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'Arrested Development' Film Tracker: Mega Update

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:42:21 EST

Sure, the gates of pop culture hell have been flung open today, but we're going to fend off Cerberus (he's been barking outside Defamer HQ all morning, and with three heads, it's a little noisy) until we get our Arrested Development movie, dammit! Today's update comes courtesy of one of the show's stars, who not only confirms involvement in the film but offers word of a start date, marvelously slams a current network series, and gives tentative comments on the Michael Cera imbroglio.

The current addition to the film's confirmed cast? None other than Defamer love object Jessica Walter! During an interview with PopWrap, Walter diplomatically addressed her 90210 downsizing, but immediately kicked the CW show to the curb when talk turned to the Arrested Development movie:

PW: How much have you missed working on "Arrested"?
Jessica: Now there was a show! I do miss it, I miss the people and I miss the writing. Mitch Hurwitz ["Arrested Development" creator], so brilliant!

PW: How did you get the official word?
Jessica: They called me and asked if I was on board. It was like "duh!" No question whatsoever.

PW: Are you looking forward to having the gang back together again?
Jessica: It is exciting - how they'll ever get everybody involved together, I have no idea. Luckily that's not my problem.

PW: What about rumors that Michael Cera won't be returning?
Jessica: I don't know about that, but how about him? It's funny, he's the nicest, quietest, most laid-back kid - and he was on the show too. You just didn't think that this guy was going to be a huge movie star. He was so quiet, so non-showbizzy. I mean, I'm not surprised because he's so talented, but it happened so fast - within a year.

Walter goes on to say that filming will begin in the spring or summer, provided the script is finished in time. Then, she throws a bone to the hardcore fans:

PW: I know there are a lot of gems, but does anything stand out for you as a favorite line?
Jessica: One of my favorites, because it was so delightful, was this scene in a restaurant with Portia [de Rossi] and a waitress comes over and says something about a fried or smoked sandwich, and Lucille says something like "I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it." That was just so crazy and so real - this poor little blonde trashbox waitress - that was my favorite amongst many, many brilliant pieces of dialogue.

Madam, we raise a vodka gimlet in your honor. Now if you'll excuse us, Cerberus is hungry, and the Hot Pockets? They do nothing!

Jessica Walter: 'I'll Die If Lucille Bluth Dies In The Movie!' [Popwrap]

Hold Onto Your Vodka Martini: '90210' Creators Demote Lucille Bluth

Kyle Buchanan — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:40:02 EDT

The Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise has historically not been kind to the elder relatives of its nubile teens, which is why we were a little confused when producers of the new 90210 reboot announced that they'd be casting not just parents but a grandmother. Would there really be room on the show for a regular over sixty, we wondered? Then, they hired Jessica Walter for the role and announced she'd essentially be reprising her Lucille Bluth character from Arrested Development, and suddenly all the Shannens and Jennies in the world paled in comparison. Sadly, EW's Michael Ausiello says that Walter's contract has now been slashed:

A 90210 insider says while it's true that Walter's contract option was not picked up for the second half of the season, the Arrested Development grande dame has agreed to appear on a recurring basis, her schedule permitting.

"Fans have not seen the last of Tabitha," assures executive producer Gabe Sachs. "We love Jessica."

According to my moles, the decision to take Walter off contract was made purely for financial reasons. As the show continues to evolve, it didn't make sense to, as one 90210 insider puts it, "pay her all that money to utter two funny lines an episode."

Instead, 90210 will continue to invest in headline-grabbing vets like Shannen Doherty, as well as characters that drive story, such as Jessica Lowndes' Adrianna (who was just made a series regular).

The idea that Jessica Walter might not be 90210's most valuable asset? We don't understand the question, and we won't respond to it. Reluctantly, we must drag BluthWatch '08 back out of the mothballs (and without so much as an Arrested Development movie to provide Walter with a soft landing!). Surely the producers could have found ways to incorporate Tabitha into the high school storylines — after all, aren't cougars hot right now? Perhaps we'd finally become invested in the terminally bland West Bev hunk "Ethan" if he suddenly started showing up under Tabitha's caftans. 90210 writers, consider that one a freebie.

