Blink

What happens in the 90210 will stay in the 90210…at least until 9.02.

That’s the word from the CW, which Monday put out a statement declaring that it would not be sending critics advance screeners of the two-hour premiere of “90210,” its new spinoff of Fox’s 1990s hit “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

“The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen ‘90210’ for any media in advance of its premiere,” the statement read. “We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time.”

HARMLESS PDA "90210's" Ethan (Dustin Milligan) and Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) share a smooch in a crowded hall.

If Jeff Zucker has any regrets about Jay Leno’s likely departure from NBC, he’s not letting on.

In an interview with Portfolio magazine, the NBC Universal president and CEO said agreeing to make Conan O’Brien the host of “The Tonight Show” was a decision that had to be made.

“You have to make these calls,” Mr. Zucker told the magazine. “You’d rather make these calls a little too soon than a little too late.”

While NBC Universal had taken plenty of media heat over the NBC broadcast network’s continued fourth-place status, Portfolio serves up a rather upbeat profile of Mr. Zucker, painting him as a forward-thinking executive trying to reinvent the TV business.

The magazine acknowledges that much of Hollywood remains skeptical, particularly of NBC’s announcement that it was dramatically cutting back the number of pilots it producers.

“There’s a lot of mansions built in these hills on the old ways of doing business, and they would like to perpetuate that,” Mr. Zucker said. “I think they find this very threatening.”

Most actors seem to also sing out of a burning desire to be media hyphenates. The actors in Band From TV sing for a good cause.

“Heroes” star Greg Grunberg started the band to raise money for epilepsy research, inviting his fellow actors to play and sing with the band for their own charities.

Last Saturday, band members Grunberg (drums), “Desperate Housewives’” James Denton (guitar, vocals and a mean harmonica), “The Bachelor’s” Bob Guiney (vocals) and “House’s” Jesse Spencer (electric “sexy violin”) headlined a free Netflix Live! on Location concert and screening of some classic TV series on DVD outside the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. Nice idea having the event outside, but the hay-like shavings on the ground and persistent bugs aren’t really what you think of when you hear “Pine Meadows Lawn.” There should be at least some grass involved.

But the Daily Blink will forgive the blunder because it was all for a good cause, with Netflix donating money to each actor’s charity. Plus, the Band put on a infectiously fun performance with the help of some special guests.

Half the “Heroes” cast must have been working overtime because the other half was rockin’ with Grunberg. Hayden Panettiere introduced the band and Milo Ventimiglia snuck onstage to snap pictures. His onscreen brother, Adrian Pasdar, spent the night on-stage playing guitar in his too-cool-for-school sunglasses.

Check out video from the concert after the cut.

“Seinfeld” is going to college this summer—lots and lots of times.

Syndicator Sony Pictures Television is dispatching a 60-foot-long, biodiesel-fueled “Seinfeld” bus Tuesday from Atlanta to embark on a 26-city, 10,000-mile interactive “‘Seinfeld’ Campus Tour” designed to more closely involve students with the iconic off-NBC show that most of them grew up with.

At each stop, visitors can enter the bus and visit a replica of the diner from the show; order from Kramer’s Yogurt Bar; watch video of the series’ most memorable moments; and see original costumes, one of the show’s Emmy statuettes and an original script with writers’ notes.

Outside the parked bus, Sony will erect a 1,700-square-foot compound of tented kiosks offering classic carnival games with a Seinfeldian twist, including a Marine Biologist Hole-in-One putting game and a Frisbee competition called Monk’s Diner Plate Toss.

—Tom Gilbert

Like the late entrepreneur Victor Kiam, who told TV commercial watchers in the ’80s that he liked Remington shavers so much he bought the company, Vincent Pastore liked “General Hospital” so much after taping a promo spot for the ABC Daytime drama that he wanted to join the cast&mdash:at least temporarily.

That was an offer ABC couldn’t refuse.

So Mr. Pastore will begin taping a one-week stint in September, playing the visiting father of mob man Max (Derk Cheetwood), a role that’s not much of a stretch given that Mr. Pastore’s mobbed-up “Sopranos” character, Big Pussy, was dispatched to sleep with the fishes after he turned government informant.

No other such guest stints have been reported with the remaining eight unlikely celebs who star in the promo campaign&mdash:ABC Daytime’s biggest in at least six years—which began rolling out last week on ABC and SoapNet and continues into September.

The spots—available for viewing below—are real attention-getters, whether it’s Mr. Pastore delivering talking points on family, loyalty, honor and vengeance or tattooed freestyle motocross “godfather” Mike Metzger talking about the high he gets from the action on “One Life to Live, “All My Children” and “GH.”

The CW’s just-launched on-air advertising campaign for “90210” spares no adjectives in selling the show.

