Super Soap Weekend 2008 Event Details

Cameron Mathison will headline "ABC-SOAPnet Super Soap Weekend" November 15th and 16th at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Also joining the stellar lineup of 30 stars from the ABC Daytime dramas are Thorsten Kaye, Aiden Turner and Rebecca Budig from ALL MY CHILDREN, Erika Slezak, Michael Easton and Kristen Alderson from ONE LIFE TO LIVE, and Laura Wright, Kelly Monaco and Jason Thompson from GENERAL HOSPITAL. Soapnet.com will reveal the full "Super Soap Weekend" all-star lineup on Tuesday, September 30.

This year will mark the last "Super Soap Weekend" in Orlando, as ABC's Daytime division embarks on the 2009 "Soap Nation Tour," a collection of nationwide events designed to interact with fans on a year-round basis, offering greater access to stars in more cities, more often. The final Walt Disney World weekend will be dedicated to the fans with special retrospectives and exclusive productions.

This year special trivia and commemorative clip packages honoring the 45th anniversary of GENERAL HOSPITAL, the 40th anniversary of ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ALL MY CHILDREN's 10,000th episode and past "Super Soap Weekends" will be shown during the event. "Super Soap Weekend" will become more interactive than ever with the introduction of new mobile programs and text trivia. A special musical number will be developed for Colgate Total Street Jam that honors the final event as well.

Throughout the weekend, fans will have the opportunity to meet favorite stars from ALL MY CHILDREN, ONE LIFE TO LIVE and GENERAL HOSPITAL. Festivities include celebrity motorcades, autograph sessions, game shows, interviews and the chance to purchase one-of-a-kind memorabilia from each of the shows. The Colgate Total Street Jam will close the event each day with live musical performances by some favorite Daytime Stars. Colgate Total toothpaste has served as the presenting sponsor of the event for nine consecutive years.

"We recognize that we live in a 'Soap Nation'-from primetime soaps to daytime soaps to reality and celebrity soaps, they are all around us. The 2009 tour will be a collection of coast-to-coast fan-based events that will ignite our Soap Nation," said Brian Frons, president, Daytime Disney-ABC Television Group. "Our fans have told us that they want us in their neighborhoods, so we are traveling our daytime talent to better serve them. The new year will bring new ways to involve our stars in more events, in more cities, more often." Frons continued, "We thank Walt Disney World for being a wonderful host and partner and look forward to our plans to send 'Super Soap' off with a bang and the celebration it deserves."

"We have certainly enjoyed hosting the ABC soap stars-and their fans-over the years, and we're going to make sure this year's event is a fitting finale," said Rilous Carter, vice president, Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Confirmed events within the 2009 "Soap Nation Tour" that support the new effort begin on the west coast with the maiden voyage of "SOAPnet Presents Rock the Soap," a three-day cruise (from Los Angeles to Mexico) hosted by Bob Guiney and filled with top daytime stars, including Rebecca Budig, Thorsten Kaye, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Kassie DePaiva and Bree Williamson, and featuring musical performances, autograph sessions and parties. More information about the event can be found at www.rockthesoap.com; new contests will be developed to provide trips to New York so winners can attend Broadway Cares, a one-night musical celebration featuring daytime stars, and continued participation in the CMA's Music Festival with stars attending the event weekend. Additional information regarding new fan experiences and expanded affiliate events will be released next year.

"ABC-SOAPnet Super Soap Weekend" is included with theme park admission to Disney's Hollywood Studios - where guests of all ages are caught up in the glitz, glamour and excitement of show business. For future updates and more information about "ABC-SOAPnet Super Soap Weekend," guests may call the recorded Super Soap Hotline recording at (407) 397-6808, or visit the ABC Daytime website at ABC.com.

PREVIEW: Tonight's GH: NIGHT SHIFT

Episode 211 ("Love/Hate") – Robin reaches out to her mother Anna (special guest star Finola Hughes) for support, after Robert is brought in for emergency surgery. Meanwhile, the staff has a hard time treating a group of racists, Patrick makes a stand, and Eric (special guest star Chad Allen) questions Kyle about why he can't forgive Claire and Leo for sleeping together, on GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT, Tuesday, September 30 (11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., ET/PT) on SOAPnet.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Secrets from the Texas set (includes former ATWT star Zach Roerig).

INSIDE SOAP AWARDS: EASTENDERS was the big winner at Monday's award ceremony.

TOP MODẼLES: Taylor dit à Brooke que s'il lui restait un soupçon de dignité,elle prendrait ses affaires et quitterait sa maison et celle de Ridge avant qu'il ne lui dise de partir.

CARJACK: Preview of today's AS THE WORLD TURNS.

News Brief

LYNN LICCARDO: In A Funk (more Bloom/Goutman reaction)
"I'm looking for some kind of logic here, however misguided it may be. Both P&G soaps, GUIDING LIGHT and AS THE WORLD TURNS, have felt like a series of unconnected stories for a while now....Of all of the complaints about soaps today, the lack of connection among the individual stories looms the largest."

A Soap Shrink Special: The Valuable Lesson You Can Learn From B&B's Stephanie Forrester
Damon L. Jacobs writes: "Soap operas are unique in their ability to slowly portray a character’s bad behaviors, tragic downfall, and ultimate redemption. But lately I’ve been troubled by the vehemence of the anger, blame, and finger-pointing OFF screen. We have all recently seen actors, producers, anonymous bloggers and even journalists engage in attack, blame, and judging. My feeling is that many are ignoring the most consistent and essential thread in the soaps’ history: Good people do messed up things when they are afraid. If someone is in pain or insecure, they are more likely to lash out at others than to ask for help. They deserve empathy and understanding, not attack. Case in point: Stephanie Forrester."

Same time, different channel for Y&R in Philly today
CBS' THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS will air at 12:30 p.m. today on WPSG (Channel 57) to make room on KYW (Channel 3) for EYEWITNESS NEWS' live coverage of the funeral of slain Philadelphia Police Officer Patrick McDonald, according to a spokeswoman for the two stations.

Should funeral coverage extend past 1:30 p.m., today's THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL will also air on Channel 57.

Blurb on Sharon Wyatt's NIGHT SHIFT appearance
University of Tennessee graduate Sharon Wyatt is reprising her GENERAL HOSPITAL role of Tiffany Hill on the soap's spin-off, GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT, on Oct. 21. Wyatt played Tiffany for most of the 1980s and into the 1990s. She earned her secondary education degree from UT and did her student teaching in Harriman. She is originally from Cookeville, Tenn.

PHOTO GALLERY: Inside Soap Awards
More photos from the Inside Soap Awards 2008 where EASTENDERS took home gongs including Best Soap.

"Jonathan's Story" out on paperback today
Today is the official publication date for the mass market, paperback edition of "Jonathan's Story" by Julia London and Alina Adams.

Featuring all of the material available in the New York Times' best-selling hard cover edition, the $7.99 reprint also boasts an exclusive, all new chapter updating Guiding Light fans on what everyone's favorite bad boy -- and his adorable little girl -- are up to now.

GH's Jason Thompson at Walmart in Dekalb

Info from the first stop on Soap Opera Digest's "Shop Like a Soap Star" national tour.

UPDATE: Eileen Fulton's contract
As previously reported, the AS THE WORLD TURNS legend recently signed a new contract with the soap. It is now confirmed to be a two year deal which will take her to the 50th anniversary on the show as Lisa.

"Soaps In The City"...IN LA Cover Shoot

At "Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps" this week, the ramp up begins for our "Soaps In The City" charity fundraiser for the upcoming AIDS Walk Los Angeles and official launch party for www.michaelfairmansoaps.com on October 16th.

It starts with your first look at the behind-the-scenes video and special interviews from our cover shoot for IN LA Magazine hitting the newsstands today, September 30th.

Y&R's Michelle Stafford, DAYS' James Scott, B&B's Heather Tom, GH's Kimberly McCullough, along with Michael Fairman, took part in this very special and historic cover shoot, which for the first time in IN LA's history, has soap stars featured on the cover! Make sure to check out the special "Soaps In The City" and IN LA cover shoot special which included shoot photo gallery, videos, and confirmed attendees. Lots of terrific content at http://michaelfairmansoaps.com/SITC/.

Photo credit: John Paschal/JPI Studios

News Brief

INTERVIEW: B&B's Heather Tom
"I am working for Obama right now, and we are working hard to bring change to America. The other issue is for the proposition 8 issues for people living in California. I think it’s important they have to vote “No”. A lot of people are confused as to what this is, and basically it means they want to strip rights away that have been granted by the Supreme Court of California. We have to make sure they fail in their efforts, and that they are exposed for the hate-mongers they are."

INTERVIEW: ATWT's Grayson McCouch
"I was in the garden at my house, thinking about all the weeds and someone came and got me and said [Executive Producer] Chris Goutman is on the phone. He said he wanted to know if I was interested in coming back to the show. To which my response was, 'of course.' Eight months of not acting, I was ready to get back in the saddle. I owe a lot to Nick [Chris Goutman's son], his friendship, we kept in contact. Nick was one of the guys when things weren't working my way, telling me everything is going to be alright. I have friends like him, and his father, that they would always take care of me and they gave me a lot of support in a time when I was trying to take things by storm."

INTERVIEW: DAYS OF OUR LIVES' James Scott
"I am not going to pretend to be an expert. However, when I was living and working in New York for example, I did some work with an AIDS hospice with kids who were HIV+, whose parents had died. Some of the children had been put in care facilities when their parents could not deal with them anymore. That was because children born with HIV have a lot of problems, and they all seemed to fall in the same socio-economic demographic. They were the people who had no voice. If it was a disease that affected the most affluent one percent of society, you can be pretty sure it would have been a major election and political issue. I think you will find that it falls to the smaller social groups be it: race, economic, social, or sexual statuses, who tend to have less of a voice in this country."

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES down but still Sunday's top show
Despite falling 7% from last fall's first showing, ABC's DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES was Sunday's highest-rated program averaging 18.4 million viewers in overnight ratings.

INTERIVEW: Y&R's Michelle Stafford
"I feel that people with a lot of things and a lot of money, who buy pretty things, and don’t do things with it, are just the most boring people in the world. They are the most angry, most selfish, and they are stuck to their things. I would rather stick 16,000 needles in my eye than hang out with somebody like that. There is nothing wrong with having things, if you have the money to buy it, but if you are not giving back you are just a very sad individual, to me."

INTERVIEW: ALL MY CHILDREN's Aiden Turner
Turner, who plays Aidan on AMC, was the guest on "Soap Box" last night.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

William Christian (ex-Derek, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 53

Will Dailey To Perform On ATWT

CBS Records recording artist Will Dailey will perform his hit singles "Boom Boom" and "Rise" his most recent album Back Flipping Forward, on AS THE WORLD TURNS, Friday, Oct. 3 on the CBS Television Network. Dailey will play himself in scenes as he performs at Metro for a benefit to save the Snyder farm. There, Dusty (Grayson McCouch) surprises most of Oakdale with his return.

Dailey released his album Back Flipping Forward in 2007. In 2006, he took home a Boston Music Award for Best Male Singer/Songwriter.

He previously appeared on CBS-TV's CSI: NEW YORK and appears on the soundtrack for the CBS series NUMB3RS and CSI: MIAMI, and The CW's GOSSIP GIRL.

News Brief

INTERVIEW: GH and NIGHT SHIFT star Kimberly McCullough
"I was watching everyone talking about Sarah Palin on CNN. Oh, my God! I did not know if I wanted to throw up or cry. I am so infuriated. I feel like the main thing that frustrates me, is that sense of, 'Well, I worked so hard for it, so I get to keep it.' It’s that whole greed thing. Then, if you are not greedy you are called a Socialist, because you want people to be successful. It’s so far from being a Socialist; it’s not even funny. If you had a lot of money you wouldn’t think twice about helping somebody who doesn’t have it. I think it’s just greed and being self-centered, when people do not give back."

Disney prepares for last Super Soap weekend -- promises fitting finale
In a press release issued today, Brian Frons said ABC wants to send its soap stars on a national promotional tour in 2009, rather than sponsor one big Super Soap Weekend at Disney World. “Our fans have told us they want us in their neighborhoods," he stated

“We thank Walt Disney World for being a wonderful host and partner and look forward to our plans to send Super Soap off with a bang,” Frons added.

“On My Porch” Chat – The 2008 Election with Daytime for Obama
Wednesday, October 1, Nancy Lee Grahn and her special guests from Daytime for Obama, Jane Elliott, Mary Beth Evans, Susan Flannery, Kimberly McCollough, Heather Thom, Kelly Monaco, Kim Zimmer, Kassie Depaiva, Bree Williamson, Deidre Hall and Debbi Morgan. Visit the "Politics" forum to learn more! (work schedules permitting) will gather at her house to discuss the upcoming election, with a particular focus on issues critical to the well-being of women and children in our country. They’ll be joined by Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) via teleconference for this in-depth conversation that we will cover live in the nancyleegrahn.com chat room.

The chat room has space for everyone to join from 8:00 pm EST to 9:00pm EST.

Directly following that, fans are invited to interact with Nancy and her guests in the “Politics” forum at nancyleegrahn.com. Start a thread to pose your questions about the election, candidates, or issues that matter to you (anytime between now and next Wednesday) and the actors will reply with their answers and opinions on Wednesday night. We’ll also leave the chat room open for you to chat with each other about the issues, election, and question responses and the actors will pop in to join the discussion from time to time.

Jesse McCartney Pledges 'GREEK'
The actor/singer/songwriter has enrolled in ABC Family's guiltless pleasure GREEK. The ex-ALL MY CHILDREN star will play the recurring role of Andy, a heavily recruited freshman jock who'll be torn between rushing the KT and OX houses. McCartney will make his Greek debut in early '09 when the show kicks off its fourth season/cycle.

"Out" in Hollywood: Starring Roles Are Rare
The New York Times published an interesting article on being "out" in the entertainment industry. Despite inroads made by out celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris and T.R. Knight, many actors remain in the closet out of fear their career would be negatively impacted.

“The industry is persuaded that being known as gay will undermine your credibility both as romantic lead or an action star,” said Larry Gross, director of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and author of a book on media portrayals of gays and lesbians.

“They don’t test it,” he said. “We’re waiting for the Jackie Robinson moment when someone tests that assumption and discovers it’s not true.”

Chad Allen, 34, a child actor on shows like ST. ELSEWHERE and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN, said steady work dried up in 1996 after a tabloid ran a photograph showing him kissing another man. The DR. QUINN cast was supportive and he remained in the family-oriented show, he said, but after the series ended, “It was tough.”

“I couldn’t get an audition for a pilot after that,” he said.

But Mr. Allen, who attended college and continued to do some work in film, found new roles a few years ago, with the advent of gay-oriented cable networks. In channels like Here! and Viacom’s Logo, openly gay actors have played lead roles as private detectives, vampires and superheroes. Mr. Allen now stars on NIGHT SHIFT and in a mystery series on Here!, in a role he describes as “a good detective who happens to be gay.”

Bravo picks up SWINGTOWN reruns
Bravo cut a deal with CBS Paramount Network Television to acquire rights to the entire 13-episode first season of languishing drama SWINGTOWN. The NBC Universal-owned cable network plans to begin airing episodes in October.

EASTENDERS regains best soap crown
EASTENDERS has swiped back the best soap crown from CORONATION STREET and swept the board at the Inside Soap awards with nine gongs.

For the second year she triumphed as best actress and best couple alongside Charlie Clements, who plays her on-screen husband Bradley Branning.

Max and Stacey's affair revealed at Christmas won EASTENDERS the best storyline award, beating other plotlines including the death of Vera Duckworth in CORONATION STREET.

Robert Kazinsky, who plays Sean Slater, was named best actor as well as sexiest male. Rob James-Collier, who is bowing out of CORONATION STREET as Liam Connor, was last year's sexiest male. He was also shortlisted this year.

EASTENDERS' wins included Rita Simons clinching the best newcomer award for her role as Roxy Slater and Cheryl Fergison scooping the funniest performance for her character portrayal of Heather Trott. Kara Tointon (Dawn Swann) picked up the award for a second time for sexiest female.

Last year was the first time CORONATION STREET had won the best soap title at the Inside Soap awards in more than a decade. This year CORRIE retained its reputation as the home of the screen villain for the fourth year in a row, with Jack P. Shepherd scooping best bad boy for his evil doings as David Platt for the second year in succession.

CORONATION STREET's Kym Marsh was named best-dressed soap star at the awards, sponsored by LittlewoodsDirect.Com.

Meanwhile, the outstanding achievement award was bestowed upon Chris Chittell, who has entertained viewers over the years as EMMERDALE's Eric Pollard.

Ellis Hollins, who plays Tom Cunningham in HOLLYOAKS, was awarded the best young actor trophy for the second time. And THE BILL was awarded best drama for the third year running.

TV Guide Canada's Weekly "Nelson Ratings"

The latest "Nelson Ratings" from TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco are now available.

In addition to reviewing the week in soaps, naming his top-rated actors, and providing next week’s viewing cheat-sheet, Branco takes a look at potential nominees for "guest actor" if the Daytime Emmys decide to add that category next year.

He also takes a look at the controversial Todd-Marty storyline on ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Soap Stars' Kids Love Sleeping Beauty

ALL MY CHILDREN star Cameron Mathison and his children Leila and Lucas attend the 50th Anniversary release of the Walt Disney classic Sleeping Beauty at Chelsea Cinemas in New York City on Sunday.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE actors Thorsten Kaye, Susan Haskell brought daughters McKenna and Marlow as well.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

IN LA MAGAZINE: James Scott (DAYS), Kimberly McCullough (GH), Michelle Stafford (Y&R) and Heather Tom (B&B) come together to shoot the cover of IN Los Angeles Magazine to promote "Soaps in the City," a benefit for AIDS Project LA.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Last night's Season 5 premiere was excellent.

BROTHERS & SISTERS: The wonderful Walker family.

VANCE JEFFERIS: The former OLTL star (he played Dorian's nemesis Matt McAllister in 1974 and 1975) appeared on TIME OUT WITH KEVIN GALLAGHER.

News Brief

Michael Damien at cancer walk; will appear on Y&R in November
Damien participated in the 10th annual UMass Medical School Walk to Cure Cancer yesterday.

“My godmother/aunt passed away two days ago. It happened really fast. She was diagnosed with a rare stomach cancer and then she was gone. This is the least we can do,” said Mr. Damien, who volunteered his services and flew his band and a friend with cancer to Massachusetts just for the cancer walk.

“I believe in this cause deeply, and support the research that is going on now. I put the concert (date) on MySpace and it was amazing how many people responded with stories of their own. It was my honor to help,” said Mr. Damien.

Damien will be on the set of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS in October, with episodes to air in November.

Actress Heather Locklear Arrested
Former DYNASTY and MELROSE PLACE star Heather Locklear has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance in Santa Barbara, California.

Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall said 47-year-old Locklear was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer on Saturday afternoon.

It followed a passer-by telling police that the actress left a car park "driving erratically".

The officer noticed Locklear's vehicle parked on a state highway and blocking a lane in Montecito - a wealthy community about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

She was believed to have be alone in the car, Mr Marshall said.

Locklear was taken to the police station, where she was tested for alcohol and drugs.

She was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription medication.

Arrest photos showed a huge ring on her finger. She was apparently staying at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito with B&B star Jack Wagner.

THAAO PENGHLIS is "bewildered"
"Off to NY and Wash. on Tuesday for meetings for one week. Had a DOOL show yesterday with Lexie. It went very well. Sorry to say but there has been so little story that I'm a little bewildered. It was going so well. But I'm doing other things that could be very exciting."