9021-Oh No They Didn't: Jessica Walter Taken Off Contract [EW]

'90210,' Here's a Double Cheeseburger. XOXO, Penn Badgley of 'Gossip Girl'

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:25:00 EDT

Now that the all-consuming "Who's the daddy?" question has been dealt with, 90210 watchers are finally forced to find other matters of interest, and there is no issue more talked-about right now than the weight of the show's lead actresses. No, we're not talking about Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth (and we're still not talking about you, Tori): we're talkin' "Brenda 2.0" Shenae Grimes and Jessica Stroup, who plays blog maven Silver. According to Us Weekly, the two are rarely seen eating, and even actor Penn Badgley from network rival Gossip Girl has weighed in on the girls' too-thin figures (firing a shot across the bow at Los Angeles in the process):

Badgley tells PopEater exclusively that he's heard the swirl about the show's skinny starlets, and that he's "never been proponent of the thin L.A. girls." He goes on to tell us that he thinks it's "healthy" that the females on 'Gossip Girl' "aren't bone-thin." He also has solid advice for the '90210' gals: "I hope they eat a double cheeseburger or something."

Penn, you might suffer too if you ate your meals under the withering eye of a grandmother like Lucille Bluth. 90210 is simply reflecting the new reality, where a Midwestern girl landing in Beverly Hills is no longer corn-fed and healthy but emaciated, slightly meth-y, and ready to par-tay! Now, will someone pass us our daily baby carrot?

Not Just the Plot Is Thin on New '90210' [PopEater]

Are the skinny starlets of '90210' setting a bad example? [EW]

'90210': Doherty To Reveal Babydaddy, Then Depart

Kyle Buchanan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:05:00 EDT

Why, it seems like just the other day that 90210 had us asking, "Who's the father of Kelly Taylor's towheaded love child?" It was a question we didn't expect to be solved until producers had milked every drop from the guessing game — either that, or until they could finally lure back Jason Priestly for a hirsute, highly-paid cameo. However, according to People, the 90210 team plans to unveil the child's paternity even without a guest spot locked up, and they're planning to do it soon — real soon:

The father of Kelly’s 4-year-old son Sammy will finally be revealed on Tuesday’s episode of 90210, PEOPLE has learned. And Brenda will be the one spilling the beans!

Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Kelly (Jennie Garth) will be having a serious conversation about Sammy’s dad when Brenda reveals his name.

In another twist, the show’s executive producer Gabe Sachs told PEOPLE that there’s a “possibility” the baby’s father could appear on a future episode.

Sadly, Doherty will skedaddle soon after delivering the news: she's turned down offered from producers to extend her four-episode stay, though Garth has reportedly signed on for more. No word yet, though, on whether Priestly, Luke Perry, or Ian Ziering have been reapproached to sign on for a babydaddy arc. If they're not available, may we suggest Lucille Bluth as the mystery parent? Sure, it makes no logical sense, but dammit, Jessica Walter needs some more martini-swilling screen time. BluthWatch '08!

[Photo Credit: Michael Diamond/Desmond/The CW]

90210 Scoop: The Father of Kelly’s Son to Be Revealed on Next Week’s Episode [People]

Enjoy Your DVDs, Because Michael Cera Is Vetoing The 'Arrested Development' Movie

Kyle Buchanan — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Why, it seems like it was only yesterday (or 2003) that actor Michael Cera was just an unassuming Bluth, content to run the family banana stand and do whatever was asked of him by Jason Bateman with a minimum of protest. Today, however, Cera is a fledgling movie star, with two big hits on his resume (Superbad and Juno) and a romantic comedy (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) yet to come. It's while he was promoting the latter that he broke ranks with Bateman for the first time, shooting down the idea that the Arrested Development movie would film next year and stating that he wouldn't want to be a part of it anyway. Says the National Post:

What he won't be doing any time soon is a movie version of a certain quirky TV show. He hasn't heard of any plans for an Arrested Development film.

