The CW Source

The show hasn’t even premiered yet, but the stars of The Beautiful Life are already creating a buzz –- and no, we’re not talking about Mischa Barton’s recent health issues. Sarah Paxton, Corbin Bleu, Ashley Madekwe and Ben Hollingsworth prove it wasn’t just their acting chops which helped land the plum roles, but their physical assets which put Beautiful in the title. Our friends at Zap2It.com show off the latest advertisements for TBL, which premieres Sept. 16, 9/8c, on The CW, and they’re not really leaving too much to the imagination. Ooh la la!

But let’s go below the surface and talk Mischa storylines. The ever-reliable WWK crew at E! Online got producers to dish what we can expect to see -- including a possible Gossip Girl crossover! Executive producer Karey Burke says Sonya (Mischa) will dip into some drug use: “Mischa's character ends up sort of taking a page from the whole Kate Moss situation and kind of using it to her advantage." She also teased that Elle Macpherson’s character -- who will be appearing in seven of 13 episodes -- “gets intertwined with Mischa Barton's personal life in a really interesting and surprising way.”

As for the recently-troubled star herself, executive producer Mike Kelley adds, “She looks great, and her acting is terrific. She's very positive and excited, and so are we. We feel really, really lucky to have gotten past this and to have her on the show. Her character is integral to all the stories, so her character is not going anywhere and neither is Mischa.” Good to hear!

Sitting on the edge of your seat for the TBL premiere or is all this early hoopla leaving you a bit Mischa! Mischa! Mischa!'d out? Take a side in the comments!

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In the face of the questioning, the producers got a bit cranky. Ashton and Jason were expansive and witty in their answers -- except when things touched on Mischa:

• Responding to a question about casting changes: "We're not making any casting changes," Ashton said. "New characters are gradually introduced into the show, people introduced in the first episode fade out and come back. The cast is the cast."
  
• On body image -- is this show going to hurt young women since the first episode seemingly revolves around a model who gained a few pounds? "The lead story in pilot not about a model who isn't skinny enough to fit into a dress," Ashton interrupted. That's what the clips shown seemed to imply, the reporter responded. "It's not. Body image a daily battle for a lot of people, and of course we'll address that."
  
• The body image/weight question came back in the session with Dawn Ostroff -- tabloid pictures seem to have shown that Mischa had gained a substantial amount of weight. Are they worried? Not at all, Ostroff says -- she'd seen pictures from the set and Mischa looks fantastic.
  
• Did they worry that Mischa wouldn't be able to work? "She was ready for production, and it wasn't even an issue," Dawn said. "She started work with no issues. What went on in her personal life is a personal matter."
  
• Ashton was similarly dismissive of any question of Mischa's personal life being problematic. "She was never unavailable for a day of work," he said. "She's in New York today working on the show." In fact, he said, Mischa's presence is a great thing for the show: "For a lot of our young cast, this is the first show they're leading. [Mischa has] done it before in The OC. Her navigation and guidance for the rest of the cast essential for us as a unit."

In the midst of all the Mischa Madness, the producers did managed to work in a few tidbits about the show itself:

• Executive Producers Ashton and Jason are basing the show on their very different experiences in the modeling world. Ashton had a very Reyna-like experience -- within a week of hitting New York, he was the Next Big Thing -- whereas Jason faced more of a struggle.
• The model residence provides plenty of opportunity for drama -- but not necessarily of the catfight variety. "Modeling is a great landscape for storytelling," Ashton said. "It's not just about the culture of a city or an industry -- it's the culture of the world. There are models from Africa, the UK, France. there are all different languages, all different backgrounds, an amalgamation of cultures in a really sexy world."
• Most of all, expect to see these otherworldly beauties portrayed as mere mortals like the rest of us. "There are a bevy of great stories working in this great world," Ashton said. "We can create rich characters that have flaws, and they become sympathetic because of flaws. We've got relatable characters in this industry backdrop. It's about the personal storylines-- love, connections, obstacles, family and work."

