Head from 'The Hills'

It appears that MTV is trying to suck its 'Hills' franchise dry: Whitney Port, Lauren Conrad's friend and co-worker, will be getting her very own spinoff in 2009.

Rumors of the spinoff have been swirling for awhile now, but MTV announced today that Whitney will star in "The City" --clever title. The show will air in the spring.

Cameras will follow Whitney from LA to NYC, where she will work for designer Diane Von Furstenberg. reunite with "a best friend from her past" and meet "a guy she's head-over-heels for," according to the release.

I mean, I'm all for the "normal" girl on the overly-hyped television show having her day, but do we really think Whitney can carry the show on her own? I mean, she's intelligent and beautiful, but let's face it: She's just an ancillary character in the drama-tastic world of The Hills--that's the downside of having substance and integrity.

MTV is already heading off our worries with this exaggerated description of the show:

"Surrounded by all new friends, pursuing a fresh love life and starting to work in the upper echelon of the fashion industry is a lot to navigate for a new girl in the big city... especially one who has everything to lose. In a city full of people with their own agendas, Whitney will have to quickly decide who she can trust and who to stay away from." - MTV

You know, I thought Whitney was smart for shying away from the cameras during The Hills and focusing on her career, but I'd say this seems like a step in the wrong direction. Still, it will give me some more meaningless television to watch, so...okay.

9021Oh noo.....

Thanks to a quick commercial in the middle of tonight's season finale of "Gossip Girl" (and a heads up from my friend, Jackie), I have learned of the CW's intention to make a 90210 spinoff.

When I first heard about the reinvention of one of my favorite teenage dramas, I was like totally stoked, but after learning of the show's intended plotline, it is not looking so good in the upscale neighborhood.

This spinoff, which is set to premiere in the fall, is based around the Mills family (reminiscent of The Walshes), who have moved from St. Louis to Beverly Hills and are adjusting to the scenery.

According to E! News, there's Harry Mills (aka the Jim Walsh of the series)and his wife Celia (aka Cindy Walsh) and the couple's biological daughter, Annie--who much like Brenda Walsh--is into acting and alternative music and longs to fit into the cool crowd at school.

But in order to differentiate from the original series, the Mills don't have twins--they instead have Dixon, an adopted son who's the same age as Annie and was taken in by her family six years earlier. And apparently the show is looking to cast a minority actor in the role in order to more accurately depict California than its predecessor's completely whitebread cast.

And while there are Andrea Zuckerman and David and Donna-like characters, none of the original cast will be featured in the show. E! reports, however, that both Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering have said that they would participate if asked.

This...yeah. Not so good. I doubt CW will strike gold as they have with "Gossip Girl" (which is seriously one of the best shows on television these days), but I will probably end up checking this out...if nothing else, but to see what The Peach Pit looks like and if Nat is still alive.

For a taste of retro 90210, watch the show's intro below. Gotta love those good times on the beach.