Entertainment Weekly charts the highs, the lows, and the many surprising hues on the red carpet at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Economic meltdown hits NATPE: Confab offers only four new daytime shows
The surest sign of the misery local TV stations are enduring amid the economic meltdown is the slim roster of daytime strips that will be hawked this week at the syndie biz's annual NATPE confab in Las Vegas.
There are a grand total of four Monday-Friday series in the offing -- maybe five, if the indie distrib backing a Marie Osmond-hosted talker can wrangle enough station clearances.
The 2009 advertising forecasts for TV stations are so grim that even the biggest syndie players are wary of investing big in firstrun launches. Advertising prognosticators, including the Television Bureau of Advertising trade org, predict that spending in the local broadcast TV sector will fall between 7% and 11% this year from the $25 billion in 2008.
None of this season's new strips -- including THE DOCTORS (not to be confused with the classic soap), THE BONNIE HUNT SHOW and DEAL OR NO DEAL -- have generated much heat so far. And then there's that buzz-killing bankruptcy filing by Tribune Co., whose 23 stations are among the industry's largest purchasers of firstrun and off-network syndie fare.
SARA A. BIBEL: Because It Is Bitter, And Because It Is My Retconned Fetus’s Heart"Last week, a former aborted fetus donated his heart to his comatose sister. I wish I could say Erica Kane’s decision to allow the donation of Josh’s heart was ALL MY CHILDREN's version of Sophie’s Choice. But it was really just the umpteenth rip off of GENERAL HOSPITAL's BJ’s heart storyline that managed to sidestep the numerous ethical dilemmas the scenario created."
SAG, AFTRA renew partnership
The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists have officially renewed their bargaining partnership after several years of bitter battles. In a message to members Sunday, both unions confirmed for the first time that they've agreed to a set of guidelines including specific prohibitions on raiding and disparagement.
HOLLYOAKS' Kelly-Marie Stewart objects to labelStewart has revealed she didn't like being announced as "HOLLYOAKS' first disabled star". The 24-year-old actress - who debuts as Zak's sister Hayley in the Channel 4 soap on January 28 - is in a wheelchair as a result of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an acute disease of the peripheral nervous system which affects the nerves in the arms and legs - but wants people to see beyond her disability.
CADY MCCLAIN: Alone Again... Naturally?
"I also think it’s important to be TRUE to yourself. This website is me. Just me, Cady, who was named Katie Jo and changed her name when she was 14 because her agent told her to. I’m tired of being at the cause and effect of show business. I’m almost 40 for christ’s sake! I’m used to my name now, but it’s MY life, and the more I validate that, the more I am able to help others validate that, and that feels good, and true, and loving."
Debra Borchardt combines acting with finance career
Debra Borchardt doesn't dispense stock tips over coffee. That much is evident as Borchardt, a Cortlandt resident and a financial reporter for TheStreet.com, gets ready for a photo shoot.
With the support of her husband, who has a growing architectural business, Borchardt decided to take a leap of faith. Her goal was to find a way to combine her parallel lives in finance and acting, which was her first love. As a teen in Texas, she was an actress. She also had a recurring role on AS THE WORLD TURNS as an EMT, and scored several jobs as an extra on Saturday Night Live.
Darwen dog to star in EASTENDERS
An up-and-coming Darwen-born actor is to be the latest star of hit soap EASTENDERS — a 200lb St Bernard dog. Two-year-old Shamus, who like most UK celebrities now lives in London, will be seen on our screens for the first time on Thursday when he is taken in by Bradley Branning and named Gumbo.
Broadcasting & Cable downsizing
B&C is downsizing to standard magazine. The sales people have been tipping advertisers about this for the past month.
Conscious Loving Radio with Catherine Hickland
The latest episode of Hickland's radio show, "Unconditional Love Is Not Love Without Boundaries," aired last night.
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