[Photo Credit: Flynet]

When it comes to her role on the new 90210, Jennie says she keeps in touch with former nemesis Shannen Doherty even when they're not working together on the show.

"I tried to text her yesterday and I couldn't find her number!" she tells OK!. "I had it in my phone and I couldn't figure out where it went."

Eventually, husband Peter Facinelli told Garth that scrawling a phone number on the back of the phone with a periwinkle crayon is perhaps not the most secure method for retaining a contact (even less so when the number is mistakenly filed under, "HellBitch, Shannen"). Don't worry, Jennie — you'll lick this problem yet!

• Jennie Garth: Divorce is Not an Option[OK!]

Boomp3.com

90210 & Degrassi: The Next Generation star Shenae Grimes was surprised by the attention she received after leaving the Blackberry Bold party on Thursday night. Stepping into a sea of flash bulbs, Grimes paused and said, “Really? All this for me? It’s flattering, but I assure there’s somebody more famous coming out of that party real soon.” A lone snapper stepped forward and explained that they’re actually Blackberry super fans and they just wanted to get a snapshot of the new phone for their respective tech blogs. Another added, “Yeah, we got this really cool shot of Heidi and Spencer licking a Blackberry Storm like an ice cream sandwich. So could you do something equally as wacky?” Grimes retrieved the phone from the gift bag and pretended to take a bite out of it while rubbing her stomach.

[Photo Credit: Splash Pics]

*A Call To The Bullpen is a work of fiction. Although the pictures we use are most certainly real, Defamer does not purport that any of the incidents or quotations you see in this piece actually happened. Lighten up, people ... it's a joke.

A 90210 insider says while it's true that Walter's contract option was not picked up for the second half of the season, the Arrested Development grande dame has agreed to appear on a recurring basis, her schedule permitting.

"Fans have not seen the last of Tabitha," assures executive producer Gabe Sachs. "We love Jessica."

According to my moles, the decision to take Walter off contract was made purely for financial reasons. As the show continues to evolve, it didn't make sense to, as one 90210 insider puts it, "pay her all that money to utter two funny lines an episode."

Instead, 90210 will continue to invest in headline-grabbing vets like Shannen Doherty, as well as characters that drive story, such as Jessica Lowndes' Adrianna (who was just made a series regular).

The idea that Jessica Walter might not be 90210's most valuable asset? We don't understand the question, and we won't respond to it. Reluctantly, we must drag BluthWatch '08 back out of the mothballs (and without so much as an Arrested Development movie to provide Walter with a soft landing!). Surely the producers could have found ways to incorporate Tabitha into the high school storylines — after all, aren't cougars hot right now? Perhaps we'd finally become invested in the terminally bland West Bev hunk "Ethan" if he suddenly started showing up under Tabitha's caftans. 90210 writers, consider that one a freebie.

• 9021-Oh No They Didn't: Jessica Walter Taken Off Contract [EW]

Sure, 90210 lead Shenae Grimes might seem to be all smiles these days, but underneath that perma-grin is a world of teenage angst. Bashed by Us Weekly and Penn Badgley for being too thin, the actress has taken to her Myspace blog in an attempt to defend herself. Like a big, juicy meal that will remain uneaten, Grimes prefers not to be picked at, ultimately concluding, "I'm sorry if you dont like it, but this is who I am":

Hey guys!

I didnt think my next blog would be so soon, but I guess it is!

But what im here to blog about is my recent cover of the tabliods and my highly criticized smoking habit.

Now, as you all know now probably, I graced my first major magazine cover, only to be called "too skinny" alongside my co-star Jessica Stroup. I would like to say once again that neither me or Jessica have issues with our weight or bodies. I happened to be very small built, and ive always been skinny. So I personally think that people need to stop criticizing everyone in the media these days about their issues. Im sure you wouldnt like it if someone pointed out all of your flaws and all of your mistakes... but thats what the media does to us. Anyways, im ranting.. so onto my next issue.

