Word-of-mouth can sometimes be the best advertising, and this summer The CW is relying on its tech-savvy viewers to generate buzz for new and returning series.  You want to be the first to see exclusive Fall previews for Supernatural, Smallville and One Tree Hill?  They’re being released here online long before hitting the airwaves.  Not only are bloggers thrilled with this new marketing trend, fans are reacting to the sizzling viral videos as expected—by talking and texting.  Network producers have outdone themselves with some truly creative pieces, including a faux real-estate tour of Melrose Place, “TV to Talk About” image promos for each new drama (The Beautiful Life version is great), behind-the-scenes “Making of Melrose Place” videos filmed by the cast, and several helpful up-to-speed recaps.  Smallville’s Season 9 teaser has drawn raves; check it out below, and visit our individual show pages for more fresh, first-look material.

Real-estate tour of Melrose Place
TBL promo: TV to Talk About

From coast to coast, the reviews are in—and critics are raving about The CW’s new fall lineup, the network strategy, and individual shows.  Here’s a small sampling:

• “Most on-target development: The CW.  A cohesive lineup of culturally-relevant shows engages viewers on myriad platforms.”  - Broadcasting & Cable
• “The theme of the campaign (TV to Talk About) reflects how successful CW executives have been in scheduling series that generate some of the most pervasive buzz for any new primetime shows.”  - NY Times
• “CW has transformed its primetime lineup into one sleek body of fantasy soaps.”  - Washington Post
• “Melrose Place looks like high-gloss, over-the-top trashy fun; and vampires, especially cute ones (Ian Somerhalder, pictured), are hot right now with the network’s target audience.”  - TV Guide
• “For fans of the departed WB, there is a show coming that’s reminiscent of that netlet: The Vampire Diaries.”  - USA Today
• “The Beautiful Life: The return of Mischa Barton and a backstage pass to the scandalous world of modeling…beautiful indeed.”  - TV Addict
• “Parental Discretion Advised feels reminiscent of the WB hit Gilmore Girls.”  - MediaWeek
• “Melrose was an instant favorite before a page was written.”  - Hollywood Reporter
• “The TV show I can’t miss: Gossip Girl.  It’s the next generation of Sex and the City.  The cast is beautifully vapid.  Love it!”  - Life & Style Weekly

The Beautiful Life finished shooting its series pilot this week in Montreal, and someone behind-the-scenes has posted nearly 50 short backstage video clips. They’ll introduce you to much of the impressive cast, including Mischa Barton, Sara Paxton, Ben Hollingsworth, Nico Tortorella and Ashley Madekwe, as well as guest-stars (and hopefully recurring actors) Corbin Bleu and Jordan Woolley. Only 23, Mischa has been a tabloid favorite for so long, it’s almost surreal to see her in front of the camera. “It feels great to be back on set again,” she blogs. “I really like the structure that series television brings to my daily schedule. Couldn’t have written a better-suited project myself. I’ve always enjoyed fashion, and now I get to play a character who’s immersed in it.” The Beautiful Life follows a coed group of models—at much different career stages—living together in NYC, and you’ll be drawn in to these charismatic personalities right away. The series is competing with five other dramas for a place on The CW’s fall schedule, which will be announced on May 21. Take a look at some of the videos and post your thoughts.

Two original reality series will debut this summer on The CW: Hitched or Ditched and Blonde Charity Mafia. Premiering after the May 26 finale of Reaper, Hitched centers on couples who’ve been dating for years—and are given an ultimatum to either set a wedding date within a week, or break up altogether. Of course, each featured couple will be put through a series of personalized exercises to test their relationship. The show is hosted by Tanya McQueen (pictured) from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Following its six-week run, Blonde Charity Mafia will then take over the Tuesday timeslot. It’s a docu-drama about Washington, D.C.’s most influential 20-something Alpha Girls, the ladies with the hottest ticket in town. From Congressmen to Capitol Hill staffers, everyone vies for an invitation to their social events—and Mafia exploits are played up Gossip Girl-style on latenightshots.com. Along with the summer announcements, the network decided against an early fall launch prior to September, Variety reports, and will likely follow the pattern of last year’s head start around Labor Day.

For Colin Egglesfield, the route to Melrose Place began on the Yellow Brick Road, winding across international runways, with a much-ballyhooed trek into Pine Valley. In fact, you’ve no doubt seen his face countless times without realizing he’d one day become a leading man on MP2. Colin has been on the network radar since his heroic role in Lost in Oz, an ambitious 2002 pilot for The WB which never advanced to series. Most recently, he gained a horde of fans while playing the long-lost son of Erica (Susan Lucci) on All My Children—in a weird soap twist, he’d unknowingly survived Erica’s controversial TV abortion in the early ‘70s. Between those projects, Colin continued his career as an acclaimed—and prolific—model for such designers as Ralph Lauren, Versace and Calvin Klein, both in print and fashion shows. Click here for a sample of his work. The former premed student is also a clothing entrepreneur through his company, Shout Out!, which markets t-shirts and handbags that consumers can customize daily with their own Velcro messages. Asian beauty Stephanie Jacobsen (Jesse on Terminator) just booked a condo on Melrose Place alongside Colin, joining Katie Cassidy, Michael Rady, Ashlee Simpson and Jessica Lucas, with one male actor yet to be cast before filming begins.

