ABC FAMILY/DANNY FELDForget Confessions of a Teen Idol. Starting tonight, you can get your dose of former male rock stars from ABC Family's new musical comedy, Ruby & the Rockits, starring brothers David and Patrick Cassidy. And yes, we're talking about the David Cassidy of Partridge Family fame starring in a show created by his fellow teen idol brother Shaun Cassidy, who has executive produced such shows as Invasion and Cold Case.
Part Full House, part Donny and Marie, Ruby & the Rockits centers on the lives of David and Patrick Gallagher, former teen idols from a band called the Rockits. David, played by David Cassidy, still sees himself as a rock star, touring and living a wild life. Patrick (Patrick Cassidy), conversely, has settled down and become the consummate family man.
Sound familiar?
The drama begins when David's previously unknown, precocious daughter, Ruby (Alexa Vega), lands on the family's doorstep in need of a new home. Hilarity ensues. We caught up with the adorable Austin Robert Butler, who plays Patrick's son, and he told us all about what it was like to work with legends.
Like most of ABC Family's audience, 17-year-old Austin didn't really know who the Cassidys were when he auditioned. His mom, on the other hand, freaked out.
"She was like, 'Oh my gosh! I had Shaun Cassidy posters on my wall!' " he tells us. "So I looked them up on YouTube and started really researching who they were. It's crazy! To hear David's old stories and Shaun's stories...it's such a cool experience."
Many of the brothers' stories from their glory years are being used as storylines for the show, but Austin remembered one that isn't. "David told me about how when he was on The Partridge Family, he hit stardom fast, like he couldn't leave his house. He had to hire someone to do his grocery shopping. And one day he wore a puka-shell necklace and pretty soon they were selling them everywhere. I mean, I don't know for sure, but I think he started the whole puka-shell trend."
[Editor's note: As one who was there, we can safely say, this much is true!]
Austin describes David as the "funny, crazy one," and Patrick as "a really nice guy" and says they essentially play themselves on the show. "What I'm thinking will happen is the moms will see the previews and will appreciate it. The kids won't know who the Cassidys are, but they will know Alexa from Spy Kids and think the music looks cool," he adds.
Ruby sets itself apart by leaning heavily on its talented cast and producing storylines carried largely by catchy songs and singing castmembers. In fact, we saw the first two episodes and couldn't help but be impressed by both Austin's and Alexa's musical performances. Austin says he has always played guitar but never considered himself a singer before. However, Alexa's musical experiences go way back; she starred in Hairspray on Broadway and was the leading role in the fan-hit, rock-opera film Repo! The Genetic Opera.
Are you planning on ditching your Nick at Nite's reruns of The Patridge Family to get your Cassidy fix through this new show? Hit the comments below.
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Repo the what? Here's what we're talking about...