Will you be tuning in? Talk about it in the comments!

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We're here from the CW Press Tour, where the network touts its new shows. We'll be reporting back throughout the day with the scoop on The Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life: TBL, Melrose Place and Life Unexpected -- so stay tuned! And remember to check out my Twitter feed -- SourcieSarah -- for up-to-the-minute news!

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"I can tell you right now Mischa Barton is doing great," the executive producer of The CW’s new fall drama The Beautiful Life assured audiences during a Pasadena technology conference. The troubled star, 23, was hospitalized earlier this month for a still unconfirmed health issue -- widely speculated to be psychiatric in nature -- but was recently released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The actress’ rep Craig Schneider told E! News that Mischa’s doing well and intends to rejoin the TBL cast full-time.

That apparently does not include show promotion duties at the upcoming TV Critics Association summer tour, according to E! Online’s WWK team: the talent list for The CW’s day includes co-stars Sara Paxton, Corbin Blue and Elle Macpherson, along with Ashton Kutcher, but not Barton or Ben Hollingsworth (love interest to Paxton’s character).

People.com caught up with the TBL cast a few days ago and they offered encouraging words:

"We had our first read-through [Wednesday] and we're all so very excited to have her back. She's such a great girl," costar Sara Paxton.

"We were all worried about her. We didn't really know what was going on, but she's looking great. She's feeling great and it's just good to have her back," said costar Ben Hollingsworth. "We start shooting again on Friday and she's ready to work. We're all ready to jump into it and are very excited -- even Mischa."

Hollingsworth also added that his character is based on show creator Kutcher, and his experiences as a model in New York.

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There are signs Mischa’s on the mend. E Online! quotes the actress’s rep Craig Schneider as saying she is “improving and still under care, with the intentions of being able to resume production on The Beautiful Life next week.” The troubled star, 23, was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's psychiatric department last week with an as-yet unconfirmed condition.

But what does this mean for her role in the new Fall TV series? A spokeswoman for The CW insists that the start of production was delayed more than a week -- from July 22 to July 31 -- due to a few sets not being camera ready, and not because of Ms. Barton’s recent medical issues.

Ok, that’s all fine and good… except EW’s Michael Ausiello delivered new dish from the TBL end of things. It sounds like the producers aren’t leaving their fate up to the thesp and her doctors. They’re readying a contingency plan: create another character, similar to Mischa’s -- without actually recasting her Sonja Stone role -- and let “Jane” (tentative name) fill the gap until/if the actress returns.

What do you think of this new turn of events: outraged that they’d (sort-of) replace Mischa while she’s in crisis or relieved that production of the new show won’t be interrupted? Talk in the comments!

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Wow -- we're reeling from the news, courtesy of our friends at Zap2It, that Mischa Barton, former OC star and one of the leading ladies in the new series The Beautiful Life: TBL, was placed under involuntary psychiatric hold by the LAPD and taken to Cedars-Sinai hospital. Apparently the cops were called to Mischa's house to respond to a medical situation, and ended up taking her under Section 5150, the code that applies when a person is a danger to themselves or others.

This all sounds eerily like a case of life imitating art -- after all, Mischa's TBL character, Sonja, is a modeling diva who fell off the radar under mysterious circumstances and seems to have a problem with pills. Then again, the character struck us a bit as art imitating life, since Mischa herself plead no contest to DUI and marijuana possession.

But will Mischa be on the show at all anymore? That's up in the air. Her representative, Craig Schneider, told the LA Times in an email that Mischa's participation in the show "will ultimately be contingent upon her progress and doctor's orders." The CW itself has issued no comment -- although they have said that filming starts next week.

We hope that Mischa gets the help she needs and recovers without incident. We'd love to see her on the show, but her health is more important.

