Earlier today a tweet went out over claims that the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Pop, which will broadcast the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards next month, were looking to have soap fans on hand to sit in bleachers that would be made available to the public on the red carpet. There were alleged claims, however, that the two parties was only seeking to include fans under the age of 45 to sit in said bleacher seats. NATAS and Pop have now issued statements that put clarification on the situation.
Author: Errol Lewis
First announced in October of last year, Pop is ready to release their “Queens of Drama” as soap stars Lindsay Hartley (“All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Passions”), Crystal Hunt (“Guiding Light,” “One Life to Live”), Vanessa Marcil (“Las Vegas,” “General Hospital”), Chrystee Pharris (“PSNS,” “GH”) and Hunter Tylo (“The Bold and The Beautiful”) are joined with special appearances by Donna Mills (“Knots Landing,” “Melrose Place” and “GH”) in their new reality series debuting Sunday, April 26 at 10:00 PM, ET/7:00 PM, PT, immediately following the network’s exclusive live broadcast of “The 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.”
“Twenty-eight years on television is a tremendous achievement,” said “The Bold and the Beautiful” Executive Producer and Head Writer, Bradley P. Bell, in a statement released today as the daytime drama series gets ready to celebrate its anniversary on Monday, March 23. The soap, which aired its 7,000th episode in January, was created by the late William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell. It’s first episode aired on March 23, 1987.
With production beginning this month, Michael Caruso‘s “Winterthorne” has added “One Life to Live” alum John-Paul Lavoisier to its cast. The soap star will portray the role of Hugh Cambridge, a handsome and mysterious man, who shares a past with Miranda Winterthorne, portrayed by “Days of our Lives” alum, Martha Madison. The character is said to be hell bent on becoming a member of the Winterthorne family and will go about any means necessary, including seducing Miranda, to get what he wants.
On Saturday, May 2 at 9:00 PM, ET/PT, get ready for Alison Sweeney (“Days of our Lives”) and Cameron Mathison (“All My Children”) to take America by storm when their Hallmark Movies & Mysteries original movie, “Murder She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder Mystery,” premieres on the cable network. The movie, also starring “One Life to Live” alum Barbara Niven (“Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove”), is based on the bestselling series of books by Joanne Fluke and follows the story of Hannah Swensen (Sweeney), owner of the Cookie Jar shop where patrons frequently gossip about the latest happenings in town.
On the Thursday, March 12 episode of CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” fans of the daytime drama series will be introduced to “The Price is Right” male model search winner James O’Halloran, who will guest star as a waiter in scenes with actors Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore) and Christian Le Blanc (Michael Baldwin). In an interview with Soap Opera Network, O’Halloran reveals that his appearance on “Y&R” marks the first time he has ever been on the set of an American soap opera, his thoughts on winning the “The Price is Right” male model gig and what’s next for the 6’1 Australian native.
Actress and author Dee Wallace has joined the cast of ABC’s “General Hospital” as Patricia Spencer, the long-lost older sister of Luke and Bobbie Spencer (Anthony Geary and Jacklyn Zeman), Soap Opera Network has confirmed.
CBS’ “The Talk” and “Let’s Make a Deal” continue showing ratings growth based on the just completed 2015 February Sweeps period. According to Nielsen Media Research data, both programs delivered their largest audiences ever during a February Sweep. The period also happened to be a good one for the network’s “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which attracted its largest February Sweeps audience since 2008. The daytime drama series averaged 3.97 million viewers, up 2% compared to last year’s February Sweep.
Hot on the heels of news that NBC’s “Days of our Lives” has put out a casting call for the contract role of Finn, a new doctor set to work alongside Dr. Daniel Jonas (Shawn Christian) when he hits Salem later this year, comes word that the daytime drama series has made a shift in ranks behind the scenes. Lisa de Cazotte is out as co-executive producer, a role she took on in October 2011, with veteran “DAYS” director/producer Albert Alarr set to replace her.
It’s official: “The 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” will be broadcast live on Pop on Sunday, April 26 from 8:00 PM, ET/5:00 PM, PT from the historic Warner Bros. Studios lot on Stage 16, it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The awards show, which will share space previously utilized by such iconic films as “Casablanca,” “Jurassic Park” and “Ghostbusters,” will be executive produced by Michael Levitt and his Michael Levitt Productions banner. Credited for creating the “TV Land Awards,” Levitt has previously produced “The Billboard Music Awards,” “The Producers Guild Awards” and the “Young Hollywood Awards,” along with several other award shows, music specials, reality shows, live events, non-fiction informational series and reunion specials.
In the first major casting announcement under new head writers Dena Higley and Josh Griffith, who replaced Christopher Whitesell and Gary Tomlin last month, “Days of our Lives” is seeking to cast a legitimate Australian actor for the contract role of Finn, a “ruggedly handsome” Australian doctor who is doing his residency in Salem and will work under the stewardship of Doctor Daniel Jonas (Shawn Christian), reports the Australian Associated Press and TV Tonight.
