News Brief

Susan Haskell returning to OLTL!
From her official website: "It's official! Susan is returning to ONE LIFE TO LIVE! First air date to be announced."

Jake's return on AMC is a Goldin opportunity
Jake Martin resurfaces on ALL MY CHILDREN next week as a wounded hostage in Darfur, Sudan, now played by soap vet Ricky Paull Goldin (ex-Gus, GUIDING LIGHT, ex-Dean, ANOTHER WORLD).

"Jake is found on a dirt floor, a hostage of rebel fighters," says Goldin of his new character, who went to Africa in 2003 as a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders (when he was played by J. Eddie Peck).

"They find out this Dr. Martin guy is funded by the high-profile Cambias Corporation, which has very deep pockets. Since they need money, they figure, 'Let's kidnap him and demand a ransom of $5 million.'"

Word gets back to Cambias honcho Zach Slater, who dispatches new head of security Aidan Devane to Africa to rescue Jake.

AUDIO: Interview with Julia Barr and Sonya Eddy
Long-time ALL MY CHILDREN star Julia Barr appeared on "Buzzworthy Radio" along with GENERAL HOSPITAL actress Sonya Eddy.

Business for Ripple6 grows
Move over, P&G--looks like Gannett and Meredith want in on the branded social network game. The two media giants are the latest companies that have signed on with Ripple6, the social media technology firm that recently developed an online community for P&G's long-running soap opera GUIDING LIGHT. Ripple6's relationship with P&G best illustrates the full potential of the firm's capabilities. In addition to the development and maintenance of the GL community, and a forthcoming project for AS THE WORLD TURNS--Ripple6 crafted P&G's Health Expressions, Home Made Simple and Capessa branded communities.

PHOTO: Middendorf's "The Pavillion"
Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director) will stage a masterful blend of comedy and drama, "The Pavilion," by Craig Wright, award-winning playwright and Emmy-nominated writer/producer. The cast includes Michael Milligan as The Narrator, Tracy Middendorf (ex-Carrie, DAYS) of Westport and Michael Laurence as Kari and Peter, high school sweethearts who re-connect at their 20th reunion.

ATWT's Ewa da Cruz film screening tonight
Matthew Modine’s short film, I Think I Thought, screens (for the first of five times over the next few days) at 10:30pm at the AMC Village (66 Third Avenue). It stars Audrey Hepburn lookalike Ewa de Cruz of AS THE WORLD TURNS and Nick Raynes, grandson of Barbara and the late Marvin Davis, son of Patty Davis Raynes, first cousin of notorious tabloid subject Brandon Davis.

AUCTION: GUIDING LIGHT set visit and mega package
Starting bid is $499. This package contains:
* Set visit for two (2) to the GUIDING LIGHT in New York! Tour the set, meet available cast, ask to bring your camera
* Work with show to book best available date
* Set Visit must be taken by October 2008
* Tax-deduction for every dollar over $1000 bid
* Cast-signed script, Episode #15375
* Baseball Cap
* Two T-shirts (One Womans M and one Mans L)
* Duffle Bag

Samia's birth scenes 'traumatic'
CORONATION STREET's Samia Smith has revealed how hard she found it filming her character's still birth scenes. The soap actress plays hairdresser Maria Connor, who is devastated when she loses her unborn baby, but then has to go through labour. Samia: "There are no two ways about it - it's been awful as it's a really heartbreaking storyline. I'm really tired now! When we filmed the scenes where Maria has to give birth to a stillborn child, the set went eerily silent. I needed quite a bit of time to compose myself after doing it, too."

TV has never seen more transgender characters
Although long known to the gay community, breakout star Candis Cayne became a household name this year with her recurring role as the male-to-female transgender character Carmelita on ABC's DIRTY SEXY MONEY. According to Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which is holding its 19th annual Media Awards on Saturday at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre (with additional ceremonies in New York, South Florida and San Francisco), "There are fewer gay characters on the broadcast networks than there have been in over a decade ... but the characters that do exist are more fully realized and authentic than characters we've seen in the past, so progress is being made."

AfterElton interviews P&G on the Nuke kiss
P&G answered five questions and said absolutely nothing. I lumped all the answers together here.
"We do not provide information about when stories are written or episodes are taped. We’ve been telling Luke and Noah’s story in a sensitive, respectful way and their romance has evolved over time. Luke and Noah kissing is a natural progression of their relationship, it’s not an 'event' or something to be publicized. We cannot speak for Van and Jake, but everyone at the show is committed to telling Luke and Noah’s story authentically. Of course we appreciate the positive outpouring of support from fans of Luke and Noah, but, as always, we make decisions on how to tell this and all our stories based on what’s best for the show creatively. We're going to continue to tell the love story between these two young men."

DAYS star Joseph Mascolo's parents celebrate 80th!
A Connecticut couple gathered with friends and family in Newington on Wednesday to mark its 80th wedding anniversary. It was all champagne and celebration as Peter and Anna Mascolo celebrated their anniversary. The couple was married on April 23, 1928. The couple renewed their vows in Italian at a family event hosted by the couple's son, DAYS star Joseph Mascolo.