Evening News

International Herald Tribune: After months of informal talks, Hollywood's movie and television directors have agreed to a new contract with production companies. The accord, reached Thursday, would appear to send a none-too-subtle message to striking screenwriters: This is not the time to get hung up on new media. The deal could also lead to a resolution of the writers' strike that has crippled the entertainment business for almost 11 weeks, shutting down production of television comedies and dramas, forcing studios to postpone big-budget movies like the "The Da Vinci Code" prequel, "Angels and Demons," and throwing tens of thousands of people out of work. But a quick end to the strike will most likely occur only if the writers, who walked out on Nov. 5, are willing to lower their own more aggressive demands, especially concerning compensation for the distribution of their work over the Internet, cellphones and other new-media devices. Patric Verrone, president of the West Coast writers guild, said he planned to thoroughly review the directors' contract. "Ultimately, the membership will weigh in, too," said Verrone, who has been struggling to maintain the writers' solidarity. To dismiss the directors' settlement out of hand would risk an open rebellion in his ranks.

CadyMcClain.com: Cady McClain writes: "I seem to have manifested myself a nice fibroid tumor on my uterus. Why am I sharing this with you? Because it scared the shit out of me, and now it turns out it’s not so bad. LOTS of women have these things. They are not cancerous, and you can leave them or have them out depending on the size and the symptoms they may be causing you. I’m gonna have mine out. The good news is, I have a good doctor who can get it out without cutting me open like a watermelon. It’s called laproscopic (sp?) surgery. They go in with a tube through your belly and break it up and suck it out. Gross, I know, but this is how it is. The bad news is you can’t get pregnant for 6 months after, but that’s okay. Perhaps there is a bit of God in all this."

Tamara Online: Former GENERAL HOSPITAL star Tamara Braun headed for DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Let's just bring ALL the Carlys back!

AfterElton: Liveblogging AS THE WORLD TURNS: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dusty.

PRLog: Display Pack Inc., an award-winning manufacturer of packaging services, has won its second consecutive Ameristar Award from the International Organization of Packaging Professionals (IOPP). Display Pack won the award for its cutting-edge design of a pie box created for Mary Beth's Apple Pie Co., a gourmet, mail-order pie company owned by actress Mary Beth Evans, who stars as Kayla Brady on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

Parade Magazine: In Step With...Former ALL MY CHILDREN star Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Theater Mania: oyce DeWitt, Alison Fraser, Liz Larsen, Susan Lucci (ALL MY CHILDREN), and KT Sullivan will be among the guest artists at Glimpses of the Moon, a new musical adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, to run at 8pm on Mondays, January 21-March 10, at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel. The production will be directed by Marc Bruni, with choreography by Denis Jones.

EMQNews: Path to Broadway Goes Through North Carolina A&T. A former student is now a casting agent for ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Theater Mania.: Eric Marstolf (Ethan, PASSIONS) of will play Abner and Brandi Lynn Burkhardt will play Daisy Mae in the Reprise! Broadway Best production of the musical Li'l Abner, to run February 5-17 at the UCLA Freud Playhouse.