GH: NIGHT SHIFT Premieres Tonight

It's a good week for soaps in the evenings as the second season of GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT premieres tonight on SOAPnet and SORDID LIVES: THE SERIES premieres tomorrow night on Logo. Here's the ABC press release on tonight's episode. A CAR CRASH INJURES ROBIN AND KILLS ANOTHER ON THE SEASON TWO PREMIERE EPISODE OF GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT AIRING TUESDAY, JULY 22 AT 11 PM ET/PT Jagger Cates Returns to Port Charles After 13 Years 1 Episode 201 ("Crash") – General Hospital turns to chaos when a car crashes through the ER, injuring a pregnant Dr. Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), and killing a member of the staff. Elsewhere, Jagger Cates (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) returns to town after a 13-year absence, with a surprise for Robin. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Touissant (Billy Dee Williams) and Epiphany (Sonya Eddy) after he returns to the hospital from being on tour with his musical group The Saints. In another corridor of the hospital, new interns Kyle (Adam Grimes) and Claire (Carrie Southworth) bond over their fear of their strict superiors, Dr. Leo Julian (Ethan Rains) and Dr. Saira Batra (Azita Ghanizada) on the season premiere of GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT, TUESDAY, JULY 22 (11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., ET/PT) on SOAPnet. GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT stars Antonio Sabato, Jr. as Jagger Cates, Tristan Rogers as Robert Scorpio, Kimberly McCullough as Dr. Robin Scorpio, Jason Thompson as Dr. Patrick Drake, Sonya Eddy as Epiphany Johnson, Billy Dee Williams as Touissant Dubois, Adam Grimes as Kyle, Carrie Southworth as Claire, Ethan Rains as Dr. Leo Julian and Azita Ghanizada as Dr. Saira Batra. "Crash" was written by Sri Rao and Yolanda Lawrence.

The Latest on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

1 There has been a lot of news lately so I figure FNL deserved it's own post. The show will premiere on DirecTV in October then move to NBC in 2009. * Press Tour Alert: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Exec 'Spoils' Season 3! * FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS star recommends illegally downloading episodes, but Zach Gilford, who plays Matt Saracen, has a solution for those "FNL" fans without DirecTV: "If I were such a good fan, I would go ahead and download it, but then in good conscience, turn your TV onto NBC when it comes on," he says. Still, "FNL" boss Jason Katims thinks waiting is the best option: "I would like to think that I would be patient and wait and watch the real version when it was available to you." * DirecTV to air FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS LIVE, a "postgame" show with the cast. * Will the NBC version be different? * Scott Porter (Jason) will say bye after 4 episodes. * Eight months will have passed, what will happen to Tyra and Landry?

The Dark Knight Breaks Box Office Records

1 The Dark Knight shattered box office records this weekend, taking in $153.34 million. How is this soap related? Well, there were a number of former soap stars in the cast including: Heath Ledger (ex-Snowy, SWEAT) Morgan Freeman (ex-Roy, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Cicero, RYAN'S HOPE) Ritchie Coster (ex-Alfred, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Gabe, AS THE WORLD TURNS) Eric Roberts (ex-Ted, ANOTHER WORLD) Colin McFarlane (ex-Felix, HOLBY CITY; ex-Derek, THE BILL) William Fichtner (ex-Josh, AS THE WORLD TURNS)

OLTL's Slezak Rings the NYSE Opening Bell

Marlena De Lacroix blogs: "Happy 40th birthday, One Life to Live! I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks, trying to come up with an overall through-line for the four decades this show has been broadcast daily on ABC. But it’s hard to find one, because, within that span of years, the drama has gone through so many different eras and been presented20in so many different styles, by so many writers and producers with individualistic approaches. So why have I continued watching through it all? Forty years is a long time, indeed most of my adult lifetime! And then it struck me: I’ve watched OLTL so long simply because it has always been entertaining, and in so many ways!" Read the entire blog entry here.

