'90210's' new trailer: Rich girls gone wild

It has felt like ages since the last new episode of "90210"! Are you all chomping at the bit for the show's return March 9? I know I can't wait to get into it with all of you again.

Since the last episode, Rob Estes announced he's leaving, but Gilmore Girls' alum Scott Patterson and Mexican pop star Diego Boneta have joined the season.

The CW just released a new trailer, and it's just dramalicious.

Here are some of the exciting scenes squeezed into less than 50 seconds: Who's after Annie? Naomi loses it on the beach. Navid goes off on Ade, or is it Teddy? And more!

Check out the trailer below:

Which storylines are you most looking forward to?

-- Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

'90210': The CW confirms Rob Estes is leaving the show [Updated]

It’s strange to see “90210’s” adult cast members making more news than their younger costars.

Earlier this week, original “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum Jennie Garth hinted that she’s moving on from the CW spinoff. Now the network confirms that Rob Estes (who plays Wilson patriarch, Harry) is leaving the show.

A CW spokesperson confirmed to Show Tracker that the former soap star and original “Melrose Place” actor will now be the former “90210” actor, as well.

"This is Rob's last season," a "90210" representative confirms. "He's a talented actor, and we couldn't have asked for a better Harry Wilson."

The "90210" representative also told Show Tracker that viewers will soon understand Estes' reason for leaving.

'90210': 'Gilmore Girls' alum Scott Patterson joins cast as Liam's dad

In another casting coup for “90210,” Show Tracker just got confirmation from The CW that former “Gilmore Girls” actor Scott Patterson has been cast as Liam’s biological father.

“90210’s” show runner, Rebecca Sinclair, was a producer on “Gilmore Girls,” and the industry has been looking for her to bring that magic to the new ZIP Code. The media bounced around Scott Patterson's name in 2008, as “90210” was still firming up its cast, to play Wilson dad Harry. That role, of course, went to Rob Estes. This news follows another high-profile casting earlier this year, when Sinclair brought on former model and film actress Kelly Lynch to play Ivy’s mother.

Patterson spent seven years on “Gilmore Girls,” his character in a tumultuous relationship with lead character Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham. 

What kind of magic can he bring to “90210”? “Gilmore Girls” and “90210” fans, let us know in the comments section below.

-- Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

Related:

Exclusive: Kelly Lynch cast as Ivy's mom on '90210'
‘90210’: When school freezes over
Complete ‘90210’ coverage on Show Tracker

Photo: Scott Patterson. Credit: Getty Images

'90210': When school freezes over

This week’s episode was the much-anticipated Winter Wonderland formal. I was excited about this episode for several reasons. First, “90210’s” costume designer, Frank Helmer, told me they outdid themselves on this one: ballerina waitresses, gorgeous dresses on our starlets, and it snows! Also, we all know that West Bev never throws a boring party – at least plot-wise. This week, a lot of the storylines that we’ve been following all season have taken awesome twists.

Jasper’s clock seems to be ticking. Thank you, “90210.” I can’t stand the guy. After Navid’s realization that Jasper (Zachary Ray Sherman) is the one who pushed him down the stairs, he has been on a mission to expose Jasper as a drug dealer. Navid’s motivation is further bolstered by his desire to get Annie (Shenae Grimes) out of her insane relationship with the grease monkey.  When Navid (Michael Steger) approaches Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) about going public about buying drugs from Jasper, she says no. She’s still on probation for last season’s drug foray, so she could be expelled if she comes clean. I thought that was incredibly selfish of her, but she redeemed herself later.

At the formal, Navid gathers an impressive crew (including a very apologetic Naomi) for an Annie intervention. After Dixon (Tristan Wilds) lures her in, they let her have it. She totally doesn’t believe them until Ade makes an appearance and confirms that she has bought drugs from Jasper. Go ahead, Ade!

Later, when Annie confronts Jasper about the drug dealing, he admits to all of it. Here’s the twist: He then tells her that he knows she killed his uncle! How he knows, I’m not sure, but I can’t wait to find out. Could it be the fact that she broke out in tears every time he mentioned his uncle? Regardless, Jasper may be impetuous, but he’s not stupid.

