Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1975: The Doctor's Carolee made a decision.
1980: Dee and Ian arrived in Italy on As the World Turns.
1988: Australian soap opera Home and Away premiered.
2007: General Hospital's Elizabeth made a confession.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Mike Karr (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on Another World.

1967: On Peyton Place, Lee Webber (Stephen Oliver) taunted Chris (Gary Haynes) at Ada's tavern. Later, Chris stole a gun.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1975: The Doctor's Carolee made a decision.
1980: ATWT's Dee and Ian arrived in Italy.
1988: Australian soap opera Home and Away premiered.
2007: General Hospital's Elizabeth made a confession.

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Mike Karr (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on Another World.

1967: On Peyton Place, Lee Webber (Stephen Oliver) taunted Chris (Gary Haynes) at Ada's tavern. Later, Chris stole a gun.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas kept Angelique's secret.
1980: ATWT's Dee and Ian arrived in Italy.
1988: Australian soap opera Home and Away premiered.
2007: General Hospital's Elizabeth made a confession.

"More and more, I tend to read history. I often find it more up to date than the daily newspapers."
― Joe Murray

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Mike Karr (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on Another World.

1967: On Peyton Place, Lee Webber (Stephen Oliver) taunted Chris (Gary Haynes) at Ada's tavern. Later, Chris stole a gun.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas kept Angelique's secret.
1980: ATWT's Dee and Ian arrived in Italy. 1988: Australian soap
Home and Away premiered. 2007: GH's Elizabeth made a confession.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Mike Karr (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on Another World.

1967: On Peyton Place, Lee Webber (Stephen Oliver) taunted Chris (Gary Haynes) at Ada's tavern. Later, Chris stole a gun.

ABC Bringing 'To Tell The Truth' Back, Hosted by Anthony Anderson, Featuring Betty White and NeNe Leakes

Betty White on Match Game.

ABC is bringing back classic panel game show To Tell The Truth.

Hosted by Anthony Anderson and produced by FremantleMedia North America, To Tell The Truth is an anarchic and funny re-imagination of the beloved, game show of the same name. The all new version will take the excitement to another level featuring fun characters from pop culture over the six-episode series.

Anderson will preside over four famous faces including legend Betty White (who has appeared on previous versions of the show) and actress NeNe Leakes. In each round they will be presented with three people who all claim to be the same person with the same incredible talent, job or achievement. One is sworn to tell the truth while the others are not. The panel of celebrities will have a chance to grill each participant before taking turns deciding who they think is telling the truth.

Anderson’s brassy mother, Doris, will be the official scorekeeper and asking questions of her own, not to mention embarrassing her son every chance she gets. The celebrity panelist who performs the worst will have to tweet a lie about themselves to the world. Cheche and his Band of Liars will be the house band. Every episode will end with a show stopping stunt/performance.

The celebrity panelists set to appear in each episode include:

* Betty White – Seven-Time Emmy Award Winning TV legend, actress, author and producer, and passionate supporter of animal health and welfare. Betty is known for her iconic television roles from The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She received a Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year, and appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful as Ann Douglas from 2006-2009.

* NeNe Leakes – Actress (Glee), TV personality (Real Housewives of Atlanta), producer, author and fashion designer most recently seen on Broadway in "Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella."

To Tell The Truth is produced by FremantleMedia North America and will be taped in front of a live audience in Los Angeles, California. Barry Poznick, Toby Gorman, Thom Beers, Jeff Gaspin, George Moll and Anthony Anderson are executive producers.

Daytime Emmys Awarding Betty White the Lifetime Achievement Award

Betty White

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) have announced that television icon, Betty White, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards broadcast on Sunday, April 26, 2015. The awards ceremony will televised live on Pop at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT from the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA.

“Betty White is an American institution,” said Bob Mauro, President, NATAS. “Betty's career as a female pioneer has followed television from literally the beginning of the medium, winning her first Emmy Award in 1952, to the digital-streaming future, winning again in 2010. She is one of the most beloved female performers in the history of television and the National Academy is proud to be honoring her with a most well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.”

