NEWS: Lisa LoCicero, Drake, Jeff Kwatinetz, Terrence Evans, Rick Springfield, Kathy Brier

Lisa LoCicero back on-screen at General Hospital next week
LoCicero will be back on-screen as GH's Olivia next week, after a maternity leave that the actress, who gave birth to daughter Verity on May 30, says "flew by." LoCicero tells Soap Opera Digest she doesn't know much about the show's storyline intentions for Liv, but acknowledges, "The writers really got hit with a double whammy in terms of this storyline. You’ve got a burgeoning romance, one of them gets knocked up and the other one [Wally Kurth, ex-Ned; Justin, DAYS] leaves unexpectedly [laughs]! It’s kind of like, ‘Uh, good luck coming up with something smooth for this!’ "

Drake reunites with his former Degrassi co-stars
Before being known as Drake, Aubrey Graham made a name for himself as a Canadian actor starring on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The rapper played Jimmy Brooks on the series, a basketball player who ended up in a wheelchair after a school shooting left him paralyzed.

Drake met up with a trio of his former costars on Wednesday night at the Toronto screening of the new series "We Are Disorderly." At the event, he was seen taking photos with Daniel Clark (Sean Cameron), Adam Ruggiero (Maro Del Rossi) and Lauren Collins (Paige Michalchuk).

Stage and Screen Actor Terrence Evans Has Died at 81
Evans appeared as Irwin Stubbs on Days of our Lives for 14 episodes in 1989. His other credits included Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager and Terminator 2.

Rick Springfield on What It’s Like to Jam with Meryl Streep
The General Hospital alum has a co-starring role opposite Meryl Streep in the new Jonathan Demme film, Ricki and the Flash, in which Streep plays the lead singer of a Southern California bar band who returns to Indiana to make peace with the ex-husband and three children she left to pursue—not very successfully—her muse.

"She brought that character to life" Springfield says of Streep. "It had nothing to do with [musical technique]—I mean it mattered that it looked like she could really play the guitar. But what really sells it to me is that she was incredibly brave and that she was that character. She’s not Meryl Streep when she sings."

Empire Creator Confirms Young Cookie Spinoff Plans: 'There's Ripe Story'
“There is going to be a spinoff from Empire, without question,” he said. “There’s so much ripe story that we’ve talked about already— about Cookie’s family, what makes her her. That in itself is fascinating to me.”

Patrick Duffy and Anne Archer have joined the cast of Will Wallace’s directorial debut Trafficked
The stars join previously announced cast members Kelly Washington, Ashley Judd, Jessica Obilom and Efren Ramirez.

One Life to Live alum Kathy Brier starring in "Gypsy" on Staten Island
The show opened last night at the Harbor Lights Theater Company, and runs two weekends through August 16th in an exciting new partnership with the historic St. George Theater in Staten Island.

Brier, who played Marcie on OLTL, stars as Electra.

Jeff Kwatinetz to telaunch The Firm management and production company
Kwatinetz is bringing back The Firm, almost seven years after the management and production company folded following his exit as CEO. Kwatinetz, who went on to launch Prospect Park with ex-Walt Disney Studios president Richard Frank, will be relaunching The Firm, which he originally established nearly two decades ago.

Netflix renews Sense8
August 8 is the birthday of all eight lead characters, so Netflix picked today to announce that Sense8 will be “reborn" for a second season.

Prospect Park Networks Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Does Not Impact ABC Lawsuit

Prospect Park Networks, which last year launched new version of daytime soap operas ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN online before becoming embroiled in a legal dispute with ABC, announced that it has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The company provided additional details in the statement below:

STATEMENT FROM PROSPECT PARK NETWORKS

Prospect Park Networks, LLC (“PPN”) today announced that it has filed a voluntary petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Code in the District of Delaware. Prospect Park, the talent and management company, is unrelated to PPN and not included in the bankruptcy filing.

Prospect Park CEO Jeff Kwatinetz Sues Company and Investment Firm ABRY Partners

Prospect Park's multi-million dollar legal battle with ABC over ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE isn't the only courtroom drama the production company is now facing. Prospect Park chief Jeff Kwatinetz is suing the production company he co-founded as well as investor ABRY Partners, seeking to have a non-compete clause in his contract ruled invalid, according to Deadline.com.

The producer and talent manager is seeking a declaratory judgment over non-compete clauses in a December 31, 2012 employment agreement he signed with Prospect Park when the Boston-based investors came on board late last year.

