News Round-up: 'ENDERS Fans Outraged, CORRIE Lesbian

EASTENDERS fans outraged over Danielle's death
Thousands of EASTENDERS viewers have signed an online petition in anger over the death of Danielle Jones. According to reports in The Mirror, around 5,500 EastEnders fans had signed the petition urging bosses of the BBC1 soap to re-write the storyline to allow for the possible return of Danielle, who was run over by Janine Butcher in Thursday's night hour-long special.

INTERVIEW: Former GL writer Nancy Curlee Demorest
"Our future, I think, is what you now see being played out in successful evening dramas, which I think borrowed much of their formatting and storytelling from the old soaps. THE SOPRANOS, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, etc. are much more recognizable to me than current daytime dramas. Although the time increments are different, and the production values far superior, and they have far more latitude in what they can show, they share the same values. Oddly enough, the television execs in daytime seemed to want to do seventies action adventure shows, even as the rest of the industry was evolving into what we used to do best -- stories that emanate from full throated, individual characters. The daytime execs were amazingly shortsighted, and ultimately killing for those daytime shows."

First lesbian character for CORONATION STREET?
TV bosses at Granada have decided to portray a ‘born-again Christian’ character embarking on a lesbian affair in a bid to make the soap more reflective of modern Britain, a source has said.

Sophie Webster, a 16-year-old character, may begin the relationship with another girl from her Bible study group, the source told a national newspaper.

The source said: “The show’s bosses want to create a soap representative of society in 2009. They are acutely aware that they need more gay characters and that they need to tackle more gay issues.”

Kym Marsh plays down US speculation
CORONATION STREET star Kym Marsh has insisted that she is "taking each day as it comes" following the loss of her premature son Archie. The actress, who plays Michelle Connor on the ITV1 soap, was said to be hoping for a fresh start in the US following the tragedy.

However, in a new interview, Marsh says: "To be honest, I'm taking each day as it comes. That's about all you can do. But everybody has been so supportive and that's really helpful. And I'm keeping busy."

Christian LeBlanc and Winsor Harmon discuss Soap Opera Mania tour
"It's full-body contact with the fans," LeBlanc said. "This show is not about you standing on that side of the velvet rope, us standing on this side. We get to talk to you."

Harmon added, "You're going to get the opportunity to actually act out scenes with us. It's an opportunity for us to give back. I like doing these because I like to ask questions."

And for both, it is important to give back to those fans because they have had a significant impact on their careers.

LeBlanc said, "For me, I was going to be a short-term character on my show. I was a bad guy. It was their response that gave me 13 more years of life. They tend to sit there and think they are the victims in the situation, but truly, activist fans are a big motivating factor in the business."