This is going to be awesome! “General Hospital’s” Kirsten Storms (Maxie Jones) is joining the cast of “Winterthorne,” which stars “Days of our Lives” alum Martha Madison, who like Storms before her, portrayed Belle Black on NBC’s “Days of our Lives.” Storms is set to play Selene Winterthorne, the younger sister of Miranda (Madison), who returns after being absent for many years with an offer to change the candy company empire forever.
Surging to its best numbers in over a year in viewers, ABC’s “General Hospital” averaged 3.186 million viewers during the week of February 16-20, 2014, according to newly released Nielsen Media Research ratings data. The soap pulled in its best numbers in over eight months in Women 18-49 viewers (665,000/1.0 rating) and Women 25-54 (889,000/1.5 rating), since the weeks of 1/6/14 and 6/9/14, accordingly –ranking as the week’s No. 2 drama in daytime in Women 18-49. Meanwhile, “The Chew” hit three month highs in viewers (3.042 million) and 10-week highs in Women 18-49 (497,000/0.8 rating) and Women 25-54 (656,000/1.1rating) – since the weeks of 11/24/14 and 12/8/14, respectively.
#FlirtWithDisaster brought in huge numbers for CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” which attracted an average daily audience of 5.58 million viewers during the week of February 16-20, 2015, according to newly released Nielsen Media Research ratings data. The soap was up 7% compared to the same week last year and pulled in its highest numbers in viewers since the week of January 27-31, 2014. Meanwhile, “The Bold and the Beautiful” continues to bring in some of its best numbers in nearly a decade. The soap averaged 4.18 million viewers last week, up 10% compared to the same week last year, and its best since the week of February 12-16, 2007.
Since joining the cast of CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” in early 2014, Cady McClain [ex-Dixie Martin, “All My Children”; ex-Rosanna Cabot, “As The World Turns”] has seen her character, Kelly Andrews, finally deal with several family matters that have helped shape her into who she is today. “Her child died, her marriage broke up, her mom was a drunk and was very unstable. She thought her father was good, and it turns out her father was abusive. So Kelly had a really rough life experience. I hope that the fans kind of remember that. She’s really hanging on by her fingernails and trying to make this life, and Jack is a real key… falling in love,” McClain says in an exclusive interview with Soap Opera Network, following the Tuesday, February 17 episode of “Y&R,” which found Jack Abbott’s (Peter Bergman) actions contradict his words when he once again became intimate with Kelly as they did the deed in the storage room of The Underground.
After pleading guilty to vehicular assault (a fourth-degree felony) and operating a vehicle while intoxicated (a first-degree misdemeanor) in December, following an October 2014 car accident that left himself and girlfriend, Alyssa Tabit, injured, “Days of our Lives” star Freddie Smith (Sonny Kiriakis) appeared in an Ohio court earlier today as a judge handed down their ruling. Smith was sentenced to three days in jail, given two years probation and received a one year license suspension.
“The Young and the Restless’” Gina Tognoni is having the time of her life. Just seven months after reporting to the CBS Television City studio, where the daytime drama series is filmed, Tognoni is grateful for the warm welcome she’s received from viewers and the daytime community as a whole. Fresh off a pre-nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category, for her role as Phyllis Summers on “Y&R,” Tognoni shares with us what it’s like playing such an interesting and dynamic character, provides insight into the Phyllis, Jack (Peter Bergman) and Kelly (Cady McClain) triangle, and which actors and characters she’d love to share more screen time with.
After several months of disastrous ratings returns that has left many in the industry wondering if “Days of our Lives” would survive its next renewal talks between NBC, Sony Pictures Television and Corday Productions, producers of the soap, the daytime drama series will welcome back veteran writer Dena Higley, and former “One Life to Live” and “The Young and the Restless” head writer Josh Griffith, as its new head writers. The two replace outgoing head writers Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell.
ABC’s “General Hospital” is adding “All My Children” alum Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee Smythe) to its all-star cast, it was announced yesterday by executive producer Frank Valentini, following an ongoing Twitter conversation with head writer Ron Carlivati, in response to Valentini’s promise of a major casting announcement. “Hey @RebeccaBudig wanna join the cast of GH in a new Killer Role??” tweeted Valentini, after saying “okay okay” to head writer Ron Carlivati.
Victoria Rowell, who portrayed Drucilla Winters on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” for the better part of two decades, is suing the network, Sony Pictures Television, Bell Dramatic Serial Company and Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc., producers of the daytime drama series, reports Deadline, for what her suit alleges is the result of Rowell being “impoverished and blackballed because she had chosen to speak out against the discrimination and injustice that she had endured and witnessed happen to other African Americans.”