News Round-up: Broderick, Park, Oprah, Ripa, Palu

Kelly Ripa's behind-the-scenes lust
"Mark [Consuelos] had been fairly low-key, quiet and humble as he learned the ropes and hoped he'd eventually be upgraded to full contract status," writes makeup artist Norman Bryn in his new book, "Makeup & Misery: Adventures in the Soap Factory." Bryn recalls Consuelos as "a nice, unpretentious guy."

"A number of hunky guys were brought in to read with Kelly -- a passionate scene to test the romantic potential of each . . . I applied Mark's makeup, and that of some of the other men, also . . . I didn't go out of my way to make any of the competition particularly striking . . . I wanted to give him whatever advantage I could."

It turned out Consuelos had a bigger edge than anyone knew.

"Mark's real advantage was Kelly . . . She had no trouble calling up genuine lust to steam up the screen and blow the other contestants out of the bed sheets," said Bryn. "Many of the crew marveled at how 'realistic' the scene was, unaware Kelly and Mark had rehearsed outside the studio quite a few times already!"

Lorraine Broderick in at ALL MY CHILDREN for Transition
DC's Jamey Giddens is reporting that former ALL MY CHILDREN head writer Lorraine Broderick has been tapped to head write the soap at least for the foreseeable future.

ATWT/GOTHAM star Michael Park is a product of community theater
“I am a product of community theater, and I say it proudly,” said Michael Park, who was celebrity chairman of this year’s TANYS Festival.

“Some people have used community theater to get to the next level,” he said, “but so many of the people in community theater work regular 9-to-5-jobs, rehearse two or three times a week, at least, and you do it for what, a show that runs two weekends? That shows dedication, passion.”

OPRAH ratings decline not that different than daytime soaps
In 1991-92, ratings for the show averaged 12.6 million viewers, double the 6.2 million who collectively tuned in from 2008-09.

Missed some of your soap? Palu has a musical recap
Paul Beckman, a.k.a. Palu Rainbow Song of Salt Spring Island, a ferry ride over from Vancouver and Victoria, watches soap operas daily and uses them as inspiration for songs. He then posts the videos online.