NEWS: LONE STAR, Michael Park, Sean Ringgold, J.R. Martinez

LONE STAR Creator Kyle Killen Still Hoping for Cable Pickup for Cancelled Show
Killen isn’t giving up. The creator-writer-executive producer of LONE STAR, the short-lived and critically acclaimed 20th Century Fox Television show about a Texas con-man, still believes the series could air on cable television. “We have 6 completed episodes that function nicely as a mini-season and we’d love to find a home for that,” Killen told Speakeasy on the eve of this year’s Austin Film Festival and Conference, where he’s speaking this weekend and the LONE STAR pilot will be shown.

NEWS: Brianna Brown, Dana Delany, Erik Fellows, Tina Sloan

Brianna Brown: On Her Soap Box
Brown appears on the cover of the October 2010 edition of Best Ever You. Inside she writes: "I've found that acting on a soap opera is just as challenging as the various other media of moving pictures. It can be long hours. But, the most challenging part is the constant influx of material to absorb and regurgitate without any real foresight of the next twist and turn of your character. It can be a bit of a rollercoaster!"

VIDEO: Tina Sloan Talks About Aging in New Book
Sloan appeared on GOOD MORNING ATLANTA to talk about how to weather getting older with style, humor and grace and her book "Changing Shoes."

FOX Cancels LONE STAR

The first official cancellation of the 2010-11 TV season is FOX's LONE STAR. The network has pulled the plug on its critically adored drama after two low-rated episodes.

LIE TO ME, which wasn’t expected to kick off its third season until later this fall, takes over the show’s Monday 9 p.m. time slot beginning next week.

In previous posts, we've debated all the reasons why LONE STAR never connected with a mass audience. Hopefully this doesn't prevent the networks from continuing to give interesting primetime soaps a chance.

NEWS: GOOD WIFE, Clementine Ford, Ann Williams, Craigslist

The Kids are All Right: Ann Williams stories keep bubbling up
The impact of Ann Williams is still being felt and her legacy continues to shine bright.

GLEE's post-Super Bowl episode: Springsteen or Michael Jackson?
Word on the street is that, in GLEE's post-Super Bowl episode, the McKinley High kids will be singing either the songs of Michael Jackson or Bruce Springsteen.

P&O Cruise Ship Sails Into Aussie Soap NEIGHBOURS
P&O Cruises, part of U.K.-based global travel group Carnival, is being featured in two episodes, which air on Wednesday and Thursday this week in Australia. The international company will get more bang for its buck when the episodes are aired in the rest of the 50-odd countries in which NEIGHBOURS is screened in the coming months.

LONE STAR Falls in Second Airing, Future Looks Bleak

Despite airing an excellent second episode on Monday night, LONE STAR failed to improve upon last week's dismal premiere numbers. The show drew 3.8 million viewers and a preliminary adults 18-49 rating of 1.3 -- the same number as last week. LONE STAR also dropped hugely after its first half-hour, down 44%, and lost to GOSSIP GIRL in the demo.

Most shows were down in their second week and that is expected, but LONE STAR desperately needed a significant bump to survive cancellation. The show was hoping the DVR numbers from last week would help, but they also failed to provide much of a boost.

PREVIEW: Tonight's LONE STAR

LONE STAR returns for a second episode tonight on FOX at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Unless there is a significant ratings increase, many feel the show will not survive. So tune in!

Here is the episode synopsis:

LONE STAR “One in Every Family” Season 1 Episode 2 – In order to ease Clint’s suspicions regarding the new windfarm deal, Bob recruits the man who taught him everything about being a con man to help him with the scheme: his father. Meanwhile, Lindsay begins to realize that she may not know Bob as well as she thought, and Cat is forced to repeatedly bail her brother Drew out of trouble

Cast: James Wolk as Robert/Bob Allen; Adrianne Palicki as Cat Thatcher; Eloise Mumford as Lindsay; Jon Voight as Clint Thatcher; David Keith as John Allen; Mark Deklin as Trammel Thatcher; and Bryce Johnson as Drew Thatcher.

