'Melrose Place': Making house calls

"I can tell him that the Violet Foster I know is a poor, disinherited orphan and should have the justice system smile upon her or that Violet is a sick and twisted menace to society [who] should be locked up. Your move."

The awesomeness that is Michael Mancini makes an excellent point when he drops in to make a "house call" to out-of-her-league Violet. This girl may be able to get a bartender fired and Auggie into a horizontal embrace, but did she really think she could take on the one, the only Dr. Michael Mancini? Even her "mother" Sydney would be disappointed in this little game of sex tape blackmail in Violet's pathetic attempt to secure a lawyer for charges of running away from the police. It's pretty bad when even Lauren -- the hooker with a heart of gold who even forgives David for breaking and entering -- would rather stay in the prostitution ring than have this red-headed trouble-maker as a roommate.

'Melrose Place': No sense or sensibility

Before we get into the insanely stupid antics of this week's "Melrose Place" characters -- and there were many -- I just had to call attention to the graveyard flashback near the beginning of this episode. I'm sure actor Shaun Sipos is a heck of a guy who calls home every Sunday and volunteers at local charities when he's not shooting, but I could not keep my giggles under wraps when David sobbed unconvincingly over his mother's grave in the flashback.

Exclusive First Look: Heather Locklear returns to 'Melrose Place'

Admit it, when you watch this promo, your temperature rises, your heart skips a beat, and you find yourself relishing the '90s.

It's true that decade gave us hideous jeans and not-so-great music. But it also gave us Amanda Woodward, the "Melrose Place" ice queen/diva/bombshell (Heather Locklear) we all wanted to know and be.

The last time we saw Amanda, she had faked her own death, married Peter (Jack Wagner) and ran away to an island where she wondered: "Do you think we'll get bored?"

Apparently, the answer is a resounding yes. On Nov. 17, Amanda returns to "Melrose Place" where we are sure she will wreak havoc.

If you're too young to have watched the original "Melrose," this could be something to be excited about. We know the new version hasn't set the world on fire, but the first one didn't either until Amanda moved in.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez (Follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Related:

Katie Cassidy faces off with Amanda Woodward

Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro reprise Sydney and Michael

Video courtesy of CW

Five burning questions from 'Melrose Place' so far

The CW folks have given us a week of free rent in our favorite West Hollywood complex. And while they go about fumigating and updating the apartments (we hope you leave a forwarding address, Auggie!) as the new tenants prepare to move in (see ya in November, Amanda!), Show Tracker is taking this hiatus to ponder a few questions about what we've learned so far.

Is anything more going to be done with Michael's secret blackmail files that sticky-fingered David managed to snatch?
This was by far one of the biggest throwbacks to the first "Melrose Place." And I know, I know. They're different shows. The actors haven't even seen the Fox version. But c'mon! The good doctor went through all the trouble to keep tabs on his former neighbors and paramours, the least the show can do is leak some of that to the viewers so that we can get a good cat fight or 10 in before the Valentine's Day episode. Plus, it'd be a great excuse to bring back more characters ...

'Melrose Place' serves two eviction notices — um, spoiler alert?

Whoa, what the hey, "Melrose Place" producers? Did you just spoil the murder mystery revolving around the death of Sydney Andrews? Tell me she did not die in vain!

EW.com reports that Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield — crazy Violet and stoic Auggie to fans — will be leaving the show. Their last episodes will air in January. 

Is it because they're guilty of Sydney's murder? An excerpt from Michael Ausiello's Q&A with executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer:

What was behind the decision to let Ashlee and Colin go?
Slavkin: Well, we always knew that this murder mystery would end in Episode 12. And we always knew that [Ashlee's] character of Violet would be instrumental in that as a suspect, and [Colin's character of] Auggie as well. And once that murder mystery was solved, she would go on her way. That was the original plan going into the development of the show.

So it was always the plan for Ashlee to leave after Episode 12?
Slavkin: Yes. Because we felt that once the murder mystery was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift into a much more fun, romantic, sexy, upbeat kind of show, and [her] character would move on.