Favorite DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES quotes from last night's premiere
Edie to the ladies: "Oh, you don't know. I have a husband now!" Susan: "Really? Whose?"

Edie to Gabby on her looks: "What happened to you?" Gabby: "I had two children." Edie: "For what, breakfast?"

Colin Egglesfield: Soap Opera Heart Throb and Entrepreneur
On how he manages his time being both an actor and t-shirt entrepreneur: "It’s tricky. The key is to have good people around to to delegate to. My sister helps with PR. She fields inquiries, samples, and distributes press kits. My brother helps with the inventory. Lots of friends help out in different ways such as helping me out at trade shows. I’m talking to a manufacturer and distributor that I’ll possibly working with. It’s getting to a point where I can’t do it myself…you have to give up certain part as you grow because you can’t do it all after a certain point."

Holbrook & Browne On S&S Today

Daytime Emmy winner Anna Holbrook, and her ANOTHER WORLD co-star, Kale Browne, appear on today's episode of SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES. They plan Sam's parents, Maggie and Alan Zegas.

Sam brings Stacey to dinner at his parent's house in Montclair, New Jersey. They are surprised at Stacey's age, and it's obvious they are dealing with their own issues.

Both of these fabulous actors should be front and center on a soap right now. There are so many talented actors with real depth that are off our television screens at the moment. I hope by bringing them back to the forefront on my radio soap, someone in charge will take notice.

Listen to today's episode:


PREVIEW: Coming up on Wednesday's show, Tristan Rogers from GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT appears as crooked attorney, Garfield Merriweather.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Drake Hogestyn (John, Days/ex-Roman, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 55
Andrea Pearson (ex-Gia, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 31

CHUCK Season 2 Launch Party

The cast of CHUCK attended NBC's Season 2 launch party at PURE Nightclub last night in Las Vegas.

Among the cast in attendance were former PASSIONS hunk Ryan McPartlin, Yvonne Strahovski, Zachary Levy, Sarah Lancaster and Joshua Gomez.

News Brief

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES tries a new direction
Series creator Marc Cherry shifted the series five years ahead so he could take new, fresher, directions with the characters.

"The soap tends to build up and I wanted to get back to where we were that very first season where it's just the problems of some ordinary women and they were small and relatable And, of course, the ball will start rolling and pick up steam as the year goes on. But I thought it would be a good chance to do something interesting and give everyone some challenges."

KEVIN MCDONOUGH: Do these sisters ever listen to themselves talk?
"The problems on BROTHERS & SISTERS don't get solved right away, but gosh, those Walkers seem terribly focused on their faults and confront them with the zeal of a patient paying a therapist $400 an hour.

BROTHERS & SISTERS hardly has the market cornered on unreality. Some series make you wonder whether their creators live on the same planet as the rest of us. And they go on to prove that depravity can be as boring as anything else."

Two brothers from San Diego in hit shows
Tonight will be a banner evening for Hillary and Jason Cotton. The Spring Valley couple's two sons, Maxwell, 8, and Mason, 6, have roles in back-to-back hit series on ABC.

First, on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES at 9 p.m., Mason will debut as the 5-year-old son of Teri Hatcher's character, Susan (the series speeds ahead five years from last season's finale when she gave birth).

Then, at 10 p.m., Maxwell reprises his role as Sally Field's grandson on BROTHERS & SISTERS. Maxwell has played Cooper since the TV series began two years ago.

Former ATWT star Runyeon to speak at Holy Trinity Catholic
Former soap actor Frank Runyeon will do a one-hour performance titled "Sermon on the Mount," followed by a 30-minute talk on "Hollywood vs. Faith" at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church -- Richmond, 571 Howard St. in Kalona.

Lago gives back rubs for a good cause
Actor David Lago, formerly of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, gave impromptu back rubs for $20 at the local United Cerebral Palsy celebrity waiter luncheon last Friday.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Susan Walters (ex-Diane, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Lorna, LOVING) - 45
Todd Rotondi (ex-Bryant, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 34

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

OLLIAN: Christian and Constantin read Lydia's blog. Gregor visits Olli.

DARK SHADOWS: Minisode #36 - Elizabeth convinces Victoria to stay at Collinwood. Roger tells Sam not to paint Burke's portrait.

MEG RYAN: The former ATWT star is on the cover of In Style in October.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: A promo for Sunday's Season 5 premiere.

News Brief

Sabato keeps daytime sizzling
Antonio Sabato Jr. wrote a fitness book called "No Excuses" about staying fit, but it wasn't the writing that sold 300,000 copies. "I go, 'OK, I'm just going to write a book,' and the company that I worked for said, 'We have to shoot pictures.' And then people just kind of bought it for the pictures, which is fine, but I still wrote it, and I still believe everything I said."

In 2006, Sabato Jr. returned to the soaps to play Dante Damiano in THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Sabato Jr. eventually quit the series because his storyline was moving too slowly.

This year he has signed on to reprise the role of Jagger Cates on the GH spinoff, GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT.

And he is waiting for his star to shine again. "Actors are always, always working, always going to auditions, trying to get jobs. How do I succeed? You try to be focused, you try to be humble, you try and do your work. That's all you can do and everything else is not up to you."

HOLLYOAKS: Mercedes discovers she may have HIV
Malachy knows he needs to be a brave man this week. He has to tell Mercedes that he may have infected her with HIV, but quite understandably, he's dreading the thought of starting that conversation.

Mercedes soon finds out the truth of her own accord and confronts Malachy about it at the Dog. In full public view she forces him to admit that he may have infected her with HIV.

A distraught Mercedes then seems to hit her self-destruct button, as she's just unable to come to terms with the shock. Jacqui eventually persuades her sister to go for a test, so that she can find out the truth one way or another.

Dunmore native takes home Daytime Emmy for OLTL
One day, not long after becoming the lighting designer for ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Bob Bessoir Jr. was sitting on the show’s set with its director, watching the day’s drama unfold on a monitor. As they chatted, Catherine Hickland, one of the soap’s very attractive blond actresses, passed by.

“You see her?” the director said to Mr. Bessoir. “Make her look good, and you have a job for life.”

What wise counsel that proved to be. Mr. Bessoir has spent the past decade making the soap’s thespians look good, and the industry has finally given him his due.

In June, the former Dunmore resident took home the trophy for Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series at the Daytime Emmy Awards, which he shared with fellow OLTL lighting designer Scott Devitte. It was Mr. Bessoir’s first win in five nominations.

“Every time you get nominated, it’s a great honor, because that means your peers are nominating you. It was a sense of relief and happiness at the same time,” said Mr. Bessoir, who gave a short, off-the-cuff speech on behalf of himself and Mr. Devitte. “You’re hopeful that you’re going to win but you don’t know. When you win, it’s a great feeling. It’s almost otherworldly.”

Staten Island Philharmonic goes "On the Town" with Kathy Brier Sept. 27
ONE LIFE TO LIVE star Kathy Brier stars in a one-night-only Staten Island Philharmonic presentation of the classic musical "On the Town" Sept. 27. Douglas Leland directs the production with choreography by Kate Valle and musical direction by José Alejandro Guzmán. The evening also features the 25-piece Staten Island Philharmonic.

Arab TV Tests Societies’ Limits With Depictions of Sex and Equality
Many Arabs were shocked and appalled earlier this month when a prominent Saudi cleric declared that it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that broadcast “immoral” material.

But the comment, by Sheik Saleh al-Luhaidan, was only the most visible part of a continuing cultural controversy over Arab television. This summer another Saudi cleric denounced the Arab world’s most popular television show ever — the dubbed Turkish series NOOR — calling it “replete with evil, wickedness, moral collapse and a war on the virtues.” He also barred Muslims from watching the series, which portrays the lives of moderate Muslims who drink wine with dinner and have premarital sex.

Saudi clerics have denounced popular soap operas like BAB AL-HARA, which attract enormous audiences during Ramadan.

And last week, as if to provide comic relief, a third Saudi cleric said (in all seriousness) that children should not be allowed to watch Mickey Mouse, labeling the cartoon character a “soldier of Satan” who should be killed.

Molly's Stanton's DO NOT DISTURB first casualty of new prime time season
Fox's DO NOT DISTURB has become the fall TV season's first official cancellation, officially checking out after just three episodes. DISTURB averaged a 1.6 rating and 4 share, and pulled just 4 million viewers in its trio of airings. Writing was already on the wall for the show Thursday, when Fox decided to pre-empted next week's episode in favor of a second 'TIL DEATH seg.

SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES: Episode #859
Rex is upset at Perry's recent behavior.


INTERVIEW: Matt Borlenghi
The new DAYS OF OUR LIVES star appeared on "Stardish Radio" earlier this week.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Peter Simon (ex-Ed, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Scott, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW; ex-Ian, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 65
A Martinez (Ray, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Roy, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Cruz, SANTA BARBARA) - 60
Patrick Muldoon (ex-Austin, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 40
Derrell Whitt (Lucas, SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES) - 20

News Brief

Desperately good . . . a look at the season premiere of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Amy Amatangelo writes: "I’ve seen the first two episodes of the season and I’m so relieved to report that the show is back on track. The time travel corrects some of the core problems that had stymied the series and returns the series to its season one entertaining combination of mystery, camp, humor and wit."

UGLY BETTY's Ana admits past abuse
She may play Betty's feisty no-nonsense sister Hilda in Ugly Betty, but Ana Ortiz has revealed that she once let herself be pushed around by a boyfriend.

The 37-year-old actress, who is now happily married to musician Noah Lebenzon, told US Weekly that she was once a victim of domestic abuse.

"It started with him humiliating me in front of my friends, calling me 'sl**', saying, 'You're so stupid', and shamelessly flirting with women. It escalated to shoving and manhandling me - and always because I tried to stand up for myself or because he felt disrespected. One time I jokingly called him a name, and it set him off on a tirade of abuse and pushing me around."

DEEP SOAP: Veterans Day
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "I am baffled as to why daytime would choose to portray veterans so negatively. While it’s true that a few soldiers have returned home from war and committed despicable violent acts, 99% would never even contemplate hurting a woman or child."

EASTENDERS theme more familiar to Brits than "God Save the Queen"
The theme of BBC soap EASTENDERS is more easily recogniZed by Brits than the UK national anthem, according to a new poll. Almost four in ten people say they are more familiar with the theme tune than "God Save the Queen."

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES jumps 5 years
Creator Marc Cherry promises that while he's bringing the show back to earth, it won't stay there indefinitely.

"Of course, the ball will start rolling and pick up steam as the year goes on," he said. "But I thought it would be a good chance to do something interesting and give everyone some challenges. That's what I love about my gals is that, for all the glamour, they're all actresses first. And that can't be said on some TV shows because I have friends who constantly marvel at what my gals allow me to do and how ridiculously silly I make them and how wickedly driven I make the characters, but they really go with me. And I've always been very fortunate in that regard."

INTERVIEW: Ilene Kristen
Kristen, who plays Roxy on ONE LIFE TO LIVE and Marilyn in the upcoming Manhattanites, was a guest on "Stardish Radio" earlier this week and had a lot to say about the upcoming election, her roles on the soaps and more.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

PAUL & JAMES: A preview of Monday's episode of AS THE WORLD TURNS.

AS THE COOKIE CRUMBLES: Episode #2 - Tension mounts in the tea-house as past relationships with missing person Kim Maxwell are exposed. Meanwhile Daphne and Diana both fall for Officer Steve.

JOAN COLLINS: The former DYNASTY and GUIDING LIGHT star appeared on THE TODAY SHOW last week.

DRESSING ROOM: B&B's Hunter Tylo gives a tour of her dressing room.

TV Guide Canada's Weekly "Suds Report"

In his weekly "Suds Report" column for TV Guide Canada, Nelson Branco covers the following stories and much more:

Monavie-gate: Ingo Rademacher versus Steve Burton!

AMC’s Rebecca Budig out?

Confirmed: Amanda Baker fired!

Exclusive: Eric Braeden discusses his new TV role!

DAYS casts Galen Gering and Eric Martsolf! Is Forbes March next?

ATWT's Dylan Bruce exit interview!

GL's Nicole Forester out!

News Brief

Kiss between Jake & Taylor on AMC put on hold
ALL MY CHILDREN star Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake) reveals that a key scene between Jake and Taylor set to air next week was rewritten at the last minute.

"We were scripted to kiss, but we all decided that it felt a bit rushed," Goldin tells the New York Daily News. "So we didn't actually touch lips."

Fans know that AMC scooped up Goldin and Beth Ehlers (Taylor) from their former soap (GUIDING LIGHT) after negotiations went south. The two, who played popular supercouple Gus and Harley, have been slowly integrated into AMC, where they will soon become a couple as well.

"We reblocked the scene," says Goldin. "I take her hand and end up slow-dancing with her. You can't force this stuff down people's throats."

Sarah Michelle Gellar making her TV comeback on HBO
The former ALL MY CHILDREN and BUFFY star is poised to return to TV with WONDERFUL MALADYS, a half-hour series about three adult siblings who lost their parents at a young age that was written with Gellar and HBO in mind. In her first regular TV role since BUFFY ended in 2003, Gellar will play a character who has "a kind of zealous immaturity -- like a drug addict with a to-do list," said the show's writer, Charles Randolph. Gellar, meanwhile, says the HBO project is "a terrific next chapter for me."

Kelly Ripa reveals her workout secrets on the cover Of Shape Magazine's November issue
A toned Kelly Ripa graces the cover of Shape magazine's November issue, wherein she shares her cooking secrets and her favorite workout routine.

The 37-year-old mother of three shares a little multi-tasking secret saying, "I'd say 99 percent of my cooking, I've either learned from the guest chefs on the show or from watching the Food Network while I'm on the treadmill."

INTERVIEW: ATWT legend Eileen Fulton
"When I went on the show was in black and white and all the sets were painted a dark green. Everyone had the same color walls in Oakdale, except one very rich woman, Claire Cassen. She had green and white wall paper. Irna Phillips (series creator and head writer for over 15 years) wouldn't even let us have flowers because we were supposed to be middle class and poor."

Larry Bryggman in "Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing"
Emmy-winning television and film actor Larry Bryggman (the former Dr. John Dixon on AS THE WORLD TURNS) plays the husband and 'asdeftly adds a tension Mrs. Miller can't easily fix.' Mr. Miller, a resident of the Clairmont Convalescent Home, angrily accepts the reality of his circumstances that his wife refuses to acknowledge as she dabs at his mouth, and sings "Nearer My God To Thee."

Santos Ortega reference in Yankee Stadium article
John Hanlon was born in Chicago but moved to Tenafly, N.J., as a youngster after the death of his father. His mother, Virginia Maddocks, was a Broadway actress and friends with actor Santos Ortega, best known as Grandpa on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

Several times, Hanlon and Ortega’s son, Stephen, piled into Ortega’s Rolls Royce and headed off to the Bronx.

“When you’re 10 years old, do you know how incredibly cool it was to be taken across the George Washington Bridge to the greatest city in the world to the cathedral of baseball? I can still see the Rolls Royce, and off we’d go,” recalls Hanlon, 51, an attorney for the state appellate defender’s capital trial assistance unit in Springfield.

Days at Yankee Stadium meant watching boyhood idol Mickey Mantle — and some bad baseball, says Hanlon, as the Yankees had plummeted in the standings in the late ’60s.

It's All About The Cheese

Matthew Borlenghi (formerly Ziggy on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and Brian on ALL MY CHILDREN and now the new Mayor of Salem on DAYS OF OUR LIVES) attended the 7th Annual Precious Cheese Italian Feast Of San Gennaro, Los Angeles last night.

News Brief

The truth about soap's most hated man
He’s embroiled in one of the darkest and most disturbing storylines EASTENDERS has ever attempted – and Chris Coghill knows it will turn him into public enemy number one. He’s barely been in Walford five minutes and already his character, evil pedophile Tony King, has become the most hated figure in soap.

“From time to time members of the public may confuse reality with the soap, but I’m an actor, not Tony. I’m a bit worried about that, but I’m a big boy – I’ll get a big hat and a pair of sunglasses.”

The shocking moment teenage temptress Rosie Webster strips on CORONATION STREET
While ITV dumps its commitment to serious programmes it shows no signs of losing its taste for the salacious. CORONATION STREET executives have put the character Rosie Webster at the heart of a tawdry storyline which sees the teenager try to seduce a man twice her age.

Greetings from the Shore a disappointment to Jersey
"The actors are cast well and fit their roles by look alone, despite poor acting and accents fading in and out among the immigrants. Shaw and [ONE LIFE TO LIVE's David] Fumero do a decent job in portraying their cliché movie roles, but still lack the substance to make their story believable."

Brandon and Dylan return to 90210....sort of
In "Model Behavior," the episode of 90210 airing Sept. 30, we learn that Brenda (Shannen Doherty) has been keeping in close contact with twin brother Brandon and ex-boyfriend Dylan. In this ep, Brenda reveals some heretofore unknown details about Brandon's current whereabouts.

But that's not all. Next week, that wayward Dylan finally phones home again. Apparently the call is to Brenda's phone, but both Brenda and Kelly end up talking to him, and after the fact, the two girls get into a "tense" convo (most likely because he calls Brenda's phone).

CADY MCCLAIN: More Thoughts
"I have found that it is important to recognize that while we may be special and unique as individuals, as human beings we are more similar than different. Recognizing that we all have similar needs and dreams is useful to making laws to help us as a large and varied nation within a large and varied world."

DANCING WITH THE STARS Power Rankings, Week One
#9 - Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani: ALL MY CHILDREN star needs to work on pretty much all her moves.

Jean Carol to Star in Actor's Group Theatre's "Mastergate"
Former GUIGIND LIGHT star Jean Carol will star in Larry Gelbart's Mastergate, to play the Actor's Group Theatre, October 3-November 2. Penny L. Moore will direct. The satiric farce takes the form of a congressional hearing looking into shady doings between a film studio and the White House.

OLTL airdate from ESPN fantasy sports expert Matthew Berry
"For those that care, the episodes of ONE LIFE TO LIVE that I appear on will air Nov. 5 and 6. I'm guessing I might bring it up a lot more as it gets closer."

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Stephen Markle (ex-Mel, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Ted, THE EDGE OF NIGHT)

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

SOAP-IVOR: Vying for the trophy and a seat at Rachael Ray's kitchen table are Brandon Buddy from ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ALL MY CHILDREN's Chrishell Stause, and Kane Manera from GUIDING LIGHT.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Sneak peak of Kevin and Scott in the Season 3 premiere episode.

TRILLIONS: Episode 6 "SHANE ON YOU!"

OLLIAN: Lydia starts to write a blog about love and Constantin quotes a part of it to Olli and Christian.

DEGRASSI: New Students... New Drama!

Fall has arrived and high school is back in session for a few new underclassmen at Degrassi, when The N premieres a new season of the award-winning hit teen drama DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION with a special hour-long episode on Friday, Oct. 10, at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Degrassi's new students may think they're ready to navigate their new surroundings with the help of new best friends, cliques and boyfriends, but they'll soon discover that this high school redefines teenage drama.

Beginning Friday, Oct. 3, and leading up the new season premiere, The N will "Get Ready for DEGRASSI" by airing every episode ever of the hit teen series and showing sneak peeks of the new season. Marathons of the series will run from Friday, Oct. 3, at 3:00 p.m. through Monday, Oct. 6 at 9:00 a.m., and weekdays from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 10, The N will run an all-day marathon, leading up the anticipated one-hour premiere at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

In the Degrassi premiere, "Uptown Girl," teen mom Mia, desperate to have a normal teenage life, is relieved of her after-school parental duties by her mom. Mia takes full advantage of her newfound freedom and her chance to do it all, joining the cheerleading squad, making new girlfriends, catching the eye of Degrassi's star quarterback, and the ultimate teen girl's dream -- landing a plum modeling contract. But will Mia be able to balance cheerleading, a new boyfriend, new friends, and life in the limelight as a working model? When Mia has the chance to book the ultimate job -- becoming the new face of a hot, new ad campaign -- she's faced with some tough choices and the harsh realities of fame. Mia wants the job so badly that she's willing to do just about anything to land it, but at what cost?

