Arts & Entertainment 90210 version 2.0: Can it be as popular as the onginal? By Chloé Bach E.. the past two Tuesday evenings I have bunkered down on my couch, my dog Penny on one side of me, my nightly alcoholic beverage of choice on the other. While my boyfriend retreats somewhere to play Warcraft, I watch the new 90210 series, when I should be doing something more productive. Both times the show hasn’t left me begging for more, and like its competitor (and my guilty pleasure) Gossip Girl, it hasn’t left me completely uninterested. Version 2.0 caught my attention right off the bat. I mean, I can’t help but be enticed by a show that has a girl felating one of the main characters within the first five minutes or so of the two-hour premiere. That is how you kick a show off folks! The new and edgy version of 90210 stars Canadian actress Shenae Grimes (who starred as Darcy in Degrassi: The Next Generation).as Annie Wilson. Annie is the “new girl” who just moved to the zip code with her family. Her father, who had previously lived in the neighborhood, is the new school principal, her adopted brother is seemingly an instant star on the lacrosse team, and her mother... well, so far she seems pretty useless. Family ties and old friends bring all sorts of scandals to light almost immediately in the first episode, with bastard children from high school flings included. The original Beverly Hills 90210 was on air for 10 long years, and was produced by multi-millionaire Aaron Spelling, and naturally starred his less-than- moderately-talented daughter. The show was watched religiously, primarily by the 18-34 year-old demographic, as I know all too well from some very in-depth, intellectual, weekly conversations about the show with my friends. The show, however, experienced some serious ups and downs. There was major tension surrounding Tori Spelling’s role in the show in terms of the reasons she was hired and the storyline her character followed. There were in fact accusations that Aaron Spelling had instructed writers to give Tori’s character more on-screen scenes, more interesting storylines and so forth. Another point of Chloé Bach arts & entertainment editor contention in the original series was the friction that Shannen Doherty, who played Brenda, had with other cast mates. There are rumors that she and Jennie Garth (both of whom are reprising their roles in the new series) had a huge fight, although neither will confirm this. The new 2.0 version of the once infinitely popular 902/0 hit television screens all over the world on September 2™, and pulled in staggering numbers. That said, while the first airing was estimated at about 4.9 million viewers, the following episode crashed and burned in comparison and slipped about 30% in the ratings. It seems while all the publicity and hype had people looking forward to the premiere, the show has not held the attention of all that many for even one week. All in all, the show is your typical evening primetime soap opera similar to the likes of Melrose Place and The O.C. All of the characters are easy to look at, the parents look only a few years older than their children and everyone has exorbitant amounts of money. Even with such compelling factors though, I wonder if version 2.0 will succeed at retaining popularity anywhere close to that of the original series. Maybe they should consider working a blowjob into each episode. Deer Lake Park offers the chance to make the most of a mild September By Mark Fisher calm, and also heavily visited iy wildlife. It’s always nice to go to a park an Joo t animals there outnumber the people; that’s the way its should be. When you live in the city, you don’t get to see lots of animals gathered in often. Seeing large numbers of blue herons, Canadian eese, ducks, igeons,, seagulls, crows all gathered along the beach at Deer Lake Park ne same ti is quite a sight i Te $ neat to just Observe the different habits that the different birds have. Plus the baby ducks “are just so 0 gosh-darn cute. Deer Lake Boat Rentals, located at the south end of the lake along the beach, lets you rent kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and pedal boats to take out on the calm waters of Deer Lake. It’s a great way to get some exercise and forget about your stressful week of school and/or work. Not to mention it’s pretty reasonably priced at just $10-$15 and hour. I prefer kayaking myself, though; they’ Fe pretty cary fp navigate and tur once you've gotten the — hang of them. Some instruction is necessary if you’ve never been before (though if you _ decide you just want to go out there and wing it, they won't stop you). Deer Lake Park a great place to learn because the water is so calm and they’ re no current to struggle with. Kayaks are also the fastest moving of the watercraft available, so even if you can’t steer it you'll still get places fast, Take a friend or a date and rent a two-person kayak: if you want — 14 south for the winter. While I was there, ‘lock of gecen tock at frente wee a Rosie, a circled the park, and landed on the patch of grass where bands like The White Stripes and _ the B-52s recently played. A practice flight before their journey? Or perhaps they eae ne ete See Aine ne ee