Celebrities 2010 New Year’s Resolutions

Here are the New Year's resolutions for several stars:

Adam Lambert: “To keep being positive and try to live in the moment and enjoy this.”

Kim Kardashian: “Just to spend a little bit more time with my family and my friends and to really kick it up in the workout department and to try to eat better. I cannot get it together with eating. I eat way too many Oreos.”

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz: “All my focus is on my son. Everyday being a better mom and learning with him. It’s an incredible experience.”

Justin Timberlake: “I’m going to under-promise myself for 2010 so if it goes well, I’ll be like, ‘Oh my God! Such a surprise!’”

Bill Murray: “To try to remember to look down on myself and realize how good I’ve got it.”

Miley Cyrus: “I need to stop talking about things I want to do, and just get out there and do it. That’s been my biggest goal recently, especially while I’m on the road.”

Charlie O’Connell: “My new year’s resolution will be to get my golden cross in Call of Duty video game.”

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz & Colin Egglesfield Out in "Melrose Place" Shake-Up

Two months into its run, The CW’s ratings-challenged (but creatively-smokin’) Melrose Place reboot is about to undergo a major renovation.

For starters, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield have been let go (they’ll last air in January), and the “Who Killed Sydney?” mystery is being wrapped up in December. Then, in addition to Heather Locklear’s Amanda, several new characters will be introduced and the show will take on a lighter, more fun vibe.

Here, in an exclusive interview with , exec producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer explain why they’re fixing a series that many felt wasn’t broken and tease what’s ahead for Melrose 2.0 3.0.

What was behind the decision to let Ashlee and Colin go?
TODD SLAVKIN: Well, we always knew that this murder mystery would end in episode 12. And we always knew that [Ashlee's] character of Violet would be instrumental in that as a suspect, and [Colin's character of] Augie as well. And once that murder mystery was solved, she would go on her way. That was the original plan going into the development of the show.

So it was always the plan for Ashlee to leave after episode 12?
SLAVKIN: Yes. Because we felt that once the murder mystery was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift into a much more fun, romantic, sexy upbeat kind of show, and [her] character would move on.

Same thing with Colin?
SLAVKIN: Colin was always meant to be the ultimate suspect. And his brooding alcoholic [character] tonally didn’t fit the paradigm moving into post-murder mystery Melrose Place.

Is it fair to say that if either of those characters clicked you would’ve found a way to keep them?
SLAVKIN: Well, you never know when you go along. But in the end, we felt like it was right [decision].
DARREN SWIMMER: The nature of soaps is that as things progress along, the story takes on a life of its own and the characters come and go in relation to that.

How did Ashlee and Colin take the news?
SLAVKIN: They’re total professionals and they took it like professionals. When you go into a show you never know what’s going to evolve and what the possibilities are. But because they knew ahead of time [that leaving was a possibility], it wasn’t a complete shock.

People are going to look at these changes and assume it’s a direct result of the show’s disappointing ratings.
SLAVKIN: Well, I understand that perspective. None of us foresaw the ratings; there’s nothing we can do about that. All we can do is write and produce the best show we know how. It’s fine to speculate, but in the end there was always a plan.

What about Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro? Are they leaving, too?
SLAVKIN: Thomas is very much a part of the fabric of this show. Many storylines are ahead for him. You’ll get to see him interact with his old friend Amanda Woodward as well as all the characters on our show. With Laura, we would never close the door officially. She did her part in the murder mystery. We love her. We think she is gorgeous and a great actress and would love to have her be involved in the future, but there is no plan at the moment.

Can you elaborate on the tonal shift?
SLAVKIN: Now that the characters are no longer suspects, they can have a great time, they can focus on their careers, they can get into bed with each other without having this ominous cloud hanging over the building… But this is still Melrose Place. There’s still going to be intrigue on the show.

Do you think viewers were turned off by the dark nature of the show?
SWIMMER: Who knows why the ratings aren’t better? I think for us, it’s just a matter of moving on in the direction we [always] wanted to go.

Some people might wonder why you’re fixing what’s not broken. Personally, I love the show.
SLAVKIN: Which we understand and I totally get that. I think our feeling is that TV shows need to evolve. Mike, you’re a fan of Smallville. You’ve watched that show and you’ve seen the evolution in that show. Characters come and go. This being much more of a soap opera, we feel that it’s heated up more rapidly, where characters come and go and have arcs and move on. There will be new characters coming in.

Tell me about those new characters.
SLAVKIN: There’s a doctor, a new resident at the hospital who is irreverent and funny and will mix it up and move into the building. He will be a roommate of one of the characters and interact with Lauren. He’s a guy that, even though he’s a doctor, he doesn’t take life very seriously. Medicine can be very fun as well as serious to him and he ends up lightening up Lauren. We think this guy’s a lot of fun and is going to mix it up in a great way with the rest of the cast.

Has the role been cast?
SLAVKIN: Not yet.

Any other new characters?
SWIMMER: We have [Heather Locklear's] new love interest played by Billy Campbell. He has a three-episode arc. He plays basically a billionaire version of Jonah. He’s the equivalent of a Mark Cuban. Again, a lot of fun, funny, irreverent, and is someone who can actually make Amanda Woodward smile.

