Spoilers for past Melrose Place (2009) episodes follow
Heather Locklear blew into Melrose Place this week in a revival of her supremely bitchy character Amanda Woodward. She stole every scene she was in, and proved a formidable opponent to the main career woman on the block, Ella Sims, played by Katie Cassidy. Locklear plays Cassidy’s ruthless boss, and she makes the superficial Cassidy look angelic in comparison. I’m really enjoying the new Melrose and Locklear just improved it. Add in the fact that Ashlee Simpson is about to leave and it can only get better. EW has a really thorough recap of last night’s episode, including all the supreme shirtless shots of the hot male actors. A segment of EW’s recap is below, and there’s more on EW’s site. You can also watch the full episode on CW’s website if you’re in the US.

Wow…Amanda Woodward is back and it already feels like Melrose Place has been elevated to another level. This was certainly the reboot’s sharpest, sexiest and bitchiest episode, which I obviously mean as a compliment. Bravo, Heather Locklear, you still know how to rock a mini-skirt and infuse any scene with crackling energy.

Amanda revealed herself as the “W” in PR firm WPK, which is of course Ella’s employer. Amanda, who had been living in New York, swept through the L.A. office with swift firings (casualties included Ella’s boss Caleb) and some sassy talk. “This L.A. branch is drowning in red like a steer in a slaughter house. Now when I hired you to give this place a makeover, I didn’t mean smear it with lipstick and turn it into a five-dollar hooker. This office is pathetic,” Amanda announced with her jaw-dropping entrance.

Amanda had plenty of zingers — after Ella came into her office gushing about how Amanda’s profile in Vanity Fair had inspired her career in PR – the boss cut her off quickly: “Shockingly, I didn’t call you in for your life’s story, but your absentee father and pill-popping mother make for a very juicy tale.” She then told Ella to force Riley to sell the press on a fake bio to make the Anton V Real People jeans ads more interesting. Ella protested at first but Amanda put her in her place: “If you have a problem there’s a long list of eager assistants willing to take your place.”

I loved the Ella-Amanda sparks already and think they’ll only get better in time as Ella feels strong enough to stand up to Amanda more. Back in the Melrose 1.0 years, Amanda taking down Allison was like watching a cheetah pounce on a helpless wounded bird. At least in Ella, she has — or will have — a worthy sparring partner.

[From EW.com]

I’ll keep watching this trashy show full of lots of eye candy and intrigue. There were more twists in the murder mystery this week and we’re still not much closer to finding out the culprit. I don’t really care about that part of the plot so much though and primarily watch for the sex and cattiness. Heather Locklear still brings it to the small screen.

(Note: The CW has advertised with us, but I genuinely enjoy this show and this is not a paid story.)

Heather Locklear comes in at around 1:00 below. In the aired episode they played a different song for her entrance about the bitch being back.

Now that Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has been fired from “Melrose Place” (quite possibly due to Heather Locklear taking her reprised role as scheming Amanda Woodward to heart) big sister Jessica is feeling more than free to slam the show. While she used to be its biggest fan (at least according to her Twitter), now she’s got nothing but two thumbs down for the revamped drama.

Now that her sister Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has been canned on Melrose Place, Jessica Simpson says she isn’t a fan of the CW soap. The singer, 29, used to promote her sister’s former show regularly on her Twitter (“Everyone watch my sis on melrose place tonight,” she wrote Oct. 20).

But on Sunday, she changed her tune drastically. Jessica wrote: “CW catching up on MP.who writes this crap?i have had bad scripts to work with,but this?thank God my sister is amazing and got you some press.”

According to the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now), Ashlee, a veteran of TV’s 7th Heaven, was canned because producers thought she couldn’t act. “They hired her because they needed a good name to help create buzz,” a set insider told Us Weekly. “But she was embarrassingly bad. Producers cut her down as much as possible.”

Seconds another source: “She’s the worst actress, but nobody will tell her.”

[From Us Weekly]

I could go off about how dumb and naïve Jessica is, but frankly I like that she’s unconditionally supportive of her sister. It’s nice when your family loves you so much that you can do no wrong. Well, to an extent. But Ashlee’s bad acting definitely falls under the family umbrella. They all probably think she’s amazing and super talented, and I think that’s sweet.