Liam “shows his heart”...

'90210': Jen gets hers, Navid and Ade wake up and reconciliation runs rampant

After taking the week off, this week’s "90210" was a game changer! Even though I enjoyed seeing Jen get her just deserts, there were a lot of writing problems in this episode. I’ll mention them as I review this week’s biggest clashes.

The Surf Team vs. Jen
After giving us weeks to think of ways for the Surf Team to foil Jen, I have to say they kept me guessing as they went all "Ocean’s Eleven" on the older Clark. After overhearing Jen (Sara Foster) talking about her horse’s race with Ryan (Ryan Eggold), Ivy (Gillian Zinser) began hatching the plan.

At the race, Jen overhears the team talking about restoring the recording of her confession on Liam’s phone (Writing fault No.1: There was no reason to create a side story about restoring the message for Jen’s sake. She had no idea it existed in the first place. All the writers had to do was mention that a recording existed). Meanwhile, Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) receives present after expensive present from a secret admirer. Afterward, the guy who had been delivering the presents leads Naomi to a private room to finally meet her benefactor. Outside the room, Liam (Matt Lanter), who strategically led Jen to that spot, goads her into confessing the whole sorry prom night debacle. Naomi can’t believe what she’s hearing, bursts out of the room and tells Jen that she never wants to see her again. Maybe the only downer in that situation was the Surf Team handing out high fives as Naomi bawls her eyes out. Nice, people. Really sensitive.

As Jen does her walk of shame, she runs into Ryan. He informs her that Dixon (Tristan Wilds) told him that she had slept with Naomi’s boyfriend, an unnamed high school kid. As he’s talking to her, the man that Jen bought the horse from approaches and congratulates her on purchasing a winning horse (Writing fault No. 2: How convenient that the guy walks up just then). Ryan, who hasn’t been showing his intelligence much recently, actually puts it all together and concludes that Jen bought the horse with Naomi’s money without her knowing and slept with Naomi's boyfriend. For those reasons, he dumps her. Plus, she sucked at camping.

While I enjoyed the unveiling of the Surf Team’s plot and Jen’s downfall, there were a couple things that bugged me...

Behind '90210's' SoCal style: Costume designer Frank Helmer reveals the secrets of his trade

This season, “90210” decided to celebrate its Southern California locale by making over everything from the sets to the stars.

“Our manifesto was to make our show the representation of Southern California style,” explains Frank Helmer, “90210’s” costume designer.

“It’s not just pulling whatever the latest fashion page is and putting it on the screen, although that’s part of it. It’s also interpreting it for each of the characters, which is the main thing I do as a costume designer.” 

Click on the photo (above) to see a gallery of Helmer's most winning looks this season.

Before joining “90210,” Helmer made a name for himself styling popular teen films like “Epic Movie,” “D.E.B.S.,” and “Herbie Fully Loaded,” starring Lindsay Lohan. When he was presented with the challenge of applying his talents to TV and amping up the look of West Bev’s most popular students (especially in the face of comparisons to “Gossip Girl’s” edgy NYC style), Helmer jumped at it.

“We don’t want to be copying anybody else,” says Helmer.  “It’s so great to have that freedom to actually build these characters, both aesthetically and story-wise. I go out there. I’m out and about. I live on the Eastside. I work on the Westside. I base my looks on real girls, and that’s what’s really exciting about it. It is translating Southern California to the screen for the world to see. It’s super exciting.”

-- Jethro Nededog

Related:

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot hits '90210'

'90210': Telling the truth is in, but Navid is out

'90210': Jessica Stroup on Silver's mom, men, and being more than Naomi's minion

'90210': No more happy half-birthdays for Silver

Complete '90210' coverage on Showtracker

Photo credit: The CW

'90210': Telling the truth is in, but Navid is out

In “90210,” when it rains it pours. The gig was up for almost every character on this week’s episode. While some came clean voluntarily, others were forced to expose the skeletons in their closet.

