Patron Saints of the Jobless: New Kids on the Block

It’s been a while since I’ve saluted a Miss Pink Slip “Patron Saint of the Jobless”.

For the uninitiated, I periodically honor one of our unemployed friends in entertainment who has managed to buck the system and, in some cases, make a legit comeback. Past honorees include Mickey Rourke, M.C. Hammer and Tori Spelling. 

The New Kids on the Block absolutely fall into this category. Now, many will tell you these boys have worked on and off since their days rockin’ gelled versions of the fade in BOP and Tiger Beat. But it wasn’t until last year that they reappeared on the musical stage for a reunion tour (which is still traveling the country and ends July 18 in Houston) and began gathering steam in the press. They were everywhere – even “Today” – and women in their 30s have been flocking to their shows screaming just like they did when they were 12 and in denim jackets encrusted with tiny buttons featuring their “boyfriend” Little Joe. I think my friend Rachel even wore a side-ponytail to the Atlanta show.

The bottom line is that these guys are raking in the bucks and have made girls the world over giddy again with the falsetto strains of “Please Don’t Go Girl”, “Hangin’ Tough” and “The Right Stuff”. We may stiffle giggles, but they’re guffawing all the way to the bank.

Here’s to you, NKOTB.

Patron Saint of the Jobless: It’s Tori Spelling Appreciation Day!

With the recent debut of a catty tell-all tome titled Stories from Candyland by her mother Candy, Tori Spelling deserves a positive shout-out. In fact, I’m just going to declare today Tori Spelling Appreciation Day!

This girl has been through the wringer: Bad nose job; botched boob work and marriage; crappy inheritance; psycho mother; anorexia rumors, etc.

Some might say her career has certainly mirrored her personal roller coaster. Throughout and after ”Beverly Hills, 90210″, Tori  starred in some DOWNRIGHT FABULOUS Lifetime movies: “Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?”, “Death of a Cheerleader”, “Co-Ed Call Girl”, etc. Then, she got married, divorced, married again and birthed two cute kids. During that time, she also hit a career slump (“Trick”, anyone?), but E! came calling with “Tori and Dean Inn Love”, HSN is hawking her jewelry line and publishers cashed in with a #1 New York Times Best Seller, sTORItelling. She appeared to seek just a wee bit of attention and work.

…then “90210″ came calling again, needing a hit of Donna Martin Silver. Even with a million other ventures in progress and much hubbub about salary disputes, Tori finally makes her second “90210″ debut TONIGHT. AND, if that isn’t enough, she also releases her second book, Mommywood, from Simon Spotlight Entertainment today!

Welcome back, Donna. You’re an inspiration for all of us who have thought, at one time or another, “Stick a fork in us. We’re done.”

Donna Martin graduate! Donna Martin graduate!

Tonight on Lifetime: Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?

Too broke to go out tonight?

Tune into Lifetime at 9 p.m. ET to see Tori Spelling (long red hair as well as short blonde hair – Wow!) tangle it up with Ivan Sergei’s psycho Billy/Kevin Shane. This movie isn’t half as riveting as “Co-Ed Call Girl”, but we take what we can get, don’t we?

 

From LifetimeTV.com: “Based on the book by Claire R. Jacobs. A naive college student (Tori Spelling) falls in love with a charming pathological liar, credit card scammer and murderer (Ivan Sergei). When her mother (Lisa Banes) attempts to break off the relationship, the crazed boyfriend abducts her daughter and hides her in his cabin in the woods.”

This crap movie was actually a book?!?  

Better question: Has a more potent question ever been posed than “Mother, May I Sleep With Danger”?