All that said, getting kicked off “Melrose” supposedly hasn’t taught Ashlee any lessons about her acting skills. Us Weekly mentioned that she doesn’t want to return to singing, that she’s been spending most of her time going over scripts, and that “‘acting is her focus now.’” God save us all. I was only able to sit through the show a time or two, but watching Ashlee’s scenes was excruciating. She was so bad it actually made me feel awkward and uncomfortable, and I had to stop watching. If she’s really got her little heart set on acting, I’d say she should probably set her feet in motion towards a good acting class. Or seven.

In case you’re interested, here are some priceless pics of Jess at Halloween. Maybe it’s me, but it looks like her left boob is trying to go drastically different places from her right one.

Here’s Jessica Simpson with a bindi design on her forehead in Mumbai, India on October 27th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Less than two weeks ago, Ashlee Simpson and Colin Egglesfield were rather cruelly dumped from Melrose Place by producers. I don’t watch the show, but I’ve heard from multiple sources that Ashlee sucked big time, and was the weakest character and actress. In a report that seemed to originate in last week’s Star Magazine, it might seem that Ashlee was thrown off the show at the behest of Heather Locklear, who Star claimed: “For a sunshiny California girl, she sure has ice running through her veins.” Oh, yes. Because no one can deny a good catfight:

Heather Locklear doesn’t just play a bitch on TV! We hear the seasoned actress, who starred in the original Melrose Place, got into the mother of all catfights with actress-singer Ashlee Simpson on the set of the of The CW’s Melrose revival, as a rivalry ensued over who would be the show’s official “Queen Bee”. When the dust settled, Heather was the last the woman standing, Star Magazine claims in its Nov. 9 issue.

While producers insist Ashlee’s departure is storyline-dictated, production insiders tell Star the 25-year-old wife and mother was railroaded by an envious Heather, who was gunning for Ashlee from the moment she arrived on set for an “Amanda Returns” guest arc airing next month.

“Heather was jealous of Ashlee immediately,” says an insider. “She knew Ashlee was one of the bigger names on set, and she wanted her gone so she could make it her show. Heather is very political and calculating…”

On Oct. 22, The CW abruptly announced that Ashlee along with co-star Colin Egglesfield had been booted from the show. Producers are hoping Heather’s familiar face will be a show-saving draw for the critically-panned and ratings-challenged Melrose 2.0. Informants say that’s precisely why bosses had no problem ditching Ashlee — who will exit her role as Violet Foster — after 48-year-old Heather complained she’d been poking fun of her age to other members of the cast and crew.

“She was a thorn in Heather’s side from the beginning. Ashlee came off as insincere and a wannabe diva….Her lack of talent didn’t help her…She feels like a fool.”

Heather Locklear reprises her role as Amanda on The CW’s Melrose Place Nov. 17.

[From PopCrunch via Oh No They Didn’t]

I might believe this, but I’ve actually seen Heather interviewed many times, and she seems like a total professional – maybe not the nicest person ever, but not the kind of person to burn bridges or disrespect coworkers. GossipCop claims the report is bullsh-t too, but I’ve been wary of Gossip Cop since they seem stuck up Lindsay Lohan’s cracked-out ass. But one story I do believe is this one from the National Enquirer - they claim that Ashlee is “devastated” with her firing, and that her whole life is sort of falling apart:

Pals fear Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is teetering on the edge of an emotional breakdown after Melrose Place eviction. The rail-thin 25-year-old singer/actress is devastated after being axed from the cast of Melrose just two months into the season.

“Ashlee didn’t see it coming, and now she’s crushed,” divulged an insider. “She invested her heart and soul into the job. She feels like the rug has been pulled out from under her.”

The CW network abruptly announced on Oct. 22 that Ashlee’s character Violet was being booted – along with co-star Colin Egglesfield, who plays Auggie. At the same time, the network said it would order a full season of the show. Even before getting dropped by the show, Ashlee was going through a tough time.

“She is struggling to hold her marriage together, dealing with motherhood and practically starving herself to look good,” said the insider.

