NEWS: Brittany Allen, Adam Mayfield, ATWT, EASTENDERS

Huffington Post on the end of AS THE WORLD TURNS
Shani R. Friedman made an interesting observation on the Huffington Post website today: "Maybe instead of shooting in the hinterlands of Brooklyn, ATWT and GUIDING LIGHT should have taken production to Wall Street. Then the actors, crew and fans could have gotten a buyout."

Friedman also included this ATWT tidbit which we have yet to verify: "For fans, there is a small bright spot on the horizon. Cable channel SOAPnet will begin airing old episodes in January."

UPDATE: Telenext has confirmed to WE LOVE SOAPS TV that AS THE WORLD TURNS will not be airing on SOAPnet.

Brittany Allen and Adam Mayfield out at ALL MY CHILDREN
"Brittany Allen (Marissa) and Adam Mayfield (Scott) off AMC - casualties of the show’s plan to take the characters in a different direction."

Zynga And Facebook Are Killing Soap Operas?
"What the media industry will soon realize is that the real victim here is not soap operas; it is the entire category of daytime television. Soap operas are just the first to fall. Consumers have noticed, the accountants at the studios have noticed and the advertisers and agencies are beginning to take notice."

EASTENDERS paternity plot sparks surge in DNA testing
Ex-con Sam Mitchell's 'baby love triangle' dilemma has prompted a surge of inquiries into paternity tests, according to a top DNA testing expert. The London-based soap sees characters Ricky and Jack, played by Sid Owen and Scott Maslen, DNA tested to confirm who is the father of baby Richard. As a result, the UK's top drug, alcohol and DNA testing lab has seen a 27% increase in calls for paternity tests since the episode aired this week.

Premiere ratings: PARENTHOOD, ONE TREE HILL & LIFE UNEXPECTED dip
PARENTHOOD had its third highest rated episode ever on Tuesday night but the series was down 13% from its March premiere last season. ONE TREE HILL (2.1 million, 1.1) dipped 8%, which is pretty mild for a series in its eighth season. While LIFE UNEXPECTED (1.7 million, 0.8). dropped a more severe 33%. Life may be unexpected but this rating is not -- this is about what "LE" typically pulled last spring.