Have you ever watched a Saturday evening syndicated double header of The O.C. and 7th Heaven and thought, "These television programs would do well in a mash-up. Only with less Jesus and more sluts"? Your wish is The CW's command. According to Entertainment Weekly:
Multiple sources confirm that singer-songwriter-sometime actress Ashlee Simpson has become the latest tenant of The CW's refurbished Melrose Place.
The onetime 7th Heaven star will play small-town girl Violet, a character whose disarming naivetÈ masks the calculating, shrewd sex kitten within. In other words, the little tramp's Sydney.
Simpson joins a cast that so far includes Katie Cassidy (as ambitious publicist Ella), Michael Rady (as aspiring filmmaker Jonah), and, if there is a God, original Melrose icon Heather Locklear, who would be slipping back into Amanda Woodward's office microminis. "Both sides are talking," whispers my Melrose mole of Locklear. "It's looking good."
Now for the big question: Did Simpson score the part that Mischa Barton had been circling? My sources tell me no. That means the ex-O.C. siren is in talks to stretch her acting chops to within an inch of their life play straight-arrow med student Lauren or revoltingly sweet schoolteacher Riley.
The 90210 remake is doing reasonably well. We had hoped this meant a development deal to produce The Heights 2009 or Models Inc. II, but no. That Cheryl Pollak/Alex DÈsert comeback vehicle will remain an unattainable dream in our minds, forever.
