News Brief

TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco looks at "The Rules"
Soap legend Douglas Marland once shared his rules on “How not to wreck a show.” Are today’s soaps following his guidelines or are they breaking them?

VIDEO: Inturn3 Preview
INTURN, the CBS.com casting reality show, premieres next Tuesday, April 15th. The winner will receive a 13-week contract on AS THE WORLD TURNS. All ten of Season 3's InTurns compete in their first audition: Giving Birth in a Park! Couples are paired off and are judged based on their improv skills. AS THE WORLD TURNS star Michael Park (Jack) and Casting Director Mary Clay Boland join Richard Mensing (Vice President, CBS Daytime Programs) on the judging panel. This audition puts the INTURN's skills to the test; following the audition the InTurns head to the loft and face a callback where someone will be heading out before they even unpack their bags.

Soap's heartbeat lies in feisty Monica
Actress Leslie Charleson's two-year stint on ABC's GENERAL HOSPITAL has turned into a three-decade run so far. The very thought of it leaves Charleson reeling. "It doesn't seem possible. It's just flown by," she says. Charleson says she was certain she would only stay on the show for two years - the length of her first contract - and then move on. Instead, she overcame those early hurdles. The cast grew to love her and the strike ended. Soon, Charleson found a groove for Monica, one of the first truly liberated women of the daytime in the 1970s. "Up until that point, you hadn't seen women in daytime have the (guts) of Monica," Charleson says. "I think that's why I have stayed so long. I've had the luxury to develop the character without the confines that other actors (in other mediums) might have."

And with all daytime dramas facing shrinking audiences and the possibility of cancellation, Charleson ponders if GENERAL HOSPITAL will be around for a 50th anniversary. "There's definitely going to be a change," she says. "Shows will go off the air. I don't know what our longevity is. I would love to say we'll have a 50th, but, in five years, a lot can happen."

GEEKS go to Y&R tonight
On tonight's episode of BEAUTY AND THE GEEK, the contestants get makeovers and appear on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. Y&R stars Joshua Morrow and Michelle Stafford appear.

Do Joshua Morrow's Talents Compare to a Playmate's?
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS vet Joshua Morrow has joined the lineup for SECRET TALENTS OF THE STARS, a CBS reality competition launching Tuesday and pitting assorted interestingly abled celebs against each other. In the April 15 outing, Morrow will perform an "edgy rock-and-roll" act with extreme juggling pro Marcus Monroe. His competish for the night: GIRL NEXT DOOR Bridget Marquardt (performing... um, on a trapeze), country crooner Jo Dee Messina (dancing hip-hop) and boxing champ Roy Jones Jr (rapping).

Jensen Ackles to star in My Bloody Valentine Remake
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jensen Ackles, known to soap fans from his time as Eric on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, is set to star in My Blood Valentine 3-D, a remake of the 1981 horror film. Patrick Lussier will direct, and Jack Murray, John Dunning and Andre Link are producing. Production begins May 12; the film is set to release January 23, 2009 under the Lionsgate Films logo. Ackles' character, Tom, returns home ten years after a massacre occurred in the town of Harmony, MO. He reunites with his childhood sweetheart, but finds he's a suspect in a murder. The original film was about a massacre in a Nova Scotia mining town.

Whatever happened to Ben Jorgensen?
TV Guide's Michael Logan: “Ben Jorgensen was the actor, and he seems to have disappeared from the biz,” Logan tells me. “After he did the run on AMC, he was briefly seen on AS THE WORLD TURNS as Chris Hughes (a long running character that has been recast seven or eight times). That's the last I saw of him. Sorry, I can't remember how he was written off AMC — if indeed he was written off in an official capacity. He's was a recurring player...sometimes they just vanish (just like actors).”

Bob Guiney Makes a Date With Home Sellers
Bob Guiney and his wife, ALL MY CHILDREN star Rebecca Budig, are no strangers to the difficulties of buying and selling homes. The couple went through the process when they moved to L.A. two years ago and, says Guiney, a lot of the homes they viewed had similar problems to the ones on Date My House. "We walked into 40 homes and with nearly every home we’d walk into it and walk right out. It’s all about the first impression. Unless you’re one of those people with an incredible vision — and I’m not — it’s hard to get past a homeowner’s personal style."

Bianca's return contiues to help EASTENDER's ratings
On Monday night, EASTENDERS continued to benefit from the return of Bianca to Albert Square, attracting an audience of 10.4 million and a 43% share between 8pm and 8.30pm.