How long do you have Heather for?
SLAVKIN: A long time. She’s in every episode moving forward. She’s a major focus [of the show]. She has a hidden agenda that will become not so hidden as the episodes move along. She’s not just the boss of Ella [Katie Cassidy].

Does Heather still have it?
SLAVKIN: Absolutely. Not only is she so fun as Amanda, but she’s such an amazing, hysterical woman. Her [return] is going to be a big moment on Melrose Place

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Dishes on Melrose Place

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has moved into Melrose Place, and she tells People that her offbeat character on the CW’s revival of the primetime soap isn’t all she appears to be. “She is a little weird,” the actress told People Tuesday. “I have a so-called innocent side, but I think it’s just the persona that I’m giving to people. I’m only setting people up.”

Describing her character, Simpson-Wentz says, “Her name is Violet and she’s new to Melrose Place, new to L.A., looking for a family member — looking for any kind of family, looking for love. She’s really not accepted — not just yet. I think that’s something interesting, to play the outsider.”

Some of Violet’s downfalls include, “obsessing over things and people,” says the actress. “Anyone that’s willing to be like, ‘I’ll help you out,’ she finds an obsession with them.”

Unlike Simpson-Wentz, who has a strong bond with her own family in real life, the character is “desperate for family, desperate for love, desperate to connect,” says the star. “In a way she looks up to Ella, who’s played by
Katie [Cassidy], because she’s got it together from the outside. She sees that and she’s like ‘How am I ever going to fit in this town and place?’”

Simpson says she’s glad to be part of the series’ tradition of shocking plot twists — but won’t give up an specifics. “There’s a lot of jaw-droppers on the show that we obviously can’t give away but it does get crazy.” Although she was too young to catch the original Melrose Place, she hopes to “bring the old audience back and also start a new one, one of our generation because we just missed the boat on Melrose Place.”

Speaking of Melrose signatures, she admits she was worried she wouldn’t have any steamy scenes. “I had said, ‘I haven’t had to make out with anybody.’ Then I just found today that you’ll see who I have to make out with in episode six!” She even got hubby Pete Wentz’s approval for any torrid scenes. “My husband is a huge supporter,” she exclaimed. “He’s seen the pilot and loved it and was excited for me.”

Just don’t expect the Fall Out Boy musician to make any guest appearances on the series. “We have enough family in the business, so we’re good on that,” she said. “I think we’ve got that covered.”

Melrose Place gets Scandalous Hollywood Makeover

"Melrose Place", the 1990s television soap opera that became an international pop culture phenomenon, returns in September with a new cast of characters but still promising to be "the most scandalous address in Hollywood."

A decade after ending its seven-year run on U.S. television in 1999, "Melrose Place" has been remade, recast and, judging by the promotional posters, sexed-up for its run on the small CW network.

But although the new prime time series draws its inspiration from the original tale of diverse 20-somethings living in an elegant apartment building in the Melrose area of Los Angeles, the producers hope to draw a mix of nostalgic fans and new young viewers.

"We were huge fans of the original but when we set out to do our version, we wanted to pay tribute to the old show but create our own show with our own characters," Todd Slavkin, one of the executive producers said on Tuesday.

"I would say it is definitely still the most scandalous address in Hollywood," he added.

Promotional ads showing the iconic apartments, central swimming pool and sexy cast with taglines like "Tuesdays are a bitch" and "Tuesday's the new Humpday" have already caused a stir.

Original cast member Thomas Calabro returns as the diabolical Dr. Michael Mancini and actress Laura Leighton is back as scheming Sydney Andrews. Josie Bissett is among old alumni expected to appear in the new version, whose biggest star is actress/pop singer Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

Slavkin said that other Melrose originals may come back, adding; "The door is always open for Heather Locklear."

The remake of "Melrose Place" follows a make-over last year for its 1990s sister show, teen drama "Beverly Hills, 90210".

After a good ratings start to the new "90210" on CW in September 2008, audiences in the United States slipped off. But CW executives said the remake had proved more popular overseas and had been sold to some 179 nations.

They are expecting the same interest overseas for the new "Melrose Place", whose convoluted plot lines have a heavy element of mystery and intrigue.

"This kind of product does well overseas. People like soap operas, and seeing the sordid lives of people in LA really seems to appeal," said executive producer Darren Swimmer.

Ashlee Simpson Joining Melrose Place

As a singer, Ashlee Simpson has taken more hits, than she's had hits. Maybe that's why she's decided to return to acting full-time.

Jessica's little sister is joining the cast of the updated version of the '90s TV hit Melrose Place playing Violet, a character described as a "shrewd sex kitten", according to EW.com.

It's been five years since Ashlee had a regular TV gig, (remember 7th Heaven?) although she recently shot a guest spot on CSI with husband Pete Wentz.

The new retooled Melrose is expected to debut on The CW this fall alongside the relatively successful relaunch of 90210 that premiered in 2008.

As for rumors that Heather Locklear would be reprising her role as the scheming Amanda on Melrose, EW.com quotes a source as saying, "Both sides are talking... It's looking good."