Joaquin Phoenix Retires and "Melrose Place" Rides Again

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

29 Oct 2008 11:10 AM

It may have sounded like an April Fool's joke, but the bomb actor Joaquin Phoenix dropped at a Paul Newman tribute earlier this week was anything but funny.

The 34-year-old actor's stunning announcement: He's retiring from acting.

"I'm not doing films anymore," the two-time Oscar nominee told a shocked reporter from TV's "Extra."

According to Phoenix, he's leaving the big screen behind to concentrate on his music career. While he refused to elaborate on his plans, the actor did reveal that he is currently working on a record for the British band The Charlatans and has been contemplating a move to the music industry since mastering the guitar for his Academy-Award-nominated role as Johnny Cash in 2005's "Walk The Line."

You can catch Phoenix in his last movie role when he appears in the upcoming romantic drama "Two Lovers" with Gwyneth Paltrow.

"MELROSE PLACE" RIDES AGAIN

Holy Heather Locklears!

Just when you thought the small screen nostalgia stopped with the resurrection of "Beverly Hills, 90210," the CW decides it's going to breathe new life into another 90s hit-"Melrose Place."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the network is working to modernize "Melrose Place" by making it "sexier than ever." The show that shot Heather Locklear's star into the stratosphere and made household names of Marcia Cross and Doug Savant is reportedly planning to add a slew of new faces and (producers are hoping) bring back some original fan favorites as well.

The Hollywood Reporter says the new version of "Melrose Place" is in the "working stages" and producers are still searching for writers.

For those of you who weren't fans of the original series, "Melrose Place" was set in a West Hollywood apartment complex and followed the lives of young professionals as they tried to scheme, cheat, lie, and sleep their way to the top of their respected fields. It aired on Fox for seven years before getting axed.

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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