Same thing with Colin?
Slavkin: Colin was always meant to be the ultimate suspect. And his brooding alcoholic [character] tonally didn’t fit the paradigm moving into post-murder mystery "Melrose Place."

But wait! There's more:

The CW orders a full season of 'Vampire Diaries' and more 'Melrose Place' episodes

Breaking: The CW has ordered a full season of breakout series "The Vampire Diaries" and five more episodes of "Melrose Place."

The "Vampire" order is not surprising. The undead teen drama, from executive producer Kevin Williamson, is a full-fledged hit, delivering 3.8 million viewers to its most recent episode (and a 1.8 rating/5 share among adults ages 18 to 49).

On the other end, "Melrose" has not been a ratings winner for the network; last night's episode drew just 1.5 million viewers, according to overnight Nielsen numbers.

But the CW might have a secret weapon in original "Melrose" star Heather Locklear, who is booked to reprise her role as miniskirt-wearing ad executive Amanda Woodward for a multiple-episode run beginning Nov. 17.

— Denise Martin (follow me on Twitter @denisemartin)

Related:

'The Vampire Diaries' goes back in time
'Melrose Place': Campy or not? Make up your mind, folks

Photo credit: CW

'Melrose Place': Campy or not? Make up your mind, folks

I know I'm not supposed to compare old "Melrose Place" to new "Melrose Place." The producers would not be pleased.

Old "Melrose" was campy and insane and full of deliciously bad acting, nearly all of it coming from Andrew Shue's surly good guy and eyebrow-raiser Billy Campbell.

But episodes like this one make it hard not to draw parallels.

New "Melrose," after all, has a Billy of its own in Jonah, the well-intentioned aspiring filmmaker with permanent bed head, an adorably geeky guy -- think "Gossip Girl's" Dan Humphrey back in Season 1 -- meant to inspire a chorus of "awww shuckses" week in and week out from the CW's core audience of swooning females.

But Jonah does nothing for me in this determined-not-be-silly reincarnation. In Tuesday's episode, Jonah and Alliso...er, Riley, have yet another blow-up -- really, I actually found myself chanting, "Drink Allison, drink!" -- and Jonah becomes a little too self-righteous for my taste. He finds out that Auggie (who is the new Jake, and they both ride motorcycles!) slipped Riley some tongue once while she was drunk, and after Jonah tries unsuccessfully to get Riley to come clean, He predictably runs into the open arms of the bespectacled-by-day, gorgeous-by-night assistant Kendra (Jenna Dewan). I'll do my best not to compare her to Billy's Brooke (Kristen Davis, who doesn't look that much different from Jenna).

Kendra grew up in Philadelphia, just like Jonah, and she thinks his short film is super cool just as it is -- unlike her boss, who wants to make it commercial and conventional. Jonah doesn't smirk or raise an eyebrow. His reaction to the day's drama is either internalized, or maybe he really is channeling Billy and just doesn't get it. 

And therein lies the problem: The show is stuck in limbo, unsure if it should go for the camp or stick to a mix of light drama with darker moments of tension and suspense. Being older, and having loved the original "Melrose," I say go for the camp.

'Melrose Place' star Katie Cassidy on facing off with Amanda Woodward

When Katie Cassidy was last on prime-time television, she was getting a knife to the gut from her groom, a just-revealed raging serial killer, on CBS' also ill-fated "Harper's Island."

Things have perked up since then. As the can-do publicist and resident man-eater Ella Simms on "Melrose Place," Cassidy is already being singled out as the show's deliciously devious one to watch. And coming up, she'll play Lucy Ewing in the feature film adaptation of "Dallas," which stars John Travolta as J.R. and Jennifer Lopez as Sue Ellen, and one of the haunted on "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

Til then, she was only too happy to talk about who killed Sydney -- yes, she knows whodunit! -- channeling "Sex and the City's" Samantha Jones, and going head to head with Heather Locklear.

Ratings for the show could be better. What do you think is going on there?
I don't know! I hope it’ll catch on and find its way so people will see how much fun we’re having.

