NEWS: Prinz, Mambo, Kennedy, Fox, Thompson

Career world still turns for Rosemary Prinz
Through her long, busy career, Prinz has been fortunate enough to play women along every significant part of life’s journey, from the ingenue Penny, to middle-aged M’Lynn and now Grandma. She deadpans that the best thing about having been on a soap was “the check,” and says that although she went back to AS THE WORLD TURNS a couple of times for Very Special Episodes, returning “is not something I want to do now.”

That’s too bad, because soaps have become the province of model-pretty, mannequin-talented young’uns. Still, Prinz says, growing up on a soap opera is beneficial to inhabiting a character for a very specific reason — “You can follow the trajectory of the character because you’ve lived through it. When you reminisce about something, you’ve actually done it. When Jeff (Penny Hughes’ lover) died, I actually went through it.”

GREEK casts Cappie's parents
Lea Thompson has been cast as Cappie’s free-spirited mother, April, while Jim Abele will play his non-conformist father, Tobias.

“Meeting his parents will have a big impact on Casey,” says a GREEK insider, adding that the modern-day hippies will appear during the second half of the show’s upcoming 10-episode cycle (debuting Jan. 25).

Former GL actor Kevin Mambo starring in "Fela" on Broadway
“We looked at between 60 and 70 guys, and Kevin, like Sahr, made an impression I never forgot,” says director Bill T. Jones.

Then again, he adds, “Kevin was a big guy and I couldn’t imagine seeing him in pink spandex” — a fabric of which Fela was fond.

That was 45 pounds ago. Two gyms, two trainers, one diet — lots of raw fish, no carbs — and regular six-mile runs through Central Park slimmed Mambo down to shimmying speed.

Fox Sets Midseason Schedule; GLEE to follow IDOL
Fox has set its midseason schedule, announcing the season premiere dates for its new and returning shows. GLEE will return with new episodes starting Tuesday, April 13 at 9 p.m., giving it the post-AMERICAN IDOL slot it originally launched with.

AMC's Daniel Kennedy attends “Celebration of Life” event for cancer survivors
“It’s wonderful to be a part of this event honoring the survivors,” said Kennedy. “I also have cancer survivors in my family, so this celebration is a victory for the health care professionals and the patients as well.” Kennedy also added that the hospital was “gorgeous, warm and friendly” and that he enjoyed the celebration.

Arabs Hate American Foreign Policy, but Bring on the TV!
There may be no love lost between nations of the Middle East and Washington, but American dramas and sitcoms, like DAYS OF OUR LIVES and FRIENDS, are as beloved to the Arab world as the ‘hookah’. Shows like DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, GREY'S ANATOMY and LOST are the daily bread and butter of residents of the Middle East who often plan their schedule around their favorite shows.