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'Vampire Diaries' creator hopes magical luck will hold with 'Circle' By John Crook © Zap2it There's no discernible sorcery involved, but Kevin Williamson probably was des- tined to become an executive producer on "The Secret Circle," the buzzed-about new CW supernatural thriller pre- miering Thursday, Sept. 15. After all, the new series has two elements in which Williamson specializes: complex small-town teen- age characters ("Dawson's Creek") and supernatural frights ("The Vampire Dia- ries"). What's more, "The Se- cret Circle" is adapted from a series of books by "Vampire Diaries" author L.J. Smith. That doesn't mean "Circle" - which packs a staggering amount of exposition and my- thology into its pilot episode - came blessed by its own fairy godmother, however. The complicated story line, about an orphan (Britt Robertson, "Life Unexpected") who is drawn into a "secret circle" of teenage witches, required a lot of rethinking by Williamson and fellow executive producer Andrew Miller, the show's ac- tual creator. "Andrew and I both wor- ried about all the exposition, to be honest, because he developed this show three times, and in every incarna- tion of it there were various differences in the mythology," Williamson admits. "Originally, in the book, there were 13 really get a sense of danger, so we added a lot of cool creepy stuff. That was my job: to bring some danger and mystery to it." At the heart of the story is Robertson's Cassie, around whom the entire show pivots. The 21-year-old actress ad- mits that the work hours are long on her new gig, but she didn't have a hard time get- ting a read on her character. "The most relatable aspect Thomas Dekker and Britt Robertson star in "The Secret Circle," premiering Thursday on The CW. kids who were part of the circle, then it was nine, then it was eight, then seven, and now it's six. "We're still continuing to build the mythology, which is such a rich part of the show, but Andrew and I both are so worried in terms of 'How much of this can an audience take on a weekly basis before we reach Complicated My- thology Overload?' We're try- ing to be very careful in how we tell these stories so that we keep it rooted with the characters and the emotion. That's always a struggle with this type of show." That doesn't keep the pilot episode from being terrifically entertaining. In brief, it follows Cassie Blake (Robertson), whose happy, normal life is Stutzman MOTOR SALES , INC. 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US 33 West, Goshen • 533-1166 torched by an "accidental" fire that kills her mother. Her fa- ther long since dead, Cassie moves to Chance Harbor, Wash., her mother's rustic hometown, where she soon is befriended by five other teens who tell her they, like she, are descended from powerful witches. Cassie can't believe them, until one of their num- ber, handsome Adam (Thom- as Dekker, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), shows her how to tap into her own magical powers. Later, Cassie discovers a message from her late mother that helps her under- stand her destiny. But what she and her peers don't know is that there are other powers at work in the town - dark, malignant powers, possibly involving some of their par- ents - that may be planning to exploit the circle for their own malignant purposes. It was this sense of danger - or, at first, the absence of it - that drew Williamson into this project. "They came to me and said, 'Look, we really like this show and we think it has the opportunity to be something special, so will you please come in and help it out?' " Williamson explains. "That's when Andrew and I did a rewrite. I told him I could see the romance, but I couldn't to Cassie from my standpoint is that when you first meet her, she is just your average, normal teenage girl, a regu- lar high-school kid who is not part of any supernatural world," she says. "Then she gets thrown into this situa- tion that completely throws her off guard, and she has to adapt to this new lifestyle and the family that she cre- ates within the secret circle. There's nothing particularly crazy about my own life, so it wasn't that much of a stretch to imagine how Cassie, as an outsider, would react to all the new strangeness she is having to deal with." Somewhat more challeng- ing was learning the techni- cal side of working on a spe- cial effects-heavy show. "I didn't really know what I was in for with this show," Robertson says, laughing. "In addition to just working crazy hours because you have to shoot a show in such a small amount of time, we also have to do special effects, which extends the whole process and makes it a bit more dif- ficult - but at the same time, it's such a cool aspect. It's what makes the show so ex- citing for me, and it challeng- es me on a regular basis." Although the show rests to a large degree on Robert- son's slender shoulders, Wil- liamson says he hasn't had this much confidence in a leading lady since he hired a largely unknown Nina Dobrev for "Vampire Diaries." "Britt's beautiful, she's approachable, she gives good close-up, and she's Information on your doorstep Whether you're a teenager, a baby boomer or a senior, newspapers are a great source of information. At The Goshen News , you can find the latest local and business news , sports highlights, travel features, financial tips and more. Subscribe today! 533-2151 ext. 393 8 The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • Saturday, September 10 - Friday September 16, 2011 S PECTRU M EYEWEAR GALLERY Can also be seen in Syracuse. To make an appointment call • GLASSES • CONTACTS • EYE EXAMS • SUNGLASSES David Britzke, O.D. is no longer at the Vision Center in Goshen. Please call 574-970-7444 to schedule your appointment. 56028 Parkway Ave., Suite E Elkhart • 574-970-7444 574-457-4476 Allergies? Asthma? We Can Help! Snoring? Daytime Fatigue? Morning Headaches? Excessive Sleepiness? Yatin J. Patel, M.D. Diplomate, American Board of Pulmonary Medicine You may have sleep apnea. Sneeze & Snooze C L I N I C 2417 South Berkshire, Goshen 574-534-9911 www.md4lungs.com Watch informational videos on our website. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. got chops out the wazoo," he says. "Her acting is so natu- ral that she just takes your dialogue and makes it better, and you want to write for people like that. It's so hard to find an actress that the entire show swings around, that's your anchor. I often see when a show gets it wrong, but it's also so obvious when a show gets it right, like I did with Nina. I think there's something equally magical about Britt, and I'm very ex- cited about her." 13024 US 20, Middlebury • 574-825-2965 COLLISION • BRAKES • EXHAUST BILL'S COLLISION ALIGNMENTS • OIL CHANGE SERVICE Weblinks "Football Night in America" returns on Sunday, so get out the chips and dip and pop the top on a cold one ... and fire up the laptop to visit nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25907471/ Check into gastronomic delights on Monday with Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." Get info, top recipes and videos at www.foodnetwork.com/the-best-thing-i-ever- ate/index.html The CW returns to another season in swanky Beverly Hills, Calif., with the fourth-season premiere of "90210" on Tuesday. Deborah Ponce, RN, MSN, NP-C Nurse Practitioner Our friendly staff is ready to help you!

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