News Round-up: Martinez, Riches, Bell, DH, Counter

Prisoner Sues For Custody of Celebrity Babies, Including AMC Kids
There are a lot of complete wackos out in the U.S. prison system, but very few of them hand-write court papers and file lawsuits. Jonathan Lee Riches is one of the chosen few.

In a recent court declaration, the Indiana inmate sued for custody of the eight kids of Jon and Kate Gosselin and the offspring of Octomom Nadya Suleman. Riches also wants custody, for some reason, of the (fictional) kids on ALL MY CHILDREN, and is demanding a paternity test on Bristol Palin's son Tripp.

AMC's J.R. Martinez served as Grand Marshall at Saturday's San Antonio Veteran's Parade
"All we can do is support them and pray for them and know that we love them," said J.R. Martinez, who added about ALL MY CHILDREN: "It's been a great platform for me to raise awareness about our military. Some guys never get the opportunity to come back. I have both my limbs, I have all four of my limbs and my vision everything's fine so luckily for me I'm grateful."

Local Philly anchors to appear on ATWT on Monday
CBS3's Pat Ciarrocchi and Ukee Washington play a brief cameo as reporters on AS THE WORLD TURNS tomorrow. The episode was shot in Philadlephia last month. Plot: When Lt. Jack Snyder (Michael Park) comes to Philadelphia to work out some personal issues, there is breaking news in City Hall's courtyard.

Lee Phillip Bell is proud of Lauralee's success
“We’re so proud of her and her series. She’s become quite an accomplished woman in the industry,” said Lee Phillip Bell.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES pulls a FLASHFORWARD
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is going back to the future, but this time it’s just temporary. An early January episode — the first following the Dec. 6 plane crash cliffhanger — will find the housewives pondering numerous “What If” scenarios. Example: What if the plummeting jetliner had killed Susan instead of [spoiler]. Two Wisterians featured prominently in the alternate reality sequences will be Gaby and Carlos’ youngest daughter, Celia, and Mike and Susan’s son, MJ.

TV writing hasn't adapted for the Web
The Internet is a great promotional tool for TV comedy and TV comedy hopefuls, but writers and producers from top shows say they haven't adjusted their writing style to fit Web sensibilities. During a Friday evening panel on "Television Writing in the Internet Age," which was part of the New York Comedy Festival, TV veterans were asked whether they have started to change their writing with an eye toward producing clippable content that plays well on YouTube and other sites.

"It's not a factor in any of our heads right now," said Rory Albanese, executive producer of THE DAILY SHOW.

AMPTP chief Nick Counter dies
Nick Counter, who retired on March 31 as president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, died on Friday at West Hills Hospital. He was 69. A major force in Hollywood's labor negotiations for many years, Counter collapsed at his home on Tuesday and was taken to West Hills Hospital, where he died. The cause of death was not immediately available.