In a promo subtlely called “Believe the Hype,” an announcer refers to the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” as a “show that defined a generation.” The new version? “The most anticipated premiere of the season!” (Actually, given the lack of buzz around this fall’s crop of freshman series, that claim might not be so far off.)

Given that The CW still hasn’t sent out screeners of the two-hour premiere, Blink watched the promo for you. So what can be gleaned from the 30-second ad? You’d be amazed.

—Two male characters get into a shoving match in a parking lot. Rich kids are such rebels!

—A young couple are seen in the beginning throes of passion.

—Annie (Shenae Grimes) whines about life in the Zip. “I’m in this new place where I don’t know anybody! Nobody acts like they do back home!” she says.

—Two characters dance as if they’re about to make love in this club (In this club. In this club.).

—There’s a football game. And Mean Girls walking the halls in a pack.

—Kelly sighting! “You know what these people in Beverly Hills are like,” says a still-sexy Jennie Garth.

—Two people make out in a car.

—And the character who’s not Brandon (Tristan Wilds) floats on a pool raft and says, “Everything’s going to be all right.”

The new “90210” premieres Sept. 2. Or, as The CW puts it, 9.02.

—Josef Adalian

Sports fans lookin’ for some new takes on grub soon will be able to tap into the palates of some of the country’s best eaters and feel good about themselves while chowing down on ribs. NBC is set to release “The Sunday Night Football Cookbook” featuring recipes from former NFL players such as Jerome Bettis and Tiki Barber, as well as broadcaster John Madden and famous chefs from each of the NFL’s 31 cities, including Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse. All NBC’s profits from the book will go to Feeding America, a nonprofit agency that supplies food for the country’s impoverished through donations to food banks. In addition, Time Inc. Home Entertainment will contribute a portion to the charity. NBC Sports, TIHE and NBC Universal all are committed to at least $5 million in media value toward pushing the book, which was slated to be announced at the pre-season “Hall of Fame” game over the weekend. The book, which features 150 recipes, will be available at bookstores beginning Sept. 2 for $27.95.

—Chris Pursell

The CW marketing folks are doing a dance of the seven veils seemingly intended to drive hormone-addled teens (or grizzled trade reporters?) to distraction in anticipation of "90210."

MAKING WAVES Ethan (Dustin Milligan) contemplates life after a little night surfing.

With just a month to go before the show's debut, the network still hasn't made a screener of the show's pilot available for review. But the network is finally giving viewers a visual sneak peek of the first episode, releasing pictures from the set.

(More episodic photos after the jump.)

The end is near for “Battlestar Galactica,” which debuts its final batch of episodes in 2009, and judging from the panel at Comic-Con, fans are both excited and sad about that.

The audience went crazy over a preview trailer and even gave the cast and crew a standing ovation at the end of the panel. But there was also considerable sadness among attendees at the thought that it will soon be over.

Production on the final episode wrapped three weeks ago.

“The ending is an ending,” actor Jamie Bamber assured the audience. “It does everything and everyone justice.”

But before the series can wrap things up, it’s going to get bad.

“Things aren’t pretty on 'Battlestar' for a while,” executive producer Ronald D. Moore teased.

“Filming the end of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ was like ‘Apocalypse Now,’” actor James Callis added.

—Vlada Gelman

“Chuck” kicked off its panel with a lengthy six-minute preview of its second season, which began with actor Adam Baldwin in character as NSA agent John Casey warning the audience that he better not see this video anywhere else or he’d hunt them down.

So much for that. The preview made its way onto YouTube over the weekend. Maybe that’s because the idea of Adam Baldwin coming over to one’s house is more of a welcome invitation than a threat at Comic-Con, where fans of Jayne, Baldwin’s character on “Firefly,” could be spotted wearing Jayne’s signature orange knitted hat all over the convention center.

“Adam Baldwin can do no wrong at Comic-Con,” moderator Kristin Dos Santos joked.

The preview, which included scenes from the season premiere “Chuck vs. The First Date” and “Chuck vs. The Seduction,” showcased all the elements that creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak teased about during the panel, including lots of action, romance and guest stars.

“It feels like it’s been several years since the show was on,” Mr. Schwartz said.

As a result, the first episode of the season will function like a pilot to attract newcomers and refresh the memories of returning viewers.

There will be more mythology this season, but the show won’t do away with stand-alone mission episodes. The show also will be “owning the love story” next season, ramping things up between Chuck and CIA agent Sarah, in addition to introducing Jill (Jordana Brewster), the college girlfriend who broke Chuck’s heart.

Viewers also can expect “to see Casey develop a feeling,” the introduction of Captain Awesome’s family, the return of Bryce and a big finale down the line.

“Something catastrophic happens at the end of episode one that drives the rest of the season…to an insane season finale,” Mr. Schwartz said.

—Vlada Gelman