Guest Cast: Alexandra Doke as Grace; Sarah Jones as Gretchen; Beth Broderick as Carol; Brandon Smith as Ed; Akai Draco as Bartender; Brent Anderson as Captain; Denton Everett as Officer James; Richard Sanchez as Security Guard; Jeff Kribs as Windfarm employee; Nicolette Doke as Young Grace

James Wolk's Appearance in the Nuke Storyline

Sexy LONE STAR lead James Wolk appeared on AS THE WORLD TURNS in 2008 in the special Valentine's Day episode as a sailor (he went by Jimmy Wolk then). If you'll recall, this is the episode in which every couple kissed but Luke and Noah setting off a firestorm of emails and letters from fans to the mainstream media about what was, by then, an obvious kissing ban for the show's gay couple. Watch the clip below.

NEWS: Zach Gilford, Kyle Killen, Britney GLEE, Heather Locklear

VIDEO: Preview of the Britney Spears GLEE episode
Check out the sneak peek which also features John Stamos.

Hans Obma made his GENERAL HOSPITAL debut on Friday
He recently filmed three episodes as a Russian named Horvat, who shares scenes with Babak (Dimitri Diatchenko).

FNL's Zach Gilford cast opposite Aimee Garcia in ABC midseason drama
Garcia will play a local who falls for Gilford’s plastic surgeon character in multiple episodes. The Shonda Rhimes-backed OFF THE MAP centers on a group of doctors that work at a remote medical clinic in South America.

Creator Kyle Killen wants to save LONE STAR, writes open letter to fans
“For us to survive we’re going to have to pull off a minor miracle. Statistically, new shows tend to lose viewers in their second week. We’re aiming to gain them. In fact, screw it, let’s just double our audience.”

Save LONE STAR!

Uh oh! One of the best new "soaps" to launch in primetime in recent years is on the chopping block...after ONE episode.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ratings for Fox's LONE STAR were so abysmal in its first night that the network may cancel it before airing another. Could airing a pilot at the same time as the Season Premiere of DANCING WITH THE STARS have had anything to do with the low ratings? And THE EVENT? And the CBS juggernaut Monday lineup?

This is not good news, soap fans.  LONE STAR is a quality production all the way.  It does has familiar aspects to it, no doubt.  There are clear influences ranging from DALLAS to NURSE JACKIE, as this show presents intriguing conflicts of power, deceit, and the cost of living a double life.  It is unusual these days for network television to broadcast a scripted drama that isn't an easy-to-figure out formula (ie, the LAW & ORDER and the NCIS franchises).  This show is unpredictable, suspenseful, sexy (see photo), and requires a certain amount of attention from its audience.

As of this writing, this did not appear to be a sealed deal.  If you want LONE STAR to stay on the air, please take some time to let Fox know what you think. The mailing address is:

FOX Broadcasting Co.
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Previous stories directed fans to contact 20th Century Fox and David Madden. This is incorrect. The Fox network is the entity who has the power to cancel LONE STAR so give them a call or write them a letter instead.]

UPDATE: NYMag.com has confirmed that Fox is going to give LONE STAR at least one more airing before pulling the plug on the show. Watch the show on Fox.com now.

NEWS: Daniella Alonso, Dickens, CORONATION STREET DVDs

CORONATION STREET upcoming DVD releases
Up first, the CORONATION STREET Golden Anniversary Collection. This is a 12 disc box set. Amazon describes the product as "The complete CORONATION STREET anthology, featuring all the pinnacle moments of life on the cobbles. The ultimate collector's box set, celebrating the past 50 years on CORONATION STREET, this very special box set includes the following programs: The Stars of the Street--50 Classic Characters, the very first episode, 30 other key and ground-breaking episodes featuring familiar faces young and old, including the most memorable episode when Prince Charles was on set, six CORONATION STREET family albums, CORRIE Controversies, eight special programs focusing on different families and events central to the past 50 years and The Street Undressed. " This set rwill be released on October 11.

