News Brief

Forbes: Members of the striking Writers Guild of America will gather Saturday in Los Angeles and New York to be briefed on a possible contract with Hollywood studios. If writers are pleased with what they hear, the meetings could be a major step toward a resolution of the three-month-old strike.

Kansas City Star: What’s been on the mind of the late night comics lately? David Letterman, still on his Romney roll: “Don’t worry about Mitt. If this presidential thing doesn’t work out he can always go back to playing Victor Newman on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.”

Philadelphia Inquirer: ALL MY CHILDREN hunk will appear on THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW today.

Seattle Post Intelligencer: The voice of the Fox hit MOMENT OF TRUTH's "lie detector" comes from Tasia Valenza, who played Suzanne on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and Dottie Thorton Martin on ALL MY CHILDREN.

Eye on Soaps: Interview with ONE LIFE TO LIVE actor David Chisum. "I am unsure what's in store for Miles at this time. The writers strike has been difficult for all of us and that includes Miles. I'm sure the writers have plans for Miles that will be executed when everyone is back to work. The potential storylines are unlimited for Miles. I am curious what our fans want to see Miles experience. I would like to see him as a man that can stand on his own two feet and learn his truth."

Windy City Times: EVENT: Northlight Theatre in Skokie continues its Interplay series of new play workshops February 25 with Three Italian Women, by Laura Maria Censabella, whose name suggests she knows what's Italian and what ain't. Ms. Censabella may not be a household name, but she's received several playwriting honors and two Emmy Awards for her writing for the soap operas AS THE WORLD TURNS and ANOTHER WORLD. The reading is at 7:30 p.m.; 847-673-6300; $15.

AfterElton: AS THE WORLD TURNS recap: Dr. Luke gives Aunt Meg some relationship advice.

Queerty: Marcus Patrick admits that he loves publicity, even when it’s bad. And you can bet he got plenty of it after posing for Playgirl last year. Not only did some tabloids rake him, but he wonders whether the fill frontal spread cost him his job on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Producers say otherwise. In this interview, Patrick discusses his boy band days, being kidnapped, Britney Spears, blow jobs and his fascination with “real life”. NSFW video included.

Billings Gazette: EVENT: Doug Sheehan, a playwright who lives in Wyoming but is best known for his career as a GENERAL HOSPITAL and KNOTS LANDING star, will visit Rocky Mountain College today. At 9 a.m., he will talk with RMC theater students in Losekamp Hall. The public is welcome to attend.

Variety: Colin O’Donnell, a former story editor of teen soap HOLLYOAKS, will make a horror movie, Salvage, using the set of Liverpool’s most famous soap opera BROOKSIDE.

Media Guardian: EMMERDALE closed the audience gap on EASTENDERS last night, February 5, narrowing the BBC1 soap's lead to just 200,000 viewers. EASTENDERS, which in the same battle last week enjoyed a healthy 600,000 lead in viewers over ITV1's EMMERDALE, drew 7 million viewers and a 30% share in its half-hour slot from 7.30pm, according to unofficial overnight ratings. This was just marginally ahead of the 6.8 million and 29% averaged by the second half of the hour-long EMMERDALE on ITV1, in which Bob Hope took to the air for a charity flight.

This is Nottingham: Vera Duckworth's death on CORONATION STREET doesn't mean life has come to an end for her widower Jack. It seems that Jack (Bill Tarmey) will find himself in a variety of storylines - which will include female characters.