News Round-up: Upfronts, Alicia Minshew, 90210

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Michael Fairman is now writing a bi-weekly for Advocate.com where he weighs in on what's gay with daytime TV. In his inaugural column, it's same-sex kisses gone wrong, Daytime Emmy nods, and a soap star's big comeback.

INTERVIEW: HOLLYOAKS producer Lucy Allan
"We've got loads going on in the second half of the year. Obviously we've got all of the stuff with The Loft fire, building up to the exit of three major characters from the show in big, exciting storylines. Then we move into a summer of love, teenagers, trouble and mayhem and re-establishing a lot of characters within the show, before building to a massive September."

Recap: Upfront ups and downs
The pill was bitter, but network and studio execs knew they had to swallow it in order to survive this year's upfronts. After years of refusing to find a remedy to what ailed the business, the industry finally appeared ready to clamp down on out-of-control costs. But it didn't come without side effects.

"The business is brutal," one tenpercenter said after the weeklong dust had settled Thursday.

AMC's Alicia Minshew reacts to her Emmy nomination
"I know a lot of people think, 'Well, why is Thorsten [Kaye, Zach] in Lead and you're not?' To me, I just wasn't sure that I would have enough strong material to go against the Lead actresses. I had taken a few months off to be in this coma and I didn't feel like I was leading every story, which I have felt like in the past. Sometimes, the supporting actresses work just as much as lead and are leads. I think it was just a matter, for me, of feeling like there were plenty of other people who deserved to be in Lead and I wasn't sure if I had the proper amount of material. Debbi Morgan got a nomination for lead and I think that she should have. It may change next year. I felt very comfortable with my decision to be in Supporting, and obviously, I'm glad I made that choice! It was the right choice."

90210 drama-packed finale shines in its simplest moments
Stephanie Lysaght of the Los Angeles Times writes: "Clearly, 90210 wanted to end the season on a note of high drama Tuesday night, as evidenced by vodka-toting Annie Wilson's crash into what appeared to be a pedestrian, the dragon/Cleopatra dream-sequence, and more. But as is so often the case with this show, it was the subtler, truer moments that shone brightest."