News Round-up

INTERVIEW: GUIDING LIGHT's Beth Chamberlin (Beth)
"It’s ultimate betrayal that Phillip is feeling. Beth does know that he is alive at this point and did not know for years. She thought he was dead. When she did find out, in a sense he was dead to her. Phillip left the family and was gone somewhere out there, and had no contact with them. In her mind, Phillip was gone for good, had a breakdown and had dropped out of sight. So it’s kind of a shock for Beth and everyone!"

TV Bracing for Second-Quarter Cancellations
Hit hard by the flailing economy, advertisers are indicating they will cancel a larger-than-usual portion of their upfront TV buys in the second quarter, according to ad buyers and media executives.

Palmer hopes for Carol Jackson return
EASTENDERS star Patsy Palmer has claimed that producers should bring back her on-screen mother. The actress, who plays Bianca Jackson on the BBC One soap, confirmed that she would be thrilled if Lindsey Coulson was recruited to reprise her role as Carol. Palmer also confirmed that she is keen for Nick Berry and Michael French to return in their respective parts of Simon and David Wicks.

In an interview with We Love Telly magazine, Palmer explained: "I'd love to see Bianca's mum Carol return and it'd be amazing to have Simon and David Wicks back."

He's Just Not That Into You wins box office
The star-studded romantic comedy won its opening weekend by a wide margin, grossing $27.5 million, according to Sunday's early estimates. ATWT's Kristen Connolly (Josie) and Kelli Barrett (ex-Maddie) appear in the film as does former ANOTHER WORLD star Kaitlin Hopkins.

Josie Davis struggled with lesbian scenes
The former Y&R and 90210 actress shared her feelings on her lesbian role in the new movie, The Trouble With Romance.

INTERVIEW: Bill Timoney (ex-Alfred, AMC)
"I was pretty close to booking the part of Greg, but they hired Larry," Bill remembered. His second chance came about with a role he was not all too unfamiliar with. Executive Producer Jacqueline Babbin wanted Bill to read for the role of the now much more grown up and promiscuous Tad. "They remembered I did a lot of work for John Dunn. It was a brand new producer. I had never met her before. The first time I did was for the final reading," Bill said. As Bill awaited his fate, his fellow "Bad Extras" were shooting a big Jenny and Greg scene. "This was my third audition for Tad. I went to lunch with my buddies," Bill said.

When Bill came back to the studio that day, Casting Associate Suzanne Ringrose approached him. "She said, 'I had good news for you,'" Bill said. At that very moment, Delaney turned the corner. "She asked, 'Is he going to be Tad?'" Bill remembered. Ringrose replied, "No, Alfred."

Soap Opera Weekly's Mala Bhattacharjee on diversity in soaps
From the Feb. 17 issue of Weekly: "When it comes to fully integrated soap opera, we still have a long haul to go, and most of that journey acknowledges that you can't just shrug off one fight because you think it's 'done,' and move on to the next. It's a good time to be gay in daytime, but let's not forget that it's still not that great to be black, brown or Zoroastrian."