Degrassi also welcomes a new class of "gifted" freshmen, including Clare, Darcy's buttoned-up and book-worm younger sister. Having the beautiful, prom queen for an older sister isn't easy and there's no way Clare is even going to try to follow in Darcy's footsteps. She claims that she doesn't care what people think and is only at Degrassi for one reason, to learn. But that claim is immediately challenged when she meets K.C., a cute skater and fellow gifted freshman. He sees through her "just here for school" act and tries to break through her tough shell. When he challenges her to an 'open mic' performance in the school cafeteria, things don't go the way either of them expect and Clare is brutally humiliated before the entire school.

Meanwhile at Smithdale University, it's far from one-for-all, and all-for-one, when Degrassi grads Emma, Liberty and Manny are assigned different roommates in a housing mix-up. Manny and Liberty are just as happy to start fresh, part ways and embrace the opportunity to meet new people. But Emma is determined to keep them together and to their dismay, spends hours negotiating with the housing department to get them reassigned together ... along with Kelly, a fourth roommate, who is not at all what they are expecting and definitely going to make dorm life a lot more interesting.

Daytime Ratings from the 2007-08 Season

From ABC Daytime:

For the Season, "General Hospital" and "One Life to Live" Surpass Time Period Competition on CBS by Double-Digit Percentages in Both Key Targets Women 18-34 and Women 18-49.

* For the 2007/08 season, ABC was Daytime's No. 1 network in Women 18-49 (1.3 rating/883,000; tied on rating).

* For its drama lineup only, ABC wrapped the 2007/08 season as Daytime's No. 1 network in Women 18-49, topping runners-up CBS (1.3 rating/871,000) and NBC (1.3 rating/869,000) by 8%.

* "The View" and "General Hospital" swept Top 5 ranks for the season in Total Viewers (No. 4 - 3.44 million and No. 5 - 2.94 million, respectively), *Women 18-34 and **Women 18-49.

* In Women 18-34, ABC positioned all programs among the season's Top 5 in Daytime: "General Hospital" (No. 1T - 1.0 rating/341,000), "The View" (*No. 4T - 0.9 rating/310,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 5T - 0.8 rating/282,000) and "All My Children" (No. 5T - 0.8 rating/254,000).

* In Women 18-49, "General Hospital" (No. 2 - 1.5 rating/999,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 3T - 1.3 rating/878,000) and "The View" (**No. 3T - 1.3 rating/854,000) placed among Daytime's Top 3 programs in the key demographic.

* A Top 5 player in Daytime for the last half of the season (23 straight weeks), "One Life to Live" overshadowed CBS' "As the World Turns" at 2 o'clock by 35% in Women 18-34 (282,000 vs. 209,000) and by 16% in Women 18-49 (878,000 vs. 756,000).

* At 3 o'clock, "General Hospital" nearly doubled CBS' "Guiding Light" for the season in Women 18-34 (97%; 341,000 vs. 173,000), and surpassed the time period rival by 44% in Women 18-49 (999,000 vs. 694,000) and by 21% in Total Viewers (2.94 million vs. 2.43 million).

Following are the Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top 5 Programs Ranks - 2007/08 Season:

Daytime Rank:        Total Viewers                Women 18-49 (Rtg/000s)
No. 1 CBS    3.80 million        No. 1 ABC    1.3/883,000
No. 2 ABC    2.89 million        No. 1 NBC    1.3/869,000
No. 3 NBC    2.70 million        No. 1 CBS    1.3/834,000

Top 5 Daytime Programs in Women 18-49 (rank based on rating):

Program                    Net              Rtg/000s
The Young & the Restless   CBS              1.8/1.17 million
General Hospital           ABC              1.5/999,000
One Life to Live           CBS              1.3/878,000
Days of Our Lives          NBC              1.3/869,000
The View                   ABC              1.3/854,000
Bold and the Beautiful     CBS              1.3/851,000
Days of Our Lives          NBC              TBD/TBD
As The World Turns         CBS              TBD/756,000
Guiding Light              CBS              TBD/694,000

Daytime Nielsen Ratings For Week of Sept. 15-19, 2008

From the ABC Daytime ratings release:

* ABC ranked as Daytime's No. 1 network in Women 18-49 (1.3 rating/868,000), surpassing CBS (1.2 rating/789,000) by 8% and NBC (1.1 rating/709,000) by 22%.

* Placing all programs among the Daytime's Top 3, ABC dominated the competition by double-digit percentages for the No. 1 position in Women 18-34 (1.0 rating/324,000), topping NBC by 43% (0.7 rating/246,000) and CBS by 67% (0.6 rating/209,000).

* For the third week running, "The View" (No. 3 - 3.71million) and "General Hospital" (No. 5 - 2.93 million) placed among the week's Top 5 most-watched programs in daytime in Total Viewers, with both Elite 3 players in target Women 18-34 and Women 18-49.

* In Women 18-34, all ABC programs positioned among Daytime's Top 3 programs, including the week's No. 1 with "General Hospital": "General Hospital" (No. 1T - 1.0 rating/353,000), "The View" (No. 3T - 0.9 rating/318,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 3T - 0.9 rating/318,000) and "All My Children" (No. 3T - 0.9 rating/306,000).

* In Women 18-49, ABC delivered 3 of the week's Top 5 programs in Daytime: "General Hospital" (No. 2 - 1.5 rating/998,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 3T - 1.3 rating/849,000) and "The View" (No. 3T - 1.3 rating/836,000).

* Extending its streak as a Top 5 player in Daytime to 23 straight weeks, "One Life to Live" surpassed CBS' "As the World Turns" in the 2 o'clock hour by 85% in Women 18-34 (318,000 vs. 172,000) and by 14% in Women 18-49 (849,000 vs. 747,000).

* At 3 o'clock, "General Hospital" nearly tripled the delivery of CBS' "Guiding Light" in Women 18-34 (182%; 353,000 vs. 125,000), and towered over the time period competitor by 74% in Women 18-49 (998,000 vs. 575,000) and by 44% in Total Viewers, or by almost 1 million (2.93 million vs. 2.03 million).

Following are the Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top 5 Programs Ranks - Week of September 15, 2008:

Daytime Rank:        Total Viewers       Women 18-49 (Rtg/000s)
No. 1 CBS            3.35 million        No. 1 ABC    1.3/868,000
No. 2 ABC            2.93 million        No. 2 CBS    1.2/789,000
No. 3 NBC            2.32 million        No. 2 NBC    1.1/709,000

Top 5 Daytime Programs in Women 18-49 (rank based on rating):

Program                    Net              Rtg/000s
The Young & the Restless   CBS              1.7/1.13 million
General Hospital           ABC              1.5/998,000
One Life to Live           CBS              1.3/849,000
The View                   ABC              1.3/836,000
Bold and the Beautiful     CBS              1.3/834,000
Days of Our Lives          NBC              TBD/TBD
As The World Turns         CBS              TBD/747,000
Guiding Light              CBS              TBD/575,000

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

RAY MONTEZ: Ray (A Martinez) arrives in court and announces that he wants to be Langston's legal guardian.

REBECCA BUDIG: Zootoo.com's Adoption is the Option PSA.

WATER AID: EASTENDERS star Brooke Kinsella appears as a surgeon in an ad for Water Aid, the charity that campaigns for the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

10 QUESTIONS: B&B's Brandom Beemer answers questions from fans.

News Brief

DANCING WITH THE STARS: Lucci survives
Former DYNASTY star Ted McGinley was eliminated from DANCING WITH THE STARS last night. The actor and his professional partner, Inna Brayer, were eliminated Wednesday from ABC’s dancing competition. Comedian Jeffery Ross and partner Edyta Sliwinska were dismissed Tuesday's show. Susan Lucci survived to dance again next week.

BARBARA BLOOM: On GUIDING LIGHT
"It will never revert to a traditional format. It will however, continue to evolve to get the kinks out. CBS is not yet fully comfortable with where the production values are. What you're seeing on the air now has better camera direction. We've gotten out of some of those tight places. The lighting and audio have improved. We still have a ways to go on some stuff. [The writers] are coming up with strong story that the audience can sink its teeth into while the kinks are being knocked out of the production model."

SOAP-IVOR on RACHAEL RAY today
Brandon Buddy (Cole, OLTL), Chrishell Stause (Amanda, AMC) and Kane Manera (Grady, GL) will participate in SOAP-IVOR on the Thursday episode of THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW. Emmy-winning host Jeff Probst will run them through their challenges. "Honestly, if it weren't for the eating situation on Survivor, I think it'd be really fun to do, but I don't know if I could eat rats," Stause told Soap Opera Weekly.

Ex-soap hunk Trachta hunkers down at Spa
Former B&B star Jeff Trachta brings that show this week to the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs for an unlimited run in the Cascade Lounge.

“Think of it as a combination of Tracy Ullman and Carol Burnett,” Trachta said as he prepared for Friday night's opening.

Top Up adds Disney, ABC shows to Anytime
Top Up TV will add 400 hours of programming from Disney-ABC-ESPN Television to its library, it was announced today. The first seasons of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, GREGY'S ANATOMY and UGLY BETTY will be among the shows joining the Anytime service from September 27.

Maria Kyriacou, senior vice president for new media distribution at Disney-ABC-ESPN, said: "We’re committed to working with international partners in the new media space to bring our content to viewers in flexible ways - the impressive back catalogue of these award-winning hit series lends itself perfectly to Top Up TV Anytime’s on demand offering, where viewers will be able to revisit them, or discover them for the first time."

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Josh Taylor (Roman/ex-Chris, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Jed, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Quint, GUIDING LIGHT) - 65
Mark Hamill (ex-Kent, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 57
Hunter Garner (ex-Billy, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 29
Van Hansis (Luke, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 27
Alexis Manta (ex-Amanda, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 19
Justin Carroll (ex-David, PASSIONS)

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

OLLIAN: Christian again tells Olli that he loves him and this time Olli's awake.

BRUENING: Former AMC hunk Justin Bruening, star of NBC's KNIGHT RIDER, is interviewed on POPTUB.

FLETCHER IN PETER PAN: NEIGHBOURS star Alan Fletcher, who plays Dr Karl Kennedy in the Australian soap, is looking forward to playing Captain Hook later this year.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: In a sneak peak at this Sunday's premiere, Edie returns with her new husband to Wisteria Lane and realizes that there gave beeb major changes over the past five years.

News Brief

GUIDING LIGHT: Nicole Forester out
"The decision was storyline-dictated," says a rep, adding that she'll last air in November and there are no plans to recast the role. "Nicole will be missed, and we wish her great success in her future endeavors." CBS Soaps In Depth is reporting that Forester took the news that her contract wiuld not be renewed in stride, since her personal life is about to change dramatically: While she hadn't yet told her bosses the actress is expecting her first child with beau Paul Brown, and they're getting married in October!

GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT Pulls a Stunner

Marlena De Lacroix blogs: "Last night I unexpectedly saw the best soap opera scenes of the year. They were in, of all places, GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT! They came from the heart and the head. They were thoroughly human. I could relate to them perfectly. And I was so stunned to see authentic drama on my screen, I almost couldn’t fall asleep afterward."

Will CW revive MELROSE PLACE?
Former MELROSE PLACE star Lisa Rinna says she's been hearing some buzz that the 1990s Aaron Spelling nighttime soap could be getting an update.

Two "duds" debut tonight including KNIGHT RIDER
Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines: "Because the show is filled with sexy chicks and speedy cars, it's not hard to imagine hordes of college boys in the common room cracking up over [Justin Bruening's] KNIGHT RIDER, a remake that stays true to the awfulness of the original. It's so bad it's good, in a bad way. And if you think that sentence makes no sense, wait till you see KNIGHT RIDER.

The impact of NOOR
"The show may have ended but the fallout from ‘Noor’ has changed many peoples’ lives forever. Women, inspired by NOOR, are putting down their aprons and heading to the office to earn their own living. There have also been reports of spouses becoming disenchanted with each other and some even have gone as far as filing for divorce on the criteria that either spouse was not as amazing and beautiful as Mohannad or Noor."

Pelphrey turns down GENERAL HOSPITAL
CBS Soaps in Depth is reporting that Tom Pelphrey has passed on GH's offer to play opposite Maurice Benard as Sonny's son, not wanting to commit to a long-term soap role.

SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES: Episode #858
Casey (Tom Baran) finds a drunken Perry outside Hannah's door.

Eric Braeden To Guest on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Matt Mitovich at TV Guide is reporting that Eric Braeden of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS fame has scored a gig on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, playing Robin's father. His name? Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Sr.

(Apparently Alan Thicke is only Robin Sparkles' dad, in the "Sandcastles" video.)

The storyline set-up: As Ted and the gang hide in a restaurant from... er, someone, they each take turns recounting the the one person they would most hate to run into. Robin's pick is her father, seeing as she has Daddy issues — in that hers always wanted her to be a boy.

New Martha Byrne Interview

Two-time Emmy winning actress Martha Byrne, who left AS THE WORLD TURNS after more than two decades in April, has given a wonderful interview with TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco.

Byrne, like many soap actors I've met, seems to really understand the issues plaguing daytime soaps today.

"Daytime is all about character, which is why it’s always been successful. The problem is when you try to infuse plot into a character’s life without explaining why, well, the viewers tune out. Fans need to know why someone is acting the way they do — and we need to see the consequences of those actions. Because I’m writing a lot now, I have Marland’s bible and rules near my desk — which is all about one thing: character, character, character! The stories will take off themselves, and like you said, flow organically if the character comes first. If you focus on plot, then it’s also very difficult for the actor because the character’s growth and trajectory is [thickly veiled]. It’s no secret Douglas respected the fans. I kept a New York Times article in which he was quoted: 'The audience is always two steps ahead of me; I got to find a way to stay three steps ahead of them. So my goal is to be unpredictable.' That’s what an audience wants to see — period."

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

QUICKSTEP: Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani do the Quickstep on last night's DANCING WITH THE STARS.

NIGHT SHIFT: Kyle (Adam Grimes) met new love interest Eric (Chad Allen) on last night's episode.

DUSTY'S BACK: A short reminder of how Dusty "died" on AS THE WORLD TURNS in January. He returns today.

DR. MCSWINNY: Michael Phelps' GREY'S promo spoof.

News Brief

DANCING WITH THE STARS UPDATE: Lucci rebounds
Orlando Sentinel: "Comedian Jeffrey Ross was the first ejectee Tuesday night. Daytime diva Susan Lucci and chef Rocco DiSpirito had bombed in Monday's season premiere. Oh, how they rebounded Tuesday. Lucci executed an elegant quickstep."

Lucci "wasn't that impressive"
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Susan Lucci started slow with her quickstep, but then picked it up toward the end. Still, it wasn't that impressive. She'll hang in there for now. How long depends if she can learn the more difficult dances."

Lucci not as "frail"
Chicago Sun-Times: "Susan Lucci didn't look quite so frail tonight during her quick step. Must have been the whole crouton she ate for lunch. Way to go Susan!"

DEEP SOAP: Sell Me On It
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "It looks like ABC is on the same wavelength as I am about viewer frequency. The network is launching a major new promotional campaign, 'Take a Look Now.' While some fans might mock the line about the commitment to great stories, I’m again impressed by ABC’s efforts to promote its shows."

INTERVIEW: ONE LIFE TO LIVE star Andrea Evans
On what's ahead for Tina: :I think more vintage Tina and more what the fans want to see. I think the fans were very happy to have Tina come back for the 40th anniversary. We did the Medorra storyline, which is very 80’s Tina. Totally 80’s Tina….. and gave the audience what they want. I think now, they want to see her blend in to her roots with the family, and involved in more of the storylines that are in Llanview."

DAYS' Mary Beth Evans talks about her SVU appearance
"At the Daytime Emmys, I sat next to Bruce Evans [head of NBC daytime] and we became fast friends. I even sent his mother one of my apple pies. He said he wanted to make [DAYS OF OUR LIVES] less of an island and get people from our show onto other NBC shows. He called me up later and said I'd get to be the test case."

GREY'S adds McHunky to start fifth season
McDreamy and McSteamy, make way for McHunky. That's right. There's a new doctor operating on GREY'S ANATOMY, the ABC hospital drama that begins its fifth season with a two-hour episode on Thursday.

And the new cast member actually has a last name that Mc-fits the GREY'S Mc-nickname pattern for its so-called "studs in scrubs" characters. Scottish actor Kevin McKidd, best known for his star turns on HBO's ROME and NBC's short-lived JOURNEYMAN, makes his first appearance Thursday night as U.S. Army surgeon Owen Hunter.

TV GUIDE: James Stenbeck to die....again
Next week, AS THE WORLD TURNS kills off supervillain James Stenbeck when he takes a flyer off a lighthouse. But is he really most sincerely dead? As veteran ATWT fans know, Stenbeck has come back from the dead many times--even after a fall from an airplane.

CADY MCCLAIN: Why Palin is a Moron
"I think Palin is an ignorant woman. An ambitious woman, but an ignorant, closed minded one. A dangerous combination. History has shown us what people like this do."

Author will reveal the secrets of Milford-Haven
Mara Purl sees the Central Coast as something of a “spiritual home.” In fact, the Los Angeleno is so smitten with the area that she’s placed the location of her Milford-Haven novels (and radio soap) slightly north of Cambria.

She has been a reporter for publications from The Financial Times of London to Rolling Stone, with stints along the way with Working Woman Magazine and The Christian Science Monitor.

Those platforms helped launch successful careers as an educator, author, producer, creator of a British radio drama based on Milford-Haven and a regular role on DAYS OF OUR LIVES (ex-Darla Cook).

As varied as her career has been, she says, “Writing is my passion; story is the lens through which I look at life.”

Hansis thanks fans for raising $7,100 and counting
ATWT's Van Hansis, who turns 27 on Friday, responded to learning fans had donated money in his honor to sponsor a student at his high school: "Walnut Hill is a private school, and thus, students and their families have to pay their way. The school is very generous with scholorships and never wants to turn away a student due to thier financial background, but sometimes the school needs help. And you all, through your donations and dedication, helped give a student the help he needed. You raised $7,100 to date for this student. That is amazing. And you did it in my name. That is one of the kindest, most humbling experiences of my life."

I presented him with a bag full of birthday cards from fans and the gift at Sunday's Broadway Flea Market.

HOLLYOAKS star grateful for BSAs backing
HOLLYOAKS star Roxanne McKee has credited the British Soap Awards for improving the image of the show. The actress, who plays Louise Summers, admitted that the Channel 4 soap was mainly known for its attractive cast before it scooped six prizes at the ceremony in May.

"It used to have that image but recently it won six awards for writing and acting," Roxanne told Take 5 magazine. "It has been perceived as a show just about looks, but then it's a very young cast - and youth is always attractive. In EMMERDALE, EASTENDERS and CORRIE the cast is older, but the young people in those soaps are beautiful too."

Shannen Doherty: Leave Skinny 90210 Costars Alone!
“I see those girls and they eat on the set, so I’m pretty sure they’re not starving themselves."

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Megan Ward (Kate, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 39
Michelle Ray Smith (ex-Ava, GUIDING LIGHT) - 34
Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 29
Spencer Treat Clark (ex-Steven, ANOTHER WORLD) - 21

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

KYLE/ERIC: NIGHT SHIFT's Chad Allen and Kyle Julian talk with AfterElton on the set of the show.

