‘90210’: Sorry, Donna, the CW is just not that into you
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At least we still have Brenda.
News broke today that Tori Spelling will not be bringing Donna Martin back to the CW’s ‘90210’ reboot because she reportedly wouldn’t be making the same bucks as costars Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth.
Deadline Hollywood Daily’s Nikki Finke reports:
‘Insiders tell me that Tori was hired to reprise her role as fashion boutique owner Donna Martin for just ‘$10,000-$20,000’ per episode. But then Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty were signed for ‘$35,000-$50,000’ a show. When Tori found out her former co-stars were getting paid way more than she was, she got pissed and demanded equal pay. But the network suits have refused.’
The network and Spelling’s personal rep issued this statement in response: ‘The CW has no deal with Tori Spelling to appear on ‘90210’ at this time.’
Oh, but they did. A press release handed out at July’s TCA session spelled it out: “As previously announced, Jennie Garth returns as Kelly Taylor, now a West Beverly guidance counselor; Tori Spelling returns as Donna Martin, now owner of an upscale boutique, and Joe E. Tata returns as Nat, owner of the Peach Pit.”
During the show’s panel, ‘90210’ producers were asked point-blank about the state of Spelling’s deal. ‘Yeah, we have a deal,’ Jeff Judah said. Gabe Sachs added that he had been ‘e-mailing and brainstorming’ with Spelling on what older, more mature Donna’s been doing these days.
Guess Spelling feels like having an Oxygen hit in ‘Tori & Dean: Inn Love’ should count for something. As much as being a contestant on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ did for Garth, anyways.
But can’t someone reason with her? Is there be room for further negotiations? Let her title card run before Jennie and Shannen’s? Give her a permanent ‘special guest star’ billing, just like Heather Locklear got for five years’ work on ‘Melrose Place’?
Or has the CW already burned Donna’s ‘upscale boutique’ to the ground?
Seems that way.
The Times’ crack TV reporter Maria Elena Fernandez interviewed network President Dawn Ostroff about the series last week. Kind of makes you go, ‘Tori who?’ doesn’t it?
‘I really wanted Shannen Doherty. You know what? I have to say, we feel that Shannen adds a real level to the show because Shannen’s character was so important to the original ‘90210’ as was Jennie.Jennie was beloved. If you mention Jennie Garth, everybody just puts a smile on their face. She is beloved. And with Shannen, everybody has this curiosity. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shannen and she is grown up and is just lovely to work with now. She’s been through a lot and it’s such a great experience for her to go back and re-live this part of her life and at the same time see how far she’s come as an adult. And I think the audience is going to be so excited about seeing Brenda again.’
Maybe Spelling can still collect a fee for ‘brainstorming’?
-- Denise Martin