Putting new zip in 'Beverly Hills, 90210'

WE heard last week that the CW television network was fast-tracking a remake of " Beverly Hills, 90210" -- the teen soap that paved the way for dramas like "Dawson's Creek," "The OC" and reality shows like "The Hills." While series creator Darren Starr isn't involved with the project, Rob Thomas, the mind behind the cheeky "Veronica Mars," is being asked to write about the next generation of Peach Pit-goers.

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FOR THE RECORD:
Zac Efron photograph: The photograph of Zac Efron with the Spinoffs column in today's Calendar section is incorrectly credited to Getty Images. It was taken by Times photographer Myung J. Chun. —

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We know that the original class of West Beverly High left some pretty big shoes to fill, so while the project's still in its nascent stages, we'd like to offer a few suggestions for a few pivotal roles:

"High School Musical" poster boy Zac Efron is a natural for a young Brandon Walsh, and Mary-Kate Olsen, who's already living a Shannen Doherty-like lifestyle, would be perfect as his rebellious twin sister, Brenda.

Until we saw Taylor Kitsch play the brooding football player Tim Riggins in "Friday Night Lights," we thought no one brooded better than Luke Perry's Dylan McKay.

Miley Cyrus is a ringer for Tori Spelling's Donna Martin. Maybe Billy Ray could pull a few strings. And Steve Sanders can only be played by Ian Ziering. Too old? C'mon. Did you seriously believe he was 17 the first time around?