The biggest “come to Jesus” occurred with Kelly (Jennie Garth), who has been harboring major resentment for her mother pretty much her entire life. Last week, when Silver (Jessica Stroup) found her mother unconscious on her half-birthday, it looked like Kelly’s chances for reconciliation with her had run out. Luckily for Kelly, Jackie (Ann Gillespie) survived. In her weakened state, though, she wouldn’t last much longer. Silver worked hard to convince her half-sister that forgiving her mother was the right thing to do. Kelly wasn’t convinced. It wasn’t until she found Jackie’s room empty and thought Jackie had passed away when it really hit her. Silver then informed her that Jackie was still alive, but had been moved to a private room.

Jennie Garth’s performance in this week’s episode reached staggering levels. It was so subtle and shaded that even my cold, black heart felt for her as she fell to the ground when she thought Jackie had passed and later in a bedside scene in which Jackie apologized for being such an awful mother to her. It culminated in a heart-wrenching scene in which Silver and Kelly sat at their mother’s side as she took her last breath. I know that many fans of the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” had mixed feelings about Jackie’s death. How do you all feel about the way it was handled? I would really love to know.

Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) showed some major growth this week.

'90210': Jessica Stroup on Silver's mom, men, and being more than Naomi's minion

The ladies of "90210” are definitely taking a beating this season. Naomi is being conned by her sister. Adrianna is a druggie again. And Annie is dating Ade’s greasy, knife-wielding drug dealer. Yet the only one I really feel sorry for is Silver. She’s the only girl who has been dealt a blow that was totally out of control. Her mother, Jackie (Ann Gillespie), is dying of cancer.

“This wasn’t something that she asked for,” says Jessica Stroup, who plays Erin Silver on the CW show. “This wasn’t something she was ready for, but she’s going to do the best she can with it.”

When we last saw Silver, she was discovering a seemingly lifeless Jackie on the couch. Stroup says that isn’t how we’re saying goodbye to Silver’s mother. “She has not passed away,” says Stroup. “It is one of those times when she’ll need to say her piece because she may not make it much longer.”

I finally caught up with Stroup after having to work around “90210’s” hectic shooting schedule to talk about the incredibly emotional journey her character is on as she deals with her mother’s illness, her relationship with her half-sister Kelly (Jennie Garth), who wants nothing to do with their mother, and shuttling between the guys of West Bev.

In the last several episodes, Silver, who has enough problems of her own, has moved in with Jackie to help her out during her illness. That would be a heavy job for any daughter, but Silver also has to deal with her anger toward a mother who was never really there for her.

“So there’s this pull of does she go and try to make the most of the time they have together?” says Stroup, 23. “Or does she listen to her sister and say, ‘You’ve treated me so badly in the past and we don’t have a relationship, so I just don’t care.’”

Stroup says that even though she and her mother are close, that relationship helped her to understand what her character may be going through. “I used my friendship with my own mother,” says Stroup, who was raised in North Carolina. “And kind of put it in Silver’s mind of wanting some sort of a great relationship [with Jackie].”

To prepare for the difficult storyline ...

'90210': No more happy half-birthdays for Silver

I’m having a bit of a problem processing all that went down on this week’s “90210.” I guess I should begin where the episode ended: on Silver’s couch.

At the top of the show, Silver (Jessica Stroup) is managing her mother’s illness like a prison guard. She has mnemonic devices for which pills Jackie (Ann Gillespie) is to take and this gnarly binder that organizes Jackie’s day into color-coded columns and tabs. At the same time, Silver is realizing that her mother has been pretty much absent most of her life, as signified by Jackie’s blank stares when Silver mentions some of her childhood memories.

