Saturday, October 31, 2009

News Round-up: Windsor, McDreamy, Flockhart, OLTL

Did Barbara Windsor actually quit EASTENDERS over a pay cut?
Barbara Windsor (Peggy) quit EASTENDERS following a row with producers over her £360,000 salary, her co-star has revealed. She said she wanted to spend more time with her family. Sources said producers had cut back on her episodes and allegedly asked her to take a £54,000 pay cut. The BBC said that it did not discuss cast members' contracts.

OLTL's Gay Love Triangle is Truly Groundbreaking Television
"Love triangles, long a staple of daytime drama, often offer up some of soap's best and most beloved storylines. That gay men have finally been admitted to this inner circle of the soap world is a definite breakthrough. Sure, ONE LIFE TO LIVE's mayor-pretending-to-a-lesbian-in-order-to-win-votes storyline is patently ridiculous, even by soap opera standards. But the way the show has treated its gay characters is remarkable on a number of levels."

GREY'S writer Pete Norwalk on the all McDreamy episode
"This episode probably felt different. I only say that because that’s exactly how I felt the minute we started working on it. As you've probably noticed, we’re trying to experiment more this season. And that’s probably uncomfortable for some of you. It was for me. When we first decided to focus this episode solely on Derek and his patient, I was a little scared. Most of this patient story (inspired by a case told to us by Dr. Robert Bray, an amazing neurosurgeon here in LA) involves Derek staring at a tumor. Not cutting, not operating, not talking to anyone. Like I said, scary. In retrospect I’m really glad we told this story this way."

INTERVIEW: BROTHERS & SISTERS' Calista Flockhart (Kitty)
"For me it's mostly about the process, and once you shoot an episode, there's something anticlimactic about watching. I watched some of ALLY [MCBEAL]. Sometimes I thought they were great and sometimes I couldn't bear watching myself. I have to watch it at the right time of day. I certainly can't watch a show I'm in before I go to bed. It would drive me crazy."

Funny or Die expands
Will Ferrell's Funny or Die is about to leave its own Web site for a comedy tour at HBO and YouTube. The 2-year-old site will get a new YouTube channel next month.

2 comments:

  1. Barbara Windsor is a legend. Whatever her reason for leaving, I hope EastEnders gives Peggy a great send-off (but don't kill her off!).

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