When Tom Welling renegotiated his contract for Smallville on The CW, it seems that part of that deal was being co-executive producer. The contract deliberation took a period of time that kept people wondering what was up. When all parties came out of the negotiations, you can tell that Welling had his eye on the prize, though it’s not the same prize that viewers covet.
With the Tom Welling starrer Smallville heading into a 10th season, the fans are pretty happy about that. I’m sure everyone involved is, but Tom Welling knows that nothing lasts forever. If you take note of the credits for Smallville, you’ll see Welling is listed as co-executive producer. Which is a great career move. But he’s taken it a step farther, beyond Smallville. I also presume that this might have been part of his new contract with The CW.
It was announced back in early February that The CW ordered a “dramedy” pilot titled Hellcats and it’s being produced by Tom Welling. Hellcats is based on the book “Cheer” by Kate Torgovnick.
Hellcats is set in the world of competitive college cheerleading and has been referred to as Election meets Bring it On. (Can you hear me smacking my forehead yet?) Some of the cast associated with Tom Welling’s Hellcats is Ashley Tisdale, Alyson Michalka, Sharon Leal & Matt Barr.
Tom Welling and Hillary Duff in CHEAPER by the DOZEN
I’m not sure how far the college cheerleader based pilot will go, but Tom is getting his feet under him, behind the camera. I think that’s a great direction for Tom to go, because if you look at Tom Welling’s resume on IMDb, Smallville has been his life with the occasional “B” movie peppered in there. (2003′s Cheaper by the Dozen, 2005′s The Fog, 2005′s Cheaper by the Dozen 2 & a 2006 video documentary titled Seeing Through ‘The Fog.’)
Tom Welling as Nick Castle in THE FOG
Looking at his past work, (Might explain the look on his face in the pic above) I can understand why he is looking beyond the mantle of actor. This of course doesn’t bode well for fans of Tom Welling, being that if his career takes the serious move behind the camera, you won’t get to see much of him on your television.
Now The CW already took a stab at the life of a “hot-chicks based” show, about airline stewardesses titled Fly Girls. I’m not sure where that went or if it’s taking off again for a 2nd season. (Yep, that was a pun.) I had no interest in the program, so I don’t have much to say about it. I can only hope that this isn’t a shot-in-the-foot type move for Tom Welling, by producing what seems to me, to be an obvious move to capture some eye-candy ratings. In fact, I hope he gets another shot beyond this if it doesn’t pan out and he adjusts his career course towards something a bit more serious, or even fantasy action based, being he has such a ton of experience in that genre. But that’s just me.
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A Quick Cinema Static Personality Focus:
Tom Welling and Jamie White
Did you know that Tom Welling pursued athletics (baseball & soccer) in High School, then worked in construction and after that, modeled men’s clothing (Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, Calvin Klein) before his role on Smallville? His full name is Thomas John Patrick Welling and has 3 siblings. From what I can tell, he’s been married to Jamie White since 2002.
Tom Welling gives his autograph to Batman at Comic-Con 2009
The one thing that is unique to Tom is his lack of a pursuit of celebrity. He’s a private star. My first clue to that was when he showed up at Comic-Con in 2009. It was made a big deal that he was making a public appearance. Thus discovering that he rarely makes public appearances, stays off the radar of the paparazzi (Which isn’t that hard, really.) isn’t a surprise. He’s been quoted to saying “I wanna work and then go home and live in private.”
His first major acting role was karate teacher Rob Meltzer CBS’s Judging Amy.
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[EW, IMDb, Wikipedia Tom Welling entry, Welling and White photo source: Crushable.]
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know why people say that Tom’s wife is not hot enough for or whatever, she is a really pretty and simple woman. He has good taste!
I my self think every thing that Tom Welling has done so far up to now has been great and I agree with him about his home and personal life . He is a wonder person.
Tom’s wife is not pretty by Hollywood standards but you can tell that this woman has certain magic in her smile and purity in her face , they are perfect for each other