Monday, February 1, 2010

NEWS: Sumpter, Landers, York, Serialized Drama, Anderson

INTERVIEW: OLTL's Tika Sumpter (Layla)
"I want her to be successful in any career that she chooses, but hopefully she’ll go back to acting and singing. I hope she gets some kind of peace from her mother. Her mother always places Evangeline on a pedestal and kind of looks down on Layla. I hope she finds some peace with that, as well as finds peace with her dad passing."

Are Heavily Serialized Dramas Heading Towards Extinction on Broadcast Nets?
Even as DVR penetration increases, serialized dramas, says one network executive, “are really hard to sustain. I have great respect for shows like DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES that can keep it going. On the other end of the spectrum you've got HEROES, which is not quite one-and-done, but pretty close.”

“I think we're seeing the decline of these shows,” says Chuck Larsen, president of distribution consulting firm October Moon Television, of serialized dramas. “The networks were kind of slow to realize that serialized shows just don't repeat well.” But they appear to realize it now, including with their current series.

INTERVIEW: Former DALLAS and daytime star Audrey Landers
"DALLAS was a big part of the 1980s and into the ‘90s. I was in and out for 8 years over the span of the show -- leaving to do A Chorus Line: The Movie and then returning to DALLAS. In the early 90s I did a year on ONE LIFE TO LIVE in New York. Then I had my babies and decided to take a break from the biz to be a mom - until the DALLAS TV movie. I had been acting non-stop since I was 12 years old, and thought I wanted to retire. However, I continued to record and perform all over Europe-- and have a dozen gold or platinum albums."

More on the HACIENDA HEIGHTS deal with Trifecta
With the dual language tracks, the show is being pitched to both English- and Spanish-language television stations as well as cable networks and international buyers. HACIENDA HEIGHTS is also taking a page from Tyler Perry's model, securing financial backing from Sahara Media for the next 89 episodes. The first 11, which have been given a test run on four TV stations, were financed by executive producer Desmond Gumbs.

SAG Agrees to Explore Joint Talks With AFTRA
The Screen Actors Guild has voted to explore a bargaining partnership with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The move mirrors AFTRA's actions of last month, when it formed a high-level cabinet to examine jointly negotiations with SAG.

Bradford Anderson injured on Soap Cruise
Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH) injured himself aboard the Soap Cruise. The actor was playing basketball when he hurt his Achilles' tendon. He is currently in a cast and may require surgery.

An imperial night at Winter Ball with John J. York
There's nothing glamorous about Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis, but the 2010 Winter Ball benefiting the Houston Gulf Coast/South Texas Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America more than lived up to its “Imperial Grandeur” theme. Women of Distinction Ambassador Jan Carson, who will co-chair the 2011 Winter Ball with Virginia Reisman, may have had the most dashing escort of all in GENERAL HOSPITAL star John York, who swept her off her feet with soap-opera savoir-faire.

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