Monday, July 20, 2015

NEWS: 'Hollyoaks' in Crisis? Plus, Terri Conn, Matt Bomer, Karla Mosley, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Stephanie Davis, Belinda Owusu, 'Degrassi'

Morgan Theresa Peck
Terri Conn and Austin Peck welcome baby girl
Terri Conn and Austin Peck (ex-Katie and Brad, As the World Turns) welcomed their second daughter together, Morgan Theresa Peck, on July 18. The couple's first girl, Keira, was born in 2012, and they both have children (her daughter Julia, and his sons Roman and Aidan) from previous marriages.

Stephanie Davis fired from British soap Hollyoaks
British actress Stephanie Davis has been fired from UK soap opera Hollyoaks after turning up for work drunk, her spokesperson has confirmed. Davis, who played Sinead O'Connor, was sacked with "immediate effect" by bosses at the Channel 4 network last week. Fans of the show were left shocked, and rumors about her departure swirled until her spokesperson confirmed on Friday that it was due to alcohol.

The statement reads, "Stephanie's contract was terminated following warnings for lateness, attendance and after a final incident in which she turned up to set unfit to work because of alcohol consumption."

Hollyoaks in crisis: Drunk actors, feuding stars and plunging ratings - is Channel 4 soap facing axe?
With the well-publicized sacking of Stephanie Davis coming shortly before it was revealed the Channel 4 soap's stalwart Helen Pearson has been banned from driving after being caught over the limit, the show is seemingly in crisis.

Falling ratings, more behind-the-scenes drama than on any other soap, and with outlandish sensationalist plots that would be more at home on a US soap, the show is clearly struggling.

Karla Mosley
You Should Really Be Watching The Bold and the Beautiful's Transgender Storyline
Maya's story is handled with sensitivity without (too much) sensationalism. If they still give out Daytime Emmys, throw all of them at Karla Mosley. Mosley — who is not transgender, which we could obviously quibble with but that's perhaps missing the bigger picture — said playing Maya has been "incredibly exciting" but admitted to misgivings.

“I was excited, and nervous at first,” Mosley told Janet Mock on So POPular. “Soaps don’t have a great history in handling transgender characters. Twenty years ago, the headlines were ‘So and So is A Man.’”

Instead, we get to go through the entire coming out process with Maya, from accepting her own truth to coming out to Rick, her family and eventually the world.

Magic Mike XXL star and Guiding Light alum Matt Bomer schools reporter on gay stereotypes
"I don’t know. I mean, why would I ever try to boil down an entire community into a yes-or-no question? Would you feel comfortable if I said ‘Are women harder or easier to please?’… One of the things, I think, you learn from this movie is that everybody is different and it’s all about communication and a dialogue between individuals. Get rid of the labels, get rid of the shame, get rid of the stigmas and just be your most authentic self."

20 Things You May Not Know About Clueless
Sarah Michelle Gellar was offered the role of Amber, but had to turn it down when her soap opera All My Children refused to allow her time away.

Belinda Owusu making another visit to EastEnders as Libby Fox
Owusu will be making a brief come back to the soap for two episodes in 2015, however it's been hinted that her reappearance will be something more significant than just a visit to Albert Square.

"It’s great to be back again! I'm always excited to see how Libby has grown and be back with the Fox family!" she said.

Netflix's Degrassi: Next Class will cover issues affecting a new generation, including a focus on social-media hazards like sexting and cyber-bullying
Linda Schuyler, executive producer of Degrassi at Toronto-based Epitome, said the company had planned the show’s reboot before approaching Nick and other distribution partners about the new concept. “The audience we’re speaking to now, some of them weren’t even born when we started ‘Next Generation’ in 2001,” she said. “That was talking to the millennials. Now we’re talking to this new Generation Z.”

Degrassi: Next Class will cover many of the serious, real-life aspects of teen life the show has become known for, ranging from homophobia to racism and substance abuse to violence. In addition, the show’s plotlines will examine how social-media services like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and others are affecting teenagers.

“If you’re reading about it in the news, it’s on Degrassi,” said Schuyler, who is married to Stohn. “These kids are trying to figure out dating protocols and safety protocols.”

2 comments:

  1. Thinking Libby killed Lucy? Just guessing since it's Christmas 2005 on the EastEnders episodes I get to watch in NY, and Lucy is still a sweet little girl so...

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  2. Hollyoaks has been getting bashed on the boards lately, but I have to say their recently-released Six Weeks of Summer trailer (for episodes that start this week) looks pretty amazing (imho). Hope the show can deliver!

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