New Partridge Family’s Keith Awaits His Next Break By James J. Lidington It’s good to be Leland Grant. The 2004 ODU graduate with a penchant for showbiz returned to network TV in January when VH1 broadcast the test pilot of “The New Partridge Family,” in which Grant played Keith Partridge, the TV role made famous by former teen heartthrob David Cassidy in the early 1970s. Grant first gained national recognition when VH1 broadcast the reality-based series “In Search of the Partridge Family” for seven weeks last fall, in which contestants vied for the roles of the beloved Partridge Family characters, whose pictures were plastered on everything from T-shirts to lunch boxes during the show’s heyday. But the New Partridge Family went almost as quickly as it came. Grant was notified recently by VH1 that the network had no plans to produce more episodes, and the TV fan site www.tvtome.com indicated that the one episode was aired only in hopes that a major network would pick it up and develop a series. Though he encountered some negative reaction to the program, Grant said he received just as many compliments. The bass player for the legendary funk band Earth, Wind and Fire, Verdine White, told Grant he liked the show after the two met coming out of a production meeting in Los Angeles. Even though the show didn’t succeed, Grant remains optimistic and said he believes he’s in the right place at the right time. That place is LA, where he moved from Norfolk in December with his girlfriend, Heather Linden, a trip chronicled on Grant’s Web page, www.lelandgrant.com. With his sights set on a career in music, TV or film, Grant said he is ideally situated in the West-Coast hub of all three industries. His entree to the Partridge Family competition was his background as a singer with the Hampton Roads-based band Butter, and now he has some acting experience to add to his music resume. For now, Grant is filling his time as a youth soccer coach for a team called Young Champions and waiting for another break. The show “was a new experience,” he said. “It took me out of my element of being on stage with a band behind me. It was eye-opening to what goes on when they produce a show like this. With that under my belt, hopefully I can move on ... to other adventures in the film and TV industry.” A native of Suffolk, Grant said his ODU education has already served him well in his quest. His degree in interdisciplinary studies – with a focus on music business and production technology – came in handy when the new Partridge cast went into the studio to record songs for the show. “It’s nice to be experienced,” he said. “People notice if you’re professional. My degree helps me with that. I go into a studio and I’ve been on both sides of the mixing board.”