July 14, 2024

"Doherty rose to fame in 1990 as the fresh-faced brunette Brenda Walsh on Fox’s 'Beverly Hills, 90210.'"

"Along with her twin brother Brandon, played by Jason Priestly, the Walshes were the classic fish-out-of-water family that had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and were constantly amazed at the antics of the L.A. rich kids.... .. Brenda become the cast member everyone loved to hate on. She was labeled a diva in the press and there was even a pre-internet newsletter called 'I Hate Brenda.'..."

From "Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ and ‘Charmed’ Star, Dies at 53" (Variety).

I didn't watch "Beverly Hills 90210" but I remember the "I Hate Brenda" newsletter — that harbinger of the social media we live inside today. And I remember her from the great movie "Heathers."

Here's a Reddit discussion of "I Hate Brenda":
I found a scan of it years ago, and it was hateful garbage. A lot of slagging Shannen for her looks and acting.... It's one thing to dislike an actor/actress and their character, but imagine creating an entire movement for your distaste and going so far as setting up a phone line for people to call in and rag on them (it was called the "Shannen snitch line" apparently). The people that ran that thing were real losers....

24 comments:

Political Junkie said...

I might have been a tad too old (early 20s to late 20s). Never saw it. Wife watched it.

Gusty Winds said...

I watched 90210. It was a Generation X guilty pleasure.

Jamie said...

A worthy battle. I hope she made the most of her years post-diagnosis. I hope I would do so (and of course I hope I won't have to).

NKP, thinking of you and your friend right now.

WK said...

My sister lives in a suburban development called “The Heathers”. We always chuckle about it when we visit.

pious agnostic said...

"The people that ran that thing were real losers...." could just as easily apply to Reddit.

mezzrow said...

Too old to be a watcher as well, here.

RIP Shannen Doherty. I hope she got a run at living a regular life at least for awhile. Experiencing that level of simultaneous hatred and desire had to have an effect. She was just a kid, really.

Cancer really sucks.

William said...

Many people were inconsolable after the death of Richard Simmons, and now this. Lots of celebrity deaths recently. When such deaths happen in the shadow of a Presidential assassination, insufficient attention is paid to their passing. They don't get to fluff their feathers in that last flurry of publicity....I vaguely knew who Shannon Doherty was. She was very pretty, and I'm sorry that she died so young.

wendybar said...

That's three!! Richard Simmons, Dr. Ruth, and now Shannon.

gspencer said...

"Beverly Hills 90210?"

No thanks. I'd prefer to live a Beverly Hillbillies world. Funnier and more down to earth.

And swimming in a cement pond with Elly May Clampett beats watching someone named Shannon Whatshername.

rehajm said...

I am between the brat pack and her crew. Sooty to hear…

gspencer said...

And Grannie pronounced it as a "Cee-meant Pond."

gilbar said...

i liked her.. she was pretty

Yancey Ward said...

Heathers is, I think, the only thing I ever saw her in. Of course, I knew who she was since Beverly Hill 90120 was a cultural fixture of the early 90s when I was still a young man.

Rory said...

Didn't watch her shows, but she seemed a foxy young thing. RIP

JK Brown said...

I watch a youtuber, Casey LaDelle, who uses the "hate" to keep his numbers up. Even sells a "I hate Casey LaDelle" t-shirt. His major faux pas? Putting spikes on the lug nuts of his roll-back and heavy wrecker. Shannon was just ahead of the times.

Shannon played the little sister of the male lead in 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'(1985)


https://youtu.be/Pz5T1JJ8I5s

Joe Smith said...

Far too young.

I never saw the show but I know it was a big hit...

n.n said...

An earthly realm for women, celebrities, and all of us till death do us part.

WA-mom said...

Have you all forgotten? She was a Republican. No wonder she was hated.

Anthony said...

Too bad. She had issues. I did watch 90210, which is odd because I was a male and out of the age demographic, but IIRC, it was one of, if not the, first show to take teen issues seriously. It was quite well done as a whole.

Anthony said...

Weirdly, years later I was doing work for a contractor (male) whose name was Shannon Doherty. I was also at the UW (Seattle) when there was an undergrad named Britney Spears.

mccullough said...

Heathers was great

Dagwood said...

RIP. Way too soon for her.

RCOCEAN II said...

So sad when someone so lovely dies so young.

wsw said...

Doherty just won the “Farrah Fawcett poor timing award”