New German soap debuts
WEISSENSEE, a new nighttime soap opera on the German public television network ARD, debuted last week to large audiences. It's the first German television drama of its kind to be set in East Germany.

NEWS: Kimberlin Brown, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Jon Voight

Kimberlin Brown to play a judge on ALL MY CHILDREN
You can chat with the actress on Thursday's episode of "Olivia Wilder Times" radio program. She's already been taping scenes for what promises to be a "juicy storyline."

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood scores movie role to be shot in Toronto
A spokesperson for BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL explains that she will not be recast because her scenes have been pre-taped and will be returning to the soap set in December once her Final Destination shoot is completed.

NEWS: LONE STAR Premiere, HOME AND AWAY, Benard, Jonas

LONE STAR: Two Lives, Two Loves, One Con Man
The New York Times opines: "LONE STAR offers an amusing and novel television conceit, but in an age of Enron and Bernard Madoff, it takes a very persuasive actor to keep viewers rooting for a swindler. Mr. Wolk is well cast. It’s not clear how long LONE STAR can keep Bob’s phony lives aloft, and that suspense is the allure of a drama that straddles the oil rigs of Midland and the skyscrapers of Houston. Texas gave the world the repellently wicked J. R. Ewing in DALLAS and, more recently, the endearingly decent high school football coach of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. With LONE STAR, Fox offers a little of both: a con man who is wicked but endearing. "

HOME AND AWAY scene too raunchy for New Zealand television standards
A "raunchy and sexually charged" scene on Australian soap opera HOME AND AWAY, along with a graphic scene depicting oral sex in comedy-drama series HUNG, breached broadcasting standards, New Zealand's Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has ruled. The complaint was the first about sexual content in HOME AND AWAY to be upheld.

NEWS: Eileen Fulton, Marie Wilson, Lindsay Hartley, Jordi Vilasuso

Daytime legend Eileen Fulton on the infamous Granny clause
In an interview with NPR, Fulton recalls: "I remembered seeing Barbara Berjer, who played Claire Cassen. They grew up her daughter and granddaughter and a lot of people. Here she is looking so beautiful and suddenly they realized, my God, she’s going to be a great grandmother on our show. We have to kill her. So they hit her with a truck. I thought: Wait a minute. That is not going to happen to me."

Marie Wilson cast in second season of WORKSHOP
Wilson joins the web series which was nominated for "Best Indie Web Series (Comedy)" at the 1st Annual Indie Soap Awards. Our friends at Daytime Confidential, Jamey Giddens and Luke Kerr, have joined the production team as well as associate producers.

Lindsay Hartley & Jordi Vilasuso joining ALL MY CHILDREN
Vilasuso (Tony, GUIDING LIGHT) and Hartley (Arianna, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; Theresa, PASSIONS) will be joining the cast as Griffin Castillo and Cara Finn. Look for Vilasuso to pop up on Monday, November 15, and Hartley to follow on Wednesday, December 8.

NEWS: Y&R Wedding, Peggy Mitchell, Judith Light, Mark Deklin

VIDEO: A YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Wedding Preview
An homage to the '50s -- Victoria is a fan of FATHER KNOWS BEST -- the wedding was shot on the front lawn of the house where LEAVE IT TO BEAVER used to film, Victoria's dress is a replica of one worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1957's 'Funny Face,' and the couple are married by a Judge Anderson, played by none other than Elinor Donahue, best known as Betty Anderson on FATHER KNOWS BEST. "I think it's adorable, I really do," Elinor told ET. "I think it's extremely well written and not overdone."

