Thursday, October 31, 2013

NEWS: Lady Gaga Befriends EASTENDERS Star June Brown; How Subway Sandwiches Devoured TV; Have Supernatural Shows Made TV Deaths Boring?

June Brown played Dot Cotton on EASTENDERS for
many years.
Lady Gaga Befriends EASTENDERS Star June Brown
Lady Gaga and British soap opera star June Brown have struck up a friendship after hitting it off while filming their guest appearances on THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW.

Brown was on the show promoting her new autobiography, "Before The Year Dot," but after consuming a few too many glasses of wine the audience struggled to understand her rambles.

Gaga, who was advertising her new album "ARTPOP," could see the difficulties the viewers were having and jumped to June's defence, saying: "We talk the same language. I understand you."

CBS dispute lost Time Warner Cable 306,000 subscribers
Those 306,000 customers represent nearly 10 percent of those affected when a dispute over fees knocked the broadcaster off Time Warner Cable customers' channel lineup in several big cities. During a quarterly earnings call this morning, Time Warner Cable executives said that profit had dipped 34 percent as a result of the dispute.

How Subway Sandwiches Devoured TV’s Shows, Scripts
Over the past six years or so, Subway has chomped its way into dialogue, plotlines and sets on everything from NBC’s now-defunct CHUCK and CBS’ HAWAII FIVE-0” to ABC’s SUBURGATORY. Its logos, cups and sandwiches have also made their way to ABC’s THE MIDDLE, and NBC’s COMMUNITY, among other boob-tube favorites. And the appearances are anything but demure.

During the first season of the musically-themed ABC serial NASHVILLE, Subway figured into a plotline to build a new stadium in town, festooned with Subway’s logo.

Have VAMPIRE DIARIES, other supernatural shows made TV deaths boring?
No, it's not comparable to losing someone in real life, but killing a main character is still the most upsetting, most powerful card a show can play. Character deaths and the impact they leave, if done right, can lead to some of the best moments in television history.

Most of the shows treating death as a non-permanent situation tend to have younger viewers, so perhaps death feels too heavy or too dark for teenage viewers to fully grasp, and therefore it’s lightened by the idea that it doesn’t have to be so final.

T Bone Burnett on Quitting Wife Callie Khouri's NASHVILLE: It Was a 'Drag-Out Fight'
The marital/professional overlap wasn't the problem. "I love working with Callie," explains Burnett. "I have no problem working with Callie. I have a problem when people don't treat Callie right. I like to see artists treated with tremendous respect, and I like the executives to say, 'How can I help you do what you do?' That's what I do."

The Hollywood Reporter Reveals the Industry's Top 25 Art Collectors
Bill and Maria Bell made the list. Maria, the former head writer and executive producer of THE YOUNG ADN THE RESTLESS, is best known in the L.A. art world for her visible role as board co-chair of the city's Museum of Contemporary Art (she steps down Jan. 1). She got her start collecting modestly priced George Hurrell photos. These days, her husband, Bill, goes deep on icons -- Marcel Duchamp, Jeff Koons -- while she champions the idiosyncratic, from Francesco Vezzoli to Mark Ryden.

Cynthia Watros on her new Y&R role
Watros is set to appear in about seven episodes of Y&R (with the potential for more) as Kelly. What would the show have to do to entice her to stay longer? "I told Jill [Farren Phelps, executive producer] that as long as she wants me and we can work around each other's schedules, I'll be happy to be there as much as I can," Watros tells Soaps in Depth.

'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' Adaptation in the Works at ABC Family
The effort hails from SUPERNATURAL's Daniel Loflin, who is set to write and executive produce, along with Radar Pictures. Radar’s Ted Field, an executive producer of the 1992 film on which the TV thriller is based, and Mike Weber are attached as executive producers.

THE TOMORROW PEOPLE casts 'Spy Kid' Alexa Vega as Stephen's rival
Vega's character is Hillary Cole, a new recruit brought into ULTRA. She immediately becomes a rival for Stephen Jameson in training to be a supernatural agent. The catch is that ULTRA only wants one of its new agents to make it to the next stage of training. Whoever loses will get stripped of his or her powers.

Carol Burnett Joins McGarrett's Family on HAWAII FIVE-0
On its Nov. 22 Thanksgiving episode, Steve McGarrett's loopy Aunt Deb — played by comedy legend Carol Burnett — lands on the island.

BREAKING BAD menu at Lucky Chip in London
Lucky Chip at the Sebright Arms in east London is running the burger event of the year – the BREAKING BAD menu, featuring delights such as the Heisenburger and the Mexican Cousins Tator Tots.

Neal Baer & Conde Nast Sell Drama To The CW Inspired By ‘The Avenger’ Pulp Series
The untitled drama project, from CBS TV Studios where Baer is under an overall deal, is described as an updated Biopunk version of The Avenger.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE gave rise to the popularity of "Gabrielle"
In February 1987, soap opera ONE LIFE TO LIVE introduced Gabrielle Medina, played by actress Fiona Hutchinson. The daughter of a drug lord who’s tricked into giving up her baby, Gabrielle quickly became a very popular character. Even though the character was from Argentina, screenwriters gave her the French name Gabrielle rather than Spanish Gabriela — undoubtedly because French names were fashionable in 1987. In 1988 the name soared 64 percent — and 92 ranks — to 174th, by far its biggest rise ever.

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