"I don't think I would want to see a movie of the series if I was a fan, anyway," Cera says. "And I don't really see a need for it if you can get the three seasons on DVD."

Michael, the mere fact that you say there's "no need" for an Arrested Development movie tells us that you're not ready for the vocal protest that's bound to ensue from shocked fans. Let's all hope this is just a bit of negotiations hardball designed to bump up the salary for Arrested Development's most unexpectedly bankable performer — otherwise, we'll have to bring back BluthWatch '08. And this time, it's personal.

Michael Cera: A superstar? Aw, shucks [National Post]

'90210': Meet the New Brenda, Who Can't. Stop. Smiling!

Kyle Buchanan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:10:00 EDT

Perhaps you've heard, but a little show called 90210 premiered last night on the CW (to record ratings) and nobody is happier about it than lead actress Shenae Grimes, the smilingest girl who ever smiled. Though she's ostensibly playing the show's Brenda Walsh archetype, Grimes eschewed Shannen Doherty's near-goth hauteur to deliver two hours of the biggest, widest, most non-stop smiling since Denise Richards grinned her way through Starship Troopers. With the help of videographer Molly McAleer, we've assembled a montage of Grimes compulsively flashing those pearly whites; whether she's flirting with the school bad boy, bantering with a terrifyingly well-preserved Lori Loughlin, or wondering, "Gee, doesn't this high school seem like it came out of a generic Anytown, USA rather than a truly decadent Beverly Hills," Grimes simply can't stop beaming. Shenae, we're sorry — but like bad-girl blogger Silver, we're simply speaking the truth. Don't worry, we're still BFF's. Catch you at The Pit? [The CW]

If '90210' Won't Bring Lucille Bluth To Us, We'll Bring Lucille Bluth to '90210'

Kyle Buchanan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:25:00 EDT

Here at Defamer HQ, we hope we've made our feelings clear on the new 90210 redo: you can give us all the Shannens and Jennies (but not Toris) you want, but the real reason we'll be watching is because of actress Jessica Walter. Cast as the alcohol-addled 90210 matriarch Tabitha, Walter is practically reprising her role as Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development — and until the big-screen AD movie comes, we'll take whatever we can get. Our ongoing crusade for more Walter footage (hereby known as Bluthwatch '08) has thus far fallen on deaf CW ears, and when we saw the network's new Shannen Doherty promo last week, we knew it was time to take matters into our own hands. With the help of Molly McAleer (and Hulu), we've cut together our own 90210 promo touting the show's real icon. Won't you join us in a chicken dance of anticipation? [The CW]

WATCH VIDEO

Shannen Doherty, 'Icon', Wants To Know If You Miss Her

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EDT

Though the new 90210 has booked Jennie Garth for a major recurring role and relegated Shannen Doherty to only a handful of episodes, it's the latter who merits "icon" status according to this brand-new CW promo. In it, Doherty shows up in special new footage taped just for you (but not for you, Tori), coyly flipping her hair as she asks the camera, "Miss me?" While we do, Shannen, we must remind you that there's someone in the 90210 cast who tops even you in our estimation: Jessica Walter, aka Lucille freakin' Bluth. While we're certain that she's the last actor the CW cares to build a promo around (even Mark the Cobrasnake would probably get one first), to us, she's the show's true, alcoholic icon. CW, hear our cry for footage of Walter, or we'll be forced to mount a "Save our Bluths" campaign the likes of which even EW cannot contain. [The CW]

9021-Uh Oh! Bad news for television critics...

Kyle Buchanan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:35:00 EDT

9021-Uh Oh! Bad news for television critics accustomed to reviewing fall TV shows early: according to Variety, the CW will not be sending out any advance screeners of its highly anticipated 90210 pilot. "We're not hiding anything," says the network in a statement, "simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02 [ed. note: see what they did there?], riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time." Is the CW covering something up, or are they just following an increasingly critic-hostile trend? We'll give them a pass today, if only because they've finally released a photo of Jessica Walter (holding a drink!) as Lucille Bluth...we mean, "Tabitha." [Variety]