TAMARA TUNIE: The former AS THE WORLD TURNS star is interviewed by Broadway.tv.

BILLY MILLER: Today's Billy Abbott scenes on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

5 MINUTE SOAPS: The week's soaps in five minutes. This week on EASTENDERS, CORONATION STREET, EMMERDALE, NEIGHBOURS, HOME AND AWAY and more.

News Brief

NIGHT SHIFT's Chad Allen interviewed by OUT.COM

Allen, who will be playing Eric Whitlow on the show, tells Nelson Branco at Out.com: "I’m blown away myself at how much I love working on NIGHT SHIFT, and I sort of slap myself on the wrist for judging the medium so much. I had heard all the stories about how fast soaps move, [that] they don’t care about the characters or performance. But it’s been the opposite. They really care about creating great moments, and nurturing the artistic process. That surprised me — much to my shame."

GLAAD survey of fall schedule shows most regulars ever
The number of gay and lesbian TV characters on the broadcast networks will double to an all-time high this season. There will be 16 regular characters on major-network scripted series this season who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to an annual survey conducted by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

That's more than twice as many as last year and the most in the 13 years GLAAD has been doing the study. The figures also reverse a trend of declining LGBT representation on broadcast, which had dropped the past two years. The number of recurring LGBT characters also is rising this year, up from 13 last season to 19.

"This dramatic increase shows how far many networks have come in developing complex, multilayered lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters," GLAAD president Neil Giuliano said.

Why Diet And Exercise Alone May Not Work In The Fight Against Obesity
For the 9 million Americans battling severe obesity, losing weight with diet and exercise alone can be challenging. Studies have found that diet, exercise and behavior modification alone fail 95 percent of the time. GUIDING LIGHT actress Caitlin Van Zandt was among those severely obese Americans trapped in an unsuccessful cycle of diets and exercise. She carried most of her excess weight around her middle as dangerous belly fat, and she was suffering from high cholesterol, asthma and low self-esteem. After seeing herself on television, she knew she needed to take action.

"My moment of truth was when I was visiting my grandmother and we were watching GUIDING LIGHT-I became really emotional when I saw myself on TV," said Van Zandt. "At that moment, I realized that I needed to act before my health became seriously impacted by my weight."

GOSSIP GIRL with 3.4 million viewers on Monday
The premiere week competition hit the CW, whose fourth week of "Gossip Girl" (3.4 million, 1.6/4) took a rough knock, down 20% from last week (but down only 9% in its target W18-34 demo). "One Tree Hill" also declined (3.1 million, 1.5/3) down 17%.

DESPERATE HOUSEWVIES on TV Guide Cover
The DESPERATE HOUSEWVIES stars pose together for the first time on a magazine cover since season 1, this time on the cover of TV Guide.

“The idea for the five-year jump on DESPERATE HOUSEWVIES really came from the executive producers of LOST,” show creator and executive producer Marc Cherry. “I’m actually doing something unheard of in Hollywood. I’m giving credit where credit is due… We didn’t need to do this, we wanted to do this. It’s given us all a new lease on life. We’re treating the season premiere like a pilot, as if we’re meeting these women all over again.”

More Harsh Words For Palin From McClain

Former ALL MY CHILDREN and AS THE WORLD TURNS Emmy winner Cady McClain has spoken out again about the Republican nominee for Vice President, Sarah Palin:

"If you don’t 'believe' in abortion- let’s talk when your wife is carrying her rapists baby. Until then, you don’t know what the f*ck you are talking about.

If you don’t believe polar bears are facing exticntion- here’s what the Washington Post has to say.

Ad if you go to the polls and actually cast a vote for Hillary Cliton- you might as well add Kermit the Frog for her VP, for as much it good it will do this country. C’MON folks. The Hillary ride is OVER.

If you don’t like what I have to say… don’t read my blog."

See: Related Post

Jeff Branson Is GL's New Shayne Lewis

Soap Opera Digest is reporting that Emmy-nominated actor Jeff Branson (ex-Jonathan, ALL MY CHILDREN) has been tapped to fill the the long-awaited recast role of GUIDING LIGHT's Shayne Lewis.

Branson left Pine Valley earlier this year and will be heading to Springfield on December 1 as Josh and Reva's son, who had recently gone missing in Afghanistan. Branson is the eighth actor to play the part.

Shayne was last seen on-screen back in 2004 when Marty West was playing the character.

The other actors who have played Shayne over the years include Travis Cartier (#1), Sean Gaffney (#2), Bret Cooper (#3), Garett Stevens (#4), Tony Michael Donnelly (#5) and Billy Kay (#6).

PREVIEW: Tonight's GH: NIGHT SHIFT

Episode 210 ("Brothers & Sisters") – Leo and Kyle are caught off guard when their mother comes to town unannounced. Meanwhile, Claire confesses a secret, Patrick is stuck in an awkward situation with Epiphany and Toussaint, Kyle meets an intriguing patient (special guest star Chad Allen), and Robert comes to see Robin in a new light on GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT, Tuesday, September 23 (11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., ET/PT) on SOAPnet.

In an interview with AfterElton, Chad Allen discussed his new NIGHT SHIFT character, Eric Whitlow:
“He is in his early 30’s, he’s a teacher. He loves what he does. He has cirrhosis of the liver, but not from drinking. If he doesn’t get a liver soon, he’ll die. He’s in a tough spot.”

News Brief

Judges give low scores on DANCING WITH THE STARS
ALL MY CHILDREN star Susan Lucci, dancing the Cha Cha Cha with Tony Dovolani, was given a "measly" 15 out of 30. One dancing couple will be eliminated Tuesday. Following another routine, a second team will be sent home Wednesday.

Lucci was "dreadful"
Dave Brousseau of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel opined: "Susan Lucci looked every bit like she just performed her 10,000th episode on ALL MY CHILDREN. Her cha cha was slow and dreadful to witness."

Lucci says first dance was “very frightening”
Even after decades of being on TV, soap legend Susan Lucci told OK! her first dance of the season was a “very frightening” experience.

Lucci was "tentative" and "nervous"
TV Squad reports: "The dancing just wasn't there. Susan was tentative and nervous in a lot of her moves, and it seemed that she didn't know exactly where to be on a couple of occasions. Overall, not the best debut."

Lucci "restrained but graceful"
Susan Lucci, Queen of Daytime Drama and Tony Dovolani glided through a restrained but graceful cha cha cha. Susan seemed a little nervous and hesitant. Bruno said that Susan looked like a gorgeous lady, "but the cha cha cha needs a slut."

Former child actor Bryant Jones is an emotional, high-energy leader on the football field
Thirty minutes before last Friday night's game with San Luis Obispo, Oxnard High senior linebacker Bryant Jones already had his game face on. Most of the time, Jones is a good-natured, hard-working student-athlete, but when the lights turn on each Friday night, Jones takes on a different persona.

"On the field, I don't have to be a good guy, I can be reckless," Jones said. "I let my emotions lead me when I'm on the field. ... I can get all fired up and just be crazy."

Jones learned early in his life about how fun it can be to get lost in a character.

From 1995 to 2002, the 17-year-old Jones played Nate Hastings on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, earning three daytime Emmy nominations for his work in the process.

When his character was written out of the show, Jones wanted to be a "regular kid," turning his attention back to his first love — athletics.

Cometh the web soap - "not as tacky as the TV version, but they’re working on it"
"Social website Bebo.com is cranking up the kitsch, and it seems to be working. The new project CHELSEY OMG is a cross between Facebook and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, with profiles, etc.

Three minute episodes, too, pity TV didn’t think of that. There’s nothing wrong with the idea. The problem is that the mindset is the same, and the content is equally dismal in theory."

Soap storylines competing for award
Vera Duckworth's death and Max and Stacey Branning's affair being uncovered have gone head-to-head as this year's best storyline. The CORONATION STREET and EASTENDERS plots are vying for the accolade in this year's Inside Soap awards. Also up in the storyline category are the death of baby Daniel on EMMERDALE and Hannah Ashworth's eating disorder on HOLLYOAKS.

Meanwhile, actress Gemma Bissix is shortlisted twice for best bitch - in her roles as EASTENDERS' Clare Bates and Clare Cunningham in HOLLYOAKS. She is up against Alison King, aka CORONATION STREET's Carla Connor and Jennifer Metcalfe for her role as Mercedes McQueen in HOLLYOAKS.

Up for best bad boy as well as best actor are CORONATION STREET's Jack P Shepherd and EASTENDERS' Robert Kazinsky. Kazinsky is also shortlisted as sexiest male.

DIRECTV'S The 101 Network Rolls Out All New Commercial-Free Fall Season Line Up on October 1
DIRECTV's The 101(R) Network kicks off the new season with its biggest fall line up to date including season three of the critically acclaimed FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and its new companion show LIVE FROM DILLON, as well as brand new seasons of returning shows SUPREME COURT OF COMEDY and ROCK & A HARD PLACE and a sneak preview of the new original series from Starz Entertainment, CRASH--all commercial-free and in HD.

It all starts on Wednesday, October 1 when the highly anticipated third season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS makes its 101 Network debut at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series will air in HD and commercial-free for the first time ever, allowing fans to experience all the drama, suspense, action and adventure that viewers have come to love from the critically acclaimed series--with no interruptions. The new season will follow Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) as he copes with an uncertain team after the graduation of star running back Smash Williams (Gaius Charles). Fans will also watch Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) adjust to her role as the new Dillon High School principal and how her new duties affect the Taylor family, both at home and at the school. Tyra (Adrianne Palicki), Lyla (Minka Kelly) and Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) enter senior year this season and deal with the pressures of high school romance, playing for the team and life after graduation. It's the most action packed season yet and DIRECTV subscribers get to watch the episodes first before the show's NBC run in 2009.

INTERVIEW: GUIDING LIGHT's Tom Wiggin
"I was at Mohegan Sun recently and I stepped off the elevator and the first person I saw recognized me from WORLD TURNS. It has been exactly 10 years, as a matter of fact. They wanted a picture and the whole bit. I love it. I think it's fantastic and I'm very appreciative of the fact that people do remember my work and that they liked it."

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

DANCING LUCCI: Susan Lucci made her debut on Monday's premiere of DANCING WITH THE STARS doing the Cha Cha Cha.

BRAWN AND GLAMOUR: The new web series created by Justin Hartley and Walter Wong which stars both Justin and his wife, Lindsay Hartley.

ELIZABETH HENDRICKSON & DANIEL GODDARD: A fan video of a Q&A at a Sear's store in Stoney Creek, Ontario.

OLLIAN: On VERBOTENE LIEBE, Christian tells the boxers exactly what he thinks of them but when Olli wakes up he's there for him and Christian finally says, "I love you."

News Brief

DEEP SOAP: Unexpected Results
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "Unintentional hilarity can come from daytime’s one-take style, which can result in performances that should have ended up on the cutting room floor being beamed into your living room. But I think the majority of the accidental humor on soaps comes from writers being so deep inside the storylines that they lose perspective."

Also, Bibel makes this observation about ATWT Executive Producer Christopher Goutman: "When he came to ATWT, he and Hogan Sheffer revitalized the show. For years it was the 'prestige' soap. Now Goutman sounds burned out and unhappy. Maybe he needs to spend a couple weeks on a relaxing vacation. If that doesn’t reinvigorate him, perhaps it’s time he stepped aside and allowed someone who has a passion for daytime dramas to take over Oakdale."

Former soap stars Fichtner and Stringfield to star in TNT drama
Former AS THE WORLD TURNS star William Fichtner has been tapped as the lead in TNT's drama pilot NIGHT AND DAY. Also cast in the project is GUIDING LIGHT alumna Sherry Stringfield.

Written and executive produced by "24" co-creator Joel Surnow and Todd Robinson, NIGHT AND DAY is a fast-paced, gritty drama about the life of Dan Hollister (Fichtner), an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who works for a special threat intervention task force.

Stringfield will play Dan's wife and emotional anchor Elizabeth, a stay-at-home mom.

CORRIE actor in talks to release "Mason's Arms"
Coronation Street actor Ian Reddington plans to release his on-screen ballad "(Don't Fall Into) The Mason's Arms" in the hope of securing Christmas number one. At the beginning of this month, the 50-year-old's Weatherfield character Vernon Tomlin hoped to win back the heart of his wife Liz McDonald (Bev Callard) by wooing her with the song intended as a put-down of her bookmaker lover Harry Mason (Jack Ellis).

New couple join EMMERDALE for Christmas
A smart and savvy City couple is to descend on EMMERDALE at Christmas as Amanda Donohoe and Maxwell Caulfield join the cast of the Yorkshire-based soap. The pair will play husband and wife Natasha and Mark Wylde, an aspirational, wealthy and dynamic duo who have decided to exchange their high-flying City life for the idyllic rural surroundings of Yorkshire.

Despite the initial warm welcome from the villagers, it's not long before Natasha and Mark's dream of a quiet life in the country comes crashing down around them in dramatic style.

Caulfield is most noted for his roles on DYNASTY and THE COLBYS.

Lucy Lawless on THE L WORD?
She posted on her blog: "Also, look for me on THE L WORD at some point. Can't tell you anything about that -- it's deep in the closet."

More 90210 on the way
The CW has ordered the back 9 episodes for 90210.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Patty Weaver (Gina, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Bernadette, SPYDER GAMES; ex-Trish, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 53
Aubrey Dollar (ex-Marina, GUIDING LIGHT) - 28

Classic Soap Videos: The Susan Lucci Edition

In honor of her debut on DANCING WITH THE STARS tonight, here are some other memorable Susan Lucci appearances on shows (and a commercial) not named ALL MY CHILDREN.

FANTASY ISLAND: Who could ever forget this soap-filled episode from 1983.

SCOTT NEVINS VARIETY HOUR: A 2005 interview at Caroline's on Broadway.

HOME SHOPPING NETWORK: Susan's 3-piece Soft Dressing Lounge Set!

RIUNITE: Her famous 1977 commercial.

Big DAYS Casting News!

Soap Opera Digest is reporting that not only has Galen Gering (ex-Luis, PASSIONS) been hired on DAYS as an FBI agent, but so has Eric Martsolf (ex-Ethan, PASSIONS) — as a recast for Brady.

You can also catch Martsolf in an episode of NCIS on CBS on November 11th.

Soap Stars Love Their Emmy Gift Events

SKINN Dimitri James, Tassi Company and BEAUTYLASH MD were on hand at Debbie Durkin’s Main Event Red Carpet Lounge/Celebrity Green Gifting Chateau during the 60th Primetime Emmy Week. Peter Reckell, Patrika Darbo, Ashley Jones and Kate Linder were there to collect free stuff!

The event was held at the H.M. Warner private estate located in Hancock Park in Los Angeles on September 18, 19 & 20.

FLASHBACK: Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series

Nelson Branco has been advocating the return of the "Guest Performer" category at the Daytime Emmy Awards, including the latest "Nelson Ratings" today.

Here's a look back on the winner of this category when it actually existed in 1987. And by the way, I totally agree with Nelson - bring it back!

At the 1987 Daytime Emmy Awards, held on June 30 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in New York, John Wesley Shipp won as Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for SANTA BARBARA. Shipp played the short-term role Martin Ellis on the show and won a second straight Emmy. He won in 1986 as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Douglas Cummings on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

The other "guest performer" nominees that year were:
- Pamela Blair, ALL MY CHILDREN; ABC
- Terrence Mann, AS THE WORLD TURNS; CBS
- Celeste Holm, LOVING; ABC
- Eileen Heckart, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ABC

ABC Putting New Emphasis on Soaps

ABC Daytime launches a multi-million-dollar on-air campaign this week designed to remind soap opera fans that the company's daytime sudsers — ONE LIFE TO LIVE, GENERAL HOSPITAL and ALL MY CHILDREN - will be packed with excitement and intrigue this season.

The "Take a Look Now" campaign is comprised of 60-second spots set to pop music (Keith Urban and Shawn Hlookoff) highlighting upcoming storylines.

Says Adam Rockmore, senior VP of marketing for ABC Daytime and SOAPnet, the idea "is to give part-time viewers more reasons to watch one or two more days; and [show] our current heavy viewers how much we're committed to great stories and great writing. Frankly, we have some great entry points for new viewers to come in."

In early October, an enormous natural disaster will hit Pine Valley, the fictional locale of ALL MY CHILDREN. And the "Take a Look" promo for the soap will hype the show's new writer, Charles Pratt Jr., who worked on MELROSE PLACE, a nighttime soap with a more youthful cachet.

News Brief

TV Guide Canada's Weekly "Nelson Ratings"

The latest "Nelson Ratings" from TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco are now available. In addition to reviewing the week in soaps, naming his top-rated actors, and providing next week’s viewing cheat-sheet, Branco discusses the need for a guest actor Emmy category.

Photo Coverage: 2008 BC/EFA Flea Market Photo Booths
More photos from the 22nd Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction held on Sunday. And even more here and here.

Renee Elise Goldsberry On "Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway"
For the first time ever, audiences across the country who were unable to attend the Broadway show will be able to see this once-in-a-lifetime event as The Hot Ticket presents the closing of "Rent" in select movie theaters with special limited engagement performances September 24th, 25th, 27th, and 28th.

Playing the role of Mimi is Renee Elise Goldsberry, who most fans will remember for her years on the soap opera 'One Life to Live' as Evangeline

Eau de Chester: HOLLYOAKS cast launch their own perfumes
The stars of the show have been involved in designing his and her perfumes, so now their fans can smell just like their favorite characters.

A Look Back at HOLLYOAKS' remarkable John Paul McQueen
"So in the end, Kieron died, Craig came back, and John Paul left the show with his former flame. Some fans may be happy with the result, and some not. But regardless of how it turned out, what remains is two gloriously John Paul-filled years on our TV screens."

More Broadway Flea Market Photos

Here are more photos from the 22nd Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, which was held in Shubert Alley Sept. 21, and raised a total of $496,380 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. To date the annual event, which debuted in 1987, has raised a grand total of $7,758,752 for the charitable organization.

Primetime Emmy Award Winners

Here is a complete list of winners at Sunday's 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

- Drama Series: "Mad Men," AMC.

- Comedy Series: "30 Rock," NBC.

- Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad," AMC.
(ex-Doug, LOVING)

- Actress, Drama Series: Glenn Close, "Damages," FX.

- Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock," NBC.
(ex-Billy, THE DOCTORS)

- Actress, Comedy Series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock," NBC.

- Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race."

- Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Jeff Probst - "Survivor."

- Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages," FX.
(ex-Sammy, THE EDGE OF NIGHT)

- Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment," HBO.

- Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage," HBO.

- Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?," ABC.

- Miniseries: "John Adams," HBO.

- Made-for-TV Movie: "Recount," HBO.

- Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams," HBO.

- Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams," HBO.

- Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams," HBO.

- Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Eileen Atkins, "Cranford" (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS.

- Directing for a Drama Series: "House" - "House's Head" Greg Yaitanes.

- Writing for a Drama Series: "Mad Men" - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (Pilot) Matthew Weiner.

- Directing for a Comedy Series: "Pushing Daisies" - "Pie-Lette" Barry Sonnenfeld.

- Writing for a Comedy Series: "30 Rock" - "Cooter" Tina Fey.

- Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."

- Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program: Don Rickles - "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project."

- Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: "80th Annual Academy Awards" Louis J. Horvitz.

- Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: "The Colbert Report."

- Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: "Recount" Jay Roach.

- Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: "John Adams" Kirk Ellis.

List of winners in the creative arts categories of the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour): "The Simpsons: Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind," Fox.

Animated Program (Programming One Hour or More): "Imaginationland" (South Park), Comedy Central.

Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series: "How I Met Your Mother: The Yips, No Tomorrow, Miracles," CBS.

Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series: "Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Pilot)," AMC.

Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams," HBO.

Art Direction for a Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming: "80th Annual Academy Awards," ABC.

Casting for a Comedy Series: "30 Rock," NBC.

Casting for a Drama Series: "Damages," FX Networks.

Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "John Adams," HBO.

Choreography: "So You Think You Can Dance: Routine: Hummingbird and Flower, "The Chairman's Waltz," Fox.

Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series: "Californication: Pilot," Showtime.

Cinematography for a One-Hour Series: "Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Pilot," AMC.

Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams: Independence," HBO.

Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming: "Deadliest Catch: No Mercy," Discovery Channel.

Cinematography for Reality Programming: "Carrier: Rites of Passage," PBS.

Commercial: "Swear Jar," Bud Light.

Costumes for a Series: "The Tudors: Episode 202," Showtime.

Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: "John Adams," HBO.

Costumes for a Variety, Music or Special Program: "Frank TV: Ballpark Frank," TBS.

Interactive Media Programming (Juried Award: Possibility of more than one award): Interactive Fiction: The Heroes Digital Experience, NBC.com; Interactive Nonfiction: Disney Channel Games Digital Media Event, Disney Channel.

Directing for Nonfiction Programming: "This American Life: Escape," Showtime.

Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series: "Breaking Bad: Pilot," AMC.

Single- or Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: "Pushing Daisies: Pie-Lette," ABC.

Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie: "Recount," HBO.

Picture Editing for a Special (Single or Multi-Camera): "Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveShow," HBO.

Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming: "Autism: The Musical," HBO.

Picture Editing for Reality Programming: "Top Chef: First Impressions," Bravo.

Picture Editing of Clip Packages for Talk, Performance, Award or Reality-Competition Program (Area Award: Possibility of more than one award): "American Idol: Episode 733 (David Cook Goes Home), Fox; "Jimmy Kimmel Live: 5th Anniversary Show," ABC.

Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series: "Mad Men: Shoot," AMC.

Hairstyling for a Miniseries or Movie: "Cranford: Masterpiece," PBS.

Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special: "Saturday Night Live: Host, Tina Fey," NBC.

Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) for Variety, Music or Comedy Programming: "50th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS.

Main Title Design: "Mad Men," AMC.

Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic): "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union: Episode 102," Showtime.

Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or a Special (Non-Prosthetic): "Dancing With the Stars: Episode 503," ABC.

Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic): "Tin Man," Sci Fi Channel.

Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special: "John Adams," HBO.

Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): "Pushing Daisies: Pigeon," ABC.

Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score): "The Company: Night 1," TNT.

M usic Direction: "Movies Rock," CBS.

Original Music and Lyrics: "Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC.

Original Main Title Theme Music: "Pirate Master: Episode 102," CBS.

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Tim Conway, "30 Rock," NBC.

Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Glynn Turman, "In Treatment," HBO.

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives," ABC.

Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Cynthia Nixon, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC.

Special Class, Not Exclusively Made-for-Television Variety, Music, Comedy Event Program: "Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago (Great Performances), PBS.

Special Class, Classical Music or Dance Program: "New York City Opera: Madama Butterfly (Live from Lincoln Center), PBS.

Special Class, Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program: "Battlestar Galactica: Razor Featurette 4," Sci Fi Channel.com.

Special Class, Short-Format Nonfiction Program: "Great Moments from the Campaign Trail," The History Channel/VOD.

Special Class, Awards Program: "The 61st Annual Tony Awards," CBS.

Special Class, Short-Format Animated Program: "Camp Lazlo: Lazlo's First Crush," Cartoon Network.

Children's Program (Area Award: Possibility of more than one award): "Classical Baby (I'm Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show," HBO; "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: The Untouchable Kids of India," Nickelodeon.

Nonfiction Special: "Autism: The Musical," HBO.

Nonfiction Series (Area Award: Possibility of more than one award): "American Masters," PBS; "This American Life," Showtime.

Reality Program: "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," Bravo.

Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking: "White Light/Black Rain," HBO.

Writing for Nonfiction Programming: "The War: Pride of Our Nation," PBS.

Sound Editing for a Series: "Smallville: Bizarro," CW.

Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "John Adams: Don't Tread on Me," HBO.

Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (single or multi-camera): "The War: When Things Get Tough," PBS.

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (one-hour): "Lost: Meet Kevin Johnson," ABC.

Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams: Don't Tread on Me," HBO.

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (half-hour) and Animation: "30 Rock: Episode 210," NBC.

Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special: "50th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS.

Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming (single or multi-camera): "American Masters: Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends," PBS.

Visual Effects for a Series: "Battlestar Galactica: He That Believeth In Me," Sci Fi Channel.

Variety, Music or Comedy Special: "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project," HBO.

Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "John Adams: Join or Die," HBO.

Stunt Coordination: "Chuck: Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover," NBC.

Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series: "Dancing With the Stars: Episode 502A," ABC.

Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "50th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS.

Individual Achievement in Animation (possibility of more than one award): "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Mondo Coco," Cartoon Network; "Creature Comforts America: Self Image, Winging It, Art," CBS.

Voice-Over Performance: Keith David, narrator, "The War: A Necessary War," PBS.

Governors Award: Preserve Our Planet Campaign, National Geographic Channel.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web. Thie time, a Primetime Emmy special.

DANA DELANEY: Lisa Rinna interviews the DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and former AS THE WORLD TURNS star on the red carpet.

TED DANSON: Lisa talks to the former SOMERSET star and Emmy nominee and his wife, Mary Steenburgen.

TERI HATCHER: The DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star reveals all about her ensemble to Rinna.

JOSH GROBAN: Groban does an amazing medley of theme songs.

News Brief

DYLAN BRUCE: Dr. Chris has left the building
"I just wanted to thank all of the loyal and wonderful Chris Hughes fans. I recently filmed my last day on AS THE WORLD TURNS and cant stress enough how much I appreciate all of the support and kind words from the best fans in daytime. Working on As the World Turns was a truly wonderful experience that I will cherish and fondly remember forever. The cast and crew are amazing and I will greatly miss each and everyone of them. From the bottom of my heart, thanks again for the support and for being a fan."

INTERVIEW: Former ATWT star Allyson Rice (Pt. 2)
Don’t expect to see Allyson back on your TV screen anytime soon, either. “What I don’t miss about acting is it’s a business where you are not valued – especially women – the older and wiser you get. In your 30s, you are over the hill. In the area I am in now, the more experience you have behind you, that is really valued. To go from one to the other certainly was a drastic, and pleasant, change.”

San Francisco Giants' Roberts an extra on Y&R
Dave Roberts would prefer to start every day for the Giants, but he was thrilled with his role as an extra on Friday. Roberts arranged a behind-the-scenes visit to the set of his favorite soap opera, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. He surprised his wife and mother-in-law, who are longtime fans of the show — and Roberts concedes he's a daily devotee as well.

"Since high school," he said, grinning. "It's all my wife's fault."

They were extras in a lounge scene for an episode that will air Oct. 16.

"No lines or anything. We're just hanging out at a table in a bar or lounge-type place," Roberts said. "I wanted to really surprise them and it worked out great."

With piety, Ramadan also brings a slew of TV serials -- and ads
It is a season of egos, high-priced commercials, historical epics, strange comedies and prickly off-camera dramas involving Iranian makeup artists, Syrian directors and Egyptian movie stars.

Ramadan may be a month of prayer, fasting and virtue in the Muslim world, but it is a less than holy time on TV. Satellite channels and studios compete for viewers and advertising dollars as box office legends are rolled out for long-winded docudramas and thrillers that play like THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL amid minarets and desert landscapes.

EMMERDALE tops EASTENDERS in ratings again
EMMERDALE secured another victory over EASTENDERS in the ratings on Thursday night.

The latest hour-long edition of the Yorkshire-set soap drew an average of 5.49m (28.5%) to ITV1 in the 7pm hour. EASTENDERS managed an average of 5.11m (25.2%) over half an hour from 7.30pm, growing from 4.56m (23.2%) at 7.30pm to a peak of 5.53m (26.7%) 20 minutes later. Although EMMERDALE finished first, the BBC soap had a higher reach overall when figures for its BBC Three repeat - 1.15m (7.3%) at 10pm - are included. The two soaps will next go head-to-head this Tuesday (September 23).

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Lynn Herring (ex-Lucy, GENERAL HOSPITAL/PORT CHARLES; Lisanne, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 50
Michael Graziadei (Daniel, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 29

Broadway Flea Market

Fans got a chance Sunday to buy some theater memorabilia and pose for pictures with stars of the theater and soaps at the 22nd annual Broadway Flea Market in Shubert Alley in the Theater District in New York.

Proceeds from the flea market and the grand auction went to the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

I saw several soap stars during the event including AS THE WORLD TURNS' Van Hansis, Jake Silbermann and Dylan Bruce, Michael E. Knight from ALL MY CHILDREN, Ilene Kristen from ONE LIFE TO LIVE and many more.

Here are a few of my favorite soap pictures from today:

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Billy Porter (ex-Billy, AW) - 39
Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 29

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web:

Y&R: Billy Abbott is back in town, played by Billy Miller.

OLLIAN: Olli's in the hospital and Christian blames himself.

ZASLOW: Michael Zaslow was hired at ONE LIFE TO LIVE in 1998 to play David Rinaldi again. His battle with Lou Gehrig's disease was written into the storyline.

90210: HOLLYWOOD 411's Megan Tevrizian goes behind the scenes with the cast to see who is who's BFF and who's blowin' up at the gym.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Debbi Morgan (Angie, ALL MY CHILDREN/ex-THE CITY; ex-Ellen, PORT CHARLES; ex-Jennifer, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Chantal, GENERATIONS) - 52
Mandy Bruno (Marina, GUIDING LIGHT) - 27
Joey Giambattista (ex-Todd, SCRIPTS AND SCRUPLES) - 24

News Brief

MARLENA DE LACROIX: He’s Back: Paul Rauch for Real!

"I’ve always maintained that despite his stormy temperament and the people he is said to have hurt, Paul is a genius."

DEEP SOAP: Finally Getting It Right
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "Has daytime finally realized that its audience contains a lot more GLBT and socially progressive viewers than homophobes? The best soap news of the week was that Bianca (Eden Riegel) is returning to ALL MY CHILDREN with a new girlfriend, Reese, – played by A-list soap star Tamara Braun (Carly #2, GH; Ava, DAYS OF OUR LIVES). I’m not sure whether ABC Daytime’s head Brian Frons has finally gotten the message that the daytime audience wants to see Bianca is a real relationship or if he just wants to see Riegel and Braun kiss. Either way, it’s a win for the audience."

THE ARCHERS is big business; Jack Ryder joins cast
THE ARCHERS, in business terms, is big. The world’s longest running radio drama, it’s older than ITV’s CORONATION STREET, much older than the BBC’s EASTENDERS. It always has hot plots at Christmas because Ambridge, like Santa, is something to believe in. With five million listeners in the UK, it’s also the most listened-to BBC programme on-line. Its template (drama with informational intent) has spawned similar shows in Afghanistan and other far-flung parts. Having survived various managerial attempts on its life in the past it now rejoices in the love and devotion of BBC bosses.

Ryan, a new young character, will be played by Jack Ryder, formerly of EASTENDERS. This is in line with Radio 4’s controller Mark Damazer’s aim ‘to encourage a wide variety of talents and bring in new blood’, which seems to boil down to bringing in TV people whose faces people will recognise. If such a thing sounds very un-radio, please remember soap and celebrity are universal currencies these days.

Budig on ZooToo
There are no lions, tigers or bears on ZooToo, the hot new online site described as a "networking and resource site for all pet lovers."

It is a website designed to help pet lovers share a wealth of information on what's cooking in the animal world. And the "zoo" is packed with pictures of members' pets -- from dogs and cats to horses, birds, fish and reptiles. Since the site was started last October, it has amassed more than 250,000 members. It costs nothing to join.

One member is ALL MY CHILDREN star Rebecca Budig. Her online picture shows the young actress snuggling with her yellow Lab. "I'm addicted to ZooToo," she said. "I just love seeing all the adorable animals on the site. Plus, it's a great way for me to find any pet-related info that I need. I go on the site when I'm in my dressing room."

Which GREY'S star has earned the most money off the set?
It's Katherine Heigl with estimated off-set earnings of $16.1 million.

Daytime Nielsen Ratings For Week of Sept. 8-12, 2008

From the ABC Daytime ratings release:

* ABC stood as Daytime's No. 1 network in Women 18-49 (1.3 rating/878,000), surpassing NBC (1.2 rating/786,000) by 8% and CBS (1.1 rating/734,000) by 22%.

* In Women 18-49, for the second consecutive week, ABC placed all programs in Daytime's Elite 5: "General Hospital" (No. 2 - 1.6 rating/1.03 million), "The View" (No. 3T - 1.3 rating/861,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 3T - 1.3 rating/858,000) and "All My Children" (No. 5T - 1.2 rating/766,000).

* In Women 18-34, ABC owned 2 of Daytime's Top 3: "General Hospital" (No. 2 - 1.1 rating/372,000), "The View" (No. 3T - 0.9 rating/307,000) and "One Life to Live" (No. 3T - 0.9 rating/304,000).

* This week stood as "One Life to Live's" most-watched week in Total Viewers in seven weeks (2.56 million - since week of 7/21/08), in Women 18-34 in eight weeks (304,000 - since week of 7/14/08) and in Women 18-49 in nine weeks (858,000 - since week of 7/7/08).

* "General Hospital" enjoyed its most-watched week in two months in Total Viewers (2.94 million - since week of 7/14/08), in nearly three months in Women 18-34 (372,000 - since week of 6/23/08), and in five months in Women 18-49 (1.03 million - since week of 4/21/08).

* A Top 5 player in Daytime for the 22nd straight week in target young women, "One Life to Live" towered over CBS' "As the World Turns" at 2 o'clock by 83% in Women 18-34 (304,000 vs. 166,000) and by 43% in Women 18-49 (858,000 vs. 598,000).

* At 3 o'clock, "General Hospital" delivered its largest victory over CBS' "Guiding Light" in recent months, routing it by an impressive 235% in Women 18-34 (372,000 vs. 111,000), 99% in Women 18-49 (1.03 million vs. 518,000) and 46% in Total Viewers (2.94 million vs. 2.02 million).

Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top 5 Programs Ranks - Week of September 8, 2008:

Daytime Rank:        Total Viewers       Women 18-49 (Rtg/000s)
No. 1 CBS            3.42 million        No. 1 ABC    1.3/878,000
No. 2 ABC            2.98 million        No. 2 NBC    1.2/786,000
No. 3 NBC            2.61 million        No. 3 CBS    1.1/734,000

Top 5 Daytime Programs in Women 18-49 (rank based on rating):

Program                    Net             Rtg/000s
The Young & the Restless   CBS             1.8/1.21 million
General Hospital           ABC             1.6/1.03 million
The View                   ABC             1.3/861,000
One Life to Live           CBS             1.3/858,000
Bold and the Beautiful     CBS             1.2/788,000
Days of Our Lives          NBC             1.2/786,000
All My Children            ABC             1.2/766,000
As The World Turns         CBS             0.9/598,000
Guiding Light              CBS             0.8/518,000

TV Guide Canada's Weekly "Suds Report"

In his weekly "Suds Report" column for TV Guide Canada, Nelson Branco covers the following stories and much more:

GAY-BC: Look at ‘AMC’s new gay super-couple! Plus: Is Babe out, and Kendall staying?

Big Victoria Rowell news!

Martha Byrne speaks!

Susan Flannery directs more episodes of ‘GL’!

Rick Hearst re-signs!

Sharon Wyatt and John Reilly on ‘Night Shift’!

Soap Stars At The Prime Time Emmy Gift Lounges

Former DAYS OF OUR LIVES actress Patrika Darbo was one of several soap stars who were on hand yesterday as Emmy gift lounge mania hit Los Angeles. Here she is pictured at the "Debbie Durkin Main Event Red Carpet Lounge and Green Suite."

Sean Kanan and Matthew Borlenghi were also on hand.

News Brief

CAROLYN HINSEY: Susan Lucci stepping up for stint on DANCING WITH THE STARS
"I will have to fly out to L.A. every Saturday for fittings and rehearsals for 'Dancing With the Stars,'" Lucci says of her new schedule. "I'll have the two shows on Monday and Tuesday, and then fly back to New York City on Tuesday night to tape ALL MY CHILDREN Wednesday, Thursday and Friday."

AMC is not lightening her load, playing Erica front and center in a big story line with ex-husband Adam Chandler.

"Erica will be spending a lot more time with Adam, trying to figure out if he is really going to make a play to take over Fusion," says an AMC rep. "She has no intention of allowing Adam to take over Kendall's business, so she vows to spend more time with him. The chemistry they once shared will be even stronger."

The big story for October will be a giant tornado, stranding lots of unlikely people together in the devastation - including Erica, of course.

Cady McClain on Sarah Palin
"Regarding the politics of the day, I think Sarah Palin is the worst thing to come to politics in a long time. Overly aggressive, blindly opinionated, savagely ambitious, I would not consider it beyond her to manipulate her way into the presidential seat by arranging McCain’s untimely death. She thinks its okay to ban books from a library! She thinks man has nothing to do global warming! She thinks polar bears are not an endangered species! She has these supposed 'christian values' but married because she was pregnant and now her underage daughter is doing the same thing? She is a moron and a hypocrite and there is no way in hell I am voting for McCain with her on the ticket. Oh and by the way, she had one of her employees call a blogger who was questioning some of her policies online and tell her 'Stop blogging! Stop blogging now!' WTF?! This is what we can look forward to: the end of freedom of speech, more humanitarian policies destroyed by greed, the end of women’s rights over their bodies, banned books, and boiling hot summers! They try to tell us, 'these are her personal beliefs and she hasn’t tried to put these policies into her lawmaking!' I say that’s total bullsh*t. Do they think we’re f*cking stupid?"

"An Evening with Joan Collins" (and Jacob Young) at Mohegan Sun
The actress is taking stock of her first 75 years in a one-woman show -- "An Evening with Joan Collins" -- that is having its American debut at the Mohegan Sun casino on Sunday, but she is squeezing that gig in between her work on a new Miss Marple film for the BBC in her native England.

"I'm actually doing a rehearsal today," Collins said of the one-woman show which includes clips tracing her career, anecdotes, and a few musical moments with her special guest Jacob Young of ALL MY CHILDREN.

"There are tons of clips from DYNASTY of course, since that was a pretty important part of my life," she said of a series that was in a bit of ratings trouble until Collins arrived as a "villain" with such humor and style that she quickly became an iconic figure of 1980s television.

Katie Holmes Hits Broadway With a Bang (with Victoria Wyndham's son)
Previews began Thursday night for the revival of Arthur Miller’s great play, "All My Sons," on Broadway. Katie Holmes — aka Mrs. Tom Cruise — has a small role in the production which otherwise stars two-time Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest, Tony-winner and movie powerhouse John Lithgow and the up-and-comer Patrick Wilson.

Christian Camargo is also in this production. He’s a fast-rising 30-something actor who’s also in a hot movie, The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. His mom is actress Victoria Wyndham, the star of NBC’s ANOTHER WORLD for almost 30 years. The actor doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say.

EASTENDERS Masood clan to stay
At last, there's good news for fans of EastEnders residents the Masood family. It's been announced they will be staying in Walford for the long haul. The news was revealed by John Yorke, Controller of Drama at the BBC, and former EASTENDERS Executive Producer, at the Media Guardian ethnic media summit.

He said: "The Masood family are developing slowly in Albert Square and I'm proud of the way the audience has warmed to them."

DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD: So What Do SAG Election Results Mean?
"The results of the SAG vote elected an equal number of Membership First candidates and Unite For Strength candidates -- 5 to 5 -- onto the 33-strong National Board from the Hollywood division. For MF, JoBeth Williams, Scott Bakula, Lainie Kazan, Keith Carradine and Joely Fisher won three-year terms. For U4S, Amy Brenneman, Adam Arkin, Ken Howard, Pamela Reed and Kate Walsh also won three-year terms. The 11th elected National Board member was Morgan Fairchild who ran as an Independent and also won a three-year term. It's expected that she will vote with U4S which endorsed her candidacy."

NIGHT SHIFT season finale preview
Michael Logan reports: "SOAPnet's GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT had an overload of material for its season finale, so the wrap-up is now being presented as a two-parter that ends Oct 21. The plot: Patrick's actions with a patient culminate in an explosion that rocks Port Charles.

The finale also boasts a class reunion of GH '80s greats, including Robert (Tristan Rogers), Anna (Finola Hughes), Luke (Tony Geary) and — this is so cool! — Sean (John Reilly) and Tiffany (Sharon Wyatt)."

David Stone rocks Buena Vista
Disney's Buena Vista Prods. has named David Stone VP of development, focusing on nonscripted programming. Stone will develop concepts for talkshows, gameshows and reality shows and pitch them to the three main outlets: broadcast networks, cable TV channels and TV stations offering fare in firstrun syndication. Stone reports to Ann Lewis Roberts, senior VP of BV Prods. and senior VP of alternative programming & development for Soap Net.

SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES: Episode #857
Angie reveals her relationship with Mack to a stunned and angry Sam.


INTERVIEW: Graham Shiels
Shiels (Cody, GENERAL HOSPITAL) was the guest on "Stardish Radio" last night to talk about his GH role and his new HBO series, TRUE BLOOD.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web:

FNL SPOOKY PROMO: The latest ad for Season 3 of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS which debuts on DirecTV's The 101 on October 1.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The cast of UGLY BETTY breaks out in song.

DAZ: New Daz ad with EASTENDERS Dean Gaffney and ex-CORRIE stars Julie Goodyear and Sue Jenkins.

EMMY PREP: Joey Fatone and Lisa Rinna (SOAP TALK, ex-Billie, DAYS) are busy getting ready to patrol the red carpet at this year's Emmy Awards, but were able to take some time out to appear on the TODAY SHOW.

News Brief

Which prime time shows are fans most emotionally connected to?
Marketing Evaluations, The Q Scores Company, has released data on which fans have the strongest emotional attachment to their series. These shows are the ones coming back in the fall -- so no AMERICAN IDOL or LOST.

With all the soapy shows in prime time, it's interesting how many of the non-soaps made the list. But GREY's (#6) and DH (#11) ranked fairly high.

Judith Light finds her mission
For Judith Light, who stars in Save Me as Gayle, the founder of an ex-gay Christian ministry that specializes in curing "sexual brokenness," you could say it was a leap of faith.

"You can't judge your character and play them," said Light by phone from New York, where she's shooting her second season as Claire Meade on TV's UGLY BETTY. "Gayle isn't evil, she's just misguided. I think you have to show that in order to give people a way in to see someone," Light says of her judicious approach to the hyper-vigilant Gayle.

"We felt it was extremely important not to vilify anybody. To, in fact, be even-handed in our portrayal of these people. You can't have a conversation if people are taking sides," said Light, who signed on to the independent film, written by her husband, Robert Desiderio (who she met while they were both on ONE LIFE TO LIVE), more than six years ago.

LUKE KERR: Nuke vs. Rianca, Improving Daytime?
"ts been said that 'competition breeds innovation' and for the sake of both shows let's hope it's true. ALL MY CHILDREN bringing on a lesbian "power couple" in the form of Bianca and Reese will force AS THE WORLD TURNS to get up off its ass, get rid of the alleged Nuke backburning policy and write a meaningful story for Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann. If it doesn't, As the World Turns will find itself in the unenviable position of being the soap that wasted away one of daytime's most popular couples."

A busload of 27 authors
The Meijer Read This! Author Tour, including former Y&R star-turned author Victoria Rowell, is making its way across Michigan this weekend and will wrap up its three-day tour from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday in Monroe.

Hit Colombian soap breaks cocaine taboos
Colombians do not like outsiders portraying their country as a cocaine nation, but that's not keeping many from watching a smash local soap opera about their multi-billion dollar narcotics trade.

Betrayal, murder and the lust for quick riches - while not the stuff of national pride - make for gripping television in CARTEL DE LOS SAPOS (Cartel of the Snitches), about the powerful Norte del Valle drug smuggling organisation.

Former PEYTON PLACE star Ryan O'Neal and son bailed
Actor Ryan O'Neal and his son have been released on bail after a drugs bust. The former PEYTON PLACE star, 67, and Redmond O'Neal, 23, were arrested and charged with possessing methamphetamine on Wednesday following a search of their home in Malibu. Both men were later released on $10,000 bail each, the authorities said.

HOLLYOAKS gets Gas Oscar
The CORGI Awards have been dubbed by some the "Oscars of the Gas Industry." The ceremony took place at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena and the judges were impressed by the carbon monoxide storyline in HOLLYOAKS, which raised awareness particularly amongst students and it even saved a viewer’s life who realised that she was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Randolph Mantooth (ex-Kirk, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Hal, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Richard GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Alex, LOVING/THE CITY) - 63
Tonja Walker Davidson (ex-Alex, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Marie, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Grace, PASSIONS; ex-Olivia, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 48
Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 32

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

ERICA KANE BIG: The latest DANCING WITH THE STARS promo. The show kicks off a three night premiere on Monday, September 22 on ABC.

GENERATIONS & ISIDINGO: In October, U.S. viewers (on The Africa Channel) will witness the shocking departure of two fan faves from GENERATIONS (same name but different than the US soap), while the mystery surounding the death of Duncan Haines continues to slowly unravel on ISIDINGO.

FUN IN PEAPACK: Tina Sloane's (Lillian, GL) first day in Peapack, New Jersey.

MCDEAN'S SUNSET ENDING: John Paul and Craig leave for Dublin on HOLLYOAKS.

News Brief

CHUCK BARNEY: Maurice Benard has found his niche on GH
"I figure that I'll give it another couple of years," Benard says. "After a while, it starts to get to you. You get burned out."

His latest story line has given Benard a chance to stretch as an actor and play some different emotional textures.

"I'm really into it," he says. "It allows me to be kind of like a George Clooney for a while. There's some romance and a lightness to it. It's something I haven't done in 15 years."

Despite his Emmy-certified acting experience and his undeniable status as one of the most popular stars in daytime television, Benard sometimes still finds it hard to believe that he ever made it out of Martinez.

"I had a lot of Sonny in me when I was a kid," he admits. "I used to have a low-rider and I hung out a lot on Main Street in Walnut Creek, just looking for girls and for fights. "... And I also drank a lot. That was my thing."

IN LA Magazine cover shoot- behind the scenes
This past Monday, Michael Fairman, Y&R's Michelle Stafford, GH's Kimberly McCullough, DAYS' James Scott and B&B's, Heather Tom, participated in a cover shoot for the upcoming edition of IN LA Magazine due out at the end of this month.

TOM CASIELLO: The Sound of Silence
" Recapping previous episodes, at some point, turned into characters talking to themselves in order to explain their actions. And characters talking to themselves (and to other people) suddenly turned into scenes that so full of words, so full of explanation, there's no room for reaction."

DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD: Media Stocks Get Hammered Wednesday
GE (NBC Universal) fell $1.67 (-6.66%) to $23.39
Disney fell $.32 (-.98%) to $32.19
News Corp (Fox) fell $.78 (-5.75%) to $12.78
Time Warner fell $.34 (-2.41%) to $13.74
Viacom fell $1.18 (-4.59%) to $24.52
SNE fell $1.67 (-4.96%) to $32.00
CBS fell $.95 (-5.94%) to $15.05

JC-bound cabaret show lets soap legend Fulton return to roots
This weekend, she will bring her array of talents to Johnson City and open the inaugural season of the Goodwill Theatre with a cabaret performance. Fulton will take the stage at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage, 46-48 Willow St.

"Eileen is a consummate performer. I saw her show 20 years ago and then again last year at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. I am still impressed with her talent," said Naima Kradjian, Goodwill Theatre Executive Director.

Fulton, who just celebrated her 75th birthday, said her cabaret show will feature new material as well as old songs such as Duke Ellington's "You Dirty Dog," sung with a twist.

"You have to have a reason for doing every song. You have to have a story," Fulton said. "It's more than just a pretty note."

VIDEO: OLTL's John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex) Loses The Scruff
After two weeks off from ONE LIFE TO LIVE, John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex) returned to the studio on September 16 to tape the show's new opening. Unfortunately, his new beard did not make it into the opening, but Soap Opera Digest got an exclusive look at the before and after — and the hilarious in-between.

Spirtas and McDermott Will Be Jersey Men Oct. 27 in Los Angeles
Singing actors Kevin Spirtas and Sean McDermott are joining forces Oct. 27 to raise money for the American Red Cross Hurricane Fund.

Their evening at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles is titled "Jersey Men" and will salute native New Jersey artists. The duo plan to perform songs that have been "written, recorded, or performed by a man from New Jersey," according to press notes. Show time is 7:30 PM.

Riegel and Braun to AMC

SOAPnet.com is reporting that not only is Eden Riegel returning to ALL MY CHILDREN as Bianca, but she will be joined by Tamara Braun, who will be playing Bianca's new girlfriend, Reese Williams.

"Reese is a confident and successful architect who Bianca has been shacking up with in Paris."

Bianca first airs on October 17. Reese will follow on October 30.

Riegel won a Daytime Emmy award in 2005 as Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series.

Braun is best known for her role as Carly on GENERAL HOSPITAL but recently completed a run as Ava on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2004 as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

CARLY ON JACKET: Carly encourages Jack to be with Janet on today's ATWT.

OLLIAN: Thursday's Christian and Oliver scenes on VERBOTENE LIEBE.

HOLLYOAKS: The McQueens say their goodbyes to Keiron in their own special way. John Paul and Craig meet and talk.

ALL MY CHILDREN: Adam and Erica share a special moment at 4:08.

Christopher Goutman: Goodbye Five Days A Week?

In the September 30th Soap Opera Digest, Christopher Goutman (Executive Producer of AS THE WORLD TURNS) says the following:

"I don't think there is an appetite in this society right now to watch this show five days a week; they don't have the time or the energy."

Goutman may or may not be correct with this theory. But why doesn't he produce a quality show five days a week before he determines no one wants to watch it? ATWT is a mess right now moving from one plot point to another going from one overly dramatic outdoor "event" to another. The latest is Ethan Snyder stuck in a hole.

Stephanie Sloane conducted the interview with Goutman and CBS Daytime Senior Vice President Barbara Bloom. Once again, only softball questions were asked and no real follow-up was done when they were giving the usual spin.

Why can't anyone confront Goutman, Bloom, Frons, Corday, etc. on the fact that the lack of interesting and imaginative writing is the biggest issue with these soaps? Why can't anyone get a straight answer about the lack of diversity on daytime? The answers given by Goutman and Bloom were the soap equivalent to John McCain saying "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" during a huge financial crisis for the United States. There wass an opportunity for real journalism here. Fans are thirsty for it, just like they are for a well-written daytime soap.

In regard to Luke and Noah, they give the usual double talk about it being an "important" storyline, but SOD does not ask why Noah has appeared in only a handful of episodes the past two months or why Luke and Noah have not had sex.

SPOILER ALERT: It looks like Lucy and Johnny may be on their way back, or at least included in a storyline in the near future. If so, speculation that the casting notice for Josie was really for a new Lucy would have been correct.

News Brief

DEEP SOAP: Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "Fellow children of the 80s might remember the “clip show.” You’d tune in to what you thought was a new episode of your favorite sit-com, only to find that it consisted of the characters sitting around a table and reminiscing as segues into clips from past episodes. I’m not sure why they existed. Why not just show a repeat? I assumed they were relegated to the television scrap heap along with laugh tracks, especially since the internet is a treasure trove of clips. Like leggings and neon colors, the clip show is back. Monday’s episode of DAYS OF OUR LIVES consisted of a brief conversation between Phillip (Jay Kenneth Johnson) and Nicole (Arianne Zuker) as an excuse to re-air virtually the entire black-and-white film noir episodes that originally aired during the Olympics -- just a few short weeks ago. Is the show so broke after paying off all the writers it fired before their contracts expired that they decided to redress an old episode to save production costs?"

ED MARTIN: A Descent into Prime Time: 90210 and GOSSIP GIRL
"Regardless of one’s sensitivities, which can’t be very sensitive if one regularly consumes American media, The CW these days has much to celebrate. The 2008-09 season hasn’t even started yet and the network has already blasted out of the gate with two improbable wins."

Charles Schoonmaker: Costume drama
There’s no better place to fall in love than Florence, Italy, especially the romantic version of it seen in the hit Broadway musical "The Light in the Piazza." Speakeasy Stage brings the tale of young love to the Boston Center for the Arts this weekend, with an elegant staging that’s brought down to earth, in part, by the meticulous costumes of Charles Schoonmaker, two-time Emmy winner for his work on AS THE WORLD TURNS and ANOTHER WORLD.

BC/EFA Announces Complete List of Celebrities at Photo Booths
Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS is pleased to announce the stars at this year’s Celebrity Photo Booths as part of the 22ND ANNUAL BROADWAY FLEA MARKET & GRAND AUCTION which will be held this Sunday, September 21 from 10 AM – 7 PM in Shubert Alley (225 West 45th Street).

Starting at 11 AM: Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann from “As The World Turns.” Hansis and Silberman play the show’s much talked about on-screen gay couple. $40

Susan Lucci DANCING WITH THE STARS preview
"She's in her 60s. She will soon tape her 10,000 episode of ALL MY CHILDREN. She's sprightly and funny, and with partner Tony Davolani, she will be elegant. Latin dances will be her downfall. Her fans will keep her in the competition longer than her footwork."

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

David Forsyth (ex-John, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-TJ, TEXAS, ex-Hogan, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW; ex-Jim, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 61
Travis Schuldt (ex-Ethan, Passions) - 34
Eric Schwartz (Rick, SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES - 34

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

KELLY'S BABY DADDY: The father of Kelly's son on 90210 revealed!

NIGHT SHIFT: On last night's episode, Kyle made brownies, Epiphany sang "Amazing Grace," Robin leans on Jagger and much more.

OUT OF THE BLUE: From the new Aussie soap, check out the lesbian romance between Peta and Poppy.

DARK SHADOWS: Minisode #34 - Victoria wants to know why Burke hired a private detective to investigate her.

News Brief

INTERVIEW: Y&R/B&B star Eileen Davidson
Davidson tells TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco: "At this point in my life, I just want to do the best job I can. I’m not phoning in my performances, thank God. I’m still passionate about my career in soaps and playing Ashley Abbott. This time around, my intention is to inject more fun and sexy into Ashley — but she won’t take any crap from Jack, who desperately needs a foil."

Next week, Branco interviews two-time Emmy winner Martha Byrne.

ATWT nominated for Sentinel for Health Award
Barbara’s cancer storyline on As The World Turns has been nominated for a 2008 Sentinel for Health Award. The awards will take place Wednesday, October 2 in Los Angeles.

Jennie Garth talks about last night's big 90210 revelation
"It’s gone back and forth: Who and what and when and why? I think they settled on Dylan because Kelly and Dylan had such a passionate relationship in the past. Their relationship was so heated. It was kind of undeniable."

Study: GREY'S ANATOMY delivers a health message for viewers
The Kaiser Family Foundation analyzed an entire "Grey's" episode, and found that viewers retained the show's medical information weeks after watching.

EASTENDERS abuse plot sparks complaints
In last Friday's show, character Tony King arrived in Albert Square after spending a year in jail and was shown passionately kissing Whitney Dean. The BBC has received 138 complaints and Ofcom 27 about the storyline. The BBC said the plot had been created "in association with the NSPCC" and in accordance with its editorial policy.

Friday's pre-watershed show was watched by a peak audience of eight million viewers. As part of the storyline, King - played by Chris Coghill - had groomed Dean - Shona McGarty - before being sent to prison. Viewers saw him sneak into her bedroom while girlfriend Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer, took a bath. The two then kissed before falling onto the teenager's bed.

Geary, Reilly and Wyatt visit NIGHT SHIFT
TV Guide reports that the two-part finale of GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT — Oct. 21 is the last airdate — will be a joy fest for longtime GH fans. Anthony Geary (Luke), John Reilly (Sean) and Sharon Wyatt (Tiffany) will appear. GH: NIGHT SHIFT airs on SOAPnet Tuesdays at 11 p.m.

At the NY TV Festival, the Present and Future of TV Come to Broadway
For the past five days, television has taken over Midtown, and today is your last day to join in on the fun. The New York Television Festival was founded in 2005 as a forum for independent filmmakers to showcase their television pilots. Over the last four years, it has evolved into an overwhelming television experience—but the pilots remain the foundation of the festival.

For those more interested in how television gets made than television that’s already been made, the festival organized a variety of panels with industry professionals. Sunday’s Production Day featured panels about breaking into television— focusing on theater, daytime drama, writing, sketch comedy, web productions, and late-night comedy.

HOLLYOAKS star eager for CORRIE job
Give them an inch and they take a mile - or so it seems in soapland. You would think actor Gerard McCarthy would be on top of the world playing Kris Fisher in glossy Channel 4 soap HOLLYOAKS, but apparently not. Although he's having a ball where he is, that hasn't stopped the thesp from daydreaming about a part in a rival show.

He told MyPark Magazine: "I'd love to be part of the Connor family in CORONATION STREET - they are in desperate need of a real Irish member. And when I was growing up, I always wanted to play Jim McDonald's long-lost son."

DC #295: Top 10 Ways to Improve As the World Turns
On today's podcast, I was invited to Daytime Confidential's Luke, Mike and Jamey to discuss The Top 10 Ways to Improve AS THE WORLD TURNS.

Catching up with SWINGTOWN'S Grant Show
On the future of SWINGTOWN: ""There's absolutely hope for it. It's touch and go but they haven't let me go on to other projects yet."

INTERVIEW: OLTL's Brittany Underwood
Underwood, who plays Langston on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, was the guest on "Stardish Radio" last night.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Season 5 preview from Clevver TV.

ALL MY CHILDREN: Annie, Emma, and Ryan plant a tree for Annie's miscarried baby.

B&B: A sneak peak of Wednesday's show.

HOLLYOAKS: Craig takes John Paul out for a drink and tells him how he feels about him.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Aaron Lustig (ex-Tim, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS/THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) - 52
Erika Page (Amber, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Roseanne, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 33
Sandra Vidal (ex-Sofia, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL)
Ken E. Hunt (Clint, SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES) - 22

Out On The Town in New York: Wright Penn & Anderson

Robin Wright Penn (ex-Kelly, SANTA BARBARA) attended the premiere of her new film, Hounddog, at the Village East Cinemas Tuesday. The film stars Dakota Fanning.

Moving uptown, Richard Dean Anderson (ex-Jeff, GENERAL HOSPITAL) attended the launch of Best Buy's 'Black Tie Protection' premium service from their Geek Squad at the 62nd Street and Broadway Best Buy.

News Brief

Flannery Sees the 'Light'
Soap worlds will collide, and so will two acting powerhouses, when four-time Emmy winner Susan Flannery from B&B directs four-time Emmy winner Kim Zimmer on GUIDING LIGHT. The episode --airing October 13--focuses in part on a new plot twist that has Zimmer's fifty-something character, Reva, unexpectedly pregnant.