More young people than ever became involved in the recent presidential election, so maybe the time is ripe for a CW drama set in the nation’s capital. The Body Politic filled out its primary cast with more familiar names, including Brian Austin Green (BH: 90210, Terminator) and film hottie Gabrielle Union. Joining them are Jenny Wade, currently Ben’s demon girlfriend on Reaper; Jay Hernandez (Crazy/Beautiful); and the previously announced Jason Dohring (Logan on Veronica Mars) and Minka Kelly (Lyla on Friday Night Lights). For veteran Tim Matheson, this is the third CW pilot he’s filmed. In 2006, he costarred with Christopher Egan in The Prince; and the following year, he joined The World According to Barnes. Neither show was picked up. However, having played the vice president on The West Wing, Tim knows his way around Washington. Back in 2000, The WB stepped into the political arena with seven episodes of a Dick Wolf midseason drama, D.C., featuring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gabriel Olds. Later, there were Kennedy overtones in the network’s young adult series, Jack & Bobby. Government always provides an intriguing backdrop for relationships, so it’ll be fun to see how this stellar cast fares when the fall schedule is finalized over the next seven weeks.

In 20 seconds, the promo for Tuesday’s episode of Reaper clearly illustrates the type of off-the-wall humor this series is known for. “Nothing’s more disgusting than bugs….and old people,” the announcer deadpans. Ha! What the spot really doesn’t do is alert you to a key mythology development: the introduction of the devil’s “other” son, Morgan. Armie Hammer makes his debut as the suave and spoiled offspring of Ray Wise, and Sam (Bret Harrison) is charged with showing his new half-bro the family biz. Expect a little sibling rivalry—and you just know that Wise is gonna have fun with this storyline. Hammer Time then continues next week on Gossip Girl, when the 6’5” jet-setter catches the eye of Serena (Blake Lively). It’s not long before the two begin a whirlwind romance that media accounts have likened to the real-life roguishness Anne Hathaway recently experienced.

Among the CW fall pilot contenders, A Beautiful Life grabbed the headlines this week with some blockbuster casting announcements. The drama is another project from network fave Ashton Kutcher, and centers around a group of young models struggling to hit runway paydirt in New York City. Storylines promise to unmask the industry’s rarely-seen dark side. Media magnet Mischa Barton (Marissa on The O.C.) was first to sign on, and is now joined by ‘80s supermodel Elle Macpherson—who’ll head the Focus Models agency with a rather fierce management style. High School Musical fans are abuzz with the news that Corbin Bleu is set to play a male-model with the Lenny Kravitz-type vibe, reports Zap2it; while Sara Paxton, fresh off rave film reviews for Last House on the Left, returns to TV as a novice poser in the Big Apple. Other roomies include Ashley Madekwe (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Ben Hollingsworth (Cutting Edge 3; pictured), and newcomer Nico Tortorella, who could quickly become a breakout CW heartthrob. Off-camera, Hollingsworth shares an apartment with fellow Canadian Nina Dobrev, who he met on the set of Degrassi, IMDb notes. Nina recently won the female lead role in The Vampire Diaries series pilot. A cast this noteworthy will be difficult to keep off the schedule in September.

This is an exciting time of year in the TV industry. Networks have chosen the new series they’d like to see produced into pilot episodes, and the first step entails assembling a noteworthy cast—with various roles announced almost daily. The four newest stars to join the CW fray are certainly not strangers to our young adult viewers. Brooding Steven McQueen (pictured, left) will play a key role in Vampire Diaries; fans of Everwood remember him as Ephram’s piano protégé, Kyle. Brittany Snow (Meg on American Dreams) has landed the title role in Lily, the Gossip Girl spinoff tracing Lily van der Woodsen’s rebellious teen years in the ‘80s. And no one can argue with the first two residents of the new Melrose Place: beautiful Katie Cassidy (Ruby on Supernatural) and Michael Rady (pictured, right), who swept Alexis Bledel off her feet as Greek hottie “Kostos” in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Who would you like to see join the cast of these dramas, each considered an early favorite to win a spot on the fall schedule?

You’ve seen his face on TV and in films for over four decades—but starring in what? Ed Begley, Jr. has been a Hollywood chameleon, the type of character actor who is memorable, yet easily transitions from role to role. WBNX fans may recall him as Hank, the doctor who married Eric Camden’s sister, Julie, while appearing in 16 episodes of 7th Heaven. Or maybe his five-week arc as Rev. Belknap on Jack & Bobby. Most recently, he was seen on The CW as Cyrus O’Dell, the dean of Hearst College who was murdered on Veronica Mars. Ed and his wife, Rachelle Carson, are also semi-experts on “eco/green living,” and he’ll be speaking at the Akron Home & Flower Show tomorrow, with meet-and-greet autograph sessions to follow. You can hear Ed on Saturday at 1pm and 5pm at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron—and while you’re there, be sure and stop by the WBNX booth and register for a chance to win a Martha Stewart prize pack.