Ella has the best lines and is clearly the best character so far -- you do bitchy well. Is there someone you base her on?
It’s so funny, our costume designer was on the phone with my manager the other day and told me, ‘Oh my gosh, I thought I was on the phone with you! I mean I thought I was talking to Ella!’ I mean, my manager is so funny and maybe part of that is what I’m picking up on. Sometimes I see myself weirdly channeling Samantha from “Sex and the City.” It just sort of comes out of me. I can’t fight it, it just happens. I’m like, “Hmm, I think I just sounded like Samantha!” But I’m OK with that because I was obsessed with Samantha.

You all said at the Television Critics Assn. tour that none of you had watched the original “Melrose Place.” Do you understand the importance of Heather Locklear now that you’ve worked with her?

The importance?

Yes.

'Melrose Place': By hook or by crook

You know that old Bart Simpson quote, "I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything"? Yeah.... It seems like everyone in the Melrose complex is either covering their tracks or framing others for their crimes. Since Jane seems to be hiding out after ratting Ella out to the cops last week, let's look at the other characters.

Ella
Potential crimes: murder, espionage, false statements to the police
Happy birthday, Ella! I'd ask your age, but I'm guessing you'd lie to me about that just like you lied to the cops when they questioned you about Sydney's murder. Were Ella's only crimes hiring a P.I. to see what dirt her mother figure had on her and faking an alibi for David?

'Melrose Place': See Jane's happy home

Welcome back to Melrose Place, Jane! And she seems to have grown a backbone during her time away, (or at least is putting up a good front). Maybe between her conniving, dearly departed sister and her -- what did his love child David call him? -- "paranoid psychopath" of an ex-husband, she's picked up a few tricks.

'Melrose Place' duo Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro together at last

"Melrose Place" executive producer Darren Swimmer says there is still something overtly sexual about Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro, who reprise their roles as Sydney Andrews and Michael Mancini in the CW's update of the Aaron Spelling hit, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. "It's their sexual nature that gets their characters into trouble," he said. "Look at them -- even after all this time, they're hot." The following is a longer version of a feature about Leighton and Calabro that will be published in the Los Angeles Times Sunday Calendar.

The most disarming thing about Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro — “Melrose Place’s” diabolical Sydney Andrews and Michael Mancini — is that they appear not to have aged since Aaron Spelling’s campy hit wrapped in 1999.

Calabro dismissed the idea with a laugh. “You’re not the first person to say that, but it’s not true,” Leighton said.

Oh, but it is, as evidenced in Tuesday’s episode, which flashed back to Sydney’s first death 12 years ago, a fatal car accident she somehow survived. Turns out Michael -- seen in all his ’90s-era poofy-haired glory -- had some lingering affection for his red-headed nemesis-turned-lover-turned-nemesis, and helped her fake her own death. Executive producer Darren Swimmer said traveling back in time didn’t take long. “We just had to adjust Thomas’ hair, and Laura looks the same. It’s uncanny.”

Resuming their scandalous alter egos for the CW’s series reboot -- and the attention that has come with it -- took getting used to for the pair. “When we shot our first scene in the hospital, I thought, ‘OK, this is weird. Fun, but weird,’” Leighton said during dinner with Calabro in Studio City last month. “It really was,” Calabro said. “I just remember thinking, ‘Thank God you’re here with me.’”

Both actors worked consistently, albeit out of the limelight, in the decade since “Melrose” went off the air -- Leighton in TV movies and short-lived shows, Calabro on stage and in guest-starring roles -- but today find themselves back in the spotlight. “Melrose” is the CW’s highest-priority launch this fall, and while viewership has been tepid, the recent signing of Heather Locklear, who will reprise her role as Amanda Woodward in November, stands to goose ratings.

'Melrose Place': Matters of the heart

"You know, you think you know somebody and you let them in. And then they cut your heart out."

Wow. Powerful words, Taryn Manning. In this case, she's speaking more or less literally. The actress guest-starred as a scary version of herself, a singer -- she too sings in an act called Boomkat -- dealing with stalker issues whom Jonah had to coax out of a dressing room so he could direct her in a music video. Ella, who can't help herself when it comes to her nerdy neighbor, booked the high-profile gig. Sigh, if she doesn't watch her heart, it's going to get trampled.

Really, Manning's quote can be used for just about everyone in this episode.