ESPN fantasy expert Matthew Berry guesting on OLTL
"Over the next two weeks, I'll be taping a two-episode arc for the ABC Daytime Soap ONE LIFE TO LIVE. I play 'Neil,' a jewelry appraiser. When we did our 'Endless Drama' soap opera parody ads for fantasy baseball this year, we shot them on the ONE LIFE TO LIVE set and, for the sake of authenticity, with the OLTL executive producer, director and crew. Well, apparently, they liked whatever it is I do and called recently with a part 'that's perfect for me.' It makes sense. As one of my co-workers sarcastically noted when told about it, 'Am I the only one who is surprised at the notion of Matthew being part of daytime drama?'"

Soap stars to attend Animal Haven Shelter's annual luncheon
Animal Haven Shelter will hold their 41st Going Home Luncheon on Sunday, October 28th at Dante Caterers in Queens, NYC. The luncheon will also include a performance by Catherine Hickland (ONE LIFE TO LIVE) and appearances by Grant Aleksander (GUIDNG LIGHT), Melissa Gallo (ONE LIFE TO LIVE), Jill Larson (ALL MY CHILDREN), Robin Mattson (most recently AS THE WORLD TURNS) and Louise Sorel (DAYS OF OUR LIVES). The day's activities will also feature a silent and live auction.

Kraft Bakes Up Love, Suspense, Cookies in Web Soap Opera
Peek Freans, the Kraft lifestyle cookie that was created with the notion of being "better-for-you," just got a little bit "badder." Beginning this week, the 150-year-old Canadian biscuit line (which also is sold in parts of the U.S.) will find itself embroiled in a series of love, hate, mystery and heartbreak storylines as Kraft looks to market the brand to a hipper and younger mobile audience. On Sept. 18, soap opera fans can tune in via Internet, podcast and iTunes feeds to watch AS THE COOKIE CRUMBLES.

AMC's Big Twister
A state-of-the-art tornado will hit ALL MY CHILDREN's Pine Valley Oct. 16. "We're taking CGI effects to the next level," head writer Chuck Pratt says. "We're not just breaking the fourth wall, we're breaking the third wall, too. It's big, groundbreaking stuff." The devastation continues Oct. 23 when fan fave Vincent Irizarry returns to the soap as evil doc David Hayward.

New Comedy Web Series, POOR PAUL, Debuts Today on KoldCast TV in HD
The series stars Kevin G. Schmidt, who recently took over the role of Noah on Y&R.

Y&R Sees Double
Veteran actress Jeanne Cooper — Kay on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS — finally won her first competitive Emmy this summer, after 11 nominations and a lifetime-achievement award. Will she make it two in a row? Cooper should have won the gold back in 1990 when she doubled as Kay's look-alike Marge, a greasy-spoon waitress with dubious morals, and may finally get her due. My spies tell me Marge will return to the show this fall, just as the unstoppable Cooper turns 80.

Odds to Win Season 7 of DANCING WITH THE STARS from BetUS Sportsbook
Misty May Treanor +290
Cody Linley +380
Lance Bass +550
Maurice Greene +550
Toni Braxton +750
Susan Lucci +750
Warren Sapp +900
Rocco Dispirito +1200
Kim Kardashian +1500
Brooke Burke +1400
Ted McGinley +1400
Jeffrey Ross +3500
Cloris Leachman +5000

The Saturdays to star on HOLLYOAKS
Sexy new girlband The Saturdays are turning up on weekdays — in HOLLYOAKS. Gorgeous Frankie, Vanessa, Una, Mollie and Rochelle have landed their first acting gig, appearing in the steamier late-night version of the Channel 4 show in November.

Smell like a HOLLYOAKS star
In a first for UK TV, Lime Picture’s HOLLYOAKS is pioneering a new range of male and female fragrances that will allow fans to smell like their favourite cast members. The new perfume range, which boast the above alluring aromas, have apparently been in development for over a year and are said to have had the full backing of the cast – many of whom have been involved in the design and packaging process.

Soap Stars Sign Coffee Mugs For Charity

Coming soon, dozens of soap star-autographed Nonni’s Biscotti mugs will be auctioned off to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which raises money for breast cancer research.

The fundraiser kicks off October 1st, when fans can begin bidding for the mugs on the eBay Giving Works Web site. Soap celebrity signatures include Susan Lucci, Van Hansis, Melody Thomas Scott, Cameron Mathison, Kirsten Storms, Jack Wagner, Heather Tom and many more. The mug auction can be accessed through www.nonnis.com or www.ebay.com/nonniscelebritymugs. Bidding is open throughout the month of October.

Additionally, for every box of Nonni’s Biscotti sold, customers can enter their UPC code at www.nonnis.com and 75 cents from that box (retail $3.49) goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. So far, the partnership has raised thousands of dollars to combat breast cancer.

PREVIEW: Tonight's GH: NIGHT SHIFT

Episode 209 ("About A Dad") – Jagger panics when Stone has a seizure and is rushed into the ER. Patrick feels left out when Robin's attention is split between caring for Robert and offering support to Jagger. Claire and Leo feel guilty for sleeping together. And Kyle finds a new purpose when Saira invites him to head her study on the benefits of breast milk on GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT, Tuesday, September 16 (11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., ET/PT) on SOAPnet.

SOAPnet Surpasses 70 Million Households

SOAPnet announced Monday that the network surpassed the 70 million household subscriber milestone. According to the latest figures from Nielsen Media Research, the network is in 70, 134, 000 homes as of August 2008, representing a distribution gain of nearly four million homes over August 2007.

“Our affiliates continue to find SOAPnet a strong addition to their lineups, and we are thrilled to reach this milestone,” said Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney ABC Television Group. “SOAPnet has always been popular with advertisers, and this added distribution makes a stronger presence across the United States. We look forward to continued momentum throughout 2008-2009, as we continue to add more original programming to our network.”

In addition to steady distribution growth, SOAPnet has been ranked #1 in viewer loyalty for the past 71 straight months. Impressively, SOAPnet’s original series GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT's Season Two opener stood as the net's second-highest-rated season debut in the network’s history.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

HARMON & KAY: B&B's Lesli Kay and Winsor Harmon are harrassed on the street while waiting for a valet to bring their car around.

OLLIAN: On VERBOTENE LIEBE, Constantin tells Olli and Christian (he's back) that he won't be moving in after all. But when he hears that Judith is upset cause her new love-interest is the brother of her ex, he has a change of heart.

JOHN PAUL & CRAIG: J.P. avoids Craig on Carmel's wedding day but later agrees to meet him for a drink the next day.

DYNASTY: The Carrington children take the witness stand in Blake's trial for murdering Steven's lover, Ted.

Soaps In The City

If you're in the area and can make this event, I highly recommend it. Seeing Ilene Kristen perform is worth the price of admission alone, and it's for a good cause.

Click here for tickets.

News Brief

'World Turns' Successfully for Maura West
West (Carly, AS THE WORLD TURNS) tells The Republican: "They tape the shows by sets. Each day there are many different sets, around six or seven, and numerous scenes, around 24, as well. Believe it or not, we shoot an entire episode, sometimes even a little more than that, in one day. Also, the episodes are taped in advance, but just enough ahead so they can go back and make changes such as editing. Having played her for so many years, I can't help but to blend a little bit with her character. We both feel strongly devoted to our families, are willful, and are driven to protect those we love."

TOM CASIELLO: When I’m Wrong...
"Lest you think I sit here on my couch in Brooklyn, passing down judgment from my elite pedestal of unemployment, assuming I know more than others, I wanted to take this opportunity to say: I'm wrong. A lot. And I have no problem admitting it.

DEEP SOAP: Not As Advertised
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "It’s possible that GH has set this up the possibility that Lulu is hallucinating as a red herring. Perhaps the show is waiting for Tony Geary (Luke) to return from his annual summer vacation, so that Luke and Laura can have an emotional reunion before she goes public with her recovery. If that’s the case, I’ll eat my words. So far, however, Laura’s much heralded return is playing like a bait and switch."

Palestinian soap in hot water over PLO plot
As television dramas go, it was a modest affair. There was just one camera, a cast of 14 and all scenes were shot on the streets of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. The budget for the 10-episode series was about £120,000 - less than the cost of a single episode of a western soap opera.

But for the Palestinians, the television show MATAAB marked a rare effort to produce a homegrown soap that would entertain as much as challenge its audience, tackling difficult issues of corruption and romance as well as the Israeli occupation.

Even that was too much for some. Before the first episode was screened, the state television channel, the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), took the show off the air without explanation and has not broadcast it since.

Matabb's opening night should have been at the start of September to coincide with the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, which is also a time for much-discussed TV dramas across the Arab world.

Since the ban, it has been broadcast on a private television channel available only in parts of the West Bank and on the internet in Arabic with English subtitles, yet the show has won a modest but loyal audience.

Gaelic TV to produce a new soap
Yesterday the BBC and MG Alba, the Gaelic media company, unveiled the line-up for the first night of broadcasting for the much-awaited new television channel - but its executives admitted that its funding will not allow its current format to continue for more than two years. The station's main plan for drama is to develop a soap opera.

"Our budget is £14m, whereas S4C in Wales has £95m, but our aim is to develop a long form drama, basically a soap centred in a Gaelic-speaking area," said Alan Esslemont, head of content.

Wedding bells for HOLLYOAKS
When it comes to HOLLYOAKS characters there are few to match the appeal of Calvin Valentine. The village's resident copper, and goody two-shoes, has also become the soap's heart-throb, thanks to his hunky looks.

But his many fans could be in for a shock. The nice guy might be about to turn bad on the eve of his wedding to Carmel.

Life after GRANGE HILL: Where are they now?
The final bell has rung at GRANGE HILL after the BBC axed the school drama after 30 years. Today, the final episode of the series will air on BBC One. For a show that became a British institution, it understandably created several unforgettable characters. We thought we'd take a closer look at ten of the best. So, where are they now?

SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES: Episode #856
Rex visits Zoey at the hospital. Casey (Tom Baran) receives flowers.


INTERVIEW: Erin Torpey
The former Jessica on ONE LIFE TO LIVE stopped by "Stardish Radio" on Monday night.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

WOMEN FOR OBAMA: Video from DAYS' Deidre Hall's "Change Women Need" rally at The Villages in Ocala and Gainesville, Florida. (Hall at 3:51)

JAMES SUTTON: Helps find bone marrow donors to join the register.

RIVER ON Y&R: River tries to tell Michael the story of his past.

J.T.: Jake and Taylor share some awkward moments on AMC.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Christopher Rich (ex-Sandy, ANOTHER WORLD) - 55
Kimberly McArthur (ex-Kelly, SANTA BARBARA) - 46
Sara Maraffino (Angie, SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES) - 26

News Brief

LYNN LICCARDO: The Great American Soap Opera Writ Large
"...this year, the Democratic campaign for president was a soap opera in the very best sense of soap opera as a noun. The events that led up to the Democratic Convention contained all of the elements that used to make soaps great - if what makes soaps great is anticipation, the event itself and watching the aftermath unfold. The sad reality is that soaps could learn a lot about compelling drama from what unfolded in Denver in late August."

Former B&B actor Kabir Bedi on soaps
"THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL was a fascinating experience, not only because I was paired with the astonishingly beautiful Hunter Tylo, with whom I had earlier done a TV series called MAHARAJA'S DAUGHTER, but also because of the way the entire project moved. For one, it re-introduced me to large segments of the American audience. It is interesting that different people in different countries know me in different ways and whenever someone on the street stops me for an autograph, I invariably ask from which part of the world the person is. In India, I am a film star. The Italian, Spanish and German know me from Sandokan. In America, it is GENERAL HOSPITAL. Amazing!

The soaps are truly the hardest form of acting. It is like doing theatre with just one rehearsal! In terms of speed and footage canned, we are talking half an hour edited per day. In a film-set, three minutes is considered a good day!"

Renèe Elise Goldsberry on her blind storyline and "Rent"
Renèe said that the [ONE LIFE TO LIVE] writers got sick of her doing dialogue while "looking off in the distance." [so they brought on a doctor character to restore her vision. He happened to be played by director Michael Greif's partner, and he told Renèe that Michael was a big fan of hers and would love to work with her one day. She revealed to us that she's "musical theatre illiterate," so she had no idea that Michael was the "Rent" director. All she knew was that he was a big, respected director so she hauled out the ol' "It would be such an honor etc.." A short time later she got a call offering her Mimi! However, she couldn't do it because of schedule conflicts and, here's where the "it's meant to be" part comes, by the time she could do it, it was for the final company, so she got to be in the film!

Take Me Home to Pine Valley

"Pine Valley is rife with action and plots, yet there’s no real feeling of community, which is what I always loved about the show."

Christie Clark Barnes Thankful for Her Easygoing Baby
Christie Clark Barnes' role on DAYS OF OUR LIVES kept her pretty busy in the past, but she's learning that it doesn't compare to how active (and tiring!) her daughter Hannah Bella, 6 months, would be. Sharing on her blog that "that acting job was a piece of cake, compared to motherhood," the 34-year-old new mom writes that "I'm like a chicken with my head cut off, try[ing] to manage my time."

Luckily, Hannah is "a very easygoing baby, all smiles and giggles at the moment," Christie explains, even though she's in the middle of some painful milestones -- teeth! "Her first pearly whites are popping through the skin," writes the proud mom, "and even then [Hannah] is very chill!"

Hannah's dad is Christie's husband of six years, Thomas Barnes.

PAGE SIX: 90210 girl gone wild?
There's a new bad girl on 90210, and it's not Brenda Walsh, played by Shannen Doherty, who ruled as the show's queen of mean during its first incarnation. Doherty has since cleaned up her tough act, but the new CW show's newbie, Shenae Grimes, who plays Annie Wilson, isn't taking cues from her tamed-down predecessor. Show sources told Page Six that Grimes was "tormenting everyone on set" and "acts rude to the cast, crew and extras." Our insider told us Grimes even once yelled at an unassuming guest star, "Who the hell are you?" and often spits out comments like "This is my show - everyone else is riding my coattails." In fact, the original series' divas are carrying the show. Ratings plummeted from 4.9 million viewers in the first week to 3.2 million in the second week when Doherty was absent from the episode. Reps for Doherty and Grimes had no comment.

Buena Vista Hires Stone As Development VP
Buena Vista Productions has tapped David Stone as vice president of development. In his new role, Stone, who most recently had been serving as head of development for Rocket Science Laboratories, will help create programming in all genres of non-scripted programming including talk, game, reality and others for primetime, cable and first-run syndication. Stone will also focus on developing for ABC-Disney internal partners including SoapNet. His career has included a stint as producer for NBC Daytime Online, where he created cross-platform campaigns for DAYS OF OUR LIVES and PASSIONS.

ex-B&B star Mario Lopez: No More Going Shirtless
"My shirtless photo-shoot days are behind me," Mario Lopez tells PEOPLE in a bitter blow to beefcake. "My TV projects are my main priority," he says. "And no, you will never see me host Extra without a shirt."

Q&A: SORDID LIVES' Caroline Rhea
"I have to say that the 70s [game shows] were my favorites. Partly because they seemed like they were having more fun. And partly because the new game shows are less about the fun and more about raising your heart rate at home. That, I don't like. It's just too much tension."

INTERVIEW: Bob Guiney & Eden Riegel
Bob Guiney and Eden Riegel were guests on "Satrdish Radio" and dished about their new cooking show COOKING TO GET LUCKY.

TV Guide Canada's Weekly "Nelson Ratings"

The latest "Nelson Ratings" from TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco are now available.

In addition to reviewing the week in soaps, naming his top-rated actors, and providing next week’s viewing cheat-sheet, Branco breaks down the Emmy race in the Outstanding Writing category.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

Y&R THEME: From 1982, Gina sings the theme song to Danny and Traci.

PORTIA FACES LIFE: A classic episode from July 7, 1954. Portia was played by DAYS legend Frances Reid.

MARLENA REMEMBERS ROMAN: At Christmas time in 1985, Marlena is missing Roman. The scene features Andrea "Kimmy Gibbler" Barber as Carrie and Josh Taylor as Chris Kositchek.

ATWT PROMO: When a child is lost, can forgiveness be found?

Michael Park Performs At "Broadway on Broadway"

One of the new Broadway musicals en route to Broadway, "Pure Country" is a new musical based on a hit film. The show has solid Country Music bona fides including music by Steve Dorff who’ hits include "Every Which Way But Loose" and Kenny Rogers’ "Through The Years," and lyrics from John Bettis who’s hits include "Slow Hand" and Madonna’s "Crazy For You."

Michael Park from AS THE WORLD TURNS played the George Strait role in workshop performances earlier this year. Check out this highlight from the "Broadway on Broadway" concert in Times Square.

Go Heather!

Emmy winner Heather Tom (Katie, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) participated in the 22nd Annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon yesterday to benefit Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and its Pediatric Cancer Research Program.

Participants in triathlon put their skills to the test on a course that included a half- mile swim in the Pacific Ocean, an 18-mile bicycle ride along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway and a four-mile run along the sands of Zuma Beach.

In addition to pushing themselves physically, competitors raced for a worthy cause. This is the second year that proceeds from the Nautica Malibu Triathlon will benefit the world-renowned Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and its Pediatric Cancer Research Program. Previously, the event raised nearly $780,000 for Childrens Hospital and organizers are aiming to raise even more in 2008.

Wally Kurth, Winsor Harmon, Alec Musser and Emily Warfield had previously been advertised for this event as well.

News Brief

DAYS' Deidre Hall rallies for Obama
Dozens of Obama supporters rallied late Sunday morning at the Bourbon Street Restaurant in The Villages for a Women for Obama event as part of a "Change We Need" Tour. The event featured U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, and DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Deidre Hall making a stop in the retirement community to campaign for Obama and discuss his policies.

The Villages was only one of the Central Florida stops as the two women visited Silver Springs and Gainesville later that afternoon. Maloney and Hall discussed Obama's commitment to issues women care about. This includes social security, pay equity, health care and a woman's right to choose.

Hall considers Obama a best friend, hero and "knight in shining armor" when it comes to supporting them. The actress, who was raised in Florida, relates it to when she was growing up in a working family. Sometimes, they got help from friends and neighbors to make ends meet.

By supporting Obama as the next U.S. President to touch upon women and family issues, it's similar to lending out a helping hand like Hall received growing up. She told the story of her childhood in Lake Worth as one of five children.

“We got lucky,” Hall said of her father’s ability to provide for the family as a postal worker.

“I know keeping your job is tough, keeping your house is tough,” she said.

Hall said she learned those lessons early.

“Barack got lessons early on about being a single mother: integrity, empathy, loyalty,” Hall said. “I would follow him anywhere.”

Hall is no stranger to politics and said she campaigned in 2000 and 2004 for the Democratic tickets. She said Obama’s platform was strong for women’s rights and family protections.

"I really do want Obama because I have two sons and I want a better world for them and what we don’t fix they will inherit. So much is broken in our country we must start repairing it and people are not yet clear on what Obama is offering and he is on the side of families, women and children. He has impressed me with his integrity because he walks the talk and he is the man to fix what is broken. I want to encourage every DAYS OF OUR LIVES fan, and every American to not just vote, which is the least one can do, but to volunteer, talk to neighbors, friends, families about where Obama stands. It is time to stand up and be counted!"

B&B's Bell scribe takes a 'Bullet'
Transformers scribe Ehren Kruger will adapt Boston Teran's "God Is a Bullet" for the big screen and shop it around town. "Bullet" follows the journey of a California lawman forced to go undercover to rescue his daughter from the ruthless gang of criminals who've abducted her.

