News Brief

DAYS OF OUR LIVES Hogestyn fired again?
"Drake has been fired AGAIN. Ken Corday PHONED his house and told him his character will be written out of the show. This news comes from our Fan Club President. I have no words right now, just a hell of a lot of tears."

This comes on the heels of the news that negotiations between the show and Jay Kenneth Johnson have broken down.

TV is sculpting bodies and minds
The problem for most BIGGEST LOSER participants is that life doesn't make sense. Alison Sweeney, host of the show (and Sami Brady on DAYS OF OUR LIVES), said what she sees during months of taping each season is desperation that often goes much deeper than their extra pounds.

"You learn so much about who people are, where they come from and the struggle that they're going through that led to the unhappiness or the emotional turmoil and the way they're living their life," she said. "This is people working out their emotional scars and proving that anything can be overcome when you set your mind to it."

B&B's Alley Mills on her character, Pam
"She loves Stephanie so much," Mills says, "and she feels for people who are wounded. She has that aspect to her and then it is taken to the extreme, but the heart of her is something that I share. Some people think she is mean; some people think she is nuts. But I think she is actually a dear soul."

HOLLYOAKS' Claire Cooper signs up for Children In Need
HOLLYOAKS actress Claire Cooper was among celebrities who designed a range of Christmas cards for Children In Need.

The actress, who plays Jacqui McQueen, joined BBC presenters Lauren Laverne and Mark Radcliffe, comedian Leigh Francis, BBC wildlife expert Steve Leonard, and Karl Pilkington, author and co-host on Ricky Gervais show podcasts, to create cards for the cause.

Motherhood helped ground ATWT's Terri Colombino
"As actors and as people you want to live in the moment, but it's a really hard thing to do. You watch these children and it's just second nature for them. That's definitely how [Julia] has helped me."

Actor and Musician Val Emmich is making beautiful nusic on UGLY BETTY
This season his is playing Betty's latest crush object. In his earlier forays in acting while he was at Rutgers involved taking the odd gig simply because it paid more than music. His most memorable role from those early days: playing a sleazy fratboy type who picks a bar fight and dramatically utters the line “This isn’t over!” on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

INTERVIEW: Tom Casiello
The former soap writer appeared on BlogTalk Radio show "AST: Let's Talk Lane" last night.