Friday, April 18, 2008

News Brief

Rick & Taylor to wed? There's a 'Bold' move!
Rick proposes to Taylor today on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, which will shock everyone in L.A. - including her.

"He's smitten with this woman," says Kyle Lowder, who plays young Rick Forrester. "It's definitely an impromptu thing. He doesn't even have a ring. He's overcome with emotion and just drops to his knee and says, 'I'm here for you, and I want to be here with you forever.' Needless to say, it catches her off guard."

For good reason. Rick is much younger than Taylor and, in fact, used to date her daughter, Phoebe. Worse, Rick's mother, Brooke, has been Taylor's sworn enemy for over 20 years.

"Taylor never says yes, but she doesn't say no," says Lowder. "She's very forthright with him, saying: 'There are too many complications right now. Phoebe doesn't even know about us. Let me tell her you and I have a relationship first!' Plus, there's this whole battle over the baby."

Kevin Spiritas joins OLTL
A new face—but one familiar to many daytime fans—is coming to ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Kevin Spiritas, best known for his role as shady doctor Craig Wesley on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, debuts as the mysterious Jonas Chamberlain. He first airs in early June. Jonas is going to be connected to Tina Lord, played by returning super star Andrea Evans. Who Jonas really is and what that connection entails will be a shocker for OLTL fans and a bonus treat for longtime viewers!

Teens lather up for CBS soap operas
Media Life Magazine reports: "Ratings for soaps have been slipping for years as women join the workforce and cable lures away more viewers, and to reverse the trend the networks have been looking for ways to woo younger viewers. It looks like it’s working for CBS. Teen viewership for CBS soaps has risen this season. Season to date, CBS’s daytime lineup, which also includes game show THE PRICE IS RIGHT, is up 17 percent this season, from an average 60,000 to 70,000, according to Nielsen data supplied by NBC.

GUIDING LIGHT has seen the biggest up tick among CBS soaps, rising 29 percent from 49,000 to 63,000, with THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS second with a 23 percent jump, from 77,000 to 95,000.

The network has also gotten a lot of mileage out of its gay teen love story on AS THE WORLD TURNS. While it’s been controversial, mainly because fans have complained that the teen boys in question don’t show enough affection, it’s also draw in new viewers. Male 12-17 viewership has shot up 30 percent this year, from 20,000 to 26,000, following the couple’s first kiss last summer."

GL stars in Cincinnati TODAY
Two cast members from CBS' GUIDING LIGHT will visit Cincinnati today. Caitlin Van Zandt, who plays Ashlee Wolfe, and John Driscoll, who plays Henry "Coop" Bradshaw, will help plant trees in the West End's Laurel Park 8-11 a.m., then greet fans and encourage volunteerism at noon on Fountain Square. It's part of a Procter & Gamble/CincinnatiUSA.com volunteer fair.

FOX makes a plea to P&G CEO
FOX 411 reports: "Alan G. Lafley has been the much praised CEO of Procter & Gamble for 7 years. Last year he made $16.8 million. He’s made a total of $41.3 million in the last five years, according to reports.

According to one report, Lafley made his name at P&G by launching Tide and Liquid Tide with Bleach.

But Lafley has a problem. Every day, P&G produces the worst looking, most poorly executed TV show on the air: the CBS soap, GUIDING LIGHT.

Alan, you’ve got to do something. Since GUIDING switched to hand held video cameras on February 29th, the show looks like someone’s very badly made home movie. It has not improved since it began. It’s only gotten worse.

GUIDING LIGHT, now 70 years old since it debuted on radio, used to be a real gem in the P&G crown. Now it’s so tarnished it’s unrecognizable. The sound echoes. Most of the scenes are shot in the outdoors. As I’ve said before, it resembles "Bowfinger," the Steve Martin movie about an out of work director who makes a movie by shooting unwitting people.

Certainly Alan Lafley you can do something about this. You have a Harvard MBA. You have millions and millions of dollars. You can’t possibly think this show, which is seen by 2 million people every day, is up to P&G’s standards of excellence.

Please: put the actors back in a studio. Don’t make them work in the rain anymore. Pull back from those extremely tight, discomfiting close-ups before a dermatologist has to be called in.

And one other thing: turn off the music. Someone at the production has found the worst, most dreadful pop music — so undistinguished that it can’t be heard on the radio — and thrown it into every scene. Bring back the pump organ if you must. MTV, this ain’t."

CORRIE star in hospital after fall
CORONATION STREET actress Maggie Jones was recovering in hospital today after injuring herself in a fall. Jones, 73, fell at Manchester's luxury Marriott Manchester Victoria & Albert Hotel, where she lives when she is filming. She suffered knee and shoulder injuries. She plays Blanche Hunt, mother of Deidre Barlow, in the hit soap opera.

Graziadei to play "sexually confused" killer on CRIMINAL MINDS
Michael Graziadei from THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS will play a "sexually confused" serial killer (Steven) on the April 30th episode of CRIMINAL MINDS which is titled "In Heat".

Michael Jensen says: "That's a lovely title for a gay serial killer episode. Steven is the confused young man who, after being rejected by his homophobic father, is apparently exploring his sexuality and that somehow involves end up killing men he has sex with. Um, wasn't that called Cruising and starring Al Pacino? And didn't we about riot over it?"

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