Kruger is hoping for the same result he achieved last year when he paired with StillKing Films to pick up Jennifer Egan's supernatural novel "The Keep." It was set up at Rogue in June for Kruger to write, direct and produce.

Kruger will co-produce "Bullet" with producing partner Daniel Bobker and Bradley Bell. Bell, exec producer and head writer of THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, purchased the film rights to the book for mid-six figures. He's the son of the creators of the sudser. "Bullet" becomes Bell's first foray into features.

HOLLYOAKS' Ricky: "Why we're always partying"
Actor Ricky Whittle has said the HOLLYOAKS cast party like no other - and he has a fair idea why...

"It's a fantastic community. I think because we're from all different places it helps," he said.

Comparing his soap to others, Ricky, who plays Calvin Valentine, said: "Everyone from CORRIE is from Manchester and so they have their friends locally, so when they leave the set they go back to their friends and it's the same in EASTENDERS, they are all from London and all go back to their friends in London. Whereas in HOLLYOAKS because we're from all over - Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London - our friends are the people we meet on the show. I think that's made us so close as we all socialise together and it makes it a good place to be. We're always partying!"

NIKKI FINKE: Yes, Bloody Monday Will Affect Hollywood
"Don't bother trying to call anyone important in Hollywood on the phone this morning because showbiz bigwigs will be huddling with their business managers and brokers and bankers to figure out what to do with their personal portfolios during Monday's stock market bloodbath."

ATWT referenced on MAD MEN last night
On the episode Joan is "called in as a stopgap" and "immediately takes a liking to the work ('You won't believe what happens on AS THE WORLD TURNS,' she tells her fiance) -- and is good at it, too, pointing out to a client that it'd be a good idea to link up with the soap's special summer storyline."

Girolamo Visits ATWT

Karl Girolamo, who played Kevin Davis off and on from 2005 to 2007 on AS THE WORLD TURNS, will be returning to the show on October 13th. Kevin was Luke's best friend for years, but the two had a falling out at Raven Lake, when Luke came out to Kevin. Kevin reacted badly and outed Luke to all their friends. Later, Luke had to save Kevin's life when he almost drown. He was taken to the hospital where he apologized to Luke but was basically dropped from the show at that point, and returned for a one day appearance in May 2007 for Luke's prom episode. The two had reconciled their friendship at that point, but it was obvious the show was not going to follow up on their story.

Girolamo told WeLoveSoaps: "I am happy to be working with everyone again. I wont be around for too long but my stuff should start airing the 13th [of October]. It's a great storyline so it should be fun."

Girolamo graduated from college earlier this summer. In his previous ATWT stints, he worked on the show while going to school.

Stay tuned.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Tommy Lee Jones (ex-Mark, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 62
Marisa Ramirez (ex-Carmen, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Gia, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 31

News Brief

TOGETHER: Noelle Beck and Martha Byrne
The current and previous "Lily" on AS THE WORLD TURNS walked together today as part of the ATWT team in the 2008 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. At last count, the ATWT team had raised $12,105.

Up to 75 percent of the net revenue made will be used to support local breast health programs and at least 25 percent will fund peer-reviewed national and local clinical research.

More on Nancy Lee Grahn's campaign stop in Billings, Montana
Grahn, who plays Alexis Davis on GENERAL HOSPITAL, spoke in Billings and Red Lodge Saturday. As an advocate for women, Obama is her candidate, Grahn said.

"Obama's voting record and his plans on women's issues and very supportive on domestic violence. I'm a real believer in Joe Biden I always have been. I've met him."

'Tollywood' tales entrance millions
Turkish soap operas have attained unexpected popularity in neighboring countries and the Gulf nations. As they become a social phenomenon in Arab countries, soap operas generate extra income for the Turkish television industry. With 18 series being exported to 22 countries, the overall income this year has reached $3 million.

FNL's Gaius Charles lands film role
Charles, who plays Smash on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, has landed a role opposite Matt Dillon and rapper T.I. in Screen Gems' Bone Deep. Charles recently wrapped on indie Toe to Toe and The Messenger, alongside Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton.

Tyra Banks, Kelly Ripa Among Us magazine's 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers
UGLY BETTY's Becki Newton also made the list.

Soap Stars Play Celebrity Poker

Current and former soap stars played a big role in the 3rd Annual Celebrity Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament on Saturday in West Hollywood.

Matt Cedeno (ex-Brandon, DAYS OF OUR LIVES), Christel Khalil (Lily, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS), Sean Kanan (ex-Deacon, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) and Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) were all on hand for the event.

Creative Arts Prime Time Emmy Awards

The creative arts categories of the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences were announced last night in Los Angeles. There was definitely a soap flavor at the event including attendee Kate Linder from THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and presenter James Pickens, Jr from GREY'S ANATOMY (ex-Zack, ANOTHER WORLD).

Here is a list of winners:

Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour): "The Simpsons: Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind," Fox.

Animated Program (Programming One Hour or More): "Imaginationland" (South Park), Comedy Central.

Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series: "How I Met Your Mother: The Yips, No Tomorrow, Miracles," CBS.

Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series: "Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Pilot)," AMC.

Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams," HBO.

Art Direction for a Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming: "80th Annual Academy Awards," ABC.

Casting for a Comedy Series: "30 Rock," NBC.

Casting for a Drama Series: "Damages," FX Networks.

Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "John Adams," HBO.

Choreography: "So You Think You Can Dance: Routine: Hummingbird and Flower, "The Chairman's Waltz," Fox.

Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series: "Californication: Pilot," Showtime.

Cinematography for a One-Hour Series: "Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Pilot," AMC.

Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams: Independence," HBO.

Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming: "Deadliest Catch: No Mercy," Discovery Channel.

Cinematography for Reality Programming: "Carrier: Rites of Passage," PBS.

Commercial: "Swear Jar," Bud Light.

Costumes for a Series: "The Tudors: Episode 202," Showtime.

Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: "John Adams," HBO.

Costumes for a Variety, Music or Special Program: "Frank TV: Ballpark Frank," TBS.

Interactive Media Programming (Juried Award: Possibility of more than one award): Interactive Fiction: The Heroes Digital Experience, NBC.com; Interactive Nonfiction: Disney Channel Games Digital Media Event, Disney Channel.

Directing for Nonfiction Programming: "This American Life: Escape," Showtime.

Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series: "Breaking Bad: Pilot," AMC.

Single- or Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: "Pushing Daisies: Pie-Lette," ABC.

Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie: "Recount," HBO.

Picture Editing for a Special (Single or Multi-Camera): "Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveShow," HBO.

Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming: "Autism: The Musical," HBO.

Picture Editing for Reality Programming: "Top Chef: First Impressions," Bravo.

Picture Editing of Clip Packages for Talk, Performance, Award or Reality-Competition Program (Area Award: Possibility of more than one award): "American Idol: Episode 733 (David Cook Goes Home), Fox; "Jimmy Kimmel Live: 5th Anniversary Show," ABC.

Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series: "Mad Men: Shoot," AMC.

Hairstyling for a Miniseries or Movie: "Cranford: Masterpiece," PBS.

Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special: "Saturday Night Live: Host, Tina Fey," NBC.

Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) for Variety, Music or Comedy Programming: "50th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS.

Main Title Design: "Mad Men," AMC.

Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic): "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union: Episode 102," Showtime.

Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or a Special (Non-Prosthetic): "Dancing With the Stars: Episode 503," ABC.

Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic): "Tin Man," Sci Fi Channel.

Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special: "John Adams," HBO.

Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): "Pushing Daisies: Pigeon," ABC.

Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score): "The Company: Night 1," TNT.

Music Direction: "Movies Rock," CBS.

Original Music and Lyrics: "Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC.

Original Main Title Theme Music: "Pirate Master: Episode 102," CBS.

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Tim Conway, "30 Rock," NBC.

Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Glynn Turman, "In Treatment," HBO.

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives," ABC.

Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Cynthia Nixon, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC.

Special Class, Not Exclusively Made-for-Television Variety, Music, Comedy Event Program: "Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago (Great Performances), PBS.

Special Class, Classical Music or Dance Program: "New York City Opera: Madama Butterfly (Live from Lincoln Center), PBS.

Special Class, Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program: "Battlestar Galactica: Razor Featurette 4," Sci Fi Channel.com.

Special Class, Short-Format Nonfiction Program: "Great Moments from the Campaign Trail," The History Channel/VOD.

Special Class, Awards Program: "The 61st Annual Tony Awards," CBS.

Special Class, Short-Format Animated Program: "Camp Lazlo: Lazlo's First Crush," Cartoon Network.

Children's Program (Area Award: Possibility of more than one award): "Classical Baby (I'm Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show," HBO; "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: The Untouchable Kids of India," Nickelodeon.

Nonfiction Special: "Autism: The Musical," HBO.

Nonfiction Series (Area Award: Possibility of more than one award): "American Masters," PBS; "This American Life," Showtime.

Reality Program: "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," Bravo.

Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking: "White Light/Black Rain," HBO.

Writing for Nonfiction Programming: "The War: Pride of Our Nation," PBS.

Sound Editing for a Series: "Smallville: Bizarro," CW.

Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "John Adams: Don't Tread on Me," HBO.

Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (single or multi-camera): "The War: When Things Get Tough," PBS.

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (one-hour): "Lost: Meet Kevin Johnson," ABC.

Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams: Don't Tread on Me," HBO.

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (half-hour) and Animation: "30 Rock: Episode 210," NBC.

Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special: "50th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS.

Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming (single or multi-camera): "American Masters: Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends," PBS.

Visual Effects for a Series: "Battlestar Galactica: He That Believeth In Me," Sci Fi Channel.

Variety, Music or Comedy Special: "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project," HBO.

Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "John Adams: Join or Die," HBO.

Stunt Coordination: "Chuck: Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover," NBC.

Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series: "Dancing With the Stars: Episode 502A," ABC.

Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: "50th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS.

Individual Achievement in Animation (possibility of more than one award): "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Mondo Coco," Cartoon Network; "Creature Comforts America: Self Image, Winging It, Art," CBS.

Voice-Over Performance: Keith David, narrator, "The War: A Necessary War," PBS.

Governors Award: Preserve Our Planet Campaign, National Geographic Channel.

News Brief

GH's Grahn in Montana for Obama
There a little more than 50 days until voters head to the polls this November to choose a new president of the United States. The Barack Obama campaign in Billings is not wasting a second getting the word out about its candidate. Saturday, GENERAL HOSPITAL star Nancy Lee Grahn spoke to local Obama supporters and volunteers about staying vigilant during this final push. Meanwhile, DAYS star Deidre Hall is in Orlando today campaigning for Obama.

INTERVIEW: Y&R's Adrienne Frantz
"I always, 'go-with-the-flow' with whatever the writers have in mind, which makes it interesting. Some actors get so upset when they break up their characters, and I am not like that. I am like, “Oh cool. Give me something more to play with.” You can only be so happy for so long in daytime, and couples can only stay happy for so long until it gets boring. Even though, Amber and Daniel weren’t getting boring, they needed to have something to shake them up a little bit."

British ratings for Friday night
To give you an idea how many viewers are tuning in for soap in the UK:
Two episodes of CORONATION STREET pulled in 8 million (40.2%) and 7.64 million (34.8%) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm respectively. BBC One's EASTENDERS had 7.63 million (35.9%) at 8pm, with a further 450,000 (2.6%) watching on BBC Three at 10pm. EMMERDALE had 6.17 million viewers (33.9%) at 7pm.

HOME & AWAY was the rare victor in multichannel homes, with an audience of 488,000 (3.2%) tuning in for Fiver's first-look episode at 6.30pm. E4's first-look HOLLYOAKS brought in 425,000 (2.7%) at 7pm.

INTERVIEW: Former ATWT star Allyson Rice (Pt. 1)
“The year I left was such a devastating year,” Allyson explains. “(My dismissal from ‘ATWT’) was so sudden, and it happened really badly. They let me know late Friday night after I was finished taping my scenes that my replacement was coming on Monday. I no longer had an agent; I hadn’t had one for quite a while, because I didn’t feel I needed one anymore. So I wrote to the two casting directors I knew, and one called me in for the Timecop job. I had to move out to L.A. again, but I really didn’t want to leave New York. But I got the job, and it was really exciting. Then, literally 48 hours after getting to L.A., after moving my family out there, they told me they redid the whole thing, and rewrote and eliminated some characters, one being mine.”

DAYS Sweeney and weight issues
Weight issues can be treacherous for teens, says Alison Sweeney, THE BIGGEST LOSER host. "You hit a certain age and all of a sudden those ice cream treats ... stack up. ... It was hard on me."

It was also very public. She turns 32 on Friday and has spent half her life on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

Now Sweeney -- who is expecting her second child in January -- gives food some thought. "There is something so fulfilling about going to the farmers' market, picking out fresh ingredients and making a Sunday dinner for my family."

Linda Dano is live on BETTER CONNECTICUT on Tuesday, September 16

Tune in Tuesday morning at 10am to see former ANOTHER WORLD and ONE LIFE TO LIVE star Dano give advice on decorating and design from The Linda Dano Home Collection for QVC.

"I ran into GUIDING LIGHT star in the freezer section!"
Fan Sarah Austin writes: "On one of my many shopping trips to the local grocery store I was very consumed in getting the best deals and using all the right coupons. Only a couple lanes from the end of my trip I was in the freezer section, and I happen to look up and I could not believe my eyes. Right in front of me was Robert Newman. (I know him as "Josh" from GUIDING LIGHT.)

I was so excited my smile jumped right off of my face. He was polite and asked me my name. And of course all I could say was 'my daughter and I watch GUIDING LIGHT every day.' I did not think to ask for an autograph but I did get a hug. My first celeb!

Robert was in town (Kalamazoo, MI) for a play he was doing, and he did an awsome job. Of course I had to go see it after meeting him."

10 TV actors to watch
Former AMC hunk Justin Bruening is included in the list. "Bruening should survive and become one of the fall’s big stars. Plus, he’s got a very cool co-star in KITT, the talking supercar."

Kennedy Center to honor Morgan Freeman
Barbra Streisand, former ANOTHER WORLD star Morgan Freeman and country singer George Jones will be awarded the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts, along with choreographer Twyla Tharp and musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.

Jeff Trachtra Live! at Spa Resort Casino
Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs is proud to present the wildly entertaining one-man variety show "Jeff Trachta Live!" every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Cascade Lounge beginning September 26th. Tickets are on sale now.

Nearly half a billion television viewers around the world adored Jeff Trachta as Thorne Forrester on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Now audiences are falling in love with him all over again as he brings his unbridled, high-energy brand of comedy, music, celebrity impressions and high-tech entertainment to the stage in "Jeff Trachta Live!" at Spa Resort Casino.

Judith Pinsker mention
Joel Lester Pinsker was married to Elizabeth Owen Rounds on Saturday. He is the son of Judith A. and Adam A. Pinsker of Woodstock, N.Y. His mother retired as a writer for several soap operas, including ABC’s RYAN'S HOPE, for which she won five Daytime Emmy Awards, and GENERAL HOSPITAL, also on ABC, for which she received another Daytime Emmy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you've never watched the early days of RYAN'S HOPE you're missing out on great soap opera.

INTERVIEW: ONE LIFE TO LIVE actor Jason Tam
Tam, who plays Markko on the soap stopped by "Stardish Radio" on Friday night.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Anthony Addabbo (ex-Dimitri, ALL MY CHILDREN; ex-Jim, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Rush, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Jason, GENERATIONS) - 48
Faith Ford (ex-Julia, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Muffy, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 44
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Frankie, TRIBES) - 43
Ronald J. Zambor (Matt, SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES) - 28

News Brief

DEEP SOAP: Actors Keep It Real
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "In the latest Internet-Related Soap Scandal ™ Victoria Rowell (ex-Dru The Young & The Restless) has just done a podcast for Daytime Confidential. Most soap actors won’t say anything negative in interviews, even if off the record they hate everything about their show. Not Ms. Rowell. As outspoken as her beloved character, she let loose on her former co-stars, writers and producers. As someone who was writing for the show when she left I feel compelled to offer my response. In my opinion, Rowell is one of the best actresses ever to grace Y&R. Her passion for her work is apparent to everyone who ever watched her in action.......Soap actors get paid six figures to do what they love. In my opinion, unless they’re actually being harassed, they ought to suck it up and behave like adults."

TV rides the red-blue divide
Variety has an interesting story on how TV audiences are more polarized than ever: In another coalescence of politics and pop culture, the presidential campaign has started to mirror TV's growing cultural divide, as contentious debate over John McCain's running mate -- self-proclaimed "hockey mom" Sarah Palin -- is cast not just as small-town America vs. coastal elites, but reality TV vs. high-brow television.

The Palin pick comes as both the TV audience and political discourse have polarized -- the former fueled by an increasingly fragmented audience, the latter magnified by loud and angry voices from talk radio, cable news and the Internet. Lacking on both fronts is much respect for conflicting views, as the conversation degenerates from "I like this and you like that" toward something more akin to "I like this, and you must be a complete moron -- or an effete snob -- for liking that."

2008 Most Influential Minorities in Cable: The Top 50
#3 Albert Cheng, EVP, Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television Group
Cheng oversees digital media efforts including online, VOD and mobile strategies/initiatives for Disney Channel, ABC Family, Toon Disney/Jetix and SOAPnet as well as the ABC Television Network, and is involved in all digital media-related deals for those networks.

Rising star lands two soap roles
Keep an eye on young actor Junade Khan - he's about to become one of the hottest properties on the box, thanks to landing two soap roles.

First of all, he's set to be the handsome young man who woos Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) on holiday in CORONATION STREET, and as if that wasn't enough, he's also scored a part in Channel 4 soap HOLLYOAKS.

"Every one says I'm a jammy git," he told The Sheffield Star. "All my mates are jealous."

Wales' top 50 sexiest men
#38 Tom Ellis, who played Dr. Oliver Cousins on EASTENDERS.

EMMERDALE stars Paul Lambert and Donald de Souza quit
Two of EMMERDALE's biggest stars have walked out. The decisions by Matthew Bose, 34, who plays gay heart-throb Paul Lambert, and Michael Jayston, 72, who plays Donald de Souza, come amid reports morale on the soap is at an all-time low.

In months of open revolt, cast and crew have slammed the show's tacky storylines and lack of direction since the arrival of producer Anita Turner - dubbed Anita Turn-off.

There are even fears the crisis could lead to the award-winning soap's demise. A furious insider said: "It's not the same since the hierarchy changed 10 months ago. Morale has never been so bad. If it was CORRIE or EASTENDERS they would be gone by now."

DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD: Lotsa Trouble Inside Network Fall Skeds
Nikki Finke takes a look at the many issues surrounding the networks fall programming.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Eileen Fulton (Lisa, AS THE WORLD TURNS/OUR PRIVATE WORLD) - 75
Roger Howarth (Paul, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Todd, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Jory, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Kent, LOVING) - 40
Jason Cook (Matt, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Shawn, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 28

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube.

HOLLYOAKS: John Paul deals with Kieron's funeral and his sister's wedding.

90210: Newcomer Jessica Lowndes, who plays Adrianna on the show, joins Madison Michele on HOLLYWOOD 411.

REVA'S BABY: Jeffrey tells Olivia that he and Reva are expecting a baby on GUIDING LIGHT.

VERBOTENE LIEBE: Olli meets Lydia's brother, David. No translation needed to understand Olli's reaction.

News Brief

Deidre Hall on Women for Obama tour
If you're wandering around The Villages in Orlando Sunday morning, feeling blue, why not check out the "'Change We need' Women for Obama" tour.

That would be U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, and DAYS OF OUR LIVES actress Deidre Hall, who are spending their Sunday touring Central Florida on behalf of Barack Obama. They're g