Nikki Snelson no longer attached to The CW's VALENTINE

[Anakela]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 9:12pm

For those who didn't see it, the CW issued a press release a couple of days ago of their new fall schedule, which included this show:

“VALENTINE” - Premiering September 21, 8:00-9:00 p.m.

“Valentine” stars Jaime Murray (“Dexter”), Kristopher Polaha (“North Shore”), Nikki Snelson (“Legally Blonde: The Musical”), Autumn Reeser (“The O.C.”), Patrick Fabian (“Veronica Mars”) Greg Ellis (“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) and Robert Baker (“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Leatherheads”) as a family of Greek Gods, the Valentines, whose purpose is to bring about the rare, strange, and often hilarious thing called love. Kevin Murphy (“Desperate Housewives,” “Reaper,” “Ed”) serves as Executive Producer/Creator for the series along with Executive Producer Courtney Conte.

which I of course was excited for- Nikki Snelson on my tv. weekly.

However, she is now NOT leaving the A Chorus Line tour to do this tv show anymore- apparently the A Chorus Line producers threatened to sue The CW, so The CW took her role away, which is a total disappointment.

...perhaps I'll see her on my tv weekly next season. :)
The CW article with the original announcement

[tiredstarling]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 9:21pm

Poor Nikki. I say we boycott the CW and write strongly-worded letters to her "managers" at "ACL".

It's just not cool the way they did it to her.

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:14pm

this was her facebook status this evening:

"Nikki Snelson
had a TV show booked on the CW. Jon Breglio, my chorus line producer, made it go away. I have been ass raped without lube. Cant stop crying"

I feel awful for her. absolutely awful.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:40pm

How does a producer make it "go away"?

If she had an out written into her contract to let her do the TV, then she would have been able to leave. Isn't that how it's done?

I'm confused.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:48pm

I feel so bad for her, but this is the funniest saying I've heard in a while: I have been ass raped without lube. HA!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:57pm

I saw her comment...I feel bad too.

[killertofu333]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 11:53pm

OMG I totally agree with defyingravity07 that has got to be a horrible feeling not only does Nikki not get to work on TV for all of us to enjoy weekly, but now she can't sit down for a week!! "Ass raped without lube" that is one of the funniest things I've ever read. I swear as I'm typing this I'm about to die from excessive laughter!!!

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 11:58pm

Oh man. I feel so bad for her!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 12:00am

Okay, that Facebook message is definitely sad and moving, I feel for the girl - and she's fantastic, I absolutely would have tuned in just to see her.

However, the CL producer didn't make anything "go away" - he simply held her to her contract. A commitment she made willingly.

[downtoearth2]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 12:30am

She was being held to her contract - a contract that does NOT have an out! Which is ****ty in and of itself.

The CW offered John Breglio much more money than he would have had to pay her for the rest of her contract, and he said no...

She even offered to come back after the show finished taping and he also said no.

She was going to leave, and John Breglio threatened to sue the CW, and they didnt want the bad press, and took the offer back...

what horse ****, John Breglio is the new David Merrik....

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 12:39am

Obviously she is very valuable to the CL tour.

And she willingly signed the contract that had no out. She knew what she was getting into. Nothing against her, I think she's a tremendous talent, but that's life. You make a commitment, people are going to expect you to stick to it. That's why there are contracts.

[yankees1253]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 12:46am

i would also to have watched nikki on tv every week, and now i cant. i am sorry for her and she has alot of talent. so depressed about this news.

by the way leslie kritzer also feels down for nikki.
leslie kritzer facebook status: is sad for nikki and thinks this business is a big bag of bull**** sometimes.

[FlyingMonkey1223]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 2:27am

I saw the show last week and she was really good in it, I'm sorry she won't be on TV...but im not sure why she signed on for ACL full-time when she had a tv show in the works. Looks like they are simply holding her to the contract she signed.

[temms]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 7:23am

This is ridiculous. Yes, people sign contracts, and yes Breglio is within his legal right to hold her to it. But just because you're legally entitled to do something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

He has now alienated an actress by stopping an opportunity for no reason other than power. The show would go on just fine, financially he would be in a better place, and he could have always negotiated a deal where Snelson would come back to the show and play out her contracted performances after having gotten national TV exposure, which would seem to me the better business deal all around.

I can't imagine the atmosphere backstage right now - things like this can totally torpedo the morale of the company. The fact that they're doing a show about their hopes and dreams in the industry knowing that they're working for a man who will crush them must not be a nice feeling. He's just alienated an entire company of his show. I see no positive result, other than keeping an actress for a little bit who will no longer want to be there.

So, yes. She can be held to the contract, but I don't see how it serves anyone. Adam Epstein was a big enough guy to let Andrew Call out of "Cry Baby" to do "Glory Days", for example. Things like this happen all the time, and TV series are not things that fall out of the sky. This is potentially a life-changing opportunity that may never come again. They don't always come at the perfect time. Most people in the industry are pleased to see others succeed - it's the petty ones who stand in peoples' way that help make this industry the ugly place it so often is.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 7:56am

I can't believe I actually have dreams to join this business when crap like this keeps happening.

[meredithchandler73]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 8:21am

I really don't have too much sympathy for Ms. Snelson. She had an obligation, a contract - and that contract didn't allow her to leave early. Did she miss an opportunity? Sure. And so did many other actresses who didn't go after a job they knew they weren't available for. (I have friends that work in casting. They call agents to get actors' availability. What am I missing here?)

Yes, there are things that really suck about the theater biz, but you can say the same about life. As a man once said, "You can't always get what you want."

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 8:55am

Too bad she signed a contract with no outs (which is probably a 6-month tour contract, so they wouldn't have to recast the role). One would think these people would learn to read the fine print eventually.
Updated On: 7/24/08 at 08:55 AM

[Grand Motel]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:03am

As sad as this is for her, the one way she could have avoided all of this and the ass raped feeling, is if she simply declined the audition to begin with *knowing* she had no way of getting out to do it.

[bdboston]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:28am

Look at it this way: you don't think Snelson would have threatened a lawsuit if, after she signed her contract and was already on tour, the producers said "hey, we found a better actress to play Cassie - we're going with her instead. You're out." Those contracts protect both parties.

[kissmeimirish]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:37am

This reminds me (sort of) when David Merrick wouldn't let Stephen Collins out of his contract when he was touring in 40 Carats (i think) to make Love Story.
It's just mean. Couldn't they get Elizabeth Berkley or one of the other Saved By The Bell girls to step in?

[ruprecht]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:38am

True indeed Grandmotel, why put yourself through all of this?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:41am

Does nobody read the fine print?

Think of it this way: the tv show probably would have failed anyway. Then she'd be out of 2 jobs. Updated On: 7/24/08 at 09:41 AM

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:43am

I agree with Grant Motel, too.

[ppparker]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 10:52am

but isn't threatening The CW to make another role go away a bit much? Like, it would've been nice if ACL let her out. But, if they didn't want to let her out it would've been expected that if she left the tour the ACL folks would then sue her for breaking her contract. But threatening to sue The CW? People get out of contracts all the time- whether by lawsuit, by paying, etc., and involving threating to sue The CW in it just seems to be a bit much.

[Anakela]

Posted: 7/24/08 at 11:51am

Updated On: 7/24/08 at 11:51 AM