LONE STAR's Mark Deklin on his early GUIDING LIGHT appearances
"I did do a couple of episodes on GUIDING LIGHT. I wasn’t a contract player because I actually didn’t want to go that route. I was offered a contract at one point and that wasn’t the direction I wanted my career to head in. So I passed on that and continued to starve for a few years (laughs)."

PROMO: Nex Fox Series LONE STAR

One of the most promising new fall series is the FOX soap opera LONE STAR. The show, which premieres on September 20, stars James Wolk as Robert/Bob Allen, Eloise Mumford as Lindsay, David Keith as John Allen, Adrianne Palicki as Cat Thatcher, Mark Deklin as Trammell Thatcher, Bryce Johnson as Drew Thatcher, and Jon Voight as Clint Thatcher. Watch the newest promo for the show below.

NEWS: Adrianne Palicki, Stringfield, Magnussen, Learned

Michael Learned loved working on GENERAL HOSPITAL
"I enjoyed every moment of it and had a lot of fun. Those kids work very hard, especially the ones that have big storylines. It’s nice there because they all are family people. They come to work every day, do their thing to the best of their ability, and go home and take care of their kids."

ATWT's Billy Magnussen on the future direction of his career
"I just want to be involved with good stories. The size of the role doesn't matter, as long as it's a good story. That's what really makes the script. You can have the best actor in the world but a horrible script, and it's horrible; it doesn't matter. It really is writing. This reality show, reality TV shit, it's ridiculous, and it's horrible."

NEWS: LONE STAR, ITV Turns Profit, GLEE, Lea Michele

LONE STAR: If it’s a failure, it’s going to be a spectacular failure
Creator Kyle Killen said of his ambitious soap at the TCAs: “If it’s a failure, it’s going to be a spectacular failure.” Killen sold the show as DALLAS without the cheese. “We hope to go a couple of seasons before we have hair-pulling cat fights.”

Ryan Murphy: We have 4 seasons of GLEE mapped out
"We obviously have to deal with the cast and the show that we hope goes on for years," Murphy told critics. "We've sort of mapped out the first four years with this original cast. The thing about the show is you have set competitions that are true. There are sectionals and nationals, (but we also) want to go to Copenhagen or Moscow for international competitions."

NEWS: CBS Upfront, GLEE, LONE STAR, MacLachlan

Upfronts 2010: CBS Unveils Fall Primetime Schedule
CBS announced its 2010-11 primetime schedule May 19 highlighted by five new series and the move of Monday comedy BIG BANG THEORY to Thursday.

Fox turns to Texas oil for big drama: LONE STAR brings double lives to Houston
The lead character, played by up-and-comer James Wolk, is a charismatic con artist who’s living two different lives with two very different women. As "Bob," he resides in Houston as husband of the beautiful Cat (Adrianne Palicki) and, perhaps more important, son-in-law of the powerful Clint (Jon Voight), the patriarch of an ultra-rich Texas oil family.

NEWS: Smart TV, Tin Funnel, Dark Shadows, LONE STAR

Producer Richard Zanuck Talks Dark Shadows Delays
"It's unlikely, while everybody intends to make the picture, and we're still working on the script and all the rest, it's unlikely that we can start it earlier than the beginning of next year," he continued. "Johnny had committed and he has to do Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides first. He had a long-standing, firm, unchangeable contract to do that. That's a big project and he doesn't start that until later in the summer. So there you have it and we're waiting in line."

HOLLYOAKS plans 'brilliant' murder producer Paul Marquess teases
The Channel 4 soap's new boss - who has been dubbed the 'Axe Man' after cutting numerous characters from the program - is making numerous changes to the long-running show and is thrilled to be working on a "clever" new plot which will see the demise of another village resident. He said: "Next January, there's the most brilliant murder. It's just brilliant - it's so clever. It's not my idea, it was one of the writer's. We're not going to kill 15 characters in one go. There is going to be something later in the year. It's not what people expect."