“Betty White is the 'First Lady of Game Shows,'” said Senior Vice President, Daytime, David Michaels. “Betty was the darling of Password, where she met the love of her life, Allen Ludden, and a favorite on Match Game, The $25,000 Pyramid, and countless others. She was the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 for the show, Just Men. From her iconic dramatic turn as Ann Douglas on The Bold and the Beautiful, to her classic sitcom performances, to her movies and books, Betty is a woman who has excelled in everything she has ever done. She is also one of the nicest women in show business and we are proud to be bestowing this honor on such an exemplary role model for our entire industry.”

Ms. White will be joining an illustrious group of previous Lifetime Achievement Honorees including, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Merv Griffin, Dick Clark, Bob Barker, Phil Donahue, Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek and many others.

Betty White Bio

Betty White has had a legendary career that has spanned more than 70 years. Along with her seven Emmy Awards, she has created unforgettable roles in television and film, authored eight books and won numerous awards, including those for her lifelong work for animal welfare.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas kept Angelique's secret.
1980: ATWT's Dee and Ian arrived in Italy. 1988: Australian soap
Home and Away premiered. 2007: GH's Elizabeth made a confession.

"A page of history is worth a pound of logic."
― Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to Scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Mike Karr (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on Another World.

1967: On Peyton Place, Lee Webber (Stephen Oliver) taunted Chris (Gary Haynes) at Ada's tavern. Later, Chris stole a gun.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1968: DS' Barnabas kept Angelique's secret. 1980: ATWT's Dee
and Ian arrived in Italy. 1988: Australian soap HOME AND
AWAY premiered. 2007: GH's Elizabeth made a confession.

"Maybe if people started to listen, history would stop repeating itself."
- Lily Tomlin

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Mike (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on ANOTHER WORLD.

THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW Reunion To Air on HOT IN CLEVELAND Next Week

Photo Credit: TV Land

TV Land's historic reunion of the female cast of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW on the network's original sitcom, HOT IN CLEVELAND, is here! Next Wednesday, September 4th at 10 p.m. ET/PT, TV Land brings together Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Georgia Engel and HOT IN CLEVELAND regular Betty White for an unprecedented reunion of one of the most revered TV casts of all time. This is the first time in over 30 years that the five former castmates have gotten together for a sitcom.

In the episode, Elka (White), Melanie (Valerie Bertinelli) Joy (Jane Leeves) and Victoria (Wendie Malick) are getting ready for their "birthdates" - their annual birthday tradition of setting each other up for dates - but choose to shake things up a bit this year. Elka and Mamie Sue (Engel) decide they want to get their bowling team back together, aptly named GLOB: the Gorgeous Ladies of Bowling.

NEWS: Heather Locklear & Jane Seymour Lock Lips, Crystal Chappell, Betty White

Heather Locklear & Jane Seymour Lock Lips On Tonight's FRANKLIN & BASH
Described as a "hard-hitting badass from New York," Locklear plays attorney Rachel King, who has to corral unorthodox lawyers Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and brings "sexy back" along the way.

But just how much of a stir is Locklear's character going to create?

From the looks of this exclusive clip from the episode airing next Wednesday, June 26 -- in which she's caught in a lip lock with Bash's mother (played by Jane Seymour) -- it appears Franklin and Bash's world will quite possibly never be the same again!

Corbin Bernsen, Jess Walton, Betty White, Max Ehrich, Alex Trebek, Bryton James & Hunter King Among Daytime Emmy Presenters

HLN, the host network of the annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards show, now in its 40th year, presented live from The Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 16, 8-10 p.m., ET/PT, today announces, some of its star-studded line-up of presenters.

