Tuesday, August 11, 2009

News Round-up: GREY'S Novela, Kanan, Wagner, Rinna

GREY'S ANATOMY is being remade into a Columbian telenovela
A telenovela version of GREY'S ANATOMY has started production in Bogota under the name A CORAZON ABIERTO (An Open Heart). Novela veterans Rafael Novoa, Carolina Gómez, Jorge Enrique Abello and Jorge Cao lead the cast. In a spectacular bit of irony, A CORAZON ABIERTO -- which is scheduled for an 80-episode run -- is being adapted from the original American scripts by Fernando Gaitán. He's the guy who wrote Colombia's YO SOY BETTY, LA FEA, the novela that was the basis for ABC's hit UGLY BETTY.

INTERVIEW: Y&R's Sean Kanan (Deacon)
"I tell ya, when I found out I would be reprising the role of Deacon, I was overwhelmed and really moved. I had a moment when I looked back at how hard those two years were and I remember sitting with a friend after the DUI. I said, 'It’s done and over. I don’t see myself getting back on daytime or anywhere anytime soon.' I was bereft with gloom and doom and depression. Now to play Deacon on the number one show is amazing. The first day I walked in the door at CBS, I was really, really moved, and full of gratitude because I know how hard it has been to get back there. There were a lot of people who worked really hard on my behalf, and a few people who believed in me and stuck with me when a lot of people wouldn’t. I feel a real sense of obligation and responsibility to Paul Rauch and to Brad Bell, too. I think on some level Brad Bell and Barbara Bloom (VP Daytime Programs, CBS) had a lot to do with getting me back on the show. On some level or another, Brad Bell did something very nice for me."

Paula Abdul wastes no time: UGLY BETTY could be next on her horizon
Abdul, who has a recurring turn on Lifetime's DROP DEAD DIVA, a gig that began before she quit-tweeted her judging gig on AMERICAN IDOL last week, now might have a role on UGLY BETTY next season, reports Entertainment Weekly.

ABC confirmed Monday that the network is in talks with Abdul, just days after ABC President of Entertainment Steve McPherson said publicly he'd love for her to appear on DANCING WITH THE STARS.

Daren Kagasoff & Jacqueline MacInnes Wood: Kissing Couple
Teen Choice Award winner Daren Kagasoff (Ricky, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER) strolled hand-in-hand with girlfriend Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) as they window shopped on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.

Peter Anthony Holder speaks about CJAD split
Former CJAD nighttime host Peter Anthony Holder said he has been a faithful fan of AS THE WORLD TURNS since he was 5 years old.

“I was watching the show when President Kennedy was shot,” he said. “I remember them interrupting the show to say shots had been fired in Dallas.”

Holder grew up to invite AS THE WORLD TURNS actress Helen Wagner to be a guest on his CJAD show. She is the only actress remaining on the show who was on the set the day Kennedy was shot.

“She told me the producers tried to keep the news under wraps because the show was airing live, but a security guard leaked it to the cast,” Holder said. “That’s what I miss most about the job. Calling up people who interest me and inviting them to be a guest on the show.”

Web Series: The Appeal of Doing it Live
In television, since daytime soap AS THE WORLD TURNS ceased daily live shows in 1967, special live episodes have been regarded as ratings boosters sometimes employed as a desperate measure during viewership slumps. This isn’t the case on the web, where viewer quantity is arguably not the most important metric. In fact, the live efforts of EXIT STAGE LEFT, THE MIDWEST TEEN SEX SHOW, and DORM LIFE all saw live viewership numbers a fraction of what typical episodes get. Such is the nature of appointment viewing in a TiVo world, I suppose. But for web producers for whom audience engagement and activation of evangelism is important (and that’s most of them), live can deliver.

INTERVIEW: Former DAYS and MELROSE star Lisa Rinna
"I feel I have a third great character in me after Billie Reed [DAYS OF OUR LIVES] and Taylor McBride [MELROSE PLACE], I’m trolling for one more. That is out there for me. I just have to keep moving and grooving."

BROTHERS & SISTERS star Sarah Jane Morris is pregnant
Morris and her husband are expecting early next year.

1 comment:

  1. A Colombian version of "Grey's"? There goes the diversity! Telenovelas are infamous for their virtually white/light-skinned only casts except for the token brown and black servants. Oops, that sounds suspiciously like GH of late where the minorities have bit parts and never have their own storylines.

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