News Round-up:Otalia, Tupele Dorgu, Jennifer Gareis

The New Black? Otalia on Race and Ethnicity
Lana M. Nieves writes: "Some viewers may be less than pleased about the lack of attention being paid to the ethnic diversity angle of the Otalia story line. Personally, I'm thrilled. It wasn't all that long ago that the very idea of two people from different ethnic groups - even religions - pairing up as a couple on film or television was considered controversial or cutting edge."

GUIDING LIGHT PROJECT: Ain't Technology Grand
Lynn Liccardo writes: "Historically, soap operas have been tightly-woven tapestries of interlocking and overlapping characters and stories. But the threads have slackened over the years – these days both GUIDING LIGHT and AS THE WORLD TURNS – more resemble a loose macramé wall hanging than the intricate tapestries of old. And tempting though it may be to point the finger at slashed budgets, lack of money is not where this problem began. This shift actually began with the finger we use to operate the remote control."

Bella Jennifer Gareis Honored In Italy
On her recent European trip, Jennifer Gareis received the honor of Honorary Citizenship of the City of Militello Val di Catania, Italy, on the island of Sicily.

“The ceremony was the culmination of three days of festivities organized by Sicilia Mondo, a worldwide organization devoted to the promotion and preservation of Sicilian culture. It was officiated by the city’s mayor, Sindaco Antonio Lo Presti, and attended by thousands of members of the public and numerous local press. A celebratory procession through the streets preceded the ceremony, with the Gareis family riding on an ornate horse-drawn Sicilian cart, accompanied by the music of a traditional Sicilian band and a medieval flag-waving troop,” said a spokesman for Gareis.

CORRIE's Tupele Dorgu weds
Having shared screen time over the years with her character Kelly Crabtree, CORONATION STREET cast members Alison King, Vicky Binns, Katherine Kelly, Julia Haworth and Antony Cotton shared in co-star Tupele Dorgu's joy on May 23 as she said "I do" to the man she loves, Mark Flanagan.

Adding her own touch of soap opera drama the the happy event, the bride draped herself in a cape to keep the details of her wedding dress a secret as she made her way inside Salford Cathedral, the Lancashire Evening Post reports.

Andrew Sachs moves to CORONATION STREET
The 79-year-old actor, who is popping up as Norris’ half-brother in CORRIE, is keen to downplay the fallout from the row, although he admits it has raised his profile.

"All that publicity has done me no harm at all. There’s quite a lot of interest suddenly, but I’ve always been busy and I don’t trade on that kind of publicity. I keep quiet about it on the whole, because it’s got nothing to do with my work, which is what I’m interested in."

Back End Driving More Scheduling Moves
The MEDIUM deal with CBS demonstrates one of the advantages of vertical integration: When a studio produces a show for its co-owned network, the company has much more control over that program's fate and thus its revenue. On the other hand, TV companies get into trouble when their networks are too dependent on their own studios' shows. If those shows fail, the company takes the entire financial hit instead of sharing that loss with the producing studio.