As The ENQUIRER previously reported Ashlee had been crash dieting and stressing about how she measures up to her gorgeous co-stars. The 5-foot-6 performer, who gave birth to son Bronx Mowgli in November 2008, is extremely thin, and she’s been substituting Red Bull energy drinks and nuts for meals, say those close to her.

“Ashlee’s friends are concerned that she’s headed for an emotional meltdown,” said the insider. “She was desperate to establish herself as a serious actress, but now she’s worried that she’s failing.”

The situation isn’t much better on the home front – Ashlee and rocker husband Pete Wentz, who married in May 2008, have hit a rough patch. The day Ashlee learned she was getting canned, Pete was partying at a charity event while his wife stayed at home, caring for their sick baby.

“Ashlee is jealous of the groupies who throw themselves at Pete, and Pete is frustrated with Ashlee’s obsession with her looks and her career,” added the insider.

[From The National Enquirer]

Don’t you see how this could be true? All of it? Ashlee thinks she’s the second coming of Josie Bissett (sigh… I miss Jane from the original Melrose Place), Ashlee diets herself into oblivion, her husband is too busy getting tattoos of dudes, and everything seems to be falling apart. It totally sucks for her, and yet… I feel nothing, really. I mean, I don’t hate Ashlee, but it is sort of funny. I guess it’s cracking me up a little because this Melrose Place gig wasn’t really that big of a deal, you know? But I could see how Ashlee would be totally devastated. Poor girl.

Photos below are courtesy of The CW

I’ve been keeping up with the new “Melrose Place” on The CW since the premiere, and while it can be kind of cheesy I do enjoy the glamor and the intrigue. My favorite character is bitchy but vulnerable Ella Simms, played to a T by Katie Cassidy. Cassidy is a talented actress and she really makes you root for Ella despite her character’s opportunistic personality.

Ashley Simpson’s character is the obvious weak point of the show, because she just can’t act. Her character Violet is emerging as the prime murder suspect and she’s supposed to be conniving, but all she does is over-emote and I’ve found myself rolling my eyes during her scenes. It’s hard to see Ashlee as anything but a mediocre singer trying too hard to act.

Yesterday it was reported that “Melrose Place” had been half renewed by The CW, which ordered another five episodes for next season. The show is just treading water in the ratings, as opposed to the blockbuster “Vampire Diaries,” which has been renewed for a full season with 10 episodes.

Spoilers for future episodes start here, do not read on if you want to be surprised
EW’s Michael Ausiello has a new interview with producers of the show, who reveal that both Ashlee Simpson and Colin Egglesfield (who plays hot chef Auggie) are off the show next year starting in January. He also reports that the mystery of Sydney’s murder will be solved in December. (I suspect that Auggie was involved, because he was shown burning bloody clothes at the end of the first episode, but it’s hard to tell.) Heather Locklear is coming back in November as we’ve already heard, and more new characters will be introduced.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with the show and am kind of relieved that Ashlee’s character will be leaving. Auggie is such delectable eye candy but I’m not that attached to that character either. The producers claim that it was planned all along that Violet and Auggie would leave this season, but Colin Egglesfield tells E! it was a complete surprise and that he had a multi-year contract. You can kind of tell it wasn’t set it stone by the way the producers phrase their answers too.

Two months into its run, The CW’s ratings-challenged (but creatively-smokin’) Melrose Place reboot is about to undergo a major renovation. For starters, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield have been let go (they’ll last air in January), and the “Who Killed Sydney?” mystery is being wrapped up in December. Then, in addition to Heather Locklear’s Amanda, several new characters will be introduced and the show will take on a lighter, more fun vibe. Here, in an exclusive interview, exec producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer explain why they’re fixing a series that many (myself included) felt wasn’t broken and tease what’s ahead for Melrose 2.0 3.0.

What was behind the decision to let Ashlee and Colin go?
TODD SLAVKIN: Well, we always knew that this murder mystery would end in episode 12. And we always knew that [Ashlee's] character of Violet would be instrumental in that as a suspect, and [Colin's character of] Augie as well. And once that murder mystery was solved, she would go on her way. That was the original plan going into the development of the show.

