News Brief

Deadline Hollywood: Tuesday's Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and Labor Community Solidarity Rally held in NYC's Washington Square Park was a major celebfest. Almost 1,000 members of the labor community were on hand, including striking writers from the WGAE and WGAW; and representatives from 15 unions including SAG, AFTRA, DGA, SEIU, UNITE-HERE, AFT, the national and local AFL-CIOs and the New York City Central Labor Council. Among the daytime writers in attendance were Tom Casiello, Courtney Simon and Judy Tate.

San Jose Mercury News: Death knell for soaps? Viewership is down, and strike isn't helping. "There's no question there has been audience erosion, but to some extent, the problem has been over-hyped," says TV Guide's Michael Logan, who points out that network television has experienced an across-the-board decline in ratings. "It's too easy to say the genre is over and dead. But it's way too soon to call the coroner."

Los Angeles Daily News: NBC Universal plans to sell its entire 34-acre studio in Burbank to a development company that will inherit the right to build on the property, city and studio officials said Tuesday. With NBC Universal set to move its operations to Universal City, the company reserves the right to lease the Burbank facility for several years while it makes the move. The daytime soap opera "Days of Our Lives" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" are among the shows produced at the Burbank studio.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Actor Clifton Davis, whose career has spanned both the arts and commerce as the star of the TV show "Amen" and current head of Sunoco Welcome America!, stopped by the first networking event of the newly launched Black Economic Empowerment Network (BEEN) on Nov. 15 at Savannah's Soul Food Bar. Also among the 60 guests were actress Victoria Rowell ("The Young and the Restless" and "Diagnosis Murder") and Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition president Sharmain Matlock-Turner.

Newsday: Cell phone TV keeps getting better, even if it's not yet to the watch-anything-anywhere level. Verizon's V CAST Mobile TV service stepped up last week with a new phone some consider that carrier's iPhone wanna-be. Voyager allows you to extend the true TV-watching experience, with full programs like "As The World Turns," out of the house, on the train or on the go. The video is sharp, the audio clear through either the handset's booming stereo speakers or personal earbuds.

Fort Worth Star Telegram: Two-time Indianapolis 500 champ Helio Castroneves was the "Dancing With the Stars" winner Tuesday night. During the finale, previously eliminated contestant Mark Cuban lent his black suit coat and cream-color vest to fellow competitor Cameron Mathison. They came into play after the "All My Children" star obligingly took his sleeveless Superman T-shirt off to the delight of co-host Samantha Harris. "More skin than you've ever seen on free TV coming up," host Tom Bergeron then teased.

CBS: Video diary from "As The World Turns" stars Austin Peck, Terri Colombino and Michael Park from their early November location shoot at Central Park.

Sky Showbiz: Samantha Janus's "EastEnders" alter-ego is Ronnie Mitchell, and she is still a relatively new kid on the block. So what does the future have in store for her? Sam told Sky Showbiz: ""There's lots of stuff happening. She's starting to shed her layers and all her secrets are coming out. And we're starting to see more of her darker side. It's nice to see what's going on with her underneath it all. I think a lot of her history and past when she was younger has affected her."

Backstage: "The theatre where you perform live is itself a spiritual experience," agrees Mart Hulswit, an actor for more than 30 years (including 12 on TV's "Guiding Light") who is now executive director of the Episcopal Actors' Guild of America. "If you're performing before 2,000 people eight times a week in a fine play, you can feel the spiritualism."