



Palm Springs is going back in time as some of the biggest stars from shows like “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Saved by the Bell” come to the desert for the debut of Retro Palm Springs.
“The Palm Springs convention center is going to be transformed into a time capsule celebrating all the eras that continue to inspire and influence pop culture,” said Brian Boget, co-producer of the event, who also produces the annual Creep I.E. conventions.
The convention will take place Saturday and Sunday at the Palm Springs Convention Center, where about 3,000 people are expected to gather for a nostalgic celebration that will be anchored by celebrity guests who will be meeting fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.
And the biggest names on the list include “90210’s” cutest couple — Tori Spelling, who portrayed Donna, of course, and her main squeeze, Brian Austin Green, who played the nerdy but lovable David in the series. They’ll be joined by fellow cast member Christine Elise, who in her role as Emily Valentine stirred things up when she dated both Dylan and Brandon. Oh yeah, Brenda was not happy about that.
“I always loved ‘90210’ myself, and we have the famous couple from ‘90210’ coming,” Boget said.
Some of the members of the Bayside gang are getting together for the event, as cast members of “Saved by the Bell” are set to join the convention. On the guest list for the weekend is Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who as Zack Morris led the Bayside High crew. Joining him will be Mario Lopez, who as A.C. Slater often butted heads with Zack, or “Preppy,” as Slater liked to call him. And rounding out the reunion is Jessie herself, known in real life as Elizabeth Berkley.
Other celebrities on the guest list include “Punky Brewster’s” Soleil Moon Frye, Kerri Green from “The Goonies” and John Ratzenberger from “Cheers,” plus many others. Autographs and photos are additional purchases separate from admission.
Besides meeting celebrities, attendees can check out more than 50 vendors selling all sorts of retro clothing, gear and memorabilia. And if you still have a working VCR, bring some extra cash because you might be going home with some tapes from the retro video store.
One thing people shouldn’t expect, though, are celebrity panels, which are common at conventions. Boget said he wants to keep the focus of this inaugural event on seeing celebrities up close.
“This is a great way to meet some of our childhood idols in person,” he said.