I guess I might be showing my age, but I was less than bedazzled at the CW’s “90210″ party at the Kokomo Cafe, which, at least for one night, doubled at the Peach Pit. That’s probably because I really couldn’t tell the new stars from the wait staff. One person that did register, though, was “old timer” Jennie Garth. Reports from some critics early in the party suggested that Garth didn’t want to be there and was trying to plan an exit strategy. If it’s true, I don’t blame her. The setting was cramped. But when I chatted with her, she seemed perfectly content and bemused. She said she’s looking forward to having Tori Spelling on the show (she wasn’t there) and having Jason Priestley direct an episode (he was there). She also said it would be “stupid” if the network didn’t bring the show back. She said she’s having a ball playing the “adult” Kelly: “I feel like Kelly has so many more layers,”  she said. “I don’t want to be the one on the beach skinny dipping.”

Another impressive blonde is Monica Potter, who displays a previously untapped comedic ability in the new TNT series, “Trust Me” (I’ve got a full story on the show running Sunday). She’s fantastic, but I did have to wonder about the color scheme of her “director’s chair” on the set, which I visited on Monday. It’s pink. With stick-on butterflies. Potter explained that her original chair was stolen during a shoot in a LA mall. She wondered if the replacement could have some pink lettering. Instead someone went ahead and went full hog. I also visited the “CSI” set earlier in the day. A full report - mostly a look at the Laurence Fishburne addition - will run next month in Variety.

One day after picking up a Golden Globe for best drama, “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner stopped by the Directors Guild of America party. He seemed genuinely concerned that “Mad Men” may go on without him (a deal for future years with him has not been signed). That would be hard to believe, but it’s not unprecedented. Most of the time it’s a disaster. One exception, I noted, was “The West Wing.” It was never quite the same when Aaron Sorkin left, but I thought it was still a top 10 show in its final years. Weiner respectfully disagreed. Also in attendance was Charlies Haid, who played Renko in my all-time fave, “Hill Street Blues” and has established himself as one of TV’s finest directors. Haid shared some “HSB” trivia I had never heard before: At one point, creator Stephen Bochco wanted HIM to play the captain. “It wouldn’t have worked,” Haid said..

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