Frantic fans have been known to do everything in their power to save their shows. Roswell watchers sent 3,000 bottles of Tabasco to the WB network execs. CBS programmers received 20 tons of peanuts from those desperate to save Jericho. And Chuck was kept on the air in part because of viewers purchasing foot-long sandwiches from product-placement sponsor Subway.
So what are One Tree Hill fans sending to the CW to save their show? Robert Buckley (Clay) tells us...
Basketballs!
"I didn't know this, but apparently fans are sending in basketballs to the CW. That's not easy to send a basketball!" laughs OTH new dude Buckley. "You have to make a big effort to send an object that awkward and big in the mail. I was really surprised, because that's not a cheap or easy thing to do. But apparently they're sending basketballs to the CW powers that be."
This season, Robert bounced onto One Tree Hill—which returns tonight with a new episode—as Nathan's (James Lafferty) agent and friend. After a standard crazy-tumultuous storyline, it looked like his character would be a-OK. But this is One Tree Hill. So we knew not to rest easy. "They really had some fun with Clay's future over the last four episodes of the season. There won't be easy days for Clay, there's a lot of uncertainty and stalker issues in his future," he dishes.
Stalker issues? One time I slept outside his trailer and…oh, you mean nut job tennis player Katie (Amanda Schull). "She is every bit as unstable and 'cuckoo Cocoa Puffs" as you'd probably question," Robert promises. "I don't want to give away too much; it would be spoiling a really creepy surprise. She has quite a few crazy tricks up her sleeve." I don't want to support stalking (mostly because it's never gotten me anywhere), but I can't wait to see how this storyline plays out.
One Tree Hill is back with all new episodes tonight, and Robert promises "a lot of gasping, a lot of 'oh no she didn't,' and a lot of 'Clay's not gonna make it.' It really does go from bad to 'we're in trouble' for Clay in the last few episodes." And while he assures us that everyone is staying positive in regard to the show's future, he also says somewhat helplessly that "at the end of the day, there's really not a whole lot you can do except wait."
The big question is: How does the season, and possibly series, finale leave the Tree Hill gang? "Mark Schwahn did a really good job of leaving this season in a place that's very uncertain. There's a cliff-hanger for Clay, Quinn and the other characters. It's not tied up nice and neat," teases Robert. But…but…what if this is it? They can't leave us hanging, can they? "Not everyone is going to be getting a happy ending," he says.
Unfortunately, that just might be the case for One Tree Hill. Fingers crossed that they get a season eight so the characters, and the fans, do get a happy ending. Guess you all better run out and start shipping basketballs. And tune in tonight at 8/7c on the CW for the return of One Tree Hill.
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Why aren't the gals on One Tree Hill trying to cozy up to this hunk? At least some people are taking advantage of hot castmates. Check out our Kissing Costars gallery!