News Update: Tree Hill Corpse Roulette

‘ONE TREE HILL’ SHOCKER: 

IS NATHAN DYING NEXT WEEK?

BY ANDY SWIFT

Let’s get real for a second: Someone’s about to be fixing cars with Uncle Keith in heaven.

As the final season of One Tree Hill marches on, we’re slowly getting explanations for the shocking flash-forward sequence seen on the premiere — and on the Feb. 29 episode, we’ll finally figure out whose corpse Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) has to identify at the morgue! So who does the mystery body belong to? To figure that out, we’ll have to play my favorite game ever: Tree Hill Corpse Roulette! (Actually, that’s my second favorite game. My first is Dream Phone.)

• Nathan: Considering he’s currently in the custody of murderous basketball terrorists, Nathan is the obvious suspect. We know James Lafferty only appears in a handful of episodes this season, but that he’s definitely confirmed for the finale, so perhaps we’ll be seeing angel Nathan. And let’s not forget that Barbara Alyn Woods is also returning for an episode. (She might want to bring a little black dress along for the trip!)
• Dan: Considering he’s going all “hero” and trying to save his son, it’s totally possible Dan (Paul Johansson) will get killed in the process. Just think about it: Wouldn’t it be so poetic — and so One Tree Hill – for Dan to receive the ultimate redemption in death? And of course he’d be buried right next to Keith.
• Lucas: We know his plane took off… but did it ever land?
• Clay: He’s been sleep walking this season. Could he also be sleep dying?
• Mouth: He’s gotten super-fat this season. Mayhaps he’s going to eat himself into an early grave?
• Skills: I know this is random — especially since we’ve barely seen him this season — but wouldn’t Skills’ (Antwon Tanner) funeral be another good excuse for Deb to return?
• Jamie: Doubt it. That corpse would be super tiny, and it’s not.
• Chase or Chris Keller: Doubt it. Haley wouldn’t look so sad.

OK, my speculation is “becoming” nonsensical, so I’ll leave the rest up to you. Who do YOU think is going to bite the big one next week? Celebrate democracy by voting in my poll below:

Poll: Which "One Tree Hill" character do YOU think will die next week?

— Andy Swift

News Update: 'Back to Tree Hill' Day 2

Bethany Joy Galeotti poses with fan
Credit:@Leancooo

Joy was back at it again for Day 2 of a two day convention in France commemorating One Tree Hill's nine seasons on air; and boy does she look amazing! Joy seems to be rocking a fierce leather pencil skirt and leather pants in her two looks from earlier today- which definitely add an element of drama to her otherwise muted outfits.

Here are some lovely photos fans were willing to share with the rest of us from Day 2 of Vogue Evenement's 'BACK TO TREE HILL' event.

And last but not least, here's what every die-hard One Tree Hill fan has been waiting for: Bethany Joy Galeotti's mini rendition of Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want To Be".

One Tree Hill Episode Review

Galeotti as "Haley James Scott"

KNOW THIS WE’VE NOTICED 
Airdate: Jan. 11th, 2012
Ratings: 1.7 million (.9/2 in key demos, down from last year)

I haven’t enjoyed ONE TREE HILL holistically since season four. These days I only commit myself to mining for the Scott Family drama (you know, the core of the show). However, last night I forced myself to watch the episode from beginning to end. I won’t go into great lengths defending my opinions but I was pleasantly surprised – imagine that!

Overall Episode: C+

WHAT I LOVED

HALEY IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS: Haley is the only person willing to leave the confines of her bed long enough to socialize with a diverse group of characters, in diverse settings. A lot of these characters are so isolated in their own little worlds, that hearing Alex and Dan, or Brooke and Clay may share scenes is just outrageous. Why would the writers even spend time on that? Oh, that’s right they don’t.

But put Haley in a scene with anyone, anywhere and it makes sense and has substance. Haley is so deeply integrated in so many storylines and invested in the lives of so many Tree Hill residents that the writers don’t need to overcompensate with a contrived montage of her driving around town to remind us her relevance and importance in Tree Hill.

From Brooke and Julian, to Quinn and Clay, to Dan and Nathan, all the way to Chris, Chase and Alex, Haley’s presence reminds fans that all these disjointed stories actually do exist within the same town of Tree Hill.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of Haley's scenes, particularly those she shared with the villainous Dan Scott and the always entertaining “stupid, lying, arrogant, third person talking jerk” also known as, Chris Keller.

My favorite line: "Haley, Chris Keller missed you." (Aw, he does have a heart!)

HARRY JOHSON: Seeing Chris Keller back on our screens invigorates One Tree Hill in so many ways. I love the banter between Chris and Haley and I was laughing my butt off every time Chris would make an inappropriate pass at Haley (“by the way did I mention you look hot?” Yes, Chris. Yes you did, and multiple times. But we love it!) It’s so much fun seeing Haley get all riled up and feisty and I love that Chris is able to bring that out in her because it brings back a fire in Haley that’s reminiscent to Tutor Girl from back in the day.