So it was always the plan for Ashlee to leave after episode 12?
SLAVKIN: Yes. Because we felt that once the murder mystery was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift into a much more fun, romantic, sexy upbeat kind of show, and [her] character would move on.

Same thing with Colin?
SLAVKIN: Colin was always meant to be the ultimate suspect. And his brooding alcoholic [character] tonally didn’t fit the paradigm moving into post-murder mystery Melrose Place.

Is it fair to say that if either of those characters clicked you would’ve found a way to keep them?
SLAVKIN: Well, you never know when you go along. But in the end, we felt like it was right [decision].
DARREN SWIMMER: The nature of soaps is that as things progress along, the story takes on a life of its own and the characters come and go in relation to that.

How did Ashlee and Colin take the news?
SLAVKIN: They’re total professionals and they took it like professionals. When you go into a show you never know what’s going to evolve and what the possibilities are. But because they knew ahead of time [that leaving was a possibility], it wasn’t a complete shock.

[From EW.com]

The interview then covers the new fun direction that show will take. Although the producers deny that they’ve been influenced by the ratings, you can bet that was a large part of it. The trashy and superficial parts of the show are much more appealing than the murder mystery and I’m glad they’ll be switching gears. We’ll have to see how Heather Locklear mixes things up as Amanda too. She’s going to be a large part of the new show, and you can bet there will be a mini-war between Amanda and Ella. Bring it on!

Photo below from Patrick Wymore/The CW via E! Online. Other photo are promotional photos thanks to The CW

Earlier today Celebitchy had me watch the first ten minutes of the new Melrose Place, and I’m embarrassed to admit I sorta liked it. I watched the original back in the day, but that normally involved sneaking up to the rec room and keeping the volume so low I could only catch every third word, all in an attempt to evade my mother. Nine times out of ten she caught me and got pissed, but it was worth it for the drama. I did the same thing with 90210 and Silence of the Lambs when it was on TV. Sometimes you have to be willing to take the consequences for really trashy and/or cannibalistic television. And boy did I.

Anyway, it had to be genuinely entertaining for me to risk all that, and Melrose Place always delivered. I didn’t have high hopes for the new version but it was actually very good in that slick, entertaining way. They’re not totally trying to rehash the first version, it’s more like a jumping off point. Which doesn’t mean they won’t bring back old characters. And finally, (finally!) the original Melrose b*tch, Heather Locklear, has been confirmed to return to the new version.

As Us Weekly previously reported, Heather Locklear is returning to Melrose Place, it was announced Tuesday.

Locklear, 47, will reprise her role as scheming ad vixen Amanda Woodward on the new CW version of the show. She will make her debut appearance Nov. 17.

“We’re ecstatic to have the chance to bring Amanda Woodward back to Melrose Place,” executive producers Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer said in a statement. “Heather’s involvement in the show is something we’ve been working on for some time as we couldn’t imagine creating and producing this show without the iconic character’s inclusion.”

An insider told Us Weekly that Locklear saw a pilot of the show — which stars Ashlee Simpson-Wentz — and “was surprised at how much she like it.”

The source said the role is a “a great comeback” for the actress, who faced a DUI charged that was later dismissed and sought treatment for anxiety last year. Said the source: “She is in great spirits and good shape. This is a perfect time to show everyone how well she is doing.

Details are mum on Locklear’s role. She was last seen with Peter (played by real-life love Jack Wagner — who’s not expected to return) faking her own death on the 1999 finale.

Original cast members Josie Bissett, Thomas Calabro, Laura Leighton and Daphne Zuniga have also signed back on for the show.

[From Us Weekly]

I think Heather Locklear and I had the exact same reaction. I mean redoing this particular show just sounds like it’s going to be nothing but cheesy. Not that the first one was anything so epically wonderful, but it was fun in that trashy way. And it looks like the new version is the same thing, but fun in its own, 2009 trashy way. I think it’d be a mistake for them to focus too much on the original plots and characters – not enough time has gone by. But putting their own spin on it seems to be working.