Tmz has criticized my smoking habit. I cant say that im proud of it, but there are so many people struggling with the addiction nowadays. I started smoking at about 16, and 1 in 5 teenagers smoke. Im not going to really go into the issue, but my hope is that you will all just stop hating and get on with it. I smoke. My choice. Im sorry if you dont like it, but this is who I am. If you actually would like to read the article, its posted on the TMZ website (I will post a link at the bottom.). Ive read some of the comments, they arrent the most supportive, but im doing the best to ignore them and just move on.

Duly noted, Shenae — though we can't help but feel that your blog would have gone down better with some of Silver's finger puppets and production values. Also, no rebuttal to the gossip about your hot-tempered Canadian attitude? You may be a Degrassi alum, but we'll need some more candor before we can say that this blog really "goes there."

[Photo Credit: AP]

• Shenae Grimes blogs about recent tabloid rumors [ONTD]

Badgley tells PopEater exclusively that he's heard the swirl about the show's skinny starlets, and that he's "never been proponent of the thin L.A. girls." He goes on to tell us that he thinks it's "healthy" that the females on 'Gossip Girl' "aren't bone-thin." He also has solid advice for the '90210' gals: "I hope they eat a double cheeseburger or something."

Penn, you might suffer too if you ate your meals under the withering eye of a grandmother like Lucille Bluth. 90210 is simply reflecting the new reality, where a Midwestern girl landing in Beverly Hills is no longer corn-fed and healthy but emaciated, slightly meth-y, and ready to par-tay! Now, will someone pass us our daily baby carrot?

• Not Just the Plot Is Thin on New '90210' [PopEater]

• Are the skinny starlets of '90210' setting a bad example? [EW]

Jennie Garth had her own take on the matter, telling People:

Since you started the new 90210, who did the fans want the father to be?
It’s funny because everyone who was a fan of the original show has an opinion about who Kelly ended up with. I had been so detached from it for so long that I was like, I don’t even know how the show left it off. Had she gone away with Brandon or Dylan? I remember that one time when she said, ‘I choose me,’ which was really great. That was hilarious to me. I’d have to say it’s 50/50–it’s either Brandon or Dylan. Everyone wanted to know who the father was, and you know, I’d say it could be Steve Sanders or it could be Nat from the Peach Pit. You don’t know.

...How do you think the fans will react to the news?
Either way, whether the son was Brandon’s or Dylan’s, the fans will be excited. Because that’s a direct connection with what they want–the original show. And those characters from the original show are seared into those old hardcore fans’ mind, and to have that connection and to have that tie-in, they’re going to love it. And they’re going to analyze everything that little kid does. He has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.

Seriously! Shouldn't that little boy have sideburns out to here by now?

• 90210[The CW]

THERE'S a new bad girl on "90210," and it's not Brenda Walsh, played by Shannen Doherty, who ruled as the show's queen of mean during its first incarnation. Doherty has since cleaned up her tough act, but the new CW show's newbie, Shenae Grimes, who plays Annie Wilson, isn't taking cues from her tamed-down predecessor. Show sources told Page Six that Grimes was "tormenting everyone on set" and "acts rude to the cast, crew and extras." Our insider told us Grimes even once yelled at an unassuming guest star, "Who the hell are you?" and often spits out comments like "This is my show - everyone else is riding my coattails."

Should we expect Shenae's antics to become the subject of a shocking Silver blog exposé, or will all the bad behavior be swept away in a surge of babydaddy-related mystery tonight? We'd advise Grimes to take her cues from onscreen grandmother Lucille Bluth: gratuitous insults can be done right, but only with better lines and a martini glass in hand.

[Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/The CW]

• '90210' GIRL GONE WILD? [NY Post]

According to tipster "Lezzy McGuire":

I live in Canada. We have a different version of the trailer for next week's episode. Brenda yells at Kelly, "You still love Dylan."

