Thursday, December 11, 2008

News Round-up

Crystal Hunt joins the OLTL cast
Crystal Hunt (ex-Lizzie, GUIDING LIGHT) joins ABC's ONE LIFE TO LIVE next year in the new role of Stacy. "She is a trouble maker," head writer Ron Carlivati teases. "It's great to be back in daytime! I'm very excited to be working along side another very talented cast," beams Hunt. We'll meet Stacy on Feb. 6 and she'll be connected to a character already on the Llanview canvas.

TV's shifting landscape leaves scriptwriters in a pinch
"It's always hard, but it's getting harder," says Bryan Fuller, creator and showrunner of ABC's PUSHING DAISIES. When the show returned after the strike-imposed hiatus, he says, the network made budget cuts as well as numerous requests to make the story less "weird." Whether you are a prime-time, A-list writer such as Steven Bochco, who has migrated from broadcast networks to cable in pursuit of creative freedom, or a daytime soap opera scribe such as Karen Harris, who grinds out an 80-to-90-page GENERAL HOSPITAL script every week, the challenges facing the nation's small-screen storytellers are the same: dwindling clout, an industry in historic transition, and a larger economy in tatters.

GH to be featured on THE BACHELOR
This morning, ABC released first details about this season on THE BACHELOR and what we can expect this season with 32-year-old single dad Jason Mesnick in the driver’s seat. In one episode Jason accompanies six women to an exclusive, behind-the-scenes date on the set of ABC’s hit Emmy-winning daytime drama, GENERAL HOPSITAL, where the women learn techniques of screen kissing and get a chance to act out their secret fantasies with the Bachelor.

Soap stars warm cold fans
In Mexico, Eduardo YaƱez, Pablo Montero and Jorge Salinas are among the biggest names in entertainment. They drew millions of viewers during the airing earlier this year of, FUEGO EN LA SANGRE, or FIRE IN THE BLOOD, one of Mexico's most popular soap operas.

But they're not unknown on this side of the border -- thanks to the re-airing of novela on Univision here in the U.S. And if Wednesday's massive crowd was any indicator, their Yakima fan base was proud to have that slice of Mexico drop in for a visit.

Real drama at last in Albert Square
"Just in time for Christmas, EastEnders pulled a real cracker: an episode that was taut, gripping, exceptionally well written and terrifically well acted by Patsy Palmer as Bianca and Shona McGarty as her teenage stepdaughter Whitney."

PHOTOS: 100 episode celebration for DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
The lovely ladies of Wisteria Lane took a moment to enjoy a sweet treat in honor of a special milestone Wednesday, on the set of their hit show DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

SPOILER: HOLLYOAKS Mercedes gets her HIV test results
Mercedes McQueen, played by Jennifer Metcalfe, will see in the New Year with good news after finding out that she is not HIV positive.

Golden Globe Nods: Who Got Robbed
Zap2it's Korbi Ghosh says: "First and foremost, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Now, it's not like I expected the Foreign Press to recognize the always-overlooked shining gem, but that won't stop me from saying, I spit on you for not recognizing the always-overlooked shining gem that is FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!"

B&B: Its Own Gold Standard
Tommy Garrett writes in the L.A. Canyon News: "Just as we all thought, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL was at its apex and at its best, the show takes a crash and burn turn to make the high rated daytime drama even better. Leave it to scribe and mega producer Bradley P. Bell to figure out what to do to shake things up."

1 comment:

  1. Reality TV indeed! When was the last time you went out on a date with 6 different women or men at the same time AND got a behind the scenes look at a television production? I wonder if during the show they'll have a live text vote to guess which one actually watches GH? My guess would be nobody.

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