SUCK. Jessica Walter leaving.

This super sucks. All the characters I love the best (ok, the only characters I can tolerate without wigging out in sucky-acting induced rage) are disappearing. First Shannen Doherty leaves and then will only come back for 2 episodes, and now Jessica Walter, the incomparable Tabitha, has not renewed her contract and will be appearing only sporadically.

This probably isn’t a secret trick to start a spinoff starring Brenda and Tabitha as drunk bitches on the run, right? Because that would RULE.

Brenda will be back!!

Thank heavens, Shannen Doherty has signed something to appear on 2 additional episodes. This is good, but insufficient. She needs to sign something promising to appear in any future episode of 90210 ever shot because frankly, none of the new characters are interesting and the only thrill is getting to see Brenda’s progression. I guess 2 episodes is better than nothing…

Old cast members coming back!

Well, probably. Well, kind of.

Jason Priestly is coming back – to direct. Which he did both before and after his character left BH90210, so I don’t see why he couldn’t just get in front of the camera and act like Brandon again. I mean really. If you’re going to be on set, what is preventing you from actually being on the show?!

In better news, Shannen Doherty is in talks to appear in a few more episodes. We’re still not talking series regular, but I’ll take any more Brenda that I can get.

The cast rockin’ out

Here’s some of the cast (Shannen Doherty, Tristan Wilds, and Ryan Eggold) at a party for the new Rock Band. They look like they’re having such fun and are all dressed well! What an amazing achievement!!

Outfit check: Shannen Doherty Vegas red carpet

Here’s Ms. Shannen in Vegas at the opening of the Lavo restaurant or something. And frankly, she looks a little tired, like she maybe should have taken a nap beforehand. Has she forgotten the rigorous press and exposure schedule of a primetime TV actress? The requirement to stay in the public eye and consciousness? She needs to be more prepared for this if she wants her comeback to work.

• Black cowlneck minidress – cute enough, dangerously sheer in the bust but at least she wore a bra. Not quite sure what’s going on with the bottom hem. (Nina Garcia would call this shoddy workmanship.) But this is a dress that I would wear out. I am not a CW actress. People do not put photos of me and my outfits on their blogs for discussion. Get a real dress.
• I am also bored by those shoes.
• The gold jewelry is nice but unremarkable.
• The green clutch is nice, a good pop of color, but nowhere near enough to make a difference overall.

Overall: C for consider if you really want this, Shannen, and if so, step it up.

Shannen at the grocery store

Here’s Shannen leaving a grocery store in Malibu, CA, on September 15th. Not a fancy grocery store, either. All we can really tell from this photo is a) she doesn’t bother getting dressed up to go to the store, b) she really likes Corona beer, and c) she should maybe brush her hair.

Outfit check: Shannen out and about

Here’s Shannen and some (unfortunate) guy out and about. It’s unusual to see her smiling like this, so she must be excited that people care about her and where she goes and what she wears again. It’s also clear that she’s not used to being photographed out and about or she probably would have made sure that her outfit, like, made sense if she expected it to be documented and publicized. Tip for Shannen: you are probably going to be getting paparazzied more often now, especially if you do the smart thing and extend your 90210 contract. So be aware.

• Hat: trendy, meh. Neither great nor awful. May distract some from her wonky eye without having to use Brenda-esque bangs?
• Sweater vest. It’s not actually buttoned wrong, although it looks like it in this photo. It’s cute enough but doesn’t really do much for her and looks a bit baggy and shapeless around the torso. Maybe with some crisp pants or something?
• Jean skirt – I actually really like this jean skirt in the grey wash, but putting it with a baggy sweater vest that’s a slightly different shade of grey isn’t really helping.
• Tan ankle boots – we all know that neutral shoes help elongate the legs and make people look taller. And her legs do look great. But again, it seems like these shoes are from a different outfit and I can’t understand why she’s wearing them with all of this.

Overall: good pieces, bad combination. Best element – that smile! She can smile! B-

Shannen gets a clue

Shannen Doherty is going back on earlier claims that she would definitely be leaving the show after the 4 episodes of her original contract. Now, her rep is saying that “if The CW comes back with an offer for additional episodes, she’s happy to consider it.”

Glad someone talked some sense into her. (And glad the show has a potential for being interesting!)

Jessica Stroup is a pro

Here’s Jessica on working with the returning 90210 cast:

Jennie Garth: “Coming from where I’m from, I love my privacy and security and my friends, but being in the entertainment industry, I have to understand that I’ve never hit a mark where the press wants to know who I am. I welcome it, and I’m excited about it, and hopefully it means that I’m doing good work. I talked to Jennie about it. On one of our longest days, I was kind of in a daze in the makeup and hair trailer and she came over and said “You know, kid, you’re doing great and I’m proud of you, and I’m excited to work on the show with you.” So she’s kind of like a big sister to in me in real life.”

Shannen Doherty: “Shannen is hilarious. At our launch party, she came in, and people were wondering, “Where’s the drama?” There is no drama; they’re over it. I love hanging out with Shannen; she just cracks me up.”

That’s how you do it, SHENAE.

Shannen still sucks

Would anyone know who Shannen Doherty was if she hadn’t been on 90210? She’d done a little bit of Little House on the Prairie and Our House, but wasn’t anything close to being a star when she got cast on the original show. Everything she’s done since then was based on her 90210 fame, including her stint on Charmed. So why can’t she just get it together to stay on the new 90210???

Well, she can’t. Per EW, she signed on for only 4 episodes – and yes, the 5 minutes of screen time she had in ep 2 counts as one of those episodes – and will not sign on to any more. Jenny Garth originally was signed to do 6 episodes and just signed to do at least 5 in addition to the original 6. Shannen, although she’s apparently been asked by the producers to sign on for additional episodes, “couldn’t commit to more” because she’s “in the middle of pitching a show.”

WHAT POSSIBLE SHOW. How to use bangs to camoflauge a wonky eye? How to alienate fellow cast members and producers? A retrospective of the unfortunate men she’s been with? THERE IS NO SHOW THAT COULD BE MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO HER THAN THIS ONE.

There is a possibility that it’s because she doesn’t seem to be all that popular on the current set, especially with Ms. Goody Goody Shenae, who I am starting to dislike almost as much as I do her character. A source told the National Enquirer that ““(Shenae) actually referred to Shannen as an ‘effin bitch’ and said from the first moment Shannen walked onto the set she’s been acting like she’s special. Shenae was saying that Shannen talks down to the costume designers and caterers like they’re her servants and prances around the set like she’s Hollywood royalty.”

First of all, Shannen should pop that girl right in the mouth. Shannen IS special. Second of all, shape up, Shannen, and stop making me agree with this awful Shenae girl. This is your best shot. Get with it.