There is little to be shocked by here in this new redux, but at least you’ll enjoy the eye candy along the way
Grade: C+
Stars: Katie Cassidy, Stephanie Jacobsen, Jessica Lucas, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Michael Rady, Shaun Sipos, Colin Egglesfield
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2009

I’ll give MELROSE PLACE this: They sure do know how to pack the hotties into one show. Holy crap. The show is wall-to-wall hot chicks. Look at the breakdown of talent they have on the show – Katie Cassidy (hot off looking smoking on HARPER’S ISLAND), Stephanie Jacobsen (the hot Australian bird from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES), Jessica Lucas (one-time member of CSI and the exotic chick in CLOVERFIELD) and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, the singer, sister of Jessica and gossip favorite turned actress.
Just one of these chicks on one show would be a nice find, but all of them in one show? That’s a goldmine. And that’s probably some of the thinking involved in the re-boot of the show. Think about what we had in the original: Daphne Zuniga? Josie Bissett?

There may very well be some beefcake here too, but unfortunately I don’t really have an eye for it. Maybe you can tell me?

Now, I probably don’t fall into the demographic of MELROSE PLACE. I’m too old. I’m not that old, mind you, but I’m older than probably the teen/early twentysomething audience they are going after. So based on that, it’s safe to assume that I find a hard time relating to not just one or two of the characters but all of them.

The “Pilot” episode revolved around one of the “oh my God” moments that the show in the first run was so commonplace. Yes, a murder in the opening moments of the show. Oh, I’m so shocked.

You know I wonder if the days of shocking moments on scripted dramas that supposedly push the edge of the genre is over. Back in the day when the original MELROSE PLACE was blowing sh** up and making people vegetables and whatever other crazy plotlines they came up with, it was cutting edge stuff. Now, it’s all been done. And putting a murder in the opening moments of the pilot episode no longer has the impact that it might have had a decade ago.

The subplot of the episode dealt with the engagement between Riley (Lucas) and Jonah (GREEK’s Michael Rady). Will they or won’t they. See Riley is torn because she really wishes that Jonah would just grow up instead of having a box of Legos in the closet and thinking a night on the town is a special screening of RESERVOIR DOGS at the movie theater.

Jonah, meanwhile, is struggling with his career as a budding filmmaker and is paying the bills by filming kids parties. When he gets a gig for a big time producer he asks him to take a peek at his short film and is rejected hard core. However, he just happens to stumble upon the same producer getting busy in the closet with someone other than his wife. That prompts the producer to throw everything in his face he always wanted – a feature film, to buy his short film for $25,000, whatever. He just wants the tape deleted.

Meanwhile, we are treated to a number of “suspects” as to who might have killed Sydney (one of the few links to the original series), the chick who was murdered in the opening of the episode, through a series of reasons. Let’s just say that Sydney wasn’t the nicest person in the whole world, blackmailing people left and right and just being a mean bitch in general. Who wouldn’t want to off her is the better question.

At the end we discover who it is, although we received no indication it was him as they alluded to others as the killer for the reasons mentioned above. It was the same guy that toasted Sydney’s death at what was a gathering of the apartment dwellers to honor her death. Shameless!

MELROSE PLACE isn’t that bad. In fact, you won’t be bored probably watching it because I wasn’t. But it just is another one of these shows where the beefcake isn’t in the story telling, it’s in the good looking people that are on the show. And as I stated before, they will be hard pressed to shock anyone these days with everything that has transpired on TV since the original debuted. But there’s no denying the eye candy here and that may have more people coming back than the milquetoast storylines that we are given about shallow people all with hidden secrets and shallow aspirations.

A show that continues to relate itself to absolutely no one with lame characters and even lamer plotlines
Grade: C
Stars: Katie Cassidy,Stephanie Jacobsen, Jessica Lucas, Shaun Sipos, Michael Rady, Colin Egglesfield, Ashley Simpson
Release Date: Sept. 15, 2009

While watching the second episode of the re-launch of MELROSE PLACE I couldn’t help but thinking one thing.
I just don’t care.

I don’t care about these people at all. From the public relations specialist to the stars Ella (Katie Cassidy), to the newly engaged Riley (Jessica Lucas) and Jonah (Michael Rady), to David’s (Shaun Sipos) budding artist career, to the doctor turned hooker Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen). I just don’t care.

None of these people have any basis in reality. At least on medical dramas or even police shows you get a sense that these people could actually exist or that they would act and say the things they are saying. But on MELROSE PLACE it is beyond fake, it’s just good looking schlock without any substance.

Auggie’s (Colin Egglesfield) breakdown about his dead girlfriend and how she got sliced by some random dude in a bar was supposed to be heavily dramatic and important. I was laughing the whole time at how cliché the whole bit was. Oh the troubled boy with a drinking problem and hang-ups on a girlfriend that was knifed in a bar fight, how completely and utterly stupid and predictable. And if they are trying to be shocking, they fail on all levels as this same plotline has been re-used more times in Hollywood than some casting couches.

And is it me or why doesn’t Lauren just get a school loan? Is it that hard to fill out the paper work and go through the proper channels? Instead you turn to whoring yourself out for rich kids that live in these expensive place and can’t find their own dates? Yeah, that makes sense. Normal people always immediately turn to being a hooker when they are faced with bills.

Then there is the character of Ella. Who acts the way she does? Cassidy was great in HARPER’S ISLAND and showed she has the chops to act and play a good character well but give her better material. Ella personifies spoiled youth with a chip on her shoulder and damning anyone and everyone that gets in her way. Of course, she delivers lame one-liners and a can-do attitude in the face of times where she should be all business. In reality, she’d get laughed out the room. But in the land of MELROSE PLACE, it works to get what she wants.

Now, let’s just clear the air. There is nothing wrong with the acting here. And the cast is freaking awesome to look at – Jacobsen, Lucas, Cassidy and even Ashley Simpson (who is more of a bit part player at this point) are amazing looking women. That alone gives me a reason to check out the show but between the nice view, it is like pulling teeth trying to get into any of the plotlines.

Even the murder from last week continues to linger on rather than just leaving it as there may be a random killer running around. Instead, they bring up a host of new potential suspects that might have done the deed. Why not let it stew for a few episodes and then bring it back with another murder or some other devious act. Why bring it up with a host of new suspects to confuse us even more.

While the pilot gave us a decent introduction of the cast and at least a feeble and totally unbelievable situations for these characters, “Nightingale” didn’t give us anything new, but further what we already knew about the character and that this show is only going to give us milquetoast plotlines that are unintentionally laughable.

Multiple Interview here!

Today I am bringing you three new promotional bottons for the site. The image in the first botton is from the layout header. The images in the next two bottons is from the Melrose Place Marketing Material.

Today I’m brining you a new Melrose Place picture update. I have added new promotional photos to the gallery, if you have more images you are more than welcome to contribute that to the site here.

Today I’m brining you a new Melrose Place picture update. I have added new posters to the gallery, if you have more images you are more than welcome to contribute that to the site here.

Welcome to the very launch of Adoring Jessica Lucas, you ultimate source for the amazing upcoming actress Jessica Lucas. You may know her from the movie Cloverfield as Lily Ford or as Riley Rickmond in the upcoming Melrose Place.

Adoring Jessica Lucas will bring you, all the news, photos, videos, etc you will need to be fully updated on Jessica’s career. I am also looking for a lot of affiliates, so if you are interested you can apply here.

The images in the layout header is an unknown shoot of Jessica, but she looks so gorgeous in that shoot. Let me know what you think about the layout and the site. Stay tuned for some Melrose Place updates!