Tuesday, February 24, 2009

News Round-up

CNN: Wounded vet goes from 'life slipping away' to soap opera star
When J.R. Martinez returned from serving in Iraq, he never thought he'd see his name on the marquee at the local restaurant -- but there it was, a welcome-home banner at the Applebee's in Dalton, Georgia.
The other three occupants of the Humvee that Martinez was driving walked away with minor injuries. More than 40 percent of J.R. Martinez's body was burned in a land mine explosion in Iraq. He certainly never imagined he'd be starring in a popular daytime soap opera, either. But Martinez, 25, has never let the severe burns he received while serving in the United States Army stop him. He spoke with CNN's Nicole Lapin about overcoming odds and being an inspiration for young people.

"When I was a young child, one of my sisters passed away from an illness she was born with. She was born in Central America and I was born here in the United States and I never met her, but I always felt the connection throughout my whole childhood. I felt the connection with my sister and I was confused as to why.

And the day of my injury when I was inside the vehicle and I can literally see my life slipping away, an actual visual of my sister came to me and told me I was going to be OK and told me I'd be fine. And after that sweet whisper went away, they pulled me out of the vehicle and got me immediately into the medical team's hands.

So I guess you could say faith, my sister, my mother -- all the things that kind of kept me grounded as a young child that my mother instilled in me at a young age: to be strong and to hold on to certain things in life because they'll get you through."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: AMC's Richard Shoberg
Shoberg (ex-Tom Cudahy) spoke with The Pine Valley Bulletin: "I thought I would get to work for a while. Little did he know his contract run would last almost 20 years. In those days, CBS was CBS, NBC was NBC and ABC was ABC. They were the companies. We were part of the company, and contributed to its success. We were always treated very well by the people at headquarters for what we did. It inspired us to do the very best we could."

GH goes Heart Healthy
Over the years GENERAL HOSPITAL has tackled a variety of issues from AIDs to breast cancer to abuse -- with the latest support going to the Go Red for Women's Heart Health initiative. Brenda Wiegand of the The Saginaw News wonders "if they've taken supporting a 'cause' just a bit too far! With daily advertising coming into the story line for products such as V8 and Campbell's Healthy Requests soups, where should TV shows draw the line?"

SAG, AMPTP may need mediation
With TV-theatrical contract negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP at a bitter standstill, both sides may be looking for a third party to pass out the olive branches. Perhaps the CAA topper will -- as he did to forward labor peace during the WGA strike last year -- once again bring powerful parties together to coax an extra dose of compromise from the players in the room.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Y&R's Rachel Kimsey
Kimsey (ex-Mackenzie Browning) will play Alice in the life-or-death drama "Who Lives?" at the Pico Playhouse in Los Angeles, March 12-29, 2009.

No KXJB-TV (CBS) for DirecTV subscribers in Red River Valley (ND)
Jackie Hanson of Grand Forks is one of 25,000 DirecTV subscribers in the Red River Valley who are unable to watch CBS shows. That’s because DirecTV and KXJB-TV Channel 4 can’t agree on how much the satellite cable company should pay to retransmit the KXJB signal. Because of the stalemate, CBS programming has been erased from subscribers’ viewing options for the past six weeks.

Ryan Bakken of the Grand Forks Herald has this advice: “AS THE WORLD TURNS against you and your stubbornness, instead let compromise be your GUIDING LIGHT. Think of your responsibility to the people. If they continue without CBS shows, they might resort to other entertainment, maybe even a WIFE SWAP. Then, you’d need to FACE THE NATION and ask for forgiveness. “Don’t overestimate the patience of your customers. They’re THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. As each customer waits in his House for a solution, it’s time for you to head to THE OFFICE. If you want to be a Survivor in these tough economic times, compromise is the answer."

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