CBS’ Angelica McDaniel, who in her role as Senior Vice President, Daytime, CBS Entertainment, has overseen the growth in all areas of daytime programming for the network since her promotion to the position in February 2012, will add oversight of first-run programming development for CBS Television Distribution, the syndication arm of CBS Corp., the company announced today.
Author: Errol Lewis
For the week of January 19-23, ABC’s “The View” beat CBS’ competing “The Talk” in Total Viewers (2,881,000 vs. 2,788,000), Women 18-49 (445,000 vs. 438,000) and Women 25-54 (626,000 vs. 624,000). The daytime talk show was up across the board week-to-week to post 5 week highs in viewers and Women 25-54.
ABC has confirmed that it will be recasting the contract role of Kiki Jerome on “General Hospital” with “The Young and the Restless” alum Hayley Erin (ex-Abby Newman). She is set to first air sometime in late February. Kristen Alderson, who originated the role, opted to leave when her contract was up earlier this month. She last airs in early February.
The Casting Society of America (CSA) hosted the 30th Annual Artios Awards last night in ceremonies taking place simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles. “General Hospital’s” Mark Teschner took home the casting award for Daytime Drama Series. He beat out “Days of our Lives” casting director Marnie Saitta, and associate Bob Lambert, and “The Young and the Restless” casting director Judy Blye Wilson, and associate Greg Salmon.
Ever since Jill Abbott Atkinson decided to push forward in removing Chancellor Industries from the clutches of Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), who was left the company per Katherine’s will, fans have clamored for the ultimate showdown between the pair and they’re definitely in for a great ride as Jill’s portrayer, Jess Walton, tells Soap Opera Network of the storyline that picked up steam on yesterday’s episode.
“The Young and the Restless” has cast “Home and Away” alum Lachlan Buchanan in the contract role of Kyle Jenkins, the son of Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and Diane Jenkins (last played by “General Hospital’s” Maura West). The actor will report to work at the CBS Television City studio, where “Y&R” is filmed, beginning Tuesday, January 27. His first airdate is set for Wednesday, February 25.
ABC will be celebrating the fans of “General Hospital” next month with the return of Fan February, reports ABC Soaps In Depth. The fan campaign, which began in 2003 as a way for fans to take part in the development process of their favorite soap, a chance to visit the set or interact in some way with cast members, was last utilized in 2007.
Starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Clint Eastwood, Warner Bros. Pictures is celebrating its “American Sniper” this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as the film is currently setting several January box office records. Estimates have the film, which includes appearances by “General Hospital’s” Billy Miller (Jason Morgan) and “Nashville’s” Eric Close, taking in $89.5 million over the three-day weekend and $105.3 million over the four-day holiday weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
As part of Amazon’s unique pilot to series programming method for its Amazon Instant Video streaming service, “General Hospital” alum Nathan Parsons (ex-Ethan Lovett; “True Blood,” “The Originals”) can now be seen in the pilot, “Point of Honor,” which follows a Virginia family, led by their West Point bred son, John Rhodes (Parsons), who at the start of the Civil War makes the controversial decision to defend the South while freeing all of their slaves. Luke Benward (“Ravenswood”) portrays Garland, the charming black sheep of the family.
The 10th anniversary edition of “Dancing with the Stars” will launch on Monday, March 16 at 8:00 PM, ET/PT, ABC recently announced. The competition series, which began in the summer of 2005 with “General Hospital’s” Kelly Monaco taking home the coveted mirror-ball, will be without long-time dancers Derek Hough and Cheryl Burke, however.
Nutrisystem, Inc. announced last week that Genie Francis (“General Hospital,” “The Young and the Restless”) is its new brand ambassador. The iconic former soap star is said to have lost 30 pounds while on the weight loss program, which she started after losing her sister in 2013 and following her oldest child, son Jameson Ivor Frakes, heading off to college.
Saturday, January 17 was Whitney Houston night on Lifetime as the network premiered “Whitney,” its biopic based on the romantic life of Houston and husband Bobby Brown, one-hour special, “Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney,” and “Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances,” hosted by long-time friend and the man who discovered her, Clive Davis. According to Nielsen Media Research ratings data, overall 11.8 million viewers tuned in during the event block (8:00 PM – 12:00 AM, ET/PT).
After taking a short break to film the “Untitled Miami Project” pilot for TNT, “The Young and the Restless” will once again welcome back Aly Lind as Faith Newman during the week of January 26, Soap Opera Network has learned.
Actor, model and fitness expert Greg Plitt has died. The former “Work Out” reality star was struck by a Metrolink train in Burbank, California on Saturday, January 17 and was pronounced dead at the scene. According to police, Plitt, along with a group of friends, appeared to have been taking video prior to the incident. Plitt played Henderson in three episodes of NBC’s “Days of our Lives” from 2007-2008. He was just 37 years old.
“True Blood’s” Joe Manganiello may be living it up on the big screen as a sexy stripper in the upcoming “Magic Mike” sequel, “Magic Mike XXL,” and Lea Michele may be preparing for the end of “Glee,” but the pair will soon make the comedy-horror anthology series “Scream Queens” a thing next season on FOX. The network announced today during its portion of the Winter Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena that the two have joined Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween”) and Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story: Freak Show”) as regulars in the 15-episode first installment.
While it’s not yet clear whether the recent ratification of the National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (Network Television Code) is the culprit, as negotiations had been ongoing between actor’s union SAG-AFTRA and ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, among other producers, for some time, industry insiders are whispering that the broadcast networks have asked their daytime dramas to find ways in cutting some of the fat in their casts.
As the city of Gotham finds itself in mayhem, FOX has given “Gotham” the series an early second season order, it was announced today by Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group.
Just two weeks after its premiere, FOX has ordered a second season of “Empire,” created by Lee Daniels (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Precious”) and Danny Strong, it was announced today by Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, during the FOX portion of the Winter Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Emerging as the #1 new series of the television season in Adults 18-49, “Empire” is averaging a 5.3 rating in Live+3, according to current Nielsen Media Research ratings data.
Ever wonder how much time and effort is put into piecing together the multitude of sets that comprises the fictional Los Angeles based setting that is CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful?” In a newly released behind the scenes video, fans of the world’s most popular daily serial get to see the formation of Forrester Creations and even the Forrester mansion, among several other sets, transition from bare walls to immaculate locales for the bold and beautiful people who roam the halls within the newly christened Bradley P. Bell Stage 31, named after the show’s executive producer and head writer, at CBS Television City.
In her first starring role on television since the end of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” NBC announced today that it has given a 13 episode series order to “Telenovela,” a comedy that follows all the crazy antics from behind the scenes of a popular Spanish telenovela which will star Eva Longoria as Ana Maria, the diva-ish star of Latin America’s most beloved telenovela, who strives to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera. The actress will also serve as an executive producer on the Universal Television and Unbelievable Entertainment produced comedy.