Monday, August 13, 2012

NEWS ROUNDUP: SOAPnet Ratings, Maurice Benard on Changes in Sonny, Tika Sumpter in Sparkle

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS same day repeats top SOAPnet ratings
For the week of July 30, 2012 (viewers in thousands):

RANK PROGRAM DAY TIME Viewers
1 YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Mon 7:00PM- 8:00PM 443
2 YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Thu 7:00PM- 8:00PM 434
3 YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Tue 7:00PM- 8:00PM 421
4 YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Fri 7:00PM- 8:00PM 365
5 YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Wed 7:00PM- 8:00PM 334
6 GENERAL HOSPITAL Wed 9:00PM-10:00PM 214
7 GENERAL HOSPITAL Thu 9:00PM-10:00PM 192
8 YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Wed 10:00PM-11:00PM 176
9 BEVERLY HILLS 90210 Sat 11:00AM-12:00PM 159
10 GENERAL HOSPITAL Mon 9:00PM-10:00PM 158


CORONATION STREET star Anne Kirkbride quits Twitter over abuse from internet bullies
In a final message before deleting her account, she reportedly said: "Been nice knowing you Twitter. Apologies to all the lovely people I’ve met on here. But in all honesty, I’ve had enough."

GENERAL HOSPITAL's Maurice Benard on the changes in his character: I love the way they've affected him
"They're writing Sonny as a man, as opposed to a mafia guy or a killer with a good heart. He's just a well-rounded man. And he's still badass - I went off, today! Sonny just thinks a little more, especially with the woman he loves. He tries. And they tell me during scenes, 'Not so big. Be more supportive.' Wow, they never told me this, before. It's changed. I'm into it and I think, as far as I can see on twitter, [the fans are] all into it. A year ago, the fans on twitter hated everything I was doing. They hated the show. It was like, 'Why is this happening? This is stupid!' Now, it’s all positive."

Cogs in the wheel: A day in the life of a Ramadan soap star
It’s the last day of shooting for ARAFA AL-BAHR, a Ramadan soap opera that began the night before Ramadan and will continue until the last day. Like the 72 other shows this year, the plot and storyline have to stretch over the next 30 days, entertaining viewers nightly and pulling in the show’s cost in advertising for the channel.

Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is a fan of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
"I was a junior in college, and I finished class at 11. One day I started watching, and I was hooked."

THE ARCHERS: Don't let it turn into EASTENDERS
"John Yorke, acting editor of THE ARCHERS, has said that he wants to make the series 'darker and bigger', chilling words for fans of the 61-year-old soap. No wonder the ratings have tumbled to just 4.63 million, 400,000 less than this time last year."

Former EASTENDERS star Martin Kemp to enter CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER
He will be joined in the Big Brother house by another former EASTENDERS star, Cheryl Ferguson, and former CORONATION STREET star Julie Goodyear.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Jim Storm
Storm plays a sheriff in the film Demon Lake.

Tika Sumpter plays Deloris "Dee" Williams, (above), one-third of
the star singling group in 'Sparkle,' which will be in theaters
Aug. 17. (Image: Sony Pictures)
ONE LIFE TO LIVE alum and Sparkle actress Tika Sumpter Talks Hidden Talents, Hollywood Boss Moves
"It was a great script," Sumpter said about Sparkle. "I’m glad they expanded upon her role. I guess I drew from different people in my life who embody strength and intelligence: my mom, women in my family. I thought it important for the role to come across as Dee is like her mother: strong and protective. She’ll say truths that others are afraid to say. I love that about the role."

DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Freddie Smith on bullying
"It’s very emotional to be bullied. When you go through it it’s a big part of your life," said Smith. "I'm hoping I can make an impact and show how bullying negatively affects people and make a difference. I think that everyone will be able to relate to this storyline, so it is important to the show."

1 comment:

  1. Good luck to Tika Sumpter. I only started watching OLTL in it's final year and a half, so by then she was doing other projects so unfortunately I missed her time on the soap.

    As for Sparkle. I saw the original a few times in the 80s, 90s and actually a few months ago on TV and while I know that the movie is adored, I can tell you it is adored because of what those truly talented actors were able to overcome in spite of that script! Also, the phenomenal music of Curtis Mayfield almost made you forget about the stilted dialogue.

    I'm usually not in favor of remakes but I definitely understand how this one might appeal to producers Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil--as the original leaves room for definitely improvement. I've heard some people complain that this new version looks too glossy-- kind of like a sibling version of Dreamgirls. One thing I hope would not have changed it the gritty quality of the original (the 70s original was probably so gritty because it's budget was a fraction of what most Hollywood movies cost to make at the time). I read an article by the producers where they said that once Whitney Houston died, the Studio started interfering and seemed to want this whole other movie than what they had intended to make! I hope they were able to stick with their concept as every filmmaker I've heard usually says that the greater influence the studio has, the worse a movie usually turns out.
    I hope for all involve, it is a better movie.

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