Out on the Town - August 21, 2008

1 Former ALL MY CHILDREN star Eva La Rue (ex-Maria) attended the 23rd Annual Imagen Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Imagen Awards honor Latino-themed entertainment and Latino talent on both sides of the camera in features and television. ABC's UGLY BETTY collected honors for best primetime program and best supporting actor for Tony Plana. ALL MY CHILDREN actor Mario Van Peebles (Samuel) attended the "Black And White" Gala for the Barack Obama campaign (in an interesting pair of green shoes) held at a private residence in Beverly Hills. Former soap actors Nia Long (GUIDING LIGHT), Eric Roberts (ANOTHER WORLD) and Fisher Stevens (ONE LIFE TO LIVE) were also in attendance.

ATWT's Holroyd On DIRTY SEXY MONEY

1 In his latest column, Michael Ausiello reports that Scott Holroyd (ex-Paul Ryan, AS THE WORLD TURNS) will be joining the cast of DIRTY SEXY MONEY this fall. "DIRTY SEXY MONEY has completed its midsummer retooling, and I hear one of the big developments is that Patrick's wife, Ellen, is getting a brother (played by Holroyd). And let's just say he's going to take the news that his brother-in-law is bedding a transsexual a lot harder than Ellen did." Holroyd played Paul Ryan on ATWT for three years and was let go when the show decided to make the character "darker" (leading to the hiring of Roger Howarth).

AMC's Former Jamie Dating Rumer Willis

1 Rumer Willis and Micah Alberti (ex-Jamie, ALL MY CHILDREN) attended the Sony Pictures' Premiere of House Bunny at the Mann Village Theatre on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Pearce Promotes New Film

1 Guy Pearce took part in a press conference held on Monday to promote his new film, Traitor, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The Traitor synonpsis: When strait arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn (Don Cheadle). A mysterous figure with a web of connections to terrorist organizations, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down. The task force links Horn to a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, but a tangle of contradictoy evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his quarry is a disaffected former military operative - or something far more complicated. Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue. Pearce is best known to soap fans for his run as Mike Young on the Australian soap, NEIGHBOURS, in the late 80s.

Vaughn Sings "No Mountaintop"

Lauretta Vaughn (ex-Kit, AS THE WORLD TURNS) performed "No Mountaintop" from the new musical "Street Lights" at a benefit concert for Barack Obama on Sunday night.

First Presenters Named for Prime Time Emmys

The first set of presenters has been announced for "The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards," including DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES' Marcia Cross, Dana Delany, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria Parker and Nicollette Sheridan - presenting together; Hugh Laurie and Julia Louis-Dreyfus; and Tina Fey & Amy Poehler presenting together. The telecast will be broadcast live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 21 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT) on ABC.

Chad Allen Joins NIGHT SHIFT

1 Actor Chad Allen, known for portraying Matthew Cooper on DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN has been cast in the role of Eric Whitlow for three episodes of GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT it was announced by Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group. The SOAPnet series, which is the network’s most-watched of all time, follows the lives of doctors, nurses and patients as they embark on journeys of self discovery, love and heartache. Mr. Allen’s first appearance on air is Tuesday, September 23 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT on SOAPnet. In storyline, Eric is introduced as a patient in need of a liver transplant. First-year resident Kyle Julian (Adam Grimes) will help Eric's family find a suitable donor, while developing a relationship with him in the process. “We're delighted to have Chad join our show because, not only is he a remarkable actor, he's also an amazing activist. For years I have been inspired by Chad and welcome the honesty and authenticity that he will bring to our show,” said head writer Sri Rao.

REVIEW: LIFE IN GENERAL

I just watched the first episode of the new Karen Harris online soap, LIFE IN GENERAL, on the beta version of StrikeTV. LIFE IN GENERAL is described as "a look at the creative process, the politics of network television, the office romances, the backstabbing, lying, deceit and depravity that can only be found on and off the set of a soap opera. These actors, writers, producers and crew members eat, breathe, and sleep Greenville General, the 2nd longest running Daytime Drama on U.S. TV. It's a world as outrageous, compelling, energetic, chaotic, and heartbreaking as the show they put on the air five days a week, 52 weeks a year." I thought it was an excellent first effort. I wasn't blown away and I didn't feel there was anything groundbreaking here, but to be honest, it was instantly more entertaining than anything I'm seeing on my television screen this summer. And even though it's not an original concept, with all the backstage drama in daytime lately, now is the perfect time for a show that deals with the behind the scenes angst of putting on a daily soap. 1 Arianne Zuker was a delight as Winifred, the 'Greenville General' writer, who is unhappy her stories are being rewritten. The first episode really focused on her character and she owned it. John Ingle was excellent as show runner, Raymond. Scott Clifton was charming in his appearances as Fritz, who seems to be the Assistant Director. The Doogie Howser-esque opening was a bit cheesey but it fit. I was hoping to see something more interesting from JoBeth Williams' Mary Kate, Brynn Thayer's Rachel and Robert Desiderio's Brian. Of the three, Desiderio's character, the "star" of 'Greenville General,' was the most intriguing. I'm hopeful good things are in store for all three. The show was just under ten minutes and the time flew by. It left me wanting more, which is a good thing. Congratulations to Karen Harris on a job well done. GRADE: B+

Jesse McCartney Performs in NYC

1 Jesse McCartney (ex-J.R., ALL MY CHILDREN) performed at the Nokia Theatre in New York City last night, opening for Jordin Sparks. At the end of Sparks' set, McCartney joined her for an encore, Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel”.