Wednesday, October 16, 2013

NEWS: Tuc Watkins; Corbin Bernsen; Brant Daugherty; GENERATIONS Stops Filming; BEACON HILL; America Ferrera; Is KATIE on the Way Out?

Is KATIE on the Way Out?
Katie Couric's KATIE has never delivered the audience levels Disney/ABC's syndication arm promised to the TV stations that pay high fees to carry it. Syndication executives who hear the complaints of unhappy TV station owners say that KATIE is a goner. The show will make it to a third year only if Disney/ABC and Couric agree to take less money from the stations that carry it (she currently earns $10 million a year).

People close to Couric say money is less important to her than being happy with the final product. If KATIE doesn't make it to next season, ABC stations will need to find a replacement for the hour.

South Africa soap opera stand-off stops GENERATIONS filming
The producer has told the BBC he does not intend to comply with the contract demands of striking actors. Nearly the entire cast of South Africa's most popular drama series did not turn up on set when filming of the show was supposed to restart on Monday.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE star and single dad Tuc Watkins says his twins are crawling in opposite directions
'When I don't sleep, I can be pretty grumpy," says the actor who looked pretty rested at a recent fundraiser for Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing in Malibu. Twins Catchen and Curtis were back at home with their 'manny' who is Watkins' cousin. It's an arrangement that was supposed to be for a month or two but is working out so well that the actor jokes he hopes to keep his cousin on the payroll until the twins go off to college.

"My kids are 10 months old now which means they are crawling," Watkins said. "Not only are they crawling – it’s like they’ve got little jet packs on their backs and of course go in opposite directions."

Soap opera uses Beacon Hill as a backdrop
The series, a low-budget, online-based production, will bear the name of its setting, BEACON HILL. Actors showed up on site last week to shoot part of it. The filming at various locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island wrapped on Saturday with exterior scenes at Charles and Revere streets, and near the Frog Pond on Boston Common.

“We are amazed at the cast that Crystal [Chappell] put together for us,” said Bella Books CEO Linda Hill, a co-creator along with Jessica Hill, to whom she is married. “This is beyond our wildest expectations in terms of who we were able to get.”

Corbin Bernsen Film Dedicated to His Late Mother, Jeanne Cooper
Releasing October 25 from Dallas faith-based movies enterprise EchoLight Studios, Beyond the Heavens tells the story of Oliver, a 12-year-old boy who is compelled by the lingering sadness surrounding the disappearance of his brother to scientifically investigate the existence of God.

“My hope is that Beyond the Heavens will encourage people to explore faith, open their mind and go beyond what they think they know,” said Bernsen. “This is what my mother encouraged me to do. I hope to encourage others to do the same through this story.

Brant Daugherty on DANCING WITH THE STARS and playing Brian on DAYS OF OUR LIVES
"It's a new world, it's been crazy," the 28-year-old actor told Gay Star News after surviving another round of the celebrity dance competition on Monday, October 14.

"People love the characters of Sonny and Will and want them to be together so everyone gets up in arms," he said about the character of Brian. "But there were a lot who were supportive of me too - they wanted to see things a little mixed up."

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL cast live-tweeting October episodes
Jacob Young and Linsey Godfrey will be live Tweeting at 10:30 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. ET on October 17. @LinseyGodfrey @boldinsider

Darin Brooks and Big Brother winner Rachel Reilly will be live Tweeting at 10:30 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. ET on October 24. @TheeDarinBrooks, @RachelEReilly, @boldinsider

Kim Matula will live Tweet at 10:30 a.m. PT/1:30 p.m .ET on October 28. @boldinsider, @BandB_CBS

Don Diamont will live Tweet at 10:30 a.m. PT/1:30 p.m. ET on November 4. @boldinsider, @BandB_CBS

Stephanie Savage To Pen THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB For ABC, Fake Empire & Groundswell
The show tells the true story of the women behind NASA’s early astronauts and the struggles they face when their lives and families are catapulted into the spotlight overnight.

THE WALKING DEAD gives AMC chance to charge NFL-level ad prices
The fourth season debut of the zombies-versus-humans drama, which drew a best-in-class 16.1 million viewers, has allowed the cable network to ask for as much as $600,000 for a 30-second spot, Madison Avenue sources said.

Drama Starring America Ferrera As Justice-Seeking Nun Lands At CBS As Put Pilot
Titled DAMASCUS, the drama pitch sparked a heated bidding, landing at CBS with a put pilot commitment.

Did SUPERNATURAL just give fans the queer romance they've been hoping for?
According to a recent interview with the cast at a Toronto fan convention, the perceived romance between Dean and the angel Castiel could’ve been a whole lot more explicit. In fact, the original script had Dean saying “I love you,” to Castiel. Actor Jensen Ackles replaced the line with “We’re family, I need you,” because Dean isn’t really the touchy-feely type.

Maureen Dowd Would Really Like to Know Why President Obama Isn’t More Like SCANDAL's Olivia Pope
Exhausted by cable news blowhards, Dowd found herself ensnared in SCANDAL's soap opera-like web while surfing channels one evening. Seeing Pope use top-secret emergency codes to call a meeting in a secure bunker with the President and his wife got Dowd thinking: "Why hadn’t President Obama used a pretext to lure John Boehner, Ted Cruz and Harry Reid to the White House, locked them in a bunker and kept them there until they hammered out a deal to save America’s reputation?"

DOCTOR WHO given royal seal of approval
DOCTOR WHO will be given a royal seal of approval just days before its 50th birthday when the Countess of Wessex hosts a party at Buckingham Palace. The Royal will throw the party on November 18, just five days before the 50th anniversary.

1 comment:

  1. Of course Jensen Ackles changed that line on "Supernatural". Pretty sad to see him feel so strong about this. Like when he refused to answer that question that was only related to Destiel. Yeah, well a male lead on network television can't be bisexual I guess.

    ReplyDelete