NEWS ROUNDUP: DALLAS Resumes Production, Y&R #1 Scripted TV Bing Search, Daytime Drama Revitalized, Audra McDonald Returning To PRIVATE PRACTICE

TNT’s DALLAS Resumes Production Following Larry Hagman's Death
Hagman, who reprised his role as the villainous J.R. Ewing from the original series, died from cancer complications Friday while the show was on Thanksgiving break. Filming was originally slated to resume yesterday, but the series stayed dark out of respect for Hagman. DALLAS is currently shooting Episode 6 from its 15-episode second season. Hagman worked virtually until his death and is expected to appear in all of the first six episodes. As of now, there is no hiatus planned to allow the writers to craft a proper send-off for J.R., though production is reportedly ahead of schedule and can afford to do that without missing the January 28 premiere date.

GENERAL HOSPITAL Leads a Sudden Revitalization of Daytime Drama
"GENERAL HOSPITAL is more fun and exciting than it has been since its glory days in the ‘80s, and that’s thanks in large part to Valentini’s smart decision to put less emphasis on the low-rent mob drama that had choked the life out of the show and bring back many much-missed characters from decades past. In a dizzying twist, he also brought over to GENERAL HOSPITAL a handful of characters from “One Life to Live.” I’ll confess this didn’t strike me as a smart idea at the start, even though I had been a long-time ONE LIFE TO LIVE watcher. But the results have been unexpectedly entertaining."

Audra McDonald Returning to PRIVATE PRACTICE for Series Finale
McDonald will reprise her role as Dr. Naomi Bennett, the best friend of Addison (Kate Walsh) and the former wife of Sam (Taye Diggs). Naomi left Seaside Wellness at the end of Season 4 and joined Fife (Michael Patrick Thornton) in New York. McDonald left the show to be closer to her New York-based family.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS #3 most searched TV show of 2012 on Bing (#1 scripted)
1 AMERICAN IDOL
2 DANCING WITH THE STARS
3 THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
4 THE WALKING DEAD
5 FAMILY GUY
6 HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO
7 GLEE
8 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9 THE BACHELOR
10 GAME OF THRONES

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS alum Kevin Schmidt making money on micro pig
Schmidt (ex-Noah) bought a micro pig (named Yuma) back in February for a cool $10,000. The tiny pig became a sensation online and has amassed over 5,000 Twitter followers and copious YouTube videos dedicated to its very adorable existence.

Our sources say Schmidt decided to capitalize on the pig's fame and started dropping $1,000/month to train Yuma. It's paid off and now the little guy rakes in $15,000 for public appearances (which Schmidt attends) and $5,000 for movie and TV gigs.

All in all, Yuma has made around $30,000 and now he's dropping a clothing line at the end of the month.

Allison Janney’s house foreclosed
A house co-owned by former WEST WING and GUIDING LIGHT star Allison Janney is in foreclosure — and is being auctioned off.

The house, located in Palm Springs, Calif., was purchased by Janney and her friend Greg Rapp for $3.5 million in 2006. They put the house up for sale for $5.5 million in March 2010 — and then dropped the price to $4.5 million seven months later, according to inquisitr.com.