News Brief

Michael Fairman's "Day of DAYS" coverage
Fairman has some wonderful video from the event and interviews with much of the cast.
Video Clips
Cast Interviews (Trascript with audio) - Part 1
Cast Interviews (Trascript with audio) - Part 2

Y&R's Jeanne Cooper projects a 'Yes, Indeed!' personality
At 5-foot-4 and a blue-eyed blonde, Jeanne Cooper is “hanging in there” and makes no pretense about her roles in life from her screen debut as a 25-year-old actress in the 1953 Western The Redhead From Wyoming with Maureen O’Hara, to an 80-year-old television soap opera star who, without whimper, graciously accepts her latter years (“80 is 80”) with humor and reality and views as pretense the popular notion that “80 is the new 60.” Among her laurels is television’s 2008 Emmy Award for outstanding "leading actress" in a daytime drama.

Unsuspectingly, her route to Midland took flight, in a roundabout way, during Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 1975 when Colbert Latimer “Tim” Baker was introduced to Jeanne Cooper by way of his debonair father, Colbert “Bud” Baker. Tim Baker, who is The Springboard Center’s executive director and a seasoned marathoner, moved to Midland in the 1980s and became immersed in the recovery community. “We represent something that is good and positive,” Tim Baker affirmed.

And that, the “recovery community,” is Jeanne Cooper’s primary interest in Midland and environs. While she cited the big-time monetary gifts to The Springboard Center, which is necessarily both “political and spiritual,” Jeanne Cooper noted tactfully, “the two-dollar bets keep the racetrack open.”

EVENT: Y&R's Judith Chapman to appear at Girl Scout fundraiser
Judith Chapman (Gloria, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) will be appearing at Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council's 2nd Annual Smart Cookie Chef's Challenge and Holiday Silent Auction on Sunday, December 7 from 2-5 p.m., at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells, 4400 Indian Wells Lane.

DAYS' Alison Sweeney celebrates her upcoming arrival
DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Alison Sweeney raked in the gifts at her November 2nd baby shower at the Treehouse Social Club in LA. But there was a twist — all presents were donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “It seemed the perfect opportunity to do something good and have a good time, too.”

A Very Merry Market brings 'Hope' to Central Louisiana
The Alexandria Riverfront Center will transform into a winter wonderland attraction Thursday through Saturday. Christmas trees, gift-wrapped boxes and festive lights will be strewn about the shopping area in the main venue on the second level. Kristian Alfonso (Hope, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) will not only show up Saturday to sign autographs and pose for picture, but she will also be promoting her jewelry line.

AMC's Lee Meriwether in "Long Days Jouney Into Night"
Lee Meriwether (Ruth, ALL MY CHILDREN0 will star as Mary Tyrone in the Eugene O'Neill Pulitzer Prize-winning play at City College of San Francisco. The show plays at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Nov. 20-22, and 2 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 23, at the college's Diego Rivera Theatre, 50 Phelan Ave., S.F. Tickets, at $15, may be reserved at 415-452-5185. For more information, call 415-239-3100.

FLASHBACK: Super Soap Weekends Past
Sad times coming up this weekend for soap fans as the last Super Soap Weekend will be held at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The company is discontinuing the event, which for 13 years has shipped dozens of ABC Daytime stars to Central Florida to meet and greet their fans through autograph sessions, parades, game shows, interviews and even a few love scenes.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Landry as female repellent?
Landry is probably one of the few characters who inhabit Dillon who wouldn't bat an eye at finding out the girl he likes, Devin, is a lesbian. But FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS managed to find a way to unveil a gay character while illustrating the unintentional cruelness of teenage life.

When Landry asked why she kissed him if she's gay, Devin matter-of-factly says, 'I didn’t want to be rude, Landry, and I had to make sure.' So in one one season, Landry has been dumped by one woman and officially turned another off of men for good. It's enough to drive the man to say he possesses some sort of "repellent that repels females." And with those few words, and the struggle on Tami Taylor's face not to laugh when she hears them, last season's murder plot is now officially forgiven."

NBC axes LIPSTICK JUNGLE
Sources confirm that NBC has canceled the struggling Brooke Shields drama LIPSTICK JUNGLE.