It's clear that Teddy’s friendship is getting her through the ordeal. Not only does he relate to Silver, since he lost his own mother to cancer, but he also pinch hits for her when she has to run out to the doctor and helps Jackie set up a half-birthday surprise for her. With Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and the nurses’ help, Jackie re-creates Silver’s 7th birthday, when she was into outer space, and her 12th birthday, when she was obsessed by the '80s. She also promises to throw Silver and the gang a half-birthday bash. Silver has been celebrating her half-birthday instead of her actual birthday for years, since her real birthdays usually have been ruined by Jackie getting plastered.

Then, just as we’re having warm fuzzies for Jackie again, Silver walks in to find her unresponsive on the couch, the same blank stare on her face that she had earlier when Silver was reminiscing.  Did she die? We’ll know next week. Either way, Silver is probably going to swear off birthdays, even fractions of birthdays, forever.

On the other hand, Dixon (Tristan Wilds) gets no pity from me. Sure, he starts the episode in the dumps over Sasha’s miscarriage, but that changes. In an effort to stop him from visiting Sasha, Debbie (Lori Loughlin) finally tells him the truth about the faked pregnancy. Instead of being like, “Mom, you rock for saving me from the nutty cradle robber,” Dixon gets angry at her for keeping it from him. He even says to her later in the episode that she isn’t his “real” mom. No, he didn’t. If Debbie isn’t his “real” mom, then those must not be “real” clothes on his back, or a “real” roof over his head, or “real” food on the table. Shoot. The only person who needs to get “real” in this situation is Dixon.

One character who is keeping it real is Navid (Michael Steger)...

'90210': Debbie goes rogue, Dixon is no daddy, and Ade just gets creepier

Oh, “90210,” you really brought the crazy this week. After last week’s repeat episode, this week’s made the wait well worth it. Jasper is a drug dealer. Adrianna tearfully serenades Navid with a creepy song, and he still shuts her down. Jen walks in on Ryan while he’s romancing some chick. And Dixon confesses to his parents that he has knocked someone up. All that goes down even before the theme song plays, people!

First of all, let’s just get this out in the open. One of my burning questions from last week’s post has been answered: Is Sasha (Mekia Cox) really preggers? After Dixon (Tristan Wilds) confesses that he got Sasha pregnant, Debbie went into overdrive. Finally, someone with some sense. Anyone who reads my “90210” Show Tracker posts, even irregularly, knows that I heart Lori Loughlin as Debbie Wilson.

Tonight, Debbie couldn’t have made me any more proud. As soon as Dixon spilled the beans, Detective Wilson was on the case. Right away, she goes with him to Sasha’s house and she begins gathering the evidence. Then, she realizes that she met Sasha earlier at a nail salon and she must have followed her there for intel on Dixon. Debbie returned the favor by following Sasha to a coffee shop and catching her in a lie about hearing the baby’s heart during a sonogram. According to Debbie, a baby’s heartbeat can’t be detected until six weeks into the pregnancy. Sasha wasn’t that far along, yet. Later, Debbie consoles Dixon, instead of telling him the truth about Sasha’s fake pregnancy, after Sasha tells Dixon she had a miscarriage. That was very big of Debbie. I, for one, am not that gracious. Did I call that Sasha was faking her pregnancy or what? Never trust a girl who wears that much costume jewelry.

Navid (Michael Steger) also made quite a comeback this week after his absence in the last episode. First, he stood his ground with Ade (Jessica Lowndes). Even my cold, black heart went out to her after she serenaded him at the beginning of the show. That was, of course, after I realized she wasn’t going to pull a gun out of her guitar and kill him. Once the fear subsided, I felt so bad for her. I was almost sure he would take her back after that. To his credit, he didn’t. Instead, he went over her rap sheet, which included cheating on him after all he’d been through with her, breaking up with him to get with Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and lying about it. The thing is, he’s right. What if Teddy was down for a relationship as she hoped? Would she still be trying to get him back with crazy in her eyes? If we as the viewers don’t know for sure, then Navid surely doesn’t. I’m with Team Navid on this one. [Note, an earlier version of this post mistakenly had "Troy" Donovan instead of Trevor.]

