News Round-up

INTERVIEW: GENERAL HOSPITAL's Tyler Christopher (Nikolas)
"I did submit myself for Lead Actor this year. In retrospect, I don’t know what I have this year as opposed to what I had last year, which did not hold up!"

SAG talks to start Tuesday
Despite the firing of Doug Allen and Tuesday's resumption of contract talks with the congloms, the Screen Actors Guild's threatened strike remains alive -- at least on SAG's website, which still sports a list of 6,000 members who support a strike authorization.

As of early Wednesday, SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers had not announced officially when they would meet to hammer out a deal. But later in the day, they agreed on Tuesday and Wednesday dates.

INTERVIEW: GUIDING LIGHT's Crystall Chappell & Jessica Leccia
Michael Fairman has posted video interviews from our set visit in December with the "Otalia" actresses.

Corbin Bernsen forms indie outfit
Corbin Bernsen has formed Team Cherokee Prods. to make independent films for targeted audiences.

First up for Cherokee will be the feature film "Rust," a co-production in association with Kipling Film Prods. and Mission Pictures. Bernsen wrote the faith-based feature and will direct and star as well.

Production is set to begin next month in Kipling, Saskatchewan. The rural farming community of about 1,100 also put up most of the financing.

Meanwhile, Bernsen has brokered a deal with Electric Light Films to re-release the film Carpool Guy, starring Anthony Geary, Rick Hearst, Jeanne Cooper and Bernsen, who directed and co-wrote that film as well.

Bringing abortion to 90210
"Like every teen drama that goes there, they gave the debate enough airtime to prove they’re edgy enough not to avoid the topic while making it clear they’d never go so far as to have the character actually have an abortion. Except, in this case, 90210 didn’t opt for the usual 'it’s fine for other women, but when it comes down to the crunch, I just couldn’t do that to my baby' copout. They ducked out on a technicality: Adriana announced she was too far into the pregnancy to have an abortion. Smooth."

INTERVIEW: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS' Stacey Oristano (Mindy)
"I play Mindy Collette who is the comic relief. The show is a definitely a one-hour drama, but Mindy is lighthearted. She laughs and dances and I think people respond to that in the midst of a show that can be pretty weighty."

Sheridan chosen as Vienna Ball guest
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Nicollette Sheridan will be Austrian businessman Richard Lugner's star guest at this year's Vienna Opera Ball, he has announced.

Lugner, 76, an entrepreneur who regularly seeks the spotlight with garish reality TV shows and young new girlfriends, invites a celebrity every year as his guest to the sumptuous Opera Ball, the highlight of the Viennese social calendar.

Another DAYS actor fired?
"At 12:01 am Friday morning, the victim will be revealed."