The catalyst of the complaint was a difference of opinion that Kwatinetz has with ABRY over the direction of the company. Specially, that disagreement has to do with the future of AMC and OLTL and whether they will continue or not.

NEWS: Josh Griffith on Losing Y&R's Katherine Chancellor; Jeff Kwatinetz on First Seasons Of AMC/OLTL; Eileen Davidson On Why She Left DAYS

Y&R's exiting head writer Josh Griffith, previews the emotional on-air death of the late Jeanne Cooper's alter ego, Katherine Chancellor, in Soap Opera Digest
“It’s very overwhelming,” says Griffith. “Katherine is, in so many ways, the heart and soul of Genoa City. To learn that she’s gone is as devastating to them as it was to us when we lost Jeanne.”

Maiden season of Internet soap operas ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE yields vital lessons, says company co-founder Jeffrey Kwatinetz
“We have tackled more business, creative and logistical challenges than most shows experience in a lifetime of production,” said Prospect Park co-founder Jeffrey Kwatinetz.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE Season Finale Airs August 19, ALL MY CHILDREN September 2

Prospect Park's The OnLine Network (TOLN) today announced the first season finales of ONE LIFE TO LIVE on Monday, August 19th and ALL MY CHILDREN on Monday, September 2nd.

Both of these iconic series, which premiered to great fanfare this past April, have consistently ranked in the Top 10 on iTunes, Hulu and Hulu Plus, and have had "tens of millions of views since their historic online debut" according to Prospect Park.

TOLN also announced that future seasons of the shows will benefit from the launch of a new, user-friendly web portal and app that will make it even easier for fans to connect with their favorite characters and will take their level of interaction to a whole new level.

WGN America Orders Original Series SALEM From FOX 21, Prospect Park and Producers Brannon Braga & Adam Simon

WGN America has ordered the drama series SALEM from award-winning producers Brannon Braga (24, STAR TREK: TNG, VOYAGER & ENTERPRISE) and Adam Simon (THE HAUNTING OF CONNECTICUT) it was announced today by Matt Cherniss , President/GM, WGN America. The series hails from Fox 21 (HOMELAND, SONS OF ANARCHY), the prolific cable production division of Twentieth Century Fox Television, and marks the first original scripted series for WGN America as it begins to aggressively expand its programming slate.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: ALL MY CHILDREN Will Air On Mondays & Wednesdays, ONE LIFE TO LIVE On Tuesdays & Thursdays Starting May 20

Prospect Park's Rich Frank and Jeff Kwatinetz sent to message to fans today detailing an upcoming schedule change for ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE.  Starting May 20 ALL MY CHILDREN will stream new episodes on Mondays and Wednesdays, while ONE LIFE TO LIVE will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check it out below:

For close to two years we have been working passionately to bring first run premium content to an online platform with the creation of brand-new versions of the two iconic series, All My Children and One Life To Live. There was no precedent for this effort- we had no history-no barometer for how our fans would respond. We always knew there would quickly be new insights into how audiences would respond to our shows and this new platform, and that our ability to adapt quickly to audience needs would ultimately determine the long-term success of the shows and our mission. This is a new medium, a new time and we have always planned to make changes quickly by listening to you, our fans and customers.

ALL MY CHILDREN & ONE LIFE TO LIVE News Roundup

Can Online Shows Be Habit-Forming? Soaps May Provide Some Clues
Back in 1994, one Kaiser Family Foundation study found that viewing was highest in young women (18-29) and older women (50 and over). But Reuters reported that as of the end of ALL MY CHILDREN's run on ABC, the median viewer age was 57. Hulu, on the other hand, has a younger viewer base — earlier in April, it was reported to have an average age of 38.

So the challenge for Hulu is presumably in two parts: they need a younger audience (candidly, you can't just let the audience age and age and then die), and they need to keep a base level of the older audience that has sustained these shows always. The opening episode of ALL MY CHILDREN on Hulu is fairly transparent on that point — it introduces some younger characters and a high school plot, but also focuses on people who were on when I was a teenager, including Angie and Jesse Hubbard, who became a so-called "supercouple" in the early 1980s and are still making out 30 years later. (And good for them.)

The Beloved Return of Angie and Jessie (Again)
With the regular assaults on Black love and marriage in the media, this is one couple that has stayed the course, no matter how difficult. Their 1980s heyday cemented them in the minds of viewers who weren’t used to seeing a young African-American couple on TV everyday, who were held in equal regard to the White characters on the show.