 Navid’s second big plot line this week affects both Annie (Shenae Grimes) and Ade. While pitching a story on teen drug use, Gia (Rumer Willis) tells him that Jasper (Zach Sherman) would be a great source for information on the topic, since he’s indeed a drug dealer. Navid takes the information to Annie, who refuses to believe it. Later, she confronts Jasper and he throws a crazy fit and breaks up with her. Realizing that she just lost the only person who will actually hang out with her, Annie apologizes for believing that he could deal drugs. Of course, moments later, he excuses himself to meet a desperate Ade. She had been lingering on the edge of the wagon the entire episode and just as Jasper hands her a bag of pills, it seems she has finally fallen off of it. We’re left with the question: After last season and all the hard work she’s done to get clean, will she actually take them?

This week, Liam’s storyline was all about relationships...

Exclusive: Kelly Lynch cast as Ivy's mom on '90210'

Breaking news, "90210" fans: Show Tracker just got word that not only is surfer chick Ivy (played by Gillian Zinser) causing waves in the Liam/Naomi love story, but former model and actress Kelly Lynch (pictured, recently of  “The L Word”) has just been cast as her mother!

We hear that the role will be recurring, which leads us to wonder: What waves will hit the cast? A possible new distraction for Harry and his wandering eye? A cougar ready to pounce on one of our unsuspecting teens? With Kelly Lynch on “90210,” the possibilities are endless. What are your theories?

The beautiful Lynch has been causing havoc in Hollywood her entire career. Her credits include: “Cocktail” with Tom Cruise, "Drugstore Cowboy" with Matt Dillon, "Virtuosity" with Denzel Washington, and remember her as the crafty nemesis on “Charlie's Angels”?

-- Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

Related:

'90210' Five burning questions from the season so far

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Photo credit: WireImage

'90210': Five burning questions from the season so far

Aren’t you happy you stuck with “90210” for its sophomore season? I’ve even witnessed some of the most curmudgeonly of TV writers proclaim their surprise at the show’s successful makeover. It would seem that as the producers have finally accepted that “90210’s” California location is an asset (not just another reason it isn’t “Gossip Girl”), the cast has relaxed into their roles as stylish, gorgeous, beach loving and dramatic L.A. rich kids as well. What's not to like about that?

This week’s repeat episode of the premiere is a bummer, but it does allow us to ruminate over the first quarter-season’s dirtiest plots and love affairs. It also allows us a moment away from the distraction of the pretty flashing lights (also known as TV) to go over some of the unanswered questions of the season, so far.

Here are my top five burning questions of “90210’s” first seven episodes this season:

1. What is under Liam’s tarp?
On the surface, Liam is the best advertisement for sending your delinquent kid to military camp. The most violent thing he has done all season is breaking a glass door during a fight with Jen. Last season’s Liam would’ve broken three glass doors in one episode. This season, I was baffled by his self-control. That is until Teddy’s yacht party in Episode 3 when Annie lied (not convincingly) to Naomi that she not only slept with Liam that night but that they were having an affair at the time.

That episode ends with Liam shuffling through blueprints. Later in the season, the guys are playing pool at Liam’s place and there’s something under a tarp that he won’t let the guys see. What could it be? A bomb? Will the season finale be a blast, literally? A motorcycle sidecar that will win back Naomi, so they can share more rebellious drives up PCH? How romantic! Whatever it is, I have to know.

2. Is Sasha really pregnant?
There has always been something about Sasha that I didn’t quite trust. Maybe it’s her penchant for multi-colored tops and costume jewelry. Or when she was deejaying on the yacht and she would make like she was scratching, but the music had no scratches in it. Or (and this is a far-fetched reason, I know) the fact that she dated a kid who’s still in high school. My point is that she has exhibited signs that she just isn’t right. So, isn’t it entirely possible that she made up the pregnancy to get Dixon back? I think so. Plus, didn’t we just go through "Teen Parenting 101" last season with Adrianna? I can’t believe that the writers want to do that storyline again. I, for one, am tired of that plot line. Babies are exhausting.

3. Is Silver and Kelly’s mom really sick?