NEWS: Billy Miller, Davetta Sherwood, Tonya Lee Williams

Billy Miller admits it: He used to look down his nose at soap operas
"I think my mom watched them a little bit when I was a kid, but I was never super-familiar with any of them," the Arlington Lamar High School graduate says.

"Then I went to film school and my roommate would watch PASSIONS every day. I just remember looking at him and asking, 'Really? You're a 220-pound dude watching PASSIONS?'"

Little did Miller know that a future in daytime television awaited him. "Now that I'm looking back on it," the 30-year-old actor says, "I think I'm a little glad my roommate was watching that show."

Davetta Sherwood on lack of diversity at Y&R
“The experiences that I had with the lack of diversity, the lack of acknowledgment of the Winters family and just our ethnic background, was really disappointing,” she said. Sherwood said people on the show were strategic about choosing her. So, she thought they would treat her “carefully” on the set. But “I felt disregarded at times; I felt unappreciated at times,” she said.

Anger Rises Over EASTENDERS Episode About SIDS
A public outcry has failed to diminish over the plot of the British soap opera concerning the mother of a victim of sudden infant death syndrome who swaps her dead baby with a healthy one.

Lady Gaga, Betty White are comic book draws
"Fame: Lady Gaga" and "Female Force: Betty White" explore the lives of these seemingly polar opposites. But the president of publishing company Bluewater Productions says the two aren't so different. "On its face, neither should have anything in common with the other, but once you read their stories, you see the common thread," Darren G. Davis said in a statement. "They are strong, influential women who have endured personal and professional challenges and have taken the marketing of their brand to whole new levels."

At winter press tour, older actors and the basic cable TV that loves them
"Basic cable loves old actors. They're such a hoot, and when you're up onstage with them at Winter Press Tour 2011, you can talk about them as if they're not there. Plus, they make adorable subjects of sex jokes. And nobody's better at pretending they've taken a role on your new sitcom because the project is so compelling - and not because they can't get the time of day from film directors or suits at broadcast TV networks who are working like little beavers to attract young male viewers."

AMC promises that MAD MEN will return for Season 5, but won't say when
"MAD MEN is definitely coming back for Season 5, but don't ask me when, because we're not sure yet," says AMC exec Joel Stillerman.

Jane Krakowski is pregnant
The former soap star and her clothing designer boyfriend confirm that they are expecting.

JERSEY SHOW delivers MTV's most-watched telecast ever
About 8.5 million watched last night's Season 3 premiere.

Daniel McVicar's son dies in automobile accident
The new year has started off on a rather tragic note for the family of Daniel McVicar (ex-Clarke, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL): The actor's son, Thomas Henry, known as Hank, has passed away. "We are deeply saddened to say that my son, Hank McVicar, died in an automobile accident in the early morning on January 3, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. He was alone in the vehicle, lost control in the rain, and struck a pole and a tree, and was pronounced dead on the scene," the actor says in a statement.

Y&R's Tonya Lee Williams brings Olivia to B&B for two episodes
Williams will appear on B&B for a two-episode stint February 1-2. "I've only been waiting for this for 20 years!" says Williams. "So many of the Y&R stars — including all my closest friends like Heather Tom and Don Diamont — have crossed over to B&B. But me? Never! So this came completely out of nowhere, like a magical present. What's funny is I didn't know I had a relative over there."

Mark Hapka out as DAYS' Nathan Horton
Soap Opera Digest is reporting that Mark Hapka, who joined the show in June 2009 as Nathan Horton, has been let go from the show. He is expected to wrap taping soon.

Rebecca Budig Engaged
Budig (Greenlee, AMC), who split from husband Bob Guiney last year after five years of marriage, got engaged to Michael Benson, a former ABC marketing executive, on Christmas Day, she confirmed to People.

Alexa Havins and Dichen Lachman cast on TORCHWOOD
Havins has been cast as CIA Analyst Esther Katusi, a new series regular. Esther's character is described as someone who "possesses an unshakable faith in human nature and a monster crush on colleague Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer)." Lachman has also been signed to appear in the fourth season premiere as a CIA agent, but it's unclear if she will make more than one appearance on the series.