News Round-up: Spreitler, Reynolds, DS, Santer

INTERVIEW: DAYS' Taylor Spreitler (Mia)
"It really is a dream come true for me! Mia is such an interesting character and has dealt with some really painful issues lately. Becoming pregnant, giving her baby up and now having to deal with a girl bully spreading rumors about her. For me it was a lot of years of classes, auditions, learning how to stay positive even when coming close and not booking!"

James Reynold to Chair Salute to Veterans
DAYS OF OUR LIVES star James Reynolds is set to lead VA's annual patient recognition program inviting the public to visit and honor hospitalized veterans. He serves as the national spokesperson for more than 131,000 volunteers serving veterans at VA facilities across the nation.


DARK SHADOWS, iconic soap opera, premieres in 1966
The soap opera ran until April 2, 1971. In that time, over 200 cast members appeared in 1,245 30-minute episodes. Due to pre-empted holiday dates, news interruptions, and other vagaries of daytime TV "only" 1,225 shows were aired. One of the reasons for the unparalleled success was an airtime coup. The groundbreaking series ran at 4 PM Eastern / 3 PM Central – a time slot that permitted teenagers just home from school to turn in while adults were busy with household tasks, like making dinner.

The stellar cast of ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Jennifer Snelling writes: "While it would be practically impossible to list all of the accomplishments of this high-caliber cast, past and present, it is important to remember that while so many daytime actors are not immediate household names, they are no less praiseworthy than some of the most celebrated actors in our culture."

EASTENDERS' Santer on Michael Jackson scene
Diederick Santer, executive producer of the BBC1 soap, said: "There are some news stories and events which get everyone talking, and this is one of them. Given the quick turnaround, it's only a small scene, but I hope it reflects to some extent the impact Michael Jackson's death has had."

ANALYSIS: TMZ's Michael Jackson Story a Seminal Scoop for News Brand
Considered by traditional media to be a purveyor of tabloid trash since its launch as a Website in 2005 and as a TV show in 2007--and thus not a reliable source--TMZ trounced all news rivals multiple times in 24 hours on a story of mass global interest.