Charlies Angel redux?

Apparently development executives in the world of TV have run out of any original ideas. I mean this year alone we had the Melrose Place redux, the V reimagining, and the recently cancelled Eastwick remake. And then there is also the The Jay Leno Show. Okay so Leno is not really a remake, redux or reimagining - but it is pretty unoriginal. He he he. It would seem that there are absolutely no new ideas to be found, because according to Variety ABC is *this* close to asking for a Pilot script for an updated version of Charlie's Angels.

Sigh.

Really?

This is a good idea? In whose fantasy world is a remake of a show that basically objectified women in every way imaginable a good idea? Don't get me wrong, I actually love Charlie's Angels. My favourite Angel was always Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith). The way her hair was so shiny and bouncy and she was always the nice one. I kinda wanted to be her when I grew up.

I could go on about how I think this is a really really bad idea, but believe it or not, I am choosing to reserve judgment. I am gonna give the powers that be at ABC the benefit of the doubt until it is both confirmed and the cast is announced.

Casting will be key for this.

Charlie is actually easy the only one I am willing to call right now. Alan Dale. Hands down. You know him right? Alan is typically cast as the up-to-no-good father - in Ugly Betty, The OC and most recently as the nefarious Charles Widmore in ABC's Lost. I remember him as lovable patriarch Jim Robinson from Neighbours. I miss Neighbours.......

I am not comfortable calling any of the Angels yet. It depends what age they are going for. There are a ton of actors out there who could be good in the role...... The only one I am willing to admit to dreaming of is SMG.

In a perfect world my girl Sarah Michelle Gellar would come back to the small screen. That would be amazing and is likely just a dream.... But SMG has all that Buffy fight training to rely on right? And she could be either the sassy newbie or the jaded sarcastic senior Angel. I don't think it will happen. Sarah seems to be trying to distance herself from all things related to Buffy and may not wish to subject herself to the inevitable comparisons. And there is also the matter of the HBO series that she filmed in New york earlier this year. She comes with the built in Joss Whedon fanbase. Not that that is any indication of a successful series (umm.... Dollhouse or Firefly anyone?)

Other than Sarah, I can't decide......... Kristen Bell? Rachel Bilson? Summer Glau? Lindsay Price? Eliza Dushku? Dichen Lachman? Zoe Bell? Gina Torres? Amy Acker? Felicia Day? Argh. So many options! I have even read a few blogs that are saying Claire Danes. While I would love her to be back on the small screen, it would have to be in a reunion of My So Called Life instead.

Who do you see as the Angels in this reboot?

XO

One two Jackie Earle Haley's coming for you

I grew up in a culdesac with tons of kids and all summer we would play play this game Sardines. Sardines is kind of like the reverse of Hide and Go Seek. In Sardines, one person would hide and then everyone would look for them. When you had found the hider, you would quietly yell how awesome you were for winning the game, and then you would hide with them. The loser was the person who was the last to find the hiders - Hence the name Sardines cause sometimes you would have up to 10 kids hiding in the same spot. We took this game a little seriously, jumping over back fences, crawling under people's houses and basically destroying the street with our childish fun. We would play until the grown-ups got sick of our yelling and ordered us into our respective houses. Often it was after dark.

I loved this game. It was super fun. The one thing I didn't like was when my neighbour Hayley would wear her green and red striped sweater. It scared the crap out of me. Every time I would see her, skulking in the fading Australian sunlight, I would freak out just a little thinking that.... One... Two...... Freddy's coming for me (you). A Nightmare on Elm Street gave me actual nightmares. Freddie was one seriously frightening horror movie villain. When Johnny Depp got sucked into the bed and then there was just a gush of blood... and when that blond chick was thrown around the room while being killed. Awesome and amazing and scary.


It was only a matter of time before someone in Hollyweird decided to remake this classic horror movie. Oh sorry, it's a re-imagining - whatever the f*ck that means. This trailer was released today and all over the interwebs people were weeping and wailing. I think there was even some gnashing of the teeth taking place. Because it is sacrilegious to consider remaking this film - as it is one of the greatest movies ever made.... oh wait no it's not. It's a horror movie that made under $30 million domestically when it was released in 1984. Granted, it gained cult status on VHS and DVD releases......but I don't know whether the weeping, wailing and gnashing completely really necessary.

I guess I am one of the few who is okay with this trailer. I am gonna go see the reimagined A Nightmare on Elm Street when it comes out next year. I freely admit, I got chills when I heard the song.... How could I not? That song gave me nightmares for many years. It looks like it will be a decent film. What I actually found most interesting was that Katie Cassidy got more air play than the actual lead in the film - the one playing Nancy - also known as the other hot girl who is currently not one of the stars of Melrose Place (Rooney Mara). It also has Kellan Lutz, Kyle Gallner and Thomas Dekker as eye candy so it really can't be that bad right?

The newly reimagined A Nightmare on Elm Street is being released next year.

XO

Jessica or Elizabeth?

I was a voracious reader when I was younger. I loved books. All books. Any books. And just like the rest of my life, I tempered the reading of books that would challenge my mind, with a healthy dose of trash. My favourite guilty pleasure was SVH. I just could not get enough of Francine Pascal's "Sweet Valley High" books.

You remember these books right? The story of Jessica & Elizabeth Wakefield, the eternally 16 year old, blonde haired, blue eyed California girls who were perfect in every way. Jessica was the trouble making Captain of the cheerleaders who was boy crazy and selfish. Her identical twin Elizabeth was into journalism (I think) and had a boyfriend that she was madly in love with. There was no sex, jeez, I don't even recall any dry humping or under the clothes action. Just like Twilight. I wonder if Francine Pascal was also Mormon?

My cousin and I used to play Barbies and pretend to be Jessica & Elizabeth. We used to fight over who was who. I was older so I would normally win the argument. I remember finally getting rid of these books, taking them into the used book store to make a little extra cash. I think I had about 30-40 of them by then end. I read that they had been updated a few years ago. Reissued with to suit the times we now live in - cell phones, reality TV, Juicy Couture etc! And apparently the twins have also gone from a size 6 to a size 4. Ugh.

The point to this story is not simply a trip down memory lane for little old me.....it is that it was announced today that Diablo Cody - the Academy Award winning writer of Juno - has signed on to pen the script for a movie version of Sweet Valley High. Now this is an adaptation I can applaud. I am totally looking forward to seeing Cody put her stamp on this trashy teen novel. I mean it is not as if you can f*ck with the integrity of these books. This is not Salinger, Bronte or Hemingway. It is a teen romance novel. But you never know. Maybe the crazy Sweet Valley High fans will come out of the woodwork upon this announcement. There must be a few of them out there somewhere.

I wonder who they will cast as the Wakefield twins? Who do you think they will cast?

XO