ Daughter Athena” (People)
“Maria Menounos on How Her Priorities Changed Since Becoming a Mom” (Distractify)
“Maria Menounos Reveals How Daughter Athena Changed Every Last One of Her Priorities” (E! Online)
“New mom Maria Menounos opens up about NOT choosing fear amid health battles” (Today)
“Maria Menounos struggled for years to be a mom. Now she says daughter Athena ‘is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me.’” (Yahoo)
“Maria Menounos Shares the Unbelievable Sign She Saw Right Before She Became a Mom” (Parade)
“Maria Menounos Gushes Over Daughter Athena’s Latest Milestones: She’s a ‘Very Advanced Little Girl’” (Us Weekly)
“Maria Menounos Says Daughter Athena Brings ‘A Lot of Light’ Into Her Home” (PopCulture)
Unrelated to the above, Menounos also did an interview reflecting on her two weddings. (People)
Texas Battle (Tony, One Tree Hill) will participate in Friends With Benefit’s charity basketball game in November. (Facebook)
The event, previously part of the postponed “‘One Tree Hill’ 20th Anniversary Weekend,’” has been retitled: “20in23 Fundraiser Celebration.”
John D. Kretschmer (production designer, One Tree Hill) recalled designing the set for Karen’s Cafe on “One Tree Hill.” (The Messenger)
Kretschmer was also a production designer on “Dawson’s Creek.”
Taylor Momsen (Jenny, Gossip Girl) was on the “Podcrushed” podcast, hosted by Badgley. (YouTube)
Badgley will be among the first guests on Kevin Bacon’s “Six Degrees” podcast. (iHeartMedia)
Kelly Rutherford (Lily, Gossip Girl) did a wide-ranging interview about her career. (Greek City Times)
Rutherford is on the cover of L’Officiel Austria’s Autumn issue. (L’Officiel)
“How I Met Your Father,” starring Hilary Duff (Olivia, Gossip Girl) and featuring Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl), was canceled by Hulu. (TVLine)
This is disturbing: Billy Baldwin (William, Gossip Girl) wrote a letter of support for Danny Masterson after Masterson was convicted of rape. (The Underground Bunker)
Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, is Baldwin’s sister-in-law.
Aaron Tveit (Tripp, Gossip Girl) will stage “An Evening with Aaron Tveit” at The Bushnell in November. (Patch)
Tveit and Laura Benanti (Katherine, Gossip Girl spinoff) will participate in next week’s “Broadway for Biden” fundraiser concert. (Deadline)
Thomas Kail, husband of Michelle Williams (Jen, Dawson’s Creek), is on the event’s host committee.
Johnathan Fernandez (Nick, Gossip Girl spinoff) is participating in St. Jude’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month campaign. (Business Wire)
“Panhandle,” starring Luke Kirby (Davis, Gossip Girl spinoff), was removed from Roku as part of a streaming purge. (Deadline)
Lowndes announced her new single “Right Now” will drop next week. (Instagram)
Rumer Willis (Gia, 90210) performed on the season premiere of “The Masked Singer.” (YouTube)
John Schneider (Jeffrey, 90210) opened up about his wife’s passing.
“John Schneider Tears Up Talking About Losing His Wife Alicia to Cancer: ‘I Miss Every Damn Thing’” (People)
A version of this story also appears in the magazine’s September 11 issue.
“John Schneider Shares the ‘Lie I Had to Tell’ in His Last Words to Wife Alicia Before Her Death” (People)
“John Schneider Reveals His New (and First) Tattoo in Honor of Late Wife Alicia: ‘It Makes Me Smile’” (People)
“The Bittersweet Way John Schneider Made Sure His Late Wife Was Present at Her Daughter’s Wedding” (People)
“‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider Says His New Album Is a Tribute to Late Wife Who Died of Breast Cancer” (Inside Edition)
“Actor John Schneider on losing wife: ‘We will be reunited’” (NewsNation)