Tuesday, January 18, 2011

NEWS: SKINS, Comcast, Regis, LUX, Bloom, Hennig & JKJ

More DAYS Exits: Shelley Hennig & Jay Kenneth Johnson
Shelley Hennig (Stephanie) and Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip) have both decided to leave the show. "It just feels right," says Hennig of why she's taking off after four years. "I have been preparing for this for awhile, so I have said my mental good-byes. I will miss the faces I see here every day, but everybody has been really encouraging and has embraced my decision.... I feel like I'm going out with a bang after last week's air shows and I feel great about it creatively and I am thankful to the writers for giving me that. I am thankful for this role that DAYS has given me and will miss playing this character. I am forever thankful for the fans and this wonderful gift that was given to me. It's been a lot of fun to play and I wouldn't change anything." Hennig's last tape date is February 2.

As for Johnson, "It feels perfect," he says. "The story ended and there's a lot of stuff going on out there. I thought about it a lot; it just felt like the right time. I want to thank the fans for continuing to watch and following me from my first stint to the other shows I've done and back to here. I hope they keep an eye on me in the future."

SKINS premiere on MTV attracts 3.3 million
Insiders had their fingers crossed for anything above 3 million, so this number comes as a relief.

MTV's SKINS a Hit With Advertisers
The Jan. 17 series opener carried a full spot load, as no fewer than 29 paid advertisements ran in the one-hour episode. As one might expect, movies were well represented, as studio releases accounted for a dozen paid spots.

NBC-Comcast deal gets U.S. government approval
With the Justice Department and FCC's stamp of approval, the NBC-Comcast merger should be completed by the end of the month.

LIFE UNEXPECTED creator thinks tonight's "season finale" is a series finale
Liz Tigelaar expected "LUX" to last five years, but tonight's two-hour special looks like the end, even though The CW is calling it a "season finale." But she's hoping that another network picks it up, even though nobody has shown interest.

Regis Philbin: I'm leaving "Live"
"Well, I’ve got one of those announcements to make.," Philbin, 79, said on this morning's LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY, adding that he didn’t "want to alarm anybody … It’s going to happen. The station needs to know and Gelman needs to know and we all need to know. But this will be my last year." Reege said he would leave at the end of this summer or early fall. He finished with this: "There is a time. Everything must come to an end for certain people on camera — for certain old people."

New TRUE BLOOD teaser warns: This will be the season of the witch
HBO has released the very first TRUE BLOOD season-four teaser trailer, and that has us strangely excited—which makes us think it must be a spell. After all, the 27-second spot does warn us that it must be the season of the witch!

RUMOR REPORT: Barbara Bloom OUT at CBS DAYTIME?
According to the leading scoopster in the industry, Jamey Giddens: "Rumor has it today is Barbara Bloom's last day at CBS Daytime. No word on whether the controversial exec was let go, or if she is leaving on her own accord."

Ilene Kristen joins "Big Gay Italian Wedding"
Kristen (Roxy, OLTL) has joined the cast of "My Big Gay Italian Wedding" in the role of Aunt Toniann. Kristen debuts beginning February 3 at St. Luke's Theatre in New York City. My Big Gay Italian Wedding was written by and stars former OLTL Associate Director Anthony J. Wilkinson and is directed by OLTL Associate Director Teresa Anne Cicala.

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