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| EastEnders Ben and Paul stripped down to their boxers near a dead body. |
EastEnders funeral parlor gay embrace cleared by TV watchdog
Ofcom has cleared a
controversial EastEnders scene that showed two men half naked in a funeral parlor of breaching the broadcasting code. The media regulator received 76 complaints about the scene in the BBC1 soap, which showed characters Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker stripped off above the waist and embracing in front of a dead body in an open coffin.
“Ofcom assessed a number of complaints about a storyline in these episodes and concluded they didn’t raise issues warranting further investigation,” said a spokesman for the broadcasting regulator. “We found the scenes were justified in the context of a long running plot line and sexual contact between the characters was implied rather than overt.”
Al Sharpton and Andre Leon Talley to appear in season 2 premiere of Empire
Empire’s imprisoned patriarch Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) will get the support of two very powerful real-life figures in the season 2 premiere: Reverend Al Sharpton and fashion icon André Leon Talley will both appear when the Fox hit returns on September 22 to show their support for the embattled music CEO at an epic, outdoor “Free Lucious” concert.
Days of our Lives star Jen Lilley: "I’m going down in soap glory!"
“I play everything balls-to-the-wall,” she says. “My worry is not pushing the audience too far. I worry about not being full-on committed in every moment, which is not always easy in the crazy world of soaps. I had a storyline where Theresa got pregnant and had her fetus stolen. All I could say was, ‘Bring it on! I know this is goofy, but I’m going down in soap glory!’”
Jen Lilley on working with Days co-star Thaao Penghlis
“Soap opera legend, Thaao Penghlis, played Lord Haman. When we filmed
The Book of Esther I had just finished my run as Maxie Jones on ABC’s
General Hospital, so Thaao and I instantly bonded over our shared soap opera background and swapped behind-the-scenes stories. One day, Thaao told me he has died and come back to life 6 times on NBC’s Days of Our Lives! I giggled and asked him which death was his favorite, and he said, one time his character, Tony, died because someone slit his carotid artery. The fans were so outraged that Tony was killed off, that a short time later, his character came back, driving a boat, with his fabulous Fabio-esque hair blowing in the wind, and as the camera zoomed in, you could see a BAND-AID on his neck where his carotid was sliced! I was in stitches, no pun intended!
“Now, three years later, Thaao and I are working together on
Days of our Lives. It’s funny how paths intertwine. Thaao is one of the finest actors I’ve ever met…he’s mesmerizing. It’s almost unfair having to act opposite of him, because you don’t want to say your lines; you want to be an audience member, rapt by his performance!”
Scandal Season 5 to mark the 'reconstitution' of the Gladiators
Acknowledging that the show’s central Gladiator conceit was sidelined a bit in Season 4 because “we were busy healing” Olivia, Shonda Rhimes says Season 5 will feature “the reconstitution” of Team OPA.
Heroes Reborn premiere expanded to two hours, The Blacklist delayed one week
Heroes Reborn will air from 8 to 10 p.m. on September 24. It will be followed at 10 p.m. by the series premiere of
The Player, starring Wesley Snipes.
Revenge star Gabriel Mann to visit The Mysteries of Laura
Mann will play Shane Parker, a “charismatic entrepreneur who co-founded a billion dollar nano-tech company.” Shane’s suspicious behavior after his partner’s death gets the attention of the NYPD, making Shane a suspect.
Ricky Martin and Reese Witherspoon to appear on premiere of Neil Patrick Harris' upcoming live show, Best Time Ever
Harris clearly is struggling with the secrecy around the show, though he did let slip that both Ricky Martin and Reese Witherspoon have been booked to appear. "All of us will be seeing it together for the first time on September 15," he said. "It feels to me more pressure in anticipation because it's a blind commit in some ways. We don't want to reveal every single thing. We're holding a lot of cards close to our vest because that's what's going to make it exciting."
If NBC's Coach reboot is a success, ALF could be next
“It’s not a direct kind of reboot,” NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said about the new
Coach, with original creator Barry Kemp. It’s a picking up and it’s an extended family and Hayden is a grandfather, and a father-and-son story. So it’s a way to do another variation on a family show with, I think, a truly talented star and a great showrunner and a presold title. And if that works, then
ALF: The Series is next.”
Dolly Parton's next NBC Movies to be based on her songs "Jolene" and "The Seeker"
According to executive producer Sam Haskell, the network and Parton will next tackle "Jolene," based on her 1973 hit. John Sacret Young (
The West Wing) is writing the script.
Days of our Lives alum Chandler Massey recalls his first day on set
"I remember the first day I had like four lines, and the choice I were just so wrong," Massey (ex-Will Horton) joked on a special
AfterBuzz TV appearance.
Watch Massey's interview below:
