News Brief

DEEP SOAP: Actors Keep It Real
Sara A. Bibel blogs: "In the latest Internet-Related Soap Scandal ™ Victoria Rowell (ex-Dru The Young & The Restless) has just done a podcast for Daytime Confidential. Most soap actors won’t say anything negative in interviews, even if off the record they hate everything about their show. Not Ms. Rowell. As outspoken as her beloved character, she let loose on her former co-stars, writers and producers. As someone who was writing for the show when she left I feel compelled to offer my response. In my opinion, Rowell is one of the best actresses ever to grace Y&R. Her passion for her work is apparent to everyone who ever watched her in action.......Soap actors get paid six figures to do what they love. In my opinion, unless they’re actually being harassed, they ought to suck it up and behave like adults."

TV rides the red-blue divide
Variety has an interesting story on how TV audiences are more polarized than ever: In another coalescence of politics and pop culture, the presidential campaign has started to mirror TV's growing cultural divide, as contentious debate over John McCain's running mate -- self-proclaimed "hockey mom" Sarah Palin -- is cast not just as small-town America vs. coastal elites, but reality TV vs. high-brow television.

The Palin pick comes as both the TV audience and political discourse have polarized -- the former fueled by an increasingly fragmented audience, the latter magnified by loud and angry voices from talk radio, cable news and the Internet. Lacking on both fronts is much respect for conflicting views, as the conversation degenerates from "I like this and you like that" toward something more akin to "I like this, and you must be a complete moron -- or an effete snob -- for liking that."

2008 Most Influential Minorities in Cable: The Top 50
#3 Albert Cheng, EVP, Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television Group
Cheng oversees digital media efforts including online, VOD and mobile strategies/initiatives for Disney Channel, ABC Family, Toon Disney/Jetix and SOAPnet as well as the ABC Television Network, and is involved in all digital media-related deals for those networks.

Rising star lands two soap roles
Keep an eye on young actor Junade Khan - he's about to become one of the hottest properties on the box, thanks to landing two soap roles.

First of all, he's set to be the handsome young man who woos Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) on holiday in CORONATION STREET, and as if that wasn't enough, he's also scored a part in Channel 4 soap HOLLYOAKS.

"Every one says I'm a jammy git," he told The Sheffield Star. "All my mates are jealous."

Wales' top 50 sexiest men
#38 Tom Ellis, who played Dr. Oliver Cousins on EASTENDERS.

EMMERDALE stars Paul Lambert and Donald de Souza quit
Two of EMMERDALE's biggest stars have walked out. The decisions by Matthew Bose, 34, who plays gay heart-throb Paul Lambert, and Michael Jayston, 72, who plays Donald de Souza, come amid reports morale on the soap is at an all-time low.

In months of open revolt, cast and crew have slammed the show's tacky storylines and lack of direction since the arrival of producer Anita Turner - dubbed Anita Turn-off.

There are even fears the crisis could lead to the award-winning soap's demise. A furious insider said: "It's not the same since the hierarchy changed 10 months ago. Morale has never been so bad. If it was CORRIE or EASTENDERS they would be gone by now."

DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD: Lotsa Trouble Inside Network Fall Skeds
Nikki Finke takes a look at the many issues surrounding the networks fall programming.