This year’s presenters will include some of the biggest names in television, past, present and future including Steve Harvey, Betty White, Wayne Brady, Alex Trebek, Todd Newton and the newest additions to daytime TV, Bethenny Frankel and Kris Jenner. In addition, Betty White will present Game Show Icon Monty Hall and Wayne Brady will present Legendary Producer Bob Stewart with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS’ hot, young stars Max Ehrich, Bryton James and Hunter King are also tapped to present with Corbin Bernsen and Jess Walton confirmed to introduce the “in memoriam” tribute.

Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper & Cloris Leachman To Join Betty White & Georgia Engel On HOT IN CLEVELAND's MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW Reunion

The cast of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW at the SAG
Awards in 2007.

TV Land announced today that the ladies of HOT IN CLEVELAND will soon be getting some special visitors in town as Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman reunite with their co-star of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, Betty White. In the episode, Elka (Betty White) and Mamie Sue (Georgia Engel) decide to get their bowling team back together, aptly named GLOB: the Gorgeous Ladies of Bowling. The team, which includes Elka, Mamie Sue, Diane (Moore), Peg (Leachman) and Angie (Harper), had a falling out decades ago after their championship season went to their heads. This is the first time in over 30 years that the five former castmates will be reunited on the sitcom stage. Mary Tyler Moore previously appeared on HOT IN CLEVELAND as Elka's cellmate in a season two episode.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

On this date in...

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Mike (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on ANOTHER WORLD.

1968: On DARK SHADOWS, Josette (Kathryn Leigh Scott) read the biography accompanying the photo of her in the book she found in Victoria's room which said she "died by her own hand in the winter of that same year, 1795."

1980: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, April (Terry Davis) told Draper (Tony Craig) about the dream she had the night before.

Heather Locklear To Guest In Multi-Episode HOT IN CLEVELAND Arc

The ‘Cleveland’ ladies are back and hotter than ever! Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White return for the fourth season of TV Land’s hit sitcom HOT IN CLEVELAND, taping in front of a live studio audience on Friday, August 31, and premiering Wednesday, November 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. TV bombshell Heather Locklear (DYNASTY; MELROSE PLACE) and Jay Harrington (SUMMERLAND) will both be in multi-episode arcs, and Regis Philbin returns for the season premiere. Additionally, Georgia Engel (THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW; PASSIONS) and Michael McMillian (TRUE BLOOD) will reprise their roles – Engel as Mamie, who has a love/hate friendship with Elka (White), and McMillian as Owen, the long-lost son that Joy (Leeves) gave up for adoption.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Everyone Back To GLEE, Auto Hop, Betty White Roasted, Connie & Hayden Talk NASHVILLE

Are all McKinley High seniors not named Rachel, Kurt, or Finn off GLEE? Series boss Ryan Murphy says absolutely not.
"A lot of people have been writing Dianna's off the show, Amber's off the show — they're not off the show," Murphy told Vulture. "I think Amber was talking about that bittersweet feeling of, 'I'll never be in the choir room with that exact group of people.' At least that's what she told me ... When I read that [tweet,] I said, 'I think people will misconstrue that.' She's excited about where her character is going. They all are. I wanted to do the right thing by all of them."

NEWS ROUNDUP: Charlene Tilton, Kelli Williams, Oprah, Dragton Abbey

CHARLENE TILTON: I Kept My Deafness A Secret Since Childhood
When she took to the ice for preliminary training for DANCING ON ICE in Los Angeles with partner Matt Gonzalez, Tilton realized she had taken on a bigger challenge than she thought. It was impossible to hide the hearing loss that she had kept secret throughout her acting career.

She explains: “As a child I had chronic ear infections. I was a bit of a sickly kid.” But her mother could not always afford to take Tilton to a doctor. “She was a single mom and it was hard. She just didn’t have the money.”

"When I worked on DALLAS I had to go to black-tie events for work and I would just smile and say ‘Yes’ to whatever anyone was saying."

