Teen TV That Flunked College

90210 spinoff relies heavily on original series

(NEWSER) - Same Beverly Hills, same premise, same Kelly Taylor. 90210, the CW's much-hyped spinoff, sticks too close to the original series and lacks its power to shock, Laura Fries writes in Variety. The show that premiered last night “is a pallid copy of the original fish-out-of-water story, only with shinier cars, fancier clothes, and Botox aplenty.” More»

Study finds correlation over six-decade study

(NEWSER) - Being a top student in high school has obvious benefits, mainly with regard to getting into a good college. But being a top high school performer might have more lasting effects: it leads to better health all throughout life, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin tracked more than 10,000 high school graduates through six rounds of interviews, one every decade, Time reports. More»

TV star David Boreanaz owns up to affair before mistress can blow whistle

(NEWSER) - Staying ahead of a former mistress he believes is trying to blackmail him, Bones star David Boreanaz admits he's cheated on his wife. "Our marriage has been tainted with my infidelities," the Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer star tells People . "I was irresponsible." He says of his wife of 8 years, Jaime Bergman, "We're working on our marriage." More»

When it comes time for the holiday episode, don't expect a surprise

(NEWSER) - Christmas “takes over the airwaves as comprehensively as it does malls, office lobbies, and public service announcements”—but unfortunately, the Christmas TV plotline always falls into one of three categories, writes Torie Bosch for Slate :

• Money woes: “A holiday season without gifts doesn't really feel like a holiday at all,” so when Christmas bonuses are denied, tragedy ensues. But, as Bart Simpson said in one such situation, “If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.”

The Wire , The Sopranos , Six Feet Under , Mad Men —get the picture?

(NEWSER) - For television, the past decade has been “as the sixties are to music and the seventies to movies”—some of the worst content ever was produced, but the cream of the crop rose to the level of art, Emily Nussbaum writes. Sure, “you could easily memorialize the aughts as the Decade of Reality TV,” but then you’d be leaving out The Sopranos, Mad Men, and, most important, The Wire. The best of the best dared audiences to take them seriously and didn’t have time for those who wouldn’t. More»