ATWT & GL Stars in Celebrity Softball Game

TV Guide Canada reveals "The Sexy and the Beautiful" 1 Prepare to cool down after TV Guide Canada unveils 22 of the most stunning human specimens in the soap world! Got your sexy on? INTERVIEW: GUIDING LIGHT's Caitlyn VanZandt Van Zandt, who plays Ashlee Wolf, appeared on "Buzzworthy Radio" last night. 1 TV Squad Soap Report: Beth Ehlers reporting for duty to ALL MY CHILDREN Beth Ehlers will play a new character in Pine Valley, Lieutenant Taylor McBride, a U.S. Army vet who has recently been deployed in Iraq. INTERVIEW: GENERAL HOSPITAL's Jason Thomspon Thompson, who plays Patrick Drake, appeared on "Stardish Radio" last night. 1 WHERE ARE THEY NOW: OLTL's Ryan Marsini Sibling Rivalry will perform at 9 p.m. July 24 in the 4-H tent at the Monmouth County Fair in Freehold Township. C.J. Marsini, 13, of Middletown, will join them on keyboards, along with his brother, Ryan Marsini, 16, on bass, and Mikey Rosen, 13, of Manalapan, on drums. All three have impressive performing histories, with C.J. and Ryan having television credits under their belts including commercials and television shows. C.J. was on Kraft cheese commercials and television shows and Ryan was a regular on the ABC daytime soap opera ONE LIVE TO LIVE (ex-River), and has made appearances in other TV shows. The Best of the Best- Happy 40th "OLTL"! Michael Fairman blogs: "On July 15th 1968, Agnes Nixon and ABC premiered their new soap, ONE LIFE TO LIVE ( I will never forget the opening with the sunrise graphic and the music. I loved that theme!) 40 years later, 'One Life' could not be in better shape. The incredible performers, storylines and characters, and their tackling of revelant social issues for the time, make OLTL my all-time choice for 'The Best of The Best Soap Opera'." SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES: Episode #828 Mack tries to cheer up Dylan.

Evening News

1 Watch NBC Universal as they take on radio station Z-100 in the 3rd Annual Autism Speaks Celebrity Charity Softball Game on Sunday, July 27, 2008 at KeySpan Park, Coney Island, located at 1904 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn. Two teams of New York stars including Caitlin VanZandt, Kane Manera, and Bonnie Dennison from GUIDING LIGHT, Jon Prescott and Marnie Schulenburg from AS THE WORLD TURNS, Lonny Ross from 30 ROCK, Skeery Jones and Dave Brody from Z100, Dave Marciano from THE SHIELD, Jason Cameron from the DIY network, Evan Farmer, formerly of TLC's WHILE YOU WERE OUT, comedian Michael Sommerville, Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart formerly of WWE, and Josh Barrett and Michael Kelly of HBO's new mini series GENERATION KILL, will step up to the plate to help raise awareness about autism and funds for autism research. Tickets for the Autism Speaks Celebrity Softball Game can be purchased at the Brooklyn Cyclones box office or online at http://www.brooklyncyclones.com (click on Special Events). All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Autism Speaks.

Soap Stars attend Disney/ABC's "TCA - All Star Party"

Jensen Buchanan (ex-Vicky/Marley, ANOTHER WORLD/AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Melissa, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Sarah, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 46 Susan Marie Snyder (ex-Julie, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Laken, SANTA BARBARA) - 44 Eddie Matos (ex-Ricky, PORT CHARLES; ex-Peter, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 30

