News Round-up

GUIDING LIGHT's Beth Chamberlin (Beth) on Phillip's return
"Phillip arrives at the church in the nick of time, or maybe not. It depends on your point of view as to whether it's good timing or not. Keep watching in the next few weeks and you will be really satisfied with your show! It's just really good storytelling that the writers have put together and I think it's the kind of thing where people won't want to miss a single episode."

TV Guide's Michael Logan on "Otalia"
"Nobody at GUIDING LIGHT is using the L word just yet, but the increasingly close friendship between Olivia (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia (Jessica Leccia) sure seems like a romance waiting to happen. It's also the most fascinating--and hot--plot playing out on the soaps right now."

Michelle Ray Smith on LAW & ORDER: SVU tonight
PREVIEW: When young girl Rosie Rinaldi (guest star Daisy Tahan) is kidnapped, the girls mother, Liz Ranaldi (guest star Michelle Ray Smith) immediately points Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) in the direction of her ex-husband, Geno Parnell (guest star Ron Eldard), a recently paroled convict. When Parnells alibi checks out, a fight erupts between Parker and Detectives Stabler and Odafin Tutola (Ice-T), which in turn unveils some knowledge on Parkers ex-wife. Parker admits Lizs father is Frank Hagar (guest star Dabney Coleman), a master thief with a lot of enemies. The detectives pay a visit to Hagar, but are surprised to find he has a severe case of Alzheimers disease. With the help of Dr. George Huang (B.D. Wong), the detectives are able to put together a few clues to solve the case, but must pair up again with Parker in order to find Rosie.

GL's Newman to do North Shore benefit
Performers have been announced for special benefit concerts for North Shore Music Theater, to be held at Joe's Pub on February 9 and at The Theatre at Saint Peters on February 10. Performers including GUIDING LIGHT's Robert Newman (Josh) and Aaron Lazar.

REAPER returns March 3 moving 90210 to 9pm ET
REAPER is back two weeks early and 90210 is getting bumped back an hour to move it out of direction competition with AMERICAN IDOL.

Study links TV with depression
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Medical School studied 4,142 healthy TV-watching teenagers and found that each additional hour of TV watched per day boosted the odds of becoming depressed by 8%. Researchers are quick to point out, however, that TV viewing itself doesn't cause depression. "It could be argued that people with the predilection for later development of depression also happen to have a predilection for watching lots of TV," said one researcher.

Classic Bill and Bradley Bell interview
For about the first year, I frustrated the hell out of Bradley," Bill recalls. "I didn't use any of his stuff because I didn't feel he was quite ready for it." During this intense period, Bradley was living in one of the guest houses on the Bell family's Beverly Hills estate. "We were inseparable, which was great because it was a very good learning opportunity," Bradley observes. "But it was also very difficult, because there was a time I wasn't sure [if] he was my boss or my father."

Comcast on NBCU's short list for LIPSTICK JUNGLE
NBC Universal is looking for an outside partner that would allow it to bring its LIPSTICK JUNGLE series back on the air. One potential partner is Comcast, which unsuccessfully bid on NBC's FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and has said it was interested in participating in similar deals in the future.

Marcia Wallace to Y&R
Emmy award-winning actress Marcia Wallace is joining the cast of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. She'll be playing a woman named Annie Wilkes who poses a possible danger to Katherine Chancellor. Wallace is best known for THE BOB NEWHART SHOW but I loved her most as a guest on MATCH GAME.