S01.E16: Fame is Where You Find It

[Primetimer]

When Brandon gets 'discovered' to guest-star a sappy teen drama (sound familiar?), Brenda copes in a really unfortunate way.

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[Primetimer]

We've collected all the important visual aids from Beverly Hills, 90210's 'Fame Is Where You Find It,' including the very last instance of rollerblading in America.

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[StatMom]

One other moment from the episode worth mentioning: when Brenda comes downstairs to vamp with Lydia until Brandon is ready, Jim introduces Brenda as "Brandon's better half." Um, isn't that usually a spousal reference? Yuck.

[Montalban]

Wherein Brenda turns The Peach Pit into a one woman Ed Debevic's.

[gesundheit]

I think this episode was the final straw for me with both twins, if I remember correctly. (I've seen the ten-year run multiple times, don't get me wrong!)

Dear lord, if I'd ever gone into a diner for a quick coffee and burger and Lavoine train wreck was happening, I'd call the Better Business Bureau.

[vendredi3]

OMG, I owned that Jack Wagner album on cassette. :/

[Picture It. Sicily]

This is one of the episodes that I always turn off if there are reruns. Yawn.

[Dave in Chicago]

I thought you were going to be way more brutal to Lavoine, but "too disgusted to engage with it" is a solid choice too.

[sinkwriter]

Sarah, I don't know how you can say the "Reeeeeck" Paris accent is better than Lavoine. I mean, Lavoine is tedious, but at least she's trying to be silly. The "Reeeeeeck" accent is JUST. SO. BAD. I want to yell at her, "Just STOP, Brenda!"

[sinkwriter]

They kept saying "Surfer Dude" but I think they meant to call him a "Skater Dude." LOL. *eyeroll*

[Montalban]

For a few days now I've been trying to place exactly whom season 1 Ian Zearing resembles. While watching this episode it finally came to me: he's the spitting image of late 1980s Reba McEntire. Seriously wish I could add screen grabs and a side-by-side here because Reba in her "Fancy" video looks like Steve Sanders in drag. It's a pretty fantastic revelation.

Edited August 8, 2015 by Montalban

[Pogojoco]

I think the Brenda Laveoine voice is a variation on Betty Boop- a terrible one, but yeah. And she does look insanely cute, but oof. Let`s pretend this never happened. 

 

Lydia reminded me of Jennifer Grey (probably the hair.) She`s also insufferable in this episode. I liked the dig at the chick who only has a career because her uncle is a producer- it`s a weird meta comment where 90210 is trying to be clever. Also, the comment on nepotism about a character played by Melissa Rivers. Shut up, Lydia. We never see her again. 

 

Also, the whole water throwing thing- I`m pretty sure they could`ve put a cut in there between Brandon being soaked and having to deliver the line. There are very few continouis takes. Shut up, show. 

 

Did you think of Jack McKay`s giant sweatpants when you described Brenda`s giant socks as 'sweatpants for ankles'?

Edited August 8, 2015 by Pogojoco

[WhosThatGirl]

I never really understood how Brenda is terrible at being a waitress so then she decides to make it a joke and be this character but yet she is still a terrible waitress but it's fine because look she's singing and having fun, so.. wait, what? Every time I see this episode.. I just.. it's not like her being this character made her better at being a waitress, in fact it made her worse! NO ONE WAS EATING! They were watching Brenda dance around and lip-synch. The hell? I mean if I was Nat after Brenda's crappy first day, I would have just be like, "don't come back.."? I just.. have never understood it. It's stupid.

 

I don't care much about Brandon's plot because it's just another thing that I'm slowly realizing they did a lot of with Brandon, he meets a girl for an episode and sort of has a thing but then we never see the female guest star ever again. 

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Yep. The ice-skating one is even worse than this one, IIRC.

@vendredi, so did I. Both of them, in fact. Eigh-TIES! Eigh-TIES! Eigh-TIES!

[MuuMuuChainsmoker]

Are Brandon's "surfer dude" pants Zubaz? http://zubaz.com/

[STOPSHOUTING]

The still of Sufer Dude -- on rollerblades, WTF show? -- Brandon doesn't make him look cool, it makes him look like he's dying of cancer and shooting a commercial for some sort of inspiring Make-a-Wish-type charity that allowed him to play roller hockey one last time.

[Tara Ariano]

Are Brandon's "surfer dude" pants Zubaz? http://zubaz.com/

 

THAT was the word I couldn't think of.

[swimmyfish]

I know I'm catching up on this episode kind of late, but that outfit they put Brandon in to play the skater/surfer dude is one of my favorite things ever. It's just so outstandingly terrible. I can accept that the top & bottom might have been fashionable individually, but together? It's such a wonderful travesty.