THE RETURN OF THE MURDERER: I love the chemistry between Joy and Paul and I guess by the transitive property that means I love Dan and Haley; even though it’s so wrong! I refuse to forget that this is the same man that shot his brother dead in cold blood but lord, Paul Johansson makes it a little too easy to tolerate the disturbing fact. His plea to Haley was so convincing and seemed so genuine, I almost felt bad. Although I did regret it afterwards. I know a lot of fans will give Haley hell, but I hope Nathan will deal with this so Haley doesn’t have to on her own.

THE MYSTERY: In the first two minutes we got a flash forward glimpse of Haley identifying a body at the morgue. Throughout the episode we saw Haley get spooked when the front door of the Café and the Scott house were left open. And now I’m left wondering, who the hell these people are! My curiosity is definitely piqued, and I’m ready for the drama that is sure to ensue.

WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE

(Left-Right) James Lafferty and Bethany Joy Galeotti

NALEY: I would’ve enjoyed the Nathan and Haley scenes more if A. they were in the same room, B. they didn’t repeat themselves over, and over again (the dialogue is so dry that hearing Nathan call Haley an “angel” is the most affectionate they’ll get for a while) and C. James Lafferty was shirtless. Just sayin’. It’s been a while.

In short we need to see more of the Scott family and less where Chase & Alex are concerned.

Otherwise, I have no complaints where Haley is concerned. The premiere did her justice compared to the scraps we got in season eight. And I look forward to next week.

MY OUTLOOK: Optimistic

+ Also, I should add that Chris Keller, Dan Scott, Haley James, Nathan Scott, and my favorite Harry Johnson were all trending topics on Twitter last night. I hope the CW takes note of that because the marketing department has been doing the worst job promoting this season.

News Update: One Tree Hill Season 9

Once again Zap2it.com has delivered! They've visited the Wilmington set of ONE TREE HILL to speak to the ever so lovely Bethany Joy Galeotti. This working mom has a lot to say about why she came back to the show for 13 more episodes, what fans can expect for Haley's character and Naley's relationship, and even talks about her hair change for the season. If you're a fan of Joy's read this one till the end; it's one of the best in depth interviews she's done. 

Also, for all you One Tree Hill fans who've been spoiler free so far -- tread with caution. Joy drops a lot of juicy facts regarding season 9 in this one. 

'ONE TREE HILL': BETHANY JOY GALEOTTI ASSURES US THAT 'NALEY' IS STILL GOING STRONG

(Left-Right) Galeotti, Lafferty 

After so many years on the air, the "One Tree Hill" set functions like a well-oiled machine, and rarely do members of the press factor into that. To say that we were thrilled when Zap2it was invited to Wilmington, NC to watch a bit of filming for the final season of the show is an understatement.


We visited while cast member Austin Nichols was directing the 7th episode of the season, and our first day on set afforded us the chance to watch Bethany Joy Galeotti film emotional scenes with her returning pal Chad Michael Murray. Yes, Lucas and Haley's BFFdom has endured despite his absence (and the fact that he never returned any of her letters -- a fact that plagued Murray a bit when he read the script).


In the scenes we watched, Haley wasn't in the most stable frame of mind, but Joy assures us that it's not all doom and gloom for Haley this season. When we catch up with her in the premiere, she's enjoying her growing family and the new/old business she shares with Brooke (Sophia Bush). "This season Haley has decided to, as we saw at the end of Season 8, reopen Karen's Café. She renovated Clothes Over Bros after Brooke had her financial catastrophe, and so she and Brooke went into business together. Haley is diving into that.She's got a daughter, she's got a son, her husband is traveling, it's sort of a very glam, small-town entrepreneurial mom life for Haley."


However, unlike Season 8, this final season of "OTH" isn't all about the laughs. "Things very quickly start to unravel," Joy admits. At first, it's manageable -- another local café owner, played by "Dancing With The Stars" alum Chelsea Kane, gives Brooke and Haley some not-so-friendly competition, and hijinks ensue.

Bethany Joy Galeotti

Then, real trouble comes a-knocking, as it always does in Tree Hill. And by "trouble" we mean Dan Scott (Paul Johansson), who returns to the series full-time this season after a few years with guest star billing. "Haley's trying to deal with having Dan around and deciding whether she's going to let this person back in her life and into her family's life. And Nathan is away, and that's taking a huge toll on their relationship. It's a lot about Haley finding out what her limits are," says Joy.

[...]

We've got more from our chat with Joy to share with you soon, including her hopes for Haley's ending and her own post-OTH plans. In the meantime, we'll leave you with Joy's description of Season 9:


"Near death experiences. Jealousy. Psychotic breakdowns. Post-traumatic stress. Comedy. Action. Drama, drama, drama. And romance. You've got to throw romance in there somewhere."


You know, in case you weren't already on the edge of your seat. January 11, 8 p.m. EST on The CW. Be there.

Read the ENTIRE story, HERE.