The Beautiful Life
Spoilers

On this week's episode of The Beautiful Life...

• ... Chris thinks his modeling career is over;
• ... Claudia tells Raina that she needs to focus more on her profession;
• ... Isaac confronts guest star Jaime Murray (Dexter) about her behavior towards him;
• ... Marissa accuses Sonja of stealing the Versace campaign from her.

Tune in to The CW to see how each of these developments turns out, return to TV Fanatic tomorrow for a full recap, complete with The Beautiful Life quotes and analysis; and click on the photos below for episode stills from "The Beautiful Aftermath."

New promotional photos for The Beautiful Life have just been released, with Mischa Barton conspicuously missing after her reported suicide attempt last week.

Are the producers trying to tell her something? Or was she simply unavailable?

Either way, the producers are said to be working on contingency plan in case Barton's physical and mental issues keep her from filming the upcoming freshman series. 

Probably not a silly move on their part, as Barton's troubled past is certainly well documented at this point. Here's the new cast photo, minus Mischa ...

The Beautiful Life shall go on, and be beautiful, with or without Barton.

If Barton will be replaced, however, it has not taken place yet, nor is it imminent. A second photo was released that shows Barton, as model Sonja Stone, looking both angry and bored.

Sort of like Marissa Cooper always used to on The OC ...

Mischa Barton in an upcoming scene from The Beautiful Life. Will she last on the show?

A pair of casting tidbits on a pair of new, promising new shows:

• Three Rivers, whose cast is led by Alex O'Loughlin, has added four-time Emmy winner Alfre Woodard (pictured) as a lead. She replaces Julia Ormond in the role of Sophia Jordan, the head of surgery at Three Rivers Hospital.
• Elle Macpherson and Corbin Bleu have been promoted to series regulars on The CW’s The Beautiful Life. On model-based show, Macpherson plays Claudia, a 1980s supermodel that owns the top modeling agency in New York; Bleu is a male model.

After her most recent meltdown, which landed her in an L.A. hospital for "personal issues," is Mischa Barton going to be on The Beautiful Life or what?

Sources close to The Beautiful Life remain hopeful that Mischa's health will hold up enough for her to be on the CW series, but no one knows for sure yet.

Her character, supermodel Sonja Stone, has already been written in to the first several episodes, so if Mischa can't make it, things will get messy fast.

The show has already worked out a contingency plan to cast an alternate (and similar) character in the event Barton is not able to fulfill her obligations.

Producers are casting a new, open-ended recurring character with a resemblance to Sonja. But you know they would rather not go down that road.

Fortunately, our guess is they won't have to. Barton's involuntary hold has been lifted and the actress set free. Her rep says Mischa is doing a lot better.

With filming beginning this week, she should be there.

The Beautiful Life will go on with or without troubled star Mischa Barton, whose current medical woes have the CW scrambling to work out a contingency plan.

A new character to fill the void left by Barton is already being cast.

While not a direct recast of Barton's experienced supermodel, Sonja Stone, the character will play a striking resemblance. If Barton recovers, the new girl will be a recurring character.

If Barton can't go, this girl may be stepping into the spotlight.

Production on The Beautiful Life, originally scheduled to begin on July 22, was pushed back a week - but not because of Mischa Barton. Supposedly at least.

The CW says the show's sets were not ready for their close-up. Production is currently set to resume the last week of July, for the show's September 16 pilot.

Barton was hospitalized last week after calling police with unspecified health problems. There are reports she was been placed on involuntary psychiatric hold.

"The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model learns, behind the beautiful facade is a world of insecurity and cut-throat competition."

So the CW describes The Beautiful Life, which debuts this fall.

Starring a hot cast in Mischa Barton, Corbin Bleu, Sara Paxton, Ben Hollingsworth, Dusan Dukic, Nico Tortorella, Ashley Madekwe and Jordan Woolley, the show takes viewers inside the glamorous life of models living in a co-ed residence and coming of age in New York.

Ashton Kutcher created the series and his production company heads it.

The Beautiful Life premieres Wednesday September 16.

Click to enlarge more promotional cast photos ...

Rumors have been floating around that a cast member from The Hills is coming on board the CW's new series The Beautiful Life. Will Audrina Patridge be joining the cast?

Doesn't look like it, at least in the early stages. A CW rep tells us of Audrina Patridge possibly sharing screen time on the series: "It's a rumor. Nothing to it at this point."

The Beautiful Life stars Mischa Barton, Corbin Bleu and newcomers Sara Paxton and Ben Hollingsworth. It will chronicle the life and times of aspiring N.Y. City models.

For now at least, don't expect Audrina and Mischa to team up on TV.

The CW's freshman lineup for next fall is supposedly so good, its most hyped pilot (the Gossip Girl spinoff starring Brittany Snow as young Lily) did not get picked up.

One big reason why: The Beautiful Life. Along with the remade Melrose Place and The Vampire Diaries, it comprises a trio of must-see shows debuting in September.

The Beautiful Life stars Mischa Barton (The OC) and Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) and newcomers Sara Paxton and Ashley Madekwe. From the looks of the preview clip below, the drama blends America's Next Top Model with Gossip Girl and The City.

In other words, pure awesomeness ...

Follow the jump for a second preview of The Beautiful Life. This next preview is two minutes long and gives you an even better impression of what this series will be like ...

Continue Reading...

We posted the first Melrose Place spoilers today, and between that remake, The Vampire Diaries and The Beautiful Life, the CW's freshman class next fall looks hotter than ever.

Regarding The Beautiful Life, starring Mischa Barton and Corbin Bleu, the network released some new pictures of the coming-of-age modeling drama at its upfronts this week.

Here's a photo of the full cast, followed by two shots of stars you might not recognize: Sara Paxton as Raina and Ashley Madekwe as Marissa. This could actually be good ...

Along with the new iteration of the iconic Melrose and The Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life is a new, much-anticipated CW drama project that will debut this fall.

It reportedly beat out the Gossip Girl spinoff (still being considered for midseason 2010) and Privileged for the elusive final spot on the network's prime time roster.

The Beautiful Life will spotlight the lives of male and female models living in N.Y. City - not Canada, where the pilot was filmed and the show was rumored to be set.

The two main players are said to be Christopher, a 22-year-old catalog model, and 15-year-old Reyna, dubbed the "next Heidi Klum." Talk about a bold statement.

The plot is based on real life experiences of Adam Giaudrone, an aspiring model-turned-writer, and is being developed by Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst Film company.

The former anorexic leading lady of The OC, Mischa Barton, returns to TV to star, along with Sara Paxton and Ben Hollingsworth, in this coming of age drama.