90210

OK, back to the important stuff. The return of “90210”. My snapshot poll response? Thumbs up. Thoughts on cast? Babealicious – a sign of a good casting director is when they reel in actors/actresses who generated buzz in small character roles on other series. “90210” features two such actresses from Nip/Tuck and Reaper. And yes for you women, I would say there is probably sufficient eye candy for you as well. Premise? Based on the original one but with a few twists – the Brandon character is adopted and an African-American male (huge stride here because as I recall in the original the only recurring African American male character at West Beverly was a computer geek who Steve used to hack into the school computer). The parents are not adorably dorky, but sophisticated and hot. And there is a grandmother who evokes memories of the matriarch from “Arrested Development” because she is played by the same actress. And they are from Kansas. By the way, how did Kansas become the embodiment of Hicksville and how did it beat out places like Arkansas, Louisiana, and West Virginia? Is Judy Garland to blame? Opening scene? A fellatrix performing fellatio on the star lax player. This is not your 90s 90210. Yes, lacrosse seems to replace b-ball as the 90210 sport. Plot? Too many threads to mention them all, but here are some. The lax player’s fellatrix was not his girlfriend – he is “complex” and growing apart from his girlfriend – his prime line, “I am not quitting you, I am quitting us.” A blog, of course, there would be a blog, written by an outsider who is Kelly’s half-sister and who bears a grudge against the popular chick. The Kansas kids are children of the principal – which creates many issues of drawing the principal/father line. Also turns out the principal fathered a child with the popular chick’s mother who is now hot for principal. Nate is back and so is the Peach Pit which is now a coffee house, but Nate is no barista. There is also a club – not sure if it is the Peach Pit After Dark. Seeds for drug addiction story already laid – the actress in the school musical is on uppers. And yes, you High School Musical fans, there will be a school musical – but kudos on the choice of “Spring Awakening” – a Tony award winning musical which is transforming the genre much in the way “Rent” did. And guess who is directing the play – famed British actress, Brenda Walsh. Brenda and Kelly get along swimmingly – and are trying to do so off the set as well – apparently they were kids back then and are now adults. But they claim there will be no fighting over a guy anymore. At its core, though, the Spelling-esque themes pervade: how will the Kansans fit in? will anyone ever understand the suffering of the silver spooners? Apple or peach pie? Who is the father of Kelly’s child (who seems to look like neither Brandon nor Dylan but Steve)? And, you know, that is fine with me – 90210 is comfort food in a glossy package.