So I'll be like Maury and announce, Dylan you ARE the father of 4-year-old Sammy.

Damning evidence, or will Kelly coolly reply, "Au contraire, Brenda: I still love Steve Sanders, provided that Ian Ziering is available to shoot a three-episode arc during May sweeps"? We're still holding out hope that Brandon Walsh will swoop in (now played by Zach Galifianakis), but with the future of the CW looking awfully shaky, the only thing we know is that somebody had better claim this splash-off, and quick. [The CW]

The father of Kelly’s 4-year-old son Sammy will finally be revealed on Tuesday’s episode of 90210, PEOPLE has learned. And Brenda will be the one spilling the beans!

Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Kelly (Jennie Garth) will be having a serious conversation about Sammy’s dad when Brenda reveals his name.

In another twist, the show’s executive producer Gabe Sachs told PEOPLE that there’s a “possibility” the baby’s father could appear on a future episode.

Sadly, Doherty will skedaddle soon after delivering the news: she's turned down offered from producers to extend her four-episode stay, though Garth has reportedly signed on for more. No word yet, though, on whether Priestly, Luke Perry, or Ian Ziering have been reapproached to sign on for a babydaddy arc. If they're not available, may we suggest Lucille Bluth as the mystery parent? Sure, it makes no logical sense, but dammit, Jessica Walter needs some more martini-swilling screen time. BluthWatch '08!

[Photo Credit: Michael Diamond/Desmond/The CW]

• 90210 Scoop: The Father of Kelly’s Son to Be Revealed on Next Week’s Episode [People]

8. David Silver - Yes, there was a time when he wanted to get in her pants. But, considering that the semi-incestuous angle was too bold for Cruel Intentions, we think it's definitely too much for the fledgling CW.
7. Colin Robbins - Two words: coke dick. Ain't happening.
6. Nat Bussichio - While we're aware that Madonna famously proclaimed that "Italians Do It Better", Nat's been too busy trying to figure out how to use his capuccino machine to knock Kelly up. Plus, he doesn't seem like the type who would sell out his good buddy Brandon.
5. Noah Hunter - The heir to a massive oil fortune had a good thing going near the end of the original 90210's run, but by this point, he's more likely to be boning Sienna Miller than getting back together with Kelly.

4. Jake Hanson - Tall, dark and handsome, Jake originally pursued the then high school aged Kelly in the series' third show. That said, he's got to be like Larry King's age by now.
3. Brandon Walsh - The two almost walked down the aisle. If we lived in a fictional universe, this would be our #1 choice. But recent comments lead us to believe that Jason Priestley would sooner star in a Unabomber biopic than return to the set of 90210 as an actor.
2. Dylan McKay - "May the bridges I burn lead the way!", he famously proclaimed while riding out of Beverly Hills on a Harley, which leads us to believe that he'd do it again. He seems like just the type who would promise to pull out, only to renege when it counts. But then there's...
1. Steve Sanders - Just look at that kid! Blond, curly ringlets? Check. Big, dumb grin? Check. Oh Steve Sanders, you ole bareback rider, you! If the kid had blue eyes, we'd say it's a lock. Also, don't forget that Ian Ziering was fame hungry enough to appear on Dancing With The Stars, so you just KNOW that he would head back to West Bev in a heartbeat. Give him a five episode arc at $35 - 50K per episode and we'll have ourselves a nostalgia trip that just might keep The CW alive.

• 90210 [The CW]

He said: "Am I looking forward to it? Er, I'm intrigued by it. I think, like, I'm intrigued by it, sure.'

When asked if he'd like to rejoin his former co-stars Shannon Doherty and Jennie Garth on the show, Jason bluntly replied: 'Er, not really no.'

And when a reporter asked if he believed the show should have been brought back, he said simply: 'It's none of my business, really is it?'