What's your take on the situation? Should the CW hold the part for Mischa, or must the show go on? Talk about it in the comments!

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So many cliffhangers rounded out this past season: What is Dan and Serena's half brother up to? What -- or who -- did Annie hit? How the heck are Sam and Dean going to defeat Lucifer? Why did the-man-who-will-be-Super say "Clark Kent is dead?" And that's just the start of it! Well, now we know when we can expect answers: The CW has announced its fall premiere dates. Start counting the days now!

It all starts on Tuesday, Sept. 8 with the season premiere of 90210 and the series premiere of Melrose Place. Wednesday, Sept. 9 brings the two-hour season premiere of America's Next Top Model: Shorty Edition. Oh, the drama! We can't wait.

Winchesterites, you can breath again on Sept. 10. That's when Supernatural returns to the small screen, and when we start to figure out how (or if!) the boys can avert Armageddon. But before we get to them, we get introduced to Damon, Stefan and Elena as The Vampire Diaries makes its debut. Should be a spooky and satisfying night!

The Monday-night lineup returns on Sept. 14, with one slight change: One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl are changing places. Now OTH gets the first spot, and GG rounds out the night. The Beautiful Life makes its debut on Wednesday, Sept. 16, after ANTM.

Finally, Smallville swoops back onto our screens on Friday, Sept. 25. Why the wait? Your guess is as good as ours.

Get the schedule in an easy-to-digest form after the break.

Continue reading "Mark Your Calendars: The CW Premiere Dates Are Here!" »

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You asked, we answered! We've got an extended sneak peek at the new show The Beautiful Life: TBL. Check it out!

Now, we have some immediate questions:

• Is the "Clark Kent" comment a bid to get Smallville fans involved?
• Is the chick with bangs supposed to a friend and confidant or a vicious rival -- or both?
• If you're running from your past, isn't it possible that you shouldn't get your face splashed all over magazines?
• How delicious us Misha Barton as a potentially drugged-out diva?
• What are the odds that we'll get an ANTM crossover?

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The Beautiful Life promises to dish the dirt on the modeling world -- and we got the stars to dish on the show!

We talked to Ben Hollingsworth, Elle MacPherson and Sara Paxton on the show, their characters, and hte perks of filming. Find out which character has an unexpected origin, learn who we can expect to see on the show, and discover what secrets might be lurking in the characters' pasts -- and futures!

What's your take on the show? Will you watch? Talk about it in the comments!

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We're back with more from the CW Upfronts! Check out these first looks at the three new fall shows -- plus scoop from the actors who bring the shows to life! Laura Leighton, Katie Cassidy, Shaun Sipos and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz spill on Melrose Place; Benjamin Hollingsworth, Sara Paxton and Elle Macpherson chat about The Beautiful Life; and Paul Wesley gives us the lowdown on The Vampire Diaries. Check it out!

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The three new shows we can look forward to in the fall are Melrose Place, The Beautiful Life and The Vampire Diaries. We got a chance to talk to cast members from all three new shows, and we'll have an in-depth look at the series later. For now, here's a quick look, plus our impressions:

Melrose Place is taking the post-90210 spot on Tuesday nights. You know the drill: A bunch of glamorous 20-somethings share their lives and loves in a faboo apartment complex off LA's storied Melrose Ave. In the original incarnation, the show started off almost a little slow, then embraced its soapy elements a season or two in. This version seems to intend to go over the top from the get-go -- and that has us salivating.
Our Take: We can't wait to see Katie Cassidy as an acid-tongued, bisexual publicist; Ashlee Simpson as a sweet, naive small-town girl who's willing to scheme to get what she wants; and Shaun Sipos as the troublemaking spawn of original Melrose resident Michael Mancini. Plus, Sydney is back from the dead -- and how are they going ot pull that off? We can't wait to find out!

Find out about The Beautiful Life and The Vampire Diaries after the jump!

Continue reading "CW Fall Schedule Announced!" »

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