News Brief

Savoring Soaps: Marlena De Lacroix writes: "'Would you die for love?' That's ABC Daytime/ SoapNet's slogan for November sweeps on "General Hospital". It bridges four major storylines, including one in which the major young heroine will die on the show, mistakenly murdered by her own pre-poisoned ex-husband/current boyfriend during a gala ball. How can ABC be so irresponsible? General Hospital's prime targeted audience is young females, the advertiser-desirable demographics of ages 12-17 and 18-34. Teenage suicide is a serious problem in this country! (According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide accounts for 13% of all teen deaths!) To even suggest to today's young people that dying for love is something romantic, let alone a subject for fantasy, is egregious. And the height of desperation, even for a poorly rated daytime television genre that will try anything to vamp an audience."

Tempo: Stop calling them ‘soaps’? Actors should stop using the term ‘soap’ whenever they promote their new drama projects. The term ‘soap opera’ came about in the 1950s when American daytime drama serials were produced and sponsored primarily by makers of soaps and detergent bars, notably Procter & Gamble. These days, TV dramas are no longer the territory of soap-makers and are open to sponsorship by any product or service. Better to call them tele-dramas, sine-seryes, or teleseryes, lest manufacturers of shampoos and sanitary napkins raise a howl and pull out all their spots.

NY Daily News: Victor rescued Jack from the Clear Springs building collapse Thursday on "The Young and the Restless," so today a "thank you" is in order. "Jack has to thank his worst enemy for saving his life," says Peter Bergman, who plays Jack.

Fox: Fans of “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” will spot, respectively, Tammy Blanchard and Ewa da Cruz, in the film "Bella" out today. And ladies will not want to miss Mexican heartthrob Eduardo Verastegui in the lead role.

Film Threat: Very little in “Reservation Road” ultimately rings true, which makes the anguished theatrics on display that much more exasperating. If I want honest emotion, I’ll stick to Todd Field’s movies, if I want dubious coincidences and overwrought performances, I’ll watch “As the World Turns.”

AfterElton: Best.Gay.Week.Ever. After a quiet week last week on "As The World Turns" things perked up quite a bit this week, especially on Wednesday. Luke is out of the hospital, but he's still in a wheel chair. He's not doing so well with the physical therapy and Pappy Holden is being protective of his boy getting hurt by Noah. Best of all, Noah came by the farm and confessed his bone-headed come-on to Maddie. Luke was hurt, but the boys came to an understanding.

411mania: Soapnet celebrates Halloween early this Sunday night by airing three episodes of "Days Of Our Lives" highlighting the infamous "Marlena is possessed by the devil" storyline.

Lex 18: Lexington Man Gets Part On "Days Of Our Lives".

Playbill: The Baker's Wife, the Stephen Schwartz-Joseph Stein cult-favorite musical that spawned the cabaret classic "Meadowlark," begins its limited run at the York Theatre Company tonight. Renée Elise Goldsberry ("One Life to Live"), who created the part of Nettie in The Color Purple, stars in the title role that was preserved on vinyl by Tony winner Patti LuPone.