How can Priestly give such a cavalier brush-off to the franchise that an appreciative Tori Spelling is so desperate to re-join? Perhaps he caught the pilot episode cameo from a similarly hirsute Mark the Cobrasnake and decided it'd take a lot more facial hair (and a few more "mega-burgers") before a return appearance from Brandon Walsh would show those peach-fuzzed youngsters how a real man learns valuable lessons in under sixty minutes.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• No close shave for 90210's Jason Priestley as he lets his heartthrob status slip [Daily Mail]

DOHERTY I had already done “Heathers,” “Little House” and “Our House.” I didn’t read it and think, “Oh my gosh, ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ is going to be the hugest thing in the world.” I moved here when I was 8 years old, so I’ve always been raised to have a fair amount of confidence. There wasn’t very much that I could relate to Brenda, except that maybe we were both going through teen angst at the same time.

JASON PRIESTLEY I remember meeting Aaron for the first time. He was walking across the four-inch-deep shag carpeting in his office with a cocktail in his hand. And the second that happened, there were no more nerves for me. I thought: “Well, you know, Aaron’s already drinking. I’m cool. I got this.”

DARREN STAR The affiliates were scandalized — not because they had sex, but because Brenda was happy about it, and it didn’t have any dire consequences. I was strongly advised to write a show that would address the consequences of that sexual experience. So the first episode of the second season Brenda broke up with Dylan because their relationship had gotten too mature.

PRIESTLEY There was no excitement about it. Fox was this rag-tag group of affiliates back in 1990. “21 Jump Street” was barely hanging on. Johnny Depp had one foot out the door, and they were trying to replace him with Richard Grieco.

JENNIE GARTH There were times when it was worse than high school. The environment there was like: Are you kidding me? There was a lot of tension and unnecessary drama on the set, a certain amount of competition, and a certain — probably — anger about different salaries as the years progressed. People would find out how much someone was making, and then they’d be angry and want that, or if you got days off in your contract, they’d want that. Nobody was brave enough to step in and set us straight, and have a serious talk with us about it. There was a lot of tension directed from one specific person, and that one specific person had to reap the consequences from that.

DOHERTY I really could care less about it anymore. I have nothing to apologize for. Whatever I did was my growing-up process that I needed to go through, that anybody my age goes through. And however other people may have reacted to that is their issue.

[NYT]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, but back to the fistfight: fact or fiction?...
DOHERTY: No, we never punched each other.
GARTH: Scratching? I'm not going to deny that.

More excerpts (and salacious sexual revelations) after the jump!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: For the new 90210, you were both involved with determining where Kelly and Brenda were in their lives. Jennie, the producers initially wanted Kelly to be a West Beverly Hills High School board member, right? How did she become a guidance counselor?
GARTH: I didn't want to be on the show for no reason. I wanted to have some value. When Gabe and [exec producer] Jeff [Judah] told me some of the things they were doing, I was like, ''Whoa. That is not 90210, people.''...
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What kinds of things?
DOHERTY: All I know is there's a girl giving a guy a b—- job in the first episode.
GARTH: When they told me that, I thought, Aaron Spelling is rolling over in his grave right now.

Dare we dream that Lucille Bluth is the loose woman in question? That's right, CW: Bluthwatch '08 continues! But then, this tidbit concerning the initial Garth/Doherty reunion:

GARTH: There had been so much buildup. Everyone was asking me before what it was going to be like. I was like, ''I don't know. I haven't talked to her in 10 or 15 years.'' I had that tension and I started to let it get to me. Is she going to be nice? Is it going to be a bad environment? But when I saw her everything was fine. [To Shannen] I was going to call you and tell you this — I got your number from Gabe [Sachs, 90210 producer] but I never called.

Jennie, Jennie, Jennie! Have you still not learned to use a phone after the Tori debacle? We know that the kids today have moved onto Sidekicks and iPhones, but sheesh: can't somebody hand the girl an oversized 90's cell phone she feels familiar with?

• '90210''s Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth: The EW Reunion [EW]

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