William Bell's Firing and Blacklisting of Brenda Dickson: The "True" Story

'One Life' has more lives Long before PASSIONS came along, ONE LIFE TO LIVE was daytime's wildest soap — especially back in the Reagan era when Viki (Erika Slezak) had an out-of-body experience during brain surgery and wound up on a spaceship to heaven. To celebrate the ABC soap's 40th anniversary, head writer Ron Carlivati will revisit that celestial 1987 plot by having Viki die — just momentarily, of course — in a car crash. "This time, heaven will be a very modern high-rise. Viki will go up the elevator floor by floor, encountering all sorts of dead characters along the way," said Carlivati. Among the former stars making angelic returns are Phil Carey (Asa), Mark Derwin (Ben), Stephen Markle (Mel) and Erin Torpey (baby Megan). And the show's legendary creator, Agnes Nixon, will appear in heaven as, of course, The Creator. That's not all. Carlivati also is redoing the famous '80s plot in which Tina (Andrea Evans) survived a plunge over the Iguazu Falls in Argentina, only this time creepy Carlo (Thom Christopher) will force Tina to watch in horror as he sends her daughter Sarah (Justis Bolding) over a waterfall in Mendorra. And fan favorite John Loprieno will return as Tina's ex-husband, Cord. And fans will remember the time Clint (Clint Ritchie) was knocked unconscious and time-traveled to the Wild West. Carlivati will riff on a Wild West plot, too. "Bo (Robert S. Woods) and Rex (John-Paul Lavoisier) are hit by lightning and wake up in 1968 — the same year 'OLTL' hit the air," Carlivati says. The kicker: Bo has become his pop, Asa, and Rex has become the young Bo. All three homages air Monday and Tuesday, but the Bo-Rex twist will play out for several weeks. Sibling actors add depth to roles with Iranian roots 1 Though actor Dominic Rains once dreamed of becoming a real-life doctor, his ultimate success sprung from playing one on T.V. Dominic, a Sherman Oaks resident and native of Iran, is best known for his series role as Dr. Leo Julian on last year’s first season of SOAPnet's GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT a primetime spin-off of ABC’s top daytime drama, GENERAL HOSPITAL. In a twist of fate, Dominic will not play the role in season two, but his brother, Ethan Rains, will instead scrub in for primetime television surgery as Dr. Julian. While Ethan perfects his on-screen medical jargon, Dominic will perform in front of live audiences at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, showcasing his talents in a whole new medium. When asked if he’s nervous about stepping into his brother’s shoes on GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT, which starts July 22, Ethan said Dominic has been supportive, but has also given him the space to create the role for himself. When Dominic talks about Ethan, it is with gratitude. "I don’t think either one of us could have continued without the other one," Dominic said. "I look at it as a blessing that we have been given the honor of learning from each other. Ethan is a big part of why I am in this business." Face-to-Face with Gale Harold On his new DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES role: "I've worked about four days and it's been very nice, a very easy transition to go from being a complete stranger to all these people to just going to work and doing the work. (Teri) has a very ready grasp of what she needs to bring to the scene, she's a very fluid actress and it's been great to work with her." NEIGHBOURS producer defends the show Australians Sunday defended soap opera export NEIGHBOURS from the charge that its cast is all-white. "NEIGHBOURS is an ever-changing face and it's important we keep it contemporary," executive producer Susan Bower told the Sunday Telegraph. "Our core cast are from diverse ethnic backgrounds and the characters they play also have diverse ethnic backgrounds." The long-running series that launched the career of pop singer Kylie Minogue has been castigated for its vanilla flavor by Britain's race relations watchdog. Marc Cherry on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Andrew "He's Bree's assistant so he becomes he becomes kind of her Machiavellian assistant, making sure that she's taken care of. So it becomes an interesting relationship because their bond is now different than it was before. It will be a very adult (Andrew)." And will Andrew finally get another love interest? "Ultimately, but I don't know when," Marc said. "I'm not gonna shy away from it but right now I'm just kind of busy setting up the new season with what the women are all about. So we'll get there." Getting good news from Antonio Sabato, Jr. On his CELEBRITY CIRCUS win: "It was the best, the best time. Everything came to a beautiful close. I would have to say it was one of the best - if not the best - experience I've ever had. I've never won anything and to win something exremely hard like that after so much hard work and pain, it paid off. It never felt like going to work though and I made friends I'm going to have for the rest of my life." Laura Bell Bundy exits Broadway's "Legally Blonde" today Former GUIDING LIGHT star and Tony-nominated actress Laura Bell Bundy will 'bend and snap' one final time as Elle Woods in the Broadway production of "Legally Blonde" today. Bundy has been with "Legally Blonde" since its 2005 readings and earned a 2007 Best Actress Tony Award nomination for her turn as Legally Blonde's pink-clad heroine. The musical is based on the 2001 MGM movie that starred Reese Witherspoon. HOLLYOAKS heart-throbs in charity swap Heart-throbs from television soap HOLLYOAKS are coming to Havant. Actors from the popular Channel 4 show, including Chris Fountain, will be swapping Liverpool for Leigh Park in the name of charity. The boys will be playing in a charity football match against local civil servants at Havant and Waterlooville Football Club to raise money for Macmillan Cancer.

Flashback: Jill's Millionaire Fantasy on Y&R 1986

1 Former THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS diva Brenda Dickson has blogged about her firing from the soap in the 80s and it's a must read. Even though I realize that Jess Walton is an incredible actress and has done a fabulous job with the character of Jill, Dickson will always be Jill to me. I just loved her so much. Her Jill was such a diva, like Dickson herself. Here's an excert from her blog entry: Many of you are probably wondering what is going on. I am being put in jail (illegally) and raped of all my assets. Well, this is a repeat scenario. It has been done to me once before. Whenever I showed desire to resume my career, there are people in my life, it is organized crime, who will rape me of all my assets. Many of my fans have expressed the concern about William Bell firing me so here is the blog that explains it all. I am writing a book and there is so, so much more to tell. I feel I must speak out, as the fraud in my life is much too great. I have endured far too much to keep quiet about this. Many of you have asked am I alright after the William Bell firing and blacklisting. The answer is "No, I'm not alright." The comment about William Bell, yes, well. It seems that is an ongoing battle. There are people who proceeded William Bell who are still in my life. The answer is NO. I AM NOT ALRIGHT. When I did E! True Hollywood, I was in a "gag clause," about the attorney who represented me for the lawsuit against William Bell, the illegal firing and black listing, ill treatment and defamation of character. It was an $11 million lawsuit. I have witnesses, sworn statements, etc. that prove the black listing and ill treatment and that I was ill when fired. The bad press that defamed my character. The judge in that case never met me or them. My attorney, who represented me, worked for Y&R, and William Bell. He failed to mention it to me. My attorney was secretly negotiating all the below the line contracts for the Y&R for years (Joseph Kapleon and Mike Shelly). When I did E! True Hollywood, the attorneys had me sign a "Gag Clause" and a contract stating that they did indeed have a conflict of interest (once I discovered this) and I could not talk about it. In the contract they admitted the conflict of interest and said their insurance company would pay me. They had dragged that case out for 4 years. Again, I never met the judge. Nor did my witnesses. They stated that their insurance company owed me $1,000,000. That is all the insurance they had. Their insurance company never paid up. I believe they used the case to negotiate for all the below the line people they represented and possibly got a great deal and then dropped my case. They dropped all evidence and witnesses in my case. The judge didn't even know I was blacklisted. They dragged that case out for a total of seven years, which included going after the insurance they had promised me. My current ex-husband, Attorney Jan Weinberg, was handling the malpractice case against the Y&R attorney who falsely represented me. He just let the attorneys go free. Well over million people tuned out when I was fired and show dropped 9 rating points. I am told it is a million dollars a rating point (to my knowledge) to the stockholders of C.B.S. I worked almost every day. You do the math, at the loss, most of them people never tuned back in. For many years the ratings sank after I was fired, then about five years or so into it all of daytime fell. The show had about 11 million viewers when I did the show in the U.S. It sank to 3-4 million where it remains today. When I was off the show for three and a half years, my first marriage, the show fell to 6th place and stayed. No one knew better than William Bell this fact and the network. (Note Wikipedia is no real database for the Neilson ratings, other than false data someone sends them. Their Neilson Ratings reports are totally false on Wikkie. For the record they state I did game shows before Y&R, the true facts are I sang and danced and did skits with Bob Hope. I did three hit plays. One with Jimmy burrows as director, creator of "Friends" and "Cheers," one with Bob Crane and one with Mike Nadder and Tennessee Williams. I did Episodic Television, F.B.I. Story, "Men at Law" with William Shatner and Jan Michael Vincent, "Love American Style," "Falcon Crest," "There Is A Boy in My Remockie" with Barbara Eden and many others, a film called "Death Master" with Robert Quarry. In essence, I worked before Y&R, second mis-print of Wikipedia, Jerry Douglas and I never fought. Again, a false statement by Wikipedia. They are entertaining to read as some of what they print is true, most not true). When I came back the second time to Y&R, within months the show was back up to number one. William Bell felt he owned me and even though my contract was up, he decided to ruin my career, and blacklist me so that my face would never appear on another show because he knew that audience would follow me to another show. CBS Network knew this as well. So, he fired me against my contract that said I had to be given notice (I only had a few days left of work on my contract). The contract said they must use me if I was ready, willing and able to work. I was ready to work after seeing a doctor immediately. Bell refused to let me come back to finish my few days left on my contract. He and his friends did that to create the illusion that I walked off the set and to ruin my career. Pictures were released of me in a gown stating I walked off the set and quit my job. They ran all through the wire service. A total lie. When I went to get an agent (as mine had had a heart attack), they stated they had talked to William Bell and there was a problem. I couldn't get even the smallest agent to represent me. I was top in my field, yet this was happening. I met and married attorney Jan Weinberg. I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, with lawsuits in tow to cover the damage, hoping to finally handle the matter and vindicate my career and the damage that had been done. I started a new life, stayed ten years. Only to discover the same people were in my life in fear I'd speak up and tell the truth. The same people did not want me back in Hollywood ever. The attorneys (who supposedly represented me, really worked for William Bell and CBS employees) had dragged the $11 million dollar lawsuit out (and suggested I do no publicity then, a "Gag Clause" during E! True Hollywood, I waited 4 years to meet the judge, they knew I'd never see and another three to collect from their insurance company they knew I'd never get). I got nothing for the blacklisting and loss of my career. They where going to get involved in my divorce case to make sure I had no assets to fight back. Please read all of this sequence of events and as organized crime is in my life, which is what is happening in Honolulu now. It wasn't enough to strip me off my career, they wanted me with no assets to fight them, and never back in Hollywood with money or power. There was a connection into my lawyer ex-husband, Jan Weinberg. The current 2008, battle. After going through the fight over my character image, William Bell wanted a character no one else wanted on the show. I couldn't fight City Hall. One producer would say to me right before I was ready to tape, "We have someone else to play our part, she has big ti - -, and is younger!" The whole thing was horrible. Another producer would take me to the Hamburger Hamlet and over drinks tell me they had someone else to play my part. I mean it as a constant negative flow of energy, all geared to upset and wear and tear you down. When I worked for Bell as a young girl, living at home with my poor mother as my character on the show, that was 10 years past when I came back in 1983. I drove a Rolls Royce, lived on Rockingham, traveled to Europe, wore clothes from Paris. I had developed a strong sense of fashion at an early age. I never related to that character. He kept surprising me. They hired a girl with a beautiful body, sexy, yet when I came to work, it was squash her hair down, bad lighting, weird ratted hair with shots way over the head to distort the face, and at one point they wanted to tape my breasts down. CBS runs a picture of me with the ratted hair and that fake lynx that looks like a cotton ball from an airell shot. At some point, I just began to bring in my own wardrobe. One producer would say, as they brought in an outfit I wore when my character was poor. this is what you used to wear. It was a scene written by Bell. It was, of course, totally inappropriate for the wife of a cosmetic king (I'd be shot in the dark with an up in the air shot. It was a scene from the old regimen, so they would make me look bad). The character had changed. The west coast producer Wes Kenny, had created an ensemble family. My character was to be a foil character for Jack Abbott. A villainess, an exact opposite of what Bell wanted. William Bell didn't want it that way. He no longer owned the show. He made no money off the ratings at that point. Wes Kenny was let go as the west coast producer. I believe it was over my part. William Bell used to call me at home. "Why aren't you crying?" I did my cry. He edited it out. Wes edited the show as well. It was exhausting. I do a crying scene over and over until I lost the tears. That would be the edit chosen. At same point, I did my own hair and make up, insisted upon a key light and no, I would not tape down my breast! If they didn't want them, they shouldn't have hired me. I was about to announce my second bathing suit poster to be released. That week it was to be released. William Bell made me a grandmother. Just couldn't win. I was in my 30's when Bell made me a grandmother. I wasn't ready for that part. So, in the end, the last few years, I wasn't the character William Bell created. I never was that character. It was much work to drum up this character he wanted. I'd grown up into a refined young woman. He had the character crying all the time. No one on the west coast wanted it, including the entire new cast of the Abbott Family. They wanted and needed what was being done, so the characters could interact with me. Finally in the end the character was more me, just me. I felt comfortable, happy (minus the villainess part, which I loved to play). The audience loved this character. But William Bell hated that character. When he fired me he said, "Suffice to say, we had a difference of opinion in character." Well, I was doing what the writers wanted and the audience loved. Someone else was coming up with ideas for me, and other writers. It was selling like hot cakes. So, the ratings were up. It worked and still he couldn't stand that. I was doing what was written in the script. the one and only reasons William Bell fired me is he hated the villain character I played, and he did not want my audience to follow me to another series!!! Continue reading...