The lesson of Angie and Jessie may not be that love conquers all (we know it doesn’t), but certainly that when love exists, it’s hard to break its bonds.

Prospect Park: 'Our Competition Isn't GENERAL HOSPITAL. It’s The Primetime Soaps On Hulu'

Variety has posted a new story on the return of ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE which features several interesting tidbits of information, including quotes from Prospect Park's Rich Frank and Jeff Kwatinetz.  Check out a few excerpts below:

On production costs:

Yes, production costs are cheaper north of Gotham, but only slightly: Connecticut Film Center’s Stamford facility rents for about 10% less per square foot than comparable New York studio spaces, according to CFC managing director Bruce Heller.

ALL MY CHILDREN & ONE LIFE TO LIVE: Traditional TV Storytelling Distributed In 'A Superior Way'

A new syndicated story by the Associated Press on the April 29 returns of ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE features a number of interesting quotes. Here are some excerpts:

ALL MY CHILDREN Executive Producer Ginger Smith: "We want to keep the core. I still want escapism and romance, but we’re going to have stories that are sometimes a little darker and edgier than we did on ABC."

ONE LIFE TO LIVE Executive Producer Jennifer Pepperman: "Being online is going to draw people in. You can click on it and watch it any time you like. This is a second chance. It is a wonderful gift."

Northwestern Students To Write An Episode Of ALL MY CHILDREN

Chicago native and soap opera pioneer Agnes Nixon created ALL MY CHILDREN two decades after attending Northwestern University.  Prospect Park Chairman and CEO Jeff Kwatinetz is an alum of the school as well. Fittingly, a trio of Northwestern undergrads will be involved in an upcoming episode of the soap, which returns on April 29.

Prospect Park has commissioned three finalists from Northwestern’s annual Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival to write a future installment of the soap, likely to stream in May or June, according to the Chicago Tribune.

In addition to real-world television experience, the students will each be paid $1,500 for their efforts and receive a professional writing credit on the episode.

ALL MY CHILDREN & ONE LIFE TO LIVE Will Produce 210 Episodes Per Year

Prospect Park's Jeff Kwatinetz shares his thoughts on ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE in a new interview in Forbes by Lesleyann Coker. Kwatinetz talks about how his company chose the distribution model for the soaps and says each soap will produce 210 episodes per year. Here are a few interested tidbits:

LC: Why did you choose to distribute online as opposed to distributing through cable or satellite networks?
JK: We chose online because we believe that it’s the best means of distribution in terms of convenience, cost and accessibility. Just like the best distribution now for music is the Internet, we believe it’s also best for television content.

LC: How will you market the show to fans?

NEWS ROUNDUP: Jeff Kwatinetz Talks OLTL/AMC; Cameron Mathison Update; PARENTHOOD's Future; Shonda Rhimes On PRIVATE PRACTICE Finale

Prospect Park's Jeff Kwatinetz says new ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE will give "actors and writers a little more freedom"
"I hope that everyone understands we really care about making these shows the best they can be and taking the heart and all the great things about them and continuing them…giving actors and writers a little more freedom. We have the best intentions and want to make the shows as good creatively as we can. That's our goal."

Prospect Park Lands Film Rights To "Wither"

Variety is reporting that Lauren DeStefano's sci-fi fantasy "Wither" is headed for the big screen, as Prospect Park and Violet House Prods. have acquired feature rights to the first book in a planned trilogy.

"Wither," the first of three novels in first-time writer DeStefano's "The Chemical Garden" trilogy, was released in March by Simon & Shuster and topped the Barnes & Noble and Publishers Weekly's young adult bestseller lists.

Prospect Park Announces They Are Producing First Tyler Shields Film

Photographer Tyler Shields, who most recently shot the REVENGE pillow fight pictures, will make his feature directorial debut with the thriller Final Girl, which is being produced by Prospect Park.

The film follows a pack of feral teenage boys who choose the wrong girl to be the victim of their final "initiation." As it turns out, they didn't pick her -- she picked them.

According to Variety, Prospect Park's Jeff Kwatinetz and Rob Carliner will produce with Nasser Group's Jack Nasser and Joseph Nasser, while Marco Torres will exec produce.

Prospect Park announced last Wednesday they were suspending efforts to launch new versions of ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE online. USA Network also announced today the return of their hit series, ROYAL PAINS, on Jan. 18.

RELATED:
- SURVEY: Who Do You Blame for the Loss of ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN?