Evening News

GH Writer Addresses Michael Shooting
On last Friday’s (April 4) GENERAL HOSPITAL, Michael Corinthos III, the 12-year-old son of local mob kingpin Sonny, was accidentally shot in the head, stunning even hardened GH fans, who are no strangers to gunplay on the ABC soap. Mobsters have fought over the apparently perfectly-positioned territory in the show's fictional town of Port Charles, NY for years. Still, even on a show known for violence, the shooting of a child is a risky move. But head writer Bob Guza Jr. says it plays into a larger theme he wants to promote. "We've been accused before of glorifying violence," Guza says. "But we always try to show the consequences. We do deal with mobsters. We can't just have them importing illegal tchatchkes from the Far East and getting a slap on the wrist. You've got to deal with the fact that they kill people and people are killed all around them."

Guza (who is keeping mum on Michael's fate) doesn't believe he's necessarily locked into keeping Cash playing Michael forever, but he does say that having the same actor play a character straight through from childhood raises the dramatic potential (just look at Kimberly McCollough's Robin).

Interview: Nuke 'Em
Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah) of AS THE WORLD TURNS work together so often that they have lots of down time, which in their case tends to lead to silly arguments. They bickered a lot, so Soap Opera Digest only got a few of their disagreements into their feature interview, on stands 4/15. One subject on which they've had many a heated discussion is movies — they both know them well, but here's what happens when Silbermann challenges his co-star to a game.

New Paul Leyden series to offer free downloads
After battling illegal internet downloads of its hit program UNDERBELLY, Channel 9 will offer up free online access to its new series CANAL ROAD. Viewers will have the opportunity to download the first four episodes of the new Aussie drama for free before it debuts on national television on April 16. Set in a thriving medical-legal centre in the heart of Melbourne, CANAL ROAD stars Sibylla Budd, Brooke Satchwell, Diana Glenn and Paul Leyden (ATWT). Ninemsn will make the first two episodes available for download on April 7, with episodes three and four following on April 14. The "sexy, thrilling and dangerous" series can be downloaded from ninemsn.com.au/canalroad.

VIDEO: Interview with ATWT's Lauretta Vaughn
This week’s HEYMAN HUSTLE has Paul Heyman chatting up one of America’s hottest soap opera stars - Lauretta Vaughn. Lauretta – who used to host kids show STORYMAKERS on the BBC – has been nothing "short of a sensation" in America’s AS THE WORLD TURNS. And her popularity was obvious when she went for a walk in New York with Paul. In what will be remembered as the wildest Hustle to date, Paul and Lauretta talk sex, soap operas, WWE writers, puppets, Prince Charles, George Clooney and Kelly Ripa.

PHOTOS: Feeling Groovy Gala
Margaret Colin (ATWT, EON), John Cullum, Alan Cumming, Blythe Danner, Justin Deas (GL, ATWT, SB, RH), Daniel Evans, Capathia Jenkins, Kelli O'Hara (AMC), Jenna Russell and a host of stars join the Roundabout for their Feeling Groovy gala.