From Us’ phrasing, it sounds like Heather had probably previously turned down the show not just because of money (she supposedly wanted $100,000 an episode) but worries about quality. She was definitely the most popular character and getting her back is the biggest score for the new show. I have complete confidence that if anyone can play Amanda Woodward as bitchily as ever, it’s Heather. And she’ll definitely add some legitimacy to the new Melrose too.

The Melrose Place remake premiered on CW last night, and some critics loved it and some say it paled in comparison to the 90s original. I had the chance to watch it, and I thought it was fun and trashy in spots, but over the top. Of course that’s what people loved about the original version. The music was very heavy-handed and the characters seemed like stereotypes. The dialogue was forced at times and the ending of this first episode seemed contrived. Still, I would watch it again I have to admit. There’s plenty of eye candy and drama. Whether I would stick through the whole season depends on what happens in the next few episodes.

While most of these critics quoted in a recap by the LA Times are on one side of the fence or the other, I’m just a firm “maybe.” It was decent entertainment, I’ll give it that, but I don’t yet particularly care what happens to these characters and I doubt I ever will. Maybe that’s a plus for the show, because it sets up a kind of “anything goes” situation.

Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times admits, “I was a fan of the original ‘Melrose Place’ though I can’t for the life of me remember exactly why.” However, she was unimpressed with the new version noting, “Nothing is said that hasn’t been said, nothing is done that hasn’t been done and as the group of friends who share little save a shoe size and an address gather poolside, even the sunlight looks fake, as if the complex were in a dome, a captive ecosystem on another planet where scientists are attempting an experiment in social regeneration.”

Linda Stasi of the New York Post had the opposite reaction: “The new ‘Melrose Place’ is as good and sometimes better than the old ‘Melrose Place.’ Think of it as a renovation, or in L.A. terms, a face-lift. In fact, the new tenants actually made me forget the old tenants rather quickly. Well, I didn’t forget all of them, because two of them are back but in a new format. Now the series is an ongoing whodunit.”

Said Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe, “I ‘like’ the new ‘Melrose Place’ in that I think it has the potential to be as addictive, and phony, as a can of Pringles potato crisps. The trashy CW series has none of the hokey moral quandaries of the show that precedes it, ’90210,’ no lesson-learning unless you’re a student of chicanery and double-dealing. The new ‘Melrose Place’ is just a mess of gossipy plotlines about adultery, murder, and secrets. If it has a moral compass, the arrow is stuck pointing down, to hell.”

In his mixed review David Hinckley of the New York Daily News wrote, “It does, however, wisely retain some of the elements that worked in the original, like characters who are interesting without being deep. We watch them because of what they do, not because we think there’s a lot there.”

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune said, “Given that I was never a big fan of the original ‘Melrose,’ which ran on Fox 1992-’99, I can’t say whether this one is better or worse. I just know that in a fall season that’s about to get very crowded indeed, this remake will have to work harder than this to keep my attention.”

And for James Poniewozik of Time, “The problem isn’t that the new version – which dives right into the pool (literally) with a murder mystery and re-introduces several characters from the original – is bad, exactly. It’s competent. It also seems a little familiar and unnecessary. The luridly lit nightclub scenes, for instance, by now seem familiar from the CW playbook of ‘Gossip Girl’ and ’90210.’ “

[From The LA Times]

Mild spoilers for first episode below
Ashlee Simpson plays the new arrival at Melrose Place, a sweet naive girl named Violet who seems even more one dimensional than the rest of the characters. Her main scene takes place with doctoral student Lauren, when Violet encounters Lauren after she comes back from a date. Lauren tells Violet that she had a great date but that her date propositioned her for money in exchange for sex. Violet kind of makes Lauren question why she turned down the offer, but then concedes that she wouldn’t do that, either, saying “You and me, we’re good girls. It’s just not as fun.” Ashlee isn’t that accomplished of an actress, but with lines like that she certainly doesn’t need to be.

So is it worth watching Melrose Place? I guess you’d have to judge for yourself. There were definitely some good moments, but I wasn’t hooked from the start.

[The CW and Melrose Place are one of our advertisers, but we were not contacted or encouraged to review this series.] Photos from CWtv.com