News Brief

EASTENDERS wins Best Soap award
EASTENDERS beat its ITV rivals CORONATION STREET and EMMERDALE to Best Soap at the TVQuick and TVChoice awards, hosted by comedian and actor Ben Miller.

Charlie Clements, 21, who plays Bradley Branning in the BBC1 soap, won Best Soap Actor for the second consecutive year.

CORONATION STREET's Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre) won Best Soap Newcomer. Yorkshire soap EMMERDALE won two awards - Best Soap Actress for Charlotte Bellamy (Laurel Thomas) and Best Soap Storyline for the scenes involving the cot death of Laurel and Ashley's baby.

LYNN LICCARDO: Republicans 2008: The Great American Soap Opera As Subtext
"You have to hand it to the Republicans. They really do understand soap opera - the short story arc, the long story arc, the need for characters with compelling back stories. And boy, do they know how to weave all those structural elements together into a cohesive narrative to engage viewers - sorry, make that voters. Were that As the World Turns could do the same."

Gearing up for the return of Scotty and Kevin
Greg Hernandez reports: "Season three of BROTHERS & SISTERS is right around the corner and that means lots of fresh material on Kevin and Scotty, the couple played by Luke MacFarlaneand Matthew Rhys. It's been a wonderful storyline for the show, for viewers and for society - especially with the scary Sarah Palin's of the world fighting against equal rights for gays. Kevin and Scotty on prime-time TV and Luke and Noah on daytime's AS THE WORLD TURNS and the just married Ellen DeGeneres put us into people's living rooms in a way that is positive and real and not shame-based."

Forget 20, forget 30. 40 is hot!
The conventional wisdom in media and fashion has always been that, at 40 an actress or model has reached her expiration date and can kiss her career goodbye.

"Women in their 40s are here and they're not going anywhere," said Albert Lee, a senior editor at US Weekly. "In politics, media and fashion, everyone is finally waking up to this sleeping giant demographic. These are the women at the hub of our culture."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Someone needs to tell the daytime execs about this trend.

Photo Flash: "Frankenstein the Musical" CD Release Party
Last season, Mary Shelley’s novel was reborn as a highly anticipated new musical opening at off-Broadway’s 37 Arts. On Thursday, September 4th, company members of Frankenstein reunited for a CD release celebration at The Irish Rouge located at 365 West 44th St. The recording preserves the performances of the original off-Broadway cast including GUIDING LIGHT's Mandy Bruno as Justine.

Lynda Baron returns to EASTENDERS
Lynda Baron is to reprise her Walford role as Linda Collins later this year. The 66-year-old, who played Nurse Gladys Emanuel in the BBC comedy, has already returned to filming as Jane Beale's (Laurie Brett) and Christian Clarke's (John Partridge) mother for a storyline which will reveal more about the family's history.

EASTENDERS sacks baby actor
EASTENDERS has replaced a ten-month old baby actor to save money on taxis. Gabriel Miller-Williams, who plays Oscar Branning, has been dropped from the show to save on the £300-a-day taxi from his home in Essex to the set in Hertfordshire. His mother Claire, 39, only found out when a taxi failed to pick him up one morning.

She said: "It's a disgusting way to treat people. We still haven't had a call explaining why he was sacked."

Ghanaian stars in soap opera
Chris Attoh, Omar Captan, Akofa, and Juliet Asante are in first-ever West African soap opera, TINSEL, currently showing on DStv. They are the four main Ghanaian characters, but the program also features other Nigerian actors.

Shot and produced in Lagos, Nigeria, the show marries all the elements of drama, intrigue, romance, deception, betrayal and triumph into a thrilling must-watch series for DStv audiences across the continent of Africa.