PREVIEW: Wednesday Night's HOT IN CLEVELAND With Guest Stars Susan Lucci & Ryan McPartlin

Former daytime soap stars Susan Lucci (ex-Erica, ALL MY CHILDREN) and Ryan McPartlin (ex-Hank, PASSIONS) guest star on Wednesday night's all-new episode of HOT IN CLEVELAND titled "Life With Lucci."

Victoria's (Wendie Malick) arch nemesis Susan Lucci arrives looking for guidance now that ALL MY CHILDREN has been cancelled. When Susan makes the other ladies' wishes come true they fall for her despite Victoria's warnings that they'll all get "Luccied."

Watch a video preview below:

President Barack Obama Asks To See Betty's White's Birth Certificate

If you missed the Betty White 90th birthday special last night on NBC, it was a wonderful treat. One of the funny moments was when President Barack Obama (via video) wrote Betty a letter asking to see her birth certificate (a play on the prolonged push by some politicians to see his which finally ended - for everyone but Donald Trump - in 2011). He was convinced she couldn't really be 90. Watch the clip below:

Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

On this date in...

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Mike called Willy and asks him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on ANOTHER WORLD.

1977: ALL MY CHILDREN moved to the 1 p.m. ET time slot.

1988: Australian soap opera HOME AND AWAY premiered. The show is set in the fictional town of Summer Bay, a coastal town in New South Wales.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Jonathan Jackson, Betty White, Buffy Movie, Jon Tenney, Mario Batali

GENERAL HOSPITAL's Jonathan Jackson on telling love stories and maintaining character integrity
"It's difficult to tell love stories in a day in and day out medium. It can easily become a little bit mundane," Jackson says. "I think there's a way around that, but it's not easy. The answer can't be to always have one of the two people betray the other one and have the whole thing fall apart because the characters end up compromising everything about themselves. There has to be another way to have drama without the characters themselves doing that to themselves or doing that to each other. That would be the challenge: how do you create drama and suspense nuances but maintain the integrity of the characters? That's really difficult to do."

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ movie looking for new writer
That big-screen revamp of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER has been dealt a setback. Two sources close to the project say that the script submitted this past summer by writer Whit Anderson fell far short of expectations and, in the end, was rejected completely.

THE CHEW's Mario Batali: Accused in Butt-Slapping Suit Of Ignoring Sexual Misdeeds
Eugene Gibbons filed the suit in NY Supreme Court, claiming several co-workers ruthlessly harassed him while he worked at Batali's Babbo Restaurant in NYC -- co-owned by MASTERCHEF judge Joe Bastianich. Eugene claims Batali and Bastianich were fully aware of the harassment -- but did nothing to stop it ... the suit claims ... by their inaction the two chefs condoned the campaign of humiliation.

THE CLOSER's Jon Tenney Heads to HBO's Aaron Sorkin-Produced THE NEWSROOM
The hour-long drama is set behind the scenes at a fictional cable news network and centers on an anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Mortimer), his newsroom staff (Alison Pill, John Gallagher, Jr., Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski) and their boss (Sam Waterston).

Betty White to star in MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL season finale opener
White will be seen kicking off the MNF game in which the Atlanta Falcons will defeat the New Orleans Saints.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY scoop: Second season will have new cast, locale (goodbye, Jessica Lange?)
Creator Ryan Murphy told reporters today that season 2 of the hit FX drama will begin with a new locale and a (mostly) new cast.

5 things GLEE could learn from PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
1. Camp and character can co-exist!

TV grandmas turn the rocking, knitting stereotype on its ear
Today’s TV grandmothers have evolved from the cranky or cackling grannies of old; no Granny Clampett here.

Ranking TV’s Nightlife Destinations from Worst to Best
4. Dobler’s, GREEK

How BEING ERICA took product integration too far
The proverbial last straw came with the fourth season’s eighth episode, which begins with Erica (inexplicably) test-driving a Ford Focus with Julianne.

Another peek at the upcoming season of GAME OF THRONES
We're still months away from the Season 2 premiere of HBO's GAME OF THRONES, but the network continues to throw dedicated viewers a bone (watch below).